Chapter 19 #2
“Very good. I’ll be back shortly,” she said, picking up our menus and walking away.
“So…” Simon began, folding his hands on the table. “How have you been?”
“I’ve been good. How have things been going for you?”
“Really good, actually. I have a lot of balls in the air, so that’s been keeping me busy.”
“Better to be too busy than bored.” I shrugged.
An unsettling silence descended between us, and I fidgeted in my seat. I didn’t know what to say to him. I didn’t know him well enough to start a conversation naturally. That, coupled with the fact that I felt like I was under a microscope, made me feel hesitant to say anything.
“True, although I would like more time to relax and go to dinner. What have you been up to outside of work?” He watched me closely, and I couldn’t tell what he was fishing for, although it was pretty clear he was searching for something.
“Just working and hanging out with Kari. I’m getting ready to look for an apartment, things like that.”
“I thought maybe you were seeing Cane Alexander.” I swallowed a lump in my throat as he said his name. “He seemed a little strange when we met him the other day, even for Cane.” He chuckled, never taking his eyes off me.
I swallowed hard, my ring spinning like a top. “No, I’m not seeing Cane.” I smiled as innocently as possible. “His friend is dating my sister, so we run into each other a lot.”
“I see. How has he been?”
“I have no idea. I wasn’t aware that you knew Cane.”
“Oh, it’s a small world.”
“He didn’t say anything about knowing you.”
Simon bit his bottom lip, scrutinizing my face. “We really don’t know each other. We’ve just run into each other a few times. No big deal.”
“I see.” I had the incredible urge to grab my purse and bolt for the door.
Simon rearranged his silverware on the table before looking at me again. “Do you see him a lot?”
“No,” I said, becoming increasingly annoyed. “What does it matter?”
Simon laughed, leaning back in his chair stiffly. “It doesn’t. I am sorry for pressing. It’s none of my business.”
“No, it’s really not.”
The air between us was tense as Simon looked everywhere but at me. I grabbed an advertisement off the table and pretended to be immersed in the upcoming events at the restaurant.
Why am I even here?
I felt stupid. I only agreed to this because I was pissed at Cane, and now I was paying the price. I didn’t want to be there, and it didn’t seem like Simon cared that I was there either. It was like being with Decker but with no bond at all, nothing to even pretend to talk about.
Simon tossed his napkin onto the table. “I’m going to run to the men’s room real fast, if that’s okay?”
“Yeah, sure.” I was relieved that he needed to get up.
Simon headed toward the front of the restaurant, and I relaxed back into my chair, watching the sweat drip down my water glass. My chest felt heavy, and I knew it would be a really long night.
I sat for a long time, replaying Simon’s words, trying to figure out what was going on. Something wasn’t right, but I wasn’t sure what. Baffled, I grabbed my phone from my purse and turned it back on. I saw a text from Kari and a voicemail from Cane.
Ignoring the voicemail, I opened my texts.
Kari: Hey! Where are you tonight? I want to watch Sons of Anarchy. Charlie Hun-yum, baby.
Me: I’m out for a little while. Definitely having a movie night when I get back.
Kari: What are you doing?
I shoved my phone back into my purse, ignoring the last question.
I would so rather be home right now with Kari and a bunch of rowdy motorcycle men than in this restaurant, apparently alone. But alone is better than having Simon across from me.
“Is everything all right?” Jennifer asked, setting down our plates.
“Yes, thank you.” I looked at her face. She had wide, friendly brown eyes and freckles. She seemed like the type of girl who I would be friends with. I half wished that I knew her and could ask her to tell Simon I had an emergency and had to leave.
“If you need anything else, please just let me know.”
I need a lot of things, but nothing that can be fixed by the mark of a server’s pen.
I watched her walk away before turning my attention to the delicious-looking entrée in front of me.
“Sorry about that,” Simon said with a spring in his step. He pulled his chair out and sat down. “This looks really good.”
“Yeah, it does,” I said, watching him suspiciously. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is great,” he said, smiling and digging into his food with a vigor he didn’t seem to have before. His pupils were dilated, and something just seemed strange about him.
We ate quietly, for the most part, while Simon talked pretty much nonstop.
I was having trouble following along from topic to topic.
My appetite had vanished, so I pushed my fish around on my plate, breaking it into tiny pieces and mixing it in with the vegetables.
Simon rambled on and on, and I tuned him out.
“Fuck!” Simon snapped. I jumped in my seat at his exclamation. “I dropped my fork on the floor.”
His reaction seemed over the top in light of the situation, and I watched him closely. A small sheen of sweat coated his forehead, and his eyes darted around the room.
“I’m sure we can get you another one,” I offered, looking around for the server. I set my fork down, my hand shaking slightly.
“I’m done with this anyway.” He flashed me a wicked grin and I tensed. “Are you finished?”
I nodded slowly, feeling my senses go on alert.
“Can I get the ticket, please?” Simon asked Jennifer as she walked by.
“Thank you for dinner tonight. It was very nice.” I quickly grabbed my purse off the chair next to me, ready to get out of there. I had never been happier to see a date end in my life. I just wanted to go home.
Jennifer returned with the check, and Simon paid the bill. He escorted me out of the restaurant, the warm air hitting us in the face as we stepped outside. Despite the temperature, I wrapped my arms across my chest and picked up the pace toward my car.
The parking lot was busy near the entrance to the restaurant, but as we neared the back, it became almost vacant. The sky was pitch-black with not a star in sight.
Simon walked beside me, not saying anything until we reached my door.
“So do you want to follow me back to my place?” He placed his hand on my lower back, and I instinctively pulled away.
“You know, Simon, Kari sent me a text and needs me to come home. So I think I’ll pass.” I hit the unlock feature and grabbed the handle.
“Excuse me?” he asked, wedging himself between me and the door.
I took a step back. “I need to get home. So if you’ll move, I’ll be on my way.” I mustered all of the courage I could find within me and looked him directly in the eye, trying to portray strength … even though I felt weak.
“Your sister needs you an awful lot,” he said, raising an eyebrow.
“That’s the thing about having a sister,” I said, taking another step back. “You have to be there for them whenever they need you.”
“So maybe another time?”
“Sure.” I opened the door, hoping he would take the bait of an empty promise. I started to step in, and he grabbed my arm.
Hard.
My eyes bugged out as my breath caught, the feeling of his fingers searing into my skin causing my heart to race. “Simon! You’re hurting me!” I exclaimed, reaching over to pry his fingers off with my other hand.
He leaned into my face, a sick smile crossing his features, his face contorted in anger. Everything inside me seemed to speed up, and the world around me seemed to slow down at the same time.
I glanced helplessly around the parking lot, looking for someone to help me. But there was no one. I was on my own.
Don’t panic. Don’t panic.
“I’m sorry,” he said, easing his grip, but his features didn’t soften at all. “Does Cane not typically grab you this hard?”
My skin felt like a blowtorch was being applied to it. I could feel my pulse throbbing in my arm, white noise rushing past my ears. I tried to block everything out except for the man in front of me.
I have to take control.
“If you don’t get your hands off me right now, I am going to scream with everything I have.” My teeth were clenched as tears from the pain began to sting my eyes. I continued to yank on his fingers with my other hand to no avail.
Panic began to set in.
“Oh, Jada.” He pulled me forward. I slammed roughly against his body, his hand releasing my arm in the process. I tried to pull back, but he held the back of my neck with one hand, and his other arm wrapped around my back. “You’re a little cocktease.” His pupils were dilated now, and his eyes hard.
I have to find a way out of this.
“I’m not,” I said firmly, trying to keep myself from losing control.
My stomach threatened to expel the small amount of dinner I had eaten.
I raised my hand to cover my mouth when I realized my keys were still in my hand.
I put one between two of my fingers—the sharp point out—and encased the base in my fist. I raised my hand back as far as I could and jammed the key into his back.
His eyes went wide from the impact, and he loosened his grip. I shoved him away, and he stuck his hand out to grab me, knocking me off balance. I caught myself on the side of my car, my hands slamming into the metal.
I looked over my shoulder. Simon was rubbing his back with one hand and was watching me, eyes blazing.
“Is everything okay over there?” someone’s voice rang out from a few cars over. I didn’t look up to see who it was. I jumped in my car and darted out of the parking lot, leaving Simon to deal with any questions.
What the hell just happened?