A Prior Engagement

by S. L. Scott

  Chapter 26

  Audrey was easy enough to locate with Walter’s help. William caught up with her one day in the local coffee shop closest to Evie’s building. Audrey turned around with her fresh brew in hand and saw William sitting there waiting for her. At first, she appeared nervous, but he smiled at her and when it reached his eyes, she knew he had come around to help her sister. She joined him at the tiny table and as she removed her sunglasses, he leaned toward her. “I need your help.”

  “Anything,” she said. “I should have helped. I didn’t know how. I’m sorry, so sorry, I didn’t.”

  “It’s not your fault and I don’t blame you. But I want her back and I think she wants to be with me, too.” He laid out his plan for her and then asked about Evie and how she’s doing.

  “She’s been nicer to me. I don’t mean to infer she wasn’t before, but we get along better now. She’s built a fortress around her heart though.”

  “Your parents should know what he’s done to her.”

  “I tried before. They don’t believe me against him. He’s manipulative. He has them believing I’m just a stupid teenager.”

  “Why do they like him so much?” He asked, confused by the allegiance her parents have shown Tom Whitney.

  Audrey shook her head seeming to wonder the same thing before she finally spoke. “They’ve known his family a long time. They’re very close with his parents and he’s a good actor. Oh, I don’t know.” She looked down at the coffee in her hands and stopped talking like she was going into a forbidden topic.

  William was guessing, but felt like he got a pretty good idea during their brief love affair. “He knows how to put on a charade. He says what they want to hear and does what they approve of. They aren’t aware of the monster he is underneath his polished surface.”

  Audrey’s eyes lifted up and met William’s. “Yes. He’s a suck-up.”

  William laughed at the term, but “suck-up” was very fitting also. “I have to warn you, Audrey, my plan is a bit conniving.”

  “Ooh, I love it even more. Go on.”

  “I think it’s going to be a two-stage process. He’s got something on her, or I’m thinking he’s using something to keep her going through with this . . .” William looked out the window and never finished his sentence.

  “He’s blackmailing her somehow, but how can I help with that? Tom hates me. He barely tolerates me and I’m her sister. He won’t talk to me. He’s also keeping her on a short leash. She can’t make a move without him there or calling her.”

  “We’re not going to bother with him. I’m going straight for her heart.”

  As they plotted and planned, William realized he had found his strongest ally in Evie’s sister. And with Audrey’s birthday coming up next week, he found the perfect excuse to get her out from under the monster’s watchful eye. But waiting a week to see her, to talk with her again, would prove the hardest part of the plan by far. He missed Evie and hated that he couldn’t just walk in and take her away from her prison.

  He and Audrey exchanged phone numbers and throughout the week they kept each other posted through text messages. William filled the hours working during the day and dreaming of Evie at night. His dreams were filled with him touching her body . . . everywhere. That was something he regretted not doing when he had the chance, but in his heart he knew it was better that they hadn’t.

  When Everleigh came back to Tom, he had become more patient with his future bride. He tried to break her by trying his “method” of discipline before, but that drove her away. And upon her return he had even tried sleeping pills in her water to keep her calm during her transition back into his world and back into her proper place. But he didn’t want to keep her unconscious to be with him. He wanted her smart wit and cleverness back for the world to see. Settling on the most basic of threats to convince her of the right choice to make, he threatened the one she loved the most.

  He was surprised over the course of the last ten days how well his plan had worked. Everleigh even allowed him to hold her hand at a party once, seeming as if she was falling back in line with his expectations. Socially, she was gracious, funny, and would carry a conversation, so Tom felt he could relax in his efforts with her. He started to believe that maybe she did want this life; maybe she did want him for real this time.

  They walked the two blocks back to her home and as they approached her building, he stopped and pulled her to him. “I want you to come over tonight.”

  Everleigh looked at him and thought carefully before answering. She knew he wasn’t asking. He never asked for her opinion. He wanted to get off, but she couldn’t stomach the thought. “Not tonight. I need more time.” She looked down at her feet, avoiding his eyes, but made no apologies.

  She looked back up at him so earnest and sweet that he knew she would be ready soon and it would be real. He believed she would want to be there instead of him demanding her to be. “Okay. I’ll give you more time.” He kissed her at the door and said his good-bye.

  As Everleigh rode the elevator up, she knew she wouldn’t be able to stall much longer, but she couldn’t be with that monster, at least not voluntarily. She hoped being married to him would give her the strength to fulfill her wifely duties a bit easier. Many women had married for purpose over love. She knew she wasn’t the first. Some even developed feelings of love over time, but that would feel like a betrayal to what she and William once were.

  Climbing into bed, she remembered how close she and William had come to being together completely. It was her one true regret of her time with him. They both thought they should take it slow because they had forever. They were fools because their forever was never meant to be. Her soul felt rundown and she had lost her will to fight. Her fighting spirit had left with William. One thing she was positive of is that her staying with Tom gave William the opportunity to pursue his dreams just as he was before she crashed his world. She eventually fell asleep on a tear-soaked pillow.

  The next day, Everleigh buried herself in the required phone calls necessary to make the Latham Fundraiser a success. She had taken on more tasks to stay busy since she dropped her summer class, and to keep her mind from wandering back to her true love.

  By five o’clock, Audrey came into her room holding a bag and a large shoe box. “It’s my birthday, so I get to dress you for tonight.”

  Evie lowered her chin and gave her a questioning look. “I’m not even allowed to dress myself now?”

  “You betcha. This isn’t an uppity uptown soiree. We’re going to watch a band downtown.” She strode over to the bed unloading the clothes and boots from the box and smiled at her sister. “Remember, it’s my eighteenth birthday, sis. You have to wear this for me. What the birthday girl says goes.”

  Evie held the skimpy cut-off jean skirt up and shook her head in disapproval. Audrey gave her a look that left her no option. “Okay, I’ll wear it, but only because it’s your day.”

  As they rode through Manhattan, Audrey started chatting about her friends who would be meeting them at the club tonight and Evie tugged at her skirt, uncomfortable with showing this much skin.

  Evie was more than happy to celebrate her baby sister’s birthday and had been looking forward to the night all week. It also bothered Tom that she was going out without him which made her enjoy the night even more.

  Exiting the cab, Evie followed close behind Audrey. Her little sister fist-bumped the doorman and he let them in without waiting or carding either. That concerned Evie, and she wondered how much partying her sister was doing without her knowledge. But tonight was about her birthday fun and she wasn’t going to be the one to ruin it, so she followed her straight up to the bar. Audrey ordered two shots of tequila and set one of them in front of Evie. Society kids were frequenting the bar scene and stealing drinks at fancy cocktails parties at an early age, so Evie downed it in one go and skipped the accessory lime.

  Audrey laughed. “Impressive. I didn’t even know if you’d done a shot before.”
She signaled for two more and Audrey excused herself to seek out her friends, taking her shot with her.

  Evie turned around with the full shot in hand while leaning against the edge of the bar. That’s when she heard her name, but from an unfamiliar voice. “Evie?”

  She turned to see a very large guy smiling at her as he approached. She recognized him, but wasn’t quite sure from where. But it came to her when he introduced himself. “It’s Bobby, I’m William’s best friend. I met you at his parent’s house on Staten Island.”

  “Yes, that’s right. Bobby, how are you?”

  “I’m great.” He smiled. Her first thought was that was how William would answer that question too. “Weird running into you here. You slumming it downtown?”

  “I’m here with my sister. It’s her birthday and she loves this place. I’ve never been here before, but I like it so far.”

  “Doing shots?” he asked, pointing at her waiting glass.

  “Uh, yeah.” She started to feel embarrassed holding the tequila shot.

  “Can I join you?”

  Evie nodded and scooted a bit to her left to let him squeeze up to the bar. Once he was served, they shot the drinks together after a quick clink of the glasses. “Tequila, huh? What’s the story?”

  She laughed because she handled the alcohol a little smoother than him. “No story.”

  “In Mexico, they sip their tequila.” He looked her in the eyes as he spoke, but she looked away. “I’m sorry. Is this awkward or too weird hanging out?”

  Her face softened, and she tilted her head smiling back at him. “No. I’m glad to see you again. I really didn’t have a chance to get to know you, but if William . . .” She looked down and then signaled the bartender for another round. “Well, you must be a good person if you two are friends.”

  “From what he said, I know you are, too.” He paused then added, “He misses you.”

  She couldn’t look at him for fear of falling apart, so she took her glass and tapped it against his and drank the shot. “I wish he didn’t.”

  “I don’t know why the two of you aren’t together. I’m sure it’s some fucked up situation that seems impossible, but ultimately I want my friend happy. He deserves it and you happen to be what makes him the happiest. I can also tell how much you like him. You might even love him or some craziness like that, so don’t let some rich wanker mess up something so right—”

  “I’m not with William because I love him. Don’t let him waste his life waiting on something that can never be.” She pointed to his full waiting shot.

  He drank the liquor slower than the first, but fast enough not to be outdone by this girl. Changing the topic, they spent the next hour laughing about New York, people in the club, and nothing in particular. At one point, Bobby looked over at Evie. “You can hold your liquor and that makes you a cool chick in my book.”

  She laughed out loud, feeling free and light tonight. “I was even better when I was a teen. I was a bit wilder then. I’m going to the restroom. I’ll be right back.”

  Audrey worked her way over to Bobby, introducing herself, after she spied her sister leaving. They visited for a minute before the real show started, and they weren’t referring to the band playing on stage. They leaned their backs against the bar and watched William make his way toward the bathroom. As Evie walked out of the darkened hall, he grabbed her, pressing his lips to her forehead. Her surprise morphed into calm. Her heart was racing, her mind suddenly numb, but her body operated on its own. She snuggled to his chest nuzzling her nose against his neck. Her hands instinctively went to his shoulders, sliding up and landing in his hair. Her fingers pulling gently as her body moved against him with an audible sigh.

  He wrapped his arms around Evie settling his hands on her ribs and then slid them down to her hips, burying his face into her hair. For fear of losing her again, he inhaled her while he held her. He heard the faintest, sweetest voice near the base of his earlobe. “I wish we would have made love. I still dream of you touching me . . . your hands on me . . . everywhere.”

  He knew she’d been drinking and would’ve never admitted that if she was sober, but it didn’t matter. He loved hearing the truth from her and he was turned on by this girl, the girl he was in love with, moving against him clouding all rationale. She was all he thought about. “I dream of you, too.” He could feel her soft lips against his jaw and down his neck and was losing this battle not to grab her and take her away with him forever.

  “Hey guys.”

  His eyes flashed up to see Audrey smiling at him. It couldn’t be time already. He was desperate to absorb every second he was able to hold Evie like this. He tilted his head, resting his cheek against hers and said, “We can be together.”

  With that statement, she pulled her head back to look him in the eyes. “We can’t—”

  “We can.”

  “We can’t and shouldn’t. Trust me on this and do what’s good for you?”

  “You are good for me.” He kissed her forehead. “By the way, you look incredible tonight.”

  Suddenly, she felt her shoulder being grabbed, and was spun around. William held onto her waist as Audrey demanded, “We’ve got to go. He’s here.”

  Evie’s eyes followed Audrey’s stare and she saw Tom standing by the bar. She didn’t know why he was there and hoped it wasn’t to check up on her, but it was obvious that was exactly why he was there.

  She turned to William who said, “He doesn’t matter. I love you, Evie. Stay with me. I’ll protect you.”

  Hearing him say that intermingled with the memories of Tom’s threats to ruin William’s career broke her heart. She shouldn’t have gotten so close to William. She shouldn’t have let him hold her in that most intimate embrace. And she definitely shouldn’t have listened to him. His words were dangerous and reckless. She let her emotions get away from her. She knew he didn’t know what he was saying, or even realize the direct consequences of his actions tonight. To protect him once again, she backed away with no smile to be found. She closed off the thoughts behind her eyes and reiterated what she had already said. “We can’t be together. Go find happiness somewhere else because it’s not here. It’s not with me.” She escaped through an opening in the crowd before he could talk her into staying, before he could make her believe happily ever after does exist.

  Audrey looked at William, and warned, “Don’t let him see you, okay? It will be bad for her if he does.”

  William grabbed her arm, threatening. “Take care of her, Audrey. I mean it.”

  “I will.”

  He repeated. “I mean it! Take care of her. Don’t let him hurt her and don’t let her hurt herself anymore. She deserves happiness and to be safe.”

  She nodded and walked away. His heart sank as he watched Evie in the distance leave the bar with that bastard.

  “Get in the car, Everleigh.” Tom’s tone left no room for negotiation.

  Everleigh started to cry as she ducked into the back of the cab. Her shoulders shook as her quiet sobs overtook her body.

  Tom started to climb in behind her, but stopped and looked back at Audrey. “You dressed her like a whore and got her drunk.” Everleigh looked up and saw him shake his head in disgust. “She won’t be going out with you again. It’s time you grew up, Audrey. Get in the car.”

  “You can’t tell me what to do, Tom,” Audrey argued.

  “You’re right, but I can tell her,” he said, referring to his drunken fiancée in the cab.

  With that threat, Audrey got in the cab, and looked at her sister. Everleigh raised her chin with pride and wiped the tears from her cheek with the back of her arm. Not another word was shared on the ride home.

  Bobby placed his hand down firm on William’s shoulder as if to hold him back even though he wasn’t moving. “Your plan worked.”

  William’s stance relaxed, and he smiled. “She looked amazing, Bobby. To hold her like that again . . . she wants to be with me. I can tell.”

  “You’r
e right. She’s the one for you, man. I hope you know what you’re doing though because that guy didn’t seem like he messes around. So what’s next?”

  “I’m thinking a grand gesture is in order.” He turned to his friend, sticking his hand out. Bobby shook it. “Thanks for hanging out with her and getting her drunk.”

  “Why’d you want her drunk anyway? Isn’t that like taking two steps back? She might not even remember this tomorrow.”

  “She’ll remember. Even if she closes her mind, she’ll remember me in here.” William tapped his chest over his heart. “And, she wouldn’t be receptive to seeing me if she wasn’t drinking, so Audrey said it was needed. She was right, too.” He smiled at what a wuss he must sound like to his friend and shook his head in disbelief that tonight’s plan worked. He now knew she loved him. “If she had seen me while sober, she’d convince herself it was wrong to talk with me. This way, she let down her guard and went with her feelings instead.” William knew it was kind of cheating to remind her of her true emotions this way, but Audrey had convinced him that was the only way for Evie to admit what she really felt. The words didn’t back what her body language confirmed, her real feelings. She wanted to be with him just as much, but something was holding her back. William didn’t know why she was putting on this charade, but knew Tom definitely had something to do with it. And if Tom was willing to play unfair, William was willing to play dirty as well if it meant being with Evie.

  The alcohol had kicked in and was coursing through Everleigh’s system. Tom walked the girls through the lobby holding Everleigh by the arm, which was proving more difficult than it should. “Another late shift, Walter?” he asked as the doorman rushed to push the elevator button for them.

  “Yes, Sir. Have to do a few overnights for Joe each month.”

  Audrey startled everyone when she announced, “I’ll take her from here.”

  “I’ll take her.” Tom was giving no leeway on the issue as he spoke to Audrey.

  “I’ll put her right to bed. Thanks for helping me get her to the elevator. You can go home now.” Audrey stood her ground and tugged on Evie’s arm.