Chapter eight
Two weeks passed by, and each morning Piper would look at herself in the mirror and hate her own reflection, hating what that man had done to her. No, she reminded herself bitterly, what she had allowed that man to do to her. And she had enjoyed every second of it, too. That was why she hated her reflection. He had even had the gall to try and telephone her the next morning to see if she was 'okay'. She had told him in no uncertain terms where he could stick his concern, and exactly how far, which hadn't pleased him very much judging by the bellowing she could hear as she put the phone down. Pig, she thought, straightening her clothes and checking her appearance. Not that her words had stopped him calling her. Far from it. He had tried every day to speak to her...well, until yesterday, and she assumed he had finally given up.
She shook her head and took a deep breath. Time to continue her job search, she thought, giving a heavy sigh as she left the bedroom. She picked up the mail before she went out of the door and flicked through it, worrying her lower lip as she noted the amount of bills that were mounting up. If she didn't find work soon, she would have to leave, and she really didn't want to do that. She had already been cowardly over the last fortnight, not going to see her father because he would look at her accusingly since his business would be going down the drain. On the other hand, she thought with a quick frown, he hadn't called her and said he was in trouble again. It was very confusing, but she had no doubt that Mark Calloway would have cancelled that cheque as soon as he got back to his office, despite what had happened on her living room floor. Her cheeks went red again as they had so many times in the last few days. She ruthlessly pushed the memory out of her head, not wanting to dwell on her own disgusting behaviour, and she returned her attention to the letters she was holding.
All the bills she put to one side on the hall table, reminding herself to sort them out later, then she threw the junk mail in the small waste basket, which left her with only one letter. It was official looking and she found herself frowning again as she turned it over. There was no company stamp on it anywhere to let her know where it was from, so she hurriedly ripped it open in case it was from one of the jobs she had applied for.
Her face fell when she saw the letterhead and then she tightened her lips, wondering what the hell he was doing writing to her. She read through it quickly, her face getting redder and redder as she tried to digest what it said. Of all the cheek, she thought as she pulled the other piece of paper from the envelope and stared at it, her eyes sparking with temper. He thought he could send her something like this and get away with it? Fine, she'd show him that he was dead wrong about that!
She slammed the door behind her and made her way out to get a bus into town. Mr God Almighty Calloway was about to get an unexpected visit, she just hoped he was ready for her!
A while later she stepped into his building and narrowed her eyes, walking imperiously towards the elevator as though she belonged in there. Again no-one stopped her and she smirked, thinking that she must tell that man to update his security. Any lunatic could get in here, and she was definitely one of those in the mood she was in. She pressed the button for his floor and stood calmly as the elevator whisked her upwards, trying to plan what she was going to say to him. But she couldn't think past the anger she was feeling and she gave up, knowing that words would surely come to her when she confronted him shortly. Her breath caught in her throat briefly when the bell dinged, indicating she had arrived at her destination. Was she doing the right thing? she thought, walking out of the elevator and heading down the corridor towards his office. What if he touched her again? What if he...she shook her head and swore quietly. She couldn't think that way. She would just go in there and give him a piece of her mind.
Jeanette, his secretary, was sitting at her desk in the outer office staring at the computer screen as she typed. Her gaze shifted as Piper came into view and she gave a small smile. "Go right in," she said, making Piper's mouth fall open.
"Aren't you going to try and stop me?" she asked, puzzled.
Jeanette shook her head. "I wouldn't dare. Go ahead," she said again, gesturing to the doors and then returning to her work and ignoring her.
Piper walked hesitantly over to the doors, wondering what was going on. Why hadn't his secretary kicked her out, or even called security? It all made her feel like she was in an episode of The Outer Limits and she pushed hesitantly at the wooden panels in front of her, watching as they swung open to reveal Mark sitting calmly at his desk, his feet propped up as he spoke firmly into the telephone.
"Yes, she's here right now. Of course, thank you. Goodbye," he said and hung up, leaning on the desk to watch her walk into the room. "Close the door behind you," he murmured, raising an eyebrow when she automatically obeyed.
She instantly cursed under her breath and scowled, not having meant to do what he had said. He'd think he could order her around and he couldn't do that, no way! She looked down at the envelope she was clutching and strengthened her resolve. This man was a pig, an immoral, arrogant pig who thought he could do whatever he wanted and get away with it. She stormed over to his desk and threw the envelope at him. "How dare you send me that!" she hissed, narrowing her eyes and trying to look intimidating.
"Didn't you like it? I thought it only fair," he said, reaching out and taking the letter out of the envelope, his eyes scanning it. "It all seems very clear to me. For the good that I've done in helping your father, here is an invoice for legal costs, etc. Less services rendered, of course," he said, smirking as her face went blood red with rage.
"Services rendered?" she said, her voice still low and furious. "So not only do you send me an invoice for legal costs on reparations which you had no choice but to make anyway, but you take money off because of what you did to me? You're unbelievable!"
"I didn't do anything you didn't want, honey, you may at least admit that, and many women have told me I'm unbelievable. I'm glad you agree," he said, the smirk getting worse.
She ignored the fact that he knew she had enjoyed it. "How dare you treat me like I'm some sort of prostitute!" she snapped, her eyes sparkling with outrage. She reached out and grabbed the letter back, ripping it into tiny pieces and flinging them in his face. "As for your invoice, you can put that where the sun doesn't shine, I'm sure there's plenty of room!"
Mark smiled and shook his head, making tsking noises. "Such a bad temper, Piper. Maybe it's time someone cooled you down a little."
"Cooled me...!" she looked frantically around for something to throw at his big arrogant head, and was stunned to find that all the surfaces were bare.
"Looking for something?" he asked, leaning back in his chair and grinning now.
"Where..." she began, frowning as she looked around his almost bare office.
"Where are all my things? I was expecting you, so I thought it best to clear the field of battle, so to speak," he said, raising one eyebrow and looking around him.
"Battle?" Piper asked, staring at him in stupefaction. This wasn't going at all the way she had expected and she didn't know quite how to react. She couldn't help taking a step backwards as he stood up, straightening to his full height and edging out from behind his desk.
"Hmm, battle. You see, I have tried my damnedest to get in touch with you, but you stubbornly refused to answer your telephone. So I sent you that invoice, knowing exactly how you'd react."
"You...you did it to get me here?" she asked, her mouth dropping open at his deviousness.
"Of course. And you didn't disappoint me," he said with a smirk, moving closer to her, his chin tilted back at an arrogant angle. "And now, Miss Williams, I have you exactly where I wanted you."
"Now you just hold on one minute," she said, putting her hands up in front of her as he stalked across the vast office towards her, his eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you think you're going to do..."
"Oh, I don't think, Miss Williams, I know what I'm going to do," he said, his smirk turning into a knee weakening grin that held her transfixed for a few seconds. Then she realised just how close he was getting and she backed up again, her back hitting the wood of the closed door almost instantly and making her panic. That emotion intensified when he got closer and his hands lifted to grab her, and she spun around, trying to turn the door handle so she could escape. But it wouldn't budge, not even a tiny bit. Her breath escaped her in a rush as his hands landed on the door either side of her head, the warmth from his big body seeping through her clothes from his proximity.
"No good trying that, it's locked. I have a remote device for it and I used it the moment you closed the door. You've trapped yourself in here," he murmured, his head bending so that his breath ruffled the hair just by her ear. And there's no way you can say I dragged you up here against your will, is there? You came here of your own accord, just so you could shout at me. Isn't that right?"
Piper leaned her forehead against the door and closed her eyes, willing her body to stop responding to the subtle spell he was casting over her. His voice sent a shiver down her spine, and far from being caught up in the humiliation of her previous actions, she was starting to get turned on by them. She had to get away from him before she threw him on the floor and raped him, she thought with a twinge of hysteria, a small giggle trying to break out of her tight throat at the picture that formed in her head. "Please let me out of here," she whispered, unable to turn around and look at him because of how close he was.
"Uh-uh, Piper, I can't do that. I had a very good reason for getting you here, and you're not getting away quite that easily," he said, his deep voice trailing off to a whisper as he bent down over her, his lips touching her neck as he drew her hair to one side.
"Don't do that!" she hissed, scrunching her neck up so he couldn't touch it any more. "What do you want?" she asked him, trying to control her breathing.
Mark looked down at her small figure and debated that question, one eyebrow raising as he pursed his lips. "What are you offering?" he asked, stepping back from her one pace, unable to resist the temptation of her question.
Piper turned around as she felt his big frame move, and she eyed him warily, anger glittering in her whisky coloured eyes. "I'm not offering you anything," she said unsteadily.
Mark cocked his head to one side. "A pity." He watched her face flush with real embarrassment and he relented slightly. "Actually, Piper, I wanted to apologise."
His words floored her and she stared at him uncomprehendingly. "What?"
"I said, I want to apologise. That's why I've been trying to call you. I'm sorry for the way I behaved, it's not...it's not how I normally am," he said, shifting uncomfortably as she stared at him blankly.
"You're...saying sorry?" she said softly, her eyebrows rising.
"Yes."
She gave a short laugh. "Oh, that's good. You're saying sorry for what you did and yet you send me this filthy invoice...! You're unbelievable!"
"I think we've already established that fact. But, I don't think you were listening. I said I was sorry for the way I behaved, not for what I did. We both enjoyed that, and there's no way you can deny it," he said, raising one hand when she went to speak again. "But I am sorry for the way I went about it, it's not something I even thought about, just...spur of the moment. Anyway, I'm sorry. As for the invoice, I fabricated that just to get you here, as I said. It isn't real."
"Not real?" she said, still confused at his about-face. "I wouldn't care if it was, I wouldn't pay you one cent!"
Mark tilted his head back again and looked down his nose at her haughtily. "If it were real, you wouldn't have a choice. I'd make sure you lost everything you had if you didn't pay me."
"You...you arrogant, egocentric...jerk!" she hissed, wanting to hit him more than she had ever wanted to hit anyone in her life.
Mark saw the way her fists were clenching and he grinned. "Oh dear, I hope I haven't set that temper off again. I wouldn't want you to use your vast Karate skills to hurt me," he said dryly.
"I wish I did know Karate," she said venomously, narrowing her eyes at him. "Because if I did, I'd enjoy breaking your neck!"
"You really are vicious aren't you?" he mused, chuckling softly at her red face and sparkling eyes. "It suits you."
Piper frowned and studied his face, seeing a spark of desire in his eyes that made her mouth go dry. "I...I don't care if it suits me...just, let me out of here."
"No." He closed the distance between them again, his head bending so his eyes were mere inches from her own. "I have other reasons for bringing you here."
Her eyes widened as his head bent further still and she tried to press her body back into the door to get away from him, wondering what he was going to do now.
****There....oh, dear....was that a BAD place to stop evil grin****