by Ginny Lynn
“I guess that I’ll make it unanimous. Make sure that you aren’t on the rebound and then go for it,” Raven said as she toyed with her manicured nails.
“I’ve never just had an affair before,” Felicia admitted.
“Neither have I”
“I have and we all know it,” Chastity said with a shrug.
“I did too, but I wasn’t too sure that I wanted it to be an affair. When I knew it was only an affair I was disappointed, so I decided to enjoy it until it fizzled out. He was another model so we were on and off shoots near each other a lot back then,” Raven avoided our glances.
“Who was he?” Chastity asked.
Raven told us his name. We were shocked.
“The one who did the hot underwear ads?” Felicia knew who the guy was. She could barely keep her mouth shut.
With a half grin Raven said, “Yep.”
I was impressed since I knew exactly whom we were talking about and I would’ve liked thirty minutes alone with the man, let alone an affair. I wasn’t going to pry, so I kept my mouth closed since Raven didn’t usually talk about her past. Felicia was still shaking her head as she went to the bar.
I looked around for the guys and saw them in the hazy pool room. I told Raven that I was headed to the ladies room and walked away before Felicia got back with the tall glasses of water. Thankfully, the bathroom line was short.
Once finished, I walked out and was painfully grabbed by the hand. I started to yell and another hand smothered the cry before it left my lips. I was shoved against the wall near the bathroom exit.
“I told you I’d be back. But this time, I only want you to hear what I have to say. Don’t scream or try anything foolish and I’ll be finished in a minute. Understand?”
I nodded as much as I could under his smothering hand and swallowed hard.
“Okay, I love you. I know I’ve done some crazy things, like now, to get your attention. It seems I’ve driven you into the arms of someone else when I just wanted us to have the passionate relationship that I’ve been dreaming of. Maybe we can go slowly this time. Are you serious with that man? Conrad, right?”
I tried to shake my head.
“Good, that would make things very bad. I’m going to let you go now. I want you to go back to the girls and act as if everything is normal, because it is. Don’t get serious with that man. I’ll be watching you. Now be a good girl and head back to your table.”
He kissed my forehead and slowly let go of me. I pushed away from the wall and looked at him. He calmly took a step away from me, as if he wasn’t the same person who had been threatening me. I ducked around him and slowly walked away, just barely looking over my shoulder to see if he was following me. I saw him slide in with a group coming out of the restroom and I walked faster in the opposite direction.
I must’ve looked scared because Felicia noticed me before I got to my vacated chair.
“What happened? Are you sick?”
“Just let me sit down, okay?”
She pulled out my chair for me. I started looking around for Jason.
“What’s going on?” Chastity demanded.
I was still looking around when I answered, “I don’t know if I can say right now.”
“Don’t make me drag it out of you because you look petrified right now,” Chastity argued.
I looked around one more time before I started to whisper, “I need to get out of here. I can’t tell the guys what happened. I can’t call any more attention to myself. He’s watching me.”
“Who’s watching and what happened back there?” Raven asked quietly.
“Is it Jason?” Felicia asked.
I nodded.
“What did he do to you?” Chastity asked through clenched teeth.
“Not here, not now. I need to go.”
“I’ll go get the boys,” Felicia said.
I grabbed her hand and said, “Wait, I can’t leave with Conrad. I don’t want this to get any worse than it already is. Please tell the guys that something came up and that we had to leave. Then meet us at the front door. I’ll tell you everything when we’re out of here. Please, do this for me.”
I hated Jason for making me feel this way. I just wanted to get as far away as I could, as fast as possible. I felt as if his eyes were on me. I couldn’t shake the shiver running down my spine. I was letting him have control over me.
“Okay, just give me a couple of minutes and I’ll be at the door,” she patted my shoulder before heading toward the back room.
“Are you okay?” Raven asked,
“I’ll be fine once I’m out of here.”
“Samantha, this isn’t child’s play anymore. This is a dangerous game of poker. If he just upped the ante, then you have to go to the cops.”
All I could do was nod because I knew she was right. First I had to get away from him, and then I could go to the police.
Felicia walked up to us as we reached the door. Thankfully, she was alone. She nodded at me and we headed to where Raven had parked Felicia’s car. I collapsed into the back seat and tried, unsuccessfully, to stop shaking.
“Okay, spill it before we die from suspense here,” Chastity commanded from the front seat.
“Jason cornered me and then issued threats when I went to the restroom.”
“What?” Raven was outraged.
“The guys were right, he wasn’t gone after all.”
Felicia whispered from beside me.
“He grabbed me, covered my mouth, pulled me into the corner and said all these things about him pushing me toward Conrad. He admitted he was acting crazy. He said he loves me and wants me back. He doesn’t want me with Conrad and asked me if we were serious. I told him no and he said that if I was then it that would turn out badly. He said not to leave with him, to go home and he’d be watching me.”
“Oh my gosh, he’s completely lost it,” Felicia said.
“Sammy, if he’s watching you then he could be behind us right now. I’m pulling over at this gas station for just enough time to check things out. I’ll pretend I’m checking the tires and see if he’s following us.”
She pulled into the well-lit gas station and got out at the air pump. Felicia fumbled in her pocket then I heard her mumble something. She got out as well and stood at the back of the car. I just sat there, numb.
I could hear Felicia talking to someone on the phone and then she handed it to Raven. I could sense something was up. I was too stressed to worry over it. They both got into the car and we drove off in silence.
We pulled up at Raven’s and I got out looking at the parking entrance, hoping nobody would pull in behind us. Raven walked me in and sat me down on the sofa and said she’d get us some sodas. Felicia sat down beside me as I unstrapped my heels and tucked my feet under me. Leaning my head back, I closed my eyes. There was a knock at the door. I practically jumped out of my skin.
“It’s the guys, Sammy. Calm down,” Felicia said as she answered the door.
Raven leaned against the sofa, behind my head and said, “Honey, Felicia can’t tell a lie, so the guys were on to her from the start. She had her cell phone on loudspeaker in her pocket while we were in the car talking. Parker heard the whole story. When we got to the gas station she got it back out. He said they were coming over after they made sure we weren’t being followed. Conrad got your address from us and had Blake check your place. No one was there, so Blake headed home.”
Soon after Conrad and Parker came in, Felicia apologized to me.
“It’s okay Felicia. Raven told me what was going on.”
Parker and Chastity sat across from me.
Chastity said, “I’m ticked that you didn’t want to tell anyone what had happened until you were gone. How were we supposed to grab him for threatening you if you didn’t tell us? You let him do this to you and he just walked away again.”
All I could do was whisper, “I didn’t want anything else to happen.”
I felt a weight next to me and was
immediately wrapped in big arms. I inhaled and somehow knew it was Conrad. I thought about Jason knowing he was there. I jerked. He tightened his arms around me and said, “Calm down, just relax. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I can’t. He told me to stay away from you. You didn’t see him or hear how he said it. He said it would be a bad thing if we got any more serious about one another and for me to keep away from you. If he saw you come here after me there’s no telling what he’ll do next.”
“Listen. Jason can go fly a kite or go to the next looney bin, whichever suits him best. If his intentions are to threaten, hurt, or frighten you again, I’ll do what I have to do. We’re going to come up with a plan to keep you protected. I told you that I have seen this kind of behavior before. I can’t stand by and let it happen to you,” Conrad said.
I nodded.
“First of all, we need to get a restraining order against Jason,” Raven suggested.
“That’s sure to piss him off and I don’t particularly care,” Chastity offered.
“We need to be prepared for his anger. Go to the police tomorrow. Conrad can verify what he’s seen. I’m sure we could get statements from the waiter tonight and the one Jason yelled at,” Raven said.
Conrad agreed.
Raven went on, “We can keep in touch with each other over the next few days, while the paperwork gets handled.”
“That could take a week or so depending on when they file the papers and serve them. At least, that’s what I’ve been told. We should give this situation two weeks to make sure,” Felicia said.
“I’ll go to the police station by my place,” I said before gulping down cold soda on my tight throat.
“I’m going to the station with you since I was there for two of the incidences. They’ll want statements from me as well,” Conrad offered.
“I don’t need a chaperone all the time, but going to the station with me isn’t a bad idea.”
“I guess that’s settled,” Chastity said as she leaned into Parker.
I looked at the girls and thought that we’d all been through enough tonight. I just wanted the whole episode to be over.
“Okay guys, party’s over. It’s really late and we’ve had a real blast. So why don’t we all get some sleep?”
“You’re staying here tonight, right?” Raven asked.
“Yeah, you can’t go home in case Jason comes by. There’s no trusting the jerk now,” Felicia said.
“She’s got a point, Samantha. You should either stay here tonight or have someone stay with you at your place. You don’t need to be alone,” Parker said.
“I’ll have to be alone sometime, somewhere. I refuse to be a prisoner because of him and you have to understand that. I’ll be careful. I’ll stay here tonight since I’m already here with my bag. Tomorrow, I will stop at the police station on the way home. I will also check in on a regular basis to make you guys feel better.”
I had just put my foot down with them.
“Fine. I’ll pick you up at ten o’clock for brunch then we’ll drive to the police station before taking you home, okay?” Conrad asked.
I looked at him and nodded, at least he’d let me sleep late. Conrad hugged me. I looked into his eyes and tried to smile. I realized that he was swaying closer to me. He kissed me softly on the lips—a mere touch that felt like more than what it was. My breath caught. The look in his eyes changed, turning darker. I would have gladly stayed in those eyes, away from trouble, for the rest of the night. I stayed there until I heard Chastity and Parker leaving. I started to get up.
“No you don’t. Stay right there. That’s the most relaxed I’ve seen you all night,” laughed Chastity. “I’ll call you tomorrow and see how things are going. Conrad, please take care of my girl, okay?”
Chastity smiled at him as she waved and walked out the door, with Parker in tow.
“I guess he’s going with her,” Felicia said as she grabbed up dirty glasses.
“He’ll go wherever she lets him,” replied Raven with a smile. “Isn’t that the way it works with her? She just has that magic, sometimes I envy that.”
“I don’t have it in me to be that way,” admitted Felicia.
“You had enough courage to flirt with the DJ tonight, didn’t you?” Raven asked as she gently elbowed Felicia.
“That’s different. I got a phone number. She took a hottie home after only knowing him a few hours! Did you see that kiss earlier? His knees actually buckled! When will I ever be able to do that to a guy, I ask you? You guys have known me half my life and I can barely go up to a guy without losing it. Just take some of Chastity’s courage and put it in a spray bottle. I’ll apply it the next time I have an eligible hot man in my reach and it’ll be a fantasy come true.”
“Next time you’re with a guy and you think he’s not moving fast enough, just channel Chastity,” I suggested.
“You can talk. You have a hottie wrapped around you right now. No offense, Conrad.”
She blushed as he started laughing.
“None taken, Felicia. If I was a guy in your sites I would be proud if you pounced on me, but seeing as I’m already hoping to be pounced on by your friend here, sorry.”
“Well Sam, I guess your dance card is full for a while. I hope there’s not a problem with that?” Raven asked as she leaned over my shoulder against the sofa.
She had a devilish smirk on her face. I looked at Conrad. That dark green was back in his eyes while he still had the smile on his face. I held his gaze.
“No, I don’t have a problem with that at all. As a matter of fact, I look forward to it.”
He moved his hands from my back, down my sides before gripping my waist.
“Name the time and place.”
I just licked my lips and nodded as I felt the warmth from his hands on my hips. I’d have to channel Chastity myself on that night, but either way I’d make it happen.
I heard Raven clear her throat behind me and I looked her way.
“The guest room is ready when ever you are and your bag is already in there. I’m heading to bed and Felicia’s leaving. Just lock up when you go to bed and Conrad, no rush for you to leave. Good night guys.”
Raven waved over her shoulder as she walked a giggling Felicia to the door. I settled once more into Conrad and took a deep breath as I closed my eyes. I heard him sigh as I relaxed and I realized I’d never felt this at ease with a guy before. It was amazing. And to think that Jason was right, it all came about because of what he had done to me.
I guess I laughed at the thought because Conrad asked me what was so funny. I told him. He burst out laughing.
“I’ve heard of crazy things bringing people together but Jason is a little extreme, don’t you think? And you’re right, he claimed responsibility for us meeting and for it being under bad circumstances, so he has to be crazy to think he can force you into a relationship with him again.”
“I guess you’re right, this whole mess is insane and maybe so is Jason.”
“Even though it was bad, I’m glad I met you. Now we just have to get this mess cleared up before we can move forward,” he said as he ran a finger down my nose.
“I understand and I am glad I met you too. You’re proof that good things can come out of bad situations.”
“Now, it’s really late and we have a busy day ahead of us. If I stay here much longer, I will either fall asleep or do something really naughty. So, walk me to the door.”
He took me by the hand and led the way. At the door, he put his arms around me and I looked into his eyes.
“I meant what I said. I’m not making a single move on you until you’re ready. You’ve had enough problems lately and I don’t want you to be confused where I’m concerned. Neither of us wants a rebound relationship”
“Well then, you better kiss me before I start getting confused,” I said bashfully.
There, I had made the first move and was suddenly proud of myself.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said
happily as he lowered his head toward mine.
His lips touched mine and I could’ve lost it. He hadn’t even deepened the kiss and I was a goner. His lips were soft moving lightly against mine. I placed my hands on his chest and stood on my tiptoes to get closer. He was nipping at my lips and I had never had that done to me before. I realized I was clutching at the front of his shirt to balance myself. He laughed deep in his chest and I opened my eyes as he broke the stirring kiss.
“Did I do something wrong?” I asked.
“Oh no, you were doing everything right. I was stopping before we got ahead of ourselves. We have all the time in the world. You go get some rest and I’ll see you in the morning.”
He kissed my forehead and walked out the door. I bolted both locks and slid the chain into place. Then I heard him walk away before Raven walked up behind me.
“Why aren’t you asleep?” I asked her with a grin on my face.
“I came to get a glass of water and almost walked into something. I hung back in the hall for a minute to give you some privacy. Looks like you had yourself a nice closing to your evening, hmmm?”
She walked around me and entered the kitchen.
“As a mater of fact, I’d have to rate that as an eleven on my one to ten scale of first kisses. We didn’t even French kiss and I’m breathing heavy. How can this have happened?”
“I did notice. I could feel the warmth in the hallway. Imagine what it’ll be like when he has his way with you. Just take time to think of that, savor it when you’re not doing anything dangerous, okay?”
She got her water and patted me on the arm. I started blushing from the intense mental pictures of us in bed.
“Well, I guess I’ll get some sleep. Thanks for everything.”
I hugged her before heading to the spare bedroom. Maybe tomorrow wouldn’t be a disaster.
Chapter Five
At ten-thirty in the morning, Conrad was knocking on the door and I was suddenly nervous. I answered the door with a brave face. He kissed me quickly before coming in to retrieve my bag. Raven was in the kitchen sipping her yogurt smoothie when he picked up my bag from the couch.
“Good morning, Raven.”