Page 27 of Possessive Mr. Pen

When her watch chimes out an alarm, the happiness drains from her face.

“I need to be home in thirty minutes, so it’s time for me to go.Can we do this again?”she asks.

“Of course,” I assure her.

Her pensiveness grows as we make our way to the entrance.My heart hurts to see the carefree version of her slip away, but life can be so cruel, so I pray to whatever god will listen that she won’t ever have to experience the things I’ve survived.

I wave goodbye as she greets her personal driver and slips into the back seat of her very expensive car.

Reality hits me out of nowhere.

I hail a cab and then, like a complete coward, call Audrey and feign illness to avoid the wedding rehearsal.After asking me several questions, including if I tried on my dress, she tells me to rest well and feel better.Guilt burns like acid in my stomach, but I’m not certain what I’ll do if I see Connor Pen face to face right now.

When my visit with my sister goes poorly the next morning, I return to my apartment, lock myself in my room, and curl up on the bed in my clothes.

In the darkness, my stepfather’s voice and mother’s screams weave within horrible memory after horrible memory.

My boss’s words should not have come as a shock.I shouldn’t let him hurt me like this.

The pain only grows.

In a wild one-night stand, I gave him more than I’ve ever given anyone else.I trusted him more deeply than I’ve trusted anyone else.

He shattered the very core of my being.He broke me.

I may be an uneducated girl from the wrong side of the tracks, but I’m not a whore.I’m not a plaything he can use in secret then discard when the thrill wears off.

It hurts too much.I’ve been too strong for too long.

Aisha knocks on the door.I tell her I’m fine, but I’m not.Everything is just too much.Maybe a day of rest will help me shove my sorrow into a little box in my mind.

I break my vow to myself and request sick leave for Monday before turning off my phone and curling up under the covers.

I’ll be strong again on Tuesday, but for right now, I need to nurse my wounded heart back to fighting form.

Because there’s no escaping Connor Pen no matter how hard I try.

I’m stuck.

Chapter 8

Connor Pen

For the millionth time,I stop myself from pulling out the key card I bought off the building manager from my pocket and taking the elevator up to Hilary’s apartment.

I have to be at work in less than four hours.We can’t both be absent without a valid work-related reason or the rumor mill will have a field day.I’ve been ruthless in the past to protect Hilary’s reputation, so she’s never landed in the company gossip columns, but people talk faster than their brains work.One instance of the boss and his female personal assistant disappearing for a day without explanation would be social suicide for my gladiator goddess.I won’t allow it.

I haven’t spoken with Hilary since I fucked up in the changing room on Friday night.Her methods of avoidance during the work week may have been frustrating, but I can understand them.I don’t know what’s going through her head now.

She even skipped her friend’s wedding rehearsal to avoid me.

The only thing stopping me from breaking down her door is the assurance she only called in a sick day and didn’t put in her two weeks’ notice.

Movement in the shadows at the mouth of the nearest alley steals my attention.I slip through the darkness with my senses on high alert.

A rat shrieks and a cat yowls before little furry bodies streak across the circle of light underneath the streetlight.

I exhale in relief and stalk to a new stake-out position.