Fixer of Deceit (Infinity Collection)

by Alyson Raynes

  I took a seat across the table from Dylan. Our server came by and we placed our order. I wasn’t really all that hungry but I ordered two enchiladas and an iced tea. Dylan on the other hand was a lean mean eating machine. He ordered the combination plate with a side of tacos; where he put all that food was beyond me. I guess that was one of the benefits of still being young. Taking my hand in his, he asked me to tell him what happened. I was squirming in my chair trying to collect my thoughts as the tears started to roll. He reached up and wiped them away.

  “Hey”, he said. “Take a deep breath and tell me everything.” I was choking back more tears as I told him what I had overhead Stefan say to Amber. Even sitting there it felt like a hot knife cutting through my flesh. My emotions so raw, my vulnerability and I was spilling my inner most demons to a stranger. It was in that moment that I realized Stefan and I had grown apart and that I too wanted different things. I longed for a marriage, children and adventure with someone I was truly in love with. Something our relationship had been lacking for many years. We were just going through the motions day in and day out, neither one of us very happy.

  “You know Dylan, the worst part about all of this, is that it will be the first time that I’ll be on my own. Do you have any idea how terrifying that is for me?”

  “Hey.” He said. “It’s gonna be okay. I know you’ve been together a long time but sometimes things just don’t work out. You’re beautiful, smart and one day you’ll find someone who truly appreciates you; I have no doubt about that.”

  I scoffed at his words. What the hell did he know about being alone and in pain? He was always happy Dylan.

  “Brooke- we all have our shit. Everyone. We’ve all been betrayed, hurt, kicked to the curb. It’s what you choose to do with it that matters. You can either wallow in your pity or move on and be happy. It’s a choice, one that you have to make.”

  “I suppose you’re right. I’ve just never had to do this before. I don’t know how I’ll survive without him. I know it’s over and it has been for a while. We were just comfortable with each other and I’m not sure I’m ready to let that comfort go. Does that make sense?”

  “Of course it makes sense. Most people live their entire lives unhappy based on comfort. You deserve the world princess; I hope you don’t choose that path.”

  “Princess? Why did you call me princess?”

  Dylan smiled but not quite reaching his eyes. There was some hesitation in the way he reacted.

  “You remind me a lot of my sister. Promise me you won’t stay with a man that refuses your needs.”

  “Um…okay. I guess. I’m not really sure where this is going but you’re a guy and who better to understand another guy than a guy.”

  “Exactly. Trust me Brooke. Stefan can’t and won’t give you what you need. He’s too self absorbed to notice.”

  My heart started beating faster. I couldn’t believe the kindness of his words or the softness I heard in his voice. He seemed like such a playboy, which is exactly what scared the hell out of me. I was always attracted to that kind of guy. Maybe I should switch gears and go for a nerdy type for once. Deep down, I knew that would never work for me. I was always a bit of a princess and I always looked for a mate that had stunning good looks and success. Maybe Dylan picked up on that. Perhaps that’s why he called me “princess.” Maybe, just maybe, he understood my needs. Although, I wasn’t sure how he could, we hardly knew each other outside of work.

  “Thanks for listening Dylan. You’re a great friend. I appreciate you taking time out of your day to spend with me.”

  He grabbed my hand once again.

  “Brooke- I’d do anything for you. I know you’re hurting over Stefan but I can’t say that I’m sorry you two are breaking up.”

  I gasped; I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I must have been dreaming or fantasizing about what I wanted to hear him say. Oh, the confusion! I couldn’t be with this man, boy. I was too old for him and I could imagine what people would think or say about me if I actually decided to give him a chance.

  “Dylan…I…I can’t. I can’t be with you. I like you and lord knows right now the feelings I’m having would only lead to trouble for us. I need to go. I have to go sort out my life and see where the next chapter leads. By the way, I won’t be leaving for vacation after all, so I won’t need you to cover my work while I’m away. Thanks for lunch. I’ll see you on Monday.”

  He sat there staring at me as if I’d grown two horns on my head. I tried to pull my hand away but he gripped it tighter. Oh god, please let me go. I’m no good for you. I can’t start fucking around with my co-worker. I’ll get fired and then my whole life will turn to shit. Even more than it already has.

  “Dylan- let me go. I need to leave. I’ll text you later. Don’t you have plans with Misty? She’s probably wondering where you are.”

  He gave a loud chuckle.

  “Misty is nothing. We’re fuck buddies, nothing more; nothing less. She doesn’t care about me and sure as hell don’t give a shit about her. And no, Brooke, I won’t just let you go. I’ve had my eye on you from the moment I first met you. The second I walked into that conference room I knew there was something between us and I know you felt it too. I’ll let you go for now so you can go and sort your shit with your ex, but I’ll be right here waiting. I’ll also be over to help you pack and move. Don’t say no, because I’m not hearing it.”

  With that, he stood and pulled me close piercing me with his beautiful blue eyes. My breath caught and then he gently leaned down and softly kissed my lips. I couldn’t move at first and then I finally got the courage to push him away.

  “Don’t do that again, Dylan.”

  I grabbed my purse and left Manuel’s as fast as I could. Heading back to my apartment, I prepared myself for the fight of my life.

  When I arrived Stefan still wasn’t home. I called his cell and there was no answer. I left him a message telling him that he needed to come home and that it was urgent. As I waited, I decided that prolonging the inevitable was a bad idea. I went to our room and started packing my clothes. I packed the clothes I wanted to keep and tossed the rest into another pile to give away. Three hours had passed and I was getting pissed. I thought to myself, fuck this! I grabbed my keys, got in my car and drove to his office. Low and behold, his car was nowhere in sight. The parking lot was completely empty. My blood began to boil and my suspicions were confirmed. Just as I pulled out of the parking lot, I spotted Stefan’s car at the hotel down the street. Adrenaline was rushing through my body as I made my way into the hotel lobby. The clerk wouldn’t give me any information so I sat and waited. Then I saw him looking out the window and I marched my ass right to his hotel door and knocked. I wanted to kick the damn thing in but figured that I’d probably go to jail if I did.

  A female voice at the door asked, “who is it?” In my sweetest voice I said “room service.” She opened the door and there stood a short, beautiful young blonde wrapped in a white bath robe. Fury ran through my veins and my blood heated to a level I’d never felt before. I pushed the door open and walked right in. “Excuse me”, she said. But before she could say anymore, Stefan had registered who was walking in the room and tried to cover himself. He was sitting on the bed completely naked, shock and fear written all over his face.

  “Hey asshole! I figured since you didn’t return my calls I would come looking for you at the office. If you’re going to cheat in the future, you might want to find a place a little more off the beaten path. So, you fired poor Mrs. Giovani so you could sleep with this trashy, sleazy little whore? I bet Amber’s training is cumbersome you piece of shit!”

  Stefan was frozen for a brief moment and then he moved over to the chair to put his boxer briefs on.

  “Brooke, I’m sorry. I love you. This is all a misunderstanding baby.”

  I could see the regret in his eyes. I wasn’t sure if he regretted the cheating or the getting caught part. Although, I would have laid money down that it was t
he getting caught part.

  “Fuck you! There is no misunderstanding! You’ve been sinking your dick into this bitch for god only knows how long! How could you do this to me? Eleven years I’ve wasted with you, waiting for you to propose; hell, I even wanted your kids! You are a piece of shit Stefan! You know what, you two deserve each other!”

  Then I looked over at Amber, her big brown eyes wide open and said:

  “I hope you enjoy him. If he can cheat on someone he’s been with for eleven years, he will surely cheat on an easy piece of ass like you honey!”

  Stefan walked over to me and grabbed me by the shoulders; he was shaking me, hard. I could feel the anger radiating off of him. I tried to push him away but he tightened his grip on me and his fingers dug into my flesh. I begged him to stop, told him he was hurting me, but he didn’t. He just kept digging deeper.

  “How fucking dare you come here and call her a whore! You don’t even know her! This is our room, not yours! You weren’t invited here and she means more to me than you ever have. She has a career and is going somewhere in life! She will make the perfect lawyers wife! Get your shit out of my apartment and don’t come back!”

  I was crying hysterically, I couldn’t see and the burn in my chest was too much. He just kept yelling and spewing nasty, hateful words at me. I was seeing a side of Stefan that I’d never seen before. I was actually beginning to fear for my safety. He yelled at Amber to leave and she did as she was told, dressing herself quickly. As I turned to leave he reached for me and grabbed the back of my hair pulling me back in. I screamed and tried to get away but his grip was so tight I couldn’t break free. He tossed me on the bed and covered me with his weight. He ripped my sweat shirt open, trying to kiss me and I turned my head and screamed for him to get off of me. He was so heavy and I was really frightened. I was kicking, screaming, crying and trying to get away from him but he wouldn’t let me up. Then he reached down below the waist band of my sweats and ripped my panties off. He kept on with this for what seemed like hours, holding me down, tightening his grip, whispering in my ear.

  “This is the kind of sex I want bitch! Fight me for it. I hate that boring shit we have at home. Let’s have a little adventure in our sex life for once.”

  I was still kicking him, trying to get the strength to knee him right in the balls. He was just too strong. Then I felt him slap the right side of my face, then the left. It hurt like hell. I’d never been hit in the face before. I was begging him to stop, to let me go. Finally, there was a knock at the door. The manager of the hotel had come to see if everything was alright since they’d had numerous complaints of a woman screaming and crying. Stefan cursed, “son of a bitch!” That was my out. I pulled my sweat shirt shut and ran out the door. I put the keys in the ignition and sped away as fast I could. There was nowhere to go. I saw the supermarket parking lot around the corner and pulled in. I was shaking uncontrollably trying to think of someone to call. I was shaken and humiliated.

  Sitting in the busy parking lot with tears streaming down my face, I called the only person I knew that was removed from the situation. I searched through my phone looking for that unknown message and realized I couldn’t see the number. I fired of a text to Dylan that said “CALL ME! PLEASE!” A minute later my phone rang.

  “Brooke! What’s wrong?”

  I sobbed into the phone, I couldn’t speak.

  “Princess, where are you? Tell me where you are. I’m on my way.”

  I had finally calmed down enough to tell him I was at Spurs Supermarket in Broomfield. Then an awful feeling came over me. I had just involved my co-worker in my drama and even worse, I looked terrible! I pulled the visor down in my Audi and cringed. I started crying again at the horrifying image that was forming. I’d hoped that Dylan wouldn’t notice the bruises that were under my eyes and high up on my cheek bones. I would just lie and say it was my mascara. The last thing he needed in his life was my bullshit. I shouldn’t have texted him.

  While I waited for Dylan to arrive, I sent a text to Mandy letting her know that I would be moving in sooner rather than later and that I’d explain later. I didn’t have it in me to answer questions in depth at this point, knowing that sometime soon, I would have to fess up and tell the whole world about our break up. What would my parents say? They loved Stefan, hoped like hell that we would marry and give them grandbabies that they so desperately wanted. Now they would look at me as a complete failure. I put my head in my hands and cried again. I was starting to get really annoyed with the crying bit, but my emotions were all over the place. I was hurt, scared and angry as hell.

  I glanced up and saw a charcoal gray, Chevy Silverado circling the parking lot. I knew it had to be Dylan. It didn’t surprise me that he would drive something so large and powerful. The truck oozed masculinity and was gorgeous much like its owner. He flipped a u turn and parked next to my white Audi A5. I didn’t want to get out of the car so I sat and waited for him to come to me. I knew it was chicken shit of me, but I didn’t care. When he finally reached my driver’s side door, I kept my head hung low. He opened the door and pulled me out into the sweetest embrace and just held me for what seemed like hours. It was just him and I, nothing else mattered.

  Our embrace was broke when some asshole came flying through the parking lot at full speed. It took me a moment to realize that the asshole was Stefan. He must have been watching us and I hadn’t noticed because I was too enthralled in my own pity party. I wondered how long he had been spying on me. I squeezed Dylan’s hand and told him we weren’t safe standing out in the open.

  Dylan nodded in agreement and helped me in his truck.

  “Thanks for coming to get me”, I said. “Do you mind running me by the apartment so I can get my clothes and take them Mandy’s?”

  He looked at me like I was crazy.

  “There is no way in hell you are going back to that apartment without a restraining order. That asshole is out of his fucking mind!”

  “Please?” I sighed. “I need to get my clothes, make-up and hair stuff for work Monday. It won’t take long. I promise. I just need to get that stuff and then I will be completely out.”

  It really hadn’t occurred to me that I had nothing in the apartment other than my personal belongings. In the eleven years we had been together, the only thing we purchased as a couple was our bed; the bed that Stefan had been talking to Amber in and god knows where else. I was too tired to care and I didn’t want any part of it. A clean break is what I needed. Dylan eased on to the interstate and when I asked him where we were going he said “my place.”

  “Dylan. No. I can’t go with you. I’ve already told Mandy that I’d be moving in with her, she’s expecting me. I’ll be fine.”

  I could see the rage in his eyes; his breath quicken,

  “You are not going back to your apartment and you are not moving in with your friend today. You are coming home with me where I can ensure that you won’t be killed within the next twenty-four hours! Damn it Brooke! What is that on your face? And don’t tell me that’s macaroona or whatever kind of black shit girls put on their face!”

  I chuckled to myself at the reference to mascara. He clearly knew nothing about make-up. It was cute.

  “I’m so sorry I involved you in this Dyl”…

  “STOP! Stop right now Brooke. Don’t even finish that fucking statement. I’m so pissed off right now it’s taking everything I have not to turn this truck around and beat the shit out of that pansy ass. When we get to my place, you’re going to take a nice hot bath, eat a good meal and sleep. Don’t bother arguing with me, it won’t help your cause. Just shut your mouth and let me take care of you.”

  I opened my mouth to argue but figured it was probably best if I didn’t. He was serious about everything he was saying and I was feeling very anixious. I don’t know if it was his bossiness or his willingness to help me. Either way, I was thankful that he had come when I needed him and that he was willing to do whatever it took to keep me safe. My body was so
re and I ached all over. I was exhausted.

  We drove south on I-25 back to the city and pulled up to a gated loft community. The building was gorgeous with its rich, stone white exterior, black decorative wrought iron fence that wrapped around the top level giving accent to magnificent, large windows. Dylan punched in a code that opened the gates and we pulled in to a private underground, four car garage. In front of us was a silver, Mercedes SL 63 AMG Roadster, to the right sat a red Audi Spyder and right beside us was a black Lamborghini. I took in my surroundings and suddenly felt very out of place. Looking over at Dylan I asked;

  “Whose cars are these?”

  A smirk crossed his lips.

  “Mine.”

  Holy shit! He’s all of twenty-seven years old. How the hell can he afford all of this?

  “Oh. Do you sell drugs or something?”

  His laugh rumbled through his chest, that beautiful chest that I was dying to touch.

  “No princess. I don’t sell drugs! Come. You haven’t even seen the inside yet.”

  He came around and opened my door and lifted me out of the truck. Reaching for my hand, we stepped into a private elevator that took us up to the penthouse level. When the elevators opened I was welcomed in to a surprisingly warm atmosphere. Cherry wood floors engulfed the entire main floor; a white Persian rug was spread amongst the living area and supported a brown leather sectional. The lighting was soft and cream colored lamps were carefully placed on matching end tables. The view from the living room was outstanding. The kitchen had the same cherry wood décor on the cabinets with black, slab granite counter tops and top of the line stainless steel appliances. It was truly fit for any culinary chef. The place was immaculate, large and perfect just like the man that occupied the space.