Inheritance

Chapter 21

I had to admit that I loved the way my name rolled so salaciously off the tongue of the one man I absolutely loathed but couldn't seem to leave alone. The power he possessed over me was shameful. Just one word had the ability to send me spiraling.

"Go away." I turned away from him, not wanting to fall victim to the entice of his gorgeous face.

"Is that what you really want?" He remained several feet away, permitting me the ample space I'd so desperately desired.

"Yes—Wait, no. To be completely honest with you, I don't know what the hell I want anymore. All I know is that I can't keep doing this with you, Kendall."

"Doing what?" His professed ignorance was enough to eliminate any resolve I had left. The manner in which one of his thick eyebrow's had ostentatiously perched up on his forehead caused a reluctant sigh to escape from my lips.

"Are you serious, right now? This, Kendall." I motioned my index finger between our figures to clarify his confusion, but he showed no signs of comprehension. Instead, he advanced towards me until no distance between us remained.

Leaning his hand comfortably against the wall above my head, he glanced down at me and seemed to find amusement in my conflicted state. My rough breathing haphazardly became in sync with his, as each of our breaths brushed against the other's face. The way his onyx orbs peered so attentively into mine made it difficult for my conscious to decide on whether to slap him or kiss him all the same.

"Did you fuck her?" I couldn't hold back the words that slipped from my lips. Taken off guard by the forthright question, I watched him hesitate to respond.

"What?" He finally replied, still making no attempt to remove his intoxicating scent from my personal space.

"Did. You. Fuck. Your. Assistant?" I repeated, this time enunciating each syllable for clarity.

"Yes." He admitted, a beguiling smirk appearing on his daunting face. 

His response had confirmed my compulsive thoughts all over again that he was nothing more than a promiscuous man-whore who lacked the self-discipline to keep his dick in his pants. Why did I even care?

My hand left my side in a reflexive sweep, darting towards him at record speed. Before the slap could effectively land, his hand roughly gripped my wrist and pinned it to the wall. His jaw clenched so tight, I thought he was sure to break skin. With a face contorted to depict his brittled anger, I knew his temperament was on the brink of relinquishing all control. Just one more mishap.

"Do you actually think I'm that desperate or delusional, Kendall? I know my self-worth. I'm a good woman and I deserve to be treated as such. Not like some coveted slut." I raised my voice, instinctively attempting to remove my wrist from his hold. He ignored my struggle, still remaining quiet. 

I didn't bother to wait for a response.

"You think that you can just touch me a—and play with me as you see fit. Well, news flash, you can't. There's good men out there that are actually begging to have a relationship with me, yet I keep holding myself back because of some false presumption I have that you and I will one day work out."

He watched me with so much tension seeping through the air that I had to turn away. Yet, he still didn't utter a word.

"Look, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I left you. But we were kids, Kendall. I was a child and I made ONE stupid mistake. Why can't you just forgive me?!" I practically shouted, intending to get my point across over the loud music. I looked up at him longingly, but he simply stared down at me with so much hurt laced beneath his assertive features.