The Avoiding Series Boxset

by K. A. Linde

  The two years Lexi had known Chyna, Bernard had always given her a straight answer. Yes, he sometimes answered her in a goofy, even sarcastic, manner, but he still answered her. He had never blown her off. He had never had a reason to. His reaction pumped a fresh wave of adrenaline into her system, and she bolted through the open door. The elevator took a century to reach the top floor of the building. The classical music was more grating than normal. Lexi could feel her heart beating in her ears as the elevator stopped and deposited her on the floor. She pushed hard against the opening door forcing it to move just a fraction of an inch faster.

  Hopping onto the cream carpet, Lexi bolted down the hallway. She fumbled with her key too anxious to get the thing out of her bag properly. The keychain slipped out of her hand and onto the floor. She cursed under her breath as she reached down to pick up the thing. Inserting the gold key into the lock, she twisted the handle and burst through the open door.

  “Chyna?” she called racing into the immaculately decorated living room.

  Lexi skidded to a halt at the end of foyer, her blood turning to ice at the scene before her. Chyna was seated on her leather sofa, legs crossed, in a demure, black, pantsuit. Lexi wasn’t certain Chyna even owned clothes in this fashion. Her beautiful Italian skin was sheet white with the lightest twinge of green coloring her face. Her green eyes were glassy and near to tears, but her head was held strong. She was stubborn and refused to let the hardness leave her features for fear of breaking down. Lexi had never seen her friend look quite so distraught over anything, but she could understand why.

  Standing directly in front of Chyna in a very expensive, black suit was a man who was everything Lexi imagined him to be. She had only seen him in photographs, never in person. She gulped hard feeling a knot form in her stomach and making it hard for her to swallow.

  He turned at Lexi’s approach and made her body quiver even more at the incredibly threatening and overpowering aura that radiated from his very being. He was well over six feet tall with sharp, all-knowing brown eyes and cropped brown hair. With just one look, it was obvious he commanded attention, not unlike the woman sitting before him.

  “Hello, Mr. Van Der Wal,” Lexi stammered standing uncomfortably before Chyna’s father.

  His eyes traveled the length of her body taking in every detail while at the same time remaining strictly professional. He was observing her as if she were cattle ready for slaughter. No emotion marred his face as he continued his inspection.

  Lexi was distinctly aware, in that moment, of her tight, black Yoga pants that hugged every inch of her lower half and the flimsy white tank damp with sweat from her class. Her hair was in a messy bun stuffed haphazardly onto the top of her head. Wisps were loose from her brisk jog to the apartment and the back of her neck was still slick. She shifted awkwardly onto one hip and waited for him to finish staring at her and actually say something.

  “She’ll do,” he commented indifferently as he glanced back at Chyna. Lexi had no idea what that meant, but she was sure that she didn’t want to find out.

  “Are you sure?” Chyna asked, the sarcasm dripping from her voice. She arched one perfectly waxed eyebrow to the ceiling.

  “Don’t get smart with me, young lady,” he snapped, his face hardening into a look that could make anyone shake in their boots.

  Lexi was proud of Chyna for not flinching under such scrutiny. Instead she swept her long black hair over to one shoulder and smiled as sweetly as she could. A little bit of color crept back into her cheeks when his attention had been briefly diverted and given her the courage to speak up.

  “Never, Daddy,” she purred lowering her long black lashes.

  He growled something incoherent and tore his eyes from Chyna. “Just do what you’re told,” he grumbled before brushing past Lexi and exiting the apartment.

  The wave of relief that followed his exit crashed into the room. Chyna slumped back against the sofa and heaved her chest up and down. She placed her hands over her eyes to keep the tears back. Lexi instantly went to her side and wrapped a comforting arm around Chyna’s petite shoulders. It didn’t matter what had just happened. All that mattered was that she was here now to comfort her.

  “Are you okay?” Lexi asked pulling Chyna close. She knew it was a stupid question. Obviously, Chyna was not all right in that moment, but what else was there to ask.

  Chyna pushed her hands up through her silky hair and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. “I’ll be fine,” she mumbled.

  “I know you will eventually, but what the hell was all that about?” Lexi couldn’t help asking. “When I walked in, you looked like a ghost. What is your dad even doing here? I thought you two had nothing to do with each other.”

  “We don’t,” Chyna said standing from her spot and pacing the living room. “That’s the way we like to keep it. Didn’t you hear what he said?”

  “About what?” Lexi asked confused.

  “He told me not to act like my fucking whore of a mother,” she cried slapping her hands down against her thighs angrily.

  Lexi’s mouth dropped open. She knew the history between Chyna and her parents. They had divorced when Chyna was in high school because they were both sleeping around. Then after giving her the apartment Chyna was now living in, they had equally decided they wanted nothing to do with her. Chyna was too much like her father in personality and her mother in appearance for either of them to be able to handle their daughter.

  “I can’t believe that,” Lexi mumbled in shock.

  “He can’t even look at me without thinking of her. I can’t believe he had the gall to come here and speak to me like that in my own home. I don’t give a fuck if he paid for the place tenfold. He has no right to barge in on me and boss me around. Then he springs a fucking bomb on me.”

  “What happened?” Lexi asked her curiosity getting the best of her.

  Chyna turned around and faced her best friend. The color was draining out of her cheeks again at the realization that she was going to have to talk about what occurred. “My dad is getting remarried,” she finally sputtered out.

  “What?” Lexi balked her eyes bulging out. “Since when?”

  “Since four months ago when he proposed to her,” Chyna muttered dejectedly.

  “Four months? Oh C, I’m so sorry,” Lexi said hopping up out of her seat and standing in front of her friend.

  “I’ve never even met her,” she blubbered falling into Lexi’s open arms.

  “The bastard,” Lexi cried encouragingly.

  “I know,” Chyna said pulling back and swiping at her eyes. “I’m sorry that I’m all…” she trailed off waving her hands in front of her face.

  “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. How many times have you seen me in a fit?” Lexi asked knowing the answer. Lexi had her fair share of moments over the past two years. Chyna was certainly due tears if she wanted to cry.

  “I know, but this is dumb.”

  “What?” Lexi asked astonished. “You think it’s smarter for me to cry over Jack, then for you to cry about your parents?”

  Chyna chuckled once and let a small smile tease the corners of her mouth. “Well, when you put it that way.”

  “See, I’m much more dysfunctional than you. You have every right to be upset.”

  “There’s more,” Chyna mumbled letting her green eyes rest back on her friend. Lexi didn’t like the way she said that. What more could her father want from her? After barely speaking to Chyna for two years and dumping that tidbit of information on her, it was an asinine move to then continue the conversation.

  “What else could he possibly have to say to you after that?”

  Chyna took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest. “He needs me to be at the engagement party this weekend.”

  “He cannot expect you to show up to that.”

  “He didn’t ask me to. He told me to,” she said tilting her chin up.

  “You don’t have to go.”

&
nbsp; “No, I do. You don’t know what he’s like. If I’m not there, it will be the end of the world. Even though I’m twenty-one, he still has direct access to my trust, and he’s the owner of this apartment. He could kick me out on the streets,” she murmured helplessly. “If he wanted to.”

  Lexi gasped. “He wouldn’t dare!”

  “Wouldn’t he?” she screeched. “Did you see the look on his face when you got here? He was murderous. If I’d disobeyed him, I wouldn’t have put it past him to ruin my life.”

  “But you’re his daughter,” Lexi cried unable to believe what she was hearing. How could anyone be so cruel?

  “The daughter who is a constant reminder of his past life, of the life he was trying to get rid of. The daughter he was so eager to get rid of.”

  “Chyna, I…I don’t know what to say,” Lexi muttered sympathizing with her friend’s pain as best she could.

  “Just say you’ll come with me.”

  “Oh,” Lexi stammered surprised by this response. “Yeah, I guess I could. Wouldn’t that be awkward?”

  “My dad is a big dick, but he insisted that I be there and come with, as he put it,” Chyna gulped, “a boyfriend.”

  “He wants you to come with a boyfriend? But you don’t have a boyfriend,” Lexi said unable to keep from stating the obvious.

  “I know,” she stated barely above a whisper. Her voice was getting raspier the longer they had this conversation and Lexi could tell she was trying to keep the tears from unleashing on the world again. “You should have heard the way he was talking to me before you got here. He said I better not bring one of the guys I’m normally with. What is he trying to say that I run an escort service? That all the guys I date are man whores? That they can’t conduct themselves in proper society?”

  Lexi didn’t know how to respond to that. Honestly, a good number of the guys Chyna hooked up with were those kinds of men. They were relatively well off, but still they were hardly up to her standard. It hadn’t mattered up until now, because she never wanted a boyfriend. She was never interested enough in any one man to want to be around him for multiple occasions. Now her father, the judgmental asshole, wanted her to pretend to have a steady boyfriend, because the cheating bastard didn’t approve of his daughter’s way of life.

  It was one of the most hypocritical statements Lexi had ever heard. If anything, the circumstances surrounding her parents’ divorce had only further pushed Chyna the direction she was already heading with regards to relationships.

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “Find a boyfriend I guess,” she sighed unhappily. “I have no idea.”

  “Is that why your dad gave me that creepy once over? Because he wants me to go with you too?” Lexi asked putting the pieces together.

  Chyna groaned. “Oh God, I am so sorry for his ridiculous behavior. But yeah that’s why and he needs you to bring a boyfriend too,” she muttered.

  “That’s going to be an issue,” Lexi said falling backward on to the plush leather sofa.

  “I know,” Chyna grumbled sitting down next to her. “I’m so sorry that I dragged you into this.” The tears were beginning to well in her eyes, and Lexi could see her breaking point was drawing near. Her bottom lip quavered in an adorable fashion if she didn’t look so utterly miserable. “I can’t believe he’s doing this.”

  “Don’t cry. It’ll be okay,” Lexi said comforting her. “We’ll figure it out. Let’s go out tonight and look for guys. We’ll figure it out.”

  “The last thing that I wanna do is party,” Chyna huffed crossing her arms back over her chest.

  “Now that’s something I never thought I’d hear come out of your mouth,” Lexi said giggling despite the dour mood.

  Soon enough, Chyna had joined in as well and both girls were laughing out their issues rather than crying. It felt good to release the tension that was so strained from her father’s entrance back into Chyna’s life. The girls knew that they had a tough night ahead of them. Neither of them could think of anyone they would want to pretend to be their boyfriend’s for the afternoon, and the last thing they wanted to do was search for that man.

  Regardless, they didn’t feel as if they had much choice in the matter. Keeping Chyna’s dad happy was of the essence since he all but owned Chyna. With that in mind, the two girls dressed extra careful for the evening out hoping to find a man that they found suitable for a second date.

  That’s how they ended up having martinis at a Manhattan bar scoping out the men in attendance. The atmosphere was a bit more conducive to casual conversation than the normal, pulsing, hip-hop beats that broke through the speakers at the destinations they typically frequented.

  The girls had dressed the part for sure. Chyna’s black mini dress skirted her ass and gripped her body tightly in a silky, flimsy material. Her black heels shimmered in the mood lighting that emanated from every hidden light bulb in the place. Her long black hair was swept up onto the top of her head into a sexy concoction. Her long lean features were accented while keeping the focus on her well-sculpted body.

  Lexi wore super low-rise, black, skinny jeans with hot red pumps. She paired that with a sheer red tank that buttoned up the front. She let her dark brown locks flow down her back with thick, chunky bangs covering her forehead. Her eyes were smoky and seductive while her bright red lips were both pouty and inviting. Together they were a dynamic duo, the Sirens of the New York City nightlife. It was unlikely that anyone who fell into their trap was going to escape their clutches.

  Chyna smiled at a sleazy looking man who had been eye-fucking the shit out of her for the past ten minutes across the bar. He took that as an invitation and sidled up to her side. She downed the remnants of her drink and took his hand as he escorted her out on the dance floor. Lexi’s eyes followed them into the dark center of the room, and an uneasy feeling hit the pit of her stomach.

  He wasn’t the type of person Chyna normally surrounded herself with, and something about him seemed off. His features were too angular, too sneaky. His height and bulk were threatening rather than enticing. Lexi wasn’t sure why, but the way he had grabbed her hand even seemed forceful. From her view, albeit a shadowed view of the couple, Lexi could even tell he was handsy. That was really saying something for a person dancing with Chyna.

  Lexi sighed heavily and tried to clear her mind. There was no need to overreact. They were just out for a good time.

  She took another deep breath and let her own eyes roam the crowded room once more. A number of drunken girls were singing and dancing in a corner to cluster of admiring onlookers. Lexi had a strange reminiscence of doing that with her own friends in bars during college. The alcohol was beginning to set in and the different groups of people were beginning to blend together. She wasn’t sure why her buzz was so strong already, but she kind of liked it. She would start coming here more frequently if they poured drinks this well.

  After another martini, a complete haze took over her mind. A part of her wished that she had stopped at one because she didn’t want her judgment impaired without Chyna at her side. But she couldn’t take back the decision now.

  Pressing the palm of her hand to her forehead, she attempted to keep the spinning from gripping her conscious. After counting to ten, Lexi seemed to feel a bit better and slowly angled her body back toward the bar. She didn’t need a drink, but she did need someone to sweat out this alcohol with. The dance floor was calling her name.

  One of the guys she had been eyeing earlier seemed to notice that she was without a drink and approached her. “Hey,” he slurred smiling drunkenly at her. His eyes darted to her chest and then back up to her face. “I’ve never seen you here before.”

  Lexi wanted to retort some snide remark about how completely original he was, but he was kind of cute so she refrained. Instead she smiled at him in an all-knowing way that would make his addled mind kick into over drive. “You’re right. I’ve never been here,” she murmured.

  “What?” he cried trying
to hear her over the music that had increased in proportion to the length of time she had spent in the establishment.

  Lexi leaned forward resting her hand on his chest. She rose up onto her tiptoes until her mouth was next to his ear and said, “I’ve never been here. Perhaps you could show me around.”

  The guy’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at her comment. He turned back to his friends and made some kind of fist pump. They all cheered him on as if she wasn’t standing there. Lexi felt a little sick to her stomach at how dumb he was already turning out to be, but she couldn’t exactly turn back now. She at least owed him one dance after her forwardness.

  His hands gripped her hips forcefully as he corralled her out onto the dance floor. Even as drunk as she was, she knew that he had no rhythm. And when she said no rhythm, she really meant no rhythm. If the guy had two left feet, he would be able to dance better than he was at that moment. She knew that alcohol made you more willing to dance, but this was embarrassing. She almost felt like someone was playing a practical joke on her.

  But she couldn’t figure a way out of this situation. His hands were like a vice lock on her hips as he sway backed and forth uncoordinatedly. Every time she attempted to slip away, he would grab her even harder and she was starting to wonder if she was going to be bruised in the morning.

  Finally, she reached in for her last ditch effort and leaned back to speak into his ear again, “Can we get out of here?” she asked hoping he would take the bait.

  He managed one last horrible dance move before grabbing a hold of her wrist, and veering her toward the front door. She stood in place for a second as he attempted to yank her around. “Hey, don’t move. I have to use the ladies room and I’ll be right back,” she said watching recognition reach his brain. He let go of her wrist and leaned back against the wall to wait for her…indefinitely.

  Lexi made a beeline for the ladies room to check out the damage from dancing with that idiot. She knew it had been a mistake to come out to a place like this in hopes of finding someone who would be boyfriend material. The last thing she wanted in her life was some loser pretending to be her boyfriend. She couldn’t do that for anyone. She didn’t even care if Chyna’s father assaulted her with his menacing eyes one more time. A cold chill rushed down her back at the thought and she tried to push it aside.