Chapter Eighteen
Lily
One Month Later…
? “No Good” - Roux ?
I stare at the box on my bed that displays the very famous French luxury brand. It was delivered anonymously last week. The only person who I assume would send me these nude pump heels would be Mateo.
Or Jace.
I decided to give Mateo a chance and ignore Jace’s threat.
Mateo is harmless, he is like a little mouse begging for cheese.
So, I am going to assume that these heels are from Mateo and move on with my life and any thoughts of Jace.
I haven’t been back to the club to see Jace since I started working at the firm.
Sitting there at the computer from nine to five, working on matter numbers, has been more exhausting than I expected.
At least I’ve started summer break at school, so my sleep schedule is slowly going back to normal.
“Come on, Lily. We are going to be late!”
I flip the top of the box open and quickly put on the shoes and run my hands down the dress I made. Short, tight, and accentuating my curves in all the right places—and yes, I did add the Cruella de Vil look.
“Is that Louis Vuitton?!” Celeste bends down to get a closer look. I take a step back, the hair on my neck feeling sticky. “Was I sleeping or something?! When did you get these?” she asks.
“Um... From a friend. Now come on we are going to be late. It’s your big day!” I grab her hand, pulling her out of the house.
Last-minute details are being added around the place—balloons, drinks, there is even a DJ in the corner. I introduce myself to Alicia, thanking her for recognizing how wonderful my best friend is and for giving her a show.
When the doors open, all my law school classmates pile in, including Mateo. He does a quick look around before finally spotting me. Butterflies pile in my stomach when he smiles and looks down at the floor as if he is the nervous one.
He grabs my hand, kissing me on the cheek. “You look fantastic. And so does this place.”
Mateo’s dark fluffy hair has grown out. His black and white suit, tie, and loafers make me want to melt right here.
We both grab a champagne glass from a waiter walking around.
The place immediately starts bursting with laughter and conversation.
I watch Celeste go around speaking to all the guests, thanking them for coming.
I introduce Mateo to some of my classmates and of course, he tries to persuade them to come work at the law firm in his building.
Mateo excuses himself to find a bathroom, giving me the opportunity to finally look around at Celeste’s paintings.
I start heading toward her biggest one, The Bell Jar, but before I make it there, I notice a tall man with dark wavy hair walking up behind her.
I can’t see his face since his back is toward me, but it’s like he is almost sneaking up on her.
I start walking faster, ready to go see who the hell thinks they can sneak up on a woman like that, but a gasp leaves my lips when my arm is pulled backward.
My drink spills from its glass as my body is whiplashed into darkness.
“What the fuck?!” I hold my hands out to try and feel for something since I can’t see anything, but I stop moving when my hand hits a body. “Um, hello? Mateo, this is not funny. Find a light.”
I hear a soft click to my right, and I squeeze my eyes to adjust to the brightness.
When my vision clears, I find myself face to face with Jace.
He looks like he did the first day I saw him on my doorstep when Celeste and Rowan went to Italy.
His hair is longer, covering most of his forehead and curling up on the ends.
His under eyes are smeared purple and his stubble has grown out, taken shape to accentuate his jaw.
He’s wearing a suit and tie and god, he looks good.
Really good. The room feels like its closing in on me as his mesmerizing blue eyes stare into mine.
My breath hitches as the air becomes thicker around us. “Um, hi?”
His eyes leave mine, traveling down my body, stopping on my shoes before he makes his way back up. “Quit your job, Lily.”
Not this again. Talk about a mood destroyer.
I turn around, realizing we are in a storage closet.
I set my glass down on an empty shelf before facing him again and cross my arms over my chest. “Look Jace, I don’t know what your issue is, but seriously, get over it.
” He takes a step forward, forcing me to take a step back.
“We had our fun. Our time was once and over. It was a mistake. I regret it and we should have never gone that far,” I say, but the words taste like tar on my tongue.
He takes another step, only inches away from me. “You regret it?”
I lean closer to him, staring into his eyes. “My biggest regret,” I snarl.
His finger lazily slides across my arm and my body decides to betray me by sending chills down my spine. “If I am your biggest regret, then why are your nipples so hard right now?” He curls his mouth upward, showing his teeth.
I swat his hand away from me. “Don’t fucking touch me.
” I push his chest to give myself room to breathe, to think.
Fuck, this is a small closet. “I will pay you back as soon as I have the full amount. But I swear, Jace, stay far away from me. And the payback will not be what you think it is. I will have the money.” I point my finger at him.
His eyes narrow as he leans on the opposite wall. “I don’t want your money.”
“Then what do you want from me?!” I scream, throwing my hands in the air.
At this point, I don’t care if anyone hears me yelling in this closet.
Give them a reason to open this closet door and come save me because I cannot find the will to save myself.
I decided that day, at the bar, that I would give Mateo a chance.
Me being here, in this closet, with Jace, is not a good idea.
My body reacts to him in ways I've never experienced before.
Anytime I see him, no matter how mad I am, no matter how much he annoys me, my body craves him. My body worships him.
“You,” he responds.
My arms fall, along with my mouth. He keeps his composure calm as he stares right into my soul. The remaining oxygen is sucked straight out of this room, the back of my neck breaking into a sweat.
I almost scream when the door to the closet opens.
Demi-god number two, a.k.a. Rowan, stands in the doorway looking at the both of us. “Out of the fucking closet before you cause a scene at my girl’s big day,” Rowan snaps.
Whatever trance Jace had me in withers away. I scoff and shoulder bump Rowan on the way out. My girl. Please, he has been MIA for the past four months and he thinks he can just walk in here, claiming Celeste again like nothing ever happened?
I find the nearest waiter, grabbing two champagne glasses. I down one while looking around to find Mateo.
“Don’t you just love life?” Celeste says, grabbing my shoulders, smiling ear to ear with slight tears in her eyes.
“Yup,” I sneer while drowning the other glass of champagne. I guess Rowan can just walk in here and claim Celeste like nothing happened.
Rowan comes up behind her and kisses her on the top of her head.
I roll my eyes, turning the other way to see Jace coming out the closet and heading out the front door.
In the distance, I can see Mateo finally make his appearance.
He looks at Jace, then at me, his scowl wiped off and replaced with a grin.
Mateo walks to my side. “Mr. Harper, how you doing?” He holds out his hand, but Rowan takes a moment before grabbing it. I can’t tell if Mateo sees the hesitation, but it is obvious to me. When I look at Mateo, he’s still grinning from ear to ear. What is the big drama between these three?
Jace hates Mateo and now Rowan does too?
“Mr. Davenport, good to see you,” Rowan says.
I grab two more champagne glasses from a waiter passing by.
I’m not taking my time enjoying the acidic bubbly taste.
All three people standing in front of me watch as I finish a glass in one gulp.
For some reason, I can’t stop and don’t want to stop.
I feel like I’m drowning, and I can’t tell if it’s because I’m physically drowning myself with these drinks or because, for the first time in over a month, I saw Jace.
He shouldn’t make me feel this way. I don’t know why he makes me feel this way.
“Looks like I have to take this one home,” Mateo says, laughing with my friends.
At least he thought Celeste and Rowan were going to laugh. Instead, Rowan is staring at me with a blank face and Celeste’s eyebrows are pinched together.
“I’m fine,” I reply sharply. I immediately feel bad for the tone, but that feeling is soon gone when his hand grabs my bicep with force. I lower the glass from my lips and eye him. I try to remove my arm from him, but he tightens his fingers even harder.
I turn toward Celeste, my head leaning slightly to the side, thinning my lips in a tight smile. “Celeste, babe, I am so proud of you. I will see you at home, m’kay?”
Celeste nods her head in understanding and leans her head back to look up at Rowan. Mateo releases my arm, allowing me to give her a hug before I stomp toward the door.
I stand at the sidewalk, waiting for a cab. When Mateo reaches my side, I turn toward him. “Don’t ever touch me like that again.”
He turns to me, tipping his chin down to look at me over his glasses. “I’m sorry?”
“What you did back there was not okay. If I want to drink, I will drink. I am a big girl and can handle myself. But you holding my arm like that—like I'm a pet, your pet”—I point my red fingernails right in his face— “will never happen again. You touch me with respect. You touch me like I’m fucking treasure. A pile of gold. Or you don’t touch me at all. ”
His eyes turn into large circles as his mouth gapes open.
I don’t know how he treated his past wives, but I am not them.
I recollect all the times Jace has gripped me.
The day he was at my house, he pulled my arm back and whipped me into his chest and told me not to fake an accent.
When he grabbed my arm and told me not to run away from him at the club, dragging me to the front door.
Tonight, when he pulled me in the closet.
Yet, none of it compares to how Mateo just grabbed me.
Jace’s force somehow feels soft and careful.
Mateo’s grip could leave bruises.
“I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean it like that. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He steals my hand, kissing all my fingers.
I don’t show my forgiveness. Instead, I open the door to the cab that just pulled to the curb, get in, and close the door behind me.