Forever Lost: Becoming Elena - Book Two (5 page)

T
he shinny new
phone on the end table startled Elena when it began ringing, the volume on high. She’d only had the contraption for a couple days, and this was her first incoming call.

Looking at it for several moments, she was too late to answer. Before she could berate herself too much, the tone started back up again. She lifted it and saw Tina’s name flash across the large screen.

Fumbling for a moment with the touch screen, she managed to answer the call, almost breathless. She knew she was in bad shape when answering a telephone was equivalent to getting in a heavy workout.

“Elena?” Tina’s voice came through loud and clear, and Elena realized she hadn’t said hello.

“Hi, Tina,” she said before thinking she might need to explain how she knew who it was. “Your name was on the screen of my phone.”

“Yes, I programmed it for you before Dalton brought it home,” Tina told her.

“Oh, that makes sense,” Elena said, finding herself nervous, trying to figure out what to say next. Luckily, Tina didn’t leave her hanging for long.

“You and I are going out on the town,” Tina said with glee. “I’ll be over in a couple hours to get you ready, and then we’re off to paint the town red.”

Elena felt her throat tighten at the thought of doing what Tina said. There was nothing the other woman suggested that sounded like a good idea — nothing at all.

“Um, I don’t know about that . . .” Elena trailed off as Tina’s laughter came through the phone.

“It’s a command,” Tina said, letting out another giggle. “Dalton has put me in charge of ensuring you’re more comfortable in crowds. So I’ve planned the perfect evening.”

“But Dalton has been out of town the last few days,” Elena said, not sure that Dalton would approve.

“Exactly. And I work for the man, and he’s given me a job. I’m hanging up now. I’ll see you soon.”

Before Elena was able to utter another word, the line went dead, and she sat there wondering if she should attempt to call Tina back. When she knew that wouldn’t do her any good, she wondered if she should try to call Dalton and get his permission.

That thought instantly had her back stiffening though. The last time she hadn’t believed Tina he’d been irritated with her. So Elena decided it was so much easier to just go with the flow.

Tina showed up earlier than Elena had been expecting, but she had Elena dressed to the nines, wearing a mini-skirt, tight blouse, too much makeup, and hair that was piled on top of her head.

Tina gave her a stamp of approval and rushed Elena from the house before she could think about the consequences of going out in public looking like she was for sale to the highest bidder.

When they got in the car, Elena took time to study Tina, who was practically bouncing in her seat. They stopped at a red light and Tina turned and beamed at Elena.

“Some ladies from the office are meeting us so it will be a great group,” she told Elena before turning forward again and driving. “I got a nice stipend deposited into my account today that ensures we can have whatever we want.” She was practically squealing in delight.

They had idle chit-chat for the next half hour as they drove into the heart of Seattle. When they arrived at a club that had music pumping so loudly people on the sidewalk were able to dance, a group of women spotted them and rushed over.

“You must be Elena. I’m Jill,” a woman with bright red hair and an infectious smile said. “It’s so nice to meet you. Tina has gushed on and on about you.”

Elena thanked the woman as she felt her cheeks heating. She wasn’t used to honest delight from anyone at the prospect of meeting her.

The introductions went quickly and the ladies stepped to the front of the line where they were ushered in thanks to Tina’s friend, the bouncer. She gave him a sassy smile and a pat on the ass before they went through the doors.

Tina led them through a throng of bodies to an empty table right off the dance floor. She claimed it at once and turned to the ladies.

“We’re lucky we got here when we did. I have to relax before my weekend at home starts. I’m going to Portland tomorrow to help my grandma organize. I’ll be stuck inside the entire time sifting through dust,” Tina said with good humor. “But I love spending time with her. The stories she tells keep my sides aching from laughing so hard.”

Elena felt a pang at Tina’s words. She would love to be able to spend time with a grandmother, with any family member actually, even if it were nothing more than sitting on a couch and watching cheesy movies. Just to have a family . . .

She let go of that train of thought. It did her no good, only brought her down. And this was a rare opportunity for her to learn from Tina, to figure out how to be like this woman Elena so admired. Letting go of the last of her nerves, she smiled at Tina and waited for what was next.

The waitress appeared and Tina ordered tequila shots — a lot of tequila shots. The four women lined up the drinks and giggled as they did one round . . . two rounds . . . and then a third.

By the time Elena bit into her third lime, she could feel the hot burn all the way down her throat and into her stomach. She also let a giggle escape as she watched Tina, Jill, and Sherry flag down the waitress.

They ordered some food to counter the alcohol, but Tina told Elena the night was about letting go, and since Elena had already determined that she was going to do anything and everything that Tina did, she followed the woman’s lead.

After an hour of nonstop drinking, Elena found her head spinning as she pulled herself from the dance floor and sat down on one of the chairs, quickly joined by Jill whose cheeks were flushed.

“I love this place,” Jill said with a wide smile.

“I like the music,” Elena told her, trying desperately not to be shy. The amount of liquor she’d consumed was making that task a lot easier.

“And how about the man candy. What do you think about that?” Jill asked as the woman looked around the room, licking her lips.

“Man candy?” Elena asked.

Jill’s head whipped around as she looked at Elena quizzically. “You made that sound like a question,” the woman said.

“What is man candy?” Elena pushed, not understanding what was so shocking.

“Oh my gosh, that
was
a question,” Jill said with another round of giggles before she threw back the rest of her drink and held up her hand for the waitress who quickly came over and took their empty glasses, promising to be right back.

Had Elena committed a social faux pas? Probably. Dang it. At the rate she was going, Dalton was never going to let her go out anywhere with him. The waitress appeared quickly, and Elena grabbed a drink, taking a long swallow.

“Sorry. I’m just talking about all the hot guys in here. I thought everyone had heard that expression before,” Jill said as she zeroed in on how uncomfortable Elena had gotten. Elena liked this woman. She was nice and quickly changing subjects so Elena didn’t feel so foolish. “So, have you picked one out?”

Elena felt her cheeks redden for all the wrong reasons at that statement. Dalton would have her head in a vice if he heard about her looking at other guys. But she couldn’t tell Jill that. Obviously not everyone in the office was in the know of who Elena was.

“I . . . um . . . well, I’m in a relationship,” Elena finally stuttered. She wasn’t sure relationship was the right word.

“Ooh, do tell,” Jill demanded as she lifted a cold French fry and popped it into her mouth.

“It’s new,” Elena said. Tina had coached her a week ago on how to answer personal questions. That answer she remembered, even in her drunken haze.

“Ah, so it’s not necessarily permanent,” Jill said with a laugh as she scanned the bar again.

“Yes, it’s . . . permanent,” Elena said.

Maybe she shouldn’t have consumed so much liquor. Her brain was foggy, and she was having a difficult time remembering what she could say and what she wasn’t supposed to discuss.

Where was Tina? The woman hadn’t returned from the dance floor. If she had been there she could field these questions and there wouldn’t be a chance of Elena doing something that would guarantee Dalton’s wrath.

“Hello, ladies. You looked a little empty so I brought you a couple drinks.”

Jill and Elena both looked up to find a stunning dark-haired man joining their table, his eyes focused on Elena. Heat suffused her cheeks at the obvious interest in his eyes. Tina hadn’t prepared Elena for something like this.

“What a gentleman,” Jill practically purred as she gave the man a sultry look while licking her lip. “Where have you been hiding all night?”

The man laughed as he briefly flicked his look over to Jill before his eyes zoomed back in on Elena, and he scooted a bit closer.

“I’ve been admiring the view,” he said, making his intentions more than clear.

“I think Elena would love to have a dance,” Jill said with a sly smile.

Elena wanted to call the woman a traitor. She’d just been telling Jill she was involved, and the woman was trying to push her toward this stranger. He looked delighted.

“I’m Nate,” he said, reaching out and running his finger down Elena’s hand.

She felt nothing at the touch but confusion. This was wrong; it was wrong on so many levels she didn’t know what to do about it. Her head whipped around, searching the crowd again for Tina. She needed help.

Without conscious thought, she picked up her new drink and took a large sip. Instead of consuming more alcohol, she really should be asking for water and a cab home. Dalton was going to be furious with her.

Feeling lightheaded, Elena didn’t have the strength to pull back when Nate took her arm and pulled her from her seat. “Let’s dance.”

His voice was a sensual purr as he led her to the dance floor and pulled her against him. Even in her dizzy haze, Elena had no doubt about the arousal pushing against her stomach when this stranger held her inappropriately close.

She was unable to do anything more than grip his arms as the spinning in her head grew faster by the minute. Nate was whispering something in her ear, but she couldn’t make out the words, and when she felt his tongue trace the lobe, she tried pulling away but had no strength.

“I’m not feeling so good,” Elena managed to get out of her scratchy throat. But with the loud music she wasn’t so sure he’d heard her.

“Mmm, you feel so good,” Nate said and clutched her even more tightly against his hard body.

Elena closed her eyes as the spinning made her want to throw up. She needed to go home, lie down, and do anything other than be locked in this stranger’s arms. Blackness began to weigh in on her, and panic filled her as she fought passing out.

Just as she was about to give in to the blackness, she felt her body being lifted, her feet leaving the ground. But a new smell invaded her senses — a smell she recognized and loved.

“Elena, are you okay?”

That was a voice she would recognize anywhere. Even the angry tone was familiar and . . . welcome.

It took colossal effort, but Elena managed to open her eyes and the fury staring back at her was most certainly recognizable.

The two of them were moving as he cradled her close to his chest, and Elena couldn’t help but smile when a cool breeze touched her cheeks at the same time the enormous noise from the club dimmed when Dalton stepped outside.

The fresh air helped clear her foggy brain the tiniest bit, but not quite enough.

Lifting her hand, she ran her fingers along his cheek, enjoying the feel of his stubble from not shaving since the morning.

“You smell wonderful,” she murmured as she snuggled in closer to his chest. She felt safe at last. Even the worst of Dalton’s fury was nothing compared to the fear she’d felt at a stranger holding her close.

“Dammit, Elena!” he thundered, as he moved to the curb. She found herself cradled in his lap as he sat down in the back of his large SUV. It immediately pulled away from the bar. The motion made her head begin to pound as she barreled against his chest, trying to stop the spinning.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, not knowing what she was apologizing for.

“You damn well will be,” he said.

The words sounded like she was in a tunnel though. Elena tried to reply, but the blackness returned, so she sighed, giving in and letting the darkness sweep her away to oblivion.

I
t was possible
to die from a combination of humiliation and pain. That was a fact Elena was one-hundred-percent sure of. She didn’t even need to open her eyes to know that her day wasn’t going to be a good one. Lying perfectly still in her bed, too afraid to move so much as a finger, she searched her mind for images of the night before.

It hadn’t started out badly. Not at all. Tina had made sure she was dressed nicely, and then brought along with a few very nice women to a crowded bar. So far so good. But once the drinks had started, they hadn’t stopped.

Apparently Elena hadn’t known her own limits.

Turning only the slightest bit, she felt razor sharp edges race across her temple as her pounding headache thumped in sync to the beat of her heart.

“Sit up slowly, Elena. You need to take these pills.”

The quiet, steady voice of Dalton made her wince, and wincing made her wince again. Oh, how she hurt. Never again would she drink so much.

Why was Dalton in her room? Was he planning on beginning her punishment immediately? A shudder passed through her at that thought. It was too awful to imagine. She was in no shape to move, let alone play Dalton’s games.

Elena had known better than to do what she’d done the night before. The moment she’d begun to feel the effects of the alcohol she should have switched to water. Her life wasn’t her own to do with as she pleased.

At least not yet, it wasn’t. Maybe someday in the future . . .

Maybe if she didn’t move again, Dalton would assume she’d fallen back asleep and would leave her alone. It was a long shot, but it was all she had at the moment.

A sigh escaped Dalton, and she felt his hands at her waist and couldn’t fight the tensing of her muscles as she felt prickles behind her eyelids. He didn’t like repeating himself, and she’d ignored his request.

“I’m sitting you up. If you don’t take some medicine and get water into you, you aren’t going to feel better for a very long time.”

His voice didn’t sound angry, and much to Elena’s surprise his hands were gentle as he propped her up, a cushion of pillows behind her. Slowly, she cracked her eyes open, delighted at the dimness of the room.

She pulled her lids a little more open and focused on Dalton, who was sitting next to her in her bed. He said nothing more as he gripped her hand, dropped pills into her palm, and patiently held a glass of water in front of her.

Slowly, so slowly she felt like a statue, she accepted the glass, placing the pills on her tongue and swallowing them. She handed back the glass and leaned into the pillows as she let her eyes shut again, trying not to focus on the pain in her head.

“I’ll be right back.”

The bed barely moved when he got up and exited her room. Elena sat back and waited for any measure of relief. The brief movement of sitting up had made her nauseated. After about ten minutes, the pounding dimmed enough to open her eyes again. The nausea went away and her only worry was Dalton.

He came back into her room a few minutes later, carrying a tray with toast, juice, and coffee on it. Elena knew she had to be dreaming. He had never done anything like this for her before.

It was too kind, too intimate.

She’d been expecting rage and punishment, not a caretaker.

“Eat the toast and finish the coffee and juice. You’ll be glad you did,” he told her while setting the tray on her lap. Then he stepped back and took a seat in a chair next to her bed, his eyes never leaving hers.

Elena obediently ate the toast, drank the coffee, and then the juice. Surprisingly she felt much better when she finished the meal. She still felt as if she could sleep for another ten hours straight, but at least her head didn’t feel as if there was a band practicing inside, and the queasiness had settled.

Without saying anything to Dalton, she set the tray aside, and shifted her legs, stepping down from the bed, then steadying herself before she moved. She was quite wobbly as she took her first steps toward her luxurious bathroom.

Relief swept through her when she was inside and shut the door behind her. At least she hadn’t ended up face-first on the bedroom floor. She could almost hear the heavy sigh coming from Dalton if that would have happened.

When she was brave enough to glance at her image in the large mirror, she cringed. Her hair was sticking out in every which direction thanks to the goop Tina had put in it. There were black smudges beneath her eyes from day-old makeup, and her skin looked almost grey.

A femme fatale she certainly wasn’t.

Elena didn’t care; she didn’t want to be attractive to Dalton, she told herself. Immediately after having the thought it was dismissed. That was foolish. No matter how much she told herself she was just trying to become stronger, she did care about the man.

Being kind to her during her first illness — even if it was self-induced — wasn’t helping her to deal with her confused emotions.

Leaning heavily against the counter, Elena brushed her teeth, attempted to get a comb through her hair before giving up, and ran a warm washcloth across her face. She was doing it for herself, she assured her conscious. It couldn’t possibly be for Dalton.

But thinking that was a foolish thought. She didn’t want him to kick her out, now that he knew she wasn’t able to handle one simple social occasion.

Even though she’d only been gone ten minutes, exhaustion was pulling her under, and Elena couldn’t put off going back to the bedroom any longer. She would love to shower, but she feared she wouldn’t be able to get out if she did.

“The pills you took will make you sleep more, but they should take away the last of your pain. I suggest you come back to bed,” Dalton said.

He was standing next to the door and took her arm, looking fearful she might tip over.

Elena was so confused by how caring he seemed to be.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Don’t thank me quite yet,” Dalton told her. “I’m not happy with how things turned out last night, but I think you might have been slipped something, and that infuriates me.”

The raw edge to his voice sent a shiver through her. Elena climbed into bed with his help and lay there looking at him as he towered over her. She felt the heaviness of her eyes, but she figured this was the best time to ask what she wanted. The answer wouldn’t matter since she’d be passing out right after.

“Are you going to make me leave?” she asked, his face becoming blurry, making her blink several times as she tried to refocus on him.

He appeared shocked.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because I couldn’t handle myself,” she said, hating that he was making her admit her faults.

Dalton looked at her for so long she didn’t know if she would be able to stay alert long enough to hear what he had to say. Finally he bent down, his face close to hers.

“No, Elena, you’re not going anywhere,” he said.

The way he said it sent a shiver down her spine. But Elena didn’t need to know more right then. All she needed was sleep. Finally letting her body have what it demanded, she closed her eyes and snuggled beneath her warm blankets.

Her last thought before sleep claimed her was that she definitely wasn’t going to do something as stupid as she’d done the night before ever again.