by M. Skye
Walking up to Draya, Ashton slapped her face and drew back, shaking her hand. “You’re a bitch and I hope whatever it is you have going on here is worth it. He’s your damn father and no matter what, family sticks together. He has messed up over the years, but he wants to make amends. You can keep acting like the selfish child that you are, or you can come and say goodbye before it’s too late.”
As Ashton brushed past her and out the door, slamming it, Draya slid down in her chair and broke down. She was so happy to see her sister and now, it had all blown up. Her perfect night was now in shambles, and she felt like she had nowhere to turn. Deciding to hide out from the party, she waited in the back until she knew everyone was gone.
After sitting in her office for over two hours, she knew Rico had shut the party down, and it was time for her to go home and face her empty apartment. It was nights like these that she dreaded being alone, and wished she had someone to share her frustrations with; someone she could call her own. Looking down at her phone, she scrolled through her contacts and stopped on a name. She wasn’t sure if she should be doing this, but something in her wanted the company. Hitting the talk button, she waited for a response, and when she heard his voice on the other end, she shivered a little. He sounded so good, and even though she knew it was wrong, she couldn’t help herself.
“Hey, you.”
“Hey,” she breathed out, hastily.
“What’s going on?”
“You want to come over? I... I’m on my way home, and I need someone to talk to.”
“You want me there?”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I know I probably sound... desperate, but I didn’t know—”
“You don’t have to explain,” he cut her off. “I can meet you there, text me the address.”
“Thanks, Liam.”
“No problem, Draya. I’ll see you soon.”
Standing and shutting off the lights to her office, she rushed out, making sure to lock everything up and got into her car. Starting it up and driving away, she missed the car waiting patiently in the parking lot. While she was well on her way home, smoke began to fill her background, and she still saw nothing. While her mind raced about what was going to happen with her night, her restaurant was under fire, and the culprit stood in the parking lot, watching their handiwork.
Chapter Seven: An Unlikely Friend
Pulling up to address that was texted to him, Liam got out and looked around. He had told Draya that if she ever needed to talk he would be there, but he never thought she would take him up on his offer. She seemed to be such a private person, but tonight, he had seen a different side of her. She wasn’t aware of this, but while searching for her earlier that night, he ran up on a conversation between her and a woman named Deena. While they seemed to be friendly, Liam could tell Draya was uncomfortable. He suspected this was the reason why she called.
Although he hadn’t known her long, Liam was able to read Draya. He could tell when she was happy, he could tell by the tone of her voice when she was covering, and he could see when she was uncomfortable. It seemed to him that most of the time, she was uncomfortable; even around him.
Walking in and hitting her floor, he looked around before knocking on her door. He knew where she lived was going to be nice, but it exceeded his expectations. Actually, almost everything about her exceeded his expectations. He knew she was smart, and not to mention exceptionally beautiful, but the work she had done with her restaurants was astounding; she was amazing.
Watching Draya swing the door open, the first thing he saw were the tears streaking her gorgeous cheeks. He had no idea why she was crying but witnessing it made him want to comfort her. He had no idea how he was going to do this, but he was damn sure going to try.
Stepping inside, reaching out for her, he was surprised when she fell into his arms. Walking her over to the couch, he sat down and pulled her into his lap. He wasn’t sure what they were doing, but he just let her cry against his chest. With her tears soaking into his shirt, he ran his hands through her hair and held her head to him.
Liam knew she was upset about her earlier encounter, but this was different. This pain ran deep, and he knew there had to be more. Letting her sit for a few more minutes, he continued to rub her head soothingly and whispered into her hair. “Whatever it is, you’re going to be okay.”
Sniffling, she held her head up and looked into his eyes. While he watched her watch him, he studied her lips. He knew it was wrong, but they looked so sweet and inviting, and he would have given anything to hear her ask for him to touch them. Running his hand through her hair one more time, he gave her a sweet smile and dipped his head down to kiss her cheek. Feeling her shiver against his lips, he drew back and swiped the tears away. Grabbing tighter on his arms, she leaned her head back to his chest and exhaled.
“Thank you for coming.”
“I told you anytime, but you have to tell me why you’re so upset. I’m here to talk to, so talk, gorgeous.” Running his hand over her cheek, he was delighted when she smiled up at him. “See, there is that smile I came here to see. Now, tell me what’s wrong and I’ll go kick his ass for you.” When she let out a laugh, so did he, and she sat up, rubbing her weeping eyes.
“I’m sorry for acting like a big baby; I know you probably think all of this is so weird. I just didn’t know who else to call.”
“I don’t think you’re weird, I think you’re human, and all humans are entitled to have a little breakdown every now and then.”
“But there is nothing little about this. I’ve done some horrible things and I feel like I’m drowning. I have no clue why I’m telling you this, but I need to talk to someone. I have to get this off my chest.”
Grabbing her hand and sliding her down on the couch, he nodded his head. He had a thought about what she was going to say, but for some reason, he needed to hear it out loud. “I’m not here to judge you. I’m here as a friend if that’s what you want. You can talk to me; I’ll be your sounding board.”
Wiping her eyes once more, Draya stared into Liam’s sparkling eyes and began. “My family has been strained for years and tonight, my sister came to see me. My father is the reason I don’t have the support I need, and now he’s sick. He’s slowly dying and he wants me to come and see him, but I’m still so angry. A part of me wants to let him die without ever seeing my face again and the other part wants to say goodbye.” Looking away, Draya’s tears began again and then her phone started to ring. When Liam looked over and saw the name, she quickly hit the ignore button. After a few seconds, it started to ring again. He saw Rico’s name pop up again and she just turned the phone off altogether. He wasn’t sure if it was wise to ask, but his curiosity got the better of him.
“Why won’t you take his calls? He’s your business partner, maybe it’s important.”
“No,” she shook her head. “We had a disagreement and he’s probably calling to talk about it, but I just don’t want to fight with him again.” Dropping her phone to the end table beside her, she turned back to face him. “He thinks I’m horrible for what I did, and I have to agree, I feel the same. I just wish I would have spoken up, but I have so many questions.”
“About the conversation with Deena?” Saying this, Liam knew he had put his foot in his mouth, but it was too late to take it back. He had unwittingly let her know that he had been eavesdropping and now she looked like she was ready to bolt from her own place.
Standing from the couch, crossing over to the other side of the room, she let out a deep breath and then turned back to face him. “Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe you should go.” Pulling the door open, she motioned for him to exit and he walked over slowly, slipping his hand over hers. Pulling her away from the door, he shut it and weaved his fingers through hers. Not knowing what had gotten into him, he took his free hand and slid it down her face.
“I don’t want to leave. I want to help you. I understand that you have flaws, even though no one would know it by looking at you.” Hol
ding his hand to her cheek, he got a small smile and continued. “Honestly, I’m glad you’re not as perfect as I built you up to be. It makes me feel a little better to be myself. If we’re going to be friends, I need you to be a little less perfect.”
As he talked, he could feel her relaxing and led her back to the couch. Once they were comfortable, she started again. “Missing my family led me to do some things I regret, like sleeping with Deena’s husband, Damien. I tried to tell her, and I’m pretty sure you know that, but she seems to think it’s Brittney. My head is screaming that Deena is wrong, but when she showed me a picture of the two of them, I began to doubt Brittney. I know this thing between her husband and me needs to stop, hell I broke it off this morning, but I don’t know how to feel about my best friend possibly doing this to me. Usually, I would talk to her about this, but I can’t. I haven’t felt this alone since I moved here, and I... I just needed someone.”
“Well, consider me your someone. I haven’t known either of you long, but I have to say, Brittney strikes me as the type that’s loyal to you. When I first came back, she was worried about her other clients, but you were her main concern. You’re her best friend, and I doubt she would throw that away for a man.”
“Even if she didn’t it still doesn’t make what I’m doing any better. That woman stood in my face and begged for my help, and all I did was lie. What kind of person does that make me?”
“It makes you kind. You could have gone into detail about what you did and how you did it and really shattered her world, but you didn’t. I saw the look on your face, you were devastated and I know it has to be eating away at you. Let me ask you a question, was he here last week when you called? Is he the reason why you sounded so off?”
He knew he was asking a lot, but something in him wanted to get more acquainted with her situation. He knew she was mostly a private person, but he wanted to be her friend; he wanted to be there. Looking into her deep brown eyes, he waited for her to continue. He had to know the full story on this Damien character.
“I wanted him to leave. I want it to be over, but he’s strong. He knows my weaknesses and I can’t fight him.” When she said the line about fighting him, he thought back to their first training session. There was a bruise on her face that she thought was hidden, but after sweating, her makeup gave way and he saw it. He never questioned it out loud, but in his mind, he wondered what had happened to her. Now he knew the asshole was hitting her, and he also knew what the scene at the party was all about.
Thinking about it a little more, Liam wondered how he didn’t see it right off bat. He had lived this life; he had watched his father beat his mother and even stepped in a few times. In his childhood, he had memorized the signs of being a battered woman and felt awful for missing it with Draya. He could tell something was off with her, but he never would have imagined this.
“How long has he been hitting you?”
Hearing the question, her eyes bucked and he thought he may have pushed it too far, but she just placed her hand on her face, closed her eyes and whispered, “Five years.”
“Why do you let him?”
“I’ve known him since I was six. When I came back here, he was my only friend besides Brittney, and he helped me so much with the business. I felt like I owed him, and when it first began, I thought he was the one. I know it’s so wrong, and I want it to be over. He won’t leave me alone, and now I have his wife wanting to be my new best friend or something.”
Hearing her speak about him, Liam knew she was truly pained. He had never seen this side of her, and it was refreshing. He felt as if he was finally peeling back a few of her many layers. It felt like she was really opening up to him.
“That’s pretty heavy, but at least you are trying to get out. You made a mistake and as long as you don’t keep making the same mistake over and over, I think that’s okay.” Talking to her about this, he wished he could follow his own advice. He had made some mistakes of his own that he needed some advice about, but they far outweighed what he felt like they were ready for. She had her own mess to deal with and didn’t need to be trying to help him sort through his.
“How is it that everyone who actually knows doesn’t think I’m lower than low? I feel like you all just give me a free pass, and I don’t need that. I need total honesty from you if we’re going to be friends.”
“You want honesty? Yes, you’re wrong. I think you’re half past crazy to be sleeping with him. He’s married and he’s way too damn old for you. But he’s a predator, he used your weaknesses against you so that makes him worse, but I can see why he would.”
“Why?”
“You’re like the total package and any man would want to have you, and he’s no exception. He’s breaking you down to make you feel like you don’t deserve better, but you do. You could do so much better than him and when you realize that, you’ll be better off. I think it’s starting to kick in for you, but it will never take hold until you move on. You have to let him go.”
“I’m trying.”
“Well, that’s all you can do for now.” Pulling her back against him, he ran his hand up and down her back and she wrapped her arms around him.
“Is it always going to be this hard?”
“For a while, maybe, but in time, you won’t give a damn about him.”
“Liam?”
Listening to the way she his name, he knew the question was going to be a tough one for him to answer. “Yeah?”
“What’s going on with your family? Why were you so weird when Alea showed up?”
Dreading hearing her name, Liam rolled his eyes and tossed around how much he should actually disclose about her. “She married my dad for his money and now she’s being a royal pain in the ass over his estate. Will and I had to pry what was ours from her poisonous, manicured fingers, and now she just lives to make our lives hell. She probably followed me to your restaurant.”
“Why would she offer to invest?”
“To mess with me. She probably saw you at the gym with me and decided to add you to her list of people to screw with.” Just thinking about her possible motives made Liam’s blood boil. He had no clue what she was up to but he knew whatever it was couldn’t be good. With Alea, nothing was ever good.
“But why me?”
“Because you’re someone to be jealous of. You brighten up every room you step into and everyone sees it. A venomous witch like her picks up on a spirit like yours.”
“You don’t really know me. You haven’t seen the real me.”
“I see you,” he smiled. “Even though you try to hide it, you’re a fun girl underneath all that baggage.”
“Baggage?”
“Yeah, you have baggage, but we all do. You try to act all uninvolved and weighed down, but I saw you smile the other day. I heard that gorgeous laugh you let out when you walked into my shower.”
“I didn’t mean to do that,” she blushed and he gave her a devious grin. The last time they trained together, she had accidentally walked in on his shower and she laughed so loudly, he had no choice but to find it cute and amusing. She didn’t see much, just his ass and back, but it was enough to put crazy thoughts in his head. He kept finding himself wondering what would have happened if she had stayed. He had to admit, he really wished she had.
Looking at him funny, she cleared her throat and he snapped out of the moment. Reaching out and swatting at her playfully, he pulled her to him again and when he got her attention, she offered him a timid smile.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Yeah,” he grinned. “I guess it’s a Q and A kind of night.”
“Besides the fact that she’s a gold digger, why else do you hate Alea?”
“How do you know there is something else?”
“You’re not the only one who can read people. I saw the tension, and you already told me you and your father weren’t close, so there has to be something else.”
Rubbing her back, he decided to give in. “She’s not
a good person. I used to think she was nice and that my dad was just an asshole, but she’s wired all wrong. I don’t like being around her, and neither does Will. I just... if she comes back to your restaurant, will you make me a promise not to deal with her? I already worry enough about Will and me; I don’t want to have to worry about you too.”
Nodding her head, Draya agreed, and he felt a little more at ease. He wasn’t sure what Alea had up her sleeve, but he knew whatever it was wasn’t good. Draya was innocent in their ongoing feud, and he couldn’t let her be brought into something she had no clue about.
As the conversation dwindled and hours passed, Liam felt himself growing tired. It was late, two in the morning to be exact and he still had her in his arms. He wasn’t sure if she wanted him to stay, but he hadn’t felt her stir to throw him out either. Attempting to move her to the side, he felt her shift, and then her arms crossed tighter around him.
With her laying against him, he felt a comfort he hadn’t experienced in a long time. They had discussed a lot of her past and although he hadn’t disclosed much yet, he felt as if he could. He felt awfully free to share his thoughts with her, and it scared him. He had never felt like this before.
Closing his eyes once more, he laid back, relaxing on the couch, and she snuggled closer to him. He knew this was definitely crossing the line of trainer and client, but for Draya, he didn’t mind. There was something so pure about her. Even after sharing her tortured past with the married man, he saw something in her that he hadn’t seen in anyone else; a future. He hoped their futures coincided, whether it be as friends or more, but he just knew he had to be in her life. She was too captivating to have it any other way.
After what seemed like forever, and looking over to his cell, he realized it had only been thirty minutes, he looked up when he heard a knock at the door. Shifting her to the side, he stood to open it and paused before pulling the door open. He had no clue who would be coming by this time of night, but he had a guess. Only someone as vain as this Damien would show up at her place this late for a booty call.