“Robert loves contemporary houses with this sleek furniture. You know, the kind that look like no one ever lives in them. I, on the other hand, love antiques. Anything with a story just gets me going. So, when we found this house, we decided to compromise. He’d let me buy this old mansion as long as I let him decorate it in his preferred style.”
“A compromise is always good,” Aiden says.
“You’d think that. But you’re young and in love, what the hell do you know?” she says, smiling. “A compromise basically means that both parties are left unsatisfied. But you know, for the good of the marriage, this is what we agreed to do.”
“Well, it turned out marvelously,” I say. I have no idea where the word ‘marvelous’ came from, but talking to Eileen it seemed like an appropriate thing to say.
“Robert bought this place because, despite its age, all of its internal components worked - you know like the electrical system, plumbing, water, heating and air conditioning. It had ‘good bones’ as he likes to say. But once we bought it, we spent a year renovating it. I didn’t want to keep every part of its Queen Anne style, so we did away with the things that were just too old-fashioned and impractical and kept, or updated, the rest. Then we worked with an interior designer to choose just the right furniture so that it complemented the house and didn’t cause me any migraines.”
“Oh, honey, are you telling them the story of this place? Again?” Robert Warrenhouse approaches his wife and lovingly puts his arm around her shoulder.
“Of course.”
“I swear, by the way she tells it, buying and renovating this place seemed to have more of an impact on her life than having a child.”
Eileen stares at him and then breaks into a smile. “Well, of course it did. It took three full years to get this place ready, and that’s not counting the guesthouses. And it took only nine months to create Carrie.”
We all laugh. Mr. and Mrs. Warrenhouse aren’t at all as I had imagined them. I don't know why Tom has such a hard time relating to them, but to me they appear to be easy going and laid back. Very easy to talk to. Still, when my gaze goes in Tom’s direction, I can sense the tenseness that’s emanating from his body.
“So, you’re the founder of Owl, huh?” Robert asks, turning to Aiden. “Now, that’s exciting. I’d love to hear about it.”
“I’m happy to share,” Aiden says.
“Tell you what, let’s get ourselves a couple of brandies and retire to my study. Then we can have a real chat,” Robert says, putting his arm around Aiden’s shoulders. Aiden nods and winks at me before following Robert out of the room.
Chapter 11 - Ellie
When a friendship is tested…
Feeling a little claustrophobic and not particularly social, I take the opportunity to escape outside for some fresh air. It’s a relatively warm night for November in New England and there isn’t much of a chill coming from the ocean. I inhale the salty air and lose myself in the crispness of the moment.
“Hey,” Tom says, coming out onto the porch with me. “It’s a beautiful night.”
I nod, rubbing my bare shoulders. Even though it’s not that cold, the night is still rather nippy, especially for someone with bare shoulders.
“Here, why don’t you put on my jacket?” he says, taking it off.
I’m about to tell him no, but the moment that I feel the warmth that’s emanating from it as a result of his residual body heat, I can’t resist, especially, if I want to stay out on the veranda much longer.
“There are so many stars out here,” I say, looking up at the sky. Tom follows my gaze and for few minutes we stand in silence admiring the beauty of the Milky Way.
“So, Carrie’s parents seem nice,” I finally say.
“Yes, they are. Especially to strangers,” Tom says.
“Not to you?”
“No, not exactly.” He shrugs. “I mean, I don't know. They’re just difficult to get along with.”
I’m about to inquire as to why, but then I realize that I don’t really care. There’s probably some convoluted explanation that goes all the way back to Carrie introducing Tom to them and that’s just too much history to deal with on a night like this.
“Robert did seem to take a liking to Aiden,” Tom remarks. I shrug and nod, continuing to stare out at the dark water ahead.
“So, I was meaning to ask you,” I say, “with everything that Carrie said about BuzzPost expanding so much into real news, why aren’t you going out on the campaign trail? It has always been your dream to report on politics. This seems like the perfect opportunity.”
Tom shrugs and shuffles his feet from side to side.
“It’s just not something that Carrie or Robert think is a good idea. I mean, they say it’s not a good use of my resources. They don't think too much of beat reporters and don’t really see the point of me doing it. Since there are so many more prestigious jobs to be had at the magazine.”
I nod, pretending to understand. It’s a whole bunch of bullshit, and both Tom and I know it. The problem is that he refuses to tell them what he really wants and to go after it, and no one else can do it for him but him. But I’m not in the mood to get into this now.
“So, tell me about your book,” Tom says after a few moments. I hesitate for a moment and then tell him everything. The cat’s out of the bag. Aiden has already told them pretty much the whole story, so there’s no use in shying away from it now.
“Wow, I can’t believe you’re doing this. I mean, it takes a lot of guts, Ellie.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I mean to just say fuck you to traditional publishing altogether and not even bother submitting anything there. I mean, I just never knew you were so confident in your work before.”
I nod. Hmm, maybe he’s right. Maybe this does make me confident. Or maybe arrogant or cocky are better adjectives. Who knows? Maybe I just don't know any better.
“You’re just putting it all out there. I mean, I know that you’re a good writer. But…I don't know if I could do it.”
“What? Publish and market yourself?”
“Yeah, I mean, I’m not particularly outgoing and neither are you. But you’re just saying ‘who cares?’ What will be will be.”
“Well, I have a little bit more of a plan, but yeah, pretty much. I mean, I’m not going to wait around to have some editor or agent somewhere read my work and tell me it’s good. I know it’s good. At least, I think it’s something that readers would want to read. So, I’m going to make it available for them.”
While I am talking, I don’t notice how close Tom has gotten to me. He’s standing barely a foot away. In the cold air, I watch as he breathes in and out and his breaths get faster and faster.
“You’re just so…amazing,” Tom says, putting his hand around my shoulder. At first, it feels like he’s doing it as an old friend, but then things change a little. Something is not quite what it seems. He moves some of my hair away from my neck. Just as I’m about to jerk away, he leans over and presses his lips onto mine. It takes me a few moments to realize what he’s doing before I push him away from me.
“What are you doing?” I ask. “I thought we were through this.”
“I’m not doing anything.”
“You just kissed me!”
“It just felt right.”
“Well, you better get a better radar because it didn’t feel right at all. I don't want this, Tom. I don’t want you.”
The words are sharp and to the point. The broken expression on his face tells me that they have done their job in piercing his heart. For a moment, I feel a tinge of regret, but it quickly passes. Tom has no right trying to kiss me again when I already made things perfectly clear about how I felt about him.
“So, you and Aiden…you’re what, together now?”
“Yes, actually, we are,” I say, taking off his jacket and tossing it in his face. “He’s my boyfriend. I don't appreciate you kissing me anytime you want.”
“You know w
hat, Ellie?” Tom says, slurring his words a bit. Was he always this drunk? How did I not notice this before? “Why don’t you just go fuck yourself then?”
“Now, that’s classic,” I say. “That’s what you always say when you can’t come up with anything better.”
“What do you want me to say?!” Tom screams at the top of his lungs. His voice is loud and booming and it sends shivers down my spine.
“What do you want, Ellie?!” Tom booms again. His voice echoes over the treetops and disappears somewhere far over the ocean. Even though there’s a party raging inside with some background music, it suddenly occurs to me that someone inside can probably hear him.
“I don’t want anything,” I say quietly and turn on my heels to leave. I need to simmer this situation down.
“Where are you going?” Tom follows me. He jumps in front of me, blocking me from going inside.
I decide to turn around and head down the steps instead. But again, he catches up with me.
“What do you want, Tom?” I ask.
“I want you,” he says as a matter of fact.
“Well, you can’t have me. I’m with someone else. And even if I weren’t…we’re not good together, Tom.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because we fight all the time. We disagree.”
“Do you and Aiden not fight? C’mon, if you fight, that’s how you know you care.”
“No, that’s not true. That’s bullshit, Tom. Aiden and I disagree, but we don’t fight. I don't have to prove anything to him. And he doesn’t have to prove anything to me. Besides, it’s not about you and Aiden. It’s about me. I don't want you, Tom.”
The words sound much harsher coming out of my mouth than I really meant for them to sound, but I stand by them. I look straight into Tom’s eyes and refuse to look away. I have to get him to get this part. I have to make him understand.
The expression on his face softens a bit. Finally, I think, he’s getting it.
“Fuck you, Ellie,” he says after a moment. Okay, maybe not.
“Okay, fine,” I say, walking around him and down the path toward our cottage.
“Fuck you, Ellie!” Tom yells after me. I pray that he doesn’t follow me and, for the moment, my prayers seem to be answered.
“And you know what else, I hope your book fails. I hope it is the piece of shit that you’re afraid it is.”
I shake my head when I hear this. I can’t believe that these words are coming out of the mouth of someone I once cared about very deeply. Of all people out there, only Tom knows how important my writing is to me. And here he is shitting all over it. Wow, what a loser. What a pathetic person he has become.
Tom continues to shout at me as I close the door to the guesthouse behind me. At the end, I can’t make out any of his words anymore, but I know that they’re full of bile and hate. And I can’t have that around me anymore. I deserve better.
Still, knowing all that doesn’t change how I feel. I sit down on the edge of the bed and bury my head in my hands. Tears start flowing and there’s nothing I can do to stop them.
Chapter 12 - Ellie
When things start to look up…
Back at the cottage, I lose track of time. At first, I plan to only be here for a few minutes, but my eyes refuse to dry. I continue to cry until all of my makeup is smeared and I have big black circles around my eyes. I don’t know exactly why I’m crying so much. I mean I know that Tom was just drunk and probably didn’t mean even half the things that he had said to me. But I also don’t care. I’m done coming up with excuses for his bad behavior and for his hurtful words. He sees me only as he wants to see me, not as I really am, and maybe I see him the same way. Maybe, that’s why I was still hanging on to this idea of us that I’d had since college. Maybe it’s all an illusion. In any case, I need to accept that Tom is no longer the friend I’d had all those years and that’s a difficult thing to lose in the course of a night.
When I finally get a hold of my emotions, I head to the bathroom to take a look at the damage that I’ve done with all of my tears. My face is red and splotchy. My eyeliner and mascara are completely smudged all over my eyes all the way to my eyebrow line. The remnants around my lash line are making their way into my eyes, creating a burning sensation that makes it feel like I have a thousand little tiny razor blades slicing at my corneas. I turn on the water and splash some on my face. I take a small hand towel, soak it in lukewarm water, and then wipe every bit off my face. When I finally look in the mirror again, I’m no longer such a mess. Unfortunately, all the crying has left a mark that will probably be difficult to cover up completely, even with a full face of makeup.
Just as I’m deciding what to do next, put on makeup again and return to the party, or just stay here for the rest of the night, Aiden walks through the door. His demeanor is upbeat and he has a wide smile on his beautiful face.
“Hey, babe,” he says, giving me a kiss on my forehead. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
Everything about his sunny disposition disappears in a second and is quickly replaced by a look of concern and worry.
“No, nothing,” I say.
“You look like you’ve been crying.”
Dammit. I really thought I could just get away with saying that my makeup was bothering me and that’s why I had to take it off. Why does he have to be so observant?
I try to play down what happened with Tom by just going over the big points.
“He tried to kiss you?” Aiden asks. “And then he told you to fuck off? What an asshole.”
Okay, maybe leaving out most of the details wasn’t such a bright idea, I decide.
“Listen, none of that matters, okay? I took care of it. We don’t have to make it a thing.”
“Of course it’s a thing, Ellie. I mean, who does he think he is saying those things to you?”
“I don’t know,” I say. I walk up closer to him and put my arms around his shoulders. “But it’s all over. It’s between me and Tom. I don’t want you to get into a fight over this or anything else. I don’t even want you talking to him.”
“I don’t know.” Aiden shrugs me off, clearly angry.
“Please. I mean, we’re here as guests of his fiancée’s parents. I don't want this to get worse. Plus, he’s really wasted. So, I don't even know if he will remember any of this in the morning.”
Aiden shakes his head, pacing around the room. I feel myself getting through to him because he is a sensible person who isn’t one to fly off the handle at a moment’s notice. Aiden isn’t a hothead, and that’s what I love about him. I know that he cares about me but that doesn’t mean that he has to start fights for no reason. Especially, when there is actually no reason to start one. What happened between Tom and me is between Tom and me.
“You seemed to be in such a good mood when you first walked in.” I try to change the subject. “Did you want to tell me something?”
I wait patiently for Aiden to respond and after a few moments, he eventually does. “Actually, yes, I did have some good news.”
“Really?” I ask, my eyes light up. I really could use some good news right about now.
“Well, I had that private chat with Robert in his study,” Aiden says. “And he seems very interested in investing in Owl.”
“Really?” Oh my God, I can’t believe it.”
“Well, nothing’s official yet. But I went over the basics and his eyes definitely didn’t glaze over like many other people I’ve spoken to. He has invested in a few other tech companies and has been on the lookout for a bigger fish for quite some time.”
“Oh, wow, that’s awesome news, Aiden,” I say, wrapping my hands around his neck and giving him a big wet kiss on the lips. He reciprocates and buries his strong hands in my hair, tugging slightly until I let out a moan.
“But what about all that’s been going on with the other investors pulling out? Does he know about that?” I ask in between my kisses.
“Yes, somewhat. I mean, he
’s pretty up to date on everything they’ve been covering on the news. I went over the details with him, but he didn’t seem phased, which is pretty awesome.”
“I know.” I kiss him again. He kisses me back and pushes me down onto the bed. We lose ourselves in our bodies for a few minutes until I say, “but what about the party? Shouldn’t we go back?”
“Maybe in a bit,” Aiden says. “No one is going to miss us.”
I don’t believe him for a second, but I can’t push him away that easily. I want him. I need him. I crave him. And suddenly, nothing else matters.
* * *
The End for Now
* * *
Author’s Note: Hope you enjoyed this book. The next installment, Auctioned to Him 5, will be available in a few weeks.
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Love,
Charlotte Byrd
Indebted (Book 1)
When 25 yr. old waitress, Brielle, receives a mysterious check for $250,000, she uses the money to pay for her mother's very expensive cancer treatment, saving her life.
Two years later, she is called to pay back her debt. All she has to do is travel to an isolated mansion and work for one year as a personal assistant to an arrogant asshole whom she hates.
Wyatt Wild is a gorgeous alpha billionaire playboy who is not used to girls saying no to him. He has bedded models, actresses and socialites and then a waitress from some crappy roadside cafe dares to reject him. Who does she think she is?
Wyatt always gets what he wants and his desires focus on the innocent and stubborn Brielle. Neither give in easily and they quickly get locked in a game of seduction.
Auctioned to Him 4: His Addiction Page 9