Scarlett: (GxG)

Chapter 7

Stepping out of the office, I let go of the breath I'd been holding. With Lee remaining with my dad, no one else was around, leaving me to enjoy the view all alone. Even with the lights of the city illuminating the sky line beyond the penthouse windows, I still felt as if the night was darker than it usually was.

After losing myself in the view, I made the slow journey back out to the foyer. Dread weighed me down.

Scarlett stood with her hands in her pockets in front of the elevator. I watched her take in the terrible oil painting of Lord Robert Astor that was the focal point of the entryway. I knew she heard me approach but she wasn't letting on.

I desperately wanted to make a joke of some kind to cut the tension I couldn't ignore. When she turned and those bright blue eyes looked my way. I could tell that she was in no mood for humor.

Beneath her suit jacket was a white dress shirt. It was unbuttoned just enough so that I could see the dark lace of her bra. She was all business tonight and still managed to exude a strong sensuality that had gotten my attention in the first place when I'd seen her. Without speaking a word she held the elevator door open for me and waited until I stepped on. Our reflections couldn't have been more different. As I felt the vibration of machinery moving us down to the ground floor, I knew she could read me. Hell all I had to do was look at myself and see how nervous I was, adjusting my classes some more yet again.

The air was cool tonight, giving me a chill when we both stepped out onto the sidewalk. I couldn't help but wonder if this was how it would be. Her not speaking, just literally being my shadow and watching my every action.

"It's late. We'll head to wherever you're staying."

"Okay," I turned to her. "Did you need anything... from your place?"

The words fell so awkwardly from my mouth. I almost couldn't believe what I was asking.

She pulled car keys from her pocket and swung them once around her finger.

"I'll grab it tomorrow."

During the ride we were both silent. I wasn't sure if I could describe her demeanor as cold or just simply focused. Given the tense meeting they'd had with my father, I imagined she was warned to treat this job as seriously as possible, which made me feel even more like a burden.

The closer we came to my townhouse, the more I wondered what was going on in her head. We were far away from the glamorous penthouses I'd grown up in, or the flashy high end district Fire & Ice had settled into. It was a poorer, forgotten section, a place I felt I could better disappear into than being deeper in the city. What a let down it would be for her when she realized she'd be watching over me in some rundown house in desperate need of repair, instead of something more in line with my family's net worth.

Walking up to my place, I made sure to point out the loose stepping stone leading to the front steps. The entryway light illuminated my sparse living room and the small kitchen with a sliding glass door that led to my small backyard full of weeds that were hidden in the dark.

"This is it." I ran my fingers through my brown hair, letting it fall around my tense shoulders. "Unlike the rest of my family I'm a little on the broke side, so... sorry about that."

Scarlett shrugged out of her suit jacket and laid it carefully across one of the antique chairs that had come with the house.

"I didn't say anything," she said coolly.

"I have an extra room but I didn't put the bed frame together since I never actually planned to have company."

"The couch works fine."

She undid the first button of her blouse, allowing me to see even more of the lace hidden beneath. I turned away. When neither of us spoke again I couldn't help but assume silence and to be alone was what she wanted. I retreated to my room soon after that.

The she-wolf didn't appear to need me for anything, and there was nothing for me to explain about the house. My bathroom was in an obvious spot, and I'd yet to even test the television so I didn't know if it worked. In the end all I could really offer was a half bottle of wine that I'm sure she would have rather shared with anyone but me tonight.

I awoke with a start. If I'd been having a nightmare the details of it were shrouded in a haze that only grew stronger the more I looked at the shadows on the ceiling. It was my first night truly in my new place and although I should have felt at least a small bit of excitement and security, all I had was the crushing weight of the unknown pressing down on me.

Turning over I looked at the time on my phone, letting the light burn into my retinas before sighing at how little I'd slept. I hated admitting I was afraid. It was a weakness. One I knew I wasn't supposed to let myself feel. In the dark between my sheets I felt an urge to replace it with something... anything.

I squeezed my hand and felt a small stinging that now had become familiar to me over the course of the day. The cut I'd given myself from her jacket was still a red crescent moon. My fist closed, forcing two of my nails to press down hard into it. The stinging turned to pain.

I felt no shame letting my non-dominant hand push under the covers, slipping between the sheets as well as my skin and my clothes. I reached for the warmth between my legs. Slick and warm, I knew exactly what I needed to chase away my unwanted emotions. Heat flared across my skin as I drew slow circles with the tips of my fingers, teasing that sensitive pinnacle, drawing out needful breaths. I looked at my palm and squeezed a little harder, adding just a bit of pain to the pleasure. The mantra in my head was me warning myself not to let my thoughts, as wanting and lonely as they were at this hour, to think about her.

When I came I pressed my face into my pillow to muffle any sounds that dared escape my lips as well as those exasperated breaths. I willed my fingers to keep pressing and searching between my legs until I no longer could. With the small tremor in my thighs came a wave of sweet calm. Gone were all the pressures of the day, leaving me with the afterglow of a climax I'd needed.

Eventually I pulled the covers away and got out of bed. The floor was cold on my feet, and my weak legs had a little difficulty carrying me, but my need for a glass of water was too great to ignore. I did my best to be quiet while maneuvering through the dark house. Somehow the floorboards all seemed louder than they should. Padding out into the kitchen I told myself I would be quick. I had taken only two steps in when I noticed the figure where the sliding glass door was. There was a cool night breeze tugging at my pajamas that told me the door was open. Scarlett sat on the first step, one knee bent with her arm thrown across. With the moonlight pouring in she was partially illuminated, allowing me to see that she was looking out into the backyard. I moved on toward the kitchen sink.

Getting a glass as quickly as I could, I did my best to seem small and insignificant, as if that would help her not notice me. With the water in my hand I prepared myself to scurry away like a mouse. When I took my first few steps, her head slowly turned. Shadows played along the angles of her face as they did with the rest of her body.

Scarlett was shirtless. Thanks to the moon I could see the stark contrast between the black lace of her bra and her olive skin. The tattoo that crept up one wrist seemed darker in this twilight. I felt like her glance pinned me where I stood for a second. The moon caught her typically blue eyes just right, giving them a strange gleam only meant for wild animals.

"I was thirsty." I said, as if I needed an excuse to walk around in the house I paid rent for.

I didn't stay to hear a reply, even if there was one.