Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology

by Anthony, Jane

  He doesn’t respond, merely makes his way to the bar area which sits in the corner of the living room. He pours two glasses of soda, which causes me to quirk my brow in question.

  “Make yourself at home,” I mutter watching his movements as he nears me again, handing me one of the glasses. “Are you okay, Hayden? What’s going on because you’re worrying me.”

  He stared straight ahead. There was an emptiness in his gaze, which scared me. The silence hung so heavy, it stole my breath. My heart thudded wildly in my chest, reminding me I was alive because the look on Hayden’s face could so easily kill me.

  He turned his glassy eyes toward me before he spoke again. “I’ve been here before. I was the one who picked the apartment out for your parents.” His voice seemed far away as if the ringing in my ears was right next to me, and he was in another room.

  I felt an ache in my chest. I had to have just misheard him. Furrowing my brows, I open my mouth to ask, but before I can, he continues. “I got the job at the school because your father paid me to be here, to teach at the school you were going to attend. I was supposed to watch over his daughter.” He said it all so robotically, without remorse. Guilt drips from his words, as anger overtakes me.

  “You were paid to spy on me?” I bite out, rage fueling me as I near him. Even though his spicy cologne envelops me, engulfing me in the intoxicating scent, I swallow back the want, the desire, and allow my fury to take hold of me.

  “Yes.” He utters in a voice so low, so gravelly as if he feels sad for what he’s just confessed. Those beautiful eyes that made my heart thud faster were now the eyes of a stranger, a liar.

  “Was fucking me part of that plan too? Or was that some other plan of yours and Tyler’s. Deflower the virgin.” My voice is tight, drenched in venom and sadness. There’s a lump in my throat I can’t swallow past, and I know if I blink, tears will fall.

  He was on his feet in seconds, his hands cupping my face. “Do not ever say that. What happened between the three of us was the only thing neither of us planned? We wanted you, we still do…” He trailed off.

  Before I know what I’m doing, I fling the glass I’m holding against the wall, watching the liquid drop onto the stark white porcelain tiles.

  “Get out,” I grit out, tugging away from him, needing to be as far away from him as possible. “I said get the fuck out,” I scream, not looking at him. I can’t face a man who lied to me.

  “Sia—”

  “Get the fuck out!” I yelled, allowing myself to blink, finally. Slowly, I watched him turn and walk toward the door. As much as I wanted him to fight, to force me to listen, I couldn’t allow myself to feel anything other than the anger. He lied, and I needed to think. Hayden did things to me, he made me lose all sense of right and wrong. And that’s not what I need right now.

  Hayden stops at the door, head hanging low with his hand gripping the doorknob with white-knuckle ferocity. “What I feel for you, Sienna, that is no lie.” And with that, he tugged open the door and walked out.

  The moment I heard the click, I fell to the ground. Everything inside my chest hurt. The ache was so acute, I couldn’t breathe as the tears streamed down my face.

  It’d all been a lie.

  I'm not free.

  And I never will be.

  I should’ve known they’d never let me come to college and let me live a normal life. My father had to rule everyone and everything. No matter how far I ran, no matter where I went, they would have someone on their payroll to keep an eye on me.

  Even though Daddy said I could study here, that he’d allow me to enjoy my years at school, he lied, and I fell for it. I felt sick to think about what I’d done.

  Rushing into the bathroom, I got to the toilet just in time to empty the contents of my stomach into the porcelain bowl. I allowed myself to be used. As more tears fall, my body shakes from shock.

  Fury and sadness lance my chest in succession, one after the other, and I can't stop the pain.

  I curl myself on the cold tiles, and I allow the salty emotion to fall from my eyes. Sadness rips through every inch of me.

  I lie there until sleep takes me.

  Big warm hands lift me, cocoon me, and I'm taken into the bedroom. Those same fingers undress me and place me in my bed.

  It's all a dream, I know that, but I allow the arms to hold me until I drift off.

  13

  Tyler

  He’s an asshole for telling her.

  Admitting that her parents paid him to watch over her was a huge mistake. I knew Hayden wouldn’t be able to do this. He’s always been more emotional than I am.

  The moment I step into the bar, I find him at the countertop, leaning over the wooden surface gripping his glass. He’s drunk, and it’s not even midday. Thankfully it’s a Sunday, and he doesn’t have work, or I’d be dragging his ass home and shoving him into a shower so he can sober up.

  “What’s happening?” I question when I near him.

  He doesn’t look at me, focusing on spinning the glass on the bar top, he sighs, “I fucked up, Ty. I fucked up big time,” he tells me. “How do I get her to see? I did it for her own good.”

  “She needs time.”

  “Time? No, she needs to listen to me. I know what it’s like to have parents who rule my fucking life,” he bites out, inadvertently reminding me that he’s the one they doted on. I was the one they never expected much from.

  Hayden was the star pupil. The one who would go far in life. When I turned sixteen, I was drinking and partying every weekend. They couldn’t control me, so they sent me away to boarding school.

  Not that it helped much.

  Academics never was my forte, and my parents were convinced they could buy my interest. And that’s what they did for me.

  I ended up at college, catching up on my studies, but it wasn’t my first love. When I saw the bar for sale, I went to pops and told him I wanted it. To get me out of his hair, he put down the money and told me to make it work.

  If I didn’t, I’d be cut off.

  Now, it’s one of the most profitable places in the city. Every night we have a full house, packed to the rafters with a queue to get in. They visited once—our folks—and they saw the success I made of myself. It was the only time in my life my pops ever told me he was proud of me.

  I guess it’s the first and last because he’s sick now. Any day now we’ll get the call. Hayden doesn’t want to accept it, and I don’t want to deny it. I didn’t think he’d last as long as he has, calls me heartless, but that’s the way of life. You’re born, you live, and you die.

  I came to terms with it a long time ago. I wish my brother would, as well. Sighing, I turn to him, “you’re going to sit in here and drink all day?”

  “What the fuck do you think?”

  One thing about Hayden is, he’s not a happy drunk. When he’s downing shots of tequila and chasing them with beer, I know I’m going to have to pick him up off the floor later. Not literally, but proverbially.

  Something broke him a long time ago, and I wish I could change it. I wish I could fix him. Make him see that the more he wallows, the worse it gets. He should be out there, making Sienna see how much he cares.

  I guess it will be up to me to make this right. I’ve never been good at fixing things. I’m usually the one who breaks them, but for Hayden, I’d do anything, and he knows it.

  Heading into the office, I find my bar manager counting out the cash register for the day.

  “Hey man,” I slap him on the back, causing him to jump.

  “Fuck. Gave me a heart attack,” he chuckles. “Your bro isn’t looking too good,” he tells me.

  “I know. Can you keep an eye on him? I’m going to try and fix this before he heads off to drink himself into a coma somewhere else.”

  “Yeah, sure. I’ll keep your brother here. Probably make him something to eat.”

  Nodding, I shake his hand before responding, “sounds good. He’s normally pretty calm when he’s
in this state, but I think some food will be a good idea.” I leave him in the office and head back out to find Hayden at the pool table.

  He doesn’t notice me leaving, which is a good thing because he wouldn’t want me to be going to the one place that will fix this. Making my way to my bike parked out front, I start the engine and pull away with my mind set on one thing—finding Sienna and making her see she needs Hayden.

  14

  Sienna

  My bedroom curtains are ripped open, causing me to squint at the sunlight streaming through the window. A groan falls from my lips as I pull the covers over my head, which seconds later are torn from me.

  “Good morning, Kitten.” The sound of Tyler’s voice has me sitting up in bed. He’s made him comfortable on the mattress beside me, while fully clothed thankfully. A pair of dark jeans hug him too perfectly, along with a black T-shirt which seems to be molded to his muscles, and a leather jacket.

  “What are you doing here?” I grit out, recalling my conversation with Hayden last night. “Let me guess you were also paid to watch over me?”

  “Nobody pays me for shit, Sia,” he grins. “That is one thing you need to remember. Are you ready?”

  “Ready for what?”

  “Our second date, of course.” He shrugs, leaning back on the bed, causing his shirt to ride up over his stomach, flaunting the perfect V that points toward his zipper.

  “I am not going anywhere with you,” I tell him, tugging the blanket to cover myself from his burning gaze.

  “You’re not sitting sulking in this room on a beautiful sunny day,” he tells me. “It’s bad enough that Hayden has been drinking himself into a stupor at the bar, all morning.”

  I don’t want to care.

  I close my eyes and force myself to remember Hayden lied to me. But my heart lurches in my chest. I shouldn’t ask about him. I know I shouldn’t. Closing my eyes, I sigh, wanting this all to be a dream. A joke of some sort.

  “We can either go out or stay in and watch something with lots of blood and killing in it?” he offers me my options. I want to say no, to tell him to leave me alone, but something tells me Tyler isn’t someone I can ignore.

  “How did you get into my apartment?”

  “Hayden has a key,” he tells me, suddenly, there’s a solemn glint in his eye as if he wants to apologize for something. But there’s nothing he can say to make this okay. It’s not okay. Far from it. I tried to call my father last night and give him a piece of my mind, but now in the morning light, I think it was best I didn’t. Or I would probably be disowned by now.

  Ty is still watching me curiously. Sighing, I nod, “Give me half an hour.”

  “That’s what I like to hear. I’ll make you some breakfast.”

  “You don’t have to,” I protest. But one look from Tyler tells me that it is not optional.

  In the bathroom, I step into the warm spray and allow the water to fall over me. The heat was massaging away the ache in my muscles. All I can think about is Hayden and Tyler, and how my heart flutters when I’m near them. Nothing makes sense to me because I want to be theirs, despite everything that recently happened.

  Their touches made me feel alive, and I felt cared for. I wasn’t the Ice Princess when I was with them.

  I shut the water off and step out of the shower. Grabbing a towel, I wrap it around me and pad into the bedroom. The delicious scent from the kitchen has wafted through to where I’m standing, and my stomach is growling in protest. Quickly, I dress, pulling on a pair of denim shorts, and a tank top which I don’t need to wear a bra with.

  Once I’m dressed, I head into the kitchen to find Tyler at the breakfast bar with two plates in front of him. Both laden with omelets and toast, along with a mug of coffee. He did this all so quickly.

  “Do you know how difficult it was to hear that shower and not come in there?” he tells me before biting down on the buttery bread.

  Settling at the counter, I can’t help but smile at his words, feeling the heat in my cheeks. Instead of responding, I concentrate on my food.

  “You are going to have to hear him out, you know that, baby?” Tyler tells me gently. He’s stopped eating, his gaze locked on me as I try to focus on my plate rather than the heartache in my chest.

  I nodded, knowing he’s right. “It just hurts so much.” I swirl the egg around on my plate with the fork, not wanting to look at Ty because if I do, I’ll cry. The tears will fall, and I don’t know how to stop them. I’ve never had anyone that made me feel the way they do, and knowing it was all a game orchestrated by my father only makes it that much worse.

  “The last thing Hayden would want to do is hurt you. Take it from someone who knows him better than anyone else,” he tells me before rising from his seat. He rounds the island and stops beside me. Ty leans in, his mouth close to my ear, “Allow him to fix this because I want to feel your wet pussy around my cock again.” With that promise, he trails soft kisses down my neck, causing me to shiver.

  A moan escapes my lips, and he captures it with a slow sensual kiss which curls my toes. I want him to stop, to continue, to fix my broken heart and angry mind. My body screamed for more, but he broke away. His eyes bored into mine, as he swiped a thumb over my lips.

  “He cares for you, Sienna. Or he wouldn’t be in the state he’s in right now.” Tyler isn’t lying. There’s no hint of a joke in his gaze or in his words.

  “What if I can’t forgive him?”

  “You can because you care for him too,” Tyler tells me what’s in my heart. He reminds me that I want this. “Time to go.”

  15

  Tyler

  The moment I pull up to the bar, I feel Sienna stiffen behind me. I know she doesn’t want to see him, but she has to. For both their sake. And for mine. Call me a selfish bastard, but I want this girl in our lives.

  Helping her off the bike, I pull off my helmet and stare at her for a moment. Her cheeks are flushed, her long hair is wavy, hanging down her back. And those eyes, those pretty gem-like eyes meet mine.

  “I don’t want to see him yet,” she tells me confidently. I knew she’d be trouble. But she’s good for him, for Hayden.

  “You can just sit at the bar with me until he sobers up. You need to face him and let him explain,” I implore her. Hoping she’ll listen to me, and allow my brother to explain just why he did what he did. It wasn’t because he wanted to. Her asshole of a father has shit on Hayden that isn’t good, and if he doesn’t obey Gardier, all hell will break loose for him because of choices made when he was so much younger.

  I don’t want to see anyone get hurt. Least of all Hayden. Sienna glances at me, her face a mirror of pain, but her eyes betray her angry stance. There’s something dancing in them, telling me she wants to be here.

  “Let’s go,” I tell her, offering her my hand.

  Once she accepts by slipping her delicate hand in mine, I tug her along, and we enter the bar. It’s almost lunchtime, and a few people are sitting around, some drinking, other’s eating, but when my gaze lands on Hayden, I can’t help but groan.

  He’s in the corner, his head slumped on the table, the plate in front of him is empty, and all I can pray is that he’s at least managed to sober up somewhat.

  Sienna follows me deeper into the bar, the warmth of her body so close to mine, I want to pull her in and hold her close. When we reach the booth where Hayden is sitting, he doesn’t move. I grab the plate and empty glass, setting them on another table before I grab his shoulder and shake him.

  “Fuck off,” he grunts, shooing me away, but I’m not that easily swayed. He should know this by now. Unless he doesn’t realize it’s me. I grip the back of his T-shirt, tugging him up from the table, forcing him to look at me. “What the--”

  His gaze widens when he notices the pretty girl behind me.

  “Someone came to see you, but you’re going to need to freshen up,” I tell him, turning on my heel with Sienna right behind me. I seat her at the bar, while I head back to Hay
den. “She has agreed to hear you out. This time, no more lies. Tell her everything,” I insist, hoping for once, Hayden will listen to me.

  He stares back at me. “I tried, and she pushed me away,” he tells me.

  “I told her there’s more to the story than she allowed you to confess,” I inform him. “So just take it slow and give her what she needs.”

  “Is this because you’re obsessed with her?”

  “I don’t think I’m the only one,” I wink back at him. “Don’t give up. Sienna's a sweet girl, and all she wants is to be seen as an adult. Someone to be respected, someone to be cared for, and she definitely wants out from under daddy’s thumb.”

  He nods slowly, knowing I’m right. I’m always fucking right.

  “Fine,” he grits out in frustration. “If this all goes to shit, it’s on you.”

  “No, brother, it’s on you. Remember, you took the goddamned job. You were the one who came here to make sure she was safe. But also, you were the one who took the money because you needed to ensure he’d shut the fuck up about what you did.”

  All our fragile lies are a storm of truths about to break free.

  “You made that choice,” I tell him.

  Hayden nods, “It was impossible.” He pushes up from the bench seat and heads out toward the office where I have a small washroom. Back at the bar, I look Sienna over as she sips her Coke.

  “I scare him off?” she grins.

  “Oh princess, there’s no way you could ever scare him.”

  16

  Hayden

  I reach the bar feeling better, but I can tell my head’s about to be split open, not by the alcohol, but by the beautiful woman perched on a bar stool. When I near her, she turns to regard me. Her lithe legs are bare, with the tiny denim shorts she’s wearing are barely there.

  Her tank top is so tight, I can see her pert little tits, which only serve to make my dick hard. It’s attempting to fight its way from my jeans, but I focus back on her eyes. On her sad, glossy eyes that hold so much accusation, it stifles my breaths.