by M. Clarke
Sexiest Couple Alive
Knight Fashion Magazine
Copyright © Mary Ting 2016
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Licensing Notes
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.
Chapter 1
Olivia
They say one decision can change your whole life. I knew this, and yet I left Nate on the rooftop after he proposed to me. I naïvely thought everything would be fine, that I would find love again when the time was right. But I discovered you can’t find love. It finds you. And if you toss it away, the odds of getting a second chance are slim to none. However, I had an opportunity to ask for a second chance, and I had to take it before the window closed.
Charlene and Isla gave me the push I needed to tell Nate how I felt. Nate might reject me, especially since he was dating Kelly, but I had to try. I never wanted “what if” to linger between us. If he rejected me, at least I would have closure.
My conscience reminded me: don’t be the other woman. My heart retorted: but he was mine first.
I let him go. The stupid, idiotic part of me let him go. I released a heavy breath and inhaled an even longer one.
Nate would arrive any minute. Butterflies swirled in my stomach. My breath cut short, and my pulse skyrocketed. Mom had gone to Charlene’s house so I could have the apartment to myself. All was set except for my uncontrollably pounding heart. I’d only get one chance to tell him I still loved him and wanted us to be together again. Waiting for his arrival was torture.
I brushed my finger over the word love inscribed in crystal on the bracelet I wore, a gift from Nate, and checked my clothes in the mirror. All morning I had rummaged through my closet for the perfect outfit. Nothing had seemed good enough. I finally decided on jeans and a black sweater with ruffles on the bottom. He wasn’t going to get back together with me because he liked what I wore. I returned a text from Isla, dropped my phone on my bed, and rushed out the door when the bell chimed.
My legs forgot how to move and every nerve in my body tingled in the worst possible way. I sweated in the mild temperature and my heart constricted tightly, as if a limited amount of blood pumped through my veins. If that wasn’t enough, my poor throbbing head thumped like a heartbeat. Between my room and the door, I had a full-on anxiety attack. Placing my hand on the doorknob, I shuddered a breath. Then I opened the door with a smile.
“Hi—” I froze. My heart stopped. I should have peered through the peephole, but not expecting anyone else besides Nate that morning, I hadn’t bothered. Opening the door was going to be one of the biggest mistakes of my life.
“Hello, sweetheart. Did you miss me? I told you I would find you.” The endearment didn’t match his menacing tone.
“Troy,” I murmured under my breath, trembling. I wanted to scream.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” He arched his brows in reprimand.
“I’m expecting company. Can we talk another time?” Intimidated by his presence, I hardly recognized my soft voice.
His green eyes grew cold and angry, pinning me still. “I don’t think so.”
Before I could slam the door, he used his weight to push through, almost knocking me down in the process, and walked in as his cologne assaulted my nose. I used to love the pleasant smell, but now it made me want to gag. He glanced around the apartment while raising his brows disapprovingly. He focused from the kitchen, around the family room, and then stopped to meet my eyes.
“I thought with your new assignment at Knight Fashion, you could afford a better place to live. How’s that going, by the way?” His question sounded mocking.
How did he know about my current employment? I didn’t know if his question was genuine or if he was being an ass about it, but I didn’t appreciate his comment. My apartment wasn’t like his penthouse, not expensive or huge, but it was new, comfortable for my mom and me, and located in an expensive neighborhood. Frankly, I didn’t care what he thought about anything.
He not only tracked me down, but also barged in without my consent. I could have yelled at him and told him to leave, but he scared me shitless. Finding the courage, and hiding how much he intimidated me, I crossed my arms.
“It’s none of your business. Who told you where I lived?”
Troy’s eyes pierced into mine angrily and his forehead creased with a pinch at the center. “I have connections, Olivia.” He stood near the other side of the sofa, and when he stepped closer, I jumped back. I wanted distance from him. He arched his eyebrows and frowned.
“People throw themselves at me,” he continued. “They answer on demand. I will always know where you live.” He pointed at me with a look of promise I didn’t want. “You can’t hide from me.” He raised his hands, palms out, and shrugged to indicate I had no choice.
I didn’t know it when I left him, but I learned. I couldn’t hide from Troy. He proved it by finding me. Not many people knew I’d moved, and if they did, they didn’t have the address yet, so what the fuck? Who gave him my address? I had to think of something fast. Having Troy there would look terrible, especially when Nate found out I used to date Troy.
“Look, my mother is on her way home. I promise we can talk, but not here and not now, please.” Troy didn’t deserve any ounce of politeness, but I needed to show him some kind of respect so he would do as I asked.
Troy ignored me and started pacing around the apartment, looking at the paintings on the wall, and one on the floor I hadn’t put up yet, and a picture of my mom and me on the side table by the sofa. Then he peeked into my mother’s bedroom, making me nervous as hell.
“You live with your mother?” He asked so calmly one would think it was a pleasant conversation.
“Yes.” Anxiety took me over. Nate didn’t like to be late, but I hoped for an exception. I prayed for traffic.
Troy strolled to my room next and peeked in, taking his time to observe my bed, the dresser, and a desk. Then his eyes roamed across the white wall, maybe looking for evidence of someone else in my life. He was jealous that way.
“Are you moving in or out?”
I hated answering any of his questions, but I did, so he would get the hell out of there. He must have seen the unpacked boxes by the corner of my bedroom. “We moved in recently. I haven’t had a chance to unpack everything.”
I stiffened when Troy took swift steps to me with that smug, domineering expression I used to find sexy. I learned to loathe it. It disgusted me. Standing inches away from me, he towered over me, making me feel so small. He looked at me and spoke to me like he owned me.
Troy made me feel like an object he could order around, a trophy girlfriend to show off to his friends, if he felt like it. A thing. As long as I listened to him and did as he asked, he was happy. It didn’t matter how I felt. But Nate treated me like his world. Through his actions, the way he looked at me, spoke to me, protected me, and asked me for my opinion, he showed me respect.
I had no doubt who I should be with, but what had felt possible seemed unattainable once Troy found me. I wasn’t trying to run away from him. I just never thought he would go out of his way to find me. It only proved I had to take him seriously. Sure, his texting me like a hundred times a day did put up a red flag, but I didn’t think in millions of years he would actually come to Los Angeles to find me.
He must be in town for a job. I hoped. He couldn’t be psycho enough to travel across the country.
He lifted my chin with the tip of his finger, forcing me to meet his eyes. I once admired his beautiful emerald eyes, but they were dull and dangerous in that moment. Troy started to stroke my hair. As much as I disliked his caress, I couldn’t move. He had a hold on me I couldn’t fathom. Fear cast a spell on me and over my whole life. If I wasn’t careful, he would break me.
Troy continued. “Come with me. Tell me you’re mine.” Again, his tone was sweet and tender, but I didn’t want those words from him.
I turned my face and didn’t say a word. His lips, too close for comfort, sickened me. Growling softly with disappointment, his shoulders tensed, his jaw tightened, and he glared.
“Olivia!” he snapped, scolding me as if I were a child.
Inhaling a deep breath, he held himself still as though trying not to blow up, but my body stiffened and I jerked back anyway out of habit. As soon as he raised his voice, an alarm bell inside me rang, telling me to get prepared for his outburst. Strangely, it didn’t come...yet.
Just when I thought maybe he’d changed, he gripped my hair from the back and tugged once sharply, making me gasp.
“Don’t wait too long to come see me,” he gritted through his teeth. “I’m staying at the Four Seasons. I know you know where that is. Maybe next time I can meet your dear mother. She and I are going to have to get to know each other better, especially when we’ll be spending more time together.” His hand moved to my face, ever so lightly touching my cheek, down to my chin. His endearing words would have meant the world to me if we were in love. But at the moment, he creeped me out. I tried to move away, but my legs disobeyed. I was too afraid he would snap, especially when his eyes darkened with danger even more.
I swallowed a lump of fright as his thumb glided across my bottom lip and stayed there. “You really should get going,” I managed to say, slightly trembling. In my mind, I gouged his eyes out.
“As you wish,” he said all too calmly, his face still inches away from mine. “By the way, if I find out who you’ve been dating behind my back, he’s not going to have a career. I’ll ruin him. He’ll never work a day in his life. And if you don’t cooperate with me, Olivia, I’ll ruin you. Like I said before, you don’t get to tell me when we’re done. We’re done when I say we’re done. And if you make a fool out of me, let’s just say I have lots of photos I’m sure Mr. Knight wouldn’t want floating around on social media sites.” He curled his lips into a satisfied grin, as if he’d won a contest.
Shock slammed into me and rendered me speechless. Did he know about Nate? I blinked and replayed Troy’s words to make sure I’d heard correctly. After all, who in their right mind would ever give such a threat? Who would force a loved one to stay in a relationship? It was incomprehensible.
My leg muscles finally regained their coordination. Side stepping away, I crossed my arms to steady myself and gave Troy a horrendous glare. “What the hell do you mean, Troy? You would actually post those pictures you took of me just so I would stay with you? How sick are you?” I had to keep my cool, no matter how much I burned up inside with anger. If I raised my voice at him, he would come back at me ten times worse.
With his chin held high and that ugly smirk I wanted to wipe away with a spiky sponge, he said, “Those are your words, not mine. Take it however you want.”
I had no words to say to him anymore. Troy would ruin Nate if it got out that I wanted him back in my life. Knowing Troy would make good on his threat, I had to protect Nate. Troy could do whatever he wanted with me; I didn’t give a damn anymore. He was the bed I’d made, and I had to sleep on it and deal with him, but I couldn’t bring Nate down with me. And those naked pictures...Oh God! I wanted to cry. I wanted to kill Troy. How stupid was I? But how was I supposed to know he would turn out to be possessive and crazy? I would have to figure it out later, but Nate would be at the door any minute. If Troy saw Nate, I didn’t know what he would do.
I headed to the door and opened it. Without making eye contact, I said wearily, “Like I said before, my mom is on her way. You need to at least respect her space. You should go now.”
“I’ll be expecting your call soon, sweetheart. You know where to find me.” He walked out the door.
Slamming the door behind me with relief, I ran to my bedroom and looked at my cell, wanting to tear Troy to pieces. Never in my life had I ever experienced such craziness. Stuff like that happened in books, TV, and movies, and not to decent people like me. I tried to be a good person. I believed in karma, but karma didn’t believe in me...at least not this time.
Nathan: There’s a bit of traffic. I’m running fifteen minutes late.
I looked at the time. 11:15. My shoulders eased a little. Troy had just left the apartment, but what to do? I couldn’t tell Nate my reason for wanting him there anymore. The little bit of hope I had died. Troy killed it. Hearing the door chime, I dropped my cell again on my bed. This time, I didn’t rush to the door. I was going to see Nate, and I had no life in me. Knowing I would lose him forever left me dead inside.
Chapter 2
Nathan
I texted Olie to let her know traffic had me running about fifteen minutes late. I didn’t like being late, especially when she’d sounded urgent. What could she possibly want to talk about? Did Kelly say something hurtful?
Olie could hold her own, and she wasn’t the type to bring up petty stuff. So maybe she wanted to confess she still had feelings for me. If she did, would I do the same? I pushed the thought far back into my mind.
Many times I imagined Olie asking me to take her back, but things had changed. I was with Kelly, sort of. Her latest demand that I break up my friendship with Olie didn’t sit well with me. No one could tell me who my friends were. Olie had never placed such demands on me. There I was thinking about Olie again. I’d wanted to call Olie first to let her know I was voted Sexiest Man Alive, but I stopped myself before I dialed.
Sometimes, I didn’t know what to do with all the emotions bottled up inside, wanting to explode. Finally reaching my destination, I parked and got out of my car. When I opened the door to enter the apartment complex, a guy about the same height as me bumped my shoulder. He didn’t stop to apologize. Instead, he kept right on walking without even looking back.
“Excuse me,” I mumbled to myself, tempted to say something to him. I wondered if he lived there or was visiting a friend. His head stayed down, so I didn’t get a clear view of his face, but a sense of déjà vu hit me. Why, I couldn’t explain, so I let it go. I knocked on Olie’s door and shoved my hands inside my jeans pockets.
The door cracked open. “Hi, Nate. Thanks for coming. Come in.” She swung the door wider and walked away. Olie looked great in jeans and a black sweater, accentuating her blonde hair. But once she let me in, it felt like she didn’t want me there. Not only did she barely make eye contact, her tone sounded preoccupied.
“You wanted to see me?” I followed her, frustrated by the mixed signals. “What’s so urgent?”
Olie turned around, meeting my eyes just long enough for me to confirm something wasn’t right, and then she looked away. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it sound so urgent. I just needed your help hanging my mother’s painting on the wall. She felt bad for bothering you last time, so she asked me to text you. I hope that’s okay?”
I wanted to roll my eyes and show my annoyance with how she approached the matter, but I decided to be polite. “Sure. Where’s Emily?” I glanced around, expecting Emily to come out of the kitchen or her bedroom.
“My mom went to Charlene’s place. They’re having lunch.”
“Charleeene...” I drawled out her name and nodded with a chuckle, recalling the time she’d told Olie and me to have sex. Then we would know if something special had kindled between us again.
Olie seemingly caught on by the way I said her name and understood. “Yup, the Charlene who told us to have sex. What
a crazy idea.” She laughed nervously. At least it sounded like that way.
“How is she?” I glanced around. With the furniture arranged, the apartment gave off a warm, homey ambiance. The last time I’d been there, I’d helped them move in.
“She’s good. It’s good she has my mom. They keep each other company.”
I nodded in understanding. “So, where’s this huge painting?” I broke us out of this awkward conversation, imagining a heavy piece of artwork that required a strong man’s help.
Olie gave me a small smile, picked up a pencil on the table, and then picked up a painting off the floor. It was about eighteen by twenty-four inches, a size Olie and her mother could have handled easily. So why did Olie ask for my help?
Turning to me, she said, “My mom bought this the other day. She found a small shop that sells all sorts of knickknacks for a great price. Anyway, you should go there if you need stuff.”
“Okay.” I narrowed my eyes at her. Olie rambled nonsense, and I knew her well enough to know it meant she was hiding something. I decided to pretend I didn’t notice for her sake and to see if she would eventually tell me when she was ready.
“Can you hold this on the wall for me while I mark the spot with this pencil?” She shrugged sheepishly.
“Sure.” I took the painting from her and stretched my arms up to hold the painting on the wall. Olie moved from the left side of me, then to the right, and then back and forth, trying to gauge the precise spot. Her body close to mine felt so familiar, and yet I felt uneasy about it. I could tell she did too from the way she fidgeted around so she didn’t have to touch me.
“Olie.” I blew out an agitated breath. “Just come under me. You need to stand in front. I’m not going to bite you.”
She scowled. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I mean, I don’t know if that will help.”
“It will, Olie,” I snapped. “Either that or my arms will go numb from holding this position for too long.”
