by B. B. Hamel
I could yell at him right now. I’m angry enough to do it. But if I give in to that impulse, I’ll never get my phone back.
And my phone represents my freedom. That’s how I can get in touch with Gavin again. If I really want to see him again, I need to play the game and be smart about this.
“It was nice,” I say, although it practically kills me to do it.
Father doesn’t notice my anger or my discomfort, of course. “Very good,” he says, nodding. “I knew you’d get along well with Milo. He comes from good people, very good people, you’ll be happy with him.”
I want to puke. “I agree,” I say to him.
That clearly makes him happy. He smiles big. “Well. Good. Since you feel that way, I think maybe you should have your phone back. So that you can communicate with Milo.” He picks up my phone and holds it out for me.
I take it from him. I feel dirty doing it, but I don’t care. “Thank you,” I say and I give him a smile.
“Good. Now run along. I’m proud of you.”
I turn and leave the dining room as fast as I can. I hate having to do that, pretend that I’m one thing when I’m really something else, but I know that I have to. If I want to talk to Gavin, I need my phone.
I hurry to my room, shut the door, and lock it. I head into my closet, crawl into my nook, and power my phone on.
There are a few messages from Gavin, which isn’t surprising. My heart fluttering, I type out a text.
“Meet me tomorrow?” I hit send.
The wait feels like years though it’s probably only a few minutes.
“Of course,” he says. “When and where?”
“Ten,” I type back. “Same place as last time.”
“See you then.”
I smile and put my phone down, staring at the wall.
I’m going against the direct wishes of my family, but I don’t care. I want this man and I want to have someone in my life who actually gives a crap about me. I don’t want to get shackled to a man like Milo and end up alone and miserable for my whole life.
Gavin represents freedom for me, but there’s always another basic truth that I can’t deny. I want him badly. I want him so badly that it makes my whole body feel weak. I smile to myself, picturing the gifts he might send me next, and try to figure out how I’m going to sneak out to see him.
9
Gavin
I half expect her not to be there. I don’t know why, but part of me thinks that this is some trick that fucker Silas is trying to play.
I can’t resist it, though. I can’t miss an opportunity to see her like this. Maybe it’s not smart to go on this date with her, maybe I should just stay home and pretend like none of this happened, but I can’t help myself.
I want Sadie, and I’m going to fucking have her. Tillman can send as many goons as he wants, but I’m not backing down.
I’m nervous when the car pulls up, but there she is, standing under a streetlight and smiling. She’s wearing a long tan jacket, like something out of a spy movie. Her hair is pulled up in a messy bun and she looks absolutely beautiful.
I open the door and step out. “I’m glad you came,” I say.
“Why wouldn’t I?” she asks.
I shake my head. “No reason.”
She smiles a little uncertainly. “Well, where are we going tonight?”
“You seemed to like our first date, so I thought I’d bring you back there. To that neighborhood, at least.”
She smiles as she climbs into the car. I close the door, go around to the other side, and get in. The driver pulls out.
“I like seeing where you grew up,” she says.
“Good, because you’re about to get a lot of that.”
She grins at me. “Oh yeah?”
I grin right back. “Absolutely.”
“Are you about to show me some old home movies?” she asks, teasing. “Maybe some baby pictures?”
“Not exactly,” I say. “But you’d love it if I did. I was a really cute baby.”
“I bet you were.”
I laugh a little and ask about her childhood. I listen, actually pretty fascinated, as she talks about vacations to the coast and their country home.
“Besides,” she says finally. “I spent most of my time at boarding schools.”
“Really? I always thought that was a rich person cliché.”
“It is,” she says. “But everyone does it. I think because our parents remember going, and it was like the best time of their lives.”
“Did you love it?” I ask her.
“Not exactly,” she says. “There were good parts and bad parts. I made a lot of friends, but…” She trails off, shrugging.
“But what?” I ask gently.
“But I never fit in,” she says. “I don’t know. I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging.”
“You were different,” I offer.
“Exactly,” she says. “Different enough, at least.”
“You’re not bragging. I saw it as soon as you stepped out on that stage.”
She looks at me for a second then bites her lip. “We shouldn’t be doing this, you know.”
I smile gently and lean toward her. “Why’s that?”
“My family doesn’t want it.”
“I’m not worried about them. Do you want it?”
She pauses, maybe a little surprised that I’m asking what she wants. “Yes,” she says softly.
“That’s all I care about.”
I want to say more, but the car pulls up outside of The Clinic, and I’m interrupted. I look out the window and grin. “Here we are,” I say. “It’s not much.”
She smiles. “I don’t care. Let’s go.”
I help her out of the car and we looks up at The Clinic’s façade for a second. It’s a rundown bar two blocks away from the house that I grew up in, and I can remember spending a lot of time in there when I was younger. Chucky and I still come here sometimes, and I know the owner pretty well, a woman by the name of Lucy.
We step in through the worn green front door, and instantly I’m hit with nostalgia. The place looks like a million dives before it, although the bar itself is really gorgeous. Lucy herself is working tonight and she gives me a little wave as she pours a drink. Chuck is sitting at the bar, and he pretends not to notice me coming in with Sadie, although he knew full well this was my plan tonight. I told the asshole not to show up, but of course he did.
I steer Sadie over to a booth. “Sit tight,” I say to her. “There’s someone I need to see real fast.”
She nods and sits down as I head over to Chuck.
“I told you not to come,” I say to him.
He just grins. “Couldn’t help myself. Had to see her.” He looks over my shoulder. “I can understand why you’re taking such a big risk on her.”
I sigh, shaking my head.
“Hey, Gavin,” Lucy says.
“Hey, Lucy. Can I get a whisky and a wine?”
“Sure thing.”
I turn back to Chuck with a frown. “You might as well come meet her.”
“Oh really? Am I so important now?” He gives me a fake little smug look.
“Cut that shit out,” I say. “Be normal, all right?”
“Always am, Gav,” he says.
Lucy returns with my drinks. I give her a nice big tip, since she won’t let me pay for them normally. We’ve gone through that dance one too many times in the past. Years ago, I gave her a little loan to help her keep the place open during some hard times, and drinks have been free ever since. She paid me back, of course, so I don’t feel like she owes me. Now I pay her through tips, which she complains about sometimes, but she always takes it.
Chuck and I head back over to the booth. Sadie looks up and smiles as we approach.
“Sadie,” I say to her. “This is Chuck. He’s an old friend.”
“Charmed,” he says, grinning.
“Nice to meet you.”
They shake hands and then the two o
f us slip into the booth. Chuck sits opposite of Sadie and me.
“How long have you known Gavin?” Sadie asks him.
“Oh, god,” he says. “Years. How long’s it been, Gav?”
I shrug. “High school,” I say.
“Really?” she asks, laughing a little bit. “You guys were friends in high school?”
“We’re both from the neighborhood,” Chuck says. “Gavin got out first, but I wasn’t too far behind.”
“Chuck works on Wall Street,” I explain.
She nods, understanding. “Tell me an embarrassing story about him from back then,” she says to Chuck.
His grin gets bigger and he looks at me. “I’ll let you choose. Deer or pie?”
I groan a little bit. “Deer,” I say. “Please, never the pie story.”
He laughs a little. “I’ll let him tell that one,” he says, looking back at Sadie.
“Now I’m interested,” she says, nudging me. “Tell me the pie story. Is it, like, an American Pie thing?”
Chuck laughs and I shake my head. “Not at all,” I answer quickly. “Chuck, just tell her the damn story.”
“Back in the day, we had a senior prank thing. Kids probably still do it,” Chuck starts out. I sip my whisky, smiling a little bit. I actually like this story. “So Gavin here gets it in his head that he’s going to have the best prank of all time.”
“Oh, no,” Sadie says, sensing where this story is going.
“Oh, yes,” Chuck says. “Gavin bought this, what was it, deer piss?”
I nod. “Deer urine.”
“Gotcha. Deer piss. It attracts deer, right? So he takes his uncle’s truck with this horse trailer on the back, fills the trailer with food and deer piss, and he leaves it there.”
“My uncle was pissed,” I say, grinning.
“Did that actually work?” she asks, astounded.
“Well,” Chuck says. “The next day, it’s senior prank time. It’s lunch, I’ll never forget this. Our cafeteria has these big doors that go outside. Well, in the middle of the lunch period, those door suddenly get thrown open and Gavin yells, ‘DEER!’.”
“I wasn’t too creative,” I say to her, shrugging.
“So he throws open the back of the trailer, and this freaking deer, scared out of its mind and flipping out, runs into the cafeteria. Kids start to freak, run away, it’s total chaos as this deer runs around, kicking and breaking shit. It was total madness.”
“I got suspended for a week,” Gavin says.
“What happened to the deer?” Sadie asks, laughing.
“Janitors caught it eventually and had animal control take it away.”
Sadie laughs, shaking her head. I grin at her, a little embarrassed, but it is a good story. Chuck mercifully left out the part about the deer kicking some poor kid in the arm and nearly breaking it. That was one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done. That poor deer was probably scarred for life, although I don’t think it was ever actually hurt.
Sadie seems to like it, at least, and the conversation quickly moves on to other memories. Chuck keeps it light and stays away from the more embarrassing tidbits. I finish my drink and Sadie finishes hers, which finally prompts me to drag Chuck away, back to the bar under the pretext of getting more drinks.
“Well?” I ask him.
He shrugs a little. “I like her.”
“So you get it then?”
His smile slowly fades. “Listen Gavin. That girl is trouble.”
I pause, a little surprised. Sadie is lovely, smart, and entertaining. She’s clearly getting along great with Chuck. As far as I can tell, the night is going perfectly.
“Why do you say that?” I ask him.
“Same reason as before. She’s charming, smart, pretty, all that,” he says quickly, “but she’s still a Tillman.”
“And that’s trouble,” I finish for him.
“That’s right. It’s trouble.” Chuck gives me a serious look, a rarity for him. “Don’t get too involved.”
“Don’t worry,” I say. “I know what I’m doing.”
“Says the guy that once released a freaking deer into a crowded cafeteria.” He sighs, shaking his head. “Do what you got to do, I guess.”
“Don’t I always?”
He grins and shrugs a little. “You sure do.”
I clap him on the back, gather my drinks from Lucy, and head back over to the booth. Chuck stays behind to close out his tab, since his part of the evening is finished.
I slide back into the booth across from Sadie. “Chuck coming back?” she asks.
“No,” I say. “I think he had enough stories.”
She pouts. “I wasn’t finished. He was just getting to the good stuff.”
“There is no good stuff, I promise you that.”
“I don’t think so,” she says, smiling a little. “You have a bad reputation.”
“That’s because you rich folk think us poor people are all bad apples.”
She smirks a little. “You’re rich folk too now, remember?”
“Hm. Guess so.” I look at her for a second and an idea hits me. “Let’s get out of here.”
She nods. “Okay. Where to?”
“Come on. I’ll show you.”
I stand up and she hesitates before following me. I take her hand, as natural as can be, and she doesn’t seem to mind.
We head out into the night. My driver is parked not too far away, but we walk right past him. She looks at me a little hesitantly.
“Where are we going?” she asks.
“Nowhere,” I say. “We’re just walking.”
“Isn’t this…” She trails off, looking down at the ground.
“A bad neighborhood?” I finish for her. “A little bit yes and a little bit no. You’re not more or less likely to get mugged here than you are anywhere else.”
She nods a little bit. “My parents raised me to think that this place is the worst place in the world.”
I laugh a little bit. “I’m not surprised. But really, most muggers are in your neighborhood. That’s where the rich people are.”
She smiles a little bit. “I’m sorry if I seem so out of touch.”
“It’s okay,” I say. “It’s pretty adorable, if I’m honest.”
“I’d rather not be adorable.”
“What do you prefer then?” I ask her. I pull her hand, tugging her into an empty storefront doorway. She stumbles up against me, hands on my chest as I lean up against the glass door.
She bites her lip, looking up into my face. We’re totally alone here on the street.
“I don’t know,” she says.
“I’ll tell you,” I whisper in her ear. “You want me to think you’re sexy, don’t you?”
“Maybe,” she breathes.
“You do,” I say. “Right now, you’re soaking wet, just thinking about what I could do to you right here and now.”
“We’re in public,” she protests, surprised.
“Maybe,” I say. “But isn’t that what makes it exciting?” I kiss her neck softly, moving up toward her mouth.
Her breathing gets fast and my heart starts to thump quickly in my chest as I press my lips against hers, kissing her deep.
She kisses me back, wrapping her arms around my neck. I turn and press her up against the glass door, making her gasp slightly. She’s so fucking sexy, so goddamn gorgeous, that I can’t help myself. My hands roam her hips, feel her ass, and I have to resist the urge to pet that soaking little pussy of hers right here in the street.
Slowly, I break the kiss off. “Is this why you came out with me again?” I ask her.
“No,” she says, shaking her head.
“Liar.” I smirk a little bit. “You’re here because we have unfinished business.”
“You mean from back in the club,” she says, and bites her lip.
“That’s right. You disappeared on me for a little while after that.”
“I couldn’t contact you. My father took away my phon
e, and I know it sounds so childish, but it’s the truth.”
“I understand,” I say gently. “You need someone to take care of you.”
“I don’t know,” she admits. “I’ve been taken care of all my life. Maybe I just want to live.”
“Maybe,” I concede. “But I don’t see why you can’t do both.”
I kiss her again, this time more deeply, more passionately. My hands linger on her body and I can sense the tension between us, heavy and thick and intense.
She breaks the kiss off after a moment, breathing heavily. “Gavin,” she whispers as my hands cup her ass. “I have to tell you something.”
“What?” I ask her.
She hesitates. “You’ll think less of me after I say it.”
“Doubtful,” I say, fingers running through her hair.
She pulls back and looks in my eyes. “I’m a virgin.”
I stare at her for a second, holding her hair in my fist. “You’re a virgin?”
She nods once. “I’m sorry,” she says, talking fast. “I should have told you sooner. I just, I don’t know, I just never had sex, it just never happened, so now—“
I cut her off with a kiss, deep and serious. I hold her hair tight in my hand as desire floods my whole body.
A fucking virgin. I had no clue. I assumed she had slept with one of her rich boyfriends, like all of her friends were no doubt doing. Instead, she’s pristine, untouched, and inexperienced.
She probably thinks that’ll turn me off, but it drives me absolutely crazy instead. I want to be the man to teach her everything she needs to know. I want to be her Daddy, taking care of her, giving her everything she needs, while opening her eyes to the pleasure I can make her feel.
The kiss breaks off after a slow moment. “I don’t mind one bit,” I say softly.
“Really?” she asks, eyes wide.
“Really,” I confirm. “In fact, I’m having a hard time not taking you right here.”
She laughs softly, relieved. “I thought you might be angry.”
“Angry? Because of who you are?” I shake my head. “I like who you are.”
She smiles at that. “I’m sure you’ve been with more experienced women.”
“Maybe,” I say. “But I can teach you things. God damn, girl, I can show you what it means to fuck.”