Whooo! Finishing the last scene of Episode 5 and it is getting hot. Conor is taking full control of the contract, and I mean full control. I’m planning on releasing Episode 5 for sale next week.
In the meantime, back to Episode 4 where Conor’s still playing the romantic and helpful boyfriend. If you missed their first time making love, you can buy it on Amazon!
Conor paced outside of the closed door to his den. Charisse had been in there almost an hour with his doctor. She hadn’t wanted him to call anyone, not even Marie, but it was obvious she needed help. He wished he hadn’t made that stupid joke about being her boss. It had triggered something, he just had no idea what.
His phone buzzed. Marie.
“Hello?”
Marie said, “What the fuck is going on with Charisse? She didn’t come home last night and Mei said you called her to let her know Charisse wouldn’t be in today and possibly tomorrow. What did you do to her?”
He strode away from the door so there was no chance he would be overheard if he ended up yelling at Marie. “I didn’t do anything to her. She came over here because I was sick, and she seems to have gotten it.”
“You’re lying. I knew it. You’re just like Josh.”
The words made several things Charisse had said and done click together: the constant apologizing, saying it wasn’t her fault and the flinch when he’d reached out to touch her. Not to mention the rough start trying to make love to her when she’d worried she wasn’t giving him enough pleasure. He bit off his next words. “Did Josh hit her?”
“You were hitting her! You fucker put Charisse on the phone now.”
He ran further down the hall. “No, I didn’t. Charisse stayed the night and freaked out this morning, I mean seriously freaked out. I had to send for a doctor. But when you said I was just like Josh it made me wonder if someone had abused her. Did he?”
Marie didn’t answer right away. His ragged breathing filled the hall. He didn’t want to hear the answer and at the same time wished Marie would just spit it out.
When she spoke, her anger had switched to sadness. “Charisse would never admit to it, but there were a few times like now when Charisse would inexplicably not show up for something. She’s the most reliable person I know. On those days Josh would take all her calls and say she was sick.”
Rage built up inside him like pressure in a volcano. He was sure to knock out Josh if he ever met him. He wondered if the bastard had still been trying to call Charisse after he told him off. He was glad more than ever that he’d done that now.
He said, “Don’t ever compare me to him again, am I clear?”
Marie sighed. “I’m sorry, but the situation seemed so similar. I could never prove what was going on, and Charisse would never talk to me about it. You have no idea what that’s like.”
Conor could well understand Charisse not opening up to Marie. Until now, she hadn’t seemed to be exactly overflowing with sisterly affection.
Conor said, “I wanted to call you when she freaked out, but she told me not to, and that she’d be okay. I insisted she see my doctor, though. She’s in with her now.”
“Oh, thank God. She’s needed to see one for a long time. Please have her call me later.”
“Yeah.” He didn’t even say goodbye because the door to his den opened up.
A short woman with long black hair, wearing a white physician’s coat and a stethoscope, stepped out and closed the door behind her.
He jogged back down the hallway. The hardwood floors cooled him off through his bare feet. “Is she okay, Dr. Mandal?” he asked.
She closed her bag and slung it over her shoulder. “I can’t talk about it, but I’m glad you called me.”
He couldn’t tell anything from her expression. “Is there something I should do for her? Medicine I should go get?”
“You should go in and talk to her. I’ll show myself out.”
He held out his hand and shook hers. “Thank you so much for coming.”
She nodded her head and withdrew her hand.
Instead of following her to the front door, Conor opened the one to the den and walked inside.
Evelyn Aster 