Cuffs surrounded his wrists, enraging me. The initial reaction to the restraints was baffling and angering at once. My troubled heart pushed an anguished breath from my lungs, giving me more time on Earth. More time to rationalize everything happening within me. Inside of me. Beneath me. In the center of me. Around me.
Help me, God. I pleaded, as I succumbed to my unearthing.
Though in denial, the birth of the woman I’d been anticipating was upon me. I wasn’t ready. Not here. Not now.
I savored my sanity, slowly continuing up his body until I reached my resting place.
My Lord.
Thick lips formed after a protruding chin, covered in coarse, black hair that was groomed with perfection. He hadn’t been here long. His barber’s work was still fresh. His line was still crisp. There wasn’t a sign of stress… or worry… or concern.
Beautiful, wide nostrils led to a perfectly symmetrical nose canal, leading to small, yet wide eyes. They possessed a calm that could lull a tsunami. Quiet a storm. Silence a tornado. Dissolve the voices–every one of them in my head.
My mouth slackened as words failed to form. Demented, I tried collecting myself. Collecting my thoughts. Collecting my memory. Collecting my strength. Collecting my confidence. Collecting my vocabulary. Collecting my things. Collecting my belongings. Collecting my heart. It had left a hole in my chest.
Uncuff him!I screamed inwardly.
He was no animal. The cage he was being held in was inhuman. Cuffs were not necessary. He was no threat. Not to me.
Yes. Yes, he is.I reasoned.
He lessened the gap between us. I pulled in a deep breath. My nipples tingled as they pressed against the fabric of my bar.
While I fell apart, Josiah remained poised. Collected. Calm. Confident. Content. Cold. Calculated.
Bzzzzt.
The door sealed, locking us both inside the small conference room. A lone table sat between us. Josiah’s feet halted just a few inches shy of it.
He analyzed every detail of the space we were now confined in. His hesitation led to my elevation. I scrambled to my feet, pulling my skirt down in the process.
His observation ended with me. Lingering. All over me. A tilt of his head magnified his examination. I pushed the new lump of air down my throat, hoping it passed my chest and didn’t block the breath I was attempting to make. Josiah made it hard.
Difficult.
Complex.
Nearly impossible.
Focus, baby.Chem voiced.
Determined to regain control of the situation I was quickly losing the rights to, I cleared my throat. I smoothed my clothes down before extending my hand over the stainless steel table.
“Attorney Range Childers. I will be representing you in–”
“Shaking your hand will not bring me pleasure, Range.”
“Attorney Childers will work,” I insisted.
His bottom lip disappeared into his mouth as the right side of it lifted into a smirk, causing a small body of water to form in the seat of my panties.
“Have a seat, Range,” he demanded.
Brows furrowed and breath caught in my chest, I lowered my hand. On wobbly legs, I lowered my body into my chair. If I didn’t relieve them soon, I’d fall flat on my face. I allowed that to be my excuse for following the order of a complete, utterly unbelievable stranger.
One. One.
Two. Two.
