New Title 1 (3 page)

“Spencer! Let me out of this car now!” I yelled with every ounce of Irish fuel I have within me. Smiling a bone-chilling smile, he pulls over and I quickly grab the handle to the door ….

M
y body feels heavy, as I force my eyes open to the darkness that surrounds me. Nothing seems familiar, not the smells, not the sounds, nothing at all. Panic forces me up, jerking my wrists back to the bars that they are tied to. I scream for help, until out of the darkness, a door lights up, and opens with a large shadow hovering within the threshold.

“Go to sleep Ava, no one can hear you here,” Spencer said locking me back into the darkness ....

M
y father, William Benjamin Grant died almost two years ago now, and yet I still believe he is going to walk through the door any moment with his usual debonair attitude. He could have done anything with his life but instead he chose my mother.

They met when she was taking a break from doing Off Broadway shows and decided to take a chance in London. My father, who was never one for the arts, found himself tricked into seeing her play one night and as he said, “as soon as I saw her, I knew immediately she was my everything and I had to let her know.” It was a little too fairy-tale for me but they believed it and they were married within a few months after meeting. My mother soon dragged him to New York, to concentrate on her career that is until Ethan, my brother was born. Then my father took over by managing several important political figures finances. He was great at managing money and exceptionally smooth. I always assumed that it was because of the accent, no matter what it was, Ethan and I idolized him. He moved us briefly to London, hoping to increase his business but we returned to New York when Ethan took an interest in acting. Mother insisted we move back to where she had connections to help him, and so we did, and my father never complained once. I wasn’t sure that she ever appreciated what he did for her, until he died and then she barely spoke a word for almost a year. I left the military, Special Forces to take care of her while my brother was busy working on his next big Oscar winning role. Nevertheless, when my mother recovered, my successful older brother came to my rescue and helped me get my first acting job. It was nothing more than a couple of lines in a commercial, but it helped me get some minor roles in some movies, some were so minor that I was cut out of the films entirely. It has been a long and frustrating start, but recently I did a brief dramatic scene in which I somehow misplaced most of my clothes and now suddenly my agent can remember my name.

I am hoping the recent interest in me will also help Rebecca’s career take off too. Rebecca Carol, an actress I met while filming a previous movie and who is now living with me in our comfortable one bedroom apartment. Rebecca is a gorgeous, tall, and brunette and laughs all the time, which I love. We are perfect together, except for one
thing
and I am not sure what that one
thing
is but I can’t get rid of the feeling.

“Sean are you home?” Rebecca yells.

“In the bedroom.”

“Why are you in bed?” Rebecca jumps on top of me laughing and smiling at me seductively.

“Waiting for you obviously,” I said pulling off her dress. She lacks underwear as usual so there isn’t much else to do but give her what she wants. Our typical ritual begins by me kissing her while grabbing a condom from my side table drawer. Her legs move up onto my shoulders teasing me until I find my way inside her, immediately she calls out to me. Her orgasms are abrupt and lately seem to be loud for the sake of being loud. I am not sure who she is trying to impress but I assume it has something to do with the newly, pretty, young tenant next door. The poor girl has been the victim of ridicule after Rebecca caught me helping her bring in her groceries. It was funny at first, even a little flattering but now she is constantly accusing me of cheating on her. All because she heard a rumor the girl is a hooker and takes in nightly visitors for fifty bucks. I cannot imagine it being true but Rebecca insists that it is and that I need to stay away from her. I agree to keep my distance for no other reason than to keep from arguing about it anymore.

After we are done, I ease out of bed and shower to go meet a friend but I can already hear her huffing complaints. “Where are you going?” She said with her piercing eyes.

“I’m going to meet Joel.”

“Joel again?” She asked crossing her arms with a huff.
I am so tired of this argument.

“Rebecca, I’m not discussing this with you again.”

“Sean, you’re my boyfriend! Why are you always hanging out with him?”

“Rebecca!” I yell back at her with emphasis, waiting for only a second for her to uncross her arms before kissing her tense lips and walking out the door.

While I wait for the elevator, our apartment door flies open and Rebecca comes storming out, “you know I can have any man I want, I don’t have to put up with you.”

“Put up with me?” I laugh at her demanding stance. “Go back inside Rebecca before you say something you’ll regret.” I said as the elevator door opens and standing innocently in front of me is our pretty, young neighbor.

“Hi Sean.” She said shyly and blushing when I wink at her.

“Hi, Hannah. Nice to see you again.” I said passing her and smiling wide at Rebecca’s disgusted expression before she huffs at me and stomps back into our apartment. Her tantrum makes it easy for me to leave and find Joel waiting for me at the bar and already ordering a drink for each of us. Joel Castor, the son of one of the top execs, at one of the largest production companies going these days and he is my best friend. We are both struggling actors currently but Joel aspires to write screenplays and despite his father’s claims to the contrary, he is too talented not to be successful.

As soon as Joel spots my frustrated expression, he immediately breaks out in laughter. “She gets mad every time you come out with me, is it something I said?”

“It’s not you, it’s any time I spend away from her.”

“She wants to get married,” I shoot him a wicked look of disgust. “Oh come on Sean, you know that’s what it is?”

“Maybe, but we aren’t ready for that.” I said sighing and downing my drink quickly.

“Why not? You’re living together what’s the difference?” Joel said knowing he is only egging me on to stay out even longer and piss Rebecca off even more.

“I don’t know, we discussed it at one point and even went shopping for a ring but it doesn’t feel right, something’s missing.”

“I don’t get it, she’s hot, and she has a promising career of her own. She does go down on you doesn’t she?” He smiles wide.

I spit my drink out laughing at him. “You’re an idiot.”

“Well damn, what more do you want?”

“I wish I knew, although it would be nice if my mother didn’t hate her.” Joel looks at me with a questioning expression. “Seriously, I tried to take them both out for dinner the other night and it was horribly uncomfortable. Rebecca hates that my mother wants me to come over for dinner without her and my mother thinks Rebecca is … I think the words she used was …
Evil Bitch
.” I say as Joel laughs. “Don’t laugh it’s a mess.”

“Well you know what they say, mother does know best.” Joel said eyeing another desperately dressed girl coming through the door.

“Well I’m not ready to give up on her yet, I do love her … I think. Let’s change the subject I’m getting depressed,” I said downing another drink and laughing at Joel trying to stand in front of me so the girls notice him first.

“He’s already taken girls, I’m the one that needs love.” Joel remarked with arms wide open.

I am not sure what time I stumble my way back home but the locked bedroom door is a good sign that I stayed out too long. Too drunk to care and too drunk to argue with her, I crash happily into the jutting springs and torn fabric of our sofa. Within seconds, I am deep into my dream, a particular dream that has been seeking me out more vividly with each passing day. I don’t know who she is, all I can do is get a sense of her presence and want her even more. This time I am determined to break through the cloud that surrounds her.

“HELP! Oh God please help me!” Hannah screams from next door.

“What the fuck?” Jumping up I run quickly to the door only to be met by Rebecca coming in.

“Sean don’t. I saw one of her clients go in, you shouldn’t get involved in that kind of mess.” She said gripping me hard.

“Rebecca she’s screaming?”

Rebecca tries to hold me in place. “No Sean, stay with me I’m scared.”

“You’ll be fine, lock the door, and call the police.” I pull away from her and call for Hannah briefly outside her door before rushing in and pulling some guy off her. Hannah begins to curl around herself and cry. Her clothes are twisted and torn, and barely hanging onto her abused body. The man tries to fight me but I have no problem controlling him and putting him into the wall until the police come.

“Are you okay?” I asked Hannah, helping her up and letting her cry against my chest.

“I don’t know what happened. I was sound asleep and next thing I know I wake up and he is on top of me. I didn’t hear him come in or anything.” She continues to cry while I check the unscratched lock.
She must have forgotten to lock her door, this country girl still has not gotten use to the city yet.

Once Hannah is rushed off to the hospital and I make a quick call to her parents, I go back to check on Rebecca who is vibrating across our living room floor. “Are you okay sweetheart, everything is fine now, you don’t need to worry. Hannah is going to be fine.”

“I don’t give a fuck about her!” She screams in my face. I carefully remove her from my face and give her a hard glare. “Sean you should have stayed here with me and not gotten involved. The police could have handled it.”

“There is no telling what could have happened to that girl by then.” I said shocked by her thoughtless attitude.

“I don’t care … I was so scared something was going to happen to you.” She says crying hysterically.

I pull her into my arms and kiss her, “I’m okay, everything is okay now. And I’m sorry I worried you, okay?” She nods pitifully. “Okay, now am I allowed back in the bed or am I still in the doghouse?” She shrugs causing me to laugh at her. “Well it’s almost …,” I said looking at my empty wrist. “Shit, I must have dropped my watch at her place. I guess I will have to call and ask her about it tomorrow.” Rebecca grips me harder, crying even more hysterically, so I pick her up and carry her to bed.

“
S
ean!”
Oh, fuck my head.
Rebecca hovers over me as I try to hide under my pillow. “Sean the guy downstairs made advances towards me. He was disgusting.” I roll away from her hoping she will go away. “So are you going to do something?” She grabs my face, jerking it towards her abused expression.

“What would you like for me to do?” I said as she crosses her arms with a whimper. “What did he say to you?”
I hope it is not too serious so I don’t have to go and kick this guy’s ass because I really am tired.

“He said he liked my outfit and then stared at me … hard.” She said searching for the tears.
Not even close to serious.

“That’s flirting, not anything serious. Now leave me alone Rebecca, I’m tired.”

“Don’t you ever get jealous?”

“No, now go away.” I said rolling away from her.

“You are so frustrating,” She said sitting impatiently waiting for me to apologize as she vibrates the bed with her usual hyperventilating hysterics. “Funny how some guy nearly attacks me, could have killed me and nothing from you but as soon as that whore next door cries - you go running.” I sit up to say something to her but as soon as I see her stick her chin out at me, I know it is useless, so I lie back down and turn away from her again. “I can’t believe you are treating me this way and after I was nice enough to go and get your watch for you.” She said laying my watch on the night table in front of me.

“Hannah’s home, I thought she was staying with friends for a few days?” I asked confused.

“
No
, she is not home! I used the key she gave me in case she locked herself out. Why! Why are you so concerned about her?” Rebecca runs off crying and making sure to slam every door on her way out of the apartment.
I don’t know what I said this time but at least it made her leave so I can have some quiet.

I
t was only a few days ago that I auditioned for a role that may help jump-start my career. I knew it was a long shot but to my surprise, I got it and as soon as I get off the phone with the news, I rush home to tell Rebecca. “I got the part.” I said blasting through our apartment door.

Her eyes widen as she jumps into my arms, “really? Are you sure?” I nod at her even wider smile. “Oh Sean this is wonderful, I can’t believe it.”

“I know. I hoped for something but I never thought …”

“So we are going to California?” She asked as my smile diminishes. “You are taking me with you aren’t you?”

“You know we can’t afford that right now and I won’t have time to be with you anyway. I’m going to stay with my brother.” Rebecca pushes me away, crossing her arms. “Don’t be mad. What do you want me to do?”

“Take me with you.” I shake my head. “Sean you know I have always wanted to move California, it could help my career too, and we can make so much more money.” Rebecca said pulling me sweetly into her arms. “Baby please, it would be a chance for us to make all of our dreams come true.”

“I would love to Rebecca but it doesn’t change the fact that we can’t afford it.”

“We could if you would just ask your mother or even your brother for the money.”