Something inside me told me to ignore him. Look the other way and pretend I couldn't hear him. But I was already standing in front of the window.
I watched his eyes travel across my body, from my face to my boobs and finally, he smiled and looked the other way. "Get in." He called out.
"I never said I would work for you," I said almost whispering. But he heard it anyway.
Jesse got out of the car and held the door to the passenger side open "I don't recall giving you an option." When he spoke, I could hear a darker side of what he just said.
His eyes were glaring at me as he held the door open. "I've got other prior arrangements," I said vehemently.
"Miss Thompson, if we are to work amicably, you dare not make me say things twice." He warned, "Like when I say get in the car, you dust your attractive little legs and get in."
He walked towards me and I couldn't help but step backwards. It seemed to piss him off as his eyes went from simply upset to furious. There was no smile on his face.
He wrapped his hand around my waist and dragged me close to his body. Pressing mine against his wall, he let out a slow groan. Then he lifted me "I'm not usually this gentle momma." He spoke but rather softly this time.
I held onto him like he was going to drop me. But he carried me to the car and lowered me in like he was lifting a large-sized Barbie doll. "Stay put." He ordered.
When he got back into the car, I noticed some of my lipstick had rubbed off on his shirt. I was going to tell him but decided against it. That was payback for what he was doing.
"You seem to keep forgetting you work for me." He said as we drove off "Irrespective of how delectable you look, momma, you aren't allowed to come late to work."
"I never said I'd work for you," I shouted back.
He took his eyes off the road for a second to stare at me "Are you always this foolish or is today a special occasion?"
"Excuse me?" The new look seemed to have given me some sort of courage. "You never asked me if I wanted it, you threw money into my account and then showed up at my house the next morning looking all luxurious and expensive."
I hated him. Hated the way I felt around him. I hated the fact that I felt weak around him. "How did you find my house?"
"That's it? That's your question?" He laughed hard "If I could find your application amongst a thousand others, what's your garage of a house I can't find?"
Everytime he spoke, I was constantly reminded of his status and family. The ruthless Erharts who derived joy in making others aside from their business partners unhappy.
"Let me out. Please." I said softly. "I'd send your money back, I don't want any troubles, and you... you and your entire family are trouble."
He wasn't listening "You're stalking me. You're everywhere." I continued but he remained silent, eyes fixed on the road. "You're crazy Jesse Erhart. And I want no part in it."
I thought he won't listen again but he glared at me as I finished my statement, then he turned unto the highway and sped so fast I fell back into the seat praying for my life. And after some minutes, he finally stopped the car.
"Get out." He ordered with the most harsh voice I had ever heard.
I looked out through the window of the car, it was an empty road with no other vehicles around. "Here? There's no one here."
"I don't see how that's my problem." He kept a straight face not turning for even a minute to look at me. "The more you stay, the angrier I get."
I was already teary when I got down. One leg at a time, I stepped out of the car. I barely managed to stand with my legs shaking against the heels I had on. I turned to him and said one last "please." But I only heard the sound of the igniting engines and with that, he was off.
In all the five seconds of chaos, I had forgotten my purse and jacket in his car. I had never felt that scared after Mum's death. I was scared, sad and confused. My life had gone from being simple to being so chaotic over a short period.
I prayed for a simple life where I had a good job, a loving husband, and amazing kids. That was all I ever wanted, I didn't ask for much and still, there I stood in the cold with no husband and a job that wanted to end my life.
I took off my heels and walked in the opposite direction, my legs were attacked indiscriminately by the cold floor. Piercing through my soft skin and making blisters.
I kept walking through the pain with no other choice left.
I stopped at the sound of a car from behind. At first, I thought my brain was entering its survival mode and creating fake things because I had walked for some minutes with no traces of a car around.
But it wasn't. There was indeed a car. I moved closer to the road and began to wave to get the driver's attention. He eventually slowed down and stopped next to me.
My vision was blurry at this point and the only thing I remember saying was "Help." Before I slumped into the really cold hands of another stranger.
"Mum, please keep me safe."