Kim and Brian had made love three times that night, each time on the middle of his living room floor. They were both still there, lying next to each other. Brian was fast asleep, laying on his stomach with his hands overlapping beneath his head. Kim, on the other hand, was wide awake. She looked down at Brian's naked, sleeping body and smiled. She kissed him on the forehead and as quickly and as carefully as she could, pulled her arms from around him, trying not to wake him. She gathered up her strewn clothes, got dressed and quietly walked out the door.
As soon as the lock on the door clicked, Brian's eyes blinked open. He stared up at the shadow of the fireplace mantel in front of him. There was really no point in trying to stop her, he'd thought. Kim pretty much did whatever the hell she wanted to do and if she had made up her mind to leave, no amount of coaxing from him would have changed that. So, he lay there, motionless and said nothing as he listened to her dress and make her quiet escape.
As he heard her footsteps in the hall trail off into the distance, he let out a long, deep sigh and closed his eyes again.
****
The next morning, back in Los Angeles, Rachael was just heading out the door of her lavish Los Angeles apartment. Chloe had already headed off for work and had left a quick breakfast of eggs and bacon in the microwave for Rachael.
She ate a few strips of the bacon, quickly made some toast and hustled out the front door.
Rachael was fumbling with her keys with the slice of toast in her mouth when she pushed through the building's front doors and stepped outside. Several people were walking in and glancing behind them. Some looked troubled and still others looked amused. Rachael saw it but paid little attention. She glanced down at her watch and proceeded to walk, double time, toward her car.
She had gotten no closer than twenty feet from her assigned parking space when she stopped, dumbfounded. Her mouth fell open and her jellied toast splattered to the ground as she stared at what was in front of her. A couple walked past her, looking back and shaking their heads in disgust.
Rachael could hardly breathe.
Her black Mercedes was sitting on slashed tires in the parking lot with the word BITCH spray painted in red all over it.
She stopped and looked around for Ellis, wondering if he was nearby. He had been the one who did this, no doubt, and she didn't want him to jump her by surprise.
When she saw no one around, she dropped her purse and slowly walked up to her car. As she did, she noticed long, continuous scratch marks circling the entire body. Rachael's hands started to tremble with anger as she reached out and touched the scratches with her fingers.
She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. She walked over to grab her purse from the ground and ran back inside her apartment.
****
Moments later, when Kim got the call from Rachael, she went into hysterics.
"Oh my God, Rachael, oh my God," she mumbled over and over again as she sat rocking on her hotel room bed. "What is he
doing
?"
"Don't come back to LA, Kim." Rachael demanded. "Not until this is all over. He doesn't know where you are and as long as he doesn't, you'll be safe."
"What about you? What if he tries to hurt you, Rach?"
"I can take care of myself." She said, thinking about the Glock-17 handgun she had tucked away in a hat box in the back of her closet. "That man isn't crazy enough to try to mess with me personally. He might wreck my car, but he doesn't have the guts to come to me face to face."
She thought about the numerous shouting matches the two of them had gotten into over the years. Rachael was no push over and she could always stand her ground. Ellis realized she was much different from Kim in that respect and he, for the most part, left her alone.
"He learned that a long time ago," she added.
"Stay in San Francisco for now, and keep talking with Eric Jeffries. Maybe he can help straighten out some of this mess."
The thought of Eric Jeffries made her ill, but Kim kept their secret business quiet from Rachael. She knew this new turn of events would mean another trip to his house and yet another naked romp on his office couch. She didn't care anymore. If that's what she had to do, so be it. In her eyes it was worth it to keep Rachael and herself safe.
"I'll stop by tomorrow and see if he can take me," she said. Her ironic choice of words made her stomach turn.
"Okay, keep me posted." Rachael hung up the phone.
All Kim could think about at that moment was Brian. He was the safest thing in her life she could think of, and right now, she needed that more than ever.
****
That night Brian was laying in his bed with Kim sitting on top of him with his fingers precariously wandering beneath her shirt. Their kisses making soft smacking noises as their lips connected.
Brian's lips devoured hers and a deep guttural moan escaped his throat. His hands unconsciously went to her head, pushing her lips even further into his as though it were possible. Brian's tongue was taking up residence in Kim's mouth and the area between his legs was searching for a new home as well. Kim felt the sensation of Brian's cool fingers inching up the front underside of her blouse. His left hand found her right breast and mauled it relentlessly.
Kim's lips locked onto Brian's mouth at the touch of his hands, she, barely able to breathe. She moaned as he reached under the thin fabric of her bra and tweaked the velvety brown nipple between his fingers. The gesture sent a spark through her entire body. Kim felt her breasts break free of their restraints when Brian's wandering hands found the fastener located between her breasts. They were full and becoming extremely sensitive to Brian's caresses. He grabbed one breast in each hand and mauled them like bakery dough.
