I'll Never Stop, page 9
Why did I need a plus-one? Who didn’t? I knew—knew being a loose term—plenty of people at the event, but none were my friends. I didn’t have anyone to socialize with, really. I also still wasn’t one-hundred-percent comfortable being in huge social situations like that. And the last but most important reason was galas were like dances for adults…and dances reminded me of…you guessed it—a traumatic one involving Finn. Needless to say, I didn’t go to them alone if I could avoid it.
“I’m so sorry, babe,” Danny started off after my hello, and I got a sinking feeling. “I just got added to a shoot in Hawaii.”
“Why sorry?” I asked. “That’s a great location. Hell, are they looking for more models?” I asked jokingly.
“It’s for the week of the nineteenth.”
“The week of the nineteenth?” I questioned. “But that’s the week of the charity ball,” I said, realizing why exactly he was sorry.
“Exactly,” he said.
“Oh shit,” I muttered.
“I’m really sorry, Eliza. I know I promised, but—”
“But this comes first,” I finished his sentence for him.
“I feel bad, though, babe, so if you really need me to cancel, I will. Or I can ask one of my buddies to accompany you.”
“No, no, don’t you dare do that,” I said quickly, cutting off his train of thought. “Don’t worry, Danny, I’ll be fine. I’m a big girl.”
“Sorry, Eliza.”
“Don’t sweat it. But, hey, I have to run to a meeting. I’ll call you later, and we’ll catch up, yeah?” I did have a meeting, but I wasn’t in a rush like I’d made it seem. I was just too in my head to keep talking. This was a disaster. Not Danny’s fault, of course, but still a disaster. I couldn’t go to a ball by myself. I just couldn’t…I wouldn’t handle it. Memories would resurface, emotions would bubble up…and I knew I’d be running for the hills, echoing that night.
“Sounds like a plan,” he said, not knowing the anxiety I was starting to get. We said goodbye and hung up.
“I’ll be your plus-one,” Finn said behind me, causing me to turn sharply. I hadn’t even heard him come up behind me, and I wasn’t sure how much he’d heard, but clearly, he’d gotten the gist of the conversation.
“You’ll what?” I asked.
“Sounds like your date won’t be able to make it to that big charity event you’re planning, which means you’re in need of a plus-one. And it just so happens I’m free that night, and I’d be happy to be your date.”
His offer was so ludicrous that I didn’t even have time to let it sink in. The very reason I didn’t want to go alone was suddenly offering to go with me. Irony at its finest, folks. I laughed. “Been there, done that, didn’t work out the first time,” I said, the words out before I could take them back.
“What?”
“No, thanks,” I said.
“Wait, what?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I said, checking my watch purposely. “We’re late. We have to go.” I brushed by him before he could offer any more or, more importantly, before he could question my slipup. When I walked into the conference room, the other party was seated, ending the conversation. But the dilemma was not.
Finn
THIS WAS GOING to be a fun weekend. If you thought that was sarcastic, it wasn’t.
“It’s not negotiable,” I told Eliza.
“No way, it’s not happening,” she argued.
Sounded like we were arguing about us, right? That would be a negative. I was biding my time, waiting until she cracked, and I knew she’d crack. I turned the sexual innuendos up a notch and found ways to be conveniently in her path, forcing her to check my body out like she liked to, thinking I didn’t know she did it, and of course, I upped my charm. It would only be a matter of time—short time—before she gave up, or gave in, rather, and came to me. Yep, that was right—Eliza would come begging for me.
She wouldn’t be able to resist the sparks between us for much longer. What about the little fact she didn’t like me? She thought she didn’t like me. That was just her protective walls deceiving her. She liked me plenty. And honestly, who cared if she did or she didn’t? I wasn’t asking for a relationship. I was asking for two consenting adults who spent a lot of time together to let things happen.
So, what exactly were we arguing about?
“You’re not coming with me to my parents’,” she announced. Cute. She actually thought she had a say in it. Aside from the fact I was one-hundred-percent going to use this to my advantage to charm her parents—and therefore, get their added nudging toward Eliza—I was supposed to be her bodyguard. That meant I went wherever she went. I wasn’t worried about losing my job. I wasn’t even all that worried about something happening to her. In the time we’d been together, I hadn’t seen anything too crazy, but you never knew. I was pretty sure she’d end up spending a fairly low-key weekend at her parents’ place, so like I said, not too worried. But it was the principal of it all.
She couldn’t just go somewhere without me. That wasn’t how this worked. She needed me, and I was going to get that through her head. Shit. That sounded a lot like a clingy-ass boyfriend. Whatever. That wasn’t me, but it was true.
“Let’s just relay the facts. Unless you’re at home, you have to have someone protecting you at all times.”
“My dad will be there,” she said, interrupting me.
“No offense to your dad, princess, but you need to have someone who can handle difficult situations. I’m guessing your dad isn’t trained to do so.” I got silence in response. “Not to mention, even if your dad was equipped to be your bodyguard, until you reach your parents’ place, you would be alone. At the very least, you need someone with you during your travels, assuming you stay inside all day. Now, let’s be realistic. You’re going to go out at some point, maybe dinner with your parents, maybe a trip down memory lane. Where will your trusted bodyguard be then if I’m not coming with you?”
“Ugh,” she said, throwing her hands up. “I hate you,” she announced and stormed off.
“No, you don’t, princess,” I called after her, followed by a chuckle.
“Whatever, asshole,” she threw back without turning around.
I laughed a little more.
That had been two days ago, and now we had safely landed in her hometown.
“You snore in your sleep,” she told me the minute the plane touched down. Yeah, I’d dozed off. I had a few things I tried to handle before we left for the weekend that needed to be taken care of from the minute I started working with Eliza. I hadn’t accomplished much, but I was lacking some sleep.
“Don’t worry, princess. When you’re in my bed, I’ll tire you out so much that you’ll knock out after and won’t even notice my snoring.”
“Never.”
“Famous last words,” I countered.
We made it off the plane, through the airport, and grabbed our checked bags on the way out.
“Lizzy,” someone called out.
I didn’t pay much attention since that wasn’t for us until Eliza said, “Mom? Dad?”
I stopped and looked at the couple heading toward us, both wearing giant smiles on their faces. I could see a little of Eliza in both of them. Her eyes and coloring were from her dad, and the rest of her features were from her mom.
“Oh Lizzy, baby,” her mom said as she wrapped her arms around her, tears forming in her eyes, followed by her dad.
“You look more beautiful each time I see you,” her dad said as he stepped back and took a look at her. “Oh baby, we missed you.”
“I missed you guys too,” Eliza said.
“You must be Finn,” her mom said, turning to me.
“Hi, Mrs. Smith,” I said, reaching out my hand.
“Please, call me Candice,” she replied, literally pushing my hand away and pulling me in for a hug. I was a little surprised at first, but I had to say it felt nice having a mother’s embrace. I hadn’t had one in so long, and even though I didn’t know this woman, I felt her warmth.
“Good to meet you, Finn,” her dad said, holding his hand out to shake. “I’m Murray.”
“Nice to meet you, sir,” I replied, taking his hand.
I spared a glance at Eliza, noticing the slight dismay on her face as she took in how quickly her parents welcomed me. I swear she even mouthed, “Traitors.”
“What are you guys doing here?” she asked after our introductions. “I thought Finn and I were going to rent a car and come to you.”
“Nonsense,” Candice said. “If you need a car, we still have yours. Or you could always borrow one of ours. Besides, we weren’t going to waste a minute without seeing you. We don’t get to see you in person nearly enough.”
“I know, Mom, and I’m sorry. Work makes it hard.”
“I’m not complaining. My beautiful daughter’s face is plastered all over the world. I just miss you,” Candice told her.
“Love you,” Eliza replied, and I’d admit I was touched by that little reunion.
“Love you too, Lizzy.”
“Lizzy?” I asked, finally registering the name she’d been called ever since her parents came into the picture.
“Elizabeth,” she replied, and it finally dawned on me the number of nicknames she could possibly have with a name like that. “But no one calls me that anymore except my parents and my two best friends.” I pictured Eliza as a little kid running around. I bet she was an adorable child.
“And me,” I said.
“Not a chance,” she said.
“We’ll see.”
Thirty minutes later, we pulled up to a one-story picture-perfect home in what appeared to be a good neighborhood. “Finn, none of this hotel bullshit,” Candice announced. “You’re staying in our guest bedroom.”
I’d booked a hotel just in case, but it made a lot more sense to stay with Eliza. I’d never impose on her parents, but I was hoping for just that, so I didn’t argue. “Thank you, Mrs. Smith.”
“Candice,” she chimed in.
“Candice,” I repeated. “I appreciate it. It will definitely make my job easier,” I told her.
“I bet Lizzy makes it hard, huh, Finn? Independent, this one.” Murray motioned to Eliza.
“Nah, she’s been one of my best clients,” I replied.
“Sure, she has,” Murray said. “But smart answer.”
“Thank you,” I said with a chuckle. I liked Eliza’s parents already. Warm, welcoming, teasing.
“Stop trying to win my parents over,” Eliza muttered as we walked inside her home.
Oh yeah, this was definitely going to be a fun weekend.
Eliza
I SWORE MY parents were this close to asking for Finn’s hand in marriage on my behalf. The guy had charmed them so thoroughly that I think they liked him more than me. See why that little fucker had women lined up to be with him, including yours truly?
He was smoother than silk. I didn’t know where he got his sudden manners, but he was Mr. Polite. “Oh, let me get that for you, Mrs. Smith, I mean Candice,” or “Let me help you with that, sir.” Each time he was helpful, even to an nth degree, my mom would give me a knowing look that basically said I needed to lock him down. Shame for her that would never happen.
On top of that, he answered every question thrown at him as though he didn’t mind my parents’ interrogation. And if you could believe it, the asshole managed to come off shy when discussing his accomplishments. Star athlete? “Just wanted to make my parents proud.” Good grades? “I got lucky with some great teachers who knew how to make the subjects fun.” Helping friends in need? “They’d do the same for me.” You got the point.
You’d think being so freaking humble would make it hard for him to mess with me, right? Wrong. He still found ways to sneak in a little dig when my parents conveniently didn’t hear. Or he’d pack on a sexual innuendo as we headed to our rooms. Even better, he’d tried to sneak into my room, and when I stopped him with a firm hand on his chest, he looked at me innocently, and said, “What? I just wanted to see your room.”
“My room is off-limits,” I told him.
“Does that mean you’ll meet me in the guest room once your parents go to bed?”
“In your dreams, asshole.”
“Oh, and what dreams they’ll be,” he replied with a cheeky grin.
I closed the door in his face.
As if that wasn’t enough, he was attentive, seemed genuinely curious about my hometown when we took a stroll during the day, and was especially eager to learn all about me. Thank God the photo albums were tucked away somewhere in the storage shed, and I’d convinced my parents not to have any pictures from my awkward teenage phase in the house. It would do me no good to have Finn see exactly who I was, and that was if he even remembered me. I was clearly just a tiny little blip in his life, whereas he’d dominated my world back then…and apparently even now too.
“What are you doing, Finn?” my mom asked after Finn had washed his hands in the kitchen sink and grabbed one of the aprons hanging on a hook by the door.
We’d ordered food the first night, had a quick breakfast that morning, grabbed food while out and about for lunch, but my mom was cooking dinner now while I sat at the kitchen counter, watching her and just chitchatting about everything and nothing at the same time. It looked like Finn wanted in on the action.
“At some point, I got tired of takeout, so I learned a thing or two about cooking. Put me to work, Candice. It’s the least I could do to thank you for your hospitality.” I had to stop myself from feigning a gag. I wasn’t successful in stopping my snort, though. My mom gave me a chiding look.
To her, Finn was good looking, attentive, and sweet. What a combination. I knew what she was thinking—what she was hoping. She wanted him to be more than just my bodyguard. I could practically see her envisioning our wedding, followed by a couple of grandkids that would be mini clones of both Finn and me.
Of course, Finn did nothing but convince her she was right to want this. If she only knew he’d not only broken her little girl’s heart but also humiliated her, I doubted my mom would still be hearing those wedding bells in her head. He’d hurt me so thoroughly that he literally changed the course of my life. The pain I felt at his hand had turned my life around and taken me on a different journey. My career path worked out okay—I’d give him that—but that was luck and had nothing to do with Finn. It was my self-esteem, my vulnerability that had taken the greatest hit. So much so that, to this day, even though I’m a famous model and beautiful to so many, I still felt lacking.
Thanks to Finn.
And he didn’t even remember me.
Needless to say, as much as my parents might have liked Finn, I didn’t. I hated him, and I would never stop.
Finn
“NOTHING IS GOING on between Finn and me.” I heard Eliza’s voice and stopped in my tracks. I’d helped her mom with dinner, earning major brownie points. I saw the approving glances of her dad every time I did a chivalrous deed. He’d even commented after I opened the car door for Eliza.
“It’s hard for a man to know his daughter has another man in her life, but at least I know you treat her with the care she deserves.”
I didn’t correct him, and Eliza didn’t hear him. Not sure if she would have set him straight though, but she was almost a different person around her parents. She was meek, a little shy, a shit ton vulnerable, but mostly happy. Genuinely happy. She glowed the entire weekend, which made her more beautiful. And she didn’t wear a drop of makeup either, not that she needed it. She was flawless, but without it, she was more real. I actually preferred her like this. Natural beauty.
I even told her as much. “I’ve never seen you without makeup,” I said. She’d washed up after we’d settled in, and all her makeup was gone.
“I didn’t take you for a guy who was afraid of a girl without her mask on,” she shot back. Her defenses were clearly up, waiting for me to drop some kind of bomb about her being ugly without it. I saw a rare vulnerability in her at that moment, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like knowing she thought she needed the makeup to be pretty. For a moment, I wondered what had happened to make her think that way. But then again, she lived in an industry chock-full of beautiful people. I guess that would affect anyone’s perception.
“On the contrary,” I told her. “You’re fucking beautiful no matter what, but like this, with your natural beauty on display…shit, Eliza, you’re breathtaking.”
Her mouth fell open, her surprise clear as day on her face before a bright blush crept over her body. My thoughts momentarily turned to what her ass would look like with my scarlet-colored handprints on it. I pushed that thought down quickly. It wouldn’t behoove me to walk around with a stiffy right then. “Um, thanks,” she muttered and then ran away.
“Run, princess, run,” I said quietly, more to myself than to her. “But you won’t run far before I catch you.”
I also caught the way her mom spared Eliza glances, each one basically saying a mixture of “I approve” and “Don’t let him go.” I’m pretty sure they thought we were a couple on the sly. And hell, if I had my way, we would be. Not sure about the sly part, to be honest. I wasn’t much for hiding things…well, not these kinds of things. And I wasn’t sure about the couple part either. For now, I aimed for sex buddies.
I’d helped Candice in the kitchen, but just as dinner was about to be done, she shooed me away to get cleaned up.
“I got it from here. Go change, wash up, whatever you need, and then come back and be ready to eat.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said with a smile and headed off to my room. I grabbed a quick shower because I smelled like fried food and headed back down to the kitchen. That was when I heard Eliza’s voice. If you thought I’d be nice enough to give her and her mom some privacy, you thought wrong. And if you thought I’d be courteous enough to announce myself so they could stop the conversation, you also thought wrong. I was going to full-on eavesdrop.
