Mister Distraction (Distraction #2) (7 page)

“Right, Katarina, well, I heard on the news her grandfather died a few days ago.” His voice went silent, and I heard shuffling in the background. “Are you still planning revenge for my sister’s death?” I was immediately taken aback by what he said. It might still be in the back of my mind, but the way he said it just made it sound juvenile. I never trusted William. I talked to him, kept in touch out of respect for his sister, but friends that I talked with daily or yearly, we were not.

“No, I was just wondering…she’s here by herself with no guards.” I completely forgot my mission for the call after his last statement.

“She probably ran away. She’s kind of known for that. Remember she ran away the night before her dance show and wasn’t found until a few days later. After that I think they shipped her off to live with him, the grandfather.”

“Thanks, William. How is everything?” I opened a can of worms with that question and found out a little more than I wanted to know. I hung up as quickly as I could and headed to work.

The day went by fast. At lunch, Dad and I played basketball off the back of the office door. I won, which meant he bought lunch next time. He was a great dad, and I valued our relationship. He was the reason I became a veterinarian, and I spent years following him around trying to be exactly like him.

On my way home, I tried to devise a plan to avoid Bettina. I think it’s time to get rid of the “live in”. I have stayed with her out of convenience, but it just wasn’t that convenient anymore. I felt good about the day, and the thought of going home to that crazy bitch made me want to drive off a cliff. When Bo and I entered the apartment, it was empty. She called and left a message telling me she would meet me at the club later tonight.

I went for a run with Bo and relaxed before getting ready and leaving for the club. I was exhausted and the club didn’t sound appealing to me tonight, but I knew once I got there, the sights would make me feel differently, and most likely brighten my extremely tired mood. I needed a diversion; I was having a hard time relaxing. My mind was wrapped around Katarina.

Chapter Four

The place was slow tonight, and the bar area quiet. I positioned myself in the corner across from the main entrance. I visited with the bartender and one of the bouncers. I drank my shots of whiskey while I waited for Bettina. I was feeling aggressive at the club tonight, but couldn’t pinpoint why. Bettina was nowhere, but that was a positive.
Right?
The redhead from the other night was approaching with a man I assumed was her boyfriend. I only knew that because of the way he continued to mean-mug me. I smiled and nodded, thinking “
asshole
.” She was wearing a see-through nightie, displaying her curvy body, and I couldn’t give a fuck what he was wearing. She stopped inches from me. Her boyfriend stepped in between us. Her voice had to travel over his body.

“So where is Bettina? Are you two fighting again?” She said this while sticking her head around him and smirking. I was amazed at how this cute girl could be just like Bettina. She was provoking me. She was a complete, manipulative bitch. I shot a glance and a nod at her boyfriend, silently asking him to take care of her mouth, but he sent me a smug ‘fuck you’ look back.

“No, she’s meeting me here.” I didn’t owe her a response. She made my anger start to rage and I glanced at her male companion again, wondering who wore the big boy pants in the relationship.

“I’m Jason. Chelsea told me
afterwards
that she had a boyfriend.” I stuck my hand out to shake his. “I would’ve never fucked her if I knew she was taken.” She flinched and he just held a dead stare.

After a long moment, he stuck his hand out and said, “Maybe we could find a way to make it even.” He smiled a hateful smile. “My name’s Red.”

I remembered hearing about this guy from Brad. This guy was hardcore sadistic. I looked at the girl.
Shit, I didn’t see that coming. Yep, just like Bettina, she let us fuck her to piss him off
.

My eyes got diverted as Bettina came up to the bar from one of the playrooms, following closely behind a female brunette. They paused, and the brunette winked at me before turning back to Bettina to tongue her right in front of me. The make out scene caused so much attention the bar literally grew quiet.
What the heck, was she counting her teeth with her tongue?
My jaw clenched shut, annoyed with the fucking games Bettina always played. I closed the distance between us in a matter of seconds, ripping her from her female companion and shifting her up against the bar, creating an even bigger scene.

“Are you done?” My voice was laced with irritation. She smiled, amused, enjoying the rise she was getting out of me a bit too much. Her hair was a mess and her hazel eyes glossed over.

“Just getting started; you’re up next.” Her overconfident smugness was causing my skin to crawl. I pressed my body against hers, smashing her against the bar. I leaned down close enough to smell her breath, firmly grabbing her chin and shifting it up in one swift move.

“What are you on, Bettina?” She violently shook her head out of my hand. “I told you it was over if you did any more drugs. What the
fuck
are you on?” She froze at my loud voice and kept her mouth shut. I took a large step back, shoving her away from me in the process. “It’s over, done.” I stepped away from her, avoided all the spying assholes, and bolted to the men’s room.
Fuck
. I looked in the mirror and took a deep breath. I felt my muscles twitching, like I needed to hit someone, or needed to kick the shit out of something. I splashed some water on my face and began pacing the bathroom. It was over, three years of this shit. I glared in the mirror one more time, wanting to punch the guy seething back at me, and then I left.

I heard Bettina laughing when I left the bathroom and my anger boiled, but I kept walking. I didn’t wait for the elevators, running down
ten flights of stairs instead. I climbed into my Jeep and didn’t look back. When I got home, I packed my things and loaded everything up. I took Bo on a late night run. It was more sprinting than running, but Bo kept my pace. When we stopped, I could hardly breathe. I took a long shower and locked myself in my bedroom so I could sleep. At three in the morning, I heard banging on my door, followed by wicked laughter. The sound made me want to jump out my window. I am not sure when it ended; I buried my face in my pillow and fell back to sleep. Bettina no longer existed in my world starting right now.

In the morning, I left quickly for work. I hit the coffeehouse first. I felt crappy, but Katarina was all I could think about. I waited inside the door to hold it open for her again. I smiled, and my whole body relaxed when I saw her approaching. She wore a heart-stopping smile, and I secretly wanted to be on the other end of it. I opened the door, and just like before, she thanked me without looking at me. She continued past me in a direct line to her booth, and I could hardly move. I incoherently got a coffee and settled close to her table, scaring away people as they approached her. She left on her own, waving at the man behind the coffee counter as she did. She was such a vision. I closed my eyes and saw her smiling face. She was completely different from the twelve-year-old whom I shared ice cream with. She was full of life. Her bright smile proved it. My pants felt tighter when I got up to leave.

Work was a blur. I went to the phone store at lunch and got a new number. Bettina left so many messages I couldn’t delete them fast enough. Tonight was family dinner night, and I would ask my sisters if I could stay with them until I got a new place, because going back was not an option.

I sat outside Jessica’s house, trying to convince myself that dropping Bo off at the apartment was the right thing to do. I had run the giant Rotty before taking him up to the apartment. I worried he would be restless and I wanted him to protect Bettina, even though I couldn’t anymore. I cared for her and didn’t want anyone to hurt her. Bo just looked intimidating, and if a man showed up there, Bo would scare him away. I squeezed my eyes shut and counted to ten before I got out of the car and headed inside. The whole house was charged when I walked in.

“Uncle Jason! Uncle Jason!” was said in unison. I picked up all the four kids at once in a big bear hug. My sisters and my mom followed. They took turns hugging me, and I think I even saw a tear in my mom’s hazel eyes.

“What’s wrong, Mom?” She led me into the kitchen, my arm draped around her back.

“I just miss you, Jason.” Yep, she was definitely crying. I never handled tears well. It made me uncomfortable. Anger and punishment, I was great at. The tears ran down her face as she leaned up to kiss me and I found a dry spot on her upper cheek and gave her a small peck. Kissing was another thing I wasn’t great at. I became okay with the hugging, but a two-second embrace was it. My mom seemed to enjoy the love I gave her. The smile plastered across her face confirmed it.

The table was set, and everyone started to gather around. My dad said grace before we all dug in. My sister Jessica was a great cook, and it had been a long time since I had a home cooked meal. I ate everything in sight. I heard laughter all around as I finished off all the mashed potatoes, corn, and tri tip.

“It’s very good, sis; great, in fact.” I gave her a half grin as I continued stuffing my face.

When I finished, I pushed my chair back from the table and listened to the conversation. Jake, my nine-year-old nephew, got in trouble again at school. This time, he threw his book at a kid that was making fun of his new haircut. I listened as my parents tried to reason with him.

“That could be your little brother someone’s throwing a book at, or your little cousin.” It was the “do unto others” speech. They used to use those lines with me. It never worked, mainly because if someone did throw something at my sister, I would just beat the crap out of them.

I eyed Jake, who was nodding at my dad. He glanced over at me for a split second, and I winked. Then Jack and Jasmine, Jessica’s very young children, left the table for bath and bedtime. They came over to me and gave me a big hug before disappearing with their dad. Josh and Jake, my sister Janie’s kids, left to get their pajamas on and watch some TV in the playroom. My sisters were returning from the kitchen. The table was spotless. So there we were, my parents and my two sisters all gathered
around me, all eyes on me. I started to shift in my seat, nervous, with my hands fidgeting. I felt the tension in the room—could taste it.

“What’s up?” I knew they were cornering me, and I felt like a caged animal. My twin sister, Jessica, spoke first.

“We are really worried about you, Jason. We think you are on a destructive path, and we all have things we would like to say.”

I glanced around the table, and everyone had the same concerned look on their face.

“I assume you are talking about my hobby.” My voice was impatient and laced with agitation. That is how we talked about the way I liked to have sex. “I broke up with Bettina last night, and I was hoping I could stay here for a couple days. As far as the destructive path,” I used her words as I made eye contact around the table, “I enjoy sex, I don’t do drugs, never have, and drinking alcohol is not an issue.”

My older sister Janie started talking next, “I have done research, Jason, and you are a textbook sex addict. If you are not at work, you are at that club. People with this problem need help controlling it. Jason, you need help.”

“Listen, Janie, AKA Dr. Shrink. I don’t have any issues with sex. I want to have it, and women want to have it with me. There is no problem. I can go without it longer than you could go without wine,” I say as I glance at my twin next to me, “and longer than you can go without ice cream.”

My older sister pulled some brochures out from under the table and slid them over. I picked them up and rolled my eyes. I felt my body become defensive, and used intimidation to stop the wayward conversation.

“You’re kidding, right?” My shoulders squared, my chest puffed out, and I gritted my teeth and glared over at my mom and dad.

My mom stood up, wiping her eyes, her hands shaking. She unfolded a piece of paper and began reading from it. “Jason, I am so scared that you are going to come home with a disease and I will lose you. I am scared that your temper will cause you to do permanent harm, physically or mentally to someone else, and you will never be able to forgive yourself. Most of all, I am scared you will never know the joys of a healthy relationship. Please consider this.”