by S. Nelson
I wasn’t going to make that same mistake with Cara.
“You sure?” Cal asked, the apprehension on his face enough to make me think about his simple question one second longer than I would have.
“I got it.” The two of them walked away without so much as another glance at me or Cara, and once they’d closed the door, I knew our time here would be short. So, I dove right in.
Holding her so close, I couldn’t stop myself from inhaling the smell of her hair, a mixture of fruit and coconut. Before I lost myself to unsuitable images, however, I focused on the reality of the situation. The two of us. Alone in a windowless room and away from prying eyes. If I was less of a man, I’d take advantage of Cara’s attraction for me and proceed with giving her what she’d wanted back at the club when she kissed me.
But I wasn’t a shit. Although, if Cara could give her opinion on the matter, I was sure she’d beg to differ.
The tremor of her body disarmed me, and for as much as I wanted to reassure her that nothing bad would happen to her while I was in her life, I couldn’t do that. I didn’t want to give her a false sense of security because the truth was, I had no idea what kind of predicament would befall her if the person making the threats wasn’t caught soon.
Needing to ensure she finally understood the severity of her actions, more to point, her ditching me, I squeezed her tighter and anchored her to me, careful not to constrict her breathing. I didn’t need her passing out on me because that would defeat the purpose of my warning. Or maybe it would drive home my point.
Cara could barely move, but she could certainly still run her mouth.
“Let me go,” she shouted, the tremble in her voice betraying her typical strength. Or the illusion of it, at least. My guess was that the image she projected to the world, including her family, was someone who had no qualms about doing or saying whatever she wished, consequences be damned. Her actions never warranted any sort of real punishment and she continued to live life the way she wanted.
But I had a gut feeling her life was all a ruse. A means to hide from something, although for the life of me, I couldn’t say what. Or why I even possessed such a thought, but it was there, nonetheless.
I ignored her plea, and one arm held her close while I freed the other and proceeded to continue my lesson. Moving her hair to the side so there was no mistaking my words, I said, “Remember the fear you felt a few minutes ago? Draw on that and picture some psycho holding you like this, thinking of all the ways he could violate you.” My hand skated over the edges of her breasts, then down her sides, trailing over her plump ass before settling on the inside of her thigh. Far enough away from her pussy but close enough to make my point. She tried to squirm, and I couldn’t figure out if it was in excitement or trepidation, hoping for the latter. Otherwise this whole song and dance would be for nothing.
“I don’t have to imagine because you’re the psycho. Now let go of me,” she reiterated right before she jerked her head back and thumped me right below my collarbone. Any higher and that shit would’ve hurt, especially with the force she used.
But I chose to ignore both her words and her attempt to harm me. “Or even kill you if he so desired.” My hand disappeared from between her legs and wrapped around her throat, my fingers pressing into the sensitive skin underneath her jaw. If I pressed any harder, I would surely hurt her, and that wasn’t my intention. Not pain, just fear. Fear of what could happen if someone else got their hands on her.
Moments passed in silence, her breathing slow and choppy while mine was relaxed and in control. My mind, however, was a fucking mess. I inwardly cringed when I pictured a faceless man having his way with Cara right before I saw her lying in a pool of her own blood, beaten and battered. Then my brain messed with me and twisted those images into ones of her lying beneath me, the look of desire painted on her face while her body writhed from my touch. So many conflicting thoughts confused me, and before I could settle on one of them, either enough to rattle me, I thought about how to transition back into the role of her bodyguard and her my client.
“Wait until I tell my father what you’ve done,” she threatened, and even though I couldn’t see her face, I knew her expression had schooled, switched from shock back into the cocky and assured smirk she typically wore. “He’ll fire you and kick you out of our house so fast your head will spin.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, sweetheart.” My breath fanned over the side of her face when I spoke. “After I tell him about the three times you took off on me, the first one being the time you snuck off to see Kurt after he explicitly told you not to, and what you partook of while there, he will be only too happy that I stepped up and tried to teach you a lesson.” Even as the words left my mouth, I only half believed them. There was a great chance Walter Dessoye would only focus on the stunt I pulled, and not on his daughter’s disobedience. But there was also that chance he’d be furious with Cara’s behavior and condone what I’d done as a result.
“Or, he’ll be pissed off and disappointed in your lack of ability to watch over me, allowing me the time to ditch you in the first place. Not very good at your job, are you, Ford?” Even though her condescending tone pissed me off, I couldn’t argue with what she said. “Or how about I tell him how inappropriate you were with me. Do you think he’d like to hear about all the ways you touched me, practically grabbing my tits before shoving your hand between my legs?”
“I didn’t touch you with lust, and you know it.” I said this with her body still molded to mine. I’d since withdrawn my fingers from her throat and locked that hand onto my other, which was pinning her arms across her ribcage.
“Then why are you hard?”
Her words burned me, and I immediately released her. She spun around, and her eyes diverted directly to my crotch, where sure enough, I was blatantly aroused.
“My body’s reaction has nothing to do with you,” I lied.
“Oh, is that right. Then who is that for?” She pointed at the tent in my pants. “Were you thinking about one of your buddies? Or were you excited you were all able to pull off this stunt of yours?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” We could go round and round all day long, back and forth, and trying to blame the other for what happened. Technically, I was the one responsible for why we were standing there in that room, but it was her actions that led me to do something so extreme. Maybe if I’d done something similar with Julia, she’d be alive today. Shaking all thoughts of my sister away for the moment, I took a step to the side and swung my arm out toward the door. “We need to go.”
Without so much as an eye roll, Cara headed toward the exit. I expected her to run, but she casually walked away from me, as if it was a normal occurrence for her to be taken against her will, scared out of her mind only to come to find out she’d been set up. The straightness of her posture and the swivel of her hips had me guessing whether I’d gotten through to her.
On the ride back to the house, I couldn’t help but regret the fact I’d made her cry. Although, that was the purpose of why I’d gone to extremes, wasn’t it? To scare her. To make her feel all the emotions she’d travel through if someone succeeded in snatching her.
Still, the moment the first tear wet her cheek, I had to hold myself back from wrapping my arms around her and telling her I was sorry. Instead, I let the entire scene play out as it should.
I bounced between thinking I might be screwed if Walter found out what I did and hoping Cara had finally learned her lesson.
* * *
Cara
“Naomi is waiting for me,” I snipped, yanking the back-seat door open. Once inside, my fingers glided over the keys of my phone, texting my bestie that I was on my way to the restaurant we’d originally agreed on after our shopping excursion yesterday.
Ford had been talking with Owen on the front porch, but I neither had time for pleasantries, nor did I want to indulge in them. I was still seething over what happened.
I’d contacted Naomi as
soon as Ford brought me home the day prior and apologized for standing her up, even though it wasn’t my fault. I promised to tell her everything once I saw her. Emily had been the first person I’d told, and while she seemed just as angry with Ford for the stunt he pulled, she agreed that I should stop taking off on him. In fact, she told me I needed to find my center and move ahead. Having no mental stamina to decode her odd message, I had turned in early and shut out the rest of the world, falling into a deep sleep as soon as my head had hit the pillow.
When I woke, I contemplated telling my dad, but then thought better of it. A part of me believed maybe Ford was right when he said my dad would be okay with what had happened, telling me it was my fault Ford thought he had to go to such lengths in order to convince me to stop disappearing. And because I didn’t know which way my dad would land, I chose to keep my mouth shut.
“Why are you stopping?” My frustration barreled off me, and with the mood I was in, there was no way I could attempt to be civil toward the man. Not after what he’d just put me through.
“Because we’re here.” He cut off the engine, then exited the vehicle. I knew better than to expect him to open my door for me. He hadn’t done it before, and I doubted he’d start that shit now. Even if he felt guilty about the faux kidnapping, which I doubted he did.
As I brushed past him, I wanted to yell at him to remove his sunglasses. I hated not being able to see his eyes. When he hid them, I felt him judging me. Although, I was sure he judged me with or without them on.
Me: You here yet?
Naomi: Back booth. You have some explaining to do.
Ford was hot on my heels as I marched toward the entrance to the restaurant. I prayed that once inside, he’d give me a bit of space, seeing as how he owed me and all that. At least, I thought he did.
Once I’d located my friend, I slid into the booth opposite her and slumped forward, placing both arms out in front of me on the table. I saw Ford headed for the booth directly across from us, but I shot him a warning look. Normally, he’d brush me off and do as he wanted, but that time, he took the hint and sat two seats up from where he originally was going to, giving us more privacy.
When I looked back to Naomi, she frowned. “What was that all about?” I opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off with the flick of her wrist. “What the hell happened to you? You said you’d meet me, then never showed up. I called you repeatedly.” She shrugged. “No answer.”
I loved Naomi like a sister, and I knew she felt the same for me. I hated that I’d made her worry, but it wasn’t my fault. It was probably the first time in a long time where I could actually say that and it be the truth.
“Something happened.”
“I assumed. But what?”
To be sure I had the privacy needed to tell her everything, I looked in Ford’s direction. He was turned to the side, looking at his cell, but I had no doubt he was still paying attention to me.
“I came out of the shop and two guys grabbed me and threw me in the back of a van.” There was no use in sugarcoating my answer.
Naomi covered her mouth. “Oh, Cara!” She studied me, her eyes roaming over me slowly before she leaned across the table and placed her hand over mine. “Wait. How did you escape? Ohhh… Ford found you.” She nodded continuously, satisfied she’d been able to answer her own question. If only she knew the half of it.
“You’re right. Ford did find me. But it wasn’t hard to do, seeing as he was the one who set the whole fucking thing in motion.” I removed my hand from hers and leaned back against the red leather booth, folding my arms over my chest. Naomi looked over at Ford before turning her stare back onto me. She tugged on her ear right before she squished her eyebrows together. “Oh, yeah. You heard me right. That bastard had his two buddies snatch me up and act like they were real kidnappers.
“He’s behind the threats, then?” She tilted her head to the side. If the situation hadn’t been so serious, I would’ve found Naomi’s mannerisms comical.
“No.” I blew out a breath. “He set the whole thing up because he wanted to show me what could happen if I keep ditching him.”
Her lips parted and acknowledgment registered on her face. “So, he was teaching you a lesson.”
“Yes.”
She shook her head from side to side briefly before nodding. “I can see that.”
“What? You’re siding with him?” I couldn’t believe my ears. First Emily and now Naomi? Out of all the things I expected her to say, that wasn’t it. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I felt betrayed, but it was close.
“I think he went to extremes, but you have to admit that since your father assigned him to watch out for you, you’ve taken off on him twice.”
“Three times,” I corrected, wincing when I realized I’d proven her point.
“Okay, three times.” She leaned closer. “Maybe it was the only thing he could think of to show you how much danger you could be in. Are in. You have no idea who’s sending those notes. You could be being watched right now for all we know.”
“I am being watched, by that guy over there,” I said, pointing at Ford.
Naomi looked to him, then back to me. “That man could kidnap me anytime.” She laughed, wiggling her brows in an attempt to make me laugh, but I found nothing about this situation amusing. “Oh, come on. You can’t tell me you don’t dream about sitting on his face.”
Her bluntness was what made me crack a smile. “Only you.”
“You know damn well you’re hot for him, you just won’t admit it.”
“Yes, he’s cute.”
“Puppies are cute. Babies are cute. That man is gorgeous.”
“All right, he’s… attractive.” Naomi pursed her lips. “You know damn well I think he’s hot, but that doesn’t mean I like him. Because I don’t.”
“Just think about all the angry sex you two could have.” I couldn’t help but laugh because she’d completely gone off topic, and while I’d initially wanted to tell her the story from the beginning, I realized it was best I didn’t. The last thing I wanted to do was wade through the ocean of emotions he’d evoked from me the moment he walked into that windowless room.
I wanted to change the subject to one that was safer, one that would take all the focus off me and my shadow. “How’s Benji?”
She gave me a far-off look before answering, breathing out slowly as if what she was about to tell me was bad news. I prepared myself that the rest of our lunch date would be spent in consolation of a lost relationship, but when she parted her lips to speak, she told me the opposite. Sort of.
“He proposed.” My eyes landed on her left hand, but her ring finger was bare.
“Am I to assume from the lack of an engagement ring that you told him no? Or did he not have a ring? Is he one of those guys?” I smiled at the memory of us when we were younger, discussing that if any guy ever proposed to us without a ring, we’d ditch them on the spot.
“No, he’s not that guy.” The corner of her mouth turned up, but fell flat just as quickly. “He had a ring.”
“Well?”
“We’ve only known each other for a few months. I think it’s way too early to think about marriage, don’t you?”
“You’re asking the wrong one. I don’t believe in marriage. Too many restrictions.” I sipped my iced tea and wished I’d asked the waiter to throw in a couple shots of tequila for good measure.
“You do realize you’re gonna have to give up on the ‘I hate love’ mantra eventually, right?” Naomi took the remaining bite of her carbtastic meal and leaned back in her seat, her eyes narrowing at me until I acknowledged what she said.
“I don’t hate love.” I shrugged. “I just don’t want any part of that shit. No offense.”
“None taken.”
“So… what are you gonna do about Benji?” Before she answered, I threw another question at her. “Wait, what did you end up telling him when he asked you?”
“I told him that I wasn’t ready to ge
t married. I mean, we hadn’t even talked about it and he goes and proposes. That’s pushy of him, right?”
I pointed toward myself. “Again, wrong one.”
“You’re no help.” She chuckled, patting her belly from meal satisfaction.
Naomi and I had been friends for a long time, and I realized she needed my support. I needed to stop being, well, me, and woman up. Give her some advice. Problem was, as I told her, I wasn’t the right person for the job. But I needed to say something meaningful before the worried look on her face morphed into one of anxiety.
“If you care about Benji, I mean, really care about him, then give his proposal some thought. I’m not telling you to say yes, but talk to him. Hash it out.” I took a few more sips of my drink, the ice cubes clanking to the bottom of the glass when I rested it back on the table. “When did he ask you?”
“Right before I came here.”
I was mid-swallow when my iced tea went down the wrong pipe. Or was I choking because of what Naomi had just said? That her boyfriend asked her to marry him right before she met me here? Before I could ask her to repeat herself, a large palm slapped me on back. Not once or twice but four times. It took me a moment to figure out whose hand was smacking the hell out of me.
I hadn’t seen Ford approach our booth, so to say I was startled with the sudden attention would be an understatement. I wasn’t going to lie and say that I forgot he was even there, because I was all too aware of his presence, but I never thought he’d end up behind me as soon as I started choking.
I flinched to the side when I saw his hand raise in the air again. “Stop hitting me,” I griped, controlling my breaths to help alleviate my coughing fit.
“Are you all right?” His voice was rougher than usual.
“I’m fine. You can go sit back down now.” My tone wasn’t friendly, certainly not toward the man who’d fucked with my head yesterday.