Fiendish: A Twisted Fairytale (28 page)

“Oh, um, no I can borrow my roommate
’s car,” I said quickly.

“Nonsense.
 I’ll pick you up. It starts around seven, so I will be by to get you around six-ten, six-fifteen.”

I didn
’t want him picking me up, but I didn’t think there was going to be any way to talk him out of it. I knew he knew where I lived, but him coming to pick me up and us arriving together seemed too much like a date and not the business gathering I was hoping it would be.

“Okay. Do I need to go see Marco, or is this a more casual event?”

Patrick gave me a glance over while he thought about my question. “I think I can trust you to dress yourself for this event.”

The insult was subtle but still there. I did a slow exhale, trying not to let it bother me, while I waited for him to continue. When I realized he was done, I quietly excused myself.
 I was thankful when five o’clock rolled around. Seeing Seth waiting for me instantly brought a smile to my lips, making me forget about the long day I’d just had.

“Hey,”
 I said, tucking my hair behind my ear. 

Seth gave me a smile as he put his hands around my waist pulling me to him. “I
’ve been waiting all day to do this,” he whispered before kissing me.

The feel of his lips on mine took my breath away.
 Everything melted away, and it was simply us. When he pulled away, I blushed remembering I was at work. Kerrin or Patrick could have walked out to see us. I remembered how pissed Patrick was to see me with Seth the night of the auction. I didn’t want him going back to giving me a harder time, so I smiled and took a small step back.

“Maybe you should get a hobby to occupy your time during the day.”

“Or, maybe you should quit your job and always be available for me when I want you,” he countered as he opened the door for me. 

I laughed a little, but when I looked at him, I didn
’t see any humor on his face.

“What would you like to do when you come over this weekend?” he asked, pulling out of the parking lot into traffic.

“I didn’t know I was coming over.”

“Of course you are,” he replied, bringing my hand to his lips.

“I would love to, but I can’t.”

Seth dropped my hand before giving me a sideway glance “What do you mean you can
’t?”

The change in his tone and demeanor was sudden and a little unsettling.

“Well, I have to…I mean today Patrick told me we have an event to attend Friday. And on…”

“Tell him you aren
’t going,” he said, cutting me off before I could tell him about the rest of my weekend plans.

“I can
’t tell him I’m not going. He’s my boss; it’s my job,” I replied, confused by his attitude.

“Your job?
 Funny, I thought you were a secretary not an escort.”

I was so shocked by his statement I didn
’t know how to respond. In all the time we’d spent together, he’d never said anything so callous. I turned to look out the window. Patrick had insulted me enough for one day; I didn’t need Seth to add to it.

“You know that part of my job entails attending events with him on occasion; for networking.”
 I spoke while still looking out of the window.

“Networking?
 Is that what he calls it?” he retorted sarcastically.  

I was dumbfounded over his unexpected hostility. We didn
’t talk for the remainder of the drive. He’d barely put the car in park before I attempted to get out. I was hurt and angry over his rudeness and implications.

“Calida, wait,” Seth said, grabbing my arm.

“Let go, Seth. It’s been a long day, and I’m tired.” I tried to free my wrist, but his grip held strong.

“We
’re not done talking.”

“Really?
 I thought the conversation was over. You’ve called me a prostitute and implied I’m sleeping with my boss. Do you have more insults to add? If not, let go of my arm so I can go home.” 

I met his hard gaze, and as much as I
’d hoped the anger I felt was reflected on my face, I knew what he saw was the hurt because his face softened.

“I shouldn
’t have said those things to you.”

“But you did.”

“I know. I remember how he looked at you that night at the High. He was a man with more than business on his mind. You were very uncomfortable with his looks and his advances. I didn’t want you to go through that again.” 

I cringed, thinking about that night.
 Seth was right in his observations about Patrick’s behavior.

“That doesn
’t give you the right to talk to me like that. It was rude and hurtful,” I said, feeling some of the anger drain away.

“I know, and I apologize.
 I should never have spoken to you like that. Will you forgive me?” he asked, bringing my hand to his lips.

“Will you unlock the door please?”
 I asked, trying to ignore the shiver that ran down my spine from his touch. 

He hesitated briefly before finally unlocking the door. Seth walked around to open my door, but instead of letting me go into the house, he pinned me against the car.
 The heat of his body was hard to ignore, even in the cool February air. I tried not to inhale too deeply, but it didn’t matter because his smell engulfed me, drawing me towards him.

“What are you doing?”

“Waiting on you to say you forgive me,” he replied, leaning close to my face, the whiskers of his beard brushing lightly across my cheek

“Seth, can we just drop this please?”
 I asked, pushing against his chest trying to gain my freedom.

“No,” he replied, using more of his body weight to keep me in place.
 “I need to know that you forgive me. I don’t trust your boss, but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.” He looked at me, and I saw the sincerity in his eyes

“Do you really think so little of me that you think I would sleep with my boss?”

“No, it’s not my opinion of you that is low. It’s my opinion of him. I know men like him, ones that stop at nothing to get what they want.”

“So you think I would crack under the pressure?”

“I don’t think he would play fair, which could put you in a very compromising situation.”

“That won
’t happen,” I said although I didn’t believe that entirely. “This is a housewarming, business only.”

“How can you be certain?”
 he pressed.

I had a track record of caving and letting people manipulate me into getting what they wanted.
 I was that way with Paul, and even my own sister would take advantage of me. My need to please people and desire to avoid confrontation had always been my weakness.
Would I be able to stand my ground again with Patrick if it came to that?
Last time I had the safety of the limo, another option on getting home, but this time he was picking me up.
What if he didn’t bring me back home first? What if he insisted I come up?
He couldn’t make me come up. I could always call Macy or take Marta home, and if I was fired, I would be fired. This move was about me becoming someone different, someone stronger.

“Because I have more respect for myself than to do something like that,”
 I replied, feeling triumphant with my response. “Now can we drop this?” I asked, pushing against him again.

“No, you still have to say three little words to me.”
 

I was confused for a moment. Surely he wasn
’t asking what I thought. I could see myself heading that direction, but I didn’t think he had those same sentiments. I blushed when it dawned on me what he was waiting for. 
How could I have gone off in such a different direction?

“Of course I forgive you.
 I’m sorry for overreacting like I did.”

“Thank you.
 Now I can sleep well tonight.”

“Well, I
’m glad I could give you that peace of mind. I would feel terrible if you were unable to get your necessary beauty sleep,” I replied teasingly.

“Ha-ha, Ms. Alexander.
 You’re so funny,” he said, taking my hand. “So,” he continued as we walked towards my house. “What are you doing with the rest of your weekend that keeps you from spending it with me?”

“Stripping wallpaper.
 Finally starting on the remodel of the main room of the house,” I replied, digging into my purse for my keys.

“Why don
’t you hire someone? Wouldn’t it be quicker and easier that way?” he asked when we got in the house.

I tossed my keys and purse on the table then took off my coat and hung it on the coatrack.

“Yes, it probably would be quicker and easier, but I don’t exactly have the trust fund you do. So simply hiring someone isn’t as practical for me. Besides this is what I want to do for a living, so I don’t mind doing the work. Although, Macy would be more inclined to agree with your way of doing things,” I added, laughing, remembering how much she complained when we did my room.

“Would you like some help?”

“Really?” I asked skeptically. “I didn’t realize you knew how to get your hands dirty.

“You
’d be surprised at the things these hands can do.”

I blushed as I recalled the skillful things those hands did to me last weekend.
 As if reading my mind, Seth started leading me to my room.

“Would you like another demonstration?”

I was amazed at how easily he could turn my mind to mush and my body into a blazing inferno. I quickly got lost in the feelings he evoked in me and was on the verge of landing myself in the same predicament from last weekend.

“Seth
wait,” I said, trying to regain control of my thoughts. He made quick work of removing my shirt and had moved on to my pants. “We need…I need to tell you something.”

“I
’m listening,” he replied. His hands traveled south while his mouth teased my neck with kisses.

“I…we…need…” I lost my train of thought when his hand reached its destination.
 “Oh yes,” I moaned, moving my hips in sync with his hand.

 
The feelings of pleasure continued to build as his lips found mine, kissing me passionately just as my orgasm hit. I was still riding out the waves of my orgasm when he thrust forward, giving me no chance to regain my thoughts. He truly was skillful because I wasn’t even aware that he’d worked himself free of his pants. I do remember my hands pulling to get his shirt over his head.  The little voice in the back of my mind was screaming out, but the pleas of reasoning were drowned out by the loud waves of pleasure coursing through me. Seth gripped my leg, lifting it around his waist, moving his hips faster. He filled me to capacity, and each stroke drove me closer to the edge. Everything in that moment felt so right, and when we climaxed almost in sync, nothing else mattered.

“Shit,” I muttered once my head was clear.

“Problem?” Seth asked, rolling on his side to look at me.

“Yes…well, no.
 Maybe.”  I sat up to face him. “I was trying to tell you before, well before we did this, that I’m not on anything.”

“I
’m not following you.”

“Before last weekend, I hadn
’t had sex in years, so I’m not on any form of birth control, and we weren’t
careful
. Don’t worry, I took care of it, but we can’t keep doing this without precautions.”

Seth sat up on the bed, wearing a look of displeasure again.
 The hard look on his face made me apprehensive.

“What do you mean you took care of it?”

“Well,” I said, swallowing hard “Af-after I realized what we’d done, I took a Plan B.” 

I chewed on my lip, anxiously waiting for him to say something.
 My level of distress increased as the expression on his face got darker.

“Why would you do that?” he snapped.

“What?” I asked, confused by his question.

“It
’s a simple question, Calida. How could you do something like that without talking to me first? You can’t just make a unilateral decision like that.”

Seth got off the bed and started to redress.
 I was too scared to move, so I covered myself with a pillow, using it was as a shield. I didn’t understand why he was so angry. He couldn’t really be okay with the possibility of an accidental pregnancy.
He couldn’t want that could he?

“Seth,”
 I said timidly. “I don’t understand what I did wrong. A baby right now wouldn’t be good for either of us right?” 

He turned to look at me, causing me to shrink back against my headboard.

“How do you not see what you did was wrong?” he asked, taking ahold of my wrists, yanking me forward. “You took it upon yourself to make a very permanent, very selfish choice that affects both of us. You don’t get to do that.” He wasn’t yelling, but he had a menacing undertone to his words that frightened me.