Crystals

by Theresa L. Henry

  “I don’t need space, especially not from you. I’m just not coming to your party. Believe me, it’s for the best.”

  There it was again, he was pulling away from her. It didn’t matter what he said, his actions belied his words.

  “Okay, I would never try to force you to do something you didn’t want to do.”

  “Thanks, love. So, do ya want me to pick you up?”

  “No thank you. I’ll make other arrangements. Please don’t concern yourself.”

  “Come on Crys don’t be like this.”

  “I have to go. I’m late enough as it is. Enjoy the rest of your day.” She knew she was laying on the guilt and she was going to play it for everything she was worth.

  “Your mother doesn’t want me there.”

  “I want you there!”

  “And what Princess Crystal wants, she thinks she’s gonna to get.”

  This time when she turned to leave he didn’t try to stop her. All she heard was the flood of swear words he let fly as she walked away.

  ~~~

  Shane was so mad he swore a blue streak as he paced the concrete floor of his workshop. He would do just about anything for Crystal, but he knew if he attended her party something bad was going to happen.

  When she left, her expression had affected him more than he had expected. He knew he should have mentioned his intention earlier. But he had needed and wanted their time together to be just about them. Now she was well and truly pissed off with him and he couldn’t really blame her.

  Returning upstairs, he pushed open the door to his home. Coming to a standstill just across the threshold, he looked around. He had purchased the building where he lived and worked with the money his mother had left him.

  The building wasn’t in the best area, but it was what he could afford, as he hadn’t wanted a mortgage. Having worked for years at the job Detective Bilston had set up for him, he was good at repairing cars.

  Once he had returned to the university after his mother’s death, nearly every student with a broken down old car ended up bringing it to him. He had kept their cars running. Although it had taken up most of his free time, doing the repairs had meant he had managed to finish his studies debt free.

  For as long as he could remember, Shane had been attempting to put distance between who his father and brother were. He had his plans and he would realize them, of that he never had a doubt. That Crystal was now a part of his life only made him want to work and fight harder to see them to fruition.

  He couldn’t help thinking about how different his and Crystal’s families were. On the two occasions he’d met Gwendolyn Buchanan, he’d come away knowing she didn’t think him good enough for her daughter.

  He didn’t subscribe to her philosophy. He refused to pigeonhole another human being. He took people as they came. That Gwendolyn thought differently worried him for his and Crystal’s future. Her negative reaction to him hadn’t bothered him until their second meeting.

  ~~~

  “Thank you for meeting me.”

  “No worries,” Shane said as he took a seat in the upmarket wine bar.

  The bar was filled with people who wore custom made suits and spoke with loud voices as though determined to ensure everyone knew how important they were. The environment suited Gwendolyn perfectly.

  “May I offer you something to drink?”

  “All right, what about one of them fizzy waters,” he replied with his thickest Cockney accent, just to see her reaction, and annoy her as much as possible.

  He didn’t have long to wait. Her nostrils flared as she cast a furtive glance over her shoulder to ascertain whether he had been overheard. It was all the proof he needed to confirm his first impression of her. Gwendolyn Buchanan was a stuck up old cow.

  Shane was an East London Cockney boy and he was proud of it. He had come across people like Gwendolyn more times than he cared to remember. He was used to them looking down at him because of the way he spoke. What she had yet to find out was that his accent didn’t bother him. He wore it with pride.

  While Gwendolyn gave his order, Shane relaxed in his seat and pretended interest in his surroundings. He knew she was observing him and he gave her ample opportunity to study him.

  Shane was six feet one and of slim build. He didn’t carry any bulk, rather he was lean and hard. He had jet black hair and intense gold eyes with irises surrounded by a band of black. His lips were full, and at the moment they were set in a straight line with no hint of a smile. He was a good looking man. He had known this all his life. If he had wanted to make a living from his face, he probably could have done so. But he had bigger plans—much bigger.

  For the most part, he appeared cold and unfeeling, but appearances could be misleading. He wasn’t cold, he just didn’t care enough about most people to be bothered to change his expression.

  When his drink arrived, Shane decided to play with Gwendolyn a little more. “Bloody hell, water comes in red bottles here! Who would have thought that posh people needed to change the color of their water bottles.”

  “For goodness sake, keep your voice down!”

  “Why, what did I say wrong?”

  “Mr.…?” Gwendolyn broke off as though needing a reminder of his name.

  Shane didn’t give her what she wanted and allowed the question to hang in the air. He was certain this woman knew everything about him. Hell, she probably knew the size of his dick.

  She was about to find out that the man who was in love with her daughter was a stubborn bastard, and she had better learn to live with it.

  “Mr. Tierney,” Gwendolyn started again with a slight nod to concede the point. “I asked you here today to discuss my daughter.”

  “Yeah, what about her?”

  “She is not for you.”

  “Why not?”

  “You are both from two different worlds and your paths do not converge.”

  “Really, ya think so. Correct me if I’m wrong but they already have—converged I mean.”

  “Please don’t be obtuse. You know what I'm saying.”

  “No, as a matter of fact, I don’t. Don’t waste me time. If you’ve got something to say, I’d respect ya more if ya just came out and said it.”

  “Okay, I will. My daughter is too good for you. You are a nobody who is going nowhere. I want you to leave her alone. Someone like you,” Gwendolyn swept a dismissive hand in his direction before she continued, “is not going to be the beneficiary of all my hard work.”

  “You sound as though Crystal’s nothing but an extension of you.”

  “She is! Everything she does affects me. I will not have her poor choices impacting on my life and career. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Well, I hear ya. But then I suppose just about everyone in this up ya arse place did as well.”

  Looking around, Gwendolyn visibly inhaled ostensibly to regain control of her temper. “I can see this conversation is getting us nowhere. So let me be blunt—stay away from my daughter!”

  “Not gonna happen, and should I tell ya why? I think if you’d had this conversation with Crystal, she would have told ya where to shove it. So I don’t know why you thought I’d be any easier to bully.”

  “On the contrary, she said no such thing,” Gwendolyn laughed.

  For a moment, her comment threw him, until he realized she was playing with her choice of words.

  “Ah, I get it. You’re scared to say anything to Crystal in case you push her straight into my arms. Maybe I’ll just do meself a favor and fill her in on this little conversation.”

  “Of course I couldn’t stop you from doing exactly as you please.”

  Gwendolyn tried her best to stare him down, but Shane was having none of it. There was no way this woman was going to dictate his and Crystal’s relationship.

  “This conversation is at an end. Therefore, I will tell you this once more; stay away from Crystal and that means don’t even think about showing your face at her birthday party. If you don’
t heed my words, I will take matters into my own hands and maybe you’ll end up in exactly the same place as your brother.”

  There it was. Her first admission that she knew about his family. He had encountered this type of attempted intimidation before. It had come from people in all walks of life, the police, neighbors and even hard men his father and brother had pissed off. By comparisons of what he and his mother had endured, Gwendolyn wasn’t even making a dent in his amour.

  Shane laughed at the same time as he pushed back his chair and stood up. “I don’t threaten easily. So just go ahead and do what ya have to. Just remember, I’m already in your daughter’s life and I’m not going nowhere.”

  Not waiting for a response, he walked away from a stunned looking Gwendolyn. The red bottle of water remaining untouched.

  ~~~

  Memories of his meeting with Gwendolyn was exactly what Shane needed to bring him to his senses. He had promised the woman he loved he would attend her birthday party and that was exactly what he was going to do.

  With his mind made up, he felt the tension leave his shoulders. About to call Crystal to tell her of his decision, he set the phone aside. He would much rather surprise her.

  Chapter 5

  Since leaving Shane’s home, Crystal’s emotions had moved from disappointment to sadness. She had been racking her brain in an attempt to decipher whether there was another reason for his refusal to accompany her to her party.

  Her one persistent thought was that her mother had a hand in his decision. If that were the case and Gwendolyn had somehow gotten to him, then he should have been honest with her.

  Pushing the thought aside, Crystal gave her reflection one last look. She had bought the gold and black mini dress because it was the same shade of gold as Shane’s eyes. Contemplating whether to change, she was pulled out of her indecision by the sound of the bell.

  Pulling open the front door, Crystal smiled at her escort for the evening. Owen Harvey had always been her go-to guy. They had been friends for as long as she could remember. They had always looked out for each other and over the years nothing had changed.

  At one point, they had decided that maybe fate had thrown them together because they were each other’s destiny. Putting that theory to the test, when they were both seventeen they had shared a kiss and nearly thrown up. It had been like kissing a sibling. With the kiss out of the way, they had settled into a friendship that had stood the test of time.

  When she had called him and explained that Shane was no longer attending her party, he had offered to take her. And here he was, on time and looking like a dream.

  “You look handsome.”

  “I know. I smell really good too.”

  Crystal rolled her eyes, and left him standing at the door. Returning to the living room where she had left her coat and purse, she stopped by the mirror to give her makeup one final check.

  When Owen’s reflection appeared behind her in the mirror, Crystal just shook her head. The man was actually checking himself out and smiling while he did it.

  “You’re something else, do you know that?”

  “What?”

  “I tell you that you look handsome and all you can say is, you know. How about returning the compliment? No wonder you didn’t have a date for tonight.”

  “Crystal, I’m a free spirit. I don’t need a woman to define me or tie me down. I willingly give of myself to many. I call them and they come. Or, maybe that should be, I stroke them and they come.”

  “Shut up, you whore!” Crystal teased but she couldn’t help laughing at his self-absorption.

  “Did you notice how long my locks are now? What do you think about the color at the ends?” He asked ignoring her put-down.

  Knowing he wouldn’t stop until she answered, she turned and looked him over. There was no way anyone would ever call Owen handsome because he wasn’t. He had something way better than mere good looks. He had a mixture of confidence and that indefinable something that women found irresistible—charisma.

  Crystal had seen him in action on more occasions than she cared to remember. He had somehow worked out how to speak to a woman to make her believe, at that moment, she was the only person he wanted. To his credit, he never told them he was interested in anything long term. Yet they hung around him as though he were the holy grail of manliness.

  Owen was around five-nine and spent most of his free time in the gym. His dreadlocks were now past shoulder length, and since the last time she’d seen him, he’d dyed the ends a golden brown.

  “Your hair looks lovely, Owen.”

  “You look good too. My boy’s a fool.” Without warning, Owen fired another question at her. “Did Gwendolyn get to him?”

  “I don’t know for sure, maybe.”

  “Well, he better man up. That woman likes cracking nuts. And if he lets her get away with it, as soon as he grows another pair, she’ll break them as well. ‘Owen,’ his voice rose a couple of octaves, and that one word was enough for him to sound exactly like her mother. ‘I only entertain your presence because I know you and my daughter are just friends. Should that ever change, you will no longer be welcome here! My daughter is meant for someone far better than you will ever be.”

  “She did not say that to you,” Crystal exclaimed in genuine shock.

  “Yes, she did and I’m still around. As I said, my boy needs to man up! Although I can’t lie, Gwendolyn scares the shit out of me!”

  ~~~

  Shane couldn’t stop thinking about the error he’d made. Crystal was his priority and he had allowed her overbearing mother to get into his head. He wasn’t like his brother and father. He had never been like them. Molly, in her detached way, had seen to that.

  Finally at his destination, Shane pulled into the car park and was immediately surrounded by the trappings of wealth.

  Before him were some of the vehicles that had always been a part of his youthful dreams. He spotted Porsches, Bentleys, Range Rovers and even a Rolls-Royce.

  He wavered again, but Crystal wanted him here. Therefore, he straightened his suit jacket and walked towards the entrance with long strides of determination.

  The security at the entry of the venue took his name, and spent such a long time finding it on the guest list, he knew something was going on. Even though he was reading upside down, he found his name immediately.

  When he finally stood inside the banquet suite, Shane searched the crowd for Crystal. The first person he saw was Gwendolyn, who was staring at him as she removed her mobile phone from her ear. She had obviously instructed security to inform her if he turned up, hence their hesitation at allowing him entry. Shane disregarded her look of disapproval as his gaze moved on.

  Another sweep of the room and his glance landed on Crystal. To him, she looked as beautiful as always. Her dress was gold with threads of black running through the material. There was something about that particular shade of gold that fought to pull up a memory, but it eluded him.

  As he watched her, a muscular man with two-toned dreadlocks pulled her into his arms and they began to dance. The steps they performed were intricate and at the same time intimate. Shane felt the color rising into his face as jealousy took hold. He’d met a few of her friends, but this man was a stranger to him. They apparently knew each other well, if the way they laughed and moved in perfect unison was any indication.

  “I thought I told you to stay away from my daughter and this party!”

  The sound of Gwendolyn voice pulled Shane’s death glare from Crystal and her dance partner. Never in his life had anyone annoyed him as much as this woman. By her tone, the feeling was mutual.

  “Good evening, Mrs. Buchanan.”

  “I want you to leave. Do it now, before Crystal realizes you’re here.”

  Shane watched Gwendolyn glance over his shoulder and almost laughed at the telling action.

  “Do ya know what, I think I’m gonna stay.”

  Dismissing her, he again turned his attention to Crysta
l and readied himself to cut into her dance. He didn’t know the steps she and her partner performed, but he knew how to do a good old fashioned side-step. That would have to do.

  Gwendolyn grabbed onto his arm and held on, her fingernails biting into his flesh. “Do not attempt to take me on because you’ll lose!”

  “For the most part, I’m up for a good fight. But I don’t spar with women and especially not my girlfriend’s mother,” Shane informed her looking down at her offending hand. When he glanced back at her, his pupils had dilated to the point of almost reaching the outer rim of black that surrounded his irises. “I always thought you were a classy lady, Mrs. B.”

  “Do not call me, Mrs. B. You will refer to me as, Judge Buchanan!”

  “Whatever ya say, J.B.,” Shane laughed in her face and pulled his arm out of her grip.

  “I’m glad you decided to come, Shane. But you’re both causing a scene!” Crystal whispered from beside them.

  “He has just arrived and already he’s lowered the tone of the whole evening.”

  “For God’s sake, Mother, you’re not helping!”

  Shane followed the direction of Crystal’s gaze and saw that she was right. They were the center of many people’s attention. He would never want to embarrass her. But it seemed that without even trying, he had accomplished exactly that. Add the disapproving looks of the guests and Gwendolyn’s persistent animosity, and the remainder of the night did not bode well. They all stared at him as though he didn’t belong—and he knew he didn’t.

  Shane made up his mind to leave without thinking through the ramifications of his actions. His only thought was that he didn’t need the hassle. “I’m out. Call me tomorrow. That’s if ya want to after your mother’s finished mauling me character!”

  He heard her repeatedly call his name but chose to ignore her. As the cold night air swirled around him, he stuck his hands into his pockets and hurried to his car. The vehicles that had held his attention less than fifteen minutes before were now invisible to him. An insistent hand pulled at his sleeve. Crystal had followed him.

  “I’m glad you came, please don’t leave.”

  “I never thought I would see the day that my daughter chased after good for nothing rubbish!”