“You mean I should leave without doing the job that I was hired to do? “Bonnie felt a little uncertain with him glaring at her like that, but she said nothing.“I did get the impression you could handle yourself in almost any situation. Look at how well you took care of those drunkards? You didn’t even get bruised, and there were three of them.” He said in a tone laced with sarcasm.“I know what you are trying to do, and it’s not going to work. I did need your help, but I managed to lay one of them low.” Bonnie said, absolutely proud of herself.“That was after I showed up”She could feel the blush starting at her hairline and traveling down to cover her entire face.“Yes, well…”He seemed to give up. One minute he was rigid, his posture so imposing she had to use all her willpower not to cower. Then suddenly, he was idly rubbing his forehead. “Let’s get out of here first.”Bonnie hesitated. “Where to?” she asked.He gave her a puzzled look, “Well, you didn’t plan to spend the night
“Please say something, Bonnie” she heard her mother plead. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”“I’m very fine” Bonnie replied. “I left mom. I wasn’t kidnapped.”They were not listening. “Thank God” said Robert, “We can’t wait for you to come home”“That’s why I’m calling right now, dad” Bonnie began quickly, scared that they would talk her out of it…just like they talked her into almost everything her entire life. “I wanted to tell you myself that I won’t be coming home…at least not now. All my life I’ve done everything you have asked me to do, but now I think I want to make this one decision for myself. I will keep in touch as much as I can to let you know that I’m fine and safe, but I won’t be coming home and I sure as hell won’t not getting married to Marcus.”“Baby, we understand that, and no one is asking you to marry Marcus now. Just come home first. That’s all we want”Too bad it took running away from home to get them to listen to her, Bonnie thought sadly. This might have starte
Bonnie fumed and snapped at him. She was really worried and in no mood for his sarcasm.”You know what I mean. What did my father say to you……”David laughed at her reaction, cutting her off. He shook his head, giving her a look that blatantly called her a fool. “I will tell you what I think. Don’t waste your time here, princess. Go back to your rich neighborhood, your fancy car and your fancier friends.”She was so angry, she nearly cried. It had always been that way. She never shed a tear over pain or hurt feelings, but let her get really mad, and she bawled like an infant. His attitude toward her situation infuriated her. David stopped at a traffic light, and she jerked her door open, trying to step out. His long hard fingers immediately wrapped around her upper arm, preventing her from leaving.“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he yelled.“Let me go.” She was proud of her feral tone. “Did you hear me? Get your hands off me.” She struggled, pulling against his hold.“Dammit
“I see.” Bonnie said quietly. She wasn’t sure how she felt about him hanging around her and watching her, but at least this way she didn’t have to always be worried about her father finding her and forcing her to go home anymore. This way, she could get what she wanted. “My apartment is close to here. You can drop me off and be on your way” “I don’t think so” David replied. “I won’t be doing a good job of watching you if i left you alone, would i?” “What did you say?” She asked. He didn’t reply, but let her figure out what he meant by herself. When she did, her mouth opened, but all that came out was, “Oh God.” Lifting one dark eyebrow, David felt triumphant. She was already realizing the implications of insisting not to go back to her parents…He hid his chuckle and said, “Come again?” Bonnie shook her head, then at the same time said, “Nothing…” She heaved a sigh, straightened her back, and then nodded. “Okay. I think we could try and see how it goes.” David stared at her, tr
Crystal Lakes, as exclusive and ritzy as it was, sat only about twenty-five minutes from the lower east side. It was one of those areas where you could feel the gradual change as you left hell and entered heaven. The grass started looking greener, the business district slipped away, and eventually everything was clean and untainted. Bonnie pointed out her house, a small white one, with a front porch. It looked as if it had been standing there for more than a hundred years, and was surprisingly different from the newer, immense homes recently built in the area. There were lights in every window, providing a sense of warmth. All in all, the place was impressive, but not quite what he’d expected. Somehow, he’d envisioned her stationed in real money. Any truly successful businessperson could afford this house. David stared around the isolated grounds. “So you decided to live here by yourself?” She nodded, not quite looking at him, her hands clasped nervously in her lap. “And th
He braced his hands on the door frame, deliberately looming over her. "From this second on, I call the shots, with no arguments from you. If you really want to continue to stay here, you'll do as I tell you, whatever I tell you." He waited until she'd backed all the way into the kitchen, then he added, "You understand all that?" Bonnie's mouth opened twice, but nothing came out. She was too stunned to think rationally, too appalled to react with any real thought. David dropped his arms and stepped completely into the kitchen, watching her, and by reflex alone, she started sidling toward the hall door. She had made a terrible mistake. Her instincts had been off by a long shot. David's smile was pure wickedness. "Where ya' goin', Bon Bon?" "I, ah, I just thought of something..." she replied. Like a loud blast, his laugh erupted, filling the silence of the kitchen. She halted, a spark of suspicion beginning to form. "What is so funny?" "The look on your face. Did you think
He hesitated another moment, then stepped outside, pulling the door shut behind him. Bonnie watched through the window as his car drove away, wondering where he was going, or what he was going to do, but knowing she didn't have the right to ask. Perhaps he had a lady friend waiting for him. Of course he does, Bonnie, she told herself. A man like him probably has dozens of women. But they're not ladies. He wouldn't want a lady. And for some reason, that thought sent a small, forbidden thrill curling through her insides. ________________________ Anger and frustration were not a good combination. David didn't understand himself. Or more to the point, he didn't understand his reaction to Bonnie. He'd been a hairbreadth away from kissing her. Not a sweet little peck. No, he'd wanted his tongue in her mouth, his lips covering hers, feeling her urgency. He'd wanted, dammit, to devour her completely. And she would have loved it, he could tell that much from her racing pulse and he
Spread across David’s coffee table, several papers were scattered, including his laptop, phone and gun. The faint smell of lemon lingered in the air, a scent that reminded him of the late Rick Sanchez house. Rick had been obsessed with Pine-Sol like it was a geriatric version of crack cocaine. Everything, including the hardwood floors, had been doused in the stuff. David had spent many of his afternoons after school using the hallway downstairs in the quiet home as a Slip N Slide. Rick had always kept everything neat and clean, to the point that it was borderline disturbing, which explained why David, as an adult, couldn’t stand things to be displaced or messy. Everything had to be in order and have a purpose. And what was resting on his coffee table definitely was not a part of the plan—of any plan. David took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Well, shit on a shitter.” Rick rolled over in his grave. He had always hated cussing, and while David tried to remember and live by wh