16 OWING HER HAND

"Tell me it's a joke!" Mary pleaded with him. She risked too much already, she lied to Daniel to get here and had no idea what reason she should invent to explain her long absence.

"Not really." He did not look like a man in the middle of a joke. Mary saw that there was no hope, and they were on the tenth floor so she could not just jump down from the window. She was trapped...

Now she thought that she was a big fool to come here and not to tell anyone except Olivia who definitely had no power over such a man as Jim Scott.

"Let's finish our meal," he said nonchalantly. "It's getting cold."

"I don't have any appetite." She pushed the plate further from her and took the wine. She needed it or otherwise she might go crazy.

"You probably think I'm an unworthy man who deceived you into coming here. But it's not true. I'll really help you, you'll receive the information you need tomorrow morning." He looked at the food which she refused to touch, "It's a pity the chicken died in vain."

Mary felt a pang of guilt, she really never left the meat on her plate, she thought that if those animals died to be eaten then it was an insult to their lives to throw away their meat. So after hearing his words she finished the chicken and left only vegetables on her plate.

Jim smiled affectionately; through all her actions he saw her big and warm heart. He only wished that in this big heart of hers could be at least a small place for him.

"Do you need to take a shower?" he asked.

Mary needed a shower but was afraid to take it; she could not trust him any longer, so she just refused. It seemed he read her mind because he said, "The door to the shower can be closed with a latch from inside. Maybe you do need a shower after all?"

"Maybe I do then…"

He showed her the room where she would be sleeping; the shower was in it. After he left the room she breathed out with relief. Maybe he behaved like a bastard that day, but at least now he was a gentleman again. Mary was glad to see that he had no special plans for her during the night and did not make any advances; he didn't touch her even once. She remembered that after barbecue party when they were talking in the kitchen he promised that he would not touch her. It seemed he was determined to keep his promise.

She locked the door to her room, there was no latch on it, the lock was a standard one in the door handle, and went to the shower. When she went out of it to her surprise Jim was inside the room already on the bed.

"What are you doing here?!" She exclaimed. She was too hasty to compliment his gentlemanlike behavior.

"Preparing for sleep, don't you see?" he pretended he did not understand what the problem was.

"But why here?"

"Because it's my bedroom… And you tried to lock the door to it."

"Then I will have to sleep somewhere else." Mary headed outside while he calmly remained on the bed as if knowing that she would return to him anyway.

And she did return.

"Where are other bedrooms?" she asked with despair in her voice.

"There are no other bedrooms, it's the only one," he still didn't get what the problem was.

"How can that be?! You're so rich and your flat has only one bedroom?"

"Oh, that's what you mean. Well, technically it's not my flat… I decided that it would be safer to meet with you on the neutral ground. This flat isn't registered under my name." Seeing that she froze in the middle of the room unsure what to do, he beckoned her to come to the other side of the bed, "Don't worry, I promised I won't touch you against your will anymore. The bed is big, there's room for both of us."

Mary could not fall asleep for a long time; she worried that her sleeping so close to Jim could be considered as a not very faithful behavior. But she really had no wish to sleep on the floor and she was sure that Jim also had no such intentions.

Jim was the first to rise in the morning, when he closed the dining room door behind him, he made a call.

"Did you find out who was following her yesterday?" He listened for the reply. "I see, it's good I chose this apartment, they don't know whom she was meeting. Bring me the documents which I asked for and keep an eye on the trail."

Mary woke up to see Jim sitting beside her with a breakfast tray, there were croissants on it and a cup of steaming coffee the thick aroma of which was filling the room. To her own surprise she realized that it was the first time in her entire life that someone brought breakfast on a tray to her bed. Her cheeks turned red and she was suddenly unsure how to behave. Jim noticed this change and guessed that for her this was a big deal. It made him a little sad because Daniel whom she held dear in her heart did not care enough to bring her breakfast even once.

While she ate he was watching her and she noticed deep regard in his eyes. Mary really didn't have a clue what was going on in his head! When she thought about all his unexplainable actions her head usually started to spin.

When she finished eating she asked, "What are we gonna do whole day long in this small apartment?"

"So you're already ok with staying?" He chuckled. "At first we will check the documents which I promised to show to you yesterday."

When she dressed she joined him in the dining room, he showed to her the copies of documents from Gabriella's company. He did not tell her where and how he managed to find them but they really turned out to be a scandal. He gave a piece of advice on how to use them better, but Mary had an idea of her own as well. He also gave her a couple of very scandalous photos of Gabriella, they were taken in a night club toilet where she was making out with some drunken guy whose name she probably did not even know.

So he kept his word… But what was the use of it if she was here and Daniel would break up with her because he would decide that she was cheating on him?

Just when she wanted to sound this claim to Jim he suddenly said, "The taxi is waiting for you outside, it'll take you back to your apartment."

It's not that she was not glad that he decided to free her, but for some reason she felt a little hurt by this sudden change.

"Do I owe you anything?" she asked watching him carefully.

"Only your hand…" he said casually but when he found no understanding in Mary's eyes he added, "Like in marriage…"

"Should I return the documents to you then?" Mary asked unsure because she had no plans of marrying him so far.

"No need, you'll pay your debt. Trust me on it..."

She shrugged as if saying that his failed expectations would be his own problem and then she let him see her out.

Already in the car Mary saw a message pop up on her phone screen:

"Remember my instructions and don't delete or block this number. It's a new one, no one except you will know it and recognize it😉."

The sender's number was already saved in her phone under a name "The-guy-hit-a-bit-too-hard".

Mary's jaw dropped.

While she was sleeping he took her blocked phone and somehow managed to put his number in it!

"Who is this man?!" Mary exclaimed in frustration and startled the driver.

But she re-saved the number none the less choosing another of her old contacts for substitution.

She only hoped that Daniel would not find out that she managed to leak her own number so soon.

When they reached her house she saw Marcus's car already parked in front of the house entrance.

"Damn it!" Mary exclaimed again startling the driver the second time.