Surrender: Keeping Her in the Dark Vol. 4 by Leslie Sansom

hands against my chest.
    “Are you jealous?” he asked. I didn’t answer. “Fine. You want to know? I’ll tell you.” He took a few steps down the stairs and then looked back at me.
    “I bought her because I want what you have. I want the happily ever after. I want the one person that makes me happy, night and day, forever.” I shook my head.
    “I don’t believe that,” I said. “I don’t believe you want a happily ever after.”
    “What do you think I want?”
    “I think you want to beat someone until they submit to you. I think you like holding someone against their will. I think you like the fight. You want her to be afraid of you, so you can break her. Does she fight you? Does she like for you to beat her?” he didn’t answer me this time.
    “Making her afraid for her life to do what you want her to do isn’t happily ever after. That isn’t what Liam and I have at all.” He stepped up on the step in front of me so he towered over me. I looked up at him and held my hand over my eyes to block the sun.
    “Isn’t it though?” he retorted.
    “Thank you for a lovely afternoon, Mr. Meyers.” I nodded at him and started to walk around him.
    “Good afternoon, Norah. I’ll be in touch.”
    I got in the car with John and pushed my hair off my shoulder.
    “Have you figured out what it is you’re doing yet?” he asked.
    I looked at him and then away again.
    “No.”
    The next day I went to work like everything was normal. I tried not to think that my husband was in harm’s way and I hadn’t heard from him in days. I tried not to think about the man that had kidnapped me who was now trying to charm me. I tried not to think about this poor girl that was being held who- knows- where, and having who- knows- what being done to her.
    I wanted to rescue this girl, so my husband didn’t have to. I wanted to get revenge on Nick, so my husband wouldn’t have to. But I didn’t know how to do either.
    Instead of focusing on those things, I focused on the Brandon wedding.
    The bride had her wedding dress made by her 91 year old Aunt, who died about three weeks ago. She has since decided that she wants her three flower girls to have dresses exactly like hers. So I was on the hunt for a dress maker. Finding a dress maker was the easy part. Finding a dress maker that could make three little dresses in a month was a little difficult. Everyone I called was booked.
    I laid my head on my desk and wrapped my arms around myself.
    “Delivery for Norah Hastings,” Kelly announced as she came walking in my office with a big bouquet of flowers. “They’re from him,” she had a look on her face. She put them down on my desk and then walked out.
    Nick almost knocked her over rushing into my office.
    “Excuse me,” she yelled.
    “Norah, I need to know what you’re doing?” he was panting.
    “Kelly please close the door.”
    “I’m not leaving you alone with this guy,” she said.
    “Please Kelly, I’ll be fine. Just close the door behind you,” I waved her on.
    Nick had this crazy look in his eyes. He looked like he hadn’t slept, his tie wasn’t tied, and his suit even looked crumpled.
    “Nick, what’s going on? You’re usually so put together and charming.” I sat down in my chair and he sat across from me.
    “I need to know what you’re doing. I thought we were just playing around, and I like games just as much as the next guy. But this morning I find out that Liam has left you and you’re living in that big house of his all by yourself.” His hands were pressing down on the desk. I leaned back in my chair.
    “Yes. If you count five housekeepers, a butler, three ladies in charge of laundry and 20 guys on the grounds crew, as alone.” I held up my hand. “I also have two drivers that double as bodyguards.”
    “That’s not what I mean and you know it. Are you and Liam still together?” he looked like a little puppy begging for information. For a split second I actually wanted to throw him a