Steve grinned at her and told Kim, “The car is all set up. We’re just waiting on Wade.” Wade is their driver and Steve and Ana were going to pose with him for the pictures this morning.
“Okay, where is your sister?”
“She’ll be here,” Steve said. “We still have half an hour. The photographer is not even here yet.”
“Okay, well, I’d like to see the car so I know what we’re looking at as far as angles and all of that.”
“It’s right out there,” Steve told her. The car was burnt orange and had the number “12” painted on the side. Steve told Angela it was in honor of a football team. It stood for the man who always stood ready in case the team needed him. Wade was a former football player and so that was the number they’d decided on.
“Come out with me,” she said, “I need to see it up close and know what you want us to get photos of.” Steve glanced at Angela. Kim didn’t miss it and she didn’t look happy about it. She shook it off quickly however and said, “Come on, we don’t have all day.”
With a sigh, Steve followed her out. Thomas and Angela stayed behind and Angela began to prepare the releases they would need Wade, Steve and Ana to sign for the photographer. A few minutes passed when they heard the sound of a phone. Angela looked over and saw Steve’s phone on the desk. Thomas was looking at it too.
“You should probably get that,” he said.
“Why? It’s not my phone.”
Thomas shrugged. “Maybe it’s Ana?”
“It’s a text. He can look at it when he gets in.” Angela was surprised when Thomas went ahead and picked it up. She shook her head and watched him read the message. He drew his brows together in the middle and curled his lip. Curious, she said, “What is it?”
“Nothing,” he said with disgust, tossing the phone back on the desk like it had burned him.
“It doesn’t look like nothing, judging by your face.”
“It’s an old message. I guess he just hadn’t checked it yet so it was still making noise.”
“How old?”
“I don’t know Ang. Just let it go, okay?”
“What do you mean, let it go? What am I letting go?” she suddenly needed to see what was on the phone. She reached for it and Thomas snatched it back up. “What the hell is wrong with you? Let me see it.”
“I don’t think you should.” He glanced out at Kimberly and Steve on the track and looked nervously back down at the phone.
“Damn it, Thomas, what the hell is on that phone?”
He looked a little sick as he finally handed it to her. She looked at what Thomas hadn’t wanted her to see. It was a photo. She pressed to enlarge it and a photo of Kim lying naked on a dark red satin comforter popped up. “Fuck! What is this?” She scrolled down. There were three more, all of Kim and all naked in different poses. Now she felt sick. There was a message attached to them from her that said,
“I can’t stop thinking about having your hard cock buried in my hot pussy. You were great last night baby...as always. I’m glad your dinner finished early. Let me know as soon as it happens again. I can’t wait to suck that big cock again...In the meantime; I took some selfies to tide you over. I know how much you love to look at me naked. Can’t wait to see you on the track in a few hours. Too bad we’ll have so much company or we could fuck in the car like we did last week. See you soon, Kisses, Kim.”
Angela dropped the phone on the floor and looked at Thomas. His face looked like he was torn up for her, but didn’t know what to do. She felt the tears rising and she looked out the window at Kim and Steve. She couldn’t see Steve’s face, but Kim glanced at her and touched Steve’s arm. He looked up at her and she said something. He put his head back under the hood and Kim looked like she was laughing. She glanced one more time in Angela’s direction. Angela suddenly wondered if they were laughing at her. She felt like such an incredible fool. She ran into the bathroom and dropped to her knees in front of the toilet. She began to puke up her morning coffee. She didn’t have anything else in her stomach. Suddenly she felt a pair of warm hands gather her hair from behind. Thomas had knelt behind her and was holding her hair up out of the way.
“What is wrong with me?” she thought. “Here is this really great guy who has been my rock for so long...and I’m willing to give that up...for what? A cheater, a playboy?” She leaned her head into Thomas when she was done vomiting and he wrapped his arms around her. He leaned back into the wall and just silently held her. All of the progress she had made was gone...out the window with the naked photos. She was back to square one and the guy who had always been there for her was still the only one there.
DECEIVED BOOK 2
Chapter 1
“So are we going to look at the apartment in Lakewood after work?” Angela and Joanne were sitting at the sidewalk café down the street from Angela’s work. She was on her break and doing her best to avoid her boss at all costs. Her phone buzzed...again. It was the tenth time today at least that Steve tried to reach her.
“Yeah. I think it might be the one...as long as it looks as good in person as it does online.”
“Lakewood is a little longer trip for you to and from work.”
“I know. I might have to invest in a car...” Angela looked down at her phone in her lap.
“Is it Steve again?”
“No, this time it’s Thomas. He wants to have dinner tonight. He’s going to be pissed when I turn him down to go apartment hunting.”
“Too damned bad! He seriously needs to get over himself. It’s creepy the way he thinks he owns you...I’ve known him almost as long as you and I have never seen this side of him.”
“He doesn’t think he owns me, Jo. He’s just a really good friend.”
“Too good, if you ask me, he wants to be a lot more.”
“You know, other than that night at dinner, he hasn’t really done anything to give me that idea. He’s just always there for me, Jo. I have to give him so much credit for that.”
“You give him too much credit. You’re too nice. Just do me a favor and really watch the way he looks at you...it’s not right.”
Angela smiled at her friend. She knew that Joanne was just worried about her. She also knew that’s all that was wrong with Thomas too. She couldn’t wait until her life was back in a place where no one had to worry. “Okay, I’ll watch him,” she said, putting her credit card down in the tray and motioning at the waitress. “I’ll see you at about five-thirty?”
“I’ll be there with bells on,” Jo said. Angela kissed her cheek, signed for lunch when the waitress got back and headed back to work. The first person she saw when she walked back into the lobby of the building was Steve.
“Angela...”
“You can’t just show up like this. I’m at work.”
“I was here for a meeting...”
“Oh really? With Kim? Another photo shoot? I hope you got some good ones.”
“Angela, listen to me, please. I came here to confront Kim about those pictures and what she said in that text. She’s trying to come between us, baby...”
“Don’t call me that, you have no right...” Angela was trying to get to the elevator but Steve was standing between it and her. “Get out of my way. I have to get back to work.”
“Will you please...”
“The lady said to get out of her way.” Angela turned at the sound of Thomas’ voice. It was a bit startling the way he’d come out of nowhere, but she was grateful he was there.
“Stay out of this. It doesn’t concern you,” Steve said.
She felt Thomas step up next to her. She put her hand on his arm. He was coiled as tightly as a spring that was about to pop. “Thomas, it’s okay. We can’t do this here, alright?” The muscles in his arm became even tauter with her words.
“He can’t just keep showing up here, harassing you, Ang.”
“He’s not harassing me. He was here for a meeting. You’re leaving now, right, Steve?”
Steve shot Thomas a
glare and then gave Angela one last, pleading look before he said, “Yeah, I’m leaving. Angela please call me...”
“Get out,” Thomas said in a tone that indicated the next thing he had to say would not be as nice. Steve didn’t seem fazed at all by Thomas. He never took his eyes off of Angela’s face. He gave her one last agonized look before stepping around Thomas and heading for the door.
When he was gone Thomas looked at her and said, “I’m going to talk to Kim about him. She can deal with Ana. He needs to stay away from here...”
“No!”
Thomas looked shocked. “What do you mean no?”
“Just what I said. I appreciate your concern, Thomas...I really do. But, this is my job. I don’t want my personal life being brought into it. Please don’t talk to Kim. I don’t doubt that given the choice between me or Steve that she would choose him. Please don’t make this worse than it already is.”
He set his jaw and for a second Angela thought he wasn’t going to let it go. Then just as quickly, he relaxed. He threw his arm around her and pulled her in for a side hug. Brushing his lips quickly across her hair line he said, “Okay. I don’t want to do anything to make this harder on you. I’ll leave it alone. As long as he leaves you alone.”
“Thank you,” Angela told him. “I’m going to get back to work now. I have a meeting this afternoon at four.”
“Okay,” Thomas said, taking his arm off of her shoulders. “Will I see you for dinner? I didn’t get a response to my text.”
“Oh shoot! I’m sorry. Joanne and I were having lunch and I just forgot to text you back. I can’t have dinner tonight.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Why not?”
“I’m looking at an apartment tonight in Lakewood.”
He looked angry again instantly. “What the fuck, Angela? I thought we agreed that you were going to wait...”
“Thomas, I need you to understand that I need my own space.”
“You have your own space, Ang. I’m not crowding you at home, am I? You were gone for the whole weekend...I didn’t call or text you the whole time you were at that fancy house in Long Beach...”
“Fancy house? How do you know what kind of house it was?”
He rolled his eyes. “I’ve met Ana and Steve. They’re spoiled, rich brats, both of them. I’m sure it’s a big, fancy house. That doesn’t matter though. My point was that you went away to have fun and I left you alone. You have your own room and most of the time; I’m not even home...” His voice was growing louder and more desperate. Angela looked around the lobby and realized they were drawing attention.
“Thomas, this isn’t the time or place for this. I have to get back to work.”
Once again she watched as her friend seemed to visibly calm down. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry. We’ll talk about it at home later.”
Angela almost told him that she wasn’t going to change her mind, but she decided to follow her own advice. This isn’t the time or place. “Okay, I’ll see you later,” she told him. She walked away, feeling his eyes on her the entire time. When she stepped into the elevator and turned to face the door she saw him standing where she left him, still watching her. He smiled and with Joanne’s words on her mind, she shuddered. She smiled back...things would be better when she got her own place. Lines just got blurred between her and Thomas because of the close quarters. Once she had her own place, she was sure they could get back to where they were...the best of friends.
*****
Thomas stood and watched Angela go. When the elevator doors closed, the smile fell off of his face. He didn’t head back to his office. Instead he turned and headed back out the door of the lobby. Once he was outside he took out his phone and called Kim. “Hey Kim, I’m really sorry but I must have eaten some bad Sushi at lunch. I feel really ill.”
“Oh no! Where did you eat?”
“Over at the Tokyo Gardens on Spring Street. I thought the Unagi tasted a little strange...”
“You have to be careful with that stuff. Go home and do your best to throw it up. That’s the only thing that ever makes me feel better when that happens. Go to the hospital though if it gets too bad.”
“I will. Thanks, Kim.”
“Of course. By the way, Steve was here a while ago.”
“Oh yeah? What did he have to say?”
“He was really angry. He said some really mean things. His main point though was that he planned on convincing Angela that I was a liar and I sent that text purposely so that she would see it.”
“There’s no way he can prove that. Just give me a little time and I’ll make Ang forget he ever existed. You need to be doing the same on your end though. Bring him to his knees, Kim...I know that you can do it.”
Kim laughed. “I’m trying, Thomas. A few weeks ago, I had him worshipping at the altar of Kim. He’s obsessed with your little roommate, but I’m confident that all he needs is a reminder of how good things were between us.”
“Good, remind him,” Thomas said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks Thomas, feel better.”
“I plan on it,” he said with a smile as he hung up the phone.
Chapter 2
“Are you ready?” Joanne was waiting for Angela when she got downstairs. They were taking her car to Lakewood so that she didn’t have to spend sixty bucks on a cab.
“I’m ready; let’s go get me an apartment!”
They got into the car and Joanne jumped onto the I-5 south. The more Angela rode with her and Thomas in this traffic, the more she was glad that she didn’t have a car.
“So what did Thomas the weirdo say when you told him about the apartment hunting tonight?”
Angela laughed, “Stop calling him a weirdo. He’s such a sweet guy. You’ve known him as long as I have. Why all of a sudden do you have a problem with him?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know, just lately he’s giving off a weird vibe.”
“I think it’s just all of the leftover emotions from Blake...you know? He and Thomas were really close. I know how he feels, it comes and goes.”
“I guess. I hope that’s all it is.”
Angela’s phone started ringing just as Joanne got off the Lakewood exit. She didn’t want to look at it, figuring it was Steve again. It wasn’t, it was the real estate agent.
“Hi Maggie, it’s Angela.”
“Hi Angela, I have some bad news.”
“Oh no! What happened?”
“I wish I knew. There was a fire in the apartment. I showed it twice earlier today and everything was fine. Sometime between then and now, boom!”
“Boom!? There was an explosion?”
“Yeah, they’re still putting it out. No one was hurt, thank God. They think it may have been a faulty water heater...but they won’t be sure for a while.”
“I’m so sorry that happened to you!” Angela was trying to not think about herself at that moment. That had to be so frightening for Maggie and she was right, thank God no one was hurt. Angela was human though and she couldn’t help feeling like there was someone or something up there that wanted to keep her from getting her own place. She hung up the phone after Maggie told her she would call if anything else came up.
“What happened?” Joanne asked.
“There was an explosion in the apartment. They think it might have been the water heater, but it’s too soon to tell. Either way, I’m not getting to rent it.”
“Shit! Wow, that’s good luck!”
Angela laughed. “I was just thinking what crappy luck it was. How do you figure it’s good luck?”
“You could have rented it and got hurt when it exploded!”
“Good point. Okay, we’re looking at it from the bright side,” Angela said.
“So, you want to get a drink?”
“No...if you don’t mind I think I’ll just have you drop me at the loft. I didn’t search any of the ads online today because I was so busy at work...and, I actually had my heart set on this one. I guess it would be
smarter to set up appointments for more than one or two at a time.”
“Okay, I should probably go home and do some laundry anyways. It’s either that or stop at Victoria’s Secrets on the way home because I am out. I’m wearing my granny panties today.”
Laughing, Angela said, “I find it hard to believe you even own a pair of granny panties.” Joanne was always the best dressed woman in any room. She’d had a semi-fetish for lingerie for as long as Angela had known her.
“I have two pairs,” she said, “You know, for Sunday lounging and laundry day.”
“That reminds me, I need to do some laundry myself. I’m not sure what’s happening to my underwear. Maybe I forgot a box or something but it seems like I’m missing pairs.”
“Maybe there’s an underwear thief in your laundry room,” she said with a giggle.
“That would just be...ew! I don’t even have words.” They both laughed. Angela loves spending time with Joanne. No matter how crappy life gets, the two of them can always find something to laugh about. It’s hard for Angela to believe that they went so many years without seeing each other. They fell right back into being best friends.
Joanne dropped Angela off at the loft. When she walked in, she heard a noise down the hall and she thought she saw Thomas coming out of her room. “Thomas?”
“Hey! What are you doing home so soon?”
“Well, there was some kind of explosion at the apartment I was going to look at. Were you just in my room?”
He looked confused, “No...I was coming out of the bathroom.”
Angela raised an eyebrow. “You went to the bathroom with your beer?”
He looked down at the beer in his hand. “Uh, yeah...gross, I guess. I wasn’t even thinking until I got in there.”
She dropped her purse next to the couch and went over to the desk where the laptop was sitting. She sat down in the chair and when she touched the mouse she realized that she was still logged in. “Oops! I guess I forgot to log out last night. If I ever do that and you need the computer just feel free to sign me out, okay?”
Deceived - The Complete Series Page 10
