Bennet stands and practically runs back to his desk. He places one hand flat on the top as he leaves over and reads the documents.
“I knew your dad had to have snuck something in here to prevent losing that much in one quarter.”
Bennet looks up at me, eyes wide and brows arched high. “There’s a clause. He can only take a quarter of his money every three months until the funds are paid. It’ll take him a year to get all the money, and I have a feeling that after the first one or two withdraws, he’ll get bored and forget about it completely.”
I stand up with a smile. “Excellent.”
“Now, it’s time to contact his lawyer,” Bennet says, picking up the phone.
It takes several hours of talking on the phone, but we finally get the message across. The contract we have is ironclad, and there’s no getting out of it. For now, Geo is only able to take a quarter of his money, which pacifies Bennet.
When everything is done, the three of us stand and shake hands.
“How about we all go grab some dinner and a drink?” Bennet asks. “On me for all of your hard work on a Saturday.”
We all agree and head down the street for some BBQ. We’re seated at a table on the quiet side of the restaurant. It seems that half the restaurant is a bar with a live band playing. The other side is an actual restaurant. I slide into the booth and Bennet takes the seat next to me while Levi sits across from us. Before picking up a menu, I send Val a text.
We’re done for the night, but Bennet insisted on buying us dinner and drinks. I’ll be home soon. I love you.
I slide my phone into my pocket and pick up the menu just as the waitress is heading over.
“What can I get ya’ll to drink tonight?” she asks in her Southern drawl.
“I think I’ll take an Old Fashioned,” I order as I start to check out the menu.
The other two guys place their drink orders, and the waitress walks away to fill them.
“Levi, thank you for helping us out today on such short notice,” Bennet says.
Levi waves his hand through the air. “It’s not a problem. That’s what I’m here for.”
“Well, I’m sure you had something better to do on a Saturday night,” Bennet says.
“Nah, not really. Me and my buddy, Nick, were just going to order some food, grab some beer, and sit on his couch and watch the game. But I’m not exactly upset that I missed it.”
“Hell, that sounds like a good time to me,” Bennet replies, bumping my elbow with his. I nod my head in agreement.
“Me and Nick, we haven’t been in the same place lately. He’s really changing and getting on my nerves. The only reason he even invited me is because I’ve been dodging him lately.”
Bennet looks over at me. “Sounds like us recently, huh?”
The waitress comes back with our drinks, and I don’t waste any time in picking mine up and swallowing down a gulp.
Levi laughs and takes a swig of his drink. “What’s going on with you two? Haven’t you been like best friends since childhood?”
I pick up my drink. “I’ve been dating his little sister behind his back,” I say, wanting to admit it before he can call me out.
“Oh,” Levi says, eyes widening with surprise.
Bennet smiles and nods. “Yeah, nice, huh?” He takes a drink. “So, what’s going on with you and Nick?”
Levi suddenly looks nervous as he puts all of his attention on the glass between his two hands. “Honestly, I don’t even know. He got this job on Wall Street, and he’s just been slowly changing for months now. He used to be cool and laid back, but now all he cares about is money and his social status. His girlfriend, Danielle, she’s beautiful and amazing—they’ve been together for years—he’s suddenly treating her like shit. And now, it’s at the point where I feel like she’s my friend too, and I hate watching her get talked down to by him. It pisses me off just having to be around them,” he confesses.
“You got a thing for this girl, don’t ya?” I ask, already picking up on the issue.
He shakes his head. “No, it’s not like that. She’s just been around for years, and I’ve grown to like her as a friend. I mean, if you have a friend that’s a girl, and you had to sit and watch as her boyfriend called her names and cheated on her, how would you feel?”
I hold up my hands, showing him my palms. “Hey, I’m right there with you. I just think it’s bothering you as much as it is because you secretly have a thing for her. And either way, you’re fucked. You steal her away, you have to deal with him. If you wait for them to break up, and then you two get together, that’s a problem too. Bro code and all.” I laugh.
He nods and opens his mouth to say something else, but the waitress is back and ready to take our order.
Levi and Bennet start placing their order, and I pull out my phone to see that Val still hasn’t texted me back. Again, I type out another message.
Hey, are you okay? Are you mad at me for being out so late? I’m sorry, it wasn’t planned. Please, answer me.
I set the phone down on the table next to me so I’ll see it light up when she replies.
“How about you, dear?” the waitress asks me.
“I’ll take a BBQ sandwich with honey-buffalo sauce, some baked beans, slaw, and onion rings.”
We all put our menus away, and the two other guys carry on with their conversations, but I’m too distracted by my phone and wondering why Val hasn’t answered me.
17
Valerie
Krista and I get in my car and she gives me directions to the party. The house is outside of the city, in the suburbs, which means the traffic leaving the city will probably hold us up a good hour—something completely fine by me because I’m not exactly in a hurry to get to a party I’d rather not go to. On the ride, we sit in the car and talk about nothing. We listen to music and sing along with the radio. Finally, there’s a break in traffic, and she directs me the rest of the way. I pull onto the road the house is on, and cars are lined up and down the side street. We have to walk almost a block, but finally the house comes into view. I know which one it is based on the crowd on the lawn along with the mix of red plastic cups littering the bushes.
My feet stop walking on their own. “I don’t know about this, Kris. I mean, this party looks a little wild.”
She grabs my wrist and pulls me forward. “It’s not wild. We can’t hear the music from here, and there’s no sign of people fucking on the lawn. This is one of the more mellow parties we’ve gone to. Come on.” She wraps her arm around my shoulders, keeping me close to her side.
It feels like the second we step onto the lawn, everyone is looking at us.
“Come on, let’s go inside,” Kris says, releasing me.
I follow along behind her, up across the lawn, up the front porch, and into the house.
“Hey, baby,” some guy says as we walk past, but I don’t turn around or acknowledge him in any way.
Walking into the house, the loud techno music fills my ears, and it causes my heart to start pounding. Every inch of the place is crowded with people dancing, couples making out, or groups standing around talking and drinking. She leads me through the entryway, into the dining room, and kitchen, and out to the fenced-in backyard. There’s a massive pool that has people swimming in it, kegs all along the fence, and the pool house has smoke escaping the windows and doors.
“There’s Gemma,” Kris says, rushing to a woman that’s wearing nothing but a white bikini and heels. She’s surrounded by good-looking men, and her hair and makeup are done to perfection. It’s easy to tell that she isn’t dressed this way to swim. She’s just looking for attention.
Kris quickly gives her a hug, and they catch up while I stand back with my arms crossed. I don’t know why, but I feel awkward—it’s like this is my first party.
“I brought Valerie with me,” Kris says, turning to look over her shoulder at me.
I smile and wave.
“What are you doing back there? Co
me say hi,” Kris yells.
I close the distance between us and shake her hand. “How are you?” I ask to be polite.
She smiles. “Really good. Thanks for coming. There’s alcohol all over this house. Help yourself.”
“Thanks, but I don’t drink. I was just bringing Kris, and she talked me into coming in for a sec.”
“You’re more than welcome to stay. The more the merrier…until the cops get called anyway,” she laughs out.
I force a smile and nod my head.
“Let’s go find me a drink,” Kris says, wrapping her hand around the crook of my arm and leading me off to a keg.
We wait in line until she’s handed a red cup, then we take a seat at a patio table.
“Have you seen Scott yet?” I ask, praying that she has so I can get out of here.
She shakes her head and takes a drink. “Not yet. You’ll just have to hang out a little bit longer.” She smiles wide, causing me to roll my eyes.
We sit and talk while watching everyone at the party do ridiculous things like keg stands. They jump in the pool, play beer pong, and play flip cup. After a couple hours of this, the party gets even crazier. People are now making out and dry humping one another in the outdoor lounge chairs, the music goes from loud to louder, and everyone is stumbling into things, slurring their words, fighting, crying, or puking. Finally, I’ve had enough.
“Sorry, Kris. But I have to go. Callan will be getting home soon, and we have plans of our own.” I quickly stand up.
Her smile falls. “Really? Already? It’s not even ten yet,” she complains.
I shake my head. “I’m sorry, but this doesn’t do it for me. I don’t like drinking or partying anymore. And I can’t get it out of my head that someone is watching me. I’ve felt it all night. The hairs on the back of my neck haven’t laid down since we walked in here.”
She holds out her arms for a hug.
“Do you want a ride home?” I ask, hugging her.
She shakes her head. “Scott will be here soon, and if not, I’ll crash with Gemma. But thanks for hanging out with me though.”
I smile as I pull away. “Of course.”
“Do you want me to walk you out?” she asks, standing up but falling back into her seat.
“No, please don’t move…for the rest of the night. I don’t want your drunk ass falling into the pool and drowning,” I joke.
She laughs. “Call me tomorrow.”
“I will,” I promise, smiling and waving as I turn around to leave.
Walking out of the house, I take the same route. I walk through the kitchen, dining room, entryway, and out the front door, where there’s a ton of people drinking on the porch and lawn.
“There she is. I was wondering when I’d be seeing you again,” a guy says as I walk down the steps.
Again, I ignore him and keep walking. I take my keys from my pocket and realize that I left my cell in my car. I wrap my arms around myself as I push myself down the sidewalk as quickly as possible. The further away from the house I get, the darker the street gets, and the quieter the night becomes. Before I can reach my car, I can no longer hear the party, and my racing heart begins to calm, but the hairs on my neck still aren’t laying down.
I hear the sound of a twig snapping, and I inhale quickly as I spin around to see where the noise came from. I see nothing but grass, trees, and shrubbery. A long breath leaves me, and I shake my head at myself.
“Get a grip,” I whisper, turning back around. But I bump into something hard, causing myself to stumble backward several steps.
I open my mouth to scream, but someone covers it. My eyes focus, and I find Decon holding me with one hand while using the other to cover my mouth. My eyes grow wide with fear, and I try pushing him away, but he’s too strong.
“Shhhh, Val,” he whispers as he pulls me closer to him. I fight and thrash, kicking my arms and legs, trying to get away, but his hold doesn’t break.
“Stop fucking around, Val,” he says low in my ear. “Don’t make me fucking hurt you.”
But his words don’t calm the panic that’s being pumped throughout my body. Instead, it only fuels it to go faster as I notice he’s urging me toward a car that’s not mine. He opens the trunk, and it makes me fight even harder. I jab my elbow into his stomach, and he lets out a growl.
“You fucking asked for this,” he says, using something to strike me on top of the head.
My ears ring, my eyes blur and start turning black around the edges; pain washes over me as something hot runs down my face. The blackness takes over, and I lose consciousness.
My head is pounding. I know I need to open my eyes, but I don’t want the light to make it hurt worse. I try to roll myself into a ball, but my hands are above my head, and they’re not moving. Then, the memories hit me. Leaving the party, being alone, Decon.
My eyes pop open, and I find myself alone in a bedroom. My hands are tied to the headboard above my head. I pull against the zip tie, but it doesn’t budge. Tears flood my eyes as I look around me, trying to figure out where I am. It’s clearly a guy’s bedroom. There are clothes everywhere: on the floor beside the bed, hanging on the footboard, piling up on a chair in the corner. The walls are covered in artwork, everything from posters of classic paintings to new, modern stuff you can buy at the gallery I used to work at. There’s a small bedside lamp on the table next to the bed, and it lights up the room enough for me to see. I see a familiar Cubs hat hanging from the post on the footboard—it’s old, dirty, and worn. Immediately, I know I’m in Decon’s bedroom.
Fuck. What is he going to do with me? Why now? If he was going to come after me, why did he wait so long? Why didn’t he do this after that night?
I want to yell for help, but my instincts tell me not to. Instead, I look around me in hopes of finding something I can use to cut the zip tie off my wrists. While my eyes scan the area around me for scissors or a knife, I listen, hearing small thumps and taps from outside of the room.
“What the fuck is the plan, Decon?” someone whisper yells.
“I don’t know. I panicked,” Decon says. “I didn’t plan this.”
“I’m not going to be a part of this. Get her out of here.” The door slams, causing me to jump.
Seconds later, the bedroom door opens, and Decon walks in. His eyes land on mine and he freezes.
“What are you doing with me?” I ask, voice strained.
He shakes his head as he walks into the room and closes the door behind him. “This is all your fault. You know that?”
“My fault?” I ask, surprise evident in my voice.
“All you had to do was leave me the fuck alone. But you couldn’t do that, could you? You had to fucking tease me and make me think you liked me, that you wanted me.”
“Decon, I—”
“No, you don’t get to talk now. You don’t even know all the trouble you’ve stirred up for me, do you?” He’s towering over me, anger contorting his features.
I open my mouth, but no words come out as I shake my head.
“It didn’t make sense at first. Until I saw you at Hanger 10. You danced with one guy, then nearly got him beat up by another two guys. You’re playing all of them, aren’t you?”
I shake my head no.
“Bull shit! You’re playing them like you played me.” He reaches out and his palm lands hard across my face.
Tears sting my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. All he wants is to see me hurt. I won’t give him the satisfaction. “Bennet is my brother!”
“Who’s the other guy? The guy that came up in here and beat my ass? The guy you left with last night?” He bends down so close that I can smell the alcohol on his breath.
I shake my head, refusing to tell him a name.
He reaches out, and his hand wraps around my throat. He squeezes, not enough to stop my air supply, but enough to let me know he’s serious. “Who is he?”
“He’s my boyfriend,” I croak out.
He releases me.
“He’s the one that has me being followed. He’s the one that came in here and stole from me. What’s his name?” he asks, bending back down.
“Followed by who?” I ask, confused. I didn’t know Callan knew anything about Decon.
“The police. He fucking tipped them off. I can’t go anywhere without seeing them watch me. Now, what’s his name?”
“What are you going to do?” I ask, pulling against the restraints.
“I’m going to make him pay. Make him pay for what he took from me; make him pay for stealing you.” He climbs onto the bed, straddling me. “Tell me his name, Valerie.”
“No. He didn’t steal me. I was never yours. I’ve always been his. He didn’t have to drug me to get me into his bed. That’s more than I can say about you!” I spit out.
Something inside of him snaps, and he lets out this guttural yell as he reaches out and cups his hands around my neck, squeezing hard. I fight against him even though I can’t get air to my lungs. I wiggle and kick, trying to knock him off of me any way I can. But then, something flashes in his eyes and his lips turn up into a grin as his hands begin to go loose.
He licks his lips as his eyes move up and down, taking me in. “I guess if you’re not going to give me what I want, I’ll take what should’ve been mine all along.” His hands release my throat, but then move down to the neck of my shirt, pulling in opposite directions until I hear the fabric tear and the cold air kiss my skin.
It’s now when I realize that he’s going to do something worse than kill me. He’s going to torture me. This one moment will forever be trapped in the back of my head, tormenting me for the rest of my life. I buck my hips upward and trash around while the screams that have been stuck in my throat finally come out.
His hand covers my mouth while the other digs in his pocket for something else: a knife. He pulls it out and flicks it open, showing me the blade. It catches the light, and it gleams.
“Stop. Be quiet. Do you hear me?” he asks, placing the blade to my throat.
His Every Desire (Contemporary Romance Box Set) Page 31
