His to Hold

Chapter 14

Chapter 14       

“You didn’t have to do that,” says Jenny as she and Alec arrives in front of his apartment

“What did I do” answers innocently Alec

“Don’t play dumb with me, Alec, you were purposely provoking Andrew down there”

“Not my fault, he acted as he owns you and from the little, I know of you, you owe no one, so I am surprised that you’re letting the Bloomfield’s walk all over you”

“I am not letting them” responded Jenny angrily

As he was dropping his travel bag within the living room, Alec turns around, to look at Jenny and saw her expression. She was angry all right and daggers were shooting out of her eyes. If he were to judge from her reaction, he would conclude that Jenny had nothing to do with the Bloomfield. However, Marc’s declaration was not to be taken lightly. “Mind telling me, what’s going on Jenny, especially with Marc Bloomfield?”

Jenny froze at Alec's questions. She looks at him and felt like swallowing her saliva. She was a twenty-six years’ old woman who had never let herself be intimidated by anyone, well except by one woman, but that would be a story for another time. Now, under Alec's gaze, she felt like a child who had done something she wasn’t supposed to do. It was true, she had recently met Alec, but for some reason, she felt a closeness to him that was unexplainable. She had been reluctant at first, but Alec's insistence had broken through her barrier and for the past month, he had become very dear to her to the point where she saw him as a father figure. So, why did she not tell him about Marc?

Alec watches Jenny as he sees the battle brewing between her eyes, he walks toward her, lays his hand on her shoulder, she tenses at first but relax as she gazes at him like a lost child “you look like you are in need of a chocolate, let’s go to the kitchen and see what we can find, and you can tell me all about this battle brewing within you”

He smiles was warmth and his touch was light as he led her to the kitchen. Jenny, never experiencing this sort of feeling felt like pouring out every single tear in her body. She had been so lonely for so long and never having friends, always watching out for herself and always solving her problems on her owns that this sense of joy spreading through her felt truly foreign.

Alec sat her down on the kitchen chairs and went about preparing the hot chocolate with Jenny following his every movement. A couple of minutes later, with two cups of hot chocolate in front of them, Alec say “start from the beginning”

Taking a deep breath, Jenny recounted her meeting with Marc’s and half an hour later, with her cup been nearly empty “I don’t understand what he wants, I mean I have insulted him at every occasion and worse I have fought with him throwing thing his way like a madwoman, yet he still persists. I know he is not after me because of my beauty, because come on, with all the beautiful girls he has met, I am probably the least beautiful. Also, I am not sexy, like Victoria’s Secret model. I am more on the curvier side, yes I work out but that’s to keep myself healthy and all. I have nothing of importance on my name, well except this building that I graceful thank GOD for showing me the way to owning it. Other than that, I am just nobody with nothing. What could he possibly want with me, if it isn’t for him to have fun with?”

Alec was horror-stricken with Jenny's declaration. Truly the girl was blind, like truly blind. This was more than he bargains for but not hard to handle he hopes. He takes his cup, took a long swallow, let the warms of the drink spread within his body, put down his cup, and took Jenny's hands in his and “The next time I hear you say those things about yourself, I will spank you till you’re behind turn red. Don’t you ever and I mean ever lower yourself for no one; you are who you are because it was intended so. Whoever says otherwise can go to hell”

Jenny looks at Alec and stays unmoving in her chair, Alec was angry, his pupil was dilated but behind that, there was a warm and tender look and it was that look that led her to hug him as she let out the tears she had been holding on for so long.

Alec wasn’t expecting Jenny's tears and it took him by surprise when she let them out. Putting his arms around her, he held on to her as gently as possible while caressing her hair. A little more than fifteen minutes later, with her head still on Alec's shoulder, Jenny stopped crying as she realizes that she had let someone witness her pain, made her uncomfortable. So to break the ice “Am I not too old for you to be spanking me”

“One is never too old to be punished” responded Alec

Jenny chuckles but didn’t say anything as she continues to enjoy Alec warms. Seconds later, “don’t you ever minimize yourself in front of anyone else Jenny. Don’t ever let anyone see your weakness, for not everyone will be kind. Now as for Marc’s Bloomfield, for the little I know of him and his family, I know they don’t cheat, when they want something, they go after it. And as much as I hate to admit it, it does look like Marc interest toward you is genuine”

Shocked with Alec's comments, Jenny pulls away “what do you say is genuine?”

“Let’s just it’s a man intuition, now I am not going to confirm, I have to observe the guy up close, before giving my approval”

“Your approval?” says Jenny “your approval for what?”

Instead of answering, Alec gets up from the chairs with a smile on his face as he takes the cups and placed them in the sinks. He then takes Jenny's hands and led her to the door “why don’t you go take a shower and rest a bit while I prepare dinner. When dinner is ready I will let you know”

“Wait, Alec, you haven’t answered my questions”

“What questions?” says Alec

“About giving your approval?”

“Did I just say that, oh my, I must have been speaking to myself, wait but no, could you have misheard my dear Jenny?”

“Oh no Alec, you’re not about to play that game with me,” says Jenny as she stands in front of the door with both hands on her hips and a look that says ‘if you know what’s good for you, don’t even continue”

Alec paused and looks at Jenny and says “if I were in Marc’s shoes, I would have done the same thing except with a little class” He takes a deep breath “Jenny, you are truly a beautiful woman, you have a natural beauty and charisma that draws people toward you. You’re real, you don’t hide what you are feeling, you don’t run from a challenge and you fight for your right. Not many people have such qualities yet you have them but you’re so humble that you don’t even realize what effect that positive attitude has toward others. I don’t know what Marc sees in you, but a man who can publicly proclaim himself as your man is not only bold but lucky. You’re hard to approach, to begin with, anyone who dares to do that will be faced with an impenetrable shield. Fortunately for me, I had previously found myself in such a dire situation?”

“Do you mean your wife?” asks Jenny

Alec smiles as he recalls his late wife “she was a rough one alright, but she had a heart of gold. So soft yet so tough, she hid behind her tough exterior, however, all she ever truly wanted was to be loved”

“Was she?”

“Every single day” answers Alec as he goes down memory lane. He was brought back with Jenny lightly touching his hands

“Are you saying that I may have acted too harshly with Marc?”

“Oh hell no, you’ve acted exactly as you should have acted, a man like him deserves far worse. Now I want to tell you this, don’t ever let anyone force you to do something you’ve never wanted to do. I can understand Marc's interest in you; however, it gave him no right to do what he did. He is purposely putting you on the spot and for that; you need to set your foot down. Marc may be who is, but you are stronger than him, and you have all the cards and all you need to do is play them right”

Jenny for the life of hers did not comprehend half the things that Alec had just spoken, looking like a lost puppy, she says “right, I must not let him walk over me, so I will be going down there and….”

“You will not be doing anything” answers Alec, “your premieres is just two weeks away, focus on yourself and do your thing” after all, though Alec, a man hates to be ignored by his love interest.

“So, you’re telling me to let it slide”

“Sort of, whether you like it or not, his little stunt has actually given you more publicity, so why don’t we use that to our benefit.”

“You’re right, Andrew had said the same thing” she takes a deep breath “thanks for the pep talk, Al, and you’re right, I should be focusing on my own thing and not let myself be deterred by anyone.”

“Andrew, huh?”

“Is there something wrong with Andrew?”

“Oh no, not all” answered too timidly Alec, yet as he says so, his thoughts were quite different for he could already picture his baseball bat ready to swing and harm anyone who dares to approach and harms his baby girl.