She is good! No wonder I fell for her shit!
“Even drunk you keep up the appearance of a woman who’s anything but a gold digger.” I turn into the fast food place and pull up to order. “Two double meat cheeseburgers all the way with mustard. Two fries and two large chocolate shakes, please.”
“That’ll be twenty-seven, eighty, sir, please pull up,” the lady on the speaker tells me.
“Gold digger? What the hell, Channing? That’s what you think I am?” She looks at me with her red-rimmed eyes that look as if she’s been crying non-stop.
“Why else would you go to my father if it wasn’t to blackmail me?”
“I did not go to your father. He’s lying to you.” She looks out the window and looks back at me. “Do you see that car?” She points out her window at a black Cadillac that’s just pulled in and parked in the parking lot adjacent to the one we’re in.
I look at it then squint to see if I can make out who’s inside. “My father has a car just like that.”
She looks back at me. “I saw that car a lot the last week we were together. It followed us around a lot. Is he in it?”
“It’s too dark to tell.” I stare at it. “It’s too late. I’m sure it’s not him. Even if it is. Maybe he’s out. No big deal.”
“Funny how it’s the same as your father’s.” Then she undoes her seatbelt and gets out of the car and starts walking up to it.
The sound of a horn fills the air as she walks right in front of a car that’s pulling into the parking lot. I yell at her to get back in but she keeps walking toward the black car.
Then it pulls out of the parking spot and drives off. She spins around and comes back to the car and gets in.
“You could’ve been killed, Beth! What the fuck?” I yell at her.
“How much you want to bet it was him, Channing?” She looks at me like she didn’t just do anything stupid.
“So what if it was, Beth? Fuck! You don’t even look like you were almost hit by a fucking car.” My hand is shaking as I grip the wheel and pull forward.
The lady hands me the drinks and the bag of food and I hand her the money and leave. Beth looks at me and her seatbelt isn’t even on. “I think he saw us together. I think he told you that because he doesn’t like to see you happy. That’s what I think.”
I glance at her. “You don’t even know him, Beth. And put your damn seatbelt on!”
Heading out to my house, I see her looking around as she fastens her seatbelt. “My dorm’s the other way.”
“I told you I’m taking you home. I’m not taking you to where that idiot roommate of yours can do you more harm.”
“Channing, what does that mean?” Her eyes glisten with what looks like hope.
“It means until you’re sober, I want to be sure you’re alright. You almost ended up in that kid’s bed. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.” I pull onto the street that leads to my house.
“So, you showing up tonight at the club was just, so I didn’t have sex with someone else?” She taps her fingers on her leg.
I look at her fingers. “That dress is too short. Is it your friend’s? Did your friend tramp you up and take you out to get over me or were you ever really into me at all? Is this girl the real you? Are you some party girl who’ll fuck anyone?”
Her head snaps as her mouth drops open. “Channing! You know the real me. I have to tell you that you taking your father’s word over mine is a real red flag to me. The man has caused you so much pain. I haven’t done a thing bad to you. Yet, you believe him over me. Seems to me, it’s me who should wonder if you were lying about your feelings you claimed to have for me.”
“I love you, Beth!” I shout at her. “I mean, loved you.”
“Then how could you put me out the way you did? How could you not give me a chance to talk to you? You just pushed me away like we had nothing between us. It shows me I can’t ever trust you. That’s what hurts the most. What we had is completely over because you have trust issues.” She looks away. “I’m glad you came to get me. I needed this closure. I needed to tell you this is over for me too. Wait. Why did you come? How did you know I was there?”
“Cole saw you and called me.” I pull into the garage and press the button to close the door behind us.
“And you came because why?” She looks at me with real confusion spread over her face.
Her beautiful face is streaked where tears have chapped her perfectly peach cream colored skin. Tears she cried so many of that it did that to them.
“Why did you cry so much, Beth?” I run my fingertip over one red line. “Was it because of the loss of me or the money?”
Her hand moves to take mine and holds it to her cheek. “It was only because of you. The money means nothing to me.”
“You said you needed to make money, though.”
She laughs. “Who doesn’t?”
My heart pounds as I look at her. If she was truly a person who only cared about my money, then why so many tears?
She releases my hand. “So, you’re going to keep me here for the night or what?”
I grab the bag of burgers. “Grab the shakes and come inside.”
As I get out of the car and head to the door I see her getting out and she stumbles a little toward the door.
Oh shit! I forgot she’s still drunk!
I walk back to her and put my arm around her to steady her. She grumbles, “I can do it. I don’t need your help.”
Opening the door to the kitchen, I say, “You do need my help, Beth. You’re still drunk.”
I help her to the bar in the kitchen and set the bag on it and take the drinks that she’s about to put down on their sides. Then pick her up and place her in the tall bar chair.
“There you go. Let me get this stuff out and get some of the weight you seemed to have lost, back on.”
She looks at me from under drooping eyelids. It won’t be long before she passes out. I have to get some of this in her system before that happens. “I’m not hungry,” she slurs. “And I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be here. Now that I’m here, I don’t think this is a good idea. I don’t want to fight with you.”
“I’m not going to fight with you, Beth. I just want you to eat and then sleep and tomorrow I’ll take you back to your dorm.” I take a bite of my burger and watch her just stare at hers.
Picking up a fry I put it to her lips. “I’m not…” I put it in, anyway.
“Chew, Beth.”
She does and then picks up her milkshake but only holds it. So I pull a piece off the burger and place it to her lips. She opens them and takes the bite. After she swallows she looks at me. “Why are you being so nice?”
“Just eat.” I hand her another fry. “Then I’m helping you take a bath and putting you into one of my T-shirts.”
She picks up the burger and takes a bite. “I can take a bath without your help, thank you very much.”
“The condition you’re in is why you need my help. Don’t make a big deal out of it. I helped you take plenty of baths and showers if you can remember that far back.” I dip one of her fries in ketchup and feed it to her.
“You and I took a shower together four days ago.” Her deep green eyes meet mine as I hold out another fry for her. She takes it from me and chews it slowly. “I don’t want your help.”
Her face is so thin and I can’t help thinking that she had to have felt something for me to get so upset she’d not eat in three days. “You need it.” I put the straw to her plump lips.
She drinks some of the shake then pops the straw out. “You are a hard man to be around and not fall for.”
“Am I?” I wipe away the bit of chocolate that got away from her mouth.
Her sweet mouth that used to bring me so much pleasure and satisfaction. Her lips that are so soft and supple underneath mine. They glided easily over my…
“Channing, don’t.” I look up into her eyes. “I can’t take that. I can’t take you looking at me li
ke you want me.”
I look away. “I don’t. I only want to make sure you’re safe. That’s all. Don’t read any more than that into it, Beth.”
“What you did was too hurtful.” She looks at the burger and pushes it away.
“How do you think I’ve felt, Beth? What you did felt like a stab in the back. Do you know my father came and took all of her things? I managed to give the car to the person I wanted to, but all the things I planned on donating to charity, he took.” I pick the burger up but she shakes her head.
Then her eyes narrow as she looks at me. “Give me a fucking lie detector test if you want. I didn’t tell the man a thing!” Her hand moves back and forth between us. “The thing we had going, is so over. You’ve proven yourself to be a person who’s so quick to judge, so quick to think the worst of a person. A person you claimed to love. You tossed me away without ever giving me a chance to defend myself.”
The way she keeps telling me this is over is pissing me off. “I’m the one who ended it, so stop trying to make it like you’re the one ending what we had. If it was anything real at all. I mean, on my part it was. It was completely real, but your part? Well, that had to have been made up for you to do what you did.”
She gets up and the chair slams to the floor. “Fuck you, Channing! I didn’t do it. I’ve told you so damn many times I’m beginning to wonder if you have a mental condition. I. Did. Not. Tell. Your. Fucking. Father. A. Thing!”
I pick up the chair and glare at her. “You tell me who would believe any different. The man came to me and told me. He told me you would deny it and you did!”
Her hands fly through the air as she yells, “Because I didn’t do it! Fuck! He said that because he’s a fucking manipulator that knew I was going to tell you I never said a thing to him. Because I didn’t. Duh!” She walks away then turns back. “Wait one minute. Did you say he came and took her things?”
I nod. “Yes, he took every last thing.”
“Why did you let him?” She looks at me with a blank stare.
Why did I?
“Look, I just did. My father and I have this complicated relationship.” I turn to pick up the mess on the bar.
“I would say it’s pretty cut and dry. He tells you what he wants and you let him have it.” She starts to walk out of the room then stops. “Wait. No, you don’t. When he asks you for money, you never give it to him. So why her things, Channing?”
I turn to look at her. “I feel bad for not feeling bad. Okay?”
“What does that even mean?” Her brows meet in the middle with her confused expression.
“Look, I don’t expect you to understand this, but I don’t feel a thing about Jana’s death. Not a thing except relief she’s gone. He must have loved her and I made them end their affair. I made the end of her life pretty bad by stopping what they had. So if he wanted her things then it was fine with me if he had them. I didn’t want to deal with them, anyway.” I take the bag to the trash then make my way to her.
“But what has he done with them, built a shrine to her?” she asks as I take her hand and pull her up the stairs.
“I have no idea. I don’t go to his place, ever.”
“So how do you know he hasn’t sold the things? I mean was there jewelry and stuff like that?” She follows along, and the food has helped her drunkenness a bit.
I stop and pull her back down the stairs and to Jana’s old bedroom. “I haven’t even looked in there to see what all he took.”
“You just let the man go in and out of there as he wanted?” She shakes her head. “You don’t act like yourself where he’s concerned, do you?”
“I don’t. He makes me feel odd. Nervous, mad, angry, and lacking all at the same time. My mother tells me I should have nothing to do with him. It’s not me who starts things up, though.” I push the door open to find her old room empty.
“Were there curtains in here, Channing?” Beth asks as she comes into the room with me.
“There were,” I say then look into the empty drawers and notice her jewelry box is gone as well. Every last thing is gone. “It’s as if she never existed.”
She looks at me. “This doesn’t feel right. Not at all.”
“I agree. Why the curtains. And there was a throw rug at the foot of the bed. Why that?” I go to make sure the windows are locked and they are.
An uneasy feeling comes over me. I’m not sure how to handle this. “Should I call him and ask him to bring back the curtains?”
She laughs a little. “No. But you should ask him what he did with everything. This is odd, Channing.”
I take her hand again. “Let’s get out of here. I feel as if someone’s watching us.”
Her body moves in close to me. “Me too.”
As we move back down the long hallway I notice one of the spare bedroom doors is slightly ajar. “Let me check this room really quick.” I push it the rest of the way open then flip on the overhead light. “Let me check the windows.”
Beth takes one side of the room and I take the other. “This one’s unlocked,” she says.
I find the two windows on my side unlocked as well. “I’m having an alarm system put in ASAP.”
“I would,” she says then we both walk out the door, and she looks at me. “Let’s check them all out.”
“I agree.” I take her hand and then look down at our clasped hands.
I hurt her and yet she’s right here with me. Something is telling me she’s telling me the truth about my father. She looks at me. “So, have you hired another assistant?”
I shake my head. “My last one was so good, I know anyone else will just let me down.”
“You’re right about that.” Her smile is infectious and brings one to my lips. They haven’t smiled since that day when I heard my father tell me about her coming to him.
I stop and turn her to me. “Beth, please just tell me the honest truth. Did you talk to my father? Even if you did, then just tell me. Maybe we can get past this.”
Her eyes level on mine. Her hand grips mine tight. “I swear to you I have never said a word to your father. I swear it, Channing.”
Not a flinch does she make. Not a blink, not an ounce of dishonesty seems to be in her words. “If I tell you that I believe you, can you forgive me?”
The words left my mouth with no pre-thought what-so-ever. My body is tense and I don’t know if I’m making a mistake or not.
“Do you believe me, Channing?” Her eyes search mine.
I nod and she lets out a sigh. “Finally!”
“So can you?” I ask again.
“Forgive you?” She laughs. “My heart is broken into a million pieces. I think my soul is shattered.”
“That bad?” I look at her. “Really?”
She nods. Then runs her arms around my neck. “But maybe a kiss will help me heal.”
“You know I was a mess too. I haven’t slept since that day.” My arms go all the way around her as I pull her close to me.
“Can you promise me that you’ll give me the chance to talk if anyone ever says I did or said anything ever again for our entire lives?” she asks as she looks deep into my eyes.
I nod. “Can you promise to knock the shit out of my dumb ass if I ever treat you like that again?”
She nods. “So this was our first fight.”
My lips move towards hers. “It was, and it was all my fault and I am so very sorry, Baby.”
“You can make it up to me.” My lips touch hers and the lighting runs through me with the mere touch of them.
Thank God, she’s back!
Chapter 5
BETH
My body sparks with the heat he has always sent through me. But my mind is racing with if I’m doing the right thing trusting him again after he hurt me so badly.
His hands move over my body after he lays me down on his soft bed. My clothes come off in his steady hands then he takes his off and carries me to the shower.
My mind is still kind of numb from
the alcohol but the warm shower is helping me to come out of the effects. His hands move through my hair as he rubs shampoo into it.
“Are you feeling better, Baby?” His lips graze over my shoulder.
“Umhm,” I moan.
I am feeling better. Much better. Slightly confused but so much better.
He leans me back to rinse my hair out and as soon as it’s all out he presses his lips to mine for only a moment then releases mine and pulls me up so he can put the nice smelling conditioner into my hair.
I look at him and have to pinch myself that this is truly happening. “Channing?”
“Yeah, Baby,” he says with a little smile on his full, caramel lips.
“Is this all real?”
The smile fades and his eyes droop a little at the corners. “It is and I’m sorry, Beth. I am. I should never have sent you off like that. I should’ve given you a chance to talk. I didn’t, and I caused us both so much pain. I am sorry and it will never happen again. I swear that to you, Baby.”
My arms go around him, pulling him to me. “It was the worst I’ve ever felt, Channing.” I lay my head against his wide, hard chest.
His hands move over my hair, massaging in the conditioner. “Me too. I’ll never do that to us again. I promise you.”
He pulls my hair some, making me lift my head off his chest and then he’s looking into my eyes. His face coming closer and closer to mine until his lips are touching mine.
Mine open and he comes inside. His tongue twists with mine. He moves me back until my back is pressed against the tiled wall. The spray from the three shower heads feels as if rain is falling on us.
My fingers move over his sides, feeling the tight muscles he has along his ribs. They move down then slide over his tight ass and I pull him to me.
His hands move down my sides to my ass where he grips me and hoists me up. I wrap my legs around him and he slips his long, hard cock into me. Our combined moans vibrate our bodies and mine has ached for him for three whole days and nights.
The way he fills me entirely has my body on fire. The thirst it had for him is about to be quenched. His thrusts are hard and fast. He must’ve missed my body too.
Doctor's Demands: A Submissives’ Secrets Novel Page 109
