Dangerous Thirst (Possessing Her Book 1), page 2
“Thank you.” I accepted the hand towel before reaching in my suit jacket to retrieve a hundred-dollar bill.
“Wow. Do you need change?” he asked.
“Silence works best,” I said, and he nodded in understanding.
The party was the same as when I’d left it, stiff and boring. A group of ladies walked past, giggling as they waved, and I remembered when I wasn’t the popular guy in the room, drawing the attention of the ladies.
My adult life was a breeze. I never found myself out of the in crowd. In high school, things had been different. A kid named Trevor had seemed determined to make my life a living hell. He had gone out of his way to torture me for his own amusement.
When I was a sophomore, he had been a fifth-year senior and twice my size. Just after lunch one day, he cornered me in the bathroom. A group of guys laughed behind him, waiting to see what he would do to me next.
My vision was already blurry from the blood seeping into my eyes—evidence of the brutal beating he’d delivered.
“You’re looking dirty, Hunter,” he had said in the most condescending voice, his fat fingers lunging at my face before gripping my collar. “Maybe we should clean you up.”
Trevor dragged me into a stall, lifting me at the waist before dunking my head into the toilet with intense force. My screaming only hurt me as the filthy water rushed down my throat. The desperate need to breathe had sent me into a severe panic. I lost consciousness.
The first words I heard when I came to were: “We almost lost you, Hunter. It would’ve sucked to have to bribe people to come to your funeral since you don’t have any friends who give a fuck if you live or die.”
His gang of followers laughed as if my life were a joke. They all sauntered out of the bathroom, and I instantly vomited, purging my lunch with puddles of toilet water.
“Are you okay?” came a voice from the far stall.
Looking over, I saw a kid even smaller than me curled in a fetal position beside the toilet. He was drenched like me, his face bruised and wet with the tears that accompanied such humiliation.
It was the last straw. For some reason I couldn’t explain, I could handle Trevor torturing me. It was wrong, but I could handle it. Seeing how he abused other people was more than I was willing to accept. I made a decision then and there to never let him put his hands on me or anyone else no matter what it took.
“Hunter!”
I heard my name, drawing me back to the present as a man younger than me approached from across the room.
It was obvious he didn’t fit in at the party. He was dressed in an off-the-rack suit, his posture too slouched to command respect. I saw myself in him. He was a younger version of me who knew he could climb to the top of the industry.
I had put my blood, sweat, and tears into my career, and as the young kid rambled, I determined I would not let that hard work go to waste.
While I didn’t know what the blackmailer would require of me, I started wondering what I would be willing to part ways with—money, respect, dignity, reputation? They were all important to me, but I would be stripped of everything if my secret got out.
Olivia
Saturday Evening
“Can I afford the pencil set, Ms. Olivia?” Maria asked.
She had been raised in a Catholic home before child services had sent her to live in the orphanage, and she refused to let her manners slack, always referring to me with a formal title.
“How much do you have?” I asked, looking at the handful of tickets Maria had crumpled in her damp palms. Together, we counted the tickets. She was just shy of the total necessary, and I happily added a few dollars so she could get the pencil set.
Maria had shown great interest in writing, and I wanted to support her in bringing her short stories to life. I was hugging the small girl when a fight broke out at the other end of Hunter’s Village.
After quickly excusing myself, I got to the brawl just in time to see Bobby pummeling little Mikey, who struggled to protect his face. Bobby was at least twice Mikey’s size, and he straddled him as he rained down punches.
“No, Bobby! Stop!” I yelled, halting the child mid-swing.
Bobby was one of the children who would be coming to live in my foster home in the near future, so I was well aware of his issues. Deserted by two drug-addicted parents, he had shown signs of abuse and neglect when he’d arrived at the orphanage.
Many people turned away children like Bobby, but not me. I knew he was worth saving, and from the remorse in his eyes when I caught his attention, I felt there was still room for conversation.
“I need to talk to you,” I said with my hands on my hips as the children dispersed, sad the fight was over.
“He started it,” Bobby grumbled as I pulled him into a quiet space at the back of Hunter’s Village. He was still so angry, his fist balled with tension as we sat across from each other in the booth.
“I’m going to give you some time to calm down, but I want to help you if you’re willing to trust me,” I said. Bobby looked at me with pursed lips, speechless but giving me his attention.
“Can you take a deep breath with me please?” I asked. “Just inhale as deep as you can like you’re about to dive into the pool on a hot summer day. You ready?”
He nodded, his chest rising as he sucked in a deep breath.
“Okay. Hold that there,” I instructed, counting before advising him to slowly release the breath. We repeated this three times before he showed signs of calming down.
“Does that feel better?” I asked, hoping he would open up to me. Bobby was known for his defensive attitude, but I wanted more for him.
“Yeah, I guess.” He shrugged, unimpressed by my tactics.
“Can you tell me what happened?” I asked.
Bobby looked around Hunter’s Village for a few minutes in silence, and I gave him the space to come around. Most adults tried to force children to talk on their time, but in school, I’d learned that when dealing with young damaged people, you had to concede the power. They needed to feel in control to trust you, because after being taken advantage of, they didn’t like being told what to do or how to feel.
“He beat me in the game,” Bobby finally said, his voice so low I had to lean across the table to hear him.
“Did you not like losing?” I asked.
“No one likes to lose, but Mikey always has to rub it in and make fun of me.” His head hung low as he recalled the taunting.
“Did that upset you, Bobby?” I spoke softly, hoping to create a safe environment.
“I don’t care if he wins, but he doesn’t have to call me names.” He scrunched his eyebrows together.
“You’re right. He shouldn’t call you names, and I’m going to talk to Mikey about that. But can you try to understand why what you did was wrong?”
“I know,” Bobby said. “I can’t hit him. He’s too little to fight anyway. I just get so mad. I lose control.” Bobby shook his head as if he were disappointed in himself.
“It’s okay. We all let ourselves down sometimes. What’s most important is that we learn from our mistakes and apologize as soon as possible.” I was trying to lead him to the next step.
Bobby frowned. “I need to tell him I’m sorry, huh?”
“Well, are you sorry?” I asked.
“Yeah. Mikey’s my friend. I don’t want to hurt him, but he hurt my feelings.” His eyes widened, seeking understanding.
“That’s natural, Bobby. Many of us do that. I’m going to help you find other ways to express your frustration if you’ll let me.” I smiled.
“How?” he asked quickly.
“Well, let’s see. How could you have better handled the situation?” I turned the question back to him.
“Walked away,” he said sadly, knowing he’d had an alternative solution all along.
“Yes, you could have walked away, but honestly, that would have only avoided the problem, not solved it. If Mikey is your friend, and you want to have a healthy relationship with him, it’s important that you discuss how his behavior makes you feel, but it didn’t have to be in that moment.”
“So maybe talk when we get home?” he asked.
“That sounds like it would be a good solution.” I nodded, and he smiled, proud of himself.
I walked him over to Mikey, and the two boys hugged after Bobby apologized. He asked if they could talk about it when they got home, and Mikey agreed before telling him about another game they could play. The two ran off together, and I felt a rush of joy.
It was proof I was doing what I was supposed to. Those boys needed me, and I needed them just as much.
5. Chapter Three
Hunter
Saturday Evening
“Excuse me.” I turned to squeeze through a gap too small to fit through. After receiving the letter, the party was now a maze of needy faces. Sandra was somewhere flirting, and I had to get out of here as fast as possible. Finally, I reached where I’d left her chatting with John, but she was nowhere to be found.
“Hunter!”
Again, my name was called, this time by a voice I would never mistake.
My stomach dropped as my boss’s hand slapped my shoulder. “You’ve got to meet some people,” Vincent announced loudly before standing on his toes to whisper in my ear. “Big money!”
I turned to face the crowd of graying men in custom suits, each with a glass in their hand. “How are you?”
“Hunter Aimes, we’ve heard a lot about you,” said the tallest of the men, and another nodded.
“Either they’ve heard about you or they’ve seen that fine piece of ass you brought in here,” Vincent joked, causing everyone to erupt in laughter.
When it came to being a shark as a corporate lawyer, Vincent Marino had set the standard. He had been born and raised in Chicago, and rumors of mob ties had followed his career. He never pulled punches, and he had taken me under his wing and shown me the ropes as he knew them.
“Don’t mean to offend, kid. She’s not your wife, so it’s all fair game, right?” Vincent added this more for his friends’ benefit than mine. In private, he had said much more disparaging things about Sandra, so he knew I didn’t care.
“I’ll have to introduce you guys,” I said, “but only if you’ve taken your heart meds. She is known to get the blood pumping if you know what I mean.”
They fell over each other with amusement.
“We need to get a drink!” Vincent announced.
Leaving the party was my top priority, but somehow, I got swept up in his plan. I could never make a decision for myself when it came to my career. Nothing came before ass-kissing at the firm, and Vincent’s ear was as good as gold at that place. So when he said jump, I didn’t bother asking how high. Leaping to my best ability was always the move, certain he would grade me afterward.
“The guys really like you.” He nudged my shoulder as we reached the bar, passively telling me I’d done good with my introduction. People always talked about how important a first impression was, but for a lawyer, it was everything. People judged others based on vibes and their intuition. Being offended too easily or missing a cue to laugh at a joke could easily be the difference between landing a new client and ostracizing yourself.
“I’m glad to hear it.” I raised my hand, signaling the bartender.
“How can I help you?” he asked, looking from Vincent to me.
“Can we have two glasses of your best whiskey, please?” Vincent asked. “We’re celebrating.”
“Are we?” I asked, confused by his excitement.
“Yes, we are. I hope I didn’t upset you joking about Sandra. You know everyone has been fawning over her all night.” He ran his fingers through his silver hair.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said at my girlfriend’s expense. “Trust me, she loves the attention.”
“That’s what I figured. You know, there’s a bright future for you at the firm, Hunter.” He smiled like a proud father.
The bartender returned, placing two glass tumblers on the counter. “Here you are.”
“Thank you.” I rushed to tip him although Vincent never reached for his wallet, certain I would cover the tab.
Vincent leaned in to whisper in my ear. “There’s been an opening for junior partner,” he said.
“Really?” I asked, unsure how such a thing could happen. There was a limited amount of space for partners, and the firm did a good job of making sure openings did not come easily so that associates like me worked harder to stand out in a crowd of superstars.
“Do you know Harper Groit?” he asked, taking a sip of his whiskey.
I followed suit, allowing the amber liquid to warm my insides as my mind raced quickly. “I’ve met him a few times.”
“It seems he had an illicit affair with one of the interns, and now she’s claiming it wasn’t consensual.” He shook his head, disgust all over his face. Vincent and the firm in general were not welcoming to shame or bad publicity.
“That’s awful,” I said, shocked to learn Harper could do such a thing. My memories of him brought back only clean-cut behavior and mild courtroom warfare.
“She’s suing the firm.”
Vincent watched my reaction, so I forced myself to keep my face impassive and waited for him to continue before adding my commentary.
“So that opens a spot on the junior board, Hunter. Know anyone who would be interested?” He was goading me to sell myself for the position, something I knew not to do.
There was no way to win from a place of desperation. You didn’t win junior partnership. You were awarded it. Showcasing my skills and value to the firm was the only fighting chance I had.
“I’m not sure about that, but I think I’d be of great assistance in the research department if this goes to trial. I’d be honored to defend the firm and get to the bottom of the allegations, to search for the truth.”
Vincent stared at me for a long moment before his lips curled upward. Slapping my shoulder roughly, he announced a little too loudly, “You’re a good man, Hunter. We’ll be talking more soon.”
I watched him walk away as I realized my dream position was within my grasp years sooner than I had anticipated. I had thought I would need years yet to become a partner, and now an unexpected opening was giving me the opportunity of a lifetime.
My thoughts drifted back to the letter in my suit jacket, demanding I do whatever it took to keep my life intact. Suddenly, I had so much more to fight for and so much more to lose.
Olivia
Saturday Evening
“But, Ms. Olivia, can you even fit all of this in your car?” Maria asked as I packed away the leftover pizza to take back to the orphanage. I knew how exciting it was to have a special meal instead of the regular cafeteria options, and I would never deprive the children of such a treat.
Lucius reached for a slice from the table. “Olivia, I think we should all get the same amount of pizza. Sometimes the older kids try to take more, so I’ll just take my piece now.”
“Young man, I implore you to go enjoy your last fifteen minutes of fun while you can instead of misbehaving,” Tasha said, appearing out of nowhere. Her stern tone stopped the young boy in his tracks.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Jackson. I didn’t see you there.” He backed away from the table slowly.
“I don’t need to be here for you to behave yourself. What exactly did you just call her?” She looked toward me.
“Who, Ms. Olivia?” he asked innocently.
“That’s funny. I thought I heard you call her by her first name like you two were equals. I’m happy to hear you know you’re not. She’s an adult, and you’re a child, and you understand the difference. Am I correct in that, Lucius?” Tasha glared at him with her lips pursed.
He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Now, stand up straight and pull your pants up. You can have fun without looking like you’ve lost your mind, ya know?” She straightened the collar of his shirt, and he shifted his pants before brushing his hair with his hands.
He shrugged his shoulders, adjusting to the new fit of his top. “Thank you.”
Tasha smiled for the first time. “Did you have a good time?”
“Yeah. I won a teddy bear for my sister.” He stood taller, recalling his feat.
“And I’m sure she’ll treasure it because her big brother got it for her,” Tasha said, boosting his ego before sending him off to play.
