Fiendish: A Twisted Fairytale (58 page)

“Oh,
oh
. Sorry about that.”

“No worries. You can make it up to me later,” he whispered in my ear, his voice dripping with desire.

“It would be my pleasure,” I replied, resisting the strong urge I had to reach behind me and stroke him.

Chapter 40

“When are you going to ask me?” Seth asked. His fingers lightly caressed my back.

The moment we got back to the hotel, Seth had me naked and bent over the couch in the living room. Whatever energy he didn
’t work off last night was compounded by our dance. Every thrust into my body served to let me know exactly how he was feeling.

“Ask you what?” I replied, hoping he would buy my innocent act, but his soft laughter told me he didn
’t. 

I was relieved that Seth appeared relaxed, all smiles and laughter talking to my parents for the remainder of the evening. He hadn
’t even gotten upset when Daniel asked me to dance. Dorian did, but he was very gracious, even taking to the floor with my mom.

“
It’s okay, Calida. I know you would like to know what we talked about. It was you.” 

“Me?” I asked
, nervously chewing on my bottom lip. I kept drawing circles on his chest, tracing the outline of his tattoo, holding my breath and waiting on what would come next.

“Of course you.
I don’t think we have anything else in common to speak on. He had quite a bit to drink and was very talkative. I learned some interesting things.” The way he said that made me worry. 

“I didn
’t know he would be there. In fact, he’s the last person I thought she would invite,” I said quickly, hoping his pleasant demeanor wasn’t getting ready to change.

The moment I saw them together
, I’d gotten worried. I wanted to go pull Seth away, but Mom had whisked me to the front of the room for that stupid speech. I could only watch and hope Paul didn’t say anything harmful.

“I
’m aware of that,” he said softly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

Seth reached over to take hold of my hand. Bringing the palm to his lips, he kissed it softly
, working his way down to the light bruise on my wrist. 

“This wasn
’t intentional.”

I looked up at him
, opening my hand to cup his face. “I know, and it looks worse than it is. I’m sorry for last night. I wish I had just gone with you.”

“That makes two of us,” he said thoughtfully. Abruptly
, he turned and got off the bed. “Get dressed. We’re going out.”

“Out?”
I asked, confused. “It’s nearly midnight, and it’s been a long day. Thought we would spend the rest of the night in bed.”

I sat up on my knees suggestively
, hoping it would lure him back. His eyes lit up, and his arms circled my waist, pulling me into a tender kiss.

“I think you are trying to distract me,” he said between kisses.

“Is it working?” I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck.

“Maybe.”
 

Using his body weight he lowered us both back onto the bed. His lips left mine
, trailing hot kisses down my neck. A moan escaped my lips, and my back arched when his tongue circled my nipple. I whimpered in disapproval when he abandoned my breasts, continuing his journey south. His hands gripped my waist to keep me from squirming as he circled his tongue around my navel. Seth spread his hands across my stomach, rubbing it softly. All of a sudden I was left feeling cold as the warmth of his body was taken away.

“Get dressed,” he commanded. 

I looked up at him. The softness in his eyes was no longer there, leaving me baffled as to what had just happened.

“I guess my skills of seduction could use some work,” I said jokingly as I watched him pull on a pair of jeans.

I crawled over to where he sat at the edge of the bed, wrapping my arms around him from behind. I planted soft kisses along his shoulders, hoping to lure him back to bed.

He stood, easily breaking my hold on him. “Get dressed,” he repeated.

I sat back, pulling the blanket up to cover my nakedness. “Can I at least take a quick shower first?” I asked softly.

“Yes, that
’s fine,” he replied, keeping his back to me.

I scrambled off the bed towards the bathroom
, feeling embarrassed by his rebuff. Seth walked into the bathroom as I applied concealer to my wrist. Our eyes met in the mirror.

“Hurry up,” he said then turned and walked back out.

I watched the reflection of his retreating back, and I stood alone in the bathroom trying to make sense of it all. I got dressed quickly, pulling on a pair of jeans and a gray t-shirt. My hair was still wet from the shower, but I just left it that way, not wanting to keep him waiting.

“I
’m ready,” I said, standing in the doorway between the living room and bedroom.

Seth got off the couch, walked over
to the door, and opened it without saying a word.

“Seth
, where are we going?” I asked, feeling more and more uneasy.

“I told you, we
’re going out,” he replied impatiently.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I slowly exited the room.

***

Calida
shifted in her seat, keeping her head down in an attempt to not look at the girls. The moment we walked into the strip club, she took the first seat closest to the door and farthest from the stage. I hadn’t planned on bringing her here originally, but I needed to know after seeing them together today. Talking with him and learning the truth she’d been hiding made me angry. The influence he’d had over her made me angry. The fact that she’d killed off his spawn and was free of him was her saving grace. That fact, and that fact alone, was why I hadn’t confronted her about withholding the whole story from me.

 
“Well, hello again.”

My eyes turned up to the voice.

Starla smiled at me before giving a quick glance over in Calida’s direction.

“Ya here for another party?” she asked, walking behind my chair
, circling her arms around me.

“Not really.
How much for a dance?” I asked, prying her away.

“For you
, lover boy? After last night, I’ll do ya for free,” she replied, running her hands through my hair.

I glanced over at Calida whose face was riddled with confusion over that statement. I gave her a smile before turning my attention back to Starla.

“How very generous of you,” I said. “But it’s for her.”

Calida looked over at me, the horror was written all over her face.
 “I don’t want a dance. I want to leave,” she said, shaking her head.

“You want a dance,” I replied, making sure she understood it wasn
’t up for debate. “Make it a good one, and you’ll earn a bigger tip,” I whispered to Starla as I slid a twenty into her purple G-string. 

“
Whatevah you say, lover boy.”

The next song started up as she positioned herself in front of Calida.
 She tried not to look when Starla straddled her and began grinding her hips. Some of the other patrons whistled and clapped, making Calida turn even redder from embarrassment. Starla’s arms circled her neck as she gyrated, inching upwards so that her breast were so close to Calida’s face they could no longer be denied. Starla’s hands cupped Calida’s face, holding it steady while she shimmied, making her breasts jiggle just enough that they made contact with Calida’s skin. Calida’s arms hung limply at her sides, and her hands were balled into fists. She sat, enduring the dance, but the red flush of her cheeks made its way down her neck. Slowly, Starla’s hands traveled down Calida’s face to her neck, skimming lightly over her breasts. I watched as she tensed, bringing her arms up to cover her chest. 

Starla laughed then turned so that her back was to Calida
, still moving her hips. She leaned back, placing a light peck on Calida’s neck, while her hips continued to pump to the music. I watched while Starla pried Calida’s arms free, linking their hands together, then bringing them up so that they cupped her exposed breasts. The cheers from the guys watching got louder given that the general rule was no touching. Calida tried to pull her hands free, but Starla held on, moving them, using Calida’s hands to massage her own breasts. Starla leaned her head back, and the look on her face was that of total enjoyment. Quite different from when she was dancing for the guys the other night. When the song finished, Calida sat shaking in the chair, her eyes glossy from unshed tears.

“How was that
, lover boy?” Starla asked, plopping herself in my lap. 

“That…was an
impressive
performance.”

She gave her ass a little wiggle.
 “I do aim to please.”

“Can you get me a pen please?” I asked.

Starla got up and walked over to the bar, returning moments later with a pen. She ran her fingers through my hairs as I wrote down something on the napkin before handing it back to her along with a fifty. She gave me a wink and blew a kiss to Calida before walking away. Calida got up and rushed out of the building. I tossed a few bills on the table to cover our drinks before following her outside. She was pacing back and forth near the car, scrolling through her phone. I walked over, taking it out of her hands.

“Give it back, Seth,” she cried, reaching for her phone. “If you want to stay here with your stripper friend then stay, obviously you two had a good time last night, but I am tired and want to go back to the room.”

She wanted to be angry, but I heard the tremor in her voice. I slipped her phone in my pocket before taking a step closer to her.

“Why are you so upset? It was just a dance,” I replied. “I enjoyed it actually. There was something rather arousing seeing the two of you together.”

Calida took a step back, shaking her head. “Why did you bring me here? To rub it in my face that you found company after all?”

Calida wrapped her arms around her body. The parking lot was poorly lit, but I could see her body shaking.

“I didn’t have any company last night,” I snapped. “I came to the woman I wanted, and she sent me away so she could stay and let some stranger rub himself all over her.”

“What? That
’s…”

“Then today I see you having an intimate conversation with your ex,” I continued
, cutting her off. “And then I find you in the arms of Brad, looking quite comfortable if I do say so myself. Yet you want to stand here and accuse
me
of something.”

“Seth, no.
That’s not…you’re…” She stumbled over words, looking shocked.

“I
’m what? Pointing out your questionable behavior? I think I’ve been quite forgiving of your transgressions,” I said, crossing my arms in front of my chest. “He told me he was there for you. To reconcile since he was convinced you aren’t over him. Is that what you talked about? Setting up a meet time for after the wedding?”

She looked at me in shoc
k. She started to say something but stopped, shaking her head as she turned and began to walk away. I grabbed her arm, spinning her back around, the weariness showed on her face.

“Don’t you walk away from
me! I asked you a question.”

“No, Seth,” she said. A single tear rolled down her cheek, and she reached up to wipe it away. “He wanted to catch up for old time
’s sake, but I didn’t have anything to say to him. After...” she stopped to take a cleansing breath before continuing. “I wasn’t planning on meeting up with him after the wedding. I wouldn’t do that, even if I wasn’t dating you. I wouldn’t go back to him.”

I stood looking at her, not convinced by her words.

Calida closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. “What do you want me to say, Seth? What would make you happy right now? What can I do to prove to you that you’re the only one that matters to me?”

 
She still was holding back, and I didn’t like her keeping things from me. By her not telling me, she was maintaining a connection with him. It was something that they alone shared knowledge of, and that was unacceptable even if he was no longer a factor. 

“I
’m sure I can think of something.” I leaned in close to kiss her, but she put her fingers to my lips stopping me.

“Where were you last night, Seth?” she asked, looking up at me. Her eyes showed the anxiety she felt.

“We already had this conversation.”

“Yes, but you never really gave me an answer,” she pushed quietly. “Where…were…you?” She stressed the question again, and I realized she wasn
’t going to be swayed until she got an answer.

A smile played on my lips as I twirled a strand of her hair in my fingers.

“I told you, Cara Mia, I only wanted one woman last night, and she denied me. Much like she’s doing right now. I was alone last night.” I leaned down so that my lips brushed across her cheek. “So very, very alone,” I whispered into her ear.