HAPPY FOREVER AFTER

“Okay…” Daniel said. “You have said a lot of things to me… But I gotta say… I was not expecting you to say that…. What the hell does that even mean?”

“Nothing” Emma replied, angry with herself for saying something. Angry at herself for letting him know just how much seeing him with Michelle had affected her. “It didn’t mean anything. Forget I said that”

“Oh I won’t… You can’t just say something like that and expect me to forget it… I won’t forget you said that… So just answer my question… What made you say that?” he asked

“I said forget it”. She repeated. “I don’t care anyways”

“I hate to point this out, honey, but it sounds like you do”.

He smiled when she didn’t reply. He stepped closer.

“All that passion brings out your fabulous color. You are fascinating, Emma. All woman. I’m concerned about you. That is a new one for me”. He said with mild surprise.

All woman. She thought. Nothing could better describe his friend Michelle. Remembering Michelle’s fingers around him… Touching him. Business partner indeed. Emma blocked his sensuous purr from her senses.

“You really can pick them, Daniel.” she said suddenly, unable to keep it in any longer. “I saw what fascinated you at the office that day. So why don’t you go to her and leave me the hell alone”

His eyes glowed in the darkened room, and his task body emitted a warmth that beckoned hers, despite her turbulent emotions. She recognized his excitement and her own and tried to move away from him.

His sensuous mouth moved slowly. “You are not jealous, are you, Emma? You don’t need to be. Though it gives me quite a certain amount of pleasure to see you turn into a spitfire. I wouldn’t have thought you would react… I know this sounds weird… But I like seeing you this way… It is nice to see you feeling this way… Especially as it concerns me” His eyes glittered beneath the thick eyebrows.

He moved towards her in a movement that raised the hair on the back of her neck. She stepped cautiously away from his approach.

“All we did was discuss the new advertising campaign for my company, honey. That’s all… I promise”. He said. “And Michelle is gone now. I can admit we had a thing in the past, but that is over now. Believe me. I haven’t wanted another woman since I met you.” he inched nearer, his cologne enveloping her.

“It didn’t look like it was over between you two… At least she doesn’t think it’s over between you guys”

“It is” He replied

“You know I don’t even know why we are talking about this,” she snapped. “I don’t care. I don’t care what you do… Or who you do it with. I don’t want to talk about this anymore”

“Fine” he said as he wrapped his arms around her. “I don’t want to talk about that either. I came over to talk about something entirely different. But I promise you, you have nothing to worry about”

She stared at him, her mind reeling. Daniel had caught her off balance, and had succeeded in dampening her fury. She had counted on them having a good fight. She needed one to wipe away her dreams of him. But now he was grinning down at her as if she had made him happy.

Instinctively, she struck out at him. “I’m not worried. Why the hell should I be?”

She pulled away from him.

He frowned. “Look… You can forget Michelle. We needed to discuss some business. We have no ties. That is all in the past. And you are not going to use her visit to conceal whatever is bothering you or place a wedge between us”

A slight tremor traveled along Emma’s limbs. The husky rasp of his voice reached inside her and tugged sensuously at her resolve.

“Daniel… What exactly do you want from me?”

“You Dammit” he said as he pulled her towards him again “I got so mad seeing you with that Ben guy. I want you to be mine. Mine and alone. That is what I want”

She sighed and he continued.

“I want to know why you pushed me away,” he said. “After that night we spent together… We both had a great time… Didn’t we?”

She nodded. Unable to do anything else.

“So why did you push me away the next morning? Why do you keep doing that? We have something growing between us. I don’t know what it is. But I know you feel it too. So why do you insist on fighting it…?”

“I don’t think I’m ready for something like that Daniel” she said and he released her.

“Did you regret that night?” he asked suddenly.

She didn’t say anything. She didn’t regret it that night. Hell, it was an amazing night for her too. But she wasn’t prepared for that question.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“I don’t wanna get hurt. I know how stuff like this ends and I’m not ready to be in that position. Getting involved in situations like this make you vulnerable, make you open to getting hurt and I don’t think I’m ready to give up that control over my life. You might say you won’t hurt me but it always happens. And you may be right. We do have something between us but that is just sex. And it’s not worth getting hurt over something like that. It’s just chemistry. That is all there is ” she said finally.

Daniel stared at her. “We both know that is not true Emma. We have spent enough time together to know that it is not just sex between us… Trust me, if that’s all there is I wouldn’t be here right now”

“So what is it?”

He stared at her. “I don’t know… But we could find out together ”

He reached for her hand but she moved away.

“Well I’m not ready to take that risk, Daniel. It doesn’t work that way. At least not with me” she said

“So what do you suggest we do?” he asked. “Just sit back and ignore whatever it is that we feel?… Act like there is nothing between us?… You want us to do that… Huh? Is that what you want?”

“Yes,” she said. “That is what I want”

He stood there… And for a moment the hurt and anger in his eyes almost made her reach for him.

But then he turned and walked out of her apartment.