Page 46 of Bound To Me

My finger hovered over the message box. I wanted to reach out to him; I missed him so fucking much. But did he deserve my time? Did he deserve the opportunity to explain himself? Before I could change my mind, I turned my phone off again. Realizing I had to work in just a couple hours, I showered, got dressed, and took an Uber to work.

I was thankful that I had work to keep my mind occupied. Although there was a dull ache deep in my chest, the restaurant was busy enough to keep my thoughts focused on what was happening right in front of me.

There was only an hour until closing. Things were just starting to slow down when our host eyed me and tilted his head toward the corner of the restaurant, indicating we had a new diner in my area.

I pulled out the tablet we used to take orders and stopped in my tracks when I looked up and realized who was sitting there, smiling at me smugly: Michael. Fucking. Barnes. I was sure I was about to have a heart attack; my throat constricted, my chest tightened, and my whole body buzzed with fear. I don’t know how my legs started to move towards him, but somehow, I got closer as my heart pounded against my lungs.

“Hello, sweet Jackie.” His deep voice and Irish accent still did things to me, and I hated myself for it.

“What are you doing here?” My weak voice sounded so foreign to me in this setting, where bubbly Jackie was front and center.

Michael smiled and lifted his brows, eyeing me up and down.

“You look well. Have you lost weight? Or gained? I can’t tell. Something is different though.”

Of course, he would immediately try to belittle me and my appearance. He looked exactly the same, except for the strands of gray in his beard and hair. He looked so fucking hot, and I hated myself for thinking it.

“Are you here to eat or to ask me my fucking weight?” I wasn’t surprised at my courage peeking through—we were in public, at my workplace, where he couldn’t do anything to me.

He laughed, and despite my best efforts, my insides melted. His laughter sent a shiver down my spine, and my heart stung at how much I still reacted to him. The sight of him made my pulse quicken and heat soar through my body.

“Neither,” he said, his eyes locking onto mine with a familiar intensity. “I’m here to take back what’s mine.”

No.

I laughed nervously. “What, can’t find any other of your victims? Didn’t get the help from your private investigator? Or does he just focus on one person at a time?”

He looked surprised. “He told you.”

Tears pricked my eyes. “Of course he told me.”

Now Michael smiled again. “Much to your dismay, hm? I’m surprised the lad even took any interest in you.”

That’swhat pushed my anger over the edge. “And why doyoustill have any interest in me, Michael?”

He put his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Out of all the women I’ve ever been with, you’re the one who was the most submissive, the easiest to control, the easiest to manipulate.” He chuckled to himself and I stood there frozen, trying to grasp my reality. “I’ll never find anyone as fucking weak as you, sweet Jackie. That’s why you’re perfect for me.”

I hated myself. I hated the way all of his other words were thrown out the window because of his last declaration. My mind threw all logic out the window. My years of therapy were instantly fizzled away like magic. All I had wanted for so long was to be his. And now he was admitting to me that he still wanted me.

“There’sthat spark in your eye, sweet Jackie. I know you still want me.” He looked so pleased with himself—and withme.“After work, you’re coming back to my hotel. And you will be my pet, baby. You will be my fucking puppet all over again.”

I heard dishes clanking together in the background, pulling me out of his trance. I quickly shook my head. “No.”

He looked amused as he sat back in his seat and raised his eyebrows. “No?”

“No,” I repeated. “I amnotyours anymore, Michael.”

He rolled his eyes. “Okay, Jackie. If I bent you over my knee right here, right now, I know you’d be soaking wet for me.”

He wasn’t wrong. But just because my body wanted him didn’t meanIwanted him.

“Everything okay here, Jackie?” My co-worker’s voice startled me as I whipped my head back in her direction.

“Yeah uh, actually…could you take this one? I need to leave. It’s an emergency, Meg. I’ll tell Lauren.”

My poor co-worker nodded at me sympathetically. “Of course, babe. Go ahead. I got this.”

I didn’t even bother to look back at Michael; all I knew was that I needed to get out of there.Immediately.

---