Obsessed: Part Three (The Obsessed Series) (4 page)

"I'm not sure what day I'll be there, dad." I call towards my phone where it's perched precariously on my pillow. "I haven't finished packing yet."

"I can barely hear you, princess." His voice bounces off the now empty walls of my bedroom.

I scurry over to the bed and pick up the phone. I hold it to my lips. "You're on speaker phone, dad. Is this better?"

"Much better." I hear relief wash through his voice. "You're on rotary dial by the way."

I giggle at my father's reluctance to embrace technology. "Really dad? Is that why you sound like you're sitting at the bottom of a tin can?"

He laughs and the sound lifts my spirits.

"I'll let you know when I'm ready to come down and then we can go apartment hunting together." I work to fold one of my dresses with my free hand but it's more of a mess than when I found it bunched up on the floor of my closet.

"Nonsense. You're going to live here with me." I can hear how adamant he is by his tone.

"Maybe temporarily, dad," I offer in response. I do want to rebuild my connection with my father but living together may not be the best approach to take.

"It's settled then. I need to run over to your sister's now. I'll give her your love." He's not leaving me any room for a rebuttal.

"Sounds good. Love you dad." I stare at the phone waiting to hear his response.

"I love you too, princess," he says quietly before ending the call. It's a small offering but it brings tears to my eyes. I know that once I reach Boston, I'll feel safe enough to find my footing again.

I glimpse at the time on my phone and realize that it's after seven. I need to eat something. I silently wonder if Mrs. Adams might be up for a quick stroll to the diner down the street. I drop the dress I've been unsuccessfully trying to fold into the large cardboard box near my closet. I'll worry about sorting through everything once I'm settled in my new place.

I grab my purse from the bed and rummage through it for my keys. I curse when I realize I can't find them. "What the hell," I whisper under my breath before dumping the contents onto the blanket. I pull my hand through the assorted pens, notepads, candy bar wrappers and receipts before my fingers settle on something metal. "Eureka!" I joke to myself when I throw my hand up in the air. I stare at it when I realize it's not my keys. I'm holding the flash drive above my head.

I feel my knees going weak so I sit back on the bed. My laptop is within arm's reach on the nightstand. I pull it into my lap and flip it open. I push back the cover of the flash drive and hold it next to the USB port. I feel a sense of nausea wash over me. Why am I doing this? Why subject myself to this?

My mind darts back to Jax's office when he assuredly told me to watch it. Since that conversation I've been certain that he was calling my bluff. He handed the flash drive back to me because he was convinced I wouldn't watch it. I need to prove I'm stronger than he thinks I am. I push the drive in and hold my breath.

A folder pops onto the screen and I click the now familiar file to start the video. I close my eyes when I hear Brooke's voice. I want to mute the sound but I'm going to get past their conversation. I'm going to see what Jax wants so desperately for me to see.

It seems like an eternity until I hear Jax say, "You belong to me. Only me."

I cringe and close my eyes as I await the sounds of their lovemaking. I fumble for the flash drive. My heart is screaming at me to pull it out. My body won't let me.

"I've waited forever for this." Her voice is breathy. I recoil at the sound of the desire in it. I peek at the screen through the corner of my eye.

"Do you know what would make me hard?" He leans back pulling his body away from her.
She breathes an exaggerated sigh. "Tell me."

"Hearing how much power you have over him." He rests his head on his elbow. "Play it for me again."

"Now?" She eases closer to him.

"Get it for me." He points towards the nightstand. "Play it. Let me hear how in control you really are."

She runs her eyes over his face and chest before she leans back and picks up a phone. I watch as she rolls her thumb across the screen. She carefully holds the edges of the phone between her fingers pointing it in Jax's direction.

"Baby, it's me. It's Mark. I've been thinking about you all day. Fuck I wish it
were you I was marrying. I wish we could get Ivy out of the picture. If we could, everything would be yours. All the shares, the money, that apartment you want. I'd give you anything if you were my wife. Call me as soon as you get this. I miss you."

I wince at the sounds of Mark's voice on what seems to be a voicemail message as I watch her place the phone back onto the nightstand. "I have him right here, in the palm of my hand." She holds out her hand in front of Jax's face.

"Tell me you don't want him," he says.

"Are you crazy?" she snickers. "He's too old for me. Just the thought of him naked disgusts me. I wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole."

"You're such a stupid bitch." His voice is barely audible. Did he just call her a stupid bitch?

"What did you say?" The confusion in her tone is blatantly obvious.

"Get the fuck out of my bed." Jax's voice booms through the speakers.

My hand jumps to my mouth and I stare at the screen. He's pulled the sheet back from his body and is sitting straight up glaring at Brooke. He's wearing nothing but boxers.

"What?" Her stunned expression mirrors my own. "What's wrong with you?" She's pulling at his arm coaxing him to lie down next to her again.

"You seriously thought I was going to sleep with you?" He laughs before pulling himself up. "Get dressed. Get out."

She doesn't move. She's frozen in place. I can feel her shock resonating through me. "What…" her voice trails as she helplessly stares at him.

He's standing next to the computer now and all that is visible is his right arm. "You ruined my parents' marriage. Did you really think I'd want my father's leftovers?"

Her stunned silence is now giving way to something else. Rage. "You're crazy," she screams it at him. "I never slept with your father."

"Shut up," he barks back at her. "He told me everything before he died." He leans far enough forward that there's a flash of his back on the screen. "Everything," he pulls the word along his lips, enunciating every syllable. "You were blackmailing him, you bitch. You haven't changed your playbook at all. You're doing the exact same thing with Mark."

She's up on her knees now. She reaches for a glass from the nightstand. She levels it in Jax's direction and he moves his body completely in front of the computer. I can't see what's happening, but the dull thud suggests that the glass hit him square in the chest.

"Why are you doing this?" Her voice is louder now. I can tell she's closer to where Jax is standing.

"I wanted to see how far you'd take things with Mark." He doesn't move. "I know you already slept with him. He was bragging about how he tapped his hot assistant last week."

"So
what?” she scoffs. I curse inwardly wishing Jax would shift his body enough that I could get a glimpse of the rage on Brooke's face.

"I don't give a shit what you do with him." He moves slightly left now and I can make out Brooke reaching down next to the bed gathering up clothing.

"You're just jealous." She throws the words in his direction with a smirk. "That's why you turned on me."

"Turned on you?" he asks mockingly. "You're the one who came to me with the idea to steal their shares away. That's all on you."

"Your father should have left his part of the company to me." She points a bright red fingernail at Jax. "He told me he would. It made me sick every time he fucked me. He was a stupid, horny old man."

He leans forward before he says anything. "You're the company whore. You disgust me. You'll do anything for a dollar."

"And you won't?" She throws her head back in careless laughter. "You're ready to destroy Mark's relationship just to get what you want."

"You're wrong." I can sense the movement of his head in the way his shoulders teeter back and forth. "Ivy is off limits. I'd rather give up the company than sink to your level."

"You're going to have to." She stands now and steps into her skirt. "You're not even half the man Mark is. You'll never get those shares away from Ivy. You might as well give up now."

"Don't say her name again." He snaps at her.

"She's nothing." She spits the words out. "He loves me."

He can't contain his amusement and he roars with laughter. "He loves Ivy. You're his whore."
"I'm not his whore." She reaches down to pick up one shoe, her eyes still scanning the area next to the bed.

"You're right." Jax shifts his body in front of the screen yet again. "You're one of his whores."

"If you care so much about Ivy, why don't you run and tell her what Mark is doing?" Her question rattles me.

"I will tell her." He walks forward now. I get my first glimpse of her fully dressed standing in the doorway of the room.

"When?"

"You don't get it, do you?" I watch as he pulls on a pair of faded jeans and a black t-shirt. "I watched my mother suffer when she found out my father was cheating on her. You think I'm just going to march up to Ivy and announce it?"

"Why should you care what she feels?" There's definite contempt in her tone.

"She's not like you." His expression is hard and unyielding. "She's not like anyone."

"So you're just going to let her marry him, is that it?" She adjusts her watch. "You're going to let her believe in him forever?"

"She'll know before the wedding." He stands and motions for her to leave the room. "I won't let her marry him."

I sit in stunned silence as I hear the muffled sound of their footsteps and a door closing. I watch the screen for what feels like hours until Jax reappears alone. He walks over to the computer, punches a few keys and the screen goes black.

I stare at the door trying to control the pounding in my chest. I just need to press the buzzer and Jax will let me up. I have no idea what I'll say to him. I glance at my hand. The broken necklace is dangling between my fingers with the flash drive pressing into my palm. I have to tell him I watched it. I have to tell him I understand now.

I push my purse further onto my shoulder as I reach towards the panel that houses all the buzzers. "Excuse me." A woman's voice startles me. The street is dimly lit and in my overwhelmed state I hadn't noticed anyone walking up the steps.

"I'm sorry." I step back and watch as she unlocks the heavy door to the building with her keys.

"Are you coming in?" she asks as she holds open the door with her foot.

I nod and follow closely behind her marvelling at how she can balance two bags filled with groceries, a briefcase and a container of take-out all while using two different keys to unlock the door.

"Where are you headed?" She smiles as we reach the base of the stairs.

"I'm here to see Jax Walker," I say softly now wishing that I had stayed behind and buzzed him. I'm not certain of how warm a reception I'm going to receive when I start pounding on his apartment door.

"He's that way." She nods towards the wooden stairs. "I'm this way." She points with one free finger to a hallway to the left.

"Do you need some help?" I step closer reaching for a grocery bag.

"I'm good." She turns and disappears down the corridor while I pull in a deep breath and begin my ascent of the staircase.

I reach the top and I'm overcome with dread. I glance at my phone and realize it's almost ten o'clock. Maybe he's not here. Could he be on a date? Did he give up on me because I gave up on him? I shake the thought from my head. I came here with purpose and resolve. I can't turn back now. I'm so close to understanding the truth. All I need is for Jax to fill in the missing pieces.

I knock softly on the door before pressing my ear against the heavy wood. I hear nothing. There's no movement inside. I knock again, louder this time. Still there's nothing but complete silence. I don't want to wake Jax's neighbors but I'm not leaving without talking to him. I thump my fist against the door three times and call out his name. The distant sound of swift footsteps is my reward.

I hold my breath as I hear the click of the lock. I stare at the door handle, watching it turn. It's as if everything is in slow motion. I feel a wave of emotion washing through me. Suddenly the door swings open.

"Ivy," he says in a breathless whisper. He's not wearing anything but a pair of blue pajama pants that are sitting low on his hips.

"I just wanted…" I hold up the necklace and open my hand to show him the flash drive. "I watched this."

I'm vaguely aware of his hands grasping my shoulders as he pulls me into the room. I hear the distinctive sound of the door closing before his arms engulf me. I melt into his bare chest, clawing at his skin. I want and need to pull him into me. I inhale the scent of him and rest my forehead against his chin.

"Beautiful," he breathes the word into my mouth before his lips claim mine.

I wrap my hand through his hair as I pull his body into me. I need to tell him I'm still confused. I should explain that I want answers. I want to understand everything. Thoughts are bouncing off every recess of my mind. I should tell him to stop.

"Jax," I say his name as he moves his lips to my neck. "Please."

"Please what?" His hand is moving up my thigh. I can feel it getting closer. He's going to touch me. He's going to feel how aroused I am already.

"Please," I repeat unsure of anything in the moment.

"Please let me love you," he growls as he dips his index finger into my panties. I shudder as he pulls the length of it against my slick cleft. "Let me show you how much."

I don't resist. There isn't an inch of my body that doesn't want this right now. I need to feel him inside of me. I need to know we're connected. "Yes. Jax. Yes."

He drops to his knees. I whimper at the thought of his tongue touching my core. I don't think I can hold back. I'm so close to the brink now. I feel the brush of his hand against my hip as he rips the panties from my body. I'm so open, so exposed and so ready.

"Christ, Ivy. Look how wet you are." His breath whispers across my skin as I feel the first hint of his tongue brushing against my already swollen clit.

I moan in response, arching my back to meet his hungry mouth.

"That's it, beautiful," he growls into my flesh. "Take your pleasure. Use my tongue."

I grab hold of his hair with both my hands and push myself into his mouth. I'm lost in the moment. In the indescribable feeling of perfect pleasure. I buck my hips against him, using him to bring myself closer to the edge.

He moans loudly, lapping at my clit. He pulls it into his mouth, his tongue tempting it. "Come for me," he coaxes. "Do it, Ivy. Come."
I don't want it to end. There is nothing that feels as good as this. Nothing but having him within me. I cry out as I fall over the edge and the orgasm claims my entire body. He holds my legs as I shudder and pull on his hair. He's reaching for me with his tongue and I'm too tender to respond.

"No." I shake my head. "No more." I almost grunt the words. The primal sounds leaving my lips are a mirrored reflection of what I'm feeling.

"More." He pushes up against me and runs his lips across mine. I taste my own arousal. I need to feel him inside of me. I tear at his pajama bottoms, pushing them down as his cock springs free.

He scoops me up in his arms, kicking free of the pants as he heads towards the sofa. He unties my dress, pushing it off my shoulders before he unhooks my bra. His lips cover mine again and I close my eyes, relishing in the touch of his hands on my breasts. He pinches my nipples, gently pulling them between his fingers. I reach for his cock but before I can touch it, he's pushing me onto my back.

"I need to feel you." The words spill out of him recklessly. "I have to…" his voice trails as he pushes the tip of his cock against my clit.

I moan from the sensation and adjust my hips so he's at my entrance. I'm aching and he knows it. He thrusts himself into me in one sold, fluid motion. I gasp at the deep mixture of pleasure and pain.

"Fuck, you're so tight." He pounds himself into me. He pushes harder and deeper and with each thrust my body responds in kind. I grip the edge of the sofa for leverage and drive back against him. I can't get him deep enough inside of me. I can't let him go.

"Harder, Jax." I beg. "Harder."

He grips my hips with both hands and plunges further into me. The sofa moves in time to our rhythm. I can feel it jumping forward each time he pounds himself into me.

"I’m so close," I scream the words.

I feel him pull me closer, his body begins to tremble and in that moment I find my release. He fills me at the exact second the orgasm races through me. "Oh, God, Ivy. Oh God."

We lay in
silence; the only sound in the room is our measured breaths.