“I’m not sure how to tell you this, but,” he paused, continuing to grin, “while you were sleeping, someone rubbed mayonnaise in your hair and did something scandalous to your breath.” I was momentarily flustered, but then I remembered I couldn’t give a shit about anyone, and that included myself. I yanked the covers back over my head.
“Okay…here’s the thing.” There was a brief pause. “I need you to go to this thing with me.” What the heck? I had no idea who this man was. To hell with that. “All you have to do is stand there and look pretty. There’s no pressure to say anything smart, or to be smart. In fact, you can leave the smart to me. Again, you just stand next to me and look pretty.”
Those words stirred in my brain. I heard those exact words before. The night I left my parents’ house. The night Jared raped me. I tossed the covers off me in a hurry. “Tommy.” I struggled to sit up and then I jumped on top of him, wrapping my arms around him. He sat completely frozen, but it was impossible for me to remain still. I’m not sure why I was so excited to see him; I hadn’t thought about him for years. Well, that was a lie. I thought about him, but never in a million years would I picture myself straddling him in a huge bear hug. What the heck was wrong with me?
He spoke over my head, but I heard him clearly. “So…I am a little bummed you’re not naked.” I giggled. “You may want to get off me, Kat. I am only a man, and for some reason, I want to bury my…nose in your slimly-ass hair.” He shifted me off him and settled me back on my comfy bed. It was Tommy.
“I can’t marry you.” I slammed my hand over my mouth, not believing I just said that.
He gave me a goofy, overconfident smile. “You just want to have sex then?”
I laughed again, his suggestive nod making my laughter deepen. “Tommy, I’m not doing what my parents want anymore. I know we’re supposed to get married, but I can’t.” He looked younger than I remembered; he used to wear glasses, and when I spoke, he would look down his nose at me. He always appeared older that way, but now, he held a devilish smile that looked boyish on him.
“How about we make out then?” he asked with another suggestive raise of his eyebrows. “Seriously, take a shower. I have a dress for you. I need you to go to a dinner party with me.”
I blinked, trying to gauge his seriousness. “All right.” I slipped off the bed onto my feet. My world spun from my quick movement.
“Easy now, lightweight,” he grabbed my arm to steady me, “I think this might be one of those moments I take a shower with you. It’s okay,” he huffed. “I’ll take one for the team.” He grinned as he slowly followed me to the bathroom and turned on the water. He was wearing a white dress shirt with a black bowtie, and he was taller than I remembered.
“I can do it. Just give me forty minutes and I will be your silent and deadly woman behind the man,” I promised. He laughed, turned on his heels, and left the room. I watched the door close, and then I undressed and slipped under the hot water. My emotions were tangled. It had been almost seven years since I had seen him, and a part of me found comfort in Tommy. We were cut from the same cloth, both misfits, both severely misunderstood. The other part was nervous, nervous he had expectations or an agenda, and I hated agendas.
After my shower, a team of women entered my room—really…a team. They were blow-drying my hair and doing my makeup simultaneously, and one lady was on the floor between my legs working the stockings up my limbs. It was awkward, but she seemed to like it, smiling the entire time.
My dress was made of soft black silk. It was elegant and very showy; it resembled a dress my mother owned, not made for a girl in her early twenties. The outfit didn’t come with a bra, so I went braless. It disturbed me slightly, but Tommy seemed to love it, whistling as I entered the kitchen. It had thin straps that crossed in the back, but other than that, the back was bare all the way down to my butt. In the front, the silk fell below my neck, exposing my collarbone. It screamed sexy, which I assumed was the look he was shooting for. I wore gloves up to my elbows, covering the evidence of my bruised arm. We left with my hand firmly attached to his elbow. I had two bodyguards who followed.
The entire night, Tommy made me laugh. He was the life of the party actually, and he introduced me to everyone. He snuck me smiles and winks, never leaving my side. He was proud of me, and made it clear to everybody we were together. Pictures were taken of us dancing and posing. I hated pictures. I once loved them, but these weren’t pictures of waterfalls and big, loveable dogs, so I did my best to smile, but I wasn’t happy about it. He was referred to as Mr. Holtin all night, and I held back a laugh every single time. I remembered Tommy as the nerdy kid who spent most weekends with me, not as Mr. Holtin, successful businessman.
On the way back to the beach house, he was quiet…awkwardly quiet. He had continued to grow into a wonderful man during the years I hadn’t seen him, and I gazed at him in wonder. We always told each other the asshole gene must have skipped our generation, and that’s why we agreed to never have kids. He was handsome now, distinguished even. I did catch parts of his features that reminded me of his father, and I tried hard to bury those thoughts, because right now, he was nothing like his frightening, child-molesting father. “I am proud of you, Tommy.”
His eyes jolted up to look at me, stunned. His mouth quirked in the corner into a shy smile, and he was instantly just a boy again. “Come home with me.”
It was my turn to be stunned, his soft brown eyes completely focusing on me. I was speechless as I thought about all the reasons to go home, and I couldn’t think of any, not one. “Okay.” He grabbed my hand, squeezing it in the process, and yelled at the driver to go straight to his apartment. “I am not going to have sex with you,” I clarified; he looked way too pleased with my agreement, and it gave me anxiety to think I agreed to something I wasn’t aware of.
The corners of his mouth curved up at my statement, and he held the biggest grin. “So, you’re thinking about sex…with me.” He turned away, appearing to be way too happy with himself. I didn’t care what he was thinking about; I wasn’t going to have sex with him.
Tommy got out in front of a large, high-rise building and ushered me from the car. There were paparazzi everywhere. He grabbed my hand tightly and moved toward the front door. I blocked the flashing lights with my open hand over my face as he guided me into the elevator. The heavy doors closed as soon as Smith Two stepped in.
We ended up in the penthouse suite, and he rushed around turning on lights. He offered me a drink as he poured himself a glass of hard alcohol. I watched as he tossed it back and poured himself another, tossing it back the same way. Then, he focused on me for an uncomfortably long moment. I was at a loss for anything to say. We had just spent an evening together, everyone honoring him because of some great computer breakthrough or technical thingy. “So…computers, huh?”
His eyes dropped to his glass, then back to mine, his sexual gaze giving me shivers all the way down my spine. The alcohol transformed him from charming to sexually aroused in record speed, and I wondered what spurred on the seductive curl of his lip and the lust-filled eyes. “Your father told me why you left.” He inhaled and closed his eyes after he said it. I knew he was referring to what Jared did. “I thought you left because of me, because of the arrangement.” I moved toward him quickly, and he poured another drink. “I would have fought to see you, but…I didn’t know.” He chugged down another glassful and slammed his glass on the marble countertop. “I remember when I hated you…really hated you. I hated that our parents forced us to be together all the time. I hated that when I could have been playing with my friends, they made us spend time together.”
His eyes shifted, and then they were intense and directed right into mine. “They would tell me to go and sit with my bride, my other half, and I hated it. One day, I came to see you.” His gaze fell, as if he was trying to remember the exact story. “Most fifteen year olds had days at the arcade or at the beach, but me…I had scheduled time with you. Anyway,” h
e shook his head, “by the time I reached you, I was pretty pissed. Nobody I knew had a set girlfriend. It was controlling and frustrating that our parents made us go through with it. I think my mother knew…she had this feeling about you. I think that’s why she went along with it. I arrived at your house and made my way to your bedroom. I was angry with you.”
He paused finishing his drink. “You had a gift for me on your bed.” He looked away, masking his emotions. “It was a computer. You told me to make it ‘do things’, because you didn’t know any technical terms. You wanted me to create magic with it. You told me I was…brilliant. I stopped hating you that day.” He wiped his eyes with the heel of his palm.
I remembered that day, but I remembered it a little differently. Tommy always had a crazy amount of fury, and the weekend before, I watched him abuse a neighborhood cat. Until I freed the feline, from his strong hold. He told me stories about how he’d killed a dog, I had wondered if he was saying things to get my attention, because those were serious anger issues. So out of complete selfishness, because he was my responsibility as his future wife, I bought him a computer and told him to be great. I figured he could focus all of his negative energy on it instead.
“I’m only brilliant, because you told me that every time you saw me. I still hate them, you know.” My heart squeezed as I pictured little Tommy with no one to love him. I walked over and wrapped my arms around his waist, because I understood. He pushed from me, uncomfortable with sharing his emotions. “Shit, Kat, you never hugged me before. Why do I like it so much?” His expression was pure confusion, and it saddened me. His glass dropped from the counter, glass splattering everywhere, and on instinct, I dropped to my knees to clean it. He grabbed my upper arm, swiftly yanking me up.
“Don’t!” he shouted in my face, his alcohol-breath circling around me. “You are Katarina fucking Covington; you’re a billionaire.” He inhaled deeply and I watched his lips move; he was counting, like I do. “Leave it, Kat! If I catch you on your knees again…so help me!” He removed his hand from me, and his brown eyes grew wide. I followed them to see what created his shocked expression. He’d torn my dress, ripped it with his hands. “Act like you’re better than everyone. I remember how good you were at acting. You don’t bow down to anyone. Ever!” The dark glint in his eyes reminded me of his father, and it had my blood circulating faster. He shifted when he caught the vision of something behind me, and ran a rough hand down his face and over the stubbles on his chin.
With that, he disappeared to his room, slamming his door. I peered behind me, noticed Smith Two was only inches from me, all puffed up, and ready to pounce. I never even heard him approach. I rewarded him with a smile. He was stealthy, and I thought that was awesome. I shrugged, and his mouth tipped in the corner. I strolled over to stare out Tommy’s windows, admiring the beautiful view of the city lights. This place fit him. He was a powerful king here, able to look down at all the little people. He owned the world from this vision, and everyone below him was merely his minions.
Tommy padded into the large viewing room where I was, dressed in black velvety sweats and a thin white t-shirt. His hair was wet, and he must have taken his crazy meds, because he was much calmer. “I had something delivered for you in the spare bedroom.” What the hell? “Let me show you.”
I hesitantly tiptoed over to him, and he led me to the back bedroom, Smith Two in step behind. On the bed was a set of pajamas, and when he showed me to the closet, there was an entire wardrobe filled with clothes. My eyes widened, and the only thing that seeped into my brain…wasn’t gratitude; it was fear. I had visions of him shoving me into the clothing-packed closet and trapping me inside. Chills covered my body. Creepy. “O…kay.” My eyes shifted quickly toward the bedroom door on instinct, thoughts of escaping bombarding my brain.
“Put your pajamas on and come watch TV with me.” It held an underling command, but Tommy was…Tommy, my equal, so I just nodded.
“Okay,” I repeated, at a loss for anything else to say. His eyes roamed my body, stopping at the ripped part of my dress and fixating on it. His eyes darkened into a lusty haze. Creepy, popped into my thoughts again.
He eventually turned on his heels and left. I nodded at Smith Two to do the same. I dressed in the red silk pajamas, thinking the whole time about how he had this planned. I hated I was part of his sick plan, and that he bought clothes for me. I especially hated he laid out what he wanted me to wear. Freaking creepy.
I quietly treaded into the large room, around the backside of the brown leather sofa, and casually perched on the opposite end of the couch. He chuckled and quickly reached over, hooking his long arm around my waist, tugging me down so I was lying in front of him. I squealed as my body jerked with the force of his strong arms. He laughed in my ear, and it sent ugly chills over my skin. He breathed in my hair and pressed himself close to me, and I felt him, all of him. Gross and creepy. This is why I never wanted to have sex, because men have a tendency to rush things. I may look like a sexual person because of the silk nightgowns and fancy dresses, but I’m not. I am actually lacking, and the only time I felt anything was with Jason. I squeezed my eyes shut trying to picture Jason’s face, but tears came instead of warm, cozy feelings.
Tommy’s voice jolted me back to reality. “She reminds me of you. I have to watch everything she’s in, because she reminds me so much of you.” I glanced at the large television to see who he was referring to. He leaned in and smelled my hair; the heat from his breath made me physically ill, and I wanted to take a shower to clean the parts he was touching right now. It was a huge mistake coming here. “You smell good, pretty thing.”
I actually like what he says, not in the warm, fuzzy way I wanted to like it, but I liked it. Tommy had always thought of me as a thing, not a person, and I liked that. People were mean and untrustworthy, but things were constant and never changed. He had always called me ‘pretty thing’, and I relaxed knowing the little troubled boy I could relate to was still inside him.
“Who is she?” I asked and felt his smile on my neck, and I suddenly didn’t mind it anymore.
“Megan Fox.”
I gazed at the screen and wondered if that was what people saw when they looked at me. She was irresistible and incredibly sexy, and if I truly resembled her, I understood why everyone wanted a little piece of me, but I didn’t acknowledge anything. He started to grind against me and kissed my neck. His saliva was slimy, and my mind couldn’t shut him out. He was Tommy, and I couldn’t pretend not to feel his touch. My stomach flopped, and I ached to remove his slobbery kisses. I rolled away in a desperate rush to get away from him and crashed not-so-gracefully on the cold hardwood floor. I pushed myself up in record speed and brushed the front of my pajamas down, smoothing the unwanted wrinkles, and then I dodged his arm when he reached out for me. I scurried away from the couch, tripping over the glass coffee table in the process.
Righting myself, I scanned the room until I spotted Smith Two. “Will you see me to my room?” I asked as I moved down the hall like I had a rocket attached to my ass. Smith Two confidently moved to the chocolate chaise lounge chair next to my bed and took a seat. “Do you mind sleeping in here?” He lifted his head sharply, I slumped into my bed and pull the covers up. I stared at him in the moonlight; he had edgy features, but something happened when he relaxed…he looked vulnerable. There was something so familiar about him, and I realized he reminded me of Jason. The depth in his gray eyes told me he carried pain.
“Where is Smith?” I was surprised to hear my own voice, but the silence between us was daunting, and I liked Smith Two’s husky toned voice, because again, it reminded me of Jason.
“He went home a couple days ago. He’ll be back tomorrow. Marcus,” I raised my brows in question, and he clarified, “the other, other Smith, he’s sleeping. We watch you in shifts.” The corner of his mouth tipped up in a gentle way when he finished.
“Oh.” I gave him a kind smile back. “I’m glad you’re here.” He simply
nodded his buzzed head once in understanding, and I closed my eyes.
****
Another team of people were there in the morning when I was awakened. I dragged my feet to the shower and was mauled when I got out. I wondered briefly about the lady who was in charge of putting my stockings on. What an awful job. I closed my eyes, letting them prepare me for my day. Today, I sported a grey pencil skirt with a black silk blouse. They could have been actual colors, but all I saw was black, white, and varying colors of gray, just like my mood.
Tommy was in the dining room sitting at the large rectangular table. He appeared lonely, like he had been waiting for hours…days…years even. I glanced around the gray walls of the room, checking out the nearest exits. I found Smith Two standing military style right next to the closest one, with a huge, knowing smile. What an ass.
“Your main bodyguard is going to meet you there, so I expect you to be good this morning,” Tommy proclaimed. I shuddered at the repulsive way he tried to control me. Could I blame him? He saw me as a thing, and not a warm-blooded, thinking human. “Bryant wants you to go to work with him today. So I made sure you were ready. Let me look at you.” The whole conversation seemed very awkward, and who says ‘let me look at you’?
I closed my eyes as a cold chill filled me all the way to my core. His father said it on many occasions, and I felt instantly nauseated. I stood completely still as he walked around my body, inspecting me like I was for sale. I had to remind myself this was little Tommy, not his father. I opened my eyes slowly when I felt his body lean into mine, and took a large step back. “Tommy, I am not going to marry you,” I reminded him as I glanced at Smith Two, silently asking him to save me.
Forever Distraction Page 7
