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“I have the door barricaded. With some plywood I got at Home Depot.”
He gave me an incredulous look. “Why on earth do you need to barricade? Are you under siege?”
“Ha, good one. No, not exactly. It’s just…it’s a kind of bad neighborhood and there have been some break-ins recently. I did it after my boyfriend moved out.”
“Surely you have some family you can stay with. Some friends?”
“No family. Not anymore. Not many friends either and the ones I have are all…out of town. Out of the country, really. For the holidays.”
“All of them?”
“Yes. One of them is from Africa, so he went there. Another is from China. Then one from England and one from France. So…you know, all of Europe.”
“You have quite the international set of friends.”
“Oh yes. They all work at the United Nations, in fact.”
“In New York? That’s quite a commute.”
“Um, no, they work at the Southern branch—the one here in Atlanta.”
“The Southern branch?”
“Yeah, they call it, uh, The UN—Southern Branch.”
“Right.” He got to his feet, shaking his head at my stories, no doubt, but I couldn’t seem to help it. It was embarrassing not to have any friends you could call on during the holidays, and this gorgeous wealthy man made me so nervous I couldn’t come up with anything good on the spur of the moment. He hesitated and then nodded toward the blue gift-wrapped package on the table by the door where he’d left it.
“Well. Good luck. Enjoy your Christmas gift.” He began striding briskly to the door, but he never made it. He stopped on the threshold and turned to look back at me.
“Damn it, it’s no use. I can’t in good conscience just leave you here like this. I suppose you’ll have to come with me.”
Chapter Two
“I-I…what?”
“I can’t leave you to fend for yourself when you so obviously don’t have the resources. You’re coming with me until I can figure something out. Now get your coat.”
I looked down at myself. “I’m wearing it.”
“You don’t have anything heavier than a hoodie?”
“No, sir. This is it.”
He looked stunned for a moment and shook his head. “Of course, it is. At least go pack a change of clothes.”
Since I’d just met him, I hesitated, until his voice cracked over me again like a whip. “What are you waiting for? I said, go.”
I couldn’t move fast enough. I didn’t dare linger over my choices of what to take either, but just jammed some jeans and a t-shirt in a gym bag. I was kind of amazed that I was doing it at all. Like I said, I didn’t know this guy and he could be a human trafficker for all I knew. I’d seen a documentary about that on Netflix. But there was something about him that made me want to do as he said, because without a doubt, he knew better than I did. He was so authoritative and take-charge. It gave me a little thrill deep inside.
When I got back with bag in hand, he glanced down at it and nodded. “Do you have your key?”
“Oh yes,” I said holding it up. I pulled the door shut and then couldn’t see the lock to double and triple bolt it.
“Could you hold my light for me?” I asked, handing him my phone.
He did as I bent over quickly and shoved my ass right up on him. Accidentally, of course. Yeah, I knew it was slutty, but he may as well know what he was getting himself into, right? He gave a little sharp intake of breath, but he didn’t move back. His body, hard in all the right places, was right there and I didn’t rush, but took my time really getting my keys in there.
I straightened back up and turned around, and again there he was, a breath away. I tipped my head back and said, “Sorry to take so long,” and he shook his head and made a little sound like a growl. Or maybe it was a grunt, but it was hot all the same.
