Reclaiming Her Heart

"It's just like that."

Raymond's answer made Alex let out a big ol' sigh of relief.

"Alright, just a heads up, man. Don't wait 'til you mess up big time and then regret it. Not everything gets a free pass, and a girl like Selena ain't some pet you can lock up. You gotta let her breathe, then she'll dig you," Alex said. "I don't get it," Raymond replied.

He thought, 'If you like someone, shouldn't you keep 'em close? Doesn't matter how, as long as she's with you, it's all good.'

"You'll get it someday," Alex said.

After hanging up, Raymond looked down at Selena's face.

She was out cold from all the drama and hadn't woken up.

He slowly lay down, holding her tight, finally feeling some peace.

A small smile crept up as he held her close.

By his nature, he should've let her rot in jail a bit longer so she'd be more grateful.

But sitting in that conference room, he couldn't focus on anything.

He kept worrying if someone would mess with her or if she'd cry alone in there.

He couldn't chill, his mind was all about her.

Richard's call gave him the perfect excuse, and he drove over right away.

Now, holding her, he realized this was what he wanted most.

"Selena?" he called out.

Selena was deep in sleep and didn't respond.

Ten minutes later, Raymond quietly called out again, "Selena?"

He'd wanted to call her by her name for so long, and now that he knew she was asleep, he dared to say it.

Even though Selena didn't respond, he still smiled.

Another ten minutes later, he finally called out boldly.

"Selena?"

"Selena?"

Selena snapped, "Shut up!"

Raymond's face turned awkward, and he zipped it.

The next morning, Selena looked at the familiar ceiling, frowned, and thought the "Selena" calls she heard in her dream were just that a dream. But she was definitely at Manston Manor.

She got up and saw her clothes already laid out on the bed.

After getting dressed and freshening up, she went downstairs.

Raymond was sitting on the couch, holding a document.

Selena thought about what he did yesterday, her face darkened, and she headed straight for the door.

Raymond quickly put down the document, saying, "You haven't eaten yet."

"Not hungry," Selena shot back.

"Why not?" Raymond asked.

"Seeing you kills my appetite!" Selena snapped.

Raymond's face went pale, and he chased after her, grabbing her hand. "What do you mean?"

Selena felt her anger rising and sneered, "Exactly what it sounds like, need me to spell it out?"

The smile vanished from Raymond's face, and he gripped her wrist tight, his eyes cold as ice. "Selena, we just hooked up last night."

"Stop, Mr. Montague, you forced me," Selena said.

Raymond was so mad his fingers shook. "I saved you, it's not crazy to sleep with me once."

"So it's a deal again, huh? In that case, don't come near me anymore. I don't wanna make any more deals with you. Sleeping with you makes me sick," Selena said. The other servants at Manston Manor had long since made themselves scarce, leaving just the two of them.

"Selena, when have I not made you feel good?"

"Every time! Every single time! Your skills are way worse than other guys! Got it?"

Raymond was so stung he couldn't say a word.