Running From Destiny Read online

  He looks at me with fire in his eyes. His lips meet my neck and he leaves soft kisses in a path down to my collar bone. I hear a moan in the room and I realize it’s me. “Jackson....stop...” Is all I can breathe out. But he doesn’t listen to me, as usual. He presses me against the wall and reaches for my shorts, shifting my legs to allow him to pull my shorts and panties down to the floor, his nose lingering between my legs before he stands up.

  Then he undoes the button on his slacks, his impressive erection springing from its confines. He strokes it a few times and I feel my clit throb and my pussy clench at the erotic sight before my eyes. I’ve never watched a man stroke his junk and I find it highly erotic.

  He kisses me again, but this time it’s softer, tenderer. He puts his hand under my ass again, gently lifting me back up while still pressing my back against the wall. I wrap my legs around him again and he enters me in one fast thrust. My head rolls back and hits the wall, but I don’t care. His fingers press into my hips as he continues, thrust after punishing thrust. The only sounds are our heavy breathing and the smacking sound of skin on skin.

  He pulls back, leaving only the tip of him in me and he looks deep into my eyes, then thrusts back in, one hand traveling to my breast where he cups it through my tee shirt, stroking his fingers over the hardening nipple.

  “I’m not going to last, Ally.”

  He reaches in between our bodies and presses his fingers to my clit, roughly rubbing and stroking the hard nub. “Come for me, Alexandra. Let me feel you come around my cock.” He whispers and I explode.

  My eyes roll back in my head and I feel the muscles of my channel gripping him, squeezing his release from him. “Fuck!” He yells in my ear. I know by now the neighbors are probably hearing him fuck me against the wall, but I don’t care. Suddenly he stills and I feel his hot fluids drench my insides, his knees locking as if he thinks he is going to drop me. He takes a couple of slower strokes, finally easing out of me and my legs find the floor and I feel his release running down my thighs, dripping on to the hardwoods.

  “Shit, I’m sorry Alexandra. Did I hurt you?” He says as he strokes my cheek.

  “No, but I think you forgot a condom.” I answer as I look at the small puddle on the floor between my feet.

  He turns away from me, pulling his pants up and tucking his cock back into his pants. “Damn, I’m sorry, again.” He turns back to me, running his fingers through his hair. “I’m clean, if you are worried about that.” He tells me. “I just had a physical recently, I can provide the papers if you want.”

  “It’s okay, I am too. And I take the Depo shot every three months. I think we’re safe.” I say as he exhales a breath, nodding at me.

  “Shit, I have to get the airport. I’m sorry to run off so quickly, but I had to see you again before I left. I’ll be back in Atlanta as quickly as I can.” He tells me as his fingers lift my chin, so I have to look in his eyes. “Wait for me.” He says as he opens the door and walks to the car that is waiting for him. He doesn’t look back.

  Wait for him? Yeah, right.

  Chapter 13

  The remainder of the week is uneventful and the weekend quiet. I haven’t heard from The Suit. Yes, he’s back to that nick name since he’s gone now. No calls, no texts or emails. Nada, Zip. It’s okay though, really as I’ve been able to concentrate on work. Jackson’s assistant, Stephanie called last week and rescheduled the meeting for the following Friday. Not a big change, only a week and that gives us more time to complete the model and get the schematics ready.

  Tim, Valerie and I go over to the office around ten a.m. We enter the lobby and Mindy is behind the desk on the phone. Her eyes light up and she holds up a finger, advising she would be just a minute. Once she hangs up, she stands up. “Right this way, Stephanie will meet with you in the conference room.

  Tim is carrying the model of the offices and Valerie and I have our arms full of carpet and fabric samples. “Here, let me help you.” Mindy says as she reaches out to catch the hardwood samples that I am about to drop.

  We follow her down the hallway and she opens the door into a bright, sunny conference room. “Have a seat, Stephanie will be with you shortly.” Mindy says as she exits the room, pulling the door closed behind her. Tim sets up the model in the middle of the large table and Valerie and I spread the samples on the other side.

  “Hello. I’m Stephanie Poole, Mr. Bentley’s assistant. Thanks for coming and I apologize for the change in schedule.” She says as she enters the room and shakes all of our hands and we introduce ourselves.

  Stephanie is beautiful. Blonde highlighted hair, pulled back in a tight bun. A few loose tendrils frame her face. She is in a bright yellow power suit, a silky cream blouse and nude heals. She’s about 5’6” and weighs no more than a buck fifty. I shake her hand and she looks at me curiously. “Ally Sanders, very nice to meet you.” I smile at her.

  “Likewise.” She responds. Does she know who I am and that I fucked her boss, twice? Surely not, but that look she is giving me tells me she knows more than she should. I silently wonder what her relationship is with Jackson and think that she is definitely more his type than I am. I shake off the thoughts and pull my mind back to work.

  We go over our presentation and she seems truly impressed. The samples she chose will work very well and I believe Jackson will be happy with the results.

  “Send over the final specs and the final bid contract and we can get started.” Stephanie tells us, Tim agrees and stands to shake her hand. “Thank you for seeing us today. We look forward to working with you.” Tim says as we all stand to leave.

  “Ms. Sanders, do you have a moment?” Stephanie asks me.

  I look at Tim and he nods, “Sure. I guess.”

  Valerie and Tim turn to leave and Tim calls “Meet you in the lobby, Al.” Stephanie closes the conference room doors.

  “Have you heard from Mr. Bentley?” She asks.

  “No, why? Should I have?” I raise my eyebrows at her.

  “No, no. Not necessarily. He just hasn’t called in for a few days and I was wondering. He doesn’t always check in with us, but with this project going on I thought he might.”

  “Why would he call me? I haven’t seen him since our last meeting. Is he not in town?” I play stupid. Maybe I can get some information out of her without her knowing.

  “No, he’s in New York. He had an unexpected emergency come up and he had to leave town rather quickly. I believe his fi.....a friend of his got sick or something, he didn’t really say, but said he would be in touch. If he calls you, would you have him check in with the office?” She asks, worry in her eyes.

  “Sure, but I don’t know why I would hear from him.” I turn to leave.

  “Thanks Ally.” She shakes my hand as I exit the conference room.

  I meet up with Tim and Valerie in the lobby, Valerie giving me the stink eye and Tim just staring. “What?”

  “What did Stephanie want?” Tim asks. I don’t know how to answer, so I tell the truth. Yes, I am capable of that every now and then.

  “She asked me if I have heard from Mr. Bentley. Apparently he had to go to New York unexpectedly and she hasn’t heard from him. Not sure why she thought I might know...” I trail off hoping this answers his question.

  He grunts in approval and we head down to the garage. We travel in silence back to the office and our day goes on without interruption. I call Heather when I get back to the office. “Hey, it’s me. Wanna meet up after work for drinks? I really need to talk about....stuff. I can grab a bottle of wine and a pizza, can you meet me at my place after work?”

  “Al, you know I’ll probably be there anyway. Hell, I spend more time at your place than mine. You grab the pie, I’ll grab the wine.” She says. “See ya tonight!” And I disconnect the call. No, I didn’t say goodbye, I don’t need to with Heather.

  The afternoon is quiet and busy, six o’clock rolls around before I know it and since I’m at a good stopping place, I decide to head
home. Monday traffic is heavy as usual, but my Peach Pass helps to get me home a little quicker than everyone else, most of the time anyway. It amazes me how a Toll Lane can be created and then every accident on the interstate occurs in that lane.

  I stop at Johnny’s Pizza and grab a deluxe pie and some garlic knots and make my way to the apartment, Heather is already there, lounging on my sofa scanning the television. “Hey.” I say as I drop my purse and keys on the table, walking into the kitchen to grab plates and napkins.

  Heather comes into the kitchen and hovers over the pizza, taking a deep breath. “Mmmm, smells good.” She moans, reaching into the box to grab a slice.

  We take our plates into the living room, grabbing my laptop on the way. “What are you doing? I know you aren’t working. Enjoy your pizza and wine, let’s find a movie and veg.” Heather says as she stuffs another bite of pizza in her mouth.

  I don’t listen to her and open the laptop booting it up. As I wait, I snack on the pizza and guzzle the wine. I know, I should be sipping the wine and chowing down on the pizza, but I have a feeling I am going to need the wine more than the pizza.

  “So, what’s up with you, Al? Tell me about Jackson. Are you guys still seeing each other?” She winks at me. I roll my eyes and turn back to my laptop, pulling up the search engine. I enter Jackson’s name and my finger hovers over the search button. Do I really want to do this? I’m afraid of what I will find out.

  “I’m searching Jackson right now.”

  “No way! Why would you want to do that? That’s relationship suicide and you know it.” Heather balks.

  “Lying in bed last night, I realized I know nothing about him. Yet he keeps pursuing me. He’s relentless, actually. I’ll get into the details later, right now I want to do this. I have to.” And I press the search button.

  Several pages come up about the magazine and I find nothing surprising. “He has a Wikipedia page?”

  “Of course he does,” Heather peers over my shoulder. “Anyone who is anyone has one of those. Just don’t believe everything you read, that site can be updated by anyone, even people who don’t know what they’re talking about. It usually gets bumped, but it still can be seen by people until they remove it.” She chews loudly in my ear.

  I swat at her to back off, her breath is in my ear and I can smell the pizza. My stomach rolls.

  I click on the Wikipedia link and scan the information. He’s thirty three years old and inherited the magazine from his mother, who passed away nine years ago from cancer. “That sucks.” He grew up in White Plains, NY and got his law degree from Yale University. “Yale? Shit. He’s a fucking lawyer? Why the hell is he running a magazine then?” I asked the computer.

  “Says here he was formerly connected to model Madison Stone, but that they hadn’t been seen together recently. That’s all.” I say out loud to no one in particular as I click Madison Stone’s hyperlink.

  “Gorgeous. Look at her.” I say as I turn the monitor toward Heather. “She has an eating disorder, though and appears she is in a rehab facility in New York. Could that be why Jackson went back to New York?” Heather just shrugged. I continue to scan the photos online and not one of them includes Jackson. I wonder why he is not seen in these photos, if they truly are connected.

  I close my laptop and give up for the evening. I’ll search more later when Heather is not around. I proceed to tell her everything, the night I spent at his condo and the prior week when he came by on his way to the airport. “He fucked you against the wall? Shit, that is so hot! I’ve never been taken that savagely before.” Heather tells me, a bit of jealousy in her eyes.

  “Yeah, tookme by surprise too. But then he told me he had to leave and I haven’t heard from him since. Guess it was a goodbye screw. He confuses me so much. He acts so possessive, but then disappears. He wants to know all about me, but never provides any information on himself, hence the Google search.”

  “Maybe he is just a private person.”

  “Private is one thing. I can respect that. But if he is going to continue to go after me, he needs to indulge me with a little personal info. I refuse to be his booty call. Though, that is exactly what I feel like right now. I still don’t understand why he chose me and not you. By looking at the pictures of Madison Stone, you are much more his type.”

  “Pfft, you’re crazy, Ally. Has this relationship not improved your self-esteem at all?”

  “Relationship? You call this a relationship? I know nothing about him. He’s demanding and infuriating! He doesn’t ask me to do something, he tells me. Drives. Me. Crazy.”

  “But Ally, that’s exactly what you want!”

  “Hell no, it isn’t. I want an equal, not a domineering man with an oversized ego.”

  “You sure about that?” She whispers, and I drop my shoulders.

  “I don’t know what I want anymore. If I was to be honest with myself, I’d say I was ecstatic about having a man take control of my pleasure in the bedroom. But not outside that, I need my freedom and my own independence.”

  “But hasn’t he given you that? You said the sex was amazing, and you work for a living, paying your own way.”

  “Do I? I’ve been given a chance at Project Management, on HIS job! He is the one that requested Robertson to do his work. He knew I worked there, though I haven’t figured out how, because I never told him.” I say as I raise my eyebrows at Heather, she just smirks and keeps eating. “He’s manipulating my life and making things happen that I want to do on my own.”

  “Just give it time, Ally. When he gets back from New York, talk to him. Make him understand that you need that independence and he needs to back off and support you, not change you.”

  “I know, I’m just not experienced in this kinda thing.” I say as I’m waving my hand around the room. “I’m not relationship material.”

  “Of course you are, you just haven’t been in enough of them to know what to do. That’s why you have me.” Heather says as she turns toward the TV. “Now, enough of Jackson Bentley. It’s movie time.” She presses play and we engross ourselves in some Lifetime movie, or chick TV as my dad calls it.

  Chapter 14

  The weeks fly by fast now. I’m focused on work and hanging out with Heather. Three weeks have gone by without a word from Jackson, so I’ve written him off. I guess he got what he wanted and I gave it so freely. I’m sick over it. But, it’s over and I’ve moved on. Or at least I’m trying to.

  His remodel is underway, so my work is done at least until the construction work is completed. The contractor’s take over at this point and we just monitor it. Valerie is heading it up now, and I’m done with my part until the build-out is done.

  It’s Friday night and it’s been a long week. Heather wants me to go out with her, but I am just not in the mood. I put in fifty hours this week and all I can think of is a hot bath and a glass of wine. I know I am not a big drinker, but these last few weeks have been stressful and I’ve given up on self-control. Plus, one glass won’t hurt. Or three.

  By the time the evening comes to a close, I have finished the bottle and my head is swimming. I change the channel to Entertainment Weekly and freeze, Jackson is on TV with Madison Stone. Un-fucking-believable. I turn the volume up and listen.

  “Madison Stone was indicted today on drug charges. This scene here is of her and her fiancé, Attorney Jackson Bentley, leaving the courtroom. Ms. Stone was at a hotel room in Brooklyn when DEA agents raided the property last month, arresting six people, including Ms. Stone on charges of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Ms. Stone is a US Model, adorning the pages of Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Glamour Magazines for years. She has previously been in a rehab facility for drug addiction and an eating disorder. She will face a judge tomorrow for arraignment.”

  Holy Shit! Now I know why I haven’t heard from Jackson. Wait....FIANCE? Well fuck a duck, I’ve really been played. He’s engaged? That cheating rat bastard! Never in my life would I picture myself as the other woman
because I pride myself on not becoming involved with people already in a relationship. My dad cheated on my mother years ago and I’ve never seen someone so distraught. I could never do that to someone else, but I’m angrier at Jackson. He has to be a real asshole to cheat on his fiancé while she’s so sick.

  I call Heather and tell her what I’ve seen.

  “Fuck! You’re kidding, right? Hold on, let me get online.” She says. After she’s searched online, she groans. “Damn it, Al, I’m so sorry. I should have never forced him on you. I should have done what you asked and gotten rid of him that night in the hotel.” Heather is upset, and she doesn’t usually get upset.

  “Its okay, H. You didn’t know. At least I found out now and not later. This could have really gotten ugly. I’m glad that I know now.”

  “Yeah, maybe, but I’m truly sorry. I knew you had a bad feeling about the guy. I was just so excited for you that it clouded my judgment. I’m sorry.” She continues.

  “Enough, H. I accept your apology. It’s okay. Really. It’s been over for weeks, I’ve already moved on.” I tell her this, but I find it hard to believe it.

  “Okay, but promise me you and I can go out tomorrow night? Your favorite place, Temptations has that Poison cover band......”

  “No, not going back there Heather. You know what happened last time. I’m not taking any chances. Think of something else.”

  I can tell she’s pouting on the other end of the phone, but she doesn’t say anything. This situation with Jackson has deterred her from pressing the issue.

  “Hey, I know. Let’s go to Club D, downtown. We can take a cab so we don’t have to drive.” I suggest.

  “Club D? Yeah, that sounds good. Come by here at eight o’clock tomorrow night and we’ll head down early, beat the crowd. Maybe stop and eat on the way.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” And I press the end button.

  I crawl into my bed and stare at the fan circling round and round. I’m hoping it will hypnotize me to sleep, but it’s not working. The wine I drank wore off at the news about Jackson and my heart aches, but it’s not his fault. Well, it kind of is, but mostly I am angry at myself for getting swept up in the excitement and romance of it all. Then I settle on disappointment in myself for actually believing that he wanted me for me. I tried to fight him off and lost the fight. And I should have known.....no, I did know that someone like him would never want anything from me. We are in two different universes and I mentally slap myself for thinking otherwise.