Beastly Lights

by Theresa Jane

  “Come on Freya, we don’t have time for this,” Liam said impatiently. “Just put on the dress and let’s get out of here.”

  “Where did all of this come from?” I asked in disbelief, looking at all the bags that were laid out across my bed from every store I had visited today with Ryan and Ant.

  “Ryan sent them over,” Liam answered tiredly, running his hand through his blond hair.

  “I don’t want these.”

  “Just put on a dress,” Liam groaned.

  “Take it all back,” I answered, glaring at the bags accusingly.

  “What?”

  “Take it back,” I repeated slowly, turning back to look at an irritated Liam.

  “You have to be kidding,” he hissed before moving over to where I stood, glaring at the bed again.

  “Just put something on so we can go.”

  “I am not going anywhere with you,” I replied, trying very hard to keep all the new information straight in my head.

  “Can you do this one thing for me?” he asked impatiently.

  “I am not going out with you,” I answered distractedly as he took a few steps closer to me.

  “Come on, Freya,” he said gently, and I jumped slightly as I felt his hand run up my arm. I was powerless to stop the shiver that ran up my spine as his hand came to rest on the back of my neck until the only place I could look were in his gold-rimmed eyes.

  “Liam,” I whispered as my body involuntarily leaned into his.

  “Will you do this for me?” he breathed, and I fought to not reach out and run my hands down his chest just to see what it felt like. I couldn’t keep my breathing under control, and it was as if every thought in my head had flown out, leaving it blank.

  “Freya?” he prompted, and a knock at the door quickly pulled me out of my trance. I blinked my eyes a few times and tried to look behind Liam, but his other hand came up and cupped my cheek to keep my eyes focused on him.

  “What-”

  “Come on, Freya,” he said impatiently, and I felt the last of his intoxicating charm wash away.

  “No, Liam,” I swallowed. “I’m not doing it.”

  “What do I have to do to make you do this?”

  “I want one question,” I demanded, stepping back from him and shrugging his hand off my neck.

  “What?” he asked, looking between me and the door, where the knocking had become more persistent.

  “I get to ask you one question and you have to answer truthfully,” I emphasized, keeping my eyes locked on his darting amber ones.

  “One question?” he confirmed as I heard Lucinda yell on the other side of the door, and I nodded my head firmly.

  “Fine, I’ll answer your question,” he said hurriedly. “Now will you go get changed?”

  “Of course,” I smiled, picking up the dress and walking calmly over to the bathroom. I heard Liam mutter curses under his breath, only making me smile wider.

  Chapter 17: The Dress

  “Liam?” I called through the gap in the bathroom door nervously. “I don’t think this is going to work.”

  “I don’t care what you’re wearing anymore, just get out here,” he answered impatiently. I could hear Lucinda’s muffled voice still shouting through the locked door. I only hoped those men had done a good job fixing it after Liam broke it.

  “I’m not comfortable with this,” I frowned, looking back down at the dress. The dress was so far out of my comfort zone that I was practically itchy with discomfort.

  “Freya,” Liam groaned, and I looked up just as he pushed the door open. The irritation in his eyes quickly fled as he took in what I was wearing. I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, uncertain of the look I saw on his face. I pulled down at the hem, trying to get it to stretch lower on my thigh.

  Everything about the dress was constricting, and it felt as if the high lace collar was trying to cut off my air supply. Whoever designed this dress hated women.

  “Liam?” I prompted nervously. His silence was confirming my worst thoughts about the dress. I must have looked exactly how I felt, ridiculous. I probably resembled a girl playing dress-up in her mother’s wardrobe.

  “You’re right,” he choked, still not taking his eyes off me. I was coming to realize that just because a guy couldn’t take their eyes off you, it didn’t mean it was because you were so captivating.

  “What?” I frowned. He was the one that wanted to leave. He said any dress would do.

  “This dress isn’t going to work,” he said, blinking his eyes rapidly as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

  “I know,” I agreed. “It doesn’t even have a back,” I complained, twisting so he could see how low it dipped. I hoped Ryan had gotten this dress half price. It barely had any material on it at all.

  “I’m going to kill him,” I heard Liam mutter, and I quickly turned back to see him take a deep breath and squeeze his eyes closed tightly. Was this causing him physical pain?

  “Kill who?”

  “We need to get you another dress,” he answered, tugging harshly at his hair.

  “Liam, open this door,” I heard Lucinda shout, and Liam’s eyes darted back to the door of my room. The sound of the lock rattling cut off whatever he was going to say next.

  “Is it really that bad?” I asked, looking back down at the dress and frowning. Did it shrink? I swear there was less dress than when I looked only a moment ago.

  “You have no idea,” he muttered before he looked back at me. “We have to go.”

  “But-”

  “He did this on purpose,” he growled. Then he reached across the space between us and grabbed my hand. He continued to mutter angrily about the black dress as he tugged me toward the bathroom door.

  “Who?” I asked in frustration. I was growing tired of hearing only half the conversation he seemed to be having in his head.

  “Ryan,” he growled, dropping my hand after dragging me over to the bed.

  “What did he do?”

  “You need shoes,” he replied, looking over at the door anxiously.

  “Have you seen what I’m wearing?” I demanded in alarm.

  “God, yes,” he groaned, pulling out some of the highest heels I have ever seen in my life. I continued to rifle through the numerous bags on the bed in search of something more decent. I wasn’t having every person in the restaurant react the same as Liam was right now.

  “I never tried any of these on,” I frowned, pulling out another scrap of fabric in green.

  “Ryan doesn’t buy what you want,” Liam complained, eyeing me again before handing over the shoes. “He buys what he thinks looks good on you.”

  “You’ve experienced this?” I asked, hopping around as I tried to get one of the devices of death on my feet.

  “He’s my stylist,” Liam answered flatly. Then, looking over at the door that I think he realized couldn’t have been more than seconds from opening, added, “he’s never wrong.”

  “You have a stylist?” I asked, my mind suffering a severe case of information overload.

  “I spend a lot of my time in the public eye,” he shrugged as I finally got the second shoe on.

  “Now what,” I breathed, trying to catch my breath after all the jumping around. I heard him mutter a few curses under his breath as he took in the completed outfit, and all I wanted to do was climb under the covers and never come out again. I must look really ridiculous now.

  “I don’t want you going out like that,” he announced, his anger sparking again.

  “Do I really look that terrible?” I asked uncertainly, wrapping my arms around my waist, but he was saved from answering as the door finally flew open, revealing a fuming Lucinda.

  “Liam,” Lucinda growled triumphantly, causing both our eyes to dart to her. Her eyes widened as she took in my appearance, only confirming my predictions from before. Everyone who saw this dress was going to have the same reaction as Liam.


  “We’re leaving, Lucinda,” Liam said gruffly. He was the first to recover as he slipped his arm tightly around my waist and I teetered dangerously on my heels.

  “What?” Lucinda spluttered, but I was too busy trying to ignore the heat from Liam’s bare arm. It was pressed against my back and his hand was gripping my waist tightly. Both were making me feel lightheaded, making it even more difficult to stay upright.

  “We’re leaving,” he repeated before he started moving toward the door Lucinda was standing motionless next to.

  “You can’t,” Lucinda frowned as Liam pushed her easily out of the way and started moving us down the hallway. Liam didn’t answer her and just kept walking as I stumbled ungracefully beside him.

  “Liam,” I said softly, looking up at him in alarm as we approached the living room. “I can’t go out in this. You said it yourself, I look horrible.”

  “I never said you looked bad,” he grunted as I fell into his side, tripping on one of my heels. What did he mean, he never said I looked bad? A look said a thousand words, and he’d given me about five.

  “But I thought…”

  “One of my shirts would cover up more of you than this does,” he smirked, tugging at the hair tie in my hair so that my unruly curls fell loose.

  “I know my skin’s pale and I’m not very tall-”

  “I don’t want anyone else to see you,” he whispered in my ear, gently pushing back one of my curls with the hand that wasn’t wrapped around my waist. Which I suddenly realized was much lower than it had been before. Was even possible to blush harder than I was right now?

  “What?” I stuttered stupidly.

  “Look what we have here, Raggedy Anne thinks she can play with the big girls?” Jazelle snarled, and I stepped back in shock, realizing we were being watched. “Nice try, but even in that dress, you won’t hold his attention for long. Lesser girls than you have tried.”

  “Excuse me?” I barked back, clenching one of my fists in Liam’s shirt.

  “You’re nothing,” she answered smugly, jutting her hip out as she crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Let’s go, Freya,” Liam said flatly, giving my hip a squeeze before pulling me in the direction of his front door.

  “Bye Anne,” Jazelle sang mockingly. I looked back just in time to see the snarl spread across her face as she watched the two of us leave.

  “Liam, I don’t think this is a good idea,” I said uncertainly. I’d had more than enough confusion for one night. What was that back in the hallway? And why did my heart beat a little faster just thinking about him being that close again?

  “It's fine.”

  “I don’t think-”

  “Just open the door.” He spoke over the top of me, nodding at the front door impatiently.

  Reluctantly, I pulled the key out and unlocked the door for him. I could hear Lucinda shout something behind us, but I didn’t catch it. Liam had already pulled me through the door and slammed it shut behind us.

  Once the doors of the elevator closed, I felt Liam relax. He finally let my waist go and leaned back against the wall, releasing a long breath.

  He was silent for most of the ride until the elevator stopped at one of the lower levels and a man stepped on. Liam’s eyes fell open instantly to watch the newcomer. He tensed again, stepping closer to me, and I watched his jaw twitch in anger.

  “Mr. Henderson,” the man greeted mockingly. I looked over at him as the door closed and realized he was the same one I met the day I moved in. Liam nodded curtly in reply before quickly wrapping his arm around my waist again.

  “I see you’re still here,” the man said disapprovingly, and I tried to subtly push Liam’s arm from my waist.

  “This isn’t what it looks like,” I mumbled as I felt him eye me skeptically. I didn’t like what he was insinuating.

  “I’m sure.” I was just about to defend myself when the doors opened to the lobby and the man left.

  “You know him?” Liam asked, and I looked at him, confused by his neutral voice.

  “Not really,” I shrugged as he moved his arm from my waist and took my hand instead. I struggled to keep up as he marched determinedly across the tiles of the lobby.

  “Liam, wait,” I managed to force out. He looked back at me expectantly as I eyed the dark black car behind him.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked calmly, and I watched as a large man got out of the car. He barely glanced at us as he opened the back door and waited idly beside it.

  “Are you kidnapping me?” I blurted, and I heard him chuckle lightly. He leaned back and wrapped his arm around my waist to keep me moving. I didn’t think my accusations were that far off, considering how I ended up living in his apartment.

  “Freya, you’ve been in my apartment for over a week now. Do you really think I need to go through all this trouble to kidnap you?”

  “Mr. Henderson,” the larger man nodded before Liam helped me into the back of the car. The door shut behind us, and I felt my nerves kick into overdrive. I twisted my hands tightly in my lap and bit harshly on my bottom lip.

  “Who was he?” I asked as the car pulled away from the curb.

  “Daryl,” he answered without explanation. I could feel him watching me carefully, but I wasn’t sure why. Maybe he thought I was going to jump out of a moving car. It wouldn’t be the craziest thing I’ve done.

  “And why is Daryl driving us?” I prodded, a little confused Liam wasn’t driving us in his expensive car. I figured a guy like him would love to flaunt everything he had.

  “We’re going to need him when we get to the restaurant.”

  “Why?” I asked, feeling my frustration start to build. Would he ever just give me a straight answer?

  “You’ll see when we get there,” he shrugged, and I looked over to see him frantically tapping away on his phone. I didn’t know what to do, so I just sat silently on the opposite side of the car.

  Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to say something because my mind was racing with a million questions.

  "Liam," I said gravely.

  "Freya," he mocked in reply, not bothering to look up.

  “What-what was that back at the apartment?” I stuttered, eager to know but afraid to ask. I probably wasn’t going to like the answer.

  “What?”

  “Why don’t you want anyone to see me?” I asked softly, pulling at the hem of my dress again. I didn’t even have to move for the dress to rise. I was going to spend the entire night making sure it covered everything.

  “Hmm?” he hummed, twisting his head but keeping his eyes trained on his phone.

  “Doesn’t matter,” I sighed, looking out the window as we came to a stop at a red light.

  “Hey,” I stiffened when I felt his warm, calloused hand rest against my knee. Instantly, my eyes quickly darted to his as a spark coursed through my body from his touch. “You look beautiful,” he smiled, and I felt a frown grow on my forehead as I looked into his amber eyes.

  “I don’t believe you,” I answered, pushing his hand from my knee and shuffling over until my back was pressed up against the door of the car. I had seen his reaction back in the apartment. I didn’t think that was the look of a man who thought I was beautiful. Not that one had ever called me beautiful before.

  “What?” I wasn’t about to fall for those eyes again. I think it was probably why I was in this mess in the first place. One look in those eyes and I was ready to jump off cliffs for him. When had I become such a pushover?

  “You’re lying, I’m not beautiful. You don’t even want to be seen with me. I was just an excuse,” I scoffed. He didn’t want to do this. I was just an excuse to get out of something he really didn’t want to do. “Why did you even bother dressing me up? I bet you’re just going to leave me somewhere and go off with you ‘friends.’ Maybe you’ll go to another poker game and give me away to the winner," I hissed, narrowing my eyes at him as he looked at me stra
ngely.

  “Mr. Henderson,” another man said from the front seat, and I looked at him in alarm.

  “Who are you?”

  “Martin, Miss,” he answered calmly before looking back at Liam. “We’re here, Mr. Henderson.”

  “When did he get here?” I asked Liam, who was distracted by something outside the car. I was preoccupied with the mystery of the magically appearing man.

  “I’ve been here the entire time, miss,” Martin smirked, turning back in his seat as the car rolled to a stop. I could have sworn he hadn’t been in here the entire time.

  “Why do we need a Martin?” I asked Liam, angrily gesturing at the front seat where both Martin and Daryl sat in matching black suits.

  “Freya, I need you to calm down,” Liam said cautiously as if I might have a mental breakdown at any moment.

  “I am calm,” I shouted. “I’m as calm as any person would be when men start appearing out of thin air, and their boss or captor is taking them out on a fake date. Where he’s probably going to ditch them to get drunk.”

  “I’m not going to leave you, and I’m not your captor,” he frowned as both Daryl and Martin got out of the car. They probably wanted to escape the mentally unstable girl their boss was currently entertaining in his back seat.

  “Where are they going?” I asked anxiously. My eyes were darting frantically around the car. I was going to look anywhere but in his eyes.

  “Freya,” Liam said slowly. “I need you to look at me.”

  “No, your eyes are dangerous,” I yelled, covering my own with my hands. I heard Liam let out an irritated breath before I felt his hands wrap around my wrists. Gently, he pulled my hands away from my eyes.

  “Freya, I’m not going to leave you. We’re going to go into the restaurant and have dinner. Then, we’re going back to the apartment. No one’s going to leave anyone anywhere.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked dubiously, trying to keep my breathing under control.

  “Positive,” he reassured.

  “Okay,” I replied quietly.

  “Okay.” Then he let my hands go and shuffled back to the door. It opened moments later and immediately, I was hit with a wall of noise and flashing lights.