Personal Possessions (35 page)

“Don’t you fucking think
for one second that he won’t get what’s coming to him for what he’s
done! You are not going back to that and that’s final! ”

Out of nowhere Elle began
to breathe quickly, as though she couldn’t catch her
breath.

“What’s the
matter?”

“I can’t breathe, I think
I’m having a panic attack”

“What….why?”

Quickly, she pushed
forward, putting her head between her knees.

“You have no clue about me
anymore TJ, don’t tell me I’m not going back to that because I have
no choice…. I have to go back.”

Now, I was the one
panicking. What the fuck did she mean that she had to go back, this
wasn’t some little argument that had never found a resolution, this
was spousal abuse…and she was set on going back to it? I was ready
to punch the wall I was so frustrated.

“
What the fuck do you mean
that you have no choice to go back, you have a choice and I’m
making the choice for you. When we leave here, I’m going with you
to your house. We’re packing up what you and the kid’s need for a
couple of days and coming back to my house…there in Richland. I
will contact some professionals and they will go in and pack up the
rest of ya’lls things where they will end up putting them in
storage.”

I was expecting Elle to
jump off the table and get in my face, so when she began to laugh
as though she had lost her mind, that kinda caught me off
guard.

“
You think it’s just that
easy, huh? You think he’s just gonna let go just like that? You
don’t think I’ve thought about that or even tried?”

That mask of terror, the
same one Lauren wore all those years ago, covered Elle’s face yet
again. I hated that she knew how to place it on without anyone
noticing.

“Do you know what happens
if I do that again?”

I didn’t want to hear, but
I had a feeling she was going to tell me. I composed myself in a
stance that kept me braced so I didn’t lose my fucking mind. I knew
this wasn’t going to be good or easy.

“You see these on
me?”

She lifted her shirt and
exposed the bruises that covered her torso. Every time I saw them
it made me want to commit murder even more. Hatred fueled me, made
me a madman. Now that it was revealed, I didn’t think I would be
able to hold it back when I came in contact with Bear
again.

“These will be a day at
the fair for me. You see these?”

She held up her wrists for
me to take in again. I ground my teeth together. I had to keep
reminding myself that I was in a public place and Elle had seen
enough violence.

“
These won’t look like
this if I try that again, and there won’t be anything left for
Rachel and Lilly to bury, my kids won’t have a place to come visit
their momma. Now, do you really want that for them?”

I couldn’t look away, I
just stared at Elle. I had to make myself take a breath. You hear
about emotions driving people to do stupid shit, but you think that
it can’t be real…it is, it’s totally real. I was afraid to speak, I
didn’t know what would come out of my mouth.

“Why”

Was the only word I
breathe.

She looked away from me,
she couldn’t even face me. I wasn’t sure if it was out of
humiliation or out of the fear that I would pity her.

“I’ve changed TJ. Bear has
made me into a harsh woman, Hun; I can’t be brought back. I’ve come
to the conclusion that it’s better to be unhappy and have my kids
safe and with me, watching them, then to be unsafe and unhappy
because my children always have to watch their backs.”

This was a bullshit
excuse! It was all bullshit.

“
I can protect ya’ll,
Elle.”

Why couldn’t she see?
Either if she went back, when we returned or if she fled, with me
and the kids…he’d kill her either way. There would be a time it
would be worse and she wouldn’t survive. Why couldn’t she see this?
Then it occurred to me, maybe she did see it and has come to accept
that.

Fuck that…I refused to let
that happen.

“Elle…”

“Well Miss Barker, I hear
we’ve changed our plans and you need to have a physical done now.
Well, let me…“

Out of nowhere TJ spoke
up

“
We’ll just take the test.
Doc.”

My eyes shot to
Elle.

“
We’ll reschedule the
physical.”

We left the doctor’s and
that revelation still haunted my thoughts. She had given up and
come to the conclusion that he was going to be the reason for her
demise.

We drove through the city
and enjoyed the breeze and sunset. I took her to my favorite
Mexican restaurant where we ate…a lot and drank even more. I
couldn’t get what had happened earlier off my mind, but that didn’t
stop me from enjoying every minute that I could with
her.

We got back to the hotel
and I needed some time to decompress from everything that had
happened, while Elle went and talked with her kids. I threw on my
suit and went to do some laps in the pool .

I swam harder than I had
ever swam in my life. I beat my best time and doubled my laps. The
whole of what happened earlier kept repeating in my head. The looks
that covered Elle’s face, the words that came from her mouth, it
was as if someone had hit the repeat button. The more I thought
about it, the more I found the drive to push farther and faster. I
finished and went back upstairs and grabbed a shower.

As I left my room, Elle
was sitting out at the dining room table working on the accounts. I
walked up behind her, moved her hair and laid a gentle kiss on the
back of her neck. I didn’t want to disturb her but I needed to
physical touch that this was all not just another dream.

“
Now, now Mr. McHale, I am
trying to work here.”

She got a laugh out of me,
something I needed almost as much as she did.

“I know, I just wanted to
see if I could distract you.”

I replied as I sat down
beside her. I laid my hand to her leg. I couldn’t keep my hands off
of her and I think she knew that, she tolerated my physical contact
either because she craved it as much as I did or else she knew it
was crucial to work through all that had been made known, either
way…I didn’t give a shit.

“
I cannot be distracted. I
am a lean, mean working machine.”

She giggled
back.

I laughed at her reply…she
was tempting me, she knew it as did I.

“Oh, I think I can think
of a way to distract you”

I moved my hand up farther
onto her thigh as she continued typing. Slowly, I crept up farther,
farther…

Suddenly, Elle’s head
turned towards me. “TJ…”

“
Gotcha!” I laughed. “Just
call me the master of distraction.”

Elle stuck her tongue out
at me and my dick went immediately hard.

“Don’t tease me; I might
take you up on that offer.”

Elle stopped typing and
turned towards me, leaning into me. Her lips barely laid on mine as
she spoke.

“Oh Mr. McHale, that was
so not a tease…baby, that was a taste of what will be available to
you tonight, if you let me get this box finished.”

My cock jumped. I loved
how she promised herself to me. She was my prize…my reward and if
she wanted to finish, I would allow that, but later…she was all
mine.

Elle leisurely laid her
tongue on my bottom lip. I sucked it into my mouth for just a
moment, taking in her taste, deciding that this would get done so
much faster if the two of us worked on it.

It did…

We ended up finishing
early, so as I finished up the last two, Elle moved her chair and
got underneath the table and fulfilled her promise. I hurried and
finished, I wanted her to have every bit of my
attention.

“Oh fuck Elle, take it
deeper, baby.”

Her mouth felt so fucking
good. She was teasing me by licking the head of my cock and popping
her lips around it. She leaned in further and swallowed all of me,
until I touched the back of her throat and then she started
swallowing.

“Jesus Christ, baby, I
love your mouth… it’s like stroking my cock up against
silk.”

She hummed her pleasure at
the thought, she was being greedy. She didn’t want to take me out
of her mouth. I had asked her for her mouth several times and she
had yet to respond by giving me her fucking mouth. Oh fuck, I was
gonna come.

“Shit, I wanna be inside
you.”

Finally, she released me.
Her eyes had never left me. She ran her hand up me once…twice, I
watched her as she milked me, pre-cum dripped from the
tip.

“
I taste you on my tongue
baby, I like knowing all I have to do is touch you to see you
glisten for me.”

Oh shit, I was getting
ready to blow just at her words. I had to get myself together. I
closed my eyes as she continued.

“Or all I have to do is
lick you…”

She ran her tongue down
the side of my length and caught the droplets on her tongue as she
swept back up to the tip. It was the hottest fucking thing I had
ever seen in my life.

“
And I can taste you
anytime I want.”

Hell yeah she could. I
wanted to shout it from the tallest building. I was shaking I was
holding back so tight. I was not going to come in her mouth, I
wanted to be in her where we were joined.

“Fuck baby, it’s all for
you.”

I answered in a heady
voice. I pushed her hair off of her face so that I could take all
of her in. Small tear-shaped drops of sweat were laying against her
forehead. She was enjoying every fucking minute of this as was
I.

Elle’s lips were around my
shaft and she was sucking hard. I moaned and bowed up suggesting
that she take my cock deeper, she obliged. As she drew back, her
tongue would flicker out, teasing where she had just
sucked.

“
That’s it honey, take my
cock, goddamn, I’ve missed you.”

Elle moaned as she dropped
her fingers between my legs. I tried to slowly stand up as she
pushed me back down. I want to take care of her as she is taking
care of me.

Until I notice that Elle
is taking care of herself. The vision that was before my eyes
couldn’t have been any sweeter.

“Yes Elle, play with
yourself, touch that beautiful pussy, while my cock is in your
mouth. Shit you’re gonna make me come.”

Was all I could make
myself say. I was enjoying this way too much. Her fingers began to
rub faster as her mouth followed suit. She was getting ready to
come and I was going to be following along. Gently, I pushed Elle’s
head down on me to coax her to go deeper. I was going to blow my
load and fuck, it was fucking awesome.

“
Oh shit….fuck baby
I’m….don’t stop.”

I felt the warmth of my
orgasm shoot out and into her mouth, it was an amazing feeling.
Elle never slowed her pace as she moaned her pleasure with her own
orgasm.

“Fuck Elle, I fucking love
you!”

Oh shit…did I really say
that…oh well, it was the truth.

“
Yeah, I bet you
do.”

Well that wasn’t the
response I was expecting.

The alarm went off as I
laid there listening to nothing but the fan turning. I wasn’t about
to open my eyes. I didn’t want to move either, for fear that Elle
would wake and move. Again, she was sprawled out, taking up most of
the bed, this time though she was laying all over me. The warmth of
her up against me was nothing the other women I had been with could
even compare to. I was half of a man without her. She contained not
only the other half of myself, but what made my existence
possible...my heart.

The hole that made up the
whole of my chest was now healed and in its place, a soul found its
home. I was nonexistent the last seventeen years. I had been a
ghost walking through life, not sure where to go or what to do. I
concentrated on work…I took my frustration and anger out on men who
more than likely felt the same way I did and got into this business
for the same damn reasons I did. I was a liar, a player and
sometimes even a cheat. I did and said whatever I had to so I could
get an investor, make the sale, or seal the deal.

I was fucking
pathetic.

I didn’t need that
anymore. I had my heart and my soul back and nothing was going to
take that away from me.

I felt Elle turn over to
face me. I could sense her eyes staring at me, I didn’t even flinch
hoping that she would confess whatever was hidden deep down inside
of her. Her hand touched my skin and the electricity that pulsed
through my body was almost debilitating. I burrowed closer to it, I
didn’t want it to go away…ever. Just as I was about to open my eyes
and tell Elle good morning, she leaned in and pressed her lips
against mine. It took all of me to not kiss her back, she was
having a moment…I wanted to make sure that she had her
moment.