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

  Reid lifts his head, a wide grin spreads across his face. “That’s all I need.” He grabs my hand lightly, and I try to ignore the jolt of energy pulsating in my veins. I allow him to lead me through the crammed dance floor. We stop next to a door in the corner of the club, and I watch as he enters a code. The door opens, revealing a set of stairs. At the top of the stairs, we walk into a cozy office. A large one way mirror overlooks the entire club, and to my right is a wall lined with large flat screen TVs with different angles of the club broadcasting on them. A couple of leather chairs are placed in front of the TVs with end tables next to them

  “What are we doing in here?” I say quickly and glance over my shoulder, back towards the door. “We can’t be in here. We have to leave before we get caught.”

  Reid laughs, walks over to the fully stocked bar along the back wall, and pulls two glasses off the rack hanging from the ceiling. Without answering, he starts to make a couple of drinks. Near the bar is a large oak desk and another large leather chair. “Relax,” he says, walking back to me with a glass in each hand. I take the one he offers me and sip. Rum and coke. How does he know? “This is my office. We won’t get in trouble, and we certainly won’t be interrupted.” His eyes glisten with a hint of humor behind them.

  “Your office?” I say. “What do you mean, your office?”

  “I own this club. Well, at least half of it.” No, he doesn’t. I remember when the club first opened up nearly eight years ago. The only person the media talked about owing the club was some guy named Phillip Draco; nothing was mentioned about Reid being a partner. “Phillip is my cousin.” I gulp and take another sip. His cousin? “I helped him get this place going.” I take another drink and try to absorb this new information. He helps fund the build of a new adoption center. He helps fund a night club. And he works in the Romance department of a top literary agency. Who the hell is this man? To say I am not intrigued to learn more about him would be a lie. I want to know everything, despite what I keep telling myself. In another two gulps, my drink is gone.

  “Want another drink?”

  “No,” I answer quickly, bringing a smile to his face. Another drink isn’t the smartest of ideas, considering that between the shots and my drink earlier, the alcohol is taking effect. I am not thinking with a straight head. “You have five minutes… starting now.” I place the empty glass on the desk. Reid closes the distance between us in a couple long strides.

  He brushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his dark eyes gazing into mine. “Do you know the effect you have on me?” I whimper and turn my head away. He’s too close. I need to get away. I take a step to move away from him and don’t get very far. Reid wraps his arms around me, pulls me close, and stares me straight in the eye. This is not in the plan. This is not how tonight is supposed to go, yet I cannot stop it. His lips come crashing down onto mine. They taste of mint and alcohol. I try to fight it, which only lasts for a split second before my alcohol-induced hormones take over. I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling his lips harder against mine. His tongue dances over the top of my lips, and I part them all too willingly.

  Reid groans and pulls me towards one of the leather chairs. I straddle his lap and take his lips with mine, not wasting one second. He releases my hair from its ponytail and grabs a handful. My hands run over his shoulders, stopping only to undo the buttons of his shirt. I make it halfway down before placing my hands on his rock hard chest and rubbing the contours of his muscles. His finger traces the hem of my dress, his hand slipping underneath the thin material, and he cups my cheek.

  The cell phone in his pants pocket begins to vibrate against my leg, sending a thrilling sensation through my body. After a few seconds, it stops. I grind against his growing erection and moan with pleasure as he leaves a trail of kisses along my shoulder. I start to undo his belt buckle when a knock comes from the door, shattering the moment and bringing me back to reality.

  “Damn it,” Reid curses under his breath. That’s all it takes, and I quickly jump off his lap. The shock of what I was just doing hits me like a freight train. I adjust my dress, pulling it back down to cover myself. I turn, planning to bolt for the door. “Liza?” His voice stops me; the sound of hurt and confusion surrounds me. Tears soak my eyes, and I turn to look at him.

  “This is a mistake,” I say. Reid flinches like I slapped him across the face again. “It will never happen again.”

  As I turn to walk out the door, I crash into a broad set of shoulders. “Liza?” The sound of Eli’s voice instantly relieves me. “Are you okay? H-H-He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

  I fight back the tears and shake my head. I glance back over my shoulder at Reid, who is standing there watching the two of us. His face gives nothing away. I gaze back at Eli, who now has an arm wrapped around me for support, and I give him my best smile. “Nothing happened. I’m fine.” Eli stares at me before shifting to his attention to Reid and glares coldly at him. “Really, I’m fine. I just want to go home.”

  His body tenses. I sense that he isn’t ready to leave just yet, and now he has Reid to blame for my sudden desire to go. “I’ll have the driver come get us.” I hear Reid scoff behind us.

  “I want to go alone.”

  “Liza,” Eli says softly, “I do—”

  “This isn’t up for debate.” I say in my best stern voice. I cross my arms, pull away from him, and stare straight into his eyes.

  “Fine.” Eli gives in all too easily. “I’ll have the car pull around to the front.” I relax, give him a hug, and dare to steal one last glance at Reid. His body is rigid, and his stone cold eyes have glossed back over; his walls are back up. I say nothing to him as move past Eli on the landing and make my way outside to wait for the car.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  TONIGHT HAS BEEN one big, fat mistake. Something I seem to be making a lot of. How I ever thought going out to Gravity was a good idea is beyond me. But how was I supposed to know that Reid was a silent partner in the club? All I want now is to get home, pour myself a glass of cheap wine, and soak in the tub. It’s already near midnight, which is just another reason why I shouldn’t have gone out tonight. I have work in the morning. My head spins, and I feel sick. Not because of the alcohol I consumed, but because of the foolish mistakes I have been making. The first being that I thought it was a grand idea to go out, and the second was following Reid to the private office.

  I sigh, lean my head back against the seat, and remember once more how Reid’s lips felt against mine. The sensation of his erection pressing against me as he caressed me had filled me with desire. The sexual tension is undeniable. If we hadn’t been interrupted, I’m pretty sure things would have gone a lot further. Hell, maybe I should just give in and sleep with Reid. I can finally get him out of my system and back on track.

  Of course, I won’t though. That would be breaking the most sacred rule on my list, which is to not have sex with a man I am not going to marry. No, the next time I give my body to someone, that person will be the one I am spending the rest of my life with. Though marriage is the furthest thing from my mind right now. I doubt I will ever even get married. The surest way to avoid any complications is to avoid all men, sex included. I’ve never been the kind of person to have a ‘no-strings attached’ relationship, or casual sex. To be honest, I have only been with one person my entire life, and it wasn’t all that enjoyable.

  No wonder he strayed to your mom…

  No. I shake my head. I need to stop going there. I’m not going to add that to the mess that I have made these past few weeks. I may not have complete control of my life, or my dreams most times, but the one thing I can control is not thinking of her. The thought of my mother, her mutilated body, her death caused because I couldn’t keep my ex-fiancé satisfied, is more than enough to put me in a downward spiral for weeks. I know because this has happened before.

  Right after her death, I went crazy. Drinking and trying almost anything that came my way. I hooked up with a ton of men, always
pleasing them. Nothing was ever in it for me. No one got to touch me. I felt that if could please every man I came across, whether it was a blow job or a hand job, whatever it took to get them off, that it would somehow make up for my mother’s death. I was stupid and vulnerable then. And a lot of men used it to their advantage. If it wasn’t for almost being raped and Jezzie coming to my rescue, I would certainly be worse off than I am now.

  The limo comes to a stop, and the driver is quick to climb out to open my door before I can snap out of my head. I nod once at him and head towards my apartment. I fumble through my purse, the one that I had left in the limo when we got to the club, for my keys. I almost resort to dumping out the entire contents on the ground when I finally brush them with the tips of my fingers. I open the bag further and spot them in the porch light outside my door. Eli must have had the door fixed, because the door opens on the first try. I walk in, closing the door behind me, and pause just inside the entrance. I take a few deep breaths, letting the dark envelop me, and flick on the light switch.

  A loud scream escapes my throat.

  At first, I’m not sure I even made the noise. But make no mistake, it definitely came from me. I’m stunned, unable to move, let alone comprehend what is happening right now. My new couch, the soft black one that Eli bought, has been pushed aside. In its place is Jacob, who is gagged and bound to a wooden chair.

  His head hangs low, and he isn’t moving, with the exception of his slight, shallow breathing. The buttons on his shirt have been ripped off, exposing his solid chest that appears to be covered in cuts. I see that one of his eyes is purple and swollen. He has been hit, probably more than once. His feet are tied together against the front legs of the chair, and his hands are tied behind his back. I falter and take a step towards him until I see someone else from my past life.

  “Elizabeth?” His voice is like acid. “Or should I call you Liza now?” The cold, deep voice belongs to Robert, my father’s best friend. He looks exactly like I remember, only his hair has taken on a more salt and peppery hue. His jawline is tight and chiseled, his high cheek bones are still carved perfectly into his alabaster skin, and his hauntingly blue eyes still have the dark, cold, menacing stare. I’m just as afraid of him now as I was as a kid. “Do you like my present? I was going to add a bow and a bit of ribbon to the top of his head, but I thought that it might be a little bit of overkill.”

  My mind is crazy, and my heart is beating a mile a minute. What is he doing here? Why is here? So many questions race through my mind that I want to ask, but I’m distracted by the large butcher knife in his hand. One that seems almost identical to the one used to mutilate my mother’s body. My knees are weak, and I hold onto the breakfast bar for support as my stomach does flips. Two things hit me at once. The first is that he is out for blood, and the second is he has to be the one that’s been harassing me. But why?

  “You know,” he says as he takes a step towards me, “I haven’t seen you since your father’s trial.” I stumble backwards and knock one of the stools to the ground. “Have you been to see your father? Of course you haven’t. Not once in six years. Quite a shame really. Maybe he wouldn’t have sent me here if you had.”

  My mouth gaps open. He is here because of my father. “What do you want?” My words are barely a whisper. I know he heard me because of the frightening grin that appears across his face.

  “To finish what your father started six years ago.”

  “No!” The words come out a little shaky but louder than before. “Don’t you dare touch him!”

  Robert laughs loudly. “Tsk-tsk,” he says shaking his head, “don’t tell me you still have feelings for this bastard.” Bile rises in my throat as I watch him drag the blade of the knife across Jacob’s lower abdomen. I’m convinced he is dead. He doesn’t move or scream out in pain as the knife cuts into him. Either that, or he’s passed out and in shock from everything he has already endured tonight. And from what it seems, it has been a lot. “So, tell me… do you still love this man? The man who destroyed your family, who ripped them apart at the very seams, who took your mother away from you, and the one who took your father away from you?”

  “He didn’t take anything from me,” I say the words clearly, confident in the truth I feel about them. “My f-f-father is the one who—” I pause, unable to breathe for a moment. “My father killed my mother, taking her away from me. Which resulted in him going to jail. As for our family being ripped at the seams, well that happened long before Jacob.” I stand up on my feet, no longer needing the bar to support my weight. The anger raging inside of me is making me braver than I ought to be.

  “He is to blame!” Robert shouts. “He… this man—” He grabs a handful of Jacob’s hair and yanks his head up, so I can see his face. “This pathetic piece of shit was sleeping with your mother! The man you were going to marry. It’s bad enough that he cheated on you for years, but it’s even worse that it was with your own mother.” He stops for a moment and takes a deep breath. “She… I-I-I-”

  “Oh my God!” I gasp. “You were in love with her, too, weren’t you?” Damn, what is it with men and my mother? Robert says nothing, which confirms my suspicions. I take a step towards him with my fists clenched at my side. “Did you ever stop to wonder why? Why she didn’t marry you and married my father instead? Why she chose Jacob over you when she was no longer happy with my father?” The alcohol is definitely making me feel braver. “It’s because neither of us were good enough for them. We didn’t give them what they wanted. What they needed.” Robert crosses the distance in two long steps. He raises his hand, and the back of it makes contact with my cheek. I stumble back, clutching my stinging cheek in my hand. Tears form in my eyes, not because I am afraid, because it actually hurt.

  “I was more than good enough for her! She belonged to me first, and then your father swooped in and stole her from me. And then you couldn’t keep control of this boy of yours, and that ruined my chances forever.” He raises his hand, ready to strike me again when the front door opens.

  It takes less than a second for the room to explode into chaos.

  As soon as Reid registers the scene, he lunges for Robert. Though Reid is tall, Robert has at least three inches on his six foot plus height, and about sixty pounds more on him. But the size of Robert doesn’t stop him. The two men are now rolling along the ground, exchanging blow after blow. At some point, Robert drops the knife. I kick it away from the scuffling men in order to prevent Robert from using it to inflict any harm.

  “Liza!” Reid calls my name out, drawing my focus to him instead of the commotion going on. “Call the police!” Robert stops and tries to make a move for me. Reid doesn’t let him get very far, and I am unable to shift my focus to anything else other than the battle. “Liza! Now! Call the police now!

  Robert has Reid pinned to the ground, repeatedly connecting his elbow with the side of his face. Reid can’t take much more. I can see it. He is going to black out soon, and I will be left defenseless against Robert. I grab one of the wooden stools. Without thinking any further, I raise it above my head and bring it down over Robert’s head. The wood splinters on impact, flying off to various parts of the room, but it does the job. Robert is out cold and sprawls on top of Reid. Reid shifts his body, half sliding against the ground and half moving Robert’s body off of him. Reid grabs a rope that I hadn’t seen lying on the ground and begins to tie my father’s friend up before he regains consciousness. He leaves Robert on the ground, takes three steps towards me, and presses his lips hard against my own. I don’t fight back and return the kiss.

  Reid breaks away first. “Next time,” he says softly, “call the police.”

  I’m reliving the nightmare all over again.

  There is blood everywhere, so much blood. Reid holds me close in his arms. I clutch him as if I am hanging on for dear life. Jacob groans. Instantly, I break out of Reid’s arms and rush over to him. He is still bound to the chair, so I begin to frantically untie him. I start with
his hands, freeing them from behind his back. By the time I reach the rope around his ankles, Reid is there helping me and not saying a word. We ease Jacob onto the floor, all while he groans in pain. I shudder at the sounds he is making but am grateful he is still alive. I sit down on the floor, gently placing his head on my lap, and release the gag around his mouth. “Jacob?” His name is barely a whisper on my lips. I lean over, pulling his shirt aside to examine his wounds. I cry out, pushing him out of my lap, and scramble backwards to get as far away as I can.

  Reid is by my side again, pulling me into my arms, cradling me like a baby. His lips brush against the top of my forehead. “It’s okay, Liza. I’m here.” The tears and sobs that follow come out uncontrollably. My body is shaking, shuddering as the tears fall, but Reid doesn’t let me go. It’s too much for me to handle. The sight of Jacob takes me back to the very night I held my mother in my arms, covered in blood, and screaming for someone to help her. “The police are on the way.”

  I barely hear him. I’m already gone and back in my parent’s bedroom. As the police and ambulance arrive, I remain silent, unmoving in Reid’s arms in the middle of the living room floor. The sobs have quieted down, but the tears still flow like a fountain. I glance out the corner of my eye and watch as Jacob is loaded onto a gurney and wheeled out of my house. A police officer asks if I can give a statement, and my only response is a slight shake of my head. I can’t speak. I don’t want to speak. Eventually I hear Reid promise the officer to have me down at the station in the next few days to give my official statement, and then we’re alone.

  Seconds turn into minutes as the time passes by, and I lose track of how long Reid and I sit there on the floor. Suddenly, my door slams open. I scream, and Reid jumps up off the ground, taking a defensive stance in front of me.