Beneath His Darkness (Healing Hearts #3) (7 page)

“How about I find an excuse to get rid of my guest early and then you can come to my place?”

Her eyes light up, but she waits a few moments before answering me.  I can see when the indecision clicks in.  I don’t say a word.  I’ve worked hard on this act and I refuse to have it fall to pieces now.

“W-what would we do at your place?”

Her words are guarded.  As I’ve gotten to know her, I’ve figured out that someone did something awful to her at some point in her life.  I don’t know who, she doesn’t trust easily.  I’m not even sure she trusts Tucker, but she has started to trust me.  A tiny little speck in the lower left ventricle of my heart winces knowing I’m going to hurt her more than she already has been.

I shut that shit down fast.

There’s no room in my life for pain.  No room for pity.  No room to care who gets hurt in the crossfire.  I didn’t ask for this fight.  I didn’t ask for the betrayal.  It was dropped on me like a fucking bomb and it exploded. 
BOOM!
  My whole world went up in smoke and what’s left is the me who will make every goddamn person who crossed me pay.

I don’t care who gets hurt in the process.

“Whatever you want.  We can rent a movie.  We can talk.  Listen to music.  You name it, we’ll do it.”  I smile at her, trying to assure her I’m the nice guy she’s been seeking in her moments of loneliness.

After a few minutes of us standing in silence, she smiles.  “Okay.  Text me when Davyd leaves.  If it’s not too late, I’ll stop by for a little bit.  Talk to you later, Grant.”

She walks away and I watch that fabulous ass of hers swing side to side.

Tonight, I make my move with her.

As soon as she’s out of sight, I reach for my cell and text Davyd.

Can u come 4 dinner @ 6 instead?  May need to go out later.

I head back toward the set where I walk past Davyd and he assures me the new time is a go.  I ask if pizza is good and find out what kind he likes.  I don’t really want to have dinner with him, but I do want to see what is under Victoria’s clothes.

Sacrifices have to be made.

After a long day of shooting, I’m ready to crawl in bed for several hours.  Instead, I head to pick up the pizza and beer.  I have just enough time to pick up the few things out of place in my apartment before the call comes from the concierge that I have a guest waiting to come up.  I inform him that he can send Davyd up and give him a description of Victoria for later.

I pull down plates and glasses, not sure whether Davyd drinks his beer from the bottle or not, and go to answer the door when he knocks.

He walks in without waiting for me to invite him.  It unnerves me.  As much as I can’t go back and find any shards of respect for Gloria, she did raise me to have manners.  That was just rude.

I bury my irritation, close the door, and put on a blank expression.

“This place is gorgeous!  How the fuck are you paying for it?  I know what they pay everyone and you aren’t swinging this on that salary.”

Seriously?  Rude motherfucker!

My mouth drops to the floor, but I close it quickly.  I go to tell him he can take his pizza and beer and get the fuck out, but I remember I need him.  Shit!

“Money I got when my dad died.”  I want to choke on the word ‘dad’.

“Oh shit, man.  I’m sorry.  I need to learn to fucking filter.  If I think it, I say it.  Such a bad fucking habit.  Just tell me to shut the hell up if I say something inappropriate.”

Somehow, his words don’t match his facial expressions.  He’s apologizing, but I don’t believe anything he’s saying and this has nothing to do with my trust issues.  There is something off about Davyd Viktry.  I just need to figure out what the hell it is.

Over dinner, Davyd blathers on about Eddie asking him to rewrite a scene six times and how it was perfect the first time.  I want to tell him if it was perfect the first time, he wouldn’t have asked him to rewrite it, but he’s in such a worked up state, he wouldn’t hear me anyway.  He rambles on about everyone thinking Eddie is the only one who writes the episodes when there is an entire writing staff.  I have to bite my tongue so I don’t say Eddie did write the entire show, but he brought on the staff to fine tune what he already had in place.

I don’t understand why he can’t see the opportunity he was handed by working for Eddie Carmichael.  Every other writer sees it as an honor, but Davyd acts as if someone spit in his face.  He thinks he’s better than Eddie.  I find it almost comical.

I’ve read his scenes and they are nowhere near the genius of Eddie.  So many quips run through my mind, but they all stay there.  Getting his help means not pissing him off.

“Why do you dislike Tucker?”

“W-what?”

I don’t even try to come up with something witty.  I can’t.  I’m too busy trying to figure out when I slipped up. 
How did he find out?

“Don’t pretend you don’t.  I’ve seen the way you look at him too many times.”

That’s when I see it—the intelligence, the predator stalking his prey.  He has me right where he wants me and I have no idea what to do about it.  I’ve been careless and cocky.  I let myself believe I was smarter than everyone and now I fear I’m about to pay for that mistake.

“You try to appear unaffected by him, but I watch how your eyes trail him.  You’re always aware of him.  You study him and it’s not an attraction thing.  When you talk to him, your smile is as fake as they come.  It never reaches your eyes.  I see the strain in your face.  You see, I study you.”

“Why?”  It’s the only word I can squeeze out.  I’m completely taken aback by him hitting this close to home.

“You don’t need to ask why, Grant.  I know how intelligent you are.  I also know you have an agenda here, so let’s skip the formalities.  Tell me what it is you want from me and I’ll tell you my price.”

Fuck!

I sit in silence for a minute, working through my options.  I can try to act my way out of this, play it off like he’s crazy, or I can level with him.  I’ll just have to pray he doesn’t run to his boss and tell him everything.

The way he’s scrutinizing me tells me I have no choice but to come clean.

Son of a bitch!

Running my hands through my hair, I release a pent up sigh and prepare to tell him only what I feel he needs to know.

“Tucker fucked up something big in my life and I want to return the favor.”  I keep my tone even, not wanting to tip him off to just how much I despise him.  How much I would love to push him in front of a moving bus.

“Funny, doesn’t seem that Tucker knew who you were when he met you at the auditions.”

I need to remember how intuitive Davyd is as I explain things.  I don’t want to give too much away.

“He doesn’t realize it was me that he fucked with, but he will when this is all over.”

Davyd clasps his fingers in front of his face, bringing his two pointer fingers to his lips.  The contemplation on his face gives me pause.  I wonder whether he’ll ask me to explain further or if the little I said will be enough to whet his appetite.  Will he decide to help me or will he tell Eddie I plan to take down his star actor and best friend?  His silent reflection is unnerving.

Maybe his silence is to trick me into saying more, but I won’t take the bait.  What Tucker did to me is for me to decide whether I want to tell or not.  It won’t be forced out of me.  If he decides to go to Eddie, I’ll find another way to get to Tucker.

“What were you hoping I’d be able to help you with?”

I’m a bit shocked by his question.  From his lengthy silence, I thought he was going to say no.  Instead, I feel a little uneasy at the way his lips have curled up.  He seems to be gaining pleasure from this.  I have to wonder what his end game is.

“Uh, I was hoping you could get me some inside info on Tucker and Eddie.  Mostly Tucker, but where Eddie is his best friend, it doesn’t hurt to get any info I can.”

“That’s it?  That’s your grand plan?”  He scoffs at me like I’m some kind of idiot child.  Rage begins to ebb its way in at his mocking tone.

“Actually, I have a bigger plan, but I didn’t want to ask because if you got caught, you would lose your job and we could both get sued.  So, forgive me for not asking that first,” I fire back.

“There’s the determination I want to see.  Now, tell me about this plan.  That’s the one I’m interested in hearing about.”

I look into his dark eyes, eyes very similar to my own, and I’m struck by a realization.  To me, Davyd looks more like my brother than Tucker.  He has the same dark hair, the same brooding intensity, and he obviously embraces the darkness like I do.  Maybe it won’t be too bad working with him.

I let go of my trust issues for a little while and tell him my plan involving him getting me scripts before the actors are supposed to see them.  If he’s shocked by my idea, he doesn’t show it.  Actually, he keeps that creepy grin on his face and I realize he still hasn’t named his price yet.  I also realize I don’t care what his price is.  If it helps me take Tucker down, it’s worth it.

We go over all the details.  How he’ll get the scripts to me…well, copies of the scripts.  Who I plan to show them to.  What my contact plans to do with them.  When the final plan will blow up.  He’s giddy at knowing it will take Eddie down, too.

I’m not doing this to take him or anyone else down, but I understand that when a bomb goes off, anything in the general vicinity gets taken out.

“Now, you know what I need from you,” I say.  “What do you need from me?”

His lips cover mine before I have a chance to protest him coming at me.  I knew he was attracted to me, but he’s married to Emma.  This can’t be what he had in mind.

I start to struggle and his hands come up behind my head.  I’m still in shock.  It’s only been seconds and my mind is trying to process the invasion taking place.  My hands find his chest and I push him away.

“Davyd, what are you doing?” I ask.

“That’s my price,” he says calmly.  “If you want my help, you become my toy.”

“But, Emma.”

“Emma and I have an agreement and the day I saw you, she knew you were being added to that agreement.”

My mouth flops open and closed.  I look for words to say, but nothing comes to me.

“Stop fighting me, Grant.  I’m the only thing standing in your way of bringing Tucker to his knees.”

His words ring true in my ears as I stare at the smile on his face.  I try to envision myself with him, but I have no attraction to him or any other man.  Can I allow myself to let him take me so I can get what I ultimately want?

I close my eyes and focus on the blackness there.  I call forth the familiar comfort I feel within its murky depths and allow myself to turn off all my emotions.  All of them except my hate.  I hate Tucker.  I hate that he has everything and didn’t think twice about taking my whole life from me.

When I open my eyes, Davyd understands what he sees in my expression.  His lips come down hard on mine and this time, I don’t fight him.  Every fiber of who I am wants to revolt at having him touch me, but I stay in place, letting his lips explore mine.

Kissing a man is different than kissing a woman.  His lips are more firm and he’s much more demanding.  When his tongue plunges into my mouth, I have to force myself not to gag.  Nothing about kissing him is natural to me.  He is simply a means to an end.  I need to get into character.

For too long a time, his mouth attacks me.  His hot breath mingles with my own and his fingers roam through my hair.  It disgusts me that I can taste the pizza and beer on his tongue.  I have to envision I’m anywhere but here to get through this moment.  His moans make my stomach turn.  It feels like acid burning me from the inside out.

He suddenly breaks our connection and looks at me with a smirk.  Everything about him screams pride and I wonder what the fuck he’s so proud of.

“That will be all for tonight, but soon, you’ll be begging me for more.  I’m going to leave now.  Goodnight, lover.”

With that said, he stands from the couch and leaves without looking back at me.  I would almost believe it hadn’t happened if I couldn’t still taste him in my mouth.

As soon as he’s out the door and it’s closed firmly in place, I run for the bathroom.  I shove my fingers down my throat as far as they’ll go, needing to rid myself of the taint I feel from his touch.  I’ve never felt dirtier than in this moment.  The way he looked at me, devoured me with his eyes… the way he was so sure I would beg for him.

I wretch up the contents of my stomach and continue to dry heave.  I think of how certain he is that I’ll be his lover, but there is no way I will ever think of him in those terms.  He is only a means to an end.  He is the way for me to get revenge.

Fuck!

Can I find another way?

Brushing my teeth, I know I need to bury myself in a woman and wipe away all memory of what transpired here tonight.  I rush for my cell and text Vic to tell her that I’m available if she wants to come over.  While I’m in the second round of gargling, she texts back for my address.

Tonight, I will get her to open up to me and I mean that in the most carnal form of those words.

After a repeated brush, floss, and gargle to rid the foulness of another man kissing me, I head out to pick up the remnants of dinner.  It only takes a few minutes, but I need that time to steady my nerves and calm my heart that has been doing a steady
thumpity, thumpity, thumpity
since Davyd made his telling exit.

The gentle knock on my door tells me the concierge listened earlier and allowed Vic to come up.  I walk over and open the door without looking through the peephole.  I know that isn’t advised, but my nerves are too shot to care.

She is stunning in tight jeans, a fitted cream top, and black knee high boots.  Her hair hangs in loose, wavy locks and I smile at her red lipstick.  She knows I think it looks amazing on her.

I haven’t been shy about telling her she’s beautiful since we’ve become “friends”.  I enjoy watching her shyness take over as she looks to her feet.  A woman this gorgeous should never feel so insecure, but she truly doesn’t have any idea how stunning she is.  Tucker surely doesn’t make her feel that way.