Overcoming Fear (Growing Pains #2) (44 page)

Krista nearly went searching in her bag for
her dunce cap. She flat out couldn’t see the problem. “But...isn’t
that a good thing? I mean...we are doing good work. Isn’t he
pleased of what we can accomplish?”

“Very, yes.”

“Right. Okay, I am not understanding what
the problem is...”

Sean sat down in the chair in the corner of
the room. He leaned back and crossed his long legs. “Tory took his
business and made it into the giant it is. Many conglomerates
change CEO’s like they are going out of style. Any hiccup, any
negative change with stockholdings, and they change leadership.
It’s a hard position. Tory has been in that position for over
fifteen years, and increased their value every year. Even in a bad
economic climate. Many call him a genius at business. It’s hard to
impress a man like him. He has seen it all and usually sees through
all facades. But we impressed him.” Sean finished and stared out
the window in consternation.

So…that sounded great. Krista would be
smiling instead of moping. Her dunce cap felt a little tight. “And
why aren’t we supposed to feel good about that?”

He turned his currently sun infused eyes on
her. His blond hair made his tanned skin seem exotic, as if they
were in the Bahamas. His arms showed his muscle definition even
when he was relaxed. Krista forgot the point and got a pang of
longing. If she wasn’t so relaxed she’d try to get some sex
orchestrated.

“To impress Tory is great news, yes.”

Krista tried really hard to focus. She
couldn’t stop looking at his bulge, though.

Impervious to her stare, he went on.
“However, to impress Tory is to open yourself up to more scrutiny.
He only agreed to work with us because you blindsided him at that
charity dinner. You showed a prowess in your field, and a loyalty
to me, that he wasn’t expecting.” Sean’s eyes went soft. Then the
troubled expression worked its way back. “Then we danced around him
with facts, figures, and original, yet doable, ideas? Tory doesn’t
take things at face value. We surprised him, so he had to find out
more.”

“Do we have something to hide?”

Sean smiled. “Us? No. The company? Yes.”

Krista’s stomach tightened up. “Oh. Can you
tell me what?”

Sean’s head swiveled to her. “You. Me.
Marcus. Ben.”

Krista shook her head in confusion.

“Our team, and how poorly we are paid.
Basically, how easy we are to steal,” Sean finished with a bitter
smile.

“Well, I am new, so that makes sense for me
to be paid low. But I will work on getting more, so there’s that.
Ben is new, too. And part-time. And Marcus never really could get
his ideas across, so that makes sense. But I thought you--” Krista
let her thoughts drift away. She had always thought Sean made a
ton, but it was very rude to ask. Even for her. Well, at least
until he knew she wasn’t in it for the money. Then, open season,
social etiquette be damned.

“You thought I made a lot? Yeah, so did I.”
Sean turned away again. “Plus, I am number one in line for John’s
Junior VP position. That comes with a great bump. Also, it comes
with leverage if I want to move on. I would be a fool to leave
before I had that position.”

“Right. So... what’s the problem?”

Suddenly Sean seemed to make up his mind. He
jumped up with a graceful, catlike motion. “Let’s talk about it on
Monday. This is work stuff and today is Sunday. It is illegal to
talk about work on Sunday.”

The change in direction was strange, but not
unwelcome. She had to check out.

They gathered up all their things and made
it home in no time. There wasn’t much traffic and their
conversation had no impediments anymore. They talked about all
things stupid and noteworthy combined, never a lull for
conversation. It was just like the old days, but now there was a
new note of intimacy which made everything that much better.

Chapter Thirty-One

When they neared their collective homes,
Sean got a burst of anxiety. Kate’s repeated calls were weighing
heavily on him. She’d called periodically, checking to make sure
Krista was in sight, or at least safe. She advised Sean to take her
to his house, regardless of how they felt about each other. Given
that Kate would’ve rather Krista lost his number altogether for how
he’d jerked her around, it was more than worrisome.

“Why don’t you just come to my house,” Sean
said casually as they turned toward the beach. They had about three
miles until they were there.

“I will. I need to get my stuff for
tomorrow, though.”

“We can just stop by your place on the way
to work.”

“Ah but, I have a surprise for you. Plus, I
want to get my hair products and razor and what not.”

Sean felt a tingling at the base of his
cock, “What surprise?”

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be as
shocking.”

He hated how easily she could distract him.
“Does it involve your body in some way?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe something flavored? Or a piece of
fabric?”

Krista laughed and reached over to run a
firm hand up his leg to his crotch. “I have flavored, but that
wasn’t the surprise. I have a few other toys you might like.”

Sean gulped. Then, because he couldn’t help
himself, he lifted his foot off the pedal to slow down a little and
said, “Rub. Please.”

Krista didn’t. Instead, she unzipped him and
pulled him out. The tip of his cock was moist, making the air
licking his exposed skin tantalizing. Krista undid her seatbelt and
leaned over, sucking his manhood into her mouth.

“Ohhh,
Krissy…” Sean said, trying to focus on driving, but barely
able. He cut into the avenues, slowing to a near crawl.

She pushed her face to his balls, taking as
much as she could before gagging. The feeling of her throat muscles
squeezing him was the best feeling he could imagine. Until she
forced herself lower, gagging, but pushing through it. She was
trying, and succeeding, to deep throat him. She was one helluva
woman.

“Have to…stop,” Sean said as he pulled over.
It was a mostly clear day in the Sunset, so he hoped no one would
notice the scene in the car.

A few more tries had Krista nearly mastering
the practice, now wasting no time exploiting it. His tip hit the
back of her throat, then her mouth withdrew, sucking his soul out
through the tip of his dick the pleasure was so deep. He fondled a
breast, reaching into the bra as she sucked him back in, mashing
her face against his base.

“Close,” Sean wheezed, his balls
constricting.

She pumped harder, her saliva running down
his shaft, hard sounds of suction filling the car. His world
slowed, all his focus on his cock, feeling the build-up,
half-pausing, and then—

He jerked away from her to finish in a
napkin, keeping her face clear and clean of the mess. His head hit
the headrest and he closed his eyes.

“Keep your eyes closed while I clean
up.”

Sean didn’t even bother to nod. He’d repay
the favor, but right now, he needed a moment to regroup.

When they got to Krista’s house, with Kate’s
worry in the back of his head, Sean said, “Why don’t I wait
here?”

Krista flashed him a smile. “When are you
going to learn that the boogie man doesn’t hang around these
parts?”

His returning smile was less than sure. He
didn’t want to let her go. “Want me to come with?”

Krista gave him a level gaze, “Sean McAdams,
I love you, but you gotta give me twenty minutes, okay?”

Sean very nearly told her about Kate’s
calls. Instead, he nodded. She’d just say Kate was overreacting and
he was overprotective.

“Okay. Beach in twenty?”

“Sure.”

Sean watched her frolic to
her door. He got the girl.
I’ll be
damned.

~*~*~*~

When Krista walked into her house, glowing
from her weekend, she made a bee-line to her room to drop
everything off. Then she headed out to the living room to see if
Ben was home so she could talk about what Sean had said. She
couldn’t understand why he wasn’t over the moon about it. She
was!

When she got out there she heard Ben talking
to someone. She couldn’t see who, but didn’t want to interrupt, so
she went instead to the kitchen, got a glass of water, then headed
back to her bedroom. She had a date to keep.

Passing the living room again she heard Ben
call her name.

Intrigued to meet one of Ben’s art friends,
she answered immediately, hurrying in. As she came into view Ben
stood up. His body was slightly hunched and his face was etched
with concern boarding on fear. Krista looked at his friend.

The world went black, then
Technicolor, as she looked in disbelief at
Jim
.

In her house.

In San Francisco.

Nearly two years after she’d left.

It seemed like no time had gone by at
all.

He was sitting on her couch
as if he owned the place. Even now, even after all he’d done to
her, he still looked as dark and handsome as he ever had. Except
now she noticed the sleazy smile plastered on his sardonic face.
His hair was a bit longer with that same familiar wave. His eyes
looked sunken, but his features still bore that dangerous
attractiveness that entrapped women from the word
go
. Danger lurked in
those black eyes as he looked Krista over. Danger and possession.
Nothing had changed.

“
Jim. How did you find me?”
she asked in fearful disbelief, wondering how she’d ever missed the
crazy in those dark eyes.

“I have access to the Internet and a phone
book, Krista. I knew you wanted to be found. You always liked
playing hard to get. That’s what I like about you. But now it’s
time you came home. Your vacation is over.”

Fear coursed through her hollow veins. She
felt the shiver of it as it tumbled and pooled through her
memories, lending new depth to past horrors.

“
I have a court order, Jim.
You aren’t supposed to contact me,” her voice quivered. She
couldn’t help it. Fear was a strong deterrent to power.

“Trifles. Let’s chat in your room. I’m sure
Ben has other things to do,” Jim’s flashing black eyes caught Ben
like a hunter through a rifle scope.

Krista followed those knives to Ben, sitting
in his chair like a cornered, trembling rabbit.

“I can hang out if you want, Kris?” Ben
said. He had more courage than she did. He also didn’t know what
Jim was capable of.

Jim stood up, all six feet, four inches of
him. He was a powerful man, solidly built. He was a tower of muscle
when Krista was with him, but now he had even more bulk. He’d been
lifting weights. He was also mean, manipulative and vindictive. He
would knock Ben into next Tuesday without much effort.

Suddenly Krista was not only afraid for
herself, she was afraid for Ben, too.

“Her name is
Krista
, Ben. And I thank
you, but I would like some time alone with my fiancée.” Jim grabbed
Krista by her upper arm. His large hand fastened her with a grip
she remembered all too well. A grip she had tried so many times to
break, and only succeeded in giving herself nasty bruises in the
process.

Ben moved as if to help, but Krista knew it
would be fruitless. Jim saw it, too.

“Ben,” Jim said in a voice out of a horror
movie. “I’d sure hate for anything to happen to Krista. I’m sure
she would appreciate it if you let her be. It’d be easier for all
of us in the long run.” Jim seemed to flex from head to toe with
his last words, hovering over small, mousy Ben.

Ben gulped and his eyes got as big as his
face. He wasn’t backing down. It must’ve been yet another entry in
man-code: Do not try to reason—fighting is the only way. Man-code
was not logic, however, and Krista didn’t want to see Ben hurt.

“It’s okay, Ben,” she said, trying to keep
the fear from her voice.

Jim’s face split in a sarcastic smile. “You
see Ben? My lady wants to be claimed.”

Krista was dragged from the room toward her
bedroom.

She was severely fucked. Jim took what he
wanted. If he wanted her, then he would rape her without question.
Had in the past. In his eyes, she was his. End of story. All the
grief and hassle she caused him meant nothing to that need to
possess her. It just meant it would be paid back to her in
pain.

“Which one is it?” Jim snarled.

Krista stuttered and pointed, pushed toward
the open door and was thrown to the ground. The door lock engaged
behind her.

Jim paced the small room, surveying
everything with a detailed eye, then settled himself on the
bed.

“You look decent, Krista. How do I
look?”

From the floor, looking up at him, Krista
tried to regain her sense of self. She tried to find her personal
power. She tried to remain a human being. But it was all lost. Her
world was colored in fear. She could only hope Ben was calling for
help.

“If I scream people will come,” she said
lamely. It wasn’t the first time she’d said those words.

Jim laughed with a hollowness that set her
teeth chattering. “That ain’t a very nice thing to say to your man,
Krista. You know I spent time in the clink for you?” He looked her
over, storm clouds gathering. It was the lethal Jim coming out now.
The retribution Jim. The one that punished. “Calling the cops on me
wasn’t very nice.”

“You
broke the law, not me. You getting locked up wasn’t my
fault.”

“Oh, but it was. If you’d been a good girl
like you shoulda been, we wouldn’t be in this fix, now would we?
But I had to teach you a lesson, didn’t I?” Suddenly Jim was up and
grabbing her by the hair. She cried out before he had his hand over
her mouth.