NERTHUS
The gala dinner is by far the worst engagement I ever had.
As I try hard not to faint due to my rising fever, I try to hold the pieces of my heart together that beats painfully in my chest at me being ignored by Arawn.
But the highlight of it is surely reached as he leaves me standing like a moron to go talk to some blonde. She seems to be elated at him talking to her as I can tell from her annoying giggle. I sip my champagne as I keep myself from jumping her and tear out her badly done extensions.
“Look what the cat brought for us to play with.”
I shudder as I turn to look at Jensen but I’m surely feeling more confident to face him here than locked in a car.
“That would make you what? A pet snake?”
He laughs, and I roll my eyes, concentrating back on my angry company as I find him glaring at me.
So, blondie isn’t that interesting.
Jensen starts to talk again as I interrupt him, raising my hand. “Please, my head is killing me. I can’t take your annoying voice now.”
“Oh, come on, baby. You have already been replaced.”
I shrug as my heart gets another blow. “You have to wait just another bit for your turn then.”
“Turn for what?”
A genuine smile appears on my face as Harvey walks toward me, holding his champagne flute out to me for a toast.
“Amber.” He says as our glasses clink and I nod. “Cheers, Harvey.”
“Are you feeling alright?” He squints his eyes at me, and I guess that’s what a considerate husband looks like.
“Actually, no. I’m feeling a bit feverish,” I say, and he offers me his arms to take.
“Allow me.” He smiles at me before nodding at Jensen. “See ya, Jenny-boy.”
I force down a chuckle as we walk away. “Thank you so much. I can’t seem to get him off me.”
“Yeah,” He says, tapping my hand, “You really should stay away from him. Have you talked to Arawn about it?”
I scoff, lowering my gaze. “I’m not allowed to. You should know that.”
“That’s nonsense,” he says, opening the door to a narrow back room. “Here. Take a seat.”
As soon as I’m sitting down with a groan, he disappears just to return with a bottle of water, making my heart rejoice.
“Thank you so much,” I tell him, taking a sip from the cooled water.
Just as he is about to say something, the door swings open, hitting the wall with a bang. We jump in unison as we watch Arawn stalk into the room pissed.
“What the hell?” He growls, causing Harvey to lift his hands.
“She was feeling unwell, so I brought her here.”
Arawn looks at me disparagingly, before sneering at Harvey, “Yeah, sure!”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Harvey asks while I push myself more into my chair.
Arawn doesn’t even seem to pay attention to Harvey as he frowns at me. “What the fuck are you doing in here with him? Already bored of Jensen?”
“Oh my God,” I scoff, biting my tongue. “You have to be kidding me!”
“Woah, woah, woah!” Harvey shouts, finally getting Arawn’s attention. “I don’t care what is going on between you, and how you want to treat your women, but don’t you dare accuse me of cheating on my wife.”
Arawn distorts his face, sighing. “Just get the fuck out of here, Harvey.”
With a shy look back at me, he leaves the room, closing the door after him.
“Arawn, I-”
He avoids my gaze as he gestures with his hands. “Get up.”
“It’s about Jensen. If you want to talk-”
“I don’t pay you to fucking talk.” He shouts at me, making me gulp down my words.
“Sure, I’m sorry,” I whisper, standing up.
I keep my eyes glued to the floor as he walks towards me and lifts me up to sit on a sideboard. As he moves my dress up to stand between my legs, I push down a moan fearing to seem desperate. He positions me for him, and I put my palms flatly onto the wooden surface of the furniture to keep me from touching him. Biting my bottom lip as he pushes into me slowly, I throw my head back, enjoying at least that intense feeling to its fullest.
He is right. I am desperate.
Set on wanting to keep my job, I try to do everything he wants me to, getting through my first orgasm as professionally as possible. His breathing pattern changes, signaling to me that he is close to coming as well as he suddenly stops, cursing.
In the blink of an eye, he has me lowered back to my feet and is driving his hands through his hair.
“Fuck!” He murmurs as I catch my breath, still clinging to the wall.
“Arawn, is-”
I sense that he really has had enough of me talking as he interrupts me once again.
“This isn’t working.”
“What?”
He just glares at me as I shake my head. “I did everything you wanted. What is it?”
“Not desperate, huh?” He scoffs, my breath hitching in my throat.
“You have to stop treating me like a rug, Arawn. I’m over saying the same things to you over and over again.”
As he dresses back up, he grunts, “I’m not listening anyway.”
Wow.
Feeling horribly exhausted, my chest pains at the energy that I have to keep back as I was already ready for a fight.
But it seems as if I can cross that off my list as well.
I let my arms slump, lowering my gaze with a smile. “Am I allowed to go home?”
He nods, and with a sigh, I push myself off the wall. I pass him without saying a word, walking straight into the kitchen.
“Is there a secondary exit?” I ask, getting an indication from a confused waiter.
Pushing out onto the back street of the building, I take a deep breath before turning around. I smile at Dario who is seemingly already waiting for me.
“Are you my ride home?” I ask, getting a decent answer.
Finally.
“Yes, ma’am.”
As I get back home, I change into my pajamas and realize that I don’t want to be alone. Grabbing the last pieces of dignity that I have left, I go to Maria’s asking for a place for the night as I feel too sick to stay alone.
I’m the happiest as she takes me in and coddles me up like a puppy.
And I don’t realize that this will be the ultimate thing that will have him crushing my heart to dust.
***
I have barely entered my apartment after a restful night as my stomach churns at the realization that I have left my phone behind. It is vibrating relentlessly on my kitchen counter as I step closer to it with my heart beating in my throat.
Fuck!
“Where the fuck have you been?” He growls as soon as I have picked up with a shaky voice.
“I was feeling unwell. I crashed at Maria’s because I didn’t want to be alone.”
He hums, and I hear something clicking. “What did I tell you about missing my calls?”
“I am sorry, Arawn. I was really out. I couldn’t-”
“I’m not interested in your excuses. As I said, I’m not looking for a girlfriend.”
I sigh, as he seems to be obsessed with something I cannot get rid of. “This has nothing to do with being your girlfriend. I’m not fuckable as passed out. You said that yourself.”
“Yeah.” He clicks his tongue and finally gets to the point where I thought he was heading to all along. “This is a breach of contract, Rachel.”
Sure.
“And so, you get to punish me?”
The silence between my question and his answers has me thinking that I might have been wrong.
And how I have been wrong…
“No! I’m dissolving your contract. You aren’t worth all this trouble.”