Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Hunter
Killing my bike, I kick the stand into place and take off my helmet.
It’s been three days since Rochelle’s “attempt” to break us up on the beach, and my heart has been a wreck ever since.
Giving her the space I felt she needed, I waited until day two to contact her at the shop.
By noon today, when she still wouldn’t talk to me, I took a ride through the grapevine to clear my head.
As I headed back down into LA, I ended up circling through the Hills and oddly enough found myself at Ed and Sylvia’s house.
Coming through the gates, I passed a taxi just leaving.
Focusing on the rearview window of the cab, I couldn’t for the life of me make out who was in the back seat.
Standing at the front door, I attempt one last time to see who it is as the cabbie punches in the codes for the gate.
The door behind me opens as the cab drives off and out of sight.
“Weird, I tell you,” Victoria greets me, giving me a hug. “Hell, I didn’t even know they still had cabs.”
I look back over my shoulder. “Who was it?”
“Not sure. Came to see Dad and Mom. I was up in my room but…”
“I saw who it was,” Tiffany’s voice spills through the doorway as she walks out on the front porch. Victoria rolls her eyes and looks at me annoyed.
“See why I was hiding in my room?”
“Huntie,” Tiffany purrs. She strolls up to me and pushes out her bottom lip in a pout. “I missed you the other night at the big LBS annual sorority party.”
The night makes me think of only one thing.
A velvet box still sitting in my top drawer, and a promise I am dead set on making to a woman who won’t talk to me, see me, and is hell-bent on making sure there is nothing between us anymore.
That party was the night my world took a turn for the worse. I fear it won’t ever be the same again.
“Rex was there,” Tiffany says as she grabs a hold of my arm.
“After I saw him I was hoping you’d be right behind him.
I spent the whole night trying to find you.
” She pouts her lip out one final time as her father rounds the corner and finishes a conversation with Edward.
“Please tell me you dropped the whole Cinderella routine, trying to make an honest woman out of someone who doesn’t deserve your time, because I’ve never been more ready to pick up where we left off. ”
I pull my arm from her hold and shoot her an exasperated look. “We’ve been over this before, Tiff.”
She doesn’t take my subtle hint of trying to let her down easily. Not that she ever did.
“But,” she whimpers. “Just think of the power couple we could be, Huntie. We could rule these hills.” Leaning forward, she seductively whispers, “What’s more, there’s nothing I wouldn’t give to be the woman you ruled.” Biting her bottom lip, looking me up and down, she says, “Get the picture?”
Having had enough, I cut her off quickly. “Take it from me, Tiffany. Real men don’t rule with a woman by their side who started off on their knees sucking their way to the top.”
Her eyes grow wide in astonishment and I almost feel bad for my comment.
I hope to God Edward didn’t hear me disrespect her like that.
Before I have the chance to apologize, her father calls out to her telling her that they are leaving.
I overhear Edward apologizing to Charles for having to be excused to speak to the mystery guest earlier.
A guest I worry I’ll never have answers to.
How the hell Tiffany saw and heard who it was and Victoria didn’t is beyond me.
Tiffany continues to stare at me with wide eyes and a furious expression.
When I don’t respond to her dramatics, she huffs off and Victoria laughs.
“God that was priceless. I wish we had that on video. What some people would pay to see Ms. Tiffany put in her place.” I take V’s arm and follow her into the house. “What are you doing here this time of day?” she asks.
Edward follows quickly behind us, closing the front door and taking a call on his phone before excusing himself to his study.
“Uh-oh,” Victoria says, reading the burdens weighing down my mind. “That bad huh, Romeo?”
Shaking my head, I set my helmet down on the table in the center of the entryway and walk into the living room to pour myself a drink from the bar. Victoria follows and sits on a stool across from me as I take the scotch from its shelf.
“I’ll take a glass of that,” she says, as I finish pouring myself a double.
Handing her the first glass, I grab another and fill it the same.
Holding it up to her, she cheers me and we both take a sip.
The liquid burns on its way down. I savor the moment as the tension in my shoulders finally starts to subside.
“Gonna tell me about it?” she asks as she swirls the liquid around in her glass.
“Not much to tell,” I lie. “She broke my heart, I’ll live. Won’t be the last time I come home with my tail between my legs.”
I lift my glass up to my lips again and actually try to believe the lie I just told.
“I call bullshit,” Victoria says as she takes another sip.
I follow suit and take a longer gulp than her.
Setting my glass down on the counter, I grab the bottle to refill both our drinks.
“You know, funny thing V. I did too, but she won’t even speak to me.
I honestly think she doesn't want to see me again.” In unison, we both lift our glasses to our lips, and take another sip.
Setting them back down, I continue, “But God, I know she is lying to herself as much as she is lying to me. If she feels have the way that I do about her, there is no way in hell she can keep this up much longer, because fuck – it is killing me.”
“What did you do?” She asks.
“Who says I did anything?” I counter.
“Come on, Hunt. Girls just don’t go acting all crazy for nothing.” I raise a questioning brow and she rolls her eyes. “Okay, most girls. Like me, and … Rochelle. There has to be something that happened. Are you going to tell me what, or not?”
“Shit if I know. For all I can tell she somehow got wind of me leaving this summer for Ol’ Miss. But hell, I’m not going anymore. I can’t, not after meeting her.”
“And you told her this?”
“Yes,” I hiss, annoyed that she would even ask such a stupid question. “Of course I did. I had to let her know so she didn’t have to worry…”
Victoria cuts me off with another roll of her eyes and a heavy sigh.
“Hunter…” she groans. “If Rochelle is the type of girl I think she is, do you really think she would let you give up on your dream for her?”
“Well, no, but….” I start to say, but the brat speaks over me again.
“Would you let her give up her dreams for you?”
“No, but, you got it all wrong, and…”
“So why did you ever think, if she loves you, the way you love her, that she would be the selfish ‘Tiffany’ type that demands you give while she only takes?”
Hit with entirely too much logic, I stare at Victoria and have no response. Instead, I say the only thing that is real and true and scares that absolute shit out of me. “I can’t lose her, Victoria.”
She shakes her head and frowns. “Then you won’t, Hunter. I promise you won’t.”
She reaches over and grabs my hand. I hold onto it like a lifeline because her words gave me hope when all else failed.
“Hunter,” Edward calls out behind me. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
I roll my eyes at V, shoot back the rest of the scotch, and round the bar towards his office.
“Good luck,” she whispers as I step out of the living room.
Yeah, good luck. Something tells me I’m going to need it.
Entering his office, the Old Man sits in his chair. One hand held to his forehead, he rocks back and forth with worry. This is a look I have never seen before from the usually calm, collected, and reserved Edward Cunningham. Timidly, I close the door and take a few steps inside the study.
He swivels around to meet my stare. His eyes are filled with worry, frustration, anxiety. Closing the distance between us, I search my mind trying to figure out just what has brought the Hollywood King to his knees.
“I need you to do something for me,” he says.
I know whatever it is, I would probably rather die before doing. I drag out the time before I respond. In the silence, his anxiety quickly turns to panic.
“What is it?” I finally ask as I come to stand in front of his desk.
Leaning forward, he places his hands together in a steeple and waits a moment before meeting my eyes. When he does, they beg and plead with me to do as he wishes.
“Something has come up, and I need to attend to it now, not any later. There is a function tonight on the Sunset strip. I was going to go and was actually going to call you to accompany me, but I can’t now, and I need you to make an appearance.
It won’t take you long, but someone, not just anyone, needs to be there. ”
“So send V, you know she wants to do this shit more than me.”
Edward shakes his head and leans back in his chair. “Can’t. Not this time.”
“I have plans,” I counter as fast as possible, hoping that will get me out of this.
“Then change them!” he snaps back instantly.
“What if I told you my plans were also non-negotiable,” I grit out, thinking about Rochelle and how I need to see her and explain everything so we can get us back to normal. “I can’t break my engagement.”
Edward stands and rounds his desk. “If your engagement involves that homely brunette you brought here the other night, we need to have another conversation about where you belong in life, Hunter, and how she doesn’t fit into that plan.”
“I thought I made myself clear a long time ago, Edward, that my plans have changed. You running my life ended the second I got rid of that damn trust fund and the power you thought you held over me.”
I turn to leave but he continues.
“Watch it, Hunter. If it wasn’t for who your parents were, I would have done more than just cut off your trust several years ago.”
I spin around and face him. “So what’s stopping you now? News flash, you don’t get a say in who I spend my time with. And you sure as shit don’t get to boss me around and tell me where to go and when to be there. I would rather die than walk another fucking red carpet.”
Edward takes a few heated steps toward me until we are toe-to-toe.
“This event needs a strong male presence. It’ll be full of all the asshole bigwigs Victoria doesn’t know how to handle.
So pull your head out of your ass and have some more damn respect for the people who both love and raised you.
The people who gave you a home when you had none, and do this one damn favor for me. ”
Damn it if he isn’t right. Softening, I take a step back and admit defeat as I say, “Fine.”
He gives me a grateful nod. “But just so we are clear, Old Man. You don’t get to have a say in who I love, who I trust, and who I choose to spend the rest of my damn life with.”
The look on his face as I slam the door is priceless. Stalking towards the exit, I ready my mind to walk into the world of sin in this restless City of Angels.