Insufferable Proximity (11 page)

Heaven spent the entire night with her eyes wide open, unable to get a moment of sleep. When she did force her eyes to close, she was consumed with horrific images of Julian and his threats. By early morning, her eyes were red, her stomach was growling and her mood was unstable. She was thankful she had the day off, since there was no way in hell, she would be able to face Julian yet. The way she felt, she would gladly murder the man on sight and eradicate any option for his revenge.

She was moping around her kitchen, brewing a fresh pot of coffee when the phone rang.

“Hello?” Heaven answered.

“Hey babes are we still on for lunch today?” her best friend Jade’s chipper voice boomed through the phone.

“Um, I forgot.”

“Bullshit, I called and reminded you Wednesday, remember?”

“It’s escaped my memory.”

“Lunch at ‘The Red’ and then picketing at the aquarium on Friday at noon.”

“Yeah, I forgot.”

“You better not be at work Sevigne, you promised you were taking the day off to help me protest these aquatic killing fucks for enslaving yet another whale. Don’t forget I’m leaving!”

“Fine, I’ll be there.” Heaven grumbled.

“What’s wrong Sevigne?” she asked sensing the difference in her friend’s voice. Sure Sevigne was usually standoffish, but this was different.

“I’ll tell you when I get there, see you at noon.” she said then hung up the phone before sitting down to finish her cup of coffee.

Heaven had only one person she considered a friend and that was Jade. Sure Heaven had met a few other girls in her life that she had teetered on the verge of friendship with, but they had come and gone and in the end only Jade had remained a constant.

Jade was the first person Heaven had met when she moved to New York. They both went to the same school and Heaven remembered the first day that she had met Jade, like it was yesterday. The first day in her new school, Heaven had excused herself from her classroom, despite her teacher’s protests. She had decided to take a necessary break from the new teacher that she already despised and took her time walking to the girl’s restroom. She had no more then opened the door, when a tall brunette hurled towards her. Heaven backed up just in time to avoid the girl that was being thrown about the room. She then looked up to see another girl wearing a t-shirt with the name Jade in sparkly letters emblazed on the front, stalking towards the girl on the ground. Needless to say, after the fight, Jade was called down to the principal’s office along with Heaven and the girl with the black eye.

For reasons unbeknownst to Heaven, she had lied to the principal and told him that she had witnessed the other girl attack Jade first. The principal obviously did not believe her, but had no choice to accept the lie. After that Heaven and Jade had become best friends.

No matter how miserable Heaven currently felt, she knew she had to go meet up with Jade for lunch.

For one, she would not be able to see her friend for a while, Jade had decided to change her career and delve deeper into her love of all things aquatic. She would soon be leaving the state to attend college and study to become a marine biologist. Last weekend, Sybille had thrown Jade a small going away party and she had been scheduled to leave a few days ago. Unfortunately, Jade discovered they were bringing another whale to a nearby aquarium and decided to protest before she left.

Not only that, but with everything going on with Julian King, Heaven was not sure how often she would be able to contact Jade. Considering the fact that they talked on the phone no less than three times a week, it was safe to say Jade would be sick with worry if she could not get a hold of her.

That would initiate the domino effect, Jade would call Heaven’s mother and when Sybille could not get in contact with her daughter, all hell would break loose. Between, Jade, her mother, her aunt Coco and Maude there would be a full-blown missing person’s case in effect within an hour. It would turn into a fiasco, complete with a neighborhood search party and missing person posters with high definition pictures of Heaven plastered about the state. She knew those women well and it was best to just explain the situation to Jade and prevent a lot of unnecessary drama.

***

Julian left the office early, unable to concentrate at work, his mind was focused on his upcoming meeting with his enemy. He went to his main house to make sure everything was ready for her, instructing the staff of their new schedule for the next thirty days. He debated the idea of finding an available woman to release his frustrations on, but decided to refrain from all sex until he was able to get his hands on Ms. Deville.

***

“You what?” Jade barked as the fork full of salad that she was about to put in her mouth was momentarily suspended, “you broke into his office and sent that virus through his computer?” she looked at her friend in utter shock, although knowing Heaven as well as she did, she should not be the least bit surprised. Heaven was known for going to extremes when it came to competition, and was liable to do anything to guarantee her victory. The thrill of the hunt was deep in her DNA and Heaven’s good judgment was usually enslaved to the battle.

“Everything just disappeared, I guess it‘s completely destroyed.” she grinned.

“I told you that virus was powerful.” Jade smiled ear to ear, she had specifically designed that virus to destroy her ex- boyfriend’s entire computer. Since it was the same computer he had used to correspond with the tramp he had repeatedly cheated on her with, she felt it was a fitting payback. Unlike Mr. Julian King, Jade’s ex-boyfriend could not afford to just run out and replace it.

“I had no idea. Maybe you should rethink the whole career change, you’re too good with computer software to quit now.”

“I am so done with computers, I swear I’m throwing my laptop out.” Jade frowned, “Speaking of which, they will never be able to fix Julian King‘s computer. Its garbage now, they might as well throw it out.”

 “Or throw it on top of his head.” she grinned.

“I can’t believe you broke into his office, Sevigne.”

“I can’t believe I got busted,” Heaven scoffed “it would have been the perfect plan.”

“Foiled by the secret security camera.” Jade chuckled “and Mr. Julian King himself.”

“That’s not funny Jade.” Heaven rolled her eyes.

“No, the fact that you are about to do a thirty day jail term is not funny,” she could not stop the smile from spreading across her face, “what’s funny is that I’ve warned you about this for years and you know I have. You could have prevented this.”

“That’s enough.”

“No, you should have listened to me a long, long, long time ago when I told you that impulsive streak and your temper were going to get you in some serious shit one day. And of course, I was right.” she took a sip of her French vanilla latte, “Too bad you had to learn the hard way instead of just listening to your friend who is only looking out for your best interest.”

“Shut up Jade.”

“I mean really Sevigne, what would possess you to break into his office, steal his proposal and destroy his computer?” she shook her head, she knew Heaven got a little crazy when it came to competition, but this was a bit much, even for her.

“I don’t know.” Heaven looked at her best friend and shrugged her shoulders, she was still asking herself that very same question. Heaven lowered her head in what appeared to be defeat, a move Jade had never seen her do before. “It was like some out of body experience or something.”

“Well I hope you can muster up another out of body experience for the next thirty days.” Jade tried to use humor to lighten her friend’s mood.

“Yeah me too,” she looked up at Jade again, “this guy really hates me Jade.”

“As much as you hate him?” Jade asked, finding it hard to believe that Julian King actually hated Heaven. Sure, she was difficult on the outside, but on the inside- actually very deep down inside, Heaven could be sweet.

“If not more.”

“Damn.”

“I think he’s going to torture me to death.”

“No, he’s not going to kill you, but I guarantee he’s going to want lots of kinky sex.” she giggled.

“You’re not helping matters Jade.” she snapped, not finding her sarcastic friend the least bit funny.

“Hey, Julian King is a sexy mother-fucker! If I had to be sexually tortured, I’d definitely want it to be by his hand.” she fanned herself with her napkin, getting a sudden rush of heat through her neither region.  “I still have flashbacks of seeing him at that Christmas party last year, that man is a GOD!”

“Don’t say that! That is disgusting, you do not know him. He is a cocky, egotistical, competitive, selfish, self-righteous egomaniac and there is nothing sexy about that.”

“And you aren’t?” she laughed. “Don’t forget I’ve known you for a very long time Sevigne Deville, and you’re just as competitive and cocky as he is.”

“I am not.”

“Yes you are, remember Dena Rich and the archery competition?”

“That’s different, that bitch tried to cheat and I worked too hard to let her get away with it. I deserved that award, I won that competition fair and square.” she grinned thinking of the box in her closet filled with all the different archery awards she had won over the years.

“It didn’t hurt that the little accident you concocted sprained her wrist, forcing her to forfeit.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered if my wrist was broken and she was in perfect condition, I
still
would have won, Dena was a punk who only liked archery because she had a crush on Bradley, who was obsessed with archery. And I already told you I didn’t have anything to do with that accident, that was purely coincidental.”

“And I still don‘t believe you.” Jade smiled from ear to ear.

“Whatever, what’s your point?”

“My point is, I think you just met your match.” she shook her head.

“I can’t believe you’re saying this crap to me!”

“What? I’m telling the truth, come on Sevigne, you know you’re a little bit of a cold-hearted bitch.” she smiled, loving her friend just the way she was, she just wanted more for her then Sevigne would allow herself to have.

Sevigne had always been the same impulsive, stubborn and aggressive girl she was now. Jade loved her to death and trusted her more than anyone, even her own mother, but she also worried about her. Heaven’s demeanor was always cold and distant, even back at school. She had skipped the whole boy-craze phase and social scene, instead opting to spend all of her time studying. She considered fun a luxury she could not afford and had never let loose or just had a good time. Heaven was always so tightly wound and buried in her career that Jade worried that she was letting life just pass her by.

Sure, there were plenty of 26-year-old virgins and there was nothing wrong with waiting for sex, but it went much deeper than that with Heaven. Heaven was anti-sexual and despised anything that had to do with romance, sex or emotion. Jade understood why, being raised by a mother who sold sex was disturbing and as a daughter, you either succumb to the lifestyle or defy it.

“Real sympathetic, you sure are taking my imprisonment lightly, aren’t you the least bit worried for me?” Heaven raised her brows in question.

“Not really, honestly I’m more worried about him. You’re going to eat him alive and he has no idea what he’s gotten himself into.” Jade smiled ear to ear, “besides you need to loosen up and if it takes 30 days of lock down enforced by your semi-psychotic, albeit ridiculously-sexy co-worker to loosen you up, then so be it.” she could not prevent the laughter. “I always said it would take an army to make you surrender, I hope he is enough.”

“Some friend.” she scoffed.

“You know I love you, you’re like my little sister.”

“Well, I just wanted to let you know where I’ll be in case you don’t hear from me,
friend
.” she frowned as she stood up from the table.

“No, come on Sevigne, I was just kidding! You can’t leave mad, I’m not going to see you for the next 30 days.” she pleaded, but Heaven was headed outside. Jade sat the money down on the table then followed Heaven outside. “What are you doing?”

“I’m leaving.”

“Aw come Sevigne, I’m sorry, you know I didn’t mean It.” she wrapped her arm around her friend who was refusing to look at her. Jade had never seen Heaven like this before and she did not like it one bit. “Besides, he’s probably just trying to scare the shit out of you, I doubt he meant what he said.”

“No, you didn’t see his face, he meant every word.” her words were filled with worry and her mind was doused in doubt.

“Well, we are very clever girls and between the two of us, I am sure we can think of a way out of it.”

“I don’t think so Jade, not this time.”

“He’s a man, men can be reasoned with, sometimes you just have to show a few tears.”

“
Cry
?” Heaven barked out, “Are you crazy?”

“It beats the alternative.” Jade’s reasonable statement gave Heaven something to think about.

“True.” Heaven said hating her options, but willing to cry on command if need be.

“Come on, let’s go save the whale and figure out what we can do to get you out of this.”