Fiendish: A Twisted Fairytale (21 page)

I felt good after class, and Macy even agreed she enjoyed it.
 We headed to the sauna to help relax our muscles.

“Are your parents throwing another welcome home party for Malcolm?” I asked as I settled onto the warm cedar bench.

Malcolm traveled often, but that fact didn’t stop her parents from throwing a party when he got back. They always looked for an excuse to throw one, and he provided them one often.

“Yep, he
’ll be home in two weeks. I put in a request for time off. You think your ass of a boss will let you off?”

“Doubt it. So…you and Mitch,” I said, changing the topic.

The last thing I wanted to think about after relaxing was Patrick Thorn. He’d backed off some in his advances but not a hundred percent. Kerrin had been letting me ‘assist’ on more of the solo projects she worked on. I wasn’t actually working on the jobs, but she would ‘quiz’ me on what fabric choices I might make. I’d hoped to learn things from Patrick, but I found that Kerrin was a great teacher now that she’d warmed up to me.

“What about us?” Macy asked, fluffing up the towel beneath her head.

“How are things?”

“Good. Why?”

“Just wondering. You two seem to be getting really close.” 

She raised an eyebrow at me. “Don
’t start.”

“Start what?”

“That thing you do, hoping this one might be ‘the one’ for me. We like each other; we have fun. Why make it more than that?”

“Don
’t you want more than that?”

She took a deep breath and sighed. “I don
’t know, maybe.”

It was a good thing we were the only ones in there as I let out an ear piercing squeal. “I knew it!
 The good doctor has hooked my friend.”

“You
’ve seen what he’s working with. How could he not?” she replied, laughing.

“Yes, there are some things that can
’t be unseen, and
that
is one of them,” I replied, shuddering at the memory of seeing Mitch in all his glory that morning. “Now spill it!”

“There
’s nothing to spill; we’re just keeping things as they are. No need to define anything and make it awkward.  What we have works for us.”

I rolled my eyes at her.
 She was trying to hold onto her idea of freedom, but I knew she was serious about him. The way she talked about him and how she was with him was much different than her previous hook ups.

“You could possibly be Mrs. Dr. Mitchell Redding one day.
 This is so exciting.”

“Whoa, no
marriage talk,” she said, sitting up and giving me the ‘talk to the hand’ gesture.

“Fine, fine whatever.
 I’m still happy for you. Who would’ve thought a guy stopping to help change your tire could turn into this?” 

“Forever the hopeless romantic,” she replied, sticking her tongue out at me.

When we got home, Macy didn’t let me out of her sight until after I’d called Seth. He was a little surprised to have me asking him out, but once he got over his initial shock, he was more than delighted to take me out later.

I spent the rest of the day feeling like I was going to vomit, while Macy talked excitedly about how much fun I was going to have. My need to vomit only increased when she went into more detail than I
’d rather hear about how she and Mitch spent their night after they’d attended.

“I can
’t do this, Macy. This place, these clothes. Maybe I should just check movie times and go there instead,” I said as I stared at myself in her full length mirror.

Macy had planned this ambush right down to the outfit, which she
’d already bought earlier in the week. Apparently, she was very confident in the fact she could talk me into going.

“Nonsense.
 No chickening out now. I already bought the tickets and took the tags off, so I can’t return this outfit. You’re going.”

“Ugh,” I groaned. “You and Mitch enjoyed it so much, just go again. I
’ll go to the movies.”

“Look, you will be fine.
 It’s a great show. I promise,” she finished when I gave her a scowl in the mirror.

“But…”

“No buts.”

Macy had concocted crazy schemes before, but this had to be one of the worst.
 
Why would I let her talk me into this?
 There was no way I would make it through the night without my face being as red as my hair the whole time. When I came home from the last date and told her he dropped the ‘f’ word on me, she started rattling off ways for me to get into Seth’s pants.
Me
,
making a concentrated effort to sleep with someone
. That thought alone was so farfetched. I had fun listening to some of her ideas; they were pretty funny until she brought up this art show. The harder I protested, the more she loved the idea.

Macy finished my makeup job and she started to swirl my hair into a bun.

“Leave it down,” I said, stopping her hand. 

She frowned at me in the mirror.

“What?”

“Lee, are you sure about him?”

“What do you mean? You’ve been encouraging me and pushing me,
now
you want to question it?” I asked, annoyed until I saw the concern written all over her face. “Macy what is it?” I pushed, starting to feel some apprehension.

“I love you, Lee, and all I want is for you to be happy.”
  She paused, unsure if she wanted to continue.

But…

“Well…nevermind. I’m probably just reading too much into it.”

“Macy, there
’s something bothering you, so spit it out.”

“Your hair.
 I love it and have always thought you should wear it down more, but to do it because he demands it.” She let the sentence just drop off, but the insinuation hung in the air. 

I absently let my hand run through my hair. “Seth doesn
’t demand it. He just likes the way I look with it down,” I defended.

“And the treadmill?”

“He’s concerned with my safety.”

“Or he wants you to do what he says, that comment he made last weekend,
‘I thought I made myself clear,’ I mean what the hell kind of statement is that?”

I regretted at that moment telling her about the running conversation.
 I never thought she would interpret it in such a way. I was just as shocked when it was delivered earlier this week, so when she asked why, I told her. I’m glad she never asked what was said when I called to talk to him about it. The tone of his voice when he said he was serious about me not running in the dark could have been construed as a demand. He wasn’t pleased when I told him I was sending it back. Our house had no room for such a big piece of equipment.

“He was joking about the hair, but he does like me to have it down. There
’s nothing wrong with that.” I half yelled at her. “And we do live in the city, every time I watch the news there are reports of people going missing or being murdered. He just doesn’t want me to be one of those. And if you recall, I sent it back, so no big deal.”

Macy still didn
’t look convinced. “I’m sorry. I know. I don’t want to fight with you. Like I said, I may be reading too much into it. I just want you to be careful.”

I let out a nervous laugh.
 “I’m sorry for yelling at you. I’m nervous about tonight and him. I really like him Macy. I mean is it crazy I could be falling so hard for a guy who hasn’t even tried to put the moves on me once?”

I was confused by Seth.
 He was a man that could make me feel so wanted and desirable in one moment yet so vulnerable and unsure of myself in the next.

“No, it
’s great he isn’t pressuring you for sex. Now, for tonight.”

“Yes, this is an insane idea.”

“You will have fun, and if he doesn’t jump your bones after tonight, he’s gay.”

We both cracked up laughing when she said that.
 If there was one thing we were both sure of, it was that Seth was far from gay.

She walked over to her nightstand and pulled out her box of condoms. “Here,” she said.

“Macy!”

“What, it
’s what you’re after right? You aren’t on the pill, and even if you were, you still don’t know where he’s been. I’m going to spend the night at Mitch’s, so you two will have the house to yourself.”

She was right. I took the box, handling it like it was going to bite me.
 
I can do this. I can do this.
I almost had myself convinced until the doorbell rang. My knees got weak, the butterflies started in my stomach, and I didn’t want to leave the room.

“Do you want me to get it?” she asked.
 

I took a deep breath.
 
Time to put on my big girl panties and take charge for a change.

“No.
 I got it.” 

Macy stopped me and took the condoms out of my hand. Just that quickly I
’d forgotten about them. I would have been horrified to answer the door holding a box of condoms.

“Thanks.”

Chapter 20

I was at a loss for words when Calida opened the door. She wore a black leather corset top that accentuated her slender waist, but it drew your eyes directly to her breasts because it stopped directly below them, pushing them up. The sheer purple shirt she wore beneath it left very little to the imagination; I could easily see the darker purple lace bra she wore underneath. Once my eyes traveled down, I took notice of the tight black pants and knee-high boots. My eyes finally made it back up to her face, the slight color in her cheeks let me know this outfit was not of her choosing.

“You look…” I was actually at a loss for words.

The most mischievous smile spread across Calida
’s face. I had apparently given her the reaction she was looking for. I glanced past her and saw Macy watching me with a dubious look on her face. I let a smile spread across my face as I addressed her.

“How are you this evening, Macy?”

“I’m fine,” she replied with a tight smile.

I returned my attention to Calida.
 “Shall we get going?”

“Yes.
 Night, Macy.”

“Have fun, and be safe,” she called out. Something in the way she said that last word made me turn and look at her before exiting.

“Is Macy feeling okay?” I asked once we were in the car.

“Yeah, why?” she answered, handing me the address to plug into the GPS.

“No reason. So, where are we going?” I inquired after we’d gotten on the road.

“Why, don
’t you trust me?” She couldn’t help but to smile when she gave me the same answer I’d given her on our first date.

“No, not at all,” I replied, returning her smile. “For all I know, you could be planning to kidnap me and do all sorts of devilish things to me.”

She turned and looked at me shocked for a moment but quickly recovered. “Well, maybe that was my plan, but you messed it up.”

“I did?”

“Yes, since I asked you out, I really should’ve been the one to pick you up.”

“You don
’t have a car. How would you manage that?”

“I don
’t have a car, but I can drive. I think…”

“You think what?” I prompted.

She hesitated before speaking, looking out the window as she thought over whether she wanted to continue this conversation.

“You know where I live, where I work. Is there some reason you don
’t want me to know where you live?” Calida tried to keep the playful tone in her voice, but there was a hint of seriousness to her as well.

“Why would you think that?”

“Maybe because you’ve never taken me there or invited me over. Some mystery is sexy, too much and it can give a girl doubts and concerns.”

“We wouldn
’t want that. What concerns do you have?” I asked, looking at her briefly.

Again Calida seemed unsure in her pursuit of the conversation.

“Are you married?” she asked finally.

She
’d been dropping hints since before the holiday, but now she’d finally asked me directly.

“Is that all?”

“Isn’t that enough?”

You have arrived
, chimed the GPS. I pulled into the side parking lot beside a nondescript looking building with large graffiti murals on the wall in the Little Five Points area. There was no signage to indicate what it was. The look on her face confirmed what I’d suspected since she’d opened the door. This night was not her idea but the friend’s.

“What kind of art show are we going to?”

“Um…erotic art,” she replied, turning red instantly. “Maybe we should go. I’ll buy you dinner instead.”