by Angel Steel
“Excuse me, can I help you?”
What was it with people asking if she needed help? She knew where she was going. “I’m here to see my sister, Skylar Montague.”
“You will have to wait out here for a moment. She is having some tests done by the doctor.”
“Ok. Can I wait here?”
“That’s fine. I will let you know once the doctor has left.”
“Thank you.”
She only had to wait ten minutes before she could go in there. Breathing in deep, tightening her coat around her body, she pushed open the door to her room, and walked in.
“Sky.”
“Oh my God, you’re finally here,” Skylar sobbed.
She rushed over to her and threw her arms around her best friend.
“What’s going on?” she asked as she sat on the edge of the bed, tightly holding her hand.
“I started going into premature labor, while I was out driving around. Now, they are trying to stop it.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you’re in here now. What were you doing driving around, anyways? You are supposed to stay rested, not gallop around the countryside.”
“I know. Nate and I kind of had a fight and I left. I needed to leave, just enough to clear my head, and then the pain started. Joey and his brother came to help before Nate arrived. And now I’m in here, waiting to see what happens.”
“What did you fight about this time? And you know any kind of stress on you is going to affect the baby.”
“It was only something stupid, we sorted it out. It’s fine between us now, but I’m really worried about him. I know what the doctor told us is upsetting and nerve racking, but he isn’t the only one scared. And I honestly thought that he would have been back up here by now,” she whispered.
“Has the doctor come back in?”
“Yes, everything is going really well. The contractions have stopped, if they stay gone for the next 12 to 24 hours, I can go home. He told me I was lucky; if my waters broke, I would be having a baby tonight. Nate doesn’t know yet, the doctor came in while he was downstairs.”
“I ran into Nate downstairs, he’s ringing Craig and Alex to let them know what is happening, and then he will be back up. He isn’t going anywhere, Sky. He will be back by your side in no time,” she answered with a smile.
“I’m so glad that you are here.”
“So am I, sweetie.”
She sat there, holding Skylar in her arms the best she could. “Hey, why didn’t you answer your phone when I rung?”
She wasn’t ready for this conversation with Skylar just yet; she didn’t need any more stress added to what she was going through.
“I was kind of busy at the time when you rung. But I’m completely free, and all yours, till you get sick of me.” She laughed.
“Thanks, Chan. I need to convince Nate to go home and have a shower and something to eat, he doesn’t look himself.”
“Maybe I can talk to him when I leave, unless you want me to stay with you?”
“No, I’ll be fine, as long as our child decides to stay in here just a little longer,” she said as she rubbed over her belly.
She heard voices out in the hallway, and not thinking much of it, since it was a hospital, she continued talking to Sky about the argument that she had with Nate. Listening when Skylar told her that she was all alone in the backseat of her car, going through the pain that she was in, while talking to Nate, made her heart clench. She was never going to have that with Dominic, ever. But she wasn’t going to think about him now; she needed to focus solely on Sky.
When a nurse came in, needing to check Skylar and the baby’s vitals, she excused herself to the bathroom, giving her a little privacy. She was glad that she had her own private room. As she was washing her hands, she heard Nate’s voice, and she grinned. They were such a cute couple together. She opened the door, and could hear Nate saying something to Skylar as she walked out.
“You’re finally back. Did you get ahold of the boys?” she asked as she was trying to find her gum in her bag.
“Chantal.”
She froze. Oh, fuck! She couldn’t see or deal with him right now. She just stood there in the room, looking down at her bag. Her hands started to shake. She didn’t at all expect to see him there.
She moved over to the bed, ignoring him completely. “Um, I’m going to go. I have something that I need to do. If you need anything, give me a call, ok?”
“Ok,” Skylar replied, glancing between her and Dominic. “You don’t have to go, Chan.”
“Yeah, I do. I’ll come up in the morning to visit.”
She never looked Dom’s way. “I’ll see you two tomorrow. Nate, make sure you go home and have a shower and something to eat, or I’ll kick your ass tomorrow.” She attempted to laugh.
“I’ll have a shower here, she has her own shower, and if I get hungry enough, I’ll just go down to the cafeteria.”
“Fine, but eat something and keep a close on my girl, would you?”
“You know I will, Chan.”
Waving goodbye, she stepped towards the door, but Dominic stood there, unmoving, in her way.
“Excuse me,” she mustered as politely as she could.
He didn’t say anything or move. Calming her breathing, she said again, just a little more forceful this time, “Excuse me, Dominic.”
Dominic stood there still as a statue. What was he doing? Then he moved towards her, step after step, closer and closer he got to her. She took a step back, away from him. They didn’t say a word to each other at this cat and mouse game.
“Chan, what’s going on?” Skylar asked from the bed. Nate stood beside her, arms crossed over his chest, frowning towards them.
She turned to face them and that is when he grabbed her around the waist.
“Get your hands off of me,” she growled.
Dominic wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his body. Jesus, she loved how he felt against her. She wasn’t going to take that thought any further. She struggled in his grip. “Let go of me now, Dominic.”
Nate took a step towards them, as Dominic’s arms dropped from her body. Spinning around, she brought her hand up and slapped him hard across the face. His head spun on his shoulders, facing her again. He glared at her from where he stood, rubbing over the mark she left on his cheek.
Sky sat up the best she could. “What the hell is going on between you two?” she asked, seeming a bit agitated.
Well, she wasn’t the only one. She moved back towards the bed, where it was safer, away from him. “It’s really nothing to worry about, Sky. Nate, can you walk me out, please?”
“Well, I’m sorry, but when two of my closest friends are fighting, I can’t help but get involved. Can’t you two just forgive each other and move on? Whatever you are fighting about, I’m sure it isn’t that bad, right?”
“Forgive him? Not a chance. You want to know what’s going on? Fine, I’ll tell you. The other night I went to the Sanders’ mansion for the event they were holding, in place of both my parents. Throughout the evening, I thought I had seen Dominic there. But I must have been seeing things, since I knew he was out of town at a meeting.” She took a breath, since she was talking way to fast.
“Chantal,” Dominic growled from across the room, but she ignored him.
“Anyways, tonight I was at this club called Inquisition. Dominic took me there as a surprise, and I tell you, what a fucking surprise it was. I had no freaking idea that I was in that club. To cut the story short, he did things to me on the stage, for everyone to see. After that, as I was coming back from the toilets, I noticed Dominic standing at a table, with a woman at his side and one sitting at the table. As I approached, the woman standing beside him looked familiar. I had seen her at the event at the Sanders’, and then I heard Renee’s voice, and the last thing she said to Dominic. To get to the point of all this, Dominic went to that event as Renee and Maria’s date. I then find out, from the man that told me he loved
me, that he is an escort and had a contract with Renee, and the funny thing is, he spent that night with her.”
After telling them the best she could, she leant on the edge of the bed, holding her stomach. She was so close to throwing up; remembering everything from that night until tonight.
“Fuck. I told you, you should have told her at the beginning,” Nate mumbled.
“You knew?” Skylar asked.
“Yeah, I did. Only a handful of people know about his other job.”
She looked back towards Dominic. “How could you be with someone else while you’re with Chantal? What is wrong with you two? You both can’t keep it in your God damn pants!” Skylar yelled.
“It’s fine, Sky. It’s over between us. I was shocked about the job when he told me, but the killer was that he spent the night with Renee, and possibly Maria.” She turned and faced him one last time. “I have never kept something this bad from you. I would have been absolutely fine about your job, had you told me at the beginning. But the fact that you still slept with your so-called clients doesn’t work with me. We never agreed on an open relationship, Dominic, and I would never pick that. When I am in a relationship with someone, it’s with that person and that person only! No sharing with another.”
“Chantal—”
“Nate, don’t’ you freakin’ dare,” she growled towards him. She knew what he was going to say, but what she had going on in her life was nothing compared to what Dom had dropped on her...it wasn’t even close.
“Sorry, Chan, but I think it’s time you tell him.”
“No, he doesn’t need to know. We aren’t together anymore, so he has no right knowing anything. I can handle it myself.” She had had enough; she needed to get out of this room, and the hospital. The walls were slowly starting to crowd her. There was no way on this earth that she was going to tell him about her stalker. He never cared about her in the first place, so why would he start now.
As she stomped towards the door, Dominic grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop. “What’s Nate talking about, Chantal?” he growled.
“None of your fucking business. Let go of me!” she yelled.
“Tell me, now,” he demanded.
“You lost that right to demand anything from me, Dominic, when you spent the night with Renee. And you have also lost the fucking right to ever touch me again!” she screamed at him, as she pulled her arm from his grip and ran out of the room.
Chantal ran down the corridor towards the lifts, crying so bad she really couldn’t see where she was going. Every time she wiped the tears away, a new set fell down her cheeks. She sobbed harder as she finally stood in the lift, without Dominic following her. She had been so very close to telling Dominic about her stalker, but that was before. Why would she waste her time telling him now, when she meant nothing to the only man she had ever loved. Her heart broke in two, over him. The lies he told, the deception, and God knows what more.
She stepped out of the lift, and saw that Jason and Gavin stood near the entrance door. As she walked their way, both of them turned and faced her. Jason was the first to her side, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her out to their car. He never said a word, only kept a tight grip on her as they all slid into the car.
How could she have been so wrong about Dominic? Why was the only one that you trusted with your heart, the one that broke it into a million pieces? He did that, alright. She felt numb as the car pulled away from the hospital...she couldn’t feel a thing. Tears poured from her eyes, she didn’t care what she looked like. The only thing she wanted to do was crawl under a rock and die. What else could she do, after losing the love of her life? There was nothing on earth that could change the events of the last twenty-four hours. She had lost her soul mate, the one that held her heart in the palm on his hand. Yeah, and then he tore it up right in front of her eyes, laughing. It was all a huge joke, their whole time together, their relationship...everything.
Chapter 51
Dominic and Nate stood next to the bed that Sky sat in; the three of them all stunned by what just happened. He had not slept with Renee, or any other person but Chantal. If she had only been quiet for a spilt second, he would have told her that. But he was angry as well. She was keeping something from him, and Nate knew exactly what it was. Fuckin’ God damn it! Why didn’t she come to him and tell him what was wrong? Slamming his fist against the wall, he couldn’t believe that she had done the exact same thing to him as what he had done to her.
“I told you to fucking tell her, Dominic. Shit,” Nate growled.
“Baby, let them sort it out, ok. I’m not going to do anything, so you shouldn’t either,” Skylar whispered from the bed, as she grabbed Nate’s hand.
“I can’t, Sky. And I know you won’t exactly back off either. This is all bullshit. Why do you all keep shit from each other?”
“What is she keeping to herself that I should know about, Nate?” Dominic asked.
“I am not telling you. She needs to do that, not me. I kept your secret to myself and never told anyone. But with what is going on with Chantal, I was so freakin’ close to telling you, and I know that you needed to know, but I didn’t because I promised her I wouldn’t tell you.”
“Damn it, Nate. What if I had a secret that Skylar told me, and I knew that you needed to know? How the fuck would you feel about it?”
“Don’t turn this onto me, Dom. You are the one that fucked this all up between the two of you. I have fixed everything that has happened with me and Skylar. Now, you need to do the same with Chantal, if she will ever allow it.”
“Guys, please stop,” Skylar sobbed.
Nate moved to her side. “I’m sorry baby,” he said, leaning down and lightly kissing her.
“She will listen to me,” he growled.
“Whatever you think, Dom.”
“I’m going to go and find her and sort all this shit out,” he told Nate, as he moved to the end of the bed. “Skylar, I never slept with Renee or any other woman since I have been with Chantal. I love her. I have ever since I first laid eyes on her.”
“You don’t have to stand there and explain it to me, Dom. You need to tell her; make her listen to what you have to say. We all know she is hotheaded. If she doesn’t listen, find a way to make her.”
He smiled. “I plan to, whether she likes it or not.”
Dom left the both of them, and walked out of the room. He needed to find her and definitely make her listen to him this time. He had his ways to make someone talk and he knew exactly how to do it with her. He grinned to himself. The first thing he needed to do was find out what she was hiding from him. It had to be something big, if Nate knew about it, but not Skylar. There is no way that Nate would have told her about it if he knew it would upset her.
As he walked over to his truck, nothing came to mind as to what she could have kept from him, but he was sure as hell going to find out. One way or another.
Pulling out from the hospital parking lot, he drove towards her house. He tried ringing her several times, but it went to voicemail. She could only hide for so long from him, until he found her.
When he pulled up in her drive, he got out and walked to the front door. Knocking once, he waited. No answer. Looking through the front window, he saw that no lights were on and there was no sight of her. He tried the door handle, but sure enough, it was locked. Deciding on trying the back door, he walked around back. As he walked up the stairs, for some unknown reason the back window didn’t look right to him.
Trying the door handle, it opened as he lightly touched it. Stepping inside, he glanced around her kitchen. There was nothing wrong with it at all. There was no sign of any water damage to the floor, or cupboards. And there was no sign that there were any repairs done to her kitchen, ever. What the hell was going on? Why would she say that her kitchen flooded, when it apparently never did?
“Fuck.”
Something serious was going on, and he needed to know now. If she was in trouble, she should have come
to him; he would do absolutely anything for her. She was so going to get the spanking of her life for keeping whatever it was from him. How could she go off at him completely when she was keeping some big secret that she didn’t want him to know about?
Whatever it was, he was going to find out. There was not going to be any more secrets kept from each other from that point on, everything was going to be said, end of story.
******
Over a week had gone by since Joey had seen Kristen and Bradley that late night in the bar. Since then, he had locked himself in his office, not wanting to see either of them. Several times, she had knocked on his door, and the only thing he did was yell out that he was busy and told her to go and see Red.
Red was the only one that was allowed into his office—well, he walked in whether Joey like it or not. He never took any of Joey’s shit. He could have fired the guy but what was the point, he’d be back the next day.
Wiping his hand over his face, he knew he really had to get back to the bar. He couldn’t keep himself locked up, he just had to suck it up and deal with seeing them two together. He had no idea why he was acting this way. Yeah, he had a thing for her, but he wasn’t going to do anything about it. And by the looks of things with her, she was into Bradley.
Just thinking their names together made him growl. “Fuck.” He couldn’t keep doing this to himself. She could date or sleep with whomever she wanted; it wasn’t like they were a couple, for crying out loud. Pushing his chair back, he stretched his arms over his head, working the kinks out of his back as he did.
Walking to the door, he counted in his head before he opened it. Moving down the hall, he noted that for a Saturday night it wasn’t that busy. Maybe closing up early might help, so he could disappear from the world until tomorrow, or he could just find a woman for the night and get lost inside of her body.
The only one he thought about doing that exactly with was standing at the end of the bar, serving a customer. Damn, why couldn’t she be over at the table or something, rather than leaning over the stupid bar, passing a drink to the customer? Her perfect ass sticking out, as she stood on tiptoes. Just seeing her doing that had all kinds of thoughts running through his brain.
