Lie Next to Me (5 page)

The next morning, after I got dressed, I walked downstairs to the kitchen where Charles was making breakfast.

“Good morning, Rory. Would you like a fresh homemade blueberry muffin? They just came out of the oven thirty minutes ago. They’re Mr. Braxton’s favorite.”

I don’t know why he felt the need to tell me that. I didn’t care what Ian’s favorite muffins were. “I bet he makes you hand-pick the blueberries. It wouldn’t surprise me.”

“I heard that, Aurora,” Ian said as he walked into the kitchen in his dark gray tailored suit.

God, he looked good. I rolled my eyes and took my blueberry muffin and coffee outside on the patio.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“Out on the patio,” I replied.

“Why can’t you eat that here, at the dining table?”

“I like being outside, if that’s okay with you.”

“Suit yourself. I really don’t care what you do.”

I sighed and sat down in the lounge chair. As soon as I was finished, I walked upstairs, grabbed my purse and, as I was heading out the front door, Ian stopped me.

“Where are you going?”

“Just into town to walk around. Don’t you have to go to your office or something?”

“How do you plan on getting to town?” he asked.

“I’m going to walk.”

Ian chuckled as he shook his head. “Do you know how far that is on foot? I’m heading to the office now, so Joshua can drop you off wherever you need to go after he drops me at the office.”

The last thing I wanted to do was sit in a car with him. I wanted to avoid him at all costs, especially after last night, but it was better than walking. At least, I thought it was.

“Fine,” I said as I turned around and walked out the door.

We climbed into the limo and both sat in silence. “Joshua, you can drop off Miss Sinclair first.”

“I thought you had to get to the office.”

“I do, but it’s no problem.”

“Where would you like to be dropped off, Miss Sinclair?” Joshua asked.

“It’s Rory, and here’s fine,” I said as he pulled up to the curb of an outdoor mall.

Joshua got out, walked around, and opened the door for me. As I was about to get out, Ian grabbed my hand.

“Here, you’ll need this.”

I opened my hand and looked at the wad of money he gave me. “I don’t want your money, Ian,” I said as I threw it down on the seat and got out of the limo.

I was still pissed at the fact that he doubted my past, but what really made me angry was how fast he went out last night and brought that whore to his bed.
Who the hell does that?
One minute, he’s taking me to dinner and giving me a laptop, and the next he’s fucking some girl in a room down the hall from me. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. The least he could have done was have some common courtesy and respect. You would think that a well-bred man like that would have even an ounce of it.

I stepped inside the coffee house and looked around. It was crowded and all the tables were filled. The line of people was almost out the door. Behind the counter was a guy and a girl who looked like they were going absolutely crazy. The first customer in line was complaining that the
latte she ordered wasn’t made right. I walked up to the edge of the counter and stood there for a moment until the girl looked up.

“The line is back there?” she said.

“I know, but I’m just here to get a job application. I saw your ad online.”

“Do you have any experience at all?” she asked.

“Yes. Back in Indiana, I worked at a coffee house for the last four years.”

She stopped what she was doing and looked at me. “Okay, come behind the counter. This will be your interview because we need the help and you have the experience. I’m Jordyn and that guy standing at the register is Ollie. Hey, Ollie, say hi to—”

“Rory.” I smiled.

“Say hi to Rory.”

Ollie gave me a small smile and nodded his head. Jordyn told me that my job was to make the customers’ drinks as fast as I could. About twenty minutes later, the crowd had cleared and everyone left happy. Jordyn turned and looked at me with a grin.

“You’re hired. You’re amazing! Isn’t she amazing, Ollie? Tell her she’s amazing.”

“You’re amazing and welcome to Java Hut.” He smiled.

A feeling of excitement overtook me as I felt like this was the first step in starting my life over. “Thank you. I really appreciate it. You have no idea how bad I need this job.”

“Well, judging by your clothes, I assume you like the finer things in life.” Jordyn smiled.

“It’s a long story.”

“I’m going to run in the back and grab an application for you to fill out. You know, formalities and shit. So make yourself a coffee and go have a seat.”

I smiled at her and made a caramel macchiato before taking a seat. Jordyn was a cute girl. I towered over her with my five-foot-seven-inch stature compared to her five-foot-two. Her blonde
hair was cut into a cute bob style and she wore light makeup. She seemed to have a lot of energy and she acted really sweet. Ollie seemed a little more shy and reserved. He was cute with his longer black hair and bangs that swept to the side. As I sat at the table, Jordyn walked over and handed me the application.

“Here, just fill out the required information. Can you start tomorrow?”

“Yes. Tomorrow will be great,” I replied.

“The position is part-time for now, but I might need you for extra hours.”

“That’s fine. I want to work as much as I can.” I smiled.

“You, my friend, are awesome. It’s so hard finding anybody who wants to work these days.”

I looked over the application and when it came to me putting down my address, I realized I didn’t know it.
Shit.
I had to think of something quick. I left it blank and finished the rest of the application. I got up from the table and walked over to where Jordyn and Ollie were standing.

“I just moved here a couple of weeks ago and I’m staying with a friend and I don’t know the house address.”

“Oh, no problem. You can get it when you go home and then fill it in tomorrow when you start.” She smiled.

“Thanks, Jordyn. I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” I said as I walked out the door.

Now what?
I walked around the corner and did a little window shopping, and when I was finished, I sat down on a small wooden bench. I had no clue how I was getting back to Ian’s house. I had no phone and no money, so I couldn’t even take the bus if I wanted to. I sat there for about an hour, trying to formulate a plan, when suddenly, a black limo pulled up to the curb and the window started to roll down.

“I’m guessing you need a ride home.” Ian smiled.

“What are you doing here, Ian?”

“I’m not stupid, Rory. I knew you had no way of getting home, so I had Joshua keep tabs on you. Now get in.”

I rolled my eyes as I got up from the bench and climbed into the back of the limo. Ian looked at me and smirked.

“Did you have a nice day?”

“I had a great day, thank you. I thought you told me last night that you were done being nice to me,” I said as I cocked my head.

“I certainly couldn’t leave you stranded in a strange place. I’m not that mean.”

Ian Braxton confused me. On one hand, he was a complete asshole, but on the other, he had a sweet side – a side that I wished he would show more often.

“Aren’t you going to ask me how my day was?” he asked.

“How was your day, Ian?” I sighed.

“Fantastic. My day was fantastic, Aurora.”

“Rory.” I sighed.

“Let me tell you why my day was fantastic. I just closed a multi-million dollar deal that had been in negotiations for over a year and, to celebrate, I’m taking you to dinner.”

“Remember what happened the last time you took me to dinner? You said it was a mistake and I ended up walking out.”

“I do remember, since it was only last night, and I know that tonight will be different, right?”

The truth was that I was starving, and I hadn’t had anything to eat all day except a blueberry muffin and coffee.

“Dinner sounds nice and there’s actually another reason to celebrate.” I smiled.

Ian tilted his head and gave a small smile. “Another reason? Are you going to tell me?”

“Yes, I am. At dinner.”

He arched his eyebrow as he looked at me. He was so sexy and I hated myself for thinking it. We pulled up to the front of the restaurant and Joshua opened the door for me. As I stepped out, Ian held out his arm. I looked over at him and saw that he had a cocky grin on his face. I hooked my arm around his and we walked inside. The restaurant was very casual, almost like a family dining place. It was sure a big difference from the restaurant he took me to last night. As we were seated in the booth, I looked at him and twisted my face.

“What’s that look for? I don’t mind it. I think you’re adorable when you do that. But, why are you looking at me that way?”

“I was just wondering why this restaurant. It seems very beneath you to dine in a restaurant like this.”

Ian chuckled. “Well, it’s not my first choice of a restaurant, but I thought you’d be more comfortable here since it’s more—”

“More what, Ian?” I sternly asked.

“More your type of restaurant,” he said as he waved his hand in the air. I knew he did not just say that. Yep, he said it, and I could feel my skin starting to burn with anger. I took in a deep breath and remained calm. I was hungry and I wasn’t going to let his arrogant ass ruin my dinner.

“That’s so sweet of you, Ian.” I smiled as I tilted my head. “You are so thoughtful to go slumming to make me comfortable.”

“Now, Aurora. That’s not what I meant. You took that remark the wrong way.”

“Did I, Ian? Then maybe you should explain to me what you meant.”

The waitress walked over and asked us if we were ready to order. Ian looked at her and asked her nicely to give us a few moments to look over the menu. Ian opened his menu and, while he glanced at it, he tried to explain his words.

“All I meant was that last night’s restaurant was fine dining at its best. This place is more, very casual dining, I guess you could say.”

“You mean ‘lower class’ because that’s what I am.”

Ian looked up at me from his menu and stared into my eyes. I stared back. He was searching for something inside me. But he wouldn’t find anything. It was nothing but a dark, cold, lonely place.

“I never said that, Rory. Don’t put words in my mouth.”

The waitress came and took our order. God, I was starving.

“I have something for you,” Ian said as he reached into his suit pocket.

He held a cell phone in his hand and he extended it across the table towards me. I looked at it and then at him. I was shocked that he would give me a phone.

“What’s this for?” I asked.

“For you. You can’t be walking around without a phone. What if I needed to get in touch with you or you needed help? My number to the house, office, and my cell phone are already programmed in, and so is Adalynn’s if you need to speak to her.”

“Thank you, Ian, but I can’t accept it. You’ve done enough already.”

“Nonsense. You need a phone, Rory. Just take it and don’t mention it again.”

“I’ll pay you back when I get my first check.”

Ian took a sip of his water and, as he set the glass down, he looked at me strangely. “What do you mean when you get your first check?”

“That’s the news I wanted to tell you! I got a job today. I’m working at Java Hut
, and I start tomorrow morning!” I smiled.

Ian looked down. “I see. Why did you feel the need to go and get a job? I don’t think you’re fully healed yet.”

“I’m fine, and I’m in less pain every day. In fact, I’m going to start running again. I got the job because I need to start over. I need to get my life back on track, and I need to find my brother. In order to do that, I need money.”

Ian looked at me and paused before speaking. “You sure have a lot of needs.” He smiled.

I couldn’t help but smile when he said that because the smile on his face was something that captured me every time.

“You mentioned that you run.”

“I used to run every day until—” I stopped as I looked down at my food.

“It’s okay, Rory. You just took a little break. You’ll be running again soon. Maybe we can go running together,” he said.

“You run?”

“Yes. I run along the beach every morning.”

“I’ve never seen you run.”

“That’s because I’m up and out at the crack of dawn. You’re still sleeping.” He smiled.

“I’d like that,” I said.

The way Ian looked at me after I
said that was different. I saw something in his eyes that I’d never seen before: a glimmer of light.

We headed back to the house and Ian said he had some work to do, so he walked straight into his study and shut the door. I went upstairs to change into more comfortable clothing and then went and sat in the lounge chair on the patio and stared out into the night. Listening to the waves lap against the shore was peaceful. I began to think about Stephen. My mind wandered back to when Stephen and I were living in that house. As I was slowly closing my eyes and starting to drift off, I was startled by Ian’s loud voice behind me.

“Why didn’t you tell me that your brother is your twin?”

“Jesus, Ian, you scared the shit out of me. What the hell does it matter and how did you find out?”

“It doesn’t matter how I found out. What matters is that you aren’t being honest with me and I want to know what else you’re hiding.”

A rage began to brew up inside me as I contemplated whether or not to go off on him. I opted for going off on him. I shot up from the chair and stared directly into his eyes as I pushed my finger into his chest.

“I’ve been honest with you about everything. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you Stephen is my twin brother and it wasn’t something I was trying to hide. Do you know how embarrassing it was even to tell you that it was
my
brother who attacked me and that he’s schizophrenic? You already think I’m trash as it is,” I yelled, and turned and walked away.

As soon as I stepped through the door and into the kitchen, Ian grabbed me and pushed me up against the wall, holding my arms above my head. “Don’t turn your back on me, Rory. I’m sorry. I don’t think you’re trash. I think you’re broken and I can fix you,” he whispered in my ear.

His hot breath traveled down my neck and my body went into a near convulsion. I wanted him, but I knew if anything were to happen, it would destroy me. I would become too emotionally attached and when he got tired of me and moved on, I wouldn’t recover. He brought his face to mine as he stared into my eyes.

“I’m not broken. I’m shattered. I’m a million tiny pieces that would take longer than forever to piece back together. So please, do me the favor and don’t even try,” I whispered.

His grip on my arms lightened as he let go and took a step back, giving me one last look before he turned around and walked away. I stood and placed my hand on my neck where his hot breath had touched me. I took in a deep breath and walked upstairs. Tomorrow was the day I start my life over, alone.

****

“Rory, I need you. I need your help. I’m sorry I hurt you. You know it wasn’t my fault. You promised you’d always take care of me. You said that no matter what happened to us, you’d always be there.”

“Stephen, where are you? I can’t see you. I’m trying to find you.”

“Rory, I don’t believe you. You lied to me, Rory! YOU LIED TO ME!”

“I’m sorry!”
I screamed as I felt hands gripping my arms.

“Rory, wake up.”

I could hear Ian’s voice in the distance as I was running through the woods. He was telling me to wake up, but I couldn’t. I ran, calling Stephen’s name and looking every which way for him.

“Damn it, Rory! Wake up!” Ian yelled.

My eyes flew open. I was out of breath. My heart was racing and the only thing I could do was throw my arms around Ian’s neck and beg him to hold me. I broke down and sobbed as I buried my face into his neck. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he held me tight.

“Shh, it was only a dream. Calm down. No one is going to hurt you anymore,” he whispered as he kissed the side of my head. “Come on; let’s get you back in bed,” he said as he lifted me up and carried me.

As soon as he laid me down, he sat on the edge of the bed and began pushing the strands of my hair behind my ear. “You have nothing to fear.”

“I need to find him, Ian. He’s crying out for help. I can feel it. He’s in trouble.”

As he gave me a warming look, he ran the back of his hand along my cheek. “We’ll talk about this in the morning. Get some sleep,” he said as he got up from the bed.

When he started to walk away, I reached out and grabbed his hand. I didn’t want to be alone. I wanted him to stay with me and comfort me. As much as I hated to admit it, I needed him at that moment.

“Please stay with me tonight.”

Ian turned around and looked at me. I could see the hurt in his eyes as he spoke, “I’m sorry, Rory, but I can’t.” He walked out of the room, leaving me there, scared, lonely, and starving
for comfort. I began to get the impression that I wasn’t the only one who was shattered.

The next morning, I got out of bed, showered, and headed downstairs. As I walked into the kitchen, Ian was just walking through the door. He had just come back from a run. He was dripping in sweat and he looked even sexier. I quickly diverted my eyes to the coffee pot because I couldn’t face him after last night. I was hurt and confused by his actions. One minute, he was all over me and the next, he was pulling away.

“Good morning. How did you sleep?” he asked as he wiped his face with a towel.

“Not good,” I replied as I poured some coffee into my cup.

“How are you getting to work?”

“I’m going to call a cab.”

“A cab costs money. Something you don’t have any of. Joshua will drive you in or you can take one of the cars if you know how to drive.”

“You have cars?”

“Yeah, I have three of them. Actually, Joshua will drive you in and I’ll drive myself to work.”

I gave him a small smile as I took a sip of my coffee and waited for Joshua to show up.

“I need to go and shower. Good luck today,” he said as he turned and walked away.

Something was off with Ian Braxton that morning. He was moody. I’d already picked up on that, but there was more going on with him than he was letting on.

Joshua walked into the kitchen and smiled. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah. Just let me grab my purse.”

As I sat in the back of the limo, I pulled out my phone and pulled up Adalynn’s name. I sent her a text message, telling her about my new job. A few moments later, she replied.

“That’s great news, Rory. To celebrate, I’m taking you to dinner. Text
me with the time you get off and I’ll pick you up.”

“Thank you. But that’s not necessary, Adalynn.”

“Nonsense. I’ll be there and you better be hungry.”

“Fine. But next time, I’m paying.”

“Deal.”

I asked Joshua to drop me off around the corner because I didn’t want to risk Ollie and Jordyn seeing me step out of the limo. They would begin to ask questions and I wasn’t ready to answer them. I walked through the door of Java Hut and saw Jordyn standing behind the counter with a big grin on her face.

“Welcome, Rory! You have no idea how excited I am that you’re part of the Java Hut team!”

“Thanks. I’m happy to be here.” I smiled.

Jordyn showed me around the coffeehouse and showed me how to work the register. It was pretty much the same cash register I used back in Indiana, so it only took a few minutes to learn.

“Where’s Ollie?” I asked.

“He’s still at home sleeping. He doesn’t come in for another couple of hours.”

“The two of you live together?”

“Yeah, we’ve been dating on and off for about four years.” She smiled. “Oh, by the way, do you have your address?”

“Oh, yeah,” I said as I grabbed my purse from under the counter and took out the small piece of paper.

Jordyn looked at it and then at me. She looked back down at the address and then at me again. “This is where you live?”

“Yes. Why?”

She started to speak, but couldn’t. It was funny watching her try to spit out the words. “This is Ian Braxton’s address. You’re staying with him?”

Fuck. How the hell does she know that’s his address?
I looked down as I nodded my head. “Yes, I’m staying with Ian. How do you know his address?”

“I’m a journalism student at UCLA and I did an interview with him about three months ago for the university magazine. His office was under construction, so we did the interview at his house. Are you dating him?”

Great. I hadn’t even been there twenty minutes and the questions about my life were already starting. “No, Ian and I are not dating. We’re just friends and he was kind enough to let me stay with him because I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

“He’s a very intimidating man. Have you met his father yet?”

“No,” I said.

Jordyn laughed. “That man is piece of work, let me tell you. While I was interviewing Ian, his father came over and rudely interrupted our meeting. He told me that I was insignificant and to step outside while he had a conversation with his son. I’d never met anyone so rude in my life.”

“Ian’s never talked about his family,” I said.

“How long have you been staying with him?” Jordyn asked.

I knew if I answered, more questions would be asked, and I didn’t want to get into it with a girl I’d only known a day. In fact, I didn’t want to get into it with anyone.

“Only a couple of weeks. I’m just a guest and I barely see him.”

A rush of people walked through the door, and that distracted Jordyn from asking me any further questions. Ollie came in as scheduled and the three of us got along well. I could easily see myself becoming friends with them. My shift had ended and I said goodbye to Jordyn and Ollie. Before I walked out the door, Jordyn handed me my schedule and, surprisingly, I had tomorrow off. I gave a wave goodbye and walked out of Java Hut. I saw Adalynn’s car parked at the curb and I climbed in with a smile on my face.

“I take it you had a great first day of work,” she said.

“It was good. It felt good to work again.” I smiled.

“Well, I hope you’re hungry, and I hope you like Mexican, because I’ve been craving it all day.”

“Mexican sounds good.” I smiled.

****

As Adalynn and I were sipping margaritas and eating chips and salsa, I decided to ask her about Ian’s father. It really bothered me what Jordyn had said about him and I wanted to know if it was true.

“Tell me about Ian’s father,” I said.

Adalynn looked at me strangely and as if I had just touched on a taboo subject. “Why do you want to know about Richard?”

“My friend, Jordyn, from Java Hut did an interview with Ian about three months ago and she said that she met his father and he was the rudest person she’d ever met. I guess I was just curious, since Ian hasn’t mentioned him. I didn’t know if they were close or not.”

Adalynn picked up her glass and looked at me. “Ian and his father are very close. Richard can be mean and crude. He has very little respect, if any at all, for women. I think that’s where Ian gets his attitude from. Ian’s mother passed away when he was eight years old and left Richard to raise their only child. After she died, Richard never remarried. He just bounced from woman to woman. From what I hear, he has women all around the world that drop everything when he comes to town.”

“Wow. He sounds like a real gem,” I said. “I guess that explains why Ian is always with different women,” I said as I looked down.

Adalynn put her hand on mine. “Rory, I get the feeling that you’re falling for Ian and it’s not a good idea. I don’t want to see you get hurt. He’s a charmer and he’ll make you fall hard and fast. But, in the end, he’ll break you.”

A small smile escaped my lips as I removed my hand from hers and took a sip of my margarita as
I lied to my friend. “Don’t worry, I’m not falling for him. He can’t break me anymore than I already am. No one can.”

Adalynn told me that she had just started her own magazine company called
Prim
and she was hoping, as she put it, to kick
Vogue
’s ass out of the water. Her goal was for
Prim
to become one of the most respectable and high-powered magazine companies around. She told me that Ian had helped her get it off the ground and that he was a major contributor. I admired Adalynn a lot.

“Oops, look at the time. I better get you home.”

I pulled my phone from my purse, and I noticed I had 35 missed calls and 45 text messages; all from Ian. I looked at Adalynn as I showed her my phone. Her eyes widened as she looked at me.

“Well, I’m going to say that Ian was trying to get a hold of you.”

As soon as I went to call him, my phone died. Adalynn drove me back to Ian’s house and as soon as we walked through the door, Ian came storming through the living room.

“Where the fuck have you been?! And why the fuck didn’t you answer your phone?” he screamed.

“Calm down, Ian. She was with me. I picked her up from work and we went to dinner.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down, Adalynn.”

“Leave her alone. We had a good night and you’re not going to ruin it. Now, I have to go. I’ll call you tomorrow, sweetie.” She smiled as she hugged me.

As soon as the door shut, Ian’s glare burned through me. “Do you know how many times I tried to call you, not to mention all the text messages I sent you?”