LIGHTER

by Cole, Mila

  I leaned forward and rested my head against the seat in front of me. The headaches were always so sudden. No warning signs. I’d just go from fine to miserable in minutes.

  I pinched my eyes closed tightly. “Come here,” Slick said, motioning for me to scoot in next to him. “You can lie here.” He patted his lap.

  I didn’t even think twice. I pulled the ball cap off my head and laid my head on his leg. His fingers ran gently over my head, slow and easy. It wasn’t helping, but it felt comforting nonetheless. It wasn’t too bad yet. Not the worst headache I’d ever had, at least. I thought maybe if I could fall asleep, I could dodge the big bullet. “Could we drive around more?” I whispered since my stomach wasn’t completely in knots yet.

  “Sure, Princess. Keep driving, Norman,” Slick told him. “And turn on the air-conditioning.”

  Oh, yes. “Thank you, Slick,” I said, but that was it. My voice was gone.

  His soft strokes against my scalp was actually putting me to sleep. It was a miracle. I hoped he’d never stop touching me.

  Nineteen

  Slick

  Lighter drifted off to sleep about twenty minutes into our drive. Her body slumped down farther into the seat, and I knew she was out of it. I told Norman to keep driving so that she could sleep a little, so we circled the block a few more times.

  I used that extra time to talk with Norman about the vehicle following us earlier. I wanted to know for sure, see if my instincts were right.

  “Were we being followed earlier?” I glanced down at Lighter to make sure she wasn’t awake. The less she knew, the better.

  “It seemed that way. There was a black Suburban tailing us. We’d gone almost six blocks before they dropped off. I don’t know for sure that they were following, but it seemed that way to me. There were two guys in the vehicle that I could see. Both the driver and the passenger were wearing sunglasses.”

  “If that ever happens again, make a circle. Loop all the way around until you’re back at the parking garage. You’ll be able to tell for sure if they’re following you that way.”

  He nodded. “Okay.”

  “Make sure you’re on high alert from here on out. With security tightening up, I want to be sure we’re all prepared in case we have a serious situation on our hands. You never know when the threat might be real.”

  “Okay. I’ll pay closer attention. Is she okay back there?”

  “I think so.” My fingers continued to trace over Lighter’s head. “You can head back to the penthouse now.”

  With a nod of his head, he made the last turn and took us back to the building. Once we were parked and the engine was cut, I opened the car door. Lighter still hadn’t budged, so I scooted her onto my lap and cradled her in my arms. I wouldn’t do that for just anyone, but I’d seen what those migraines did to her.

  Stepping out onto the garage floor, I shifted her weight so that I wouldn’t drop her. She seemed even smaller in my arms than normal.

  “I’ll get the elevator for you,” Norman said.

  I followed him over and stepped inside once the doors popped open.

  When the elevator started to rise, she huddled closer to my chest. Her eyes never opened, but her fingers gripped the front of my shirt, and I could feel the heat of her body against mine. I leaned down and rested my head against hers, wishing that I could take away her pain, even for just a moment. It hurt me to see her like that. In the weeks we’d been together, despite our constant bickering, she was a big part of my life. My job was always to protect her. The migraines were out of my control, and not having control of a situation was hard for me. I struggled with it. It was hard for me to watch her like that and not have the ability to fix it.

  Once in the apartment, I walked her down the hallway to her bedroom. Mrs. Wright noticed and followed me to the room.

  “Can you get the blinds?” I whispered.

  She swiftly moved around the room while I laid Lighter gently in the bed.

  Lighter’s hands were still gripping my shirt. It was like holding a cat whose claws were dug in and wouldn’t budge. I grabbed her hand to remove it slowly, and she turned on her side toward me.

  When I nodded a thank-you to Mrs. Wright, she told me to let her know if we needed anything, and then she left the room.

  I reached my hand up to her cheek. I could barely see it in the darkened room.

  She spoke softly. “Give Chloe her bracelet, Slick.”

  “I will. Go back to sleep.”

  The thought made my heart lurch, though it shouldn’t have. But she really liked Chloe, and that meant a lot to me.

  After her breaths evened out and she fell back to sleep, I still stayed. I stood there next to her bed making sure that she was going to be okay before leaving her alone. I remembered the last time she was sick, and she’d begged me not to leave her. I wouldn’t do that again. Leave her because I couldn’t handle it.

  I rolled the desk chair as quietly as I could to her bedside. I left her bedroom door open in the case of an emergency, but I still had a couple of hours left on my shift. All of which I was planning on spending right next to her.

  The tiny bit of light shining in from the hall was right next to her face. I could see her slightly open mouth, the way her body moved with every breath she took, and the way her eyelids fluttered. She looked really beautiful lying there.

  “What are you doing to me, Lighter?” I whispered the words so quietly that even I could barely hear them. I brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “It wasn’t supposed to be this way. You’re only eighteen years old. You’ve barely lived your life. I never could’ve imagined that anyone would make me feel the way that you have. I feel like I want to be a better person, that I want to do the right thing by you. I should’ve never let on that I want you. Never. Now I’m in way over my head, and I don’t know what to do. My resolve has vanished.” I sighed. “If you were to kiss me, I’d be done for, and I know that. Everything I have would be gone if anyone knew. Your father would probably kill me for even having these thoughts. Why can’t you hate me?”

  That would be too easy.

  I looked up, silently begging for my sister’s help with this one. I used to do that all the time, but somewhere along the way I felt like I had things handled. Lately, though, I felt like a rock rolling down a hillside. Sooner or later I was going to hit the bottom.

  When it came to Lighter, my thoughts were back and forth. Some days I didn’t care how things would end; I just wanted to have her. Other times, I kept her pushed away as far as I could so I wouldn’t risk losing it all. It was like a catch-22. Damned if I do, and damned if I don’t.

  Guess my brain and my heart needed to have a chat. It’d been a long time since the old ticker had any say-so in my life.

  The only way to get around the whole situation was to remove myself from it completely. I could secretly look for another job. She’d be out of the picture, and I could go back to living my life without the distractions. Of course, that would mean our lives would change again. The thought made my stomach hurt.

  “Help me, C.C.” I looked back up toward the sky.

  Lighter groaned, and I scooted in close to her to make sure she was okay.

  I smirked. If this was a sign from my sister, I was not surprised. She always did send me down the paths that were hardest, and Lighter wouldn’t be easy by any stretch.

  The irony was pretty funny, actually.

  The rest of the evening was quiet, and time seemed to pass by quickly as I sat next to her. I hadn’t even realized it was time to go until Tony stepped in the doorway. His shadow caught my attention.

  “She okay?” he asked quietly.

  “Migraine,” I told him. “But I think she’s good now. I’ll be right out.”

  He nodded and stepped away.

  I bent down and pressed my lips to her forehead. She didn’t move, thankfully. I don’t know what made me do it.

  “Good night, Lighter,” I murmured and then made my way
out of the room, closing the door behind me.

  Tony stood in the hallway when I came out. It always threw me off seeing him in those khaki pants. Before this job, I didn’t think I’d ever seen him wear anything other than jeans. He always had on his biker boots and his ratty old jeans that had probably been around since the eighties. He seemed so out of place in those khakis.

  “I think she’ll be out for the evening, so you’re going to have a quiet night,” I said. “She’s been asleep for a couple of hours.”

  “You been sitting with her the whole time?”

  I knew what he was getting at. “Quit looking at me like that.”

  He laughed. “You’re a brave soul, man. That’s all I’m going to say.”

  “You know,” I retorted, “you don’t have to say anything at all. You could just keep your two cents to yourself. Right?”

  “Where’s the fun in that? And my two cents is more like fifty cents. You know I’m good like that.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m going home. We have a long night ahead of us tomorrow with the event. I need sleep.”

  “That’s not all you need.”

  “All right, Fifty-Cent. That’s enough out of you. See ya tomorrow, man.”

  I heard his laughter all the way to the elevator.

  Twenty

  Lighter

  The day had finally arrived.

  It was the Pleasant Home Society fundraiser and date auction, the one I’d been planning relentlessly for weeks. I was a wreck. Seriously. Nervous didn’t even begin to describe the feeling that was deep in the pit of my stomach. The anticipation of it was going to kill me. There were a ton of finishing touches that needed to be done, and I still hadn’t picked out which dress I was wearing for the event.

  There was a rack of designer dresses sitting in front of my closet just waiting for me to pick from. How could I choose? There must’ve been twenty of them all in my size. I just didn’t have time to think about it.

  My phone hadn’t stopped ringing since I’d climbed out of bed at 5:00 a.m. It seemed like everyone needed something from me. I didn’t know how my mother did it all these years—planning, organizing, countless hours and duties. She was a queen, and I couldn’t compare. Not in the slightest. I felt like I was in over my head, deep enough that I seconds away from drowning.

  Dad had come into my room a couple of times but noticed my near meltdowns and left in a hurry. Once I passed the age of the ten, he had no clue how to handle me. That hadn’t changed.

  I was still in my pajamas when Mrs. Wright came into my room with a large vanilla latte. Bless her. After three hours of calls, I was desperately seeking fuel—caffeinated fuel.

  The next time my phone rang, I was ready to strangle someone. I picked it up and screamed, “What!”

  “Rough morning, Princess?” Slick’s voice wasn’t what I was expecting.

  I stumbled over the pile of whatever crap was lying on the floor and rushed into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. I was about to fall apart. I was so stressed out that my hands were shaking, and I was contemplating running away.

  “Slick,” I said. The words came out like a plea as I climbed inside my empty bathtub. My coffee mug was still in my hand.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Everything,” I replied in desperation. The porcelain tub was cold against my bare feet. “I can’t do this.” I didn’t know why I felt the need to confide in him, but he’d called. He was the one who’d intruded my battle zone. He was going to have to suit up too. “I’m losing it. I’m seriously losing it,” I told him as I rocked back and forth.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I can’t do this. I’m about to call Norman and tell him to drive south and not to stop until we reach water.”

  He snickered. “I think you’re overreacting.”

  “Overreacting?” I huffed. “You have no idea what kind of morning I’ve had. My phone started ringing this morning at five o’clock. Things are going wrong. All wrong. I have no clue how to fix all these issues. I mean, shouldn’t these women know how to handle things if something gets messed up? Why do they keep calling me? If the caterer has no fresh shrimp, can’t someone else tell them to replace the dish with something else? Why does it have to be me? This is my first event. I haven’t picked out a dress yet. There are lighting issues, photography issues, the napkins turned out to be a shade too dark, I haven’t picked out my dress, and I have a glam squad showing up soon to wax, pluck, and beautify me. Not to mention, I have to be at the event two hours early to make sure everything is in order,” I rambled. “I can’t fucking do this, Slick.”

  “Yes, you can. Where are you at right now?” he asked me.

  “In the bathtub.”

  “With your phone? Are you nuts or trying to electrocute yourself?”

  “It’s empty,” I sighed. “There’s no water in the tub.”

  “Why the hell are you sitting in an empty bathtub?”

  “I’m hiding.”

  “Listen to me,” he stated in a seriously sexy voice. My ears loved the sound it. It was deep and strong, masculine just like him. “I’ve seen you take charge before. I’ve seen the way you can command a room. Don’t let those women get to you. Just look at it this way. If they didn’t think you could do it, then they wouldn’t be calling you to fix everything. Now suck it up and get out of the bathtub.” He mumbled off something about me sitting in the bathtub, and it made me giggle. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  He was right. I could do this. I needed to put on my mom face and get myself together. “Thanks, Slick.”

  “Whatever,” he replied nonchalantly. “No more fucking meltdowns though. Not on my watch.”

  “Fine.”

  “I swear,” he growled. “If I was there right now, I’d…”

  “You’d what?” I smiled.

  He blew a deep breath into the phone, said bye, and then hung up. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but I knew what crossed my mind.

  Slick was a stubborn mule sometimes. He was all over the place. One minute I’d think that he’d crossed over to my side and was seeing the light, while other times he was all work and no play. You’d think for someone his age, he’d have his shit together. It was no wonder my mom said that men never grew up. I was beginning to think she was right. Slick and I may have been miles apart in age, but in wisdom, I was pretty sure I had a good ten years on him.

  I was sick of putting myself out there where he was concerned. I was making a fool of myself and risking a lot in the process. Every part of my body told me to jump on that man and show him what he was missing, but my brain said, “Your father will murder you.” Good thing I didn’t care much about what my father thought. Slick was either going to get on this train or walk. No more of this in-between crap. Pretty soon, he’d have to decide if he wanted me bad enough. He’d have to make a decision where I was concerned, and if I had to dangle the meat in front of him to find out, then that’s exactly what I’d do.

  I wasn’t asking him to take me away. He hadn’t even kissed me yet. All I wanted was to see where this attraction would lead us, and maybe to screw his brains out one time. Although, it’d probably be the other way around. He was probably the take-charge kind of guy in the bedroom, the commander and chief. My body felt alive just thinking about those large fingers on me.

  Someone knocked on the bathroom door and shook me out of it. Thankfully. I was just minutes away from taking care of the growing ache between my legs. Like I had time for that.

  I threw open the bathroom door, and my father was standing there. If that didn’t turn off the heat between my legs, then nothing would.

  “Security just arrived, so I’m going to head down to the office for just a bit.”

  “Okay, Dad.”

  “I’ll see you tonight at the event.” He kissed my cheek and walked out of my room.

  I looked around at the scattered mess, rubbed my hands together, and said, “I got this.”
r />   * * *

  Slick showed up about an hour after we spoke on the phone. He was carrying a cardboard drink carrier full of coffees, and a tuxedo bag. The resident scowl was still plastered on his face. It was a funny sight.

  I was finished with all my phone calls and felt like I had everything under control. At least for the most part. It was the first time I’d felt that way all morning.

  Slick flung his tuxedo bag on my bed with force like he owned the place, while I stood there staring. It was cute the way he took over, like it was no big thing. Take-Charge should’ve been his middle name.

  Wonder what his middle name is?

  Hell, I still didn’t know his first name.

  “What can I do?” he asked.

  “You can pick out my dress,” I suggested. It may have seemed like a half-hearted suggestion, but I was serious. I’d looked through those dresses at least ten times and couldn’t decide.

  He shook his head. “That’s not gonna happen.”

  My shoulders slumped. “Please, Slick.” I stuck my bottom lip out and hoped he’d cave.

  “Aren’t dresses like a big deal? I mean, I thought you were supposed to be picky about it and make sure everything went together. I have no skills in this department. You may as well wear a garbage bag.”

  “You can’t screw it up. Every dress on that rack is beautiful. Just pick one,” I urged.

  He rolled his shoulders, like he was preparing for a fight. “This wasn’t in my job description.”

  “I won’t tell anyone.” My lips turned up as I watched him walk over to the rack. I climbed up on the table that my glam team brought in, stretching my legs out in front of me. They were about to give me a leg wax, which up until that moment, I thought I’d be alone for. Thank goodness it wasn’t a Brazilian wax. No way would I spread my ass cheeks while he was standing there, at least not with an audience.