Their Blu Dilemma (Book 2)

7 Getting ready for work.

Blu

Vic holds on to me for a few minutes and then let’s go straightening. He walks to the door as if he can’t be there alone with me any longer.

“I’ll get breakfast ready,” he says walking out. I take a deep breath, wishing I had somewhere else to go, so I don’t put him through this. But I have nowhere else to go.

I’ll move out soon, I say to myself. I’ll need to or our situation will get far more complicated.

I get up and stare at the bed. And then it hits me…

Oh s**t… my conversation with Xavier filters into my mind.

“You want me to come and work for you?”

“Yes. Starting tomorrow.”

He meant today…. s**t…shit …shit…. I need to go to work. I go to my suitcase and rummage through it for something to wear. I pull out a pink silk blouse that my mother bought for me on her many shopping trips. She thought it would make me look sophisticated and responsible, since she knew I wasn’t any of those things.

Pretend until you make it, that was her motto. And right now I need it, because I have no idea what working for Xavier will entail.

I know I am intelligent enough to figure it out, I passed all my courses with flying colours in university. Luna even calls me a genius. But I haven’t used my brain to think strategically or to solve any problems faced in a professional setting in a long time. All I’m good for now is to meditate and lazy about.

I fling the blouse onto the bed, and then try to find something that I can wear it with. But I don’t seem to have any formal pants in there. All I have in there are flowy dresses with beads and maxi skirts. I am more of a bohemian kind of girl.

There is nothing serious in my suitcase.

I groan, because now I realize that I might be ill equipped for this…

Damn, what was Xavier thinking hiring me.

I look at my jeans, wondering if they will work. They’ll have to do.

I don’t want to walk into his office in a lacy dress that has feathers and beads.

My phone choses that moment to ring. I look for it around the mess I made in the room.

“Hello?” I say once I answer it.

“Blu,” Xavier’s voice comes through the speakers making me shiver.

Fuck…I grit my teeth hating my body for reacting this way to him. Why can’t I just hate him, and not feel so aware of him all the time?

“I take it you’re ready for today?” he says his voice sounding all rough and commanding. My treacherous body tingles from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet at the sound.

Dammit…I try to push him out of my mind and think of Vic, my sweet Vic, who is downstairs making food for me.

But my feelings are all jumbled up. I don’t know what I’m feeling as they all blend into one.

“Yes, I’m getting ready,” I force out.

“Good,” Xavier says with a sigh. “Give me your address and I’ll come and pick you up.”

Uhh…I pull my phone off my ear and stare at it.

I don’t think that is a good idea. Him and Vic in the same space. I don’t think so.

“No, you tell me where your offices are and I’ll come to work like everybody else,” I say.

Xavier is silent for a while that I think he hung up. I stare at the phone again. Nope still connected.

“Did you hear what I said?”

“Yes. Do you want this job?” he asks.

“Yes, I do,” I answer quickly. Of course I want this job. My very life depends on it. If all goes well and he pays me I will be able to get a place of my own, and then I can maybe think about getting Vic back since I’ll be back on my feet.

Not that I don’t want him right now. But I don’t want him to think that I only want to use him, because he’s helping me out.

I want us to be on the same level, like we were.

“The first rule of working for me is that I am your boss, and you will do everything I say,” Xavier says his voice hard and uncompromising – so formidable. It’s as if he can reach out into the phone and make me do whatever he wants. And I’m not sure I will be able to resist.

My stomach flutters as the feeling intensifies.

 “Blu…Is that clear?”

“Yes,” I swallow unable to resist.

“Send the address, sweetheart. And I’ll be there to pick you up,” he says smoothly the hard urge to his voice still there, making me submissive. I nod, even though he can’t see me.

I hang up the phone, and quickly send him Vic’s address, without even thinking too hard about it. I’ll just have to stand at the gate so Vic doesn’t have to see him.

I look for my toiletries and make my way to the bathroom. I take a long shower, letting the water wash away the stress I endured last night until I feel like I’m human again.

I get out of the shower, dry myself and put on some lotion. I stretch my neck this way, feeling the knots there.

I think about getting a massage, and then I remember that I can’t afford it anymore.

Fuck…this is going to take some time to get used to. From this moment forward, I’m going to have to learn to save money, something I’ve never done before.

Wow, this is going to be something.

I wrap a towel around my waist and make my way to the room. I get dressed in my blouse and jeans in front of the mirror attached to the only wardrobe in the room. I put on a bit of makeup to cover the bags under my eyes. I yawn as the tiredness of last night hits me. I blink it away and focus on my image.

It doesn’t look too bad. I have a pair of white heels that could work well with the entire outfit. I search for them in my garbage bag, I put them on once I find them.

I look at myself in the wardrobe mirror. My hair still looks good. I brush it out, so it settles nicely on my shoulders.

“Okay, I guess I’m ready,” I say to my image in the mirror. I try a smile, hoping it looks real, because I feel fake and ill prepared.

I head down to the kitchen where I find Vic busy making breakfast. On one plate is a whole assortment of colds meats, cheese and breads. My stomach tightens up at the thought of all that food. I look up and find him looking at me.

“That’s for me, I made you a nice sandwich. I figured you won’t want anything too heavy” he says and places a plate in front of me. I smile at the sandwich, it looks good. I take a big bite and the explosion of flavour in my mouth makes me smile.

“Good?” he asks me smiling.

“Good,” I say reaching for the freshly squeezed orange juice he places in front of me.

“Thank you,” I say smiling at him. I am thankful that he’s letting me stay in his house. It’s not every guy that would do this.

He’s such a good man.

“It’s my pleasure,” he says and sits down to starts to eat his breakfast.

“No Vic, I mean like really. Thank you” I say looking at him seriously.

“Blu, we don’t need to do all of that. You needed my help. I wouldn’t have left you out there, even after everything that’s happened,” he says clearing his throat. He pushes the plate of food away from him and stops eating. His face looks like I just put him off his food. I feel bad for making him feel that way but I need him to know that I am grateful. I can’t put it off. I haven’t been honest about a lot of things in my life, I don’t want to be dishonest about this.

It’s important that he knows that he means a lot to me, regardless of what happened between us.

“Yes we do, Vic. In a time when no one was there for me, you’re here. Despite everything, you’re here. I…” I start to say.

“I know,” he says looking down at his hands. “You don’t have to tell me all of that. You have to know that I will be there for you no matter what. I thought I was showing you that when we were together. I thought…” he shakes his head and goes to the fridge. He opens it and pulls out a bottle of water.

My chest warms as I stare at him. I know this can’t be easy for him but still he chose to be there for me.  I want to get up and go to him. But I know we’re not there yet. Me touching him will only complicate things.

“Thank you anyway. And…” I say, but a beeping sound interrupts me. Vic walks to an IPad on a counter and presses a button.

“I’m not expecting anyone” he says.

And then it hits me. Xavier!

Fuck… I jump to my feet and go to the door.

I haven’t had the opportunity to tell Vic that Xavier was coming to fetch me.

“Blu?”

I come to a stop before I shoot out the door. I turn around to face him slowly. My face pulls in a grimace.

Shit…I didn’t think that Xavier will get here so soon.

“It’s Xavier,” I say.

Time seems to stop as Vic stares at me. He blinks as if he doesn’t understand what I’m saying.

“He’s here to pick me up,” I add. He still stares at me. “I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you,” I say.

 Emotions flicker over his face, and they are gone before I can decipher them. He takes a deep breath. And then taps away on hit iPad.

“It’s okay,” he says moving to the kitchen island and picking up our untouched food. I can hear a car driving up the house.

Shit…Xavier.

I walk to the door. I don’t want him to come into Vic’s house.

 I bite my bottom lip feeling like s**t. I should have insisted that I meet him at his office. And not bring him here. But the way he had spoken to me…. I didn’t want to defy.

God…this is a mess.

I open the door and walk out, making sure that I close it behind me.  

 And there leaning on his car is Xavier Maake looking arrogant and handsome as ever in a black business suit. He looks like he belongs on a GQ Magazine, that’s how handsome he looks. When he sees me an emotion I can’t quite figure out flashes on his face for a split second and then it’s gone. His eyes move above my head and he focuses behind me. I turn back to find Vic standing there.

God…can things get any worse.

 I turn back to find Xavier walking towards me. His face looks dark, hard and lethal. I feel all the anger and hurt after he threw me out yesterday fill me up. Vic made me forget for a moment but it was now all coming back. Xavier has no right to look angry or have any type of emotion towards Vic.

I stretch out my hand to stop him in his tracks as he comes close to me. The moment my hand comes in contact with his chest, I regret it.

My hand is hit by a bolt of electricity, that climbs up my arm to travel down my spine and settle in my p***y, making it pulse in needy waves that I clench my thighs together.

 He touches my arm, and looks down at me…right in my eyes. Something electric passes between us. And it intensifies as Vic comes behind me. His hands come to my waist as if he wants to pull me away from Xavier. Something sizzles from where Vic is touching me. We all freeze as a moan works its way up my throat out of my mouth.

Seconds tick by as no one moves. An awkward silence ensues as I stand between them, with my body thrumming with awareness of both men, I feel like I’m going crazy.

Xavier is the first to move.

He snatches his hand away from my arm. And turns his anger on me.  

“You came to him?” he asks me as if I betrayed him.

What the hell?