by Liv Bennett
“Yes, yes. Do you have the—” My tongue freezes. Damn it!
She places her purse on the table and rummages through it. “Here.” She pulls out a blue Kodak digital camera. “The video is here. I made sure Case erased all the copies from his computer. You can check the web link. It’s erased, too.”
I nod, fishing out my phone from my pocket, and find the link on the text that her accomplice, Case, sent me. An error message appears when I click on the link. Which, I assume, means the video is erased from the net.
“See.” The girl is looking down at the screen of my phone. “Don’t worry. You’re safe now. I can assure you this is the original and there’s no copy of it.” She puts the camera on the table. “Look, I’m truly sorry for what we’re putting you through. We’re not bad people. Case is taking care of his mother and little sister. About half a year ago, his mother got hit by a hit-and-run driver. So, he had to pay all the hospital bills. The money in the bag is all he needs. I promise to God we won’t be bothering you anymore.” She draws a cross over her heart with her forefinger.
“I… I’m sorry to hear about the accident.” Hesitantly, I push the duffle bag toward her and grab the camera.
“Don’t worry. His mother is much better now, although she’s permanently wheelchair-bound.” She leans down to check the money but doesn’t bother with counting it.
“The guy with you in the video is sizzling hot. You’re one lucky woman.”
I can’t help but smile at the strange direction our talk has taken. But I can’t complain. “Thank you. I have a question, if you don’t mind.”
“Shoot.”
“How did you get my phone number?”
“Pure coincidence. You see, I work at the Peninsula Hotel at Beverly Hills. I remember seeing you and your boyfriend a few weeks ago at a special event. When I saw the video recording, I knew instantly that it was you. And finding your contact information from the hotel registrations was a matter of minutes.” She examines her manicured nails.
“Oh.” I pause to register what she’s just said. “Small world.”
“Well, hope we won’t get in each other’s way in the future.” She leans toward me and whispers, “Thanks a million for not calling the police.”
What shall I say? You’re welcome? My pleasure?
With the duffle bag in her hand, she moves toward the door and waves at me one last time, before she disappears into the darkness. When I drop the camera and my phone into my purse, I feel the cold metal of the handgun. A rush of relief washes over me. Thank God it didn’t come to that.
Adam bursts into the café even before his friend from the gym can get to her feet. “You’re not hurt.”
I stand up and throw myself into his arms, tightly clutching my purse in my hand. The boy at the cash register eyes us suspiciously.
“I was hoping I’d kick some asses.” His friend, a girl with raven black hair and a few inches shorter than me, appears behind Adam.
“Lynn, I owe you a big time. Thanks for coming here tonight.” Adam releases me to shift his attention to her.
“What for?” She snorts and raises her hand to my direction. “I’m Lynn, by the way.”
“Taylor, nice to meet you. It was a great relief having you here. Please let me know if we can do something in return.”
“I may have something in mind.” She winks at Adam and nudges him in the elbow. Her look has nothing friendly in it and makes me wonder about the nature of their relationship. Even though I must admit I’m downright bothered by her flirtation, I can’t overlook the fact that it serves my ultimate purpose; letting Adam go his own way.
I pull out a business card and jot down my cellular number on it. “I’d like to thank you on behalf of myself, too. Designer shoes, flight tickets, VIP concert tickets, you name it. Just give me a call, and I’ll arrange anything you want.” I hand her the card with my most genuine smile on my face.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here.” Adam pulls me under his arm as we walk out. “Lynn, did you come by car?”
She shakes her head. “I was counting on you.”
“No problemo,” Adam says with half-grin.
Lynn hurries up and sits in the front. Adam eyes me apologetically, as he climbs into the car. I ignore his look and begin reporting to them the details of my conversation with Case’s accomplice.
Adam shoots me a fierce look through the rear-view mirror. “You shouldn’t trust those rats. I bet money that they’ll come back to you in a few days, if not tomorrow.”
Lynn turns to me, nodding. “The girl didn’t look trustworthy to me. I know that type of people. Once they sniff an opportunity to make big bucks, they won’t leave it until they suck your last penny.”
I sink in the seat, unwilling to agree to their opinions. I’m not naïve or blind. I’ve got a reliable feel of people, and the girl didn’t give me the impression of a liar. In fact, her apology seemed genuine and sincere. I want to leave it at that and not be troubled by the idea that someone else might be watching the video. That’s the only way I can stay sane.
Lynn turns to Adam, “What was in that camera?”
Adam shrugs. “Something personal.”
“Are you in it?” Lynn asks.
Adam shakes his head, while eyeing me cautiously through the rear-view window.
“Good,” Lynn says. Although I can’t see her face, I can imagine her smile with relief. I’m pretty sure something is going on between the two, and I’m glad I’ve already made the decision to get out of Adam’s life.
Adam stops the car in front of a three-story building and hugs Lynn. She turns to me to shake my hand, before she climbs out of the car. I stay seated in the back, although Adam orders me to the front.
“She’s very sympathetic,” I say to make him stop pressing me to get in next to him. “And pretty, too.”
He doesn’t make a comment, just stares at me. I examine his expression, hoping it’ll give away his feelings about her, although I shouldn’t care. I can envision her giving herself away easily to handsome men like Adam, only to end up being treated like nothing more than a fuck-buddy. Is she Adam’s fuck-buddy? I can’t help but cringe with disgust at the thought. Did he eat her down there, too, make her beg for his dick? No, I shouldn’t be jealous. He’s not mine.
“Can I see the video?” he asks.
I grab the camera and the gun and hand them to him. He shoves the gun into the glove compartment and studies the camera. My moans from the recording echo inside the car, making my stomach flip.
“Would you mind if I keep it?” he asks.
“As long as you won’t blackmail me with it.”
A smile clinging to his lips, he puts it inside the pocket of his jacket and starts the engine.
“I want to go home,” I say before he hits the road.
“I thought we could—”
I cut him off. “Execute another porn video? I don’t think so.”
A low chuckle escapes his mouth, making me realize that I’ll have to end it with him officially. He doesn’t deserve to be waiting for me with his hopes high, with a fuck buddy or not. Yet, his revelations today about his love for me will make it hard for me and probably even harder for him.
CHAPTER 16 - TAYLOR
It’s Monday before noon. I’m having the worst headache ever; even Advil can’t save me. My thumbs pressed against my temples, I call Bree to my office.
She hurries in, holding a folder in her hands. “You don’t look good.”
I roll my eyes. “Thanks for pointing it out.”
“Shall I cancel your lunch appointment?”
The appointment is a business lunch with Zachary Schulberg, a colleague of Adam’s at his other work. He approached me about the construction plans of a new branch of CVS pharmacy. Apparently, the contractor they usually go with is having managerial troubles and won’t take over new contracts. All the better for me.
I shake my head; the movement, though very slight, sends jolts around my
head.
“I need your signature on the change order for the Nielson project.” Bree places the folder on the desk in front of me. “Remember, today is the last day to send it in.”
“I haven’t gone through the revised plan sheet yet.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that. Can you go through them now?”
“Yeah, right.” I press at my temples harder; even the pain from the pressure doesn’t come anywhere near the headache.
“Adam prepared them, so they should be fine. Well, let me get you another tablet of Advil, then.”
“Whatever.” I shove the folder away and close my eyes. I hear Bree collect it from my desk and then stride out of the office.
A knock on the door startles me, and I open my eyes.
Adam. Great.
Isn’t he supposed to be at his other work today and the next two days?
He closes the door and moves toward my desk, his expression soft but unreadable otherwise. “I took the next days off from Caplan & Meyers to make sure you’re not alone if they get in contact with you again.” They, as in Case, the movie-theater guy, and his girlfriend, who blackmailed me.
“Very kind of you to be supportive of me but they won’t bother us again. And, even if they did your other office is just five miles away.”
He scowls while pulling a chair across me. “Are you okay?”
“Do I look okay?” I snap, immediately feeling guilty. “Sorry. I’m not the one to hang out with when I get a headache.”
“Headaches suck.” He grimaces his face with an effect. “Want me to massage your temples?”
“Bree massaged half an hour ago, and I swallowed some disgusting pain killers, but it won’t go away.”
“You gotta give it some time. Why don’t you go home and rest?” He stands, rounds the table, and settles himself behind my chair. I don’t move but just let his fingers rub my scalp and temples, humming with the warm sensation of relaxation taking over my body.
“I know the best cure for headache,” he whispers in my ear and slips his hands down to my neck and then under my shirt toward the top of my breasts. I catch his hands before they go too far down and turn this friendly massaging into a mating show for Discovery Channel. Which reminds me of my intentions of ending our affair.
“I think I’ll just rest on the couch for a few minutes,” I say.
He doesn’t move his hands from my bare skin, but doesn’t force them further down either. “Let me lie next to you.” He digs his nose into my hair, inhaling, and begins making circles with his fingertips under the clutch of my hands.
I shiver at the thought of the multiple ways he can take me on the couch. We haven’t done it the good old missionary style yet. I swallow hard as I imagine his entire body weight on me, his solid muscles pressed on my naked skin, his erection rubbing the sensitive flesh between my legs.
Oh, hell. How am I supposed to cut him off from my life when all he needs to do is to touch me to set me off? As tortuous as my longing for him can be, it seems to help me ease my headache.
He reaches down and gently bites the nape of my neck. If his tongue comes anywhere near my ear I’m a goner.
“Adam, no!” My low and trembling voice is evidence for the exact opposite of my words. He follows what my body wants and moves his head up and sticks his tongue into my ear, while forcing his hands down toward my hardened nipples, twisting them between his thumbs and forefingers. “Oh, God,” I moan, locked up in his grip.
The phone rings, rescuing me, yet Adam doesn’t release me even when I place the receiver against my free ear.
Bree speaks, “Your lunch appointment is here. Shall I invite him in?”
“No, don’t. I’m coming out. Thank you.” I place the receiver and turn to Adam, trying to keep my face serious. “We need to talk.”
He pulls his hands off my chest and straightens up. “Not exactly what I want to do with you right now.”
I reach down to pick up my purse from the lower drawer and stand up. I’m wearing flat pumps, which makes Adam tower over me. I take a step back as I let my mouth take over. “I think we should take a break from each other for a while. Maybe… maybe we should end it altogether.”
He starts to say something, but I raise my hand to stop him talking.
“I’m aware of your feelings for me and truly grateful for your support. I know you’ll hate me for what I’m saying, but I don’t feel ready for committing to you, and I don’t know whether I ever will be. It’s best for both of us, if we end whatever we’re doing now and move on.”
He crosses his arms over his chest and stares at me with a terrified expression. “You can’t decide what’s best for me.”
“Look, it’ll hurt you now, but you’ll thank me later, when you find the right woman. I’m no good for you. Each time we have sex I feel like you interpret it as the next step into a committed relationship, rather than just simple sex. And, the way you look at me with those ‘I’m going to marry you and make you mine forever’ eyes… I don’t know. It’s too much. You have to understand that I can’t love someone else. My heart is beating only for Jack although he’s…”
“Give me a chance.”
“I don’t want you getting hurt. I owe it to you.”
“Is it because of the blackmailing?”
“No, it’s not about that, although, it helped me realize what sort of shit I’ve been pulling you through. I’m very sorry for using you for my selfish needs.” I glance down at my watch. “I gotta go now. I have a lunch date… err... appointment, a business lunch, definitely not a date.” I dash out and hurry down the hall.
Zachary Schulberg waves at me, as soon as he notices me at the reception.
“I’m sorry I kept you waiting.” I force myself not to look back for the fear of seeing Adam behind me.
“No need to apologize. I can wait for hours for a beautiful woman like you.”
Shit. Does he have to speak as though we’re going out for a date? If Adam is around, he’ll be furious. Zach stretches out his hand to shake. I grab it briefly and then pace toward the door so that we’re out as soon as possible.
He drives me to a restaurant in Beverly Hills. We talk about business for only fifteen minutes, but he promises to send me bidding requirements CVS Pharmacy wants for the new branch. Our entrées haven’t arrived yet. Which can only mean we’ll end up talking about personal stuff, and from the way he looks at me, hearing about my private life will be more of his preference than sharing his own.
“So,” he says as he places his elbow on the table, revealing some tanned skin and the thick veins running underneath. “I guess we’ve got plenty of time left. Although I’m dying to get to know you better, I understand if you don’t want to open yourself up to me at our first lunch.”
First lunch? Is he thinking there’ll be a second?
He continues, “I heard about your husband’s death. My deepest condolences. Although it’s not the same, I can understand how much it hurts not being able to be with the one you love with all your heart.”
Surprised with the new direction of our conversation, I nod my head encouragingly. “You sound like you were hit by the poisonous arrows of love, too.”
He laughs and pours wine into my already half-full glass, implying the talk will be long and probably deep. “Indeed. It happened in the late years of my adolescence with the cutest girl in the high school.”
I take a large sip from the wine. “Those girls should be banned, right.”
“No, definitely not. Then you’d be banned, too. I bet you mesmerized your entire school with your beautiful eyes.”
I look down at my glass, embarrassed and uncomfortable. I can bear this conversation, only if he stops flirting with me.
“Anyway,” he says as if he understood my discomfort. “I managed to make that cute girl my girlfriend. She was very loving and tender, but even if she was a total bitch, I loved her because she had an amazing voice. Listening to her singing was like angels wh
ispering in my ears. She’d sing any crappy song and make it sound like the most romantic, meaningful, extraordinary song.”
“Sounds like a keeper to me.”
“Yeah.” His face is hardened, perhaps with some bad memories. “I fell hard for her and thought I’d marry her one day. But, she had other plans. She wanted to make it big with her music talent and moved to Nashville. At that time, I’d been accepted to UCLA, but I was ready to decline it and enroll at a college in Tennessee just to be close to her. I loved her that much. At the end, we decided to keep it as a long-distance relationship. ‘Yeah, right,’ you might say, but wait. We were able to keep it going for a year, visiting each other once a month or so during the semesters and longer during the summer vacation.”
The waitress comes with our plates, but I find myself more inclined to listen to the end of Zachary’s story than eat. He thanks the waitress, cuts a small piece of his steak, and places it in his mouth with a quick but elegant move.
“Then, in the beginning of the second year, she came to LA to appear as a singer in a movie. Soon after the movie, she signed a deal with Columbia Records. I decide to propose to her and make her officially my wife before all the jerks took notice of her. I bought her an engagement ring, but when I finally gathered all my courage to propose to her, I found out she was cheating me with another man she’d met in LA.” He drops his eyes to his plate and cuts more pieces of the steak with furious strokes, as if the meat belonged to the man his girlfriend left him for.
“I’m sorry.”
He just shrugs. I don’t know him, but I feel like I owe him for opening himself to me. And the silence that sets between us doesn’t help, either. So I begin telling him how I met Jack and some amusing snippets of our relationship without going into more personal stuff. Talking about Jack so lightly with a total stranger makes me realize it doesn’t hurt as much as it used to. As if I can detach myself from that part of my past if I want to. My diminishing headache and Zachary’s hearty laughter help me delve into other hilarious incidents even before Jack. Like my subconscious is telling me that I’d had a life before him and can go back to who I’d been if I allow myself.