Stuck: A Movie Star Romance
Page 18
She needs a rock? I glance around at about five hundred other black rocks littering the beach.
“Right,” I draw out. “So, Hell Cat, you need a hard rock? Please, tell me more.”
“You don’t understand. That one is perfect for what I need.” She brandishes me with a pleading stare.
“What could you possibly need a rock for?”
“A waterfall.”
Her eyes sparkle when she smiles. I want to keep looking at her, but I don’t.
“Well, I’m sure the other rocks will work just fine. A rock is a rock.”
“You’re not very nice.”
I laugh as her cheeks redden with anger. “I know. Some say it’s my best quality.”
“Well, that’s just sad.” She sighs. “Let’s start over. My name’s Cat. I run a little business called Cat’s Landscaping Creations. I’m working on a waterfall, and that rock right there,” she points to one flat, black rock at my feet, “would be perfect for it. I was just coming back for it after I dropped a few off at my truck.”
“Well, I’m relaxing.”
Sure, I could move out of her way, but where’s the fun in that? I wouldn’t get to see her riled up. Watch the expressions on her face change from anger to astonishment. Isn’t that what life’s about? Acting and reacting?
Her blue eyes hold my brown in a stare off. I pull the rock closer with my foot. A little gasp escapes her before she turns away.
Nimble and agile, like her namesake, she climbs a few more rocks, grabbing a couple and chucking them into a pile. These aren’t little rocks she’s collecting, so I’m impressed at her dedication.
“Hope you can relax when I come for that rock,” she threatens, stalking closer to me.
“What the fuck?” I ask as she marches even closer, bending at her knees to grab the rock at my feet. She tugs a little, but doesn’t give up.
“If you’d just move this leg.” She bumps my leg with her shoulder, and I can’t help but laugh a little.
“Need help?” I glare down at her.
“Yes, would you mind?”
Her deep-aqua eyes catch mine, and she really is something else. Unlike the women back in LA with plastic faces and too much makeup, her face is fresh and bare—almost innocent. We hold each other’s stare, each of us silent. It would be so easy to lift this rock out of its spot and hand it to her, hell, even take it to her car. Ask for her number. Maybe even offer to buy her a drink. Something. But, I’m paralyzed.
My lips lift into a quick smile. Raising a brow, I say, “I don’t mind at all. Would you like me to unzip my shorts?”
She stands in a rush, abandoning the perfect rock. “You’re an asshole.”
Maybe I am. Truth is, she’s irritating me. I came here for peace and quiet, and all I get is this chick talking about waterfalls and rocks.
I pick up the rock, it’s kind of heavy, but nothing I can’t handle with one hand, and she smiles holding out both hands as if I’m going to give it over.
Something snaps within me, and I chuck it right into the ocean.
“There ya go. Now can I get back to relaxing?”
“What did you do that for?” she almost yells at me. Her indignant eyes are wide. “You’re… I can’t… Ugh.” She storms off, abandoning the little pile she created.
If I were in a different frame of mind, I’d chase after her. Apologize. But, I can’t be bothered with some beauty I met for five minutes on the beach. Hopefully, I’ll never see her again.
Hours pass. The tide creeps closer to me. Beautiful and deadly. When I can no longer take the jarring thoughts in my brain, I walk once more to the edge of the frothy water, spotting the rock I threw a few feet away. The perfect rock. Nothing’s perfect.
I pick it up, brushing off a few grains of clinging sand, and carry it home.
Home. As if this place could ever be fucking home. I grab a bottle of Jim, pour a glass, yes, a glass, and settle in for a night with no power. And no sleep.
Heartbreaker is now available on Amazon.
Taken Sneak Peek
Taken is a mafia romance, that started out as a FB group project. I let my group decide the genre, plot points, character names, and so much more. I would give them a chapter every few days, and then finally after about Chapter Seven decided, I needed to tell this story in an actual setting where I could take my time and get into the heads of Xavier and Rhiannon. Here is the first two chapters, Taken is now available on Amazon.
Prologue
Seventy-two steps until my life ends. Mendelssohn’s Wedding March wafts from the strings of the tuxedoed orchestra serenading my death. The white satin bridal gown and veil cling to me like a shroud.
One.
Two.
Three. I count to calm my galloping heart.
Cold eyes at the end of the aisle lock with mine, daring me to run. The golden wings of the turtle dove necklace hidden within the bouquet of white roses fisted in my hand, cut into my palm.
Four.
Five.
The robed priest smiles under the watchful eyes of the marble saints. Murmurs of “So beautiful” and “God bless” turn to wailing shrieks of horror as a shot rings out, dancing across the crescendo of the wedding march.
God isn’t here today. And there will be no marriage, only death at this red wedding.
Chapter One
Rhiannon: Eight-years old
“Shh, you’ll get us caught.”
“No one’s going to find us. Don’t be such a baby, Rhi.”
“I’m not a baby,” my voice raises a little with denial.
I hate when Xavier calls me a baby. I’m eight years old and can do a ton of things for myself. Like, daddy lets me ride my bike around the neighborhood all alone. Well, really until the end of the street, but still. Plus, grownups say I have a mature soul; whatever that means. It doesn’t sound babyish, though.
“No talking until we get outside,” he whispers. He’s so bossy. But, he is two years older than me, so I guess, technically, he is in charge. Plus, he’s my best friend, so I overlook these things.
We duck out the French door in the kitchen, into the dark, trying our best not to make a sound.
This probably isn’t a good idea. Rescue the princess is a game we play often but never at night.
The moon plays peekaboo in the cloud-covered sky, and we slip like mist across the damp grass, hopefully without being seen by the guards.
If my father found us sneaking out, we’d probably be murdered. You think I’m exaggerating, but I’m not. I’ve heard the staff whispering when they think I’m not listening. Once, I asked my mother if he’s a bad man, and she told me never to say it again. She said he protects us from the other bad people of the world. So, I guess he’s good to us.
Well, good to me, anyways. He doesn’t care much for Xavier. Mom says he only tolerates him because he’s Hannah’s son. She’s our maid, tall with beautiful hair the color of chocolate, and one of the nicest women I’ve ever met. And if I’m being honest, sometimes, when she brushes my long red hair, I pretend she’s my mother.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my mom, but she’s always busy entertaining my dad’s boring friends when she’s not working at his office.
“This way,” Xavier directs, leading me down the uneven cobblestone path that cuts through the backyard.
He grabs my hand when I hesitate, and like always, I feel as if nothing can harm me out here with him.
“We’re almost there,” he reassures, taking us away from the safety of the big brick house, toward the towering woods.
“Maybe we shouldn’t,” I hedge.
Unsure, I peek over my shoulder for a moment. Like a beacon calling me home, a light flickers through an upstairs window.
“No turning back.” Xavier’s blue eyes glow with anticipation of all the things I’m afraid of as he tugs me along. He’s the opposite of me: fearless.
A blanket of twigs snap beneath our sneakers as Xavier tightens his grip on my sw
eaty hand. Crickets chirp and things I don’t want to think about rustle through the darkness as we move further than I’ve ever been through the knotty trunks.
A small cabin, in a clearing, comes into view, and he rushes up the rickety stairs, to the front door, dropping my hand somewhere along the way.
Spooky shadows lurk inside the windows, and I hang back a bit, my sneakers cemented to the earth. “What’s in there?”
“Don’t be a fraidy cat.”
“I’m not afraid.” I raise my chin and step on the first wooden plank leading up to a small porch.
He opens the door. “Ready?”
I’m not, but I’ll never let him know it, so I continue on and follow him into the unknown.
He flicks his flashlight on and scans the room. The dark walls are bare, and a lone chair sits like a throne in the middle of the room with steel handcuffs attached to both arms.
“What is this place?”
“I don’t know,” he answers, looking over at me. “I followed your dad and his friends the other day down here.”
“Xavier, we shouldn’t be here. I don’t think good things happen in this place. I don’t like it here.”
He grabs my arm, his blue eyes holding mine. “One day, I’ll take you away from your father and all the bad things.”
Xavier has never liked daddy either. His cold hard stare. The gruff in his voice when he yells at him for everything.
My father calls him a …nuisance.
“What if I don’t want to leave?”
“What could you possibly like about living with your father?”
I don’t get to answer because there’s a snap of a tree branch outside.
“Hide,” he says, flicking off his flashlight. We crouch by the far wall of the small cabin, behind a table of tools I don’t fully understand.
The front door flies open. “Who’s in here?” The sound of my father’s voice startles us both. Xavier, eyes loaded with fear, slaps a hand over my mouth before I can answer.
Tucking my knees to my chest, I try to make myself disappear. I squeeze my eyes shut, anything to make me go away. My father will probably spank me for being out here, maybe ground me forever from playing outside, but it’s nothing compared to what he’ll do to Xavier.
He might even go so far as to fire his mother.
When my father shines his light around the room, we shrink back into the small alcove of the side. Footsteps fall faster to our hiding spot, and Xavier is yanked up by his hoodie.
“You’re hiding like a rat,” my father bites out. “Why are you in here?”
Xavier’s eyes meet mine, and he gives a little shake of his head, warning me to stay silent. “Answer me,” he yells so loud it feels like the walls vibrate.
“I was just exploring,” Xavier finally responds.
“Exploring?” My father drags him to the chair and drops him down in it. “Come out of there, Rhiannon,” he orders.
Reluctantly, I stand from my hiding spot. He flips on the light, and I squint against the fluorescent glare. He’s scary when he’s angry. Pinched face, flaring nostrils. And right now, he’s madder than I’ve ever seen him. Hannah says to count when I’m afraid or upset and when I’m finished, it won’t seem so bad. So, I count the steps over to him in my head to calm myself.
One.
Two.
Three.
I don’t want to be a baby, but the tears start falling.
Four.
Five.
He grips my arm and yanks me in front of Xavier. “What are you doing here, Rhiannon?”
Through my tears, I answer. “I’m only eight, you can’t expect me to make good choices.”
He pulls his leather belt free from the loops… and then whips me.
Over and over.
Until the numbers in my head jumble.
Until I see little stars behind my squeezed eyelids.
Until I cry out I won’t do it again.
“Stop,” Xavier yells. “It’s not her fault. Punish me.”
“This is your punishment, Xavier,” my father shouts.
Finally, after a few more minutes, the hits cease, but the sting and burn continues so fierce I rub my bottom. I’m sure Xavier really thinks I’m a baby now; I can’t stop the shudders waffling my frame or the hiccuping sobs.
My father leans down, an inch from Xavier’s stricken face, bracing his hands on the arms of the chair. “Remember this lesson.”
Xavier doesn’t look at me on the entire walk back. My father strides ahead of us across the lawn and when he’s out of ear shot, Xavier takes my hand.
“One day, Rhiannon, I will take you away from him.”
I don’t say a word. The look in his eyes tells me he isn’t kidding.
Taken is NOW available on Amazon.
Other titles by the Author
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You can find a list of my available books here:
Like A Boss
Love A Boss
The Me Series
Date Me
Study Me
Save Me
Break Me
Standalones:
Playboy
Heartbreaker
Taken
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