Fiendish: A Twisted Fairytale (56 page)

Paul stood before me wearing that signature boyish, dimpled grin that used to make my heart melt. His brown hair was longer than when I
’d seen him last. I’d never seen him in a suit, and the blue one he wore actually looked nice on him, even with the tie pulled loose from the collar.  

“I was invited
, of course. I was surprised when we got the invite, but your sister did always like me,” he replied, winking and taking a sip of the drink in his hand.

I frowned at him knowing that Dorian was never that fond of Paul, mainly because he was fond of me. That changed when she learned he cheated. She loved rubbing his unfaithfulness in my face whenever she could.

“I’m just joking, Annie. Jess works for your new brother in-law’s firm.” 

I tried not to react to the mention of her name, but the memory of seeing them and her being very pregnant flashed through my mind.

“She’s a CPA?” I asked not, bothering to mask the shock in my voice.

“Ha.
Her? No. She’s his executive assistant.”

I could have laughed at the irony of it being such a small world. She was just a lowly receptionist when she worked with Paul, now she had upgraded
to being ‘executive assistant,’ and I bet Dorian didn’t even make the connection. Or maybe she did and wanted him here for that very reason, which would be something she would do.

“And where is Jess? I wouldn
’t imagine she wants you anywhere around me.”

He rubbed the back of his neck a moment
, looking unsure about answering the question.

“She
’s, um, at home sick and mad at me for coming. This…pregnancy has been harder on her than the last one,” he added sheepishly.

I was stunned into mom
entary silence by his statement, and he gave me an apologetic look as I just stared at him. I did a slow exhale, trying not to be affected by his words.
A second baby. They were having a second baby.

“Well,” I said, attempting to step around him. “I
’d like to say it was nice to see you, but...well that would be a lie.”

I needed to get away.
Five minutes, just five minutes of peace. Was that too much to ask for?
Seth still missing, Dorian getting the broach, and now Paul, I needed a drink. A really strong drink.

“Come on, Annie. Don
’t be like that,” he said, grabbing my arm.

“My name is not Annie, or Raggedy Ann, or any of the other countless cr
ap-ass nicknames you had for me,” I hissed, yanking my arm free.

“Whoa,” he said, throwing his hands up in mock defense. “You
’ve gotten some spunk since I last saw you. Come on, I just wanted to catch up and see how you’ve been. We can talk right?”

 
I looked at him in astonishment then continued on my way, ignoring him. 

“
An...I mean Calida, wait,” he called out, following me back towards the ballroom.

“Look!” I said, whipping around to face him. “You said plenty to me the day I came back to pick up the rest of my stuff
; therefore I couldn’t imagine what more needs to be said. Now, I have to go watch my sister enjoy her day. Feel free to keep partaking in the open bar.”   

I stalked off back to the ballroom
, leaving him standing there. It wasn’t until I was inside that I noticed my hands were shaking. I grabbed a fresh glass of champagne from a passing waiter, downing it in one gulp.

The DJ announced that the happy couple was going to be taking their first dance. I stood leaning against the bar while she and Daniel took to the dance floor. “Unchained Melody” started playing. She laughed at something he whispered into her ear. I stood in the background downing another glass of champagne while everyone else gathered around the dance floor. She looked happy, truly happy, and of course she made an absolutely beautiful bride. At the end of the dance, the applause sounded, and then the DJ announced it was time for the couple
’s dance. The couples in attendance began filling the dance floor. I turned to head out to the lobby, not wanting to watch that dance, but arms circled my waist, pulling me backwards.

“I haven
’t gotten a dance yet,” he whispered, his breath hot against my cheek. 

Before I could protest, Brad was whisking me onto the dance floor. He curled his arm tightly around my waist
, holding me close. Too close. The voice of Hunter Hayes filled the room. Brad took the lead, moving our bodies to the music. 

“So where is your boyfriend?” he asked, leaning in too close.
 

“He
’s around here somewhere I’m sure,” I answered, looking around, still hoping Seth would show up. 

“Well, his loss is my gain,” Brad replied, grinning a little too much. The scents of liquor and cigars mixed with his over powering cologne assaulted my nose. “Now that we
’re family, I think we should get to know each other better.” 

His hand rested just above my butt, and it was slowly moving lower. I attempted to step back a little to put some space between our bodies, but he held me in place.
 

“I
’ll be cutting in now.”

The sound of Seth
’s voice filled me with mixed feelings. On one hand, I was relieved he was here to rescue me, but on the other, I was angry that he’d not been here the whole time. Brad quickly released me, and there was some sort of silent exchange between them before Brad turned and walked off the dance floor without another word. I wanted to push him away to scream at him, but I couldn’t. There was no way I was going to cause a scene, and he knew that, so we danced.

***

“Why so tense, Cara Mia?” I inquired, noticing how rigid her body was.

Calida closed her eyes
, shaking her head slightly, refusing to answer my question. I leaned down, placing a soft kiss on her exposed neck. 

“Don
’t!” she whispered angrily.

“Don
’t what, Cara Mia?” I whispered, placing another kiss on her neck.

“You cut me off, ignored me again, all because you didn
’t like something I did. So don’t. Don’t waltz in here after missing the wedding, and half of the reception, after not responding to my calls or texts, and act like all is okay because it’s not. I was worried about you, concerned something had happened, but you were just punishing me for not obeying your every command,” she said in a fevered whisper.

The music stopped, and she pulled away from me. Calida had a pained expression on her face, one I
’ve seen before. She was struggling to keep from crumbling in front of me and everyone here. I stepped towards her, and she put her hands up to stop me.

“I can
’t do this now.” She turned and briskly walked off the dance floor, heading towards the exit.

I started after her but was stopped by her father.
“Is everything ok? She looked upset,” Collin asked. 

The accusatory undertone was not missed in his question. Dealing with fathers and family dynamics was something I spent a great deal of time avoiding. The week I
’d spent talking, smiling, and interacting with these people had taken its toll on my patience. I was ready for this to be over. I cast a glance in the direction she’d fled before answering his question.

“She
’s nervous over the speech she has to give. She doesn’t like public speaking.” The lie came out smoothly, and Collin nodded his head in agreement, the tension in his body relaxing. 

“I would imagine so. It doesn
’t help she was upset over the broach. Sandy told me she knew Calida was hurt but has tried to keep a brave face. She always puts others first and didn’t want to ruin her sister’s day.”

“Broach?”
I asked after hearing this bit of information.

“Yes, it is, well was, Sandy
’s, given to her by her mother, so on so forth. Dorian got it today.” 

Calida seemed a little more on edge; I guess that could be why. Once again
, her sister was the victor in the ongoing, silent war.

“I
’m gonna go talk to her,” he said, giving me a pat on my back.

“No, let me,” I said, stopping him. “You have your hands busy being father of the bride. I
’ll take care of Calida.”

He eyed me cautiously
, ready to protest, but Dorian came walking over scowling in my direction momentarily before smiling at Collin, linking arms with him. 

“Congratulations, Dorian.”

“Thank you. Daddy, where’s Calida? She has to make her speech soon.”

“I know
, baby,” he said, patting her hand. “Your sister is just having a case of cold feet over having to talk in front of all your guests.”

“She
’s just being difficult,” Dorian whined.

“I
’ll go check on her.” I nodded in Collin’s direction before heading off in the direction Calida went.

Not seeing her in the hallway, I figured there was only one other place she was hiding.
Without breaking my stride, I walked into the ladies room. 

“Hey,
this is the ladies room!” screeched the older woman primping in the mirror.

“I
’m aware of that. I’m looking for someone,” I replied, heading towards the stalls.

The lady huffed a bit before storming out. It wasn
’t hard to figure out which one Calida was in since there was only one with the louvered door closed, and the sound of her intermittent sniffles could be heard in the silence of the room.

“Calida, open the door.”

“What are you doing in here?” I could hear in her voice she was crying. 

“I
’m trying to talk to you, so open the damn door.”

“No. If you wanted to talk to me, you could have done so by answering my calls or responding to my messages. I needed you. I needed to know you were here for me, but you weren
’t.”

“
I needed you too, Calida. Last night, yet you refused to come with me,” I countered, getting more pissed the longer she remained behind the door.

“That was different. You were out looking at strippers
, got horny, and wanted me for sex.” 

A group of women entered the restroom and stopped when they saw me.

“I’m having a conversation. Some privacy would be nice.”

One of them started to say something, but the other pulled her back out. I walked over and locked the door to avoid any more interruptions.

“Is that all you think I want?” I asked, resuming our conversation.

“What?”

“Sex. Is that all you think I want from you?” I asked, resisting the urge to just break down the door.

“No. Yes.
Sometimes. I don’t know,” she answered.

Running a frustrated hand through my hair, I knew I had to get this situation under control quickly. I
’d been too lenient with her, and now I was regretting it.

“If sex was all I wanted, I could find any woman on the street for that.”

“Is that what you did last night? You didn’t come back to the hotel. You weren’t answering my calls so where were you?”

“You told me to leave. You wanted your space, so I gave it to you. Regardless of what you thought my reasons were, I came to
you
. I wanted
you
, but
you
sent me away.”

“But...”

“No buts,” I snapped. “You wanted me gone so I left. Now I’m done talking through a fucking door. Open it now!” I heard her shuffling around behind the door. “I said now, Calida!”

I heard the click of the lock then slowly the door opened. Hesitantly, she peeked from behind it accessing my demeanor.
 

“I didn
’t want you gone. I only wanted an hour maybe two,” she said softly.

I could see she was scared when she looked at me with her bloodshot eyes.

“You told me to leave. You rejected me so I left,” I countered, refusing to let her sadness affect me.

“That wasn
’t a rejection, Seth.”

“Yes
, it was. Even after the night at the club, you’re still letting your insecurities make these incredulous scenarios in your head, Calida.”

“What?” she cried. “You are the one who lets their mind make incredulous scenarios.
And the night at the club? I told you how I felt, and your response was to publically fuck me against a wall,” she fired back. 

I took a step towards her, and she backed up.
 “My response was to show you that you had no reason to worry. Are you forgetting the moment we shared after that?”

“No, but the fact still remains that
your first response was sex. I’ve told you I love you, Seth, yet I’ve gotten nothing,
nothing
in response!”