Addiction (25 page)
TAYLOR
“Taylor?” I hear Savannah call out from down the hall. They returned yesterday. Case and I spent the four days they were gone locked in this house. And it was perfect. I almost forgot I know nothing about the guy. It’s so hard not to care about him and to try to play this stupid game by his rules. But it didn’t matter how mad I got at him or what words I threw at him, he didn’t leave like when we were at his house and he told me to leave. He stayed here with me. And I consider that progress. I know this relationship is very unhealthy, but that’s what makes it so hard to walk away. It’s addicting.
“I’m in my room,” I holler back as I try to zip my corset. I think Case got tired of guys wishing for my tits to pop out, so I finally got a bigger top. But I have the hardest time getting into it by myself.
“I didn’t know you were working tonight,” she says with a frown as she enters my room.
“Yeah, well, Jenna called me and asked if I could cover her shift.” I haven’t even had the chance to tell Case yet that I’m working. I haven’t had the chance to see him today and only spoke to him once earlier his morning. He said he had work to do. Jenna just called me a little over an hour ago, but I immediately jumped in the shower and started getting ready. “Can you zip me up?” I ask giving up. I usually put it on backward and then twist it around, but that’s so much work with my big boobs in the way.
She zips my top up, and I turn to look at myself in the mirror. “Are you guys getting serious?” she asks. I had told her last night about the days he and I spent here at the house. I kept out the part where we made whatever
it
is official.
I spin around to give her a quick look before I face the mirror once again. “No. It’s strictly sex,” I say, but it feels like a lie. I wouldn’t say it's love, but I would say I’m falling for him. Even though I know he’s not gonna catch me. I’m gonna hit rock bottom, and it’s gonna hurt, but right now, things are going really well.
She starts to talk to me but something on my TV catches my attention. I see a reporter standing in a parking lot that looks somewhat familiar. I reach over to my bed and grab my remote. I shush Savannah as I turn the volume up. “I’m here outside of Club Fusion where a big drug bust has just taken place …”
I gasp. A drug bust? “Oh, my God.” I place my hand over my mouth. “We were just there,” I say out loud.
“What?” Savannah snaps. “What were you doing there?” she demands, obviously forgetting I had told her about it last night.
“I went with Case and Brecken,” I remind her not taking my eyes off the screen. They show video of a man with his hands cuffed behind his back. His head is bowed, but I don’t miss his slicked-back jet-black hair and the expensive-looking suit. “Rox,” I whisper.
“What the hell is Rox?” Savannah asks confused, now looking up at the TV.
“The owner of the club,” I mumble.
It flashes back to the reporter. “We have been told the club has a surveillance system, and the cops have obtained it. They expect to make more arrests in the case …”
My legs start to shake. Surveillance? What if we are on it? Am I gonna go to jail even though I didn’t do any of the drugs? Of course, I will; I didn’t report them to the police. I just sat there and drank.
I spin around, grab my phone off my bed, and dial Case’s number. It rings twice and goes to voicemail. “Dammit.” I hang up and call the club. I recognize the bartender’s voice. “Let me talk to Case,” I demand.
“He’s in a meeting.” Bryan says.
“Dammit. Go and get him, now!”
“I’m not going to disturb Case while he’s in a meeting. If you need to talk to him, call his cell.” Then he hangs up.
“Son of a bitch,” I hiss looking down at my phone. “I gotta go,” I say snatching my purse and running for the front door.
It only takes me twenty minutes to get to work. And I barely come to a stop before I jump out of my car. I run across the parking lot and to the back door. I yank it open and run down the back hallway. I run through the empty club floor and up the stairs. By the time I make it to his office, my side hurts and I can barely breathe. Shit, I’m out of shape.
I yank the door open to his office and step inside. “Taylor,” Case says in surprise.
I place my hand on my hip as I bend over trying to catch my breath. Looking up at him, I see he is watching me with mixed emotions. His eyebrows are pulled together as if confused, but his lips are thinned and his eyes look hard as if he’s angry with me.
“TV.” I breathe, trying to explain myself. “He was on TV …” I say through a gasp.
His back straightens, and he looks to the left. “Can you excuse us?”
I stand up quickly sucking in a deep breath as I notice an older man standing beside Case’s desk who I somehow missed when I stormed in. Shit! I was told he was in a meeting. In my haste to get to him, I had forgotten.
The older man looks me up and down with narrowed green eyes. “Sure. I’ll wait outside,” he finally says after a long second. I hold my breath as he walks out still eyeing me up and down as if he wants to say something but decides against it.
“Who was that?” I ask rubbing my side that still stings.
“Doesn’t matter.” He waves him off. “What’s wrong?” he demands as he walks around his desk and comes to me. “And who was on TV?” he asks impatiently.
I continue to rub my aching side. “Rox. He was arrested. I saw it on TV.”
The concern falls from his face, and he stares down at me. “Reporter said surveillance …” I swallow thickly as my heart rate starts to pick up again. “Do you know what that means? We’re gonna get in trouble. The police are going to go over it and see us on it.”
He places his hands on my shoulders. “I’ll take care of it.”
“What does that mean?” I demand. “Take care of it? How are you going to take care of it?” I snap.
“Taylor, you don’t get to be where I am without making friends.”
My eyebrows pull together. My first thought is whether that guy outside is his friend, and if so, what was he doing here? “Do you even listen to yourself? Case, you can’t just make this go away,” I shout. “We could go to jail.”
“I promise you. You won’t go to jail,” he says softly.
I yank my shoulders away from him. “That is not a promise you can keep,” I say breathless once again.
“You think I’m that type of person? One who would let you take the rap for something you didn’t do?” he demands, his voice rising.
“Well, you sure as hell can’t do anything to stop it. They’re gonna see my face on that tape. Hell, I sat in a room with drugs right next to me,” I scream out now as I realize just what is happening. “I thought you were going to ruin my brother’s life, but it turns out you’re going to ruin my life,” I ramble out loud.
“Taylor,” I hear him say, but all I can picture is me in a cell for the rest of my life. “Taylor,” he yells and then shakes me.
“What?” I snap.
He looks down at me, and his blue eyes search my face. “Please trust me,” he asks softly. “You’ve trusted me this far. I will make sure nothing happens to you.”
I wanna ask him how he can make that promise, but I don’t. He was right when he said he didn’t get to where he was without knowing people. And he once told me that everyone in this town owes him something. Maybe he knows someone on the inside of the force. Maybe a crooked cop. I don’t ask because I’m better off not knowing. For all I know, it could be the guy standing right outside his office waiting for me to leave so they can finish their meeting.
I nod my head. But I feel numb inside. I’m going to go to jail and all because I fell for a man who is part of a world I can’t control.
“Why are you dressed in your work outfit?” he asks as his eyes finally take me in.
“I have to work tonight,” I say flatly.
“No, you don’t.”
I sigh. “I’m filling in for Jenna.”
“No, you’re not. Go home, Taylor. Or better yet, go up to my apartment. Calm down and take a nap …”
I pull away from him. “I’m sorry but at which point did you start telling me what I can and can’t do?” I demand trying not to go crazy. The thought of going to jail terrifies me to death.
His jaw twitches. “I am your boss,” his deep voice declares.
I snort. “And you think that gives you a right to boss me around? I told Jenna I would take her shift, and that’s exactly what I’m gonna do.”
“Why are you fighting me with everything?” he snaps, running a hand down his face and letting out a frustrated growl.
“Maybe it’s because you are trying to rule my life.” I lower my head and rub my hand over my forehead. I let out a sigh as I think about the real problem here. “Look,” I say looking back up to him. “Maybe we should take a step back,” I offer. “I can’t do this right now.” Not with jail on the mind.
He tilts his head to the side with that aggravated look still on his face. “So let me get this straight. I want you to take a night off and relax, and you want to break things off with me? How does that make any sense? I’m trying to help you.”
“You’re trying to handle me,” I argue. “And I don’t appreciate it. I’m not an idiot.”
“I never said that. You’re putting words in my mouth,” he says through gritted teeth. “You come running in here wide-eyed and panicking. You were breathing so heavy I thought you were going to have a heart attack. I told you I would take care of the situation, but that’s not good enough for the princess.” I narrow my eyes on him. “I offer you a night to relax. Maybe go take a bubble bath, try and get some rest, and you jump my ass.” He crosses his arms over his hard chest. “What is the real problem here?”
“The problem is that my stupidity for you is gonna get me arrested,” I yell.
“Oh, so it’s my fault?” he barks.
“Of course, it is.” I snort. “I would have never gone out with you that night if I had known where we were going.”
He lowers his head down to mine. “I didn’t twist your arm, sweetheart. And even if you had known, you still would have gone with me.”
He’s right. That part sucks. This is what happens when you fall for a man who lives a different kind of life than you do. “Well, I won’t anymore. It’s over.”
He stares down at me with hatred. He gave me that same face the first night I saw him in this club, and it makes my chest tighten. “There had to have been something in the beginning in order for it to be over, Taylor,” he says flatly.
“You sorry son of a bitch …” I take a deep breath “… can go to hell!” I spin around and storm out of his office just as fast as I entered it.
CASE
“Fuuucccckkk!” I yell as I spin around and shove my office phone off my desk. It rips the cord out of the wall before it bounces off the wall and then hits the floor. I place my hands flat on the desk and lean over it. This night couldn’t get any worse.
“Taylor? That was the girl you were telling me about?”
I spin around to see my boss, Jones, standing in my office with the door shut behind him. I sigh heavily. So much for it not getting any worse. “Yes.” I push myself up and off the desk. “So make sure you take care of that,” I growl as I walk back around my desk to sit in my chair.
“You said to take care of the tape because of Taylor. You said that Taylor was Blane’s sister.”
I look up at him. “Yes! I remember what I fucking said,” I snap.
“You lied to me!” he shoots back.
I roll my eyes at his anger. “It is what I do best, right?” Fuck, I’m in the mood for a drink.
“Case.” He hisses my name. I stand from my chair and walk over to the mini bar in my office. “Please tell me that was not what it sounded like.”
I pour some bourbon into a tumbler. I turn to face him and lean back against the bar. “Well, that would be a lie,” I say flatly. This day has already gone to shit; I might as well make it worse.
“Shit!” he hisses. “What the fuck are you thinking?” he demands. “She is…”
“No offense, Jones, but I’m very aware of who she is.” His eyes narrow on me.
“Don’t get smart, boy.” He points a finger at me. “You’re fucking Blane’s sister,” he shouts, and I take a drink of my bourbon.
I tilt the tumbler in my hand from side to side watching the dark liquid swish around. “I know what I’m doing.” Do I? I’ve been telling myself that from the beginning, but is it true? I feel somehow along the way I’ve forgotten what my intentions were.
“Do you love her?” he demands.
“No!” I snort. She just makes me feel like I’m alive.
The look Jones gives me says I answered too quickly. I straighten my back and square my shoulders. “No, I don’t love her. It is just sex.”
Keep telling yourself that, fucker.
He hangs his head and shakes it as if he can’t believe I just said that. “I don’t know if that makes it better or worse,” he mumbles. When he looks back up at me, he looks disgusted with me. I broke my rule. I broke all the rules. For a piece of ass. If I told him it was for love, would he understand better? “End it. End it right fucking now!” With that, he walks out of my office.