Nine
Her Destiny
Sin
Video games. What the fuck were we? Children?
Nope. We were men. Pure predators who seek our prey. Our nature was to hunt. Not sit on our asses playing damn childish games. Especially with our girl out in the wild without us.
This was the game we enjoyed playing with our little obsession as long as she roamed this Earth we’d pursue her.
Liv was ours. Ours to fuck. To claim and have for the rest of our days, but we lived for this shit. To follow her wherever she went.
The addiction to the thrill was real. Liv was breathing. I could hear her right beside me, as if I could reach out and touch her, but I couldn’t. We had to remain hidden in the shadows, and darkness became ours. Our entire existence until…
Thud.
“Jesus Christ…” Saint whispered with frustration. “I can’t get these damn things on.”
We ditched the PlayStation for some real live entertainment and tracked Liv all the way to the bridal boutique. Sure, Gloria invited us to tag along, so we caused no harm. We’d remain invisible and out of sight. More fucking fun to be had by being bad.
“Fuck…” I smacked a hand against my forehead. “Put the damn thing on already.”
“I’m trying, man, I’m trying,” Saint muttered with frustration, and perspiration pooled on his forehead. “My feet are too fucking fat.”
“Go on a damn diet.” I swiped a finger across his forehead. “What the fuck are you sweating for?”
Saint jabbed me with his shoulder and tried to create more room. “I’m sweating my goddamn balls off in here stuck with you.”
Saint struggled to put the high-heeled boot on we had collected on the way inside without being noticed.
We had a plan to stick to, and we should fit the damn part.
Couldn’t be sitting ducks in a damn place full of women wearing black manly boots with pants on.
One glance under the crack at the bottom of the door would reveal us.
We’d be out on our asses in the streets with the mission failed.
There was a knock at the door.
Shit.
“Look what you did,” I mouthed and blamed Saint.
“Me?” Saint mouthed back and pointed at himself.
“Yes, you!” I whisper-shouted and poked him. “Dickhead.”
Another knock.
Fucking shit-balls.
I glared at Saint and whispered, “Get ready.”
“For what?” Saint mouthed with a confused as fuck face.
I opened the door. The male employee on the other side had a fist up, ready to knock again, but he stared back at us two fuckers inside. One with high-heeled boots on and the other who was desperately attempting to zip up a boot.
“What the—” I grabbed him by his pretty pink shirt and pulled his ass into the dressing room.
The door closed behind him, and I heaved him up against the wall.
“Sh…” I shushed him with a finger against my mouth. “Be quiet.”
The cramped fitting room was now lit up in pink. Blush reflected off the white walls, and even his pink-tinted glasses fell onto the crook of his nose. He was sweating.
Good. He was nervous. Exactly how I needed him to be to make him do as I instructed.
Saint got the damn boot on but stomped the heel against the ground.
Liv questioned the sounds coming from our fitting room. I shot a glare at Saint, and my hair fell into my line of sight. I could strangle my best friend if he didn’t look so damn remorseful since he got us caught red-handed.
Almost.
Crap. Now what?
Wait a minute.
This flamboyant dude would come in handy. Him with his neat-as-fuck goatee and slicked-back hair with pink tips. He wore a ton of makeup and smelled like a fresh fucking flower. The scent was overwhelming and tickled my nose, but I didn’t back off him because we needed his help.
“Answer her. Calmly,” I whispered and eased my forearm up against his collarbone. “Now.”
The pretty boy was hesitant, but he obeyed. He gave a lame-ass excuse, but an answer which made sense for our particular screwed-up situation. Liv didn’t question further.
Whew. Close one.
“What are you—” I pressed my hand against his mouth to silence him because I could hear distress from next door.
“… I don’t know, Raven. I don’t feel like myself in any of these dresses.” Liv sighed in defeat. “An all-white gown isn’t what I pictured myself wearing walking down the aisle on my wedding day, but I don’t want to upset my mom.”
Gloria must be out of the changing room and searching for more white frilly crap Liv didn’t want. Her mom was stubborn and Liv took too much shit to appease her. Hopefully, Raven would talk some damn sense into Liv because we couldn’t help her, but my heart hurt for my obsession.
Bruised with conflicting agony. Ached to assist Liv and be there for her. Throbbed to touch her and give her the entire world she rightfully deserved.
Saint pressed an ear up against the wall with his hand covering it. His eyes locked on mine and swirled with the same sorrow I had. We wanted to tear this fucking wall down and hold her sandwiched between us. Stroke her hair, whisper sweet nothings to her and make the world justifiably hers.
“Liv. This is your big day. Not Gloria’s. She will understand,” Raven encouraged, and I pictured her shrugging. “If not? Who gives a shit?”
Liv giggled, but her amusement was brief as she replied, “I don’t know.”
Fuck this. To hell with Gloria and her overbearing behavior. Sure. She’d become my mother-in-law, but Liv was going to be our wife. She triumphed over all, and her well-being came first. We had to do something.
I stared straight into the pretty boy’s wide eyes. “Listen to me good. I want you to bring the woman next to us the best untraditional wedding dresses you have.”
“Get your hands off me. This is couture.” He shoved me backward and shooed me with the backs of his hands. “Move aside. I don’t take kindly to demands.”
I stumbled into Saint, and my best friend caught me before we banged into the wall. Stunned was an understatement because I had my ass handed to me thanks to the pretty boy in front of me. I fixed my leather jacket and flipped up the collar.
Romeo flung his hair back, and I’d let him have his turn to take charge. I had mad respect for someone who came out of the closet. Took real guts. But our girl took priority.
All right. The pretty boy wanted to play in the big leagues. He wanted to play hardball. Game on.
I didn’t move.
“Don’t make me mess up that makeup.” I pointed at his face and puffed out my chest. “Do as we ask and we won’t touch a hair on your pretty head.”
I stated this in the nicest way possible, given the threatening situation.
“You’re not bad yourself, handsome, but I’m not the one hiding in the closest…” Romeo stared down at the high-heeled boots I had on and back up into my eyes. “Literally.”
Zing. Damn! He dissed me.
I couldn’t help but come to my defense with my hands up. “Hey, hey, hey. I’m not—”
Saint stepped between us.
“What I think my friend here is trying to say is our fiancée is in there, and we need some help.” Saint pointed at the fitting room next to ours, and he gave the pretty boy a pleading stare which eventually turned into a sigh when he didn’t respond. “Please?”
“Your fiancée? Are you sure you aren’t bisexual? Your friend’s a little rough around the edges, which I like. But you…” Romeo blushed brighter than the blush he had on. “You’re softer. You know how to treat a lady.”
“Hear that, Sin? I got the touch.” Saint glanced over his shoulder with a smile. “I’m a smooth operator.”
I pushed past Saint. “Yeah. Yeah.”
I found the flirtatious banter and kissing each other’s asses irritating as fuck. I was ready to get this shit show over with. We weren’t here to clown around.
I reached for the pretty boy’s throat.
“Ah, ah…” he tsked, wagging an index finger at me. “I enjoy playing rough, but this outfit is expensive.”
I dropped my hand and heaved an aggravated sigh. “Are you going to help us or not?”
“Fine. Move aside, ladies.” He beamed the brightest fucking customer service smile. “Non-traditional dresses are coming right up.”
Romeo breezed past us like bright sunshine on a stormy day. He followed instructions and supported Liv throughout the entire ordeal. He brought her an array of non-traditional colors, and she ended up saying yes to a dress. Her squeal of excitement was one-hundred percent infectious.
Gloria was upset with the decision, as we heard her sighing her disapproval under her breath, but Liv couldn’t hear. Only us. We stayed hidden, out of sight and out of mind, and completed our job.
Without a damn sound, we slipped out the back door of the bridal boutique. We made sure not to get a glimpse of our happy bride-to-be because we didn’t want to spoil the wedding ceremony. We had enough to deal with, so we didn’t need any bad luck on the big day.