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Ella
Ella promised the guys that she wouldn’t be too long. She just needed to run by her condo and pick up some things to move over to Ethan’s penthouse. Slowly, her things were starting to trickle into his place and take over. He’d already given her a closet to use, just as he had Linc, and she was sure that it was all an elaborate ploy to have the three of them under one roof permanently. Ella had to admit, the thought had crossed her mind on a few occasions since the three of them had gotten together, and she liked the idea of the three of them living together. Today’s conversation only cemented her hopes that the guys felt the same way. If things worked out, she’d have her wish, and that both excited and terrified her at the same time.
The question was, were they to that point in their relationship or not? It had only been a couple of months since the three of them had hooked up but being with Ethan and Linc felt right. She didn’t need more time to figure that out.
Ella put away a few clean dishes that she had left in her dishwasher and watered the plants in her kitchen. She wasn’t sure how or even if she should broach the topic of the three of them making their living arrangements permanent, but she felt that it was the next natural step. Ethan had hinted to them about making that move but said that they could take their time. The only issue that she had with that was that she didn’t need any more time. She knew what she wanted, and it had everything to do with the two alpha men waiting at home for her right now.
As soon as she finished her few chores in the kitchen, she ran up to her room and grabbed her suitcase from her closet. The last few things she had taken over were tossed in a bag or two. Heck, she even used a recycled grocery bag to tote her last load over to Ethan’s place and the guys had a field day with her “luggage”. Now, she was going to take over a suitcase full of her clothing and she didn’t care if that would look like she was about to move into his place.
Ella finished up in her bathroom, dumping some cosmetics and her hair items into the suitcase, having to sit on it to get the case shut. “There,” she said, feeling happy with herself. “Done.” Now, all she had to do was lug the suitcase down her steps and out to her car. Then, she’d hopefully be able to get back across town to meet the guys at Ethan’s in time for dinner.
She grabbed her purse at the bottom of the steps and tossed her jacket on top of her suitcase, pulling open the front door to find her former business partner, James, standing on her front porch.
“James,” she almost shouted, “what are you doing here? You scared the hell out of me.”
“Sorry I didn’t call before stopping by, but I’d like to talk to you, Ella,” he said. “Do you have a minute?” She wanted to tell him that she didn’t. Hell, she wanted to push her way past him and pull her door shut behind herself. The last time she saw him, he was telling her that he wanted to be more than just her business partner. He told her that he was in love with her and that he wanted her to give him a chance, but she couldn’t do that. Ella didn’t feel the same way about James as he seemed to feel about her.
She should have noticed the signs sooner. She should have paid more attention to the signals that he was sending her. He gave her ample chances to catch on, but she just didn’t want to see the signs. It was easier to ignore his advances and go on with business as usual. James started off with small hints—telling her that she looked pretty that day or bringing her in coffee and pastries some mornings. Then, he started with bigger stuff—flowers and little gifts that he brought her, saying that the items made him think of her and he just had to get them for her. That was when the red flags started waiving in her face and she knew she needed to put a stop to his advances, but she didn’t want to mess with the dynamic of their working relationship.
Finally, things came to a head when he asked her out, claiming that they were perfect for each other. He said he had fallen in love with her, and he was sure that she felt the same way about him, but she told him she didn’t. Ella explained that she didn’t want to fool around with their working relationship and that’s when things started to go south. Things got ugly around the office, and it had everything to do with James’ mood toward her and her denial of him.
The next day, he marched into her office and told her that he wanted out of their working relationship. James said that if they couldn’t have a romantic relationship, he didn’t want one with her at all. He said that they should sell their company and that damn near broke her heart. They had built that place from the ground up and selling it off now that they were actually pulling in a profit felt wrong. So, she pulled her savings out of the bank, took out a small business loan, and paid James off, buying him out of their company. Ella became the sole owner of her security firm, and she was damn proud of what she did with it on her own. She didn’t need James, and that had to still piss him off.
“What are you doing here, James?” she asked.
He chuckled, “You’ve already asked me that question,” he said.
“Yes, and I don’t remember you giving me an answer,” she reminded.
“I’d like to talk to you, Ella,” he said again.
“So you’ve said. How about you tell me what you want to talk to me about and then, I’ll decide if I want to invite you in,” she said. She was growing more impatient by the minute, but she wouldn’t tell him that. Ella wanted to get to the guys, but James was blocking her way out and from the stubborn look on his face, he wasn’t going to move out of her way any time soon.
“I don’t like the way we left things,” he started. He looked so down the way he stood on her porch, hands in his jacket pockets as if he was unsure of what his next move should be. Ella almost felt pity for the guy—almost.
She sighed and dropped her suitcase to the floor. “That’s all water under the bridge, James. It’s been years since everything happened—you should let yourself off the hook, I have.” She was being honest too. She really didn’t think much about what happened with James. Once in a while, an old client would call for some upgrades and ask for him, but that was happening less and less now.
“That’s just it,” he said. “I can’t stop thinking about you, Ella. In fact, you’re all that I can think about—morning, noon, and night. God, I really miss you at night.”
“How can you miss something that you never had, James?” she asked. “I mean, you make it sound like the two of us were an item, and we never were.”
James pulled his hand out of his right pocket and pointed the gun that he had in it, at her. “What the hell, James?” she almost shouted.
“Shut the fuck up, Ella,” James growled through his clenched teeth. “You never appreciated me. How easily you forgot that I was the one who brought you into my business. I was the one who hired you on as a partner and let you buy into my company. If it wasn’t for me, you’d have nothing.”
“I built my company into what it is today, James,” she spat. Sure, she was probably poking the bear, but she didn’t care. Gun or no gun, she wouldn’t let him bully her.
“You always did have a mouth on you, honey,” he taunted. “How about I smack that sass right out of you?” he asked.
“Is that what you came here to do, James?” she asked. “To tell me how I’ve done you wrong and smack me around a little bit?”
“I came over here hoping to change your mind about me, Ella. I was hoping that time would have you come to your senses, and you’d see things my way,” he admitted.
“And that’s what the gun is for, right? To make me see the light and have an epiphany. You expect me to change my mind about you out of fear?” she taunted.
He shrugged, “Whatever it takes, honey,” he breathed. He stepped into her house and for just a second, she was sure that she might be able to make a run for it, but he grabbed her arm as she tried to slip past him. “Not a chance, sweetheart,” he drawled. His hand dug into her arm, and she hissed out her displeasure.
“You’re an ass,” she shouted. “Let me go, James.”
