Fight for You

by Charisse Spiers

  I'm no amateur in the fashion industry. My aunt is a well-known photographer. Everyone wants her for shoots and shows around the world. The older I got, the more places she let me tag along. Most girls drool over the idea of becoming a model, but not me. I was the girl staring at the racks of clothes hanging in the dressing room, the girl taking home economics in high school so I could learn to sew, and art classes so I could learn lines and sketching. Yep, I have box upon box filled with sketchbooks packed full of doodles.

  Usually, I'm staring at the work of art that is treading along the runway or backstage kissing the designers ass at the hope one will take me under their wing. What am I doing now? Oh, that's right, the one thing I promised myself I would never do again, and that's blush like a schoolgirl around a guy. Cole ruined that in me. Never again will a man have the upper hand on me and my emotions. I learned the hard way exactly how that turns out.

  Get your shit together, Piper. You can't screw this up. He's just a hot guy. There are plenty more where he came from.

  "You have any plans after this," he asks close to my ear in a hushed tone. His warm breath tickles my ear.

  Just make something up. You are not going to sound like a loser by telling him you had planned to go home and study the latest fashion magazine like you always do on Friday night.

  The lights are dim except for the spotlights on the runway. Camera flashes are going off around the room, in unison with the music as the last set walks the runway. My mind has been so fixated on him near me that I feel like I've missed the entire show. I have to think of something and fast. I don't have much time until the show is over. Saturday night is always club night, so if Alyvia chimes in I'm really going to look like an ass. "I had this thing."

  You sound like a complete idiot. Thing? Fuck my life...

  He smirks slightly and raises a brow in my direction. "A thing? What thing?"

  Good job, Piper. Way to nail that one in the wood.

  "Um, yeah. I'm supposed to...I kind of had a..." I grab the bottom section of my hair, toying with it as if inspecting for split ends. "I have a date."

  I start to relax, feeling relieved at the quick response I thought I had when he opens his mouth and completely shatters it. Looking at his black metal watch, he looks up at me. "Any man that takes a woman on a date at this time of night is only looking to fuck her. Looking at you, I'd say you're a little classier than that, so why don't we try this again."

  My jaw drops at his outburst. I don't even know him! I can feel it coming. I'm about to blow up. I do not take kindly to people speaking to me as if I'm a child. It is a trigger for me to explode like dynamite. I stand. My face feels flushed, but I ignore it. "If I want to go fuck someone at late at night, then I will. It's none of your damn business what kind of person I am, or how I behave. I am leaving. Tell Alyvia if she doesn't come home I will call her tomorrow."

  I look from side to side. I'm in the middle of the row and the swarm of people on my left isn’t in a position to budge for me to pass. I look to my right and Haddox is still sitting with his right foot resting above his left knee. "I take it you're going home. Do you want a ride?"

  Is he for real right now? What a pompous ass. How in the hell is Alyvia friends with him? "I have a ride, but thanks. Could you please just let me by?" He deadbolts his sight on me, but I strive to avoid looking him in the eyes. He finally moves after someone behind me clears her throat for me to move, allowing me to pass. A few steps and I’m free. I walk as quickly as I can in knee-high stiletto boots to the parking lot.

  When I reach the middle of the parking lot it occurs to me that it will take at least fifteen minutes for a cab to get here since I didn't call ahead. I feel like pounding my head against a brick wall. I am not going back in there. I've been embarrassed enough for one night. I'm never tongue tied when it comes to being around new people, male or female. Why on earth it changes tonight when faced with sexy man, I have no idea. I'm an outgoing person and always have been.

  Opening my clutch, I pull out my phone and unlock the screen. Scrolling through the contacts I pass Nick's number and go back to it. Nick and I have been friends with benefits since the end of senior year in private school, after Cole decided to be a douche-canoe, leaving me high and dry. You know what they say. It's easier to get over one person by getting under another. I just wished it worked as well as it sounded. It only numbs the pain until it's over, then you end up right back where you started. There is no way to permanently deceive the heart or I would've found it by now.

  I was born and raised in New York. My mom dabbled in modeling, but never got her break to make it big, my guess, because they had enough exotic women with the Kardashian sisters. My dad is the CEO of a large investment firm. I've had it pretty easy until my dad refused to pay my rent to live on my own in the city. The damn man has been liberal all my life. Why the hell he cares what I do now is beyond me. Cole and I used to have sex under his nose all the damn time in high school and then I lived in a sorority house at the university until I graduated, but now all I hear is that I'll get in some kind of trouble. Really, Dad? I'm twenty-three fucking years old. How is the city worse than the university on the outskirts?

  My choices were live at home, pay my way, or a female roommate with all expenses paid, so I went with the latter. I sure as hell couldn't afford to pay for an apartment in the city alone without Daddy dearest's help. Although, a roommate didn't get my beautiful car back either, so I guess it is limited expenses paid.

  I have a six-month waiting period before there is even a discussion to get my beloved blue Honda S2000 convertible back. That car is my baby, my logo. She makes me feel sexy. I've only had it since senior graduation and the evil man took her from me, all because I wanted to live on my own while in fashion design school. He's paying a fortune, he says; this isn't university and mixers, he harps constantly. I want to know that you're responsible in the middle of the city before entrusting you with an expensive car, he lectures, every time I bring it up.

  Not even the Daddy's little girl puppy eyes will work on the rich bastard anymore. He's a tough one to crack when he is set on something, but I guess that's why he has more money than he knows what to do with. Not even my mother has control over the finances and she's giving him the one thing men want and can’t live without. Damn you, Daddy. At least he didn't take my credit cards. That might be worth moving back in, because I sure as shit can't support my shopping addiction. After all, I speak the language fluently. It’s an obsession I refuse to ditch.

  I hover my finger over the call button, battling the decision in my mind. If I call, it means one thing and one thing only. He will come get me, but at a price. Not that I can really complain, Nick is amazing in the sack, but I'm not sure I'm in the mood after earlier events with the sexy as sin ass-hat inside. "If you didn't have a ride you could have just accepted my offer," says the raspy voice coming from behind me.

  Giving up, I toss my phone back into my purse and turn around. He's leaning against the tailgate of an old blue truck with his arms crossed over his chest. "You're not going to give up, are you?"

  "It's just a ride," he says casually, but the heat in his stare has me feeling warm. Why do I feel like there is double meaning there? He closes in on me as I take a few steps back, bumping into the side of the truck. His face is so close to mine that I can smell the mint on his breath. "Besides, you're already standing at my truck."

  Just like that his tone cools from hot to cold. He backs up and pulls the handle of the door, opening it for me to sit in the passenger seat, silently commanding me. I can't explain what's going on in my head and body. One part of me wants to defy him, but the other part wants to obey. After tonight, I'm staying far, far away.

  He pulls up at my apartment. The ride has been mostly quiet, thankfully. There is something about him that makes me uneasy. Maybe it's that I get a vibe he's a control freak. One of those in my life is enough. My stomach is in knots. I don't like it at all. I try to take a deep breath
to calm the raging nerves inside of me, but it doesn't seem to help. "Stay here," he commands, exiting the truck and sprinting to my side. There is no reason on earth for a man to be that damn fine.

  I clear my thoughts as he opens the door, allowing me to exit. I get out of his truck feeling slightly awkward. Grabbing my purse from the seat, I turn to him standing at a close proximity to me. I fist the back of my dark hair in my hand. "Thanks for the ride," I say, waiting for him to move out of my way.

  "It's dark. I'll walk you to your door."

  "You don't have to do that," I respond quickly. "I walk to my own door all the time. It's really no big deal. If it wasn't a safe complex my father wouldn't pay the rent for me to live here." Great, now I'm stammering and releasing useless information that is none of his business. Less details are better, Piper.

  "Do you always act this stubborn?"

  "I could ask you the same question," I state in my most smart-ass tone.

  He smirks before taking a step back. "I am. I always get what I want; always." He taps his temple with his index finger. "You may as well go ahead and note it here. If you don't believe me, ask Alyvia. Now, save your debating skills for someone that will give in, because on me it won't work. Let's go. I'm walking you to your door." He turns and begins walking toward the complex.

  My shoulders fall, feeling defeated. My eyes travel to his backside. He has a swagger in his walk that would make any girl crazy. I've always been an ass girl. Ask me why and I have no idea. Maybe it's why I ended up dating an athlete for four years. There is something about an ass in uniform that does it for me. That ass would look damn good in baseball pants. "You going to stare at my ass all day or are you coming?"

  Cocky bastard.

  I walk as fast as my stilettos will allow, catching up to him on the way to the building entrance. Great, now he knows where I live and he's a best friend with my roommate. That means that I'm probably going to be dealing with him on a regular basis. I just need to suck it up and show him that I will not be influenced by a random hot guy. It's going to take more than some sexy alpha-male with a nice ass to sway me. I’m not my mother. I'm Piper Morgan, the girl that will never fall into the hands of another man again. I will control how far I let myself go with a man, and that's usually to his bed and back home.

  The elevator doors open and I step out with him on my heels. "I'm a big girl. You don't have to follow me to the door."

  "I don't have to do anything. I will never do more than I want to." I roll my eyes and walk down the long corridor until I reach the door labeled with the number 1068. Alyvia and I live on the tenth floor along with several other college age students and new adults. It's strange how this place groups the floors. Most of the older people reside on the lower floors, the middle aged in the center floors, and the younger ones on the top. I guess to avoid noise complaints and long elevator rides from the older generations.

  I open my purse and pull out my keys, sliding the appropriate one into the lock and turning it. Placing my hand on the doorknob, I open it as I turn around. Haddox is standing with his hands gripped around the doorframe. My heart is pounding in my chest. I will have a word later with my treacherous body. He is staring me in the eyes. "Goodnight, Haddox."

  "Goodnight...Piper." My name rolls off his tongue seductively. I won't deny that he has a sexy voice. I back inside the door, never breaking eye contact with him. I suck my bottom lip between my teeth. "I guess I'll be seeing you around?" His stare burns into me as I begin to shut the door.

  "Maybe, maybe not," I quip back and shut the door, with him standing on the other side. I turn, looking into our large two-bedroom apartment. The place screams fashion addict. I guess that is expected from two fashion majors. I scan the apartment we've worked so hard on for weeks. Posters of all the major fashion magazines hang framed on the walls. The living room is filled with black, leather furniture and splotches of color are scattered throughout the room.

  My bedroom door catches my attention. It's cracked open, but I always shut it. I don't understand why it would be, because the main door was locked. I'm weird about my stuff. I spend a hefty allowance on things like clothes, shoes, purses, and jewelry since I'm an only child, so I lock up my shit. Plus, if I want to become a designer I also support them when shopping. That means what lies inside is worth thousands. Alyvia is quickly becoming a really good friend, but I still haven't known her that long. I never know who will be here when I'm not.

  I start to panic a little. Taking a few steps forward, I call out. "Hello? Is someone here?" My heart feels like it's about to pound out of my chest. My heels are tapping against the hardwood floor. Crap. I try to walk on my tiptoes, but am unsuccessful. Whoever may be in there already knows I'm here. I spot my umbrella in the holder to my right. I grab it and lay my purse and keys on the small entryway table. At least I'll have something to try and protect myself if I’m attacked.

  I tighten my hands around the handle of the closed umbrella like a baseball bat, shaking nervously. I reach the door and close my eyes, taking a few deep breaths to calm myself. I can do this. If it's some thief I'll just whack him upside the head and run for it. Okay, I'm ready. I hold up the umbrella ready to swing and walk as slowly as I can, trying not to make noise. Now would be the best time to have carpet and not wood flooring.

  I walk through the small entryway into my room and round the corner, almost smacking into Cole's wet body wrapped in only a towel. "Cole, what the hell are you doing here? I could've killed you! How did you even know where I live?" I haven't seen Cole in six months. He always does this to me. He knows how much I love him, and that like a puppy he can throw me a few scraps here and there and I consume it as if I'm starved. I hate him for it, but I also love him so much that I can't stop. Years later and I still sleep with him every time he shows up.

  He smirks as I relax my batter-swinging stance and begins closing in the distance between us. Grabbing the opening of the towel, he pulls it free and begins rubbing it over his hair, absorbing the excess water. My eyes betray me and go straight for the goods. "Don't act like you aren't happy to see me, Piper. You know we can never leave each other alone for too long. Audrey told me where you lived, who else?"

  Fucking tramp of a friend. She’s such a bitch, always wanting to watch me as I sink like the Titanic when he strikes me with his cold-hearted, vindictive, playboy ass. If she can’t move on from her lost love she isn’t going to let anyone else either. I’ll remember that next time she calls me wanting information on the next big designer in her greedy attempt to start a trend.

  My eyes scan him entirely. How pathetic is it that I've missed him so much it hurts standing here before him? I want him to touch me. God only knows that I do, because I wouldn't admit it to anyone else to save my life. It's something I'm ashamed of, but I don't know how to make it go away. The closer he gets, the more difficulty I have breathing. "What are you doing here, Cole?" My voice only seems to extract from my throat in a whisper.

  I back up, watching as he stalks after me until I'm trapped against the wall. I want to slap him for always doing this to me, but I also want to hold onto him a little while longer; even if only while he uses me to get off and continues on again as if I was just some girl from one of his frat parties. He runs his fingers down my hairline, pushing my long locks behind my ear. "I'm here to see you, angel. Why else would I be here? You know I always come see you when I'm home from school."

  I close my eyes at the touch of his hands. I want to scream for him to stop, but I know and he knows that I won't. Go ahead, call me crazy since I'm the one that officially broke us off in high school, summer before senior year, but it's only because he emotionally abandoned me and physically neglected me as if he was pushing me to do it. He left me in every way but publicly; fucking coward, wanting to look like the perfect guy. Obviously I was right, because he wasted no time dipping into a relationship with another girl. I blamed it on the fact that we were young and that he would come back to me, but he only ever c
omes back for one thing.

  Cole and I share a bond. We were each other's first everything, including love. We first met after a football game in middle school. He's only a year older than me. He kind of had me from hello. From that point we were a couple and everyone knew it. Still, people I don't know well know me as Cole's Piper when I meet them. Everything was perfect until he hit senior year. From then on, every day got worse than the one before. We broke it off right before he left for Florida State, his favorite college. He had dreamed of going from the time he learned how to play sports. I was all for it until I figured out his plans didn't include taking me along.

  To this day I still haven't figured out what Cole wants from me. He never wants me in the same way that I want him. I am still hopelessly in love with him, doing things that would shame my family if they knew, just to be with him. I continue to give in, all while he can't seem to completely sever all ties with me; hence him coming back for a game of hit it and quit it whether he has a girlfriend or not. I never ever condone cheating, but it's kind of hard to turn down a man you claimed first, especially when he always makes the move to come back to you.

  "You know I'll always love you, Piper." The magic fucking words that he uses no matter how much it hurts me. It would be too easy for him to just let me go so I could attempt to move on, but just when I think I can start, he waltzes back in like an elephant, destroying everything in its path. If he kisses me it's over.

  I look in his steel gray eyes. He always was a sexy man to me. He's not the same kind of sexy being compared to a guy like Haddox, but he's the guy that comes barreling into your heart and never leaves until he sets you free. His ash blonde hair stands off the scalp naturally, the texture that never really lays flat. He has a few imperfect features from being broken a few times in stupid fights, but that was what made him perfect to me. "I love you too, Cole."