Bound Together (26 page)
Authors: Marie Coulson
“
Yeah,
I think we should…sex on legs?” I was pretty sure that one would
appease him. “I can certainly live with that one. Ok now I
really
do
have to go. Goodnight my lady.”
“
Goodnight
Jared.”
I heard him sigh loudly
as he hung up. It was comforting to know he felt just as awful
about our separation as I did. But I couldn’t shake the uneasy
feeling knotted in my stomach. Every time his cell rang or he
disappeared into his office I felt an uncomfortable nagging in my
gut that told me something was going on. I wanted to trust him
completely but I just couldn’t convince myself of his innocence
while this thing, whatever it was, was wedged between us. Falling
back onto my bed, I flung my arm over my eyes exhausted. I was just
beginning to doze when someone knocked on the door. Jumping off my
bed, I bounded over and swung it open.
In front of me stood a
young, dark haired man holding a large brown box. He was slim and
his gray suit jacket looked so large as it hung rigidly on his tiny
frame. He gave me a weary and nervous smile. “Miss Jennings?” I
nodded.
“
Ah, good. This is from
Mr. Garrett. He also sent this note with it.”
Placing the box on the
floor he handed me the note and without a word, turned and left. I
lifted the box off the floor and dropped it on to my bed. It wasn’t
heavy as such but something told me it may be fragile. Grabbing a
pair of scissors from the desk I was about to open it when Amy
stormed in.
She hurtled her bag at
her bed and stomped into the bathroom slamming the door behind her.
This wasn’t good. Leaving the mysterious box un opened I knocked on
the door. “Amy? What’s wrong honey? Come on out and tell me what’s
happened.”
“
Men are dicks! Every
last one! I’m never, ever, dating again! And I am not coming out of
this bathroom until I have washed every last morsel of that man off
of me!”
I had inkling that this
had something to do with Nick. Without a second thought I headed
for Ollie’s door and banged on it with a furious hammering of my
fist. Ollie opened the door and rolled his eyes, raising his hands
to silence me before I even uttered a word. “I know. I know. He’s a
douche canoe right? Broken her heart yeah? You wanna kill him, maim
him and cut off his junk with rusty scissors. I get that. But he’s
not here. Amy almost took the damn door off just now when she came
to throw those at me to give to him.” Ollie nodded at a pair of
girl’s panties lying on Nick’s bed.
My stomach turned in
anger and sympathy for my friend who was at that moment, barricaded
in my bathroom and probably crying buckets by now. “What the hell
did he do to her!? I’ve never seen her like that Ollie. She looked
like she was possessed! I swear I was waiting for her head to spin
around when she stormed in like that. I could see she was furious
and that was before she decided to lock herself in the bathroom.
Says she’s not coming out till she’s washed him off of her.
Whatever that means. What are you gonna do about it?”
Ollie snorted and gave me
a confused look. “Me? What does this have to do with me? I warned
her he was trouble. I warned her he would break her heart and if
she was still stupid enough to go out with him then I guess she
learned the hard way huh? I mean come on Layla. She probably
thought what every girl around here thinks. That Nick’s a bad boy
that’s going to be a good guy just for her because she’s special.
And all
he
wants
is a pulse, tits, ass and somewhere to keep his dick warm.
Hell,
you
know
what those kinds of guys are like right? You know, they lie, cheat,
scheme and manipulate to get into a girls panties.” It was
definitely a dig at me and Jared. And he was way out of
line.
I glared at him. “How
dare you! Jared is nothing like Nick! You’re such an asshole
sometimes, you know that? And Amy’s supposed to be your friend
Ollie! How can you say those things about her? Don’t you give a
shit what happens to her? She’s fucking devastated and I can’t even
get her to come out of the damn bathroom to talk to me about it!
Now are you gonna stand there and insult her
and
me or are you going to be our
friend and help me get her out!?” He stood inches away from me, his
face so close to mine I could smell the rich and bitter scent of
his skin. His lip ring glistening as he ran his tongue over his
lips. “Fine, I’ll help.”
I found myself feeling
hot, flustered and surprisingly turned on. The fire in his eyes was
arousing and part of me wanted to grab him tightly and kiss him,
hard. I couldn’t understand what it was about fighting with a guy
that got me so scorching hot! Jared had an uncanny ability to
provoke it in me and now I was getting the same reaction around
Ollie. It was not only wrong but dangerous too. Shaking the sinful
thoughts about Ollie out of my mind I felt a pang of guilt for
Jared. I’d just mentally cheated on him. This thing with Ollie was
getting more complicated by the day and I wondered how long we
could go on like this; pretending, acting like we were fine and
that our friendship was the only relationship that existed and
would ever exist between us. But it would have to wait because
right now, Amy was more important.
Walking straight up to
the bathroom door, Ollie pounded on the wood “Amy, get your ass out
here will you? This is stupid and no guy is worth locking yourself
in a room with a toilet!”
“
Fuck you Ollie. You’re a
guy just like him. You’re all the same.”
“
Don’t go tarring me with
that brush! I’m nothing like him. I never cheat and I never lie.
The woman I end up with would be my princess. I’d treat her like
damn royalty and worship the ground she walks on. I’d tell her
every day how much I love her and every night how much she means to
me. So don’t you ever tell me I’m like all the rest Amy. I’m not!”
Resting his forearm on the door, Ollie gazed at me. I knew what he
was telling me without hearing the words. The woman he was
referring to in his speech was me. His soulful chestnut brown eyes
looked pained and he winced before turning his attention back to
the door.
My heart ached for him. I
was hurting him and it was killing me. It was, of course, totally
unintentional but I felt responsible none-the less. He’d made his
feelings for me clear on more than one occasion. Jared was creeping
back into my thoughts again and that same sting of guilt was now
becoming a sharp pain in my chest. I was crazy about him but I also
couldn’t ignore the chemistry and sexual tension that had been
simmering between Ollie and me since I landed on my back in front
of him. I prayed that these feelings would dissolve as I grew
closer to Jared.
Pushing Ollie aside, I
begged Amy to come out. “Amy, come on sweetie. Come out. We’ll get
some food, veg out, cry, scream and bitch about men all night.
Besides, don’t you wanna help me open this box Jared just sent
over?” The lock clicked beneath my fingers. Opening the door a
crack, I could see her. Her face was smudged with the streaks of
mascara caused by her tears, her lipstick was smeared across her
chin and her eyes were red, puffy and wet. It was the worst I had
ever seen her. Pushing the door gently, I pulled her into my arms
and hugged her tightly like a small child when they’re hurt or
upset. Her body shook with every sob that escaped her and I gave
Ollie the nod to leave as I felt it best he not stick around once
Amy had regained her ability to speak. He nodded back in agreement
and I was honestly glad to see him go. I couldn’t bear the
awkwardness any longer.
suddenly felt exhausted. The heap of empty food containers was
beginning to turn into a trash pile. Ice-cream tubs dripped onto
the hard wood floor and the Chinese takeout containers were
starting to stink with their oily, spicy, aromatic scent. I’d eaten
so much I felt as though I might explode. Amy however was still
making her way through an enormous bar of Hershey’s chocolate. I
didn’t even know they made a bar that size, but Amy had zeroed in
on it the moment we had hit the candy aisle at the supermarket.
“See this is what I love about chocolate. It’s rich, sweet,
delicious and better than sex. And I don’t have to wax to enjoy
it.” Her uncontrollable sobs had soon turned to anger and we were
now in our third hour of bitching about men.
“
He’s a dick Layla. A
true, honest to god, cock. Telling me I’m special, I’m the one. He
was sweet, charming, you know he even took me to my favorite
restaurant. He remembered I loved it after I told him at the bar
that night. He asked me out the night we performed. Ollie warned me
about him but I thought maybe he would be different if he met the
right girl. Clearly that cheating, scheming, jackass will never
change. Urgh I feel so dirty. I can’t believe I ever let him touch
me let alone sleep with me.” Scrunching up the chocolate wrapper,
she tossed it onto the pile and sighed. Hanging her head she began
to cry softly. “I can’t believe he used me like that. There I was,
in a gorgeous bed in a five star hotel room, lying in his arms,
thinking how wonderful it all is and the whole time he’d been
sneaking around sleeping with someone else. Her underwear was in
his car. He tried to deny it of course, said it was from months ago
before he even moved here to college but it’s all total bullshit.
He never cared about me. He just wanted someone to screw. I hate
him. I hate all men. Maybe I should try girls.”
I stifled a laugh. Amy
was the queen of dramatics. I came only a mere second to her and
the massive soap operas she could create from situations in her
life. But the hurt she was feeling right now was real and I could
see the pain she was in. Scooting over, I flung my arms around her
neck and hugged her close. Stroking her hair I tried to comfort
her.
“
Amy, I know it hurts
now, but don’t give up. Out there somewhere is a guy or girl that
will treat you like the princess you are. My mom always says you
have to kiss a few frogs before you find your handsome prince.
Consider Nick as just another frog in your quest to find your
prince. He’s out there, I know it, waiting to come rescue you and
sweep you off your feet.”
She lifted her head off
my shoulder and wiped her eyes. Sniffing she gave me a smile, the
first I’d seen since she stormed in and locked herself in the
bathroom. “Nick’s not a frog. He’s an ugly, fat little toad and I
hope he gets a fungal disease from one of his many little lily pad
hopping harlots.”
A loud chuckle escaped
me. “That’s the spirit. Now come help me open this box; he sent a
note too.”
Grabbing an empty
shopping bag I disposed of the evidence from our evening of
gorging, bitching and tears. Amy sat on my bed and shook the box
lightly. “Sounds fragile, what do you think it is?”
“
I have no freaking clue
but if I know Jared, which I think I do, it’s probably expensive
and way over the top. Well don’t just sit there! Open it up for me
while I take this trash to the dumpster.”
When I re-entered the
room Amy was hopping up and down like an excited child. She
squealed with delight. “Oh my goodness Layla! You have got to see
all of this stuff!” Cautiously I approached the bed and as my eyes
took in the box, my jaw dropped to the floor. Amy began taking
everything out as I watched her, completely stunned. A brand new
shiny laptop was first, followed by a Victoria Secret bag, a small
velvet box and three envelopes. I stared at Amy, who was giggling
at my expression.
“
Layla you are by far the
luckiest girl I know. This guy is amazing. And he’s totally in love
with you.”
Her words snapped me out
of my daze. Love? Did she say love? Surely it was too soon for
the
L
word. But
his generous gift was a sure sign that he was feeling something for
me. Right?
Amy sat and began setting
up the laptop while I inspected the other items Jared had packed in
his treasure box. The Victoria Secret bag contained a beautiful
black lace bra and matching French panties. The delicate material
was luxurious and felt as soft as silk. I checked the garments,
briefly looking for a price tag, but he had of course removed them.
The set certainly looked expensive.
Turning my attention to
the small velvet box, I ran my fingers over the fabric. Slowly and
carefully I opened it and gasped. Inside was a stunning diamond,
tanzanite and emerald ring. The deep blue and glittering green
shimmered in the light. The emeralds were lining one side of the
white gold band while the tanzanite and diamonds were lining the
other. In the center, two pieces of crystal had been swirled with
the same colors. It was breathtaking. A tiny note was folded and
taped to the inside of the lid of the box. Pulling it away, I
unfolded it and read the words aloud, “Because it matches your
bedazzling eyes. Because it was made for you. Because I want you to
have this. Because I can give it to you.”
I stood there staring at
it. Taking it from my hand, Amy whistled as she plucked the ring
from its box. Holding it into the light she was the one now gasping
for air. “Oh. My. God. Layla. This ring is a Marcus Deboute ring!
He’s like the biggest and most expensive jewelry designer in the
world. He only ever makes unique pieces. This ring is the only one
of its kind. Eighteen carat white gold and I would say at least
three carats of diamonds. Wow. This had to be at least six thousand
dollars Layla. You don’t spend money like that on a girl you’re
just having fun with.”
Yeah,
I think we should…sex on legs?” I was pretty sure that one would
appease him. “I can certainly live with that one. Ok now I
really
do
have to go. Goodnight my lady.”
“
Goodnight
Jared.”
I heard him sigh loudly
as he hung up. It was comforting to know he felt just as awful
about our separation as I did. But I couldn’t shake the uneasy
feeling knotted in my stomach. Every time his cell rang or he
disappeared into his office I felt an uncomfortable nagging in my
gut that told me something was going on. I wanted to trust him
completely but I just couldn’t convince myself of his innocence
while this thing, whatever it was, was wedged between us. Falling
back onto my bed, I flung my arm over my eyes exhausted. I was just
beginning to doze when someone knocked on the door. Jumping off my
bed, I bounded over and swung it open.
In front of me stood a
young, dark haired man holding a large brown box. He was slim and
his gray suit jacket looked so large as it hung rigidly on his tiny
frame. He gave me a weary and nervous smile. “Miss Jennings?” I
nodded.
“
Ah, good. This is from
Mr. Garrett. He also sent this note with it.”
Placing the box on the
floor he handed me the note and without a word, turned and left. I
lifted the box off the floor and dropped it on to my bed. It wasn’t
heavy as such but something told me it may be fragile. Grabbing a
pair of scissors from the desk I was about to open it when Amy
stormed in.
She hurtled her bag at
her bed and stomped into the bathroom slamming the door behind her.
This wasn’t good. Leaving the mysterious box un opened I knocked on
the door. “Amy? What’s wrong honey? Come on out and tell me what’s
happened.”
“
Men are dicks! Every
last one! I’m never, ever, dating again! And I am not coming out of
this bathroom until I have washed every last morsel of that man off
of me!”
I had inkling that this
had something to do with Nick. Without a second thought I headed
for Ollie’s door and banged on it with a furious hammering of my
fist. Ollie opened the door and rolled his eyes, raising his hands
to silence me before I even uttered a word. “I know. I know. He’s a
douche canoe right? Broken her heart yeah? You wanna kill him, maim
him and cut off his junk with rusty scissors. I get that. But he’s
not here. Amy almost took the damn door off just now when she came
to throw those at me to give to him.” Ollie nodded at a pair of
girl’s panties lying on Nick’s bed.
My stomach turned in
anger and sympathy for my friend who was at that moment, barricaded
in my bathroom and probably crying buckets by now. “What the hell
did he do to her!? I’ve never seen her like that Ollie. She looked
like she was possessed! I swear I was waiting for her head to spin
around when she stormed in like that. I could see she was furious
and that was before she decided to lock herself in the bathroom.
Says she’s not coming out till she’s washed him off of her.
Whatever that means. What are you gonna do about it?”
Ollie snorted and gave me
a confused look. “Me? What does this have to do with me? I warned
her he was trouble. I warned her he would break her heart and if
she was still stupid enough to go out with him then I guess she
learned the hard way huh? I mean come on Layla. She probably
thought what every girl around here thinks. That Nick’s a bad boy
that’s going to be a good guy just for her because she’s special.
And all
he
wants
is a pulse, tits, ass and somewhere to keep his dick warm.
Hell,
you
know
what those kinds of guys are like right? You know, they lie, cheat,
scheme and manipulate to get into a girls panties.” It was
definitely a dig at me and Jared. And he was way out of
line.
I glared at him. “How
dare you! Jared is nothing like Nick! You’re such an asshole
sometimes, you know that? And Amy’s supposed to be your friend
Ollie! How can you say those things about her? Don’t you give a
shit what happens to her? She’s fucking devastated and I can’t even
get her to come out of the damn bathroom to talk to me about it!
Now are you gonna stand there and insult her
and
me or are you going to be our
friend and help me get her out!?” He stood inches away from me, his
face so close to mine I could smell the rich and bitter scent of
his skin. His lip ring glistening as he ran his tongue over his
lips. “Fine, I’ll help.”
I found myself feeling
hot, flustered and surprisingly turned on. The fire in his eyes was
arousing and part of me wanted to grab him tightly and kiss him,
hard. I couldn’t understand what it was about fighting with a guy
that got me so scorching hot! Jared had an uncanny ability to
provoke it in me and now I was getting the same reaction around
Ollie. It was not only wrong but dangerous too. Shaking the sinful
thoughts about Ollie out of my mind I felt a pang of guilt for
Jared. I’d just mentally cheated on him. This thing with Ollie was
getting more complicated by the day and I wondered how long we
could go on like this; pretending, acting like we were fine and
that our friendship was the only relationship that existed and
would ever exist between us. But it would have to wait because
right now, Amy was more important.
Walking straight up to
the bathroom door, Ollie pounded on the wood “Amy, get your ass out
here will you? This is stupid and no guy is worth locking yourself
in a room with a toilet!”
“
Fuck you Ollie. You’re a
guy just like him. You’re all the same.”
“
Don’t go tarring me with
that brush! I’m nothing like him. I never cheat and I never lie.
The woman I end up with would be my princess. I’d treat her like
damn royalty and worship the ground she walks on. I’d tell her
every day how much I love her and every night how much she means to
me. So don’t you ever tell me I’m like all the rest Amy. I’m not!”
Resting his forearm on the door, Ollie gazed at me. I knew what he
was telling me without hearing the words. The woman he was
referring to in his speech was me. His soulful chestnut brown eyes
looked pained and he winced before turning his attention back to
the door.
My heart ached for him. I
was hurting him and it was killing me. It was, of course, totally
unintentional but I felt responsible none-the less. He’d made his
feelings for me clear on more than one occasion. Jared was creeping
back into my thoughts again and that same sting of guilt was now
becoming a sharp pain in my chest. I was crazy about him but I also
couldn’t ignore the chemistry and sexual tension that had been
simmering between Ollie and me since I landed on my back in front
of him. I prayed that these feelings would dissolve as I grew
closer to Jared.
Pushing Ollie aside, I
begged Amy to come out. “Amy, come on sweetie. Come out. We’ll get
some food, veg out, cry, scream and bitch about men all night.
Besides, don’t you wanna help me open this box Jared just sent
over?” The lock clicked beneath my fingers. Opening the door a
crack, I could see her. Her face was smudged with the streaks of
mascara caused by her tears, her lipstick was smeared across her
chin and her eyes were red, puffy and wet. It was the worst I had
ever seen her. Pushing the door gently, I pulled her into my arms
and hugged her tightly like a small child when they’re hurt or
upset. Her body shook with every sob that escaped her and I gave
Ollie the nod to leave as I felt it best he not stick around once
Amy had regained her ability to speak. He nodded back in agreement
and I was honestly glad to see him go. I couldn’t bear the
awkwardness any longer.
Chapter
23
Gifts, Glamor And Girl
Talk
suddenly felt exhausted. The heap of empty food containers was
beginning to turn into a trash pile. Ice-cream tubs dripped onto
the hard wood floor and the Chinese takeout containers were
starting to stink with their oily, spicy, aromatic scent. I’d eaten
so much I felt as though I might explode. Amy however was still
making her way through an enormous bar of Hershey’s chocolate. I
didn’t even know they made a bar that size, but Amy had zeroed in
on it the moment we had hit the candy aisle at the supermarket.
“See this is what I love about chocolate. It’s rich, sweet,
delicious and better than sex. And I don’t have to wax to enjoy
it.” Her uncontrollable sobs had soon turned to anger and we were
now in our third hour of bitching about men.
“
He’s a dick Layla. A
true, honest to god, cock. Telling me I’m special, I’m the one. He
was sweet, charming, you know he even took me to my favorite
restaurant. He remembered I loved it after I told him at the bar
that night. He asked me out the night we performed. Ollie warned me
about him but I thought maybe he would be different if he met the
right girl. Clearly that cheating, scheming, jackass will never
change. Urgh I feel so dirty. I can’t believe I ever let him touch
me let alone sleep with me.” Scrunching up the chocolate wrapper,
she tossed it onto the pile and sighed. Hanging her head she began
to cry softly. “I can’t believe he used me like that. There I was,
in a gorgeous bed in a five star hotel room, lying in his arms,
thinking how wonderful it all is and the whole time he’d been
sneaking around sleeping with someone else. Her underwear was in
his car. He tried to deny it of course, said it was from months ago
before he even moved here to college but it’s all total bullshit.
He never cared about me. He just wanted someone to screw. I hate
him. I hate all men. Maybe I should try girls.”
I stifled a laugh. Amy
was the queen of dramatics. I came only a mere second to her and
the massive soap operas she could create from situations in her
life. But the hurt she was feeling right now was real and I could
see the pain she was in. Scooting over, I flung my arms around her
neck and hugged her close. Stroking her hair I tried to comfort
her.
“
Amy, I know it hurts
now, but don’t give up. Out there somewhere is a guy or girl that
will treat you like the princess you are. My mom always says you
have to kiss a few frogs before you find your handsome prince.
Consider Nick as just another frog in your quest to find your
prince. He’s out there, I know it, waiting to come rescue you and
sweep you off your feet.”
She lifted her head off
my shoulder and wiped her eyes. Sniffing she gave me a smile, the
first I’d seen since she stormed in and locked herself in the
bathroom. “Nick’s not a frog. He’s an ugly, fat little toad and I
hope he gets a fungal disease from one of his many little lily pad
hopping harlots.”
A loud chuckle escaped
me. “That’s the spirit. Now come help me open this box; he sent a
note too.”
Grabbing an empty
shopping bag I disposed of the evidence from our evening of
gorging, bitching and tears. Amy sat on my bed and shook the box
lightly. “Sounds fragile, what do you think it is?”
“
I have no freaking clue
but if I know Jared, which I think I do, it’s probably expensive
and way over the top. Well don’t just sit there! Open it up for me
while I take this trash to the dumpster.”
When I re-entered the
room Amy was hopping up and down like an excited child. She
squealed with delight. “Oh my goodness Layla! You have got to see
all of this stuff!” Cautiously I approached the bed and as my eyes
took in the box, my jaw dropped to the floor. Amy began taking
everything out as I watched her, completely stunned. A brand new
shiny laptop was first, followed by a Victoria Secret bag, a small
velvet box and three envelopes. I stared at Amy, who was giggling
at my expression.
“
Layla you are by far the
luckiest girl I know. This guy is amazing. And he’s totally in love
with you.”
Her words snapped me out
of my daze. Love? Did she say love? Surely it was too soon for
the
L
word. But
his generous gift was a sure sign that he was feeling something for
me. Right?
Amy sat and began setting
up the laptop while I inspected the other items Jared had packed in
his treasure box. The Victoria Secret bag contained a beautiful
black lace bra and matching French panties. The delicate material
was luxurious and felt as soft as silk. I checked the garments,
briefly looking for a price tag, but he had of course removed them.
The set certainly looked expensive.
Turning my attention to
the small velvet box, I ran my fingers over the fabric. Slowly and
carefully I opened it and gasped. Inside was a stunning diamond,
tanzanite and emerald ring. The deep blue and glittering green
shimmered in the light. The emeralds were lining one side of the
white gold band while the tanzanite and diamonds were lining the
other. In the center, two pieces of crystal had been swirled with
the same colors. It was breathtaking. A tiny note was folded and
taped to the inside of the lid of the box. Pulling it away, I
unfolded it and read the words aloud, “Because it matches your
bedazzling eyes. Because it was made for you. Because I want you to
have this. Because I can give it to you.”
I stood there staring at
it. Taking it from my hand, Amy whistled as she plucked the ring
from its box. Holding it into the light she was the one now gasping
for air. “Oh. My. God. Layla. This ring is a Marcus Deboute ring!
He’s like the biggest and most expensive jewelry designer in the
world. He only ever makes unique pieces. This ring is the only one
of its kind. Eighteen carat white gold and I would say at least
three carats of diamonds. Wow. This had to be at least six thousand
dollars Layla. You don’t spend money like that on a girl you’re
just having fun with.”
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