Free Take Me Now by Faith Sullivan

now. We’ve been caught.
    With no other option, I straighten my knees and set one clog in front of the other. But there are no words to describe what I’m seeing. The scenario is too unfathomable. Eric rises behind me and I hear him gasp in disbelief.
    “I bought you a tie for the gala, Eric. I thought you might like to try it on.”
    It’s Lauren.

Chapter Eight Eric
    I’m not sorry I made a move on Ivy. I’m just sorry we got caught. She has stepped away from me, and I can see that she’s visibly trembling. She’s afraid of Lauren and I don’t like it. I hate the idea of Lauren having any type of power over Ivy. I have to fix this.
    My body is still not over what was happening between us. I uncomfortably adjust my pants as I proceed to the top of the steps to tell Lauren she has to leave. But she’s already beaten me to it, as she stands before us on the porch, not even bothering to look at Ivy. Her full attention is on me.
    “There you are.” Lauren reaches up and glides the tie through the collar of my shirt before I realize what she’s doing. “I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by.” She continues forming a knot. “This color is amazing on you. It really brings out your eyes.” She secures the tie under my chin and lingers with her hands resting on my shoulders. “Let’s say we go inside, huh?”
    Ivy appears traumatized from being forced to stand and watch her boss effectively ace her out of the picture. I need to speak up but I don’t want to say the wrong thing and cost Ivy her job. Lauren is extremely volatile and Ivy will have to deal with the fallout if I’m not careful in the way I handle this.
    But before I have a chance to say anything, Ivy bolts from the porch and runs to her car. Instinctively, I make a move to go after her but Lauren’s hands push against my chest, holding me in place. This can’t be happening. We were so close to the beginning of something really good and Lauren is destroying any connection I was establishing with Ivy in one fell swoop.
    “Ivy!” I call out but it’s too late. She’s already behind the wheel with the engine running. She shoots me a tortured glance before tearing out of the driveway in a cloud of dust. I’ve lost her. Even if I’m able to call her later, she’s never going to forgive me for refusing to go after her. Everything hinges on what I do next.
    “Let her go, Eric,” Lauren commands, turning her back on the dramatic exit of her intern. “I realize you’re a guy and you were just having some fun with her. We all need to blow off some steam every once in a while. We’re all human, right?”
    Just the way she’s insinuating that I’m taking advantage of a girl in order to satisfy myself makes me want to get in my truck and leave Lauren standing there for all I care. That’s not what was going on between us. I wasn’t using her for my own satisfaction. I was trying to show her how much I’m getting caught up in her.
    “But if you think about pursuing her, I have to tell you, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” There’s a malicious glint in her eyes as she tugs on the lapel of my tie.
    “And why’s that, Lauren?” I have to feel her out, see how far she’s willing to go.
    “Because I hold that girl’s future in my hands. You wouldn’t want to see her get hurt, would you?” She smiles up at me, and I want nothing more than to shove her away from me. “My stepbrother’s practically in love with her and I can’t stand by and let you break his little heart now, can I?”
    What is she talking about? Her stepbrother? How many boys is Ivy fooling around with? Whatever hope I was kindling in my heart for some kind of rebirth starts to extinguish. Maybe Ivy isn’t the girl I thought she was.
    “You see, they’ve known each other their whole lives. He has a whole stack of letters from her over the years that he has saved in his dresser drawer. They always spend their birthdays together.” These details