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Authors: Evelyne Stone

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BOOK: Denying the Wrong
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“Nothing’s funny exactly, it’s just weird because I’m not sure what to talk to you about.” He kissed my head again, pulling me closer. “We’ve talked before, but now I’m really conscious about what I want to say to you.”

I laughed with him. “I know exactly what you mean. I’m sure it’ll just take some time to get used to being together as a couple.”

“So, I can’t give you a hard time anymore or fart and laugh about it?” He tickled my sides, which he knew drove me crazy.

I smacked his hand away, making my grossed out face. “That’s disgusting no matter who you’re around.” I jumped up as he kept trying to tickle me.

He held his hands up in surrender. “Fine, I promise to act less like a boy if you promise not to take off your shoes around me.”

I stopped backing away from his hands to look at him. “Why can’t I take off my shoes around you?”

“Because we both know your feet smell horrible!” He jumped up and stood right in front of me.

I gasped in embarrassment. “Do not!”

He snorted, putting his arm around me. “Whatever you say.” We started walking towards the house. “I’m thirsty and now that you’re my girlfriend, telling you to get me a drink would seem just wrong.”

I leaned up and kissed his cheek. “You’re learning already.”

Cha
pter 4

Alissa

I'd been keeping up with my cardio workouts recently and preferred it more than defensive training for the sole reason of getting to make my own schedule. I really couldn’t see myself getting into a physical altercation now that Kelly wasn't around. She was the only one I’d ever visualized hitting.

After the first defense class, Scott let me participate with him as his partner. We hadn’t discussed his reasoning behind his odd behavior but something told me not to push the issue. He was still asking me to observe more than actually participate, though.

I’d been on the treadmill for about twenty minutes when I noticed a guy maybe a couple years older than me jump on the machine next to mine. When I looked over, he was looking at me. I smiled so he didn't think I was rude, but he must have taken that as an invitation to say hello.

“Hi,” I said back and looked forward again.

“Do you come here often?”

I laughed. “I didn't think people really asked that.”

He looked down at the machine, obviously embarrassed. “I guess I shouldn’t either.”

I felt bad. “To answer your question, yes, I've been coming here for a while. Are you new?”

“Yeah, I just moved to this side of town for work.” His treadmill increased in speed, causing him to lose his balance. I had to stop myself from laughing at his “whoa” face.

“Well, welcome to this side of town.” I really didn't know what else to say. He had a friendly demeanor so I couldn't help but smile along with him. I got a text a minute later from Scott, asking me to stop by his office before I took off. I didn't get the guy’s name, but he told me about his new job for the remainder of the time I was on my machine. I started my cool down a little early because I was overly curious to see what Scott wanted and hoped he was finally going to be open with me.

“It was nice to meet you. I don't think I caught your name, though.” He said, jumping off his machine to shake my hand, “I'm Steven.”

I noticed how great his smile and how cute his nose was. “Alissa. It was a pleasure to meet you, too.” I walked away, thankful he hadn't asked for my number.

I went into the girls’ locker room to freshen up a bit before heading to Scott's office. I always looked behind me to make sure no one was following me, especially before I headed up the stairs to his office. I wasn’t sure how many people knew about the hidden office, and I didn't want to be the one to tip anyone off.

Scott was wearing his typical workout clothes that consisted of a shirt with the sleeves ripped off and knee-length nylon shorts. His muscles were phenomenal. I couldn't wait to feel them. His fuming face quickly snapped me out of my naughty thoughts.

“Hey,” I said softly, just in case he was in a bad mood.

He walked up to me and stopped two inches from my face. I slowly gazed up into his eyes while he remained quiet. He stood over me for what felt like an hour until he took a deep breath and a step back. I had no idea what was going on, but I wasn't going to be the one to break the silence.

“Come stand over here.” He pointed to a spot directly in front of the TV mounted on the wall.

“Okay,” I said following his instructions. The electricity between us made his touch unnecessary, but my body still begged for it.

Suddenly the TV went on and a younger version of Scott appeared on the screen. He was shirtless and as he backed away from the camera, I saw he was pant-less, too. I knew I should have been embarrassed, but I couldn't look away. Younger Scott went over to a bed where an older looking lady was lying down, handcuffed to the bed. He started kissing her body and rubbing his hands all over her. She was obviously enjoying herself even though I couldn't hear anything. He looked back at the camera and smiled, making me cringe. I gasped as he started making love to her.

I kept watching. My stomach felt ill and I dreaded having to look the real Scott in the eyes.

Does he think I’m enjoying this because I can’t stop staring? Why is he making me watch this? Well, he isn't making me—I could look away any time. I hate that woman.

I wanted to scream for him to stop doing those things to her. Acid started pouring into my mouth, making me gag. My muscles ached as I tried not to shake. I closed my eyes but kept my head pointed directly at the TV. I counted to five, opened my eyes, and the TV had been turned off.

I looked down at my feet, not willing to make eye contact with him. I couldn't force myself to leave because I wanted an explanation.

“Don't ever forget how watching that made you feel. That's how I felt watching you with Matt. That's how I felt watching you flirt with that guy today. It's not a good feeling.” His eyes looked intense, making me feel guilty.

“I didn't know.” My voice cracked and I hated that he was seeing me so weak.

“Now you know. Do not make me feel that way ever again.” I felt the absence of him after he walked over to his desk and sat down. I turned around, not looking directly at him, while I walked over to the chair in front of the desk.

“Who was that woman?” I didn't want to know but had to know.

“My late wife,” he said, cringing through his teeth.

I looked up at him in surprise, meeting his eyes. “I didn't know you were married. What happened to her?”

“She died when our house caught on fire in the middle of the night.” His eyes trained on me, waiting for a reaction.

“I'm so sorry.” I thought that was what you say to someone when you find out their spouse died.

“She was not a good person, Alissa.” His blank face lacked any emotion.

“That doesn't make losing someone any easier.”

“Did you get upset when you found out Kelly died?” He leaned into the desk, getting as close as he could to me.

“No, I didn't get upset that she was gone, but it was still depressing.”

“Depressing, how?” He asked, his eyebrows lifting.

“It reminded me that life is short and it can just stop at any given moment.”

He looked into my eyes for a moment before standing up. I didn't move. He sat against the desk, crossing his arms in front of me. I wasn't scared, but I felt uneasy.

“Do you believe in Karma, Alissa?”

That question caught me off guard, and I let a laugh escape. “Karma? I guess so.”

“I do, but sometimes Karma takes too long.” He stood straight up and walked towards the door. I wanted to stop him and beg him not to be mad at me. I jumped to my feet and he turned back around. I cowered back, my legs hitting the desk. His face turned from angry to almost apologetic.

“Alissa, I'm glad you feel the same way about me as I feel about you.”

I was left standing there alone, feeling guilty and confused.

~*~

Kat asked me to pick her up for the Friday night meeting. I gave Dillon my evil glare when he said he wanted to come. I needed alone time with my best friend without the boyfriend/brother combo that he was sporting lately, and she needed to talk to me about something anyway. He wasn’t happy when I told him no.

When Kat opened the door my jaw dropped. She looked amazing, wearing a new sweater dress and black leggings with boots.

“Okay, what have you done with my best friend?” I asked, still in shock.

“Oh, shut it! You bought me this outfit and I want to start looking my best.” She walked into her room and I followed. Kat looked in the mirror and applied some lip gloss. Being in love looked really good on her.

“If I knew it would take you dating Dillon to get out of your fashion funk, I would have fixed you guys up a long time ago!” She turned around, glaring at me, but I could tell she was suppressing a smile by the way her lip curved up. “Ah-ha! Even you can’t deny love. So what did you need to talk to me about?”

Kat sat down on her bed and her expression became sedate. “I know you don't want the details that could make you sick, but I really need your advice on how to handle a boy. By handle I mean, when making out, what am I supposed to do?” Her cheeks turned pink in embarrassment.

“Okay, first of all, this conversation will never be mentioned again and if I ever see you doing anything to my brother, I will hurt you.” I pointed at her for emphasis. “That being said, what do you need to know?”

Kat explained what happened the other day at my house. I tried not to cringe because it
was
my brother we were talking about. “So aside from not knowing what to do, I’m really afraid of him touching my belly or thighs and then realizing how fat I am. He won’t be attracted to me anymore.”

“Kat, you're going to have to get over the 'don't touch my belly' issue. If you don't feel comfortable with him touching your body, he won't want to touch your body. Who cares if you have a pooch? If he loves you, then he won't care.”

“Whoa, whoa! I didn't say he loves me. Did he say he loves me to you?” She got up from the bed and started pacing.

“Have you seen him around you? Of course, he's in love with you! Don't be stupid. Don't say it to him until he says it first. In my opinion, touching boobs is not that big of a deal because technically everyone has them. Anywhere in the middle should be handled with care and touched only when you're sure no one will walk in on you. Also, do not let him touch the middle section when you could potentially be sweaty.”

“What about just making out? Where do I put my hands?”

“Anywhere you want. There are no rules. It really depends on who you're making out with. Some guys like their backs touched and others like it when you play with their hair. If you're sitting on the couch, don't be surprised if his hands travel up your thigh and if it does, do it to him, too. But don't forget you can’t touch anything important if you could be caught. Guys don't like having a hard-on when their mom walks in the room.”

Kat just stood there with her head tilted to the side. Poor thing looked really flustered.

“You know, you should talk to Dillon about this, too. I read about how if you talk about all this stuff before you start getting hot and heavy, it helps your relationship.”

“You're right. I'm probably worrying about nothing. He's just so hot and seems to know what he's doing. I don't want to disappoint him.”

“Trust me, you will never disappoint Dillon.” I gave her a hug, hoping to reassure her. “Now let's go before we start having a heart-to-heart and I cry. Or throw up.”

Kat's smile returned, which gave me reassurance that my talk had helped. I wish I could have asked her advice on Scott. He was unlike anyone I had ever dealt with, but he needed to stay my secret.

~*~

The meeting room was packed, and I didn't recognize most of the people. I couldn't see Scott anywhere but Mary was standing on her chair, waving for us to come over to where she had already claimed a spot. Kat and I grabbed chairs and sat down next to Mary in the middle of the room.

“Wow, Kat, you look great tonight! Hot date?” Mary wiggled her eyebrows.

Kat’s cheeks turned a light shade of red. She didn't like attention, even from someone she knew. “No, I just thought I would try wearing something different for a change.” Mary looked down at her t-shirt and sighed a little. I might invite her on one of our shopping trips.

Scott took the stage a couple minutes later, looking gorgeous as usual. His hair and clothes always looked perfect. He was clapping his hands trying to get everyone's attention. With so many people it took a little longer for everyone to find a chair and stop talking.

“Good evening, everyone. Who's ready for spring break?” Everyone in the room applauded enthusiastically. He held up his hand to hush everyone up. “I'm sure all my regulars noticed the increase in people here tonight. A couple of the schools wanted their anti-drug group to meet with us so we could start collaborating. With the increase of drugs and alcohol among your age groups, getting together could benefit both groups.” The rest of the meeting was a little chaotic while people shared their ideas on how we could spread awareness throughout the high schools.

I wasn’t even sure why I still came to the meetings. Actually, I did, and his name was Scott. But Kat didn't contribute anything, and I wondered why she still wanted to come to these meetings.

The back door slammed open a minute later, causing me to jump. Matt stumbled in.

“What the hell is Matt doing here?” Kat asked, her voice cracking a little.

“I don't know. I'm going to go find out, though, before he makes a scene.” The closer I got to him, the more noticeable it was that he was drunk. His eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks looked puffy. I looked around. It didn't look like anyone had noticed he came in, either that or no one cared.

He spotted me and his eyes didn't stray from mine. He looked mad, but I hoped he was too drunk to do anything rash.

“Matt, leave right now or I will call the police.” I tried to sound authoritative without raising my voice. I was standing far enough away he couldn’t reach out to touch me but he immediately moved in. I tried to hold my ground so Matt wouldn’t see my fear.

“No, you're not in charge here and I want everyone to witness what a bitch you are.” He leaned into a chair, but it wasn't strong enough to keep him upright. He fell to the floor. A couple of people next to us stopped talking to help him get back up. He straightened his clothes and pointed at me. His eyes full of hate.

BOOK: Denying the Wrong
10.81Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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