Defiance (New Adult Romance) (Isaac & Maya) (12 page)

“Yeah, a little bit,” I admit.

“Honestly, it really freaks me out that she had such a formative influence in your childhood. And the fact that I can see it in you, in your rather unique worldview… that’s very disconcerting.”

“It’s also pretty ironic, isn’t it?”

“It is. When she told me that whole story, she said she should have invited you to dinner when we were in high school. We could have got
ten together a long time ago. How weird would that have been?”

“Oh, my God,” I snort bitterly. “That
never
would have happened.”

My poor choice of words wounds him, but he shakes it off. “I know. You wouldn’t have come over, but still—”

“No, Isaac, it never would have happened because she never would have invited me to dinner. I’m guessing she left out the part where she fucked Luke at Piper’s parent’s house. In the spare room right next to ours. Loudly, so we would hear it. On the same night he raped me the first time. Three, maybe four hours later.”

Isaac blinks at me in disbelief, his lips parting. “Yeah, she left that part out,” he says hoarsely.

“I was about to tell Piper what happened, maybe consider telling he parents. But then… I was just so embarrassed. And jealous. It was so confusing. The next day, I confronted her when I got a chance and Gloria just laughed at me. She told me I was a plain faced, flat chested, naïve little girl that should be grateful he was interested in me at all and I should just get used to this if I ever wanted to date him. I wasn’t sure I did anymore, until then. I got competitive because she did. I thought she was my friend, sort of. I thought she cared at least. I really looked up to her and I trusted her.”

“Fuck…”

“I knew she’d be the same way with you, even worse. But mostly, I knew that you probably wouldn’t be able to handle seeing her if you knew the whole story and pretending to be with her was a pretty important part of all your plans.”

“Yeah, it was.”

“I’m still sorry,” I say timidly because he’s angry again. Very angry.

“Don’t be. It was probably a good decision.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because… Look, I have a fucked up love hate relationship with Glory. And it just swung pretty far towards the hate side. I should have remembered what a petty, horrible person she can be. Why is it always so fucking hard to keep that in mind?”

Because she’s your mom.
“What happens now, Isaac? Not about her, I’m so done talking about her. What are we going to do about Luke?”

Sighing, he walks over to me and takes my hands in his, bringing them up to his lips and kissing every finger. “It’s complicated and you’re not going to like it.”
Great.
Isaac wraps his arms around my waist and hugs me. We hold each other for a while in silence. “Maya,” he whispers. “Who did you used to fuck at Luke’s firm that summer you were interning there?”

“What?” I twist out of his arms and step away. “Nobody,” I spit back.

“You might have taught me about makeup sex, but I’ve understood revenge sex for a while. I’m not judging you, and I’m not fucking jealous,” he says, clenching his jaw. “Okay, obviously, I’m a little jealous. Who was it?”

Crap.
“This guy named James,” I confess softly.

“Was it serious?”

“Not really.”

“Did Luke know about it?” Isaac asks, struggling to maintain his composure.

Why do I find it so arousing when he interrogates me? “I’m not sure. It only happened at work, we never talked on the phone.”

“Were you emotionally attached?”

“No. It was just sex.”
Good sex, too.
“He fucked anything that walked.”

“Is he rich?”

“Very,” I say. “That’s not why I was interested, though. He was—”

Isaac holds up his hand to stop me from explaining myself. “What color are his eyes?”

“Brown.”

“How tall is he?”

I see where this is going. “Around your height, I guess.”

“Did James like you?”

“Yeah. We got along well, actually,” I admit.

This is driving him crazy. “Is he a good person?”

“For a sharky businessman, yeah.”

“Fuck…” Isaac mutters. “Maya, I sort of need to throw them off my trail here.”

“We can’t. I don’t want to be responsible for getting someone killed. And, um… I’m pretty sure he works for your father now. In New York.”

“You still talk to him?” he snaps.

“
No
. Geez. He left that summer, right after I did, for Hansen Grayson Ltd. Isn’t that one of your dad’s companies?”

“No,” he replies, grinning. “No, that’s one of Glory’s now.” My eyes narrow.
Her again?
“That means hurting him is off limits, which makes him the perfect excuse.”

“The perfect excuse for what?”

“
Finally
being able to spoil you fucking rotten,” Isaac breathes, flashing me that tilted smile. “Because officially, you are now in a long distance relationship with a protective, wealthy man in New York and you need to look the part.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means goodbye nerdy t-shirts and hello
Vera Wang
,
Gucci
,
Oscar de la Renta
and all those other designer brands that exist for the sole purpose of decorating your perfect body.”

Well, this just got a lot more appealing. “Isaac…”

“You are so fucking cute when you pretend you don’t want something that you really do.” Damn his cocky grin! And his raspy, sexy voice. I don’t stand a chance. Isaac’s hands grab me by the waist and pull me into his groin, his excitement digging into my stomach. “I want you now,” he says, kissing the tip of my nose.

“You know I don’t like territorial fucks after we argue.” Especially about other guys.

“I don’t either,” he reminds me, his kisses trailing down my neck. “This will be more of a spoiling my bratty princess with a dozen orgasms before I take her shopping type of fuck.”

“Oh,” I peep, biting my lip.

Isaac exhales in an adorably horny groan as he lifts me into the air. By the time he lets me out of bed, all the stores are closed. He wanted to hire a personal shopper anyway and it would be safer if we drove to a different city. So the next morning, we do exactly that.

17

Maya

Lisa
, the incredibly intimidating bodyguard, waits patiently for me to open the car door. “You will be fine,” she assures me.

“I’m sorry I’m being such a dumbass,” I reply.

“You’re not a dumbass. You’re smart enough to realize that if you need personal security, you’re in danger. If you let the fear run your life, he wins.”

I nod and get out of the car. But it’s not because I don’t want Luke to win, it’s because I don’t want to disappoint Isaac or make him worry. Well, that and it will be really nice to get back to school.

I arrive at my first class with only a minute to spare, so everyone is already sitting down. I brace myself for whispers and stares, but there aren’t any. A few people glance up, but they look away just as fast. The only eyes that linger belong to girls and they’re filled with envy as they lock onto my shoes and my purse. Maybe those pictures aren’t floating around. Maybe my secret is still safe after all.

My phone vibrates as I take my seat. It’s a
SnapChat selfie of Isaac’s smiling face. He’s so cute, I can’t wait to get home. I text him back a quick
Having a good day so far, I love you
before the lecture starts and then just like that, a little part of my life is normal again.

It doesn’t last long. I spot the concern on Sam’s face as he runs toward me on my way to my next class. Shit.

“Maya, are you okay?” he says, reaching for my arm.

“I’m fine.” I shrug him away. Chances are there’s somebody watching me and the last thing I need is to make a scene.

“Why haven’t you answered my calls?”

“I got a new phone. Sorry.”

“Maya, why are you running away from me?” he asks.

“Because it’s frigging freezing out here.”

“I need to talk to you.” Sam grabs my hand as I slip into the building. I try to pull back, but he hugs me instead. “I was so fucking worried about you. I almost called the cops, I didn’t know what to do.”

So much for getting out of this awkward conversation. “Why is that, Sam?”

“Look, I don’t know how to tell you this but… your boyfriend sent me some really messed up pictures.”

My heart stops beating and drops into my stomach. “Oh,” I whisper. “Yeah, we finally broke up. Officially. He didn’t take it well, he’s a little unstable.”

“A little? I thought it was a hostage situation or something. I was terrified.”

“They aren’t recent pics. It’s fine.”

“That shit is not fucking fine,” he insists. “Maya, you looked so… blank. And really scared in a few of them.”

This is beyond humiliating. I start to tear up and walk away again, but I have to know. “Did you show anybody?”

“Of course not. Jesus, I feel like I have evidence of a crime. These aren’t your run of the mill dirty topless pics. I thought you were going to marry him. Why the hell would he do that to you?”

“It’s pretty complicated.”

“Yeah, it also looks pretty illegal.”

“They can’t do anything about it and I’m not allowed to talk about why.”

“
Who
won’t allow you? Luke?”

“No. I literally, legally cannot talk about this because of an ongoing investigation, and I should not have even told you that much. I’m trusting you not to say anything, Sam.”

“I won’t,” he exhales, obviously relieved. “You can trust me.”

“Do you know if anyone else has those pictures?”

“No, I don’t think so. I probably would have heard about it, too,” he says. He’s right, it’s not like our fling was a big secret to our classmates.

“If you do, will you ask them to keep it to themselves? I don’t want everybody laughing at me.”

“Yeah, if I hear anything I’ll let you know, but Maya,
no one
is going to laugh at that shit.”

“Really?”

“Jesus…” Sam reaches out to hug me, but I wrap my arms around myself and take a step back. “Of course not. Would you laugh about them if it was someone else?”

I wouldn’t. I’d probably consider calling the cops, too. Maybe this won’t ruin my life if it gets out. “No. Will you delete them?”

“I’m sorry I can’t do that yet,” he replies. “I would but… If you show up on the news one night… I feel bad enough about this as it is. I should have known somehow.”

“It’s not your fault, Sam.”

“It’s not
your
fault, Maya,” he says. “It’s his. And anyone who sees them will know that.”

“Some of it was kind of consensual.”
I think
.
I don’t even know what that word means anymore, if I ever did.

“Well it certainly doesn’t look consensual. There’s a good reason he’s not sending that shit around.”

Taking a deep breath, I nod at him. Sam really is a sweet guy. “I have to get to class,” I whisper.

“I broke up with Bridget.”

“Oh. Sorry to hear that.”

“I miss you,” he blurts out.

“Sam… I’m seeing someone.”

“Is it serious?”

“Very.”

He looks at the floor and shakes his head. “Does he treat you well?”

“He does,” I murmur, trying to conceal the huge, giddy smile my lips involuntarily form every frigging time I think about how wonderful Isaac is.

“I probably wouldn’t have a chance with you anyway, would I?”

Should I tell him the truth? He looks so disappointed. “Yeah, Sam. You would have.”

“Well, then,” he says, his eyes a little too flirtatious. “Give me a call if it doesn’t work out.”

“I will,” I reply, feeling a twinge of guilt, but it lifts his spirits and he deserves it for being such a nice person. Sam leans down to kiss me, but I stop him with my fingers on his lips. “I told you, that’s not who I want to be anymore.”

“Right. Take care of yourself.” Sam gives my hand a little squeeze before he turns and walks away.

Isaac texts again as I make my way to my next class, a shot of the bed, still messed up from our escapades this morning. God, I feel so frigging guilty now, I’m so glad that I didn’t let Sam kiss me. I can’t beat myself up over this. I didn’t do anything wrong, especially considering he has some very compromising pictures of me and offending him would be pretty stupid.

One of the students I tutored last fall stops me on my way to the very conspicuous black town car waiting to pick me up. She’s obviously had an overwhelming first day and wants to know if I’ll be able to help her again this semester. I don’t know what to tell her, but I want to say yes. Katie has so much promise, but absolutely no confidence, a lot like me when I first started college. Apparently, she’s not alone and a few of her freshmen counterparts that I’ve worked with are wondering the same thing after they
finished reading the syllabus of Cichanowski’s Econ class. I tell Katie that I’m not sure because I’m really busy with my thesis, which is true because I haven’t looked at it at all over the break. She’s so let down. Crap!

“Who was that?” a voice that I’m excited to hear questions me as I flop into the back seat.

“What are you doing here?” I squeal, crawling into Isaac’s lap.

“Picking you up from school.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “Did you have a good day?”

“I did.”

“So who was that?” he asks again.

“Katie. She’s a freshmen I tutored last semester and she wanted to know if I’ll be able to do it again.”

“Will you?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t decided yet.”

“You want to, I can tell.” Isaac is so cute when he think
s he’s reading my mind.

“Maybe. I’m kind of behind on my thesis. And…” I trail off. He nudges his head against mine so I’ll continue. “I don’t know, I want to spend my free time with you.”

“Me too.” Isaac kisses me, his hand sliding up my ribs to squeeze my boob.

“Someone’s horny.”

“Ahem,” Lisa coughs.

Oh my God, I completely forgot she was there, temporarily slipping into a fantasy world where driverless cars are street legal. My face flushes and I hide it in Isaac’s neck. “Sorry,” we say in unison.

“She should be wearing her seat belt,” she chides us, turning onto a busy street.

“What the hell is wrong with me? You
should
be wearing a seat belt,” Isaac exclaims, pushing me into the seat next to him and buckling me in as I grumble. “Anything else interesting happen today?”

“Yeah, um… Luke sent Sam those pictures.”

Isaac’s lips still on my hand. “Oh. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. He didn’t share them and I don’t think anyone else has seen them.”

“Good.” His jaw tightens from a jealousy that he’s trying to ignore.

“He found them very disturbing, not erotic, like I was a hostage or a victim. He said most other people would see them the same way.”

“I guess we’re not really qualified to gauge the public’s reaction, are we?”

“Obviously not. He’s only in one of my classes this semester, I think. Thursday.”

“It’s not a problem, Maya,” he forces out the words.

“Sam tried to kiss me.”

Isaac’s eyes widen as that control he had on his jealousy disappears. “Did he succeed?”

“No. I stopped him. He was just rattled, I think… and on the rebound because he broke up with his girlfriend.”

“Goddammit…” he breathes.

“I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” he assures me, leaning over to kiss my cheek. “Since we’re doing the ex lover confession thing… I’ll be seeing mine on Thursday, too. I’m going to see the investigators with Glory and Carl.”

“Oh.” My heart starts pounding, but from dread, not jealousy.

“I need to get it over with.”

“What about your hand?” It’s still bruised and scabbed, he was obviously in a fight. If they’re investigating Luke too, they might connect the dots.

“I know. It sucks, but Carl kind of set this up without asking, so I’m stuck. I guess I’ll use some of your concealer.”

“I’ll help.”

Nodding, he exhales loudly and shakes it off. “There. We got all the crappy stuff out of the way in the car. Now we’ll both be in a good mood when we see your new apartment.”

“My what?”

“Your new apartment,” he repeats. “You said that you’ve always wanted to live closer to downtown.”

“Well, yeah, but…”

“No buts, Rookie. I’m sick of the hotel and it might not be safe soon.”

“But I liked the room service,” I whine.

Letting out his surprised, horny laugh, Isaac shakes his head dismissively. “No foreplay in the car,” he whispers, flicking his tongue against that spot below my ear.

I feign shock and playfully shove his shoulder. “When did you set this up? I doubt you did it in a day.”

“I most certainly could have achieved this in one day, I’ll have you know. But yeah, it’s been in the works for about two weeks.”

“Is that why you were asking me so many questions about my ideal living arrangements?” I ask. He’s always scheming!

“I was just confirming what I already knew.”

“So… does this mean we’re officially moving in together?”

“That depends,” he replies cryptically.

“On what?”

“Whether or not Piper wants to move in.”

She doesn’t even want to talk to me, let alone live with me. But if I say that, it’ll hurt his feelings. “You’re spending the night,” I insist.

“Of course I am.”

“This place better be affordable, Isaac.”

“Why? You don’t honestly think I’m letting you pay the rent, do you?”

“Some of it, at least. I have extra money from my student loans.”

“Exactly what part of spoiled girlfriend do you not understand?” he chuckles. Just when I come up with a retort, he cuts me off. “Here’s the thing. You’ll be escorted up to your new place by your bodyguard. I’ll meet you up there in a few minutes, I have to sneak in.” We pull into a parking garage and come to a stop. “I have to car hop now,” he says kissing my cheek. “It won’t be long.”

“Okay.” I blow him a kiss as he makes his exit hoping that he doesn’t realize that my stomach churns every time he leaves. It makes me think of the way it used to be and fear that it will be like that again soon. Or worse.

Lisa glances at me through the rearview mirror. “He really loves you.”

“Yeah, he does,” I say, blushing.

“Do you love him back just as much?”

“I do.”

“Good. These jobs suck when the guy is just protecting a status symbol for show. At least I’m not risking my life for bullshit.”

“
Lisa, I—”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” she laughs. “I’m an adrenaline junky. I couldn’t live any other way. If anything, I like to pretend you’re in more danger than you are.”