by Pamela Ann
“What are you doing here, Shannon?” I lowered my voice so the people rushing into the building wouldn’t see the spectacle that was Shannon. “You could have called me. There’s no need for you to ever show up here. Ever.” My rising temper hadn’t clued her in as to how pissed off I was. I wasn’t sure if she was merely acting stupid or if she truly was. The latter was more viable, although since it was obvious she wasn’t at all there in the head, I knew I had to calm my ass down, or I would regret doing something irrational.
“God, I’ve missed you so fucking much, Drake! You look the same in my dreams and memories of you. Nothing’s changed; you’re still so beautiful.” Her eyes gazed upon me with that look of awe, as if anything I had just harshly spouted off to her was of thin air and nothing could stomp what she was feeling inside.
Beautiful? She thought I was beautiful?
“Cut the crap, Shannon!” She was infuriating me to no end. I needed her out of her, stat, or I would drag her out myself. “You need to leave. I’ll speak to you later. Got it?”
She was shaking her head, comprehending yet still unmoving with those worshipping eyes trained on me like a weirdo. “I love you. I’m still so in love with you.”
“Shannon! I’m warning you, this is enough nonsense! I’m fucking married, for Pete’s sake! Get over yourself and snap out of it! Fuck!”
With that eerie expression, she appeared unfazed before giving me a slight warning look that raised the ends of my hair. “I’m not going anywhere. You should know that by now.”
“Fuck you!” I spat back, feeling fully frustrated that she wasn’t paying heed. “I’m going to call the cops again if you don’t fucking leave right the fuck now!” Well, if she couldn’t be persuaded to leave, I was sure the police force would be more than happy to oblige.
“Don’t be foolish, Drake. What are they going to do to me, hmmm?” She raised her brow, mocking me. “We both know a doctor’s diagnosis wouldn’t hold against that, not even in court. Heck, people kill and a doctor’s prognosis will thump all of that. But I’m sure you know that already, don’t you, Drake?”
What the fuck was she playing at?
“What do you want from me, Shannon?” I grated the question out, hating myself for succumbing to her tactics yet knowing deep down that it was the safer bet to let her focus on me instead of Lily and our baby.
Fuck, our baby.
If Shannon ever found out…
Fuck! Don’t go there. I tried to convince myself that she would never get the chance of finding out.
It was up to me to figure this out. It seemed she had smartened up a bit, and I had miscalculated her intentions. If I played my cards right, maybe I could have her dance to the beat of my music while I found a reasonable solution to rid her from our lives for good.
She had all of the intentions of fucking with my mind, whistling as she looked triumphant, as if she had outsmarted me in this battle.
“I asked for that drink, Drake, and anytime today is good for me.”
“I’m fucking busy!” My words ran out of my mouth before I had the chance to think it through. I wasn’t one to lose control of my temper, but whenever Lily was involved—and she and the baby were—I seemed to always lose it. “Fine! Fine.” I paused, swallowing down the bile that rose in my throat. “How does six p.m. sound?”
“Perfect … just perfect.”
Perfect? This shit was far from perfect.
“I’ll text you at five with the location,” she said, smiling widely at me. “Don’t be tardy, Drake. You don’t want to keep me waiting.”
“Whatever,” I snapped before spinning on my heels and leaving her there to grin by herself. She was increasingly getting aggressive, and I couldn’t afford having her toy with my life that way. Not only was my workload triple the amount, but worrying about my wife and baby’s welfare was another thing entirely.
How in the world had I become tangled with a psychotic woman to begin with? By sampling women perhaps? my mind butted in, mocking me to no end.
Great. This day was going to be fan-fucking-tastic.
Chapter 11
Drake
I wasn’t sure when the last time I had checked the time the way I had done today was. Glancing at my watch, the wall clock, table clock, my computer screen time, and whatever device that readily gave the time of the day, I checked uncounted times. It was one of those days where you didn’t want the time to run quickly, and it did the plain opposite by fast-forwarding time while I contemplated all the reasons why I shouldn’t go.
She was blackmailing me, and I wasn’t sure how to deal with it.
For one, she was giving subtle threats, slight innuendoes of what could happen if her wishes weren’t followed. Second, I didn’t have only myself and my own safety to think about. Not only did I have to put my wife’s needs and safety first, but I also needed to protect my unborn child. Heaven forbid if something happened to this baby. I wasn’t sure if Lily or I could ever recover like we had the last time. Lily would be absolutely devastated, and I knew it would be harder to draw her out of depression the second time around. If something was to happen to our baby, she wouldn’t forgive herself. I doubted she would ever give me the opportunity to make it up to her.
When five rolled around, I was already half expecting Shannon’s text message to tell me where the location was going to be.
The Red Room in Encino. Meet you there in an hour. Don’t be late.
Fuck. One more hour to go, and I hated every damn second of it.
Not having much choice other than to give Lily a call about coming home late, I reluctantly took the phone and started dialing her as I reclined in my chair and massaged the side of my temples.
“Lil?” I said the moment she picked up my call.
“Hey, what time will you be home? I’ve missed you.” She sounded enthused, making me feel more like a heel for hiding the fact that I was meeting Shannon.
“Uh … I’m not sure what time, but I’ll try to get home as soon as I can. There’s something that came up, and I need to get through it tonight. It can’t wait until tomorrow.” I despised lying to her; however, I couldn’t risk upsetting her, most especially since she was already going through so much with the pregnancy. I had to deal with this on my own, for the meantime.
“Really? Is it that important? I was hoping we could go over to your parents’ house since Mom called earlier and said she’s going to have dinner with them, and I was wondering if you and I could join them, as well. But, if it’s really important that you finish this project tonight, then I understand.”
Fuck, she sounded like I had let her down, but I couldn’t cancel on Shannon when she had proven to be completely unstable. “Baby, I’m sorry, but I can’t tonight. Maybe tomorrow? Would that do?”
She sighed loudly, making me feel all the more horrible. “I guess …”
It was one of those times that I didn’t need for her to be difficult, yet I couldn’t really lay the blame on her. Anything that dealt with Shannon was all on me, not her.
“Please, Lil. I can’t have you not be okay with this. Please …” I was almost begging. I hated to be in this position—feeling helpless and having no clue how to deal with Shannon. The woman was more than capable of doing anything. She had said it best earlier that morning.
“I’m sorry, but I’ve just been so lonely being here on my own.”
I knew she was, and I hated that she was alone at home, sacrificing her work, her passion, for the sake of our growing baby. I loathed the fact that I couldn’t do much to help them, either.
“I know, Lily. I know, and I hate myself for asking this of you, but let this slide just for once.”
“All right …” she conceded after a few seconds. “I guess I’ll be seeing you later tonight, then.”
“You will,” I whispered into the receiver, feeling a little better. “I love you, Lily.”
“Love you, too.”
Ending the call, I took a moment to gather my
energy and bearings before telling myself to start getting a move on. The traffic going to the valley, where I was going to meet Shannon, was going to be hellish at that hour. Since she was adamant that I shouldn’t be late, as much as I was tempted to push her buttons, the time for games wasn’t on the agenda. I had a family to look after. My wife and unborn child came first before my temper.
The drive to the valley, particularly towards Encino, was indeed hell to deal with. Therefore, instead of taking the 405 Freeway, I had to take the Sepulveda pass. Once I got there, I parked my car a couple of blocks away before killing the engine. I waited a moment or two to convince myself that I wasn’t wasting time or setting myself up for some trap with Shannon. All I had to imagine was my future and how fulfilling it would be once we had our baby with us. It gave me that extra push to get going, getting out of my car and strolling towards the restaurant/bar entrance.
I was five minutes early, and the second I spotted the bar, I didn’t hesitate to order a glass of scotch. The barman acknowledged me with a curt nod before pouring my order and sliding it towards me.
“Rough day?”
He had no idea, and it was about to get rougher.
“Something like that,” I murmured before taking a good gulp of my drink.
He beamed, giving me a kind look. “Don’t you just hate those? They fuck you up good, don’t they?”
“Yeah.” As soon as I finished saying that, my phone made its daunting pinging sound. Without needing to look at who the sender was, I knew it was Shannon. Here was to hoping her message would entail her cancelling this atrocious meeting.
I’m all the way to the back, waiting.
“Gotta go,” I said to the barman before paying for my drink and adding a hefty tip.
My blood was boiling, and my temper was teetering on the edge as I made my way to where Shannon was sitting, lounging as if bored before she saw me. Her face then lit up, appearing more conscious of her appearance as she straightened herself while I reluctantly took a seat across from her.
“I thought you might be hungry, so I ordered some tapas. I remembered that you like them.”
I grounded my teeth together, needing to breathe. “I’m not hungry. I’m not anything. What do you want, Shannon? What the hell do you need me here for? Get down to business. I don’t have time for stupid games.”
She made a sickly sweet smile that made my gums hurt. “This. I want this, and I promise I won’t do anything stupid, Drake.”
“What is this?” She could mean so many fucking things by “this.”
“Once a week, I expect you to meet me here. Same day, same hour. That’s all I ask of you.”
“You’re fucking crazy! I have a wife to go home to. I’m a married man. Why can’t you just accept that so we can both move on with our lives? Why do you have to cling on to the past and make our lives fucking miserable by playing stupid games, Shannon? Haven’t you had enough?” I wasn’t going to be coerced into agreeing to see her once a week. What the fuck was she on? Fucking hell.
“I know you’re married, Drake. There’s no need to keep putting salt to my already injured heart. It’s supposed to be me, remember? You and I were supposed to get married, but you’re fickle and had to change your mind at the last minute.” Her stormy face instantly changed to something serene. She took a moment or two as she toyed with her glass of wine, while I stared at her in total and utter disbelief. “The weekly rendezvous will be my compensation. It’s the least you can do to make up for the damage you have caused me.”
Compensation? Since when was breaking an already deteriorating relationship part of a bargaining tool for anyone in their right mind? However, that was the thing: this woman wasn’t in her right mind.
“Shannon, I’ve apologized to you before, and I’m apologizing again. I fucking feel bad, but there’s no point in any of this. I can’t and won’t agree to the agreement because you think you deserve it.”
“Are you sure about that?” Her blue eyes were icy as they bore into my gray ones.
“Of course I’m sure!” The pulse in my head started beating furiously. I felt like I was about to have a heart attack from being so enraged at Shannon’s demands.
She nodded her head. “All right, Drake.” She sighed. “Just don’t blame me if things become a little … shaky from here.”
My blood turned cold. “What do you mean by shaky?” I hissed at her as I tried to calm myself from shaking some sense into her.
When she smiled, I could see the evil witch emerge. “I can play dirty, too, Drake. And this time, I’ll make sure you feel the pain. I’m going to make sure it lasts for a very, very long time.”
“You’re blackmailing me? I can have you locked up for that!” My temper was getting the best of me. I couldn’t for the life of me see clearly. I needed to take a moment to remember the reason I come here in the first place.
“Am I?” She raised her brow before making a tsk-tsking sound.
She was all threats. Nothing was going to come out of it.
“You’re bluffing. You know you are.”
“We shall see, shall we?” she pressed on, baiting me further, making me feel backed into a corner. “Unless, of course, you’ve changed your mind at the last minute …”
“You’re out of your mind.”
She kept on smiling before declaring, “Nothing new there, sweetie. You used to love that about me, remember?”
I fucking hated it, but at the time, I couldn’t care less about anyone other than my own needs then. Times had changed, though, and I couldn’t very well put my needs first as I used to.
“If you ever—I mean ever—step out of line, this deal is done. Don’t ever come near my wife again in our home or at my office. Understood?”
“Crystal.”
Chapter 12
Drake
After making the damn deal with Shannon, I felt so wretched I had to go to another bar and drown my frustrations. I didn’t mean to come home past midnight, but I lost track of time. A cold shower and a warm bed was all I needed to cure the pounding headache that had taken residence the moment Shannon texted me hours before.
“You’re drunk, aren’t you?” Lily’s accusing voice made my headache throb harder.
I had barely stepped foot inside our bedroom when she appeared like she was about to commit murder.
Trying to appear normal, I loosened my tie before giving her an apologetic look. “I had a few drinks, yes. But I’m not hammered, if that’s what you’re saying.”
“You could’ve gotten a DUI, Drake! Haven’t you learned from the car accident that almost claimed your life? Don’t you care about dying before our baby is born?” She was screeching, her voice ringing in my ears. Fuck.
“I do care, you know I do. But, Lil, I’m exhausted. Can we just do this tomorrow?” My voice was pleading; however, it sure as heck didn’t reach her ears, because she appeared to be even more furious at me.
“I called the office, and apparently, you left some time after five. And, from what I asked Mindy, you apparently didn’t have any impending meetings or business dinners slotted tonight, so where the fuck were you, Drake?”
I could tell her the truth, then all this bullshit wouldn’t weigh so heavily on me. However, I knew I shouldn’t. She would worry further. Maybe next time I should try to cover my tracks more. I was doing this for us and for our future. I hoped that someday she would forgive me for deceiving her, though.
“I took the work with me to the bar. I just needed to unwind a little. It’s been a stressful month—”
“It’s been stressful for both of us, Drake!” she vehemently exclaimed, getting close to me. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Shaking my head, I immediately denied it. “Like I said before, it’s just stress-related.”
“You’re not lying to me, are you?” she inquired r, not convinced by my responses.
I was a big fat liar, but I wasn’t going to admit it at the moment. “Nothin
g’s going on, Lily. For fuck’s sake, just drop it already. God, I’m fucking exhausted. I don’t want to deal with these stupid questions,” I grumbled, walking away to seek some privacy in the bathroom. I couldn’t stand there when she was looking so suspicious of me, and I couldn’t very well tell her the truth.
The lie was eating me raw, and I was helpless to stop it.
So, what did a guy do when he had been caught in his own lies? Lie some more and take the nearest escape route. In my situation, the bathroom and a shower was the most viable option without having our argument blow into something more.
Ten minutes later, freshly showered yet still with a miserable migraine, I came out of the bathroom and immediately scoured for Lily. She was in bed on her side, facing away from me. I wasn’t sure if she was pretending to sleep or if she really was. It was hard to tell since she and I had never really had an argument where she was almost accusing me of cheating. I could tell the word had been about to come out of her mouth, but thank goodness it hadn’t. I would have been appalled if she had accused me of something truly despicable.
Treading carefully, I went into my walk-in closet and put some boxers on before heading back to the bed. I was holding my breath when I pulled the sheets up before sliding onto the cool mattress.
Quickly glancing at my wife’s back, I was contemplating if I should wake her or not and simply brush off the tiny argument we’d had earlier.
“Lily?” I whispered, half of me wishing she was up, and the other half wishing she was having the sweetest dreams. I couldn’t face any more questions.
Letting out a breath of relief when she didn’t respond, I then shut my eyes and tried to calm my nerves.
Wednesdays were going to be hellish days from there on out.
*
“For the love of God, answer the fucking phone!” I yelled with full frustration before slamming my cell phone on my polished-wood office table.
It had been two days since the night we’d had an argument, and whatever communication I had tried with Lily had been coldly rejected. Even at home, she would barely glance at me and barely acknowledged my existence. The previous night was the first time I came home to no food to eat, which was rather surprising since she and I had always planned in advance whoever’s turn it was to cook. However, with her on bed rest, she had eagerly offered to do the cooking until she was back to work. Therefore, when I got home the day before, I hadn’t expected to be starved.
