Maybe my perception of him was shadowed by the fact that he was nothing like Kirk. He didn’t appear to be a conceded male with an ego the size of skyscraper. He didn’t appear to be the type of guy that went out in search for female attention either. Though he was not handsome in the true sense of the word, I could see why someone like Margaret would go for someone like him. He gave me the impression of being a one gal type of guy, which, for someone reason, angered me.
Deep within my black heart, I felt a twinge of sympathy for him. Because, if he was unaware of his fiancé’s wandering ways, he was going to be in for a rude awakening in just under seven minutes.
“I’ve never gone there before, but I heard the club is the best,” I commented.
“It’s all right.” He redirected his focus to looking out the window. “I don’t really spend any more time there than necessary.”
This bit of information surprised me. “Why is that?”
He tapped on his left knee with the tips of his fingers. “Because it’s noisy and it tends to fill up with a lot of jerks who end up thrown out after they drink too much and start to act stupid,” he explained. “And they like to pick up fights when you throw them out.”
I smiled. “It sounds like you really like your job.”
He shook his head. “Not a chance. I tolerate it because it pays well.”
The silence in the car was interrupted by the vibrations of my cell, which was stashed inside a cup holder next to my seat. Taking my attention off the road for a moment, I picked it up and almost shouted in excitement when I read Delilah’s message.
He’s at the gym and you were right, he isn’t alone.
Holding on to the steering wheel with my left hand, I texted back.
On my way. Keep an eye on them. If they leave, let me know.
She texted back, Ok.
Up ahead I could see the exit ramp, which was the one I needed to take in order to get downtown quicker. It was a short cut, and with the possibility of Kirk taking off before I got there, the faster I made it to the gym the better.
“It’s dangerous to text and drive, you know,” Dakota said.
Tucking my brand new Samsung Galaxy s4 cell phone under my right thigh, I spared a quick glance in Dakota’s direction and smiled. “Sorry, but that was important.”
“More important than your life?” he challenged with a cock of his eyebrow.
Redirecting my attention to the road ahead, I shrugged. “Maybe.”
Driving five miles over the speed limit, I made a quick right turn that directed us off the freeway. Because time was of the essence and it was only a manner of seconds before Dakota started to question me about my reasons for wanting to talk to him in private, I needed to hurry to the gym.
We were getting closer, and as we neared the area, my heart began to pump faster.
Chapter Five
“You know, for the past fifteen minutes I’ve been wondering why you’d want to talk to me. And what about exactly,” he finally said, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt as he glanced forward. “It isn’t common for a girl like you to just walk up to me and ask for a few minutes of my time, much less offer me a ride home.”
I pretended to take offense to what he’d said. “A girl like me? What does that mean?”
He shrugged. “Popular, rich, untouchable.”
The way he described me really annoyed me. It made feel as if he was mocking me or something.
“So, because I’m the popular rich girl on campus I can’t talk to you?” I asked defensively. “I talk to whomever I please.”
“No. Not can’t, but doesn’t, which is different.” He looked at me and although I could have sworn I recognized irritation in his expression, it was gone before I could be sure.
“I go invisible most times. And I’ve seen you around campus enough times to know who you talk to and who you do not. I’m definitely not one of your contacts,” he continued.
Fighting off my own growing irritation, I squeezed the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white and tried my best to hold back all sarcasm as I said, “Oh, you are definitely not invisible. I have noticed you.” For one reason or another anyway.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see him swallow. He appeared genuinely uncomfortable and I, being the soulless witch that I was, delighted in his discomfort. He could be very much in love with that whore Margaret, but he was no more immune to me than every other guy on campus.
“I have a girlfriend,” he informed me at last. That bit of information wasn’t new to me. But then, I was pretty sure he told me that to keep my claws at bay so to speak. He didn’t want me to hit on him. How quaint of him to be so thoughtful of his girlfriend. If only she had the same amount of consideration for him.
Pretending to be surprised, I arched both eyebrows and said, “Wow. I guess I should have known, considering you hesitated getting into the car and all.”
He nodded. “Well, I really wanted to know what was so important you would risk being seen in public with me,” he said. “That’s why I finally relented.”
I smiled. “What’s wrong with you?” I looked him up and down, allowing my gaze to roam all over him before directing my gaze to the road ahead once again. “I don’t see anything wrong.”
My cell phone buzzed again, distracting my attention away from whatever he was getting ready to reply, and I quickly picked it up, steering the car with my left hand as I glanced at the text message from Delilah.
Where the hell r u? I think they r getting ready to leave!
Mentally cursing, I quickly texted back: I’m almost there.
“That’s a very bad habit. One that can get us both killed,” Dakota pointed out next to me.
“Sorry, but that was really important.”
He shook his head. “If you say so.”
Thankfully, the gym Kirk frequented was about three blocks down now. I only prayed the idiot wouldn’t speed of before I got there. Traffic was not heavy at the moment, but being that the gym was located next to a few commercial buildings, traffic could start to build up at this late hour and it would definitely ruin my chances if he hurried off before I had the chance to drive by. Or if I got stuck in traffic.
“You will have to turn to your right a couple of blocks down.” Dakota gestured with his right hand.
“For what?” I asked, unsure of what he was getting at.
“To drop me off home,” he replied.
Shit! I forgot I’m supposed to be dropping him off home. “I thought you said you live near campus?”
The traffic light ahead of me turned yellow and I stepped on the gas pedal, rushing under it just before it turned red. Two more blocks and we would be there.
“You drive like a maniac.” Dakota straightened up in his seat.
I laughed. “So I’ve been told.”
Adrenaline coursed through my body as by some miracle of God we managed to continue down yet another block and finally made it to the third. One more block and the gym would come within perfect view of the street.
“But to my defense, I have a need for speed,” I added.
“I wouldn’t peg you for the type of girl that has a led foot.”
“Seriously? You can look at me and not be able to tell that I’ve had at least a dozen speeding tickets?” Well, a dozen speeding tickets was an exaggeration but I’d been close to having my license suspended for my bad driving habits. My father’s wallet had gotten me out of more trouble than I was willing to admit.
“No. Not really. Some things are not really obvious just by looking,” he responded and as I glanced in his direction briefly, I could see honesty blazing in his eyes.
So he could look at me and not automatically assume I was an adrenaline junkie—when it came to cars—anyway. I had to admit, I was a bit impressed by that. Here I was, driving a four door sports car and he hadn’t deduced that I liked to show off in my brand new car. For some reason, the fact that he did not make assumptions about me was invigorating. H
e wasn’t judging me basically on looks alone, which I liked. Everyone judge me by what they could see. Dakota did not.
I think I’m actually starting to like this guy.
“You’re going to miss the turn,” he pointed out just as I drove right by it.
Wincing, I said, “I’m sorry, I got momentarily distracted by your comment. I’ll turn right up ahead,” I was quick to add, hoping to sound casual. My heart rate picked up as we got closer to the gym and I hoped that all this trouble of distracting Dakota didn’t turn out to be a waste of time because the moment had finally come. We had finally made it to the block.
Though I couldn’t be sure, it was apparent to me that the odds were in my favor because by some incredible leap of faith, Kirk and his lover stepped out just as the gym came within full view. I spotted them right away. Kirk’s full head of blond hair was kind of hard to miss and being that he was in the company of a brunette with copper colored skin, they stood out like a sore thumb. There were not many Native Americans in the area and with the exception of Dakota and Margaret I had no knowledge of any others that went to the same college I did.
My anger threatened to boil over as I saw them walk to his car, but stop short of opening the passenger side door. Margaret wrapped her arms around Kirk’s neck and leaned forward to kiss him. Hell, they were practically dry humping each other on the damn sidewalk. The urge to run them over hit me, but I managed to control it, somehow.
I was so consumed by my own rage that I momentarily forgot about Dakota, and it wasn’t until he moved forward in the seat, squinting as he glanced ahead with interest, that I remembered he was even there. It didn’t take long for me to realize he had recognized Margaret and as he stared forward, a low growl like rumble sounded deep in his chest. Before I could think to say anything, he asked me—more liked demanded for me— to stop the car. Slamming on the breaks, I glanced to my right just in time to see Dakota unbuckle his seatbelt, open the door, and climb out of the car.
My gaze followed him as he ran a good twenty feet away to where Margaret and Kirk were still locked in a heated display of affection. I watched in stark horror as Dakota grabbed a hold of Margaret’s arm and pulled her back and away from Kirk. Both men instantly faced off while a shocked and surprised Margaret struggled to keep them from scuffling right in the middle of the sidewalk.
I strained to see ahead, but the car behind me started to honk its horn loudly. Irritated, I unbuckled my own seatbelt and reached across the passenger seat to close the door Dakota had left partially opened as he exited the car.
With the vehicle behind me blaring the car’s horn, I had no choice but to drive forward. As I drove by the trio, I could see the heated exchange between both men and realized rather quickly they were going to get into a fight. Cursing my bad luck, I stepped on the gas pedal and drove by, taking a hasty right turn at the next traffic light.
It took but a few seconds for me to find a good parking space just ten feet from the corner and I quickly parked, turned the ignition off, grabbed my cell phone and keys, and hurried out of the car. As soon as I rounded the corner, I could see a couple of men dragging a bleeding Kirk back inside the gym while a visibly upset Dakota, argued with Margaret.
Shit! Kirk got his ass kicked and I missed it!
Rolling my eyes at my bad luck—because, yes, I had wanted to see Kirk get beaten to a pulp—I rushed down the sidewalk. Using the crowd that had gathered as a shield, I snuck behind a bus bench, which had a huge sign next to it advertising—ironically enough—our college. From there, I eavesdropped on the argument between Dakota and Margaret.
Dakota had his back to me, which hid Margaret from view. Neither could see me.
“After everything I’ve done for you…why?” Dakota asked.
I snuck my head around the sign, but I couldn’t see his face. He was standing three feet away, his long black hair, which had been tied at the nape of his neck earlier, was now lose and cascading down his broad back.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I was going to tell you.”
“Tell me what exactly? That you don’t want to be with me anymore?” I could hear the anger in his voice. “What the hell is going on?”
“I…don’t…know if I want to be with you or not. I’m confused,” she had the nerve to say.
I wanted to kick her ass right then and there. Why did I let her go so easily the night before? I should have at least given her a black eye. That bitch.
“What are you saying?” Dakota asked her.
“I don’t know what I’m saying. I’m confused and I need some time to think.” She started to walk away toward the gym’s entrance and I immediately ducked behind the sign so she wouldn’t see me. “Just give me some time, okay? We will talk later. I promise.”
As soon as she was out of sight, I hurried out of my hiding place and started toward Dakota, who had not moved an inch. His back was still to me and he was staring forward as if lost in thought. Glancing down as I counted the steps that took me to him, I spotted his glasses lying on the floor. Scooping them up, I reached for his hand and pulled gently on it.
Dakota turned to face me and that’s when I noticed his busted lip. Aside from that injury, he was relatively unhurt. When I glanced inside the gym through the enormous glass window, I noticed that Kirk had not been so lucky. His nose was once again bleeding profusely and his left eye was swollen shut. And that whore Margaret was doting over him.
Fighting the need to strangle them both, I looked away. Turning my attention back to Dakota, I handed him his glasses. “Here. These were on the floor.”
“Thank you.” He took them and donned them on.
My cell phone buzzed again and I turned it over to read a text message from Delilah.
Holy cow, Kirk got his ass kicked!
Great even they had seen it, and I freaking missed it. Glancing around discreetly, I spotted Delilah’s black Cadillac parked just across the street.
“Isn’t that your boyfriend?” Dakota gestured toward the gym, indicating Kirk of course.
Shit! I’m busted. I could have sworn my heart stopped then.
Why it had not occurred to me that Dakota would know who Kirk was I have no idea. But I had naively thought that. And that had been a huge slip up. Dakota had mentioned earlier that he knew who I was and naturally, if he knew who I was, he had to know who I was dating. Because everyone else knew.
“As of yesterday he was,” I confessed. Taking his hand in mine, I tugged on his arm. “Let’s go.”
Instead of questioning me further, he quietly followed me to the car, which I had left parked around the corner. We both climbed in and he quickly related directions to his place. None of us spoke after that and that little part of me that was remotely human began to berate me for what I’d done. Although I was happy that my plan had worked to perfection—perhaps worked too well—something inside of me felt off. As if Dakota’s pain served to fill me with guilt.
Never in my entire life had I been swayed by what I considered to be the weak sentiments. My life was ruled by my baser instincts of survival, which included anything from malice, meanness, retaliation, hatefulness, and even a little sprinkle of cruelty. If someone pissed me off, I got back at them. If they strived to get on my nerves, I would do anything in my power to do the same to them. If they so much as looked at me the wrong way, I’d made sure their everyday existence was met with misery. Yes, I will admit, I have no soul. I am one mean bitch. I cared for no one but myself. I was a bully. There was no other way to put it.
However, seeing the obvious distress in Dakota’s eyes, the injury to his lip—which in comparison to Kirk’s was barely an injury at all—something in me actually felt human. During the entire drive to his apartment, my mind kept swirling with contradictory thoughts. And I was slightly vexed by that.
When we finally arrived at Dakota’s apartment, which I noted was part of the student housing located south of the actual college, I parked the car in front of the structure and glanced
in his direction.
“You can come in if you want,” he said just before he opened the passenger side door and climbed out without adding another word.
I followed suit, but I really didn’t know why. He didn’t look like he would appreciate company and I felt bad because of it. Far from turning away and leaving him alone to sort out his feelings, I walked behind him and continued on to his place.
Since my plan had already been set in motion, I realized that I might as well keep going. The damage had already been done. Dakota knew about Margaret. If I could use him to get back at Kirk and Margaret, why stop here?
Rushing up a couple of staircases, Dakota turned to his right and took out a set of keys from his pants pockets, which he used to open the front door of his apartment located on the second floor. He gestured for me to go in first and he followed soon thereafter, closing the door behind him as he walked by me and to a hallway on the far left hand side.
“Do you have any hydrogen peroxide?” I asked as I started after him.
He stopped and pointed to a door down the hallway. “In the medicine cabinet.”
I counted four doors. All of which were closed. Since he had said that he shared his living space with his cousin and friend, I could only assume three of those doors led to bedrooms and the spare one to the bathroom.
“What about a first aid kit?” I asked.
He looked at me hard, as if he could not understand my question or was confused as to what I wanted it for, but after a moment he replied, “Under the sink in the bathroom.”
Nodding, I rushed passed him and knocked on the door just in case his roommates were in the John. When I got no response, I tried the knob and opened the door, relieved when I found no one at the other side. Effectively finding the items I was looking for where Dakota had indicated, I picked them up and hurried down the hall to the one other open door, which I assumed had to be Dakota’s bedroom since it had been closed moments before.
Although his bedroom only had the necessities, a full sized bed, two nightstands, a chest, computer desk with a laptop on top, and a trunk sitting on the foot of the bed, it was surprisingly clean and well organized. Kirk had always been such a slob. His bedroom had usually been cluttered with clothing, books, and personal items everywhere. But there wasn’t a single item out of place in Dakota’s room.
Payback is Sweet Page 4
