CHAPTER TEN
Daisy
I lay in my bed that night thinking about Jack Lancaster. I wanted to go out with him. I really did. In fact, I couldn’t believe a guy like him had asked me out in the first place.
But I didn’t want to open myself up to that kind of hurt again. He was a known player, never seen with the same girl twice. And there were plenty of rumors about his downtown fuckpad. I guessed that’s where he had planned to take me.
And he was probably there right now with the girl I’d seen him with tonight.
I didn’t want to be with someone like that. I had known Myers was a player when I’d agreed to go out with him. I’d foolishly thought I could change him. I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
No, I’d had a lot of fun with Jack the day he’d taken me home, and I was wildly attracted to him. But I didn’t want to go out with the kind of guy who had a different woman on the hook for every night of the week. I respected myself enough to look for something better in a guy than that.
Jack Lancaster wasn’t it.
I needed to get that through my head.
I rolled over and bit the inside of my cheek, thinking about my ‘other’ problem. Somehow, whoever the creep was who’d been leaving notes for me, had gotten my number. He’d texted me for the first time just weeks ago at Nadine and Reynolds’ wedding.
And no matter how many times I blocked his number, there were always more texts coming in. It’s like he had an unlimited supply of burner phones.
I reached out and plucked my phone from the nightstand to look at the series of texts yet again. I knew I shouldn’t, especially before trying to sleep, but I couldn’t seem to help myself.
Unknown: Hey, Pretty Girl.
Me: Who is this?
Unknown: I think you know.
Me: How did you get this number?
Unknown: I’m coming for you soon. I’m sorry to have to hurt you. It’s your fault.
Me: What are you even talking about?
Unknown: You should wear the same pink bra and panties that you’re wearing right now.
I had just about dropped the phone at that. I was wearing a pink bra and panty set. He’d watched me get dressed tonight.
God. So fucking creepy! I had blocked the number immediately. I had a pit in my stomach, though. Something told me he wasn’t going to stop.
I got out of bed and tiptoed cautiously to the window. My bedroom was on the first floor of the house, but it was still pretty high off the ground. Cinnamon House had a finished basement below me, so I wasn’t truly on the ground floor. How was he seeing into my room?
Not that the window coverings were doing much to hide me. There were no blinds on the windows, and the pretty curtains were sheer. Still, with the tall hedges between us and the next house, anyone would have to be pretty bold and come right up near the house to get a good view into my room.
I peeked through the window. There was a full moon tonight, making it easy to see everything visible around the grounds from my room. I sucked in a breath when I realized there was a brick wall to the side of the hedgerow. If someone were to stand on it, they could see directly into my room.
That’s how he was doing it. My hands shook as I let the curtains fall through my fingers, and I leaned back against the wall. I was panting. Was I in danger? Or was this just some creep trying to scare me?
If he was spying on me here, then me living here and having a stalker definitely put everyone in the house in danger.
Just as I’d feared. I bit my lip, worried.
The meeting I had scheduled with Carmen regarding the auction flashed through my mind.
I had no doubts now. I would ask Carmen to let me be the featured girl in the auction at the end of this month.
That was just a couple of weeks away now.
At least then this guy wouldn’t know where I was, at least for a little while.
I’d be living in a condo in Salazar Heights.
A condo with air-tight security, supposedly.
I thought about it and realized Carmen hadn’t posted the girls taking place in the auction yet for this month. That’s what I would do, then. When I met with Carmen in a couple of days, I would push hard to be in this month’s auction. I started to feel a little better.
I had a plan.
I took one more look out the window, relieved to see there was no one around, and then I went back to bed.
I knew it would be a long time before I fell asleep.
***
I looked back at the text chain between Jack and me from this morning and sighed. I’d be willing to be he got my number from Old Man Dinardo. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
Jack: Please give me a chance.
Daisy: I think we should just leave things alone.
Jack: I’m not okay with that. Go out with me tonight. I swear I wasn’t with that girl for any reason except to help Tallon out.
Daisy: I’ll think about it.
I was conflicted about my feelings for Jack Lancaster. On one hand, I wanted to believe what he’d said about being Tallon’s wingman. But on the other hand, the girl at Bahia Del Sol sure acted like there was something between her and Jack.
And I was suspicious. A guy is surrounded by models, socialites, and actresses, but he picked a deli delivery girl? I mean, that’s like something out of a fairy tale. Why would he want me when faced with so many choices? Choices any guy would pick over me?
Nia and Jelly were pissed at me for doubting myself. Neither of them could think of a reason he wouldn’t want to date me. I thought they were being na?ve. There were so many reasons.
Plus, the insecurities that had come with feeling both inferior and stupid over the whole Myers incident hadn’t ever left me. I had gotten burned so badly in that entire ordeal, and I didn’t want to set myself up for the same thing.
“Girl. Go out with him. Just have some fun,” Nia said, lolling on my bed. She, Jelly, and I had gone for a run this morning. Nia and Jelly weren’t used to it, and they were struggling.
Jelly stumbled into my room, hair in a towel and bathrobe on. She flopped down beside Nia while I stretched and did some light yoga while talking to my friends. “Oh my God. You do that on a daily basis? What the fuck is wrong with you?”
I laughed. “It makes me feel better. And if you haven’t noticed, I’m a bit curvier than you are. If I want to fit in my hostess uniform at Sugar, I have to work out regularly.”
“Ugh. I hated it.” Jelly rolled over. “But I heard what y’all were talking about, and I’m on Nia’s side.
Yes, he showed up at Bahia Del Sol with a hot chick the night before you were set to go out with him.
But you kind of knew that about him already, right?
That he’s a player? Just do what he’s doing; use him for sex. ”
“I know you’re right. I shouldn’t view it like he’s looking for a girlfriend; it’s just, I think that’s who I am. A girlfriend type, you know?”
Jelly got a twinkle in her eyes. “No shit. We know that, Daze. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with this guy. Have you even told Nia that you haven’t slept with anyone since Myers?”
Nia sat up and stared at me. She’d been asking me this for a while, and I’d put her off.
I looked at my two closest friends. “No, okay?”
Nia covered her mouth in shock. “Are you kidding me? How can you look like you do,” she gestured at me, “and avoid guys for that long?”
Jelly snorted. “She doesn’t avoid guys. She gets asked out all the time.”
Nia cleared her throat and paused dramatically, “I think she has a secret admirer.” She went on to chatter away about the flowers and note I’d received at the deli the other day.
Jelly and I shared a quick look over Nia’s head.
Jelly knew I hadn’t told Nia or any of our roommates in Cinnamon House about the stalker.
I hadn’t wanted to worry anyone. And honestly, after trying to tell the police that time and them shaming me for where I worked and treating me like it was my own fault, I’d been almost scared to tell anyone else.
I gave Jelly a slight shake of the head, letting her know I still didn’t want to clue Nia in on what was going on. She gave a nod, though I could tell she thought I should let Nia in on the secret.
“Anyway,” Nia wrapped up, “my whole point was that you should just treat this as what it is. This is a super hot, rich guy who can get whoever he wants deciding that what he wants for now, tonight, is you. I wouldn’t try to read too much into it.
Did it seem like the two of you had a connection when he brought you home?
Yes. But more than likely it’s all just about him wanting to fuck you. ”
I started to make a face and say something negative, but Jelly stopped me. “Don’t say whatever it is you’re thinking! You need to use this guy just like he’s using you. He thinks you’re hot and wants to fuck you. So what? You think he’s hot and want to fuck him, too, right?”
I grinned and nodded. “He is the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen.”
“Exactly!” Nia jumped off the bed and put her hands on her slim hips. “Let this gorgeous guy take you out to some fancy restaurant and then spend the night fucking him.”
“You’re not looking for a boyfriend any more than he’s looking for a girlfriend,” Jelly reminded me. “You want to ditch out on West Bay as soon as you graduate in December. That’s just four months away.”
“Right,” Nia jumped on the bandwagon. “If Carmen okays it, you’re going to do the auction in a couple of weeks, have a contract that runs right up until you graduate in December, and then that’s it.
You’ll barely be with the guy for any longer than three or four months.
So,” she said jumping over to me and joining me in a yoga pose, “you can use Jack for practice.”
“Oh my God, yes. Practice for a couple of weeks with Jack, and then ditch him for your auction guy.”