Chaos by Sarah Bailey

Thirteen

Scarlett

The rest of the week passed slowly and with no incidents. Not that I expected it to, but you never knew with these men and their mood swings.

I wasn’t sure how Francis felt about me taking up residence in his bedroom. He hadn’t complained or anything. It’s not like I kicked him out of his own bed, but we hadn’t been intimate with each other. After Drake had thoroughly reddened my arse and thighs, I was not in the mood for sex. Francis had eyed it with some amusement and asked me what I’d done to earn Drake’s ire. I had to be honest and tell him I’d brought it on myself. He’d been nice about it, but I’m sure he found the whole thing hilarious.

I’d tried to forget about what I’d done on Saturday. Every time I thought about the killing, it made my chest cave in. Talking about it to Francis helped. Whilst it wasn’t the same for him, he understood my guilty conscience. Sleeping next to him had kept my nightmares at bay. He was my safe space in this messed-up situation I was in. And it kind of helped that he was way too attractive for his own good. I could get lost in his silver gaze and pretend he wasn’t as fucked up as the rest of them. Francis was dangerous. I couldn’t afford to forget it, even when he made me feel at home by his side.

Friday arrived with me hoping for an uneventful weekend. I’d just left my office to procure Drake’s lunch and wasn’t looking where I was going when I ran headlong into a very solid body. Taking a step back, I rubbed my forehead before looking up at who I’d walked into.

“Hello, Scar.”

My stomach dropped. West stood there with a smirk on his face and those amber eyes of his, full of violence. After he’d been nice to me on Monday, I’d been wary of him and what he might do next. The man gave me whiplash every time I was near him.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, not wanting to get into it with him.

I should have known better than to expect him to drop it. He reached up and wrapped his hand around my throat before pushing me up against the wall next to us. I let out a breath as my hands shook.

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

“Doesn’t everyone?”

He grinned.

“Yes, but you’re different, Scar. You’re not scared of me.”

I was scared shitless of him, but I stood up to him anyway. As evidenced by what happened with Drake on Monday, self-preservation wasn’t high on my list of priorities.

“I am.”

My words only made him smile wider. His thumb ran down my neck in a soothing motion.

“Fear makes you stronger… and makes this pussy wet.”

I let out a squeak as he cupped my pussy with his other hand. What the hell was wrong with him? We were in the corridor where anyone could see us, and here he was making sexual advances on me. This man knew no bounds. I don’t know why I was surprised considering he’d made me come in a public place without a care in the world.

“I’ve left you alone, Scar,” he murmured, leaning closer. “Rest assured, I’ll be taking what’s mine very soon. I’m going to fuck all your little holes.”

The hand around my throat squeezed. I hated the way I responded to him. How my body arched into his as if it wanted him to carry out his threat, especially when he rubbed my pussy.

“I’ll make you cry so I can taste your tears again. They’re so sweet.”

There was a cough nearby. West turned his head slowly towards the source of the noise. His eyes darkened significantly when he spied Tonya standing there looking at the both of us with a raised eyebrow. When she saw West’s expression, her face dropped.

“Ahem, Mr Greer, Andrew is waiting for you in the meeting room.”

West grunted and released me before straightening his suit. His gaze went to me again.

“Remember what I said.”

I swallowed, watching him walk off down the hallway and open the door to the meeting room. My eyes went to Tonya, who hadn’t moved. There was contempt in her eyes. She glared at me like I was some kind of wanton bitch for allowing West to feel me up at work. It was hardly my fault he’d done it. The man didn’t exactly take no for an answer. He did whatever he wanted. Surely she knew that, considering she’d been here for years. I only knew because Francis had told me. I barely interacted with her on a personal basis. It had mostly been via email and only ever related to work.

She let out a rather judgemental sounding “hmm,” and looked me over once more. I pushed off the wall and adjusted my clothes, trying not to think too hard about how my knickers were damp with arousal from West’s words and touch.

“What?” I asked, not giving a shit if I sounded peeved.

Who the hell was she to judge me? She didn’t know me.

“I’d be careful with that one.”

“Who, West?”

“Mr Greer doesn’t suffer fools lightly.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Are you saying I’m a fool?”

She gave me a rather fake smile and laughed.

“Oh no, of course not. I’m just warning you, he’s rather temperamental. Though, I suppose you didn’t look like you were upset by his… attention.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and didn’t respond. Her attitude was pissing me off.

“Is that how you got hired?”

I frowned.

“Excuse me?”

She flicked her hand up in the air.

“I’m not judging. Us women have to get ahead by any means possible.”

Had she actually insinuated I’d slept with the Horsemen to get a job here? Who the fuck did this woman think she was? I dropped my arms and took a step towards her.

“I don’t know what type of woman you think I am, but I did not spread my legs to get hired.”

The way she smiled at me had my skin crawling. And only proved why I’d got a bad vibe from her from the moment I laid eyes on the woman.

“Oh, honey, you expect me to believe that? The walls aren’t soundproof. Besides, I know what they’re like. They have rather insatiable appetites.” She winked. “Especially Mr Ellis.”

I stiffened. Did she just make out like Prescott had slept with her?

“He’s been rather lonely this week. I suppose it’s why he invited me into his office yesterday.”

I didn’t want to hear another fucking word out of her mouth. Jealousy and irritation flared inside me. Prescott was mine. I might be angry at him, but there was no way in hell I was tolerating this shit. I might have told Francis I didn’t care if Prescott slept with someone else, but I hadn’t meant it. I cared all right. Far too much.

Even if Tonya was lying and saying shit to piss me off, it didn’t stop the pain from driving through my chest. It didn’t stop the anger flooding my veins at the very thought of him being with another woman.

Not giving her a chance to say another word, I stormed off, shoving by her without a fucking care for her shocked expression. No, I was going to give the man a piece of my mind and make sure he understood if he ever wanted to earn my forgiveness, this type of behaviour was not the way to go about it.

You’re mine, Pres, you’re fucking well mine.

I marched down to his office, threw the door open and slammed it shut behind me. Prescott looked up from his desk, his eyebrows shooting up at the sight of me. He rose out of his chair.

“Scarlett—”

“Have you been fucking other women?”

A frown appeared between his brows.

“What?”

“Have you fucked someone else since me?”

He came around his desk, approaching me with confusion in those blue eyes.

“No, of course not. Why would you ask me that?”

I walked right up to him, meeting his gaze head-on. My heart went into overdrive being so close to him. The man it wanted me to press myself against and breathe in. It hurt so fucking much, crippling me with its intensity. I dug my nails into my palms to stay upright, my knees threatening to buckle and give me away.

“Do not lie to me.”

He raised his hand. It hovered over my arm as if he wanted to touch me but was hesitant to.

“I’m not. I wouldn’t do that to you.” Then he touched me. His hand rested on my shoulder, preventing me from backing away. “All I’ve wanted to do is talk, but you haven’t given me a chance.”

The calmness of his voice didn’t exactly take the wind out of my sails, but it did make me falter. And his touch? Fuck, it was the worst part. I wanted more of it. I wanted him. But forgiveness didn’t come easily. Not when he’d hurt me. Not when he’d made me feel as though I didn’t matter to him.

“I don’t know how to trust you or believe anything you say to me. Not after what you did. But I do know one thing. One fucking thing. If you’ve touched anyone else, we’re done. It doesn’t matter if I’m angry with you, Pres, you’re still mine.” I pointed at my chest. “Mine.”

A part of me almost melted at the way his expression softened. And when he lifted his hand from my shoulder and cupped my cheek.

“My little lamb,” he whispered. “There is no one else for me but you. I thought you knew.”

I wanted to fucking well cry, but I didn’t. He called me little lamb. His little lamb.

Fuck, I can’t hide it from myself any longer. I can’t… Pres, I’m falling for you in the worst way.

“Then why would she say that?” I choked out.

“Who said what?”

Now it seemed so stupid, but my emotions were all over the place. One minute I had West working me up, then Tonya saying shit to me and now Prescott making me want to hold and hurt him at the same time.

“Tonya said you invited her into your office yesterday after she insinuated I’d slept my way into a job.”

For a second Prescott didn’t react, then he dropped his hand from my face and gritted his teeth, his expression turning deadly.

“She did what?”

The rage in his voice made me take a step back.

“She made it sound like you had sex with her.”

Prescott’s fists clenched at his sides and his lip curled up in disgust.

“What the fuck? I swear the woman is delusional. You couldn’t pay me enough money to touch her. In fact, nothing in this fucking universe would be worth it.” He looked at me once more. “I promise you, I have never slept with nor do I have any intention of sleeping with her. You are all I need, sweetness, only you.”

There were a lot of things I didn’t know if Prescott was telling me the truth about or not, but this… well, this I did know. He couldn’t fake his revulsion.

“I can’t believe she said that to you. What exactly happened?”

Despite everything that had gone on between me and Prescott, the sorry story came out anyway. I told him about West and Tonya interrupting us. By the time I was finished, Prescott looked incensed, like he couldn’t believe she had the audacity to speak to me in the way she had.

“That’s it. That’s fucking it. This bitch really needs to learn her place. I don’t give a shit who she is. There is no way in hell I am letting her talk to you that way. She has no right.”

Prescott walked around me and strode towards the door.

“Where are you going? We’re not done talking,” I called after him.

He paused as he opened the door.

“To sort this out, little lamb. No one gets away with giving you shit. Not whilst I’m still breathing.”

And with that, he walked out, leaving me staring after him.