Personal Possessions (24 page)

The day was busy getting
things in order, making sure Sarah and Mary both knew Elle would be
accompanying me back, and that she would be working with them. I
could tell Sarah wasn’t on board with this plan, but she really
didn’t have a choice in the matter.

The morning was filled
with my daily phone calls, and bringing Kip up to speed on what I
needed him to watch for while I was out of town. I told him that I
would be back in two weeks and we would discuss everything that he
had found out then. Unless it was a holy hell emergency, I did not
want to be disturbed.

My clock was ticking with
Elle, I was on a strict timeline to get her to fall back in love
with me.
I was not about to waste one
moment of it on shit that could wait until I got back.

Packing my things quickly,
I wanted to spend some time over at the plant before I left.
Heading over, I decided to call Rachel and tell her about what was
going on. She was quick on the draw to answer her phone.

“Hi,” she said just as if
I call every day to speak with her.

“Hey, I just wanted to let
you know that Elle will be going back north with me.”

“I heard. This is a good
thing, Trev.”

This was a good thing? It
was a very good thing.

“I just wanted to let you
know that I am keeping my promise to you, and I will be bringing
her back.”

I heard her suck in a
quick breath, which I thought odd but then I heard her whisper
under it, “You have no idea.”

“Is there something I’m
missing here, Rach?” I asked thinking maybe I was reading into this
wrong.

“You go, Trev. Take her
with you, and I will see the both of ya’ll in a few weeks,
kay?”

She didn’t answer my
question, but I let it go - for now.

“Ummm, ok? Talk with you
soon.” I didn’t say goodbye, I just hung up the phone.

I called Kip quickly,
instructing him to meet me at Richland Manufacturing at
three.

Having gone over
everything that I needed to go over up in the main office at
Richland, I asked Kip to take a walk with me in the plant area. I
wanted just to scan over the employees, see if I recognized any of
the men that were with Bubba and Bear that night. We walked looking
at faces, builds… anything that would let me know who I was dealing
with here, turning up with nothing.

Richland Manufacturing was
not the kind of factory that outsourced, so I wasn’t expecting to
see new faces appear daily and Richland Georgia was not listed on
the “Top Ten Best Places to Live”, so I knew every one of the men,
as I’m sure they were well aware of me. But those men with Bear and
Bubba that night, I hadn’t even recognized them.

Kip brought me back from
my thoughts, he must’ve been thinking about the same
thing.

“Don’t see ’em,
McHale.”

“Yeah, me
neither.”

“Reckon they come from
another town?”

They could’ve been from
anywhere. I thought to myself, although I would put money down on
that thought being a fact that he already knew.

“Keep an eye out while I’m
gone, got it? And for God’s sake, watch your back.”

I kept looking around. We
knew one of the places where they hung out, but I didn’t want to
catch them in their space. I wanted neutral ground, and since we
didn’t know where to find them, that looked like it was going to be
harder than I thought.

Kip grunted in
response.

Calling the rental car
company, I told them where the concierge could pick up the car, as
well as confirming the limo service that would be taking us to the
airport. I had already called and arranged for the pilot so all was
taken care of for our departure.

Sitting in the limo
waiting for Elle to join me, I couldn’t help but think of us
together. Our future. I had vowed that I would not allow myself
torture like that. I couldn’t have taken it without losing my mind.
But now here I sit, as usual, waiting on Elle. Never thinking this
would have ever been possible.

A car pulled up beside me,
but I wasn’t expecting to see what I saw. A man, hugging Elle. I
know she could see that I was writhing inside by the look on her
face. I don’t know who the fuck this man was, but if he wanted to
live to see tomorrow, he had better get his fucking hands off of
her.

“Kevin, I’d like you to
meet Trevor McHale, Rachel’s cousin. Trevor, this is Kevin
Harrington, Rachel’s husband.”

I felt the breath leave my
lungs as I relaxed, Rachel’s husband.

“I guess that makes us kin
now! Nice to meet ya,” Kevin greeted as he took my hand.

“
Same to you, thank you
for helping Elleny here.”

He seemed pleasant enough,
friendly and respectable. I had no issues with that, and I was glad
that Rachel had herself a good man.

“No problem, she’s also a
part of our family. Ellie-bean, you stay safe. Don’t worry about
the kids and watch the um….throat.”

Wait, what? The blood draw
instantly waved a flag in my mind, was Elle sick? What was with the
“um…throat”?

Elle hugged Kevin and
thanked him, as I took a seat back in the limo.

I know my anger was quite
evident on my face, and I could feel the heat coming off of me. Why
didn’t she tell me she was ill? The trip could’ve been rescheduled.
She had issues with informing me of problems, and yet I wanted to
be the one to whom she would run to, but I wasn’t. That hurt,
because I once was that person. Sitting across from where she sat,
I stared blankly at her trying to mask my emotions.

“You ok?”

If she was ill, I would
take her home and we could do this another time. She just nodded,
as I held out a glass of water to her. Hesitant to take it from me,
looking at me as though I was a complete stranger, as if she was
fearful of me.

“It’s water.”

Smiling what seemed like a
fake smile, she took the glass.

I watched her as she just
stared out the window, holding the cool glass between her palms.
The look on her face pained me. She looked so sorrowful and
cheerless…not like the Elleny I once knew. It felt as though my
Elle wasn’t even with us.

“Why?”

My head shot up as I heard
her scratchy voice ask me a question, no clue on what she was even
referring to.

“I’m sorry?”

“Why did you come back
here?”

Turning my head towards
the window, I couldn’t look at her and explain to her what tore me
apart inside. So I just gave her the quick version.

“Elle, this was my home. I
stayed away for almost eighteen years. Years that I felt like I was
adrift, everything was always temporary and indefinite. I never
made plans long term because I knew I would never follow-through
with them. I’ve felt like I didn’t truly have anything. Even though
I had money in my pocket and money in the bank, it was all…
meaningless.”

“You would’ve never gotten
what you have now if you would’ve stayed here in this town, TJ and
you know it.”

Oh fuck…there it was my
name. She said her name for me. I replayed it, over and over again
in my head. Then I realized what she had just said to me. Was she
serious? Did she think that all this money was worth what I lost? I
didn’t know whether to laugh or yell at her.

“You’re wrong, Elleny, I
would have all I wanted if I would’ve stayed in this
town.”

Elle didn’t say a word,
just sat there and stared at me. Dying to know what she was
thinking, I had to ask. “What, you have nothing to say to
that?”

Shaking her head, Elle
said nothing. We ended up sitting in silence the rest of the way to
the airport.

As we reached the airport,
I went to speak with the pilot as Elle stepped out of the limo and
immediately went to her phone, probably to text Bear that she was
still alive and still fully clothed. I returned to see the driver
handing our bags over to the flight crew.

I boarded the jet and was
met by the flight attendant, Jasmyn, with a glass of champagne and
a wink. Unfortunately, she was one of the many members I had
inducted into the mile high club aboard this plane, and she was not
going to let me forget it. I was going to have to make sure that
she found herself relocated to another jet, maybe even another
company.

It felt stuffy on board
and that was the complete opposite of how I wanted it to feel.
Getting up, I adjusted the thermostat, maybe Elle would relax a bit
and we could talk. I was hoping for a conversation that was more …
intimate. I went to the bedroom, at the back of the plane and grab
some of my clothes out of the closet. I hung my suit up, and
redressed in more casual clothes before proceeding out to the front
again.

“Change much?”

I heard Elle’s voice but
noticed she was still looking down into her magazine. She looked
fucking delectable in that skirt and heels. I swore to myself that
the first time I fucked her she would be wearing those heels, right
there.

I was thrilled that she
had asked me such an open ended question, because I had such a
straight forward answer for her to get her on the topic I
wanted.

“
Why yes, there are some
things that I have changed. Yet, there are some things that have
never changed. About me, of course.”

Elle’s head slowly turned
and leveled, so that her eyes could rake over me. She was checkin’
me out, and judging by the lust in her eyes, she liked what she
saw. Elle gently shook her head, before stiffening her face and
closing her magazine. I had to catch myself from saying, “Uh
oh…another lecture, huh?” I could see it coming.

“
Look, Mr. McHale,
whatever you have going on in that brain of yours, let me assure
you, it’s not going to happen or even attempt to happen. This trip
is strictly for business and nothing more. I have never given you
any indication that I am interested in your flirtatious manner nor
will I ever. So, if you know what’s best for you, I suggest you go
up to the front of the cabin and secure yourself for
take-off.”

Oh wow, she was further
than I thought she was. Already denying me, and I hadn’t even said
anything that would fall into the category of flirtatious. I had a
feeling her thoughts were right on track with mine, she just wasn’t
going to admit it. And since we were right here, at this point,
together, I might as well be the one to say it.

I wanted to make my plans
known. Getting down on my knees so that she could see how set I was
to making this a reality, I grabbed her hands in mine. Already
sporting wood, probably would’ve given anything to take her back
into that bedroom but I didn’t want to get ahead of
myself.

“
Are you done?” I chided,
“That was an excellent speech, Mrs. Barker-Jackson, but let me tell
you the way it’s going to be. By the time this trip is over, I will
have not only fucked you until you’re pleading with me to stop. I
will also, taste every part of your delicious body, taking my time
and licking places no other man has even thought of licking you. I
will drink every bit of you into me because - fuck, how I have
missed your taste. My fingers will do things to you that will have
you sobbing with pleasure. And the best part,” I let out a low
chuckle, “now pay attention, Mrs. Barker-Jackson, what you don’t
know and I am gonna let you in on my little secret here , I won’t
request any of this. It will be you, Miss Barker-Jackson who will
beg me for everything I have just said to you.”

Elle was speechless. She
was stuck in her head thinking of all I had just said to her, that
she literally didn’t utter a sound. It was amazing, but yet, it was
so frustrating. How I wanted to touch my lips to hers, to smell her
sweet breath. I thought my cock would bust through my pants.
Grabbing her hand, and putting it to my lips to give myself some
relief, I needed to taste her somehow and I would have to be
satisfied with her hand. Laying my lips to her hand, I ran my
tongue over the skin where my lips were sealed. Her taste was the
same as when I last kissed her. Closing my eyes, I reveled in the
memories. As I kissed her hand, her eyes were locked on
mine.

“Oh yes. That’s the taste
right there I have dreamt about for the last eighteen
years.”

Suddenly, Elle pulled her
hand away. I silently laughed and stood up. I had proved my point
right there. By the end of this trip, all would be right. She would
love me, and I would have my family.

I would have all of my
personal possessions returned to me.

“
I will leave you with
your thoughts, Mrs. Barker-Jackson. Enjoy the flight.”

Chapter 14

I had paperwork in front
of me, but Elle was on my mind. I was literally eight feet away
from her, but felt a million miles apart. I needed a drink to bring
me back to myself.

I walked back to the bar,
passing Elle. She look amazing sitting there reading. I must’ve
laughed, because I heard her ask me a question.

“Something
funny?”

“Just you.”