‘I felt like baking,’ I said without thought. Dam my brain.
‘At this time?’
Tristan walked into the kitchen and I edged along the counter to create distance between us.
‘Yes.’
He glanced at me curiously and then over the mess that I had made in his kitchen.
‘Where’s Anna?’
It seemed as if he needed a distraction too. I saw that he struggled with something but still had enough control over it.
‘She’s asleep in my room.’
Tristan remained in the kitchen and his presence made me uncomfortable. I tried not to remember the dream. But the more I tried to forget, the vividness of its memory increased. It was driving me to the brink of madness. Tristan attempted to catch my gaze but I quickly turned my head away. The sight of him was getting too much.
‘You should go to sleep,’ I said to him.
He seemed to agree with me. It fact, I saw it on his face as his thoughts were allowed to play out on his face for the first time in front of me that it was dangerous not to agree.
As quickly as he appeared, Tristan exited the kitchen and left me on my own. He disappeared up the stairs and I heard the soft click of the door as he went into his room. I exhaled and leaned against the counter for support. It was already bad enough to be having that sort of dream about him.
‘Shut up Phoebe,’ I whispered to myself. ‘He’s Anna’s brother. He’s your boss and he’s getting married.’
I took my time on the cleanup and mixed up the icing to pipe in the morning. When I glanced over to the wall clock, an hour had already passed. Reluctantly, I took myself upstairs and went into my own room.
Lorraine woke us up and informed me of her surprise to find a tray of cupcakes had materialized on the counter.
‘Yeah,’ I told her, ‘the icing is in the fridge.’
‘You made cupcakes last night?’ Anna asked as she rubbed her eyes awake.
‘I couldn’t sleep.’
When I went downstairs, Tristan was seated in his place at the head of the table. I couldn’t bring myself to join him and decided to eat my breakfast in the kitchen instead. Anna noticed my disappearance and ventured to find me. I was standing by the counter with my bowl of cereal.
‘Why aren’t you at the table?’ she asked me curiously.
‘I feel like standing,’ I told her. It was a lame excuse and she did not accept it. Anna knew that something was wrong. She could see it on my face and I was useless at my attempt to hide it from her. Or perhaps she didn’t connect the dots or realize that I had just walked in on Tristan having sex and succeeded in getting them both out of the house so that she wouldn’t have a panic attack. And that I nearly suffered a panic attack of my own as the realization of what I did sank in. Every inch of me is covered in embarrassment.
Tristan left for work at his usual time and I felt relieved to have him gone. The teachers arrived shortly after and Anna began her lessons. I struggled to pay attention and decided to leave part way through maths. I decided to go for a walk and inform Jace that I was going to take the afternoon off.
‘You have my number,’ I told him, ‘if anything happens to Anna, give me a ring.’
I walked down the gravel pathway and out into the street beyond the gates. With nothing but my phone and a ten dollars in my pockets, my feet carried me far away from Tristan’s house. I took a random bus and soon found myself travelling towards the city center. I got off on one of the main streets and decided to walk past the tall buildings built from steel and glass. People passed by and did not notice me. It was at one when my phone rang. I looked at the name and saw that it was Anna.
‘Hello?’ I said.
‘Where are you?’
She sounded worried.
‘I’m just out.’
‘Are you alright?’
‘Yeah. I just need some time alone, just for a little while. Are you going to be okay without me there?’
Anna paused. ‘I think so. The tutors are gone now and it’s just Lorraine and Jace. Are you sure you’re alright? If it’s got to do with what happened yesterday between you and Tristan…’
Lorraine must have talked to her.
‘Annabelle Vice, I am perfectly alright. I just need some air,’ I told her in my most convincing voice. I didn’t want her to worry about me but I needed to be away from everything for just a little while.
‘Alright,’ she said finally. ‘When are you coming home?’
‘In a few hours,’ I told her.
‘Okay.’
‘Hey, I haven’t iced those cupcakes yet. Why don’t you do that for me? Get Lorraine to show you how.’
‘Okay. Don’t be late for dinner.’
‘Yes ma’am,’ I said. I could feel Anna smiling and the conversation ended there.
I continued to meander down the street without any particular sense of direction or destination. I passed restaurants filled with people in suits out on their lunch break and there were a great number of women in heels and pencil skirts bustling about. Although I walked amongst them, I could feel that I was not one of them. The hour trickled by and my stomach began to grumble. I reached into my pocket and found that I only had enough left for the bus ride back. I did have the option of calling Jace to pick me up but I wanted the sense of independence that came with riding a bus. I know it sounds strange, but if you’ve been driven around by a chauffeur for the past few months and spending twenty four hours of your days with a potentially unstable teen, being alone and riding a bus was the most liberating feeling I managed to grab for myself.
‘What are you doing here?’ a voice said behind me. I jumped. It belonged to Tristan. I spun around to face him with a frown on my face. The world around us went out of focus and I found myself alone with him in the middle of the busy street. He stood less than a foot away from me, his broad shoulders highlighted by the grey suit he wore. His hair was swept back in a professional manner but it only made him dangerous to the women that worked with him. As Tristan held my gaze, I felt as if I was peering up at a mortal god. Everything about him seemed perfect and my brain froze when he required an answer.
‘Afternoon off,’ I eventually found myself saying. Although we had no official contract signed, Tristan always paid me by the week. The first paycheck nearly blew me over as it was more than I had anticipated. I’ve lived with for more than three months now and although I was definitely attracted to him, I always reminded myself of my position. But yesterday’s events had changed things and I needed some time away to reset my head. Yet, fate was not on my side and Tristan had to ambush me by calling me out in the street.
‘And Anna?’ he asked. It was a reasonable enough question.
‘At home with Lorraine,’ I answered.
My stomach grumbled loudly and my face turned red from embarrassment. His eyes glanced at the five dollars I clutched in my left hand and noted that I did not carry a handbag or have a wallet with me.
‘Come,’ he said. ‘My treat.’
I blinked. He turned and expected me to follow but I remained rooted like a tree. My feet were glued to the concrete and I could not move. Tristan looked over his shoulders.
‘Don’t you have work?’ I found myself asking. He took out his phone and tapped a message to his secretary. Tristan walked back and took up my hand. The touch was moved my heart to flutter like a young bird and it made me feel incredibly stupid. I tried to remind myself and attempted to envision Lauren’s face but Tristan close proximity to me distracted my thoughts. I stared at him with confusion as he wrapped he wrapped his fingers around mine. My knees threatened to melt as I struggled to hold my composure. I wasn’t sure if it was due to the hunger or his magnetism. It wasn’t fair that a man should be this handsome.
‘The restaurant is this way.’
He led the way and I was forced to walk with him as if we were some sort of couple. When my senses returned to me, I took up my other hand and pried by fingers out of his. He paused a
nd looked me.
‘I’m capable of walking without aide,’ I told him.
The restaurant was upper class and everyone inside were dressed like they owned million dollar homes. I felt out of place in my jeans and printed shirt. Although the place was packed and a reservation was needed, there was something about Tristan Vice’s name that instantly materialized a table for us. We were tucked away in a small private corner that was kept for emergency A-list clients.
The waiter came with the menu and I pursed my lips as my eyes ran over the prices. A full course meal was equivalent to half a week’s wage at my old job. I felt uncomfortable and did not dare to order anything.
‘I’ll have whatever he’s having,’ I said when the waiter turned to me with his pen poised on his notepad.
‘Duck Confit,’ said Tristan.
The waiter left us and my eyes meandered around the restaurant. I avoided looking at Tristan, who sat directly opposite me and seemed to be examining every inch of my face. I should have taken a different bus.
‘Miss Walters,’ Tristan began. It was strange to hear him talk to me directly. For the past three months, Tristan had avoided any sort of direct conversation with me and when we did talk, it was about Anna. I was forced to turn and face him. His face was different and for a moment, he allowed it to soften and spoke to me in a tone that was reserved only for those in his household. ‘I apologize for my actions yesterday.’
‘No, I should be the one apologizing,’ I found myself saying. ‘I didn’t mean to intrude on your private business like that but Anna…’
‘I was fully aware of my sister’s condition and should have taken more care.’
‘How is it going to work? I mean, when you’re married to her, you’re not going to send Anna back to the Main House, are you? And she can’t stay with you if she’s around.’
I avoided using Lauren’s name for some strange reason. Tristan noticed it too but did not say anything.
‘I cancelled my engagement with her last night. She will not return to the house again nor will we see each other again.’
‘What?’ I blinked at the news. A part of me felt a burst of joy but it quickly mixed itself with confusion. ‘Just like that?’
‘Yes.’
‘But you were going to marry her. What changed?’
Tristan paused and seemed to choose his next words very carefully.
‘I thought over your words and you are correct. Anna is indeed in a fragile state and under your supervision, she is improving. My actions threaten to be her undoing and I have decided to correct my wrongs.’
‘By calling off your engagement?’
‘Yes. It appears necessary that I need to choose someone who does not offend Anna.’
Tristan’s face turned into stone again. He adverted his eyes when he had finished speaking.
‘What about her? She accepted your decision?’
Lauren did not seem like someone who would let something go so easily. Besides, from Anna’s report of her to me, Lauren had Tristan in the palm of her hands. Tristan did not reply. The waiter came out with our lunch and we ate in silence. The awkwardness grew as neither of us spoke. Unable to stand it any longer, I decided to ask him a question.
‘What do you do for a living?’
Tristan picked his head up from his meal and looked at me.
‘I’m the vice president of Baxter Enterprise,’ he answered and quickly caught the enquiring look on my face. I’ve never heard of Baxter Enterprise and hadn’t a clue in what they dealt with. ‘Baxter is my mother’s maiden name and she is the sole heir to my grandfather’s empire. I own and three of the major utility companies in this country. Baxter Enterprise maintains and upgrades the electricity grids and telecommunications network. The company also owns offshore assets which I am sent to maintain from time to time.’
‘Oh,’ I found myself saying and there was nothing left to ask.
When we had finished our meals, Tristan paid and we left together.
‘You should go back to the office,’ I told him as we stood in front of the restaurant. He could see that I wanted time to myself.
‘When are you going home?’ he asked.
‘I promised Anna that I’ll be back by dinner time.’
‘I’ll pick you up,’ he said and took out his wallet. He handed me one of his cards. ‘The pin is Anna’s birth year.’
I shook my head. ‘I can’t take that.’
‘You don’t have any money on you. Buy something. Take it as your bonus.’
Tristan took up my hand and placed the card in my palm. My brain did not register the action until he started to walk away.
Chapter 11 – A family dinner
The smell of Lauren was still in Tristan’s car and I could not help but be reminded of her naked ass on the leather. And that’s not including the juices she was leaking. The thought repulsed me and Tristan noticed my discomfort. It was not what he intended when he drove us back and we sat in silence in the traffic. I returned his card and had not spent any of his money. It felt wrong and I could not bring myself to do it.
It was awkward, strange and heart racing at the same time. I had to convince myself that he was just being kind. Perhaps he took pity in the embarrassment I felt for walking in on him yesterday. But there was also the matter of him breaking up with Lauren. Something told me that it would not be that simple.
Anna was surprised to see me return with her brother and gave me curios looks throughout the rest of the night. She presented us with what remained of my cupcakes and Lorraine served up the dinner. Halfway through the meal, the phone rang and Jace entered with a grave look upon his face.
‘It’s from the Main House,’ he said.
Tristan wiped his lips and stood up. He left with the phone pressed against his ears. Anna strained to listen and got out of her seat to creep down the hallway towards where her brother stood. As hard as Anna tried, she could not make out a coherent conversation as Tristan kept moving. He returned shortly after and was not at all surprised to see his sister waiting with anticipation for the report.
‘They were just made aware,’ he said as he sat back down.
‘Of what?’ Anna asked with fear in her eyes. ‘It’s not the pills, is it?’
‘No,’ he replied and Anna was quickly relieved by his reply.
‘Then what?’ she pressed.
‘Of my cancelled engagement.’
Anna’s surprise was quickly mirrored by Lorraine and Jace who were close enough to hear the announcement. Tristan picked up his utensils and continued to eat his dinner as if nothing had happened.
‘You mean you’re not getting married to her?’ Anna asked. She needed to confirm as an elated smile spread across her face.
‘That is correct.’
Anna’s mouth dropped but the happiness was short lived when Tristan continued.
‘And it is the reason why we are required to dine at the Main House tomorrow evening.’
‘I’m not going,’ Anna announced.
‘Phoebe will also be required to attend.’
‘What? Why?’ I frowned.
Tristan did not answer. He finished his dinner and left without another word to neither of us. Anna was as confused as I am and could not phantom how Tristan’s called off engagement concerned us. Anna followed his brother upstairs and continued to pester him about the details but none was given. Tristan remained silent and out of sight for the rest of the night.
The next morning came quicker than any of us had anticipated and Tristan was not at the table.
‘He left half an hour ago,’ Lorraine informed us as Anna and I sat down together. ‘He also says that you both should be ready when he returns at five.’
Anna was reluctant and I was not enthusiastic about going to the Main House. The teachers came and went and before we knew it, Lorraine ushered us to get dressed. I went for a demure black dress.
‘Goodness child,’ said Lorraine, ‘you are going to a dinner and not a fu
neral.’
‘It feels like it though,’ I told her. Anna came out of the bathroom dressed in a similar fashion. Lorraine shook her head.
‘No, no, the master had strict instructions that you dress appropriately.’
‘This is appropriate,’ Anna protested. ‘It’s called the little black dress.’
‘Very well,’ Lorraine relented, ‘put on some lipstick, do your hair up and make yourselves look at least a little bit lively.’
Anna pulled a force comical smile. It made me laugh and forget momentarily about the imminent dinner at the Main House. Time passed quickly and Tristan arrived exactly at five. I noted that he was driving a different car, a red sports BMW this time.
‘Did you just buy a new car?’ I heard Jace ask as Tristan entered the house. He had left with the silver one this morning.
‘Yes. Are they ready?’
Anna was in my room with me when Tristan knocked softly against my door. I opened it for him and I held my breath as my eyes gazed into his.
‘Anna,’ he started, ‘go and wait downstairs. I want a private word with Phoebe.’
The seriousness of his voice made Anna blink and comply with confusion. Her brother was never this intense towards her and she moved off the bed and out of the room without a word of protest or question. I could see it on her face that she would ask me about it later.
Tristan stepped inside and closed the door. We were alone and I took a step back to create space between us. He saw my discomfort and chose to ignore it. There was not a hint of nervousness or second thoughts as he reached into his suit jacket’s inner pocket and produced a small red box. My eyes were instantly drawn towards it and saw that it was in fact, a ring box. I did not dare think why he would have it out.
‘Give me your hand,’ he commanded.
‘What?’
I did not move and was half in shock when he flicked it open with his thumb. Without hesitation, he took up my left hand. Inside was a princess cut diamond ring. He slipped it on my ring finger without asking. I attempted to pull my hand away but his grip around my wrist was too tight.
‘From this night onwards, we are engaged, is that understood?’
Entangled (Vice Games) Page 6
