I shook my head. I didn’t want to be in any part of this room while my best friend was half naked with a man’s head between her legs.
“I’ll just—”
“Put your neck into it! No wonder your wife wants a divorce. If you’re not on the verge of drowning, you’re not doing it right!” Gia barked, pulling the man’s head closer to her sex. After a few moments, she tilted her head back and sighed. “That’s it, now you’re learning. Good boy,” she breathed, fisting his hair into her hands. I shook my head.
“I’ll tell you later. I’m going to soak in the tub,” I said, closing the door before she could utter a response.
Sitting on the edge of the tub waiting for it to fill, my mind drifted back to Zane. The mere thought of him caused me to ache with need. This wasn’t right, but I felt too selfish to deny myself the feelings that I have when I’m with him. The most unusual thing about my situation is that I was feeling all of this when I’ve only been with this man twice. I hadn’t really seen or spoken to him after we had dinner at his business, and here I am thinking that he could be the one.
Maybe I was delusional. Maybe I only felt this way because this is what I longed to feel with Julius. I felt neglected and unwanted with him, so to be with a man who was the total opposite could make a woman fall in love easily.
Slowly, I sank into the hot bath and closed my eyes. How far did I plan to take this? What would happen if he wanted me to meet his family or even worse, for him to meet my family? There was no way I could bring him into my real life without risking the truth. He was only supposed to be my research partner, but tonight, he claimed me as his. I had no idea how I was going to manage two relationships. With Julius being a clingy fool now, I’d eventually run out of excuses as to why I needed to stay with Gia or come in late. Now that Zane and I were “dating,” I’m sure he’d expect me to spend the whole night with him or go out in public together.
No.
This relationship had to be strictly sexual. I have to make rules in order for this to work out in my favor. If Zane couldn’t handle it, maybe it was best to cut my losses and move on by myself for the rest of the project.
Just as I started to relax, I heard a ruckus coming from the living room. It sounded as if Gia were having a heated argument with a man and was threatening to call the police. My heart pounded frantically as I quickly got out of the tub, ran a towel over my wet skin, and pulled on a pair of shorts and a tank top. Making my way down the hall, I cringed when I heard the all-too-familiar voice.
When I came into view, he glared at me from the front door. His eyes were red, and despite the cold air outside, he looked sweaty. I glanced at the clock and rolled my eyes. “Julius, what are you even doing here?” I inquired, annoyed with his presence and the scene he was making.
I wasn’t in the mood to deal with his tantrum; it was hard enough to make eye contact. The way his glare bored into me felt as if he could see right through me and see everything that I had done tonight.
“I’m here to take you home,” he barked, trying to move past Gia. She held her hand up and pushed him back onto the stoop.
“I told you once, and I’ll tell you again. If you don’t leave, I’m calling the fucking cops!” she argued. Julius’ chest heaved up and down in anger as he stared at Gia before turning his attention to me.
“I’m not leaving until she is in my car. Let’s go, Arianna. I don’t want to cause a scene,” he bellowed.
I was frozen in my spot. There was no way in hell I was going home with him while he was in that condition. His actions and state of mind were scary to witness. If he was upset over a few missed calls and unanswered texts, he had some serious issues.
“I’m here to keep Gia company, Julius. Why do you need me to be home?” I asked.
“I called and texted you with no response. And then I come here and you’re walking around as if it’s the middle of the day. If you aren’t up to anything, why aren’t you asleep?”
“Why aren’t you asleep?”
“Don’t play fucking games with me, Arianna.”
“No one is playing games. I’m not a child or your property. I’m up comforting a friend who can’t sleep because she’s grieving—”
“That’s complete bullshit. Where’s the obituary?”
“I don’t have to prove shit to you. If you don’t get off of my stoop, I’m going to take the law into my own hands,” Gia interrupted, grabbing the ceramic vase from the table beside the door. Julius spat at Gia’s feet and glared at me.
“You’re going to regret this,” he snarled before turning away and making his way to his car.
“And you’re going to regret coming back to my house, you stupid dick!” Gia yelled after him, slamming the door shut. My anxiety was rising as I thought about what could be in store for me once I went home tomorrow. As if she could read my thoughts, Gia gave me a tight hug.
“You can stay as long as you need to,” she said, rubbing my arm gently. I sighed and shook my head.
“Even if that were the case, I’d still have to go home eventually.”
“Says who?”
“I live there, G. My stuff is there, my computer is there, my—”
“With all the money you have, you can replace that stuff.”
“I’m considered broke until I marry Julius,” I said reluctantly, flopping down on the sofa. Thank God I left Zane’s when I did. Had I stayed later and missed Julius’ visit, who knows what would’ve happened. I looked up at Gia to see her staring at me.
“What?” I asked. She shook her head and raised her hands to surrender.
“I try to help you, Arianna, but do you really want to be unhappy?” she asked. My forehead creased in confusion.
“Where is this coming from? Why am I unhappy?”
“Seriously, this innocent ‘I-have-no-idea-what-you’re-talking-about’ act is getting annoying. You’re not happy with your life, and you’re not happy with Julius. Are you really willing to remain unhappy just to please other people?”
It was easy for her to judge my situation. It was easy for everyone to judge my situation when they were on the outside looking in. Even though I was unhappy with Julius, what would become of my life if I were to lose everything? As much as I hated to admit it, I was dependent on the monthly allowance that my parents gave me aside from what I made from my books, which wasn’t a lot at times. I didn’t know where things were going with Zane. For all I know, he could be in this just for the sex. We never established what we were, and I think a meeting to talk about that was in order.
“I’m going to bed. It’s been a long night, and I know tomorrow is going to be long with Julius,” I muttered, stretching out on the couch and covering myself with the blanket that Gia had laid out for me. Her eyes lit up as she pushed my legs off the couch and sat next to me.
“Wait, wait, wait. As much as you’re irritating my life right now, I still want to know what happened tonight. I texted you a couple of times and didn’t get a response until recently. I take it that things got a little … steamy?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
I blushed at the thought of everything Zane and I did tonight. Gia shook my shoulders slightly. “Come on! Don’t hold out on me! I want to know everything from the moment you got there to the end. Like, when he answered the door, did you flash the goodies? What happened?” she shrieked, shaking me a bit harder.
“Geez, Gia, if you shake me any harder, you may knock the memories out of my head, and then you’ll never know. But no, I didn’t flash him,” I said, pulling my legs beneath me to get ready for a long conversation. Gia smirked.
“Ugh, you’re boring. I totally would’ve done it. Then again, I would’ve been completely naked, but that’s a different story. Anyway, go on,” she said, getting into a comfortable position.
I told her how I actually approached him and how everything was pretty cool up until the point that he took my journal away. “Oh my God, I wish I could’ve seen your face! You probably
looked like a tomato!” Gia hooted as the living room filled with her laughter. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
“Oh shut up. I had private things in there.”
“Private things about him. He should have the right to know if he’s going to be your partner and all. So what did he say about what you wrote?”
“He said that he knew I was staring at him that day. When I tried to deny it, he recognized that I had described everything that he was wearing. I should stop doing that if I plan on allowing my subjects to read my journal,” I sighed.
Gia giggled and fanned herself. “This is rich. So he has your journal. Did he see that one scene you wrote?” she asked, her eyes shining with curiosity. I bit my lip and nodded, remembering how embarrassed I was at that moment. Now that it was over, my actions were now pretty laughable.
“I felt so embarrassed because his face showed so many expressions. Then he asked if I’d ever seen a well-endowed man before—”
“Poor girl, of course not. When you’re dealing with miniature wienies, you wouldn’t know how to properly describe one,” she said, patting my knee gently.
I smirked at her. “Anyway, Zane told me to write a scene, and he disappeared behind the bookcase—“
“His place has trap doors or something?”
“Will you stop interrupting me, you fool? No, the bookcase separates his living and bedroom area. He has a studio condo.”
“Ah. Carry on, then.”
“So, he came around the bookcase a few minutes later … naked,” I said, pausing for dramatic effect. Gia’s mouth dropped as she slapped my leg frantically.
“Holy shit! Was it big?” she asked, her eyes wide as she awaited my answer.
As I was about to speak, I heard my phone go off in my purse. Gia sighed loudly and jumped to her feet. “If it’s that stupid Julius, I swear I’m going to give him a piece of my mind,” she said as she retrieved my phone. I rubbed my temples.
“G, just leave it alone. It really isn’t worth it. If I can ignore him, so can you,” I said. Gia was still standing with her back to me as she shook her head. “What?” I asked, walking over to her. When I finally walked around her, I could see that her eyes were wide with disbelief and her jaw had dropped. “What?” I asked again, trying to reach for my phone, but she snatched it away from me.
“Oh my goodness. I’ve never seen anything so … so … perfect!” she exclaimed, planting kisses all over my screen.
“Ewww, G, really? What the hell are you looking at?”
“If this is what you got a piece of tonight, I’m so jealous of you, you lucky bitch,” she said, thrusting the phone into my face. I took it from her hand and swallowed hard when I saw that Zane had sent me a photo of his penis. I opened the message and smiled when I saw what he wrote:
Wish you didn’t have to go so soon. Missing you already. All I did was think about you, and this happened.
I texted him back to tell him that I’d stop by his catering company later and put my phone back in my purse. Gia followed me to the couch with a silly grin across her lips, which made me very uncomfortable.
“Why in the hell are you looking at me like that?” I asked, turning my attention to my fingernails. Gia giggled and waved her hand.
“I guess that explains why you’re walking all pigeon-toed,” she joked. My eyes immediately widened at her words.
“It’s obvious? I can’t go home to Julius like this!”
I was panicking. If Gia could see it, I knew that Julius would definitely notice if he continued clinging to me. Gia laughed and patted my leg again.
“Girl, I’m kidding. But you are walking a little slower than usual. Hell, having a man that size would probably leave me sore, too,” she said. I continued telling her the rest of the story about him making me describe his dick as well as the foreplay in the kitchen. Gia grinned and nodded every now and then in approval.
“Then he recreated the scene that I wrote,” I finally said. Clapping excitedly, Gia bounced in her seat.
“So, he really did fuck you for all of New York to see?” she joked. I shrugged.
“The way his place is set up, there is one wall that’s made up of a floor-to-ceiling window. His bed is right in front of it. He picked me up and put me against the glass and … yeah,” I said, blushing. After I was done telling her about my night, she sighed contently.
“I’m glad that I can leave this earth knowing that you’ve been fucked properly. Proud of you,” she said, rising to her feet. I shook my head and stretched back out on the couch.
“Whatever, I’m going to bed. Please don’t be loud with whatever you call that man back there,” I said, turning over to face away from her. When I drifted off to sleep, I was almost certain that I was smiling.
***
I hesitated before stepping into my townhouse. It was eerily quiet, which was unusual if Julius was here alone. I glanced into the living room and saw that it was empty, as well as the kitchen. He wasn’t in the office or in his own study, so if he was here, that left only the bedroom.
When I walked in, there were a few suitcases pulled out, some of them partially filled. I raised an eyebrow as I placed my overnight bag on the floor. I could hear him rummaging in the closet. “Julius?” I called out, sitting on the edge of the bed. He poked his head out of the closet and glared at me without a word.
I shrugged and began folding the clothes that he had on the bed. If he was leaving, I wanted to help him pack faster so he could leave as soon as possible. With the number of suitcases that he had out, it looked like he’d be gone a long time.
“Where are you going?” I asked casually, carefully placing a stack of jeans into a suitcase. He shuffled out of the closet with a few business suits and placed them on the bed.
“Away obviously,” he mumbled as he started taking the suits off the hangers. I rolled my eyes.
“If you’re leaving, why was it so important for me to come home with you last night?” I asked. He put down the suit that he was holding and quickly came around the bed toward me.
“Because I heard that you were somewhere you didn’t have any business being at almost three in the morning,” he growled as he roughly grabbed my arm. I pulled away from him and stepped back.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about—”
“Don’t fucking lie to me, Arianna!” he bellowed as he slapped me across my face. I stared at him in shock and disbelief as he grabbed my arm once more, bringing his face inches away from mine. “A friend of mine said he saw you in Brooklyn last night wearing a trench coat, the same kind that Gia has. What were you doing in Brooklyn?” he said slowly, gazing at me intensely.
What in the world was I supposed to tell him? Was I expected to tell him that I was out having the best sex I’ve ever had in my life? I snatched myself away from him once more and returned his glare.
“Tell me this, Julius. If I was in Brooklyn at three in the morning, how the fuck was I at Gia’s when you arrived at 3:20?” I asked. He clenched his jaw and stepped toward me.
“Say whatever you want, Arianna. If I find out otherwise, you’ll be sorry. Don’t worry about me telling your parents and causing you to lose your inheritance. You better hope you live to receive it,” he snarled and moved back over to his suitcases. I raised an eyebrow at his words.
“I don’t think my father would be too keen with your threat.”
“I don’t think your father would want to know about his little girl sneaking around in strange parts of town in the middle of the night either, now would he?” Julius retorted.
Why did I keep coming back to this? For this bastard to put his hands on me, all guilty feelings of what I’d done the night before went out the window. I moved past him to my closet and began pulling out my own clothes. I didn’t give a damn where he was going or how long he was going to be gone. I would be gone long before he was.
“I guess you’re mad now, huh?” he asked, his voice dripping with amusement. I stuffed my clothes
into a new overnight bag without a word. I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me upset. Tears blinded my eyes, my cheekbones burned. I was pretty sure that Julius’ class ring left a small cut.
As I made my way to the door, he took ahold of my bag. “You’re not going anywhere,” he said with a smirk on his face. My hand tightened around the handle. One of two things could have happened in this situation. I could have kicked him in the balls and made a run for it, but what would happen if I had to return here for any reason? The other thing I could do was surrender for now and figure out what to do in the meantime.
I chose the latter.
“You’re right. I’m not,” I said, releasing my grip on the bag. He grinned in satisfaction as he tossed it to the side.
“Good,” he simply said and turned back to his suitcases.
My mind constantly replayed the memory of Julius hitting me. He’d never put his hands on me before, so what possessed him to do it now? Whatever the reason, I knew I couldn’t go to my parents’ house or see Gia with my face looking like this. I glanced into the small mirror on my desk and sighed. Only an hour had passed, and it was already changing to a blackish-blue color thanks to the small cut I also had. Despite not wanting to face Julius again, I had to go through the bedroom to reach the first aid kit in the master bedroom. I was just about to push the bedroom door open when I heard his voice.
“I miss you, too. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow night,” he said softly into the phone, sitting on the edge of the bed.
Who was he talking to?
I leaned against the wall and moved closer to the open door. I could see that he had a small smile on his lips as he talked to the mysterious person. Just as I was about to walk away, I heard something that made me freeze in my tracks.
“Baby, I’ll handle it. I’ll tell her that I’m going away on a business trip for a couple of months. I promise that I’ll be there for you when you give birth. I always keep my word, right?” he said.
My mouth dropped open. This whole time I was feeling guilty for sleeping with Zane, and this bastard has another woman who’s expecting a baby. All the late nights at work and frequent business trips were to see this woman, not because he had to work. The moment I heard those words leave his lips, I knew exactly what I was going to do about my situation.
The Daring Assignment Page 11