AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Well, good. Now I know that I’m not the only one who gets so affected.
Then heleft me so abruptly that I felt like icy water wasthrown on my face.
“Would you like wine?”
“Sure,” I said. I took the delicate stem he offered me, disguising my confusion by hidingbehind the glass. The wine’s acidity balanced perfectly with the tangy fruit taste. I sat across from him on the couch while my heart hammered in anticipation.
Well, how did it go?
“Thank you for coming here, Jessica. The background check I ran on you was clear, but I do my own extensive research with my PI. I wanted to talk to you about what he found.”
He has a private investigator? God, this guy’s paranoid.
The wine was high in my throat no matter how much I sipped. I didn’t like the detached tone of his voice.
He folded his long fingers into steeples and looked at me. “Do you mind if I ask questions about your background?”
My gaze dropped, and I shrugged. “I guess not.”
“I know that you were a foster child, and that you were transferred from a few homes. The reports mentioned that you had behavioral problems. I apologize if this is awkward, but Ineed to make sure you’re… well-adjusted.”
The wavering wine glass made a ringing sound as I set it down on the coffee table. No one ever invaded my privacy like this, and I didn’t know how to react. Luke took a flying leap over my comfort zone.
“Well, I didn’t have the most stable home life, so I acted out a lot.” I knew no one would ever adopt me, and my foster parents would eventually get sick of me, so I threw fits and smashed things to get me transferred as soon as possible.
He waited for me to elaborate, but there was no way in hell I would talk about my childhood.
“Okay, um… I contacted one of the foster parents you were with the longest earlier today. The Kramers. They mentioned that you were particularly—Jessica?”
Luke’s polite smile dissolved into horror as Icrumpled against my will.
Bill and Shelly Kramer.
Their round faces swam in my mind. I felttheir cruel hands on my flesh, twisting, hitting, and striking me. The belt whistled through the air. The terrifying sound of his leather belt slipping through the loops of his jeans. Their oldest son, Vincent, with his sweet, angelic face. They believed every word out of his psychotic mouth.
The pressure built from holding back tears made my forehead feel like it would explode.
How dare he spring them on melike that?
I wanted to kick the khaki and blue colored blob sitting on the couch.
“You talked to them? What did they—what’s wrong with you?” The last words erupted from my throat. “Do you think it’s okay to pry into people’s lives?”
He appeared in front of me. “It was all in the contract, Jessica,” he said in a kind voice. “You signed it. I do this for all my employees.”
The rage left me with overwhelming embarrassment. “I need to leave.”
I grabbed the door.
“No, wait!” He pushed itshut and used his body to block my path. I turned away, but he took my shoulders. He looked pained.
“Hey, listen, I’m sorry. Please don’t be upset. I know that what I did was way over the line. Please forgive me.”
It’s not his fault. He didn’t know.
I sniffed and nodded, allowing him to steer me back to the couch. Iwiped my eyes as Luke sat down in front of me. His hands fidgeted in his lap, making him look as though I caught him stealing.
“I’m sorry for yelling at you. I didn’t know that was part of the contract. There are certain things I don’t like to talk about and my past is one of them.”
