5 comments/ 40388 views/ 16 favorites Stock Ch. 01-18 By: LordRaven This is by an adult for adults. If you are under legal age then get out. If you find that any of my material is offensive then don't read it. That's all I have to say about that. As for the rest of you. Enjoy! Chapter 1 Uncomfortable would be a good word to describe how Sean felt at the moment. Underage would have fit his situation even better. Decadence was shown lavishly about the dining hall; velvet curtains, silk hangings, tasteful paintings, and enormous crystal chandeliers hung everywhere to give the whole place the air of decadence and "old money". It was a GenenCorp shareholder's meeting to celebrate the company's breakthrough success in the pharmaceutics industry and Sean had been invited. He may be one of the largest independent shareholders at the decadent dinner, with up to thirty-four percent of the company's stock but he most definitely did not belong. Sean was twenty-two years old. So, to repeat what he was already thinking, he was very uncomfortable. Fact of the matter was he wasn't all that social a person. He went out little, preferring the company of a good book to most people he knew and never was into the wild party seen that many of his college buddies favored. He hardly thought of himself as anti-social, far from it, he enjoyed a good conversation or better yet a good debate on society and its morals, but he was a loner. And so, Sean sat in the far corner of the room sipping an excellent vintage of cabernet sauvignon while he watched and listened to other shareholders boasting about their other investments while at the same time hiding how they play the market. It was disgusting. Sean could tell right away that most of them didn't have a clue as to what they were doing and simply stumbled across GenenCorp's stock by pure luck, a total shot in the dark to spend their leftover play money on. Sean knew the company had potential from the start. No insider info on this venture. He had been closely monitoring the company since it first built itself from the ground up, observing closely what went in and what came out. As he had predicted, GenenCorp's stock skyrocketed within a year and instantly Sean went from a scrounging college student with a BS is biochemistry to a millionaire. Of course none of his friends knew that, Sean's living habits didn't change. He still lived in the same two-bedroom apartment for the past three years while he worked on his graduate's degree in biochemistry and whittled away the time at his computer, monitoring stocks and reading. It was his idle hobby of watching the market that landed him with over six million dollars worth of stocks. To say he was ahead of schedule to retire early would be an understatement. If he so chose, Sean could retire right now and simply continue day trading. So why was he here? He thought idly to himself. Sean wasn't so sure himself. A part of him thought it might be exciting to dress up and rub elbows with the rich and maybe find out any tidbits of useful information about GenenCorp from the board of directors that should be floating around. But there was more to it then that he supposed. He wasn't quite sure what else it was that drew him to the meeting but there was more than a need to get out every once in a while. Sean took another sip of his wine as he continued to scan the crowd. He always did that; old habits die hard. Then again, he never did try to stop himself from observing a room; he simply did it. He just didn't notice he subconsciously did it until he was thirteen. Sean popped a cracker with caviar in his mouth just as she sat down next to him and he nearly choked. Seemingly out of nowhere a woman with raven-black hair in a stunning black dress that hinted at some very sensual curves pulled up a chair beside him and sat herself down. She wasn't very tall, only 5'4" judging by how she sat beside him, but she carried herself as if she were at least six-foot. She didn't look a day past thirty, but considering the crowd he was in Sean would roughly guess she was closer to thirty-two. She coolly pulled a fluke of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter and took a light sip. Sean didn't know what to say, too flabbergasted by the fierce intelligence that flared brightly behind her soft brown eyes, so he sat there dumbly, put on his poker face, and then turned back to watch the crowd, not wanting to make a major faux pas and scare the woman away. He did, though, continue to watch her from the corner of his eye. Just as she did with him. "I know this is awkward but I need your help," she said in a voice that was as enchanting to hear as she was to look at. She took another sip of her champagne as her eyes swept the crowd. Then Sean saw what she was looking out for and the only thought that ran through his head was, Oh shit. Breaking through the crowd was a man that was roughly 6'2" and at least two hundred pounds, all muscle, with a dark scowl on his face and he was heading straight for them. While Sean did stay in shape from hiking in the nearby hills and going to the gym whenever he could he very well knew that he looked very average when it came to physicality. At just 5'9" and a hundred and eighty pounds Sean definitely was not a Mr. Universe. Why the raven-haired woman chose to sit by him, he had no idea. Under the table he could feel the woman's manicured nails digging into his thigh as she calmly looked at the charging bull that stormed his way toward them. Unfortunately for Sean, he was never one to turn down a plea for assistance. He dropped his hand under the table and reassuringly held the woman's hand. She slowly let go and snuck a quick look at him, smiling in relief. Under other circumstances, Sean would have said something to break the ice but as it was, the hulking man was towering over the woman and was staring darkly over the both of them. "Well hello, Charles," she said in an endearing tone. Her eyes flashed daggers. "How wonderful to see you. Tell me, how are the Twins? Are they keeping you happy?" The tall man's gaze grew even darker and looked about to explode in fury. "'They' are fine, Elizabeth" he spat out between clenched teeth. "There seems to be a bit of a problem with the papers we signed last week." "Oh, really?" "Yes. It would appear that you now hold all the shares of GenenCorp. That is, all the shares that I bought." "Now, Charles, you and I both agreed on those settlement papers years ago. And those shares became mine the moment you signed them. No point crying over spilt milk, dear." Her endearing smile and tone disappeared. "Your loss." Charles' eyes hardened and his muscles bunched up as his arms rose to throttle Elizabeth. "I suggest you do nothing rash." It was the first words Sean had said all evening. Elizabeth and Charles both stopped what they were doing and looked at Sean. "As you can see, Elizabeth and I were in the middle of something when you barged in here. And I would take great offense if you said or did anything that would cause her any duress." It was Sean's turn to give a challenging glare. It was true though. He was never the kind of person to stand idly by while someone else was in trouble when he could do something to help. He supposed he got that annoying habit from reading too many fantasy novels. "You, stay out of this," Charles said while he pointed a meaty finger at Sean, "Elizabeth, you are coming with me. Now." Sean looked over at Elizabeth to see her respond. She didn't say anything but looked at him with pleading eyes, her fingernails dug into his thigh once more. That was all the reply he needed. "I'm sorry…Charles is it? Well, I'm sorry but it would appear Elizabeth does not wish your company at the moment." He stood up and lifted Elizabeth's arm slightly signaling her to stand as well. "Now, if you'll excuse us. I believe…" Sean never finished as Charles made to shove him aside. Charles never finished the motion and his arms were brushed away before they could touch. Sean hoped this didn't end violently. He hated getting into violent situations. Surprised at being so easily fended off by a smaller man, Charles put his whole body into a push that would have knocked Sean flat on his back. Too bad for Charles Sean wasn't standing there any more. Sean sidestepped the larger man easily and tripped him with his foot. Charles lost his balance and fell face forward right into a waiter with a tray of red wine, which sent a fount of red right onto Charles dark gray suit. The clatter from the shattering crystal and silver tray drew everyone's attention where Charles stood amidst the mess, Sean had taken several tactful steps into the crowd already with Elizabeth perched on his arm. Charles spun around red-faced with embarrassment and anger but couldn't find the two and in a huff stormed back out of the dining hall. The crowd returned to buzzing about their initial conversations after a few inquiring comments into the interruption then continued on without a fuss. An unseen hand helped the waiter up and apologized for the larger fellow that knocked him over and placed a hundred-dollar bill in his breast pocket. "Thank you very much for helping me out back there." Sean turned around and found a pair of soft brown eyes that spoke volumes more than the words. It was apparent that she was frightened to death of Charles. Then Sean pieced it all together. "No doubt your ex-husband has a varying opinion on that." Elizabeth's right eyebrow perked up at his words and smiled a small smile that made Sean's heart flip. "Is there anything more that I can help you out with? Fight off muggers, save your kidnapped children, defend your honor?" "This isn't the way I had planned on meeting people. But I have to admit that the approach has its merits." "Such as?" "Meeting dashing young men that are willing to rescue the damsel in distress." The two of them laughed at that and were soon in a long conversation that put Sean's mind at ease in the large crowd and Elizabeth's from her ex-husband. Elizabeth had recently divorced Charles, only a month since the ink dried on the settlement papers, and now she was a single woman with plenty of money and endless amount of time on her hands. A dangerous combination, Sean thought, and he said so. God, she had a beautiful laugh. She came to the party for the same reason he did, to simply get out of the house and ‘to play dress up' as she put it. Sean was surprised at how such a dazzling woman was so intelligent. Most of the girls he met in college didn't even have so much as half the good looks that Elizabeth did and didn't even so much as hold a matchstick to the bonfire of intellect that she possessed. Almost everything she did spoke confidence and daring that Sean found alluring and extremely sexy. But there was more to her than that. She had depth, a strong sense of self that he hadn't found anywhere else; and he had most definitely looked. He found that when she made her choices she stuck with them, unlike other girls his age that vacillated from one choice to the other and then finally went back again after they thought they had made up their mind. In other words, she wasn't fickle. Again, that strong sense of self kept hypnotizing him as the two of them talked about everything and nothing. "So tell me," Elizabeth said as she took a sip of her champagne, "What is college-boy like you doing in an overly decadent dinner party such as this? Don't you have a beer bash to get to?" "Gee, you're right," Sean said sarcastically, "I forgot all about the frat party tonight. I guess I'll have to apologize to all the other drunken college students who I don't know or care about in the haze of bong smoke, now won't I? Honestly, I was never part of that crowd and if you ever catch me in it as I burn away my youth, go ahead and shoot me. I probably would thank you for it in the afterlife. The party-hardy life was never my gig." "And the classy dinner party is?" "Well, I'm not much for any party scene at all. To tell you the truth, large crowds make me nervous. But I tell you what. There is one thing going for the classy dinner party." "And what is that?" "The classy beautiful women, of course." Sean said that while looking deep into Elizabeth's eyes and had the desired effect of making her blush. "My, my and a charmer too." "But of course! Care to dance?" Elizabeth arched that eyebrow of hers again and Sean nearly melted on the spot. Instead of doing that though, he took her proffered hand and raised it to his lips then led her to the dance floor. The band had struck up a hot tango and Sean was glad he took the ballroom dancing classes that his friends ribbed him about. Sean wasn't surprised that Elizabeth could dance as well. Matter of fact, she was a fantastic dancer and with that black dress she wore had all the heads turned in their direction as the two of them swept the floor to the sultry music. Dancing with her was like holding on to a livewire, an electric charge zipping through every touch of skin accentuated with every step and turn. If she was a livewire then Sean never wanted be grounded even if it were the death of him, dancing with her felt that good. The band finished up and the two of them ended holding each other tightly, breathing heavily from the exciting dance. Again that burning light in her eyes had flared up and Sean was tempted to kiss her, crowd be-damned. But he didn't. The mere fact that he thought about it gave him a giddy rush; he was never this bold, especially around women. The two of them looked at one another for a brief moment then Elizabeth led them off the dance floor to their table, a wide grin on her face. "Wow," were the first things out of her mouth as they sat down to catch their breath. "Enjoy yourself?" "Immensely," she continued. "I haven't danced like that since…well since ever! I'm surprised I still remember the steps since when I took those classes in college. ‘Bout damn time I put it to use. God, listen to me go on. I haven't had that much fun in years." "Didn't look like you had forgotten much," Sean commented, "How long ago since you took those classes." "I'd have to say at least twe…" she caught herself but it was too late. "Damn, I shouldn't have let that slip." She had a bemused look on her face. Twelve years. That would roughly put her at thirty to thirty-four unless she got more than a bachelor's degree. "Doesn't matter, I would have found out eventually by our second date." Did he just say that? "My, my. Second date. Aren't we the confident one? What makes you say that there will be even a first date?" "Because, like you said. You haven't had this much fun in years. You're a free woman now and I would be sorely disappointed if you didn't revel in it at first. Second, because I've always had at least a second date." He didn't mention that he had only had one girlfriend in his high school senior year but that lasted for over a year. "So, could I get your number?" Chapter 2 What was she doing? She had never felt so nervous before. Elizabeth combed out her black hair, braided it, and then pinned it up. She hoped Sean liked it. He was just as fun over the phone as he was in person. They talked every night of the week and now she was going to see him again tonight. She had been anxiously waiting for Saturday night to come and now that it was here she was terrified. So many thoughts ran through her head. What did he see in her? Why did he ask her out? Did he have any idea who he had humiliated at the dinner party? She thought she was done with relationships and getting into trouble after she divorced her husband but now she was jumping into a whole new set of problems. She had vowed to herself that she wasn't going to get into anything entangling, just sit back, relax and enjoy the money that Charles was more than happy to give her in order to shut her up. And now, she was jumping into something entirely new with a younger man. A much younger man. She was thirty-four for Chrissakes! Granted, Sean made her feel like she was ten years younger but that wasn't it. There was more to it when he danced with her at the dinner party than just feeling young again, somehow he had gotten under her skin. There was something else about him that made her feel like she was the younger one. The door chimed. Oh shit! He's here already! She looked up at the clock. He was ten minutes early! Didn't he know better than to show up early? He didn't give her time to put her makeup on. Barefoot, she made her way down the stairs and opened the door. It wasn't Sean. It was Charles. "Hello, Elizabeth." Her heart froze in terror; she didn't know what to say. "How kind of you to get all dressed up for me." The icy look in his eyes brought back so many terrible memories. Charles overpowered her and stepped into the house and shut it behind her. "Now it wasn't very nice of you to have left me like that at the dinner party the other night was it? Was it?!!" "Well hello again," Elizabeth fought to keep the fear from reaching her voice, "I thought we had an agreement to stay away from each other." "What, you actually believed I would stay away from you? After the humiliation you caused me with stunt with the GenenCorp stock?" Elizabeth found herself on the cold marble floor, her jaw throbbing. "Listen, bitch. No one makes a fool out of a Talworth, are we clear?" All Elizabeth could manage to do was gasp for air when his foot swung up and knocked the air out of her. "I SAID…" "I believe Elizabeth heard you just fine." Sean. She didn't hear the door chime. Charles must not have locked the door. Sean will get the crap beaten out of him. Oh, God, Sean, get out of here. RUN! But the words never came as she continued to catch her breath. All she could do was play silent witness when he got beat up. "You again!" She watched Charles turn around to face the college boy. "You have a little something coming to you, you little twit. No crowd to hide in this time." Elizabeth watched from the floor as Charles threw a meaty fist at Sean. Again, Sean wasn't where the punch was aimed and appeared beside Charles. Elizabeth could hardly follow the flurry of punches and elbows that Sean rained down on her ex-husband and stared when Sean launched himself in the air while grabbing Charles by the collar, rolled backwards, and hurled the larger man out the open door. The door slammed shut and Sean was by her side asking where she was hurt. She felt herself being lifted then placed gently on the couch by the fireplace. She heard him make some noise in the hall bathroom and then in the kitchen. A soft washcloth soaked in hot water was placed on her brow and gentle fingers probed her body for tender spots. She flinched when he touched her ribs and then moved on. The whole time she heard Sean softly cursing himself for showing up too late to help her before Charles could have harmed her. By then Elizabeth had regained her breath and placed a hand on his to calm him. "Sean, I'm okay." "Like hell you are. You just lay there and I'll see what I can do." Elizabeth brushed away his hands and sat up. As much as she enjoyed the pampering, she had been through a lot worse and his efforts were very much appreciated but unnecessary. "Sean, really, I'm fine. I just had the wind knocked out of me is all." She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. "But I could really go for a hug right now." He returned her hug, carefully avoiding where Charles had kicked her. She may have felt like crying right then but she didn't. All those tears were shed a long time ago. "It looks like I came just in the nick of time to rescue you again, O fair maiden." Elizabeth chuckled at that and pushed back to take a good look at him. He definitely didn't look like he could take on someone nearly twice his size. What exactly was all that? Stock Ch. 01-18 "I must say though," Sean whispered in her ear, "This has got to be the most exciting first date I have ever been on." "I'm so sorry you had to see all that." She didn't want to say it but she had to. "If…" damn this shouldn't be so hard. "If you don't want to talk to me anymore I understand and…" A finger on her lips cut her off. "No apologies." He cupped her face and stared intently at her with those beautiful brown eyes of his. "I'll have none of that. I have to admit, you definitely screwed up what I had planned for the evening but that's okay, hardly your fault. But the night's still young," he grinned at her, "and so am I. So how about we pick something up at the video store and order us a pizza and call it even. I'll even be gallant enough to order for you." That got a laugh out of her and she hugged him again. "I'll take that as a yes." * * * "Hey, I think she likes it!" Elizabeth could only nod as she took another bite out of the pizza with chicken and pesto. "I didn't know they made pizza with pesto. How'd you find out about it?" "You kidding me? I'm a college student. To me pizza is cuisine." She smiled around her slice while they watched Magnolia. She had never seen it before and he said it was one of his favorites. "Tom Cruise at his finest," he said at the video store. "Really?" she couldn't help saying, "I thought he was very fine in Top Gun. Fine bod, fine butt, fine…" "I get the point," he muttered, and then chuckled. "Plus there's Julianne Moore. Talk about fine." "Touché." "Speaking of fine," he bent over and nuzzled her neck. "Oh my God," she gasped in surprise. "You keep this up and I'll take you right here in the store. What will the people think?" "Nothing as bad as what's running through my mind," and he gave her warm body another squeeze as he briefly nuzzled her again. Jesus Buddha did I just say and do that? Man, Sean, what's gotten into you? "Sorry, couldn't help myself." "No apologies," she fired back without missing a beat. They got back without any further incidences and Sean wrapped his arm around Elizabeth's shoulder and she wrapped hers around his waist like it was the most natural thing in the world. Sean held her close all night. She was a tough cookie but from what happened earlier in the evening she didn't have much choice in the matter. He gave her a gentle squeeze and she snuggled a little closer. He wasn't sure what it was about her but she definitely seemed to light his fire, and stoke it. She was beautiful for starters but it was more than that. There was that light of intelligence in her eyes hiding behind a playful glint. But sometimes when she thought he wasn't looking there was a pained expression on her face. Whatever it was he was willing to wait for her to tell him. No use rushing skeletons out of the closet. There was a good chance it had something to do about the age difference. She didn't say how old she was but they both knew that she was a good deal older than he was. In the end he hoped that they could put that behind them. He too had his own reservations about seeing a much older woman so he shouldn't be one to complain but he really liked her. Maybe, just maybe they could have something lasting. His best friend, Cheryl, said ‘Guys like you aren't the dating type. You're the marrying type.' And he had to agree. He only had one other girlfriend before that lasted for a year, and in terms of high school time anything longer than three months was considered serious, a year was almost unheard of. The movie ended and Sean let it sink in. "So, how'd you like it?" "Well, I must say the ending was very interesting. I'll never look at frogs the same way again. And Tom Cruise had an interesting role. There wasn't so much a plot so much as a group of stories but it all tied together in an interesting fashion. All in all it was a great movie." "I'm glad you enjoyed it." The two fell quiet, listening to the tape rewind, not saying anything. It was a comfortable silence and they just sat there and cuddled for a bit. Silence may be golden but all things come to an end. "Sean?" "What?" "I really like you, you know." "I figured as much." "I'm really glad you decided to stay." "I am too." "Sean?" He chuckled. "Yes, dear?" "I was wondering if you would stay the night." Sean had to take a moment to think about that one. "That depends ‘Liz." "On what?" "On what ‘staying the night' entails." "Oh! Um, no sex for you?" She said it so coquettishly that Sean couldn't help laughing out loud. He turned her around to face him, tilted down, and rubbed his nose on hers, causing her to giggle. "I wouldn't want to rush anything worth having. And anything with you is worth all the time in the world." "I like that answer. One point for you." Sean couldn't help smiling. "I have to be honest with you though. The flirting at the video store was very uncharacteristic of me. You just seem to bring out the bolder side of me for some reason. I just want to let you know that considering the circumstances you were in with your ex-husband I understand if you want to go very slow. I really like you too and…" Come on Sean just say it, "and I'm hoping that something can really become of this." He stopped a moment to let his words sink in. "I have to warn you though I don't like being jerked around. But then again you don't seem like the kind of person to do that. The reason I say this is because I haven't had a girlfriend since my senior year in high school and it was something serious for a year before I broke it off." He took a breath. "What I'm trying to say is I'm a dedicated person who's looking for something long term. If you're just looking for some short fling with a younger guy then look elsewhere and tell me what you want right now because I need to know before I start investing myself in this." "You are the sweetest thing, you know that?" she buried herself in his arms. "I'm so glad you said that. No, I don't believe in one-night stands either. Personally I think one nighters are pointless trysts that leave one emptier than fulfilled. They are a waste of time and effort…" "And money…" he added; she laughed. "And yes, that too. Really, I don't know what I want right now. But it definitely isn't short term. To tell you the truth I don't really trust my own judgment right now when it comes to men. After the last one, as you saw, it was more than a complete disaster. But you seem like a nice guy that I'm getting to like more and more the more we talk. One thing at a time though, one day at a time. It will take me a while to build up enough trust to give to anyone right now. Please be patient." "That, my dear, is something I am," he enjoyed holding her. She felt marvelous cuddled up in his arms. "Now do you plan for us to just crash out here or do you have something more accommodating in mind?" "Oh, you don't think having me curled up in your lap is accommodating?" He laughed. "Well I most certainly do but we are going to wake up with some serious kinks in our muscles." "That's okay, then we could just work on giving each other back rubs." "Good point." "You're impossible! I was being facetious." She stood up and grabbed his hand, leading him up the stairs. "Oh, shoes off please. No shoes on the second floor. I hate a dirty carpet. Besides it feels good on the toes." "Okay." And he walked towards her and pinned her to the wall. "What are you doing?" Sean bent over and lifted her right foot and took off her shoe then proceeded to give a light foot rub. "Following orders and taking off shoes. You didn't say whose." He switched to the other foot and repeated the process. Sean slipped his own shoes off with ease and stood up again, staring into Elizabeth's eyes. He could lose himself in them for a very long time, which he did. He stroked her cheek with the back of his right hand and kissed her gently on the lips. Since this was only the second time he had ever had a girlfriend he didn't have any real ground rules so there were no habits to break, just went on instinct. He was rewarded when she returned the gesture and kissed him back. Elizabeth was delicious. Sean pulled out of the kiss and nibbled a bit on her lower lip, her eyes were still closed. When she opened them again he continued the eye contact then winked at her. Elizabeth grinned bashfully then screamed in surprise as he quickly dropped and picked her up, cradling her in his deceptively strong arms. She continued to scream and flail while he carried her in his arms, grinning like the cat that caught the canary. "You crazy sonofabitch," she screamed. She was laughing now. "Put me down. I'll scream…err…again!" Her laughter was like sunshine rain. "God, you're impossible. Are you always going to be this difficult?" "Only when I think you're really enjoying yourself." "You're too much." Sean climbed the stairs easily, navigated the hallway under her direction, and set her down gently on a four-posted queen bed with white comforters and large pillows. "Nah, I've just had a lot bottled up over the years. You have any idea how hard it is to find a woman as fun as you are? Let's put it this way, I am a twenty-two year old in the prime of his youth and have been looking for the past three years for the right girl to fill that emptiness inside of me when I ended my first and last relationship before, until you. You're beautiful, you're classy, smart, witty, and have a laugh that makes my heart melt. I haven't had this much fun in years. I enjoy your company Elizabeth…err…Just what is your last name?" "Well, it was Talworth but as you probably have guessed I don't want to be associated with that sleaze ball anymore, so I guess its Richards." "Richards, huh?" She nodded. "Then I take it that your mother was the one that gave you your Asian heritage? Chinese I suspect." "Yes." It was her turn to ask the questions. "And you're full blooded Chinese?" "Yea. Made in Taiwan to be precise." He loved the sound of her laugh. "Born here?" "Nope. Came here when I was three but as you've guessed I'm a veritable twinkie. You know, yellow on the outside, very white inside. I was raised on Sesame Street, Legos, and Shakespeare." "White inside, hmm? I wonder how creamy." "You're horrible," he laughed, "You are going to have to wait to find out. Uh-uh-uh! You're idea." She pouted a bit then smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you." "For what?" "Just for being here. I get lonely sometimes around here. I don't get out much so I spend most of my time researching stocks. But that can get boring after a while. Speaking of stocks, you never did answer why you were at that dinner party. You a major shareholder?" "Yea, I hold a good chunk of their shares. Bought them early in the game, too. Before their rhinovirus research was widely known. So I got a good price for it." "How many shares we talking here? GenenCorp stock is pretty hard to come by. Rumor has it some stock tycoon nearly cornered the whole market on it and is holding a third of the public shares." "Thirty-four percent actually," he turned away and looked out the window. "Two hundred seventy-eight thousand and forty-eight shares at the ongoing price of twenty-four and a sixteenth dollars per share. Bringing it to a total of roughly 6.67 million pre-tax dollars." "Sean? How do you know those numbers?" He didn't say anything. Just held her closely. "You're the stock tycoon aren't you?" Again, he didn't say anything and continued to hold her. She shrugged out of his embrace and stood up. "I'm dating another fucking millionaire." "Look, Elizabeth..." "No, you look," she was breathing heavily now. "I have spent the past ten years of my life in a certifiable nightmare because I was stupid enough to think I was in love with an asshole who dazzled me with all his money. That money has a very short chain. And I am not going to wind up as another trophy wife. Get out." "Elizabeth…" "Get out of my FUCKING HOUSE!" Sean stood up and made his way down the stairs, his head hanging heavily between his shoulders, feeling every icy prick of Elizabeth's eyes on the back of his head. He reached the front door, grabbed his coat, and pulled out a pen and a small notepad from the breast pocket. He quickly scribbled something down and left it on the shoe rack. She immediately snatched it off the rack and tore his heart to pieces. Chapter 3 "…and I got my term paper back today. Guess what? I got an ‘A'!" Cheryl was bubblier than usual, euphoric from her grade but she knew when someone wasn't listening. "Sean, I said I got an ‘A'." "Huh? Oh, yeah. Good for you Cheryl. I'm happy for you." "Sean," this usually wasn't like him. He usually listened whenever they talk unless he was playing video games but this time he wasn't. "What's going on? All last week you seemed giddy and happy and this week you look like you just failed a final or something. Is something wrong?" "No, well, yes. But I don't think you'll be able to help. It's just something I have to figure out on my own." Cheryl was a little surprised by his reticent behavior; he usually could talk to her about anything. If he didn't want to talk to her about it then it was probably pretty serious. She checked her watch. Damnit, she had class to get to. "Look, Sean. I got class in ten minutes, I better get going. I'll be back at my place in an hour or two. If you want to talk about it then call me, okay?" "It's pretty dark out, I'll walk you to your car." When they got to the parking lot, Sean was glad he was walking his best friend to her car. He had an uneasy feeling as they walked through the poorly lit lot and it wasn't just from thinking about Elizabeth. If it were a mugger or a car jacker then maybe he had deterred him from harming Cheryl. He closed her door and watched her car leave. That uneasy feeling only grew stronger after her car had left. He was being watched. Three large shadows appeared from behind a car and headed for him. Sensing what was very likely to happen, Sean relaxed his mind and mentally loosened his muscles. The three walked up to him and soon had his exit blocked. No matter, he wasn't planning on running. "We have a message for you from a mutual friend of ours." Sean crouched a little and balanced on the balls of his feet. "It seems that you've been messing with our friend's girl. He says to leave her alone or expect another visit from us." As the large figure said this the three goons closed in. The two that didn't talk moved in first, going for his arms. Sean charged one, feinted a punch but instead kicked the knee while the attacker's guard was up. A sickening crunch was followed by a scream, which Sean silenced with an elbow to the throat. Putting his weight into it, Sean, grabbed the first one by his sweater and swung him around, easily done since he only had one good leg to balance on, into the second guy. Sean bolted for the third one, surprising him, and landed a solid kick to the chest, knocking him back several feet. He spun around quickly and raced back to the second who was still trying to untangle himself from his buddy. Number two never saw Sean coming until it was too late and was sprawled on the floor in half a second. The third guy stood his ground and warily looked at his comrades sprawled on the asphalt. "Now, you have a choice," Sean said. "You can tell our mutual friend to go leave me and Elizabeth alone and leave here uninjured. Or, you can still try to deliver your message and still deliver my message with my particular handwriting sported in black and blue on your body. Balls in your court, bub. What's it gonna be?" The large man stepped to the side and Sean calmly walked around him. He stopped and turned around. The large man stiffened and stared at Sean. Slowly, Sean reached into his breast pocket and the large man's eyes widened in fear. Sean pulled out his wallet and dropped four one hundred dollar bills on the floor. "For your friends." When Sean left the parking lot he ran back up to his apartment and opened the door opposite his bedroom. He stood there for a moment deciding whether or not to bring what was in it. No, not yet. Hopefully not ever. He closed the door and locked it. By the time Sean got back to the parking lot the three ruffians were gone, a small trail of blood the only token of them having been there. He hopped into his black '98 Corolla and sped off. Many things ran through his head while he drove and he wiped them from his mind, trying to focus on what lay ahead. He hoped he didn't arrive too late like last time. Sean first took a tour around Elizabeth's block, thankfully not finding the black Mercedes parked nearby. He quickly pulled into Elizabeth's driveway and ran up to her door. He rang the chime and waited. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the flutter of a curtain. Good, she was being cautious now. Hopefully she had cooled down enough from three nights ago to talk to him. The door opened a crack, a chain hanging between door and jamb. "I thought I made it clear I didn't want to see you again." "I can't altogether agree with that but right now that isn't an option, yours or mine. Charles is very likely on his way here as we speak. It's your choice whether you want to deal with a perceived threat or a real one. I came here as soon as I could after three of his goons tried roughing me up a bit. They didn't do a very good job of it. Can I please come in?" The door closed on him, he heard the chain sliding from the latch, and the door opened again. She left it open and walked to the living room. Sean closed it behind him and slid the chain in place and locked the new deadbolt. "You want to talk? Talk," she said icily. The cold tone in her voice had finally gotten on his nerves. Something about the way she stood and the way she looked had gotten to him. Damn stubborn women. "That's it. I've just about had it. I've been kicking myself around for the past three nights, trying to see where I screwed up. But now I just realized it's not me. You had no right to yell at me Saturday night and you know it. I understand that you must have been through hell with that asshole ex of yours so I'm willing to cut you some slack for it. But the last three nights have pretty much worn out my tolerance and my patience. You are not being very fair to me. Yes, I have a lot of money. So what? I thought you liked me for who I was, not what I am. I thought you were a person of values and would have learned from your past that money doesn't count towards character. Matter of fact, it was that that brought me to ask you out in the first place. I thought your view of me would not be tainted by the money. I find I direly miscalculated. I don't really care about my money; I hardly ever spend it. Nor do I think money makes me more privileged than others. Nor grants me any rights above others. I am not Charles, I am not a tyrant." Sean sighed and sat down on the white leather couch, his mind spinning. "I really like you ‘Liz. From the moment you plopped down on the seat next to me you took my breath away, and not only from your looks. I looked in your eyes and what I saw was what I've been looking for, although I didn't know it at the time. You really hurt me last Saturday. I…I just needed to say that. If you don't want to be with me romantically then fine, that's your choice. Right now though I'm just concerned about a lovely woman who I've gotten to know over the past week who's in trouble." Sean got up from the couch. "If you need me my car's parked in your driveway where I'll be standing watch." The whole time he didn't look at her, just stared into the empty bleached marble fireplace. He looked down now when he felt her hand clutch his, raising it to her tear streaked face. "Please, don't go," she managed to say between sobs. Sean sat back down and wrapped his arms around her. "I know…I know I…" Stock Ch. 01-18 Sean shushed her and just held her tightly, cradling her precious heart in his arms. They stayed like that for the next ten minutes until she managed to calm herself and simply sat there silently letting her grief seep out. "God, what did that monster do to you," Sean managed to whisper. Just then the door boomed with heavy pounding. "Speak of the devil." Sean tried to get up but Elizabeth just clutched him all the tighter. "Look, you run up to your room and hide. I'll see what I can do to Charley boy out there to deter him." His voice spoke the last sentence portending darkly of what he had in mind. "No," she said, light flashing in her eyes. "This is my fight, not yours. I'll talk to him, I'll have to sooner or later and it would be better on my own terms than on his." She stood up and gave him a mock scowl. "But if it starts getting rough you had better be there or I'll give you a few lumps for not taking mine." Her grin became a smile and Sean beamed one right back at her. That was the woman he fell for last week. "Go hide behind the door and listen. If things start to get hairy just do your karate thingy or whatever that is." Sean was a little miffed by that. His ‘karate thingy'? He was going to have to talk to her about that. The door pounded again and Sean sprung up and hid behind the door as Elizabeth opened it. "Hello again, Charles," she answered the door frostily, her hand still holding it open. "Whose car is that in the driveway?" "If you really must know it belongs to that young chap that made a poor show of you twice now. I happen to be thanking him in the bedroom. Now, what is it you want?" "Lying bitch," Sean could just imagine the sneer on the man's face. "I know for a fact that he isn't here. I have a few friends keeping him company right now. You remember Albert and the gang, don't you?" Sean's breath froze at that. "I see that you do," he continued, "And seeing as your little toy is probably broken now let's see if we can finish our last conversation." Sean saw Charles' arm rise from between the space in between the door and jamb. Immediately he put his shoulder to the door and slammed it in the man's face. He heard a yelp of surprise and pain along with some groaning. Apparently Charles was leaning in a bit and took some of the door right on the nose. Elizabeth had a neutral look on her face, still on edge. They heard a cell phone ring through the door and a lot of cussing on Charles' part. "What do you mean he got away? And what do you mean Fred's in the hospital?" Another string of purple words. Sean tapped Elizabeth lightly on the shoulder to get her attention then winked at her with a mischievous grin. He flung the door open, "Hey, what the fuck is the meaning of all this? Oh, it's you again. Elizabeth, I thought I told you to let me deal with this little prick." He easily shoved Charles down the walkway, most of the fight taken out of him from the broken nose and surprise phone call. "I see your messengers didn't arrive in time to tell you that I just kicked their collective asses and to tell you that I want you to leave me and Elizabeth alone." Another shove. "Now get out of my sight before I give you a taste of what I gave your buddies!" And just like that, Charles ran for his car and sped off like the devil was chasing him. Sean bent over laughing as soon as the car turned the corner. "That was perfect! I couldn't have planned that phone call better myself." He turned around and wrapped an arm around Elizabeth's shoulder. "Now that that's out of the way I do believe you were in the process of apologizing." Elizabeth looked up at him and grinned, placing her index finger on the tip of his nose and laughed. "No apologies." A moment later the two sat facing each other in the living room, sipping tea. "Are you sure you can't stay for the night?" "Yes, ‘Liz," Sean said regretfully, "I really would love to be with you right now but I do have class early tomorrow, and I have the distinct feeling that if I stayed for the night you would find a way for me to stay up past my bedtime. But how about I see you Saturday night?" She smiled at him and nodded. "Great," he beamed a smile back, "How does five sound? Oh, and nothing fancy. I was planning on just a dinner and a movie or something like that." He stepped up to her and wrapped his arms about her waist. "You know, if I have to keep saving you simply to get a date with you I'd almost be afraid of what it would take to ask you to marry me." Elizabeth's look of startlement was too much for Sean and he found it impossible to hold back his laughter. He gave her a peck on the nose, which she crinkled in mild annoyance. "So, five okay?" Elizabeth nodded in agreement, "And let's hope Charles doesn't decide to crash the party again." "Yeah, well, we shouldn't have to worry about him or those goons of his for a while. I think I scared them a bit." "Sean," she asked, "What did you do to Albert and his friends?" "Oh, nothing really happened," Sean said evasively, "We just had a little discussion is all." "A discussion that landed one of them in the hospital." It could have been the morgue, Sean thought. "I'll see you Saturday night," he said instead and headed for the door. "Sean?" He turned around to find Elizabeth in his arms again. "Thank you." Elizabeth pulled away. "Now get going before I figure out a way to chain you here." "You make that sound as if that were a bad thing." "Go!" "Yes, dear." Chapter 4 "So tell me," Elizabeth said over a glass of cabernet sauvignon, "What is a millionaire doing driving a beat up old Corolla? I mean you could afford a Mercedes or a BMW. Hell you could afford three of each." Sean laughed at that. "Yea, I suppose I could. But what would be the point if I already have a car that serves its purposes. Besides, I earned this car. I wouldn't sell it for any reason unless it broke down on me. Yes, a Mercedes would be nice but I consider myself ‘down to earth'." Elizabeth looked at him quizzically as she took another bite of her steak. Sean was glad she wasn't the type that counted the calories and worried about it. She ate what she liked but exercised daily because she enjoyed it. He respected her for that. "Before I came into my money I was your typical high school student that scrounged every penny he got working part time to buy things. I saved and bought that car with my own money. Money that I truly earned. I was raised in a pretty rich neighborhood and saw a lot of other kids whose parents bought them expensive cars they crashed within a month. The kids were careless because their parents would just buy them a new one. I hated them; spoiled little snots that have never held a real job that paid dirt and rode you hard. They didn't value a single cent because they never had to sacrifice for it." "My, aren't you a bitter one?" Elizabeth said playfully. "I suppose you could say that," Sean replied then continued. "But the thing that gets me the most is that they grow up expecting the world to be handed to them on a silver platter. And somehow they pull it off through the connections their parents have. In other words, they don't have a single copper to their name. Don't get me wrong though, I had friends that were well off but they worked their asses off before their parents gave them anything. I respect my friends and their parents because they value the dollar. As for me, well, the money I earned from the stock market I never really consider mine. My grandmother passed away when I was ten and left me an inheritance of two hundred thousand when I came of age. So I never really consider it mine. I do take the money seriously though. So everything I have is through my own earnings, mostly work at the laboratory where I help research a few things under a professor. Whenever I get stuck in a jam I sell a few shares of stock but only as a last resort. I haven't had to do that too often since I live simply anyways." Elizabeth mulled this over as she nibbled on a leaf of lettuce. "Then what do you plan on doing with all the money you're making from your investments?" "I'm not sure yet," Sean said as he bit off another piece of the steak and chewed. "I always wanted to retire early. Maybe when I'm forty or so I'll just sit back and reap my rewards. I think I'll buy an island. I hear the Fiji Islands are nice this time of year. You like the Fiji Islands?" Elizabeth laughed. "You're horrible. Are you ever serious?" "Sometimes always," Sean replied. "You know. I think I almost understand that oxymoron." "Really? You'd be the first." "It's perfectly logical nonsense." It was Sean's turn to blink and think. "I think I like you," he said finally. "I think so, too." Sean heard the band play a slow jazz piece and stood up. "Care to dance?" "I thought you would never ask." Once again Sean swept Elizabeth off her feat and floated her across the dance floor like the night they met only two weeks ago. Had it only been two weeks? Sean found it hard to believe considering how much he cared for her. Her eyes sparkled as he led her across the dance floor. There were a few other couples on the floor but Sean only saw Elizabeth smiling at him as they glided back and forth. He couldn't put his finger on it but there was just something about her that drew him in like a moth to a flame. Time slipped by as he held her close and lost himself in those soft brown eyes, absently minding the steps as she floated in his arms. Before he knew it, the music was over and the two of them were the only ones left on the dance floor. He leaned down and kissed her. Her lips tasted like wine; her breath like a warm spring breeze. The touch of her lips to his sent a jolt of electricity down his spine, almost making him lose his balance. Sean lifted his hands and caressed her face. All too soon the kiss was over and he stood there, losing himself in her eyes. They just stood there, his heart pounding in his ears, as he continued to look at her. "Sean. People are staring." "Then their parents never taught them that it was rude," Sean replied, still looking in her eyes. He just couldn't pull his eyes away. Somehow they got back to their table and Sean noticed that she was blushing about as furiously as he thought he was. "You know…" "I think…" They spoke at the same time and blushed again, silence filling the gap. Finally, Sean worked up the nerve to finish what he meant to say. "You know, I don't think I've ever had this much fun." He reached across the table and held her hands in his. "And you know what else?" "What?" "No Charles to screw things up this time." They both laughed at that until the silence settled in again. They didn't say anything for the rest of the dinner. Something significant had happened on that dance floor. Sean didn't exactly know what was going on; or rather he knew exactly what was happening but was too afraid to admit to himself. He had never felt this way before, not even with his high school sweetheart, Janice. The picture of Alice falling down the rabbit hole sprang to mind. "Like Alice," she said. "What?" "I feel like Alice floating down the rabbit hole right now," she smiled, her eyes sparkling in the dim light. "You know? I was thinking the same exact thing," Sean said. "Great minds think alike." "I think you just complimented yourself." "Only if you think you're that great of a mind." "Well, I don't think I have a big enough of an ego to admit that. I am the humblest man in the world." Elizabeth laughed and the room seemed to brighten at the sound. Just then the waiter informed them that the restaurant was closing and then handed them their check. Sean didn't even bother to look at it and slipped a one hundred dollar bill in the fold. They made their way out the door as Sean gallantly held the door for her and did so again when they reached his car. He drove onto the freeway and headed for their next destination. "So where to next?" "How about a moonlit stroll through a park to walk off that heavy dinner?" "Sounds perfect." Sean pulled into a parking space ten minutes later by a park he knew featuring a large duck pond. The moon was out in full and not a cloud in the sky. The stars shined brightly above. They didn't say anything as they walked along dirt paths while holding hands in the warm summer night. Sean found them a bench by the pond's edge and steered Elizabeth towards it. She sat by him and cuddled in the crook of his right arm like it was the most natural thing in the world and let out a contented sigh. "Thank you, Sean," Elizabeth spoke in to the moonlight. "This has probably been the best time I've ever had. If you keep this up I just might never want to leave you." "I just might never want to let you go." Sean touched her chin and tilted her head up and kissed her. He had never felt such longing before for anything, but the touch of her lips on his was like an opiate and it was all he could do to not devour her on the spot. She may be older than him but there was a sweet innocence about her hidden behind the bold façade that she wore all the time. And that she would leave behind that mask when with him spoke volumes about her trust in him. The fact did not go unnoticed by him and he promised that he would do whatever it took to care for her. "My God! Am I falling in love with her?" he thought. And then the thought was lost in the softness of her lips. The kiss broke and they sat there staring at each other in the whitewashed moonlight. Elizabeth looked at him and smiled her special smile at him that made his heart stick in his throat and curled up again in his arms. He wasn't sure how long they sat there like that but quite a while later he heard Elizabeth try to stifle a yawn. "Tired?" Sean felt Elizabeth's head nod in reply. "Okey-dokey. Time to take you home," Sean said as he stood up. Elizabeth stood up with him and placed her arm around his waist, forcing him to wrap his arm around her shoulders as they walked back to his car. The drive back was quiet and Elizabeth had nodded off to sleep in his car by the time they pulled up to her driveway. Sean didn't have the heart to wake her up so he fished in her purse and found her house keys and then picked her up in his arms. He carried her into her house, climbed the stairs and placed her gently in her bed, tucking her in as he did so. He located her office and found some stationary then wrote a letter, which he placed on the pillow next to her. Sean quietly saw himself out and drove back to his place and thought of Elizabeth before he too fell asleep. Chapter 5 Elizabeth woke up to the sun shining brightly on her face. She patted the empty space next to her and frowned, hoping to find Sean there when she woke up. She looked at the clock, wiping away sleep dust from her eyes as she did so. Nine o'clock. Well, at least she didn't sleep in too late. Staring at the ceiling for a moment before she dragged herself out of bed, Elizabeth found a note next to her when she sat up. Dearest Elizabeth, Didn't know if I was overstepping my boundaries if I stayed with you for the night, although I have to tell you that I am very tempted to press my luck. At any rate, I have some things to take care of at my place first, some studying and stuff. But I will definitely want to see you again tonight. I'll probably be busy until midafternoon but after that I'm all yours, darlin'. Call me. Lovingly yours, Sean Elizabeth picked up her phone and dialed Sean's number. "Morning, Sean." "Hey, morning to you too, ‘Liz." "I missed you this morning." "Then I take it I would have been invited to stay?" "Most definitely. I did offer that first night didn't I?" "I suppose so but you didn't this time. I don't think it quite right to impose on a sleeping host." Thank God he didn't mention she threw him out that night. She was still ashamed for doing that to him and it disturbed her to no small end how easily she snapped at him like that. "Well consider this an open invitation to stay in my bed whenever you wish." "Whoa. Could you say that again? I want to get this on tape. It's not every day a guy like me gets an invitation like that by a ravishing woman." Elizabeth couldn't help smiling; it was good to know that he found her attractive. "I'd like to see you tonight. How about if I just hung out at your place today? I haven't seen it yet." "With good reason. My place is a war zone! If you're coming over I better go get the shovel ASAP." "Oh, I doubt it could be that bad." "I do. Damn, how am going to take down those pinup posters off the ceiling? Oops, did I say that out loud?" Elizabeth laughed out loud. Sean was definitely not the type to hang pinups in his room. "How does three sound?" "Fine with me," he said. "I should have most of my studying done by lunch anyways." Elizabeth hung up the phone. Just as well, she thought and sighed, she had some work to take care of on her own as well. Ever since Sean entered her life she could hardly keep her thoughts straight even when he wasn't there with her. She went about her morning routine, got dressed in jeans and light sweater, and had a light breakfast of toast and eggs then booted up the computer to see if there were any special reports coming in from her sources on the market. Nothing big was happening so she turned her computer off and went to take care of a couple of the accounting reports she had brought back with her. By noon she was done with what she had at home and decided to surprise Sean with an early visit. She swung by a sandwich shop and got them a couple of roast beef sandwiches and diet cokes. Sean said regular soda was too sweet for him. Twenty minutes later saw Elizabeth at Sean's front door. She knocked on the door and heard a voice shout out. Sean opened the door and the smile on his face was priceless. "I couldn't help myself and decided to come by a little early," she held up the large paper bag, "And I brought lunch." Sean took a quick look at the bag, pushed her hand back down, and gave her a knee-buckling kiss. "Thanks," he said and led her in. The place was nice. Spartan, but nice. No decorations whatsoever in the living room, all the furniture done in oak, a forty inch television with various cables running to a computer set up on the adjoining wall. The kitchen wasn't small as she thought it would have been but it wasn't large either, cozy. There was a toaster and a rice cooker sitting in the breakfast nook and a large wok on the gas rangetop. Of what she could see, he wasn't a slob and was glad he didn't fit the stereotypical college student mold in the messiness category. Just then a girl came out of the bathroom and Elizabeth felt her stomach clench. "Oh, I didn't know you had a guest over. I'm sorry. I didn't know…" Elizabeth fumbled with the words and her feelings. The other girl was very cute with Korean features and short black hair tied back. Elizabeth felt a tinge of jealousy and hurt rising but suppressed as best she could and kept it from showing Sean was still able to catch on to the situation when he saw her mask her face in indifference. He placed a finger on her lips. "You know the rules, ‘Liz. No apologies. ‘Liz, I'd like you to meet my best friend, Cheryl. Cheryl, this is my girlfriend, Elizabeth." Cheryl raised her hand and smiled, "Hi! Pleased to meet you." Elizabeth took the hand and forced a smile to her lips. "Nice to meet you, too. I didn't know Sean had a friend over otherwise I would have gotten you something, as well. Sorry." "Sean. You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend. When did this happen?" "We just met a couple of weeks ago," Elizabeth replied. She almost felt as if she were saying it like holding a shield.