Pretend I’m Yours

by Bates, Aiden

  “I would think very carefully about my next words if I were you,” Saul said through his teeth. It was clearly a threat, but the stranger did not even blink. He continued to stare at me like I was something nasty he had stepped on.

  “So this is who you’ve been holed up with all this time. Pity, Saul. You used to have some taste.”

  Saul darted forward, his hands balled into fists at his side.

  “Whoa! Whoa! Easy!”

  The stranger lifted a small camera, placing it between them like it was a shield.

  “How did you find me?” Saul asked.

  “Wasn’t too hard. But that’s for you to find out. I think you know what this is?” He gave the camera a little shake.

  It dawned on me then. This was someone who knew Saul from his former life. He had probably noticed us as soon as we walked into town and captured photos that would expose Saul.

  “I imagine you have photos you’re going to blackmail me with,” Saul said, confirming my theory.

  The stranger smiled, and it was a sickening sight.

  “Oh, it’s so much worse than that,” he said. “I do have photos of you two, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I know who he is, Saul.”

  Saul shrugged, but I could tell he was shaken. “That doesn’t mean anything to me.”

  “Doesn’t it?”

  He turned and took a step towards me. He was tall, taller than Saul even, and he loomed over me. I did not see Saul move, but he was beside me in a flash. The stranger continued to grin at me. He was definitely an alpha like Saul. His features were rugged, with an almost exaggerated quality to his masculinity. He gave off a sharp coppery scent.

  “You must be his pup. Kyler. Has he told you about me, Kyler? Surely he’s mentioned me?”

  “Back off, Chris,” Saul said.

  Chris? As in his ex-fiancé? As in the man who had ruined his life? I looked over at Saul for some sort of confirmation, but the growing sense of dread I could see in his eyes was confirmation enough for me. So this was the famous Chris.

  “Did you hear me? I know about you two. I have information I think the press would be very interested in. You’re in no position to threaten me.”

  “I’m not threatening you. I’m asking you to leave us alone.”

  Saul finally looked at me. “In the car, Kyler. Please.” The urgency in his voice was unmistakable. I was thoroughly confused, but I decided he would fill me in later. I opened the door and started to climb in.

  A strong hand seized me by the upper arm as I did so and yanked. The force was so great I was jerked backwards, losing my footing and falling. The world swam as I hit the ground. For a few seconds everything was a blur of movement and sound.

  Saul charged at him with an almost primal fury. In that moment, he looked nothing like the Saul I knew. His eyes were bulging and his face was twisted. He moved with a speed and viciousness I would not have anticipated from him. In a flash, he was upon Chris. He led with his fists, landing two quick blows before Chris could even react.

  Saul was not a small man, but Chris was bigger than him and he certainly looked fitter. But you would never have known it. He was taken apart with almost comical ease. The third blow landed on his stomach, and Chris seemed to lose the ability to keep his hands up. He grunted in pain, doubling over and almost falling. Saul grabbed him by the back of the neck and pushed him to the ground.

  “Never! Touch! My omega! Again!”

  He spat the words out in time to the kicks he was landing on Chris’s curled up torso. I think I heard the snap of bones breaking.

  Saul leaned over and grabbed a handful of Chris’s shirt.

  “And never threaten me again, do you understand?”

  I doubted Chris would have been able to speak. He sputtered his agreement, blood dribbling from his lips. Saul sent him sprawling to the ground with another blow to the head, and then stood over him, his chest heaving and fists still clenched as if daring him to get up again.

  It was an arresting sight, like witnessing a dominant warrior standing over the corpse of his vanquished enemy. I was terrified and impressed at the same time.

  Saul bent down and picked up the camera. With a swing of his hand, he sent it crashing to the ground, following it up with an angry stomp of his boot. Glass and plastic crunched noisily under his foot. He took a final look at Chris, then, seemingly as a last resort, spat in the ground next to his face.

  “That was for touching Kyler. If I ever see you again I’ll break more than just your ribs.”

  I did not wait for him to tell me to get into the car this time. I glanced nervously in the rearview mirror at Chris as we drove off. I was concerned that he might have been badly hurt, but I saw him stir and struggle to sit up.

  Saul continued to breathe heavily for the rest of the ride home. I had never seen him so agitated. The only other time he had been this primal was when he had fucked me in the den.

  I wanted so badly to ask him what had just happened, but I was honestly a little terrified of him just then.

  He called the police when we got to the house. He reported that we had been attacked in the woods, and gave them the exact location where we had left Chris.

  Finally, he pulled me into his arms and gave me a tight hug. He looked like he was back to his usual self. He examined me with cautious hands, the same hands that had just beaten a man into a pulp. He did not let me go until I had assured him repeatedly that I was okay. Somewhere in my mind, I realized it was the sight of me being threatened that had turned him savage, and that made me feel very protected.

  Then there was the whole business of Chris himself. He was nothing like I had thought he would be. That was the guy Saul had been in love with? To the point of proposing to him? And why would he want to blackmail Saul? He had nothing to gain from it, no reason to do it. If anything, Saul was the one who was hurt by the breakdown of the relationship. I couldn’t help feeling like I was missing something. I hoped Saul would feel comfortable enough to share the details of what had happened.

  But the biggest win was the way the excitement of the day shook me from my slump. That night, for the first time in days, I felt animated. The ache in my heart was still there, but it was a bit easier to put it aside. It was also the first time I didn’t think twice when the urge to be with Saul hit me. I crept into the shower after Saul had got in, and when he kissed me, I felt like my old self again.

  18

  Saul

  Someone was knocking on my door. I was sure I had imagined it at first. A happy side effect of living alone in the middle of nowhere. So I ignored it and went back to sleep. Beside me, Kyler was muttering in his sleep. He had started doing that after his father died. It was almost always unintelligible, but I still liked to lean in and try to listen to what he was saying.

  The knocking came again, more urgent this time. It was definitely real, then. It couldn’t be my dad again. He had no reason to ambush me again. No one else knew where I lived…

  Except maybe Chris fucking Thomas.

  I sat up in bed, wide awake now. I doubted very much Chris would have followed me home after the incident in the woods. Not only had I explicitly threatened him with more physical violence, he literally couldn’t have followed me. I was pretty sure I had broken at least one rib. Not my proudest moment, admittedly, but he had threatened Kyler, and the alpha in me had taken over completely. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been so angry.

  It had been like a splash of cold water to the face, seeing him again. It had been even more chilling to hear his threats, that he knew about Kyler and me. I did not even want to think about what it was he knew. So it was with an increasing sense of anxiety that I untangled myself from Kyler, got out of bed and went to answer the door.

  I was so surprised by the multitude of people at my door, it took me a full minute to register what was happening. The air was suddenly filled with clicking sounds, and millions of flashing lights popped in front of me. Then came the audio onslaught,
with hundreds of people all speaking at once.

  Camera crew.

  Press.

  Paparazzi.

  The crowd was so thick I could not see where it ended. It was like the whole of Los Angeles had shown up at my front door. A little distance away, I spotted at least four news vans.

  Someone shoved a microphone into my face, and then another, and another.

  “Mr. McCormick!”

  “Mr. McCormick! Why did you leave L.A.?”

  “How long have you been hiding out here?”

  “Is it true you’re married?”

  “Can we get a statement on your alleged assault on your former lover?”

  “You were spotted in L.A…”

  “Where is your husband?”

  “Is it true you’re researching a role?”

  “Did your father know about this?”

  It was exactly like being put in a blender and turned up to max. I was literally shocked into immobility. They had found me. It was over. Just like that, the life I had built for myself over the last ten years was gone. And the life I had built with Kyler.

  Shit. Kyler.

  I blinked, and the thought of Kyler waking up to this mess spurred me into action. Just like it had in the forest. I shut the door wordlessly and locked it, drowning out the next flurry of questions and the blinding flashes of cameras.

  I raced around the house to the bedroom. Kyler was still asleep. I had no choice but to wake him. I did not want him to wake up to this. We were in the eye of the storm, so to speak. The world was about to explode around us.

  Kyler protested weakly when I shook him awake. We had had a late night of passion, the first since the death of Korbin. He always looked sexy when he was sleepy. But I couldn’t think about that. I nudged him more strongly, and his eyes finally snapped open.

  “Saul? What’s wrong?”

  I must have been wearing the horror on my face.

  “They found us…” I said. “Me. They found me.”

  “They? Who is they?”

  “Everyone, Kyler. The media, the world. They’re outside the door right now with camera crews and half of Hollywood.”

  “What?”

  I nodded.

  “I’m sorry, Kyler. I don’t know how it happened. But it doesn’t matter. I need you to stay in here, okay? Stay here and don’t move while I try and figure this out.”

  “But what are you going to do?”

  Honestly, I had no idea. The primary, overwhelming instinct was to make a run for it. There was a hidden exit from the house around the back, one I had built specifically for this kind of situation. I had never used it. I was not even sure it worked. It had been a contingency, a backup plan I hoped I would never need. I would need to get out of the house, find the nearest mode of transportation and disappear again. Except this time I had Kyler to think about. Kyler, who had done nothing to deserve the chaos he was about to be thrust into.

  “Saul? What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know, I’ll figure it out. Stay here. Don’t come out no matter what. I’ll come get you when it’s safe. I think you should pack a few clothes, though. We might have to leave fast.”

  I sounded braver than I felt. Like I had a plan. So far all I had was run.

  My phone rang as I got back to the living room. Of course my dad was calling. I wondered how viral I was just then. It had been a long time, but if I knew anything about Hollywood, it was that a good scandal was always prime news material. No doubt Rance had woken up to images of me in my boxers, mouth hanging open as the cameras went wild. Better that than what I had woken up to, in any case.

  “Dad?”

  “Saul? I’m coming in. Is there another way into the house?” He sounded agitated.

  “Coming in? You mean flying in?”

  “What? No, I’m already here. Is there another way into the house or do I have to deal with this mob?”

  “Not unless you can drop in from the roof.”

  There was also an emergency exit, but I didn’t think it was a good idea.

  The line went dead. I walked over to the window and peered outside. I could just about make out my dad’s Jeep in the distance. I watched as he stepped out, flanked as he always seemed to be by my mother. He was immediately swallowed up by a group of reporters. I could not hear what he was saying, but he spoke briefly to the group. And then, like magic, the sea of reporters parted, clearing a path to the front door. Of course. Rance McCormick was still a Hollywood legend, and Hollywood legends did not have to put up with paparazzi.

  I opened the door as they approached. They ducked in and I shut it quickly, before the wave of reporters came flooding back.

  I had seen all of my dad’s faces, both in person and in his substantial cinematography, but the sheer disgust with which he was looking at me was completely new. Mother looked stern as well. There was no warm greeting, no tight hug. They just glared at me until the full extent of their disappointment was evident.

  “What the fuck, Saul?”

  Also new? Rance McCormick cursing outside his movies. I knew it was bad when my mother did not even bother to reprimand him.

  “I don’t know what this is about,” I said defensively, pointing outside.

  “I’m not talking about that, I’m talking about THIS!”

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded newspaper, which he thrust in my general direction. Us Weekly. I did not even have to go far to find the article he was talking about. The second page was dominated by photos of me. One was from ten years ago, and the others were of me from two weeks ago when I had been in L.A. There was one of Kyler as well, an inset with the caption ‘FAKE HUSBAND?’

  The article itself turned my stomach.

  Saul McCormick; dead broke, but not dead.

  Hollywood’s favorite son has been found. The man formerly considered the Prince of L.A., whose disappearance sparked worldwide speculation and controversy, has been discovered hiding away in the Mountains of the Roch.

  Younger readers will not remember him, but anyone who lived in the city, and indeed America back then, is no doubt intimately aware of the scandal that shook the city in early November 2009. A quick search will tell you that Saul McCormick is the only son of Hollywood icon Rance McCormick, whose recent appearance on hit show ‘Game of Thrones’ earned him an Emmy nomination. It is this connection that provided young Saul much of his legitimacy in an industry that simply had no room for his mediocre talent. Thus spurned, he resorted to dubious means to stay relevant, and to make a quick buck. The scandal that forced him into exile is well documented, both in the media and online. Yet it seems there may have been more to the abrupt departure than meets the eye.

  Nothing was heard from or about him in years following the aftermath of the scandal. Not until rumors began to surface a few weeks ago, that Saul McCormick had gotten married and was living as a recluse in an undisclosed location. While the basis of the rumor appears to have been true- Mr. McCormick did indeed get married- his real motivations may have been far more sinister.

  Us Weekly can exclusively reveal that Saul has not kept himself far from the signature lack of ambition he was accustomed to. In documents seen by this publication, his marriage appears to be false, or at the very least, a serious breach of trust laws. Reliable sources confirm that Mr. McCormick entered the marriage to young Kyler Nielson in an attempt to circumvent specific laws that prevented him from receiving any money from his father.

  I couldn’t read beyond that. I could feel the gaze from my parents burning holes into my head. I was terrified to even look at my dad in particular. The anger was radiating from him in waves.

  “Do you care to explain?” Rance asked. “Is this true?”

  “I think there are more pressing issues at hand, Dad.”

  “I can’t imagine anything more pressing than this mockery you’ve made of me.”

  “There’s an army of reporters camped out on my front door!”

  Dad
was unmoved.

  “The media will always do what the media does. They’re here for a story. Is there a story here?”

  I knew the jig was up. I had no moves left. In one fell swoop, I had lost both the privacy I cherished so much and the money that allowed me to have it. In retrospect, it had been silly to assume he would never find out. Arrogant, even. But there was no anticipating how things turned out. I had made some mistakes, that much was clear. Maybe I should have been more discreet with my profile on Mail Masters. Maybe I should have left the paperwork to a firm I trusted more. I could definitely have been more surreptitious the times I had been in L.A. with Kyler.

  But the biggest mistake I had made was Chris. All the way back to meeting the son of a bitch. I had a sneaky suspicion he was behind all this. Somehow, he had managed to crawl out of that clearing and get the story out. He must have already sold it by the time he was confronting me. I had not thought he would, and not just because I had threatened him. No matter how far gone Chris was, I had once known him, and that was a level I just did not feel he would stoop to.

  Either way, I had no choice but to come clean. Dad took lying as a personal insult.

  “I’m sorry, Dad,” I said. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

  “So it’s true, then?”

  “I haven’t read the whole article…”

  “Well, why don’t you tell me this whole story from the beginning?”

  He stepped around me and walked over to the couch, where he sat with his arms crossed. Mother followed silently behind him. She was avoiding my eye. I could tell she had been hoping it was not true.

  I cleared my throat, unsure where to begin.

  “It all started with the visit from you, Dad. Or, I guess it’s more accurate to say it started with Chris, but that’s another thing entirely. After your visit, I panicked. I knew I would not be ready to get into a relationship, certainly not in the timeline you provided. Not after Chris. The marriage seemed like the only way everyone got what they wanted.”