Silk

by Heidi McLaughlin

  “Everyone needs a break every now and then,” he answered.

  Boy, isn’t that the truth. I pulled a $20 out of my wallet and threw it on the bar.

  I looked over at the man on the stool next to me. “I’m going to call it a night and head upstairs,” I said, sliding off my stool. I swallowed the lump in my throat before finishing, “I’m in room 620 if you get lonely.”

  I walked off and didn’t look back. I was only in my room for about 10 minutes before there was a knock on the door. I opened it and smiled at the brown-eyed man. He had now completely removed his tie, and I was ready to remove everything else.

  “I wasn’t sure that you would come,” I said, opening the door wider to let him in.

  “Weren’t you?” he responded.

  He brushed me as he passed, and I could feel the energy in the air between us. Before I could wonder how this was going to play out, he grabbed my arm and pulled me to him. No time was wasted on conversation. Instantly, his mouth was on mine as he backed me across the room. His five o’clock shadow was rough against my skin. I tugged his hair hard in response.

  A guttural moan escaped him. In one smooth move, he pulled the covers back and threw me on the bed. His hands and mouth were all over me. It was like he couldn’t get enough, and I felt the same way.

  I decided that it didn’t matter if this was a mistake. I didn’t want this to end. I wanted him now, and I wanted him just like this.

  ***

  Somewhere between conscious and unconscious, I felt strong arms pull me against the hard body snuggled against my backside. I was glad he was still here and could feel just how glad he was to be here.

  “About that girl you’re seeing ... how’s she going to feel about this?” I said pressing up against him.

  “I don’t think my girlfriend would like this one little bit,” he said, tracing a finger across my stomach.

  My breath caught and a lump rose in my throat, though it was more a reaction to his words than his touch. “So she’s your girlfriend now? Last night she was just a girl that you were seeing.”

  “She could be my girlfriend, but to be honest I’m not sure. Not too long ago, I saw her with another guy. She was holding hands with him in a coffee shop. If she’s my girlfriend, I’m not willing to share,” he said. His hand swept from my stomach and down the outside of my leg.

  “I think that it’s probably not what it looked like. If you asked her about it, she’d probably tell you that he’s just a friend and that moment meant nothing. I bet she’d tell you that if she’s got you she doesn’t need anyone else. I’m sure that she doesn’t want anyone else.” I whispered. I was frozen in place even as his hand continued to explore.

  An opportunity was here, and I took it. “And what if she had questions for you? Say, hypothetically, that she saw you with another woman in that same coffee shop. A very beautiful woman. Would she have reason to worry?”

  “I would tell her that the other girl was a thing of the past and had been for a while. I would also tell her that she was by far the more beautiful of the two,” he said quietly in my ear.

  I thought for a moment, absorbing his words. “In that case, I would say that you probably just need to ask her, this girl that you are seeing, if she is your girlfriend.” My heart raced in anticipation of where I hoped he was going.

  “And, if I just asked, you think that she would say yes?” he asked

  “I know that she would,” I said.

  “In that case, will you be my girlfriend, Allie?” he said.

  I rolled over so that I was facing him and ran my hands up his chest and around his neck. “Yes, Adam,” I said, twirling his hair through my fingers. I looked into his velvety eyes. “I will absolutely be your girlfriend. And you just gave me the only thing I wanted for my birthday.”

  “I’m just sorry that I didn’t get here in time to meet your parents. I should have been there.”

  “It’s okay. I know you have school stuff that has to get done. Besides you more than made up for it.”

  “I think you should make me work a little harder. I’m more than willing to work a little harder to make it up to you.”

  I turned toward him and decided he was right. He needed to work a little harder.

  CHAPTER 18

  Adam

  It was early but I was already late. I should have left Alexis’ room as soon as I woke up this morning, but she was just too damn distracting. I’d booked a two-hour block of time in the editing room before my final exam. If I didn’t hurry, I was barely going to get started before it would be time to pack it all up again.

  I needed this time in the studio today. If I wanted to graduate a semester early in December, I had to turn in the first half of my senior project just after school started up again. I didn’t have more time booked until the middle of next week, and the following weekend was Labor Day.

  I slid my key into the lock and turned it. I felt him behind me before I heard him. Expecting it to be my 87-year-old neighbor, Mr. Donaldson, I turned slowly. Unfortunately, mild dementia had set in, and any sudden movement could be interpreted as an attack. When he sought me out, it was usually to discuss the bugs on his phone. He was certain that his greedy grandchildren were trying to off him to get their hands on his money. I had no idea if Mr. Donaldson actually had any money, but my less than professional bug sweeping services had been elicited more than a few times.

  The man standing before me was only of average height and build, but his presence was commanding nonetheless. “Adam Hill?” the man asked in a clipped tone.

  “Yes, sir,” I said. Even without a formal introduction, I knew who I was dealing with. I could puff up my chest and face off with him, but I figured that politeness was probably the better tactic, given the recent revelations I’d had about his daughter.

  “I am Garrett Harper, but I’m guessing you’ve already figured that out. In fact, I’m betting that you were expecting me.” The air of authority in his voice was deafening. “We need to talk about your relationship with Allie.”

  “Come in, sir,” I said, feigning respect that I didn’t feel, and he didn’t deserve.

  There was no way that I was going to make it to the studio on time.

  Alexis

  When I came to a stoplight, I looked skyward. Dark clouds were rolling across the oppressive grey sky from west to east. Until just a few minutes ago, it had been a beautiful and unusually warm day after a very cold spring, but the weather in northern Texas could be very unpredictable. The rumble of thunder signaled that the storm was closing in. The smart thing to do would be to stop and put the convertible top up on my little car, but if I hurried I could probably beat the rain.

  I leaned forward, gripping the steering wheel with both hands. Though tornadoes weren’t common this far south, they certainly weren’t unheard of, and March was definitely tornado season. As a child, I’d been so terrified of tornadoes that the first sign of a storm would send me running into my parents’ room at all hours of the night.

  The cheer clinic had run late, and I was rushing home to change my clothes. I zipped down Douglas Avenue even though the tollway would have been faster. As much as I wanted to beat the storm, I didn’t like driving on the highway. I’d been born and raised in the big city, but the highway scared the living daylights out of me. Cars zipping in and out, cutting each other off in lanes that were much too narrow .... I avoided it when I could.

  At the jog in the road at McFarlin, I reached over and tuned the XM receiver to the MTV channel, and No Doubt’s ‘Hella Good’ blasted through the speakers. The car had been a gift from my parents on my birthday two summers ago. The shiny red BMW Z3 Roadster was fast and fun. It had been exactly what I’d wanted and expected for my sweet 16th.

  I sang aloud in an effort to drown out the fast approaching storm. The satellite radio was an add-on that I’d insisted on despite my parents’ objections. My dad hadn’t understood why a car that came standard with both a radio and CD playe
r needed an additional hundred stations. But, since practically every one of my equally privileged friends already had XM radio by the time my birthday rolled around, I hadn’t been willing to compromise. When he presented me the key to my new ride, it included every station available under the sun.

  A crack of lightning shot across the sky, and a single fat raindrop smacked me in the forehead. Annoyed, I wiped it away with the back of my hand.

  I glanced both right and left before rolling through the intersection at Shenandoah. Another clap of thunder was so close that my car seemed to shake. It almost drowned out the chirp of my phone. I knew with certainty that it was Brittany. Even though I’d just talked to her 10 minutes ago and would see her again in less than an hour, I needed to talk to her.

  It rang a second time. I glanced over at my bag, which was lying on the passenger side floor. I reached down for it and then looked back at the road in front of me. When I pulled on my purse, it resisted. It was hung up on something underneath the seat.

  As I approached Normandy, I barely even touched the brake. I knew I should stop and that I was driving too fast, but there were no cars on the cross street.

  Another half dozen raindrops smattered against my windshield, and my phone rang a third time. If I didn’t answer it quick, it would go to voicemail. I pulled a little harder on my purse. When it didn’t let go, I flicked it toward the floorboard in an attempt to release the strap from whatever had hold of it. I grunted in frustration and dropped the bag on the floor again. I leaned toward the passenger seat and briefly tapped the brake as I passed through the intersection at Shenandoah.

  My hand blindly fished through the bag as it rang a fourth and final time. My fingertips brushed the smooth surface just as my foot slipped off the brake and hit the gas pedal. Hard. The engine revved, and the little car lurched forward and jumped the curb.

  Everything was a blur as my car hurtled forward. A high-pitched squeal rang out as metal bent. Bits of bark and fiberglass exploded around me.

  I hadn’t put on my seat belt because, until this day, I’d been invincible.

  I squeezed my eyes shut and patted the bed beside me. It was empty. A tear slipped down my cheek, and I wondered when Adam had slipped out. I wished I wasn’t alone. The nightmare was a plague. Each time it came, it was worse than the time before. More detailed. More real. I placed my hand over the scar that proved that it was more than just a nightmare. I lay there like that for too long.

  Eventually, I had no choice but to get up. I was already late to work. I threw the covers back and put on my clothes from the night before. Since I’d had no intention of staying the night, I hadn’t brought a bag. I went into the bathroom and splashed water on my face. Looking into the mirror, I gave myself a pep talk. I had a lot to be happy about. I should be on cloud nine.

  The birthday that had seemed to be on a downward spiral had pulled out an amazing recovery. I was Adam’s girlfriend now. He was mine, and I was his. I wanted to shout it from the rooftops. I wanted to send out a mass email to all. I wanted to tattoo his name on my body. I actually laughed out loud at that. I’d never wanted a tattoo in my life. Apparently, he was rubbing off on me. However, I was getting ahead of myself. I should probably hold off on any permanent markings for a while longer. He’d asked me to be his girlfriend, not commit my life to him. It’s not like he’d said he loved me. We were still a long way from happily ever after.

  We needed to talk. When the time was right, I would tell him everything. I just hoped that I could hang onto him when he learned the truth. If he couldn’t handle it, the fall from cloud nine would be a hard one.

  I really wasn’t very good at the pep talk thing.

  PART II

  CHAPTER 19

  Alexis

  I walked Lizzie up to her apartment while Adam waited in the cab. It had been a great afternoon. Even though we’d planned to play miniature golf, it was raining and more of a movie and popcorn kind of day. Adam had acted like we were cutting off an appendage, but Lizzie and I dragged him into the chick movie that we wanted instead of the action movie that he’d wanted.

  No one spoke about the problem at hand. I was happy to sweep it under the rug for the time being. Adam’s presence made it easier to avoid the issue. I knew that Lizzie just wanted to pretend like nothing was wrong, but we wouldn’t be able to ignore it much longer. Even though it was just a tadpole of a problem right now, it was growing every day.

  Lizzie had no business having a baby. She was too young, too inexperienced, and too poor. Then there was me; my biological clock was ticking and I could easily afford a baby. Yet it would never happen. It was a terrible injustice. As I told her goodbye, I vowed for the last time to put these selfish thoughts away.

  I hustled back out to my waiting boyfriend. Even though it was Saturday, the band wasn’t playing tonight. I was looking forward to a quiet night in with Adam. We were going to cook some dinner and watch another movie. His choice this time.

  Adam

  I stepped out of the elevator with Allie by my side, and we walked toward my apartment. She was rattling on about how excited she was to just have a quiet night in, making promises that I knew she wouldn’t be able to keep. I was only half listening anyway. Her words were drowned out by the obnoxious thumping in my chest.

  I faced the door and faked turning the lock that I already knew would be open and briefly thought about the day before. I’d been in this same position with a different member of the Harper family. I pushed it out of my mind, determined to think of something that didn’t make me want to put a hole in the wall.

  Allie provided the distraction I needed. She pushed herself between my body and the door, and clamped her arms around my neck. She was still making promises even though her lips were on mine. For a second, I forgot why we were here. I loved it when she was like this, so full of good ideas and bad intentions. I got a grip on myself and tried to remove her from me, but she was glued to me like a fly on shit.

  No, I didn’t like that analogy. I didn’t want to think of myself as the piece of shit in this scenario. I’d had my reasons. They were justifiable. Still, I would do whatever I had to do to make sure that she didn’t find out exactly how big of a shit I’d been.

  Being with Allie wasn’t easy. If I had half a brain, I would tell her that I was done and shove her back into that elevator, and I would never see her again. It’s what her father wanted ... no ... had ordered me to do. But I wasn’t taking instructions from that asshole. If I wanted Allie, I’d find a way to have her. His little visit had no effect on me whatsoever.

  I wasn’t listening to the voice in my head either. I hadn’t been able to completely silence the nagging reminder that any feelings for Allie other than hatred amounted to an act of treason, but the voice was becoming more of a whisper than a scream. I was torn between the past and the present, but had made a decision. Today I was going to focus on the here and now.

  And here and now what I was focusing on was her tongue in my mouth. I heard the faint click of the door and the thud of Allie’s foot as she kicked it behind her. I reached blindly for the knob to grab it before it swung open. My hand missed, and it swung wide despite my efforts.

  The 30 or so people standing in my living room yelled out in a rehearsed chorus, “Surprise!”

  Allie, who was still facing me, froze in place. “Oh, my God,” she said, under her breath. I smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

  Carly was jumping up and down, and clapping her hands like the maniac that she was. She bounded over to us and hugged Allie, who was still beet red with embarrassment. As Carly led Allie away, she shot a death stare over her shoulder, “Seriously, Adam,” she said reprimanding me.

  “It’s not my fault if she can’t keep her hands off me,” I said in response. It hadn’t gone down exactly as we’d planned, but I’d delivered her. My job was done.

  Carly rolled her eyes at me. She was hot right now, but she’d cool off fast. I’d been around her for long enough to know tha
t was just how she operated. She had two modes. She was either 100 percent happy or 100 percent mad as hell. Regardless of her mood, she always had more freaking energy than the Energizer bunny. By the time she got Allie to the dining room table to show her the spread that she’d prepared in her honor, all would be right with the world again. I shook my head and headed to the kitchen to make a drink for the birthday girl.

  On my way, I looked around at the crowd. I was pleased with the turnout. Aside from Burke, the other members of the band, and Carly’s sister, I didn’t know anyone in the room. Allie would know them though, and that’s all that mattered. I wanted tonight to be perfect and all about her. Damn, how things had changed.

  As soon as I got Allie a drink, I would make it a point to find Ethan and thank him. He’d done a great job getting her friends from school and work here. There would have been no way for Carly and I to pull that off by ourselves.

  It had been easy to track down Ethan. After Allie’s dad had left yesterday morning, it had taken me about two seconds to completely disregard everything he’d said. Then I’d gone to his firm’s website and searched for attorneys named Ethan in the New York office.

  I’d only seen Ethan twice. The first was the night I’d first seen Allie at that awful bar. The second had been when he’d had his hands on her in that coffee shop.

  Even so, I knew his face well enough to recognize him when his listing had popped up on my computer screen. I’d swallowed the foul taste in my mouth and some pride, and called the phone number on the website. He hadn’t answered his phone, but had returned my call within 15 minutes. I smiled, remembering the initial suspicion in his voice. However, when I’d explained what I needed from him, he had been happy to help, saying ‘I’d do anything for Alexis.’