Unspoken Memories (Unspoken Series) (5 page)

What the hell did he just call the car?

“You named your car Eleanor? That’s an old lady’s name.” I
look at him horrified.

He laughs. “Eleanor is a vintage name, and being that my car
is vintage, it’s the perfect name,” he declares, happy with himself.

Seeing that I’m not satisfied with his answer, Matt
curiously asks, “What would you have named her?”

I think about his question before asking, “So it’s a girl?”

“Of course.”

I lift my eyes, pondering the question once again and tap my
finger to my lips, thinking hard about what he just asked.

“Carly.”

Matt now gives me a horrified and disgusted look. “I would
never… in my life… name my car, ‘Carly’,” he says, using his fingers to make
air quotations. “It isn’t unique enough.”

I roll my eyes. “Well, it’s better than sounding like an old
lady,” I say to him.

Thinking about how our conversation started, I ask him, “How
can she have hated this car? You’re right, it is a classic.”

“I first asked her for the car when I turned sixteen. She
refused, claiming it wasn't safe enough for me or the environment, but she
ended up surprising me and bought it for me anyways.” He's looking at the car
with a sad expression, his eyes glazing over, and he's blinking like he's
fighting back tears.

“She claimed that even though it wasn’t the car she wanted
for me, it was the one I wanted, and I deserved to have what I wanted, even if
it was a car. It was pretty banged up when we bought it, but she said it would
give me character if I fixed it up. She also made me get a job to earn the
money to restore it. It took me over three years to get it looking like this,
but she was so proud of me when I was finally finished.”

He’s still staring at the car like he’s remembering the
moment. “But then again I could never disappoint her, because I owed her my
life. So I made sure it never happened,” he finishes.

“What kind of car did she drive?”

He looks over in my direction and my heart almost melts when
he smiles at me with a light chuckle. “A Prius.”

This is when I notice he has one sexy smile to go with those
killer eyes. Remembering his response from a moment ago, I laugh. I can’t
imagine driving a Prius. I've got nothing against the whole “green” thing, but
that would be the last type of car I would pick for myself.

Probably thinking that our tour down memory lane is done,
Matt starts to walk towards the front door and I follow him. As we enter the
house he informs me he’s going to take a shower, so I decide to wait in the
living room with Trey.

As I’m walking back into the house I notice the mess again,
and I make myself useful, and start cleaning up all the bottles and cans. For
some reason seeing this clutter is driving me nuts.

Trey is watching me and starts to shake his head.

The doorbell rings and he heads to the door. It must be the
pizza he ordered earlier. After paying the driver he shuts the door, heads over
to the kitchen counter, and places the pizza on the counter. Once I've thrown
the last of the bottles away in the recycle bin, Trey hands me a plate with a
slice of pizza on it.

He’s lightly laughing, “Couldn't help yourself, huh? I
should've expected it.”

I take a bite of my slice with a confused look on my face wondering
why he would expect that of me.

“Em used to always get on our ass about the mess, she always
started cleaning up after our shit the minute she was done hugging us. It used
to drive her nuts to see the clutter.”

I think back to the apartment Bill and I are sharing and
realize that everything is clutter free. The closet that held my clothing was
neatly organized, and the rest of the place was very orderly.

I know for sure I must have been like this before the whole
memory loss so I ignore the comparison that Trey brought up. It must be a
coincidence.

Although it does throw me for a loop, because that's exactly
how I felt the whole time I was sitting in the living room. I couldn’t stand
being in the chaos of the mess.

Matt finally emerges from the hallway, looking fresh and
clean, and I take the moment to completely take him in.

He’s wearing some basketball shorts, with a black t-shirt
that is worn tight to his body. Almost like an undershirt. The beautiful winged
tattoo on his arm is half covered by the sleeve of his shirt, but the remainder
of it is in clear view.

As I’m observing him, my body starts to feel tingly and my
head is getting woozy.

What is going on with me? I don’t really know this guy and
my body is already getting turned on from looking at him. I’m as bad as Bill
with the thoughts that are swirling around in my head about what I would really
love to do to him at this moment.

All I know is it doesn’t involve any clothing at all.

Matt heads straight to the pizza box, grabbing a slice and
eating straight from the box.

Good thing I’m already done eating my slice and feeling full
because from the guilt I’m starting to feel, I would have lost my appetite.

I know that it’s now my cue to get out of there before I try
to take action on my X-rated thoughts. “Look, I appreciate the welcome, but I
should head back before my fiancé starts to get suspicious about me being gone,”
I say to them.

Matt and Trey look at each other confusedly and then look at
me.

Looking back at me Trey asks, “So, where exactly does he
think you are?”

I shrug my shoulder. “Hell if I know, I didn’t tell him
anything. He called earlier, but I turned my phone off,” I tell them.

Matt raises an eyebrow, stopping mid-bite into his slice.
His lips go into a deep frown with a somber look on his face. Obviously, he
doesn’t know what to think of this whole situation, and neither do I. Deciding
he’s lost his appetite, he tosses the pizza slice on top of the box and leans
back against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest.

His deep brown eyes bore into me as he asks, “So what
happens now?”

“I don’t know,” I respond, not knowing what else to say at
this point. “I didn’t really think this whole thing through. I was hoping that
you would be able to give me answers about who I was, but obviously that’s not
possible,” I say, letting out a frustrated breath.

Looking back and forth between the two, I ask nervously, “Look,
can I trust you guys with this whole situation? Or am I going to expect
tomorrow’s headline to label me as a memory stealing psycho who’s literally
lost her mind?”

Trey is about to say something, but Matt cuts him off. “Of
course, your secret is safe with us,” he says, challenging Trey to say
something different.

Trey closes his gaping mouth and nods his head, while he
walks over to me, throwing his arm around my shoulder.

“Supermodel, you got nothing to worry about. As long as you
promise not to stay a stranger,” he says, squeezing my shoulder at the same
time, causing me to wince.

Man, this guy is as strong as he looks and he probably
doesn’t know how to control it.

I get a big smile on my face from what he’s said. Then I
look at Matt and he’s also smiling with his head cocked to the side, with
hooded eyes that are currently bearing deep down to my soul. With the sexy look
on his face, I already know Matt is going to be my downfall, I can feel it.

AS I’M RIDING in the car on the way
back to Seattle I wonder what I’m supposed to do from here on out. This day has
been so overwhelming and I still haven’t gotten a concrete answer of what’s
going on in my head.

I do a lot of unnecessary thinking with three hours of road
ahead of me. Hating that I didn’t get the answers I wanted, or hoped to get, I
let the distraction of the landscape outside of my window try to give me
something else to focus on, but it isn’t helping. I keep thinking back to
chocolate brown eyes that stared at me as I drove away.

We finally make it back to Seattle and the sun has already
set, lighting up the city with its beautiful twinkling lights illuminating the
surrounding buildings.

As the driver pulls up and stops in front of my building I
begin to brace myself for what is to come.

I let myself up in the elevator and as I walk through the
foyer I see a woman standing inside the living room talking on the phone. As
she hears me enter she turns around and says into the phone, “Oh, she’s here.
Yes, yes thank you for your help.”

That voice sounds very familiar.

It happens again, like at the hospital. My heart feels like
it’s starting to race a hundred miles per hour and I’m desperately trying to
get it under control, but I can’t. It dawns on me that this is the second voice
that I heard in my state of darkness.

She’s standing ahead of me, looking upset to see me, and I
don’t understand why.

She’s a beautiful young redhead, with her hair pinned up,
and a slim, creamy complexioned body. She’s wearing a black pencil skirt, with
a black-buttoned blazer jacket, and white dress shirt underneath it. She stands
at about average height, but with a pair of red stilettos that give her an
extra boost to make her look taller, as she walks to me. She makes a loud
clicking sound against the marble floor with every step she takes. Stopping a
few feet in front of me, she places her hand on her hip. “Where have you been?
Don’t you know how worried you’ve had Bill?” she says in an angry, lecturing
tone.

Not wanting her to see my weakness, I stand there with my
eyebrows arched in surprise at her. Since I’ve now pieced together the puzzle
that was attaining that part of my memory, I don’t care what the hell she says.
Even the sound of the way she is lecturing me confirms that she was the other
half of the conversation, and I hate it. I had wanted to doubt myself about
what I heard, hoping that it
was
just a dream, but reality has a way of kicking
you in the ass.

“Why should I care how Bill feels?” I say in a
non-condescending tone. Right now I don’t give a shit what either of them
thinks. I’m more concerned that my suspicions have pretty much been confirmed
and I don’t know whether to feel relieved or worried.

Her eyes go wide and her mouth falls open. Then she shuts it
again, completely surprised by what I’ve said.

I’m exhausted by the events of the day, so I ignore her
reaction and walk towards the kitchen. I can hear her following me as both our
heels go tap, tap, tap on the floor.

She’s not going to get the damn point to leave me alone. I
open the fridge, grabbing a water bottle from inside, opening it, and begin to
drink from it. Right now, I’m wishing it were another one of those beers that
Trey gave me. I’m pretty sure it would help shut out the world I’m desperately
trying to avoid right now.

“What do you mean you don’t care? You didn’t tell him that
you were leaving and he thought something happened to you again, since you
didn’t answer any of our phone calls.”

So she tried calling me too? Now I’m really glad I’d decided
to turn off my phone when I did. They both must have been calling me like crazy
after that.

I wouldn’t have wanted to hear her voice from the other end
of a phone call. I don’t know how I would’ve reacted, not that I’m any better
at this moment. I look at her and shrug my shoulders emphasizing I still don’t
care, which I don’t. I’m trying to figure out what gives her the right to be in
my apartment, besides being Bill’s fuck buddy.

At that thought, I hear the ding of the elevator, and Bill’s
voice booms through the apartment. “Where is she?”

Shit, here comes that damn lecture I was really trying to
avoid. First, I had to deal with seeing the fuck buddy, now I’m going to have
to deal with Bill’s wrath.

Rolling my eyes at his remark, I square my shoulders, and
take a deep breath. I’m getting ready for the lecture to come because I’m
pretty sure from that tone he’s going to give me one.

“We’re in here,” the redhead yells in his direction.

Placing the water on the counter, I brace my arms against
the granite countertop as he walks in, and eyes me with a glare. Like I’m a
child about to get reprimanded.

“Where the hell were you!”

Obviously he’s pissed, but I expected this.

“I went out to explore the city, I thought maybe if I did
the tourist thing it might help trigger my memory,” I lie and shrug my
shoulders.

“Why didn’t you inform me, or take a security guard with
you? Do you know how out of my mind I’ve been today?” He actually looks
concerned when he says it.

“I forgot. Since you didn’t inform me how to contact a
security guard I didn’t bother.”

The redhead walks up next to me, glaring her hazel eyes at
me. “You shouldn’t be going out on your own, and it’s not safe. What if you
were attacked, what if the paparazzi had found you? Don’t you even think about
the consequences or is stupidity the one thing you were able to recover when
you lost your memory?”

What the fuck? She’s got some balls to talk to me like that.

Taking another deep breath to calm my raging blood, I ignore
her and look at Bill. “Who the fuck is she?” I tilt my head at her, wanting him
to shut her up.

“Susan, calm down,” Bill commands her, giving me a
sympathetic look.

Waving her hand at me, she retorts, “How am I supposed to
keep calm, when she’s acting like an idiot? She doesn’t think what her actions
are doing to you. She was better off staying in a coma.”

That’s when I snap. I don’t know what comes over me, but
next thing I know I swing my arm back, and bring it forward punching her in the
face. As she goes down, I jump on her ready to attack her again, fury running
through my veins. I’m stopped when Bill wraps his arms around my waist picking
me up like I’m a sack of potatoes. He carries me out of the kitchen, and then
tosses me on the couch. While pointing his finger at me, he shouts, “Stay
there! I have to go check on Susan.”

I gawk at him as he goes back into the kitchen, leaving me
in the living room, sitting there wondering what just came over me. I can’t believe
I punched her!

It did allow me to let out some of the frustration that was
building up in me and I feel much better already. Maybe I should do it again
and get all of it out.

Then it dawns on me what I really did and I wonder. Is it
normal for me to lose my temper? Do I do this often? Man, it really sucks not
knowing all this stuff about myself.

I hate that he’d rather be with her right now than with me.
That thought fans the flames again, so I get up from the couch and head towards
the master bathroom. As I enter I take off my heels, go over to the sink, and
begin to run the cold water and I start to apply cold water to my face, letting
the coldness calm me down a bit.

Once I’m done, I turn off the faucet and stare at my
reflection in the mirror, leaning against the counter with my arms. Who the
hell is the girl staring right back me?

In the corner of my eye, I see Bill’s reflection in the
mirror. He’s standing against the doorframe with his arms crossed, and he looks
like he doesn’t know whether to start lecturing me or to stay quiet.

So I make it easier on both of us, and start. “Who is she?”

“Her name is Susan, she’s my personal assistant.”

Typical male, screwing his personal assistant, I guess it
makes it easier. Obviously she takes her job really seriously; by the way she
was pissed at me.

“What the hell came over you, Abigail? Your attitude lately
is nothing like you. It’s like you’re a whole different person.” That answers
my earlier question about whether this is how I usually act.

“How the hell am I supposed to answer you Bill, I don’t even
know who I am!” I snarl at him, turning away from him to walk into my closet.

“See what I mean? You’ve never raised your voice at anybody
in your life, let alone punched somebody,” he says, following me.

“Well, get over it Bill, because obviously this is the new
me.”

He’s still utterly shocked, not knowing what to say.

“Besides your personal assistant, what is she really to you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Are you screwing her?” My voice sounds just as pissed as I
feel.

Eyebrows drawn and looking stunned at my accusation, he
replies, “Susan? Why would you think I’d be having an affair with Susan?”

This is where I’m baffled, what do I say? That I heard them
talking about being each other’s fuck buddies while I was passed out in a coma?
He’d never believe me. Plus this is something I have no proof that I actually
heard. For all I know it could have been one of the crazy dreams that I’ve been
having lately.

He’s standing there with his arms still crossed, staring at
me waiting for me to answer him.

Crap.

Shrugging my shoulders. “I don’t know, enlighten me? Don’t
most hot shots like you usually have affairs with their P.A.s? Besides, the way
she was acting, she obviously thinks she has some right to rip me one. There
must be something going on.”

He’s concentrating really hard on how to answer me, so I
take his silence and continue on. “What the hell gives her the right to talk to
me like that?”

He shakes his head, and sighs. “I know she shouldn’t have
spoken to you that way, but she was probably just as stressed about today as I
was,” he says, standing there with his hands in his pockets.

He’s still wearing his suit pants, but he’s taken off his
jacket, leaving on this dress shirt with his tie loosened around his neck. His
face looks strained as he studies me.

“She’s going to be okay, by the way. She might have a black
eye for the next couple of days. Just in case you are wondering.”

Call me cruel, but I had forgotten that I had punched her.

“I sent her home and told her to take the next couple of
days off.”

I start grabbing clothes from the closet to sleep in and
grab some extra clothes for tomorrow just in case.

“What are you doing?” he says, staring at me confused while
I’m grabbing the clothing.

“What does it look like I’m doing, I’m getting my clothes
for bed.”

“You know Abigail, I’ve been trying to be very understanding
and give you your space.” He sighs. “But I really miss you and I know we both
have needs,” he says as he walks over and takes me in his arms. I try to push
him away, but he keeps his arms firmly around my waist and starts nuzzling my
neck.

It must be all the pent up frustration from the day, or
having come down from my adrenaline high, but what he’s doing actually turns me
on.

It feels good as he takes my earlobe in his mouth and starts
sucking on it. The suckling feeling drives me mad and I drop the clothes I had
in my hands. I grab onto his arms because my body goes weak and my legs feel
like they’re going to collapse.

I close my eyes and take in the feelings.

Something in the back of my head says that this is probably
not a good idea, but I can’t help it. As I’m standing there letting him take
control of my body, I’m not thinking of Bill, but of someone else. Someone who
is a lot younger and has the most gorgeous eyes that I’ve ever seen.

Matt.

I keep my eyes closed as he trails kisses down my cheek
leading to my mouth, then he kisses me with a soft peck at first like he’s
hesitant to do so. I still have my eyes closed but inside my eyelids, I’m imagining
Matt, as he tastes my soft lips. He then kisses me harder pushing my mouth open
with his tongue and he begins to kiss me fiercely.

I don’t know why I’m letting him, in my mind I know I should
stop him, but my body is responding like a starving woman who is about to get
her fix as I imagine another man doing this to me.

He brings me closer against his body with his hand on my
lower back and with the other hand he starts leading it down to my ass,
grabbing it. He begins to squeeze and caress it, making me moan into his mouth.

The sensation is overwhelming and it only gets worse as he
starts to lift my shirt over my head and pulls my bra cups down to take my
breasts in his hands. He starts kneading them, while pinching my nipples in
between his fingers. This shoots a jolt through me and I throw my head back
with another moan, giving him access to suck and kiss on my neck.