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“I thought you weren’t lost?”
“I’m not, but you scared me. The least you could do is walk me.”
He gave me that million-dollar smile as he shook his head. “Lucky for you, I’m on my lunch break.”
“Then you can join me. See how that worked out?”
“Look at that.” He offered me his arm. “Follow me.”
He led me down to the cafeteria. Not only did he join me, but he paid for my meal. For an hour, we sat talking and getting to know each other. By the time he had to leave, I was smitten. Foolishly, I determined that he was everything I dreamed of. I was honest with him about my age, and it didn’t deter him from asking for my number. Honestly, at twenty, I could have passed for at least twenty-five. He said he liked how I carried myself and admired my maturity.
I spent the entire ride telling Avyn about the man who swept me off my feet. Just like my parents, she warned me about him. What I thought was a flex, she thought was creepy. They all gave up trying to convince me otherwise once they saw us together. He was sweet, loving, caring, and gentle. He always presented himself as a gentleman. He wined and dined me, bought me expensive gifts, and took me on expensive trips. He opened doors and pulled out chairs. He always treated me like I was the most delicate thing in his world. Those actions were what made me submit to him.
He took care of me. He showed me the type of love I was looking for. It didn’t occur to me until this very moment that I had been groomed. I barely knew myself at twenty. All I knew was this fine, older man wanted me, and I wanted him. I was the perfect, unsuspecting candidate; gullible. I was a good girl. I did what I was supposed to. I wasn’t out partying and drinking. I went to church every Sunday with my parents.
The furthest I’d gone with a man was allowing an ex to please me orally during my senior year of high school. I was a virgin when I met him. He told me that I was pure and perfect. He loved knowing that when he could touch me, he would be the only man who’d ever done so. When I was no longer perfect in his eyes, he seemed to despise me.
Now, here we were.
Now, here I was... broken, broken, and touching rock bottom.
Chapter Four
Callum
Two days had passed since my sad encounter with the beautiful Pasha Sinclaire. I couldn’t seem to get her out of my head. I’d never been so affected by what someone else had going on. It wasn’t my business, but yet, I’d somehow found myself involved. She was so helpless, and the fixer in me just wanted to do something to help her. Paying for her hotel stay wasn’t a second thought.
What I did think about was going back to check on her. That might have been a bit much, though. I just wanted to know how she was coming along. What was her mental state? Was she eating? Was she taking care of herself? Had she reached out to anybody for comfort? Surely, she didn’t think she could do this alone. There had to be someone out there that loved her... someone that cared.
“Hello! Earth to Callum!”
Perfectly manicured fingers snapped in my face. I playfully slapped her hands away.
“Don’t do that.”
“I’ve been talking to you for like five minutes, and you haven’t said a word. Have you even been listening?”
“My bad, Bella.” I rose from my slouched position in the restaurant’s chair, where we had lunch. “What’s up?”
She kissed her teeth. “I was just telling you that I got a promotion at work. I made a partner!”
“What! That’s dope. I’m hella proud of you, sis.”
Bella was my younger sister by five years. When our parents died in a boating accident when I was eighteen, it left me as her sole caregiver. I’d just started my freshman year of college and was thrown into being a full-time parent. I ended up leaving school to get a nine-to-five to make sure we were taken care of. Sure, we had insurance money, but after paying off my parents’ house, putting money aside for a rainy day, and for Bella to go to school, there wasn’t much left.
I got a job at a power plant and worked there until she went off college. With Bella away at school, I took the time to go back and get my IT degree and my master’s in business. Things had been on the up and up for us the last couple of years.
Bella was married and had a four-year-old daughter. With her promotion, she was now the youngest partner at her accounting firm. Not only that, but she was also my accountant for business and personal needs. Even though she made great money on her own, I promised to always take care of her. My business was doing excellent numbers, so if I ate, she would eat too.
“We have to celebrate,” I said.
“Martin is taking Precious and me out of town to celebrate this weekend. You’re welcome to come.”
“Nah, that sounds like a family thing.”
“What do you mean? You’re my brother. You are family.”
“I know. I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant it’s intimate. When you get back, I’ll treat you to lunch and maybe some shopping—”
