Dirty (18 page)

Chapter Nineteen

Simone pulled up in front of Paul’s house, parked and quickly got out and went to his door before she could change her mind.
She’d
only been to his house one other time and that was a couple years ago when she’d been out with Noelle and her cousin had wanted to drop something off with Paul. There seemed to be a few subtle differences since she’d last been here but it was basically the same.

Once she rang the doorbell, she knew there was no going back. She tapped her foot on the porch, nervous about what she’d say and how she’d start. They hadn’t seen each other since Noelle’s dinner party. She knew he’d come by to visit her but she had to sort herself out before she could deal with anyone, especially him. Even though she was expecting him to answer, she was surprised when he yanked the door open. She gasped. The last time she’d seen him
,
he had a large bruise on the side of his face, this time he had a yellowish brown shiner. She couldn’t imagine what it must have looked like when it was fresh. What in the world had he gotten himself involved in?

“Simone.” Paul blinked and then rubbed his eyes as if he couldn’t believe that she was actually there. “You’re here.”

“Yes, uh. Do you have a minute?”

He looked over his shoulder and back at her. “Actually, now isn’t a good time. Maybe we can meet up later.”

Simone was taken aback by his rejection, granted the way they’d last parted probably didn’t engender fond feeling
s
in him but she didn’t think he’d turn her away. “Oh, well, uh, when is a good time?”

“Paul? Is it time?”
A
woman called out to him.

Before he could answer, a woman joined him. She
was
small with flawless skin the color of dark cherries. The other woman stared back at her with golden brown eyes. She had the type of ethereal beauty that would make anyone jealous, including her.

“Orisa, go back inside, I’ll join you shortly.”

“Okay.” She went back in the house.

“Simone—”

“You don’t owe me any explanation.” She raced off the porch before he could finish.

Hurrying to her car, she got in and locked her door. Paul made it to her car and tapped on her window but she pulled away before he could see her crying.

“Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!” Paul screamed in frustration. Not that he’d been expecting her, but out of all the days she could have chosen to visit, today was the one. Shortly before her arrival, he’d gotten a call from Misha to say he was on his way to get Orisa. The three to four days he’d promised had turned into weeks and just as he feared, it had come back to bite him in the ass.

Ever since the dinner party, he’d thought of nothing else but Simone and how to make things right
,
if he could. He ached to know that she had suffered and there was nothing he could do about it. Paul had given her
the
space she needed in hopes that she would eventually agree to see him. But now that he’d gotten his wish, it didn’t exactly turn out
as
he imagined.

Because of Misha’s imminent arrival he couldn’t go after her. But there was one glimmer of hope. He’d seen the look in her eyes when she saw Orisa and he could have
sworn
the emotion was jealously. Until he could talk to her again, he had to hold on to that little piece of hope.

With a heavy sigh he returned inside. Orisa stood in the middle of the living room. “Paul, I’m so sorry. I thought it was Misha outside. I didn’t mean to mess
any
thing up for you and your girlfriend.”

“There’s no need to apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong, besides she isn’t my girlfriend.”

“Oh. She looked upset like she was your girlfriend.”

“Do you think she looked upset?”

“Yes. She looked like how I feel when other women look at Misha.”

This wasn’t the first time Orisa had mentioned Misha and each time she did, he could tell that she thought of him as more than just a friend. Paul had never asked her about the story between her and Misha and Orisa and never volunteered it. “So you care for him?”

She nodded. “But he thinks I’m too young. I’ll twenty-one which is old enough to do everything in this country. I’ve seen some things that most people won’t in this lifetime and experienced things I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. I was a child when the rebels came through my village and opened fire. I watched my father shot in front of me and my mother raped. They slit my little brother’s throat. Me and my older brother hid under the bed and managed to sneak out of our hut when my family’s murder
er
s were occupied. Once we were out in the open, we
hid
beneath dead bodies so we wouldn’t be detected by the other butchers. I’d like to say that leaving my country ended the horror for me but there were times when things were much worse. Misha, he’s been the first person to be so kind to me. He thinks my feelings are born out of gratitude but I know my own heart, after all you have been kind to me as well and
all
I feel toward you is friendship.”

Paul didn’t realize she’d been through so much. He felt guilty for not getting to know her better while she was living under his roof. “Maybe you should tell him how you feel.”

“It would do us no good. After today, I’m not sure I’ll ever see him again.” She hastily wiped a tear away as the doorbell rang.

This time when he answered, it was Misha.

As soon as the Russian entered his home, Orisa
ran
to him and threw herself into his arms. “I see you are no worse for wear, little one,” Misha chuckled seeming quite pleased at Orisa’s greeting. Paul stood back as he watched the tragic reunion. Maybe they wouldn’t get their happy ending anytime soon, but maybe they would in future. There was always hope.

<><><>

Simone felt like a fool. What did she think she’d accomplish by showing up at Paul’s house unannounced. It shouldn’t have mattered that he’d moved on because she’d convinced herself that the only reason she had gone over there was to clear the air and nothing more. But seeing that woman standing so close to him, made Simone realize she’d been lying to herself. She’d fought her feeling
s
for him for so long but not for reasons that he thought. But
the
reasons no longer mattered.

For once
,
she didn’t feel like going back to the boutique. Of late Tanisha had taken on more responsibility and
had
been doing an excellent job. As she drove home, she couldn’t stop thinking about Paul and that woman and what they were doing and if he was touching Orisa like he had touched her. Did he make Orisa scream his name because it felt like her entire body would shatter? Or would he hold her tenderly and whisper sweet nothings
in
Orisa’s ear and tell her how beautiful she was. Simone didn’t know what that was like, but she bet with Paul, it would be special.

“Forget about it,” she muttered to herself as she pulled into her driveway. By the time she made it to her door, tears clouded her eyes to the point where she fumbled with her keys several times before unlocking her door. Just as she got it open, something was shoved in her back and a hand went around her throat.

“Do you remember me bitch? I told you we’d meet again.”

<><><>

Misha put Orisa in the dark car with windows tinted so dark it would be difficult for anyone to see inside. The Russian turned to him. “You won’t be hearing from me for quite a while, but like I said, I owe
you
a big favor. Orisa says that you have been kind and a hospitable.”

“She pretty much kept to herself and stayed in her room a lot.”

“Probably with her nose in a book. She is quite fond of the written word. She wants to go college and get a degree and study, what I’m not sure, but I think she’s happiest when she’s learning.”

It wasn’t Paul’s place to say, but he suspected Orisa would be happiest with Misha. “So what happens to her now?”

“She’s going to her permanent home. I’m sure you’ll understand that I can’t tell you more than that.”

Paul nodded.

Misha reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a small white triangular card. “This is a number for you to get in contact with
me
whenever you need to call in that favor I owe you.”

Paul waved it off. “I won’t need it.”

“I insist. You never know when you’ll be in need of my assistance.”

“Fine.” Paul took it and shoved it in his pocket.

“Take care, my friend.” Misha slid into the backseat of the vehicle with Orisa.

As soon as the car pulled off, Paul headed back into his house to retrieve his keys. He didn’t stop and take in the fact that he no longer had to share his home. All that mattered was getting to Simone.

<><><>

Steve shoved Simone into her house. The man was insane. She broke from the hold he hand on her arm and ran down her hallway. If she could make it to the kitchen
,
she could get a knife and scare him off. Steve
,
however
,
was too quick for her. Catching her by the blouse,
he
pulled her back and slammed her into the wall. He pressed her against the wall with his body. Simone wanted to gag from the stench of his breath that smelled as if he’d consumed a great deal of alcohol. “You cost me my goddamn job, you fucking bitch!”

“No. You cost yourself a job when you assaulted me in my cousin’s home.”

Her answer must not have sat with him well, because he raised his hand to smack her but Simone was able to shove him away before his hand could make contact with her face. “Leave me alone!” She wasn’t sure how he’d found out where she lived but she didn’t care. She wanted him gone. She was through allowing men to use her out of some misguided sense of sexual liberation.

She raced to her kitchen but before she could make it to the knives on her counter, Steve tackled her and she crashed on the ground with a heavy thud. The wind whooshed from her lungs temporarily immobilizing her. Steve was on top of her in an instant. She screamed but he slapped her so hard, her head snapped to the side. “Fucking cunt!” His red-ringed eyes held nothing but pure malice. He was like one of the demons in her dreams but she refused to let this demon win. She clawed his face, tearing into his skin.

He screamed in pain. “You bitch!”

“You couldn’t have thought I’d make this easy for you
, you
worm. Simone wiggled out of his grasp and crawled toward the counter until she was able to make it onto her feet. Just as she reached
for
one of the knives, Steve wrapped his arms around Simone’s waist. She raised her legs
and attempted to use her feet
to pull the knives closer to her, but he yanked her away. In the process of her kicking and fighting to break free from his hold, she sent some plates that had been stacked on the counter, crashing to the floor.

Steve forcefully
threw
her on the ground. Simone noticed
a large
shattered remnant
from
her ceramic dishes
that
could be used as a weapon. If she could reach it, she’d go for his eye.

<><><>

Paul was surprised
when
he didn’t get a speeding ticket considering how fast he’d gone to make it to Simone’s house. As soon as he stepped out of his car
,
he knew something was wrong. Her door was wide open. Simone seemed much more careful than that. As he made it onto the porch
,
he heard a loud crash and angry voices. Paul’s heart pounded in fear.

Racing to the source of the noise, he came upon Simone wrestling with that detective he’d seen her in the hallway with. She was clearly in distress. The bastard actually raised his fist and would have hit her, but Paul yanked him off of her. He kicked the offender in the stomach and proceeded throw several punches that landed on the detective’s face and body.

The other man barely fought back which marked him a coward in Paul’s mind. He could beat on a woman, but
not
someone who was more evenly matched. He found himself heading toward the dark place that had gotten him in trouble before and all he could think about was taking this shit stain out.

Simone placed her hands on his shoulders. “Stop, Paul. He’s out cold. He’s not worth it.”

Paul was on his way to delivering another blow but Simone’s voice was like a soothing balm to his soul. He took several deep breaths to calm down, but finally when he was certain his temper was under control, he turned around to see a trembling Simone. He pulled her into his arm and held her tight. “Oh my God. Are you alright?”

She nodded. “I think so. When I came home he just forced himself into my home. He blamed me for getting him fired because I told James and Noelle that he assaulted me. James made some calls and I guess the department letting him go was the result. When you saw us in the hallway together, I didn’t want to be there with him. I swear.” The earnest gleam in her big brown eyes made him realize she was telling him the truth.

He’d misjudged the situation that night and he’d acted like an asshole.

“I’m so sorry. If I had known
,
I would have kicked his ass then
, too
.”

“Paul, you couldn’t have known. Besides, he’s the police. Who would have believed me? If James wasn’t who he was and didn’t throw his weight behind this, nothing would have been done about him.”

Paul knew quite well how the police protected their own, especially when one of them was accused of wrong doing. His father who’d been a cop, had certainly gotten away with terrorizing the family because he hid behind his badge. “Well, he’s been fired so maybe we should call the cops and have him taken out of here.”

“I just want this over and done with. I’m scared that he’ll get a slap on the wrist and he’ll be back on the streets to stalk me some more. Besides, even if someone does believe me, how will I be looked at when they find out that we had a previous consensual encounter? They’d make me out to look like a big whore who had it coming and he’d be out for sure. ” Tears slid down her eyes.

Paul frowned. “You were with him before the night of the dinner party?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “It’s not one of my proudest moments, but I swear I wanted nothing to do with him after that. He just couldn’t take the hint.’

“I see.” He wanted to reserve judgement before he heard anything else but she did have a point about how this would be viewed. There were several people who blamed his mother when his father used to beat her. They would say any decent woman would leave a man who mistreated her. Some would ask what she had done to deserve it. Victim blaming wasn’t anything new and Paul understood where she was coming from.

“So what do you want to do with him? He won’t be out for much longer”

“I don’t know, I just never want to see him again.”

Paul took her by the forearms and met her teary-eyed gaze. “Simone, do you trust me?”

She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue and finally she nodded.

“Good. Go to your room and pack. You’re staying with me tonight. In the morning, your house will be back to normal and you’ll never see this piece of shit again,” he jerked his thumb toward the still unconscious man.

“You’re not going to kill him
,
are you?”

“No.”

She looked a little uncertain. “What about that woman at your place?”

“She’s out of the picture. Go pack Simone.”

She hesitated for a second to stare at the now prone detective before leaving the kitchen on shaky legs. When he was certain she was out of earshot, he dug in his pocket and pulled out the white business card and his cellphone.

He dialed the number and waited for a response.

“Yes?”

“I guess I’ll be cashing in that favor after all.”