Scarred Beauty (4 page)

“Look, can I just come out and ask for this
favour no matter how stupid it sounds?” Brad asked.

“I’m waiting.” Very few men would talk to him
with a frustrated tone. Isaac found Brad’s approach amusing.

“For one night will you play at being an
escort?”

He saw the other man was serious and burst out
laughing. Isaac Welch was a multi-billionaire businessman. He didn’t pretend at
being anything.

“I’m being serious. Noelle means a great deal to
me, but she’s had one bad experience and keeps herself away from any chance of
pain. For one night all I ask is you sit, talk, and cuddle a little. I don’t
know, but let her down slowly and leave. She needs this, and I’m willing to
provide it for her.”

Sitting back in his seat, Isaac thought about
the offer.

“How do you know she won’t know who I am?” he
asked. Everyone in the world knew who he was. Being in the social pages was an
everyday occurrence to him.
 

“She doesn’t. None of the papers get into the
apartment, and wealth means shit to her. She wouldn’t know who you are. Just
don’t say your name is Welch, and she’ll have no clue as to who you are.”

Isaac didn’t know what was worse, the suggestion
his brother had made or the fact he was considering it.
 

Shaking his head in denial, he said, “The whole
thing is ludicrous and unfair. You shouldn’t be doing this to a woman you care
about.”

“It is because I care that I’m asking the only
person who I feel I can trust. There is no one else in this world that I know
besides ex-abusers like me. You’re older. You’ll care.”

That was where he was wrong. Isaac felt like he
didn’t care for much anymore.

“You are asking me to go and take care of, maybe
even touch, a girl who’s younger than I and never had an experience with men.
Is she some kind of sainted virgin?”

Brad fumbled in his pocket, and Isaac saw the
other man pull out his wallet. “This is the girl you’re mocking. She’s the one
who pulled me out of the gutter when she was seventeen. She’s my best friend.
No one wants to date her because of that scar on her face. You can’t see it
properly because she wears her hair down one side of her face most times.”

Isaac took the wallet and stared at the photo.
One side of her face was covered, but the other side he saw the beauty in her
features. Her hair was a luscious blonde. The shot was only of the head, and he
couldn’t get a good view of the rest of her body. To him, she looked incredibly
beautiful. He felt a pull inside him to know more about her. The feelings the
single shot provoked within him surprised him. No woman had ever made him feel
so possessive or in need to know more about a person.

“How do you intend to set up something like
this?” he asked.

“Let me deal with that. Are you in?”

Taking another look down at the picture in his
hand, Isaac knew in his gut turning Brad down was the wrong thing to do. He
wanted to know Noelle even for just a night. Getting away from being Isaac
Welch would make for an interesting few hours.

“I’ll do it.” He handed the wallet back and
listened as Brad talked about the arrangements.

Chapter Four

The days passed, and Noelle felt lonelier than
ever before. Brad spent a great deal of time out of the apartment. Winter was
taking its grip on the city, which meant her outings were become few and far
between. The dark nights were usually her favourite time of the day. She could
take long walks and never have to worry about the stares and sniggers of men,
women, and children.

Her painting grew more fierce and passionate as
she began to crave the unknown more and more. She found herself searching the
internet looking for an outlet, trying to find something or someone to see past
her deformity. The desperation inside her was more than she could stand.

All she wanted was to feel close to someone. She
sat by the window looking out at the cold and frosty city one morning. The sun
was rising up, and in the first few moments she imagined her reflection in the
window. For only a few minutes she would look at her face. The scar would dominate
one side while the other would be as pale and clear as could be. Two sides to a
coin. She had two different faces. The light burst out, and her reflection was
gone. And she had not looked at it. A tear escaped from her eye. She rubbed the
salty tear away as she heard Brad moving around. He would make a scene and stay
at home if he knew her thought process.

“Morning, honey. Did you sleep well?” he asked
the moment he came out of his room. She nodded her head and continued to watch
the day go by. “Your dad phoned the other day. Said he left a message for you
to call back.”

She nodded her head without making a single
sound. In three weeks’ time her dad would be phoning constantly. In three
weeks’ time it would be eleven years since the car accident which had rendered
her a mess. She’d been in the hospital for months, the pain of the surgery
excruciating.

Her face wasn’t the only part that still had the
scars. Other parts of her body held small white lines from the collision.

Every year without fail her dad would try to get
her to visit him and the family, and for the past two years she’d refused.

She felt Brad move up close behind her. He
reached out and stroked her hair back from her head. “Tell me what’s going on
in that mind of yours?” he asked.

“Nothing. Just thinking thoughts.”

“No hair colour change this week?”

“No. I rather like the deep red colour. I might
keep it this way for some time.”

“You’ve got to get out some more,” he said.

“Brad, don’t start. I’m fine. I’m going to go
and paint. I’ll see you later.” She got up from her seat, walked to her studio
and closed the door. In one action she closed everything out and was alone once
more. She pulled the painting she’d been working on off the easel. Pulling up
another canvas, she set her studio up and began to paint the reflection of
herself she’d seen in the window.
 

****

Brad knew he shouldn’t interfere. He set his
laptop up and made all the preparations for the contact information. He’d
warned Isaac ahead of time what he planned to do. The contact information was
for Isaac’s personal phone. She would be able to find all the contact details.

He glanced behind him at the studio door. For
the past two weeks she’d become withdrawn, rarely speaking or spending any time
with him when he did make it home. He could only imagine what she was going
through.

Closing his eyes he debated doing what he was
about to do. He should just talk to her about what she wanted, but he knew she
would never be truly open with him about this subject. Isaac had promised him
he would be the utmost of gentlemen.

Opening his eyes, Brad set the laptop up and
made the account visible. Seconds later, he left the apartment.

He took his phone out of his pocket and made the
call.

“Hello,” Isaac said as he answered the phone.

“Everything is set up. She may call today.”

“Okay. I’ll let you know what happens.”

They ended the call, and Brad made his way to
Ben. He owned a club in the centre of city. It was the only place Brad could be
near him without being thrown out. Ben was ten years older than he.

The club he owned catered during the day and
night. He took a seat at the back of the bar and waited for the waitress to
serve him some coffee. Brad couldn’t see Ben but he sat back and waited for him
to show.
 

He saw Ben the moment he entered the bar. Ben
was larger than most men and he looked like a bouncer rather than the owner.
Brad felt his palms grow sweaty as the bartender pointed in his direction and
Ben turned his blue eyes on him.

Brad sipped at his drink as Ben made his way
over to him. His heart pounded inside his chest.

“What are you doing here?” Ben asked.

“I’m having a drink.” He felt so clumsy in front
of this man. The memories he held of him were so few but he knew he’d fucked up
any chance at a relationship.

The addictions had begun in his teen years. He’d
find the alcohol in his dad’s stash. The drinking helped ease the pain of his
situation. The drugs were easy to come by. The school his parents sent him to
could get anything. Then at the weekends he would use a fake identity to get
into casinos. The lifestyle his mother wanted had brought him nothing but
problems. They never took the time with him as they did with the other children
they had together. In fact, they treated him as if he brought shame to the
family, an outsider forever looking in on what he couldn’t have.

“You’re not supposed to be here. The drink is
too much of a risk for you.”

“I’m drinking coffee. I’ve not touched a drop of
alcohol in three years.”

“And the drugs?”

“Two years. I’m on the straight and narrow. I
swear.”

Ben stared at him for several moments. He felt
the stain of embarrassment blush his cheeks. The years of being on substances
had made him forget what he’d done to this man. Ben wanted nothing to do with
him. He couldn’t live life without knowing what he’d done and if there was some
way for him to make amends.

“What did I do? Why do you hate me so much?”
Brad asked.

“I haven’t got time for this, Brad. Finish your
coffee and then leave. I’ve got a business to run.”

Brad watched him disappear through some double
doors. His hands were shaking and he left his coffee unfinished. He took a
couple of notes out of his wallet to pay for the coffee and to tip the waitress
before he left.

Out on the street, Brad began to walk without
looking where he was going. He needed to clear his head from the riot of
thoughts running through his head.
 

****

Noelle pulled out of her trance just after lunch
time. She ignored the phone as it rang. She had stuff that was far more
important for her to do. Staring at herself in the portrait she left it to dry.

Opening the studio door she went to the phone
and saw three messages waiting for her. She clicked the button for her to hear
them.

“
Hiya,
honey. I know I keep calling, but your mum and I were wondering if you’d be
able to make it down to us? It has been a couple years since we last saw you,
and we don’t want to keep sending you cards. Call me. Dad.”

She deleted the message. Brad would force her to
phone them if he knew they’d gotten in touch.

“Sorry,
it’s me again. Please call. I know you don’t want to, but I want to hear your
voice. I love you baby, and I’m so sorry about what happened.”

“You’re so sorry, but it doesn’t stop you having
a fucking drink, you bastard.” She deleted the next few messages when she heard
the voice of her dad. Feeling angry and hurt at the way he was trying to blame
her, she went to the kitchen and pulled two brownies out of the batch she’d
made the night before.

Her hips would be protesting at the added
calories, but she didn’t care. Chocolate brownies were one of her few pleasures
in the world. She moaned as the gooey chocolate coated her taste buds. The
flavour was addictive. She took another brownie from the tub before grabbing
herself a glass of milk.

She noted Brad’s laptop set up on the table.
Frowning, she moved closer to see if he was waiting for anything. It was unlike
him to leave it lying around. She sat down and began hunting around like she
did last time. A page kept popping up which dominated the rest. The page was
for the exclusive company of a male escort. There was no picture just some
information about his service, payment details and a phone number. Staring at
the screen for the longest time, she debated her options.

Option one, she could go to a bar and try and
pick a drunken man up and hope he would treat her right. Option two, she could
phone this guy, pay the money and try to experience something besides overall
disgust. Moving away, she grabbed the phone.

Twice she phoned the number and put it down
before it could ring. On the third time a man picked up, and terrified, she put
the phone down. On the fourth ring, she let him pick up.

“Hello,” he said.

She didn’t have a clue as to what to say.

“Hello,” he said again.

From his voice alone she knew he was sexy.

“If this is a prank call....”

“No. It’s not. I’m so sorry. I’ve never done
this before.” Noelle gasped and placed a hand in front of her mouth. She wished
she could take the words back.

“Many people haven’t phoned this number. May I
ask who is calling?” His voice dripped with charm.

Closing her eyes, her heart raced as her body
became instantly alert to the man on the phone. Brad never made her feel this
way.

“I don’t know why I was calling. It’s a stupid
reason. I’m really sorry to bother you.”