Deviant (29 page)

“Lotus, keep going!” she shouted. “Fuck me!”

Growling, I smacked her again and that was enough to send her spiralling. Tyler screamed my name, moaning and cursing like the beautiful witch she was.

With the immense relief of her coming around me, I let go. I quickened my pace and fisted my hand in her hair again. I let myself feel, and I welcomed the onset of my orgasm rising throughout me. I roared like a fucking lion and blew inside her. I had completely lost it to her. Completely fucking lost my mind with those few seconds of orgasm. I had never had one like it before in my life. It was intense beyond words.

“Fuck!” I hissed, finally pulling out of her. I couldn’t be doing this. I couldn’t let her destroy me as much as I am trying to destroy her. I just couldn’t let it happen. Not again.

Collapsing, Tyler let out a contented sound before turning to look at me. “I’ve never done that before.”

I shook my head. “No, you haven’t.”

“You came to me last night, didn’t you? Were you going to punish me then?”

Ignoring her, I zipped myself up and went into her bathroom. I looked through her shelves and found some moisturising cream. Turning towards the door with it, I noticed the toilet paper was the other way around this time, so I turned it back. With cream in hand, I came back out to see Tyler still sprawled across the bed, naked and bare.

“Turn on your front,” I commanded.

She did as she was told and, in the faint light, I noticed there were marks on her ass. Kinky little witch that she was.

Rubbing some cream on my hands, I went to work massaging her there. “Hmm, that feels good,” she hummed. “A demon would never care for me the way you are now.”

I instantly cringed. “Don’t mistake me rubbing cream on your ass as caring for you, Tyler. This is simply to make sure you’re prepared for next time.”

Tyler turned her head, trying to look at me. “There will still
be
a next time?”

The way she asked was almost as though she knew it would soon be coming to an end. How could she possibly know? I’d never given her any inclination things would come to an abrupt halt shortly. Could this witch read my mind now?

“What makes you think there won’t be?” I asked, rubbing the final bits of cream in.

Satisfied I had rubbed it all in, Tyler turned to me with a cheeky grin. “You can never have too much of a good thing, right?”

She was trying to be funny, repeating the same line I had said to her not so long ago. It didn’t work on me, though. Behind that smile, behind that cheeky façade, lay an element of pain I knew would never go away. I had her now. I had her right where I fucking wanted her. So why did it still feel so fucking wrong? Why, even after everything she’d done, did I still feel like gathering her in my arms and never letting her go?

Answering her with a coy “Yes,” I got up off the bed and went into the bathroom to wash my hands. Every time I seemed to come to this apartment, I knew what my plan was but, every time, the plan went to shit.

As I walked back out of the bathroom, I was just going to get the fuck out, but then Tyler spoke. “Kiss me,” she pleaded again.

I halted at the door and gripped my eyes shut. I couldn’t let her see how much her words affected me. I couldn’t let her see just how much
she
affected me. It was time to go and time to act. I couldn’t pussy-foot around this any longer. “No,” I stated as I walked out the door.

It was time for my act of vengeance.

Chapter 35

    Tyler

Buckinghamshire, 2001

I was in my room with a Walkman strapped to my ears as I listened to “My Way” by Usher. He was my favourite solo artist at the moment. I loved every song he released, and his dancing was the best I’d ever seen.

If it wasn’t for the fact that the song was ending, I would have missed the familiar faint tapping on my window.

Jumping, I looked and saw another stone bouncing off the glass. I immediately got up off my bed and scrambled to see who was throwing stones. As If I didn’t know.

When I looked down, my heart jumped. Dean was standing there in a suit, his hair was slicked back perfectly, and his eyes sparkled with an intense desire.

I opened my window. “What are you doing?” I asked, trying to be as quiet as possible. I didn’t want my mum and dad to hear. They would hit the roof if they found out Dean was outside, throwing stones at my window.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he whispered, waving a red rose in the air.

If I thought he couldn’t get any dreamier, I was wrong. Dean proved, time and time again, just how right he was for me. If only my mum and dad could see it.

“Dean, you’re impossible,” I said, giggling.

“Impossibly smitten by the girl with the bright hazel eyes,” he whispered back. “Hold on. I’m coming up.” Placing the rose in his mouth, Dean pulled himself up the trellis by my window.

Once at the top, he handed me the rose with a cheeky smile. “I told you that you were the girl who deserved flowers.”

My mouth dried and my heart fluttered at the possibility Dean may kiss me tonight. I had another five months until my sixteenth birthday, and I was counting down every second of every day of it. Dean would visit me by climbing my window from time to time, especially when I got grounded. Normally, I got grounded because I went to visit Dean when I shouldn’t have. Once, I even got grounded because Ian kept me out late when we got drunk together. That grounding lasted a full two weeks.

I wasn’t grounded tonight, though. No, tonight I had to go out for a meal because it was my mum and dad’s twentieth anniversary. Although my heart ached to be with Dean tonight, I knew this was also a special occasion for my parents. They insisted on celebrating it with my sister and me, so how could I have said no?

Taking the rose from Dean’s hand, I inhaled, taking in its beautiful scent. “Do you know how beautiful you look tonight? Almost good enough to eat.”

I burned with intense need for this boy. I needed him to have me. I wanted him to have me. I knew that the moment I turned sixteen, I would ask him to take my virginity. Losing it to anyone else just didn’t seem right. It was always Dean’s to take, and I simply couldn’t wait for that day.

“Well, aren’t you going to give me a kiss?” he asked, pointing to his cheek.

“Thank you,” I replied, too stunned to form any other words. Clutching the rose, I knelt out of the window to reach for Dean’s cheek. I was hoping, at the last minute, he would turn and kiss me on the lips. I edged closer and the closer I got, the more my heart pumped. I was inches away from him now, the smell of his cologne hitting my nostrils and making the burn that much stronger. I was almost there, about to land him that kiss when a knock at the door made me jump out of my skin.

“Tyler, we have to get going in ten minutes. Are you ready?” The door opened, and I swung the rose behind my back.

“What are you doing there?” my father asked as I stood rigid at the window. He looked behind me, frowning. My heart accelerated.

Turning my head, I gazed outside, but Dean was no longer there.

“Why are you standing there with the window open? You’ll catch your death.” My father marched over to the window, looked outside, and closed it.

“I thought I heard a noise, so I opened my window to take a look. It was just Mrs. Crowther’s cat knocking over a bin.” The lie coursed through my veins and I braced myself to get questioned further. He was a lawyer, after all. He could sniff out liars and cheaters from a mile away. Instead, he just smiled, showing me his perfect white teeth. My father had always been an attractive man, always perfectly dressed and manicured. Just like my mother.

“Well, don’t be long,” he finally answered. “We have the table booked for eight and it’s already ten till.”

I smiled brightly, thankful that he didn’t get suspicious of me or, worse still, ask what was behind my back. “I’ll be right out, Dad. I just need to freshen up.”

Walking closer to me, my father cupped my chin. “You never need to freshen up, pumpkin. You always look beautiful, no matter what.”

I smiled sweetly at my father and watched as he left my room. A deep breath left my lips as I closed my eyes. That was close.

*****

A couple days later, everything was going swimmingly. I had visited Jeremy every chance I got, and although he looked increasingly pale, he was determined to get out of there tomorrow. He was so happy and full of life that I prayed this would aid in his recovery. He had read all six books in the series I had bought him and was on to another one now. He had Twiglets coming out of his ears, with a load more waiting for him when he moved in with me. I had set him up to start school the following week, and had made sure I prepared everything to be as comfortable and as “bore-free” as possible while he was living with me.

I was at work and it was almost lunch. Andrew Walker had seemed a little preoccupied today, but I put that down to the fact that there was a big story going around the news again about a second judge and even a local MP involved with underage prostitution and drugs. The craziness of the world never seemed to end.

Gathering my bag, I made my way outside to meet my mother and father for lunch. I couldn’t believe I was actually managing to get to see them both today. I deliberately picked a restaurant opposite the McDonalds Jeremy told me he met Julie outside of. I had been coming here at different times of the day, hoping to find a girl that matched her description.

As I neared the restaurant, I noticed my mother and father were sitting and waiting patiently for me. They both saw me and got up. “Tyler, how’s my pumpkin?” my father asked, giving me a peck on the cheek.

“I’m good, thanks. What about you two?” I sat down opposite them and the waitress came by to take my order for a diet coke and a Caesar salad. My parents ordered the same.

“Can you believe your father wants to buy another boat?” My mother rolled her eyes, but smiled at him.

“What’s wrong with the one you have?” I frowned. My mother gestured with her hands as if to say,
Exactly
.

“I want something bigger,” he answered with a smile. My dad always had a nice smile. With his teeth as perfect as my mum’s, my dad always kept in just as good a shape. The only thing he didn’t do was dye his hair. His hair was greying at the sides, but he looked rather distinguished. It suited him.

“Dad, your yacht is fifty feet long. How could you possibly want something bigger? The one you have is perfectly adequate.”

My mother waved her hands in front of me. “There’s no use trying to tell him, Tyler. I’ve had exactly the same conversation with him and he won’t listen.”

“It won’t be long before your big birthday, Tyler,” my dad said, conveniently changing the subject.

I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for reminding me, Dad.”

“Oh, honey,” my mum said, placing her hand on my knee. “That’s when all the fun begins. You’ll have boys in their teens just drooling over you. And you just wait until you hit your forties. It’s even worse,” she giggled.

I shook my head with a chuckle. “I have no intention of becoming a cougar, Mum, but thanks.”

“Have you thought about what you’re going to do with the money?” my father asked.

I sighed, noticing the waitress coming over with my drink. I stayed silent until she went away, but I wasn’t happy. I was to inherit a trust fund of God knows how much from my parents once I turned thirty. It was always in the cards. My sister got hers three years back when she got married. Now it was time for mine, and I wasn’t happy. I was independent and always had been. I didn’t want or need their money.

“No, Dad. I haven’t.”

My mother suddenly piped up, getting all excited. “Oh, you could buy one of those new apartments they’re building down on Markham Street. I’ve heard they’re going to be spectacular. Lotus Apartments, I think they’re called.”

Snapping my head up to meet her gaze, my mouth gaped open in shock. “What did you just call them?”

My mother stared at me blankly. “Lotus Apartments. They even have the flower as their logo. It’s run by some big hotshot developer who no one knows. It’s a pity as, apparently, he’s quite young and very hot. You two could have been introduced.”

My heart started thumping. It couldn’t possibly be true, could it? Was my stranger, my Lotus, this mystery man in charge of the development of these apartments? Surely it must be a coincidence.

“If nobody knows who he is, how can people know he’s young and very hot?”

My dad laughed. “I keep telling your mother to stop listening to idle chitchat. The man’s probably in his sixties with a beer belly and lots of facial hair. I really don’t know where she gets it from.”

My mother tut-tutted in my dad’s direction and waved her hand in a slapping gesture. “Derren, come on. You really don’t think a man of his stature could stay hidden for very long, do you? Pretty soon, someone will reveal him, unless he reveals himself.”

The prospect of this had my head swimming. It wasn’t possible that my mum knew what was going on with me and Lotus, but it was quite close to the mark. Surely this man isn’t my stranger.

As I contemplated this, our food arrived and we began eating. “Have you seen much of Ian lately?” my father asked with a raised eyebrow.

You think my eyes would be tired with all the rolling, but I knew exactly where this was heading. “We see each other every day at work, and every Friday for Bolognaise night.”

My father laughed. “Bolognaise night?”

Taking a bite, I nodded my head. “Yes, but he thinks I made this recipe myself when, in fact, I got it from a cookbook.” I laughed a little at my own joke as my parents gave each other a smile.

“It turns out,” my mother said towards my father, “that they’re not FWB’s after all.”

Looking at my mother, I frowned. “FWB? What the hell is FWB?”

She leaned forward, whispering, “Friends with benefits, of course.”

“Mum!” I shouted a little too loudly. I looked around and saw a couple of people staring but, luckily, I wasn’t loud enough to gain the attention of the whole restaurant. “Can we not discuss this here, especially in front of Dad?”

My dad laughed. “I’m not a silly old fool, Tyler. You’re almost thirty. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing behind closed doors.”

My eyes widened, getting paranoid for a second. Surely, he didn’t know. I doubted we’d be having this light-hearted conversation if he did. Inwardly shaking my head at the preposterous thought, I sighed. “Please floor, swallow me up.”

My mother gently tapped my father’s hand. “Derren, let’s not wind the poor girl up any further.”

I nodded towards my mother, thinking this was the end of the conversation. “Are you seeing anyone?”

Closing my eyes, I sighed a little. Why were my mother and father always so interested in my love life? “No,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m not seeing anyone. I have too many other things happening in my life at the moment.”

My father sat up in his chair a little higher and gazed at me. “Like what, Tyler?”

I knew the day would come when I would have to tell them about Jeremy. I had kept him a secret long enough, but now that he’s coming to live with me, I couldn’t hold it in any longer. People in my life had to know. So, I went to work telling them about Jeremy and how we met, and that I was setting up my apartment and getting it ready for when he moves in.

“Tyler,” my father sighed, folding his napkin on the table. “What I think you’re doing is a very courageous, very selfless thing, but don’t you think you’re taking on a lot of responsibility here? He’s a teenage boy and, not only that, he’s a
sick
teenage boy.”

I sighed. “Which is precisely the reason I need to do this. He’s had this kind of attitude from people his whole life. He’s never known what it’s like to have a proper family because people would never allow themselves to get too close. When that happened, Jeremy shut everybody else out, pretending he didn’t care that nobody wanted to get close. He
craves
to be loved. In the short time I’ve gotten to know him, I’ve fallen in love with him. He’s the most friendly, loyal, caring sixteen-year-old boy I have ever met, and he needs to have a family. He has the right to a family, and I’m going to make damn sure he has me as his family. Please support me and understand that I have to do this.”

I hung my head, willing myself not to get too upset. I had been trying to keep my feelings about Jeremy in check, but my worry was always there, bubbling away. I did love and care for Jeremy like he was my little brother. I would do anything to make him happy and even more to make him well again.