Running From Him (ManxMan) ✔️

Chapter 29: Karl Landsteiner

(A/N: Get ready for another long chapter)

🏃Clark's POV🏃

“Yes, I just recently moved to Toronto, so I have very few things in my place right now.” Hearing that voice, I was jarred from the temporary calm and thrown back into a state of fear.

Was that . . . ?

“Oh, Clark. You’ve finally made it!” Meaghan exclaimed happily. Standing up from her desk, Meaghan walked around it to stand next to the man currently sitting in her ‘client chair’. “This is Mr. Karl Landsteiner. Mr. Landsteiner, this is Clark Robinson, my decorating assistant.”

The man, now aware that Clark was in fact behind him, stood up. As the man stood, he tugged down his button-down shirt and because of his action, my eyes were drawn to his dark blue jeans.

Then the man turned around and, like my greatest fear come to life, he smiled.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Clark.” He grinned, taking my hand and shaking it with an extra tight grip. “But please, call me Karl. Or better yet, K.”

I was unable to stop the shiver that racked my body when I heard the nickname. It was the one that all of his friends had called him. And, it was the name that he had insisted I call him while we had sex.

Meaghan was smiling, I was smiling, and he was smiling too. But Meaghan had no idea that while she smiled because she was happy, I smiled because I was scared.

I was smiling because I had to keep Meaghan from knowing. Knowing that Karl smiled because he had found me.

Karl smiled because he was Kevin. And Kevin had my in his domineering grasp once again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So I steadily made my way up the ranks in his company.” Kevin, or Karl, explained smugly. “It was challenging, being as young as I was, but I was excited about the challenge and very happy for the rewards.”

“Rewards?” Meaghan asked eagerly, completely riveted with the lies that Kevin told.

“Money, social status as well. For the first time in my life, I had earned my place, and it felt, and still feels, great. I love my job and was so happy when I was transferred because I would be closer to headquarters and get the opportunity to prove myself again.”

I clenched my hands tightly, the fingers curling into tight fists. My jaw was prominent and sharply defined because I was clenching my teeth together so tightly. My knee silently bobbed out of sight from my boss and ex-boyfriend. Two people who were practically making out with their eyes right in front of me.

Kevin flirted, subtly and bluntly depending, with Meaghan and Meaghan, who was single but very opened to short flings, welcomed his advances with a sultry charm. It almost made me gag to watch but I was too angry and scared to express it.

The situation shot my body into high alert from fear and tested every ounce of my patience. I hated that man. I hated him more than I could explain. Yet, I was forced to sit here and let him play a family friend like he had played me.

After the initial shock of seeing him after all this time wore off, I put up my mental shields and became guarded. Kevin was a marvellous actor, it was the way that he was able to perfectly trick me, so I had to be more careful this time around.

Meaghan had moved our group to one of the meeting rooms to have the consultation and it was larger. It had a rectangular table made of a deep brown wood and around it were large, black comfortable chairs made of a strong fabric. Meaghan and I sat along one side of the table and Kevin sat across from us.