If I Say Yes (Say Something #1) Read online

  Reid opens his mouth, but something catches his attention, and he stops. I follow the direction his eyes are staring, and I find myself just as surprised as he is. A large, obnoxious bouquet of flowers are sitting on the doormat in front of the door. “What the—?” I reach down and pluck the card that is sticking out of the flowers.

  My dearest Liza,

  I saw these and thought of you.

  Wish you were here, but until then, I will be dreaming of you.

  Love Always,

  -A

  I have no idea where these flowers come from, let alone who the hell A is. I glance up at Reid, who read the card over my shoulder. His eyes are dark, and his body is tense. Before I have a chance to say anything, he is turning on his heels and heading straight back to his car. I throw the card down to the ground and chase after him. He’s fast, really fast, and by the time I reach the parking lot, he is already peeling out and racing down the street. I watch as he disappears around the corner and sigh heavily. The air outside suddenly turns cold, and a light brisk wind brushes against my face. I shiver and head back towards my apartment.

  The flowers are still waiting for me, taunting me as I pick them up, planning to throw them away once I get inside. Opening my front door proves to be more than a struggle with the large arrangement in my arm, and the door jamb decides to be stubborn. After several minutes, I finally manage to get the door open. I walk into my apartment and am unprepared for what I see.

  The vase slips from my arm, shattering everywhere, and I feel sick to my stomach. My apartment looks like a hurricane followed by a tornado struck it. My couch is flipped over on its back. The cushions are strung throughout the room carelessly. All my cabinets have been opened, and my dishes are shattered upon the kitchen floor. The few photos I have of me and Eli, as well as the store bought deco photos, have been thrown to the ground, and the glass is broken. The coffee table has been thrown up against the TV; one of the legs sticks straight through the plasma screen and out the other side. The damage goes on. I can’t even imagine what my room looks like. I don’t want to go and see, but apparently my feet have other plans in mind.

  I run towards my room, trying not to stumble over the scattered debris that strayed in from the living room. My bedroom door is hanging off the hinges, squeaking as I push it open so I can flip on the light and glance inside. The room is a bigger mess than the living room. All the drawers are pulled out of the dresser, the contents thrown about the room. Everything from my closet has been torn off the hangers and joins the rest of the catastrophe. On the large square mirror that rests on top of my dresser, in big bold letters, the intruder leaves a note.

  You can’t hide forever. I plan to expose you for who you really

  are. Be ready.

  -A

  The same signature that is on the card that came with the flowers is on the mirror in bright red lipstick. If ‘A’ has been inside my house, why did he or she leave the flowers outside? The answer hits me like a ton of bricks. Of course, whoever it is did it so Reid would see them and get the wrong idea. And he did, he most certainly did. If it wasn’t for the damn flowers, he would have come in. The flowers are what stopped him, and that’s most likely what the intention was. But why? I hear a loud crash and someone yell. My heart stops, my breathing catches, and sweat beads my hairline. Whoever it is has to still be in my apartment.

  I grab one of my now empty drawers, creep over to hide behind the broken door, and wait. I hear another crash that muffles a man’s voice, yelling in protest. I make it behind the door just seconds before he enters the room. Without a blink of an eye, I raise the drawer up and swing. The man dodges just in time to avoid the drawer making impact with his head, catching his shoulder instead.

  “Ow!” The voice is familiar. “What the hell, Liza?” Eli spins around and faces me. My hands are shaking, and I drop the drawer. He takes one look at me and scoops me into his arms. He runs his hand over the top of my hair, smoothing it down my back, and doesn’t let go. “What the hell happened in here?” I shudder against his body, unsure of how to answer him. He pulls away from me but keeps a hand on each shoulder. “What is going on? What happened to your apartment?”

  “I-I-I don’t know,” I choke out. Tears stream down my face, and my body shakes as I begin to sob hysterically. Eli’s arms are around me again, and he pulls me close to the warmth of his chest.

  “Let’s get you out of here.”

  ***

  I don’t know where we are going, but Eli is driving like a bat out of hell down the street. I glance over at him through my tear-soaked, puffy eyes. I can see he is on edge. He is gripping the steering wheel of his Bentley tight, and his jaw is clenched. He doesn’t glance at me and remains solely focused on the road and wherever we are going. I tuck my legs up towards my chest, wrap my arms around them, and rest my chin on top of them. The vision of my apartment is burned into my mind. Someone has been inside of my house; someone has destroyed it. But who? I feel violated. My one place, my only sanctuary, is slowly slipping away from me, while the rest of my life is crumbling down around me. I always counted on my apartment to bring me solace. A reminder of how far I have come, and now that’s being taken away from me. Just like everything else in my life.

  The car slows down. I glance around at my surroundings and find that we are smack in the middle of town. Large buildings tower over the car, but not just any buildings. To my left is the court house, and to my right is the police station. My throat is dry, but I try to swallow, which only makes it hurt worse. “I can’t go in there, Eli.” My voice is hoarse.

  He parks the car along the curb and quickly turns his head towards me at me. “Don’t be stupid, Liza. You have to report this.”

  “No, I don’t.” I sigh and shift in my seat uncomfortably. “And I’m not going to.”

  His eyes are glossed over like he has silently been crying, and I didn’t realize it until now. His forehead is creased with lines, and he frowns. “Liza.” His voice is soft, but he can’t hide the serious tone. “You have to.”

  “No. I will not go in there.” I can’t. The last time I stepped foot in there, I spent hours in the interrogation room, going over every detail I could remember the night of my mother’s death. I also sat on the other side of the mirror as my father gave his confession willingly. It’s too much. It brings me too close to him, and I don’t want that. “Eli… please don’t make me do this.”

  Eli sighs heavily. “I don’t know what is going on, and I don’t like it. But fine, I won’t make you go in there… with one condition.” I raise my eyebrow and glance over at him. “You finally let me install that new alarm system.”

  I know it’s ridiculous. Who needs an alarm system in an apartment complex? But Eli has been hell bent on getting one since he saw the place. I have refused time and time again. But this time, I just can’t. I should have done it ages ago. “Fine.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  JUST AS I EXPECT, Reid is going to ignore me today at the office. I’ve seen him throughout the office, but he won’t say a word to me. Not a single damn word. I have to tell him about Saturday night. Not all of it, just that I honestly don’t know who sent the flowers. Which isn’t technically a lie, because I don’t know exactly who it is, in a sense, but I do know that they were purposely left there by whoever is out to get me. I try getting his secretary to patch me through to his office four times this morning, and every time it’s the same response: “Mr. Harder isn’t available to talk to you at the moment.”

  Fine. Two can play this game. If he won’t talk to me about Saturday night, then that’s it. I knew it was a mistake letting things go as far as they did. Dancing with him at the diner and letting him show me the center, when I should have gone straight home, was a mistake. From here on out, all interactions with him are going to be solely based on work. After all, we have a deal, and in my mind, that deal is still in effect. Whatever godforsaken desires I have about kissing him again and stripping him naked is just
going to have to sit on the back burner. I cannot let my hormones control my actions anymore.

  Our deal is my only saving grace. If this doesn’t pan out, I’m not sure I will have a job much longer. I type out an email, detailing just that. That all our interactions are to be only for work— nothing else. No gallivanting around any small diners, and certainly not alone. Nope, not even close. If he wants to talk, we can do it in the open.

  Feeling satisfied with the email, I hit send and turn my attention back to the hoard of query letters invading my inbox. After another hour of struggle, I am ready to give up. On cue, Eli rescues me. He strolls into my office, his mood better than it has been over the rest of this past weekend. He casually walks over to my desk, placing a white take-out bag and soda on top of it. The smell of Chinese food fills the air, and my stomach growls.

  “Thanks for bringing me lunch.” Eli grins from ear to ear. “I was af—” I don’t finish my sentence, the knowing look on his face says he understands.

  “Anytime, little rabbit.” He smiles again. “The guys just left your apartment.” I nod my head. Eli had held me to my agreement and had security men come up and install a new alarm system, as well as clean it out. Since I couldn’t return to my apartment yet, I had crashed at his parents’ house with him instead. “Some of your stuff wasn’t salvageable, so I had them bring in some new stuff, and the new alarm system is in place.” If Eli has good timing, Reid has impeccable timing.

  He barges into my office without knocking, as per usual. His eyes are latched on me, and we don’t break eye contact as he walks towards my desk. He stops right next to the chair Eli is now sitting in and completely fails to at least acknowledge him.

  “Dude,” Eli says. “Have you ever heard of a little thing called common courtesy?”

  “Must have missed that lesson in school.” His voice is sharp, like a thousand pieces of glass piercing my skin, and his eyes remain locked onto mine. Eli pushes his chair back and stands up. Though the two men are close in height, Reid still has an inch or two on him. “Is there a problem?”

  “In fact, I do have a problem,” Elias says. Both of them are tense. Reid turns to his attention to Eli, his fists clenched at his side. “You’re interrupting our lunch.”

  Reid’s jaw clenches. “I didn’t know you two had a lunch date.”

  “It’s not a date,” I say quickly. The two turn their attention on me. Eli seems hurt and frowns. Reid’s eyes momentarily betray him and show a sign of relief; that confirmed what he was hoping. Man, these two were going to drive me insane. “And if it was… that isn’t any of your business.”

  Eli smiles like he has won the battle. Reid flinches like I slapped him. “I came to tell you that my uncle wants you to have someone signed before the end of the month or you might as well start packing up your office.” His words sting me. I try to remain poised and nod my head once. Inside, I’m screaming and want to cry. Reid coming to my office only tells me one thing— our deal is off. Before anyone says anything else, he leaves and slams my door behind him.

  “I don’t know what you see in him,” Eli states, snapping me out of my daze.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I saw the way you were staring at him. The way he was looking at you. Please tell me that you didn’t—”

  “Ugh.” I groan. “Of course I didn’t.”

  “Good.” Eli smiles. “That guy is a jackass.”

  “All guys are jackasses,” I remind him and smile.

  “According to the book of Liza Winter.” Eli laughs lightly.

  “At least you are finally coming to your senses.” I say coyly. The two of us both start laughing. Eli sits back down in his chair and pulls out two large takeout boxes followed by three smaller ones. I grab a set of chopsticks, grab a box, and savor every last bite.

  I don’t see Reid for the rest of the day, and it’s probably just as well. Every time I think of him, anger sparks and rushes through my veins. I want to scream and shout at him. Tell him that he is the world’s biggest asshole, but I won’t, even if the opportunity presents itself. Because at the end of the day, he is nothing more than my boss, and that’s all there will ever be between us. I throw myself into my work. The anger boiling inside of me must have triggered something deep down, because by the end of the day, I managed to get through four query letters. Two with the possibility of being interesting enough that I plan to make a call. It provides me with enough distraction from the walls crumbling down around me that, for once, I feel like celebrating.

  I don’t want to think about anything going on, what will happen when I step out into public again with Elias, or what the media will say. For once, I want to enjoy a night instead of constantly watching over my shoulder. Dr. Uria will be impressed with the progress I have made. The last time I attempted to go out with Eli, it hadn’t panned out so well. So, when I call Eli up and tell him that we are hitting the club tonight, I have to bite back the laughter at his initial shock. After confirming that we have plans to go out to Gravity at nine tonight and to be ready, Eli finally stops asking for the thousandth time if I’m up to something.

  Nine o’clock rolls around, and I am ready to go. I slip on a short, hot pink dress with flats, because let’s face it, I’m not going to have my feet killing me while I dance the night away. I pull my hair up into a ponytail, and I wear just enough make-up that it still seems natural. I accent the dress with a chunky beaded necklace in a multitude of shades of pink. Eli looks impressive, as he always does, in dark washed jeans, a fitted black shirt, and his new haircut, which is short and styled just like the Eli I have always known. I don’t object when we head outside my apartment and see he’s got the limo again.

  “This is a rare occasion,” he whispers in my ear. “Us going out again for another fun filled night. It’s only fair we do it right.”

  “Of course it is.” I smile. “Only this time, it’ll be better than our last attempt.” My attitude is better than it was earlier today. It’s just as surprising to me as it is to Eli. I can see the confusion written all over his face as he attempts to figure out why we are going to Gravity on a Monday night. I’m not sure what sparked the idea, either, but I just want to go with the flow. Eli stares at me, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. Nothing in his expression gives me any indication that he isn’t going to go along with it. I’m glad, because whatever this is, I’m not ready to let go of it just yet.

  It has to be the high from getting through those few letters.

  A line from the front of the club wraps down and around the block. It’ll be close to closing time before we get in. Of course, the limo pulls up directly in front of the club. Eli climbs out first, helping me out. He pulls me close to his side just as a popping noise sounds and a light flashes in my face. Of course, the paparazzi is here again. Eli holds me close as we walk right up to the door. The bouncer moves the rope aside, allowing us entrance. I can’t fight the laughter that escapes past my lips at the sounds of groans growing behind us. It doesn’t matter what day of the week it is. This is the hottest club in town, and everyone wants in.

  Tonight feels different than the last time I was here. The last time, I was practically forced to come here, and I came in through the back. I was a nervous wreck and almost lost control with a certain guy on the dance floor. This time, however, I thrive under the strobe lights flashing, the DJ masterfully spinning the music, and the sight of bodies grinding on one another. My head turns towards the dance floor, and I stop short. Jacob and Millie are here. Eli glances in the direction I am staring and squeezes my hand in reassurance. I smile, silently second-guessing my spur of the moment decision, and then I brush it off. Tonight belongs to me. Nothing is going to stop that.

  “Let’s get a drink!” I shout over the music to Eli, and he nods. Eli keeps me close as he leads me to the neon lit bar near the dance floor.

  A classy bartender wearing a white button up dress shirt and short brown hair approaches us. Eli places his credit car
d down on the counter. The bartender smiles and takes it to open a tab. “A whiskey for me, and a rum and coke for the lady,” Eli says. I smile at the fact that he remembers my favorite drink. The bartender nods and makes our drinks quickly.

  We finish our drinks near the bar and take a few shots, which vary from vodka to a bit of Patron. I know I am going to regret this in the morning when I am at work, but right now, I really don’t care. A warm tingling sensation creeps through my body. I’m ready. I grab Eli’s hand and drag him to the dance floor.

  The music is loud, the bass vibrating through my body, and I welcome it. I’d forgotten what it feels like to lose myself on the dance floor. Why did I ever deny myself this? You know why… I shake the thought from my head. Nothing is getting me down. I’m fully enjoying myself for the first time in six years. Song after song plays. My body is covered in sweat, and I love it. Eli mumbles something about needing a break and something to drink. I nod at him and remain on the dance floor. I lose myself to the music again. Just me, myself, and I.

  That is until I feel someone press their body against me. I automatically assume it’s Eli and keep grinding my body against him. Hands run over my body, caressing my breasts, down my arms, and along my abdomen. Lips brush against my ear, startling me; everything about this is out of the norm for Eli, but I keep dancing anyway. “You look absolutely delicious tonight.”

  I stop and face Reid.

  Without hesitation, I slap him across the face. His eyes go wide, and he stares at me. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? You were obviously enjoying it.”

  “I thought you were someone else,” I practically spit at him. I turn, making a beeline for the bar, when he lightly touches my arm and stops me. “What do you want?”

  His eyes soften. “Can we talk?”

  “We have nothing to talk about.” It comes out harsher than I want. He lowers his head, pleading with his eyes through his dark, long lashes. I sigh and search for any sign of Eli. This is not on the agenda for tonight. “Fine. You have five minutes.”