Scorned

by Andrew Hess

  “You don’t like it,” Davis asked. Claire shook her head no. Davis picked up, took a sip, shrugged and put it back in her hands. “You barely tasted it. Come on; give it a chance.”

  Claire didn’t like to get pushed into anything. It made her want to do the opposite of whatever the other person wanted. She refused to grab the glass and pushed his hand away.

  “If you like it, then you drink it.”

  “Come on; I made it for you.”

  Images from the night Claire was drugged came into play. The man she talked to that night, whoever he was, said something similar to her. The memories of being drugged and raped came swirling to the forefront of her mind and wanted to get out of the club before something like that happened again.

  Davis made one more pleading attempt to get Claire to down the drink he made for her. Claire ripped the glass from his hand and dumped the contents on Davis’s head screaming; “fuck you asshole.” Claire stormed off down the steps.

  Rebecca was hot on her heels and grabbed Claire by the arm. “You mind telling me what the hell that was about?”

  “He was trying to get me drunk.”

  “Yeah, so let him. You need to let loose for once.” Claire’s menacing stare reminded Rebecca of what Claire told her. “Shit, I’m sorry Claire. I didn’t mean to…”

  Claire reached into her clutch and pulled out a twenty. She shoved it into her friend’s cleavage. “Just so you know, you’re still on retainer.”

  Claire woke around eight in the morning. Regret was the only thing on her mind. She hated how she reacted and treated Rebecca last night. The last time she saw Becky was when Claire bolted from the club and jumped into a cab. Dumping the drink on the creep wasn’t the best idea in the world either, but it somehow brought a throaty chuckle to the surface. Claire wanted to call Rebecca to sort out what happened, but there was an anger than lingered. Claire needed to rid herself of the attitude before making that call.

  Claire grabbed her gym bag. Her teal tank top and yoga pants were neatly folded and placed on top along with her sneakers. Her workout mix was set on her iPod and was ready to go.

  The gym was slow on Saturday mornings. Older fitness fanatics and typical gym junkies were usually the only ones there. The rest were still nursing hangovers from the night before. Claire liked going this early. She was free to work out without guys trying to impress her or checking her out. There were more machines available. And she didn’t have to deal with Tyson.

  Claire hopped on an elliptical stationed in front of a TV, hit play on her iPod and spent the next fifteen worry free minutes pumping her legs to the sounds of Brittney Spears, Fall Out Boy, and Timbaland. Sweat dripped down her neck and shoulders. It was exactly what she needed to forget about last night.

  “Damn Claire, you’re looking good.” The voice came out of nowhere and was muffled against the music blasting through the earphones. Knowing she probably didn’t hear him, the man stepped in front of the machine and smiled at Claire.

  Claire hid her distain as Tyson caught her attention. She slowed her pace down and removed the earbuds. “What’s up?”

  “You canceled our session the other day. What happened?”

  She didn’t want to tell him that he was the reason; that he had come on too strong. “Sorry, I couldn’t make it. They needed me at the hospital.”

  His face relaxed. “I’m free. How about we do it now?” His eyebrows danced at the phrase “do it now.”

  Claire didn’t want to work out with Tyson. She remembered how touchy feely he was the last time he tried to help her. The feel of his hands on her body made her skin crawl. The elliptical slowed down until it came to a complete stop. Tyson held out his hand to assist Claire off the machine. She grasped it and followed him to the weight machines.

  Tyson showed her how to use a few of the machines by demonstrating it first. Then he allowed Claire to do a few sets. She was surprised that he didn’t try to touch her or grope her like he did the last time. He was being respectful. Claire liked this version of Tyson.

  “Did you want to do a more cardio based workout or a weight training regimen today?”

  Claire hadn’t really thought about doing more than basic cardio. Twenty minutes on the elliptical, fifteen on the treadmill, and she would do more if she had anything left in her.

  “I guess cardio should be okay.”

  Tyson clapped his hands loudly. “Great, let’s go into the other room.” He led the way to a glass door in the back corner of the gym. Inside was a room with wooden floors surrounded by mirrors. He opened the door and gestured for Claire to enter first.

  An hour and a half of vigorous exercises worked out every muscle Claire had. Sweat poured from every inch of their bodies. Claire was impressed that Tyson kept his focus on the workout and not on her. There wasn’t one instance where she felt him become physical or inappropriate. His eyes lingered on the PG areas of her body when during the routine.

  “I think that’s it for now,” Tyson said as he walked around the room with his hands placed on top of his head.

  “That’s it? That’s all you got?”

  The corners of his mouth turned upwards. “I can go for hours if you really want a good workout.” Claire didn’t know if he was implying what she thought, but didn’t want to let the notion enter her head.

  “I think I’ll just grab some water and head home.” Claire stood up and exited the room. She walked up to the counter and purchased a bottle of water. Tyson was close behind.

  “You know, you never told me what you actually do at the hospital.”

  They walked over to the juice bar and sat at the counter. She took a sip of water and cleared her throat. “I’m a private practice doctor.”

  “So what does that mean?”

  “I work at the hospital, but I don’t for the hospital. I have my own set of patients that I take care of, but others look in on them as well.”

  “A job like that has to be really stressful.”

  “It can be. That’s why I usually come here. I can work off any stress and feel like a new woman when I leave.”

  “I have another way you can relieve stress.” Claire thought Tyson was being inappropriate again and believed he was implying she should go out with him, or have another intense workout session with him, or some other sexual innuendo. She rolled her eyes which Tyson took note of. “They just built a steam room. I think it should be ready by next week.”

  Claire’s face lit up. She craned her neck and scanned the gym to see where they decided to put the room. “Where is it?”

  Tyson pointed around the corner. Claire jumped from her stool and ran to the wall. She peaked around to see a room had been built and was sectioned off. This was something Claire would love to do after an intense workout and couldn’t wait until it was ready. She returned a minute later. Tyson had a big grin on his face. Maybe he thought he just made my day, she thought.

  Claire relaxed and took a sip from her water. It tasted different than it had a few moments ago. It tasted like something had been added to it. Her mind flashed back to the first drink she had the night she was drugged. She couldn’t remember the exact taste, but felt like something was off about the drink that night.

  Claire was in full panic mode. He’s trying to drug me. She wanted to scream it, but didn’t want to alarm anyone. Not until it was out of her system.

  “Excuse me,” Claire said as she hopped off the stool and took her bottle of water with her into the locker room. She was alone and hoped to keep it that way. If Tyson or whoever had drugged her, there was no way they were getting to her in there.

  Claire ran to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She doubled over one of the toilets and plunged her fingers down her throat. After two tries, vomit rose and spilled from her mouth. When she was done, she waited on the floor to ensure she was okay. After fifteen minutes, Claire climbed to her feet and exited the locker room.

  Tyson was eagerly waiting for her to appear. When he did,
he had a look of concern about him that was more predatory than that of friendship. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I guess we over did it a bit and started throwing up.” She searched for a change in his facial expression but couldn’t get a good read. “I think I need to go home and rest for a bit.”

  Claire stormed out of the building and dropped the bottle of water in the trash bin. She couldn’t trust any man, even at the gym.

  Chapter 16-Ali

  I woke up Saturday only to realize I had the longest weekend of my career ahead of me. I wasn’t looking forward to spending the next forty-eight hours in my car following some old lady around town until she finally goes back to work Monday morning. I wanted to lay in bed all day, maybe have some girl time with my sister or take her shopping, but that was entirely out of the question. Let’s get this done and over with. The sooner; the better.

  I ripped the sheet off my body and dragged myself out of bed, almost regretting it immediately. No matter how the order came through, I was about to embark on an unofficial stakeout and needed to keep a low profile. The navy blue backpack had some clothes already packed in it. My sweatshirt and sweatpants were already crammed inside, but I needed to be prepared for anything. I ran to my dresser and retrieved a bathing suit and flip flops just in case. I know, who was I kidding? There was no way this woman was going to spend the weekend at the beach. Most of the time was going to be spent camped out in my car watching the house until she went to get groceries, or go to church or to visit her grandkids.

  There was no point in delaying the inevitable, I thought as I reached for a pair of yoga pants. With my head stuck in a t-shirt, I heard the front door slam shut. “Amanda, is that you?” There was a feint mumble in reply. I opened my bedroom door to find Amanda stumbling through the hall. “Where the hell have you been?”

  “I was out with mer frends.” Amanda’s eyes were heavy, red and glassy. “We had a gurd ime and closed down da bar.” This was not something I wanted to hear from someone who had an alcohol problem and claimed they were getting help. “We got back little while ago and tried to sleep it off. Julie drove me back here instead.”

  Disappointment was cast from my eyes. I had no idea she was out all night or who Julie was, but was relieved she didn’t drink and drive. “Can you just call or text me next time?”

  “Yes mom,” she groaned. Amanda walked down the hall to her room and glanced at me. “Where are you going?”

  “A stakeout. I have to watch someone to make sure they don’t tamper with any evidence.”

  She looked me over again. “You staying in a hotel or something?”

  “No, it’s an unofficial stakeout, which means not a word to anyone about it. I’ll be in my car most of the weekend.” Amanda tried to hide a cackle of laughter. “What? What’s so funny?”

  “You’re going to die from the heat in that outfit.” Okay, so maybe wearing yoga pants, a t-shirt and a wig in the eighty-eight degree heat wasn’t the smartest idea in the world. “Come on; I’ll loan you something.”

  Amanda pulled me into her room and started pulling her dresser drawers open. She held up a pair of skimpy blue denim shorts and tossed them my way. Then she took off into my room.

  “Where are you going?”

  I found her rifling through my closet, pulling shirt after shirt aside, shaking her head each time. “Where are your tanks?”

  “Over there,” I said while pointing to the large dresser with a three sided mirror on it. “Why? What are you looking for?”

  Amanda yanked open one of the larger drawers and found a handful of tank tops and workout clothes. She grabbed a gray shirt that hung a little low and threw it at me. “Get changed and let me see how you look.”

  “I thought the younger sister was supposed to borrow the clothes from the older sister,” I laughed.

  “What do you think I was doing in your closet?”

  “You better not.”

  Her mischievous smile told me something would be missing by the time I got home Monday. Once I was alone, I slipped out of my pants and into the denim shorts. They were tight on me, but strangely comfortable. Once I was dressed, I opened the door.

  Amanda cat called me from her room as I crept into the hall. “Looking good sis.” Heat radiated through my body. I wasn’t in the mood for games or jokes. I turned to walk into the living room, but heard Amanda shout; “Wait.” She met me by the end table and held out a blue baseball cap and a pair of navy blue and white Converse.

  I hurried to place the sneakers on my feet and tied my hair back so the curly black mess fit through the back of the hat like a ponytail. “How do I look?”

  Her mouth hung open. “You look hot.” Amanda had her phone out and took a picture of me.

  “What the hell was that for?”

  “You’ll see.” She had an evil grin that told me not to trust her or to take the phone from her before she could carry out her dastardly plan. But I was late and needed to get over to Dolores’s house.

  “I’ll deal with you when I get home.”

  ***************************************************************

  The shade from a nearby tree was all the protection I had from the blazing hot sun. I should have been roasted after a few hours in the heat, but thankfully that wasn’t the case. The shade helped keep me cooler than I had hoped, but the sweltering humidity snaked its way in causing sweat to drip from my every pore. My restraint was lacking and gave in to turning the key in the ignition every thirty or forty minutes. My surrender rewarded me with a blast of refreshing cold air spewing from the air conditioner.

  Half of my day was spent watching the house and finding Dolores enjoying her nice quiet comfy home. The rest of the time was spent reading a book I found in the backseat of my car. The old woman never left her house. She never had any visitors, no deliveries, nothing. Part of me wondered if I should check on her to make sure she was still there, or better yet, still alive.

  “Fuck this, I need to get out of here.” I snapped and let my fingers fumble to turn the key in the ignition. Noting the time was only two-thirty, I shoved the driver’s side door open and hopped out to stretch my body. I started by rolling my neck across my shoulders, hearing the cracking as it turned from left to right. Before I could continue, I noticed a car pulling onto the block. I turned to face my car, shielding my face with my arms while pretending to be talking on the phone. Then I noticed unmistakable smirk of Detective James Thornton and the Audi he drove me around in.

  The fury in my eyes was nothing compared to the damage I wanted to inflict on him. “What the hell are you doing?” The hostility in my voice was louder than I should’ve let it. “Why aren’t you with Rodney?”

  “There was no point in both of us waiting there, and it would look too suspicious if two men sat in a car outside of a house for two days straight. So we decided it was best if we took turns.”

  “Then why are you here?”

  “I wanted to check on you and make sure everything was all right. Plus, I figured you could use some company for a little while.”

  “Well, I don’t,” I snapped. Truth be told, it was nice to have someone else there even if it was Detective Thornton. I had spent too long sitting in silence. I just wished it was anyone but him.

  He backed away defensively. His eyes shifted, but he didn’t turn back to his car. They moved towards the house. The front door opened and an old woman stepped out onto the cement path that lined her yard. My eyes darted to the woman. My mouth whispered the words; “oh fu...” I was silenced by a pair of hands wrapping around my waist. They pulled me into the arms of Detective Thornton. His mouth crushed against mine. His left hand traveled up my back and landed on my neck, keeping me locked in his tight embrace. I melted into the kiss. My hands rested on his elbows. The sound of a car door slammed in the distance. I could hear it starting up. I tried to pull away from Thornton, but his hands kept me firmly in place.

  The car sped past us and I was finally
released from the kiss. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “Making sure you didn’t blow your cover.”

  “By kissing me?” My arm wiped my lips as if it were going to remove the memory of what happened. “My cover wouldn’t have been blown if you didn’t show up.”

  “Excuse me for caring.” Detective Thornton’s voice sounded hurt, insulted. I didn’t think that was possible. “If you wanna keep arguing, that’s fine. But the woman you were watching is getting away.”

  “Damn it,” I grunted. “Get in; maybe we can still catch her before she gets too far.”

  We jumped in my car and took off in the direction Dolores drove off in. It didn’t take us long to find her. She had stopped off at the local supermarket which was only a few blocks from her house. We waited in complete silence for Dolores to come back to her car and followed her to the house.

  Detective Thornton closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry if I almost ruined your stakeout.” The corners of his mouth drooped. He looked sincere.

  “Just-just get out of my car.”

  He nodded and opened the passenger side door. “You should let me stay here. You’ve met the woman. She knows what you look like. She doesn’t know me.”

  Thornton was right. I hate when he’s right. “Fine, but I want you switching on and off with Rodney. You don’t leave until he gets here. I’ll watch Ambrose’s house.”

  There was no argument or protest from him. He walked back and entered his car. I swore there was a smile on his face. Casanova struck again.

  Chapter 17-Claire

  Despite being put through the horrendous ordeal of going to the club with the girls and then what happened with Tyson the next day, Claire entered the hospital Monday morning with a smile on her face. Thoughts of the weekend were being shoved aside. She was minutes away from meeting with the partners and founding members of the private practice company she worked for. She showed up to the conference room wearing a white silk button down blouse, a long knee length black skirt, and a pair of black heels with a thick white stripe that wrapped around the shoe; perfectly tying her outfit together. Claire’s outfit exuded confidence, and her mind was focused on one thing; success.