by S. Nelson
I leaned a little closer to her. She was hiding something from me but then again, wasn’t I keeping my own secret? The more we sat in silence, the more it looked as if she wanted to smack me. But there was something besides anger looming behind her gorgeous eyes. The faint appearance of fear and sadness were hiding in there, as well.
I fought against every instinct I had to reach out and pull her to me, to ravage her mouth and claim her. Exhaling a deep breath, I leaned back against the seat and decided the best course of action right then would be to find out all I could on the mystery woman.
“What do you know about this woman? Where did she come from? Did you do any background checks on her?” I rattled off questions faster than she could answer me.
“Of course, I did some checking on her. I called all her references and they all gave her high recommendations.” For a split-second, she looked like she was going to tell me something else but decided not to at the last minute.
“I want her social security number, Sara. I’m going to run my own background check on her.”
“No, the hell you’re not. I got this, Alek. I’m taking care of it.”
“Well, why didn’t you at least tell me you hired someone?”
“When was I going to do that? During all of our lengthy phone conversations? Or maybe I could have told you when we actually spent some time together.” Yeah, she looked like she wanted to hit me right about then. She shifted her body and moved closer. “Wait,” she said as she raised her finger in the air. “None of those scenarios happened because you’ve been avoiding me like the plague.”
I immediately broke eye contact and looked out the window. Yes, she was upset with me, but it went much deeper. I was being a coward because I didn’t want to see that look, the look which told me I was chipping away at her heart little by little.
“Well, you still should have told me somehow,” I spit out, still glancing at the people walking by.
“Fuck you,” she whispered, drawing my attention to her immediately. Sara had only told me to go fuck myself one other time. I deserved her anger, but her words hurt just as much as the first time.
Her voice choked up and I saw her try and catch her breath. Before I could react, she raised her hand and wiped away a lone tear.
My heart broke.
I wanted to comfort her and explain everything but it didn’t fully make a whole hell of a lot of sense to me, so I remained silent. After some time had passed, she spoke again in a much calmer tone. “Why did you come here today? It wasn’t about Megan, because you didn’t even know about her until you walked in.”
“Yeah, I know.” I couldn’t keep the sarcasm from my retort. Our encounter was not what I’d envisioned. As I sat next to her, the last thing I wanted to tell her was that I was going away for work. It may have gone over smoother had we not gotten into an argument, but now it was going to add to the ever-growing tension bouncing back and forth between us. “I have to go away for a few days, Sara. I have to deal—” She cut me off before I even finished speaking.
“With some business issue, yeah, I know. Same old excuse.” She gripped the handle as she prepared to leave. With her back turned toward me, she asked, “Is there anything else?”
Before she was able to escape, I reached for her wrist and halted her movements.
“Sara, look at me,” I demanded. She didn’t comply at first but when I tried to tug her into me, she turned her head in my direction. I knew if I pulled her into my arms, the tears which were gathering behind her saddened eyes would spill over, causing both of us to break. I never wanted to hurt her. Ever. But apparently it was exactly what I was doing.
“I love you.” I uttered the words, hoping to bring some sort of solace to the both of us, but it had the reverse effect. Another lone tear broke free and slid down her flushed cheek.
She pulled free from my grip, opened the door then slammed it shut, rattling not only the window but my very soul.
~15~
Sara
Hurrying back inside, I was so distracted with my interaction with Alek I almost ran right into Megan. Thankfully, she maneuvered out of my way quick enough so neither one of us was knocked on our ass.
The look on my face must have been enough to silence her from asking me anything. I mumbled an apology and rushed past her to the back room.
“Whoa,” Matt warned as I almost barreled into him. Two for two so far.
“Sorry. I… need a minute.” I pushed my way into the small break room and plopped down in one of the chairs. Thankfully, Matt saw the look on my face and left me alone with my wandering thoughts.
Unfortunately, Megan was too new to give me the same consideration.
She came around the corner and poked her head in to see how I was doing. “Are you okay, Sara? Is there anything I can do for you?”
I smiled as pleasantly as I could and tried my best to mask my annoyance at being bothered. Internally, I chastised myself. She was only trying to be nice; plus, I would have done the same thing in her shoes. “No,” was my simple and short answer.
“Who was that guy? He didn’t seem very nice.”
Apparently, she’s not done.
I was shocked to see she wore an expression of dislike for the great Alek Devera. Women never reacted to him in such a way. I wished they did, but normally they were falling all over themselves, vying for his attention. Maybe she wasn’t attracted to men. Before the thought fully formed, I quickly dismissed it, simply from her reaction when I introduced her to Matt. She pretty much undressed him with her eyes as she watched him walk away. I wasn’t saying I wanted my new employee going after Alek…I simply found her reaction to him surprising.
“He’s my boyfriend.” I found my words sounded odd to me. Technically, Alek was my boyfriend, but it didn’t really feel like it as of late.
Megan’s response was a quick bellow of air and a roll of her eyes. Obviously, she wasn’t a fan. Well, neither was I right then, but I wasn’t about to air my dirty laundry. Especially to a virtual stranger.
When she continued to linger in the doorway, I had no choice but to ask her to leave. “Megan, can you please give me a minute to collect my thoughts?”
“Oh, sorry. Sure thing, Sara. Let me know if you need anything, okay?” I nodded in response as she turned around and walked away.
An hour had ticked by when I’d decided not to spend any more time wallowing in self-pity. I grabbed my phone and dialed Alexa’s number.
“Hellooooo,” she answered playfully.
“Hey, are you free tonight? Because I really need to go out and let off some steam.”
“You must be in some sort of mood if you want to go balls-out, Sara.”
“I am,” I huffed. “I really need a distraction tonight, and the only thing I can think of is alcohol, maybe some dancing and my best friend. What do you say?”
“I say count my ass in.” She mumbled something to someone before returning to our conversation. “What time did you want to go?”
“I’d like to start as early as possible. I’ll meet you at home then we can get ready and go.”
“Sounds great. See you later.”
“Bye.” I hung up the phone and let out a much needed sigh. I really needed the escape to take my mind off Alek and our relationship, or lack of one recently.
~16~
Sara
We started off our night with a couple of glasses of wine at home. I was a bit tipsy by the time the cab showed up, which should have been a sign to head back inside and go to bed. Refusing to listen to my nagging inner voice, I sat back and enjoyed the ride. Against my protests, Alexa had convinced me to go to Throttle. I didn’t want to be reminded of Alek but I gave in, knowing my friend loved the place. Hell, so did I—minus the fact he owned it.
Once we’d arrived at the club, we lucked out grabbing the last two available seats at the bar. I wasted no time ordering a drink. We sat there for what seemed like forever, waving off unwanted advances from some brazen
men. My thoughts were unfortunately consumed with one man; no matter how hard I tried to push him out of my head, his image was persistent. Much like the man himself.
“Does Braden know we’re out?” I teased, knowing Alexa had her own stubborn guy to deal with. At least I wasn’t alone there. Although I would’ve given anything for Alek to actually act like he cared about where I was or who I was with. Something. Some kind of recognition to let me know he still cared about me. About us.
“Yeah, he does.” A quick look of annoyance danced across her face, but it disappeared before I could question it.
“Does he care?”
“About what? The fact I’m out?”
Swaying a bit, I gripped onto the edge of the bar. “Yeah. Does he give you a hard time when you go out?” I took a quick sip of my drink, relishing in the numbness snaking through my entire body. I never waited for her to respond, just continued to babble on. “Alek gives me a hard time whenever I go out without him. Not because he doesn’t want me to have fun or he doesn’t trust me, but because he can’t smother and watch over me every minute. Well, he used to give me a hard time,” I declared, taking another sip from my glass. “I don’t think he gives a shit anymore.” My eyes welled up, but I pushed back the emotion.
I need another drink.
“I wish there was something I could do or say which would help you, Sara.” She ordered us another round, swiveling around on her stool to survey the other patrons.
The house music was pumping and people were drinking, letting loose and having a great time. I wanted to be one of those people, but my mind wouldn’t fully release me. More alcohol was the answer, I was sure of it.
“Lex, I have to use the ladies room. Be right back.”
“Okay, but hurry up because the band will be coming on soon.”
I nodded and walked toward the bathroom, taking it slow because my feet weren’t as cooperative as they were an hour before. Thankfully, the line wasn’t too long. While I was waiting, I decided to check my phone. I didn’t know why. It wasn’t as if Alek had made a habit of calling me a lot recently.
So when I saw I’d received a text from him, I was utterly shocked.
Sorry about today, Sara.
That’s it? After the way he’d been acting, he should have apologized for much more. How about, I’m sorry I’ve been an asshole lately? or Please forgive me for basically ignoring you since you professed your love for me?
Feeling bold, I decided to text him back.
Don’t worry, Alek. I’ve already forgotten all about it. In fact, I’m going to drown myself in alcohol and have the best night of my life.
I hit ‘send’, stepped inside into an open stall and handled my business. When I was washing my hands, my phone chimed. I wasn’t surprised he responded so quickly. I purposely texted him what I did hoping for a reaction. But I wasn’t lying. I really was trying to drown myself in some liquid numbness. I’d pay for it the next day but right then, I didn’t care.
Not funny, Sara. Where are you?
I’m so not going to tell him where I’m at. Although, all it would take would be one phone call and he would surely find out.
Moving back toward Alexa, I hopped on my barstool and for the first time that evening, I had a smile on my face. Okay, maybe it wasn’t a smile, but it was definitely a smirk. I’d been able to catch his attention and I was going to do, or not do, whatever necessary to keep it. Lord knows it’ll be fleeting.
As I took a sip from my fresh drink, my phone alerted me to another text.
Woman! If I have to track you down, I will. Then I’ll drag you out of wherever you are and lock you up in my house. Forever, if that’s what it takes. Tell me where you are. Now!
Where was all of this last week, or even the last couple of days? He’d been acting so distant, but as soon as I went out without his supervision, he wanted to act all demanding and controlling? To hell with that.
I’m where I’m at, Alek. You won’t find me, so don’t bother looking. Besides, I would hate for you to waste any unnecessary energy or thought on little ol’ me.
I turned off my phone after I sent my last text. I didn’t want to go back and forth with him all night because it would sour my mood even more. Plus, he was ruining the nice buzz I had going on. All I wanted was one night to forget. One night to let go and be free from all of the emotional turmoil which was my current life.
Alexa saw me typing away then shut my phone off. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Fine.” I leaned over the bar and waved to the bartender. I placed yet another drink order, sat back down and stared at my phone. I didn’t know what I thought would happen. It was turned off, for God’s sake.
Alexa knew right then what my intentions were. We’d gone from a fun night out to her being worried about me. “Sara, don’t you think maybe you should slow down a bit? You’ve had a lot to drink already, and I really don’t want to hold your hair back while you puke it back up later.” She smiled, but I knew she was serious.
“I’m not done yet, Lex. I need one more drink to push me over to being completely numb,” I mumbled, clinking the ice cubes around at the bottom of my empty glass.
Thirty seconds later, the bartender placed our drinks on the bar and asked, “Which one of you is Sara?” He was holding a phone against his shirt to block out some of the noise.
How the hell does he know my name? Alexa pointed toward me and smiled, knowing damn well who was on the other end of the phone.
“Mr. Devera wishes to speak to you,” he said as he pushed the phone at me. “You can take it in the back office, down the corridor to your right.”
Scowling at him, I yanked it from his hand as I approached the office. Not surprisingly, the door was unlocked.
“Hello,” I teased in my sweetest voice. Big mistake. The sounds which came from the other end of the receiver were almost indiscernible. I had to hold the phone from my ear because he was yelling so loudly. When he finally took a breath, I interjected. “What seems to be the problem, sweetheart?” My smirk was back, giddy I was able to rile him up.
“Don’t play games with me, Sara. Now, go find Alexa and get your ass home where you belong.”
What the hell? How did he know I was with Alexa? How long was he talking to the traitor of a bartender before he got me on the phone? Mr. Turncoat must have described my friend to him.
“Why don’t you come down here and make me?” I would normally never instigate him in such a way, knowing full well he would actually come down there, cause a scene, throw me over his shoulder and stalk out of the club. But it was exactly why I did it. The uncertainty of our relationship actually had me craving his caveman tendencies.
“Sara…don’t.” He exhaled into the phone. “I can’t. I just can’t.”
“Why, Alek? What the hell is going on with you? With us?” I was full-on drunk, letting go of any and all inhibitions and saying whatever came to mind.
“I’m not going to talk about this right now. Just get Alexa and go home. Now.” His temper was controlled. I knew he was feeling guilty over something, but he wouldn’t say what and it was driving me crazy.
I stomped my foot like an errant child and pushed back against his crazy demand. “I’m not ready to go yet, so I’m not leaving. But when I do decide to go, on my own terms, maybe I’ll find someone to give me a lift. You know, someone who’s actually looking to give me some attention.”
Taunting him was not the right move to make. Even though we were physically separated, I was still waving a red flag in front of an aggressive, pissed-off bull of a man.
The next sounds I heard were a barrage of obscenities, then something crashing in the background.
Then the phone went dead.
My heart was beating so fast inside my chest. It was the most interaction I’d had with Alek in days, and of course, it was not a favorable one. He tried to tell me what to do, acting as if he even cared, and I pissed him off with basically telling him I might go home with s
ome random stranger.
Way to go, Sara.
As I headed back toward the bar, I saw Alexa’s full attention was on the band which started playing five minutes prior. She was even singing along to the song, a bright smile plastered on her face. Until she saw me approach. Then her whole demeanor changed. She slid off the barstool, grabbed our stuff and reached for my hand. “Come on, Sara. Let’s go.”
“What? No, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Alek wants me to take you home, and I think he’s right. You’ve had too much to drink, and I don’t want anything to get out of hand.”
My eyes narrowed in confusion. “How do you know he wants you to take me home?” She broke eye contact and fumbled with her keys, glancing at her phone before looking back up at me. Oh, for God’s sake. He texted or called her and had a little chat. And she fell for it.
I didn’t even need for her to confirm it. I knew exactly what happened, and for the first time that evening I wasn’t going to fight it. I was suddenly drained. All I wanted to do was curl up in bed and wait for a new day.
I snatched my things from her hands and stalked toward the front door. Or should I say stumbled toward the front door.
We were in the back of a cab two minutes later. Resting my head against the seat, I caught movement in my peripheral vision. Alexa was texting someone, and I knew it wasn’t Braden. Taking a chance, I blurted out, “Tell him I said to go to hell,” before turning to look out the window.
She didn’t say anything in response as we drove toward home.
~17~
Alek
Holy fuck, she is infuriating! I had half a mind to go over to her place, throw her over my knee and give her the spanking she deserved. I was losing my patience. I was trying my best, trying to be the man she needed me to be, but I was struggling.
My phone chimed with a message from Alexa, letting me know they were in a cab and on their way home. After what Sara had insinuated, I lost it, but instead of saying something I would later regret, I simply hung up on her. Then I texted her friend. Thankfully, she was in agreement, ushering Sara from the club immediately. I was grateful she had someone close to her to look out for when I couldn’t be there.
