My Bossy Protector: A Best Friend’s Brother Romance Read online

  Simon stared at me, his eyes dim and soft as he watched me get dressed.

  “I’ll come in to work tomorrow, but it’ll be my last day here. Consider this my formal resignation,” I said.

  Simon didn’t stop me when I left his office. I was ready to burst into tears.

  Chapter 23 - Simon

  I wanted to stop her when she was leaving. I wanted to give her the chance to explain herself. So why didn’t I?

  I was confused – I didn’t know what she really wanted. By the time I realized that Ivy had feelings for me, too, she was out the door. I could have chased after her. I could have stopped her from getting into her car, but I didn’t. Whatever decision I made, I knew would affect the rest of my life. It didn’t take me long to decide. I knew what I was going to do.

  I didn’t want Ivy to go. I didn’t want to lose her . . . If I still had the chance to have her. This could be my only chance.

  I decided I would wait until the next morning, and when she came to the office, I would give her the chance to explain. Who was she speaking to? What was the story with her other relationships? I realized that I didn’t have the right to get mad at her, not without knowing what was really going on.

  Now that I’d been with Ivy, I knew that I wouldn’t even be able to pretend to move on. No other woman could ever take her place. In a few months – even a few days – after she had been gone, I knew I’d regret not giving her a chance.

  I went back to my home, my head filled with thoughts of her. I couldn’t wait for next morning when I would see her again. There was no way I’d let her leave in such a way. I’d seen the look in her eyes when she was leaving. It was the same emotion I felt towards her. I’d been fooling myself thinking that she could be interested in anyone else.

  I knew what the truth was — that from the beginning, there was nobody else but her and me. I should have stayed with her that night four years ago. I shouldn’t have doubted myself and my ability to make her happy. I knew what I was going to do: I’d spend the rest of my life trying to make her happy if that was what it took.

  I wasn’t afraid of being with Ivy anymore. I wasn’t scared of a relationship . . . Not when it was with her.

  The next morning, I had a skip in my step when I went to the office. I waited for her, looking out of the window, but she never came.

  Had she gone back on her word? Had she decided she was going to leave without saying her goodbyes? Had I missed my chance?

  In my rage; I pushed everything off my desk and growled at the ceiling like a wild animal.

  Chapter 24 - Ivy

  It was going to be my last day at the office and there were a million reasons for me to feel low. I was leaving Palo Alto, a place I had grown to adore in such a short amount of time. I was going to leave a workplace where I enjoyed myself – where I was learning and being given the opportunity to grow. But most importantly, I was going to leave behind the possibility of having a relationship with Simon.

  But I had no other choice. It was either stay and suffer or go back home and suffer there, too. I would rather suffer away from Simon, if I could help it.

  I had all my things packed by the front door. My plan was to go to the office, put in a day’s work, and then head straight to the airport. I didn’t want to tell Shay because I knew she would try and talk me out of it.

  I showered and dressed and made myself breakfast. I’d decided I wasn’t going to cry. I’d already done my fair share of crying the night before, and there was a lot of crying to do once I got home. I just wanted to get through the day in one piece.

  Picking up my purse, I went to the door. When I opened it, I saw that there was someone already standing on the other side.

  Marco had his hands stuffed in the pockets of his saggy jeans. He had a smirk on his face, the kind you get when you see an old friend. He assumed I would be happy to see him.

  My voice escaped me when I tried to speak.

  “You don’t have to say anything, babe. I know you’re surprised to see me, but you shouldn’t be. You knew I was going to come,” he said in a slow, slithering voice.

  I tried to push past him. My first instinct was to get out of the apartment, but Marco was blocking me with his big frame. When I tried to push, he pushed me back.

  The door slammed shut behind him and I staggered away from him.

  “What are you doing here? How did you find me?” I cried.

  Marco was thankfully keeping his distance from me.

  “Do those questions make a difference? All you have to know is that I’m here now and I’m going to take you home. Isn’t that a relief?” he asked, looking around the apartment.

  “I need you to leave, Marco, or I’m going to call the cops,” I hissed, wrapping my arms around myself.

  He tipped his head to one side and shook his head. “Isn’t it a relief, babe? If you stay with me, you don’t have to work a day in your life. I’m going to take care of you, look after you, give you three square meals a day. You’ll have all the pretty clothes you could ever want.”

  As he spoke, he came closer to me. I backed away from him, but I knew he was cornering me.

  My purse was on the floor and my phone was sitting inside it.

  “Marco . . . Please, you have to understand that I don’t want those things. You have to leave me alone. You need to move on,” I sobbed. The tears were flooding down my cheeks.

  “Who’s that guy? The one you went to that bar with the other night? I thought I’d lost you, but eventually I found my way to where you were. I saw him leaving early, but you were still inside, talking to me.”

  He’d come closer to me. Close enough for me to smell the alcohol on his breath. It was making me sick. He was making me sick.

  “My personal life is none of your concern anymore, Marco. Please, just go!” I screamed.

  “I never should have listened to that friend of yours with her phony threats. Is she the one who put you up to this? Brought you here to this shithole? Think of all the things you left behind, babe. The life we can have once we go back.”

  “I’m not going back with you!” I squealed, and he looked at my bags.

  “But you are going back, aren’t you? Sooner or later, you were going to come back to me. So, we might as well get it out of the way now.”

  With that, he lunged at me. I screamed, but he had his arms wrapped around my waist, holding me to himself. I wriggled and tried to fight him. I wanted to scream Simon’s name, but no voice was coming out of my throat. If only I’d told him! If only he knew what kind of danger I was in!

  Marco dragged me across the room to where my bags were. He pushed me down to the floor as I howled.

  “Pick up all those bags. We’re going!” he growled as he stood over me. He wasn’t smiling or trying to coax me anymore.

  “No . . . ” I sobbed as I remained crouched on the floor.

  “Pick up those bags. You’re coming with me. Now!” Marco raged.

  “Get out!” I screamed, still trying to put up a fight.

  Marco grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled me up. For a moment, I thought he was going to kill me. He slammed me against the wall and I felt the back of my head thud. I screamed again, crying out for him to leave.

  “Listen to me, Ivy. You’re coming with me. We’re going back home and that is where you’ll stay. You hear me?” He was hissing, his face was just inches away from mine.

  “Okay . . . okay . . . I’ll go. Please . . . Just let me go,” I sobbed.

  I had to say it. There was no way he was going to release me otherwise.

  Chapter 25 - Simon

  I waited for Ivy at the office for fifteen minutes past her time of arrival. I knew she wouldn’t be late. Since that first day when she was late coming back from lunch, she hadn’t been late once. And if this was going to be her last day at the office, I knew she would be on time.

  Something was wrong. I was certain that she’d left already and I needed to stop her.

  I a
sked Chad for her address and he quickly looked it up in his files. Without losing a moment, I ran out to my car, my phone pressed to my ear. I wasn’t going to let her slip away this easily.

  I called her number as I drove, but there was no answer. I kept calling her, but she didn’t answer the phone.

  I drove manically through morning rush hour to get to her apartment building. I didn’t even lock my car before I was out of it and running up the stairs to her fourth floor apartment.

  “Ivy!” I banged on her door with my fist.

  For a few moments, there was no response, and then I heard what sounded like a muffled cry.

  “Ivy?” I called again, and again that muffled cry resounded.

  Was she in trouble? What was going on? She was definitely in the apartment.

  That was when I started kicking in the door. It took me a few tries before I finally managed to snap the door away from its hinges.

  When I burst into her apartment, I saw a man in there with her. He had his arms around her, one hand on her mouth. He was using her body as a shield. My first thought was that he was a burglar.

  “Who the fuck are you?” the man growled, keeping a tight grip on Ivy. She tried to scream and it came out muffled again.

  I lifted my hands up in the air, to make sure he knew I wasn’t carrying any weapons.

  “All right, man. Take what you need to take from here. Just let her go,” I said, stepping towards them.

  He stepped back, dragging her along with him. A shrill laugh rang out in the room.

  “You think I’ve come to burgle this place? That’s hilarious. Yeah, I need to take something. I’ve got it right here in my arms,” he growled. I watched as he leaned over to leave a slithery little kiss on Ivy’s forehead.

  She struggled in his arms again, wriggling and thrashing to be free. He was stronger than her – I could see that. My blood boiled. It was not a burglary. He was there for Ivy!

  “You’re hurting her. Let her go and we can talk this out,” I tried, stepping closer.

  “Stay back! Don’t take a step closer or I’m going to hurt her even more,” he raged, pressing his hand down on her mouth so she couldn’t say a word.

  I clenched my fists at my sides. “Who are you?” I asked him and he smiled. It was an evil, strange smile.

  “I’m the man she’s supposed to be with. The man who loves her more than anything in the world,” he replied, looking down at her. She was still trying to scratch his arms and get away from him.

  “If you love her, you shouldn’t be trying to hurt her,” I said calmly.

  “Hey, what do you know about loving someone like I do, asshole? You have no idea what she’s done to me! This bitch left me and ran away to this place. She really thought she could get away from me – from my love!”

  He was dragging her backward. I knew he was trying to drag her to the bedroom where he could shut the door. I wasn’t going to let Ivy get out of my sight. It was obvious that this guy wasn’t armed either, which meant that if I could get close enough to him without hurting Ivy, I could take him down.

  “Okay, why don’t we talk about this? Let her go and we’ll talk,” I tried.

  “Talk about what? It’s very simple, man. She’s coming with me. Who the fuck are you anyway?” he hissed.

  “I’m her boss and also a friend from childhood,” I replied.

  “Is this the guy you went on a date with, you bitch? Did she tell you she was talking to me the whole time she was with you?” he growled, shaking Ivy as he spoke.

  She was crying. She was scared and in pain. He had the ability to choke her to death if he wanted to.

  “C’mon, man. Let her go so I don’t have to hurt you,” I said.

  He laughed and shook his head. “What is a pen-pushing suited-up bozo like you going to do to me?”

  I looked into Ivy’s eyes. She was pleading with me through her eyes. The guy’s hand slipped from her mouth and she finally managed to scream. “Please leave, Simon! Just go, please!”

  I wasn’t going anywhere. She had to be crazy to think I would leave her there with him no matter how much he threatened me.

  “She’s right, man. You should go. This is a personal matter between a man and his woman. Keep your nose out of this. Hasn’t she made it clear to you? She doesn’t want you, man,” he continued, sniggering as he spoke.

  I clenched my jaws as I stared at them. My eyes were still on Ivy, who was panting, crying, and struggling – weakly – to get free.

  “Leave now and I won’t hurt her. If you keep trying to talk me out of this, I’ll hurt her. I swear. Right here in front of you,” he added.

  I couldn’t take it anymore. Maybe I should have remained calm, but I couldn’t stand there and do nothing. I lunged at them before he knew what was coming.

  My hand was on the guy’s neck and I pushed him back. I’d caught him by surprise, and even though he tried to take a punch at me, I held him at a distance from myself.

  Ivy staggered to the ground when he released his grip on her.

  “Go to your room and lock the door, Ivy,” I growled as I banged him against the wall.

  She didn’t listen to me. Instead, she dragged herself across the floor to a corner and sat there, huddled.

  “Fuck you!” he groaned. He was trying to pull my hand away from his throat, but I kept him pinned to the wall.

  “You think you’re a big guy coming to a girl’s apartment and assaulting her?” I hissed, bringing my face close to his. My hand was firm on his throat and I could see his face beginning to turn red.

  “She’s my woman!” he groaned.

  “It doesn’t matter who she is. You’re a dirtbag. Scum of the earth. You have no idea who I am. I’m going to make sure the cops teach you a lesson for this,” I growled at him, tightening my grip.

  Behind us, I could hear Ivy sobbing.

  He was beginning to choke. Before I released my hand from his throat, I balled up my fist and punched his gut. He keeled over and coughed loudly. I grabbed his collar, dragging him to the front door.

  “I’m calling the cops and they’re going to find you wherever you hide your sorry ass. And if you ever get near her – if you ever even text her – I’m going to make sure you never get out of prison.” I was roaring at him as I thrust him out of the door. He tried to fight back, but he was having a hard time breathing.

  “Stay the fuck out of her life or you’re a dead man,” I raged and shut the door. The door was pretty much broken, but it would have to do for now.

  I rushed to Ivy, who was still crouched on the ground in the corner.

  “Hey, he’s gone. He’s gone,” I said, kneeling down in front of her. She was still crying, and I tried to pull her into my arms.

  She rested her head on my chest. “He will find me again. He will get to me. I’m not safe anywhere,” she sobbed. I stroked her hair and rocked her gently to console her.

  “Which is why we need to report it to the cops right now. We need to make an official statement and get a restraining order against him. Are you up for it, Ivy? Can I take you to the station? I’ll get it sorted for you, I promise.”

  She looked up at me with bloodshot watery eyes and nodded. “Yes. Okay, let’s go,” she murmured.

  I helped her up and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Slowly, we walked out of the apartment. He was gone. He’d run away with his tail between his legs.

  Chapter 26 - Ivy

  We returned from the station an hour later, and I was feeling exhausted even though it was still morning. In the time that we were away, Simon had got someone to fix the front door he’d broken down earlier.

  He followed me into my apartment, my bags still lying on the floor. I was shaking like a leaf. I still couldn’t believe what had just happened there. If Simon hadn’t turned up when he did, Marco would have surely taken me away. He would have forced me into his car . . . and who knew where he would have taken me. He would have wanted me to stay away from my family and friend
s for sure.

  Simon led me to the kitchen area and gently pushed me down on a chair.

  “Sit there. I’m going to make you some tea. You’re still in shock, Ivy,” he said. I could barely speak. Even with the officer at the station who was taking our statements . . . I could barely get the words out. I hadn’t realized that my life was in actual serious danger.

  I watched Simon finding his way around the kitchen. He boiled the kettle and made the tea for us in silence. Then he brought the two cups over to the small table and sat down beside me.

  “I can’t imagine that you’re feeling any better, Ivy,” he said.

  I looked at him and tried to smile. I didn’t even know where to begin to express my gratitude. “I am much better now, thank you. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come when you did,” I replied.

  Simon drew in a deep breath and shook his head. “You should have told me, Ivy. Why didn’t you tell me what was going on?”

  I turned my gaze away from him. “I was ashamed. I thought I could handle it. I just wanted to ignore him long enough to make him go away. I don’t know what I was thinking . . . I was stupid. I thought I could deal with it on my own and then move on,” I replied to him in a murmur.

  “Do you want to tell me now?” he asked.

  I looked up at him to meet his eyes. “I dated him . . . for a long time. I was living with him. I don’t even know how it happened. One moment I was going on dates with a seemingly normal guy, and the next moment I was living with an abusive, horrible man who didn’t want me to work or meet my friends.”

  Simon was looking at me with kind eyes. Slowly, he reached for my hand. When I felt his large, warm hand enclose mine, I knew that he was going to keep me safe. As long as he was here, there was nothing to worry about. Just like how I’d felt around him when we were kids.

  I had to tell him everything. It was now or never.

  “I started dating him soon after you left,” I said.