Beautiful Darkness

Chapter 2

The silence in my office was a fragile thing, a stark contrast to the frantic drumbeat of my heart. The anonymous text burned on my phone screen: "The peace between us is about to be destroyed. You must be prepared." Marcel stood by the door, his posture tense, the composed gallery owner gone. He was no longer my anchor; he was a coiled spring.

"Daisy, who was that woman?" he asked, his voice low and sharp.

"Sophia Reed," I responded, "she works for the Blackwoods."

"You mean Jaxson," he said, his voice flat with an unsettling finality.

I got tongue-tied, the lie catching in my throat. "Yeah," I finally managed to say. "I found out he tasked her to monitor my movements from the shadows while we were dating."

Marcel ran a hand through his hair, his frustration palpable. "She's a direct threat. This... this could be an act of war. You know what Blackwood is capable of."

"This isn't about Jaxson, Marcel," I insisted, the words a lie even to myself. "It’s about business. He’s expanding, you’re expanding. Tensions are high."

"It's about you," Marcel shot back, stepping closer. "Everything is about you. Sophia's presence here wasn't a coincidence; it was a message. He's testing my control over you." His hand found my face, his touch less a caress and more a claim. "You're mine now, Daisy. Don't forget that."

The possessive note in his voice was a chilling echo of a past I had tried to escape. My gut told me he was right, but a more powerful instinct, a new one born from my agency, told me I had to find my own answers. I had to get to the bottom of this.

When the gallery closed, Marcel asked if I could go home with him. It was Thursday, our designated night to unwind. I smiled; the feeling of being wanted by my man every day was new. With Jaxson, I had always wondered where he was and what he was up to.

"I can’t," I said, a small lie forming on my lips. "I have to go shopping with my girls tonight." He looked disappointed but smiled, kissed my head, and let me go.

I hailed a taxi and immediately texted a friend good at finding things out. I needed to know what the text was about. I asked the taxi to stop at a grocery store to grab a few things before heading home. As I entered, my phone notified me of a new message. My blood ran cold as I looked at the screen: he is back in town.

The thought of him in the same city as me kept running through my mind, a frantic, unwelcome buzz. My hands shaking, I quickly picked the items I needed. The sterile aisles of the supermarket seemed to blur, a stark contrast to the chaos swirling inside me. I was so focused on the items in my basket, on the simple task of getting out of there, that I didn't see him. In my anxiousness, I bumped into someone who seemed oblivious until I hit him.

"I'm sorry," I stammered, my head down, only to look up and see him. Jaxson. My breath hitched. He was holding me from falling, his hand a familiar, searing brand on my arm. My carefully constructed world shattered in that instant. His blue eyes, the same ones that had haunted my dreams for years, were staring deep into my soul, a silent question in their depths. I quickly released myself from his grip, the contact sending a shiver through my body that was half dread, half something else entirely. "I'm sorry," I muttered again, fleeing the store.

He didn’t say a word, nor did he chase me. He watched me go, a silent, unreadable sentinel, just like the morning we broke up. Asshole! I entered a taxi and headed straight to Marcel’s home. I needed to get him off my mind.

Marcel was surprised but happy to see me. "What are you doing here?" he asked with a wide smile.

"I need you deep inside of me tonight," I replied, the words a desperate plea.

His smile darkened, a predatory glint in his eyes. He had never made love to me despite us being together for more than eight months. A patient man, I had thought. Tonight, I would let him have a taste, and perhaps having another man deep inside me would finally erase Jaxson from my heart forever.

He kissed me, a searing, claiming kiss, and calmly lifted me into his room. He pulled off my shirt, his mouth finding my breast. I groaned as I bit my lip. His hand moved downward, his fingers tracing the lace of my panties, a light, teasing touch that sent a jolt of heat through me. My hips instinctively bucked against his hand, a silent plea for more. "You're one horny girl, aren't you?" he whispered, his voice a low growl against my skin.

"Yes, Daddy," I responded, my voice a breathy whisper of pleasure. "Use me however you please."

He smiled, a dark, satisfied grin, and his fingers slid under the lace, finding the wetness he had been teasing. I gasped, a wave of pleasure washing over me as he explored my readiness. My hands moved downward, feeling the hardness through his trousers. I unzipped him, and his thick, heavy length sprang free, a testament to his own desire. Damn, he is huge! I was just about to swallow him when my thoughts drifted back to the grocery store. I saw Jaxson’s blue eyes in my mind's eye, a painful reminder of the peace I had tried so hard to build.

The text message had promised destruction, and he was the one connected to it all. How could I navigate this dangerous game when I couldn’t even hold a simple conversation with him without my entire world falling apart? My excitement died down, a wave of anxiety and guilt washing over me. Marcel's excitement mirrored mine; his erection, which had been so hard a moment ago, now softened in my hand, mirroring the sudden withdrawal of my own desire. He noticed the change immediately.

"What is it, Daisy?" he asked, his voice low with concern.

"Jaxson is back in New York," I said, the words a poison in the air.