Page 79 of Brassy Bigwig

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHLOE

I can’t believe this is happening again.

I knew I was right not to trust what Blake said on Friday night. How coincidental that we run into one another, much like we used to back when he first started stalking me. And now I get a letter from him. That’s a new one. He never used to send letters before.

“I want to call the police,” I tell D, wiping the overflowing tears from my cheeks. “Get another order of protection in place. I want to take charge and cut him off before things go too far this time. I refuse to sit around crying like a weak, scared little girl.”

“It’s okay to be scared, Chloe. That doesn't make you weak. I think it’s a great idea to get in touch with the police.” D checks his watch. “Let’s head out early today, okay? Get you back to my place. You can call the police from there, and they can send someone out to take your statement.”

“But what if someone sees us?” I wonder.

“Fuck it. I don’t care anymore.” He leans in and cups my cheeks with his palms. “You are more important to me than the opinions of the people on my staff.”

The warmth his words bring wraps me up like a blanket and quiets my shaking. But it’s short lived when I spot the letter sitting on the table in front of us. I close my eyes as D brings his lips to mine, laying a gentle kiss upon them.

When he pulls away from me, he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear and rubs my cheek reassuringly. I’m lucky to have D this time around if shit gets ugly like it did before. I just hope he doesn’t change his mind about being with me once he realizes how much work this relationship could be. I think about how long it took to get Blake to leave me alone last time. It was two long, dark years. He never actually stopped, he just got caught for doing whatever dumb shit it was that got him locked up.

Now that he’s out, he’s back to finish what he started.

“I’m going to shut down. Why don’t you go gather your things, and we’ll get out of here?”

“Okay,” I agree, wiping a leftover tear from my eyelashes.

I grab my shoes, but I don’t put them back on. Carrying them out to my desk, I drop them back onto the floor before fishing my purse from my bottom drawer. My stomach drops, thinking if Blake already knows where I work, then he probably has all of my other information now, too. I wonder if he sent anything to the apartment, yet.

“All set?” D asks as he exits his office.

Nodding lightly, I let him lead me across the lobby. With his hand still on the small of my back, I think about the declaration he just made. He was sincere when he said he didn’t care if anyone finds out about us, but I hope they don’t. It’s not like either of us would get into trouble, it’s D’s company after all, but I don’t want anyone looking at or thinking of us differently because of it.

Thankfully, we were able to ride down to the ground floor of the building without running into anyone we knew. Ivan is waiting for us at the curb with the back door to the limo already open. We enter the car quickly, and Ivan shuts us in. I retrieve my phone from my purse as soon as I feel the car pull into traffic. Opening my messages, I click on my conversion with Shelby.

“I’m going to check with Shelby to see if anything came in the mail today.”

“That’s a good idea. Remember, you can invite her over tonight,” D reminds me.

“Thank you,” I offer him a grateful smile.

Me: Did I receive any letters or packages today?

Shelby: I don’t know. I haven’t checked the mail yet.

Me: Can you take a look now? It’s important. D and I just left work, and we’re headed to his penthouse.

Shelby: You guys can’t keep your hands off of one another, can you?

Me: No, it’s not that. I got a letter delivered to me at work today.

Me: From Blake.

Shelby: Oh, fuck. Throwing shoes on now so I can check the mail.

Me: Thank you.

A few minutes go by, more than enough time for Shelby to go downstairs, check the mail, and tell me if I got anything. I’m not sure whether to be relieved or stressed by the lack of response.

Me:Anything there?

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