Just A Woman (The Porter Trilogy Book 2) Read online

  Just a Woman

  The Porter Trilogy

  Shannon Youngblood

  Copyright © 2016 Shannon Youngblood

  All Rights Reserved

  Charlotte’s history, and Alex’s inability to speak the truth, fractured an already unstable relationship and sent Charlotte running in the opposite direction. However, a connection like theirs, one that is so palpable, cannot easily be broken. Alex is determined to right the wrongs done to Charlotte. But deep rooted scars from their respective and conjoined pasts have left both of them broken, afraid, and alone. To win her back, Alex knows he must do what he’s never done before; feel what he’s never allowed himself to feel. Yet, is it even possible for someone like Alex Porter to bring romance into his life? Is Charlotte capable to look past his lies by omission and let him back in? And once she does, can they both get around the never ending hurdles that seem to cross their path without causing their already shaky world, to crumble at their feet?

  Table Of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Alex,

  I’m not writing you this letter to express my heartbreak over learning of your betrayal. This is only to inform you of some information that has come to light, so we can both move on with our lives.

  Before your arrival this evening, Robert told me how he has stayed under the radar of the law and completed his tasks. It was Brigitte. She took the photos, she slashed my tires, and she gave me the drugs, but she was manipulated. I know Robert and the way his mind works. She may have carried out the deed, but it wasn’t truly her. Please go easy on her. She’s not truly at fault.

  If Robert ran off with your money because of me, I will pay you back. It will take me some time, but I will pay back every penny. Thank you for coming to my aid.

  It goes without saying that I will no longer be working for Porter Industries. Please keep my final check as the first installment of payment.

  Please don’t contact me again. My heart can’t handle it.

  – Charlotte

  Chapter 1

  Alex

  Thirteen days. Thirteen fucking days since she was kidnapped, tied up, and made to suffer the worst kind of torture. Betrayal. My betrayal. For thirteen days, I ignored her letter and called her a hundred times, left as many voicemails, and texted until I felt like my fingers would fall off, and for thirteen days, I got nothing back. Not a scrap of news. I even went to her apartment and was greeted by her best friend Danny and his boyfriend Jerry, who was also my employee, and was told to stay the fuck away.

  But I couldn’t stay away. That girl had found a small, miniscule hole in my hard, darkened heart and burrowed in, lodging herself deep inside, and no amount of mining was going to tear her out. I couldn’t think about anything else. I had a hard time eating. Everything I put in my mouth tasted like nothing, like my taste buds were taking a vacation from my mouth. The nightmares of my past came back every time I closed my eyes, forcing me to relive every horrid detail of my fucked up life. I spent more time in my home gym, trying to outrun my nocturnal terror, than I did in my bed.

  My dreams ranged from my teenage life to the current situation. I had reoccurring thoughts about that night thirteen days ago, when Charlotte walked out of that door and out of my life. I wanted to howl to the sky with my anger and lash out at anyone stupid enough to come within arm’s reach of me. Bracks, my right hand man, my bodyguard, and my driver, was the only person I could tolerate. Unfortunately, with owning my company and a small slice of the conglomerate technology pie, being alone wasn’t a luxury I would receive. I had to continue with meetings and business calls as if my personal life wasn’t swirling through the damn toilet.

  I stood up from my desk and walked into the bathroom I had constructed in the corner of my office. This place was my sanctuary away from my penthouse home in downtown Los Angeles. Every facet of my office described me in a way no one but Charlotte has ever been able to understand. Not even my savior, Rachel Mansfield. My office was clean and homey. A mahogany wood desk, floor to ceiling windows, a large white leather couch, and sporadic paintings decorated the interior. A flash of memory clouded my brain as I thought about the first time Charlotte had been in my domain.

  She had been nervous, and rightfully so. I was being a dick and I knew it. Looking back now, I don’t even know why she agreed to work for me. Her eyes scanned the open floor plan, hovering on each photograph before moving on to the next. Her lips even turned up into a slight grin when she saw my bowl of fruit photo. I noticed everything about her, right from the moment I saw her step into my lobby downstairs, and when she walked into my office, her neck craning to look out my windows and the view of LA below, my cock had gotten hard underneath my zipper.

  I never lost control of my body, so the reaction to my unwanted growing erection flared my temper and I was a total asshole to her, calling her an arrogant child. I watched as that beautiful mouth quivered for just a moment before she stood up, gathered up her dignity and courage, and marched to the door, apologizing for ruining the interview. I had felt instant regret over my behavior, and offered her the job, even though she was highly over qualified.

  Remembering the shock on her face brought a smile to my own lips. She had been decidedly stunned. When she walked out, her tight redheaded bun disappeared behind the glass door; I flew out of my seat and rushed to her. I needed to see this girl one last time before she became my employee. This was all new to me. I was always in complete control of my actions and emotions. I opened the door and watched her get onto the elevator and close the doors. She never even looked up. Since when did I act impulsively? I wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t something that normally happened.

  Shaking away the memories of the day I met the woman, who captured my heart, I looked up into the bathroom mirror at my reflection. The mirror taunted me. I looked every bit of the business man I was. My charcoal gray suit was crisp, clean, and immaculately pressed. My white shirt underneath starchy, with no wrinkles, and my emerald tie and gold tie clip winked at me. This was one of two ties I wore these days. This emerald one matched Charlotte’s eyes, serving as a daily reminder of what I had let slip through my fingers. My other tie was red with white polka dots. It was Charlotte’s favorite. All of the other ties in my collection couldn’t compare, and most times when I looked at them, no matter the actual color, they just looked dull. But not these two, these were now my favorites.

  Even though I looked the part of CEO, my eyes gave me away. They looked lost, and empty; dark pools of yellow mud, all life snuffed out. I had bags around my eyes, proving my lack of sleep, and I was pretty sure I had more gray strands in my hai
r presently than I did just two weeks ago. I looked like a mess and it made me angry. I prided myself on being a cool and collected boss, never letting emotions rule me in my board room, but I’d never been in love, and I didn’t know the havoc it could cause. And havoc it surely did.

  I splashed some cold water on my face and grabbed one of the fluffy emerald towels I had stocked in the bathroom from the towel warmer nearby and dried my face. I needed to talk to Bracks and see if there had been any development on Charlotte. I was keeping tabs and was receiving daily reports of her wellbeing. I had received nothing worth its weight up to this point, but it was the only thing that kept me sane enough to function on a day to day basis.

  Heading back to my desk, I grabbed my cell and plopped into my chair, dialing Bracks. In one ring he picked up.

  “Boss?” He answered.

  “Bracks, I need you upstairs.” I told him, my tone clipped and formal.

  “Yes, sir.” He said, disconnecting the call.

  Bracks was the only person I trusted with my life. There were no frilly emotions back and forth between us in our conversations. I was his employer and he, my employee, but we had each other’s back like we were brothers. He was the closest thing I had to one. I treasured him, even if I never told him. He knew, though.

  Moments later, the intercom buzzed. A voice I despised told me Bracks had arrived. I punched the phone button, “Let him in,” and disconnected the intercom. Short, and to the point. That was me, Alex Porter.

  Bracks walked in dressed all in black, as was his nature, and flipped his sunglasses up on top of his head. I motioned for him to take a seat opposite my desk. Most people were frightened of him. He gave off a dangerous vibe, and I knew first-hand what his two hands could do if the need arose.

  The night of the kidnapping came swarming into my vision. Bracks stood inside the shattered door pointing the gun at Robert. He never took his eyes off of his target as Charlotte screamed at me for betraying her, her voice wrapping around my heart like a vice grip, squeezing my beating organ with every word. The memory made me involuntarily wince. Her walking out had stunned everyone. Robert stood there in all of his psychotic glory, knife waving around, screaming at her to come back. Everything after that happened in slow motion, but I remember it all. Every minute detail was burned into my brain; the sickening color of the tobacco stained walls, the craze and lust flashing behind Roberts black gaze as he realized he was outnumbered, and the silent vibration of my heart splintering underneath my rib cage.

  A full minute after Charlotte had walked out the door, Robert snapped. I had told Bracks prior to coming that he was not to shoot unless absolutely necessary to save Charlotte’s life, but now that she was not in the room, I was ready to draw blood myself over what he had done to her. I took a step in his direction while he looked down at the bag of money by his feet.

  A moment later, leaving the discarded cash on the floor, Robert launched himself to the window and crashed through as a sickening shot echoed around the cigarette stenched room. I ran to the window to see if Bracks had hit him, but like a ghost, Charlotte’s crazy ex had vanished. Both Bracks and I shuffled outside, weapons drawn and ready to attack, but we found nothing but a few drops of blood outside the window amongst the shattered glass.

  After a thorough search of the grounds, we gathered the large duffle of money and Bracks called a cab. It seemed Charlotte had been both resourceful and angry enough to steal the mode of transportation that had come to rescue her. I couldn’t fault her for it. She was in a new city, she was angry and scared, and she chose her flight instinct, no matter the cost. When we had made it back to the hotel, the first thing I did was phone her mother to find out if she had driven there, but before I could make the call, Bracks had found a transaction at the airport for a flight back to Los Angeles, in Charlotte’s name. We didn’t waste any time in following.

  Bracks coughed, dragging me back to the here and now, waiting to see why I had summoned him to my office. I dragged a hand through my hair and willed myself to focus on right now, not two weeks ago. I looked up at Bracks, his expression softening subtly. He knew I was in agony but, thankfully, never brought it up.

  “Have you heard anything?” I asked. I didn’t need to elaborate. I had asked him the same question every day for nearly two weeks.

  “Not yet, boss. I have people hacking and monitoring the entire internet, just waiting for her to send an email, buy something off of a website, or post a status on social media.”

  I nodded my head in thanks at him. I needed some sort of connection with her, even if it was anxiously awaiting a tweet from my fiery haired, daydreaming Charlotte. I felt desperate with want and need for her and nothing I could do would put out the urge to run to her and hold her in my arms while I apologized through grunts of sexual pleasure.

  Bracks stood up to leave, but I was oblivious to anything around me as my erection grew heavy in my boxers, tenting my pants and threatening to spill like a lovesick schoolboy. Every time I thought about Charlotte and the connection we had, I couldn’t contain myself. She was a firecracker in and out of the bedroom and, although I needed to get back into her heat, I needed to get back into her heart with a greater urgency. I just needed a scrap of information to keep me complacent for now, or else I was bound to go out of my mind, and no one had better be in my way when it happened.

  Chapter 2

  Alex

  Clicking on the intercom and connecting my desk to the secretary's desk, her disgusting, vile voice filled my office, helping contribute to the headache that had already formed behind my eyes.

  “Yes, Mr. Porter?” She asked, skittishly.

  “Get in here.” I slammed the button to disconnect the call. I hated that I had filled Charlotte’s seat with that manipulating bitch, Brigitte. I not only wanted to fire her, I wanted to strangle her within an inch of her life, or call the cops and have her arrested, or possibly a combination of both. Charlotte had begged for mercy for Brigitte and I honored that request, but just barely.

  I looked up as she scooted in, opening the door just enough to squeeze her body into the room. She stood, huddled near the door, never coming any closer. She always did that, ever since the day I brought her into the office after the kidnapping. I presumed Robert would have filled her in and she wouldn’t have bothered coming into the office, but she came in and I let her have it.

  When I had demanded she come into the office that day, she was filled with rage and defiance, not understanding how I could be standing there when it was obviously Robert’s plan that I never returned. Her anger fled and her rigid spine buckled after I told her everything that had transpired, including being duped by “Steve Nelson”, and the real story of what had happened to Charlotte. I probably shouldn’t have shared Charlotte’s secret past, but Brigitte needed to hear how easy she had been manhandled and manipulated like a little rag doll.

  She cried hot, angry tears, and I had never heard the words ‘I’m sorry’ muttered so many times in such a short period of time. If I hadn’t been so angry, I might have even felt a little sympathy for her, but I didn’t. When I told her I was making her my new personal assistant, her tears stopped momentarily and she looked up at me in bewilderment.

  “If it was my choice, I’d have you thrown in jail with the key locked away forever, but Charlotte sees something in you. She believes you’re better than this and that Robert manipulated you. So, for now, you’ll be my new PA, and if there is so much as one paperclip out of line, I will turn you over to the police. Is that clear, Ms. Hayes?

  She had sputtered her agreement and whisked out of my office faster than a lion chasing a gazelle across the Serengeti. Now every time I saw her, she was withdrawn and huddled in on herself. Most of the time her cowardice made me inwardly grin, but today I was in too foul of a mood to give a shit that she was scared of me.

  I motioned for her to sit, but she declined with a shake of her head. The part of my job I loved the most was being able to see the f
ear in others and exploit it to my own advantage. This young girl was too easy to read, and she was petrified of me. I spent the last two weeks pushing her past her emotional limits for fun. Sure, that made me a bastard, but she made Charlotte cry and she would get payback one way or another.

  “I want my coffee,” I barked at her, making her jump at my sudden command after moments of silence.

  “Right away, Mr. Porter.” She whispered, ducking back out of the door.

  As it shut, I chuckled a little bit. Everything else in my life was so fucked up. If I didn’t find a sense of humor soon I was going to go mad, and I had no intentions of doing anything until Charlotte was back in my arms and back in my bed.

  I shoved off from the desk and clicked the mouse to bring my computer back to life. I looked through spreadsheets of information regarding an app that was blossoming far beyond our expectations, but the numbers just blurred together and my mind kept focusing on the edge of my desk where Charlotte had given me one of the best orgasms of my life. I looked at this desk often while Charlotte was gone.

  I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes, no longer bothering with the pretense of work. Until I heard any scrap of news about Charlotte, I knew I wasn’t fit to deal with my business or any of the dealings within. Charlotte had been an amazing Personal Assistant, and loathe as I was to admit it, Brigitte wasn’t terrible, but nothing seemed to move as smoothly since she wasn’t here.

  I needed some sort of relief from the blinding pressure ricocheting around my chest. I felt weak and vulnerable and I hated those feelings. Before Charlotte Hightower and her red hair waltzed into my life, I had order. I had control. No one crossed me and no one told me no. My body obeyed me. I slept when I wanted and ate what I wanted. I had a book of women who were ok with no strings attached sex and I sought it out often. It was one of the few things that kept my rage at bay. Rachel had taught me there were better ways to let off steam then beating someone to a pulp when they pissed me off.