Wanted Always (Xander Barns)

by Sarah Tork

  “Is that all?” Xander asks.

  “Excuse me?” I hiss again.

  “Is the Demetria situation diverted?” Xander clarifies.

  “I scared that bitch miles away!”

  “That’s fine.”

  “No, it’s not fine; what about me? I’m mentally damaged because of it!”

  “Well, I’m sure five-thousand dollars will cure the extent of that damage,” Xander says nonchalantly.

  “Five-thousand dollars?” I gasp. “You’re paying me off?”

  “No, I’m being the generous guy that I’ve always been with you. And it’s about time you realized it,” Xander explains while I stay silent, too flabbergasted to speak. “Anyway, your part is done; you are free to leave.”

  “Leave?” I repeat, confused. “Where are you?”

  “Oh, I left already,” Xander says.

  “Left!” I squawk, confused. “Where did you go?”

  “Downtown. I had a matter come up that needed my immediate attention,” he explains.

  Bullshit!

  “Fuck you! One of your fucking whores probably called you!” I accuse. “You left me to that deranged lunatic to go fuck!”

  “I don’t see what the problem is. You handled the Demetria issue amazingly and I got something out of it too,” Xander says.

  “You’re so selfish!” I tell him.

  “And you have five-thousand dollars because of it,” Xander reminds me. “Daniels will be waiting for you out front when you’re ready to leave.”

  “What?” I breathe. I can leave?

  “‘Til we meet again, Marisa,” Xander purrs, and then disconnects the line. I pull the phone away from my ear and stare at it in shock.

  What…just…happened? I lean against the wall across from the bathroom, completely stunned. My heart pounds ferociously; I think I’m going to have a heart attack.

  He left me to her. What if she had been really dangerous instead of the crackpot she is? I could have died.

  Shit!

  “You lied to me!” a loud voice hisses behind me, making me jump. I turn apprehensively, colliding with a pair of angry blue eyes.

  Liam!

  Fuck! I do not need this shit right now.

  “Liam?” I murmur, shocked. “What are you doing here?”

  “You lied to me!” he repeats, looking apocalyptic. “You are a prostitute!”

  My jaw dropped open, “I’m not!”

  “You are; that’s why you were in Xander’s room last night,” Liam accuses, his perfectly styled, dark brown hair all over the place.

  “I’m not a hooker!” I state defensively.

  “Then why did I just hear you accept five-thousand dollars from Xander over the phone?” Liam snaps, unconvinced.

  Shit!

  “It’s not what you think,” I explain, worried now. How am I going to get out of this situation?

  “Oh, really? Then please, do explain,” he spits out, his hand raking through his hair, making it more disheveled. “I can’t wait to hear the lie you tell me next.”

  Wait a minute! Why am I standing here trying to prove my innocence to a guy I don’t even know, even if I did like him a little.

  I don’t fucking need this!

  “You know what? I don’t care anymore,” I snap angrily. “I don’t have to explain myself to you or anyone else.”

  “So you are a hooker,” he says filled with scorn.

  “I’m not!” I cry, feeling tears in my eyes. “But even if I was, fuck you!”

  I quickly walk around him as the first few tears spill across my cheeks. Damn it!

  I make it three steps before his hand grabs my arm, pulling me to a stop. He pushes me to the wall and cages me in with his body. His anger alters as my tears come spilling out and I struggle to get out of his arms.

  “Fuck you, Liam!” I cry quietly. “Fuck you!”

  “You lied last night,” he states softly, a far cry from his previously scorning tone.

  “I don’t owe you anything; I don’t have to explain myself to you,” I sniffle. Shit, I hate crying!

  “Tell me the truth,” he whispers an inch away from my face. “Tell me what he’s up to.”

  “I’m not a hooker, Liam, honestly,” I tell him meekly. “I really went there last night to repay a debt to him.”

  “And today?”

  “I was here as a favor, but it turned into something else,” I explain, lifelessly.

  “And what was that?”

  “He left me to take care of Demetria.”

  “Demetria?”

  “That crazy girl from last night. She’s Mrs. Williams’ daughter; you know, the one who’s smitten with Xander, just like your mother said,” I explain, looking deep into his eyes. His body melts a little closer to mine.

  “She was here?” Liam asks, horrified, breaking eye contact and glancing up and down the hallway.

  “She was, but I scared her and her mother off,” I explain, wiping the tears from my face.

  “How?” he asks, then raises his hand to my cheek and wipes away my tears. His touch stirs something deep within me. I have to fight it. He just verbally attacked me.

  “It’s messed up; trust me, you don’t want to know.” I look away, jerking my face out of his reach.

  “Maybe I do,” he whispers, softly.

  “Trust me, you don’t,” I say bitterly.

  What would he think then?

  I shouldn’t care what he thinks.

  Liam’s hands grab my face, pulling it back to face him as he leans in.

  “Marisa, now it’s your turn to trust me. Stay away from Xander. Things like today, they follow him around like the plague. He gets the people around him to do his dirty work, fixing his problems while he walks away smiling,” Liam explains seriously.

  “I know that now,” I say quietly, lost in his blue eyes.

  God! He’s so pretty. His touch feels amazing.

  His hand comes up and caresses the side of my face repeatedly. “Tell me, right now; promise me that you’ll never talk to him again; that you’ll never do anything else for him.”

  “I’m done after today. I can’t handle his shit anymore.” I lean into his hand; the feeling on my face is driving my body crazy. I stare up at him. His entire body is now plastered against mine; I can feel every hard edge his body supplies. His mouth comes within an inch of mine.

  “Marisa,” he whispers as his eyes heat.

  “I don’t remember telling you my name,” I breathe. My gaze lowers down to his lips. One hand grabs my neck while the other circles my waist, pulling me as close as possible to his body. I lean my head closer to his and his lush, plump lips plant softly on top of mine. He begins kissing me slowly as my arms circle around his neck, pulling my body even closer. All of a sudden, his soft kisses turn frantic; I feel his fingers make their way into my hair, massaging my scalp.

  Oh God, it feels so good! I feel my body buzz gloriously as his body grinds against mine.

  I fucking needed this…badly.

  He pulls back, breathing hard. “Bathroom?”

  I nod in agreement. He abruptly grabs my bottom, holding me up. My legs circle around his waist and he takes us inside the bathroom, shutting it closed with a strong tap of his foot. My back hits the back of the door as Liam continues to kiss me hard and wild. His tongue opens my mouth as his entire body grinds against mine, making me feel things in places I haven’t felt in a very long time.

  I could explode just by doing this for a few minutes, but Liam has other plans. He lifts the skirt of my dress up a little and glides his fingers inside my panties. Just like in my fantasy last night, his fingers work me amazingly; I groan loudly against his mouth.

  “Liam…Liam, I can’t. It’s too much,” I breathe uncontrollably against his pounding lips.

  “Come for me,” he breathes wildly against my lips and presses his body into mine as his fingers dig a little deeper, moving like the pros they are.

  “Liam…I can’t h
old it…please!” I breathe a little louder. His lips bury themselves deep into my neck. His tongue licks and sucks the skin hard, making me pant harder.

  “Liam!” I groan aloud, then everything goes blank as my body shakes violently as it relishes in a gloriously long orgasm. “Oh my God!”

  “That’s it…that’s it,” he breathes against my neck. “Enjoy it.”

  As my orgasm wears off, I grab his face and pull it to mine, kissing him with everything I have. I grab his tongue with mine, making sure he knows I appreciate what he just gave me.

  He pulls his face back and gazes at me bewildered, his hair all over the place. Something changes in his face as the rush of the moment escapes us, and he sets me down slowly. I pull my skirt down as he checks his reflection, fixing his hair. He turns and gives me a blank stare.

  I don’t say anything as we stand inside the bathroom staring at one another. What is there to say? Thanks for the good finger fuck? It’s not like he’s my boyfriend; I’m not expecting a cuddle.

  Without saying anything, he opens the door and leaves, closing the door behind him.

  Goodbye, Liam.

  A normal person would have felt screwed over, but I know that moment we shared; it was just two people enjoying their time together, making each other feel good. And the fact that he left without saying goodbye, it helps ease the dined-and-dashed feeling I am sort of feeling.

  They really are brothers. Liam is kidding himself if he thinks he is nothing like Xander. At least Xander wouldn’t have just left like that; he would have at least given me another orgasm and bid me a polite farewell.

  Okay, I’m lying. I am effected by how he left things. He could have at least said goodbye!

  There’s no point in feeling bad; it’s over with and finished for good. I’m finished with these brothers. It’s time to move on and forget any of this shit ever happened. I check my reflection in the mirror, fixing my hair and straighten out my dress once more. I check the hallway before officially leaving the bathroom; it’s empty. Thank God!

  I leave the bathroom and head out of the empty mansion. Everyone except the staff who is in the kitchen is outside enjoying the party. As for me, the party is officially over. I make my way to the front entrance and look for the SUV. It’s waiting right out in front of the double doors. Upon seeing me, Daniels quickly jumps out of the driver’s side and opens my door for me.

  “Hello, Ms. Gellys,” Daniels says as I get within a few feet.

  “Hello, Daniels,” I reply, exhausted.

  “I trust everything went well this afternoon,” he smiles.

  I nod as I get into the car, “It did.”

  “Very good.” He shuts my door. Daniels quickly gets inside the SUV and drives away from the mansion.

  “Ms. Gellys, Mr. Barns wanted me to give you this,” Daniels says, then hands me a thick yellow envelope. I take it from him and open it. My jaw drops as the contents bring me back to life. There’s a stack of hundred dollar bills inside.

  Holy shit! The money! Is there really five thousand dollars inside here? I reseal the envelope and put it inside my clutch, which I cradle on my lap securely.

  “Ms. Gellys, Mr. Barns also instructed me to take you to the train station, and to buy a business class ticket back to Toronto for the next available train. Is that all right?” Daniels asks, his eyes never leaving the road.

  “Yes, that’s fine,” I say, looking out the window as we drive off the property.

  “Very good,” Daniels says.

  What a weekend. We drive into the street, finally heading towards the train station.

  I’m going home.

  ****

  Daniels drives me to the train station; and after I change into regular clothes, he brings me a business class ticket back to Toronto for 5pm. After Daniels says his goodbye and gives me the ticket, I sit in the half-filled waiting area with my luggage and carry-on stowed between my legs. I have my fabulous DKNY bag nestled beside me with the strap over my shoulders. All of the new dresses are folded nicely and put into the luggage. I would worry about them wrinkling when I get back home. I have half an hour to wait before my train is scheduled to leave.

  The events of the weekend are simmering on the back burner in my brain. I know once I delve into those memories, I’ll be struggling to comprehend each thing that happened. It will result in multiple head smacking’s and body shakes. But before all of that can happen, there is something else I just can’t seem to get past.

  The last few hours of my life.

  I have five-thousand dollars in my bag right now! I think for the thousandth time as I wait for a train attendant to open the gates.

  Xander gave me five-thousand dollars because I scared away his love-sick stalker, risking my own life in the process.

  But it’s not like he cared about that anyway. He must have had faith in me that I could get the job done without a scratch. At least, I hope he did. But knowing Xander, my safety probably never even crossed his mind.

  Oh my God! This is so messed up! I cradle my head in my hands, breathing in and out slowly to stop myself from hyperventilating.

  It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay. I chant slowly for the next twenty minutes until the gate to my train is opened.

  I usher my large luggage and carry-on onto the train tarmac, place them in the luggage area, and make my way to my seat. It’s much different than the seat I sat in coming to Ottawa. The chair is much bigger and looks more comfortable, with much better quality.

  This is nice! I think. I stow my carry-on and DKNY bag beside my legs and relaxed in my expensive seat.

  The entire car is practically empty, and no one sits beside me. It’s nicely quiet and very peaceful; for the first time since this trip started, I can finally breathe. As the train moves, I pull out my phone.

  I have a message on my phone; my heart stops beating.

  I breathe a sigh of relief when I see it’s from Dad.

  From Dad: 4:02pm

  I’m glad you gave me your phone number; now I can call you and text you anytime I want. Guess what? Cameron and I are going to Canadian Tire tomorrow and we’re going to spend your gift certificate on a fancy drill. I can’t wait. Please give me a call or text when you get home so I know you arrived safely.

  Dad.

  It makes me smile. I’m glad at least someone is happy from events of the past weekend.

  I text Dad back, telling him I’m happy that he’s happy and that I’ll text more later, as soon as I’m settled.

  I put my phone away and decide to nap a little. I don’t want to think; I just want to shut my brain off and pretend everything is boring. As my eyes close, my phone message alert sounds loudly.

  I check the message; this time my heart doesn’t stop beating since it’s probably from Dad. My jaw drops. It’s from Xander.

  From Xander: 5:05pm

  You should be on your way back to Toronto now, but I’ve been thinking.

  Maybe this thing we had…or could have, it doesn’t have to end with this weekend.

  X.

  I text him back.

  What do you mean, ‘doesn’t have to end’?

  I get a text back immediately.

  I mean, I want you to come and work for me as my personal assistant. We could do great things together, Marisa. I could really use someone like you.

  I seem to get myself into peculiar situations, and you did such an amazing job with handling the one today. It just makes sense that you come and work for me.

  X.

  He can’t be serious. Could he?

  Nope! He’s not being serious, there’s no way.

  I text him back.

  Yeah…okay…I don’t believe you.

  He’s a crazy asshole; there’s no telling what he’s trying to get me to commit to. I get a text back from him immediately.

  I’m serious! Anyway, take some time to think about it. Think of it as an amazing, life-changing opportunity. It’s a game changer. Think about tha
t when you work your next shift at the ice cream place.

  Did I mention the pay?

  It’s quite handsome…just like yours truly.

  X.

  I reread his message a few times. The part that is really catching me off guard is about it being an amazing, life-changing opportunity. He is offering me a job!

  Really? I ponder for a moment, as if it could actually be real.

  No! There’s no way. He isn’t a serious person, and his promises are all bullshit! Instead of texting him back, I switch my phone to silent and tuck it inside my jacket pocket.

  Setting all things Xander aside, including this fucked-up weekend, it’s time to get back to the real world. That means going back to work tomorrow night.

  My plain, low-paying job.

  Great! I stare out the window, watching the beautiful Canadian country flash by.

  ****

  The next day, I go to work at the usual time, 4pm. I’m closing tonight too, alone.

  Things that didn’t bother me before are painfully bothering me, like waiting on customers while they choose what flavors of ice cream they want, then cleaning up after the customers who spill ice cream all across the tables they are sitting at. I’m doing all of this for minimum wage? The constant reminder that I work for minimum wage kills me as the hours drag by. As I close the store on my own, cleaning everything takes longer than usual, which is probably because I keep stopping and sighing in despair about how much I hate doing it.

  This is what I’m doing with my life. I’m going nowhere.

  Mom, Gwen, and Ben would be so proud! I’m proving them right, even if they don’t know it.

  When I get home, the bass from Sheila’s room is blasting on high, making her door vibrate. I shake my head in disgust as I unlock my door to my room. The fact that Sheila is a prostitute hasn’t bothered me before; now it does.

  I live next door to a hooker! I don’t think it could get worse than that. I’m no different than a cockroach, slumming it in an abandoned building with a bunch of junkies getting high.

  As I close the door and lock it, the sound of bass still makes its way in, but it isn’t as bad as the hallway. I have to live with it, because there is no way I’m knocking on Sheila’s door right now, interrupting whatever business transaction she has going on. I slide the DKNY bag Xander gave me off my shoulder; I took it to work with me. I think I’m going to take it with me everywhere from now on. I place it on my desk and stare sadly at it for a second.