by W. Ferraro
Bringing her hand to her head, as her heart beat rapidly under her breast, she tried to calm herself.
Great! Now I have broken glass to clean up.
She walked over, and began picking up the larger shards of glass. She had a handful when she was, once again, startled by a loud banging, this time coming from the front door.
Jumping at the sound, she dropped the handful of glass, a shard slicing her palm in the process.
Really!?!
She knew who it was before she even left the office, and thankfully, she had the fucked up flower fucker to thank for the proper attitude to deal with Jarod, once and for all. She walked with purpose to the door and opened it, allowing his intimidating body to enter.
She was neither intimidated, nor put out by the scowl on his face; if anything, it only fueled her fury.
He wasted no time invading her personal space, sneering at her, his blue eyes the smallest of slits. “You mind explaining what the fuck that was?”
You want full-on bitch mode? You got it! “You’ll have to specify what you are referring to.”
“Not funny, Cees!”
“I didn’t intend to be,” she pushed on his chest.
He took the hint, backing off, but just barely. He stepped away from her, walking in a circle before turning back toward her with his hands on his hip and a softer tone to his voice, “I thought we would make a go of this?”
“This?”
“You know damn well what I mean. You and me, together.”
“I agreed to no such thing, I made myself clear, it was sex.”
“Amazing sex,” Jarod clarified.
“Yes, amazing sex, but it doesn’t mean it was anything else.”
He didn’t respond for several second before saying ever so quietly, “You just keep telling yourself that.”
“You are impossible, you know that? I knew this was a mistake!” She began to make her way back to the back room, but didn’t get very far. He used his longer strides to cut her off.
He was in her face in a heartbeat, “Don’t you ever call anything you and I do a mistake. The fact you refuse to see it is the exact opposite of a mistake makes me pity you.”
You Mother Fucker! “Pity? I don’t need your fucking pity?” Her astonishment at his stupidity froze her where she stood.
“You know, I should of known.” He said as he shook his head with a smile on his face that was nothing close to happiness.
“Known what, Gates?”
“I’m not going to lie, it hurt; fuck, it gutted me to see you with all those guys, never one for long. Mostly rich pretty boys that liked you on their arm, I thought it was just fun to you.”
What is he spouting about now? “What guys?”
“All the guys you’ve been with for the last three years. And let me tell you, you can pick some doozies, money launderers, dead beat dads, oh wait, the adulterer was my favorite.”
“I don’t know what the hell you are talking about,” but her gut began to cringe.
“You can’t be stupid enough to believe everything everyone tells you. Think of what’s his name, the one that only brought you to a hotel for your nights together. The reason he didn’t want to bring you home was because he didn’t want his wife and nineteen month old baby to know about you.”
This wasn’t about confronting her, and being upset about her decision, this was about hurting her. About giving to her a taste of the pain he was feeling. She knew in a way she deserved it, but this was just cruel. She honestly didn’t know how much more she could take, the crazy emotions, her brain and heart constantly at war, wanting two different things—things she knew would destroy her. Add in the flowers from minutes ago and the knowledge her sick fucker stalker not only followed her, but wanted her to know. CeCe had nothing, no more to fight with, nothing to wield as a weapon to defend herself. “How could you?”
“I was just doing what I was paid to do.”
“What?” she must of heard him wrong.
“You are as smart as you are beautiful, I’m sure you can figure it out.”
Oh my God! Dylan! “Dylan paid you to spy on me?” she wrapped her arms around herself, her last attempt at self-protection.
He leaned down close again, pressing his nose to hers and whispered viciously, “You’re damn right he did. And after learning what I did, he was right to do so, you apparently can’t tell a liar from an honest man.”
Her hazel eyes widened and she was shoved into silence. Her tongue couldn’t form a single word.
“Now don’t get your panties in a twist, it isn’t like I took pictures looking in windows. I just run background checks every few months on your employees and your boyfriends. Some financial checks and immigration status, when necessary.”
Her mouth bone dry, when she could finally speak the words were raspy, “Oh, is that all? How could you?”
Jarod’s face changed, no longer the cruel assailant of last few minutes; instead revealed a man exposed, “How could I make sure you were safe? Because it was the only way I could be near you.” He squeezed his eyes shut, grimacing in pain before opening them again, the bluest blue eyes piercing her. “Did you think I was kidding when I said you have been my beacon for thirteen years? You’ve gotten me through the worst and darkest days of my life.”
She couldn’t believe her ears. How dare Dylan? How could he? Suddenly the pain from her bleeding palm served as a point of reference for everything that had occurred.
But he wasn’t done, “So excuse me if I don’t just step aside, and say thanks for the screw, and let you out of my life again.”
She looked down to her palm and saw all the blood pooling and now dripping onto the store’s carpet, “Well, you are not going to have a choice.”
He missed her attention diversion, “When are you going to get it? I’d crawl over hot coals for you!!” He finally looked down to where she was looking. “CeCe, what the fuck?”
“GET OUT!”
Blue eyes met hazel, glare for glare, as he said, in his most vicious of voices, “Not until you tell me why you are fucking bleeding!” he pulled her palm to him and examined the cut.
“I cut my hand on some broken glass.”
“Broken glass? What happened?”
“I threw the most recent delivery of roses against my office wall.” She said calmly.
Now it was his chance to be shocked into silence. “When, exactly, were you going to tell me about the roses?”
“Well, you didn’t exactly give me an opening, now did you?”
She relented, giving in, and lead him to the office. He insisted on taking care of her cut first. As he cleaned the cut and bandaged it, she explained to him about the pounding on the back door, leaving out the part about thinking it was him. He calmly examined the flowers, only to morph into a caged animal when she told him the vase came from the hotel in Boston. He was on the phone within a minute, relaying everything to Idarraga. When he was done there was no sign off just Jarod disconnecting the call.
“He’ll be here shortly.”
He watched her like a hawk, and it annoyed her. How they could go through the gamut of emotions in the span of fifteen minutes? It was wrong and exhausting. “Since Max is on his way, and you’ve said what you apparently wanted to say, it is time for you to leave.”
“Not happening.”
“Well, as you’ve pointed out already, I don’t give a fuck and I’m an idiot, so get out.”
“I never said…”
“Oh, you said more than enough, now leave.”
“Look, I’m sorry I laid into you. If I had known about the flowers, I would never have done that.”
She did not respond to his appeal, just asked again for him to leave.
“You don’t know what you are saying.”
“I know damn well what I’m saying!” Suddenly the tears began to fall, the dam unable to hold them back any longer. “Jarod, if I’ve ever meant anything to you, please, just leave.”
“That is not fair!” he said, wounded.
“Neither is what you are doing to me.”
The expression on his face signaled her final plea as a bull’s-eye.
Without another word, he turned around and left the office. A few moments later, CeCe heard the front door chime, signaling his departure. She slid to the floor and cried out everything she had been holding in for so long.
“So are you going to tell me why you’re so grumpy?”
“I’m not grumpy.” CeCe responded, never looking up from her block tower creation. Whether it was her intense concentration, or the floor vibrations created by bouncing toddlers, the pink building blocks tumbled to the ground.
“Oh, I must have my dwarves mixed up. I could have sworn the one with the scowl and constant furrowed brow was Grumpy. Oh well, guess I’ll have to freshen up on my fairytale characters.” Natalie said, matter of fact, without looking up from folding laundry.
“Again! Again!” Cat demanded as she picked up three blocks and shoved them at CeCe’s face.
CeCe had come here to give her mind a break from everything that has been suffocating her, getting back to the basics, a task made infinitely easier when in the company of toddlers.
Cat and Ria always could make CeCe feel better with their free spirits and love for fashion, as demonstrated by the fluorescent tutus each wore with the multiple strings of beads, funky colored sunglasses and CeCe’s personal favorite, the bling-filled tiaras.
“Okay, okay, little Miss Bossy,” CeCe jeered as she began the tower again.
With a white terrycloth towel mid fold Natalie asked, “How are things with Derrick going?”
“Pfft,” CeCe said under her breath. When the tower fell again and the demanding toddler didn’t look away from the television she was glued to, CeCe pivoted to face her friend. “I don’t know why he is even hanging around still.”
“Because he knows a catch when he finds one.”
“You are biased, my dear. Honestly, he should have given up long ago. I cancelled our last date, a date I made with him because I had been giving him the brush-off with the flower stalker thing and the…”
“And the what?” Natalie pressed, but by the smirk on her face, CeCe knew it was rhetorical.
CeCe squinted her eyes in defiance as she grabbed a towel and folded it.
“I’m not going to say it. No matter how much you want me to say it.” CeCe said as she grabbed another towel.
She watched as Natalie pinched her lips tightly closed, and in shear frustration and because it was about to explode out of her anyway, she threw the folded towel at her friend and admitted, “Since Gates got thrown back into my life! Happy?”
The smile on Natalie’s sweet face proved she was.
“You two obviously have some deep connection. Just sitting next to you at the bar that night, I could feel you vibrating out of the seat.”
“That was just annoyance, Nat.”
Natalie rolled her eyes and placed the last folded towel into the laundry basket, “Yeah, okay. You do know whom I am married to, right? I’m quite familiar with those kinds of sparks. What is so wrong with you and Jarod seeing each other? I like him.”
“You don’t know him.”
“I know him well enough, and I know you. I also know what I witnessed with my own eyes. I wanted to blush just being next to the two of you. Even the static electricity in the air cranks up when you two are close together.
“I have a good thing with Derrick.” CeCe issued defensively.
“That you do, and I like Derrick, but I…you know what, never mind.” Natalie stopped and stood up from her perch on the couch, and picked the laundry basket up but CeCe, on her feet now, blocked her and refused to move.
“No! Say it!” CeCe demanded as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Natalie looked to where the twins were happily watching television, oblivious to the intense conversation between their mother and aunt. With one hand she balanced the basket to her right hip and grabbed onto CeCe’s crossed forearm, “I’ve meddled enough already, you do what you want.” She stepped around CeCe and started her away across the sunken living room toward the stairs.
“Oh, don’t go all Mother Theresa on me. Spill it, Natalie!” CeCe quickly stepped to grab the basket, halting her friend. She looked toward the twins then raised an eyebrow, waiting, when the twins didn’t move a muscle.
Natalie let out a huff and swallowed before she spoke from the heart. “From the moment I met you, you’ve never tried to be anyone other than who you were. You are beautiful, smart, successful, confident and badass, and you know it.”
That had the scowl leaving CeCe’s face and a large smile appearing in its place. “Badass?”
Natalie had a smile of her own, “Well, compared to me, you are badass, and you have the shit kickers to prove it” indicating the heels CeCe wore. “With all that being said, I just don’t know why you would pick now to lie to yourself.”
The smile slid from CeCe’s face at the accusation, “I’m not lying to myself. If anything I’m being more honest with myself than I’ve ever been. One hundred percent, in fact.”
In her best teacher voice, Natalie said, “You know, the problem with lies is you have a hard time keeping them straight. But with the truth, it just naturally flows out of you. When you lie, you have to constantly remember the lie, and continue to be on the defensive to protect the lie. Seems like a lot of work to me, especially when the truth would be so easy to live.” With those parting words, Natalie carried the laundry basket toward the stairs and began to climb.
Needing to prove her friend was misinformed about CeCe’s actions, she offered, “I’m going to call Derrick. It’s about time we had our date and get back on track. Besides, you never know, maybe it’s time I stop with the whole only fun thing, and consider changing my status.”
Natalie stopped half way up the open staircase, turned back to her friend and asked, “And you can’t do that with anyone other than Derrick?”
“He’s the best choice,” fell out of CeCe’s mouth.
“Best, or safest, choice? Either way, Cees, Dylan and I will support you completely.”
CeCe watched as Natalie climbed the remaining stairs, leaving those last statements to hang in the air and bounce around between CeCe’s ears.
CeCe drove to her apartment having left Natalie as she attempted to wrangle the twins for bed. She contemplated going to the store to sketch, but decided a bubble bath, a glass—or bottle—of wine and her newest music downloads sounded like a better idea. She had to call Derrick, but first she wanted to be as relaxed as possible. You can’t relax if you’re lying, can you?
When her cell phone rang, she answered, surprised to hear Max’s voice on the other end.
“Hello Ms. Cervetti, hope I’m not disturbing you at this time of night.”
“No, not at all, Lieutenant, I’m just driving home.”
“I wanted to let you know we may have a lead. We were able to retrieve a fingerprint from the glass shards. It is being processed and I’m hoping to have an answer by tomorrow.”
Thank goodness for small favors. The quicker she could get stalker guy out of her hair, the sooner Jarod could get out of town, too.
“I look forward to hearing from you then.” She disconnected the call and was suddenly eager to make that phone call to Derrick.
Completely pruned and relaxed from her bath, CeCe wrapped herself in one of her lush towels, ready to make that phone call to Derrick. She had just deposited the empty wine glass in the kitchen sink when there was a light knock at the door. She stepped to the door and looked through the peephole, not surprised to Jarod looking back at her.
Glancing down at her barely concealed chest and her still glistening skin, she considered letting him stay there.
He responded simultaneously, “I know you are on the other side of the door, Kitten.”
Of course he does.
With the security chain still in place, CeCe
hid behind the door and craned her neck enough so she could speak out the small opening.
“Not really in the mood for a social visit, Gates.”
His clear blue eyes, locked on her bare shoulder before they returned their gaze to her hazel one, “We need to talk about your case.”
CeCe swallowed, weighing his words, he seemed all business, and apparently that was enough to sway her decision. She closed the door, unlatched the chain and let him to in.
“Sorry to disturb your bath. If you want to put something else on, I’ll wait.”
Um, okay…he is being decent and considerate.
“Uh, yeah, just give me a moment.” She turned and made her way to her bedroom, quickly throwing on an oversized cotton shirt and yoga pants. She even went for the security of putting a bra on. No sense in poking the bear any more than she needed to. She left her hair pinned up on top of her head, checking her appearance in the full-length mirror before she left her room.
When she made her way back out to the living room, she discovered Jarod hadn’t moved away from the door. He looked weary, tired, and as she rounded the corner, she’d noticed he was rubbing his thigh, guilty struck her for not insisting he sit down. Her thoughts found their way out of her mouth, “Is your leg alright? The pain bad?”
“No, I’m good.” He said, immediately stuffing his hands in his front pockets as he continued to look at her.
Breaking the silence she pressed, “So…what did you need to tell me?”
“How well do you know Kelleigh?”
Completely caught off guard, CeCe balked at him.
“Kelleigh?”
“Yes, how well do you know her, or more specifically, her life outside working at your store.”
“You think Kelleigh has anything to do with the flowers?”
“It’s possible. I’ve done some digging, as well as observing, and something seems off with her. I’d bet she isn’t living the life you think she does. What do you know about her?”
“Uh, well, she has worked for me for three years, she lives with her sister, she has always been trustworthy and a straight shooter. You can’t be serious that she would have anything to do with this? It doesn’t make any sense.”