Until There Was You (8 page)

'This 'tramp' has more class and
dignity in her little toe than 'My Darling Fiancee' who is
available to anybody with a six figure bank balance, or at least
enough to splash the cash that night.' He is still so very calm
which is more than can be said for the Reddingtons and his Mother.
His Father and Nate just look amused and I put my head down
remembering how we first met.

'How dare you?! Who the fuck do
you think you are talking about?! My daughter has never done any
such things?!' Mr Reddington is pissed, Hell he is livid.

'The questions you need to
concern yourself with Donald are, how many men has my daughter
slept with? Because I know of four. Has she been tested?' He adds
with a smirk and I cringe, he is enjoying this. I don't like this
side of him, he's sadistic and cruel, even Nate looks appalled.

'Liam.' His Father warns but
Liam is on a role.

'Mr Reddington, I mean Donald,
consider your business with Coltan Holdings finished, done as of
Monday. I am pulling the money and the teams out.' His business
tone is back, yet I can't shake the feeling he is still enjoying
this, as the room fills with gasps I realize this must be big.

'You can't do that your Father
is CEO not you.' Melissa sneers.

'Liam be rational Son.' His
Father pleads.

'Liam Landon Coltan how could
you?' His Mother gasps still in shock along with the Reddingtons
who have paled. Have I missed something? Why would they need Liam's
money if they are rich themselves?

'Actually Mellissa dear.' He
sneers. 'I am the CEO and I am in control, I thought my darling
Fiancee would know this.' He chuckles and it sends chill through
me.

'You would destroy my company,
bankrupt me and put thousands of people out of work to me spite me
over her!' Mr Reddington finds his voice and it is my turn to gasp,
I am horrified.

'Liam.' I whisper as I take my
hand from his.

'Stay out of this Alexis, it
neither concerns nor does it involve you.'

I close my mouth, hurt that he
can be so cold to me. He's wrong it does involve me, it's because
of me that he is doing this. I can't help but remember how Mike got
worse when he lost his job. Nate takes my hand and leads me
outside, I had heard enough already.

'He doesn't mean it Pretty
Girl.' He soothes. 'He is just angry at the way they treated you. I
have never see him the way he is with you with anyone, he really
does like you a lot. He is letting them know he won't tolerate
people putting you down or upsetting you.' He brushes my hair
behind my ears and runs his thumbs under my eyes to wipe the run
away mascara. I am about to thank him when someone else speaks.

'Well isn't this fucking
cozy...'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Fourteen

Liam

I am livid. How dare they speak
about her like that when not one of them even gave her a chance.
Unfaithful to Mellissa are they fucking delusional?! I go in search
of Nate and Lexi, I can't wait to take her home away from this
nightmare and just lose myself in her. She looks so beautiful
tonight it's a shame it was a disaster orchestrated by my own
Mother.

I hear Nate's voice and make my
way toward it '.......upsetting you.' He is talking sweetly and my
stomach churns, I know I was harsh in there but I didn't mean to
upset her.

As I round the corner I feel
sick with jealousy as I take them not believing what is unfolding
before me. They are standing not even inches apart, her hand on his
shoulder, she is smiling at him and he is smiling back running his
thumbs over her cheeks. What the fuck?!

'Well isn't this fucking cozy.'
I spit my voice dripping with that much venom I barely recognize it
myself. He jumps back away from her and she hangs her head. Guilty
as fucking charged.

'If you value your life I would
get out of my sight and keep your fucking hands off my girl.' I
snarl through gritted teeth.

'Dude whatever you think that
was, your way off.' He explains. Do I look stupid, I know what I
saw!

'What I saw was you making a
move on my girlfriend the minute my back is turned, Dude.' I sneer.
He really is after me kicking the shit out of him.

'Making a move...Your bat shit
crazy.' He looks affronted but I don't buy it.

'Alexis car now. You this isn't
over.' I point at Nate.

'Damn right this isn't over, I
want a fucking sorry and I want it now.' He argues.

'Don't push me right now Nate.'
I seethe 'Alexis.Car.Now.' I yell at her unmoving form and she
flinches. Oh God.

'Liam don't fucking yell at her,
you're being an arsehole.' He fumes. 'You don't have to go with
him, you know that don't you?' He tells her softly and it just
fuels the fire inside me.

'Believe me she has escaped
bigger threats than me.' I know it's a dick move but I am so angry
I can't help it. She looks at me like I have just kicked her in the
stomach but silently gets in the car. Once she is inside I turn to
my so called best friend.

'We are done here, Mate.' I spit
the last part in disgust as I get in my side.

'LIKE HELL WE ARE!!' I hear him
shout but don't care, I am done with him.

I sit in the back of the Bentley
and take my tie off, I want to speak to Lexi but I don't know what
to say. On one hand I am so angry she would flirt with my best
friend, on the other I feel guilty about what I said about her. I
didn't mean to, my mouth ran away with me.

She stares out the window and an
uncomfortable silence lingers in the air, none of us speak or even
make eye contact. The only sound that can be heard is of her soft
sniffling that lets me know she is crying. I feel like an arsehole,
maybe she would be better off with Nate. Not that it matters, I am
far to selfish to ever let her go.

When we pull up I jump out the
car not bothering to wait for Dem to open the door so he opens hers
instead. Storming through the house, shedding my shoes in the hall
and my jacket on the sofa.

I make my way to the glass
cabinet and pour myself a very much needed, very large Brandy
taking a big sip. She walks through the room not even acknowledging
me and heads into the guest room I assume, as I hear the door slam.
Great she is ignoring me, well let her, I think as I slump down
onto the sofa, glass in hand. Maybe I got it wrong? Maybe I am over
reacting a touch? Can she blame me? I wonder how she would feel if
she found me and Melissa like that? I think back to earlier when
Melissa threw herself at me and Lexi just looked amused, didn't she
care? Wasn't she the least bit jealous? Maybe I don't mean anything
to her after all? I muse to myself.

I realize I ain't going to get
any answers from my Brandy and head to her room. I don't bother
knocking - why should I - its my house. As I walk in she turns to
look at me from where she is stood in front of the mirror removing
her make up. She is now in silk shorts and vest, she still looks
beyond beautiful in her pajamas, it totally disarms me. She turns
back to the mirror but doesn't speak, fine I will go first
then.

'Do you have feelings for Nate?'
I snap and she doesn't answer.

'Are you not even going to
answer me?'

'Not when you are being
ridiculous.' She finally replies but doesn't take her eyes off her
own reflection.

'How am I being ridiculous? I
see you and him all over each other, talking about how I upset you
and you expect me to think nothing was going on?' I am instantly
livid again just thinking about it.

'That is what you honestly think
was happening.' She gasps. 'I was upset at the person I made you
turn into back there and he was telling me how I shouldn't judge
you. That you were doing it for me, that you were angry at the way
they treated me.' She yells looking so raw I can't not believe
her.

Wow, he was looking out for me
and I treated him like the shit on my shoe. This is going to take
some fixing, but I am not blind, he fancies her and she still
hasn't answered my damn question.

'Do.You.Have.Feelings.For.Nate?'
I question slowly and firmly. She shakes her head slowly, not in
response but rather looking disappointed.

'No Liam, I don't, I like him as
a friend but nothing more. I barely know the guy.' She huffs.

'You barely knew me when we
fucked.' I retort. Shit what am I doing? That was so out of line.
Her eyes fill with tears and her face is masked with hurt and
regret. God this is bad, she is definitely going to hate me now if
she didn't already.

'I was just making sure you got
your money's worth.' She fires back, her voice harder than I have
ever heard and her expression now blank. What have you done?

'Lexi, I didn't mean that. I am
so, so sorry, I was mad and didn't mean it.' I rush out trying to
take it back. Please let her forgive my stupid arse.

'Didn't mean what Liam? Let's be
honest here, I have served my purpose. I let you dress me up like a
doll to parade in front of your Fiancee or whatever the hell she
is. To look the part whilst you rattled your parents and hers. It
worked, don't worry though I had fun, mostly. It was fun being
someone else for a while but at least being broken little Lexi, the
whore, there are no exaggerated expectations. People only want to
fuck my body, not with my mind.'

'You know that's not what this
is. How can you even believe that I was using you? Everything I
feel for you is real, I spoke out of anger once and you throw
everything else back in my face. How is that fair? The only person
that has ever thought of this as a business arrangement is YOU! I
have poured my heart out to you, something I have never done
before, I do everything in my power to make sure you are safe and
happy. Yet you base our relationship off one angry, stupid comment.
Now who is fucking with whose feelings Alexis?' How can she think
that I would ever use her? Why can't she see I am falling for her?
This is real for me.

'Where is my dress?' She
demands, eyes blank so I can't tell what she is thinking but I know
it ain't good.

'I don't know, where did you
take it off?'

'Not your dress, MY dress. The
one I arrived in?' She states clearly. Why would she want that
ripped and tattered thing, then it hits me like a tonne of
bricks......

'You're leaving me?' I breath,
the pain unfurling in my chest.

'I was never yours to keep.' She
hits back, void of any emotions and it is my undoing. I give up the
fight, broken and rejected.

'I threw it out it was ripped to
shreds if you remember, if you're leaving at least wrap up warm.
It's cold out, don't worry about the clothes you earned them.' I
say wanting to hurt her like she is doing to me and her mask slips
for a split second.

I leave the room with a pain in
my heart, I can't watch her leave me and I don't care what she
takes. I bought it all for her anyway, for her new life with me. It
all sounds like a sick joke to me now. I go down the hall to my
office and take the Brandy out of my desk as I sit in the chair
just the lamp lighting the darkness.

'I was just making sure you got
your money's worth.'

'I was never yours to keep.'

Her words keep replaying over
and over in my head driving me insane, tearing me apart. What can I
do when she never felt a thing for me? The rational side of me
knows that's a lie, it was in her eyes when we made love, in her
voice when she said my name. God I am driving myself crazy, all
because I am in love with her and I didn't just tell her that. What
difference would it make any way? She is leaving me and I gave up
too fucking easily.

'Lexi!' I shout as I run to her
room.

'Lexi, I Love You!' I shout as I
push the open the door to an empty room.

I am too late...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Fifteen

Lexi

I walk out of Liam's house
wearing the same sweater and jeans outfit I wore earlier, it's
funny how life can change in a few hours. When I first wore this
outfit it made me feel amazing and new, yet now I am wearing it
again I feel more empty and broken than I ever had before. I hurry
down the drive way before Dem can notice me.

I don't want him to see me
crying or ask me where he can take me when the blunt truth of it
all is I have nowhere to go. I just keep walking and walking,
thinking of nothing in particular because if I do all allow myself
to think, I can think about is Liam and how much I hurt him and
that is too much to bare right now.

I stop to rest, my body is so
tired as I have been walking for hours on end going nowhere, there
is nowhere I belong. I give in to the sobs that rack my body, my
life is a complete mess. I am so alone I wonder how my Mother is
doing? Whether she even misses me? Obviously not because it has
been four and a half years and not a peep from her. I wonder if I
have a brother or sister? Do they know about me? Has she abandoned
them too?

'Well look what I have found.' I
hear an all too familiar voice that sends chills down my spine.
Mike......Oh shit, how has he found me?

'You know I almost didn't
recognize you there whore, with ya fancy hair and expensive
clothes.' He taunts and fear won't let me move.

RUN......My mind screams but my
body won't comply as he takes threatening steps towards me.

'Where's ya hotshot boyfriend
now.....See through you already did he?' He laughs and my face
gives away my hurt. 'Oh he didn't he, I told you I was the only one
that would ever put up with you. It's a shame though, I was hoping
to return the favour.' He points to his face that is still black
and blue.

'Holy shit Liam did that?' I
wonder out loud.

'Yea ya precious Liam did this,
poor Luke is still in hospital after his little hero act.'