Taming the Whirlwind

by L. M. Heidle

  I was fuming as I looked at Kade. “Who in the hell gave you the right to order for me?” He almost spit wine back into his glass. “I’m very capable of ordering for myself.”

  “I’m sure you are, but I chose to order for you.” He shrugged like there was no problem with it. He was so aggravating! Why would I expect anything different from him though?

  “News alert! It’s not the nineteenth century. As a woman, I can order for myself.” I was burning with anger. What gave him the right? I had to take a mental breath or I was going to blow. Why was it bothering me so much? Everything he chose sounded great. He was trying to control me—that was my problem with it.

  “Would you please keep your voice down? I don’t particularity want a scene here. I thought I would save the time and just order us the same thing.”

  I took a breath to steady myself. I didn’t want a scene any more than he did. “No. You are trying to control me and I don’t appreciate it.”

  “Well, I’m sorry. You know what? I’m not sorry. Control is what I’m about and I will not apologize for that, so drop it. NOW!” I opened my mouth to argue but closed it when he glared. “See, was that so hard? We can’t enjoy ourselves if you insist on always arguing with me.”

  I wanted to show him what arguing was but what was the point? I’m sure he would end up winning in the end anyway. Plus, I didn’t want to fight tonight. I wanted to enjoy myself because I knew this could all be over in an instant and he would be gone.

  He leaned over to whisper in my ear, “Penny for your thoughts?” I turned to face him and his mouth was only inches from mine. His eyes moved to my lips.

  “Why do you care what I’m thinking? But, if you must know, I’m thinking about how beautiful this place is. So regardless of how this night turns out, thank you for the dress, for dinner, for everything.”

  “How tonight turns out? What does that mean? If you look toward it with such torture, I’m sure tonight won’t turn out well.” How could I like the thought of us saying goodbye at the end of the night forever? “Don’t you have anything to say or are you just going to stare at me all night?”

  “I’m sorry. I just mean that…” I looked down at my hands in my lap. I sighed heavily. “I’m just trying to figure out what tonight is all about.”

  “For a very smart young lady, you can be very obtuse sometimes. I just want to enjoy my night. I am sitting here with a beautiful young lady who looks ravishing.” Of course, I blushed as if on cue. He put his finger under my chin and lifted it until our eyes met. His voice softened, “I mean that. If I didn’t say it before, let me say it now. You look unbelievably beautiful, heart-stopping gorgeous in that dress.”

  I know I blushed from head to toe. I pulled my chin away from his fingers. “You should like it since you paid for it or paid for some dress. Speaking of that, I’m not sure whatever-we-are usually buy each other gifts like this or take them for dinner at places like this.”

  “Why not? I am a very rich man who can do whatever in the hell I want with my money, regardless of what people think.”

  “I’m just saying it’s not normal. Thank you, though.” Before he could say another word, the waiter appeared with our food.

  Dinner was amazing. We barely said two words to each other as we ate. It wasn’t an awkward silence; it was comfortable. It was nice. Every time our eyes met, it was as if the world had disappeared.

  I put my fork down. “I can’t eat anymore. That was amazing. Thank you again.”

  “You’re very welcome. It was my pleasure. So I guess that answers the question regarding dessert.”

  “Normally, I would say there’s always room for a little dessert, but I would rather not have to be rolled out of here and besides, I have somewhere to be soon.”

  His face fell. “Oh yeah, your other plans. Would you like me to drop you off?”

  “That’s okay. I can take a cab. It’s only downtown.” Besides, it might be awkward having Kade drop me off.

  “No, we’ll drop you off. That way I know you made it safely.” Next, he was probably going to insist on picking me up too.

  “All right, thank you. I’m meeting some people at Legacy.” As soon as I said Legacy, his face changed and his body went rigid. He looked a little pissed. What was his deal?

  “Are you sure? It doesn’t exactly have the best reputation.”

  “Thanks for the concern, but I’m meeting some friends so I’ll be fine.” He smiled and nodded, but I could tell he was faking it. I put my hand in the crook of his arm as he walked me to the SUV.

  I didn’t say a word on the ride there. He sat there staring out the window. “Liz, can I ask a favor?”

  “Depends on what it is.” With this man, I never knew what to expect.

  “Would you let Tony bring you home tonight? I want to make sure you guys get home okay.” I should have guessed it would be something like that.

  “Kade, you don’t have to do that, but I would appreciate it. I’m not sure what time we will be done though.”

  “That’s fine. Tony will drop me off and I’ll send him back for you. He can just wait until you’re done.” Poor Tony.

  My phone vibrated. “Meg, hey, what’s up?”

  “Liz, are we still doing Legacy tonight?”

  “I’m on my way there. Please don’t tell me you’re bailing on me.” Mentally, I came up with several different lies to get me out of tonight. There was no way I was going to go alone.

  “No, of course we will be there. We’re going to be a little late though. We’re just leaving so we will be there about 9:20. See ya there!” She hung up and I breathed a sigh of relief.

  Kade turned to look at me, “Everything all right? Should we find something else to do tonight?”

  “Nope, everything is good. Meg is just running a little late like usual. No biggie.”

  His face fell. “Okay.”

  Tony pulled up outside the club and got out to open my door. Kade had grabbed my hand before I crawled out. “Are you sure you’ll be okay? I can stay if you want, at least until Meg gets here.”

  “No, that’s okay, I see Danny and his friends. Thanks though.” In all honestly, I did want him to stay; this place wasn’t exactly what I expected. Plus Danny and his friends already looked a little drunk. But there was no way I was going to admit that.

  “Goodnight, Kade. Thanks again for everything.” I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek then crawled out.

  I walked over to where Danny and his friends were standing in line. “Hey Liz, you made it.” Yep, he was already tipsy and was slurring words. “Wow, you look amazing. Liz, these are my friends. Friends, this is Liz.” I was passed around between them for hugs. A couple of them were just a little too friendly with their hands for my liking.

  Thankfully, Meg and Derrick walked up shortly after. She hugged me, “Wow, Liz. Did you go shopping today?”

  “No, Kade bought it for me. Long story, tell you later.” She nodded. “Hey Derrick, nice to see you again.”

  “You too.”

  We finally made it into the club and found a table. “I’ve got the first round,” Derrick said. While he was at the bar, Meg turned on me.

  “Okay, story now.” Typical Meg couldn’t wait for the gossip.

  “Short version. He heard my dinner plans changed so he asked me to join him at Amour. Well, asked is a little bit of a stretch, more like demanded. He sent me this dress to wear. Dinner was nice and then he dropped me off here. He’s also sending his car to pick us up.”

  She was speechless for a minute. “I don’t know what to say. I’ve never had someone who isn’t related buy me anything like that before.”

  “I mentioned that but he got all defensive saying he can buy whatever he wants for whomever he wants.”

  “Tell him he can buy me a $2,000 dress any day of the week.”

  What?! “No way. This isn’t a $2,000 dress. That’s crazy.”

  She nodded. “Yes it is. I saw it last week when I was window sh
opping while you were at work. Ironically, I thought you would love it. I wonder if Kade is up to having another friend.”

  “I’m not sure that we’re even friends.” She looked at me skeptically. “I don’t want to talk about him anymore. I’ll deal with all that tomorrow. Tonight I want to have fun and get drunk.”

  “That’s my girl! Let’s get this party started.” We grabbed our beers from Derrick and hit the dance floor.

  Derrick joined Meg and it was interesting. He wasn’t exactly what you would call a good dancer but Meg didn’t seem to mind. After a few minutes, Danny and his friends joined us on the floor. His friend Eric grabbed me by the hips and pulled me to him. After two songs, I needed to get away from him; he was giving me the creeps. I grabbed Meg and we went to get a shot. “Sorry, I needed a break from Eric.”

  “That’s okay. I needed a drink anyways.” We both threw the shots back then made our way back to the floor. Thankfully, Eric had found someone else to dance with, or more like maul.

  Another guy walked up behind me and started to dance. I had no idea who he was, but by now the alcohol was taking effect so I didn’t care. It felt so good to just let go. It had been a long time. That’s how the night went: dance, shot, and dance some more with a few beers mixed in. To say the least, I was getting drunk. It was getting close to closing time as Meg and I left the dance floor for another round of shots. “I guess you won’t be coming home tonight,” I giggled at Meg.

  She started giggling too, “Not if things go as planned.” We were both giggling like schoolgirls over nothing as we made our way back to the dance floor. She went back to dancing with Derrick and I started dancing with Eric again and two of his friends. The drunker I got, the less creepy he was, so when he put his hands on my hips, I didn’t even care.

  His hands were suddenly gone and his friends both took a quick step back. I turned around to see what happened only to find Kade, staring at me.

  “It’s time to go.” He looked sexy as hell and pissed. He had changed into jeans and a tight black shirt that showed off his tattoo and muscles. He grabbed my arm, “Now.”

  I jerked my arm out of his hand. “I’m not ready to go. I’m having fun with my new friends.”

  He leaned in so I could feel his breath on my cheek. “You’re done having fun tonight. I’m taking you home.”

  “No, you’re not. I’m not done dancing!”

  “Fine, have it your way.” He grabbed my hips and pulled me tight against his body. His body felt like it was made of steel. I let my hands wander over his strong chest. I couldn’t get over how amazing his body felt under my hands. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he started running his hands up and down my body as we danced. The way he was touching me had every nerve in my body going crazy. He had me thinking some very unchaste thoughts again.

  The next song, he turned me so my back was pressed up against him. He wrapped his hands around my waist. It felt so good to be surrounded by this man. Meg looked over and mouthed ‘friends’ at me then rolled her eyes. Damn it, she was right, friends didn’t dance like this. Oh well, I was too intoxicated to care at this moment. I’d deal with that tomorrow.

  I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed when I felt his breath at my ear. I leaned my head to the left, hoping he would get the hint and start kissing. He kissed me once then sighed. “You’re going to be the death of me, you know that?” With that, he let go of my hips to grab my hand and led me off the dance floor.

  He didn’t stop dragging me until we were outside, no matter how much I protested. “What are you doing? I wasn’t ready to leave!”

  “I’m taking you home before you do something stupid—or I do.” He pulled me over to where his SUV was parked. Tony jumped out to open the door for me.

  “Let me go or I’ll scream! I’m going back in there whether you like it or not.” When I wouldn’t get into the SUV, he picked me up and shoved me in.

  “Those guys wanted one thing from you and it wasn’t stimulating conversation. You are in no shape to fight a guy off.”

  I pushed against his chest as hard as I could, but it was like pushing a brick wall. “Kade, move! I’m capable of taking care of myself. Plus, I can’t leave Meg, so move.”

  “I’m not moving; you can barely talk. I’ll send Tony in to get Meg.” Five minutes later, Meg and Derrick walked out following Tony.

  “Derrick, do you guys want a lift to wherever? I’m taking her home. She’s had enough to drink.”

  “I think they both have. Thanks, but we’ll just catch a cab.” Kade nodded and turned towards the car. As he was getting in, I slid over to say goodbye to Meg. All of a sudden, I felt sick. Before I could say anything, I vomited all over Kade.

  “Shit, Liz!” he yelled as he tried to get out of the way. He pulled me out of the car and held my hair as I repeatedly vomited on the sidewalk. When I was done, he picked me up and crawled into the car with me in his lap. The last thing I remember is him yelling, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” as I vomited on him again.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Saturday, September 7

  I woke up the next morning feeling more than a little fuzzy. I slowly sat up and looked around. On my nightstand was a glass of orange juice and two aspirins. I took the aspirins because I felt a massive headache rearing its ugly head. Once I could focus, I saw Kade sleeping in my chair. When did he show up?

  When last night slowly started to come back to me, I was mortified. Had I vomited on him? Twice? I guessed yes since he wasn’t in the same clothes. How humiliating.

  He stirred and sat up to look at me. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’ve felt better. Why are you here?” I didn’t mean that to come out bitchy.

  “Do you remember anything about last night? I wasn’t going to leave you alone like that.”

  “I remember bits and pieces. I threw up on you, didn’t I?” I cringed as he nodded.

  “Twice and all over my SUV. I can’t believe you got that drunk. You didn’t even know the guys you were with. I had to drag you out of there before you went home with one of them.”

  “I’m sorry, who put you in charge? I can drink as much as I want whenever I want. I’m a grown woman. How did you know I didn’t want to go home with one of them? Besides, who are you to lecture me? You have a reputation for closing the bar and taking home a different woman every night.”

  “You’re different. You were so out of it that anyone could have slipped something into your drink. Hell, they probably wouldn’t have even had to do that. Plus, by your own admission, you’re not a one-night-stand girl.”

  “Yeah, but that would have been my mistake. I don’t need you to show up like some white knight to save the day. I’m not a damsel in distress.”

  Kade’s eyes narrowed, saying nothing as the muscles in his jaw twitched. He simply stood up to walk to the door. His knuckles were white as he gripped the knob before turning to face me. “Fine. If that’s how you feel. Next time, I won’t interfere.” With that, he opened the door and started to walk out.

  I sighed. I was glad he stopped me from going home with anyone so why was I being a bitch? “Kade, wait.” He stopped but he didn’t face me. “I’m sorry. Of course I appreciate what you did.” He slowly turned around. “You just make me so mad when you talk to me like that.”

  “I know I can be an ass sometimes, but you’re just as infuriating. That was a dangerous situation you put yourself in. If I hadn’t showed up, who knows what would have happened.”

  “Speaking of that, how did you know I was drunk?”

  He had the decency to look a little embarrassed. “Tony called me.”

  “So you were spying on me? Tony was only supposed to take me home, not watch me.”

  “In the beginning yes, but I didn’t like the way some of those guys were looking at you. I knew you would have been enraged if I stayed so I left Tony behind. I just wanted to make sure you were safe. He called to tell me you drank quite a bit so I came to t
ake you home. I was only looking out for your safety.”

  I took a deep breath. “Kade, you lied to me.”

  “Look, I’m not going to apologize for making sure you were okay. I’m sorry I had to lie to accomplish that, but I’m still not sorry.”

  I was going to argue with him but his phone rang. “Yes, I do. I’ll meet you there in 45 minutes.” He snapped his phone shut. “Liz, I have to go.” He walked over to the bed and kissed me on the forehead. “I’ll call you later.” I blinked and he was gone.

  I didn’t want to think about the alcohol, the dancing, or anything Kade right now. All I wanted was sleep.

  I was rudely woken up when Meg jumped on my bed. “What in the hell, Meg?”

  “Let’s go do something!”

  “Are you kidding me? How are you so awake? I feel like crap.”

  “Sex helps.” I made a disgusted face at her. “Which I take it you got none of. I thought for sure you and Kade would have last night. You guys practically did it on the dance floor.”

  “Was it that bad?”

  “Uh yeah, it was bad. It was hot as hell if that makes you feel better.” I put my head in my hands. “I thought about stopping it but you looked so happy.”

  “I was just drunk,” I mumbled. “We could never be happy together. We would drive each other insane. He would try and control everything I do and you know I would do something stupid to piss him off on purpose.”

  “Whatever you say. What do you feel like doing?”

  “Sleeping.” She stuck her tongue out at me so I knew that was out of the question.

  “How about we go get those tattoos we always said we’re going to get?”

  “That’s what I’m talking about! Get your butt dressed and let’s go!” I got out of bed and took a quick shower. We were ready to go in forty minutes. “Wait, Liz. Where are we going to go? I don’t know any of the places in town.”

  “Good question. I don’t either but I know someone who does.” She gave me an inquiring look. I smiled and pulled out my phone to call Kade.