Chapter Three

Everett

I’m outside Aubrey’s apartment, waiting to catch her before she leaves for work. If I attempted to get in, she would deny me access. I was furious after leaving her house last night. I discovered methods to overcome it. My mood greatly improved after having a few drinks and engaging in a sexual encounter with a stranger. She is mistaken if she believes last night was the end of it. I dislike being denied what I desire. She wants me to, but because of my brother, she is too worried to be honest.

I stand against my car, two coffees in hand. I haven’t been here long. I assume it is this time she leaves to get to work. My gaze remains fixed on her building. Within moments, the entrance door opens, and she emerges. She begins walking in the opposite direction, completely unaware of my presence. Doesn’t she have a car?

I smirk and pull myself from the car, heading towards her. I stand in her way, blocking her path.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

She jumps, finally looking up, “Everett, what are you doing here?”

The nervousness is evident in her voice.

“I come gifting coffee,” I say sweetly, flashing my brightest smile at her.

“You shouldn’t be here. You’re lucky that Hugo isn’t picking me up this morning, which is a rare occurrence.”

Taking a step forward, I pass her the coffee and exclaim, “What a stroke of luck for me. Can I give you a lift?”

She disagrees, shaking her head, “No, it’s not a good idea. I don’t want Hugo to see you dropping me off and cause trouble.”

Tucking her hair behind her ear, she averts her gaze downward.

Reaching forward, I touch her chin and tilt her head back. I thought I made it clear yesterday that I prefer to be looked in the eye when having a conversation. When our eyes meet, she softly whimpers again.

“I will drop you off away from the office.”

“Why are you here, Everett? I made it clear to you last night that I wanted you to stay away from me.”

“Do I seem like a man who does as he is told? Turn around and come with me to my car. It’s quite cold out this morning.” I state firmly.

She sighs. “Do I really have a choice?”

“No, you don’t. You are learning.” I smirk.

I help her face the right way. Guiding her towards my car, I rest my hand on the small of her back. I suppress my smirk. She will understand that it’s not easy to brush me off. Hugo can go and fuck himself. What he doesn’t know can’t hurt him.

I open the passenger door for her, giving her a hand in. My eyes fall on her ass as she does. Damn, what a nice ass. A nice handful. I wouldn’t mind spanking it as I am buried balls deep in her pussy, fucking her from behind. My cock twitches as I groan at the mere thought.

I close the door and swiftly make my way to the driver’s seat, hopping in. Aubrey is looking down at her lap, twiddling her fingers. I reach over to buckle her seatbelt. Frozen in place, a soft moan escapes her lips due to our proximity.

I clip her belt and rest my lips at her ear. “Safety first, beautiful.”

The warmth of my breath on her skin causes her to shudder. I chuckle and pull away, getting myself situated. Aubrey stares out of the window, sipping on her coffee.

“Will you be going to Hugo’s birthday dinner this weekend?”

She slowly turns to face me. “Yes, I will be there. It’s my responsibility to make the birthday cake.”

“You bake?”

“Yes. I have a passion for baking. Since I was young, it’s been something I’ve enjoyed,” she smiles.

“Impressive. It takes some skill to make a birthday cake.”

“The process relaxes me.”

That’s where the conversation stops. She doesn’t talk much, does she? I start the car. The office is just a short drive away. She remains silent. I park a short distance from the office.

“Thank you for the lift.” She says softly, smiling shyly at me.

“You are welcome.”

Removing her belt, she extends her hand towards the door handle.

“What are your plans for tonight?” I ask.

She redirects her attention towards me. “Um, nothing. Why?”

“Well, you do now. I’ll be there to get you at eight for dinner.”

Her eyes go wide, and she shakes her head. “No! Everett, as I mentioned before, there can’t be anything between us.”

I place my hand on her knee and emphasise, “It’s just a dinner. I am not asking, sweetness. I will see you at eight.”

“You’re impossible,” she says with a groan, throwing her hands up in the air. “You can come at eight, but I won’t be ready, and I will not be going for dinner with you.”

I squeeze her knee and pull my hand back. “We will see. You’re free to go now.”

Glaring at me and rolling her eyes, she hastily leaves the car. She rushes down to the office. Tonight, Aubrey will be joining me for dinner, either at a restaurant or at her place. The quicker she stops fighting it, the better.

I wait for her to disappear from sight before restarting the car. As I pass by the building, I notice her entering with my brother. It is probably a good thing I didn’t drop her outside. She and Hugo seem close. I’m curious about what happened to her that made my brother and Erica have to help and look after her.

I make my way to my office, prepared for a long day ahead. Work is where I excel, and it helps me take my mind off everything else. Hugo and I worked extremely hard to get to where we are now.

We came from nothing. A broken family with abusive, drug addict parents who couldn’t give a shit about us. I raised Hugo, even when my parents were still around. They fucked off when I was fifteen and Hugo was twelve. It’s a mystery how we made it through, but we did. I did my best to protect him. I chose to bear the brunt of the beatings and abuse so he wouldn’t have to. Although we’re not as close as some siblings, I would still go to any lengths to protect him.

I give myself a quick shake. If I get into the headspace, I’ll be stuck there all day. I make my way to the office, enter, and dive straight into work. My plan is to call Aubrey during lunch to remind her about our dinner tonight. I would pick her up after work, but I have a feeling Hugo usually takes her home. Getting to her won’t be easy because of him, but I’ll figure it out. I always find a way. As long as she doesn’t tell Hugo and Erica about me hanging around, it should be easy enough to do without getting caught. I get a thrill out of the forbidden, and it is exactly what Aubrey is. The more I know I shouldn’t want her, the more I will until I am satisfied.