Nova
I am trapped. My back is pressed against the wall as Theodore's body towers over mine, radiating a potent, sexual energy. The closeness is suffocating, yet enticing, making my skin prickle with sensitivity and it takes everything in me not to reach out and touch him.
My arousal has me in a state of hyper awareness, so when he leans forward and my erect nipples graze against his body, I find it hard to keep my eyes open and my juices ooze onto my panties.
"You're mine…" he says in a deep, husky voice. A baritone voice that has haunted my sex dreams for years.
"You're mine, Starlight."
And just like that, the spell that trapped me in his sensual web is broken.
Memories of him calling me his Starlight, memories of our past romance floods in, and with those memories come all the pain of his betrayal.
Anger courses through my veins and I push his wide chest, trying to create some distance between us. To my surprise, he allows himself to be pushed and takes a step back, his eyes never leaving me.
I stand tall and my chest is heaving with emotions as I glare at him.
"You have no right to call me that," I begin venomously. "No right at all!"
I take a step forward with eyes blazing in anger.
"You left and married your rich wife, didn't you? I was not good enough so you threw me away for her. And now what? You're tired of her?" I spit out the words, my tone dripping in disdain. "You're probably bored with her or maybe she's no longer pretty enough for you. Whatever the reason, you don't get to choose her over me and then use me for pleasure. Go back to your fucking wife, Theodore."
The air between us becomes tense, and we stare at each other intensely. As I catch my breath after my outburst, I see a flicker of sadness in Theodore's eyes but he quickly turns away and slowly walks to his desk, leaving me feeling a mix of emotions.
I am still fuming and ready to say more, but the deep sadness in his eyes leaves me feeling unsettled.
Theodore's voice cuts through the silence. "There's a car downstairs to take you back to the house," he says as he sits down and turns to face the city skyline outside his window. "The twins are waiting for you."
It is clear that the conversation is over.
I huff and storm out of his office, slamming the door shut behind me. Only when I am alone in the elevator do I realize that, according to that contract I stupidly signed, I will have to deal with Theodore Thompson's presence even more and the thought makes my stomach bundle up in a knot.
At the ground floor, I wrap my arms around my midriff, feeling vulnerable and out of place among the sleek, suited business people rushing to and fro. The high ceilings and the luxury I am surrounded by suffocates me and I hurry across the lobby towards the revolving doors.
Just as I am about to leave the building, a hand reaches out from behind and drags me away from the exit.
I am yanked sideways and my feet stumble to keep up. When I finally regain my balance, I look up, ready to confront whoever it is but my eyes widen in surprise when I see Xander, or as she is more appropriately known in her workplace, Alexandria.
"Christ! What the fuck, Xander?" I say as I try to shake off her grip on my arm but she doesn't let go. Instead, her fingers dig deeper as she navigates me through the crowded lobby.
"Xander, where are we going?" I demand, trying to keep up with her pace but I am met with silence as she continues dragging me away.
It isn't until we stop in front of an unremarkable door marked 'storage locker' that she finally speaks up.
"I'm sorry Nova," she whispers. "I heard Mr Thompson sent those guards to bring you and I was worried so I called him. You can bitch about it later."
"Called who?" I ask, but before I can get an answer, Xander opens the storage locker and shoves me inside, making me stumble head first into mops and brooms.
"What the hell, Xander!" I shout as I regain my balance in the dark space. I turn around, about to bang on the door to be let out, when the small room is suddenly illuminated.
And there, standing surrounded by cleaning supplies, is my older brother, Kai.
"Xander, you fucking snitch," I mutter.
"Is that really your reaction to seeing your older brother, Nova?" he asks amusingly.
"Maybe I'd be happier if you at least called first," I say casually, but my mind is racing trying to think of how to avoid the upcoming conversation.
"Maybe I'd be happier if I didn't get a call telling me my younger sister has been kidnapped by the rich fucker who owns this company." His tone is light, but even in the low lighting from his phone, I can see the anger in his eyes.
As I stood in Theodore's office, reading the contract I signed, one of the first things on my mind was how Kai would take the news. I at least thought I would have time to prepare him for it, but instead, now I have to face him in a cramped storage room, in the company of the man Kai blames for everything.
"I wasn't kidnapped, Kai." My voice drops to a whisper when I say, "I was employed by the CEO and he wanted to see me."
Kai's eyes narrow and he stares at me in disbelief. "Employed by Theodore Thompson? Theodore Thompson who sent our parents to an early grave? That man?"
His words are a stark reminder of Theodore's true nature and the wetness in my underwear shamefully mocks me for how close I came to surrendering to the very person behind my family's misfortune.
"I didn't know he was the fucking employer," I say defensively.
"Watch your fucking language, Nova."
If the situation was not so tense, I would have rolled my eyes at the hypocrisy. Instead, I take a deep breath to steel myself for his reaction. "I-I can't resign. I signed a contract and breaking it comes with a penalty.
"How much?"
I hesitate, knowing the answer will only make things worse. "More than we can afford definitely."
"Fucking hell Nova."
"Language," I say meekly under my breath.
Kai sighs resolutely and begins to walk out of the storage room but I quickly grab his huge biceps to stop him, knowing exactly what he has in mind.
"You're not going to threaten or beat up Theodore Thompson, Kai," I say firmly, trying to reason with him. "You can't keep going through life using your fists to solve problems."
Kai's face darkens in a way that would have been scary if he wasn't my brother. "If you didn't keep getting yourself into trouble, I wouldn't have to," he replies dangerously.
Guilt pricks at me but I decide to ignore his reply and focus on stopping him from doing what he's planning on.
"He's a CEO. If you hurt him, no matter what I do I won't be able to keep you out of jail again, Kai. It's not worth it."
We stare at each other defiantly, refusing to back down. I am looking so intensely at him that I notice the exact moment the idea forms in his mind and a sly glint enters his eyes.
"What is your role?"
I raise an eyebrow, wary about where this is going. "I'm the nanny."
"So you have access to the house?"
"I live there."
Kai's face twists in distaste when he hears my reply, but he says nothing about my new living arrangements.
"You'll be my spy, Nova. You'll gather any information you can find on Theodore Thompson's business dealings."
My eyes widen as I listen to his plan. "Kai, I'm not sure I can-"
"We'll take Theodore Thompson down together, Nova. We will get revenge for our parents."