Girl Obsessed: A Dark Romance Page 4

  I heard a gasp and her declaration in a dramatic tone. “The horror.”

  Smiling slightly, I turned to give her a long-suffering look. “It was pretty serious,” I added.

  She shrugged. “Hey. You’re the J. R Knight,” she reminded me. “You know you’ll get there eventually. And so what if this next book’s taking a little longer to drop than the others? I bet when it does, it’s going to be epic. The world will go crazy.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “You just did something there, didn’t you? You gave me a little pep talk but then also inserted the sarcasm with the ‘next book taking longer’ phrase. That was a jab, Ella.”

  Her expression became a little incredulous and she said, “What? No. That was not a jab. I-“

  “You may be a lawyer by profession but I’m a fucking writer. I can read between the lines.”

  Ella rolled her eyes at me again and sighed. “Jude,” she murmured before getting up and coming over to me. “Dear, sweet, Jude. Come here.” She pulled me in for a hug and said, “Writing is making you a little paranoid, I think. I really wasn’t taking a jab, sweetie. Listen.” She pulled away from me and gave me a bright smile. “Let’s meet for dinner. Come over to my house tonight. Robbie’s gone out of state and I need someone to chill with. Just…take a break from all this writing business and spend some time with your bestie.”

  I turned my nose up at the suggestion.

  “Do I look like a chick to you?” I asked haughtily and she pretended to consider it.

  “No. But sometimes you act like one and also, it’s not about being a chick or a guy. It’s just taking some time off with a friend who won’t judge you for it. You don’t have to constantly keep proving to yourself and to the world that you’re the great and talented J. R. Knight. Just be Jude for today.”

  I smiled down at her then. “Ella,” I said fondly. “You’re a real tr–“

  Someone clearing their throat nearby took my attention away from my friend. There was a girl standing in my living room which was just adjacent to the kitchen since my house had an open plan on the ground floor. I had no idea where she had popped up from but she was looking at Ella like she wanted to skin her alive or something.

  “Err…hi,” I uttered slowly as Ella stepped away from me uncertainly. “Um…who are you?”

  I was starting to wonder if I should call the police or something when the girl finally took her eyes off Ella and presented me with a polite smile.

  “Mr. Knight,” she said in a husky voice. “I’m here for the interview. For the assistant job. Jennifer said I could come and see you.”

  Jennifer. She called my girlfriend Jennifer like she had known her all her life or something. And Jennifer could have at least given me a heads up that the interview was going to be starting soon. I hadn’t even had my breakfast yet.

  “All right, I’m off,” Ella announced and winked at me before saying, “See you tonight, girlfriend.” She aimed a small smile at the new girl but it wasn’t returned. When she reached the front door, Ella threw me a wary look over her shoulder before letting herself out.

  There was a few seconds of silence during which the girl and I just looked at each other. Then I downed the rest of my coffee and straightened. “All right then, come on. My office is upstairs. What’s your name?” I asked her as she followed me.

  I was determined to get this over with. It would probably take me two minutes tops to figure out if she could work well with me or not and then I could go have my breakfast.

  “Riley,” she answered after such a length of time that it made me frown at her as we entered my office.

  “Riley,” I repeated absently, pulling out a chair for her before taking a seat on the other side of the desk. “Good morning. Thank you for your interest in the job, by the way. Um…hold on, let me pull up your CV.”

  I clicked away on my laptop, sure that Jennifer must have mailed me something so that I wouldn’t look completely lost here. Why had I agreed to this again?

  “I can see why you had to advertise for an assistant,” the girl, Riley, spoke up after a minute of silence while I scrolled through my emails from this morning. Jesus. There were a lot to get through.

  Then I paused when my mind snagged on her words and I frowned at her slightly.

  “What did you say?” I asked her because I thought maybe I had heard her wrong.

  The look she aimed at me was candid. "You don’t seem to be very organized, Mr. Knight," she stated and though her tone was confident, her voice sounded so young.

  My frown deepened and I went back to my laptop, finally spotting her CV in the pile of emails and opening it up. I took my time skimming through it while she waited, keeping still and quiet.

  My eyes went to her face again. God, she looked unnervingly innocent. Too innocent to be twenty-two and as experienced as her CV stated.

  "You look…very young," I finally remarked when I had finished making my assessment and could give her my complete attention.

  Riley smiled at me tightly. "I hope that wouldn’t be an issue."

  I blinked at her. This was the strangest interview ever. I hadn't been on the receiving end of any job interview in my life but I was pretty sure you weren't supposed to behave this way.

  I moistened my lips a little with the tip of my tongue as I studied her, wondering how to pinpoint what was bugging me about her even though her record was impressive and spotless and there was a squeaky clean police clearance attached to the email along with scanned proof of valid IDs.

  Her eyes, behind those square-framed spectacles, shifted to my mouth and refused to move away. My lips parted as I tried to inhale slowly when that smoky-eyed stare made me feel a little...on edge. She watched my throat bobbing as well when I swallowed and then looked at the opening of my shirt where I hadn't bothered to fasten the top two buttons because I had not realized I'd be sitting across from a potential assistant this early.

  I watched as her gaze sparked with something that seemed almost like satisfaction before she brought it back to my face and smiled slightly.

  God. I had to stop this fucking interview. I had to get out of this office. Breathe. That one look of hers had the potential to enslave even the most cautious of men and ruin lives. And I couldn't believe she'd just checked me out so blatantly in the middle of a job interview.

  "You do want this position, right?" I questioned her then, feeling a little uncomfortable.

  She nodded at me pleasantly and replied, "Of course, Mr. Knight. Why do you think I'm here?"

  The question, though voiced casually, did not sound rhetorical. It sounded like she really wanted me to think about the answer.

  Okay, fuck. This was crazy. Now I was starting to think Ella had been right about how I saw too much into things that weren't as complicated as all that.

  I knew most people would think so but I didn't believe this girl was trying to be rude. She looked like someone who didn't suffer fools gladly and maybe if I had been a fly on the wall in this office rather than seated in the potential employer's chair, I would have found the whole scenario amusing. How this practically green girl had managed to fluster the suave worldly guy and shift the power imbalance in her favor without any concerted effort.

  I also knew I should ask more questions regarding her work experience and lay down some of my laws to see if she would have a problem with following any of them but I couldn't make myself sit here and carry on with this interview anymore. The girl was throwing me off my game in a hugely disturbing manner and the writer in me needed to process.

  "Miss. Benson," I said as I pushed back my chair and stood up, holding out a hand to her. "I'll be in touch. Thanks again for showing an interest."

  She appeared startled by the abrupt conclusion and slowly stood up as well, blinking at my offered hand. She didn't shake it and I frowned again, pulling it back in puzzlement. Who was this girl? She seemed determined not to land herself this job instead of trying to impress me.

  "Will you
?" she questioned in that schoolgirl voice that raised my suspicions.

  "What?"

  Her eyes grew uncertain as they searched my face and she said, "You can be honest with me. If you think I'm not fit for this, just tell me now. Don't promise that you would be in touch and then just forget about me."

  Again, I swallowed, confused at the way she spoke to me. So earnestly. Like this was about something more than simply the result of the interview and that was just so bizarre.

  "Miss. Benson-"

  "Riley, please."

  I sighed. "Riley. I'll be in touch okay. There are other people I need to see today and you'll know if you made it by tomorrow at the latest," I assured her.

  Her eyes seemed to harden at my words. "Other people," she echoed only those words of mine and nodded almost as if to herself. "Fine. Thank you for meeting with me, Mr. Knight. It was truly an honor."

  I started to say something else but she turned around and stalked out of the office without waiting for me to respond.

  Later on, as I took a shower to clear my head, thoughts of her kept invading my mind. I'd never met anyone like her before. So fearless and yet so vulnerable.

  "Jeez, Knight, write a book, why don't you?" I muttered to myself as water sluiced over me and I ran my fingers through my hair.

  "Jude, are you talking to yourself again?" my girlfriend asked me as the shower door slid open and she stepped inside to join me.

  "Only the voices in my head," I told her and she shook her head at me before stepping under the spray as well.

  She'd been out gardening. Jennifer loved gardening. And now she was just trying to wash all the dirt and sweat away but I was getting turned on. I felt like I needed to release some tension before tackling the rest of the things on my agenda today.

  "So, did you like her?" my girlfriend questioned off-handedly as she turned her back to me and handed me the body wash. "Riley. I thought she fit the bill. She was very persuasive over the phone and her credentials checked out."

  I lathered the wash over her back and replied, "She was fine. Maybe I'll decide after I meet the others."

  Jennifer turned her head to the side so that her profile was visible to me. "Baby, there are no others. She was the only one who passed the phone interview."

  "What? That's ridiculous," I said at once, dropping my hands. "I thought you said almost a thousand people applied."

  Jennifer turned to me and rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Do you really think I would interview a thousand people? The ones who made the shortlist were five given their perfect records so yesterday, Phillipa and I did a conference call and I thought Riley was perfect for the job."

  I narrowed my eyes at her then and she instead widened her baby blue ones.

  "Baby, I'm sorry. I was only trying to make your job a little easier."

  I moved away from her and stepped out of the shower, grabbing my towel to wrap it around my hips.

  "I specifically told you that I wanted to choose the assistant myself," I snapped at her as I walked into the bedroom.

  Angrily, I looked for some clothes while Jennifer finished showering and came inside the room, dripping water all over my rug. I gritted my teeth at her careless attitude, not at all happy with the way she'd done things.

  "Jude. Don't be mad. Look at me. Hey." She came to stand in front of me completely naked, her skin slick and smooth and face so fresh and beautiful. "If you don't like her, I'll call the other four I talked to," she placated, placing her hands on my bare chest and starting to play with the smattering of hair on it.

  "But I really think she'd be perfect," Jennifer told me and drew closer until her tits rubbed against my chest. "She'd be working with you so closely and at least I won't have to worry about her trying to seduce you behind my back because God knows you'd never fall for it."

  I frowned down at her in confusion. What in the hell was she saying?

  "Oh, don't give me that look." Jennifer let out a sigh. "I'm not saying you'd cheat on me. I trust you, of course. But...well, people stray sometimes without meaning to. This is for my peace of mind as well." She smiled up at me sweetly. "Trial basis?"

  I looked at her for a while before saying, "I'm curious, Jen. What makes you say that I'd never fall for her if you're so worried about me straying?"

  She caressed my shoulders and then my neck before slipping her arms around me.

  "Isn't it obvious, baby?" she murmured as she rested her head on my chest. "I mean...she's not exactly attractive."

  Her words sent a spark of resentment through me. I barely refrained from correcting her on that. Riley had been plain-faced and a little chubby so maybe that didn't fit the norm when it came to attractiveness but I thought she was pretty attractive.

  That husky voice, those smoky eyes, the confident attitude. That was attractive as hell for me.

  I breathed in slowly and put a halt on that line of thought. That right there, was going to be a huge problem if I didn't stop myself now.

  "Jen, I don't like this," I told her in an unforgiving tone as Ella's words about manipulation came to mind. "But I'll give it a shot. If she doesn't do the job like I want, I'm choosing the next one myself. And this time, I will do the phone interviews."

  "Mmm."

  I didn't think my girlfriend was listening anymore as her hand drifted towards my cock and she untied the towel from around my waist, letting it drop to the floor before she herself dropped to her knees in front of me, her blue eyes devilishly alight with sensual promise.

  Chapter 5

  Wynter

  I gazed out the window of my motel room absently, not even seeing the cars and people below as I thought about this morning over and over again. I’d seen him. I’d met him. He’d been right there next to me as we’d ascended the stairs and if I had reached out just a few inches, I could have touched him.

  The only reason I hadn’t was because I knew deep down that touching him would be my ultimate destruction. The burn would be too much for me to bear. This man…I had only gone to his house for a chance to talk to him on a one-on-one basis and I had not been disappointed. He turned out to be more than what I had imagined him to be. I already felt like protecting him from the entire world because Jude gave me this sort of vulnerable vibe. Like he could easily be taken advantage of by someone because of how trusting he was.

  I mean, any other person in his place would probably have kicked me out for the way I had been behaving but he had been polite and sensitive in handling the awkwardness…handling me.

  He’d looked so scrumptious, I hadn’t been able to help myself from drinking it all in. He’d worn dark jeans and a pale, blue shirt which had fitted his lean body to perfection. When I’d dared to take a peek at the V of his open neckline, I’d seen a sprinkling of dark hair and that had been so sexy. I kind of liked the idea of running my hand over his chest and finding that roughness. And his mouth…god…so pink and sensual. The way he’d run his tongue over his lips, the way he had frowned at me with an adorably confused expression.

  With an impatient huff, I turned away from the window and went over to the bed, feeling angsty and wound up. I thought it would be enough to have that brief glimpse of him up close and bathe in his aura but no…it only made me crave him more.

  I had spent a whole week travelling as far away from Wisconsin as possible with my hoodie becoming my most trusted companion because my face was plastered all over the news now. I was basically a fugitive, wanted for assault and attempted manslaughter. Wow.

  They'd never catch me though. I'd never let that part of my life get to me. The old Wynnie would have been so scared. But she'd been to the jaws of death and back again and now she longer cared.

  That night when I'd left home, I'd gone to the park at the furthest end of town and cried the entire time as I'd tried to wash the blood off me in a pond. Thoughts like ‘the police would come for me and I will never make it’ kept crossing my mind. I had called an Uber and hightailed it out of there before the cops got
wind of my trail.

  It dropped me off in the next town which I'd been to with one of my friends before. First, I found a small chapel and went inside and then I allowed myself to fly into panic mode.

  I had paced the deserted structure and gone frantic as I thought of the consequences of my actions. My whole life had just been destroyed in a series of events which I hadn't even brought on myself. Why...why was all of this happening?

  I'd cried all over again and hugged the book to my chest, the book which I had used to save me that day. I even contemplated killing myself to end the agony. I wasn't strong enough to face any of this on my own. To go against the law and be able to prove my innocence. The last straw had been when I had gone online to check the news and my social media notifications had flooded.

  I was horrified by the shitstorm my life had become. Noah...that bastard...he had leaked the video and revealed my name, anonymously. Everyone I knew back in my town was talking about it. My face wasn't visible at all like he had told me but people still believed it.

  I broke down when I saw the comments. I wasn't a skinny girl by any means. My body wasn't flat or toned. I wasn't overweight either but I did have some flabby bits and had been the victim of body-shaming all throughout high school for not being 'thin' enough. And now people were making fun of that same naked body which was there for all the world to see.

  Sobs had wracked through me as I laid on one of the pews and cried, wishing my mother could have trusted me. Could have protected me from all of this. Ending my life was the only solution I had in front of me. Nobody wanted to live in this kind of hell.

  My stinging eyes had landed on the book once more and loneliness and hopelessness had seized me so strongly. I would never even know him or read his beautiful words again. My fingers traced the pages where the book lay open next to me. The Darkest Storm. It seemed to fit.

  "They'll come for me soon," I whispered. "They'll put me in prison. I don't know how to fight this."

  The lines in those pages had lain dormant but the allure was still powerful and it called out to me. I opened to the chapter I had been reading and absently gazed at the words. I would never know how that man's story ends. Does he ever get his son back? Do people ever believe him?