Mendacious (11 page)

“We can’t change what we’ve done. You felt it as much as I did. You wouldn’t have gone through with it if you didn’t agree,” I confirm.

For business, I know I have to maintain this relationship, no matter how hard my own emotions and business brain fight. She needs to think I care for her.

But do you care?

I shake my head and disperse the urge to reassure her, and instead, fill my mind with all of the hateful reasons why I have to continue with what I’m doing.

This is a game.

I have to play carefully.

She’s pulling me in again, slowly. I’m being trapped by her power. My own emotions are beginning to unnerve me because it seems I can’t lock them out. I’m fighting between my heart that still longs for her and my sick, twisted mind that wants to see her simply crumble.

I’m a monster.

“Alex.” Libby touches my shoulder, her expression filled with concern. “Come lie down for a sec. Let’s talk.” She shuffles up the bed and taps the space beside her.

Propping my knee on the corner of the bed, I take in the sight of her naked form and crawl up the bed toward her. She wants to talk, but I know I’m going to have other ideas on my mind.

Strictly business related, of course.

My stomach lurches at the smell of freshly cooked food. The waitress places a selection of Tapas dishes on the table and walks away, leaving me to the grand feast I’ve ordered.

“God, I’m starving,” I mutter, spearing a sauce covered meatball with my fork and shoving it straight in my mouth. The meat melts on my tongue and the most heavenly sensation coats my taste buds.

“I feel like I’m watching food porn,” Alice snorts, spooning some olives on her plate. “But thanks for the free dinner anyway.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Holli leans across and helps herself to a meatball. “Jesus, he was right. This is really, really good,” she says a few seconds later, closing her eyes and moaning softly.

“I told you I knew a great Tapas place.” I point my fork between the two of them and say, “I don’t mind taking you both out for dinner. It gives me chance to see what’s going on in your world. You know, with all that drama you’ve always got going on.” I wink at Alice as I stab another meatball.

I suppose I should feel bad for Holli. Tonight should have been just the two of us, but after spending the afternoon with Libby, I just couldn’t face the idea of an actual date.

She’s a lovely girl. I just don’t need the hassle right now, or anything that could distract things with Libby. I need to keep things locked down and drama free for as long as I can.

“So, what did you do today?” Alice asks with a mouth full. “Holli said she spoke to you earlier, and you were really busy. I’m surprised you managed to fit us in.”

“I had some meetings to attend, but I finished earlier than I thought,” I reply, reaching for my Jack Daniels and Coke.

That was a big lie.

There hadn’t been any meetings. I had spent my entire afternoon with Libby. In fact, I would be with her now if I had a fucking clue where she was. She practically vanished from the face of the earth earlier and completely disappeared. I haven’t heard a peep from her since this afternoon.

We had fallen asleep in the hotel room, her perfect little body pressed tightly against my chest, as we lay spooning in our own cocoon. It was just like old times. And then I woke-up and found she had fucking bolted.

No note. No text message. No nothing.

She left me feeling like a complete and utter twat. I feel violated. Almost like my dick has been used for free and tossed aside for her enjoyment.

I mean,
who the fuck does she think she is?

Nobody gets to treat me like that.

“Alex.” Alice snaps her fingers in front of my face. “You look pale. You sure you’re alright?”

I put down my fork, my appetite gone. “I’m not hungry.”

Alice tilts her head to the side and wrinkles her brow. “I’m not convinced.”

My glass of Jack and Coke finds its way to my lips. I don’t hesitate in emptying the contents and signalling at the waitress to bring me another.

“Stop it,” I bark, feeling my sister’s eyes still on me.

She isn’t happy, but she does as she is told; her errant mutterings under her breath continuing as she digs into the various Tapas dishes.

While I wait for my next drink, I pull out my phone and check if she’s bothered to come back to me. I sent her one text as I was leaving the hotel, but I haven’t heard back.

I’m not the type of guy to go begging on my knees to find out where she is. I have standards to adhere to. Chasing my ex-wife round a big city isn’t one of them. So if she doesn’t care, then fuck her ...

“Thanks,” I murmur when the Jack Daniels is put in front of me. Sliding my phone in my pocket, I pick up the glass and swirl the liquid with a gentle flick of my wrist.

“How’s your big plot going?” Holli asks out of the blue.

Alice lifts her head. “What plot?”

“It’s nothing,” I assure.

“It must be something,” Alice presses. She turns to Holli and says, “Spill. I want to know what’s going on.”

My expression morphs into a frown.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Holli laughs. “I won’t say anything if you don’t want me to.”

Alice pokes her friend in the side. “Tell me.”

“Give it a rest, Alice, it’s just business,” I tell her, putting my glass on the table. “It’s nothing for you to get involved with. And it’s nothing for either of you to gossip about.”

Alice rolls her eyes. “Wharves.”

“Wharves?” My lips twitch into an expected smile.

Holli snorts before she explains. “She typed
whatever
on a text once, and autocorrect changed it to
wharves
. Most hilarious thing, ever.”

I’ll never understand the mindset of a young girl, and I don’t think I even want to. Smiling and nodding is the best way to get through life, which I’m doing as we speak.

“Right, I’ll pay the tab and leave you both to it,” I say, knocking back the rest of my whiskey and pulling out my wallet.

“Don’t go.” Holli jumps up from the table as soon as I stand. “We were thinking of having a couple of drinks up Broad Street after this. Not too many because we’ve both got to work tomorrow. But why don’t you come for a couple?”

Shaking my head, I pass my credit card to the nearby waitress. “I can’t. I’ve got too much to do tonight. I need to get a head start on some e-mails.”

“Don’t be a bore,” they both whine.

Looking at my watch, I heave a sigh. It’s almost nine in the evening, and I don’t feel like going out on Broad Street. The place can get quite rough at night with the need for police cars and ambulances lining the various side streets in readiness for that evening’s drunkards. I’m not sure I’m up for it.

“Alice, you’ve gotta get back home afterwards. Can’t you go drink in Coventry? It’ll be easier
and
cheaper for you to get a taxi.”

My reasoning falls on deaf ears as expected.

“No. Let’s go out,” she says, stuffing her face with the last of the food, before getting up to leave with me. “Come on, Holli.”

~

I’m trapped in my worst nightmare.

Alice has had way too much to drink, and Holli is well on her way to the same level. Of course, I’m the only semi-sober one between us. I’ve had a couple of whiskeys, but nothing I can’t handle.

“Alex, have this,” Alice shouts, slamming a shot in front of me. “They are sooo good.”

“What is it?” I ask, carefully inspecting the black liquid. It smells like liquorice which puts me straight off. I don’t like liquorice or anything aniseed tasting.

Alice throws her head back and drinks her shot. “Why are you being boring?” she starts to whine again and gestures toward the full shot glass on the sticky bar.

“I’ll have it.” Holli lurches forward, snatches the shot glass, and devours the sickly black alcohol. She sways on the spot before slamming the empty glass on the bar. “So good,” she slurs.

With the concoction of drinks they’ve both sucked down, I’m surprised they aren’t throwing up. Holli looks close, but it’s Alice I’m starting to get concerned about.

“I’m going to the toilet,” Alice says, holding out her hand to Holli. “Come with me.”

“I’m gonna stay with, Alex,” Holli shouts over the thumping bass music in the shithole bar we’ve found. “We’ll be right here.”

Fuck.

I force pleading eyes at my sister, begging her not to leave me with her intoxicated friend, but she doesn’t notice, the alcohol in her system taking away and consuming her usually intelligent brain. So instead she leaves me. Alone. Well, not alone, but with fucking Holli of all people.

And just as I knew she would, the minute my sister leaves, she wanders over and slides up beside me, wrapping her hands around my arm and subtly rubbing against my side.

“Why aren’t you having anything to drink?” she asks, noting my lack of alcohol in comparison to the many bottles of VK she has on the side.

I keep my reply curt. “I’ve got too much to do tomorrow.”

“Don’t be a spoil sport,” she teases, squeezing my arm lightly with her fingers. “Have one of these.” She leans across me and reaches for one of those alcopop things she has been drinking, but her hand misses and instead she starts falling toward the bar.

My reactions are like lightning as I wrap my hands around her waist and stop her face-planting into the wooden bar. “Jesus,” I mutter, turning her round to face me. “What are you playing at?” My eyes scan her features for any form of life, but all I see is glazed intoxication. Her bubbly smile is in mega watt mode and I sense I’m in ever growing danger here.

“You need somebody to look after you, Alex,” Holli murmurs, her hands reaching for the lapels of my suit jacket. She grasps the material tightly and pulls me toward her.

I know what she is trying to do, and I resist with all of my strength. My neck turns rigid as I fight off her forcing charm.

“I think you’ve got the wrong end of the stick here,” I say, when she tugs harder on my jacket. My eyes drift from her face for a nanosecond and I find myself staring at her legs in the simple mini-dress she has on. Those fucking legs are taunting me. Nicely tanned and perfectly shaped …

Focus, Alex!

“I know you want me. It’s okay, I want you too,” I hear Holli say, before I feel the press of her lips against mine.

“What the fuck are you both doing?” Alice appears as I’m trying to manoeuvre away from Holli. She is absolutely furious. I feel the sharp burn of the daggers shooting from her eyes.

“It’s not what it looks like.” I’m backing away from them both with my hands in the air, surrendering from something I played no part in. “She came onto me.”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t love every second,” Holli snorts.

“You’ve misunderstood if that’s what you think.” My reply is calm and smooth, but it’s laced with arrogance. And of course, Holli picks up on this in an instant.

“What was that?” She arches an eyebrow.

“Okay, you both need to calm the heck down,” Alice says, trying to settle the frosty tension building between us. “I don’t want a scene, so let’s just leave—”

Holli raises her hand and silences Alice. “You’ve been leading me on since the first day I met you,” she says, looking straight at me.

And she’s right ... sort of. It hadn’t been intentional. She was just another pretty girl that my dick wanted to fuck.

“I’m not interested in you like that,” I reply, waving my hand dismissively toward her. “You might have read into things too far.”

“What’s wrong with me?” Holli snaps into the ultimate of bitches in a fucking flash. The change is like lightning and I’m blinded by the speed. She has a hand on her hip, tosses her hair, and waits for my response.

I’m absolutely gobsmacked.

I’m never usually at a loss for words, but tonight’s caught me off guard. This girl has the worst drunk attitude, ever. And judging by the look in her eyes, I’d say she’s verging on psychotic. The glare she pins me with sends an icy tremor along each of my vertebrae.

It is a look of pure evil.

She
is evil.

“You aren’t my type,” I try and lie.

“I think I am,” Holli scoffs, rolling her eyes. “I’ve seen the way you look at girls like me. You devour them, Alex.”

And now it’s time to stop this game. As nice as I thought she was, I don’t have time for this shit. Her true colours are surfacing, and she’s coming across as a devious whore.

Usually, I would have snapped up a looker like her, but since she’s friends with my sister, there is way too much baggage involved. It wouldn’t be a simple fuck and chuck type of night. Her personality screams clingy. And I
do not do
clingy, at all.

“Listen, sweetie. I don’t know what you think there is between us, but you need to wake-up to the real world. Not everyone you meet is gonna want to sleep with you. Just because you have
really
nice legs, it doesn’t mean you get to snap your fingers and get what you want.” I take a breath and snag a quick look at her legs for the final,
final
time for tonight. “You think you know what sort of guy I am, huh? You don’t know me at all. I’m the type of guy who will fuck you for my own pleasure and not give a shit whether you come or not. You would be nothing to me but an empty shell that I slam my dick into. Is that what you want? If you do, we can go fuck in the corner or nearby alley? You only have to say—”

I don’t get to finish my little speech before Holli’s palm stings across my left cheek in a hard, fiery slap. She recoils back for number two, but thankfully Alice catches her arm midair.

“You bastard!” Holli screeches, struggling to get her arm free from my sister’s grasp. “You don’t know shit about me. How dare you talk to me like that.”

“Alright, calm down,” Alice snaps, jerking Holli backwards so that she stumbles out of my personal space. “You kind of asked for it if you tried it on with him. My brother doesn’t take any shit, nor does he do the
girlfriend
thing. Not after his divorce to that other bitch.”

“What, you are with
him
? Even after he just spoke to me like shit?” Holli curls her upper lip and sneers in my direction.