Memory: Book Two (Scars 2) (11 page)

I
saw his hand bunch into a fist and I barked out a short laugh. “Sometimes I
really think that you’re insane.”

I
didn’t see his face when I said that, because he was walking back to get the
bottle of scotch, filling his glass with steady hands. He returned to sit
beside me, seemingly calmer now.

“I’m
not insane. I’m ruthless. There’s a difference.”

“Whatever.
You’re fucked up and scary,” I muttered wearily, my head beginning to hurt. I
fell back onto the pillows and stared at the ceiling. Aaron’s shadow loomed
larger than life above me and the bed dipped as he lay down next to me, he
hadn’t even taken off his shoes.

“No
matter what you think of me. I always protect you, don’t I? When I got that
phone call I came running, didn’t I?”

“What
phone call?”

“The
one made by the guy that took you. He was gone when we got there, and there was
no attack made on us. It was just you tied to a concrete pole, your head
smashed in, and you were so cold that I thought you were dead…”

I
turned to look at him as he trailed off, his eyes were closed. After a moment,
I reached over and turned off the lamp. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to
imagine that I were lying next to someone good, but no matter how I tried, I
just couldn’t.

Aaron
sat in the corner of the living room while the doctor examined me, never taking
his eyes from me in case he missed something.

“It’s
a good sign that some memories have returned. You should remember everything
soon.” The man’s hands shook as he zipped up his case and I wondered what his
addiction was. There was no way any respected medical professional would work
for someone like him. They must all have secrets that Aaron could use to
manipulate or coerce them into looking after me.

“Thank
you,” I told him as he left. He gave me a brief smile before letting his eyes
dart nervously to Aaron. He ducked his head down and left the room quickly. I
couldn’t blame him. Aaron often had that effect on me as well.

Once
it was just the two of us in the room I asked, “How much are you paying him?”

Aaron
uncrossed his arms and stood. “Enough. Only the best for you, sweetheart,” he
said sarcastically.

“If
it was only the best for me, why not leave me in the hospital?”

He
sighed, irritability clear on his face. “Because I couldn’t protect you there.
It was too hard with all the people around.”

“Is
here any better?” I waved my hand to indicate the glass surrounding us. “It’s
like we’re in a fishbowl, just waiting to be shot at.”

He
frowned in annoyance. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got it taken care of.”

“I
do
worry about it,” I said in a nasty tone. “I don’t trust you. I need
to be responsible for myself and I don’t want to get caught in the crossfire
next time someone tries to hurt you.”

“
Christ
.”
He roughly grabbed my arm and propelled me toward the window where I could
glimpse the street outside beyond the iron gates. “You see that car there? He’s
one of mine. There’s also someone on the beach side. This house is watched
twenty-four seven. Not to mention the cameras and alarms. I won’t get caught
out again, that’s a promise.” His jaw was stiff with determination. “But I
won’t hide, Rachel. I’m no one’s bitch. I’ve worked hard for what I’ve got and
no one is going to force me to run,
ever
.”

I
wrenched my arm free from his grip, unimpressed by his little speech. “I’m
going for a swim.” I walked to the stairs to go and get changed, letting my
clothes drop from me as I went, not caring who saw. I grabbed a white bikini
from the closet and was just tying the strings of the top when I heard voices.
At first I thought about ignoring them and heading straight to the pool, but
then I recognized one as female which peaked by interest. I rounded the corner
into the entrance way.

The
interloper was that Azalea woman, bright against the pale walls and tiles in
her red dress and her fancy hair. She held a bag out to Aaron. “I thought that
these might suit her.” She had a friendly smile on her made-up face as she
beamed at him.

“Thanks,
I appreciate you going out of your way for us,” he told her as he took the bag
from her, all charm and smiles.

“You’re
welcome. I was wanting to see that you were all right and,” she bit her lip
nervously, “well, I really just wanted an excuse to see you. I know that you’ve
got your hands full with her but can’t you just make a little bit of time for
me? Can’t I see you again?” The begging tone in her voice didn’t seem natural
in someone so elegant and self-assured. It was as if she had been stripped
naked and forced to her knees on the cold tile. It was good to know that Aaron
could disarm even the most apparently together of women, not just the fucked up
ones like me.

She
didn’t hear my bare feet on my tile, but I knew that Aaron sensed my presence,
like he always did. His head came up slightly and his shoulders tensed.

“Oh,
Aaron’s got plenty of time,” I announced as I made my way over to them.
Azalea’s head snapped up, eyes widening with surprise before recovering and reinstalling
that cold look she always had. She didn’t even bother with a fake smile at me.
I slid my arm around Aaron’s waist, letting my hand delve under the bottom of
his t-shirt so that I could feel his skin as I rubbed my fingers along the
muscle of his abs, lifting it just so she could see. “He’s always got time for
beautiful women. Why don’t you stay for a drink?”

Her
mouth opened and then she closed it again, unsure what to say.

“I’m
sure she’s busy,” Aaron said dryly. “Anyway, aren’t you going for a swim?”

I
shrugged. “I didn’t realize that we would have company. Come on, Azalea. Join
us for a drink. I promise I won’t hurt anyone,” I lied. “Scout’s honor.”

I
could see the torn look in her eyes. She had an obsession also and she was weighing
up whether it was worth putting up with me just so she could spend a bit of
time with this man that she so desired.

“Come
on, Aaron can pour the drinks.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her along, hiding
a smile when she teetered unsteadily on her heels. I was shorter than her and
near naked in my skimpy bikini, but I felt like I had all the power.

“Have
a seat,” I told Azalea, gesturing toward the couch. She sat, adjusting her
skirt, and for a moment she was so bright against the pale that she hurt my eyes.
But I shook my head and then it was okay, it must have just been my head injury
that made everything appear so painful.

“What
do you like to drink?” I asked her. “Merlot or a Cabernet Sauvignon?” Antony
always supplied the wine from his restaurant contacts, teaching me to pronounce
the names just right.

“She
only likes white wine,” Aaron said as he passed me, heading for the wine
refrigerator.

And
just how do you know that?
I didn’t let my smile drop, even when I saw Azalea’s
own mouth slide into a smile, her gaze on him like they shared something
special as he passed her a glass of icy cold Chardonnay that appeared too light
and pale in color for someone like her. She needed brightness to match her
color and her personality.

“What’s
this?” I reached for the bag that Aaron had left resting on a side table.

“They’re
some outfits from the store. Aaron said you wanted color so…”

“He’s
always so thoughtful,” I muttered as I reached in to pull out the first little
package that was wrapped in tissue paper. As I pulled it free, the tissue
fluttered to the ground and I was left with a yellow summer dress in my hands.
I held it up to examine it; the cotton garment had spaghetti straps and a short
skirt. “Pretty.”

I
lay it down carefully and reached behind my back to pull at my bikini strings
and then at the ones at my neck.

“What
are you doing?” Aaron asked, no surprise in his voice as my bikini top fell
away and my breasts were freed.

“Trying
it on.” I slipped the dress over my head and pulled it down. It fitted
perfectly. It was sculpted tight to my upper body while the skirt was floaty
and loose. I did a twirl so the skirt flared up. “It’s beautiful, thank you,
Azalea.”

“I
did it for Aaron.” She calmly sipped her wine, unfazed by my little strip show.

“I
know,” I said sweetly. “Anything for Aaron, he’s a stellar example of a man,
isn’t he? Good looking, wealthy… it’s just a shame that he’s as crazy as fuck.”

Again,
there was no unsettled reaction from the red-haired woman; just her unfaltering
cool gaze.

Aaron
gave a small smile. “You’ll need to excuse her,” he told her.

“Do
I?” Azalea asked. “Why are you with her? She’s a child. She acts like a child.
You need an equal, Aaron,” she said softly. I should have been annoyed at being
spoken about like that, but I wasn’t.  After all, it wasn’t far from the truth,
and I was interested in their dynamic together; the way they held each other’s
gaze was like I were no longer in the room. I wondered if I slipped away if
they would make love right there, a mixture of black and red on the white
carpet.

Instead,
I took a sip of my wine and gestured between them. “How long have you two been
screwing anyway?”

Aaron
slowly tore his gaze from her to face me, but before he could speak, Azalea got
in first. “I’ve known him since Luca first took him under his wing, when he was
little more than a teenager. I helped to shape him into what he—”

“You’re
taking liberties,” Aaron told her coldly. “Don’t make us screwing into
something more than it was.”

She
frowned, and bit her lip.

“Was,
or is?” I asked. “Have you two been screwing while I’ve been living here?”

Aaron
lifted an eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t care?” he said sarcastically.

“I
don’t.” I casually sipped my wine. “I just like to know who your dick’s dipping
into for safety’s sake.” I looked at Azalea who was staring down at the floor,
a frown on her face. I nearly laughed, Aaron’s words had torn her in two and he
didn’t even realize it or care.

“Oh,
don’t get so down, Azalea,” I told her. “Don’t worry, we can share him if you
like. I know he may act like a psychopath but when it comes down to matters of
the flesh, he’s just another man with a very ferocious appetite.” I sat down
beside her, close enough to touch. She took a large gulp of her wine as if it
could mend her heart, and was careful to keep her eyes from me. I gently took
the glass from her and set it down on the coffee table. “We don’t want that
spilled now, do we?” She still wasn’t looking at me, and I remedied that by
cupping her cheeks in my hand and turning her to face me. “C’mon, Azalea. We
both know the best way to a man’s heart. Besides, I’ve been to some of the
parties that Aaron and his ilk go to. They always get off on the most perverted
stuff.” I leaned in close to whisper in her ear. “
That’s what he wants.
”

“Rachel…”
There was a warning in Aaron’s voice, but he made no movement from where he sat
in the armchair with his glass of Scotch resting on his knee.

“What’s
the harm? You screw her, I screw you…it’s like we’ve already been together.” I
turned my eyes back to Azalea, whose face I still held in my hand. Her large
beautiful eyes were glued to me. It was a simple thing to lean in and kiss her.
This wasn’t like the times with Nora where I was powerless and weak. This was
different. As my tongue snaked into her open mouth, a sense of control ran
through me. There was something sadistic rising in me at having this vivid,
beautiful, successful and bitchy creature beneath me, in my hands, her pleasure
riding on me. She kissed back, like I knew she would. She had the man she
wanted as her lover watching, and like so many women, she was stupid when it
came to men.

She
tasted like wine and lipstick, and after a slight hesitation, she kissed with
abandon, not caring that her lipstick was smearing or how hungry and desperate
she was acting. Her dress was a complicated, wrap-around garment secured by a
knot at her waist. My hand fumbled with it and with a sharp tug, it came loose
and I pulled it free triumphantly. The dress just fell away after that, and I
could feel her lacy bra under my hands as I swept them over her breasts. Her
own hands were working on pulling up my dress, and if I wasn’t careful, she
would be the one in control. Her desperation to put on a show for Aaron was
apparent in the urgency of her mouth on mine. Her hands gripped at my bikini
bottoms and attempted to tug them down, but I placed my hands over hers as I
pulled my lips away.

“You
want what’s under there? I want you to beg me,” I told her. Something flashed
through her eyes. Anger, perhaps, and I expected her to pull away and storm
off. But she didn’t. Her lust surpassed everything. She swallowed, her chest
rising and falling rapidly. I gave her a bright smile and leaned back so I lay
on the couch, legs bent at my knees and tantalizingly open. With my skirt
pulled up, I began to trace light circles against my mound hidden under what
remained of my bikini. “Just ask, Azalea, and it will all be yours,” I said
softly. As if mesmerized, she leaned forward, following me; her eyes glued to
my fingers that were beginning to pleasure me.

“I
want—”

“Stop,”
Aaron barked out, and Azalea froze. He got to his feet and grabbed her discarded
dress, throwing it at her. “She’s making a fool of you. Don’t play her games.
Get up, get dressed and just go. Don’t come here again.”

I
started to giggle as Azalea’s cheeks flushed red, but then she straightened her
posture, making her back rigid. Wordlessly, she gathered her purse and her
dress and walked out to the entrance way, pulling her arms into the garment as
she went, her head down. I still laughed as Aaron stood over me, staring down
at me, his face like a stone wall. He didn’t move until we heard the front door
close.

“What
the fuck was that?”

“What’s
wrong? Are you jealous? Me screwing your whore?” I stared up at him with a grin
on my face.

“The
only whore around here is you,” he said tightly.

“Oh,
Aaron, that’s such a predictable answer from you.” I went to get up but he
shoved me back down and within a second he had me on my back as he straddled
me. My arms were pinned down painfully and I let out a slight gasp. He loosened
his hold, but only slightly.