When Owen finally reaches the hall, I grab his arm and pull him aside. I look down and breathe deeply.
“General Lewis, I sincerely thank you for your concern. But,” I stop to find the right words to describe what is happening, “you are making matters much, much worse for me.”
Silence follows. Then, Owen clears his throat. “Whenever I see someone in need, I do my best to assist them. And you look so helpless with your father. That is not the Sloane that I met at the office. So, I want to help you.”
I finally look up to him to meet his burning stare. And there, in his eyes, is the sincere concern that I heard from him earlier. I feel something bitter in my mouth and realize that it’s the taste of guilt. Here, he is, being a kind and helpful person to me, and yet all I have ever done for him is hide his daughter. What kind of person am I turning into? Why does the image of my father fill my mind? Am I becoming him?
No. I don’t want to become like my father. So, I decide to give Owen what he deserves — the truth, well, the partial truth about me. I don’t like bearing my soul to anyone, even with my best friend. Yet, this voice inside my head tells me that it is the right thing to do because it makes sense to be as honest as I can be to a man as powerful as Owen.
“My father is a,” I want to say monster, but Myah’s words ring inside my head, “a jerk — a terrible human being. He has always used me to close deals, offering me as bait to his old associates. Some of them are as bad as my father is. They like to touch me even when I don’t like it. So, when I found the chance to leave his house, I did.”
I look at my feet again because I don’t want to see pity in his eyes.
“I worked my way up at McKenzie, Inc. so I could earn money for myself — so that I will never have to ever ask my father for anything. And at first, I believed that I had become successful. However, my father constantly gets access to my bank accounts. On countless occasions, he uses that power to force me to go through these ordeals again and again. He threatens to freeze all my accounts. And that scares me because what if it happens and then I end up going to him again? What if I finally become trapped in his clutches again.”
My heart races as I tell him this story. Then, I feel a cold sweat on my forehead.
“Damn,” Owen growls, making me look up to him. His eyes are narrow. “For how long has he been doing this, your accounts?”
“I honestly don’t know. My brother pointed it out to me a few years ago. I don’t even understand how he keeps on doing it.”
The General’s lips tighten, and for a moment, he becomes silent. Have I said too much?
“You don’t have to worry about that for long, Sloane. I’ll get my people to look into it and figure out how he does it. I’m not going to let that monstrosity ever control you or anyone at all.”
The fierceness in Owen’s eyes melts my insides. I feel in awe and admiration of him.
Myah is lucky to have Owen as her father because he knows how to take care of people. I smile at him. When he finally smiles back, the glowing anger in his eyes is replaced with longing. For a moment, I think he wants to kiss me. Or maybe, he has finally understood who I really am to him.
Owen leans forward. If I cross the few inches between us, my lips will meet his. But then, he suddenly jerks back,
“Ms. Keeley, I sincerely apologize. That gesture is extremely inappropriate. I should not take advantage of you, especially given your current situation.”
He doesn’t wait for me to reply. Owen just turns and leaves. I’m alone with my mixed emotions. Why does part of me want him to kiss me—the real me?
Chapter Seventeen - Sloane
After a few more moments, I finally head towards the restroom to gather my bearings. I can’t go back to my father’s table with flushed cheeks. He will know I was with Owen, and I don’t want him to drag the General into my messy life.
I splash water into my face. Then, my phone chimes. It’s an email from Owen sent to the address of my masked persona.
“Get here now, pet.”
That is all it says, yet that brief message sends a shiver down my spine. I feel my pussy reacting to it too. Yes. That is what I want tonight — what I need to have. I grin as I imagine Owen’s hard cock pushing inside me. Fuck. I really have to get away from this place now.