Twelve Days - The Beginning Read online

  “I’ve asked Annabel to bring you some tea.” Vaughn said, dropping down onto his knees in front of her. She could feel his eyes on her face, searching for heaven-knew-what, but she didn’t feel ready to meet his gaze. Her mind was a jumble. She couldn’t think of anything that she needed to say right now, especially to this man hunched down in front of her.

  The door opened and Annabel brought in a tray with a cup of tea, sugar and a cup of coffee for Vaughn. She looked like she was about to say something but clearly seeing the state of Elise, she thought better of it and left the office as quietly as she had come.

  Vaughn busied himself with the drinks, adding plenty of sugar to Elise’s tea as an antidote to the shock. “Here,” he said, “try to drink this.”

  Elise took the cup from his hands, grateful of the warmth on her frozen fingers. Taking a sip, she looked at her surroundings and realised that they were at the far end of the first floor, away from most of the other offices and secretaries. She was suddenly struck by how private this all was.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t take this as your office?” she found herself saying, “More privacy.”

  Vaughn chuckled, no doubt taken aback that she should choose this moment to comment on the position of his office. “Maybe you’re right.” he replied and then they both fell silent again, the only sound in the room the gentle slurping of their drinks.

  Eventually Vaughn spoke, his voice loud and echoing in the empty room.

  “Elise, do you mind if I ask you something?”

  Not having a clue as to what he could possibly want to know, Elise nodded her head in acceptance. He was her boss anyway so there wasn’t much he didn’t know or couldn’t find out if he wanted to.

  “Why do you not use your married name?”

  Elise gaped at him in shock. That was probably one of the last questions that she had expected him to ask. She had been thinking more along the lines of “Why did your drunken husband turn up here and why was one of the senior partners involved in a brawl with him?”. The question that he had selected to ask had not been on her radar at all.

  Realising that he was waiting for her answer, she considered and then looked down at him, propped as he was against the sofa on his knees.

  “I don’t know really.” she replied “Just never got around to changing everything, I suppose.”

  That wasn’t entirely true. When they had first got married, she had had every intention of changing her name but when she found out precisely how many forms she would need to fill in, she had kept putting it off and putting it off until neither of them really thought about it anymore. She still had all the forms and had intended to sort things out once and for all when they started a family. However, once that had been taken from them and Dale had become the person that he now was, she found herself less and less inclined to take that step; feeling that by changing her name, she would maybe in some way be condoning the way that he treated her.

  Maybe that wasn’t the right decision, particularly if it caused certain men to question the state of her marriage - but it really just hadn’t seemed important. If she was honest, she liked still having her own identity and she had always thought that using Breedon ruined the natural acronym of her initials; Elise Geraldine Grayson, EGG. Her parents had come up with the idea after their first ante-natal scan. Elise’s mother had taken one look at the blob on the screen, decided it looked like an egg and so it had been decided; boy or girl, they would forevermore be branded an EGG.

  Vaughn was shifting on the floor, trying to get more comfortable. He had obviously listened to her answer but looked like he didn’t believe her and Elise braced herself for the inevitable questions that would follow. Instead he surprised her for the second time in the space of a few minutes by changing the subject.

  “So,” he said evenly, “that was your husband. Interesting character. Is that his usual behaviour or are we particularly honoured today?”

  She bristled. Despite Dale’s actions he was her husband and she still felt some loyalty to him.

  “He isn’t normally like that” she defended “he had just had a bit too much to drink and didn’t know what he was doing.”

  Again she braced herself for further questioning but surprisingly Vaughn let the matter drop for which she was relieved. She didn’t believe that he was completely satisfied with her answer but as long as he left it for now, she was happy.

  She felt sure that he would question her at a later date as to why her ‘wonderful’ husband was completely and utterly trashed at such an early hour. She could see the cogs working in his brain but was grateful that he hadn’t pressed the issue. She supposed - given his performance last night - that he really couldn’t say too much about other people’s relationship with alcohol.

  The shock of the incident had now begun to wear off; Elise was starting to feel more human again and wanted to get back to work. She was worried about Dale and Cole but she was still mad, spitting-mad at the pair of them. Whilst she appreciated that Cole had only been defending her, part of her wished that he had just stayed out of it and let her handle the situation. She was sure that she would have been able to get Dale out of the office without either of them being arrested, but Cole never allowed her to fight her own battles.

  Without thinking she sighed, huffing out the events of the morning and inadvertently drawing Vaughn’s eyes back to her face. In an instant their eyes caught and locked and suddenly the atmosphere in the room shifted and changed; becoming something much heavier - and altogether different.

  Recognising the change, Elise tried to drag her gaze away but it wouldn’t budge, locked on his of its own volition, caught up with eyes an intriguing colour, somewhere between black and brown – big dark pools that you could easily lose yourself in. As their eyes continued to hold, Elise was aware that her breathing was becoming more rapid and uneven and, although she knew that this was wrong and shouldn’t be happening, lost in the deep wells of his eyes, she was powerless to stop. She couldn’t drag her eyes away. She didn’t want to drag her eyes away. She needed this power, this connection. She needed his strength.

  Vaughn reached forward and carefully tucked a lock of her blond hair behind her ear. She shivered as his fingers lightly brushed the side of her face, lingering slightly above her collarbone before withdrawing. She immediately wished that he had left his hand there and held the touch for just a little bit longer. Instinctively she lifted her hand to cover the place where his had been and, as if reading her thoughts, Vaughn rose up and leaned forward so that he could whisper in her ear.

  “You really are incredibly beautiful, Elise.” His voice was velvet, his breath sending shivers down her spine that almost robbed her of her own. Before she could think her actions through she turned her face to the side, searching for his eyes wanting that connection again but he was closer than she had realised and as she turned, his lips brushed along her cheek.

  Swallowing against the intense sensation of his mouth touching her face, she watched as the heat collected in the depths of his eyes, saw as they flicked down to her mouth and nervously she darted her tongue out to moisten her lips. At the slight movement, his breathing became more erratic and the moment was suspended in time, neither willing to break the contact or make the next move. Eventually Vaughn spoke, his voice gravelly and rough.

  “Elise, I really need to kiss you right now - more than I need my next breath. I am right at the end of my control and if you don’t stop me, then I can’t promise that I can.”

  The desperation in his words pulled at Elise’s soul and she gazed deeper into his eyes, hearing his deep and sexy voice; almost feeling the pounding of his heart as he shifted closer to her and leaned in towards her. Somewhere in her head Elise knew that this was wrong, that she needed to stop this – her husband and her best friend were in hospital for Christ’s sake. Those thoughts should have been sobering, should have registered, should have shamed her and should have made her tell him to stop but she couldn’t seem to
form the words. She didn’t want to form the words. Her mouth had dried up and all she knew was that if this beautiful man didn’t kiss her now, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

  As if seeing the submission in her eyes, Vaughn closed the remainder of the distance between them and gently pressed his lips onto hers cautiously. Seeking reassurance. Instinctively Elise closed her eyes and shut off her mind, allowing herself to feel - only to feel. Vaughn was moving his hands onto her shoulders, down her back and then up into her hair, pulling her closer as he began to deepen the kiss. He was tentative at first - no doubt expecting her to pull away - but as the seconds became minutes he became more insistent, running his tongue along the seam of her lips, begging for entrance.

  Elise heard a sigh and was alarmed to realise that it had come from her. In answer to his now-insistent begging, she opened her mouth and allowed his tongue to enter. He swept inside, tongue gently duelling with hers, running over the roof of her mouth and around and inside her lips. At first he was gentle, calm even and controlled. But as the minutes ticked by, Elise became aware of Vaughn groaning, the sound echoing in the empty room and vibrating through her all the way to her toes. He deepened the kiss, pushed more, demanded more, shifting to get as close to her as he possibly could. He was still on the floor and she was leaning down towards him but the position was awkward. Somehow, Vaughn scooted up onto the sofa beside her without breaking contact and pulled her into his lap. He handled her as if she weighed almost nothing and she marvelled at his hidden strength.

  In this new position, she could feel his erection pressing against her thigh and felt her body respond, become aroused and wet with her panties providing little protection. Even though this was all totally wrong, it couldn’t have felt more right and before she could think it through, she began to trace her hands under his jacket and across his chest - enjoying the feel of his abs flexing as he moved. Her fingers came into contact with his nipples and she couldn’t resist the urge to tweak them, feeling them instantly hardening under her touch. Vaughn shuddered as the tips responded and became hard nubs and she realised suddenly that she had the power to turn this man on. Their kiss continued; timeless, endless. Teeth clashed and tongues fought as they pressed their mouths ever closer together - the sensation of just their lips being connected soon not enough for Elise. She continued her assault on his body and smiled against his mouth as she felt him still and draw an unsteady breath as her hands reached lower and brushed across the buckle of his belt.

  Who would have thought, that less than twenty four hours ago, she was certain that she would never speak to this man again. And now look at her.

  Elise knew that there were a million reasons why she shouldn’t be doing this but under the demands of this man’s mouth, she couldn’t think of a single one; all coherent thought having long since left her. He was still kissing her deeply; running his fingers through her hair, tracing her cheeks with his fingers. Everywhere he touched she tingled, and she couldn’t remember ever feeling this safe – this complete. She didn’t ever want the sensations to end and she squirmed in his lap, trying to get more purchase against his burgeoning arousal.

  Abruptly, Elise felt Vaughn stiffen and then begin to gently remove her from his lap. She dragged her mouth away from his reluctantly as she became aware that he was trying to separate them and she looked up at him in confusion. What had she done? Or had he come to his senses? Remembered who she was and all of the complications that went along with it? She tried to push the unwelcome hurt of that thought to the back of her mind as she struggled to get her emotions under control.

  Suddenly she became aware of an insistent knocking on the door and immediately realised why Vaughn had pushed her away. As if she had been switched into overdrive, Elise couldn’t move quickly enough; sitting up, straightening her clothes, her hair, rapidly wiping her mouth and shuffling to the other end of the sofa to put as much distance between her and Vaughn as possible.

  Vaughn was resting his elbows on his knees; his head bowed, breathing deeply and trying to restore a measure of calm. Briefly his eyes met hers, quickly heated and then shifted, turning towards the door. “Come in.”

  In the brief seconds before the door opened fully, Vaughn turned to look at her, his voice no more than a whisper.

  “This did happen, Elise.” He stood and walked over to the window, the telltale bulge in his trousers belying his outwardly calm exterior. With shaking hands, Elise smoothed her blouse one last time before turning towards the unwelcome intrusion.

  The door had now opened fully to reveal Celeste, hopping madly from one foot to the other and regarding the two of them with a slightly odd expression. She looked at Elise in confusion then shook her head as if to clear it and turned her full attention to Elise.

  “Elise, thank God, I’ve only just heard, I was out on a client visit. What the hell happened? Are you alright?” She came running over to the sofa and plopped down on the floor in front of Elise, in pretty much the same place as Vaughn had been moments before. “I heard that Cole is in the hospital..., something about a fight with Dale? Jesus, Elise, are you sure you’re OK?”

  Across the room she became aware of Vaughn shifting and moving slightly but he had his back to them so she had no way of knowing what he was thinking. She looked back down at Celeste. “I’m fine ‘Leste, really. A bit shaken but not injured at all. I just stood by and watched it happen, really. Dale has a concussion, Cole just superficial cuts but they’ve both been taken for observation. The police arrested them first though – for assault and affray.”

  “Shit, Elise, Cole arrested? And Dale? Jesus, what was going on? Annabel saw the whole thing but she’s not talking, God knows why! I just don’t get it. Why would Dale and Cole end up having a brawl in the reception for crying out loud?” Celeste was talking so quickly now that her words were making little sense and Elise was glad that her friend didn’t really seem to want any answers – she didn’t have any to give her. At the moment she was just hoping that Celeste didn’t pick up on any vibes between her and Vaughn, good or bad. The last thing she needed was her personal life out there on the office floor as fodder for the gossips. She had a sinking feeling though that it was more than likely already out there, after Dale’s performance.

  “I really don’t know ‘Leste” she said. She hoped that she sounded convincing when she answered.

  “Dale was calling Cole ‘pretty-boy’ and I think it just riled him a bit.” It sounded lame, even to her, but it was the best she could do without telling the whole, sordid story.

  Celeste looked as if she was about to question her further but then must have thought better of it and chose to squeeze her leg in a comforting gesture instead. “Just as long as you’re alright Elise, that’s the main thing.”

  Vaughn had been quiet the whole time, continuing to keep his back to them as he stared out of the window. As if only just remembering he was there, Celeste stood up and addressed his back.

  “Nice deception there, Vaughn. No one had any clue that you were anything other than one of us. Especially considering how much advantage you took of the complimentary bar!” Celeste moved closer to him and nudged him on the shoulder in a friendly punch.

  Elise thought she saw him stiffen momentarily but then he turned around and, for the first time since he had entered the reception area, he smiled, in Celeste’s direction.

  “Is that so?” he said, “Am I not ‘one of you’ anymore, then?”

  Celeste grinned “No freaking way! You’re one of them, the upstairs lot. Cole is too but he keeps in with the troops at ground level, if you know what I mean! But you..... rumour is you own more than half the company. That definitely makes you one of them!” Celeste paused a moment as if suddenly realising something.

  “Shit! I guess that means you’re unavailable then? There’s probably some company protocol or other, isn’t there? Just bloody typical!”

  This time Vaughn actually laughed and it was a beautiful sound resonating ar
ound the office -deep but with a hint of sexiness - and Elise felt her womanhood begin to throb again in response. Her reaction to this man was ridiculous. Crossing her legs to try to stem the feeling, she waited somewhat anxiously for his response. What if he said he was available? After all, he had been seen leaving the party with Olivia although that was before anyone knew his true standing. She didn’t know how she would feel if he started flirting with her friend. She knew she had no business caring or even being jealous but after that seriously hot kiss, God help her, she was feeling blatantly possessive.

  “I guess you’re right,” he replied, still laughing a little, “It wouldn’t be good for the upstairs and downstairs lots to ‘mingle’, so to speak. Not company protocol at all.”

  Elise sighed inwardly with relief and then immediately chastised herself. This man was nothing to her; she was married and having a hard enough time convincing everyone else that that fact was important without having to convince herself!

  Celeste rolled her eyes in resignation. “Company protocol sucks! Bloody shame, that’s all I can say. Oh well, my man is out there somewhere and you, my dear Elise, are going to help me find him!”

  “W..w...what??” She hadn’t been following the conversation for the last few seconds, having been sidetracked by the play of light from the window across Vaughn’s beautiful face. Celeste looked across at Elise as if she was seriously mentally challenged; truth be told, she essentially was at this precise moment in time.

  “My man.” she repeated “You are going to help me find the man of my dreams. But first we need to go shopping!”

  “Shopping?! Why?”

  “I need a killer dress. You and me are hitting the clubs tomorrow night and I need something to wear. What say we go to the precinct tomorrow and have a look round? It is Saturday after all and I reckon you need something to take your mind off today’s events.”