Bare With Me Read online

  “Oh god! Fuck me harder! Oh sweet Jesus… I’m coming… don’t stop. I’m… I’m… fuuuuck!”

  I came with the most intense orgasm I’d ever felt. My body went limp, sated. I felt Demetrius reaching for his own climax as he pounded into my cunt harder and harder until he finally gave in to his own release. He slinked down my body, kissing my neck, shoulders, and breasts before finally resting his head on my abdomen.

  I’d never had sex like that before. It was like an addiction. I couldn’t get enough. I wanted more. That man had given me something to crave. I just couldn’t decide if it was a good thing or bad thing.

  After our first date, everything changed. I changed. I became consumed by him, and him by me.

  For the next four months, Demetrius took over my life. We saw each other every day, talked and texted constantly. It was really becoming a problem. School was no longer a priority; my friends fell off my radar. He didn’t like to be away from me for long periods of time, so he made sure he accompanied me anywhere I went and if he couldn’t, he would have his driver take me to and from and wait for me outside.

  I thought it was because he was concerned for my safety, but I quickly noticed how upset he would get if I made plans with Max or Ken. I’d feel guilty and cancel my plans.

  I never saw them anymore, and it was seriously damaging my friendships. They would warn me it was getting out of control, that it wasn’t healthy—but I didn’t want to see it. I didn’t want to admit that they were right. I was blind. After only a couple weeks of seeing each other, he professed his love for me. I’d never had that before. So, I convinced myself I was in love too. I mean, what the fuck did I know about love, anyway? I just thought his being so overprotective was his way of showing me he cared.

  I had no idea just how wrong I was, how damaged I allowed myself to become around him. He owned me. And he would never let me go willingly. It was a promise he made all too often.

  I dropped Peyton off at home after our date. It went better than I expected. She’s smart, sexy, and genuine. I loved every moment I had with her tonight so I asked her out again. To my surprise, she said okay. I know she may have some reservations about us, but that shit needs to go. I have no plans on going anywhere. She’s seemed reluctant to talk about her past so I kept the conversation light and more about the present. I couldn’t scare her off yet. The last thing I want to do is push her away. I know there are some serious things lingering in her mind she doesn’t want to share, but lucky for her, I can be a patient man.

  For her, I can be anything she wants, if she’ll let me.

  I’m so wired up that the last place I want to go is home. I figured Aiden would still be up, and since his place was on my way home, I’d go over there and see what he’s up too. Ten minutes later, I’m pulling onto his driveway. I park my car, get out, and hit the alarm. The front door of his house always throws me off. Instead of it being right in the front of the driveway, you have to walk down the pathway to the left side of the house before you see the front door.

  I ring the doorbell and wait for him to answer. After a few times of blowing up his doorbell, the door finally opens up and Aiden’s standing there in nothing but boxers, running one hand through his hair and leaning the other on top of the door frame. I walk past him and go inside.

  “The fuck you doing here so bloody late mate? It’s damn near two in the morning,” he says with a grunt.

  “Damn, old boy, I didn’t realize you were getting your recommended eight hours of beauty sleep.” I laugh as he closes the door behind me.

  “Your arse better have a good reason why you woke me up right now, or I’m kicking you the fuck out.”

  “Calm down you dick. I just dropped Peyton off. I didn’t know your ass was asleep,” I say and shrug my shoulders as I take a seat on the couch, putting my feet up on the ottoman.

  “Yeah mate, I’m knackered. It was a long night. Don’t ask.” I eye him up and nod my head. He’s already in a piss ass mood. I’m not going there. I’ll save it for later.

  “So, how was your date? Was it all roses and butterflies?” Aiden asks.

  “You’re such an ass. You know that? It was good. She’s holding back, but she’ll come around.”

  He chuckles and walks toward the kitchen. I get up and follow him, stopping at the island and taking a seat on the bar stool. Aiden walks over to the refrigerator and pulls out two bottles of water, throwing one in my direction. I catch it and set it down on the black concrete counter. He’s leaning against the sink opposite side of the island with his legs crossed and arms over his chest, with a stupid smirk on his face. I know exactly what he’s thinking. I’ve had a cheesy ass smile the moment I walked into his house. I got it bad. Like real bad.

  Then he says, “So Liam, what should I expect to wear to your wedding, Mate? Suit or tux?”

  Fuck!

  I sighed loudly and put my elbows onto the counter with my face in my hands.

  “Shit. I don’t know what to do. I like her. Like really fuckin like her. She’s not pretentious like the other women I’ve been with. She’s got her own career, so I know she doesn’t need me to be her Sugar Daddy. Hell, I don’t even know IF she wants me. She’s funny, and she keeps me on my toes. I’ve never felt like this before. Not even with Victoria. It’s like I can’t stop thinking about her, anticipating the next time I’ll see her again. When I do see her, I want more time.” I’m rambling on at this point.

  “You sound like you’re already pussy-whipped—without the pussy,” Aiden says with a good amount of laughter.

  “Trust me. I know. I feel like a pussy. But I don’t care, man. She consumes all my thoughts and feelings.” I shake my head in disbelief as I say the words out loud.

  Aiden shakes his head because he has no idea. He’s never felt anything but lust for women. At one time in my life, I thought I could have had serious feelings for my ex Victoria when we dated, but she’s not Peyton. Peyton is in a league all her own. It may be cliché, but she’s it. I can feel it. She’s what I have to have. No matter what, she’s going to give in and I’ll be right there when that happens.

  “Look, in all seriousness, I know you like her, but just be careful man. I heard about your run-in with Xavier. He’s a bad guy, Liam. He may own legit businesses but he sure as hell ain’t a legit businessman. He’s got his fingers in all kinds of unsavory things. Things you don’t need to get involved with. I don’t know the history or details between him and Peyton, but from what I heard, they got one and he’s not too fond of her.”

  I’m utterly shocked at what he just said. What the fuck does that mean—Peyton has a history with Xavier? Is that why he warned me off her? Why she became so abrupt with me the other night? I need more details than this. I need to know what the fuck is going on with those two. The problem is: how am I supposed to get the answers out of her?

  “What the fuck, Aiden? How do you know all of this? Who told you? I need details. I need you to find out as much as you can about her and Xavier.”

  He sighs and nods his head. I know he doesn’t want me involved. But it’s too fuckin’ late for that. I’m already involved. He knows I’m not letting this go, so he reluctantly agrees.

  “Okay, mate. I’ll keep my ears to the ground and see what I can dig up. But like I said, just be careful.”

  I nod and get up off the stool, telling him I’m going to go ahead and head out. From a great night with Peyton to now wondering what I got myself into, this just keeps getting better and better. Curiosity is going to kill my thoughts tonight. I may need to grab a bottle of Belvedere.

  Friday rolls around and I’m still reeling from my night with Liam. That man can really turn up the charm. I’ve never had anyone set up a date for me like that before. It felt really good to be taken care of. Everything down to the food was fantastic. It meant a lot that he put so much thought and effort into it. That’s a quality in a man you can’t teach—although, with my lack of experience, I’m not in a position to judge.
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  I’m sitting in the corner booth at a Steam, a coffee shop I like to frequent near my house. It’s got free Wi-Fi, so I come here often to get work done. There are never a lot of people inside; most people like to go through the drive-through, so it’s pretty quiet. I look down to my computer screen when I hear a ding. It’s the sound letting me know there’s new email in my inbox. I click on the top icon to open the page back up and my heart drops when I see it. Another godforsaken email. Chills run down my spine and the prickly bumps on my skin stand at attention. It’s Him, Demetrius. I know it is. I can feel it.

  <> Time: 2:38 p.m.

  I’ve always got eyes on you... You’re never really alone.

  Oh god. It’s Him. That stupid piece of shit. Why is he doing this? He’s left me alone for so long. I thought he’d forget about me by now. Why now? Does he know about Liam? Is that why he’s contacting me? Why’s he fucking with me again? Whatever his reasons may be, I want nothing to do with them or him. He can go fuck himself and crawl under the shit rock he came from. I won’t let him ruin this for me. I won’t let him intimidate me.

  I click on the email and delete as quickly as it came. I’m not going to give him the power he once had over my life. I’m through being the pawn in his games. He hasn’t been back to Monroe in years. The police chief warned him that there wouldn’t be any second chances if he stepped foot into this town again. He sold the bar that he owned when we met. Besides the bar and me, there is no other reason for him to be here.

  My parents are wealthy people. I know what you’re thinking: if my parents are rich, I must be rich as well. No, to the contrary, I never wanted their money. I wanted to be independent and make my own way in this world. So although they would fight me tooth and nail, I never accepted money from them. I wouldn’t.

  After the incident, my parents decided Monroe wasn’t a place they wanted to live in anymore. They decided to move to Ireland. My dad used to be the CEO of an environmental company and its main headquarters was based out of Ireland. We would go there on vacation pretty frequently. My parents loved it there. The scenery, the people—it was an amazing place. Now they call it home and they love it. Even though I think it’s a great place to visit, I could never leave Monroe. They begged me to move with them. I’m sure they just wanted to keep me safe, but this was my home. Born and raised.

  It was now nearing 3:30 p.m. so I wrap up my work and dump everything on the table into my work bag. No time to dwell on the past! I have to get home to pack for our girls’ weekend. I’m so excited. It’s been a while since we’ve all gotten together at one time, and I have to admit, I’m looking forward to laying my ass on the beach, drink in hand, sporting my new bikini, with a big floppy hat on and a good fuck-a-licious book on my iPad. Yup! This weekend is severely overdue.

  I get home and change out of my casual clothes and into a sundress. I’m meeting Ken and Max for an early dinner before we head out. I get my clothes for the weekend and toiletries packed up and head downstairs. I lay my suitcase onto the floor next to the bottom of the stair banister. The doorbell rings so I walked over to answer it. I wasn’t expecting anyone since I was meeting the girls. I looked into the peephole and didn’t see anyone. Well, that’s just weird.

  I knew I shouldn’t open the damn door, but I never listen to my instincts and open it anyway. On my welcome mat is a small white box with a pink bow on the top. Against my better judgment, I pick it up and bring it inside. I think maybe Liam wanted to surprise me with a gift, because I could totally see him doing something like this. But then again, he would’ve stayed and given it to me himself. Not leave it on the ground and go without at least saying hi.

  That thought quickly died when I untied the bow on top and opened up the small box. In it revealed a single black-and-white photo. Liam and me, sitting on top of the roof at the community center during dinner the other night. It was an intimate shot of us holding hands. I had a smile on my face and he looked at me like I was the most precious thing on earth.

  Instead of meeting the girls, I get my phone out and text each of them, asking them to come meet me at my house. They need to know what is going on. All of the strange things happening lately. The emails, and now the gift. I needed them. They both text back, immediately letting me know they’ll be here soon. The last thing I want to do is ruin Max’s birthday weekend, but I need advice, and with Ken and Max—well, you can’t get any more real than them.

  Max gets to my house first. She has on a denim shirt with a chunky blue necklace, an emerald green high-waisted skirt, and cute nude ballet flats. I open the door to let her in. She gives me a big hug with questions already marred on her pretty face. Before I close the door, I hear another car pull up.

  I stick my head out the door and see that it is Ken. I wave at her as she parks behind Max’s car. I walk out onto the veranda and wait as she comes up to the house. Ken could seriously make a monkey look cute wearing a potato sack.

  She’s sporting an all-white dress with a purple floral kimono cardigan and a thin gold necklace that goes around her neck, hangs low, and connects in the back, wrapping around her mid-section. I’ll have to ask where she got that later. Bitch has been holding out on me.

  I give her a quick hug as soon as she steps onto the porch. We go inside and already, they know something’s not right. Ken is the first to speak.

  “So, what’s going on Peyton? Why are we meeting here instead of the restaurant? Are you okay?”

  The look on her face tells me she’s really concerned. She’s not serious a whole lot, so I know she’s not liking the wait.

  “Actually… No. Things have started back up again with… Him.”

  I say Him because they won’t allow me to utter his name in their presence. There’s that much hate. Which, of course, I don’t blame them what-so-ever! Hate is a strong word I don’t use all that often, but it’s not strong enough when referring to Him.

  In almost unison, they both look at me and say, “You’re seeing Him again?” Oh god, this isn’t going to go well.

  Max is the first to ask: “Wait! What happened to that hot guy you met outside the bakery? Leonard… no, Luke… no, Liam! Yeah, that’s it. Liam. I thought you were seeing him? Not Him!”

  “First off, let’s get one thing straight: I am not now, nor will I EVER be seeing Him again in any sense of that word. And secondly, I am seeing Liam. I like him a lot. But that’s not why I called you guys over here tonight.”

  A collective sigh comes out of both of them, like they’ve been holding their breaths.

  “OK. I’m glad we got that cleared up because I was two seconds away from slapping your ass into next week,” Ken says.

  I can’t help but I start giggling. She’s got one uncensored mouth on her. Tell me how you really feel?

  “No, I called you over here because I don’t know what to do. Today, when I was at Steam, I received an email from an unknown sender, basically telling me I’m being watched. I got an email from the same unknown, earlier this week after my date with Liam with the same vague comment. I’m thinking it may be Him, but I can’t figure out the why. Why would he try to contact me anonymously and why now? Then, right before I was leaving to meet up with you guys, someone rang my doorbell and left this on the ground, but they left before I saw who it was.”

  I walk over to the coffee table where the small white box is sitting. I pick it up and hand it to Max. She pulls the lid open and takes the picture out. She looks at it and then looks to me, then looks to Ken. Ken walks over to her and snatches it out of her hand. Oh boy. She’s pissed.

  “What the fuck!” Ken says, exasperated. I know exactly how she feels. Ken may hate Him more than I do.

  We all take a seat in the living room and discuss the events happening to me all over again. Thank god my parents aren’t here to see this. Max and Ken both vent their opinions and concerns for me regarding my safety. Once we all talk, Ken suggests that we continue with our plans and still go out of town for the w
eekend and deal with this once we get back. The reservations have already been booked and the deposit has already been paid. No point in wasting it to stay here to mope.

  Since I’ll be the one driving to Hilton Head beach, Ken and Max go get their weekend bags from their cars while I get mine and meet them on the driveway. We pack everything into the trunk and get in my white BMW 4-series convertible. It’s the first thing I bought when I got paid from a big job earlier this year. It’s my baby. I let the top down and as we drive off and I tell myself to enjoy this. Let the relaxation commence!

  A little over two hours later, we pull into the Westin Resort and Spa. Thank god. I don’t mind road trips… when my ass is not the one driving. I can’t feel anything below my waist at the moment. Awesome. We pull around to the front of the resort. The valet guy takes over my car and hands me a ticket while the bell-hop goes to the trunk and starts unloading our bags onto the trolley. Ken, Max, and I follow him to the sliding glass doors that are off to the side of the big revolving door in the middle. Those revolving doors suck!

  Entering the main reception area, it’s really gorgeous. There are light colored walls in a pale yellow, baby blues, light sage greens with neutrals of brown to accent all the colors. The furniture is modern but traditional. It looks inviting and comfortable.

  We pass a few sitting areas and walk up to the check-in counter. There is an older posh looking woman who asks if we needed any help. I let her know that we are here to check in for the weekend. I ruffle through my purse and hand her our reservation information as well as our confirmation number. With hotels these days, you can never be too prepared. They’re always fucking shit up. Last thing I need is to drive two hours and not have a room. Nope. Not on my watch.