Me: I did. Family emergency back home.
David: What time’s your flight?
Me: 7 am
David: Let me take you to the airport
Me: I already have a ride
David: Cancel it
Resting my head against the back seat of the cab, I turn the ringer off on my phone, not replying to his text. This has all just gotten too confusing and the rum isn’t helping. I didn’t report David to HR, even though I know I should have. I figured that I could deal with it. I would handle it on my own and it would go away. But the man is persistent, and keeps texting me.
***
As soon as I throw my clutch down on the couch and kick off my heels there’s a knock on my door.
Who the hell would be coming over at almost two in the morning.
Standing on my tippy toes I look out of the peep hole. David is standing on the other side of my door, one hand leaning on the door frame the other hand in his dark jeans.
“What are you doing here?” I ask pulling open the door.
“Cancel your ride,” he says pushing past me and walking into the apartment.
“Please, come in,” I sigh, closing the door behind him. “I’m not cancelling my ride and you can’t be here.”
“Nice apartment.” He ignores what I said, slowly walking around the open living room, randomly picking up picture frames to get a closer look then putting them back.
“What are you doing here, David?”
“I already told you.” He puts down the final picture frame he was examining then turns to face me.
It’s a little unnerving having all six-feet-two inches of him focused on me. Despite the jeans and polo shirt he’s wearing he still looks perfectly put together. His jet-black hair is perfectly styled, even at two in the morning.
Does this man ever sleep?
His cerulean-blue eyes darken as they rake over my body before finding my face again. “You went out in that?”
My arms unwillingly cross over my body. I feel too exposed in this dress, especially in front of David. I shift my weight from foot to foot uncomfortably when he stalks closer to me.
I don’t want his eyes on me, nor his hands either so I take a step back when he moves closer.
“Don’t,” he commands as he reaches out and slowly untangles my arms from my body. “Don’t hide your body from me.”
“Why are you here, David?”
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up when he tightens his grip on my wrists.
“You look beautiful.” His tongue comes out to lick his lips as his eyes slowly roam over my breasts.
“You’re hurting me.” I try to twist my wrists and pull them back towards my body but his grip tightens.
He has us backed against the wall separating my living room from my bedroom. His one hand travels up my arm and cups my neck while his thumb slides across my bottom lip.
“Cancel your ride,” he says again.
“No.” Even I can hear how scared my voice sounds.
He leans in and licks a spot behind my ear. “Cancel your ride, Katherine.”
My breathing picks up when my back is forced against the wall and he presses himself more into me, his grip still solid around my wrist. David grips my chin with his other hand and forces his mouth down on mine, demanding entry. Tears roll down my face while I try to rip my face out of his hands with no avail.
His hand finally leaves my chin to make its way down my stomach and around my back to cup my ass. I finally break away from his kiss and use my one hand to pound on his chest.
“David, stop. Please,” I beg, but his hand continues its assault on my ass and his mouth trails down my neck. My fist is still pounding on his chest when my front door flies open.
“What the fuck!”
In the next second, David is being yanked off me and Jay stands in between us, his shoulders heaving. If he were a cartoon character, I’m pretty sure there’d be steaming coming out of his ears. My fingers tremble when I try to hold the broken strap of my dress together to keep from falling down and exposing one of my breasts.
“Who are you?” David sneers, wiping the blood from his nose with the back of his hand.
“The guy who’s about to kick your ass,” Jay snarls.
“Yeah? I’d like to see you try.”
“Sure, if you have a death wish,” Mike’s voice carries from my front door, a dark look crossing his face.
“Get him out of here,” Jay demands and Mike nods.
David tries to fight Mike but another hit to the face has him knocked out and Mike throws his limp body over his shoulder. I’m too busy watching Mike heft David out of my apartment that I don’t realize Jay is studying me until his fingers graze my skin and I jump.
“Whoa, it’s just me.” He immediately removes his hand at my reaction. “Are you okay?”
I nod but don’t chance speaking because I know that if I were to open my mouth right now I may just break down. Instead I slip my arms around Jay’s waist and bury my face in his chest. I spend the next few minutes just allowing his scent to envelope me. I allow it to comfort me.
“What are you doing here? I mean, not that I’m not grateful that you happened to show up at the right time but after the way you left the club. . . .” I ask with my face still partially buried in his chest.
“Mike called and said he had noticed an odd car following your cab out of the parking lot. He thought it might’ve been me since mine’s in the shop and I had to rent one. I was already on my way over here when he called.” Jay places his hand on my arms and leans away slightly to get a better look at my face. “I didn’t like the way I left.”
“I’m glad you showed up when you did.” I smile tentatively up at him.
I love Jason. He’s my best friend. I know that if I ever needed anything, regardless of the time of day, he would do everything in his power to help me. He would protect me with his life. He takes care of me, and I him. But I can’t be in love with him. It would just never work out between us.
“Who was that anyway?”
“Nobody important,” I try to brush it off.
“Kat, the guy had you pinned against the wall for Christ’s sake.”
“I know, and you stopped it before it could go further. Thank you for that.”
We stand there staring at each other; me trying to will him to drop it, and him trying to will me to explain further. Finally, Jay backs down and glances at the black watch on his wrist. “It’s three in the morning. If you’re sure you’re okay, then I’m going to go.”
“Oh. It is?” Where the hell did the last hour go? “Um, well can you…I mean will you...” I sigh and try again, “do you mind sleeping on my couch tonight. Please?”
He looks pointedly at me. “Okay, but I’m not sleeping on your couch.”
“What? Why? Please don’t leave me alone tonight.”
The corner of his mouth lifts in a half smile as his eyes dart to my bedroom door and back to me.
“Jay –“ I sigh.
He holds up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “We’ll just sleep.”
I cross my arms, lean on my left foot, and raise an eyebrow at him.
He laughs. “Katherine, I’m not fitting my six-foot-six ass on that tiny couch of yours.” He drops his arms and takes a couple steps back. “I promise I’ll try my best not to maul you in my sleep,” he teases.
“Fine,” I huff, spinning on my heels and leading the way into my bedroom.
I change into my short sleep shorts and tank top before climbing into bed but he climbs in fully clothed. A part of me is relieved because if he had stripped down to his boxer-briefs, I wouldn’t have been able to control myself anymore.
As soon as I lay down and pull the duvet over myself he wraps his arm around me and I snuggle my back into his front. Sleep claims me instantly and five o’clock comes way too fast.
I’m not ready to give up the warmth of being wrapped up in his arms yet, but if I’m going to
get to the airport in time for the six a.m. check-in time then I only have half an hour before I have to leave.
“Good morning,” he says, his lips close to my ear.
“I don’t wanna get up,” I groan.
He chuckles, “You have to or you’re going to miss your flight.”
“That sounds like a great idea. If I miss my flight, then I’ll have an excuse not to go home.”
He laughs, throwing the covers off us and I almost smack him when the cold air hits my bare skin. “Come on. If you get up now, I’ll grab us coffee.”
“Fine, I’m up. You said the magic word: coffee.”
Before I forget, I send Alice a quick message telling her not to worry about driving me to the airport.
Alice: Girl, I love you even more now for not dragging my lazy ass out of bed at the ass crack of dawn.
Alice: Be strong! Don’t let them get to you. I’ll have a shot of Jose waiting for you when you land in a few days. Luv u!
Me: LYH
6. Visit to the Past
Katherine
Nausea sits like a ball in my stomach as I get off the elevator on the hospital floor where my mom’s room is located. Almost immediately I spot my dad. He looks older, not the kind of older that comes naturally as one ages but the kind that comes from years of stress.
He looks fragile, and not at all like the man I remember my father being. His outer appearance matches that of what I believed his inner appearance was all those years ago. Weak.
When he turns away from the nurses station his eyes collide with mine. Confusion, realization, happiness, and then sadness all flash across his eyes, one right after the other. Finally, regret settles in them as he walks towards me.
“Kat.”
“Hi, Dad.”
He moves to hug me but half way he must realize that I wouldn’t have been receptive to it because he immediately pulls back.
“I thought you weren’t coming.”
“So did I.”
We both stand in the hallway awkwardly looking at each other. My dad’s face is a contradiction of emotions; a small smile pulls at his mouth but sadness and regret are still evident in his eyes. Eyes that look exactly like mine.
“So, is Mom’s room down here?” I ask, pointing to the hallway on the right.
He confirms that it is and leads us down the hall. When he comes to a door with the number 406 he stops with his hand on the door knob.
“Kat, I - “
“Dad, please don’t,” I shake my head interrupting him. I don’t want to hear what he’s got to say right now.
I just barely psyched myself up enough to walk into the hospital and get on the elevator. I’m still nauseated just thinking about seeing my mother for the first time in ten years. I’m not ready to hear my dad’s explanation or whatever he has to say right now. Maybe tomorrow I’ll be more willing to hear him out but not today.
He drops his head reluctantly before turning the knob and pushing open the door.
The woman sitting up in the hospital bed still looks exactly like my mother. This woman just had a stroke and has been in the hospital for several days, yet she made sure that her dark hair is perfectly styled, not a hair out of place and no grey either, and her makeup is expertly done. She’s not even wearing the usual hospital gown they give every patient. No, not my mother. She’s wearing her own silk pajamas from home.
Her brown eyes widen in shock when I step through the door in front of my father. “Katherine. Well, what a surprise.”
“Hello, Mother.”
“What brings you back to the GTA after all these years?”
I’m not even sure if she wants me to answer her because she went right back to examining her nail beds after that initial greeting.
“I heard you were sick. I came to see how you were doing.”
Her head snaps up so fast I fear that she may have given herself whiplash.
“I’m not sick, Katherine. I had a stroke. And since when do you care how I or your father are doing. We haven’t heard a word from you since you left all those years ago.”
I can feel heat start to crawl up my back and my spine stiffen. “Well, do you blame me?”
“What ever are you talking about? We’re your parents, Katherine. And it seems you couldn’t have been bothered to take five minutes out of your day to call us and let us know you’re okay.”
“Excuse me? What ever am I talking about? You’re kidding, right? You know exactly what I’m talking about, Mother. Don’t try and act like the concerned parent now.”
“Oh, are you still on that? You were a child for god’s sake. If I didn’t discipline you, who knows how you would’ve turned out.” She waves her perfectly manicured hand dismissively at the subject.
“Discipline? You call beating me within an inch of my life - twice - discipline?”
“Kat, please. Keep your voice down,” my dad pleads from his seat on the other side of my mother’s bed.
“No, Dad. I won’t keep my voice down. It’s about time someone stood up to her and since you were never going to do it.”
“Katherine, please. Stop being so dramatic,” my mother says, rolling her eyes.
I honestly don’t know why I even bothered to come back. I knew that after ten years nothing would have changed. It was just a waste of time and money. I feel like an idiot for even thinking that I could come back and get the answers I was looking for all these years. I feel like an idiot for thinking that maybe she would be remorseful about what she had done and the way she treated me. But most of all, I feel like an idiot for thinking that my dad might apologize for not standing up for me and protecting me all those years ago. Jay was right; I shouldn’t have come.
Without saying another word to either of them, I straighten up to my full height, pull the strap of my purse higher on my shoulder and walk out of the hospital room with my head held high.
As I’m getting into a cab, my phone lights up with Jay’s name on the caller ID.
“Hey.”
“How’d it go, Kat?”
“Well, I’ve been here all of five hours and I’m ready to come home,” I sigh into my phone watching as the city buildings morph into highway outside the window.
“When’s your scheduled flight out?”
“Day after tomorrow. Jay, you were right. This whole trip was a waste of time. I was never going to get the answers I was looking for. Hell, I was barely in the same room as them for more than ten minutes.”
“Are you staying in Toronto?”
“It’s not like I have a choice. I can’t afford to change my ticket. It’s fine though. Just because I’m stuck here doesn’t mean I have to see them again. I could go exploring. You know, do the whole be-a-tourist-in-your-town thing.”
He laughs. “You could. You always wanted to go up the CN Tower but were never able to.”
“This is very true, sir. And I could spend a day at Casa Loma.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“Oh, tons,” I grin.
He and I talk until the cab drops me off at my hotel and I’m in the elevator heading up to my room. When I get off on my floor there’s someone leaning against the door to my room. As I get closer, realization dawns. I would recognize this man anywhere.
“Jay?”
He straightens up, slipping his phone back in the inside pocket of his suit jacket.
“What are you doing here?” I ask confused. I had just gotten off the phone with him and he never mentioned being here. Also, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in a suit other than at Danielle and Parker’s wedding. But he looks sexy as hell. My mouth waters at the way he fills out the suit.
“I had a last-minute business meeting in Toronto. I thought I would take you to dinner.”
Oookay, Jay was RCMP so I wasn’t sure what he meant by business meeting, but I figure that if he wants me to know he’ll tell me so I shrug it off.
“How’d you know I’d be staying here?” I ask, sliding the key card into the
reader and pushing open the door.
He doesn’t say anything just smirks and raises an eyebrow.
“Dani,” I guess.
He chuckles. “There’s very little that woman doesn’t know.”
“It almost scares me how much information she can get in a short amount of time. Water?” I ask, opening the small bar fridge and offering him one of the bottled waters. He takes it and sits down on the end of the king size bed.
“So, dinner?”
I groan. I want to do dinner with him, I do. But that meeting with my parents took a lot out of me and I was honestly just looking forward to getting back into my pajamas, ordering room service, and gorging myself on chocolate and ice cream, only to slip under the covers afterward and not emerge until late the next morning.
But if Jay was offering, then who am I to deny him?
I kick off my heels and sit in the office chair pulling my knees up in front of me. “Fine, you can buy me dinner on two conditions.”
“Okay, shoot.”
I hold up a finger, “one, we order dinner and eat in here. And two,” I hold up a second finger, “you order a couple bottles of wine to go with it.”
He raises a questioning eyebrow and I’m sure he’s not going to agree to my first condition. I’m not even sure of the last time he just ate dinner in front of the TV, but he surprises me.
“Deal.”
“You serious?”
“I have one condition though.”
“What’s that?”
“You let me do the ordering.”
“I can live with that. I should warn you, though. I’m a picky eater.”
He tips his head back and laughs. “Fairly sure I’m already aware of that.”
“Great, I’m going to go shower.”
***
When I walk out of the bathroom I’m stunned speechless. Various takeout containers litter the desk, both night stands, and a pizza box sits on the bed. It’s like a Gilmore Girls dinner.
“What’s all this?”
“There’s Chinese, pizza, sushi, Thai, and Indian,” he smiles, looking impressed with himself.
“Did you buy out a buffet?” I tease, looking around at all the food.
Piece of Me (Behind These Eyes Book 2) Page 5
