Intractable Souls : Book 1 of the Bound for Ireland Series (18 page)

Walking down the side of her car she’s
impressed that the garage not only repaired the engine, but washed
it and polished the chrome trim. The original midnight turquoise
paint sparkles in the sunlight and she’s eager to take her for a
drive. She tries to unlock the driver’s side door on her mustang
several times before realizing that the key in her hand is for the
other car. The little green bird watches her intently from the hood
of the car that’s on loan to her from Aurora Tech; as if it knew
the whole time that she was holding the wrong keys in her hand.
“You’re starting to creep me out, you know that bird?”

As she flips through the key ring for the
Mustang key she has an idea and looks over at the fleet car. Ethan
has checked in on her daily by email or text but she hasn’t seen
him since he left her in Rachel’s hands. She can’t deny that they
developed a deep connection, while he nursed her back to health,
and while she would certainly never admit it to him, she misses
him. Returning the car to Aurora Tech provides the possibility of
running into him. Making her way over to the fleet car, she unlocks
it and gets in, then immediately pulls out her smart phone to call
Scott. “Hey!“

“Hey yourself! How are you feeling?

“100% thanks! Are you going to be coming
home at the regular time today?”

“I think so, unless the Senior Vice
President of International Sales has other plans for me. He’s
annoying like that sometimes.” He laughs. “Why? What’s going
on?”

“I need to get out of this house. I was
thinking that I could drive to Toronto, return the fleet car, and
then maybe do some shopping downtown until you’re done work. Do you
mind bringing me home?”

“No, I don’t mind, but Olivia... Ethan will
freak when he finds out you brought the car back. He’s already
asked me to make the arrangements for someone to pick it up.”

“Now you don’t have to. And you might be
afraid of your boss, but I’m NOT!” She adds.

Scott’s tone gets serious. “Well maybe you
should be.”

“I’m coming anyways. I’ll see you soon.”

“Fine. Have reception notify me when you get
here.” He knows there’s no point in arguing with her.

“Will do. Bye.”

Scott hangs up the phone and looks up at a
coworker who has wandered into his office with some papers to be
signed. “Freaking women in my life are determined to drive me
crazy.” His co-worker nods his head knowingly as Scott picks up his
pen and takes the documents out of his hand.

An hour later, Olivia pulls into the only
downtown lot that still has available parking. She doesn’t mind
that it’s a block away since it’s a short walk and she could use
the exercise and fresh air. Well, as fresh as the air gets in a big
city. As she steps onto the main street, her eyes follow the
majestic Toronto high-rise office building from ground to skyline.
WOW! She starts walking towards the cross walk, taking in all the
storefronts along the way, when something catches her attention.
Her eyes follow a small pathway that leads to a rustic door
discreetly tucked in between its obviously renovated neighbors. The
wooden trim painted in dark green and burgundy has obviously hidden
itself from any threat of modernization. The window is decorated
with beads, baubles, and an amateurish hand painted sign. “Eva
Storm - Psychic, Palm & Tarot Card Readings”

The hairs on the back of her neck stand up
as the door flies open and a woman dressed with a gypsy like
appearance heads straight for her. Several talismans are strung
around her neck and large ornate rings decorate her fingers. Her
long, silver hair blows in the breeze, leaving it tousled and
looking unkempt.

When she reaches her, she takes Olivia’s
hands in hers. They feel weathered and boney, like brittle twigs on
a fallen tree. After giving Olivia’s hands a squeeze, she releases
them to move her long fingers upwards to both sides of her cheeks,
holding her still while she studies her face for what seems like
forever. Strangers push past them, making their way along the busy
city street, oblivious to their presence in the middle of the
walkway. Olivia is frozen, staring back at the woman she presumes
is the Psychic. Her face, pale and wrinkled, shows her age but her
eyes sparkle with a youthful appearance as a smile starts to form
across her bright red lips.

“It IS you, I knew it!” Lowering her hands
to her side, she smiles. “Everybody is finally here!” She’s
delighted and it shows in her expression.

Olivia finally finds her voice. “I think you
have me confused with someone else, we’ve never met before.”

“No child, it’s YOU. I’d know you
anywhere.”

Olivia gets nervous and takes a step. “I
have to go.” Pulling away, she tries to sidestep her, when boney
fingers grip her arm to stop her. Olivia’s head jerks back to look
at her.

“He’s looking for you.” Her voice gets soft
and eerie and fear washes over Olivia. “He’s very close.” When she
lets go of her arm, Olivia takes a few steps backwards afraid to
turn away. She is obviously insane. As she puts some distance
between them the woman calls out one last time. “Trust your
intuition child… he WILL find you… soon.”

Olivia feels dizzy and slightly nauseated as
she takes the elevator on its long journey to the penthouse offices
of Aurora Technologies. Her impromptu psychic encounter has left
her a little unnerved. She can’t help but worry that her warning is
about Sam returning for her but she does her best to push the
thought out of her mind. When the door opens, she feels like she’s
been teleported to another world. The receptionist smiles as she
approaches.

“Hi, welcome to Aurora technologies. How can
I help you?”

Olivia suddenly feels severely under
dressed. She’s in awe of her perfect teeth and beautifully styled,
blonde hair. Her bright pink lipstick is dull in comparison to the
diamond chandelier earrings she’s wearing and her low cut dress
looks more like a ball gown than office attire. Olivia is suddenly
aware that she’s staring. “I’m here to see Scott Parker.”

“Whom should I say is here?” She gives her a
friendly smile but Olivia senses the insincerity in it.

“Olivia James.”

The receptionist motions Olivia towards the
waiting area as she returns to her desk to answer a call. Feeling
small and insignificant in this space, she fades into one of the
oversized leather chairs. They are heavy and huge and look to her
like they belong in a gentlemen’s cigar club rather than an office
reception area. A familiar voice rambles off instructions in the
hallway and she gets a nervous stomach as she peaks around the
large winged back of the chair. A young man wanders out of an
office trying to juggle a stack of heavy papers and beside him is a
very professional looking Ethan O’Connell. His perfectly tailored
double-breasted suit hangs ruggedly off his broad shoulders and he
buttons it as he walks, accentuating his very trim muscular waist.
Jesus, the man can work a suit. His tanned skin is flawless against
the apple green silk dress shirt and his hair is brushed back,
falling in soft curls behind his ears. Extremely sexy! She draws in
a deep breath, knots starting to tangle in her tummy.

Olivia’s sudden onset of nerves gets worse,
making her wish that she had given this more thought. Maybe he
won’t see her and she can just leave and ask Scott to meet her
downstairs. Suddenly a conference room door opens and the hallway
fills with activity as its occupants return back to their offices.
Amongst all the commotion, she is met with polite smiles and
greetings as they pass, despite the fact that she tries to shrink
further out of sight and blend into her surroundings. Ethan senses
her presence immediately and eagerly searches the room. Whether
it’s the pheromones, or the subtle smell of her perfume that alerts
him of her presence he doesn’t know. The burning desire that coils
deep inside his stomach when she’s near is an indisputable sign.
When he spots her across the foyer, his face lights up and he heads
straights for her.

Pretty strong feelings have been burning
inside Olivia since the last time she saw him. It doesn’t help at
all that he has frequently been visiting her dreams. As he nears
her, the intensity of his green eyes set the butterflies already
fluttering in her stomach into a frenzy and a tingly kind of warmth
washes over her body. She can keep trying to deny it but it’s clear
that she has it bad for Ethan O’Connell. As he walks past the large
wooden desk in the foyer, on a direct path towards her, the
receptionist calls his name.

“Mr. O’Connell!” He doesn’t acknowledge her,
continuing right on past, on his way towards Olivia. His eyes
locked to hers.

Not to be ignored she pursues him with
eagerness. Olivia looks past him to see the receptionist heading
around the oversized desk towards them and scowling. As Ethan
reaches her she gets to her feet. “Hi.” There is something quiet
and almost shy in her greeting. His commanding presence
overwhelmingly strong when he’s in his element.

“Hey! You look like you’re feeling a lot
better.” Ethan reaches out and puts his hands on either side of her
shoulders and rubs them up and down in a manner that makes her
think it might turn into a hug, but they are interrupted by the
receptionist who is now standing right beside him. “Mr.
O’Connell.”

Olivia feels a little embarrassed for
stealing away his attention as he continues to ignore her. The
persistent receptionist, Hannah, stands tall and puffs out her
chest like a peacock trying to get his attention and allowing
Olivia to get her first full view of her. She is magazine
perfection. Long, lean legs leading up to what can’t be anymore
than a size 2 waist and the largest breasts she has ever seen.
Olivia looks down at herself and frowns at her curves. She wonders
how Ethan can be unaffected by her voluptuous presence but he seems
unfazed by her.

“Walk with me to my office.” He directs his
hand towards the hallway to the left.

Olivia glances at Hannah, almost as if she
is looking for her approval. “Oh well, I shouldn’t really.”

Pressing his hand on the small of her back,
he begins to gently guide her down the corridor and turns to the
receptionist who is now looking extremely bothered by his
dismissal. “Hannah, please hold all my calls.”

“But Mr. O’Connell…” Ethan shoots her a
warning look that immediately halts her. “Yes sir, I’ll hold all
your calls.” She returns to her post with a very sour look on her
face.

Olivia is glad to see that she’s not the
only woman who falls in line with one look from Ethan O’Connell.
She assumes that he probably has that effect on all the beautiful
women that are around him. Leaning in, she whispers to him. “I
think she’s pouting.” She finds her reaction a little odd for an
employee and wonders if her reaction to his dismissal is an
indication that they have more than just a business relationship.
Ethan leans in and whispers back. “Don’t worry, she’ll get over it.
She always does.”

She always does? What does that mean? Olivia
glances back for one last look at her, jealousy nibbling at her as
she wonders if he has slept with her. Trying to get the thought out
of her head she turns her attention to the art along the hallway.
When he ushers her into his office she’s immediately drawn to the
window view and walks directly to it.

“Do you like it?” He pours them both a glass
of water from a pitcher on his desk that has been filled with
freshly crushed ice and lemon slices. Hannah’s handiwork no doubt.
Why does the thought of this woman claw at her?

Olivia is quickly distracted by the
overwhelming view of the city from this height. “It’s beautiful.”
She turns back to Ethan who has joined her at the window and hands
her a glass. Taking a sip, she looks at him over the edge of the
glass and meets with his ardent stare. Stepping closer, he takes
the glass out of her hand, and puts it down on the windowsill. “You
are beautiful. I could gaze into your eyes forever. They promise me
all kinds of wonderful things. I feel lost in them and to be
perfectly honest with you, I don’t want to be rescued.”

Olivia takes a quick breath and tries to
hide her blush. “Always so poetic, Mr. O’Connell.” She takes the
opportunity to turn his game against him. “Tell me…does your
receptionist fall for your sweet talk?” She walks away leaving him
standing alone at the window smirking.

“My receptionist?” He turns and watches her
lean back against the edge of his desk. He’s pleased at the
jealousy in her tone. It’s proof that she does have feelings for
him.

“Yes, your receptionist. Have you kissed
her?” She fans her hand out in front of her, admires her bright red
nail polish, and then looks up at him.

“What?” He knows she’s teasing him. Mocking
the conversation they had about her date with Noah and turning his
little jealous inquisition against him.

“Have... you... kissed... her?” She raises
her eyebrows in a taunting manner. “It’s not a difficult question,
Ethan.” She fights hard to keep from smiling.

He unbuttons his jacket, shrugs it off his
shoulders and hangs it over the arm of a chair. Finding her
performance entertaining, a radiating grin forms on his lips. He
loosens his perfectly knotted tie and releases the button beneath
it. “No, I haven’t kissed her and before you go any further with
this line of questioning… I don’t sleep with my staff.” He undoes
the cuffs of his shirt and rolls them back one fold at a time
exposing his forearms. Watching him meticulously smooth out each
crease, in what seems to be a compulsive behavior, makes the hair
stand up on the back of her neck and a nervous chill move through
her. It’s a gesture she recognizes as a sign that he means
business, though she’s not entirely sure how she knows that.

“Hmmm, I don’t think that I believe
you.”