Take My Dress Off (18 page)

“More like looking for his rebound,” said Chaz as we stopped at a red light.

“Ouch, thanks.”

“I didn’t mean it like that, Paige. You’re no one’s rebound.” He reached out and softly touched my cheek.

***

The following Monday I contemplated skipping school. I had a big purple bruise on my cheek and I wasn’t in the mood to deal with the stares and whispers. Furthermore, how was I going to be able to focus on A2 with all the tension that was sure to be between Dillon and Sloane? Danielle didn’t give me a choice. She showed up at my house Monday morning and yanked me out of bed ignoring, my moans of complaint.

“You better get it over with and show your face today or the rumors will get even worse. Sloane will have everyone convinced you’re pregnant or dead by the end of the day,” she said as she dotted concealer over my bruise. I couldn’t disagree.

To my surprise it was Sloane who didn’t show up to school on Monday. Danielle said that she was probably passed out in the Hunter’s backyard, still covered in blood and birds.

“You’re awfully chipper today, considering all the drama from the weekend,” winked Todd from the seat in front of me.

“How do you know what kind of weekend I had?”

Todd pursed his lips like he was trying to keep a juicy secret.

“C’mon, spill it Todd.”

“I have my sources,” he smirked.

“Who?” I demanded.

He thought for a moment then smiled. “Joan Crawford.”

“Joan Crawford told you about the party?” I raised my brows.

“Well…a friend that went as Joan Crawford. He said the party was out of this world. I wish I had gone. Hollywood glamour, evening gowns, drama. Sign me up!” He smoothed his purple scarf around his neck and leaned toward me. “You need to freshen up your concealer, honey,” he whispered. “That bruise is shining right through.”

I turned to Danielle. “Todd says he can see the bruise, give me your compact.”

“Why don’t you ask Todd if you can borrow his,” she smirked.

“He’s too pale, not my shade,” I teased as she handed over her compact. I gauged by the clock that the tardy bell would be ringing in about two minutes, giving me just enough time to dash to the bathroom at the end of the hall. I didn’t want to draw any more attention to myself by trying to freshen up in class. Out the door I turned and ran right into Dillon, sending Danielle’s compact flying out of my hand. Dillon and I both bent down to retrieve it.

“Hey.” He returned the compact to me.

“Hey,” I replied coolly and took it from him.

He brushed the tips of his fingers over my cheek. I winced and pulled back.

“Paige, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I know. You meant to hurt the man I love. So much better.” I stood back up. Dillon stayed kneeling on the ground and stared up to me, his dark eyes pleading with mine.

“I’m sorry. I was drunk and angry, pissed about Sloane.”

The bell trilled and I turned to go back into class. My face would have to wait.

Much to my disapproval, Dillon joined us at lunch. He wasn’t his usual smart-ass-flirty-self. He sat across from us brooding and eating quietly. Whenever I caught his pensive gaze he looked away.

“You’re in a funk,” said Danielle and kicked him under the table.

“I’m tired. It took forever to clean up the backyard.”

“And you were hung over,” added Danielle.

He ignored her. “My parents would have died if they had seen the pool. All kinds of shit in it.”

“Gross,” I said. “There were way too many people, Dillon.”

“You know how it goes when the word gets out about a party in Vista,” he smiled weakly.

I nodded remembering when Marissa still lived across the street. She had planned a small party for her boyfriend to send him off to boot camp. Before we knew what was happening kids littered the entire house! She ended up sneaking into the bathroom and calling the police to break up her own party.

Dillon rested his face down on the table.

“Aw, poor baby.” Danielle patted his head. She was loving this.

I saw Dillon again at my locker after school. “Danielle asked me to give you a ride home. She got called into work early.”

“How? You don’t have a car.”

“Yes I do, since two weeks ago. Where have you been?”

I shut my locker.

We both know where I had been. Not with him.

We walked to the parking lot and meandered through the rows of cars. Dillon wanted me to guess which one was his. As I stopped in front of cars he called out whether I was getting hotter or colder. I didn’t see any cars with new dealer tags and I was getting irritated that he was wasting my time.

“At least give me a hint, Dillon.”

“It’s not new.”

“That’s not a good hint.” Most of the cars in the lot fit that description. “What color?”

“Black.”

I scanned the lot and finally found it. I walked over and stood next to a black Dodge Charger. It was not new, probably late sixties, but it looked like it had just been painted. He unlocked the driver’s side door then leaned over to unlock the passenger door.

“It’s beautiful, Dillon,” I said and slid onto the bucket seat. “When did you get it?”

“My grandpa passed away and he left it to me.”

“I’m sorry, Dillon, I didn’t know.”

Dillon chuckled. “My grandpa passed away when I was four.”

“What? I’m confused.”

“He left it for me, in his will. But I wasn’t supposed to get it until my twenty-first birthday.”

“That’s a couple of years away.”

“My grandma gave in,” he grinned. “I can be very persistent when I want something.”

He started the car and the engine purred. Bryan Adams’
Cuts like a Knife
blared from the speakers and he leaned forward to lower the volume. I studied him as he guided the car out of the parking lot. It suited him. It was sleek, dark, and sexy. Just like him.

We turned onto the road. “Home?” he asked.

“Sure.”

“Who’s?” He looked over to me, his eyes questioning.

“Mine.”

“Awesome.”

When we turned onto my street I had a slight wave of panic, fearing Chaz’s Mustang would be sitting in the driveway (even though I knew Chaz was at work). I hated that I had to be secretive about my contact with Dillon. Of course Chaz’s car wasn’t there. Dillon parked the car in the driveway and I thanked him for the ride. I hopped out of the car but he followed behind me.

I stopped and turned to face him. “This isn’t a date, Dillon, you don’t have to walk me to the door.”

“Can I come in and hang out for a little while? We can work on our A2 homework.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking down to me through his dark lashes.
Why did he have to look at me like that?
“I miss hanging out with you.”

Chaz was right. Dillon was in full rebound mode. Even so, I couldn’t say no.

“Ok, I guess.” I shoved the key into the lock and he went back to the car to get his books.

“Damn, I haven’t been here in forever,” he said walking into the kitchen and setting his books down on the glass dining table. I didn’t reply.

“Did you guys paint recently? The wallpaper’s gone.”

“Maddie did it.”

“I like it, looks good.”

I went to the fridge and grabbed two sodas. I handed one to Dillon and unloaded my books from my bag.

“New Coke, Paige? Gross,” he said as he studied the can.

“Maddie likes it.” I sat in the seat across from him.

“Your birthday’s next weekend…any plans?”

“Chaz and I will probably go to dinner.”

Dillon’s jaw tightened at the mention of Chaz’s name. He opened his textbook to the page we had to complete for homework. “Don’t you want to have a party?”

“Not really. Besides, after this past weekend we could all use a break from parties, don’t you think?” I said shortly.

This small talk was killing me.

Dillon said, “It sucks that our friendship’s so fucked up now.”

I took a sip of my Coke and gagged. New Coke was awful.

“We can’t hang out anymore because of Chaz.”

It was the opening I was looking for but I waited.

“He’s too possessive, I guess,” he said as he scanned over a problem and solved it quickly. I barely had the heading on my paper. “More like threatened,” he smirked.

I stopped writing and pinned my eyes on his. “It’s more than that and you know it. What’s going on?”

“Nothing’s going on, Paige. We just don’t get along. Some people don’t click, you know?”

Every time I questioned either of them I hit a brick wall. I closed my book and pushed away from the table. “That’s bullshit and you know it. Something’s going on and you’re both lying to me.”

“I’m not lying. I can’t speak for him.”

“Omission is the same as lying,” I glared.

“You’re in a relationship where you are told who you can and can’t be friends with,” he fired back. “I thought you were stronger than that.” He finished another problem.

I rose from the table and stood in front of him, my hands planted firmly on my hips. “Chaz doesn’t dictate my life, Dillon, and neither do you. Ever think that I made the choice on my own not to have you in it?”

He sat his pencil down and looked up to me, obviously stung by my harsh words. He leaned forward and placed his hands on my hips, covering my small hands with his large ones.

“You wouldn’t do that.”

He had called my bluff. I did avoid him because of Chaz. I started to cry. I was so mad at myself that I was crying in front of him. I loved Chaz but I still had feelings for Dillon. I
did
miss him. I missed how comfortable I was with him. Well, at least when we weren’t fighting and he was paying attention to me and only me.
Which wasn’t that
often
I reminded myself.

“Come here.”

He pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around me. “I don’t want to fight.” He reached out to wipe at my tears. I let out a yelp when he brushed over my bruise. “Oh God, Paige, I’m so sorry.”

“It was an accident, stop apologizing,” I sniffed.

“I saw his hands on you and I got so fucking jealous. I blew it with you, I blew it with Sloane.”

He was caressing my back and I didn’t stop him.

“I just keep fucking up.”

He looked so broken, so alone. His dark eyes rested on mine and I felt the air rush out of my lungs. I ran my hands through his tousled hair and clasped my wrists behind his neck. He cupped my other cheek with his hand, his lips hovering dangerously close to mine but he didn’t kiss me. He was waiting for me to initiate. Not the way Chaz hesitated but in a vulnerable friendly way that made me remember our long history together.

My chest rose and fell quickly. I wasn’t thinking, just reacting. That deep dark place that I shoved down everything I felt for Dillon sprung open and I coaxed him into a kiss. We kissed softly at first, each kiss lasting a little longer. I positioned my body so that I was straddling him. He ran his hands down my sides and cupped my butt, lifting me closer to him. His tongue tangled with mine and I moaned as he licked into my mouth, overwhelmed, surprised, and scared at how badly I wanted him. I shuddered as his fingers twisted through my ponytail, giving a little tug when he got to the end of the strands. He was dangerously hard as he pressed against me, fueling my need for him as I rubbed back against him. He wanted me, he was at the mercy of my touch. He had shared his vulnerability with me and I was using it…for what? To punish him? Was I that kind of girl?

He stiffened and ripped his mouth away from mine. He tipped his head back against the chair and ran his hands through his hair, trying to get control of himself. I looked away, ashamed as the realization of what I had done set in.

“You know how I feel about you, Paige. You know what I want.” He shot me an accusatory look. “But not like this.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered and hung my head.

“I think I should go.”

I nodded, slipped from his lap and then watched, my body becoming numb as he gathered his books and walked to the door.

“I really just wanted to hang out with you, Paige, nothing more. I missed you, not just...this.”

“I’m sorry.”
I really was.

“You kill me, Paige.” He reached for me, pulling me to his lips one last time before walking out the door.

I leaned my back against the door and slid down to the floor as hot tears streamed down my cheeks. What in the hell was wrong with me?

I cheated. I was a fucking cheater.

I gathered everything that had happened this afternoon and shoved it back down into that secret place where I stored everything Dillon. I swore to myself I wouldn’t tell anyone about this, not even Danielle.

There wasn’t
a single light on, not even the porch lights.

“Are you sure anyone’s home?”

We sat in my Firebird in the driveway of Donny and Dillon’s house. Chaz’s car was acting up so he had put it in the shop. I prayed Dillon wasn’t here. I was sure I was the last person he wanted to see. The feeling was mutual.

“That’s weird. Donny said he wasn’t going out tonight. I’m sure there’s an unlocked window or door if no one is home.”

“We can’t break into their house! It’s probably got an alarm!”

Chaz opened the car door and hopped out.

“What are you doing?”

“Going in, come on.” He held the door open and waited for me to slide out.

“Can we come back later?” I begged. I wasn’t too keen on breaking and entering.

“Not if you want to go to dinner. I left my wallet on the pool table.” He grabbed my hand and helped me up the steep driveway. I was wearing new red pumps and I balanced cautiously on his arm.

“I have money,” I offered.

“I’m not letting you pay for your own birthday dinner.”

I smoothed down the skirt of my Rampage dress. It was a sexy little strapless number with a delicate pattern of tiny red and black flowers against a white background. The bodice was fitted and a lacy black crinoline peaked out from underneath the knee length skirt.

Chaz rang the doorbell then knocked on the door.

“That’s weird,” he said and reached for the knob. “It’s open,” he whispered. “C’mon.” I lagged hesitantly behind him as we tiptoed into the dark entry hall. All of a sudden, the lights flicked on.

“SURPRISE!”

The living room was packed with people, friends from school, modeling friends, Maddie, Danielle.

“Paige?”

“Chaz?”

“Gotcha,” Chaz smiled, his emerald eyes gleaming.

“You’re dead.”

“Oh c’mon. Enjoy,” he said and kissed me.

“Happy birthday, bitch.” Danielle leaned in to hug me. She looked stunning in a black lace mini-dress with lacey tights and ankle boots. Her curls were piled loosely on top of her head with that disheveled “I’m not trying too hard” look that actually takes a long time to pull off.

“You suck,” I said and hugged her back.

“I don’t suck, Chaz does,” she smirked. “I told him you’d hate this.”

Well, I didn’t exactly hate it. The grand white marble entryway was decorated in red and black streamers, balloons, and a big silver number nineteen hung down the center of the invisible circular staircase.

“Happy birthday, honey,” gushed Maddie looking radiant in a tight, black, knit dress and tall black boots.

I noticed that everyone was wearing black. Maddie took me into her arms and stroked my long ponytail that showcased the strapless dress. “You look beautiful.” She grabbed my wrists and stepped back, her gray eyes scanning me from shoulders to shoes. “I knew that dress would be perfect on you.”

I had come home from school and found it draped across my bed complete with red pumps and a sparkly black evening bag. Attached to the Rampage garment bag was a note that said she was covering the night shift for a friend and was sorry she wouldn’t see me in it before Chaz picked me up for dinner.
I knew something was up, like she’d work on my birthday.
She fingered my necklace. “Oh, Chaz, it’s gorgeous,” she gasped.

Chaz had surprised me with the necklace when I emerged from my bedroom all glammed up for our evening out. He had eyed me up and down with those gorgeous eyes and said something was wrong, something was missing. From inside his gray sport coat he had produced a box wrapped in silver paper with a dainty black bow. I tore it open and he took the black velvet box from me and got down on one knee, presenting the box in his palm. I had looked down at him, panic stricken as he opened the box. A sigh of relief escaped my lips when I saw a necklace nestled in black velvet and not a ring. It was a ruby heart surrounded in small diamonds suspended from a delicate silver chain. Chaz had chuckled when I snatched the box from him.

“Get up, you ass,” I had chastised.

“You should have seen your face.”

“It’s not funny. What if I had really thought you were proposing to me? You’d feel terrible.”

He had stood behind me to fasten the necklace. “I know you well enough to know you don’t plan on getting married anytime soon. Furthermore, if I was going to ask you to marry me it wouldn’t be on your birthday or in your living room. So not classy.”

Not knowing what to say I had slipped into the guest bathroom and flicked on the light to see the heart sparkle brightly above my heart…

“Righteous bucks, Chaz,” said Donny, fingering the necklace. He looked momentarily concerned before smiling at me. “That dress is smokin’, Paige,” he said and gave me the twirl signal with his finger. He whistled as I turned for him. “You were surprised, right? You had no idea?”

“Totally. No idea at all.”

“You pulled it off, Serna.” Donny punched Chaz in the arm. Chaz pretended to wince in pain and punched him back.

It was a fun party and I tried to visit with as many people as I could but it was hard to make the rounds. Jen arrived later and we squealed in excitement as we embraced each other. We chatted for a while about her college life at UC Davis and every so often I would glance around the room, looking for Dillon but if he was here he wasn’t joining the festivities. I was disappointed but I made sure I didn’t show it.

Chaz directed me to sit next to him at the formal dining table and the lights went out again. Danielle emerged from the kitchen, her face illuminated from the candles on the cake she was carrying. It was huge with white frosting and tiny red and black flowers, just like the print on my dress! My name was scrawled in a diagonal across the top in red frosting. Donny sang “Happy Birthday” in the breathy fashion of Marilyn Monroe, strutting back and forth in front of us. When he towered over me and shimmied on the “Mr. President” line, the room erupted in laughter and applause. Danielle proudly pushed the cake in front of me.

“That’s a lot of candles!” I cried.

“Well you are totally old,” Chaz laughed. “Go on, make a wish and blow.”

I closed my eyes and wished that I would always remember this night and how happy I was to be surrounded by my friends. I took a deep breath (hard to do in a tight strapless dress) and blew out the candles. When I opened my eyes Dillon was standing directly across the table from me.

“Happy birthday, Paige,” he said and pushed a small gift toward me.

“Dillon, I didn’t expect…” I was at a loss for words so I reached forward and took his gift in my hands. It was a small box wrapped in silver paper with a black bow. I studied the wrapping.
It looked just like the gift Chaz had given me!

“Go on, open it,” whispered Danielle.

I looked to Chaz. Why? I don’t know. Permission?

“What are you waiting for? Go on,” he said stiffly. I tore off the paper to reveal a silver box from Fred Norris jewelry.
The same place Chaz had purchased my beautiful necklace.
I carefully opened the box and discovered a smaller box inside. When I opened it I sucked in my breath. Nestled in black velvet…a gorgeous pair of earrings. They looked like pink diamonds set in white gold.

“Dillon they’re beautiful,” I gasped.

“Pink topaz,” he said casually. “Topaz is your birthstone isn’t it?”

“Yes, but you shouldn’t have.” I fingered them delicately.

“Yes, you shouldn’t have,” said Chaz coolly, his eyes flashing dangerously. “Excuse me,” he said and pushed away from the table. My heart sank, my eyes trailing after him as he disappeared down the hall.

“Oh my God!” gasped Danielle. “Let me see those things!” She plucked the box out of my hands.

I directed my attention back to Dillon, a neutral expression on his face as he returned my gaze.

“Hey everybody,” called Donny. “Let’s move this party down to the basement so we can dance.”

“Thank you, Dillon,” I said, remembering the way his lips had felt in the dining room, trying to wish he hadn’t come over and rekindled these feelings I had thought were gone.

“Sure,” he said and backed away from the table.

Danielle whistled and returned the box to me. Leaning in she whispered, “Are you sure you’re not fucking him?”

“Jesus, Danielle! Really?”

“Wait till Sloane finds out about this,” she snorted. “You better get a body guard.”

Love My Way
by the Psychedelic Furs echoed up from the basement and Danielle grabbed the cake. “Paige, can you get a knife from the kitchen? We’ll serve the cake down there so we don’t have to worry about these losers making a mess.”

I made my way to the kitchen as everyone headed the opposite way downstairs. I was like a fish swimming upstream. In the kitchen Dillon was leaning against the white marble counter, a glass tumbler in his hand.

“Dillon,” I began, a slight waiver in my voice. “I love the earrings but I really can’t accept them.” I pushed the box across the counter toward him.

“Because you don’t want them or Chaz doesn’t want you to have them?” He pinned me with his eyes and pushed the box back toward me.

“Chaz has nothing to do with this.” The box went back to him.

“Then why?” He set his glass down on the counter and grabbed a bottle of Bacardi from the overhead cabinet.

“It seems wrong, I mean after everything…”

“I bought them a while ago.” He filled the glass with rum.

“Oh, well…I’m sure you can take them back.”

He slid the box back toward me. “I’m not taking them back. I bought them for you,” he said, moving closer to me, like a snake about to strike. I stood frozen, gripping the counter behind me. “I know I really fucked things up royally but I want another chance.” He pinned me against the counter, his strong arms caging me on either side. “Give me another chance, Paige.” He lowered his head and nuzzled into my neck.

“Dillon, no,” I whispered and pulled away from him.

“Dammit, Paige! Why are you doing this?”

“Keep your voice down,” I barked as I looked out to the dining room. Thank goodness everyone was downstairs.

“Why won’t you give us a chance?”

“Because there is no us. I waited for you. You kept me sitting around like a doll on a shelf while you went through girl after girl.”

“I know. I’m stupid. So?”

“So you didn’t want me until you couldn’t have me.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“I can’t. I’m sorry.” I ducked out from under his arms and grabbed the knife, leaving the box on the counter.

“Paige,” he called. I stopped and looked back. He started to speak then stopped. He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Forget it. Go.”

I didn’t see Dillon the rest of the night. I opened gifts from friends, danced till my feet ached and I had to kick off the red pumps, but I kept thinking about the earrings, knowing for certain the box was still sitting on the counter, and the hurt look in Dillon’s eyes when I returned his gift.

When it was time to go, Danielle and Donny loaded the gifts into Maddie’s BMW and Chaz and I settled into my car.

“Just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean you don’t have a curfew young lady,” said Maddie leaning into the car.

“Seriously?” Chaz was taking me to Hotel Del Coronado, a fancy beachside hotel for the weekend. I thought we had her permission.

“I’m kidding, Paige. But don’t tell your father,” she warned.

As if!

The drive to Coronado was just under an hour and I fell asleep on the way. When the car finally stopped I stirred and gathered my sweater around my shoulders. It was so much cooler near the ocean. Chaz tossed the keys to the valet and a bell hop took our bags. Chaz checked us in while I sat in a leather chair and admired the lobby of the hotel. It was grand and impressive with dark carved wood, high ceilings, and a massive chandelier that looked like a blossoming flower. Chaz offered his hand and we made our way up the grand staircase to our suite.

“Bridal Suite?” I read the ornate script on the gold plaque that hung above the intricately carved double doors. “You’re quite a prankster aren’t you, Mr. Serna?”

He smirked. “It was all they had left when I called for the reservation. Do you want me to carry you over the threshold, Mrs. Serna?”

“Stop.”

“That’s the name I used when I registered,” he grinned. “I think I like the ring of that.”

“Not funny,” I glared back at him. He opened the door and bent down to toss me up over his shoulder. “Put me down!” I screamed and kicked my legs. He carried me into the entry hall where we were greeted by our suitcases, a round glass table, and a vase of red roses.

“Are those for me?”

“Nah,” Chaz said and continued carting me down the hall. “Probably left over from the previous guests.” I smacked his butt and he set me down. I looked around as he went to retrieve our bags from the entry hall. The suite was huge! There was a formal dining room, a butler’s pantry, and Chaz had deposited me in the living room with a large sectional sofa, heavy carved wood tables, and a stone fireplace. Persian rugs sat atop red Spanish tiled floors, and though it was dark, I could tell the ocean view from the tall windows would be magnificent in the morning.