Systematic Seduction (12 page)

Chapter
Seventeen

Blair
went back to her office just long enough to lock her computer and grab her bag.
She went to the security office and asked the men who had come to the reception
area on the top floor whether Donny had left the property, and they assured her
they’d watched him walk away and around a corner.

“Which
direction did he go?”

“North.”

Good.
She lived south. “Thank you.”

She
still glanced over her shoulder every few minutes as she walked back to her
apartment, but she saw no one she recognized.

Inside,
it smelled musty. She’d spent no more than a few moments here in the past five
weeks. It no longer felt like home. It occurred to her she had no clothes here,
no food, and no personal items. They were all at Oliver’s place. Oliver’s place
was home now.

Blair
choked back a sob, but then let the tears come. She wanted to be back in
Oliver’s office, making love. And this time, he would tell Kiera to send Donny
away. She wanted to erase the years of her life from the day she was raped. She
wanted to go back to the day she’d met Donny, and this time she wouldn’t even
speak to him. She wanted to go back to the first day Oliver had asked her out,
and this time, she’d say “yes”.

Blair
lay on the sofa and curled up in a ball, crying so hard she could barely
breathe. She cried for her mother, and the horrible pain she must have been in
to allow her teenage daughter to be in constant danger in her own home. She
cried for the desperation her mother must have felt to drown her pain in booze
and pills.

She
cried for all the stupid men she’d given away her emotions to, especially Donny.
She cried for the wasted time, and the chances at real love she’d thrown away
without likely knowing it.

Blair
sat up and brushed her face. She
did
have a chance at real love. His name was Oliver Fairchild, and she knew he
loved her. He didn’t have to say it. She saw it in his eyes, and felt it in his
touch. She’d seen it a half hour ago as she’d pushed him away and told him she
needed to be alone.

“God
… no. Please tell me I haven’t lost him.” Her whisper sounded eerie in the
empty apartment.

Had
she lost him? Was it too late? It couldn’t be. What the hell was she doing
here? She should have stayed at the office with him. He was perfect. Gorgeous,
charming, sexy, and he’d fought for her just now. He’d dismissed Donny like the
asshole he was. Oliver had seen right through him, and waved him away as if
he’d been a gnat, buzzing around food.

Oliver
had written a silly little play for her. He’d found a rare script and made sure
the cast signed it. He’d bought her an exquisite necklace, simply because he
loved the color on her. He’d found flowers that reminded her of home. He’d
eaten food that gave him horrible heartburn, just to be with her. He was the
man of her fantasies, and she had pushed him away when she needed him most.

But
how could he love someone like her? Now that he’d seen firsthand the kind of
man Blair Adams hooked up with, he’d realize that if he stayed with her, this
was what he’d be up against for the rest of his life. Her past couldn’t be
erased, and surely by now Oliver saw that it would rear its ugly head, over and
over.

One man is not your entire past
rising up to haunt you.

Intellectually,
she knew that was true, but she had trouble fighting the feelings of
worthlessness and hopelessness that descended over her brain like a shroud. She
tried to use her visualization techniques, but after five weeks of not having
to, she was out of practice. They weren’t working this time because she was so
angry! Angry at Donny, and terrified she’d lost Oliver.

She
paced her apartment, slamming one fist into the other palm.
How dare that fucking asshole show up and
demand money? How dare he! What kind of a moron does something like that?
Oliver would never forget this. He’d decide he wanted no part of her fucked up
past. Any normal man would.

Blair
went into her bedroom and glanced around. She didn’t belong here. She belonged
with Oliver. She lay down on the bed, but it felt unfamiliar now. How was that
possible? She’d lived here for over two years.

Because you don’t belong here!

She
rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, wishing she’d taken a chance
and told Oliver she was in love with him. But would that have changed anything?
No. Donny still would have shown up and threatened to sue her for alimony. What
if he actually did it? She couldn’t deal with it. She’d have to hire an
attorney, and everything she’d gone through would surface again. Her panic
attacks might return. At the very least, Oliver would wash his hands of her and
the fucked up baggage she came with.

Blair
rolled over and curled up into a ball, tears streaming down her cheeks once
more. She had no idea what to do. She felt lost and alone, just like she’d felt
most of her life. The only things that had grounded her were her job, and
Oliver. If she lost him, she’d have to leave Fairchild BioSystems. There was no
way she could continue to work with him. Her life had finally taken a right
turn, and now it might all be gone again.

****

Oliver
wanted to go to her apartment because he had a strong suspicion that’s where
Blair had gone, but first he needed to take care of a few things. He returned
to his office and called Penny Katz, the paralegal on his attorney team. She
always took care of preliminary work on suits against him or his company.

He
asked her to search for any recent filings by Donny, and asked her to dig into Donny’s
background. Blair had given him a rough sketch, but Oliver had a hunch this guy
had been on the wrong side of the law for a while. He was going to take care of
this asshole for good but first he needed the proper ammunition.

He
called Blair’s phone, but it went to voicemail after four rings. Either she wasn’t
near it, or she was ignoring his calls. He prayed it was the former. He left
her a message, asking her to call or text, just to let him know she was all
right, even if she wasn’t ready to talk or to see him.

Unfortunately,
he did have a meeting he couldn’t postpone, and it took much longer than
anticipated. By the time he was able to return to his office, it was almost
four in the afternoon. He’d missed a call from Penny, so he returned her call
first.

“He
filed a suit this morning. It names you and Blair, and alleges she promised him
she’d give him money to help him out, despite his having not been granted
alimony in their divorce. The reason you’re named is because he alleges Blair
emailed him a month ago and told him she had a source for that money she’d
promised him, and names you as the source.”

“Oh
for fuck’s sake. What a load of horseshit.”

“It
gets better. He alleges he has the email to prove it.”

Oliver
snorted. “I can blow that out of the water in less than ten minutes. What about
his background?”

“I’m
emailing it to you now. I was able to track down info from before we all moved
underground, as well. He’s not only a thief, he’s a con artist, and he has more
than one arrest for rape and sexual misconduct.” Penny’s voice was filled with
concern, and a hot sliver of fear shot through Oliver at her tone. “Is Blair
safe? I wouldn’t trust this guy near her.”

“Yeah.
Yeah, she’s all right.” As soon as he ended this call, he was moving Blair out
of her apartment and into his. And she’d have a bodyguard, whether she wanted
one or not.

“Good.
If you need anything else, let me know.”

“Thanks,
Penny.”

Oliver
called his security team and told them to assign dedicated people to Blair on a
permanent basis. Then he called Barclay. He needed help with this, and he
needed it quickly. After explaining the situation to Barclay, he asked if he
was available to help Blair move out of her apartment.

“Does
she want to do that?”

Oliver
sighed. “I don’t know. I haven’t asked her.”

“None
of my business, but you might want to have a conversation with her first.”

“But
this asshole is out there! He’s already come here, bold as daylight, and
threatened us both. He’s filed a civil suit. She probably got served already.”

“If
she had, she would have called you. Have they served you yet?”

“No.”

“Then
take a deep breath. She’s safe for now. I’m sure your security detail is
already over there.”

“They’d
better be.”

“Okay,
then. Go over there yourself and talk to her, Oliver. Make sure this is what
she wants.”

“If
it is, will you help?”

“Of
course I will. Rissa and I both will.”

Oliver
felt a bit better after he spoke with Barclay, but most of the uneasiness was
still there. He knew the only way to solve this issue was to go to Blair and
tell her how he felt. Enough fucking around. He was acting like a complete
jerk. She was in pain, afraid, and his place was with her, not in this office
making calls, no matter how noble his intentions.

He
called his security team on the way to make sure she had a bodyguard in place,
and was assured her building was now being watched. Then he called Penny again
and asked her to try to find out when the suit papers would be served on both
of them.

When
he reached Blair’s building, he tried to call her again, but her phone went to
voice mail once more. He hoped she was all right. What if she wasn’t up there?
Fear tried to force its way in again, but he pushed it aside and used the keys
she’d given him weeks ago to enter her building, and then her apartment.

Her
bag was on the floor, next to the sofa, but where was she? Fighting rising
panic, he peeked into the kitchen and half bath, then stared at her closed
bedroom door. She had moved all her clothes and personal items into his place
weeks ago. The fact that she’d come here at all told him how much pain she must
be in.

But
what if he was wrong about her state of mind? What if she didn’t want to be
with him, and that’s why she’d chosen this place as a refuge? What if he’d been
wrong about the love he swore he glimpsed in her eyes, and heard in her voice
all these weeks? What if he went in there and she told him they were through?

****

Blair
sat up, struggling to remember where she was.
Your apartment. Your bedroom.
She’d come here to think and had
ended up falling asleep.

The
light in the room told her it was almost dark outside, so she must have slept
for a few hours at least. She turned on the light, glancing around for her
phone, but she must have left it and her bag in the living room. She walked
into the bathroom and grimaced when she saw her face and hair. She looked like
she’d been crying for a week, and she didn’t have so much as a hairbrush left
here.

She
crossed the room and reached for the door knob. When the door opened before she
could touch the knob, she yelped. It was Oliver, and he looked both afraid and
relieved to see her.

“Oh
… oh, you’re here.” She flung herself into his arms and tried to hold back the
tears, but they came again, just as hard and fast as they had before. She was
babbling, trying to tell him everything she’d been thinking earlier, but
nothing coming out of her mouth seemed to make sense.

The
only things that did make sense were his warm, strong arms around her, and his
voice, soft, soothing, calm, telling her that everything was going to be okay.
She finally pulled away to look at him, and he brushed the tears off her face.

“Blair,
I have some things to tell you, but before I do, I have to tell you this or
I’ll explode. No matter what you say, I mean this and I always will.”

“What
is it?” Had something else happened with Donny? She’d kill him if he had
bothered Oliver again.

He
swallowed, and then cupped her face. She was alarmed to find his hands so cool.
“Blair, I love you. I’m so in love with you. I should have told you before, but
it never seemed like the right time. Please tell me I haven’t lost you.”

“What?
Oh my God.” Blair was certain her heart was about to cease beating. “You were
afraid of losing me? I was afraid I’d lost you.”

“No.
Not a chance. Never.”

“Oliver,
I am so in love with you, too. I should have said something as well, but I was
afraid.” The fucking tears were back again, but she ignored them this time. “I
was afraid after Donny showed up that you’d decide you couldn’t deal with my
fucked up past, and you wouldn’t want me.”

“Oh,
baby.” He pulled her close, and Blair wrapped her arms around him and pressed
against him for warmth. “Oh, that is so … no way. I love you. Your past is part
of you. We will deal with anything that rises up together. I told you that, and
I meant it. You’re stuck with me, sweetheart.”

She
clung to him, hardly daring to believe this was real. He wanted her.
All
of her. Even the fucked up parts.
Blair had never been this happy in her life, and she knew this was real.
Finally, she understood that she was worthy of this. She was allowed to feel this
way. She was allowed to love this man.