Black Rose

Chapter 13

"I don't know where he is," I lied.

Well it wasn't entirely a lie.

"Can't you call him?" he asked.

"I guess we can try," I said.

There was no way that I was going to be speaking though.

Instead, I called Olivier's number and gave Ethan the phone. "It's not mummy."

"You are so wrong for this," Phyllis said lowly beside me.

"I'm not talking to him," I defended.

"She's here with me and Aunt Phyllis," Ethan said into the phone. I smacked my forehead so hard, Phyllis laughed out loud.

"When are you coming to fetch us?" Ethan asked.

There was silence for a while and I was curious about what Olivier was saying to him. "Ok."

He hung up the phone before handing it back to me. "Daddy says he's coming."

"Right now?" I squeaked.

He nodded excitedly. "He said I must tell you that if you run, this time he will come for you."

Phyllis shook her head, laughing as she headed to the kitchen. "The two of you are something else."

"Do you think he's mad? He sounds mad," I panicked.

"I doubt he's mad. He's probably more anxious than anything. However, I wouldn't test him. He's given you more than enough time to mope and ignore him. I highly doubt he's going to let you run, and Ethan isn't getting you out of this one either," she didn't fail to add.

"I'm not ready," I said, a little breathless.

"Ok, calm down would you? The man told you he's in love with you. This is your first big hurdle. Stop being such a wimp. Put your big girl panties on and handle it," she scolded.

"We have to leave Phyllis. We have to leave before he gets here," I pleaded.

"Did you not hear what he told Ethan? He will come looking for you," she stressed.

"Can I at least buy myself some time to gather my wits? I'm feeling a little overwhelmed here," I confessed.

"You're scared of nothing, but fine. I'll drive you guys to your apartment," she offered.

I'd been wearing her clothes while we were here, and she'd gone out to buy Ethan clothes. We gathered the clothes that she'd bought him and put them in a bag before heading out to my apartment.

Ethan was his usual talkative self, excited to once again be outside. I was feeling super nervous for whatever reason. I wasn't even sure why, but I had a feeling it had a lot to do with being afraid of whatever Olivier might tell me.

I wasn't ready to have my heart broken to my face.

We arrived minutes later and Phyllis parked in the guest parking area. We headed out, and Ethan was eager to see yet another new place, except the last thing I expected to find when I opened my apartment door was all my stuff gone.

And Olivier standing in the middle of the empty lounge like he predicted this would happen.

He was dressed in a pair of jeans, a t-shirt that clung deliciously to him and a pair of sneakers. His arms were crossed which only served to accentuate their brawniness. I had to bite my lip at the sudden rush of dirty thoughts that flashed through my mind.

"I can't say I didn't see this coming. It's been a long time Oli," Phyllis said amusedly, while Ethan ran to hug his legs.

"Thanks for taking care of them," he told her, squatting to hug Ethan back. I was instantly hypnotized by his voice.