ALISON ✔️

Chapter 23

David Hertz

It was late in the evening, my team and I had just ended a meeting. I stepped into my office to see Bate, he was waiting for me with a gloomy gaze.

By the look on his face, I could tell something was wrong,

"What is it this time?"

I made my way forward.

"This?" He pointed at the publication on the table, "Everyone is talking about your date, care to explain what Alison is doing in your arms?"

I sighed and went to the bar in my office, it wasn't going to end well. I might as well have a drink, I thought.

I poured in two glasses and passed him one,

He took it,

Then I reached for the magazine,

Alison and I were on the front page of a honey magazine. Luckily her face was hidden so one could tell who she was. How could I have been so careless?

"Are you really dating Alison?"

I nodded and then settled down on my desk, what could I have said to that, I had become reckless in my duties,

"Have you lost it?!" He yelped.

I had clearly lost it.

"What's gotten into you? Are you even the same person? The Hertz I know is not one to make reckless decisions. I know I suggested you loosen up a bit, but this is....crazy." I had never gone that far, "She is a child, David."

I had done a lot of horrible things in my life, but this was by far the worse.

Somewhere along the line Alison had wiggled her way into my head and had become like a drug in my system. It fucking terrified me how I lose myself around her, and how much control she obtained over me.

"Why?" He calmly asked.

I took my time to respond,

I had no explanation.

"She was going to move in with some boy, I couldn't have her out alone, not with Matt on the loose." At least that was what I told myself, "I had only agreed to be with her to keep an eye on her."

"You are just indulging her, that's cruel."

"I know that."

"How far have you gone with her?"

My jaw tickled, and I gazed up at him.

"I wouldn't do that to her."

"Good, you haven't completely lost it."

Alison was too young and naive about her sexual desires, which was why I never allowed myself to go there,

"You're going to have to end it before it gets out of line." That was the proper solution,  but I had become too selfish, being with Alison catered to my emotional needs, ones I didn't even know I had.

I always assumed I was immune to love.

I had a terrible upbringing, a drug-addict mother and an absent father, I never got to know affection or receive it, the farthest I got to love was from our nanny and even that had its limit. I worked hard, I thought if I gained enough power, maybe it would be less lonely up top but even that came with a price.

I got drawn to Alison.

The why was unexplained but the evidence was clear as shit, I- I liked the new feeling, they made me want to wake up in the morning. There was nothing wrong with that, the part that was questionably moral was the Who I was having these feelings for.