CHAPTER EIGHT
ATHENA
“How is the job hunt going? Will you be teaching a classroom full of little ones in the fall?” Storm studied me over the rim of her coffee mug. With the tip of her pinky finger, she swiped some whipped cream from her bottom lip.
Using my straw to stir my iced coffee, I pressed my lips together, considering her question.
“I have no idea. Probably not if I don’t find something soon.
There’s not a whole lot of job opportunities in Wintervale.
I did find a few openings for a substitute teacher, but that won’t be full-time. I need something more than that.”
Becoming a teacher had felt like a good idea when I’d first started my studies. Now that my school days were over and I was thrust into the real world, I wasn’t sure it had been the right choice.
Storm and I sat in a small café downtown.
After school ended, we had promised one another we would do this on a regular basis.
To make sure that we never lost touch. We’d been best friends for as long as I could remember.
Always there for one another in the good and the bad times. I didn’t want that to ever change.
“Maybe you could pick up some tutoring gigs as well. I’m sure there are always kids that need one. You’ll figure it out. You always do.” Picking up the muffin on her plate, Storm held it out toward me. “Do you want half? It’s your favorite.”
I wasn’t the type to turn down a chocolate chip muffin.
However, my appetite had been erratic for the past two days.
Since the night Damon chased me through the graveyard forest, it was all I’d been able to think about.
I was dying to tell Storm all about it, needing to get it off my chest and share with someone I trusted.
Yet every time I got the opportunity, I held back.
“No thanks. I’m not hungry right now. I ate earlier. Enjoy it for me.” I racked my brain for a way to start the conversation I wanted to have. How did I even begin to tell my best friend that Damon Price had forced me into the most fucked up deal?
Storm would understand. I knew that. She had experience of her own with an unhinged man. Of course, she’d ended up marrying him, which was where we were wildly different.
“What’s up with you today?” She nibbled a piece of muffin. The top piece, which we all know is the best. “You feel off. Like you’re not your usual self. You haven’t even told me any crazy dating stories since I arrived.”
Now was my chance. If I didn’t tell her and get this out, I never would. Keeping it to myself was going to make me explode.
“I do have a pretty crazy story from the other night actually,” I began. “I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it because it’s so unhinged.”
“Do tell.” Storm perked up, her perfect eyebrows rising. She listened attentively as I spoke, twisting a lock of deep red hair around her finger. When I got to the part where Damon grabbed me outside the restaurant, her jaw dropped open.
Several times while telling my story I was tempted to stop. She was going to think I was insane for agreeing to his terms. What other choice did I have?
While telling her about the deal Damon forced me into, I glanced up from my drink to find her watching me with a neutral expression. No judgment. I finished off with what he did to me when we were back in the graveyard, editing it down to avoid any details.
“Then he took me home.” There. That felt better. Sharing with someone I trusted lightened the load I’d been carrying.
Storm took a long drink from her coffee, processing what she had heard. With a slow shake of her head, she said, “Well damn. I always felt like Damon was a guy with an edge, but I never imagined he’d do something like that. He didn’t hurt you though?”
“Other than the blisters and cuts on my feet from running barefoot through the forest, no. He didn’t.
” The memory of being trapped beneath him in the grass while he voraciously licked me sent a shock of heat through my body.
I hated how he’d affected me that way. No man should have that kind of power over a woman.
“And he turned on Andy.” Storm laughed softly. “It kind of sounds like Damon planned this all along. How absolutely diabolical.”
My mouth went dry. Taking a sip of my drink, I mulled this over. He would have to be an actual maniac to do something like that.
“Think he’s some kind of psychopath? Should I be worried?” There was no doubt in my mind that Damon Price was not sane. Yet I didn’t feel afraid. Not anymore. He had the opportunity to seriously hurt me, and he hadn’t.
“I’m probably not the best judge of character.” A rueful grin lit up Storm’s face, reaching her blue eyes. “I say see how it all plays out, unless you’re afraid of him, which in that case I can let Rebel know that he’s a problem. It’s really all up to you, Athena. How do you want to handle this?”
“I don’t think we need to tell Rebel about any of this,” I said quickly. “This needs to stay between us. Girl talk, you know?”
“Absolutely. I’m always here for you, girl. Don’t do anything you really don’t want to do. Damon might think he’s calling the shots but you’re the one who’s really in control. He went to a lot of trouble to get you in this position. Don’t forget that.”
Storm’s words were meant to comfort and reassure me. They did exactly the opposite.
What exactly were his intentions here? And why me?
The text tone on my phone jerked me from my thoughts. I pulled it from my purse to find a steamy message from a guy I’d hooked up with in the past. Kind of a friend with benefits. He wanted to know if I was available to get together tonight.
My initial reaction was to tell him that I was busy. Then I thought about Damon and decided that he couldn’t stop me from living my life. I typed back a quick text telling my hook up I would come by later that evening.
I felt better after my visit with Storm. Telling my best friend everything had eased the mental weight. Shoving all thoughts of Damon aside, I went home to get ready for my date tonight.
Even though the guy I was seeing tonight was nobody special in the grand scheme of things, I found myself putting in extra effort. Curling my brown locks. Spending extra time on my makeup. Neutral colors on my eyes with a pop of red lips.
Torn between two dresses, I went for the one with the shortest skirt, showing off my long legs.
I had an adequately average ass with a decent set of breasts, but I was especially proud of my legs.
I hit the gym on a regular basis to keep my body toned.
Nothing crazy. No body building or excessive weights.
Just enough to keep active. Otherwise, I would be on the couch all the time while job surfing online.
My grandmother had always warned me to stay active or I would regret it in the future.
As I ventured from my apartment building, I paused to glance up and down the street. Part of me expected to find Damon lurking. There was nobody aside from one of my neighbors getting out of a rideshare car.
Getting into my own car, I continued to watch the mirrors as I drove. Like I expected to be followed. I didn’t know if Damon was the type of guy to stalk a woman around town. Although I didn’t see why I would be that important. He must have a dozen other things to do on a daily basis.
I arrived at the small bungalow Dillon shared with a roommate. I assumed his roommate was out for the night since that’s when he usually contacted me. The front door opened as I approached. Dillon stood there wearing a brilliant smile, leaning casually in the doorway.
“Damn, you always look so good.” He stepped back to allow me to enter the house, closing the door behind me.
“Oh you know, I just rolled out of bed this way,” I laughed, suddenly feeling like I shouldn’t be there. Screw that. I had every right to be here.
“Kyle is out for the night. We have the place to ourselves.” Dillon wasted no time sliding an arm around me, pulling me against him.
His cologne clouded me with an artificial sporty aroma. Something I would normally not think twice about. Now it made me think about that natural woodsy scent of Damon. The way it had surrounded me in the forest. Working its way inside me.
Needing to shove Damon out of my head, I slid an arm around Dillon’s neck and kissed him. Pressing my lips to his with enthusiasm. As he kissed me back, he steered me over to the couch, pulling me down on his lap.
Dillon’s hands were all over me. Running up and down my body. Cupping my breasts. I tried to focus on our kiss. On the way it felt to be on top of him. Usually I would be into this. Ready to enjoy myself and enjoy him. Something felt different.
Maybe I’d simply grown bored of Dillon. We didn’t see each other all that often, but I didn’t usually see the same guy several times. They rarely held my interest for long and often proved to have no real personality.
My college days had recently ended with graduation. The buffet of men had dried up. My party girl days were over. Perhaps that’s what I was feeling now. The need to move on from this behavior. To focus on my future instead.
As Dillon’s lips moved down my neck, I found myself staring over his shoulder at a scratch in the drywall behind the couch. What was I even doing here? This wasn’t what I really wanted, was it?
I began searching for a way to get out of this. An excuse to leave. I never got the chance to form one.
The front door burst open, slamming against the wall. We both jumped, startled by the loud bang. Damon Price stood in the threshold, his expression one of absolute venom.
Dillon recovered first. “Who the hell are you?”
Without acknowledging him, Damon strode across the room and grabbed me by the arm, pulling me off Dillon’s lap. Shocked at his sudden appearance, my instinct was to pull away. He held too tight for me to break free.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, glancing nervously between both men.
Dillon shot off the couch, doing his best to seem intimidating. Next to Damon he failed miserably.
“Let go of her.” Dillon took a step forward, like he might actually do something.
He didn’t get far before Damon pulled a gun, pointing it at his face. “Let’s get one thing straight. You will forget you even know Athena. You will never contact her again. If you see her on the street, you cross to the other side. Is that clear?”
Raising both hands, Dillon jerked back, almost falling onto the couch. “Holy shit, man. Calm down. Whatever you say.”
Without another word, Damon pulled me with him out the door, slamming it shut behind us. Trying to keep up as he pulled me down the front walk, I wondered how the hell he’d known where I was.
“Did you follow me here?” I demanded as we reached my car.
Damon jerked open the passenger door and shoved me inside. Holding his hand out, he said, “Keys. Now.”
Grudgingly, I handed over my car keys. I stared straight ahead as he got in on the driver’s side. His Escalade was parked in front of my car. He must have followed me.
“I thought we were pretty clear on our arrangement. As long as you owe me, you are mine. And mine alone.” Damon neglected to answer my question, leaving me to wonder how he’d found me.
He made a quick call to Noah, asking him to come pick up his Escalade.
Then he started my car and pulled away from the curb.
While I sat there fuming, he drove along like nothing had happened.
How could I possibly have been thinking about him while I was with Dillon? This guy was an absolute maniac.
And he was turning my life upside down.