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Averie
Dinnerwith my parents went well. Both my parents told me they like Samuel. I knew they would. Samuel talked about inviting my dad and brother to a Stars home game soon. They both would love that.
I hadn’t seen Samuel in person for a few days. We both had been busy, but we took out time at the end of the day to FaceTime. We’d planned on seeing each other before he left on his two-week business trip, but I didn’t think that was going to happen because he leaves tomorrow, and I was swamped. He’d invited me on his trip, but I couldn’t leave now. With Countee investigating my firm, my associates scrambling to get back on the winning side and me trying to get my clients back that left, I was barely sleeping at night. I’d spent several nights in my office trying to correct everything.
I thought tonight may be a repeat of nights past, where I’d slept on my office couch. I’d had a meeting with one of the clients that left the firm, and he said he would come back if I was the only one that handled his affairs. Caroline worked on his case previously. I looked through some of her notes and got upset all over again. I can see why he left! She didn’t do half the things she was supposed to do for the client.
“She didn’t do anything!” I’d said out loud even though everyone at the firm had left hours ago.
“You know it’s a sign of mental illness when you talk to imaginary friends, Counsellor?”
I quickly looked up and saw Barry standing in my office. He looked like he’d been asleep for several days in his wrinkled black business suit. His hair was not in the perfectly coifed style he usually wore. Instead, it hung loosely in his face. His blue eyes were bloodshot red, and his skin was flushed.
I pushed back from my desk and stood to my feet.
“Barry!” I tried to sound calm even though I’d begun a mental inventory of what I had close that could be used as a weapon. “What are you doing in my office! How did you get past security?”
He squinted his eyes and studied my face before answering.
“You really are beautiful. Did you know that? You could have had anything you wanted from me.”
My heart started beating wildly.
“Barry,” I continued to speak in a calm voice. “Why are you here? How did you get up here?”
“The security guard wasn’t at the desk. The elevators were unlocked, so I took it as an invitation to come up.”
He stepped closer. I stepped back.
“Please leave my office. It’s late. It’s not a good idea for you to be here. We don’t have anything to discuss.”
I looked for my phone, but it was across the room in my purse.
Damn.
“No, Averie. I’m not going anywhere. You think you are hot shit because you won that case against me. I know you’ve been around here strutting like a peacock with your chest all stuck out. You didn’t win because you are smarter than me. You won because you’re a cheater and a liar.”
“This is not the time or the place to have this discu…”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Spittle flew from his mouth as he yelled and stepped closer. “You’re not talking big shit now that we are alone, are you? I came to collect what you should have given me a long time ago.”
I had thought about trying to make a run for it, but he’d blocked my exit. Even if I did run, there was nowhere safe to go. I knew I was going to have to fight.
Barry moved towards me. I picked up a bookend to hit him with it. He wrestled the bookend out of my hand and threw me against the bookcase. The pain didn’t register because I knew that I was fighting for my life. I didn’t have time to stop, be afraid or feel pain. I couldn’t beat him in hand to hand combat, but I could hurt him enough to at least get out of this office. I tried to scramble away from him, but he pulled me from the ground by the front of my shirt, which ripped in the process, exposing my camisole. He grabbed me by my throat with both hands and pinned me to my desk.
“I am going to fuck you,” he said while moving his hands between my legs to undo my pants. “Then I am going to kill you, black bitch!”
I wanted to stop him from opening my pants, but I needed both hands to try to pry his hand from around my neck. His hand was block my ability to get in air. I started feeling lightheaded, things were getting fuzzy, and I was losing my strength.
This is it…I am about to die…
“What the FUCK!” I heard in the most beautiful baritone voice.
Samuel is here? Am I dying?
I felt the grip on my neck abruptly release, and the air rushed into my lungs. I scrambled to my feet in enough time to see Samuel throwing Barry through the glass divider that separated my office from the other offices. He grabbed Barry by his shirt and shoved him through the glass wall that led to the conference room. I ran to stop him and turned the corner just as Samuel was ducking a punch that came from Barry then delivered one punch to Barry’s jaw. Barry’s eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he hit the ground hard. Samuel watched him fall then lifted his boot over Barry’s face.
“El,” I said with all the strength I had. “No! Please.”
