Fiendish: A Twisted Fairytale (29 page)

“So you w…you would rather I have, that I didn
’t?”

My heart was pounding in my chest. First the incident in the car, now seeing him angry, really angry at me, I didn
’t understand what was happening. I didn’t understand what I had done to piss him off in such a way, but I knew I was scared.

“What I would rather you had done isn
’t important now is it since you didn’t bother to ask my opinion,” he said.

His grip on my wrist tightened for a moment before he released me. I sat back, rubbing them, staring at his back.

“Seth, it’s not like I was pregnant and went and got an…”  I couldn’t say the word as I fought to keep my emotions under control. “I simply took the precaution that we should have taken in the beginning. It’s no different than if I was on the pill or if you had used a condom. Why are you so mad about this?” I asked calmly, hoping he’d see the logic behind my actions.

“It is very different,” he said, turning to look to me “And I
’m mad because you didn’t feel like this was something you should have discussed with me beforehand. I’m mad because it makes me question how much I can really trust you. How can I be sure that you won’t simply ‘take care’ of things should something happen?”

All the air seemingly was sucked out of my lungs at his accusation.
 What I did was take a precaution so that I wasn’t put in that situation again. I couldn’t and wouldn’t go through that again.

“I wouldn
’t do that,” I whispered.

“How can I believe that?” he countered.
 “Look at what you have already done.”

“I know. I
’m sorry, but in order for it to work, it has to be taken within a certain time frame. I, it’s just last weekend, I wasn’t thinking all that clearly. But I thought, well I didn’t want you to think…” I wasn’t making any sense, and I didn’t even know what I was trying to say.

I sat there feeling very vulnerable and confused.
 I grabbed the pillow again to cover my nakedness because I was too scared to get off the bed for my clothes.

“I
’m sorry. I just didn’t want you to think I was trying to trap you or something,” I said quietly, pulling my knees to my chest, burying my face in the pillow. 

The tears I
’d been fighting to hold back spilled out.

I felt the bed shift as he moved closer to me. “Look at me.”
  His tone was a little softer but held that same angry undertone. 

I shook my head, not wanting to see any more of his angry expressions. “I think you should go,” I mumbled into the pillow. 

“And I think you need to stop hiding and look at me.”

Slowly I lifted my head, frowning as I looked at him. “I only did what I thought was best.”
 

He cupped my face in his hands using his thumbs to wipe away my tears.
  He leaned forward and gave me a soft kiss on the lips.

He held my face, looking me directly in the eye. “Well, in the future, ask me first.”

Chapter 25

“I like this one.
 What do you think, Lee?”

 
I stared absently at a lamp, not really paying attention. My thoughts kept going back to Seth. I was still confused over why he had gotten so upset with me yesterday. When I saw him waiting for me after work today, my steps faltered a bit. He acted as if yesterday didn’t happen. He was back to acting like the Seth I knew before we’d slept together polite: charming, and utterly irresistible. I wanted to bring it up, but I was too nervous to say anything. So we chatted about my day and the plans Macy and I had for the house. The atmosphere and conversation were relaxed, allowing me to feel somewhat at ease. That quickly changed when we got home. I could tell he was annoyed when Macy mentioned the furniture shopping; I’d completely forgotten about it. 

Seth didn
’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. The change in his body language was clear. He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek then left. I didn’t get a chance to ask him if he wanted to come with us. Instead, I was left feeling guilty over some unknown transgression.

“Lee?
 Earth to Lee.”

“Huh?
 Oh sorry. What did you ask me?” 

Macy was tapping her foot impatiently.
 I was on a roll annoying everyone it seemed.

“You usually love this stuff. What
’s going on?”

“Nothing, just thinking.”

“Uh-huh,” she said, giving me a look to let me know she wasn’t buying it.

“It
’s nothing. So which one did you like?” 

She kept looking at me, waiting on me to tell her, but when I didn
’t say anything, she gave up. I knew it was only a temporary reprieve, but I would take it for now.

“This one.
 I think it would work well with the wallpaper you picked out.”

“Yeah, with no kids or pets, we can do white.”
 I took a seat beside her to test out the comfort. “We’ll get some colorful throw pillows for it, and it’ll be perfect.”

“Hey, do you think if you told Ms. Snooty sales lady over there you work for Thorn she
’d lose the attitude?” 

Macy cut her eyes over at the saleswoman who was eyeing us like we were wayward teens.
 I guess she didn’t like the way Macy flopped around on the furniture. I shrugged as I scooted off the couch. We spent another two hours picking out the rest of the furniture and accessories. We got a new couch, I talked her into keeping our current chairs because I liked them, and we picked out a new dining table since our current one was really just a fancy card table from Target.

Macy insisted we place our order with the male sales person.
 She was a big believer in good customer service and refused to let ‘Ms. Snooty’ make any money off us. Plus she did what Macy did best, used all her confidence and feminine charm to wrangle us a pretty good deal on everything. Poor guy didn’t know what hit him, and I’m sure he’s hoping she’ll make use of his business card, especially since he pointed out it had his personal cell number on it three times. I was always amazed how she could wrap guys around her finger without even trying. Once we finished up at the store, we headed over to Chili’s for dinner. Macy waited until after the waitress had brought us our drinks before she started in with her inquisition.

“Okay, out with it.
 What’s going on with you? Yesterday you were in a bit of a mood and today you were lost in thought most of this trip. You always get excited about furniture and crap.” 

I swirled my straw around in my margarita, thinking of a response.
 I knew she wasn’t going to drop it, but I also knew if I told her how Seth acted, she would go off on a rant. She was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I could tell she still had some reservations.

“It
’s just work,” I finally mumbled. “I have to go out with Patrick Friday, and I’m dreading it. I mean, I knew what the job was when I took it, but I don’t want to give off the wrong impression. With the way he acted at the High, I think people will start to think it’s something that it’s not. I mean this old guy asked if I was a paid escort last time. It was humiliating.”

Macy took a sip of her
margarita while eyeing me suspiciously. “Are you fucking him?” 

“What?!
No!” I exclaimed, completely appalled and shocked at her question.

“Do you plan on fucking him?”

“Macy? Really? Of course not.”

“Then what the hell is really going on?
 Don’t keep feeding me bullshit about your boss. So some old guy thought he could buy your time. Take it as a compliment you looked damn hot that night. So what’s the real story?”

“It
’s not bullshit.” Well some of it was, but I really was concerned with the perception people would have depending on how these events went. “I don’t want to be seen as a person who is trying to sleep her way into a position.”

She sat back, crossed her arms, and narrowed her eyes at me.
 “Uh-huh. I think you are less worried about what people will think and more worried about what Seth will think.” 

Unfortunately, I already knew what he thought, and she would be mad as hell if she knew.

“This isn’t about Seth. It’s about me,” I retorted weakly.

“Okay, if you say so.
 Have you thought about talking to Thorn about it? Maybe setting some boundaries on what is acceptable behavior.”

It was a simple enough thought, but Patrick wasn
’t a man that was going to take being told how to behave. 

“I guess I can try that.”
 

I took a few more sips of my margarita as I contemplated talking to her about Seth. His two outbursts on Monday rattled me.
 I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Was he jealous of Patrick, or did he not trust me? Or maybe it was a combination of both. The birth control thing really threw me for a loop. I never in a million years would have expected a reaction like that. If anything, I would have thought he would have been mad that I didn’t speak up sooner about my lack of birth control. I didn’t want him to think I was one of those women out to get pregnant in order to trap a rich guy. I should have said something more to him, defended myself better, but how?  His presence is enough to intimidate me when he’s relaxed, but seeing him so mad at me was downright frightening. I was at a loss for words when faced with an angry Seth. 

I sat swirling my straw around, lost in thought, when I looked up I saw Macy watching me intently. “What?” I asked, squirming in my seat.

“What’s going on with you and Boy Wonder?” 

I frowned at her choice of a nickname.
“Nothing.”

“Bull!
 I saw it today.” 

“Saw what Macy?”

“I saw him and his reaction to you having plans, and I saw you and your reaction to his reaction.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Yes you do. I know a control freak when I see one, and from where I’m sitting, he’s trying to extend that control to you.” 

I rolled my eyes and let out an exasperated breath. “Not this again, Macy.
 Just last weekend you…”

“I know what I said last weekend,” she said, interrupting me.
 “And I meant it. If you’re happy then I’m happy for you, but today you didn’t look happy. You looked nervous, almost scared.” 

Damn her for being so perceptive, and damn me for having a crap poker face.
 I took a long sip of my drink to buy time. I was both scared and nervous, but telling her that was not an option. 
It was one incident, okay two, but he apologized, and I don’t think it would happen again. It was a fluke. He was having a bad day; it happens to all of us.

Our waitress brought over our food. We thanked her before I picked back up with our conversation.

“I felt bad because I forgot we had plans. I should have remembered, but I didn’t, so I was flustered. That’s all.”

She narrowed her eyes at me.
 “Lee, you can make all the lame excuses you want, but I’m not crazy. On the surface, he’s perfect, almost too perfect which is what worries me. There’s something just…a little off. It would do you good if you got that heart of yours off your sleeve and into a bullet-proof box for a while dealing with him. It’s okay to be selfish and think of yourself first sometimes.” 

I thought over Macy
’s words. ’
Be selfish
.’ I hated to disappoint people; I needed to know that those around me were happy. That
I
made them happy; being selfish was something I wasn’t sure I could accomplish.

“Can we talk about something else please?” I asked, finishing off my margarita. I looked up at her hoping she would understand I really wanted to drop the conversation.
 

“Fine, but please promise me you
’ll at least be careful with him,” she replied, still looking very serious.

“Yes mother,”
 I replied sarcastically.

***

I sat at the hotel bar swirling the cognac around in my glass. Liquor like the Remy Martin was meant to be sipped slowly and appreciated for its flavor and rarity. I barely tasted it as I finished my glass in two gulps, my mind preoccupied with thoughts of Calida. 

She was scared of me yesterday, and that fear was still present today.
 She tried to hide it, but I saw her steps falter when she saw me waiting for her. She flinched when I reached out for her. I saw the nervous look on her face when she looked at me after agreeing to go with her friend. 
You like them to fear you
. Yes, under normal conditions, I enjoyed the look of fear in their eyes, but I wasn’t sure that’s what I wanted when she looked at me. 

I
’d need to handle her more carefully in the future. 
What you need is a new pet to play with. 
Maybe that was my issue. I had been putting so much time and effort into Calida that I had ignored the fun. But I hadn’t really missed it either. 
Of course you’ve missed it. You simply need a reminder of how much fun it can be.