“What do we have here? You must be the new flavor of the week, aren’t you darling?” she said, sounding more condescending than genuine.
“Excuse me? Who are you?” I asked, extremely confused.
“I’m Raina. Who else were you expecting?”
“Raina? Do I know you?”
“Play your games little girl. I’m sure Christian has mentioned my name to you many times.”
“I’m sorry but I’ve never heard of you. Do you need to see him? I can get him for you.”
“I don’t need you to get him for me. I’m more than capable of going in there and getting him myself. I do have a key to the house after all.”
“Okay?” I said, growing more confused by the second. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Sweetie, there’s nothing you can do for me at all. I just wanted to let you know that you are no different than all the other girls that end up in Christian’s bed. Before you know it, he’ll grow tired of you and toss you to the side. When that happens, he’ll be coming right back to me. You just watch. He will always come back to me. He loves me and I love him. He’s mine. We belong together and the faster you realize that, the better it will be for everyone involved.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Every time I started to allow myself to get close to this man, something would happen that would suggest that I was making a huge mistake. The thing with his sister was an obvious miscommunication but this? A woman was standing right in front me telling me that she had a key to Christian’s house and that I would be tossed to the side just like the others. I tried to be strong but ultimately broke down and started to cry.
“You’re pathetic,” the woman said to me. “Christian needs a strong woman in his life. I can’t believe you could actually think he would want to be with someone like you long-term. Look at you crying and wallowing in your self-pity. Why not save yourself some heartache and just leave now? I’ll even call a driver to pick you up.”
I wanted to argue and tell her she was wrong but was she? Every word she said suddenly made a lot of sense to me. Could I really expect to keep Christian happy? I wasn’t one of these wild girls that he usually hung around with. Maybe this Raina was on to something. If he was just going to get tired of me eventually and run back to her, I might as well let them be together and step out of the picture.
Raina called a car for me and it was there within five minutes. I debated what I should do but ultimately chose to get into the car and head for home. I left in tears, sure that my relationship with Christian was over.
CHAPTER 16
Christian
I was on the phone a lot longer than I wanted to be. The client on the phone was one of those types of guys who needed to psychoanalyze every detail. I had to pull out his file and go through his portfolio stock by stock to make sure he had the most up to date information before trade opening the next morning. The worst thing about that particular client was that the information was entirely unnecessary. He doesn’t do any trading on his own. He has never done any trading on his own. We have a financial adviser assigned specifically to him. If he were any other client, I wouldn’t have taken so much time on the phone with him but he is what we refer to as a high roller. He brings in so much money to the company in the way of commissions that spending an hour on the phone with him here and there is more than worth it.
When I finally got him off the phone and ensured him that his adviser would be calling him in the morning with an update, which was always the case, I put my phone on vibrate and went back outside to continue my day with Sarabelle. Unfortunately, when I got back to where I left her, she was nowhere to be found. I figured that she must have wandered off, looking around the property but that wasn’t the case. She was gone. At first, I thought maybe she was messing with me. I thought she had to be hiding from me. For all I knew, she was watching me look all around for her and was having a good laugh at my expense. I had an idea that would blow her little game out of the water. I’d call her from my cell phone and the sound of her ringtone would give her location away. Pressing the screen over her name, I put the phone down at my side and listened quietly, waiting for the sound of her phone to put an end to this little game. No matter how long I stood there waiting, I could never hear her phone. She was no longer there.
I had no idea where she could have gone and hoped that there was nothing wrong. I had a feeling that she would have come into the house and let me know if there had been an emergency and she had to leave. It couldn’t see her leaving for some reason, so her sudden disappearance started to make me worry. I walked around a bit more while trying to call her. I kept calling her but her phone went to voice mail each time. I hate leaving messages for people but I finally left one because I wanted to hear from her. I kept it short and sweet, mentioning that I noticed she left and hoped everything was okay. Not knowing what else to do, I started making my way back to the house where I would wait to hear from her.
I begun to piece things together when I made it to the front of the house and saw Raina sitting on my steps. She smiled when she saw me but it wasn’t a smile of happiness; it was her typical resting bitch smile that was always plastered across her hardened face. It didn’t take a genius to put together that she had something to do with the fact that Sarabelle was no longer at my house.
“What do you want now?” I asked, annoyed that he was invading my personal space.
“That’s no way to greet a lady,” she replied. “Aren’t you going to invite me in for a drink?”
“I wasn’t planning on it. I thought I made it clear at my office that I wanted you to leave me alone.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you just didn’t want me coming to your office anymore. I was just stopping by to talk to you as friends for a few minutes. I didn’t mean to bother you.”
Raina had a serious look on her face and I thought maybe she had accepted the fact that I was involved with Sarabelle and really just wanted to be my friend. If that were the case, I would look like an enormous asshole if I turned her away. Besides, maybe she was having a hard time with the fact that I basically told her there was no hope in she and I ever being together and if she needed someone to talk to, the least I could do was lend her an ear.
“Okay, come on in and we can talk as friends. I’ll grab us some wine.”
She seemed satisfied with my response as she got up off the stairs and followed me into the house.
“Red or white?” I asked.
“Red, please.”
I shouldn’t have bothered asking because I already knew the answer. She always drank red wine. In fact, she liked red everything. Red lipstick, red dresses, red gloves, a red coat. If she could find it in red, she would buy it. I went into the wine cellar and opened a bottle of 100 Casanova di Neri 2001 Cerretalto. I took in the aroma of dark fruit and chocolate as I pulled the cork before pouring us both a glass. Handing her a glass, I asked her what it was that she wanted to talk about.
“I wasn’t happy with the way our conversation ended at your office. I didn’t mean to intrude into your relationship but we’ve been through far too much to end things that way.”
“I’m sorry you weren’t happy but that’s the way things had to be. You weren’t listening to me when I told you I was with someone and didn’t intend on changing it.”
“Yeah, but what about everything we’ve been through together? What about all of the experiences we’ve had together?”
“Which experiences are you referring to exactly?”
“Nothing in particular. We’ve just been through a lot since we met so many years ago. We basically grew up together. We were each other’s one and only before most people were even thinking about dating.”
“That’s true. We were so into each other back then. I loved you. I loved you with all my heart but when I think back in time, my brain doesn’t want to remember all those good times. My mind goes right to our prom night when you humiliated me because I didn’t spend m
ore money to buy you a better ring.”
“I’m sorry you’re still caught up on that but don’t you think I deserved something nicer? I mean, if you were as crazy about me as you claimed to be, wouldn’t you have wanted to put a better ring on my finger?”
“Yes Raina, I would have loved to but that wasn’t possible at the time. I saved every penny I made for more than a year so I could buy you that ring. I literally had no money left after I bought it for you. With the money I had, it was the nicest one I could get for you. I don’t know what more you wanted from me.”
“I wanted you to try harder, I guess. I’m not exactly sure what I wanted. I was lost and confused back then. I’m not the same person now that I was back then. I’ve grown up a lot and realize what a mistake I made when I let you get away from me.”
“That’s great to hear and all, and I’m really happy that you’ve worked on improving yourself but you’re not the only person who has changed. I’ve changed as well and I’m with someone else.”
“Come on, Christian. She’s a cute girl and all but how long is that really going to last? You know that you need a woman like me to keep you happy. She can never do what I can do.”
“She makes me smile. She makes me laugh. She actually makes me happy. What more do I need?”
“You need someone who can make you cum in ways that little girl could never even dream of. If you need a little reminder of what I’m talking about, we can go back to your room and I can give you a refresher.”
I couldn’t believe that after everything, Raina was in my kitchen trying to seduce me. What I couldn’t believe even more was how much trouble I was having saying no to her. When it came to sex, I’d never found anyone who could satisfy me the way that she did. She was a freak in the bedroom and it was hard to find someone like that. I wanted her badly. Every atom of my bad boy being was screaming at me to take her into my bedroom and fuck the shit out of her. I was about to give in to my wants but I couldn’t do it. Something inside of me had changed since I met Sarabelle and no other woman could compare to her. I knew that and it wasn’t worth putting what she and I had at risk for an hour of fun.
“It’s not going to happen. You might as well give it up now because I’m not going to cheat on my girlfriend.”
“I don’t understand what you see in that girl. Do you think she would stand by your side through thick and thin? Look at today as an example. I popped up and she couldn’t handle the pressure. She couldn’t leave fast enough.”
“So she is gone because of you? What the fuck did you say to her?” I began seething.
“I told her the truth Christian. I told her that the two of you would never last and that when you grew tired of playing house with her, I’d be right there waiting to take my rightful place.”
“You’re crazy. Do you know that? You are absolutely fucking crazy. I’m done with this and I’m done with you. Get the fuck out of my house and don’t come back. I don’t want anything else to do with you. Do you understand me?”
“Christian, we both know you don’t mean what you’re saying. You don’t really want me to stay out of your life. You’re speaking out of anger. That’s what you do.”
“No, this is not out of anger. I mean everything that I’m saying to you. Leave me alone or I’ll make your life a living hell.”
“Really? What are you going to do? You going to hit me? You and I both know you don’t have it in you.”
“You’re right. I don’t hit women no matter how much I’d like to right now. If you don’t leave me alone, I’ll make sure to let everyone know that you’re stalking me, though. I’ll tell everyone you know. I’ll tell anyone who will listen. I’ll embarrass you and make sure to drag your name through the mud.”
Raina didn’t like what she was hearing but she knew I was serious. Her face went from pale to rosy before turning crimson when she finally grabbed her purse and stormed furiously out of my house. I hoped that she had gotten the message and would finally get out of my life but I had a feeling things would never be that easy, knowing how stubborn and hard-headed she is.
CHAPTER 17
Sarabelle
Why did these things keep happening to me? How many different signs did I have to see before I finally realized that I was fighting a losing battle? The woman at Christian’s house made some very valid points. I am nothing at all like the girls he was used to being with and I am pretty sure I never would be. Christian was the first man I had ever given myself to so I didn’t have any experience when it came to sex. He was the complete opposite. He’d had numerous sexual partners and had most likely seen and done it all. I couldn’t say the same. I was very much learning things as I went along. He might not have shown it but I’m sure Christian would lose patience eventually before going out to find more excitement.
I thought about him non-stop during my entire ride home. I didn’t want to give up on him but if what that woman had said was true, what other choice did I have? I cried and cried for the duration of the trip, which seemed to make the driver rather uncomfortable. That wasn’t my intention but I was upset and couldn’t help myself. My sister had a lot more experience when it came to dating so I just wanted to get home so I could tell her what happened. She isn’t great when it comes to giving sisterly advice but I was hoping she would come through for me on this occasion.
When the car dropped me off, I made my way inside as fast as I could. I called out to Lexi but didn’t get a response. All of the lights were off downstairs so she was either not home or she was up in her bedroom. It was very possible that she was still fast asleep considering her love for partying late into the night. After making my way up the stairs, I crept into her room as quietly as I could debating whether I would wake her up or let her sleep and talk to her later. That was a choice I wouldn’t have to make because she wasn’t in her room either. I had no clue where she was but she wasn’t at home. Hoping she may be coming back soon, I called her cell phone but got sent to voice mail after the second ring. I hoped she would call back soon but in the meantime, I needed to relax and the best way for me to do that would be to take a nice, long, hot bath.
In my room, I kicked my shoes off and turned on the light. I screamed loudly when I turned to make my way into the bathroom only to find Kade sitting in the chair by the window. I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t sure what his intentions were but they couldn’t be good if he had been hiding in my room waiting for me to come home. I thought about what my options were. What I really wanted to do was make a dart for my door and run away. I knew that wouldn’t work because I’m not the fastest person in the world and he would be able to catch me well before I got to the top of the stairs. Instead, I decided to ask him point blank why he was there.
“What are you doing in my room, Kade?”
“You think you are really fucking slick, don’t you Sarabelle?”
“Slick? What are you talking about?”
“You stupid bitch! Did you think I wouldn’t realize what you did? Did you think I wouldn’t notice that the memory card was suddenly missing from my phone? How fucking stupid do you think I am?”
“I don’t believe you’re stupid, Kade, but you had no right to take those pictures of my sister. I was just doing what I had to do to protect her.”
“Bullshit! You knew what you had to do to protect her.”
“What? Sleep with you? That’s not going to happen. I don’t understand you, Kade. Why do you want to have sex with me so bad? Why do you wish to have sex with someone who has no desire to have sex with you? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Don’t question me. You have no right to question me about anything. I’m here to get my memory card back. Give it to me and I’ll be on my way.”
“I don’t have your memory card.”
“Bullshit. Where is it?”
“I gave it to my sister and she made sure it was thoroughly destroyed.” That part was a lie. I had no idea what my sister did with the memory card but I didn’t want
to let him know that.
“Well that memory card is mine and if you can’t produce it, you’re going to have to pay me for it.”
“Fine, I’ll pay you for it. What was it? Twenty bucks? Thirty? How much do you need?”
“There you go again, Sarabelle. Always acting so naive. This is not about money. This has never been about money. This has always been about you. You’re going to give me what I want this time or I’m just gonna fucking take it.”
Kade got that same scary look in his eyes as he did the night at the gala in the labyrinth and I could tell that he was serious. I darted out of my room and ran as fast as I could. As I moved, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Christian’s number. I knew I wouldn’t have the chance to talk to him but I hoped that if he heard what was happening in the background, he would send the cops. Kade grabbed me right as I turned to go down the stairs and dragged me back into my room, throwing me onto my bed and ripping my t-shirt in half. He was pawing at me, trying to get into my bra.
Good Girls Do It Well (A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance) Page 11