Read Online KEPT: A Second Chance Fairy Tale by A.C. Bextor - Free Book Online Page A

ask, “Are you married, Mr. Holden?” I don’t expect or wait for an answer. “Do you have children?”
    “Lucy…” Corbin voices behind me, lacing it with a low warning.
    “Oh no…” Lillie utters by my side.
    I don’t stop to catch a breath, but talk over them both. “Because if you have a family, I hope they’ve never heard you talk about someone the way you just did. You don’t know me! ”
    Mr. Holden’s eyes narrow. I’m sure he’s not used to being spoken to this way. There’s anger in his expression, but I’ve also clearly struck a nerve. The hurt on his face is obvious.
    “Are you finished?” he hisses through a clenched jaw. His eyes are scanning me with fury.
    “Not yet,” I clip back, thinking of a thousand other things I’d like to say but, under his direct stare, my courage is gone.
    Rising slowly from his seat, Mr. Holden buttons his suit jacket, walks around the desk to where I’m standing, and leans his face toward mine. The fury radiating from his body is palpable. His jaw is tight, his eyes determined. Within their depths, though, there’s something else. I see it making its way to the surface. I recognize it.
    Pain . Bold and powerful pain is hidden under his mask of fury.
    “ You don’t know me , so I’ll give this to you one time ,” he seethes. “Don’t ever talk about my family again. Not one word in or out of this office. Do you understand?”
    With my next thought lost to his intimidation, I mentally admit defeat. Saying anything else will only cause even more of a scene, if that were possible.
    He backs away, looks down at Lillie, then passes me on his way to Corbin. Once he makes his way near the door, I hear his low and barely restrained voice as he addresses his partner. “Get her the fuck out of my office.”
    The door slams shut, and I jump at the sound.
    “Lucy?” Lillie carefully questions. She must notice the reckless tears falling from my eyes.
    I don’t answer, fearing I’ll lose my already unstable composure.
    “Lucy,” I hear Corbin next, then feel his warm hand rest gently on my shoulder.
    As I turn around to face him, Lillie stands close and moves to position her arm around me just as gently from the side. I wipe my eyes and nose to stall for a needed breath.
    “I’ll get my things and go,” I suggest quietly, hearing my voice come out raspy. “I’m so sorry.”
    When I attempt to walk out of the huddle they’ve created around me, Corbin catches my wrist and pulls me back. He’s not rough, but he is determined. “Oh no. You’re not going anywhere.”
    My eyebrows furrow in confusion. “What?”
    Corbin smiles. “You’re not going anywhere,” he tells me again.
    “No, you’re most certainly not,” Lille concurs.
    Now I’m even more confused. “What? Why not?”
    “You’re staying,” Corbin declares. “You’ve already accepted the job.”
    “I’m declining the position,” I announce to no one, since they obviously aren’t listening.
    “Too late.” Lillie smiles.
    What in the world?
    “Did you not see what just happened or how he reacted to me just being in the room? He hates me!”
    Corbin doesn’t take any time before he claims, “No, Lucy. He doesn’t hate you.”
    “Are you guys okay? Do you feel well? He hates me,” I say again, trying to convince these crazy people of what I know is true.
    Lillie walks by to make her way to the door. She opens it, turns around, and confuses me further. “Do you have a dress fit for a black tie event?”
    What in the hell is wrong with these people ?
    Shaking my head in disbelief, I try to clear it, but can’t. “ What ?”
    “Clothes, Mrs. Monroe,” she prods, then speaks slower. “Do you have a dress fitting a black tie event?”
    “It’s Miss, not Mrs.,” I correct. When Corbin smirks, I feel like I’m missing parts of the story. Mainly, the beginning, middle and the end. “Yes, I have a dress.”
    “Good,” Corbin returns, coming up from behind and using both