Stephan (13 page)

“Sure, if the girls want to go.”

I didn’t want to go to the movies in Sydney
or out for dinner. I debated arguing for a moment, but thought
better of it when I looked at Stephan. He looked sad. I’d never
seen him look like that. Guilt assaulted me and my heart sank. I
shouldn’t be such a bitch to him. Going to him, I wrapped my arms
around his waist and rested my head on him. He stilled and my
heartbeat followed. Had I pushed him too far? If my legs didn’t
hurt still I’d go up on my tiptoes and kiss him.

“I want to go.” I gazed up at him and smiled.
“It sounds good. I haven’t been to the movies in ages.”

Stephan’s arms came around me and I sighed. I
loved when he hugged me. For a moment there I thought he wouldn’t
do it. I needed to show him I liked him.

So now Cassie and I sat eating brunch in the
kitchen waiting for Evelin to wake up and take us Sydney. I had a
great girls’ night, and as much as I loved the silence and Stephan
not hovering, I missed him.

*****

Stephan

I felt like shit. Beer, shots of tequila and
whisky don’t go together. I may have drank a little harder each
time one of the guys called me pussy whipped or a accused me of my
balls being in a jar, but I outdrank all of them and was still
standing when they passed out so I was proud of that.

Groaning, I cracked an eye open to see I was
in the apartment lounge room. Opening my other eye I looked around
to see bodies everywhere. I sat up only to freak when arms fell
from my naked chest. “Fuck. Shit.”

Searching the room for Derick, I winced at
all the naked women. I racked my brain to remember what happened
and prayed I hadn’t fucked up. The woman who’d been hugging me sat
up, her bare breasts out for all to see.

“You’re awake.” She stood only wearing a red
G-string. “Let’s go have some fun.”

I backed away. Shit I needed to know what
happened last night. I glanced at my watch and I felt my whole body
turn cold. It was eleven thirty. I ignored the chick in front of me
and went sifting through naked bodies. “Derick! Derick, wake your
arse up now. I need everyone out like an hour ago. Derick.”

A loud moan in the bedroom direction had me
following the noise. Derick had made it to a bed but he was far
from alone. I needed help and was freaking out about what I woke
to. I leaned over the naked woman and shook my brother. “Wake the
fuck up now. We have, if we are lucky, an hour to get everyone out,
showered, and ready for Mum, Jade, and Cassie.”

Derick groaned and pushed my hands off him.
“You do it. You invited them back.”

Feeling sick to my stomach, I dug deep into
my pockets, I needed answers and I needed them now. I hoped Brand
and his team knew what happened.

“Hey, kid. How you feeling?”

“You tell me. Who was on me and Derick last
night?”

Brand chuckled. “Unfortunately not me. I’m
driving your mother, Cassie, and your girl to you now.”

“Fuck, fuck, fuck. How far are you away?”

“About half an hour.”

“Mother fucker. I need you to stall. I need
to know who was on me and Derick last night.”

“I’ll try the first. And David, Royce, and
Owen. Heard you had a good tim—” I hung up. I had no time for
chitchat.

I went back out to the lounge room and
yelled, “Up, everyone up. Get your shit and get out.”

There was no way I’d call Royce, he was all
morals and would make me feel worse than I already felt. Owen was
my best bet. I dialed and waited. I heard ringing and followed it
to see a sleeping Owen against the window. Shaking the big guy, he
shot up ready for action. “Sleeping on the job?”

“Kid. David took over. You insisted I join.
Boy can you put your liquor away.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and rolled my
eyes. I didn’t have time for this shit. “You’re back on duty now. I
need everyone out. Brand told me mum, my girl, and Cassie are on
the way.”

“Shit, kid, you’re in deep.”

I flinched. He didn’t mean I cheated on Jade,
did he? I wouldn’t cheat on her would I? “Owen, did I…did I, you
know, with someone?”

The wanker smirked and stretched. So much for
employer and employee respect. “Did you what, Stephan?”

Crap. My heart sank and I looked around
needing to focus on something else. “I’ll ask later. We don’t have
time for this. We need them out now.”

“What’s up, Stephan?” I turned to see Brad in
boxers scratching his head.

Panic was setting in. If Jade saw this, I
knew any progress I made with her would vanish. “Hey, Brad. I need
them all out. I told the girls to meet me at lunchtime. I just
found out they’re half an hour away.”

“I’ll help.”

“Thanks.”

The woman who’d been against me when I awoke
came bounding over from the kitchen. “You’re back. Did you find
your brother?” She trailed her fingers down my bare chest. I
grabbed her hands. “Are you ready to have some fun? Let’s go, bad
boy.”

“No. I need you dressed and out of here.”

She pouted and I shook my head at the
unattractive gesture. “I can come back later?”

Owen laughed and I shot him a glare. “Aren’t
you my bodyguard?”

He shrugged. “You don’t look like you need me
now.”

Growling in frustration, I flung the girl
back. “No. I don’t want you to come back later. I want you gone
now.”

Brad grabbed her. “Linda, he turned you down
all night, he’s not gonna change his mind.”

Linda pouted up at Brad. “I’ve played with
him before.”

Ha, I played with women, not the other way
round. I turned ignoring her and let Brad deal with her. I was glad
I’d turned her down even in my drunken state.

“That answer your question, kid? You didn’t
cheat on your girl. I can tell you that we stopped you calling Jade
about a million times. I believe Scott confiscated your phone for a
while when you were going to send her a picture of every woman you
turned down.”

I winced and reminded myself to thank Scott,
I owed him big time.

“Come on, let’s get everyone out.”

*****

Jade, Cassie, and my mum arrived just as we’d
all finished showering. I came out to great them with a towel
wrapped around my waist. “Hi. We’re all awake now and not feeling
so groggy.”

My mum shook her head, she wasn’t fooled.
Cassie was too busy staring at him. Jade surprised me by coming to
me and wrapping her arms around my waist. “I hope you had fun.
You’ve been cooped up with me for over a week looking after me. I’m
glad you got out.” She pressed her lips to my chest and kissed
it.

I stared down at her stunned. Had I finally
gotten somewhere? Leaning down, I tilted her head up and kissed
her. Jade didn’t fight, instead she moved her good arm up to hold
me to her and kissed me back. My heart soared and I basked in the
feeling she wanted me too.

Easing away, I looked around to see my mum
and Cassie out on the balcony with Owen and Brad. My brother had
only gotten rid of the women in his bed not long before the girls
arrived. Scott and a couple of the other guys had done the same,
most of them deciding to go home, too tired to go out today.

“So did you have a good time? I had a great
girls’ night.”

Hugging her tight, I kissed her forehead. “I
had a great night, but I missed you.”

“Ha, you’re such I liar.” She shook her head
against him. “Let’s go outside. I want to see the view.”

Jade for once grabbed my arm and pulled me
toward the balcony. I happily followed feeling better than I could
ever remember. Jade was giving me chance.

*****

Jade

At the movies, Cassie and I were coming back
from the bathroom when I saw Stephan being approached by a
stunning, tall, blonde lady, she looked to be in her mid to late
twenties. She threw herself at him and kissed him. I stopped,
shocked at what I was seeing. I felt sick. My stomach clenched and
I didn’t think I was breathing.

“Get the fuck off me. What the fuck,
Linda?”

The woman I now knew was named Linda pouted
up at Stephan but didn’t unwrap her legs from him. “Babe, I missed
you. I’m so happy we ran into each other last night.” My heart
crumpled and I couldn’t help my gasp.

The woman purred. “I thought you’d call.” She
pouted again. “We had fun, babe. No one’s ever ridden me all
night.”

I cringed. I couldn’t stand ‘babe’ and the
whinny way the woman said it made me shudder.

“Linda, you knew the deal. I told you this
morning to leave me alone. You are nothing to me.” Stephan’s voice
was sharp as he detangled her legs from his waist.

Linda clung to him. “Babe, we made love all
weekend. We are good together.” Linda rubbed herself all over
Stephan like she was in heat.

I felt like I was in the twilight zone. I
stared numbly at the scene before me. All eyes were on Stephan and
Linda. I felt utterly humiliated. What the hell was this woman
talking about when she said last night? I needed to get away. I
couldn’t watch this any longer. I choked on a sob, and told myself
to suck it up.

Looking around, I saw pitying glances.
Straightening my spine, I hardened the case around my heart and
started backing away.

“You’ve got to be shitting me. Ha, Linda, we
don’t have anything. We never made love. I fucked you. I have no
feelings for you. I never will. You’re just another one of the many
women I sank my dick into to pass the time. I was never going to
call you again. I don’t need a clinging bitch like you causing
problems like you just have.”

I couldn’t listen to any more. He was so
cold. I felt the ice in his voice even as I retreated. Once I was
away from the now gathered crowd, I ran. I didn’t look back. I left
the cinema and bolted down the street. I had no idea where I was
going. I just knew I had to get away from all the pitying glances
and the ice coldness of Stephan as he spoke to one of his ex’s.

I ran not caring where I went, just needing
to get away. How could Stephan speak to someone he’d slept with
like that? I caught the first bus that came to the bus stop. It
stopped at the beach and I got off. Wandering around for a while, I
needed to clear my head then I sat on the bench overlooking the
water. Now that I thought about it, I was glad I had seen this side
of Stephan. I had started to let my guard down. I’d started to care
for him. But after seeing how he treated a woman he’d been with, I
knew I could never turn into one of those women. I didn’t have
much, but I did have my dignity and self-respect.

Looking at the evening sun seating over the
water I sat happily watching it fade until it got too cold to sit
out with the coastal breeze. I rubbed my bare arms and knew I had
to get moving as my legs and arms were covered in goosebumps.
Reaching into my skirt pocket and glancing at my phone, I saw I had
a bunch of missed called and messages. The wanker had called and so
had Derick and even Scott. I felt bad for Cassie. She had called
every five minutes. I didn’t bother checking any of the other
messages bar hers. Cassie was worried. She needed to talk to me.
She wanted to know I was okay.

I messaged Cassie that I was fine and was on
my way home. I walked to the bus stop and sat waiting for one that
went to a train station. This was going to suck. I was going to be
living in Stephan’s house. The idiot had made it impossible for me
to avoid him.

As I sat waiting, I realized I couldn’t go
home. Not only did I not have a home, I didn’t have any family to
fall back on. I dug my phone out and cursed when I realized even my
phone wasn’t really mine. I hadn’t really used it, well, besides
messaging Cassie and the girls. I would use it now. I called
Jess.

“Hello.”

“Jess. It’s me, Jade.”

“Oh my God, J. How are you? Where are you?
What have you been up to?”

Guilt assaulted because I hadn’t spoken to my
best friend in a couple of months. “Can I come over now and
visit?”

“Sure. You know you’re welcome here any time.
Is something wrong?”

“I’m about to get on a bus to the train
station. I’ll call you when I’m close.”

*****

Stephan

I felt sick, we couldn’t find Jade. I turned
on the tracker in her phone and saw her heading toward the place
she used to live with her mum. I called Brand, he’d swapped with
Royce.

“I have her. Do you want me to make myself
known or just keep watching?”

“Just keep watching. I’m helping drop the
others off at the apartment and then I’ll go get her.”

“Stephan, I think you should wait a while.
Get your brother or someone else to pick her up.”

“What. No. I need to talk to her.”

“I know you think you do, but you didn’t see
Jade’s face when she came upon you and the woman, or when you told
the woman to get lost.”

“I can’t just leave her.”

“You’re not. I’m watching her and if you get
Derick to pick her up, maybe he can talk to her.”

“Fucking hell. Fine. Don’t let her out of
your sight, Brand. The neighborhood she’s in is one of the worst in
Sydney.”

“I can handle it. You need to tell your
parents something. I have a feeling she isn’t going to be happy
with you for a while.”

“Yep. I’ll sort it out.” I hung up and ran
fingers through my hair. My friends where sitting in the food court
waiting for me. Taking a deep calming breath, I went to them.

“Did you find her?” Cassie asked.

“I know where she’s going. I’m ar… I’m really
sorry about this, guys.”

“It’s my fault.” Scott sighed. “I think Linda
might have heard me talk last night about what we were doing
today.”

“Scott, what the hell were you doing with
that skank?” Cassie screeched.

“I wasn’t with her, Cass. She was all over
Stephan no matter how many times he turned her down or told her to
go away. She followed Stephan around like a puppy waiting for any
scrap he was willing to throw her way. He ignored her all
night.”