Taken (Dark Desires 1)

“Jesse, I need you to leave my apartment,” Belle said, mimicking Devon’s calm voice. Jesse was still in shock.

“Do you understand what she’s saying?” Devon said and Jesse’s jaw dropped open.

“She’s my girlfriend. Who is she to you?” he asked, in a high pitched voice.

“I am not your girlfriend any more, Jesse. You have till the end of the day to pack your bags and leave,” Belle said and stepped in Devon’s direction. A knowing look came over Jesse’s eyes.

“So, this is the friend you spent last night with? Are you his girlfriend now?” he said, forcing a laugh in his voice.

“Go back home, Jesse. New York isn’t for you. You need to get a job or move in with your folks if you can’t find one. I’m not going to waste another penny on you,” Belle said and she walked over to Devon who wrapped an arm around her.

Jesse continued to stare at them for a few more seconds in silence, before Devon cleared his throat.

“You have till this evening. Six. I’ll be here with Belle to make sure that you’re nowhere in sight and then we’re getting the locks changed,” he said and gently, he tugged Belle away.

She didn’t look back as they walked with their arms around each other. She shut the door behind her and only then realized that she was shaking slightly.

“Why didn’t you leave?” she asked him, as they took the stairs down together.

“Because I wanted to make sure you were safe. From the stuff you told me about him, I was expecting him to act out,” Devon told her and Belle placed her head on his shoulder.

“I feel bad for uprooting him like this, but he’s depended on me for too long. And I don’t love him,” she said softly, as they walked back out on the street again.

“I understand, Belle. You’re doing what is best for you. Let’s spend the day together and after that we’re going to find you a new place to live,” Devon said as he opened the car door for her.

Belle

Eight months later

Belle was sitting at her desk with her legs crossed with a pen stuck behind her ear, as she typed away at her computer. She was engrossed in her work, and hadn’t even taken a lunch break today. When she looked at the clock on her screen, she noticed that it was seven already. The office floor was entirely empty and a lot of the lights had been dimmed down. Never before in her life, had she felt this fulfilled with a task. The Brooklyn office had a good effect on her work life balance, and she was grateful to Devon for pushing her towards it.

She suddenly remembered that she had to meet Devon at six thirty!

Belle tried to finish typing the last sentence as quickly as she could and when she was done, she sighed. Blowing a lock of her bronze hair away from her nose.

“Hello, there,” she heard Devon’s deep smooth voice and she turned in her chair to find him standing at the end of her cubicle. He looked handsome, in his black suit and crisp cream shirt. His blue tie matched his eyes, and a smile spread over Belle’s face.

“I’m so sorry, I lost track of time,” she said and got up from her chair to hurry over to him.

Devon took her into his arms and t

hey kissed deeply. She pulled away from him when she remembered where they were. Nobody in either of the offices knew that they had been in a relationship for the past eight months.

“Don’t worry about it. I checked, nobody’s here,” he said and drew her in again, so he could bite her bottom lip playfully.

“So, this is your desk,” Devon said, looking around. In order to maintain secrecy, he had never visited the office and didn’t maintain any contact with her, through any official channels. Belle still lived in Brooklyn because that was the only place she could afford, and she was strict about not accepting any special favors from Devon.

“My little nook,” Belle said and bit down on her lip. Even though Devon owned everything here, and he was still her boss, to Belle it felt like her boyfriend was visiting her workplace for the same time. She had started feeling giddy with excitement.

“Susan sent me an email today to say that Jasmine has offered you a permanent position here?” Devon asked, smiling at her. Belle was gushing, she couldn’t keep her cheeks from burning up. She knew Devon was proud of her, she was proud of herself. And she had done it without any of Devon’s help. She had worked hard in the past months to impress Jasmine. Make herself indispensable. And Devon had kept himself out of it.

“And I’ve accepted it,” Belle said and Devon took in a deep breath and nodded.

“Congratulations, my love,” he said and swept her into his arms again. He kissed her cheeks gently and when she pulled away, he was staring deep into her eyes.

“I’m happy for you, and I only wish the best but I was also hoping that maybe we could be less secretive about our relationship now?” he said and Belle arched her eyebrows.

“How do you mean?” she asked and Devon took his time with his answer. Belle couldn’t help but smile at how nervous he was. This was evidently a big step for him. This was the longest relationship he had ever been in and they couldn’t be happier.