“Is that…?”
“It couldn’t be.”
“Would he really show his face here?”
Then the whispering compounded.
“It’s Teddy!”
“I know it! That’s Teddy Stoneguard.”
“The father?”
“No, the son!”
“That’s the guy in the picture.”
Edna leaned in close to me. “Oh my God. It is you. Ashley, why didn’t you tell me he was coming?”
“I didn’t know.” She clenched her teeth.
“Well isn’t this just a dream come true! I’ll grab the camera guys.”
“No!”
“No!” We both shouted, almost in unison.
“No pictures, Edna.”
“Oh don’t be silly dear. This is my job.”
I whispered at Ashley as the commotion grew. “I really can’t do this now.”
“That’s why I told you to get out of here.”
People’s phones were in the air. Pictures were taken, video was being filmed, and tweets and hashtags were exploding through social media.
My presence did seem like a good thing for Ashley’s business.
It was terrible for mine.
“Go home, Teddy.” Ashley yelled as the line became a crowd and everyone pushed to the front.
“No. I want to talk.”
“I don’t want to talk to you.”
“Too bad.”
“Just get the hell out of here!” She screamed. Not only did I hear her command, but everyone in the now spastic line heard it too. The room became silent, each individual person now staring at the table where Ashley had previously been quietly sitting.
“Okay. Okay.” I threw my hands in the air to surrender. “I’m leaving.”
I quickly turned on my heels and found the nearest exit.
But just because I was leaving the bookstore, didn’t mean I was leaving Boston.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Teddy
I was sitting in the corner of room 306, in one of those oversized lounge chairs that hotels use to make the room feel classier. I was alone, waiting for Ashley to return from her signing.
I’d love to tell you that, like some superhero vigilante, I had a sidekick that was seemingly able to hack into any computer or phone and gather information. That information could then be used for any “mission” I would embark on, and in this case, the mission was to find Ashley’s room and break into it. But, I promised you I wouldn’t lie, so the superhero fantasy will have to end there.
Damn.
The truth is, Ashley’s publicist was holding her itinerary, and during the commotion, set it on the table. By sneaking a quick peek, I knew both what hotel Ashley would be visiting, and exactly in which room she would be staying.
When I got to the hotel, I used my normal charm to create an elaborate story about how I was setting up a surprise for my girlfriend. I added in all the romantic twists - flowers, champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, putting the entire bill for the four-night stay on my credit card- hoping to bend the blonde concierge to my will. It took a little more convincing and a little more flattery, but soon enough, I was sitting in the corner of room 306, in one of those oversized lounge chairs that hotels use to make the room feel classier.
I sat there for over an hour, scrolling through social media- seeing what top ten lists I had made just by showing my face at Ashley’s book signing, watching videos of dogs being rescued, trying to stop tearing up from watching videos of dogs being rescued, flipping through Ashley’s pictures, stalking any guy who was tagged in any of Ashley’s pictures, and taking quizzes regarding which city I should live in, what my spirit animal would be, and of course, which superhero’s life most resembles mine.
Then the door opened.
I played it cool, allowing her to fully close the door behind her before I creepily flipped on the table lamp, revealing my presence.
“Hello Ashley.”
“What the…” She screamed, jumping back. “Shit, Teddy, you scared me half to death.”
“Not my intention.”
“You’re acting like a serial killer in… any movie that has a serial killer. Of course it was your intention.”
“Okay, you caught me. Kind of funny though, am I right?” I was pleased with myself.
“No.” She took two steps closer to me. “Not funny. I’m not even going to ask who you had to sleep with--”
“I didn’t sleep with her.” I cut in.
“Oh good. Then I don’t care how you got in here, but I told you to leave. This is an invasion of my privacy, and I’m not happy.”
“Hey.” I stood up to meet her. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I was serious when I said I wanted to talk to you, but you blew me off.”
“You bombarded me.”
“I waited in line for an hour and a half to get a book signed by you.”
She shook her head and moved back to the door, placing her hand on the handle. “Please, just leave.”
“No.”
“Teddy, I’m asking you to respect my wishes.”
“And I’m asking you to tell me what the hell is going on.”
“Nothing. I just don’t want to see you.”
“Don’t lie to me, Ashley.”
Somehow, in the midst of our argument heating up, we managed to find ourselves inches from one another. Her scent was intoxicating, and though I tried- or at least I tried to try- I couldn’t stay away from her.
My hands moved to her waist, and I lifted her off the ground and threw her onto the bed.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing you don’t want me to.” I growled as I crawled on top of her, pushing her shoulders into the mattress.
She turned her head to the side, refusing to look at me.
“I told you I was in love.”
It stung, but I didn’t let her see that. “That’s great. I told you I was in love too.”
She brought her eyes back to mine. “Teddy…”
“I’m just asking you to talk to me.”
“While you have me pinned?”
“You left me no other option.” I deviously laughed. “Plus, I really like you in this position.” I gave her a wink.
She finally broke into a smile. “Teddy, get off.”
She squeezed her lips together and pushed her hips up, bucking me off of her. I didn’t resist, but swung around onto my back, finding a place next to her on the bed. Just like the night on the beach, I let my hand fall next to hers, barely touching, but enough to send that familiar surge through my body.
“So you read the book?”
“I did.” I gave her the clipped answer while I searched for the real way to ask her about the book’s content.
“I should have asked you about including that picture. I know we were pretty intent about keeping our relationship in the dark. But, I couldn’t… I had to do something. I’m so sorry.”
“Ashley,” I arched my fingers back, wrapping them slightly between hers, “If you think for one second that I’m upset about the picture, you’re crazy. You know how I feel about you. I could never be ashamed of you or the time we spent together.” I took a breath. “Plus, I was in prime work out mode. I look pretty awesome in that picture.”
She broke into her quintessential half otter laugh, slapping her other hand onto my chest. “Shut up.”
“Make me.” I knew she wouldn’t, but I couldn’t help but wish.
“Teddy, why are you here? I just accused your father of some pretty awful things. This could turn into something ugly between your family and me. Not only that, but the ramifications of you coming to see me could be disastrous.”
“I don’t care.”
“About what?”
“Anything except what you didn’t tell me.”
“What do you mean?”
We both turned over on our sides, me on my left, and she on her right, facing each other.
“I confided
in you about some really personal things.”
“And I didn’t include any of that.”
“I know, I know.” I closed my eyes, finding my thoughts. “But you didn’t tell me any of this was going on. And with my own father? Ash, I had a right to know.”
She pushed a strand of hair out of my face. “You were not ready to deal with him. How could I throw more wood on the fire and confuse you even more?”
“We were together. Couples are supposed to talk about things like this.”
“We were together for two months. Two months, Teddy. And at the first sign of something serious happening between us, you went and brought home the first waitress you saw.”
I couldn’t argue with her. She was right. I was scared, and I ran.
“Is it still happening?”
“He always has someone, um, checking up on me, taking pictures.”
“But he’s not visiting anymore?”
“Just ask your question, Teddy. Get it over with.”
She could read me too well.
“Why didn’t you just sleep with him? He would’ve made it all go away.”
She bit her lip. “You know I would never do that.”
“You could’ve had the life you wanted without constantly having to look over your shoulder. You could’ve spent the last two years looking into your father’s case instead of trying to devise a way to come clean to the world about a silly picture just to keep you from having to leave the country.”
“If, and I mean if, I would ever consider sleeping with him just to hide information, I would’ve been tied to him forever. Any time he wanted something from me, he would hold that over my head. He’d have proof his tactics worked, and I wouldn’t be able to turn him down. What kind of a life would that be?”
“I just wish you would’ve told me.”
“So you could’ve thrown another punch at him? We all saw how that turned out.”
“I could’ve been there for you, helped you.”
“And at times, I wished I had told you too… just to have someone to talk to that knows him, knows how he believes he can treat people who don’t think the same way he does. But I didn’t want to pull you into it. It’s my fight.”
“I thought he had dropped it. I thought you leaving had put an end to it. I didn’t know he knew about the book.”
“I think he thought if he held our scandalous picture over my head, I’d eventually cave and drop the deal.”
“He obviously doesn’t know you.”
“Not one bit. The funny thing is that the book started out as nothing more than that summer of blackmail and interviews with other girls whom he had forced himself upon. Him having me tailed and his routine visits to my apartment with promises of freedom just made the book that much more powerful. He did it to himself.”
“And now he has nothing left.”
“That’s the hope.”
“You beat him, Ashley. Something I never thought I’d be able to do. And you went and did it. Promise me something?”
“What?”
“Don’t give up on your dream just because you’re scared. You defeated the most powerful man I know. You have no reason to be scared.”
I went to sit up, but she stopped me. She scooted her body closer to mine and softened her eyes as she placed her lips on my cheek, then lower on my cheek, then on the edge of my smile lines, and finally on my lips. I opened my mouth in response, welcoming her breath, her tongue, after too long. I was slow, wanting to enjoy, to enwrap myself in every second of her taste. I pulled her in closer, surrounding her body with my arms. My body responded to her reciprocation, and I pushed my hips closer to her so she would know. My hand slipped to her side and ran up her back, tingling at the warmth of her skin. My fingers found her bra clasp, and snapped it open so her full back was exposed. She moaned quietly as I dug my fingers into her skin.
“Teddy…”
“Ashley…” I moaned right back.
“No, wait. Stop.”
“Not happening.” I whispered as I skimmed my palm up her bare leg and under her skirt.
“Teddy.” She pushed away from me, off the bed, and onto her feet. “I need you to leave.”
“What?” I was as hard as a rock and there was no possible way I was leaving there in that state. I stood in front of her.
“I told you I was over you.”
Angry, I reached under her skirt and found her wanting with my fingers. “This kind of disproves that, Ash.”
She threw her head back as I continued the push and pull of my finger inside of her.
“Tell me you don’t like this, and I’ll stop.” I teased.
“I… I…” Her chest rose and fell with my rhythm.
“You can’t do it. Then tell me you still want me.”
“No.” She groaned, her eyes widening as I pushed deeper.
“Tell me you still want me.” I was right in her face, spitting my anger at her.
“Fuck, Teddy!” She screamed, pushing me away from her. “Of course I still want you. You’re all I ever fucking think about. And I hate you for it. You consume me.”
I didn’t expect that much truth.
“I thought you were dating someone.”
“I am dating someone. And I am in love. I wasn’t lying. But whatever the fuck this is… I can’t get rid of it. I can’t hide from you.”
“And that’s why you told me to leave?” It was all beginning to make sense. I didn’t know whether I wanted to slap her or hug her. Why did she always have that same effect on me?
“I can’t get over you if you keep coming back into my life. I’ve tried. That’s why I said what I said in that letter.” Her hands covered her face as the tears began streaming from her eyes. She slid down the wall, finding her way to the ground. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“Nothing is wrong with you.”
“This is wrong.”
“Don’t get over me.”
“I have to.”
“No you don’t. Come away with me. We’ll get out of here. We’ll leave and never come back. Just you and me, Ash. We’ll be so happy.”
I didn’t know what was coming out of my mouth, but I meant every word.
“The world doesn’t work like that, Teddy. You can’t just run away from it. It keeps turning.”
“Fine. Then we’ll stay. I don’t care. But I need you by my side.”
“And I need you to get out of here.”
“You don’t mean that.” I lifted her to her feet. “This is something. This was always something. You’re too smart to let us mess this up again.”
She took a deep breath, pursed her lips, and looked up at me with her puffy, bloodshot eyes. “You need to hate me.”
“I could never… well, I could never again.”
“No, no jokes. You need to hate me. My book could possibly ruin you. You understand that, right?”
“It could ruin my father. Not me.”
“His company, your company, his legacy, your legacy. They’re all tied together. You can’t love me anymore.”
“I can’t just turn that off.”
“Well try!”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
I threw her back on the bed, crawling right back on top of her. I crushed her lips with mine, and aggressively attacked her tongue with my own. My hands were in her hair, pulling her head in any angle I saw fit for my taking. I pulled my face back, licking her spit from my lips. Pushing her skirt up over her hips, I never broke eye contact with her.
“Tell me to stop.”
She said nothing. I lowered my mouth to her craving and tasted what I had done to her. I wanted more. I took more. I gave her more. She screamed.
“Tell me to stop.”
Still nothing. I pushed my fingers into her so hard her back arched. My mouth found hers as I made her taste herself on my tongue.
“Tell me to stop.”
Nothing. I gave her my desire, pulling her on top of me so I co
uld watch her as I took her.
“Take off your shirt.” I ordered her. I then reached up and pulled off the bra I had already unhooked. I watched her bounce as she rode me, harder and faster, harder and faster, until there was nothing left. She collapsed on top of me with a scream.
We laid there, silent and still, for what could have been an hour. Eventually, she fell asleep, curled up in my arms.
“Ashley?” I whispered. But she didn’t stir. I softly kissed her forehead. “Come home to me, Ashley. I will take care of you. I will protect you. I will love you.”
I closed my eyes, and fell asleep, dreaming of only her.
When I woke up, she was gone. The room was empty aside from me, and a little note on the bedside table next to me.
Teddy,
Last night was… amazing. Simply amazing. But you were right: I spent the last two years wrapped up in your father’s web and not focusing on what was truly important to me. Now, I can change that. I’ve been too scared of learning the truth; too scared that bringing back those memories would be too painful. But last night, you made me promise you that I wouldn’t give up on my dream because I was scared. So that’s what I have to do. I can’t run away with you. I can’t pretend that I’m ready to walk away from something that has meant so much to me for so long. I have to finish this.
And you showed me that. And that’s why I know you’ll understand.
And also why I know you’ll understand that I can’t say ‘goodbye’ to your face. It would hurt too much.
Billionaire Badboy Page 15
