Safe With You

by DeMuzio, Kirsten

  We were still wrapped up in each other, and I knew I should go back to my room soon, when my phone beeped. It was well after midnight, and as much as I wanted to ignore it I had to make sure it wasn’t Lindsay with some kind of emergency. So I rolled away from Wyatt and grabbed my phone off the nightstand.

  Ryan: Hey babe. You ready to talk yet?

  Seriously? This was borderline stalkerish, and I really wanted to tell him to fuck off, but I decided ignoring him was probably the smartest thing to do.

  “Everything okay?” Wyatt asked me with a concerned look on his face. I forced a smile onto my face and sat up, “Yup. I just have to pee.” By the time I closed the bathroom door behind me my phone beeped again.

  Ryan: I see you need some motivation.

  What does that mean? Before I could ponder Ryan’s cryptic message, another text came in with a video attached.

  Ryan: Fundraiser at my parents’ place tomorrow. 6:00pm. Be there or this goes public.

  I couldn’t imagine what could possibly be on that video that would compel me to go to his dad’s fundraiser, but my curiosity got the best of me and I tapped the screen to play the video. The screen lit up with me…and Wyatt…on the steps of the pool. My loud moans filled the bathroom and I watched frozen in place as Wyatt kissed his way up my thigh. When his hand reached for my bikini bottoms my phone dropped from my hands, crashing on the floor and breaking apart, and I stumbled back until I ran into the wall. I clasped my hands over my mouth and my eyes filled with tears.

  I barely had time to recover before Wyatt opened the door. “Taryn? What’s wrong?” I dropped to my knees to reassemble my phone, letting my hair fall in front of my face so he couldn’t see my expression. “Um, nothing. I…I just dropped my phone,” I mumbled, praying that he wouldn’t notice the tremor in my voice. “I should get back to my room.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” I could feel his eyes on me and I imagined the concern I would find there if I looked at him. I just nodded and stood up, making sure to flip the light off so he couldn’t see me well. I hugged him and gave him a quick kiss before slipping out of his room and into mine. I knew I wouldn’t sleep tonight, and I couldn’t stay with him while I tried to figure this out.

  Most of the night was spent pacing the floor in my bedroom, racking my brain for a way out of this. A million questions raced through my mind. First and foremost was how in the hell did Ryan get that video of us. And what did he want from me? He didn’t need money, so it had to be something else. I was terrified that what he wanted was me. How far could I go to protect my reputation, Wyatt’s privacy and my father’s public image? Yes, I was an adult and it was perfectly acceptable for me to engage in adult activities. But what little I saw was basically a sex tape – I wasn’t sure a presidential campaign could survive a sex tape.

  I finally lay down around 5:00 am, and I heard Wyatt come in about an hour later. I was facing away from the door and I kept my eyes closed and my breathing even as he sat on the bed and gently brushed my hair off my face. He had to have wondered why I left so abruptly, but I just couldn’t tell him about this. Not yet. When he left my room a few minutes later, I decided it was time to wake Lindsay up.

  Me: Wake up. I need you here now.

  Lindsay: What’s up?

  Me: Just get here. Code Red.

  Code Red was something Lindsay and I came up with when we were kids. We were only supposed to say it if it was a ‘drop everything’ emergency. Neither of us had used it in years, but this situation seemed appropriate.

  Lindsay: Be there in 30

  I took a quick shower and put on a pair of yoga shorts and a tank top. When Lindsay arrived looking like she just rolled out of bed, which I guess she did thanks to me, I was sitting cross-legged on my bed twirling my phone around in my hands. She shut my door behind her. “What’s the emergency? And why does Wyatt look like his dog just died?” I groaned and dropped my head into my hands. The last thing I wanted to do was to make Wyatt feel like I was shutting him out, but I just couldn’t drag him into this. Ryan was doing this because of me. It was my problem. I tossed my phone toward Lindsay.

  “Ryan sent me a text last night. He has video of me…and Wyatt…doing stuff.” Lindsay furrowed her brow. “What kind of stuff?” I pushed the phone closer to her. “Stuff stuff. He said to be at his place tonight at 6:00 or he would make the video public.” Lindsay’s eyes were wide as she processed this.

  “I couldn’t watch it. But I want you to watch it. All of it. I need to know what’s on that video so I can figure out what to do.” Lindsay picked up my phone and scrolled through to find Ryan’s text.

  “Not here. I can’t listen. Go in the bathroom. And turn the water on so I can’t hear anything.” Lindsay gave me a sympathetic smile and went into the bathroom. I was hoping she would be back out soon, meaning the video was short. But as the minutes went by, I grew more and more anxious. I sat huddled on my bed, hugging my legs to my chest with my head on my knees. As more minutes passed the tears started falling, and that’s how Wyatt found me. I didn’t even hear him knock, or maybe he didn’t. But suddenly I felt his arms around me.

  “Baby, what’s wrong? What happened?” I just shook my head, not trusting myself to speak. “Is it me? Did I do something? Taryn, please talk to me.” His voice broke and my heart nearly did as well. I raised my head to see his eyes full of pain and confusion. I threw my arms around his neck and climbed onto his lap. “No no no, Wyatt. It’s not you. I can’t tell you what’s wrong right now, but please, trust me when I say it’s not you.” Before he had a chance to reply Lindsay came out of the bathroom, and I could tell by her expression and the length of time she had been in there, that the video covered everything that happened by the pool.

  I kissed Wyatt and whispered, “I need to talk to Lindsay. But I meant it Wyatt.” He framed my face with his hands and kissed me tenderly before getting up to leave the room. “You can talk to me about anything. Trust me, Taryn.” I could only nod as my eyes filled with tears again.

  Lindsay set my phone down on the nightstand and crawled onto the bed to give me a hug. “It shows everything, Taryn. From the time you came outside until you both went back in.” Lindsay hopped back up to pace the floor in the same path I had been walking all night, and I flopped backwards and stared at the ceiling.

  “What a fucking asshole! How the hell did he get that footage? He must have put a camera out there when he was here with you.” Lindsay spun around as she realized what I had already thought of. “What if there are other cameras here? In here?” She said harshly.

  “I know. I already thought about that. What am I going to do?”

  “I think you need to tell Wyatt, and let him take care of it.” I sat straight up. “No way. He would kill Ryan.” She shrugged and gave me a look that said ‘so what’.

  “As much as I would like to see that, I don’t want him involved in this. Ryan is my problem. We’re going to that fundraiser and I’m going to try and talk Ryan out of whatever it is he has planned.” Lindsay put her hands on her hips. “And how exactly are you going to talk Wyatt into letting you go to there. There’s no way he’ll be down with that.” I sighed, “He’s not the boss of me, Lindsay. Besides, if my parents are going, then it’s only natural that I would go too.”

  I broached the subject of the Mayor’s fundraiser at breakfast, and I could feel Wyatt’s eyes on me but I refused to look at him. “Dad, are you guys going to the Mayor’s fundraiser dinner thing tonight?” I asked while pushing my food around on my plate. Ryan and the video had effectively wiped out my appetite. My dad lowered the paper he was reading and took a sip of coffee. “Yes, sweetheart. Your mother and I are planning to go.”

  I bit my lip and then decided to get this over with. “Can I go too?” My mom looked up at me surprised. “Of course, Taryn. You are always welcome to go with us. Your father and I just assumed you wouldn’t want to go because of Ryan…” She trailed off uncomfortably. I waved my hand dismissively, “I
t’s not that big of a deal…”

  Lindsay interrupted me, “It’s really me that wants to go Aunt Rebecca. There’s this guy, a friend of Ryan’s that I really like. He’ll be there tonight and I need Taryn there for moral support.” I looked at Lindsay and silently thanked her for making up a reason why we needed to go. My parents seemed to accept this and said we would be leaving at 5:00 for the drive to the Mayor’s house.

  I didn’t need to look at Wyatt to know that he wasn’t buying it. I could feel his gaze boring into me and the tension rolling off him in waves. He knew something was up. I just had to make sure he didn’t find out what exactly it was.

  After breakfast I loitered around in the kitchen, driving Rosa crazy, waiting for Dominic to go to his room. When he finally finished eating and left the dining room, I followed him down the hall and right into his room. I shut the door behind me, and he turned around startled to find me behind him. “Taryn? What are you doing?” He backed up a step and folded his arms across his chest, clearly uncomfortable that I had cornered him.

  “Chill out, Dom. I just need a favor.” He relaxed slightly, but still seemed unsure as to why I was asking him and not Wyatt. “I need you to do something security related for me. And I need you to not tell Wyatt about it.”

  He rubbed his hand over his hair and huffed out a breath, “Taryn…What is this about? You know I can’t do that.” I clasped my hands together against my chest and prepared to beg.

  “Please, Dom. I can’t tell you why, but I need you to do a sweep of the apartment for hidden cameras.” He raised an eyebrow, “A sweep?” I shrugged, “Or whatever your official security term is for looking in every nook and cranny of this place. Please, this is very important.”

  “Why can’t Wyatt know?”

  “He just can’t. Make up some excuse or tell him Roland ordered it. I don’t care how you do it. I just really need it done. As soon as possible.” He paced to the window and back to me with a very unhappy expression on his face. “Fine. I will do this today, but you need to get Wyatt out of the apartment while I do. He won’t accept any lame excuse I make up.”

  I nodded my agreement, “Okay, I can do that.”

  “Taryn,” he said, stopping me with my hand on the doorknob. I looked back over my shoulder. “You owe me one.” I smiled gratefully at him, “Yes, I do.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Harper

  To make sure I had no time alone with Wyatt and that he was out of the apartment for a good two hours, Lindsay asked him, in front of my parents, to drive her to Sax Fifth Avenue so she could get the perfect dress for tonight. He knew this was an attempt to get him away from me, but he couldn’t say no without raising the suspicion of my parents. As soon as they left and my mom and dad were busy, I followed Dominic around while he checked for cameras. He grumbled the whole time about he should have never agreed to this, blah blah blah. The good news is he only found one camera – the one by the pool.

  Lindsay arrived back in time to get ready with me in my room. I chose a fitted sleeveless lace navy blue dress that fell to just above my knees. The silver heels I wore complimented the silver polish still on my nails and toes. I thought it was appropriate for a fundraiser but not overly sexy, so Ryan wouldn’t get the wrong idea. I groaned. Who was I kidding? He already had the wrong idea. My hair hung straight and thick down my back and I wore my simple diamond stud earrings. Lindsay looked great in a short black cocktail dress and red heels.

  At exactly 5:00 there was a knock on my door signaling it was time to go. I looked to Lindsay for support and said, “Okay, let’s get this over with.” I walked out the door and right into Wyatt’s chest. He put his hands on my shoulders to steady me and pulled me to the side so Lindsay could pass by. She opened her mouth to say something, but Wyatt gave her a look and she hurried on down the hallway.

  “Taryn, please tell me what is going on. I know that’s bullshit about Lindsay wanting to go to this thing. And needing me to drive her to go shopping.” I looked down at my shoes not saying anything until he raised my chin so I had no choice but to meet his eyes. “Taryn, please…” He whispered in a rough voice. I shook my head and blinked the tears back, “I can’t, Wyatt. This is something I have to deal with on my own.” I stumbled away from him and walked quickly to the foyer, not looking back to see the hurt in his eyes.

  Since Lindsay and I were going and Wyatt and Dominic were also going, we took a limo. It was pure torture to sit across from Wyatt for an hour and pretend like everything was fine in front of my parents. I couldn’t even enjoy how great he looked in a tux, and when we finally pulled up in front of the Harper’s mansion, I practically ran out of the car. Inside there were at least a hundred people enjoying cocktails and mingling. Roland was there and immediately came over to greet my dad and talk with Wyatt and Dominic.

  I grabbed Lindsay’s hand and we made our way through the crowd to the bar, where I gulped down one glass of wine and ordered a second. We stood there for quite a while, people watching, until I felt Ryan’s slimy presence nearby. “Would you excuse us, Lindsay? There’s something Taryn and I need to discuss.”

  Lindsay glared at him and pointed her forefinger and middle finger at her eyes then at Ryan in the signal for “I’m watching you.” Ryan pressed his hand to the small of my back, guiding me towards the stairs. I had to grit my teeth so I wouldn’t slap his hand away. He sensed the tension in my body and leaned close to whisper in my ear, “Now now, Taryn. You wouldn’t want to cause a scene in front of your family and all our guests.”

  I glanced around and didn’t see Wyatt anywhere, glad that he wouldn’t see me leaving the room with Ryan but also wishing he was here to protect me. Dominic was near the entrance to the dining room but he was currently fending off the drunken advances of the Mayor’s wife and didn’t notice us. I would have laughed at that if it weren’t for the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach over what Ryan wanted to “discuss” with me.

  I followed him upstairs and into a bedroom at the end of the hall. My blood ran cold when I heard him shut the door behind us and turn the lock. I turned around to face him and stumbled back a step when I realized how close he was to me. He grabbed my upper arms roughly and pushed me backwards until my back was against the wall. He was gripping me so tightly I knew I would have bruises. “Ryan, stop it. You’re hurting me.” I tried to remain calm but the fear crept into my voice.

  “You wanted to know what I want, Taryn? I had hoped you would come back to me on your own, but I see now that’s not going to happen. Fortunately, I have the video as insurance against you leaving me again. I know you wouldn’t want your father’s upcoming campaign to be ruined because you’re a whore.” I understood now what he wanted from me. My head was spinning as I tried to figure out what to do. I couldn’t let that video get out – it would ruin my father and it made me nauseous knowing that Ryan had seen it let alone all of America. But I also couldn’t bear the thought of going along with what Ryan was suggesting.

  “I’ve seen how hot you can be, Taryn. I’m long overdue. It’s my turn for a piece of you,” he said to me before crushing his mouth down on mine. I struggled against him, but he had me pinned against the wall, grinding into me while one hand pulled up my dress. Fuck the video, I had to get away from him. I did the only thing I could given I was trapped against the wall – I raised my foot and brought the sharp heel of my stiletto down on the top of his foot. He grunted in pain and released his hold on me enough that I was able to push him off and run for the door. I was fumbling with the lock when his arm came around my waist.

  “You fucking cunt!” He snarled at me, spinning us around and throwing me down onto the bed. I took a breath and screamed Wyatt’s name as loud as I could before Ryan was on top of me with his hands on my throat. I couldn’t breathe and tried to pull his hands away, my nails clawing scratches along his arms when I heard the door crash open and Ryan was suddenly pulled off of me. I scrambled backwards towards the headboard, my hands on my throat
, gasping for air.

  Wyatt pushed Ryan against the dresser, smashing the mirror that hung over it on the wall. Ryan crumpled to the ground, but Wyatt grabbed his collar and hauled him back up before punching him in the face. Blood sprayed from Ryan’s nose, and Wyatt pulled him up again. Before his fist could come down a second time, Dominic was there grabbing Wyatt’s arm firmly. “I got this, Hunt,” he said nodding his head in my direction.

  Wyatt’s gaze swung to me and his eyes softened when he saw me curled up on the bed. He released his hold on Ryan and came over to me, shrugging out of his jacket on the way. He crawled up next to me and pulled me onto his lap draping his jacket around my shoulders. I threw my arms around his neck while tears streamed down my face. “Ssshhh, baby. You’re safe now.” He kept murmuring comforting words to me while my parents rushed into the room followed by Lindsay, Roland and some of his men.

  My dad looked at me clinging to Wyatt and started to come over, but my mom put her hand on his arm and shook her head. He didn’t look happy but stayed where he was. He looked at Ryan in disgust and said to Roland, “I want to press charges for assault. Get him out of here.”

  Wyatt stopped talking to me to look up and say to Roland in a tight voice, “He has video…of Taryn.” Roland narrowed his eyes at Ryan and nodded his head once before giving instructions to his men. “Take his phone, his computer. Scour this house for any photos or videos. Destroy them. Then call the police.” Dominic pulled Ryan up roughly off the floor and shoved him out the door. Roland’s men went to work while Roland ushered the nosy guests back downstairs leaving just my family.

  My tears had slowed down and I pulled back from where I had buried my face in Wyatt’s neck. He didn’t let go of his hold on me, even when my parents came over and my mom sat down on the edge of the bed. “Oh, sweetie. Are you okay? What did he do?” I sniffed and shook my head, “He didn’t…he tried to…but he didn’t…” I couldn’t get the words out so I let Wyatt’s jacket fall off one shoulder and lifted my chin so they could see the marks on my arm and neck.