The Betrayal
A Contemporary Romance Short Story Series
by
E. M. Flemming
Copyright © 2013 E.M. Flemming
All rights are reserved.
You may not distribute this book in any way. No part of this publication may be reproduced, retransmitted, or downloaded, in any form, or by any means, without the express written permission of the author. The distribution of this book via the Internet, or via any other means, without the permission of the author is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, places, events, or other locales, is purely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Thank You
1
The hot summer sun drenched the New York City patio. I could feel the sun’s warm rays on my partially exposed back. It felt good to be soaking up the sun for a change, and not to be indoors studying. It was my last year of law school, and I felt like I had crammed more information into my mind than I knew what to do with. There were so many cases, laws, and studies stuck so deep into my skull, that I thought it would eventually implode. But it didn’t. And, as the years dragged on, I managed to cram more information in and get more studying done; all while my personal life was virtually tossed out the window. That is, until I moved in with Hallie.
Hallie and I met on a September afternoon in our freshman year Case Law class. She was just as new to the city as I was, and we both didn’t quite know what to expect when we first arrived. As exciting as it was, it was also nerve-wracking. Take two girls from small towns, pluck them out, stick them in a big city, and that’s bound to happen. And, as much as I hated the small rural town I grew up in, when I got to the city, as big as it is, I felt much more lonely. It was a culture shock going from a cheery Oklahoma small town where everyone knew each other by name, to a city where I got the cold shoulder from just about everyone I encountered.
At first glance, I realized that no one smiled as they walked excessively fast along the massive city blocks. No one talked to you, or looked you in the eyes, except of course for the creepy guys who would glare at me on the streets. I got used to that though; I adapted. And, as much as I missed that Oklahoma suburb small-town charm, now after four years of living in the city, New York feels like home. It’s funny how a place will do that to you. It’s funny how you can build up that feeling of home and comfort after not too long. Now, when I’m back in Oklahoma, they think I walk too fast, talk too fast, and think too fast. It’s funny how different two places could be like that; so very different.
But, the good thing about going to school in a big city like New York is, you’re bound to eventually meet someone you just click with. And, that’s what happened with Hallie and I. When we met, we just clicked, and it didn’t take long for us to become best friends. And, although we didn’t grow up together or attend the same high school or anything like that, when we moved in as roommates our junior year, it just felt like we had known each other forever.
But, even though the Big Apple felt like home after four years, and I had a great roommate and best friend, I was still jaded. I was jaded because, as hard as I tried to meet a guy that was “normal,” it just never seemed to work out for me. And, you’d think that living in a place like New York you would have your pick of the litter. Well, that certainly is one myth I can bust for you, because I had much better luck back in Podunk, Oklahoma, than I’ve had in the big city. Most of the men I’ve met here have just been deadbeats. Maybe I’ve just been too fussy, or maybe I just was too caught up with one guy in particular. Whatever it was, it’s been annoying to say the least.
I thought about my bad luck in relationships as I sat there soaking up the sun. I tried to put all of the negative thinking aside because it was such a nice day out. After all, it was Friday, and as the tiny beads of sweat glistened on my hand, Hallie and I sipped iced tea while we talked shop. No, we weren’t talking about school; that was for the weekdays. We were talking about our ideal man, and what we do if we actually found him. But all we seemed to come up with were duds. All the men that we would come across were either, married, fucked up in the head, or just downright rude.
I took another sip of my iced tea as we chatted. The ice hit my lips and I could taste a hint of infused strawberry and mint in the delicious elixir. And as the liquid slid down my throat, I couldn’t help but think of other things that I wanted sliding down my throat. The summer always got to me; it always made me hot and bothered. I mean, we were both “single,” and it didn’t hurt to wonder about men; it didn’t hurt to imagine them. It didn’t hurt to imagine that perfect man standing right there in front of me.
“So, it’s almost your birthday,” I said, creasing my lips into a straight line as I imagined what the night would entail.
“I know, please don’t remind me,” Hallie said in a lull. Her giant dark sunglasses shielded her from the glaring sun that was scorching the city.
“Why not? You only turn 25 once. We have to do something big for your birthday this year. We have to do something special.”
“Special? Come on, you know we don’t have the time or the money for that. We’re both barely getting by.”
It was true. We were both starving students, so-to-speak. We were both struggling to finish school and get paying jobs at topnotch law firms. And, because of the workload, it was nearly impossible to balance a part-time job with school.
“I know,” I said, “but we’re still going out though, right?”
“Of course we’re going out. I mean, we can’t jet off to some exotic destination or anything, but we can stay within the city limits.” She pursed her lips as she sucked the iced tea through a straw, accentuating the single, solitary mole located just above her right-upper lip.
Entrenched in conversation, we didn’t notice the waiter appear before us. He was someone we had met a couple years back. John was also in graduate school, but somehow he’d miraculously managed a way to balance a part-time job with his studies.
“Hey guys,” he said.
“Hi John,” we both said.
“Happy birthday,” he added. “I brought you a little something on the house.”
He set down a small dessert cake that looked like an oversized brownie. He had taken the liberty to place a single candle that was lit on top of it, and had the chef write Happy Birth Hallie in white icing. Then, a few of the other staff members showed up behind him, and sang a strange rendition of the happy birthday song. Being a law student, I knew that restaurants couldn’t sing the actual happy birthday song unless they paid a royalty to the song’s writer. Otherwise, they could face a potential civil suit.
Hallie blew out her candle and smiled from ear to ear. After being best friends for two years now, and rooming together the past four semesters, we pretty much knew each other inside and out. And that’s the great thing about having a best friend like that – you get to know each other’s quirks, their habits, and everything else. You come to appreciate and accept them for whom they are. I guess I never had that before. I never had someone who I could turn to that I co
uld call my best friend, and share my deepest darkest secrets and desires with. It was a good feeling. It made New York feel even more like home.
But even though we both lived together and enjoyed being close friends, it was clear we both wanted more. I mean, who didn’t? Who didn’t want a man to come into their lives and sweep them off their feet? It was clear that it’s what we both wanted. We just weren’t sure if it ever was going to happen. It was more like disappointment after disappointment for us. We couldn’t seem to catch a break, so we just threw all of our focus into our studies. We figured we could at least become young and successful in our own right, and not have to rely on some man. But in all honesty, we did want to rely on a man; we did want to be pampered. Who didn’t want to be treated like that?
“So, how does it feel to be a year older?” I asked.
“You know, the same,” she said. “Your birthday isn’t too far off either miss.” She smiled at me as she took a small bite of the cake. We both jammed our forks into the dessert, as the warm chocolate that was baked inside, oozed out onto the plate.
“Oh my, God, look,” said Hallie. I took out my phone and grabbed a picture of her staring at the delectable sweet in front of her; she made this funny face and held the fork in this awkward manner. She always did stuff like that.
“Yeah, it’s a lava cake. We’ve had those before,” I said.
“But it’s so good,” she said, placing another fork-full in her mouth.
“I know, too bad we can’t eat these every day. So, what’s the plan then? What are you in the mood to do?”
“I guess let’s just go to the bar down off 23rd,” she said.
“Okay, but we go there all the time.”
“I know, but I kind of have a thing for the bartender still.”
“You do?” I asked.
“Yeah, he’s kind of hot, don’t you think?”
“I guess so,” I said. I knew exactly whom she was talking about. Yeah, he was easy on the eyes a bit, but he was a bartender. They’re the worst kind of person you could possibly date because they could never stay faithful. “I mean, if you’re just looking for a fling then go for it.” I smiled.
“Well, it is my birthday. I deserve a fling,” she said, taking another bite of the tiny cake. “But if I keep eating like this, you may need to roll me there.” She laughed, but I think she was being half serious.
“You always eat healthy, a day or two off doesn’t hurt.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” she said.
We both jabbed our forks at the final morsels. It was satisfying, to say the least. After we were finished, we said goodbye to John, and left to get ready for the night. On the way back home, I thought about Michael, my ex-boyfriend. I thought about how much he burned me when he cheated on me. I recalled it so vividly in my mind, and as much as I wanted those thoughts to go away, they always seemed to creep back in.
However, aside from the cheating, and the lying, Michael was pretty much the perfect guy. He treated me right, always buying me flowers, taking me out to dinner, and doing lovely things for me. It’s too bad it all came crashing down around me when I walked in on him fucking one of my friends. That changed everything. That changed my entire view of men, and who they really are deep down inside.
In fact, that experience, changed my view on pretty much everyone in the world, not just men I was in a relationship with. I realized that everyone was capable of doing those things. I knew that I couldn’t let my guard down again, and because of all of that, I’ve found nothing but problems in the men I’ve dated since Michael. I’ve found countless reasons to try to catch them in lie after lie. Nothing has been the same. Nothing will ever be the same for me.
“What’s wrong?” Hallie asked.
She must have noticed my sudden sullen mood as I sat there reeling about days gone by. “Michael. What else?”
“Sydney, you have to forget about him. You really do. It’s ancient history. That was years ago. Why do you keep allowing him to bring you down like this? I can see it in your eyes. I can see how unhappy you are.”
I never really realized just how much he had affected me until later down the road. I had come to the realization that this was going to be my life now; that I couldn’t move past it anymore. I couldn’t move past the hurt and the internal conflict ever since then. It was hard. It was really hard.
“You don’t get it, Hallie. You just don’t get it. You never had your heart torn apart like I did. That never happened to you.”
“Well,” she said, “at least you came to the realization sooner rather than later. Could you have imagined getting married then realizing those things about him? Could you imagine that?”
“Yes, I know. We’ve talked about this a million times, but it still bothers me. I had so much invested in that relationship. He was perfect; absolutely perfect, until that bitch went behind my back and fucked him.”
“He was hardly perfect. You call that perfect? All he did was lie and cheat on you. How is that perfect?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I guess that’s just what I want to believe in my mind,” I said. I was frustrated, and rightfully so. I hadn’t met a single guy that had been able to live up to the high standards that Michael had set. I hadn’t come across a single soul who even paled in comparison.
“There are plenty of good guys out there. You don’t see me complaining, do you?”
“That’s easy for you to say,” I said. “You haven’t been caught up in a racy affair like that. Your relationships have been easy street.”
“Not even,” she said. “It’s better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all. Sound familiar? Isn’t that what you’ve always said? It seems like you have a split personality when it comes to Michael. Part of you is over him, and the other part isn’t.”
“It doesn’t help when he keeps trying to come back into my life, the way that he has,” I said.
“I know,” she said, “but you have to be strong.”
“I can’t seem to do it. When it comes to him, Hallie, you know how weak I am. You know the power that man has over me. It’s like, even though we’re not together, he doesn’t want me to be happy. He keeps showing up and disappearing. I don’t think I can take it anymore.” Hallie put her arm around me as we got up to leave the cafe. I felt bad. It was her birthday, and here I was venting to her about my ex.
“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. Look, let’s just go out tonight and have some fun. Let’s plan to do that. No regrets and no worrying tonight. How does that sound to you?”
I smiled. She always had a knack for cheering me up. I guess that’s what best friends are for. “Sounds good, I said.” We rounded the corner and hailed a taxi. It was too hot to be walking on the streets, and all we got were catcalls from the men who actually thought that was going to make us stop and give them our number. I never really understood it.
“Where to?” asked the cab driver.
“Water and Fulton, please” I said to the cabbie. He turned on the meter then proceeded to check us out. I hated when cab drivers did that, and it seemed to happen all the time. You couldn’t wear anything revealing in the city without becoming the sexual fantasy of every man that you came across. Now granted, here are two mid-twenties girls in scantily clad dresses that were somewhat revealing, but it was summer. What were we supposed to wear, sweaters?
The cab driver looked at me through his rearview mirror, and I could see him undressing me. I looked over at Hallie and rolled my eyes and she laughed. She was able to laugh off things like that much better than I was.
“Eww,” I said, making a puking gesture with my finger. She laughed again.
When I looked back, he was still staring at me, but pretending like he wasn’t. It was really annoying actually. He even went as far as moving his head up to get a better view down below. But, aside from the annoying cab driver, I couldn’t seem to get Michael out of my mind. Even though we had decided not to talk about him, as I leafed throu
gh my phone looking at the messages from him, I couldn’t help but wonder. What if he’s changed? What if his promises are real this time? And those what-ifs ran through my mind at a mile-a-minute.
“Stop,” Hallie said.
“What?” I asked, trying to play coy.
“Stop reading his messages,” she said. She had caught me.
“I know, I know. Okay, okay. I promise.”
“At least let it go tonight. It’s my birthday. Please,” she pleaded with me.
“Okay, okay. Okay, I promise. I won’t look at his messages again tonight.”
“Good,” she said. “That’s a good start.”
2
Two Years Earlier
I ran down the steps to the subway entrance, quickly shuffling from left to right as I descended into the bowels of New York City. The heat from the subway hit me like a blast from a furnace. It was hot outside, but even hotter down there. Rushing through the turnstile, I slinked in the door with not a second to lose as they collapsed in front of me without a moment to spare. The cool air of the subway car felt good, but I was sweating. I could see the small beads of perspiration on my exposed arms as I went to grab the metal pole, in an attempt to support myself in the swaying boxcar.
The typical evening rush coincided with the release of my 4pm Constitutional Law class, which got out at 6:30pm. Normally, I could have walked the twelve blocks back to the dorm, but not in this heat. New York was sizzling; you could cook an egg on the tarmacs of the roads. And, that was no exaggeration. The worst part about the heat was the humidity. Everything clung to you like a wet diaper. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of nausea as that thought crossed my mind; or maybe it had something to do with the stench in the subway car.
An appalling sea of people banged into one another as the subway swayed left and right as it meandered at hyper-speed through the intricate web of tunnels underground. I was nearly knocked off my feet several times by a very large and sweaty man who was standing next to me. Everyone tried to get as far away as possible from him, and rightfully so. I could see the pit stains under his arm as he held on to the metal railing to support himself; the smell almost made me vomit. Why do I always have to get stuck next to someone like that?
The Betrayal - Sex Stories for Women (Adult Short Stories for Women) Page 1
