by Parker, Ali
"You know who that was. I'm not here to play your fucked-up games."
"Oh, but aren't you? You brought that boy up here to my cafeteria for a reason, right? Who is he?"
"I'm not answering that." She hit the wall behind her, a soft sound of surprise leaving her lips. He leaned menacingly over the top of her.
"Who the fuck is he to you? I know who the punk ass is. What does he mean to you? I'm starting to think you're right ... you are playing a game, but I'm not."
"Bullshit. He's nothing more than a friend."
"Why here? What purpose did you have in bringing him here? Did you want me to see you two together? Is that what you wanted?"
"No. I mean yes ... Fuck, I don't know." She pushed at his chest, but he only crowded her more. The heat rolling off of him was almost stifling, the dark press of his gaze making her want to pant for air. This was too much. He was overwhelming.
"Get out of my office, and when you grow up, come back." He started to move as she reached out and grabbed tightly onto his jacket, pulling him back flush against her. His hand slid up the wall behind her as he pressed his hips forward, reminding her quickly how well they fit together.
"No. Who was the woman? I'm not leaving here until you tell me."
"She's a client, Beth. I don't fuck our clients."
"Just your interns?" Beth pushed at him as she moved from the wall.
"I gave you what you wanted. I can't help that your feelings have changed." He shrugged, his face expressionless.
"And yours haven't?" she asked as tears slipped against her gaze. The world blurred, and she hated him for making her feel two inches tall again.
"Wait, let me make sure I have the facts straight." His voice rose another octave as she wiped at her tears. The woman who left the office was far more than a client. By the shifting of her clothes and the adjusting of her lipstick that much was apparent.
"Stop." Bethany moved toward the door, not wanting him to leave her with the guilt that belonged to him. "If you were seeing someone, you should have said something. I know you're good being a whore, but I'm not."
"You fuck me on a plane yesterday, leave me a note when I ask you to spend time with me. You bring Philip to my place of business and rub him in my face, and then you come into my office accusing me of what? Sleeping with Mrs. Finnegan? Is that what you're accusing me of?"
Bethany took a shallow breath and closed her eyes. "I'm leaving. I have to be at school."
"Yeah, you do that." The side of his beautiful mouth lifted as Bethany opened her eyes. His expression was filled with hurt, something not quite right about the conversation.
"Damon."
"No. You've said your piece. Go about your business, and keep wondering if the color of her lips is pressed on my skin, Beth. I know what you're thinking, but you know what? You. Don't. Know. Shit. About. Me." He walked to his desk and picked up the phone, turning his back to her and barking out instructions to someone, most likely Linda.
Bethany stood there for a few minutes, her heart shattering over and over again in her chest. He was right. She didn't know much about him, but what she did know she didn't like very much at all.
She walked quickly out of his office, holding back the torrential flood of tears until she slipped into her office. She closed the door, turning and gasping at the enormous vase of red roses. There had to be close to fifty squeezed tightly together. The office smelled blissful.
Walking toward the flowers, she let her tears fall. Most likely from Kent or Philip. Someone who understood that she was a good person, an intelligent woman and a force to be reckoned with. She plucked the card and sat down at her desk, the need for them to be from Damon crashing into her.
She couldn't open the card just yet. She let her head drop, her chin pressing against her chest as she lifted her free hand to her face to catch some of the wetness that fell from her eyes.
How painful his continued rejection of her was. He was confident and assured, mature and locked into a successful life. She was a simple girl looking for the next exit on the road from adolescence. He didn't get it. He didn't understand her and the need she had to be loved, to be adored and treasured.
It was over between them. Simple, and yet so damn hard to convince herself of.
She opened the card and let her eyes scan over the words, the world stopping for a moment.
Beth,
You're right. I'm scared. I've not let anyone in my heart, in my life—ever. I have a lot to work through, but if you're willing to be patient with me, to be true to me ... I'll try. I want you to be mine first, and then we will work on me being yours.
Take a chance with me?
~ D
"Fuck," she whispered, another round of tears dropping from her eyes. If she hadn’t been branded his before, she was now. She reached for her phone and called his office, the call shifting her to Linda.
"Is he there?" Bethany asked.
"No, he left and said not to bother him for the rest of the day. Sorry, kiddo."
Bethany hung up and texted him.
Bethany: I'm sorry. I shouldn't have invited Philip. I shouldn't have accused you of sleeping with the client. I'm just lost in this, Damon. I'm lost in you, and I feel like I'm the only one waiting to be left with nothing, to be made a fool of.
His text took a few minutes, but relief flooded her when she received it.
Damon: I don't want your apologies. Save them for someone else. I'll make my offer once, and if you don't want it, then we're done. Tonight. My place. Leave your fears, your accusations and your panties somewhere else. They aren't welcome here. Brave enough, Beth?
She texted back one word, her world crashing in around her with need for the man that left her breathless, the one that dragged her into depravity and could possibly be the most important thing in her life at present.
Bethany: Yes.
Chapter 31
Bethany
Being back on campus felt good, felt right. Bethany breathed in deeply, the heat in Texas stifling, but the smell of fresh-cut grass and honeysuckle made it worth dealing with. She wasn't looking forward to working for one of the business professors for the next semester, but it was a requirement of the master's program. She would just buckle down and get through it and keep her eyes on the future.
The future.
It seemed as though Damon was willing to be a part of that plan. She honestly couldn't fathom it without him in it, and yet they still had so many obstacles to jump over to get there. The fact that they were about to be family was the largest, but working together and both being so damn bullheaded were competing for a close second.
Bethany moved back as a large group of girls piled out of the business building, one of them turning to give her a once-over. She chuckled and slipped into the coolness. Wanting anything other than a man had not occurred to her, but it was becoming more and more the norm to consider both men and women as partners. She shrugged the thought away, not needing more than Damon. She could barely handle him. The thought of another woman with them, touching her man, caused possessiveness to rise inside of her.
"Just no ..." she muttered and jogged up the stairs to the second floor. She still wore her work clothes and was glad of it. Her destination was a vast auditorium. Cost accounting was required for anyone who wanted to be a business major, regardless of whether they were going into accounting or not.
A handsome, distinguished-looking man glanced up and smiled kindly. "You must be Bethany?"
"Yes, sir. Bethany Miller. Nice to meet you."
"Pleasure is all mine. Kendal Tarrington." He extended his hand, his gaze professional and remaining on her face. She let out an internal sigh as she relaxed.
The guy wasn't a douche or a perv from what she could tell. She could totally do this.
"I have to admit up front that cost accounting was not my favorite undergrad class." She smiled, and he chuckled, taking his hand back and pulling a pair of glasses from his pocket. He looked up.
"I'm not thinking too many people would say that it was." He shuffled through a few papers on the desk in front of him as Bethany stood quietly. He was probably in his mid-thirties, in great shape and smelled like heaven. He probably struggled a lot with beating back the hordes of college girls that took his classes and worked to grab his attention. She tilted her head a little, noticing no ring and feeling even worse for the good-looking man.
"Most people like financial accounting better?" She tried to make conversation as she walked toward the front row of the auditorium. Taking a seat, she dropped her purse beside her and laid the small notebook she'd brought with her on the makeshift desk before her.
"Oh yeah. The rules in financial are clear cut, and you can simply push forward. With cost, the rules change a little depending on the various scenarios you might find yourself in." He glanced up as he pulled a notebook from the pile. "Here we go."
She turned as he took a seat to her left, leaving a few between them. His light blue button-up shirt and dark blue slacks were perfectly matched to his tie. She couldn't help but smile. His messy brown hair and dark green eyes only added to the complete package of his persona and appearance. He was the typical accounting type, and yet his looks could allow for a modeling career if he were up for it.
"So I'm thinking I'd like for you to be here on Tuesdays and Thursdays." He opened the notebook and adjusted the Metro-styled glasses on his regally shaped nose. "That good, or does it interfere with your master’s classes?"
"That's fine. How old are you?" Bethany asked, suddenly realizing that she wanted to know, more than having to bear the burden of the awkwardness it might create.
He chuckled and sat back in the chair, pulling the glasses off and pinning her with a hard stare. "Let me give you the spiel I give everyone. I'm thirty-one. I'm not a model, nor do I care to be. I'm a guy that loves math and football, and I'm an extreme stickler for the rules. I don't date students or TAs, so keep things staunchly professional between us, or I'll dismiss you."
"Wow. You've practiced that." Bethany chuckled.
"More times than I care to admit to." He swung his glasses around as he lifted his eyebrow. "We good? You good with all of that?"
"Yep. I'm taken by the best-looking man in all of Dallas. You're safe. Just wondering how much you must struggle with all of these silly girls that take your classes."
He rolled his eyes and looked back down at the notebook. "Enough to have to memorize a damned speech about why it's inappropriate for them to behave the way they do."
Bethany couldn't help but laugh. She could see the two of them becoming quick friends. It was going to be a good semester where school was concerned. Getting back to the books and seeing her friends would help to ease the incessant need that hovered just above her where Damon was concerned. She couldn't spend her days on her back with him between her legs, or could she?
* * *
"There's the girl of the hour!" Krista walked toward the car as Bethany got out, a smile lifting her mouth at the sight of her best friend.
"Has it only been a couple of weeks? Feels like for-fucking-ever." Bethany wrapped her arms around the other girl and sank into the hug.
"Can't text or call nobody? Too busy being important?" Krista moved back and tugged at a strand of Bethany's long hair.
"You too, butt nugget." She winked and walked toward the apartment. She would be staying with Krista most days of the week, some at Kent's place and hopefully some in the arms of her handsome stepbrother. Bethany reached over and ran her hand down the back of Krista's hair.
"You totally got some low-lights put in your hair."
Krista opened the apartment and moved back. "I did. I just felt like it was too blonde. With it being so short and gold, everyone kept calling me Tinker Bell."
Bethany laughed and let her eyes scan the living room before sinking into the old beat up green couch she had come to love.
"Tinker Bell is beautiful."
"And thin. I'm not." Krista grabbed a handful of her stomach and shook it. Bethany rolled her eyes.
"Where's Jake?"
"He'll be here soon. He had to meet with the new professor he's going to be TA'ing for."
"You guys still together?" Bethany asked, wishing like hell she would have kept in better contact with her friend. Why had she let her new life completely suffocate her old one? Didn't seem right.
"Um ... no. We didn't really get together. He was confused I guess." Krista shrugged, her smile sliding to a frown.
Bethany patted the seat next to her on the couch. "What do you mean? I thought you guys just decided after graduation that you liked each other."
"I've always liked Jake, but I knew the two of you had something going on, so I backed off." She shrugged before sitting down and kicking her feet up. "He thought he wanted to give things a try too, but he just up and changed his mind last week."
"Why?"
"I don't know. He didn't explain it."
"Are you upset?" Bethany reached over and ran her fingers along her friend’s arm.
"Yes and no."
"Explain."
"I wanted something to happen between us, but it was so weird. He's been one of my best friends for four years." She leaned back and closed her eyes. "I'm good with us just being friends. It's better that way. Every time I think about us making out, I keep wondering if he's wishing I'm you."
"What? He wasn't interested in me, Kris ... I tried, remember?"
"Yeah, but I think he was just overwhelmed or shocked. He's asked about you, like, every day since you left."
There was a slight twinge of bitterness in her voice. The hint of it stung, but there wasn't anything Bethany could say to make things better. Jake had completely rejected her the night of the graduation party. Hell, she had stripped naked and walked toward her bedroom, beckoning him to come with her.
Damon would have taken her in the hall before she could make it to the privacy of the room. The thought caused her body to tighten, her hormones to flutter.
"I'm in love," Bethany blurted out, knowing that she couldn't say anything in response to Jake, but she could most certainly share her own situation that would make anything Jake might be thinking moot.
Krista opened her eyes and sat up, shock registering on her face.
"Really? Who?"
"One of the guys at the firm I'm doing my internship with." Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, the idea of blurting out the fact that Damon was her stepbrother just wasn't going to happen. No way could she share that. Anyone with half a sense of morals would slam her to the ground.
A knock at the door surprised both of them. Bethany got up as Krista laughed at their silliness. Jake stood on the other side as she opened it, his smile warm and reminding her of so many good times.
"Hey, you." He stepped into the apartment and pulled Bethany into a hug, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck. How many times had she wanted this very thing over the last few years? She didn't now, and even if some part of her did, there was no way in hell that she could hurt Krista or imagine life without Damon.
"Good to see you, buddy." Bethany squeezed Jake in a bear-hug manner and moved back. His eyes moved across her as he smiled. She reached out and brushed his long blond hair from his eyes. "You need a haircut."
"Well, you don't. You look great." He stared for another moment. Bethany shut the door behind him and walked back to the couch.
"Thanks. I was just telling Krista that I met the man I'm going to marry." She laughed, trying like hell to bring the room into a more comfortable state while still putting it out there that she was officially taken.
"Oh yeah? Tell us about him." Jake walked to the couch, his smile fading as he moved to sit on the other side of Bethany. The tension between him and Krista was palpable.
"Wait. Are we going to dinner?" Krista asked.
"I can't. I need to do a few more things for work tonight." Bethany gave an apologetic look before turning back to Jake. "He's tall li
ke you, but dark hair and dark eyes. He's bossy and domineering. Quite a dick sometimes, but he's going to be really good for me."
"Wow. He's like the total opposite of me." Jake laughed as Krista stood up.
"I'm getting something to drink. You guys want anything?"
"I'm good," Bethany responded, turning her attention back to Jake.
"Me too. Thanks, though." He watched Krista go and then turned back to Bethany. "You have to help me."
"What? Why?"
His sudden change of expression left Bethany concerned. A frantic look sat on his handsome face.
"She's fucking obsessed with me. She's been my shadow for the last two weeks. I need you home. You have to pretend like we're together or something. I need your help." He reached out and took Bethany's hand.
"That's ridiculous. That doesn't sound like Krista at all."
He lowered his voice and leaned in. "She's going to bring me a drink because she has to be doing something for me all the time."
"But you're not thirsty."
"I fucking know that. I'm serious about you helping me."
Bethany turned as Krista walked in with two drinks. "Here, handsome. Thought you could use something."
Jake gave Bethany a knowing look. Something was a little off, but what could she do to help? Had things shifted that much after just two weeks?
She thought about her life and how she felt about Damon now. Yeah, things could shift dramatically in the space of a couple of days.
Chapter 32
Bethany
Worry clouded her thoughts as she drove to Damon's house. The situation with Krista and Jake was so odd. It was hard to imagine it happening, and yet it seemed to be. Maybe Krista had been obsessed with Jake for much longer than either of them imagined?