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EIGHT
~ Zane ~
My mind was elsewhere as I stared out the window.
It had been an eventful yet sexually frustrating weekend. We had managed to explore a lot of each other’s bodies, but I could tell she wasn’t quite ready to go all the way, and I was beginning to understand it was her fear getting in the way. Ever since her surprise visit from Seth, Elina hadn’t been the same. She was still the strong, beautiful woman I adored, but I could see the shadow of fear underneath her eyes from every sleepless night. I knew that as long as she was in that house, there would be no chance of her relaxing.
Unfortunately, my thoughts seemed to affect my week’s work. I was distracted and couldn’t seem to focus on anything. It wasn’t long before my boss noticed my unusual lack of productivity and came to talk to me.
“Zane.”
The sound of my name made me jump as I knocked my pen to the floor. My face drained of color when I realized who it was. All I could think was that I was about to get fired.
“Darren, apologies, I didn’t know you were coming. Is everything okay?”
He rubbed his chin, “Funny you should say that I was about to ask the same thing. You’ve been at this company for years, and I’ve never seen you so distracted. I need my IT Director at top form. What’s happening?”
I frowned. He was right, of course. I had always been a hard-worker and continuously produced results, which benefited ComptiWhizz Ltd. Even during my divorce, I had managed to stay on top of my work, but Elina was different. Elina was too important for me to mess up.
I looked across at Darren, unsure of how much to tell him. We were more than just colleagues; we were also friends. He knew about my past, and he knew about all my other baggage, so why not this? Maybe he would have a different perspective to help solve my dilemma.
“It’s Elina,” I admitted.
Darren raised his eyebrow as he shut my office door before walking over to my desk, “The same Elina from your childhood? What about her?”
“She’s moved back into town, and we’ve started seeing each other. At least, I think we have. It’s hard to say. We’ve always got along, that’s why we’ve been best friends, but now there’s something else. I can’t keep my hands off of her. It’s as though we were destined to be together.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Her ex-husband.”
Darren winced and leaned against my desk, “It’s always the ex. What about him? Is he still hanging around?”
“Technically, they’re still married. The divorce papers should be signed off any day now. But he still thinks he has the right to show up whenever he feels like and intimidate Elina. He even said he owned her. I’ve never wanted to hurt a guy as much in my life as when he said that.”
“Sounds like a Class A douchebag.”
I nodded, “And it’s freaking Elina out so much that she’s always wound up. She can’t seem to relax in her own home, and it’s blocking us from progressing in our relationship. I need to take her away from there for a bit. Get her somewhere she can let her hair down and let us truly get to know one another in a romantic sense.”
This seemed to trigger something in my boss’s head as he pushed up from the desk. He lifted one finger in the air and smiled proudly.
“I have just the thing! I’ve got a beachfront house close by that you can borrow for the weekend. It’ll give you both the chance to discover whatever it is that’s going on between you. I can assure you there’s nothing more relaxing than that.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, “I don’t want to put you out.”
Darren waved his hand dismissively, “From the amount that house cost me, it could do with some life in it. You’ll be doing me a favor by checking on everything in my absence. What do you say?”
I grinned and stood up, slapping Darren on the back in acceptance.
“That’s amazing! Thank you so much. I can’t wait to go ask Elina.”
“Why don’t you go now? If it means you can get your mind focused back on work, then I don’t mind you leaving a half-hour early. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you.”
It was comforting to know that my boss had my back on this matter. After thanking him once again, I gathered my things and headed out of the office. Surprisingly, the drive went quicker than expected, and I was soon outside her door. I was glad to see her car outside as I parked and rushed up the porch steps.
“Zane?” she asked as she opened the door, “What are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Sorry to drop by unannounced, but I wanted to ask you to come away with me this weekend.”
Her eyes widened, “Come away with you? Where?”
“To my boss’s house. Moreover, his beachfront vacation house. It’ll just be the two of us, and it gives us some time away from here. Time to discover our relationship properly. What do you say?”
Elina chewed down on her lower lip. Despite having just arrived back from work, she was still as radiant as ever. Her makeup was minimalistic, and she looked sleek in her pantsuit. I could see the red indent on her feet from her heels that she must have kicked off when she got home. I knew that if I had been here when she returned, I would have been sure to massage her feet for her. She made me want to look after her, to take care of her, to protect her.
After a few moments, she nodded, “Yes. I’ll go with you.”
