by J. S. Cooper
“Just getting ready for the day.” He looked up at me, but I couldn’t tell if his eyes were really focused.
“You want me to help you up to your room?”
“I was just watching TV.” He blinked at me and rubbed his eyes. “There was a lady that looked like your mom.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, same blond hair.” He stared at me. “You’re the only one who looks like her.”
“I know. People always wonder if I’m really Vinny and Jared’s brother,” I joked about their dark hair and features. They took after my dad.
“She had such long blonde hair,” he continued. “She was the love of my life.”
“And you were hers.” I gave him a wide smile. I knew the routine by now. We’d had this conversation hundreds of times since she had died.
“I failed her.” He shook his head. “She should still be here.”
“I know.”
“They fucking killed her.”
“I know.” I sighed and rubbed my eyes, wanting to go back to sleep.
“Have you ever been in love, son?” His words sounded coherent and lucid and I looked up and saw the very real question in his eyes.
“No.” I shook my head. Love was for fools. I was many things, but I wasn’t a fool.
“I never wanted to fall in love,” he laughed. “It just kinda hit me, like a deer in the night. Your mother was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, and I just couldn’t stop thinking about her.”
“And she couldn’t stop thinking about you.”
“No.” He shook his head. “She couldn’t. She loved me when she shouldn’t have. But she couldn’t help herself.”
“Yeah, some women are crazy.” I shook my head, and an image of Maddie crossed my mind. “Some women are mad.” I laughed at my joke, and looked up to see my father staring at me curiously.
“You’ve met someone?” He leaned forward and a beer can fell to the ground. I watched in dismay as the liquid seeped into the already-dirty, tattered, stained brown carpet.
“No.” I shook my head vehemently.
“You’ve met someone.” He laughed and sat back, his beer belly showing as his T-shirt rode up. “Who is she?”
“No one,” I answered quickly, my heart beating fast. I was scared that he would figure it out. That somehow he would be able to read my mind and know.
“Must be someone special.”
“She’s not special,” I retorted and then realized my mistake. “There’s no one.”
He peered up at me and gave me a sweet smile, a smile that almost reminded me of the man he had been when I was a child. The man my mother had fallen in love with had been a fun, handsome, wonderful man. And then the smile turned into a bitter look and he pointed at me. “You better not fuck around and let this chick take your mind off of what’s important.”
“There is no chick.” I stepped back, not wanting to get into it tonight.
“I told you, women ain’t shit. You got a family to take care of. Me and your brothers need you.”
“I know.”
“Go and get me another beer.”
“It’s late.”
“Who you talking to like that?” He made to get up, and as I stared at his slovenly body, a shudder of distaste ran through me. How I hated this man who was supposed to be my father. It didn’t matter that there were moments of sorrow and sympathy and that there were glimpses of the man he used to be. All he was now was a sorry old drunk. I just wanted to walk out the door and never come back. How I hated this place, this town, this house, my life. But it was all I knew. And all I could do, or try to do, was help Vincent and Jared achieve their dreams so they weren’t stuck in this shithole forever, like I was.
“I’m going out.” I looked at my father, who had fallen back against the couch, and I walked to the kitchen quickly and grabbed the keys to the Corolla. It wasn’t smart for me to take this car. It had likely been reported as stolen already, and the police would be sure to be on the lookout. I got all the way to the car before I stopped myself. I couldn’t take the Corolla. I would have to borrow Vincent’s Mustang. I knew he would be pissed, and I knew I just didn’t care. I ran back in, grabbed his keys, and headed back out and started the engine.
This 1977 red Mustang was Vincent’s pride and joy. He had restored it himself and paid for all the parts with money he had made delivering pizza in high school. Most people couldn’t believe it when Vincent got the job. They assumed he would just follow in my footsteps and be a thief, but I had made him get the job. If he wanted a legitimate car, he had to buy it with legitimate money. The cops were all over us as it was; there was no way he could drive a few weeks in his own car without having a money trail.
I started the engine and listened to it purr before quickly reversing off of the overgrown grass that made up our front yard. I revved the engine and peeled off down the road, rolling the windows down so I could feel the cold fresh air on my face. I didn’t know where I was going and it didn’t even matter. I just needed to be out of the house before I did something I would regret.
It had been a long night, and I felt anxious and angry. I hadn’t felt this bad since my mom had died. I was so unsure and screwed up. And it wasn’t because of my dad. It was because of Maddie: stupid, beautiful, wild and crazy Maddie. I didn’t want to think about her, but the memory of her begging me to take her kept playing in my mind like some broken record. The feel of her skin next to mine, so soft and supple, aching for my touch, aroused my thoughts, and an image of her vivid blue-purple eyes flashed in my mind. My God, she was beautiful. Perhaps one of the most beautiful women I had ever met. And definitely the most unique. She was definitely a woman who was there to be admired and taken notice of, and she knew it. She was under my skin, she was in my skin, and I wanted to rip her out of me. I’d only known her one day—not even a day. One night. One night and already she was causing confusion in my life. And she was the enemy.
It was as if the car were telling me where to go. I felt like Michael Knight in Knight Rider as I drove towards Manor Road. I knew the way well as I had taken the exact route so many times. I pulled up to the street about twenty minutes later and parked in the same spot my dad had every time he drove us here.
I stared at the house for what seemed like the millionth time. It was so big that as a child, I had always wondered what people did with houses so big. Did they sleep in a different room every night? It was so different from what I was accustomed to. So grand and alluring. I wondered what it would be like to live in a place like that. To make enough money to afford a house that rivaled any Beverly Hills mansion. I sat back in the seat with the engine off and just stared. I thought about all the other times I had been there, and the vitriol my dad had spewed about the mayor and his family. The vitriol that had been the foundation of my hate for Maddie and her family. Only, as I sat there, I found it hard to hate her.
“That’s what these worms do,” I berated myself. “These parasites try and pretend to be someone else and then they fuck you over.” I was mad at myself, I was mad that I was wondering and concerned about how Maddie was feeling. I didn’t want to care about how she was feeling. She deserved everything that she got. She was a spoiled bitch. Who tried to find some guy she didn’t know and then sleep with him. She was crazy. She’s not that crazy and she’s not a bitch, another voice whined inside my head. I jumped out of the car, confused and angry at myself.
I grabbed some gravel from the side of the road and ran up to the house, throwing it at the front door. My aim was off and I heard the sound of windows cracking as the small rocks slammed into them. I saw a light come on, and I stood there defiantly. I wasn’t scared and I didn’t care what happened. It was time for me to face the mayor. I needed to let him have it, and I didn’t care if I was arrested in the process.
Chapter 4
Maddie
I heard the sounds of thunder against the windows downstairs and I sat up, slightly frightened. My mother’s cat came runn
ing into my room hissing, and I jumped out of bed, unsure of what to do. I wanted to go downstairs to see what had happened, but I knew that was a bad move. I’d seen enough horror movies to know that only idiots went to see what was going on. But I also knew I didn’t want to stay in my room, waiting for something to happen. I sighed and reached for my old tennis racket in the corner of my room. It wasn’t a baseball bat, but it would have to do. Why had my parents chosen this week to go out of town? I was super pumped when they had told me they were going out of town and they hadn’t made me go with them. I had almost been in shock; my dad was so overprotective that he usually liked to accompany me to the grocery store. It had taken me four months to convince him that I would be safe going to a college out of state, without a private bodyguard. It was so annoying and cloistering, and I hadn’t known what I was going to do if he kept hovering over me as if I were some soon-to-be-extinct species.
The fact that they had chosen to let me stay home by myself was a huge feat, and I knew that if he knew what I had done the previous night, I’d never be let out again. But I wouldn’t have changed a thing. It had been the best night of my life. I hugged myself as I thought of my time with Logan Martelli; it had been magical. He was magical when I got into the car to be with him, or maybe that feeling was due to the fact that my heart had still been racing after my attempted car theft. That had been crazy, and I still couldn’t quite believe that I had done it. I hadn’t planned on trying to steal it; my only plan had been to go down to the pier to bump into Logan. That was the best way to meet him; at least that was what I had been told. But then as I was walking and saw the cop car with the keys in the ignition, something came over me. I wanted to know what it felt like, but I panicked when the cops saw me pull away, and I jumped out of the car and started running. I knew I could outrun them; being the track star of your high school will give you that confidence. And then I saw Logan staring at me, and I paused for one brief second. And as our eyes connected, I saw the amazement, respect, and surprise in his eyes. And I felt like I was on fire. He was even more gorgeous than I had expected. I wanted to run over to him and kiss him, but I knew I couldn’t stop.
My immobile body started shaking as I heard the sound of cracking down the stairs. My grip tightened on the tennis racket and I took a deep breath and crept through my open bedroom door and walked down the stairs slowly. I listened to the creaking of the stairs underneath my feet and cursed that my parents hadn’t updated the historic mansion and put in a marble staircase. I tiptoed down and held my breath. I looked into the formal living room that was next to the entryway and realized that the windows were cracked and not broken. I peered through the windows and my breath caught as I saw the solitary figure standing by the main gate at the front of the house. It was Logan. What was he doing here? And why was he trying to destroy my house? Was he mad? I ran to the front door without thinking and ran outside in a hurry.
“Logan,” I screamed at him, my heart beating rapidly. “What are you doing?”
“Where’s your dad?” His voice was hoarse and he had a crazed look in his eyes.
“He’s not here,” I shouted at him as I ran down the porch steps. “Come inside.”
“What do you mean, he’s not here?” He frowned at me. “You told me you didn’t want to come home right away because you didn’t want to deal with your parents.”
“I lied.” I looked at him coolly, still mad at how he had treated me earlier in the evening.
“You lied?” His eyes narrowed and he took a step back. “What the fuck?”
“Would you have taken me to the field if you had known my parents weren’t home?” I shivered in the cool night air. I was only wearing a pair of short-shorts and a tank top. I saw Logan look down at me, and his eyes took in my whole appearance. I shivered again, but this time it wasn’t because I was cold.
“You were in bed?”
“Yeah, it’s still nighttime, you know.”
“Actually, it’s morning.” He gave me a sarcastic smile, and I resisted the urge to kiss him and wipe the cocky smile off of his face.
“Actually, most normal people are still in bed sleeping at this hour.”
“Actually, most working-class people are getting up at this hour because they have to get to their minimum-wage-paying jobs.”
“Well, I guess that rules you out, then?” I lifted one eyebrow at him. “Or do car thieves make minimum wage these days?”
“Maybe car thieves get up early to steal cars before anyone else is up.” He leaned towards me and my heart fluttered. “But you tell me, seeing as you joined the ranks yesterday, or at least, tried to join.”
“Come inside.” I grabbed his arm, and my stomach dropped as he yanked it back away from me. “I don’t want people to see us standing out here.”
“Scared to be seen with the town criminal?”
“No, but I don’t want people to call the cops because they don’t know what’s going on.”
Logan stared at me for a few seconds and shook his head. “I’m going home, have a good night, Maddie.”
“Wait a minute.” I poked him in the chest. “You’re not going to tell me why you were throwing rocks at my windows?”
“I wasn’t throwing rocks,” he responded petulantly, and I almost laughed.
“Pebbles, rocks, whatever,” I hissed and walked up to him. “But, I guess that’s your M.O., just walk away when the questions start coming.”
“Excuse me?” He glared at me. “I’m not walking away from anything. Just because you don’t get your way every single time, it doesn’t mean that I’m the bad guy. Maybe this will help you see what the real world is about.”
I tried to ignore the hurt that coursed through me. I had been told he had a chip on his shoulder. It wasn’t personal. I just had to remember that.
“Please come in, Logan.” My voice was soft and I stared into his eyes, this time resisting the urge to touch him again.
“Why?” He laughed. “You want to fuck again?”
I turned away from him and felt my face flush. I wanted to slap him across the face, but I couldn’t ignore the heaviness between my legs. He was right: I did want to sleep with him again. More than anything. But I also knew what he must think of me. What sort of girl sleeps with a guy on the first day they met? And what sort of a girl sleeps with a guy a second time after he treats her like shit? I didn’t want to be that sort of girl.
“I’d like to chat.” I looked back at him again. “That’s it.”
We stared at each other for a few seconds and I watched as Logan ran his hands through his dark blond tousled hair again. His eyes narrowed as he thought, and I could see that his shoulders were tensed. He looked back into my eyes, and as I stared into his deep, secretive green irises, I felt excited and scared.
“Okay.” He paused. “I’ll come in for a few minutes.”
“Great.” My heart soared and I walked quickly back up to the door with him right behind me. A part of me was a little scared. I really had no idea what I was getting into letting Logan Martelli into my house and my life. I’d had a small crush on him for a few years but that was based on a few photos and conversations about him with friends I’d gone to elementary school with, in the summers I’d come home from boarding school.
“Let’s go upstairs.” I closed the door behind him, not knowing if I was being too forward by taking him up to my bedroom.
“Okay.” He looked around the house almost eagerly and I saw him soaking everything in. A part of me was worried that he was taking inventory of all of my parents’ belongings. Maybe he was planning on coming back to steal everything. I ignored the brief hesitation and grabbed his arm. “Ready?”
“Your house is just as I imagined it would be inside.” His tone was even and almost wondering. “It’s grand, but it’s warm as well.” He stared at the antique grandfather clock next to the dining room entryway and walked over to it. “This is nice.”
“It’s heavy.” I uttered the words with
out thinking and blushed. He turned towards me with a sardonic smiled and rolled his eyes.
“Thanks for letting me know. I guess I won’t steal it when I come back.”
“I didn’t mean that.” I walked to him. “I’m surprised you came back tonight, after what you said earlier.”
“I came to talk to your father.”
“Why?” I didn’t really understand why he cared to talk to my father. Was he planning on telling him that I was on my way to becoming criminal and had slept with him in a field? It didn’t make sense.
“Doesn’t matter.” He looked at me coldly. “Let’s go upstairs.”
“Are you mad at me?” I heard the pleading in my voice and hated myself. I wasn’t this person. “Because if you are, you can just leave.” Take that, I thought smugly. The ball was in his court now. I wasn’t going to make him think he was doing me any favors.
“No.” He walked towards me and grabbed hold of my waist and pulled me towards him. “I want to stay.”
“Okay,” I mumbled as I looked up into his dark gaze. His hands moved down to my butt and he pulled me into him roughly. I could feel his erection against me and I swallowed hard. “I just don’t get you.”
“What’s there to get?”
“If you like me or not.” I stared into his green eyes and saw the wanton desire and lust as he looked over my body. “Or if this is all about sex.”
“Do you care?” His hand slid up my back.
“I don’t know,” I lied. Of course I care, you stupid idiot. I wanted to pound my arms against his chest.
“Exactly, so let’s go upstairs then.” His eyes issued me a challenge and I knew what he was saying. A spark of desire ignited in me and I reached up and brought his mouth down to mine to kiss him. He kissed me back hard and then pulled away from me, with eyes blazing.
“I didn’t say you could kiss me.” He shook his head, and a small smirk twisted his lips. “You’ll pay for that.”
“Oh?” I licked my lips.
“And for that,” he growled at me.