Twisted Lies (Dirty Secrets) (8 page)

Tabitha exhaled loudly. “No need. He couldn’t make it. Just go home, and we’ll reschedule.”

“Later.”

I shoved my cell into my bag and then watched the blur of lights as the cab whizzed through the city. Finally approaching my tree-lined townhouse only a few steps from Central Park, I barely waited for the driver to stop before shoving the money at him and jumping out. Running up the stairs, I skidded to a stop, breaking out into a cold sweat, at the sight of a vase of long-stemmed white roses sitting in front of my door.

“Oh God! Shit just got real.” I pulled out the card, reading it aloud. “J.”

Oh, hell no!

I grabbed the vase, stomped down the stairs, and dumped it into a trash can. I gritted my teeth, trying not to freak out as I went back upstairs and entered my house.

How the hell did Jaxon find me?

My body shivered with disgust, remembering how the utter madness had spiraled out of control after he’d broken into Jade’s apartment and left the rose and my underwear on my bed.

I’d lived through agonizing months of huge, elaborate vases filled with white roses being delivered to me every day with one creepy message scribbled on each card—
Love you. J
.

Even now, the mere scent of roses made me queasy to the point of throwing up.

When the roses had mysteriously stopped showing up, I thought the madness was over, but of course, I had been wrong. It had just begun. He’d shown up at every party that I attended, and he’d chased away any guy who attempted to talk to me. When I confronted him—telling him to leave me alone—that only seemed to enrage him.

Paranoid that he’d been lurking in the shadows, waiting to hurt me, I’d locked myself away in my house, only venturing out for work. After weeks and months had passed without incident, I’d breathed a sigh of relief. I’d thought my world was safe again—until it had come crashing down.

I tried to fight the all-familiar dread that seeped into my bones. The memories lingered. The fear remained. Nothing could erase that day from my mind.

The day Jaxon had grabbed me, pulling me into a dark alleyway with a knife pressed against my throat. He’d babbled words of love over and over as he’d brutally ripped off my clothes with sick lust in his eyes. In that moment of total hopelessness, I’d known from his crazed stare that he actually thought he owned me. Bitterness had coated my tongue when I realized I was nothing but a piece of property to him, his possession that he had every intention of claiming over and over again until I broke.

Tears had streamed down my face as I braced for the impending savage violation. Shivering on the cold ground, I’d turned my head away, letting my mind go blank. I’d known I would never be the same after this day. But when a lone homeless man had stumbled upon us, saving me, I’d been thrown a lifeline. But I knew Jaxon wasn’t finished with me, and that had just been a momentary reprieve. Utter rage had clouded Jaxon’s eyes before he’d sliced me across my shoulder.

His gaze had gone flat and hard. “Never forget, you’ll always belong to me,” he hissed before calmly walking away.

My thoughts snapped back to the present while I rubbed the light scar. “Never forget,” I whispered, fighting the cold fear running down my spine.

Jaxon was back to claim what he thought was his—me. I was ready to fight as if my life depended on it—because it did.

CHAPTER

5

I gulped my coffee, feeling like shit after tossing and turning all night. My thoughts were torn—half fretting over the horror of Jaxon’s return, and the other half lingering over the sensual memory of the mystery man from last night. The only thing chasing away the craziness was reading the newspaper article before me.

First page! They put me on the first page.

I still couldn’t believe the woman smiling up from the page, displaying pieces from her upcoming clothing line, was me. I was reeling from being interviewed by the most iconic newspaper in New York City when my thoughts were interrupted by my ringing cell.

“What’s up, Cisco?”

“Hello, Sin, baby! Congrats on your interview. The phone hasn’t stopped ringing all morning. We have lots of new clients booked for today,” he stated matter-of-factly.

I loved Cisco, I really did, but he was a pushy pain in the ass. Our friendship worked well, but the business relationship was sorely lacking.

“Cisco, how many times have I asked you not to book clients without checking with me first?”

I could picture the adorable pout on his face when he said, “What would you have me do? They’ve been clamoring for a private session with you, and I booked them.”

I sighed heavily, wavering between the daunting tasks of creating one-of-a-kind pieces for my private clients and finishing my collection.

I was grateful that Cisco had given me the opportunity to sell my clothing in his boutique. It allowed me to cultivate my cult following of rich women who have everything—including catwalk queens and Jade, my in-house muse, both of whom thought nothing of splurging on my edgy clothing. My clients kept me well paid and living comfortably, but my unfinished collection was one step closer to my dream. And my dream was so close I could taste it.

“And it has nothing to do with the fact that you get a hefty commission from every new client, huh?” I knew I sounded grumpy, but I couldn’t keep up with the rampant pace of new clients and complete my collection. Something had to give. “Cancel all appointments and don’t book any clients until I tell you.”

“Come on, Sin,” he whined. “I need more pieces. I can’t keep your clothing on my racks.” He huffed. “Besides, you have to come in. Ariella wants to discuss some design changes to her wedding gown.”

I rolled my eyes. “Again?”

Agreeing to create a wedding gown for Ariella, Jade’s aunt, had been a big damn mistake, but I’d decided to do it because of my friendship with Jade.

“Cisco, I can’t do it. I have to get my collection done.”

“You know her. What Ariella wants, Ariella gets,” Cisco responded dryly.

Sadly, it was the truth. Ariella Bellisario was the most powerful member of the Bellisario family. She was beautiful, rich, conniving, and bored. She was currently using her status among the New York elite to get her fiancé—Bigsby Calhoune, a wealthy shipping mogul—elected as New York mayor.

When Ariella had revealed she wanted to walk down the aisle in a Sin Michaels creation, it hadn’t exactly been a jumping-up-and-down moment for me. Every week, like clockwork, Ariella would show up, unannounced, at my house to discuss her gown. Over time, that had turned into her giving me unsolicited business advice, even recommending that I talk to Bigsby about investing in my business. I politely declined. Her slick-looking fiancé made me very uncomfortable to say the least.

“Cisco, just cancel the appointment.” My doorbell rang. “I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later.”

I padded over to the door, knowing exactly who it was. Flinging the door open, I saw Jade bouncing up and down as she excitedly waved the newspaper like a flag.

“My Sin is in the newspaper,” she squealed, pulling me in for a tight hug.

I stepped back with a wobbly smile as we dashed away the tears of joy. “Oh, don’t get all emotional on me, actress extraordinaire.”

Jade pouted playfully. “I can’t help it. My best friend is on the front page of a major New York City newspaper.”

“Yes, it’s a change from seeing your gorgeous face staring up from the entertainment section.”

It had been quite a year for Jade. She was on fire and now starring in a smoking-hot television series. Not to mention, she’d been cast in three lead movie roles this year. I was so proud of her.

I pulled her in before closing the door behind her. “What are you doing here anyway? I thought you’d still be shooting that difficult scene you had so much angst about last night.”

She smiled. “Nope. I dazzled them as usual, and we wrapped up early.”

I walked over to the kitchen counter, picked up my cup, and took a sip of coffee. “Never the modest one,” I responded, smirking.

Jade playfully batted her eyes. “What? I’m the star of that damn show, and I’ll never let them forget it.”

“Uh-huh.” I took another sip of coffee. “Help yourself to some.”

She shook her head. “No coffee. You and I are going out to celebrate tonight. First, we’ll have dinner, and then we’ll hit the hookah bar.”

I gestured to the mess of fabric scattered around my house that also doubled as my workspace. “I can’t. I have to work.”

Jade scrunched her nose. “Too much work—that’s all you do now. I’m worried about you. You need to rest.”

I wiggled my eyebrows. “There’s no rest for the wicked.”

Jade frowned. “I’m not joking, Sin. You’re headed for a major burnout.”

I lifted my hands in surrender. “Okay. As soon as I launch my collection, I’ll take a break. I promise.”

“Bullshit. You’re obsessed with impressing that pretentious bitch, Tabitha, and she’s fixated with outshining you, her protégée.” Jade jammed her hands on her hips. “I don’t like or trust her.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’ve made that abundantly clear from day one.” Leaning over the counter, I pressed my forehead against the cool granite, feeling the migraine approaching.

Listening to Jade and Tabitha’s snide comments about each other was exhausting, and it was even more strenuous trying to keep them apart. Jade hated Tabitha’s biting, acidic personality, and Tabitha resented Jade’s privileged lifestyle. I was stuck in the middle of a pointless fight.

Why can’t they just get along?

Jade drummed her manicured nails on the countertop. “And you’re a stubborn ass who refuses to listen. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. It’s creepy, like
The Silence of the Lambs
creepy. It’s like she wants to rip off your skin and wear it like a fucking fur coat.”

I snapped my head up, refusing to laugh at her joke. “I’m not even talking about this right now, Jade.”

“Okay, well, let’s talk about the mystery investor who she hooked you up with. How did the meeting go last night?”

I hesitated.
Damn! She’s got me on this one.
“You won the bet. He didn’t show up. He had an emergency meeting.”

She smugly looked at me. “Uh-huh. First, let’s deal with what I get for winning the bet.” She swayed toward the racks of clothing and pulled out the leather dress I’d worn last night. “I’ll take this in cream and make it tight. I have a movie premiere next week, and I need to look smoking hot.” She winked at me. “Oh, and you’re coming as my guest. Feel free to sex it up with your outfit.”

I rolled my eyes. “Anything else, Queen Jade?”

“Yes.” Her eyes narrowed. “I call bullshit on that meeting last night. Either Tabitha is a fucking liar, or that investor is a shady fucker. I say yes to both.”

My fists tightened. I knew exactly where she was going with this, and I didn’t like it. “What do you want me to say, Jade? Money and family don’t mix, so I couldn’t take money from you.”

Jade crossed her arms. “Couldn’t or wouldn’t?”

“Wouldn’t. I know it would have been a loan, but it just didn’t feel right.” I paused, struggling with the words. “You’ve been right by my side through the shitstorm of my life. I love you for that and for…well, being you. I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t have you in my life, kicking me in the ass when I wanted to give the hell up, but sink or swim, I need to make this deal happen on my own.” I bit my bottom lip. “Do you understand where I’m coming from?”

Jade sighed heavily before walking over to me and grabbing my hands. “I understand more than you think. You’re a strong woman, Sin. If I weren’t around, you would have survived.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I can’t say the same thing for myself. You’re my anchor. I wouldn’t even be here if you hadn’t walked into that restroom that day.”

I sniffled. “Shit! Now you’re going to make me cry ugly tears.”

Before that fateful day, I hadn’t been a big believer in luck or that stupid fucking saying, “Everything happens for a reason.” Then I’d walked into that high school restroom, and I’d seen a girl, Jade, lying on the floor with a needle stuck in her forearm. The EMT had said I saved her life. From that day forward, we’d become unlikely friends, tethered together by tragedy and fate. We pushed each other further. Our friendship tightened, creating a perfect synergy unmatched by any other relationship to date. We were an unstoppable team who stuck by each other no matter how rough the circumstances.

“It’s no secret that I had a drug problem,” Jade said. “You dragged me from the pits of hell when the lure of drugs had nearly drowned me. I almost died, but you saved me. You’re not my best friend, Sin. You’re my sister, and what is mine is yours. That’s keeping it as real as it gets.”

I playfully tugged her hair. “Why can’t I stay mad at you?”

She gave me a hundred-watt smile. “Because I’m charismatic and beautiful.” She hugged me quickly before pouring herself some coffee. “Tell me what else happened last night at The McKay Club. Did you see anything wickedly dirty that I can add to my sex position to-do list?”

I snorted. “Like you need help with that.”

She winked. “I’m a student always willing to learn.”