Perfectly Obsessed

by Ellie R. Hunter

  Drake’s heartbeat is strong against my cheek as I rest my head on his chest. In this moment, I forget about everyone else around us, it is just Drake and I in the world and nothing can touch us.

  “One day, I’m going to marry you. You’ll completely belong to me then.”

  He speaks softly for only me to hear but with such a ferocious strength, I don’t doubt him. Then again, he is steaming drunk and will possibly not remember this conversation in the morning.

  “You don’t cross me as the marrying type, Drake Deveroux,” I chuckle, showing that I’m not taking him seriously.

  “I wasn’t, I blame you. You turned me into something I always steered clear from.”

  “You don’t need to marry me. I belong to you with or without a ring.”

  “Fucking right you do,” he cheers.

  Although, if at any time in the future he does ask me to marry him, without a second’s hesitation I will agree to be his wife.

  Chapter Twenty-Five - September 2005

  Drake

  There has never been a job I have taken on that I have had to talk over with someone in my life. I’ve only answered to myself, chosen what to do and when to do and most definitely, how I want to do it. I still haven’t told Cammie about the diamond job and with Tommy due to be released any day now, I really need to.

  For weeks, I have been weighing the pros and cons of telling her or keeping it from her. I don’t want to hide it from her, she’s the one person on this planet I can be one hundred per cent myself with and I want her to know everything about me. Yet, I dread the look of apprehension and disappointment on her beautiful face when I tell her and all she can see in the future is more police and prison visits. I don’t blame her really, I took her from a life of heartache but the rejection of her family nowhere compared to the heartache she suffered because I was taken away from her.

  She makes me nervous and most of the time it is in a good way, today, I have no idea if it’s good or bad.

  Glancing at my watch for the twentieth time, she should be home by now. Her shift finished half an hour ago, it only takes ten minutes to walk home.

  Before I wear a hole into the carpet from non-stop pacing, I grab my cigarettes and head out the door. It’s time to tell her. There isn’t a doubt I’m doing the job, once we have the money we can settle down to a life of luxury together. I can give her everything she has ever wanted.

  The short walk only makes me feel worse, the bright sun that shined down on us this morning has disappeared and has been replaced with dark, grey clouds and I just miss the first rain drops as I open the door to the café.

  My mood sinks even further when I see Cam ready to leave but hanging back talking with whoever this jumped up prick is.

  My initial reaction is to size him up, see if he is anyone who could give me grief. As I get closer to them, I see he is not. I don’t recognise him, he is a no-body to me and he just landed himself on my shit list.

  They are too wrapped up in their conversation to see me coming, whatever they are talking about must be more fucking important than coming home to me when she told me she would be.

  “What’s going on here?” I ask, putting as much disdain into my voice as I can.

  Cammie looks up startled, and the guy straightens up in his seat catching the anger radiating from me.

  I’m not that much of a cunt to expect her not to talk to any men when I’m not around, it’s her job to be cheery and polite, but when it cuts into my time with her, I definitely have a problem.

  “Drake, this is Dean, one of our regulars,” she answers, ignoring my scowl.

  “Is that so?”

  Dean gets the message and slinks out of his seat and leaves, leaving me with a furious Cammie.

  Like a blonde fluff-ball she pushes past me. I catch Marg shaking her head near the serving hutch having witnessed the scene I created.

  Sighing heavily, I back track out of the café and jog to catch her up.

  “What the hell was that about?” she snaps, before I can utter a word.

  “I could ask you the same,” I snap back.

  She remains staring out in front of her, refusing to look at me.

  “I was having a simple conversation with a customer, until you came in and scared him off.”

  “I wanted to do more than scare him off,” I mutter, turning the corner onto our street, “Is he why you’re late home?”

  “He was telling me that his wife has just lost their baby. Because I know how that feels, I stayed behind to listen to him get it off his chest.”

  A punch to my gut whilst wearing knuckle dusters wouldn’t have winded me as much as her answer has. All that jealousy erupting over nothing.

  “What? You’ve got nothing to say now?” she asks, storming off towards the front door of our building. I have to admit, it’s easier to reign my jealousy in watching her pert arse sashaying angrily from side to side. I pick up my pace when it occurs to me she might lock me out. The mood I’ve now put her in, I wouldn’t be surprised.

  I catch up in time to get through the main door and follow her up the stairs. She stops dead on the top step and I barely stop myself before knocking her down.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  Wow, my girl is definitely in a shit mood, but who the fuck is she talking to?

  I take one more step up the stairs and peer over her shoulder.

  Tommy.

  Bold as brass and waiting on my doorstep. His huge body filling the tiny hallway.

  “You’re finally out,” I grin.

  “Yeah and it’s fucking good to see your mucker,” he grins back.

  “Babe, you remember Tommy?”

  “How could I forget?”

  Her voice oozes ice and sarcasm and has both Tommy and I, wincing as she shoves her key in the door.

  Tommy senses the tension and wisely, stays quiet.

  “Don’t worry, I’ve just pissed her off. Come on, let’s get inside before she locks us out,” I laugh.

  His laughter echoes around the empty landing and he follows me inside.

  “What’s a guest got to do to get a drink round here?” he teasingly asks Cammie. The glare she throws him has him throwing his hands up in surrender and sitting on the furthest point of the sofa away from her.

  “I’m going for a shower,” she mutters and disappears into our room.

  “I thought you had her wrapped around your finger? Is she pissed because of the job we’re doing?”

  I dart into the kitchen and pull two cans of beer from the fridge before thrusting one into his hand to shut him up.

  “I haven’t told her yet,” I tell him.

  “Are you going to?”

  “At some point, I don’t like keeping anything from her.”

  “You’re not backing out, are you?”

  His eyes narrow and I fight the urge to slap him.

  “Of course not, I’ve been waiting on your sorry arse getting out. I hope you’re here to tell me we’ve got a date?”

  His face lights up and he holds his beer up, “We do, October thirty-first.”

  I tap my can to his and breathe a sigh of relief. About fucking time.

  “You cannot be serious, Drake?” Cammie whispers, taking the fine, rich scene in around her.

  Her nerves transfer from her hand through to mine and I try to squeeze them away gripping her hand tighter. This isn’t our usual eating haunt but she deserves the finest restaurants.

  “Deadly serious. Don’t think these posh freaks are above you.”

  After Tommy’s visit yesterday, I didn’t climb into bed till four am and Cammie was already asleep. She took herself off to bed six hours before claiming she had a headache. She didn’t, she just doesn’t like Tommy. I can’t blame her for it, he isn’t much of anyone’s cup of tea.

  Against my wishes, Claudia knows I am the one Tommy has brought in on the diamond job. He swore she did her own digging and worked out for herself who I was, that he didn
’t breathe a word about me. This is what tonight is about, we are in her territory. I have the distinct feeling -and it isn’t a good one- that it is really Claudia running this show and using Tommy and I for her personal gain.

  “This is how you deserve to live,” I whisper.

  The place is fancy as shit and she, dressed in her black, short dress that cost an arm and a leg, fits right in. I even made an effort and got myself a tux.

  “Your friend doesn’t look like he belongs here either, so we’ll all fit in nicely.”

  I clock Tommy and Claudia already sitting at our table as the maître d’ ushers us to join them.

  “He doesn’t, but his…girlfriend, does,” I tell her.

  “Why do you say it like that for?”

  We’re not far from the table now.

  “You’ll see,” I tug on her hand and slow our step, “I have a question for you.”

  “Oh God,” she groans, making me laugh, “Go on.”

  “Whatever you hear tonight, will you keep your cool until we get home?” I ask.

  “What’s going on?” she demands, not missing a beat.

  “I promise, by the end of the night, you’ll know everything.”

  I don’t give her a chance to argue with me and hurry to catch the maître d’ as he stops at our table.

  He pulls out a chair for Cammie, me being the prick I can be, pulls the fourth chair out for her myself. He gets the message and bows slightly before skittering away.

  “That’s why we don’t fit in,” she laughs lightly.

  “I don’t care where we are, I’m the only one who pulls out chairs for you,” I whisper in her ear.

  She shudders from my warm breath hitting the back of neck and smiles up at me.

  The moment is lost when Claudia opens her fucking trap. Tommy silently asks me across the table if Cam knows about the job yet and I shake my head. He bends and whispers in Claudia’s ear and her face transforms into something that has me regretting not telling Cammie myself.

  “It is lovely to meet you properly, darling. Your dress is simply stunning on you,” Claudia purrs to Cammie.

  Her lips part to reply but she is cut off by Claudia carrying on, loving the sound of her own voice. Within twenty minutes, we have heard all about her day and her diabolical appointment with her hair stylist.

  Cammie plasters on the fakest smile I have ever witnessed and squeezes my thigh under the table. I cover her hand in mine and return the gesture, letting her know I feel the same.

  This woman really is something to be seen.

  “So, darling, Tommy hasn’t given me a definite on your R.S.V.P. Am I to add you to the guest list? Under an alias, of course,” she smiles, brightly.

  I bunch my hands into fists and find the strength not to leap across the table and smash her face into the table.

  She knew not to say anything, she fucking knew. Now Cammie is looking confused and she has right to be, she is the only one here who hasn’t got the first clue what is going on.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you are talking about,” Cammie replies, gracefully.

  “Hasn’t he told you, darling? I’m throwing a Halloween party my husband will never forget,” she laughs, actually, she cackles.

  She is the reason I never trusted women and how Tommy trusts her, I don’t know.

  “I didn’t realise you two were married,” Cammie carries on.

  “Oh, he’s not my husband,” Claudia waves her hand theatrically, “One day he will be, not yet though,” she adds, cupping his cheek in her hand.

  I purse my lips tight watching Tommy’s reaction. He snorts over his crystal tumbler containing rich, amber liquid.

  “Is that right, woman?” he grunts, gulping the rest of his drink in one.

  Claudia flutters her eyelashes at him and returns her attention to Cammie. I’ve never raised a hand to a woman before, but right now, my hand is twitching to slam into her face just to shut her up.

  “We have a mutual goal at the moment but if he thinks he is getting away after, he is wrong. Besides the money we’ll get, we’ll have enough to have a wedding fit for royalty. Then again, so will you.”

  My hand is more than twitching now, Tommy better reign his fucking woman in soon or I’m going to do it for him. We haven’t even ordered yet and this night is already a disaster.

  Cammie’s face is expressionless. I can’t tell a thing she might thinking. Her promise to keep her cool still stands.

  “Will you excuse me. I need to use the ladies.”

  Or maybe she is going to lose it in the bathroom. I sigh.

  I grab her wrist as she pushes her chair and stands.

  “You good?” I ask, trying to keep my voice low.

  Jerking her arm out of my grip, she nods and walks away from the table.

  “I don’t know why you haven’t told her yet, Tommy said you two are solid when it comes to your lifestyle,” Claudia purrs, reaching for her glass of whatever the fuck she is drinking.

  I lean back in my chair and my eyes follow Cammie across the restaurant.

  “Tommy should keep his fucking mouth shut,” I growl, throwing a dirty glare at the man in question, “Don’t think I will forget this you jumped up little bitch, you knew she didn’t know yet and now you’ve given me shit to deal with. Don’t treat me like I work for you, you carry on and this charade you’ve got going on will blow back on your paid for sculpted fucking face.”

  “You can’t talk to me like that, if it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t know about the…”

  I cut her off, “I can talk to you however the fuck I want, your man here knows it and I know it. You are an information mule, that’s all. Don’t, get above yourself. You are not the only payday I could line up.”

  Thank the lord, there must be a God after all. The unbearable woman closes her mouth and shuts up.

  Tommy’s mouth lifts at the corner but quickly disappears when she looks at him.

  “Are we still good on this?” Tommy asks me.

  I nod and catch Cammie come out of the ladies and head for the double doors that look like they lead to a balcony.

  “I’ll be back.”

  I leave Claudia and Stan muttering between themselves and follow my girl outside. The balcony turns out to be huge and accommodates at least another thirty tables. Stairs lead down to a small garden area and that is where I find her.

  Holding her arms, her shoulders rise and fall with every deep breath she is working through.

  “Babe, what are you doing out here?” I ask, coming up behind her.

  She whirls round hearing my voice, instead of answering, she reaches into my inside pocket and pulls out my cigarettes and lighter.

  I watch as she swiftly takes one out and lights up, inhaling like someone who has been smoking for years.

  I frown and hold my hand out for the smokes back.

  “What’s going on? You don’t smoke and I don’t think I like it,” I tell her.

  “You’d rather I smoked right now than throw the fancy china at your head and pour over-priced champagne over that woman’s fake hair extensions. And if she calls me, darling, one more fucking time, I’m going to stab myself in each ear.”

  She inhales deeply on her cigarette after her rant and closes her eyes as she exhales a long stream of smoke.

  “I did promise you I’d tell you everything tonight, I didn’t think she would open her mouth like that.”

  “I’m only pissed because I felt humiliated being the only one in the dark. What’s going on, Drake?”

  I light a cigarette for myself and move closer so no-body can hear what I am about to say.

  “I know the money was running out and then when Tommy turned up, I knew you were both planning something,” she says, before I can say a word.

  “Why didn’t you say something?” I ask her.

  “Because I told myself I didn’t need to know. But then you bring me here and I’m the only one out of the loop. I had no idea what she was going
on about, it was embarrassing.”

  Stubbing the cigarette into the provided ashtray on a nearby table, I see she isn’t upset with me doing a job. But she is upset I didn’t tell her.

  I should have told her as soon as I got out, especially when Tommy turned up yesterday, most definitely before we came here tonight.

  “Her husband is a very rich man, rich like you or I couldn’t believe. Claudia has been with Tommy for a long time, longer than you and I have. Like us, they spent every visiting day together. Plotting to steal a very valuable diamond from under her husband’s nose. That’s what the party is for, it’s our way in to take it.”

  There, I’ve told her now. I step even closer to her so she can’t escape me.

  “How is she involved?”

  I don’t miss the disdain dripping in her tone asking after Claudia. My girl has good taste, the same as me, I can’t stand the woman either.

  “She will be the dutiful wife and hostess. She has been planning this party for months, I only found the date out yesterday. She has given us invites, under different names so we can’t be traced.”

  She turns to look out over the garden and sucks in her cheeks, thinking.

  I give her time to take it in, not worried at all that she will tell a living soul about the plan, not that she knows the whole plan.

  When she faces me again, I know by her serious face that I am not going to like what comes out of her mouth.

  “I’m coming with you,” she informs me.

  “No,” I reply, instantly.

  That is never going to happen, no way am I going to put her in a position like that.

  “When you got out, you said it was us together, whatever happens. Was you lying to keep me happy?”

  “Of course I wasn’t, I have never lied to you, ever.”

  “Then I’m coming with you. Us together, like you promised.”

  She leans up on her tip toes and kisses me before taking my hand and leading me back inside.

  Tommy and Claudia are huddled together when we return and pull apart when I scrape the chair back for Cammie.

  “We ordered for you, I hope you don’t mind?” Claudia informs us, “Seasoned Chicken for us with…”

  “And Steak for us,” Tommy pipes in, interrupting her.