Attraction by T. C. Anthony Page A

group and I were due to return to the States, I found Chloe on my doorstep, immobile and covered in blood. She had been bound, burned, and whipped so badly that he almost killed her. I rushed her to the hospital and spent the next few days getting her stable enough so that she could return to the US with the rest of the group. What baffled me the most was that through all that, she always maintained Lucas’s innocence, saying that he gave her only what she wanted and that it was her fault for not knowing how much she could handle.” Alexander’s emotions poured through every word he spoke as if he were living through the pain right in front of me.
    And at that moment, my chest panged from the devastation I had myself just made him relive. “Is that why you almost killed Michael? Because you thought of Chloe and what had happened to her?”
    “When Marcus told me what you had said—about Michael only doing to you what you wanted him to do—I envisioned you getting sucked into the hell that Chloe had dove in to. I almost killed Michael because, unlike with Chloe, I am adamantly and insatiably in love with you. The only two people I’ve loved in my life—my parents—were cruelly ripped away from me by death. I latched onto Chloe because she had suffered the same loss as I had. I hadn’t opened my self up to love but our sadness united us and I assured myself that because of that, she couldn’t hurt me. I pained not for letting go or losing Chloe but because she a promise of security and love for me. And that love was ripped away by something that no woman—no human being should ever succumb to. I need you to know that I would rather spend an eternity dying a thousand deaths than to have anything like that happen to you.” Alexander reached for my hands and took both to his lips and sealed his words with the sweetest kiss, which held the promise of eternal devotion. “I don’t fear pain. I don’t fear death. I shall never again fear loss as long as I know I will never lose you.”
    And with those words, and that kiss, I let the conversation die, leaving us only with love and not an inkling of sorrow.
    The rest of breakfast was pleasant. We ate and chatted about almost nothing—silly things really. Movies that we wanted to see, funny things we had done in our childhood—things that a normal couple would customarily discuss in the beginning of a relationship. The funny thing was, Alexander and I were far from being a normal couple.
    “Hey, I have a meeting tonight with a client. It was supposed to be just us two for dinner, but he is here in town with his wife, and I thought maybe it would be nice for the four of us to go to dinner.”
    Alexander’s general itinerary didn’t begin or conclude with a question, and considering my most recent events, I felt weary about having anything contrary to say.
    “Sure. I’d love to. I will have to get something appropriate to wear, so just let me know how dressy or casual the locale will be.” Accepting his dinner plans, I went along very willingly.
    By the floored look on Alexander’s face as I continued spooning food into his dish, he was taken aback by my easygoing and unquestioning newfound attitude.
    Alexander responded slowly, “Um, OK. I’ll have Brant take you up to Saks for something.”
    I nodded and smiled graciously and returned to the topic of movies.
    Later in the day, Brant obliged and accompanied me to do some shopping while Alexander showered and dressed for the evening. Though I would have much rather stayed with Alexander and helped him lather up his tightened, and sculpted david-esque body; Alexander convinced me that being well dressed for the evening was more important.
    I wasn’t a stranger to having dinner with clients and when those clients brought their wives along, I knew I had to present my self pristinely but not overly sexy. Even though the business wasn’t my own; I would be on display so I decided on an ensemble by Yves Saint