My Ward My Woman

I accepted it all as friendly banter. Solomon was after all a very handsome man. Any woman would want to call him her own. One look from those piercing blue eyes would make any female feel weak. The fact that he’s so completely unconventional, with his shoulder length hair and his air of reserved coolness. He’s my own personal dream. No wonder Jessica refuses to give up.

When I first saw her in his office I was half ready to bolt. But I reminded myself of all he’d said last night, felt the weight of the ring on my finger, and it gave me the boldness I needed to step into the room. Now I’m glad I did

The phone buzzed with a text just as I got into my car. I knew my security was behind me so I waved to them as I turned the key before reading the screen. I hadn’t heard from this particular person in a while. Not since the day after I’d been left standing on a sidewalk in a dangerous part of town.

She’d explained it away as having given me the wrong address by mistake and I accepted her excuse. White Rabbit is someone I’d met online. From some of the things she’d said I think she’s someone in my circle, but she refuses to tell me who. Now she’s inviting me shopping.

The store she mentioned wasn’t on Solomon’s ‘Don’t’ list, and the idea of buying something nice and sexy to surprise him with tonight sold me on the plan. I called the leader of my team and told her where I was headed and took off for the mall.

Of course the place was crawling with teenagers since all the schools were out early and I even saw a few people I knew. I headed for the store and not seeing her, she’d told me what she would be wearing; I perused the racks and shelves until she showed up.

I found something I liked just as another text came through. ‘Where are you?’ it said. I answered and was told that she was already in the dressing room and that I should come there. I didn’t think anything of it.

Sure I hadn’t met her as yet, but I was expecting to find one of my friends waiting for me back there. We’ll have a good laugh about all the things we’d shared in text and I’d have a new friend, someone I’d already confided in.

The dressing room wasn’t too crowded when I walked in and the attendant was just leaving. “I’ll be right back, I have to find something in a different size for a customer.” She left and I walked down the aisle.

The stall at the very end was occupied; she must be in there. I was already smiling as I walked over and knocked on the door. “White Rabbit, are you in there?” The door opened slightly and I couldn’t see who was behind it.

My hand was grabbed and I was pulled inside and just before I could ask what the hell, something was thrown over my head. I started to struggle but there was a strong pungent scent of something awful that burned my eyes and nose. After the first blow, everything went dark.

21

Solomon

“Sir, we’ve got a problem.” I’d just ended one meeting and was getting ready for the next when my phone went off. I hadn’t read the screen believing it was Alexandra, as she was now in the habit of calling me to tease me unmercifully.

She had a lot of tricks up her sleeve that one. She knew that I couldn’t leave the office just yet, so her thing was to get me hot and bothered so I could devour her when I got home.

The words were like ice water thrown over my head. It cooled my ardor immediately. “What do you mean?” It was the head of her team, so the problem must involve her. “Alexandra went shopping. We followed her into the store but stayed back when she went into the dressing room. We hadn’t seen anyone go in or out, except the store clerk.”

“What are you trying to tell me? Stop beating around the bush.” I was already on my feet with my heart in my throat.

“She’s been hurt. Someone attacked her in the dressing room.”

“How bad, where is she?” I couldn’t breathe.

“We took her to the hospital sir.”

I left the office at a run and didn’t spare my secretary a glance when she called after me.

I got to the hospital in twenty minutes. Twenty of the longest minutes of my life. One of her team was waiting at reception for me and took me up to the room where she was being tended. “How is she?”

“She’s coming around. She was out of it when we found her. It looks like they used chloroform or something stronger. The scent was still in the air when we found her.” I sped towards the room where a doctor was still leaning over her. There was a bandage wrapped around her head and my first sight of her face made me see red.