Stalker Problems - Chapter 45 - The Bookshelf
What did Tanner do to my bookshelf? That was the question that I couldn’t get out of my mind. That was the question that had forced me to call for an emergency girls’ night. Because as far as I could tell, there was nothing new or different around my bookshelf.
My books were all in the same place.
The photos of me and Chastity and Madison from college hadn’t been disturbed.
And my fake flowers were just as I had arranged them.
If I hadn’t been so anal about dusting three times a week then there might have been a trail to show what had been disturbed. But alas, I was an anal freak. In like, a clean way. Not the anal sex way. Gross .
The more I stared at my shelf, the more I began to think that Tanner had made the comment about my bookshelf just to mess with me.
I was just about to pull every book off the shelf when Chastity, Madison, and Liz barged in carrying a box of wine.
“Girls’ night!” they all yelled in unison.
“Wow,” I said. “That was quick.”
Chastity opened the box of wine. “You said it was an emergency. Want a drink?”
“Of course. But seriously…how did you guys get here so fast? I literally texted you like four minutes ago.” How was everyone getting to my apartment so quickly tonight?
They’d come almost as fast as Nigel and the cookies.
God, was I high right now? I’d accidentally eaten a pot brownie in college once.
I’d been tripping balls for days afterwards, despite Chastity’s insistence that it had worn off.
I didn’t remember eating anything weird today though.
Actually, I hadn’t eaten much all day… I was probably hallucinating or something.
“We were at Panera waiting for your call,” said Madison as she plopped down on the couch next to me.
“What? Why? Did you know that Joe was gonna threaten to release my sex tape again?”
“Whoa, what?” asked Chastity. “We just had a feeling you might need us. Because of what today is. But what’s this about Joe and your sex tape?”
Madison looked like she was about to break the stem off her wine glass. “I’m gonna kill that bastard.”
“No need. Tanner sorted it all out.” I held up the flash drives Tanner had given me. I brought them up to speed on Joe being a dick and then Tanner making me wish on his silly genie lamp prop.
“So the drives just magically appeared in his pocket?” asked Liz.
I almost jumped when she talked. I thought she had fallen asleep halfway through my story. “According to him, yes. But I’m pretty sure his PI just found them a few weeks ago when Tanner was stalking me.”
Madison made a weird throat noise. “Gross. How many times do you think he masturbated to it before handing it over to you?”
“Umm…” I hadn’t thought about that. I’d been horrified at just the thought of him seeing it. But if he’d seen it and liked it, then that was a different story.
“Did you use your other two wishes yet?” asked Liz.
Since when is Liz so talkative? “I did.” I took a big gulp of wine. “I wished for cum to taste like cookies. And then I wished for cookies.”
Chastity nearly jumped out of her chair. “You little slut! I can’t believe you finally fucked Tanner!”
I shook my head. “I wish. Instead he just fulfilled my third wish by having his houseboy deliver a platter of cookies. We did kiss again, though…”
“Houseboy?” asked Chastity. “As in…a gay sex slave?”
“What? No. Tanner’s not gay.” Is he? Nope. The way he kissed me was anything but gay.
Chastity grabbed her phone and pulled up a picture of some random dude wearing way too much leather. “Was the houseboy wearing something like this?”
“Dear lord, no. He was dressed more like a butler.”
Chastity nodded in approval. “Oh…classy. Once Daddy gets his money back, I’m gonna have him buy me the hottest houseboy.”
“To…do gay things in front of you?”
“Uh, no. My houseboy is gonna keep my house spotless. And he’s gonna be excellent at full body massages. And when I say full body, I mean full body.” Chastity pointed to her crotch and wiggled her eyebrows.
“But I thought you said houseboys are gay sex slaves?”
“When they work for a guy, yes.”
“I really don’t think Tanner has a gay houseboy.”
“But he says the gayest things sometimes,” Chastity said.
I shook my head. “He just has weird phrases from having been all over the world. His houseboy seemed more like a manservant.”
“I’m not so sure,” said Madison. “I think he might be gay. Because if he’s not, I don’t know how he could resist your beautiful body.”
Weird.
“Speaking of Tanner’s secret,” said Chastity. “Did you guys have any luck digging up info about Club Onyx? I still think that’s our best shot at figuring out his secrets. For all we know, maybe that’s where he found his houseboy.”
Madison shook her head. “I tried asking around, but no one had heard of Club Onyx. If it exists, then those perverts do a good job of keeping their rape parties quiet.”
“I found a few things,” said Liz, who was somehow still awake. She pulled a notebook out of her purse and flipped to a page absolutely packed with notes and doodles.
I craned my neck to try to make out some of the words. “Is that all about Club Onyx?”
“Yeah. Last year a senior overheard his dad talking about a pool party orgy at Club Onyx. Ever since then, it’s been an awfully hot topic amongst the students at Empire High.
I tried to remember everything I’ve heard them say about it.
” She scanned down her notes. “Let’s see…
A few weeks ago a guy wanted to throw a ‘Club Onyx Party’ where the girls all had to wear lingerie and do anything someone asks them to.
But then one of the girls shot back and said that she’s heard that all the men at Club Onyx wear gray sweatpants. And that there’s no sex allowed.”
“I liked the sound of it until that last bit,” said Chastity. “God, I can’t wait for it to be cold again so guys start wearing gray sweat pants.” She fanned herself with her hand.
Tanner likes to wear gray sweatpants… He’d worn them that first night after we got fake raided by the FBI.
And he’d looked…amazing. He looked amazing in everything he wore.
I looked over at my bookshelf, still curious about what the hell he had done to it.
If I was lucky, maybe he’d added a framed picture of himself wearing gray sweatpants.
“Hey guys,” I said. “I never told you why I really called this emergency girls night. Before Tanner left, he…” A knock on the door interrupted me. Tanner’s back! Maybe? “Hold that thought.” I jumped up and answered the door.
“Delivery for Ashley Cooper,” said a delivery guy holding a huge bouquet of red and yellow roses. At least three dozen. “That you?”
“Yup.”
He handed me the roses and walked away.
Chastity ran over. “Oooh! Who are those from?”
“Maybe they’re apology roses from Homeless Rutherford for always licking our pizza?”
“Huh?” asked Liz.
“Um, nothing.” I spun the roses around so I could read the card stuck among them:
Ash,
I know you don’t want to hear from me, and I respect that decision. But I also hate to end things on a sour note.
I don’t expect any response, but I wanted you to know that I’m so sorry about how things ended between us. I take full responsibility. If I had just asked you out sooner, none of that would have happened.
I promise that this is the last you’ll hear from me. But if you ever do decide to reach out, I’ll be here.
Yours,
Anthony Lyons
“O.M.G.,” said Chastity. “Dr. Lyons is so adorable. Are you sure you don’t want to keep dating him until you figure things out with Tanner?”
It was a really sweet gesture. But he wasn’t Tanner. “I’m sure.”
“Alright then. What were you saying about Tanner before we got interrupted?”
“Right.” I closed the door and walked back to the couch.
“So after I made my three wishes…” Another knock on the door.
Who is it now? It was probably Tanner coming back from the caterers.
I started to walk over to answer the door, but then the roses caught my eye.
“Shit,” I whispered. “What if it’s Tanner? And he sees my roses?”
“Good call,” said Chastity. She plucked the note out of the roses and tucked it into her bra. “Okay, you’re good. Now they’ll just make him jealous.”
Chastity really did not understand that I didn’t want to make Tanner jealous anymore. I just wanted to figure out a way to help him through his secret problem and then start a real relationship.
Before I could fully explain that to her, she ran over and opened the door. A single black envelope - much bigger than the usual ones - had been propped against the door. No delivery man in sight.
She picked it up. “Looks like a special delivery from the Society.”
“Why’s it so big?” I asked.
“Hopefully that’s the exact question you’ll be asking later tonight,” said Chastity.
Madison made her trademark disgusted throat noise.
“Now let’s see what they have in store for us.
” Chastity broke the seal and pulled out a thick stack of papers.
She read the top sheet. “Good evening, Raven. It was brought to our attention that your second wish - to learn all of Ryder Storm’s secrets - was not completed to your satisfaction.
We hope that in the attached documents you will find whatever secrets you seek.
Signed, The Society.” She flipped to the next page and her eyes got big.
“What is it?” I asked.
She tossed the stack of papers on the coffee table so we could all see what she was seeing. The top photo was of Ryder entering One57 with two gorgeous blondes, their arms linked with his. The next photo was of him at a bar with a brunette. Then another blonde at a restaurant. On and on it went.
The knot in my stomach got bigger with each photo.
“Well, I think that proves he’s not gay,” said Chastity.
I tossed the photos aside and let the couch swallow me up in its big cushions. “What was I thinking? I should have known better than to go after a billionaire. Especially one who’s in a sex club. He’s so far out of my league.”