The Intimidation Game (Game Series Book 1) Read online

  Copyright © 2019 by C.L Stewart

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover by Natasha Snow

  www.natashasnowdesigns.com

  In Memory of Maureen

  I hope you knew how happy you made me the day we met.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Epilogue

  Information

  Acknowledgments

  Also by C.L Stewart

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  About the Author

  Prologue

  I hate him. Lying in his bed I watch him with complete and utter contempt, thankful that today is the day I get the hell away from this evil controlling man. The pristine white shirt, the collar starched to within an inch of its life. The bespoke suit…God forbid he should wear anything off the peg. The multitude of hair products taking pride of place on the dresser.

  As he pushes his hands through his salt and pepper strands he asks; “Nik you going to get up and make an effort today?”

  Ugh I hate being called that and he knows it. My name is Nikki. His condescending tone makes me feel nauseous. I nod; I can’t speak. I’m struggling to hold back my tears, but I refuse to cry in front of him again. My misery seems to feed his ego.

  I roll my eyes and sigh. He shakes his head and sneers, stalking towards where I lie. I shoot across the bed as quickly as I can, but I’m not fast enough.

  He grabs my jaw in one of his strong hands. His face so close to mine, he talks quietly through gritted teeth. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

  My heart thumps so hard and fast that I think it is about to burst out from my chest. I curl myself into a ball, hoping he might relent. He doesn’t though, his grip intensifies and my jaw aches. “You’re a lazy little bitch. You’re nothing without me. Say it. Tell me I’m right.”

  I look at him wide eyed. I can’t believe he’s going to make me do this again, but I know if I don’t, he won’t leave, so I give him what he wants. “I’m a lazy little bitch.” I can’t form the words properly since my jaw feels like it is in a vice.

  “And?” He shouts this time.

  “And I’m nothing without you.” My voice sounds weak and pathetic.

  His smile is nothing more than a nasty grin and I notice his pupils are huge. Oh my God, he’s getting off on this!

  “Fucking know your place you little idiot.” He loosens his grip and pushes me back into the bed, laughing to himself as he leaves the room.

  I take a shuddering breath in and listen as he goes about his morning rituals. The coffee machine whirring, the clinking of the mugs and the fridge door opening and closing. When I hear the front door opening, I know he is giving himself a final check over in the mirror; narcissistic prick.

  As soon as I hear the rumble of his precious Porsche, that he spends more time feeling up than me, I get out of bed and begin clearing him out of my life. Tears are blinding me, and I am sobbing so hard my chest hurts. I look at my reflection in the mirror. My face is red where he gripped it and my eyes look like sunken, sad pools. I need to leave this part of my life behind. He has ruined me. My self-esteem is shattered, and I constantly doubt myself. I should have left the first time he hit me.

  I didn't want to accept that there could be anything wrong until I visited my sister Charlie in Scotland after she had her baby. My super observant sibling knew as soon as she set eyes on me that something wasn't right, but it was a very short conversation with her friend Gina that forced me to admit to myself that this relationship was toxic.

  As I picture Charlie giving me the evil eye when I told her I was fine, I smile. I’ll be seeing her in a little over twenty-four hours and I’ll never have to be back in South Africa again. It’s the coward’s way out, I know that, but I’m scared that if I tell him he’ll kill me.

  I don’t even know how I ended up in this situation in the first place. I must have been so stupid and naive to even consider sleeping my way to a better position. My relationship with Mike started out as a casual fling. He was my immediate boss and was newly divorced at the time. He’s also fifteen years older than me. I don’t know why I listened to Mike when he said him getting a promotion would mean I would get to move up too. He said he’d make sure of that. I should have got out then, but I had stupidly fallen for the creep and by the time he started to show his true colours I was too scared to leave. Obviously, my career stalled while he got promotion after promotion.

  The fact that he was so much higher up the chain of command than me made my work life unbearable. He picked on me all the time and pulled me up on trivial things. He always did it in front of other employees and told me it was to cover up that we were in a relationship. As time went on, he started to act the same in private. My hair was never right, I wore too much make-up, I didn’t wear enough make-up, I was too fat, I was too skinny, I was stupid, I dressed like a tramp, I dressed like a hooker. The list goes on. I eventually got a job elsewhere, but I just couldn’t seem to leave him. My bruises were always well hidden, I’d gotten good at that. And he did too. He knew where to hit so that no one could tell. So that no one would know what he really was.

  When my parents decided they were moving back to the UK, I actually cried and begged them to take me with them. They thought I should stay since I had the ‘perfect’ job and a ‘nice’ boyfriend. Little did they know! I think if my dad found out what Mike has done to me, he would kill him.

  Knowing that I can get away from here without him finding out where I am going makes me braver than I actually am. I gather up all my belongings into my backpack, get dressed and stop myself from making the bed. That’s another one of the things I can never get right. I leave locking the door behind me. As I push the silver key through the letterbox, I feel scared and liberated all at once.

  “Good riddance you bastard,” I whisper as I walk away from the house without looking back. I try my best to convince myself that the tears falling from my eyes now are happy ones.

  Chapter One

  I never thought of Glasgow as being somewhere I would ever call home, but having been here for five weeks and, experiencing life on my own for the first time in my twenty-six years on this planet, I think I can safely say I do feel at home here. My sister Charlie was born here.

  My days have been filled with getting to know this very cosmopolitan city, my nights spent fretting about the new job I am starting today. My interview was extremely short and sweet. I have a detailed w
ork history and my former employer had put in a good word for me. It seemed as though the interview was purely a formality because I had an offer of employment in my inbox before I even got back to Johannesburg.

  Holding up two different dresses, the last of about forty, in front of me, I try to decide which would fit with the feel of SecuriSoft. I’m going to be heading up a newly formed team working on brand new software. This is a major promotion for me and is the first time I’ll be running a whole team of people. To say I’m nervous is an understatement; I’m petrified. I know how much first impressions matter, and if I don’t get it right it’ll show and it’s all I’ll be known for.

  My phone pings with a text message and I’m startled since it’s only four thirty in the morning. I see that the text is from my sister and my thoughts about who could be up at this time in the morning are sent packing.

  Charlie says my niece is the spawn of the devil right now because she cries her little heart out at four every morning and as soon as she sees her mummy, she smiles like…and I am quoting my sister here…she has just shit out a rainbow. Charlie has a real way with words, but I love her dearly and I’m glad we are only forty miles apart now instead of almost six thousand. I put the dresses down on the bed and check the message.

  Hey baby sis. Good luck today. I love you and I’m so proud of you. Devil baby loves you too.

  C x

  I laugh and hold the phone to my chest. My life has changed in more ways than I ever imagined it could, but I feel that had I waited any longer I may not be standing in front of this mirror debating what dress to wear.

  I feel sick every time I think about my relationship with Mike: if you can even call it a relationship. The man is a controlling, nasty piece of work. I dread to think what his reaction was when he realised I had actually gone. When he realised he hadn’t managed to break my spirit completely.

  But he did ruin me. I have no self-confidence, no belief in anything. I look at myself in the mirror and I don’t see the pretty, intelligent young woman Charlie tells me I am. I see a small insignificant shell of a person. Since I’ve been here, I’ve managed to keep my mask on. These people don’t know me; they don’t know that I almost die inside anytime a man speaks to me.

  The shock of my phone ringing loudly in my hand makes me jump and I throw it at the bed as if it is on fire. The screen flashes and the caller ID says the number is unknown. I can’t bring myself to answer an unknown number. I put my hands over my ears and shut my eyes until it stops. It takes me a moment but I realise I’m screaming when I take my hands from my ears.

  “Pull yourself together you bloody idiot,” I scold my reflection. There’s no message.

  This phone number I have is brand new, it’s off the directory and I have my phone set to never share it when I call people except those in my contacts. It doesn’t stop me worrying that someday, somehow, he will find me. I don’t know how long I’ll be looking over my shoulder when I’m walking alone or how long I’ll stop and let some innocent person pass by me, when all they’re doing is going about their business. I’ve lost count of the strange shops I’ve been in over the last few weeks that I’d never normally go into just so I could avoid someone walking directly behind me.

  I look at the dresses on the bed and give myself a mental slap. I need to get ready to go into the office today and make the best first impression I possibly can.

  My taxi driver has been chatting away since I got in the back of his cab and, while I’ve been listening and nodding along, I’ve taken nothing in. I feel like my brain is about to explode and I should be tired, but I drank three cups of black coffee and a can of Red Bull for breakfast. I think I might have a heart attack at this rate.

  As the taxi pulls up outside SecuriSoft’s building, I steel myself with a steadying breath, pay the driver and get out of the cab. It’s now or never.

  I take in the building, which looks taller today than it did the last time I was here. The mirror glass front reflects the cloud spattered blue sky and the April sunshine is pleasant, albeit about fifteen degrees lower than I’m used to at this time of year.

  I settled on a navy-blue shift dress and jacket ensemble and a pair of nude heels. My brand-new tan leather handbag that mum and dad gave me, as a good luck present, looks amazing with it. My long blonde hair is in a soft ponytail and I look professional. I look like I should be heading up my own team. I can do this.

  The elevator that will take me to the third floor is empty. I press number three and as the doors close, I shut my eyes and take in a deep calming breath.

  The noise of the doors opening again startles me and I open my eyes as a scruffy looking, jeans and t-shirt clad guy gets in and presses number twelve. The top floor.

  He’s standing too close to me so I move away a little trying to be as inconspicuous as I can. I can’t stand my personal space being invaded. He smells goddamn divine. Damn it!

  I stare at the ceiling and hold my bag in front of me like some sort of Viking shield. I can feel him looking at me, but I can’t make eye contact. I’m starting to feel closed in and I think I’m going to have a panic attack. This is bloody ridiculous; I’d be better off living like a hermit.

  Thank goodness the lift has reached the third floor and the doors open into a huge open plan space completely bathed in beautiful warm light with empty computer stations dotted all around. Scruffy guy stands aside and allows me to get off. I’m forced to look at him and immediately wish I hadn’t. He looks like he just walked off the cover of a rock album. He has tattoos on one of his tanned arms and my God are those arms ripped. His scruffy stubble and messy dark brown hair give him a carefree look but those eyes. Wow. They are the deepest chocolate brown eyes I’ve ever seen.

  “Th-thanks,” I stutter and hurry out of the lift as quickly as my heels will allow. I don’t even know where I’m supposed to be going. All I was told was third floor, nine am.

  I look back at the lift as the doors close. Rock star guy is gone. As I stand alone in the middle of the open area, I wonder what the hell I’ve let myself in for.

  “Can I help you my love?” The voice from behind me makes me jump.

  “Oh… ehm… sorry you startled me.”

  “Ooh you must be Nikki. I could tell by the South African accent. Nice to meet you I’m Damien Shaw but I prefer Damo.” He holds out his hand.

  “Eh, yeah I’m Nikki. It’s nice to meet you Damien.”

  “Damo, please. I hate the name Damien it makes me feel like some sort of devil child. I think my daft mother was in some sort of cult when she had me.” He puts his hands on his hips and I regard him for a second.

  He’s slim built with flawless skin and coiffed brown hair. The most beautiful eyelashes I’ve ever seen on a man frame his huge blue eyes and I don’t know why but I instantly like him. I feel comfortable with him. “Thanks for getting my accent by the way. Most of the time I’m mistaken for Australian or a New Zealander.”

  “I’m good with accents and don’t worry I’ve been mistaken for being Irish before, even English. I mean come on, listen to me.”

  “So, Damo, I don’t actually know who I’m supposed to be meeting here or what I’m doing. God I must sound ridiculous.”

  Damo waves his hand in the air. “No, you don’t sound ridiculous. Astrid was supposed to call you on Friday and give you HR’s contact name.” Damo is interrupted by the click clack of heels. “Talk about shit and it hits you in the face.” He whispers.

  We both turn in the direction of the elevators and watch as a very tall, slim, blonde haired bombshell makes her way towards us. She walks like she’s on a catwalk and must be almost six foot tall in the heels she’s wearing. She stops in front of us.

  “Nikki?”

  I nod. “Yes. Nice to meet you.” I hold my hand out.

  “Astrid Laurent,” she says her surname with a French accent. “As in Yves Saint.” She shakes my hand like she’s the queen.

  “Astrid you were supposed to call Nikki and le
t her know where she was to go this morning.”

  “Damo for fuck sake you know I had a big weekend. Anyway, I tried to phone her this morning. Not my fault she never answered.” She talks as if I am invisible.

  “Well there’s a surprise,” Damo rolls his eyes. “Come Nikki I’ll take you down to HR and get you set up with your passes and stuff.”

  Astrid tuts and tosses her hair over her shoulder and saunters away from us. I’m a little shocked at her total lack of professionalism and I hope to God I don’t have to manage her on my team.

  Damo and I get into the lift and when the doors are shut, he sighs and shakes his head. “I’m sorry about her Nikki. She’s a nasty piece of work. I honestly don’t know why she’s even still here. We all think she’s sleeping with the boss. I suppose that’s one way to keep your job or get promoted for doing nothing.”

  His words make me want to run away. I feel tears surface in my eyes, and I can’t stop them spilling over.

  “God Nikki are you okay? I know she’s a lot to take but you’ll get used to ignoring her.”

  “I’m sorry Damo, I’m fine,” I lie as I swipe the tears from my eyes and compose myself. “I’m just a little overwhelmed. I’ve never had a team of my own and I feel a little like a fish out of water here, but I’ll get there honestly. Thanks for being so nice to me.”