Limits of Destiny (Volume 1)

  Ralph didn’t turn his gaze away from me the entire time. He wasn’t even trying to hide it—he stared at me shamelessly and didn’t give a damn. I definitely had to have a one-on-one chat with him to tell him I didn’t want our coworkers to find out about us. But when?

  And then he made things easier for me… Just after the department meeting ended and my coworkers were filing out into the corridor, Ralph grabbed me by the elbow.

  “Alexia, can we talk?” he said in a quiet voice. His brown eyes betrayed his internal anxiety. I waited until we were alone.

  “Ralph, I’m not going to lie to you. I don’t like this entire situation you’ve put me in. How can you even think we can work together?” I asked him angrily. I paced back and forth across the room, nervous and confused.

  Ralph stood still and watched me, his eyes full of tension. He was obsessed with me. What had I done to make this happen? He was such a good-looking man—muscular, tall, and nice. Women adored him, but he wanted me. Why? I couldn’t claim to have done something special during our relationship. Quite the opposite, in fact—I hadn’t given him the love he deserved.

  “Please, calm down,” he said. “We’ll work together fine. You’ll see. I… I’m glad to see you. You look great.”

  Oh God…

  “Ralph, I don’t want to hurt you, but everything between us is over. I’m with someone else and I’m happy with him.”

  “I know. Alexander Kraftberg,” he said and nervously ran his fingers through his blond hair.

  “Everything was going so well. I was happy in this job. And now… I’ll most likely have to leave and look for a new one. Great. Thanks a bunch,” I said huffily.

  “Alexia, don’t be rash. You’re angry right now and not thinking clearly. This isn’t the time to make decisions.”

  “This is madness, Ralph. Do you get it? Madness,” I said in a raised voice. “Under no circumstances do I want our coworkers to find out we used to be together. And the part that concerns me most is what Alexander will say. Trust me. He won’t be happy with the news that my ex will become my boss in two weeks.”

  I continued to pace back and forth across the room, unable to calm myself. I knew there was nothing I could do except wait and hope it would all be okay. If not, I would have to leave. However, how was I to persuade Alexander to agree to my wish to stay working at the bank? Quite the conundrum.

  “I suggest you don’t tell him,” Ralph blurted out.

  “What? And let him find out from someone else? I can’t take the risk. I don’t have, and I don’t want to have, any secrets from him.

  “Alexia, please don’t be mad at me.” He came over and put his hand on my shoulder.

  I turned to him. “I have loads of work. I have to go.” I opened the door and headed to my desk.

  * * *

  I met my father at twelve and we went to buy a present for Johnny. European fashion was quite different from the trends in the States, and since my brother was now a teenager, like any boy his age, he’d started to pay attention to his appearance. I was happy he always liked the gifts I brought over or sent to him by mail. We had a look in several high-end stores. At the end, we stopped at a cool, Belstaff leather jacket, which was on offer because it was the last one. Luckily, it was in my brother’s size. It was very cool, and we decided to buy it straightaway.

  While we were having lunch in a Thai restaurant, I briefly described to my father the situation I was in because of the actions of my former boyfriend. I also told him Alexander wanted me to work in his company. My father naturally shared my opinion and advised me not to make hasty decisions about leaving.

  “Alexia, don’t worry yourself yet. It might turn out that all this stress was for nothing.” He tried to reassure me.

  “Dad, Alexander is very jealous. He was furious about my going to lunch with his best friend, and we weren’t even alone—his sister was with us. I don’t even want to think about how mad he’ll be when he finds out about Ralph.” Subconsciously, I’d started to nervously play with the golden bracelet on my wrist.

  “Him being jealous means he has feelings for you. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t give a damn who you met with. He’s not indifferent about you, Alexia. I saw with my own eyes how he looks at you, and I liked it. He seems like an intelligent and very ambitious young man who knows what he wants from life and—”

  “And always gets what he wants.” I interrupted him.

  “Alexia, calm down and try to convince him of what YOU want. Your mother always managed to get her way. And the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

  His words made me laugh.

  “Do you remember when you were ten and your mother gave you a Swedish children’s book as a present—Karlsson-on-the-Roof?”

  “Of course, how could I forget?” I replied and smiled at the pleasant memory.

  I loved the books of Astrid Lindgren, especially the one about Karlsson and his adventures with his friend Lillebror. I couldn’t put them down until I’d finished them. My parents had forbidden me to go to bed late, but somehow I always managed to convince them otherwise. I stood my ground and they gave up in the end, as they knew I would settle down once I’d finished the book.

  “When you really want something… you know you can achieve it with persistence and good arguments,” my father stated and took a sip of his non-alcohol beer.

  * * *

  In the evening, back at my apartment, we had a video chat with Johnny on Skype. My father had brought the laptop along with an internet card so my brother could pass the time writing to his friends on Facebook. He’d taken care to give him everything to make his stay in hospital as pleasant as possible.

  My dear father, he always put my brother and me first. Thinking about it… He’d been the perfect dad to me. He couldn’t be any better, as he was already completely devoted to us. He took care of us and was extremely dedicated. Whenever I looked back, I couldn’t remember anything he’d done to hurt to me. He became a widower at such an early age and had to raise two children, one of whom was still a baby. He worked a lot in his company but always found time for us. No matter how tough it was for him, not once did I hear him complain. He supported us and did everything in his power to help get me over my mother’s death.

  And the fact that he told me not to worry about my brother’s serious weight loss before he switched on the video showed me he was still thinking of me. He tried to reassure me this was normal and patients generally don’t have much of an appetite after surgery.

  I was very grateful for his warning, because I was appalled when I saw how different Johnny looked. He looked so miserable that my heart was breaking. My brother, always cheerful, funny, and carefree, now looked downcast and subdued. Tears blurred my vision, but I managed to keep them from rolling down my face. I had to be strong and try to cheer him up rather than snivel and make him even more depressed. That wouldn’t help him in any way.

  Somehow I managed to find my voice and we started to chat. First, we showed him the jacket we’d bought him, to begin on a positive note, and he really liked it. Then I told him about Alexander, and he teased me that I was like a teenager with a crush. Right at this moment, I loved my brother more than ever before, because he was trying to spare me the worry. I knew he was still in pain, but he made sure to smile anyway. Since very young, he’d been extremely attached to me. We always had a great relationship. To him, I was the big sister with whom he could share his worries and joys. Even though we hadn’t been living together for years, he continued to share with me.

  I remember how at first, my father worried a lot about how I would take to him. He was afraid, due to the loss of my mother, I might grow to hate Johnny, blaming him for her death. But as soon as I saw how tiny and defenseless he was, my maternal instinct took over. I knew I had no right to blame him, that he also needed a mother and, unlike me, he had never even seen her. I loved him and always tried to take care of him.

  Johnny was to be discharged the next day, w
hich was why my father wanted to return home earlier—to get himself up to speed and ask the doctors about his condition.

  * * *

  Before I went to bed, I called Alexander. I missed him terribly and wanted to hear his deep, masculine voice, whose tones caressed my skin and made me shudder with pleasure. Closing my eyes, I imagined he was with me. Pictured him holding me in his arms and whispering how much I meant to him. I dreamt of being his sunrise and sunset, the sun that lit up his day. To be all the world to him.

  “Hi, baby, how are you?” he asked, sounding concerned.

  “Fine. I just wanted to hear your voice.” My knees started to go weak so I decided to get into bed. I arranged my pillow and tucked myself in comfortably.

  “Are you on the bed?”

  “Yes.”

  There was a noise, a slight creak, and a sigh. “Hmm, how I wish I was lying next to you.”

  “Me too. Are you working?”

  “Yes, I was writing an email.”

  “Do you have time to meet me for lunch tomorrow?”

  “I was just thinking that. Can you come to my office at twelve?”

  “Yes.”

  “Henry will drive you there. When you enter the building, take the elevator on the left and press the button for the fifteenth floor. When is your father’s flight?”

  “Tomorrow, early in the morning. How was your day?”

  “Good, on the whole. What about yours?”

  “Busy.” I inhaled and exhaled.

  How should I tell him about Ralph? He will definitely go into a rage and will not be able to sleep…

  “Alexia, are you hiding something?”

  “No. The day was very tense, that’s all. We’re getting a new boss. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow.”

  “Baby, I know you well enough by now to know there’s something you don’t want to tell me over the phone.”

  “Alexander, please. I just don’t want to talk about it right now. We’ll talk tomorrow. Please.”

  “Okay.” He sighed loudly. “As you wish,” he said, sounding angry.

  “You know I have no secrets from you. I always tell you everything.”

  “Not when you went to lunch with Francesco.”

  “Come on. That’s not fair. Don’t start again.” I scowled.

  “I won’t.” He took a deep breath. “I miss you.” The hoarseness in his voice was sexy.

  “I miss you too. I wish I was snuggling up to you right now.”

  “We’ll have to wait until tomorrow. Actually, why wait until tomorrow?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, even though I had a feeling about what was coming.

  “Grab your iPhone earphones and lock the door.”

  “Alexander.”

  “Baby, do what I’m telling you.”

  I retrieved the earphones and turned the key to prevent my father from walking in on me by accident, even though he never entered my room without knocking first. But I didn’t want to take the risk anyway. I had a strong feeling about the kind of games Alexander had on his mind, and I was very turned on. My cheeks were burning from the excitement. I plugged the earphones into my cell. “Done. I’m ready.”

  “Very good. I take it you’ve guessed what we’re about to do?”

  “Yes… Phone sex,” I replied and bit my lower lip in excitement.

  “That’s right, babe. Get rid of your clothes and take off your undies.”

  I did so as quickly as I could.

  “Are you nude?” His voice was so sexy.

  “Yes.”

  “Turn off the lights, lie on the bed, and close your eyes.”

  Only my night lamp was on. I got up to switch it off.

  “I’m in the dark now. Are you in your bed?”

  “Yes.”

  “God, how I wish I was next to you right now.”

  “I know, baby. I want it too. Now slowly lick your lips and imagine I’m kissing you. My tongue is in your mouth and it’s stroking you, exploring every inch…” His voice was soft and relaxing. “Now put your index finger in your mouth… Take it out. Suck hard on your thumb, as if it’s my cock and you want it.”

  I did everything he ordered, step by step, and gradually realized my skin had become very sensitive. The excitement between my legs kept growing. “Mmm…” I purred.

  “You’re tasting it, licking it, and sucking on it hard. You’re slowly running your tongue across the tip and gladly licking off my precome.”

  “I want you. I want to feel you,” I moaned.

  “Fuck, I’m so hard… Now play with your breasts like I do. Pinch your nipples. Imagine I’m biting them and running my hot tongue over them.”

  “Mmm… Yes.”

  “Slowly run your hand across your belly. Yes, baby, draw a circle around your navel. Can you feel how soft your skin is, how delicate?”

  “Yes.”

  “Now wet your fingers with saliva and touch your sweet pussy.”

  I wet my index and middle fingers and touched my already-throbbing clitoris. “Oh… God.”

  “Start rubbing your clit, babe, just like I do with my tongue. Oh, yes… I can smell your sweet scent and taste. The greatest taste… Now, put one finger in first and then slowly, very slowly, the other.”

  I did it and arched my back. The sensation was intense. I was wet and extremely turned on. I wanted Alexander deep inside me, to feel his thrusts, to fill me up.

  “Ah… Alexander, I want you so much. I want to dig my fingers into your hair, to feel the caresses of your hands and the touch of your soft lips on my body.”

  My heart started to beat furiously; the blood in my veins boiled. I was imagining we’d merged into one whole, that I felt his rhythmic movements, his hot breath, and his sweet scent. I saw his beautiful eyes locked on mine, saying, You are beautiful and mine, only mine. Even from a distance, I was completely obsessed with him.

  “Yes… baby, I’m with you. I’m inside you and I’m filling you up. I’m all the way in and I’m taking you to a faraway place, where only the two of us exist.”

  My fingers quickly slid into my vagina. The little death came and took me over the precipice. The muscles of my legs went into convulsions.

  “Alexander… Alexander… Alexander.” I kept on repeating his name quietly, as if in a prayer, while he screamed mine.

  The sound of his heavy breathing merged with mine.

  “Oh… baby, that was incredible. I’m breathless,” I whispered once I’d managed to gather enough strength to do so.

  “Because everything I share with you is magnificent.”

  “I want you to embrace me. I want to fall asleep in your arms.”

  “Soon, baby.”

  “I miss you lots.”

  “I do too.”

  “Good night, Alexander. Sweet dreams.”

  “Hmm, I want to dream of you, that it’s just us two, somewhere on a deserted island. Now I’m thinking of the Maldives. It wouldn’t be bad to kidnap you and take you there.”

  “The Maldives? Sounds great. Truth is, however… I’d go to the end of the world with you.” I laughed.

  “I’m glad to hear it, sweetheart. Now hang up.”

  We both waited and neither of us would hang up. A sign of our need to be together.

  “Hang up,” he said. I could just imagine his grin.

  “No, I don’t want to. You hang up… Alexander.”

  “Okay, baby.”

  “Kisses.”

  “Kisses to you too, honey. See you tomorrow,” he replied and disconnected the call.

  20

  In the morning, my father and I took a taxi to the airport. As always, saying good-bye to him was painful, and I couldn’t hold back the tears. I snuggled into his arms like a small child. Even though I’d been supporting myself and living apart from him for some time, he remained my loving father, on whom I could always depend and who loved me as I was—regardless of the mistakes I made and the frequent changes in my mood.

  I
went to work upset by our separation, but keeping busy quickly tore me away from the sad thoughts. I focused on my duties and didn’t look up from my computer until it was quarter to twelve.

  When I came out onto the street, Henry was waiting for me in the car. He drove me to Kraftberg Tower, whose edifice was quite impressive and somehow inspired respect. Just like its owner. It was completely covered in opaque-mirrored windows. Going through the glass rotating door, I found myself in front of a shiny ivory-colored marble floor with thin beige strands running through it. I went over to the man in a black suit behind the reception desk and told him my name. He checked some list, wished me a nice day, and pointed to the elevators.

  When I stepped out on the fifteenth floor, I noticed a raven-haired receptionist sitting behind a stylish wooden desk and walked over to her. The beauty was dressed in an elegant sleeveless black dress and her hair was tied in a neat bun. She regarded me with her heavily made-up eyes, and I rushed to introduce myself.

  “Good afternoon, my name is Alexia Welson. I have a twelve-o-clock appointment with Mr. Kraftberg.”

  “Miss Welson, Mr. Kraftberg is expecting you. Just go straight into the room on the right.” She smiled, showing her white teeth.

  Could he not pick a slightly less good-looking secretary?

  I frowned subconsciously, but decided not to poison my mind with such thoughts. I knocked on the door and entered without waiting for an answer. I saw Alexander facing the massive windows, which extended from the floor to the ceiling. His hands were casually placed in his pants pockets. He was dressed in a wonderfully tailored dark-blue suit, which sexily outlined his body. The aura of his beauty and masculinity filled the entire room. I stared at his wide shoulders, nice narrow waist, strong long legs, and felt that pleasant tingle in my stomach.

  He turned to me, and his eyes started to shine in different shades of blue from the light coming through the windows.

  “I’ve been expecting you, baby.” He smiled at me and beckoned. “Aren’t you going to come here?”

  “I was enjoying the view,” I said quickly and approached him in quick strides.

  “Incredible, right?” he looked through the windows again.