His Every Desire

He dialed as she spoke, looked over to her and pushing the green ‘call’ button. Even though it was pressed to his ear, Tracy could hear it ringing. Though she wasn’t even the one making the call, it felt like her stomach had leapt up into her throat and was trying to choke her.

Someone on the other end answered. From there on, Tracy couldn’t make out anything that he said. She listened as Mr. Hayes negotiated, but it was difficult to understand when she could only hear one half of the conversation.

"No, you listen to me you son of…" Mr. Hayes paused and huffed air through his nostrils, listening carefully to whatever John Tice had to say. To Tracy, it felt like a lifetime before the garbled voice fell silent.

She tried to listen, tried to stay awake to hear what was going to happen. There was enough adrenaline in her system that she felt like she should be able to keep her eyes open for months, yet the bed was just so damn comfortable her eyes kept sliding shut.

"Fine, but I’m expecting some serious fucking answers from you, John. And you’d better be alone,” Mr. Hayes said loudly, startling her from the light sleep she didn't even realize she had drifted into.

She rubbed her eyes as Mr. Hayes hung up and put down the phone, falling back onto the pillows and turning so that he and Tracy faced each other.

"He wants to meet,” he said. “He didn't even try to deny Baxter. This carefully constructed web of his is going to unravel. I'm not going to stand for this."

Tracy, so full of emotions that she could barely manage an intelligent answer, clenched her fist into a tight ball. She wanted to hit something. Or cry. Possibly both.

"When I see that little…" she growled.

"No," Mr. Hayes cut her off. "I can’t let you go with me. I'm meeting him alone. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you."

"You can’t trust a man like him." She reached for Mr. Hayes, pulling him closer to her. “I wouldn't if I were him.”

"You're probably right,” Mr. Hayes agreed, wrapping his arms protectively around her. “But you are my world now and I won’t let you be around him again. We’ve seen what he can do, how far his reach can go. I won't risk you."

His protectiveness warmed Tracy inside. It had been a long time since someone cared so deeply about her.

“I don't care,” Tracy replied stubbornly.

"Promise that you won’t go.” He tightened his arms around her, but was obviously waiting for her to say she wouldn't.

&

nbsp; "I won’t," she said. It was a lie, of course, and the guilt immediately hit her like a brick wall.

"Because if you…" Mr. Hayes started, but Tracy reached up and rested her index finger across his lips. She didn’t know if she would be able to lie to him if he asked again. Once was enough for her to have to live with.

"Mr. Hayes," she said softly. "You can shut up now."

He smirked at her playfully-snide comment and let her settle back into his arms. The pillows enveloped them in softness and darkness. There were, in the end, no more words that needed to be said in that moment. The feeling of electricity between them was enough.

In spite of the uncertainties in their past, both of them knew what they wanted for the future and, as they lay there with their sticky bodies entangled with one another, each one silently resolved to do whatever it took to make it work.

Chapter 24

After a few restless hours of sleep, they both got up. In the living room, Paul Hayes stood by a large window, watching the dawn slowly creep over the horizon and share her light.

Tracy sat on the edge of a pure white sofa, also looking out at the spectacular display. Between the two of them, there was a nervous silence that weighed them both down. Tracy hunched forward, her elbows resting on her knees and her hands dangling listlessly in front of her. Mr. Hayes, was hunched as if the shoulders of his jacket had been lined with concrete.

Neither wanted to discuss the true potential of his upcoming meeting with John Tice. The fact that Tice had insisted on meeting in a warehouse on the edge of town certainly didn’t help matters. The whole thing gave Tracy a bad feeling. The pit of her stomach rolled and shouted warning.

Tracy opened her mouth to speak, but she closed it when no words came to her.

What have I done to this man? What have I started? She looked him over from head to toe and sighed as an unwelcome rush of guilt gripped her stomach. If I hadn’t come along, maybe he wouldn’t have been caught up in any of this. And what did I do? I used him to get what I wanted and look where that's put us.

"I’m sorry," she mumbled. It was all her fault.

Mr. Hayes turned to face her. "What?"

She sat up straighter and looked at him with tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. Even if she couldn’t articulate every transgression, Tracy needed to get it off of her chest.