An Exceptional Twist (22 page)

Moving her attention from
the skimpy get-up to Celeste’s face, Leah almost jumped.
What the hell happened to her? Shit, did she get
another facelift?

Celeste’s smile stretched across her face,
frozen. “Oh my darling, Leah. It’s been so long. How have you been,
dear?” She leaned in and kissed Leah’s cheeks.

“Uh, yeah. How’s it going?” Leah tried not
to flinch, remembering she was here for her kids.

“Follow me.” Celeste turned, waving for Leah
to follow. “I have some wonderful news.”

They made their way into
one of the largest dance studios. “This is the room I would like to
offer you for your new
weekly
dance class. You will also have one of my staff
members available to help at each class.” Her arrogance was no
match against the Botox in her face as she plastered an
expressionless smile on her lips.

Taking in the large space, as well as the
offer, Leah couldn’t help the concern that slipped in. “Wow,
Celeste. I can’t believe this, but I don’t know if I can afford it.
I don’t charge the families for my class.”

Celeste waved her hands in the air,
dismissing Leah’s concerns. “Don’t worry about it. What you’re
doing is…noble, and those kids need a regularly scheduled class.
You don’t have to pay anything anymore. It’s all taken care of.”
She seemed to catch herself. “I mean, well, just don’t worry about
it. The space is yours if you want it. Why don’t we go into my
office, look at a calendar, and see what day and time works
best.”

Leah frowned, rubbing her
chin.
Something’s off here. This woman
doesn’t give to charity.

Shrugging, Leah
thought,
maybe she’s looking for a tax
write-off.

They passed several doors and arrived at her
opened office. Inside the tiny space, the strong aroma of roses hit
Leah. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, letting the truth sink
in before her eyes popped open.

Hijo de puta!

Her breathing became erratic as she took in
the dozen red roses sitting on the corner of the desk.

Seated, Celeste encouraged Leah to take the
chair across from her. Leah tried her damndest to remain calm. She
didn’t say a word as Celeste went through the calendar, selecting
the day and time that would work best.

Within a minute, though, her blood began to
boil, and she was unable to bite her tongue any longer. Leah got up
and stood in front of them—the very same beautiful velvety roses
she’d prepared for Stefen yesterday morning.

She ran her hand up the glass vase, touching
each bud. “What did he give you in exchange?”

“Excuse me?” Celeste asked, tightening her
ridiculous looking lips.

Leah couldn’t believe she had the nerve to
pretend like she had no idea.

Infuriated, Leah planted
her palms on top of the desk, growling through gritted teeth, “What
the
fuck
did he
do for you, Celeste?”

Flustered, Celeste began arranging papers on
her desk, avoiding Leah’s eyes. “Now let’s not be immature about
this. He thought you might be upset.” Sitting back in her chair,
the freaky-looking woman seemed to find her confidence once more.
“Mr. Hunter has taken care of all the arrangements and asked that I
remind you that this is for the kids. It has nothing to do with
whatever happened between the two of you.” Flicking her wrist in
the air, Celeste looked right through Leah, as though she knew
exactly what had happened between her and Stefen.

Mortified, Leah started backing up to leave.
The old hag surely knew this was some kind of payoff. Wiping away a
debt so he looked like less of an asshole.

Celeste clasped her hands
together over her stomach. “Be reasonable here. I’m going to keep
his money, regardless. My part was to convince you to take
advantage, for the
kid’s
sake. I couldn’t care less, either
way.”

“I have to go.” Leah rushed out, ignoring
Jenna’s questioning look as she stormed out the door with her hands
fisted to her sides.

On her way back to the flower shop, she let
it all sink in. Sure it was for the kids, but at what cost to her?
Her lips pressed together in a slight grimace the moment she
pictured Simon and how happy all of her kids would react to the
news.

She definitely needed to think about it
before jumping into a decision.

Exhausted, Stefen stepped into his luxurious
Chicago apartment. His late night flight had been delayed, leaving
him stuck at the airport for hours, and now all he could think
about was crawling into bed.

He’d never been away from home for so long
and, honestly, it wasn’t as welcoming as he’d hoped. Everything
felt cold and sterile, from the sleek modern colorless furniture to
the lack of personal memorabilia, photos, and color in general. He
did have a view, though. The large wall-length windows in his
living room overlooked Lake Michigan.

He told himself,
but this is the urban life. This is what everyone
wants.

Dropping his suitcases by the door, he
tossed his keys onto a sleek modern metal side table. Even the
jarring sound of it grated his ears. He headed straight to the
kitchen for a drink, but the refrigerator was empty.

Just like the rest of my life.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted
bottles of rum and a two-liter soda sitting on top of his bar. With
a glass tumbler in hand, he pushed the lever on the stainless steel
fridge door. “Please let there be ice,” he mumbled as a few cubes
clanked into the glass.

The ice was probably stale, but he didn’t
care.

Stefen poured a mixture from both bottles
into the glass, then took a large gulp. During the flights, he had
a lot of time to think. All thoughts, of course, led directly to
Leah. Breaking hearts was something he was used to, but hurting her
made him feel like a villain.

That didn’t change the fact that he had a
good thing going in Chicago and wasn't interested in letting a girl
ruin it. At least this was the argument he kept telling himself,
ever since the moment he left her bed. He was dreading the day that
Caleb found out. It was bound to be soon. And he’d get a call,
Caleb’s irate voice in his ear, as he would have the privilege of
listening to what a shit he’d become.

He’d honestly be surprised if Caleb didn’t
fly all the way to Chicago to string him up by his very favorite
body part.

After swallowing more of the sweet, spicy
liquid, he walked back through his living room and grabbed his
suitcases. By now, they felt as if they weighed a ton. Lugging them
down the long hallway, he approached his bedroom door and heard a
noise. Instantly on edge, he tried to squash the paranoia that
spiked his pulse. He’d received a few threats before leaving for
Santa Barbara. He hadn’t taken them seriously, but now he wasn’t
sure.

Cautiously, he turned the corner and peered
into his room. Spotting the woman in his bed, he let out a loud
sigh of relief, and braced his hands on his knees. “Lisa, you
scared the shit out of me. What are you doing here?”

Her long fake eyelashes fluttered over
greyish-blue eyes. “You specifically said you wanted me in your bed
when you got home. Don't you remember?” Pouting her collagen
injected, gloss-covered lips, she flicked her curly,
platinum-blonde hair over her shoulder.

The seductive look she gave him would have
done him in a month ago. Not so much now.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Slowly, she pushed down the steel grey and
white bedding, revealing her naked body. He’d seen her without
clothes too many times to count, but for the first time ever, he
wondered how she didn't topple over when she stood.

Her silhouette was similar
to a stick figure with huge inflated balloons popping out of her
chest.
Ugh. How could I have ever been
attracted to her?
Unlike Leah, there
wasn't one natural thing on this woman. He was partially to blame
after suggesting all of the alterations she’d had done.

They'd been in and out of each other's lives
since they were teenagers. She was his first screw. Long ago,
though, Lisa was in love with Caleb and thought she was going to
make him jealous by screwing Stefen. Little did she know, Caleb was
glad when she stopped hanging all over him. She’d been at Stefen's
beck and call ever since.

Now, the thought made him sick to his
stomach.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he dipped
his chin down and peered up at her. “Uh...yeah. Sorry I did forget.
I'm really tired and just want to crash. Do you mind leaving?” he
asked sheepishly, knowing her temper. She was about to flip her
bitch switch.

Her face reddened as she jumped out of his
bed. “What? Are you shitting me, Stefen?” Scrambling around for her
clothes, she shot daggers at him with her eyes. “I don't know what
the hell happened to you in Santa Barbara, but the Stefen I knew
would have been naked and in bed with me by now, no questions
asked.”

She angrily stomped around the room,
collecting her clothes. She snatched her underwear up from the
floor, yanked them on, but struggled with the hooks on her bra.

Glancing around, uneasy, he put all his
cards on the table. “I know. I'm sorry. I'm just not into it. We've
been playing this game for too many years. Aren’t you tired of it,
too? You really need to find another guy who can give you what you
want. I'm not that guy. I never will be.”

Apparently, I’m not the guy for anyone.

He braced himself for her wrath.

She stalked up to him and
slapped him across the face. “How
dare
you do this to me! You have no
right to just cast me aside, Stefen. I’ve only played this game
with you because you strung me along all these years.”

Stunned, he rubbed the side of his face. “I
never pretended with you, Lisa. You knew what we were. I can’t
offer you anything more.”

Jerking on her skintight jeans, tiny tank
top and designer high heels, Lisa barked, “I’ve put up with all the
whores you’ve slept with and thought you might actually grow up
some day and choose me, but I guess that was my mistake. Don't ever
call me again because I won’t come next time.”

She stormed out of the room and down the
hall.

Stefen yelled after her, “Leave your key on
the front table.”

Running his fingers through his hair, he
knew she wasn't going to leave her key. The door slammed so hard,
the windows rattled. He’d have to get his locks changed tomorrow.
There was no way she would give up that easily, either.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the last time he’d see Lisa Feldner.

Completely worn out, he shed his clothes and
headed into the shower, his mind wandering back to Leah. “Shake her
off, man,” he scolded himself.

Maybe he should’ve let Lisa stay to help get
rid of his shitty mood.

No, that wouldn’t have been a good idea. He
wasn't sure he was that guy anymore.

Even though it wasn’t quite dark outside
yet, after getting out of the shower and drying off, he slid on a
pair of soft cotton pajama pants and crawled under the covers. It
was nice being in his own bed again, but it was too quiet. He got
up and turned on some mellow music, keeping the volume low.
Climbing back into bed, he fell fast asleep.

A strange sound woke him up a several hours
later. The music was still playing in the background when he saw a
dark shadow at the open bedroom doorway. His eyes weren’t able to
focus in the pitch black, but he had a good idea who it was. “Lisa,
I told you I’m not interested. Please leave.”

He started to put his head back on the
pillow when he heard a loud male voice. “Not Lisa, you son of a
bitch.”

Pure adrenalin shot
through Stefen as he jumped out of bed. His eyes frantically
searched the room while he quickly assessed the situation.
How many intruders? Do they have weapons? Can
they get weapons?
He didn’t have the
answer to those questions.

Ready to defend himself, he rushed toward a
burly figure who appeared to be unarmed, but something hard hit the
back of his head. As he fell to the floor, he saw several shadows
now hovering over him, each taking their turn as they punched and
kicked him. Pain erupted though his entire body with each blow.

Although he covered his head, a couple of
hits made it to his face. He felt himself start to black out. Then,
suddenly, it was over. Unsure of how many assailants there were,
Stefen saw several unfocussed large frames running out the
doorway.

Blood trickled down his lip, pain radiated
everywhere. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t move to get his phone,
the throbbing was too intense.