Authors: Stacy Wilde
Chapter 5
Days went by without any big changes. He had the same rude behavior and it really didn’t matter who he would apply it to. I kept a realistic approach of the things, getting used to the idea of seeing him every day, getting easier to forget how the two of us had met.
Over lunch, I was hearing so many stories about his lifestyle…How women were crazy about him and how he played with them, sleeping around with a different girl every time.
No wonder why so many so- called business meetings were held with the door open, asking me to provide them champagne and strawberries!
I even witnessed an episode of his tumultuous life one day…I had entered his office because I needed his signature for some paper work, and when I was approaching his desk, I saw a female underneath, while he was hurrying up to zip up his pants. He was a playboy!
The young, beautiful blonde wasn’t his wife, so the “I love you” that he had told her was just part of his romantic arsenal. This kind of information made me feel better.
What if I had been sleeping with him that night? I would have fallen in love with him and then I would have cried for weeks. No thanks, I was fine just the way it was, and I was even getting used to his behavior.
Seeing him every day though, in those fine suits of his, was a hard task. I was attracted to him, like the rest of my female colleagues, but his reputation made me feel almost a strange rejection.
My attitude towards him was the same. I wasn’t rude but I never replied back. I only did my job properly, get paid at the end of the month and I was gaining some kind of immunity to his rude comments.
Months and months went by like this, when suddenly, one day…everything changed.
It was Friday and he needed me there for him during a conference meeting. He was standing in front of the table, and his partners were aligned politely near him.
I was nicely dressed, with an office suit in vibrant colors. I was tanner that I usually was so my whole look gained a glow that made me look like a model.
I was sitting in the corner of the room, waiting for his directions, ready to provide him all that he needed in order for the meeting to be successful. He was looking at me strangely that day, with certain warmth, with some kind of sparkle, like he wasn’t him.
I was trying not to stare, but I was tempted to, since I couldn’t recognize him anymore. This handsome man was finally having some kind of human touch, the kind of touch that made him sick back in the days. He had the same look as a child that knew he did wrong, and my first instinct was to go and hug him.
“Stephanie, please come and sit near me. I need your opinion on a matter,” he said, ruining my daydream about me hugging him.
“Please bring her a chair,” he addressed to my other colleague who was also attending the meeting.
I couldn’t believe my eyes but I obeyed. He pulled the chair really close to him, so close that our legs were touching. I was going through a really hard time, trying not to seem embarrassed or intimidated by him.
He smiled, trying to induce the feeling that everything would be all right. I never saw him smiling, it was new and it looked incredible on him. He had a little dimple on his right cheek, a very sexy one.
He asked my opinion regarding his future investments, making me feel like I was important, like I really did matter. It was almost a year since I had been hired, but he always treated me like his slave, like I did a low work and like I didn’t need importance whatsoever.
My answers to his questions were pertinent and smart, and I knew that I could handle whatever phase he was crossing. He looked so proud while I was replying to his partner’s questions regarding our administrative work, and he even touched my leg, squeezing it like a confirmation of the good job that I had done.
The meeting was over and so was his new attitude.
For the next couple of weeks, I faced the old Barlow, the rude, insensitive, ungrateful and disarming one. I was stuck with the kindness of the image he had showed me in the day of the meeting.
Of course, women were entering and exiting his office like it was some kind of brothel, entering all dressed up and nice and exiting all messy and seduced.
It was not until one night, that he showed his true self in front of me.
That night, I was so busy that I couldn’t see my head through all those papers. It was almost 8pm and I was not leaving the office soon.
He was also at his desk, because he had had some late meetings, but I was hoping that he would leave at some point, because I never was truly relaxed with him, standing in the other room.
At some point, I heard him calling me. I rolled my eyes bored, because I knew that he was about to scream, or shout or blame me for some kind of silly mistake.
Instead of that scene, which I was already seeing in my head, I walked into his office and I saw him leaning on his desk with a huge grin on his face. It was a lifted up grin with the air of the playboy, which he definitely was.
What was he up to? What was it with that doubtful smile?
I made big eyes, trying to understand what` was going on.
“Come in Stephanie, I want to talk to you about something,” he said.
“Yes, Mister Barlow,” I said, and I was all ears.
My heart was beating fast, because I knew that if that was what I had craved for since I knew him, I wouldn’t be able to say no. I knew that I was weak in front of a direct approach, and I wouldn’t resist him.
I resisted too much, I was able to jump into his arms right there, with only one sign from his part.
I stopped when I was about half of a meter away from him, but he made a few steps and grabbed my face into his palms, biting his lower lip.
“Oh how sexy you are, and how much I want you. You can see me craving you, don’t you?”
I couldn’t say anything. He was transformed into the tender man I saw through the door’s crack that night, in the mansion near the woods. He was nice and gentle and he touched my face with the tip of his fingers, like he was trying to protect me, like I was made from something fragile.
I was only able to sigh while he stopped it with a kiss. An amazing kiss. He was barely touching my lips, pulling himself towards me and retreating in the same time, leaving me wanting for some.
He was licking my upper lip, while his hands went down, reaching for my shirt’s buttons. I was hypnotized. I knew I couldn’t resist him and I didn’t intend to.
I knew his reputation and I knew that I would probably be another woman on his list, but I couldn’t care less. I was like a doll in his hands, letting him play with me by his own will, letting him undress me, letting him touch me and I touched him back.
I just wanted to prove myself that it was real, that I was there with that gorgeous man, that I was not dreaming and everything was real. I escaped in a world that only belonged to us, to me and to him, and our pleasures.
Nobody existed at that point…everything disappeared, letting room only for our love scene. I was drunk by feelings of delight, of wishes finally coming true.
Mister Barlow was the perfect lover and he treated me with respect, making love to me in the most unique and sensitive way, taking full advantage of my curves, but touching them one at a time, without being tempted to grab or to pull them, like my ex-boyfriends did.
He had me not once, but twice that night, in the same position, the missionary’s, like in the old, romantic movies and we touched the highest point of pleasure both in the same time.
He kissed my forehead after all that, and I was hurrying to get out of there as soon as I could, being scared that he might be ruining the moment with only one of his words.
I got home and I refused to shower. I was looking for his perfume to last on me till the next day and I didn’t want to fall asleep because, for the first time, reality was better than my dreams.
Chapter 6
Next day at the office, I had a second surprise from his part, as he asked me to join him for a business meeting outside the town. He greeted me with the same smile that morning, fuelling my mind and heart with hopes.
A part of me was already used to the idea that it was just another one night stand and that was how things would finish, but the other part of me was badly hoping for him to fall in love with me.
How could he though? From all those beautiful, thin women that he was seeing, I was going to be probably the unlikeliest choice.
But I decided to see how far he was going to take this and, on the other hand, I couldn’t just say no to my boss, could I?
We were taken to the hotel outside the town by one of his luxurious cars. On our way, we had the most incredible conversations. He opened up to me, as he had seen my intelligent part, not only my curves and my cute face.
We were talking about life, about schools, about family and we found out so much more one about another.
He wasn’t rich all his life. I was shocked and hurt to find out that he was born in a convent, somewhere far away from the civilization.
His mother was a young girl, the daughter of a farmer and an average woman, and they were trying really hard to make a living. The young girl fell in love for a neighbor’s son when she was 16 years old. They consumed their love story and she got pregnant.
When their parents found out, they were really destroyed. They were really faithful, and it was a shame to have a grandson without having their daughter married to the boy’s son.
They decided to force her into having an abortion, but the village’s priest taught them into not doing such a terrible crime.
Instead, he offered them the possibility of letting the boy, after he would be born, in a convent that was often visited by rich families who couldn’t have children. It seemed a really good idea for them at that point so they acted in consequence.
Peter was born there and adopted by the Barlow’s when he was only 2 weeks old. They loved him so much that he grew up healthy, educated and ready to take on the family’s business when he was only 18 years old.
He never knew his real mother but he was blaming her for leaving him in the convent. He was thankful for what he had received in his life, but he was thinking that if his real mother would have wanted him, she could have run away and managed to raise him.
That’s how I received an explanation for his behavior. He hated weak women, women who were not thinking about anything when falling in his arms, women without a personality.
He liked to conquer, to fight for a woman. I had even more respect and consideration for him at that point. He also told me that he opened up to me in a way that he never thought he could, as this story was kept as a family secret.
I felt him like a friend, despite his first attitude. He knew how to be friendly, communicative and sweet. We then laughed, we smiled and we had a really great time. I was wishing for the ride to never have an end, but we got to the hotel on a short notice.
When we were at the reception, waiting for our room keys, he received a phone call that forced him to leave me right there and leave for a couple of hours.
Of course, my first thought was that he was going to see some lover, because I was sure that he had one in every city of this world. He probably could notice the disappointment on my face…
“Don’t worry Stephanie, I will be back really soon. Why don’t you settle in, in OUR room, order some room service and watch a movie while I’m gone?”
“OUR room?” I asked, while my heart was salting with joy.
“Yes silly, ours…I want to take full advantage of this night, because I really like you. You are so different from the other girls…you knew how to touch my sensitive parts. You never looked crazy about me like other girls did and your attitude of distance, sobriety and professionalism made me want to know you better. You have me at your small finger without even knowing it, just by being yourself. That’s what I liked the most about you,” and then he kissed me, rushing out of the hotel.
Oh that was so beautiful. My eyes were instantly filled with tears, but it was neither the time nor the place to cry like a crazy person.
I took the keys and got into the apartment. Yes, he was renting a luxurious apartment only for the two of us to share.
Champagne was on the table, and the Jacuzzi was turned on. I was dancing in the middle of the room, trying to get out the joy that had taken control of me, fearing that too much joy can actually kill me!
I had to drink something, drinking was the only thing that could ever calm me down, so I went at the bar, grabbed a shot of tequila, and sat down while the seconds were passing by so hard.
He was like a drug to me. He had taken me so high that I felt I could fly. But the dream didn’t last long. Because this is how my life was…always making a fool out of me. Only proving me that when I’m at my best moment, it can get me and drag me on the floor, hurting and leaving me desperately wanting for help.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Why? What had I possibly been doing so wrong to be punished like that? He was there! Paul was there!
The werewolf who tortured me, who was trying to impregnate me and who appeared in all of my nightmares was there. He saw me, I knew he did, and the next step that he was doing was approaching my table. I couldn’t just scream without any reason, so I tried to maintain calm.
He grabbed my hand, taking advantage that nobody was there to see us, he put his hand to my mouth so I couldn’t shout, and he dragged me to the back of the hotel, into the woods.
“You escaped me once, but destiny brings us together again. I was wounded and you left me with a mark, you know? You tried to kill me, but I can promise you that this time, I’ll be the winner of our fight,” he yelled.
But this was how things were supposed to end…Not then, when I was so happy, not then, when I had everything I could possibly wish for, not when I felt so protected by Mr. Barlow and I was living the best love story that couldn’t be found even in the best-selling books.
For a second, I wished that it had to finish, so I was telling him to kill me right there, so it could all be over. If I were to escape the terrifying scene again, what would have come next?
Again some disappointment from my life? I couldn’t take anything more for this messed-up karma that I was living.
This time, things were going to be different because the werewolf didn’t have the chance to even raise a finger over me. Because he was there, my savior, the same man who had refused to help me the first time, was there now, willing to save me and protect his love.
Paul transformed himself when he felt the danger, because he was definitely stronger as a wolf than he was as a man. He was sure that Peter would be so scared that he would run away.
But he didn’t run, he just sat there, looking at the wolf with a strong sense of hatred. His eyes were sparkly and they were sending imaginary arrows to the horrible creature that stood in front of him.
I was afraid for Peter. Would he have the power to fight this wolf with his bare hands? I was capable of offering myself to the wolf, with the condition of leaving my love alone.
I was ready to sacrifice myself right before when I saw my boss transforming into an enormous bear!
I was shocked to discover that Peter was a bear shifter, and the fight I was about to witness would decide my whole life.
I had so many unanswered questions.
Will the wolf win and kill me and my loved one, ending all my hopes and dreams?
Or will my hero win, turning this whole episode into our own happy ending?
A terrible fight started. I was crying and begging for the wolf to leave the bear alone. The wolf was agile and fast and had some quick movements, while the bear was powerful but really slow.
The wolf was biting him hard from one leg, making him limping and screaming of pain.
My heart was broken into little pieces as I saw my man being brought down to the ground. He would be killed, I thought, while I was crying like a little, hopeless child.
The wolf seemed unbeatable, running back and forth, making high jumps, showing his well sharpened teeth.
My poor bear was lying on the ground, bleeding and humming while I was kneeled by this powerful pain. I wasn’t hurt, because the wolf didn’t have the time to harm me, but I could actually feel his pain all over my body.
Peter wasn’t moving, the humming stopped and I couldn’t notice his breathing. Paul had killed him! He killed my lover, my soul, my everything!
The wolf also noticed that my bear wasn’t showing any signs of life so he went back and he put his foot on his stomach, like a fighter who had just beat down his enemy, letting everyone know that he was the winner.
Suddenly, with all of his remained strength, I saw one of Peter’s big paws rising and striking the wolf, slamming him into a tree, breaking his spine to death.
It was all a strategy. I ran to my brave man, hugging him and kissing him and letting him know how much I loved him.
Yes, I did say that I loved him, because that was the sound of my body and my soul. My courageous man. Bear, man, or whatever he was, I knew that my feelings for him were real, and it was useless to hide them anymore.
He transformed back to the gorgeous man he was in my own arms. He was harmed and bruised and bleeding, but he managed to tell me that he loved me back.
With his last powers, he had chosen not to stand up, but to stay at my breast, confessing me that he loved me.
With his eyes shut, his mouth dry, he said the words!
“You’ve changed me my love….I, I…” he whispered.
“Hush, you need energy…we’ll have plenty of time to talk from now on.”