Society Girls: Matisse (17 page)

“Whoa,” Kendrick says when I answer his
knock on my door.

“You like it?” I ask, hoping he’ll say
no.

“I always like whatever you
wear, but I told you not to try and change for me, so I’m a little
confused. You’re not
you
right now.”

“I thought I would try to be ‘normal’
today.”

“Normal is overrated. I just want you to be
Matisse.”

“I know. It’s just for one night.”

“Do you want to change, because I really
don’t want you doing this for me.”

Yes, I do. “No. I’m going to have to blend
in for work, so practice is a good thing.”

“If you’re sure…”

“I am. Let’s go.”

“Where
are
we going, by the way?” he asks as
we get into the elevator.

“Cleo.”

“Yum.”

“You did not just say that.”

“I did. I’ll say it again. Yum. Yum, yum,
yum,” he jokes as we walk across the lobby, where the security guys
give us amused looks. “Ignore us gentlemen. We’ve switched
personalities for the night.”

We all burst out laughing, and I pull him to
me for a kiss while we ride in another elevator to the underground
garage. “Some things will never change,” I tell him as I grab his
cock through his pants.

“Thank God.”

The drive to the SLS is uneventful, and he
takes my hand when we walk inside. As the hostess takes us to our
seats at Cleo, I see Nate and Jade and roll my eyes at them.
Kendrick doesn’t notice them because he’s staring at the table in
front of us. Or rather, who’s sitting there.

“Mother, Father,
Klas
.”

“Hello, Kenyi. Long time no see.”

Kendrick drops my hand like I’ve burned him,
and steps forward. “Yes, it’s been some time. What a pleasant
surprise.”

He’s back in “uptight doctor mode” as he
walks forward to greet them. I stand awkwardly to the side, not
sure of what to say or do. He doesn’t seem interested in
introducing me to anyone, or even acknowledging my presence.

“Are you going to introduce
us to your
companion
?” Klas asks.

“Oh, yes. Of course. This is my colleague,
Matisse.”

What the ever loving fuck did he just call
me? I struggle for that training of mine again as Klas smirks at
me. “She told us earlier that she’s your girlfriend.”

“Earlier?”

“They came to Corrigan looking for you and
Waverly. I was in the lobby.”

“You should’ve told me you met my parents,”
he says, his tone ice cold to match the way he’s looking at me.

“They said we should surprise you.” Why is
this even a big deal? And why the hell is he denying who I am?

“Care to clear up the confusion about your
relationship?” his mother asks.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he says, breaking
my heart. “If you saw her earlier, you know that.”

“Excuse me?” I can’t keep my mouth shut,
especially when he was just telling me to be myself.

“Yes, I told her I was skeptical. If you’re
going to have a side woman, you need to choose more carefully. Her
appearance earlier was an insult to Waverly,” his father says.

Side woman? What the ever loving fuck? “How
would I be an insult to Waverly?”

“Any woman a wife allows on the side must be
of her same caliber, or at least not so far below it,” his mother
tells me.

“Wife?” I ask, grabbing onto the back of the
chair in front of me as I feel faint.

“Yes. Kendrick and Waverly have been engaged
for many years now. They’ve had their fun, but it’s time for them
to return home. A beautiful wedding has been planned for them.”

I look at Kendrick, but he won’t look at me.
He’s getting married to Waverly? I asked them both over and over
again if there was anything going on between them, and they
insisted there wasn’t.

“I think it’s time for me to go.”

“That would probably be wise. Shall we give
you cab fare?” his father asks.

“No, you shall not.”

I turn and manage to hold my head high as I
walk out of the restaurant. Jade is at my side before I reach the
door. “Nate’s paying our bill. I’ll get our car, okay?”

“I’m okay.”

“No you’re not, and you don’t have to be. I
was close enough to hear that, and I don’t know what’s going on,
but there will be Hell to pay for this, Matisse. Do not doubt that
Kendrick and Waverly will both be doing some explaining
tomorrow.”

“I just want to forget I ever met him,” I
say as we wait for their car to be brought around.

“Ainsley could wipe your mind, but you don’t
really want that. Our experiences are what make us who we are.”

“Kendrick is the second guy I’ve fallen for
who’s already had someone else he’s committed to. I could’ve lived
without experiencing that a second time.”

“I’m not going to defend him because what
went down in there was ugly—and Lord knows, I’ll be keeping Aiden
from killing him—but there’s something wrong with all of this,”
Nate says, coming outside to wait with us. “I have never once got a
vibe from him or Waverly that they were into each other like that,
and he’s never so much as looked at another woman when we’ve been
out.”

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore right
now. I just want to go home. Please.”

“We’ve got you, Matisse. We’ll get you
home,” Jade assures me.

She climbs in the backseat with me, and
holds me as I cry. I see her typing on her phone, so I’m not
surprised to see Stella and Reina waiting in the lobby for us when
we get back to the building. When Aiden comes stalking out of the
elevator, I’m expecting that, too. What I don’t expect is to see
Waverly coming out of the game room.

“Hey everyone, what’s going on?” she
asks.

“Waverly, I need you to go to your
apartment, and stay there. Until I can speak to you and Kendrick,
you will not be allowed outside of this building. Do you
understand?”

“No, Reina, I don’t.”

“Events occurred tonight
which made your true relationship with Kendrick come to light. You
both lied to not only me, but also Matisse, and that is not
acceptable. I am not sure what the consequences for you will be,
but you
will
be
dealt with.”

“I thought you’d understand, Matisse,” she
says to me in an accusing tone. “How can you not understand?”

I look away instead of answering her. I
can’t look at her right now. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to
look at her or Kendrick again. They’re both great at their jobs,
and I don’t want either of them fired, but how can I see them every
day at Corrigan?

* * *

Kendrick

“I was hurt when I found out you changed
your name, Kenyi,” my mother tells me.

“It was easier to Americanize it,” I lie.
Well, it’s not a complete lie, but it’s not the whole truth,
either. I needed to remember who I was, but I wanted to forget the
life I had been forced to live.

“I’m a little concerned about Matisse,” Klas
tells me. “When I let you keep Waverly, it was because you insisted
you were in love with her, and said you wanted to marry her.”

What I want is to kill this man with my bare
hands, but now that I know who to look for, I see them. He has men
and women all over this restaurant. I won’t risk the people here
just to mete out my revenge.

“Matisse was just a diversion.”

The lie is bitter on my tongue. I’m trying
to save my best friend tonight, but I sacrificed the woman I love
to do it. I’m on my chosen path, and I can’t deviate from it; and
although I know it’s not possible, I’m sure my heart shattered in
my chest when I denied Matisse.

“Where is Waverly?”

“She’s at home in her apartment right
now.”

“I need to see her.”

“You’ll see her when we come home for the
wedding.”

“She is my property, and I need to make sure
she is well cared for. You have been missing for three years now,
and it was only by luck that we found you. A small picture in a
local newspaper, in case you’re wondering.” I was, but I’ll never
let him know it. “I also need to decide if I am going to abide by
our arrangement.”

I want to shout out that she doesn’t belong
to him, but that will make things worse right now. “I paid you, and
she is mine now. There is no reason for you to see her.”

“You are protesting entirely too hard,
Kenyi. I want to see her tomorrow night at the latest.”

“You don’t dictate
anything
to me.” I tried
to remain calm, but I won’t let this happen. He’s going to try and
take her, and I’ll die before he does.

“Be reasonable, Kenyi,” my father says.
“Klas has every right to make sure you’re taking care of Waverly.
She was his most sought after trainee, and he was being very
gracious when he allowed you to purchase her.”

“Yes, you were very lucky,” my mother
agrees.

How am I related to these people? I need to
get out of here now. “Fine. You can come to our apartment building
for dinner. We have a nice private dining room there, where a
world-class chef will serve us.” At least I hope she will.

“Why not your apartment? Or hers?”

“If dinner goes well, we can go upstairs
after for a nightcap.”

“Very well. We will see you tomorrow.”

I get up and walk out, even though I want to
run. I need to get to Waverly, and I need to talk to Reina. I can’t
even think of how to fix things with Matisse right now, so I’ve got
to just hope that once I’m able to explain everything, she’ll
understand that I needed to protect Waverly more than I needed to
claim her.

When I get home, the guards in the lobby
won’t let me on the elevator. I’m not completely surprised, but
this is going to complicate things. I can’t be separated from
Waverly yet, because she needs to know what’s going on. The threat
to her is real, and we need to make a plan in case Reina refuses to
help us.

Matt is with Reina when she walks out of the
elevator. “Is Waverly here? Please tell me she’s here,” I say,
because I just realized that maybe she went out, and she’s not safe
out there.

“Bad form, dude,” Matt tells me.

“What?”

“Why aren’t you asking about Matisse? I let
you go after her, and you made me a promise not to hurt her,” Reina
reminds me.

“In the choice between Waverly’s life and
Matisse’s heart, I had to choose life.”

“You’re going to need to explain what
exactly is going on. If Waverly is truly in danger, I will protect
her, you know I will. But I need to know what I’m up against.”

“You’re up against the biggest human
trafficker in Africa. The man who buys little girls and boys, and
trains them to not only be sex slaves, but to be assassins and
bodyguards as well. He once owned Waverly, but my parents ‘rented’
her as my bodyguard and companion when I was 11, and I bought her
outright when I was 18. I will not allow him to have her back.”

“Nor will I, Kendrick, if what you say is
true.”

“I swear it is.”

“We need a plan.”

“I have one.”

Matisse

I stayed away from Corrigan today, but I
wasn’t going to give up my shift at the tattoo parlor. My friends
were tiptoeing around me this morning when I saw them, and Reina
just told me she knew I’d be okay. I don’t know how she thinks that
after what went down, but I want to believe her.

I had four appointments today, doing more
intricate work than I’ve done before. It makes me proud to know
Zane believes I’m ready for this after only a few months of working
with him. I knew the basics before I got here, but I couldn’t have
done anything like this. He’s a great teacher and a good
friend.

As I step outside, the heat instantly hits
me. The sun is still out, even though it’s early evening, and it’s
hotter right now than it was when I got here hours ago. I probably
shouldn’t have worn these tight, black leather pants, but I wanted
to look badass, even though I don’t feel that way. At least my
shirt is sheer in the back; although, it’s sticking to me right
now. Inside it was nice and cool, so I was comfortable. Oh well,
I’ll be to my car soon.

My spiked and chained black heeled boots
make noise as I walk down the street. I turn the corner, and stop
short. Klas is leaning against the wall next to my car. I ignore
him as I walk to it, but I’m so focused on him that I don’t see the
other threat in my peripheral vision until it’s too late. I feel a
jab in my arm, and I pretend to fall.

Whatever I was injected
with won’t affect me, because Audrey has already injected me, and
everyone else, with chemicals that make us immune to almost
everything. But if I let them see me unaffected, it will be worse
for me. I’m not skilled enough to take on four people alone, and
since that’s how many pairs of shoes I see, I close my eyes, and
fall back on my training again.
Literally
.

* * *

Kendrick

This plan is going to work because it has
to. Reina, Tegan, Stella, and Ainsley took the plan I had and
improved on it. I spent most of the night, and all of the morning
with them, making sure it was as foolproof as possible. Because
we’ll be in this building, we have advantages that Klas can’t even
think of, and I’m pretty sure we’ll need most of them.

Right now, I need to talk to Waverly. Reina
told me she confined her to her apartment, and I know she has to be
going crazy. I couldn’t waste any time going to see her when we
were working on the plan, because that was more important.

That’s all my life has been reduced to at
the moment—choosing which of the options I’m presented with is more
important. I’ve already lost Matisse, and I can’t lose Waverly,
too. She needs to know what’s going on, and how we’re planning to
end this all tonight.