Ruling the CEO

JENNY

“I’m sorry, Jen,” Ellis said, repeating the same apology for the hundredth time. But I wasn’t ready to let her off the hook just yet.

“No. I’m not ready to forgive you,” I shot back, adjusting a stuffed cat and placing it back on the shelf. It was Monday, and Ellis and I were back at the toy store, working like we always did.

For the past few days, I’d been giving Ellis the silent treatment—or at least trying to. It was my way of getting back at her for setting me up with a stranger. Well, he wasn’t exactly a stranger anymore, but that’s beside the point.

I was mad at Ellis for what she’d done, and I was determined to make sure she didn’t pull a stunt like this again.

“I know I messed up. But Kieran is a good guy, and you deserve to be happy. How long are you going to let Mitchell control your life?”

I shot Ellis a look that could kill, and she bit her lip in response. “I’m sorry.”

“I told you not to say his name. You really don’t care about me, do you?” I slammed a pink doll back onto the shelf, then immediately regretted it. I shouldn’t be taking my anger out on innocent toys.

“I’m sorry, Jenny. I just want you to take control of your life. Those monsters don’t own you anymore. You’re free, and you should live like it.

“I hate seeing you so scared. And when you came back from your date with Kieran, I saw a change in you. A good change. You were happy,” Ellis said.

“Yeah, well, happiness doesn’t last forever. I can’t let my guard down.

“Kieran might seem like a good guy, but I can’t trust him. It was just one date. I bet he’s already forgotten about me,” I told her.

“I doubt it. You’re an amazing woman, Jenny. You’re not someone people forget easily,” she said.

Tears welled up in my eyes at her words. I wished people would forget me. I wished Mitchell would forget me, so I could live my life in peace. Being remembered wasn’t always a good thing.

“I wish they would,” I mumbled.

“Jenny, don’t say that. You should forget them. They’re not worth it,” Ellis said, pulling me into a warm hug.

But how could I forget them when their memories were etched into my soul? How could I escape my past when it followed me like a shadow?

How could I erase them from my mind when their presence was all I knew?

“I want to forget them. I want to forget them with all my heart. Do you think I want to remember those monsters? Do you think I enjoy living in fear, with the pain they inflicted on me?” I said.

Ellis shook her head. “No, Jen. I know you can’t forget what they did to you. And maybe your wounds will take a long time to heal.”

“They’ll never heal, Ellis. Never,” I whispered.

“Excuse me, am I interrupting something?” Ellis and I broke apart at the sound of the familiar voice.

My eyes widened when I saw Kieran standing a few feet away, a charming smile on his face. He was dressed in a charcoal-gray suit and looked like he’d just stepped out of a magazine.

“Hello, Kieran. How are you? Here to spoil your niece and nephew again?” Ellis asked, while I quickly wiped my face, hoping none of my tears had escaped.

“Actually, no. I’m here to take Jenny out for lunch,” Kieran said.

“Oh, well, you’ll have to ask Jenny. I need to go sort out the toys in the other section,” Ellis said, shooting me a grin before jogging off, leaving me alone with Kieran.

I looked down as Kieran walked over to me. Suddenly feeling shy, I held my breath as he gently lifted my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze.

My heart pounded in my chest at his touch, and it took all my strength not to pull away.

“Ready to go?” he asked.

“Uh—I’m working,” I said.

“No, you’re not. You’re on your break. Come on, I’ll drop you back here after we eat.” Kieran held out his hand for me to take.

“Why don’t you give me the option to say no?” I asked, knowing he wouldn’t leave until he got what he wanted.

Kieran shrugged. “I don’t give anyone the chance to say no. When I want something, I make sure I get it. You’re special to me, Jenny. So a no from you is not an option.”

Special. I was special to Kieran.

“Oh,” was all I could manage to say.

“So, if you don’t have any more questions, shall we go? I’m starving,” Kieran said.

“W-where are we going?” I asked, hoping he wasn’t planning on taking me to some fancy restaurant I couldn’t afford.

“You’ll see. Come on, I’ve already made reservations,” he said, taking my hand and leading me out of the store.

“You’re pretty confident, making reservations before I even said yes,” I said.

“I told you, a no from you is not an option. So yes, I made reservations because I knew I’d convince you to have lunch with me.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I stayed quiet and let Kieran lead me to a sleek, white car. A man in a chauffeur’s uniform was waiting for us.

When we reached the car, the chauffeur nodded at me before opening the door for Kieran and me. Once we were inside, he closed the door and got into the driver’s seat.

“You have a chauffeur,” I said.

“You sound surprised,” Kieran replied as the car pulled onto the road.

“No, it’s just that you didn’t have a driver on Friday,” I said.

“Bernard usually gives me a ride after work. But last Friday, I got off early and decided to pick you up myself,” Kieran explained, grinning at me.

I nodded, my gaze shifting to the window. My eyes darted back and forth, scanning for any sign of Mitchell or my stepfather. I wished they’d never find me. I wished they’d forget about me, forever.

“So, how was your weekend?” His question pulled me back to reality, my heart pounding like a drum in my chest.

“The weekend was good, thank you,” I responded.

“Did you see your mom? How’s she doing? I was going to drop by until I remembered that little detail,” Kieran asked.

She’s dead.

“Yes, I saw her. She’s doing well, thank you.” I offered him a shaky smile.

“How about we go see her together next Sunday? That’d be nice, wouldn’t it?” he suggested.

This was moving too fast. He was moving too fast. We’d only had our first date two days ago, and he was already talking about meeting my mom. What was his deal?

“Uh, that’s a nice thought; maybe we could wait a few more weeks—get to know each other better,” I suggested.

“Of course, I’ll give you all the time you need.” Kieran flashed me a relaxed smile before draping his arm around my shoulders.

His touch sent a wave of panic through me, and I jerked away as if he’d shocked me.

Kieran’s arm dropped from my shoulders, a flicker of confusion crossing his brown eyes before disappearing.

“I’m sorry, that was rude of me,” I apologized.

“You don’t like being touched,” Kieran noted, causing my cheeks to flush.

“I-it’s nothing. I-I just…” What could I say?

That my stepbrother and stepfather had abused me for their own twisted pleasure, and now I couldn’t bear the touch of a man?

He’d think I was crazy and suggest I see a doctor. Kieran would freak out and tell the driver to drop me off right here.

“It’s okay. Some women aren’t comfortable with men touching them. We’ve only had one date, it’ll take time for you to get used to me,” Kieran said, his voice gentle as if he were comforting a child.

“Y-yes,” I murmured.

“It’s okay. I won’t touch you unless you want me to,” he assured me.

“Y-you can h-hold my hand,” I offered. That was my limit. If he touched me anywhere else, I’d struggle to breathe.

Kieran didn’t hesitate. He took my hand in his, our fingers intertwining. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze, followed by a reassuring smile, and I knew he wouldn’t hurt me.

I didn’t know how I knew, or why I felt so certain, but something in my heart told me that Kieran wouldn’t hurt me, at least, not like Mitchell had.

“Sir, we’re here,” the driver announced, stepping out to open the door for Kieran and me.

Once we were out of the car, my jaw dropped. We were standing in front of one of London’s most expensive restaurants. Damn it! This was not good.

“Shall we?” Kieran asked, heading towards the restaurant entrance.

Cursing my bad luck, I followed him inside.

The restaurant was a vision of opulence, with crystal chandeliers and luxurious decor. The tables were covered in fine linen and adorned with extravagant centerpieces.

The maître d’ greeted Kieran with a nod, then led us to our table.

He handed us our menus and left, leaving me to wonder what on Earth I could afford in such a pricey place.

“So, what would you like to eat?” Kieran asked, flipping through his menu.

Instead of answering, I opened my menu and quickly scanned the options. My heart sank when I realized there were no prices listed.

Oh, hell!

What was I supposed to do now? Should I just order soup?

“Well?” Kieran prompted.

“Uh, I’ll just have soup. I’m not really hungry,” I lied, closing the menu and placing it on the table.

“Not hungry? Strawberry, you may have a lot of secrets, but you can’t lie to me,” he said.

“I’m not lying about anything,” I protested.

“Oh, so you’re not lying about ordering soup because you’re not hungry?” Kieran raised an eyebrow, giving me a look that said I’d better not lie to him.

I sighed. “Okay, I’m sorry for lying to you.”

“Good. Now tell me what you really want to eat,” Kieran demanded.

“Nothing.” I shrugged.

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing, Kieran. I’m not ordering anything,” I told him.

“And why not?” he asked.

It was time to be honest with him. It was time to swallow my pride and tell him the truth.

“I can’t afford the food here. So yeah, I’m not ordering anything. I’ll just ask the waiter for a glass of water.”

Kieran sighed audibly, closing his menu and fixing me with a serious look. “Why do you keep doing this?”

“Doing what?” I asked.

“This. Treating me like a stranger.”

“That’s because you are a stranger,” I retorted, immediately regretting it when I saw the hurt in Kieran’s eyes.

“But you’re not a stranger to me,” Kieran replied.

“What does it matter? You should eat, then we can leave,” I suggested.

Just then, the waiter returned, ready to take our orders. Kieran quickly placed his order, and the waiter turned to me.

“The lady will have the same as me,” Kieran told the waiter, who nodded and said our food would be out shortly before leaving.

“What the hell? I told you I can’t afford to eat here,” I hissed at Kieran.

“As long as you’re with me, you can afford it,” he declared.

“No way, I can’t. You’re a man, not my personal ATM,” I shot back.

“While you’re with me, you won’t have to spend a dime. Remember that,” he insisted.

I shook my head. “That’s not happening. If you’re spending on me, I’ll do the same.”

“What exactly do you mean by that?” Kieran asked, puzzled.

“It’s pretty straightforward. If you pay for my lunch now, then next time we’re out, I’ll pick up the tab,” I explained.

“Really? Well, in that case, I’m in,” he agreed.

I blinked, surprised. “You are?” I’d expected him to argue. His quick acceptance made me suspicious.

Kieran just shrugged. “Sure. You can foot the bill for our next date.”

“Date? This is a date?” No one had mentioned anything about a date.

“Absolutely. What did you think this was, just a casual lunch between friends?” Kieran teased.

“Yes!” Why couldn’t he just be straightforward?

“Sorry to burst your bubble, Strawberry, but I had a great time on our date last Friday. I want you to be my girlfriend. So yes, this is a date,” he clarified.

“You want me to be your girlfriend? You never asked me anything like that,” I protested.

“Why would I ask when there’s a high chance you’d say no? I’ll take you on as many dates as it takes until you agree to be my girlfriend,” he declared.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “That’s not happening.”

“Of course it will. You owe me a date. You said so yourself,” Kieran retorted, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

I wanted to be mad at him, but the joy in his brown eyes stopped me. I was used to seeing only hatred and anger in the eyes of the men who’d controlled my life for so long.

Seeing this new emotion made me feel...happy, for some reason. Kieran wasn’t angry. There was no hatred in his eyes for me.

“Our next date will be the last,” I warned.

Kieran just laughed. “We’ll see, Strawberry. But for now, let’s enjoy our date today.”

The waiter set the first course in front of me. I watched as Kieran winked at me before digging into his shrimp, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I was walking into a trap.

Kieran was powerful and cunning. I’d have to be careful around him, or I’d find myself trapped again.

And I couldn’t go through that a second time.