Cameron,
Is there a reason you’re ignoring me? I’m getting worried that I haven’t heard from you. I thought you’d at least thank me for the flowers or acknowledge one of my emails.
You’re making me nervous and I don’t think rationally when I’m nervous…
Anyway, call me when you can. Can’t wait to speak to you :)
Darcy xx
She’s contradicting herself. She's all over the place, in the same way that one email throws abuse at me, and the next is five pages of apologies and I love you’s. I laugh, because this is getting out of hand. The only thing I’m not sure about is what to do. Maybe I should try and talk to her? But if I say the wrong thing and make things worse, I’ll be even more fucked.
I jump at the sound of the doorbell ringing again. That fucking thing is going to give me nightmares tonight. I don't answer this time. Or when it rings again fifteen minutes later, or twenty minutes after that. I’m so on edge that every tiny noise has me jumping out of my skin.
Maybe I should tell Dad.
He might talk to her for me, or at the very least, arrange a restraining order. No. I haven't turned to my father for help in over four years and I’m not going to start now. I stare at my phone as it flashes on the coffee table. It’s Darcy, of course. The ringing stops, and an alert pops up. Sixteen missed calls?
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
I know the longer I go without answering, the angrier she’ll get, but I can’t answer. If I speak to her right now, I’ll say something to make this a million times worse.
I need advice.
What better person to give it to me than the man who’s been stalked three times?
I leave my phone on the arm of the couch and stomp out the door, and over to Lewis’ place. I bang on his door continuously until he opens it. He frowns at me.
“What the hell is up with you?” he asks.
“Don’t ask,” I mutter. “Do not fucking ask.”
He waves me in, so I stomp over his couch and sit down. I sigh and lean back, resting against the cushions. Lewis wheels over, eyeing me cautiously, like I’ve lost my mind.
Which is kind of ironic, considering the morning I’ve had.
“Okay.” He shrugs. “I won’t ask then.”
“She’s mental,” I mutter, shaking my head. “A nut case. She's completely crazy and I’ve got no idea what to do.”
“Hold-up, who is?” he asks, confused.
“It’s a long story.” I sigh.
“So, explain it?” he says. “You didn’t come over here just for my company.”
“It’s Darcy,” I grumble. “She found out that I was messing with her and she lost control.”
“She’s angry?” he guesses, a knowing smile on his face.
I laugh bitterly. “No. God, I wish, because angry I can handle. She’s completely obsessed with me. I’ve been fielding off emails and calls from her all day. And man, she even kissed me,” I mutter.
He starts howling. “She kissed you?” he hoots. “Well? How was it?”
“Well, the kiss was pretty good, but the rest of it…” I shake my head. “She's completely unstable—” I pause when someone knocks on the door. “Fuck,” I hiss. “How would she even know I’m here? Is she watching me or something?”
“Okay, now you’re just being paranoid.” Lewis chuckles.
He’s still laughing as he wheels himself over to the door. I hide around the corner, straining to listen to the conversation. I’m ninety percent sure that he’s right; I’m just being paranoid, but I’m still on edge.
He comes back in—alone, thank God—with a small box on his lap. I narrow my eyes and stare at it suspiciously. He chuckles when he sees the anxious look on my face.
“I went out with this chick last year. Narelle,” he says.
I nod, remembering the short blonde with way too much perkiness.
“Well she went on and on about how I never got her anything,” Lewis continues. “So she came over one day, I greeted her at the door in my chair with a box like this in my lap. Her eyes widened, she followed me into the living room. I told her she had to kneel down in front of me, so I could hold it or it might jump out.”
“No,” I say with a laugh. “Please don’t finish this story.”
“She was so sure that I’d gotten her a kitten or a puppy. She was nearly jumping up and down with excitement. She got down on her knees, lifted the lid and…” His grin widens when I groan. “What? I wasn’t lying. Something did jump out.”
“Fuck, you’re an idiot,” I say, but I’m laughing. “And don’t think I’m gonna open that while it’s sitting on your lap. I’m not as easy as Narelle.”
“Fine. I guess I don’t need to tell you that this is for you?” He grins and tosses it at me.
“Jesus, man,” I growl, lurching forward to catch it. “Be careful. It’s probably a bomb or something. How the hell did she know I was here?”
“She didn’t. The delivery guy had the wrong apartment, but I told him I was you.” He winks at me. “It’s the chair. People get nervous around it. He practically tossed it at me and ran.” He nods at me. “Go on, then. Open it.”
I take a deep breath and read the card first.
Cam,
Have you been getting my emails and messages? I hope you’re not ignoring me. I don’t think I can handle that…Anyway, I just wanted to show you that I’m always with you, even when I’m not there. Please call me?
Love
Darcy
I hand it to Lewis, who starts laughing uncontrollably. I shake my head at him then reach into the box and pull out a teddy bear. I examine it from every angle. A red button on his left paw reads Press Me, but honestly? I’m scared to. I glance at Lewis, who’s still laughing when I look back at the harmless little stuffed toy I’m holding in my hands.
How much damage it’s going to cause me if I press that little button?
“She’s really losing it,” I murmur.
“Just press the damn hand,” Lewis orders.
I glare at him. “Fine, but if this thing explodes, it’s on you.”
I press the little paw, then frown at it as it starts awkwardly dancing in my hands.
“What the fuck…” I mutter.
His mouth starts moving and Richard Marx’s “I’ll Be Right Here Waiting for You” begins to play. I frown because this is some freaky shit. The song almost sounds like it’s playing at a distance away, like in horror movies, where they’re trapped at a deserted carnival, but then music randomly begins playing just before they get hacked to death.
“I think she’s trying to send you a message,” Lewis chuckles. “The question is, are you going to listen?”
“Fuck, what do I do?” I mutter. I drop the toy onto the couch and walk over to the window. “How far is she going to go with this?”
“I don’t know, but Man, I’m glad I’m not you.” Lewis shrugs helplessly. “I wish I could help you, but you might just need to ride this out. Put up with it, don’t upset her, and she’ll be onto something else before you know it.”
“I need to talk to her,” I decide. “Maybe if I let her down gently and apologize again, she’ll back off? I can’t have this kind of shit happening when I’m at work.”
“I think talking to her is a bad idea,” Lewis calls out after me.
Maybe it is, but it’s the only idea I’ve got at the moment.
Chapter Eleven
Cameron
It’s official.
This chick is a fucking psycho.
Yesterday, I ended up listening to Lewis and I gave her the benefit of the doubt, but not anymore. I’ve barely had a second to myself where she wasn’t trying to contact me, either to abuse me or to confess her love.
Sometimes, if I was really lucky, I got both. If I’d known she was this crazy, I’d never have answered that ad in the first place. I should’ve just palmed her off onto Lewis, and then it would be him who’d be dealing with all of
this. Maybe I should be warning Dad. I mean really, how long has he known Paula? She could be just as unstable as her daughter.
I’m on edge when I arrive at Dad's house. I park my car and let myself inside.
“Hello?” I call out.
Nobody answers, so I’m pretty sure no one is home, which, given it’s Wednesday afternoon, isn’t that surprising. I check the garage just to be safe, and sure enough, it’s empty.
Fuck, I’m so glad she’s not home.
I honestly had no idea what I was going to say to her if she was. I groan and walk over to the couch, where I sit down and rub my head. Now that I’m here, I know Lewis is right, that talking to her is a really bad idea, but I don’t know what else to do. What if this is just the beginning and things get worse from here?
God, what if she ends up knifing me in my sleep?
Mack frowns at me. “What’s up with you?”
I jump and look up at him with a scowl. My heart pounds. He scared the fuck out of me.
“Well?” he presses.
He frowns at me and sits on the arm of the couch, waiting expectantly for me to say something, I don’t, because there’s no way I can tell him what’s going on, but he can be a nosy little shit when he wants to be.
“Nothing,” I mutter. “I just have some stuff going on.”
“Ah.” He chuckles and nods, like he knows something. “This is to do with Darcy, right?”
“Just leave it alone, Mack,” I snap, narrowing my eyes.
I’m not in the mood for his smartass comments today.
“Hey, I’m just trying to help you, big bro,” he says. “You do know she’s playing you, right?”
“No, I’m the one playing her.” I sigh.
So much for not going into this with him.
Maybe getting it out of my head will help me to figure out a solution.
“Well, I was. Until I triggered some kind of psychotic break and now she’s...” I shake my head and sigh. “Don’t worry about it, Mack. I appreciate your help, but I’m handling it.”
“You think you’re handling it?” Mack chuckles, his eyes sparkling. “If this is handling it, then you’re stuffed. But, lucky for you, I’m here to help.” He pats me on the back. “Have I ever led you astray before?”
“Are you kidding me?” I grumble.
“Okay, fine, but this time, I want to help you,” he promises me.
“Mack, just go away.” I sigh. “I’m sorry, but I need to think, and I can’t do it with you here.”
“Scoot over,” he demands, squeezing onto the couch next to me.
I groan and give up, moving over on the couch. I know Mack well enough to know he’s not going to leave me alone until I listen to whatever the hell he has to say to me.
“You’re so lucky to have me on your side.” He chuckles as he flicks through his phone, then he hands it to me.
“What’s this?” I ask suspiciously.
I’m staring at what looks like a video of Darcy and her friend, Sasha. They’re sitting on Darcy’s bed.
“Mack,” I say slowly. “Why do you have a video of Darcy and her friend on your phone?”
“Because I thought their little chat might progress to a naked pillow fight, and I didn’t want to miss it?” He shrugs, like it’s the most natural assumption in the world. “What?” He frowns, when I shake my head at him.
“Nothing.” I groan. I rub my forehead and suppress a laugh. “I feel like I should be talking to you about respecting people’s boundaries.”
I stare at his phone, deep in thought. I’m still trying to work out what to do about Darcy and I’m almost afraid what this video is going to show me. Frustrated, Mack leans over and presses play.
“And you’re going to be leading some company into the future?” he mumbles, shaking his head. “Into the ground is more likely. By the way, are you ever starting that damn job?”
Normally, I’d whack him for a comment like that, but I’m too distracted by what Darcy is saying to her friend to really care about Mack.
“I’m going to make Cameron Hunter believe that I’ve fallen head over heels, fatal attraction, I want to bathe in his blood kind of love.”
I sit forward and start to laugh. I probably shouldn’t be finding it as funny as I am, but, fuck, this is hilarious. Mack frowns at me, his brow creasing in concern.
“Why are you laughing?” he asks. “Aren’t you angry at her? I’d be fuming if a chick humiliated me like that.”
I shrug. “Honestly? I’m kind of impressed—not to mention relieved that she’s not crazy obsessed with me.”
I hand Mack back his phone, then I get my own out of my pocket. I choose one of her thousand and fifty texts to reply to. I’m sure the annoyance will come later, but let’s be honest, I’m the one who started this in the first place.
Me: Can you come over? I need to talk to you about something.
“Hey,” Mack says slowly. “How easy would it be to mess with her right now? I mean, since she doesn’t know that you know...”
His eyes shine. I smirk and lean over to mess up his hair.
“Mack, my boy,” I say, winking at him. “I’m one step ahead of you.”
His eyes light up. “Really? I’d love to see you give it to her. All she does is talk to her friends about what a tool you are,” he confesses. “Like that chick, Sasha. She was telling her how stupid you are for believing she was in love with you. She said she could never love such a cockhead.”
“She said that?” I mutter. He nods grimly.
I smile at my phone as her reply pings through.
Darcy: Sure. Is everything okay?
Me: Yes, everything’s fine.
She played me exceptionally well and there’s no denying that she’s good.
But too bad for her, I’m better.
* * *
I glance at my reflection in the mirror next to the door, just as the doorbell rings.
Fuck, I’m really doing this?
I shake my head because it’s crazy. She’s never going to buy it. No way. But I’ve committed to it now, so I’m going to see this through.
She rings the doorbell again. I take a deep breath and reach for the handle, twisting it. Then I yank it open, my eyes locking on Darcy’s. My heart thumps in my chest as I watch her react. She frowns, confusion filling her eyes as they slowly move over me. She narrows her eyes at me as she tries to make sense of this.
“Thanks for coming,” I say.
I force myself to smile as I nervously rake my hand through my hair. Then I step back to let her in. She doesn’t move. She just stands there in shock, gaping at me, like she’s frozen to the spot. I give an anxious laugh, which startles her enough that her gaze shifts over me again.
“Do you want to come in?” I ask her. “Because I’d rather not have this conversation in full view of all my neighbors,” I add.
Specifically, Lewis.
I give her an uneasy smile and motion for her to come in. This time she does. I close the door behind her and take a deep breath. I can’t think about what I’m doing, because one slip up, one second where I break out of character, and the whole game is up. She turns around and frowns at me.
“Is that…is that my mother’s dress?” she asks uncertainly, her lips pressed tightly together.
“Yes,” I murmur. “This is what I wanted to speak to you about. I figured it was easier to show you…”
I smooth my hand over my purple silk dress and then nod. I can’t actually tell if she’s trying not to laugh or if she’s really concerned about me.
“I didn’t mean to take it,” I say to her. “I went over there to see Mack, but he wasn’t home. Then I saw the dress sitting there. It was draped over a chair, and at first all I wanted to do was feel the material.” I pause and look down, then I let out a nervous laugh. “It was so soft. All I could think about was how much I wanted to try it on. It was calling my name.”
I raise my eyes to meet hers, then I lower them again.
/>
“Cameron…Cameron….” I whisper the words, sounding both full of regret and shame.
Darcy shakes her head. “I don’t know what to say,” she admits.
She laughs nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. I nod, like I completely understand.
“That’s why I asked you to come over, because I had no idea how to put it into words, either,” I admit. “I didn’t know how to tell you this in a way that you’d take me seriously.”
I hold her gaze, just to show her I’m serious, then I take a deep breath and laugh. I want her to believe that I’m struggling with this, like it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. The funny thing is that this is one of the hardest things I’ve done, but not for the same reasons I want her to think.
“Cam, I’m not going to judge you,” she promises me. “You can talk to me.”
“Mack told me your whole obsession thing was just a joke to get back at me,” I say.
At least that’s something I’m being truthful about.
“But what you don’t know is the reason I responded to your ad in the first place.” I take a deep breath before I continue. “It wasn’t because I wanted to play some stupid mind game with you.”
“It wasn’t?” she asks.
“No.” I pause. “The night we were supposed to meet? I was going to tell you everything,” I say. I take another deep breath, then I laugh.
Fuck I hope she’s buying this.
“I have these urges,” I whisper. “These desires that I just can’t shut up.”
“You mean the dressing in women’s clothing?” she asks softly. She shakes her head and smiles at me. “But that’s not even a big deal, not in this day and age—”
“The crossdressing is just the beginning,” I explain. I laugh and rub my forehead. I even manage to make my voice tremble. “Can we sit down and talk about this properly?” I ask.
“Sure, of course we can,” she assures me.
I lock the door, then show her through to the living room. The last thing I need is for someone to walk in. Like Lewis. Or my father.
If he saw me like this, I’d never hear the end of it.
PAYBACK’S A BITCH Page 11