Seven
1480 Words
Emma…
We finish up dinner just as Brutus walks in to clear our plates.
“We are going out for a walk,” Rick informs me.
“Okay, thanks again for the wonderful supper.”
“You’re welcome, but the night is not over yet.”
He stands and pulls out my chair. He reaches around for my hand to help me up, and brings my hand to his lips and kisses it. Unwavering warmth expands my chest and I feel my cheeks glow. I hiss. His eyes dilate and he seizes my reaction by pulling me to his chest and kissing a path up my arm.
What the HELL, Emma!
“How I love seeing you blush,” Rick lands another kiss, higher up my arm. “It makes me want to see just how deep red I can make your cheeks.”
My cheeks flame and I feel a spark of arousal burn within me.
Why is my body deceiving me?
My brain is telling me to pull away from him, but something has me frozen—fear?
Yeah, FEAR. That is what I’ll go with because I’m truly fearful of any other emotion associated with Rick. Yes, it’s fear.
He tongues across my collar bone, sending the foreign burning feeling into my stomach. He tilts my head to the side to have better access to my neck causing my heart to skip a beat.
My n*****s tighten and I hiss out a breath again. s**t … Stop… I will my body to listen.
Bang!
I jump and wrap my arms around myself.
“Damn it, Brutus. What the hell are you doing?” Rick snaps.
I look over to Brutus who stands with a mess of shattered dishes all around him. “I'm sorry, Master, I'm sorry. I will have this cleaned up right away.”
“Yes you will, and you are lucky that I don't take it out on your pay.” Rick turns and pulls me toward the door to leave.
“Yes, Master,” Brutus calls out.
I turn my head to see Brutus picking up the broken pieces. He meets my gaze and winks. Hiding my smile, I wink back at him.
Thank you, Brutus!
The doors of the public elevator open wide and Rick clasps my hand and guides me toward the library. As we round the corner, my eyes widen in surprise.
“NO WAY!”
In shock, I look up to meet his hazel eyes. “Surprise!”
I let go of his arm and bolt to the library’s front entrance.
The biggest red bow I have ever seen covers the doors. I pick the card off the bow and open it:
To my sweetest Emma,
This is for you, my Love.
Rick
“You’re giving me the library?” I ask in disbelief.
“Yes, Love. It's all yours!”
“I don't know what to say.” I reach up and kiss him on the cheek. Heat grows in my face and I look to my feet, shocked at my own actions.
“Thank you, Rick,” I whisper.
His smile brightens his tan face and his eyes grow warmer. “There's more inside.”
I chuckle as I look at the oversized bow. “How do we get in?” I ask looking for the handle.
Rick’s low chuckle bounces off the tiled walls. “Well, we cut it,” he says as he pulls out a pair of gold scissors from his suit jacket and hands them to me.
“The honor is all yours, Love.”
Leave it to Rick to have gold scissors, I think as I hold back an eye-roll. I take the scissors from him and examine the bow for the best point to cut but Rick interrupts me.
“Here. If you cut it on the side of the bow it will all fall in one piece,” he says as he points to the left of the bow.
I snip the giant thing and watch it as it curls its way to the floor. I hear the jingle of keys and turn my attention back toward Rick. He holds the keys out for me to unlock the door.
“It’s all yours,” he repeats.
“Thank you, Rick. I don't know if you understand what this means to me.”
He steps aside. “Just unlock it. I want to get to the best part.”
My breath catches in my chest as I turn the key. Fear punches me in the gut. What if this is a sick game he is playing? I exhale as the key turns and the doors open. The smell of old, dusty books greets me, and I feel an overwhelming sense of security.
My escape.
Rick starts flipping on the lights one by one. I walk to the desk in awe. This is all mine now. It doesn’t look any different from when I left it earlier but it feels different. I run my hand across the counter, my mind already pounding with ideas of what I want to do with it.
“Do you love it?” Rick asks, bringing me back to reality.
I look up to him from across the counter. “Yes, oh yes, I do. I have so much I have been wanting to do with this place—update the system, bring more books in, paint the walls… Wait—” I stop in mid-sentence. “What about Ms. Gale? Oh God, is she okay?”
Rick grabs my hand and pats it. “I bought it years ago from her husband when she started showing signs of dementia. Her husband and I made a deal. She was to continue to run the library until she was unable to. When he died, her son and I sat down to come up with the same agreement. About two weeks ago, her son came to me and informed me that she was going to be placed into a care-home.” He leans down and kisses my cheek. “You will be given an unlimited budget to make this your dream come true.”
“REALLLY? You would do that for me?” I spin around with a giggle.
Rick wraps me in his arms, and my cheeks glow. “Yes! My Love, I would a hundred times over to hear that giggle of yours.”
It’s hard to imagine Rick having a compassionate side and it is causing my mind to play tricks on me. Ms. May’s conversation rolls into my consciousness.
Maybe, Rick is just a scared little boy looking for someone to love him?
His hands shake as he reaches for my left hand; he is searching my face for something, and confusion clouds my mind.
“Rick, are you okay?”
The minute the words slip out my mouth, fear set in. I never dared to ask him that before but with his unpredictable behavior…
His eyes meet mine. “I'm not a good man, Emma. But I want to be a good man for you. Please be patient with me.”
My mind numbs and all words escape me. What is he talking about?
“Please, Emma.” He hesitates before reaching for his back pocket and goes down on one knee. “Please marry me?” He opens a black velvet box with an enormous round solitaire diamond set in a thin gold band.
My mouth drops open and an overwhelming sense of nausea hits me. I dive into his eyes and an unfamiliar flash of emotions flickers to life.
NO! But not only NO, HELL NO! I want to scream. He just backhanded you, throw that in his face along with that HELL NO! Why would I ever want to marry this man? This man has caused me so much pain. But I remain frozen, unable to respond.
Rick stands back up. “I will never let another have you. I love you more than anyone else can. And from our past, I know I can’t force you to love me. But I promise I will let you take your time in wanting me. You will see just how good we can be together.”
Just how good we can be together? I can’t BE with him.
He picks up my left hand and places the ring on my finger. He pulls it to his lips and kisses it. “I am willing to give you time to desire me. But I am not willing to take no for an answer. Remember, Emma, I only have so much patience in me.”
OH, HOLY HELL! How am I going to survive this?
I nod my head.
“Good.” His face comes alive. “Now let’s go celebrate.”
- Writer
