AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Are you okay getting in alone?”
She nods slowly, “I’m good.”
I watch Michelle as she gets out of the car and walks to the passenger seat.
“Her jacket and purse are on the back seat,” she tells me.
“Okay.”
“Sid. You’re going to be okay. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
Michelle leans in and kisses her cheek, then whispers in her ear. Sidney nods and hugs her back.
“Thanks for being there tonight, Michelle.”
I watch as Michelle enters her building and the foyer door closes behind her. I pull out of the parking lot.
“Archer, I’m—”
“Not now, Sidney.” I reach across and squeeze her knee comfortingly, trying not to let her feel my anger.
We drive in silence. I force myself to be calm, but inside I’m conflicted. My adrenaline rush and anger since the moment Michelle had called until now have been on a high. Now that it’s beginning to wear off, I’m faced with some stark realities. When I heard that Sidney was in trouble, I was scared – thoroughly. And now I have to examine the reasons for that. It’s more than being upset with her for getting herself into danger. It’s more than just the professional concern of a client being in crisis. This is Sidney. And though I have been skirting around the issue for the past months and relegating our little trysts as casual office sex, knowing that she was in danger tonight forces me to confess. I like Sidney. A lot.
“A-Archer? This isn’t the way to my apartment.”
“I know. We’re going to my place.”
“But—”
“We’ll talk when we get there.”
Obediently, she shuts up. I continue to drive.
Chapter eleven
Sidney
Iwiselyremainsilentas instructed. I know Archer is pissed and I have no idea what I’m going to do. My heart is beating like a drum at the ominous tone in his voice. I look through the window, noting the houses we are passing. This is clearly an upscale neighborhood. I wonder which of the homes we pass will be Archer’s. After a few minutes, we turn into a gateway. I watch him press a button on the dashboard and the gates light up and swing open. He drives through and they close silently behind us. I cannot help but feel as though I have exchanged a low-security prison for a high-security one.
I look at the curved driveway with trees. The lights at the bases of the trunks make them appear majestic in the darkness. He stops in front of the garage and presses another button. The door rolls up and he drives into the spacious area. I sit and wait as the door rolls down. He turns off the engine. And there is silence. All that can be heard is the sound of our breathing. Tension creeps over me.
He slowly gets out of the car and walks to my side. He opens the back door and retrieves my belongings, then he opens my door and extends his hand. I take it nervously, meeting his eyes as I step out. His gaze is inscrutable. I squeeze his hand slightly and I see a flicker of emotions. But he masks it quickly.
He reaches behind me to close the door and then leads me into the house. He slips his shoes off in the kitchen and I do the same.
“Archer, I really just—” I start to say, but he stops me.
“Sidney, we’ll soon talk. Okay?”
“But I just want to say—”
“Sidney, please.” The cold edge in his voice makes me swallow my words. I have never felt this much tension between us before, not even when we were fighting our sexual desires. He releases my hand and places my coat and purse on the kitchen island. He leaves me standing in the doorway as he walks deeper into the room and begins rustling through the cupboards. I notice, for the first time, that he is in casual attire, and I must admit that he looks good. He comes over to me with a glass of water and hands it to me.
“I’m not thir—”
“Drink,” he orders.
Obediently, I swallow half the glass. He watches me like a hawk, and I feel the color rise to my cheeks. It reminds me of the way he looks at me whenever we have sex. I drop my gaze as I finish the glass of water. He takes the glass from me and goes to the sink. Wordlessly, he picks up my jacket and purse from the island and turns to me.
