Hot Coffee (The Hollens)

Chapter 18 (Keeping It Together)

Ethan's POV

Why couldn't I just keep my hands off her?

I'd rushed after her as she ran out of the kitchen, looking sad and scared. I'd followed her directly to her

bedroom, forgetting about everyone else. When I kissed her she'd stopped me before it escalated any

further.

What she said made sense. I was engaged to another woman and there were police officers in the

house conducting an investigation. Any of them could request my presence at any moment. And there

she was, laying on the bed with me hovering over her like my prey.

I got up, straightened my clothes and left her room. I had to put that to the back of my mind, for now,

but I was becoming crazy about her, having dreams and fantasies about her. God, I wanted her. To

have and to hold.

___________

One week later, Halley was in much better health and had recovered wonderfully. The NYPD, along

with Detective Sam, tracked down the two culprits and had already stuck them behind bars. They

explained that they had bought the drugs from a Colombian and decided to use it on a bunch of the

girls at Matt's birthday party. Halley had gotten an overdose because those fools had no idea what the

hell they were doing. Her body reacted to the foreign substance differently and turned it into a poison in

her blood stream. It drug was Liquid XXS, one of the most dangerous and effective drugs in the world;

it could knock out an elephant.

I left the office at around 6:00 p.m. I headed straight home to make sure the ladies were alright. When I

got in the living room there were suitcases and boxes everywhere. Emma and Halley were descending

from the stairs, looking tired and drained as Sharon was sipping on a glass of wine at the dining table.

"What's going on here?" I asked.

She looked up at me with her puppy dog eyes. "Oh darling, you're home. I've missed you," she hugged

me; I didn't respond.

Oh shit, in the Bahamas I did told her she could move in. Was she doing that right now? "You're

moving in already?" I asked.

"Yes."

Damn it.

A stumble woke me from my thoughts. We rushed to the stairs. A suitcase had slipped from Emma and

toppled over.

Thank goodness. I thought someone had fallen.

"What the hell!" Sharon screamed as she ran to the fallen suitcase, "You little fool, why are you so

stupid? You can't even carry a damn suitcase!"

How disrespectful of her to talk to Emma like that. Emma was my maid, not hers.

"I'm sorry." Emma apologized.

"Take your sorry and shove it up your white with black mixed ass!" Sharon rudely and quickly

responded.

I'd heard enough. "Sharon, let's be grateful that no one was hurt." I walked over and held the suitcase.

"My suitcase was hurt! That stupid ass maid of yours."

"I can't have you talking to my employees like that. You've crossed the damn line! How can you insult

someone over a damn suitcase? Your suitcase isn't alive Sharon." 'dI reached a boiling point; I just

couldn't take it anymore.

"Ethan, don't you dare defend her stupidity."

"Stupidity? Okay, here you are," I handed her the suitcase. "Carry it yourself!" Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

She looked at me as if I had just spoken a foreign language.

"Emma, Halley, you're relieved from your duties," I said to them as they wiped traces of sweat from

their faces.

How long had they been carrying stuff upstairs? They shouldn't even be lifting anything. That was the

movers job.

"Where are the movers?" I asked Sharon as I watched her struggle with the suitcase.

"I sent them away."

"Oh, so you didn't know they were the ones who had to do that stuff?"

"Why should they when we've got two maids?"

She really knew how to press my buttons. "Sharon, I don't want the maids doing things like this. This

could cause problems for them in the future. They're women, just like you."

"Ethan, you're so shallow."

"Look, if you're going to live here, you might as well change that damn attitude of yours. And don't ever

think you'll take advantage of those maids, they're not here to make life easier for you."

With that, I took the suitcase from her again and carried it up myself.

________

I found myself knocking on Emma's door.

"Sorry to disturb you, but I need a cup of coffee." I didn't really want a coffee, I just wanted to see her.

She was wrapped in a bath towel. "Can you give me five minutes?"

"Take your time," I smirked as I envisioned what I wanted to do to her at that moment.

I waited in the dinning room while I read a newspaper article.

She placed the coffee in front of me once she had made it.

"Have a seat," I invited but she stood, shyly running her fingers along the back of a chair opposite from

me.

"I can't. If your wife sees me here with you--"

"Fiancee," I corrected.

She rolled her eyes in a sassy way. She didn't know what she was doing to me.

"Mr. Hollen, remember what you told me when it first happened? When you first kissed me? You said it

was a mistake that shouldn't happen again."

I felt bad. How stupid of me.

"I don't want my first time to be a mistake," she added again which made me puzzled.

First time? "Your first time with me or your first time?" I asked slowly.

She held her chest and heaved a sigh.

"Honey, where are you?" Sharon called from upstairs

Emma took on her heels and ran back to her room. She was scared of Sharon that much?

"I'm down here," I frowned.

She appeared in front of me, looking on as I drank my coffee.

"Ethan, I'll be making coffee for you from now on."

Oh heaven, take me now.