Chapter 16
DERRICK
It’s been one week since Ness moved in with me, and the girls and I were able to get her out of the house for a girls’ night because she was a little down.
Now she is looking happier since we bumped into Darcy, an Aussie actor I’ve worked with before, and invited him and his friends back to my house for a little afterparty.
“It’s good seeing Ness let loose,” Isla states.
“I could wring Christian’s neck for the shit he’s been pulling.”
“Luckily, the boys are in Vegas, and she can let her hair down. ’Cus, you know, if Ness was doing the same thing he’s doing, he would lose his mind,” Isla says, stating facts. Christian wouldn’t be able to handle the same treatment, maybe Ness should give him a dose of his own medicine.
There’s a knock at my front door. I look at Isla, and she shrugs.
“Could be Stacey changing her mind,” she says.
I make my way to the front door, and when I open it, it’s not Stacey there but the last person I thought I would see—Christian.
“Where is she?” he screams at me as he pushes past me.
Oh shit. “Stop!” I yell at Christian as I try to keep him away from Vanessa. He’s clearly been drinking by the bottle shop I smell on his breath. “You’re not going in there.”
“Get out of my face, D,” he yells at me as he frantically looks around for Vanessa.
“You’re not welcome,” I tell him as I try to push him back out the front door.
“Who is he?” he screams at my face.
“Christian?” I hear Vanessa behind me, and the next thing I know, Christian shoves me to the side and is barreling toward Ness and Darcy. It all happens in slow motion as Christian punches Darcey in the face, sending them both backward as blood pours out of his nose. Fuck. Not the money maker.
“You fucker, I think you broke it,” Darcy screams through the blood.
“What the fuck, Christian?” Vanessa screams at him as she pushes him away from Darcy. “What the hell have you done?” She looks stricken as she turns from Christian to Darcy. Isla hands Darcy a towel. “You need to go to the hospital,” Vanessa says, helping Darcy up from the ground.
“Yeah, no thanks to your fucking boyfriend,” Darcy bites. Understandable, I’d be pretty upset too if some random rock star punched me in the face.
“He isn’t my boyfriend, he’s … he’s …” Vanessa tries to explain, but then her eyes fall on Christian. “How fucking dare you!” she says, pushing him in the chest.
“How dare I? You’re the one who packed up your shit and left me, Ness. I came home and found your room empty. All your shit is gone. How dare you just pack and leave me,” Christian yells at her.
Oh. Don’t feel sorry for the asshole, Derrick. He just barged into your home and punched someone, that isn’t right. But it’s kind of hot, he’s fighting for Ness. That’s fucked up. Violence is never the answer. True. Plus, one little plea doesn’t erase the brothel he created in their home.
“I’d have told you if you actually fucking spoke to me instead of giving me the cold shoulder,” Vanessa screams at him.
“Should I get the popcorn?” Isla whispers into my ear. Now is not the time to laugh.
“Do you even care about my feelings? I guess not because here you are making out with some young punk,” Christian yells at her.
Isla and I look at each other. Oh, hell no. This man doesn’t get to throw that hot Australian guy in her face when we watched some groupie suck his dick.
“I don’t give a fuck how you feel anymore because you sure as hell didn’t give a fuck about how I felt.
On several occasions, I’ve walked in on you fucking random sluts on our couch or getting a fucking blowjob by the pool.
I came home to some goddamn kegger in the backyard.
As far as I’m concerned, you can go and get fucked. ”
I want to clap in this moment because that speech was perfection, but Isla and I just squeeze hands silently.
“You didn’t want me, Ness. I’m a single fucking man, and who I fuck is none of your business.”
Boohoo, Christian, everyone gets their heart broken onetime or another. Isla and I watch as Vanessa walks up and pokes him in his chest. Oh, this is going to be good. You go, girl.
“And who I fuck is none of your business, either, yet here you are punching out guys, laying them out, bloodied on the floor.”
“You’re right, Ness. I don’t give a shit, you can fuck whoever the fuck you like,” he spits at her as he turns on his heel and leaves my party.
Shit.
“Christian,” I yell after him.
“Fuck off, D.”
“Not going to happen.” I run after him. I grab his arm and turn him around to face me. He’s made it to my front courtyard. “What happened tonight is unacceptable. I get it, you’re hurt because Vanessa doesn’t feel the same.”
“She told you?” He frowns.
“Duh,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Beside the point. What you are doing is not right. You know that.”
Christian hangs his head. “I know, but …”
“There’s no but. You think acting like a spoiled brat is going to make Ness take a chance on you two.
You’re pushing her away, and honestly, I’m not sure if after tonight you can come back from it.
You crossed the line. That guy in there didn’t deserve that.
You have no idea what that broken nose could now do to his week or weeks.
He’s an actor. He has a photo shoot. Jobs.
Things he now can’t do because of what you did. ”
“D, I …”
I hold up my hand. “Don’t want to hear your excuses. Tonight, have a long, hard think about what the fuck you are doing. Because that woman in there does love you. And you think after everything she went through with her ex that violence is the way to win her over.”
Christian’s face pales. “Fuck, D.” I can see the guilt begin to slip in.
“Exactly. Like I said, this behavior is intolerable. Sort your shit out and don’t come near Ness again until you can handle being around her. I will not allow this to happen again, do you hear me?”
“Yes,” he grumbles before turning and leaving my home.