by Rene Folsom
I made sure not to glance in the mirror as I hauled ass out the bathroom door, the smell of pastry goodness filling the air.
With my mouth beginning to water, I nearly passed by her, catching sight of a red bundle of hair on my bed, her legs crossed in front of her as she ate and thumbed through her phone. I usually didn’t bring food in my room, but considering I was drunk as a skunk, I chose not to give two fucks.
“I love that shirt,” Sofie said as I climbed into bed next to her. She was still mostly clothed, her tight, corset-like shirt looking rather uncomfortable.
“Thanks,” I mumbled through a large bite of cream cheese pastry gooeyness. “I have several drawers full of cute shirts if you want one to sleep in.”
“I’ll definitely be taking you up on that offer. Otherwise, you would’ve had to deal with a naked redhead in your bed,” she said with a chuckle, tossing her phone on the mattress and getting up, following the finger I had pointed to a dresser.
Looking around, I tried to remember where I’d tossed my phone before peeing for the umpteenth time tonight, finally finding it sitting on top of my iMac on the chair in the corner.
“Fie, can you toss me my phone? It’s right over there.” With speed way too fast for my alcohol-saturated reflexes, she threw the phone at me, causing me to hold my hands up in defense. “Jesus, trying to knock me out with the damn thing?”
“Oh, quit your whining. I didn’t throw it hard,” she said as she struggled to untie the corset she was wearing.
“Yeah, right. You were just trying to Kamehameha me so I won’t be such a pain in the ass.” I couldn’t help but laugh at my own reference, over-exaggerating just to irritate her.
“You and your damn nerdy talk,” Fie responded, finally removing the corset and sighing with relief. She made it sound like she was able to finally take a breath after holding it all night. Talk about over-exaggeration.
“Don’t act all oblivious. You’re a nerd too, you know. Embrace it,” I said, unlocking my phone and checking all my notifications. My emails were out of control, so I chose to ignore that for now, switching over to the text messages to see if you-know-who had messaged me at all.
Nothing.
“Not everyone will get Dragon Ball Z references,” she said as she slipped a shirt over her slim, naked body, the word Bazinga on the front with a colorful lightning bolt making me smile.
“You did,” I pointed out. “I wonder what he’s doing now,” I added, speaking out loud about him for the first time since my friends kidnapped me.
“Probably sleeping, considering it’s already three in the morning,” she said, finally climbing back in bed and taking another bite from her strudel.
Opening up our message thread, I started to type, wanting nothing more than to just make sure he was okay. I knew I’d hurt him. I also knew I didn’t have any idea how to fix it, take back what I did. But maybe, just maybe, he’d be willing to forgive me if I professed just how sorry I was.
“What are you doing?” Fie asked, her harsh tone startling me with her shrill voice filling the room.
“Um, noneya,” I said, locking my screen so she couldn’t see.
“You were about to text him,” she said… and it wasn’t a question. She knew I was a weak basket case. She also knew I had very little self-control when it came to this sort of thing.
“So what if I was?” I asked, confused as to why she’d even care.
“Give him some time to sort shit out, Maci. Texting him now, especially with how faced you are, would never end well.” Holding her hand out, she added, “Now give me the phone.”
“You’re not taking my phone from me, Fie,” I said, cradling the damn thing near my chest so she couldn’t take it.
“You promise you’re not going to text him?” she asked, her teeth biting into her bottom lip. Was she nervous?
“I promise. Plus, after eating those fattening toaster strudels, it’s probably night-night time for me,” I said, yawning obnoxiously to prove my point.
“Good. Friends don’t let friends text drunk.”
Moments later, I was out like a light.
Chapter Fourteen
Liam: Stalkers Anonymous
My office was dark, a light from the doorway the only illumination on this rather dreary evening. There was no moon, no stars, just blackness that seemed to surround me with a void so deep, I wasn’t sure where the earth stopped and the universe began.
Sitting at my desk, the darkness surrounding me, I stared at the light coming from my cracked door. It was like a sliver of sunlight streaming through, shadowing everything else in the forefront like an eerie arrangement of silhouettes, unmoving in the darkness.
My stomach twisted with the sight of a figure standing just beyond the stripe of brightness. My forehead wrinkled in thought, wondering who could possibly be here this late at night. The person stood, staring, unmoving¸ as if summoning me to come toward them.
I stood, my feet moving on their own accord, stepping toward the door and into the light, curious who would be peeking in on me this late at night.
I made it only halfway to the door, my steps slow, lethargic, like my feet were heavy. The figure turned, walking away from the door as if summoning me to follow.
I reached out, trying to open my mouth and holler for the person to wait, but my voice didn’t seem to work. When I opened my mouth, nothing came out… no sound… nothing.
A lump formed in my throat as I continued to try to speak, a nervous feeling overwhelming me. Something was up.
Trying to quicken my slow gait, I pushed hard. It seemed like it took forever to reach the door, wrapping my fingers around the hunk of wood to pull it open. Light filled my vision, causing me to squint with the brightness, blinding me momentarily until my eyes could adjust.
Laughter carried through the halls, the sounds coming from the lounge where employees usually sat back to relax. Several gaming stations were set up in there, all providing a place for employees to just enjoy themselves during their breaks.
Maybe someone was working late and just needed a minute to unwind?
Still, something didn’t seem quite right as I listened to the boisterous laughter increase in volume.
Nearly dragging my feet to move, each step seeming to be heavier than the last, I made my way further down the hall toward the break room. It seemed like forever before I was finally able to reach for the doorknob, twisting it with careful consideration as I pushed the door open.
The room was bright—brighter than the hallway, which almost seemed impossible. Light filled the room from every direction, causing me to shield my eyes and search for anyone inside.
As if she were calling my name, I saw her, my eyes gravitating toward her gorgeous face. She was smiling, laughter filling the space around her, the sound combining with the bright light.
It wasn’t until I took a few more steps toward her that I noticed she wasn’t alone. Next to the love of my life was my enemy—Big Jim. He looked like a giant next to Maci, his meaty hand nearly covering her entire arm as he slung it over her shoulders, clutching to her as if she belonged to him—a possession of his and nothing more.
Her hand sat on his chest, her fingers laced with the tie he was wearing, the smile on her face broadening sweetly. In his other hand was one of the Specter headsets, the strap balancing menacingly on his thick fingers.
There they were, the two people I loved to hate and hated to love, clinging to each other like they were long lost lovers capable of stealing my soul. They might as well just take the damned Specter prototype, because without Maci in my life, I didn’t care anymore.
Then, the unspeakable happened. Bile rose in my throat as I watched her rise up on her toes, leaning into him, her lips touching his.
All the air seemed to be sucked from the room in that moment, my mind spinning with the horrors before me.
I couldn’t bear it any more…
*****
Gasping, I sat up in bed, freaked o
ut with the dream that plagued me. Thad was around to distract me last night, but tonight, I had time to just sit and think, which never ended well.
My skin crawled as I thought about the dream again, the idea of Big Jim’s hands on her giving me the willies. What a fucking nightmare.
Lying in bed and staring up at my Tetris lamp, I wondered if I should just forgive her. After all, Thad did have a point about Big Jim. He was ruthless and out for blood. If he saw Maci as a meal ticket, he’d probably do anything in his power to manipulate her. Plus, she didn’t actually go through with it, though she came damn close to it.
Yesterday morning, I would’ve thought forgiving her was crazy talk. She’d bested me in the worst way possible. In my mind, lying and stealing were unforgiveable.
But after putting it all into perspective, I understood her reasoning for some of it, not to mention I knew the likes of Big Jim—I knew he was probably fighting her, tooth and nail, to the point where she probably felt like she had no choice.
It seemed no one knew the real identity of M.L. Thomas, no one except her work colleagues. Hell, she might’ve even had it in contract that it had to be kept secret. While it hurt that she’d keep such a large secret from me, I guess I could understand.
But the dishonesty and complete disregard for me when it came down to the Specter prototypes—that was not so easily forgivable. If she’d only told me, only confided in me about what Big Jim’s plans were, I could’ve helped. I know I would’ve helped, would’ve figured out some way for it all to work out nicely.
Instead, she chose the low road, and for her mistakes, I’d have to pay with my heart.
Grabbing my phone, I Googled M.L. Thomas, figuring I could see what kind of press she was getting over all this.
Almost immediately, an image of her popped up on Wikipedia, and again on a press release site, and again on her website, all of them the same photo, the photo where she was looking at me with a smile.
Instead of the press releases announcing her as the author, they focused more on her first public appearance, making it sound as if the world should’ve known all along she was a female. Several commenters on various sites mixed foul words with compliments, a few rather verbal in their thoughts about her looks, making me thankful I wasn’t her—a beautiful, young woman putting her face to a name really brought the trolls out of the woodwork.
Looking at the press release again, I noticed she was going to be doing her signing at a local bookstore this Saturday… tomorrow afternoon actually, her first real public appearance since she published many years ago. The devious side of me thought about going, taking my already signed book and putting it under her nose. But that’d just fluster her, and I knew I wasn’t that evil of a person. She needed to be able to concentrate, put on a brave face for at least a few hours.
Before I could stop myself, I began to text her, allowing my fingers to think for me when my brain was so befuddled with anger and resentment. I didn’t even bother looking at the time before I pressed send.
Liam: Why didn’t you tell me?
Her response was almost immediate, and I could feel the lump forming in my throat with the risk I’d just be mean all over again.
Maci: Tell you what? About me? Or about BJ?
Liam: Oh, God. Don’t refer to him as BJ. That’s an insult to all blowjobs across the world.
Maci: Hah! Thanks for making me laugh. I needed that.
Liam: And I meant him. Why didn’t you feel comfortable telling me he was using you?
Silence met me for several minutes, and I was now nervous she’d just neglect to respond. I honestly couldn’t blame her. After the way I spoke to her, I wouldn’t respond to me either. But words had to be spoken in order for me to get over this. To trust her again would be a huge leap of faith, and I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to jump, especially after that horrid dream… or nightmare rather.
Maci: Because he controls her. I’m so scared he’ll use Grams in some way to hurt me, to get to you. It terrifies me.
This time, I was silent. I never thought of that. Never in a million years would I think someone, even a person as slimy as Big Jim, would ever use their family members as a bargaining tool.
Maci: Goddamn it. Now I’m crying again. Honestly though, if I could take back what I did, if I could take back the hurt I caused you, I would in a heartbeat. Please know that.
Liam: I know. I just… this whole thing has scared me. My entire life is in that company. It is my life… or was, until you came along. Now I don’t know what to think.
I think I still might love her. Crap. I know I do, I thought. But to tell her would show just how weak I was around her, just how easily she could walk all over me and stomp my heart like a bug.
Liam: Plus, my life has been filled with constant trust issues, especially when it came to my family. So, even attempting to open up that part of me, to unlock my ability to trust again, is hard…
Maci: Will you let me make it up to you somehow? I know there’s really not much I can do to fix the hole I dug between us, but I’d like the chance to try at least.
Liam: We’ll see. I think I might need to sleep on it. This whole ordeal has been rough on me and I’m just not sure I’m ready to risk it again.
What I meant to say was that I wasn’t ready to risk my heart to her again. But I knew saying so in writing like this would just be too much for either of us to bear.
Maci: I understand. Thanks for helping with the photo shoot. G’nite.
Liam: Anytime. Night.
Tossing my phone on the mattress beside me, I huffed out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. God, this woman had me all twisted up in knots and sometimes I couldn’t even tell which way was up anymore. But I did want to see her again, my heart insisted on it. Yet, my mind was guarded, cautious.
The truth of the matter was, she’d always put her grandmother before me. As she should, really. But what did that mean for our future? What would that make of us if every time Big Jim used her grams as bait, Maci would go running? I’d never really put family first, and God knew they never put me ahead of their selfish needs, so the entire concept was new to me.
It killed me to think this, and I’d never really say it out loud, but I almost wished I could be certain I’d come first in her priorities. I knew that was unfair though, knew I could never really ask that of her, especially considering her grams had been there for her almost her entire life. Knowing Maci, no man would ever interfere with that sort of bond.
For now, I’d just have to sleep on it and hope that tomorrow would bring me some answers.
Chapter Fifteen
Maci: Hostage Negotiations
I was a nervous wreck as I waited in the back storeroom of the bookstore, my agent texting frantically with someone else while we tapped our feet and attempted to be patient. Honestly, it wasn’t supposed to be this big of a deal, but when a line formed outside the store, they figured it’d be best for me to make some sort of grand entrance.
I was mortified. I hated being in the spotlight and hated even more that it’d taken me so long to do this. No doubt readers would be wondering why I’d stayed in hiding for so many years. The questions were definitely going to come up. My agent told me to just smile and tell them I’d been working hard, focusing on writing, but I was sure every avid fan would see right through it. Couldn’t I just be honest with them and tell them I was scared? My agent informed me that showing fear was a big no no.
Thankfully, Sam, Fie, and Sky were all there to see the circus and probably give me shit about it later. Absentmindedly, I wished Liam were here too.
“Here we go,” my agent said, patting me on the back before opening the door. I plastered on the best smile I could muster as I walked out to meet the throng of readers gathered to see me.
*****
The signing went off without a hitch, and I actually felt rather pleased with how everyone treated me. Not a single person seemed taken aback by my being a female, and ther
e were only a few who brought up how long they’d been waiting for me to make a public appearance.
After the crowd died down and we all went our separate ways, I decided to go celebrate with my grams, knowing for sure she’d enjoy seeing me smile.
I made quick work of driving over to the nursing home, not bothering to change out of my fancy clothes and high-heeled shoes, which I silently grumbled about wearing the entire time. It was almost five in the afternoon, and I knew she’d be eating dinner soon, so I parked and walked as quickly as I could into the building.
Smiling kindly to the ladies at the front desk, I was suddenly surprised when one came around, stopping me just before I hit the hallway toward Gram’s room.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Layne, but you can’t go see your grandmother today,” she said, pity clear as a bell in her deep voice.
“What? Is she sick?” I said, panic consuming every fiber of my being.
“No,” she answered, shaking her head. “We’ve had strict orders from Mr. Celeste that you weren’t allowed to visit anymore. Since he holds power of attorney, I’m afraid our hands are tied.”
“No,” I gasped, my voice barely working as I collapsed in a nearby chair, tears already threatening my resolve. “No, he can’t do this! I need to see her!”
“I’m so sorry, honey. I’d let you in if I could,” she said, the last part coming out like a whisper. I could tell the nurse felt my pain. All these nurses knew me so well considering I was here every day. It wasn’t until her eyes darted behind me, her features full of nervous energy, that I knew someone was watching her—he was watching us.
“That bastard is here, isn’t he?” I whispered back, unsure of what I should do, but knowing it wasn’t going to be pretty.
“He is, but Maci, please don’t upset the others right now. Try to get him outside to talk so there’s not a scene, please,” she begged, her hand squeezing my arm like it would reinforce her words.
