Voyeur by Candace Wondrak
Chapter Eighteen – Zoey
The aroma of freshly-baked pizza wafted in Lake’s apartment, a pizza box sitting at the base of the bed near us. We each had our own plastic plate, and Lake had turned the television set on, prepped the movie we were about to watch. He had it all ready to go on our follow-up date.
No sex this time, apparently, but that was fine. I already had one Roman and Carter in my life; I did not need another.
Besides, sometimes it was just nice to hang out with someone else, to simply enjoy their company for what it was, to know someone simply wanted to spend time with me.
“I’m telling you, this is a classic,” Lake spoke.
I wasn’t so sure about that. I’d done a little research, and while I knew it stuck around the geek circle, calling it a classic seemed a little much. This wasn’t Star Wars we were talking about; no, it was something much different, and maybe a little worse.
Giving him a skeptical look as I took a small bite of pizza, I asked, “Were you even alive when this movie came out?” I was pretty sure I was nothing more than an egg in my mother’s womb still; I knew Lake was a year older than me, but still. It wasn’t like this movie was a formative part of his childhood.
“I was… like, one?” Lake spoke, proving my point and making me laugh. “But you can’t measure classics on how old they are. Some things will never fade, and this is one of them.”
Yes, Lake was almost frenzied as he tried to defend Lord of the Rings to me. More specifically, The Fellowship of the Ring. And, of course, he owned all of the extended editions, and because he was an adorably cute nerd, he went on and on about how that was the only way to watch the movies. The original theatrical cuts weren’t as good, or whatever.
When the movie began to roll on the mounted television screen, I shut up, knowing he wanted me to watch it, wanted to watch me watching it. I bet he’d be gaging my reactions the entire time.
The movie was literally never-ending. Like, the longest movie I’d seen in my entire life, and, lucky me, Lake wanted to stay up all night since he had no classes tomorrow and no work and marathon them with me.
Yeah, I was one lucky son of a bitch, wasn’t I?
But, at least I got to spend the time with Lake. Once we were finished eating, he put the leftover pizza in his fridge, and we cuddled. No sex, but we totally spooned hardcore, and that was almost just as good.
My eyes were only half on the screen, my mind too focused on Lake’s arm around me, how nice it felt to simply belong. To not have to worry about my family or my stupid sister, to not even think about what my ex did to me for months behind my back, to forget that my one and only long-term relationship had been nothing more than a lie gilded in gold.
I turned my head toward him, giving him a warm smile.
“What?” he asked, dimples on his cheeks. “You hate the movie, don’t you? Only eight more hours to go—we’ll watch The Hobbits later.”
Fuck. There were more?
But, no, that’s not even what I was thinking about. I leaned my head toward his, placing a soft, chaste kiss on his lips. It was a kiss that startled him apparently, for he did nothing but blink in response. “I will watch any movies with you, as long as you buckle up and watch horror movies with me.” It was a fair compromise, wasn’t it?
Lake chuckled. “Deal.” And he sealed it with another kiss, this one a bit deeper, even slower than the first. His tongue pushed its way into my mouth, and for the longest time, we laid there, in each other’s arms, lost.
That was until Lake broke off the kiss to ask, “You don’t see movies with Roman, do you?”
I gave him a look. “I thought we weren’t supposed to talk about Roman?” We’d decided to keep everything separate. Roman’s time with me would remain his time—and Carter’s—while my time with Lake would be completely his own.
“No, no, you’re right. I just…” Lake shrugged, his blonde hair a bit messy. “I want something that can be ours.”
A smile grew again on my face, and I rested my cheek against his chest, curling into him as my gaze glanced to the television screen. “Fine,” I murmured, being totally okay having movies be a Lake and me thing.
This was going to be work, I realized.
You know what, though? I wouldn’t have it any other way. If this was what my life would be like, juggling everything with Roman and Carter with Lake, I was okay with it. I had the best of both worlds, the guys who would probably kill for me if I asked them to, and the one who would always be there for me when I needed him.
That whole thing with Roman telling me he wanted me to move into his place, well… we weren’t going to talk about that just yet. Still too early in the relationship for that, in my humble opinion.
I settled onto Lake’s chest, content with his arms around me, his heat seeping into me, happy to be with him, even if we were going to spend the night watching all three movies. Not my idea of a fun time, but I’d do anything with Lake.
And, well, I might’ve dozed off a bit here and there, but we weren’t going to talk about that.
Jamie leaned over the counter, her dark, curly hair pulled back in a tight hair bun. “You look happy,” she remarked as she began to get my refills for table four. The music that normally filled the Dollhouse was loud in the air, but you got used to it. That, or you learned to shout while you were at work if you wanted to be heard.
I met her brown eyes, giving her a small nod. “I am.”
“I’m glad, girl, though I really hope that means you aren’t tangled up with that Roman guy anymore.”
I kept my lips zipped on that one; no one around here understood what Roman and I had, and that was fine. They only knew him as the guy who used to come in here and pull the workers in the back, the guy who would watch as they serviced Carter and Carter fucked them. Now he was the Dollhouse’s owner, and though he still showed up every once in a while, the only girl he took in the back was me.
Once she finished my refills, I set them on my tray and took them back to the table, where two older men sat, eyes on the stage, where Ruby danced, shaking her ass for all to see. They paid next to no attention to me, which was fine.
When I went to set my tray down, I passed Crystal, who gave me a wink. She meant what she’d told me; she’d started applying to other jobs. She even asked me to look over her resume, to try to help her make it sound more sophisticated. Needless to say, she didn’t have much of a resume to begin with, but I tried to help her as much as I could. I hoped she found whatever it was she was looking for.
Things were calming down in my life, finally; I was getting used to a routine again, and I was happy with it. As long as things stayed the same for a little while, I’d be okay.
I went to an empty table, bending over it to clean it up and wipe it off, to get it ready for whoever wanted to sit in it next, my mood as good as it could possibly be. At least, it was, for about three seconds, until I heard a deep cough.
Figuring it was someone commenting on my ass since I was bent over, I straightened out, ready to give them a smile while simultaneously telling them off—I’d realized with Roman as the owner of the Dollhouse, I could get away with a lot. But, when I stood straight and turned around, locking eyes with the man who’d coughed, my good mood vanished into thin air, disappearing immediately.
The person who stood there staring at me… the guy whose familiar gaze bore into me through the dim lighting of the Dollhouse was not someone I ever thought I’d see again, mostly because I thought I left him behind, just like I’d left everything behind.
My heart pounded in my chest as I looked at him. Bryan.
He looked just as I remembered. Tall, built well, but not overly muscled like Carter or Roman. His dark brown hair was a bit too long, and it hung over his forehead, covering his amber eyes from view. His mouth was no more than a thin line on his square jaw, and I felt my stomach twist in apprehension.
I didn’t say hello, and neither did he. The only thing I could say was: “How did you find me?” Because that’s the only thing that mattered. I left my phone, tossed my credit and debit cards in the trash after pulling out some cash to get me out of Hillcrest. How the hell was he here now? Was this some twisted nightmare?
This could not be happening, but it was. No matter how many times I blinked, no matter how badly I wished this wasn’t happening, it was. Bryan was here, standing before me, giving me the strangest look he could.
Probably because I wore next to nothing.
Or my pink hair.
Or the giant tattoo on my side.
Okay, so I’d changed a lot since I left Hillcrest, but that was mainly because I was sick of the old Zoey. I’d turned a new leaf here, pushed my boundaries, and found who I really wanted to be—and that someone did not belong with a cheater.
“Can we talk somewhere else?” Bryan spoke, his hands hanging limply at his sides. He wore a thin jacket over a polo shirt, the kind of shirt he’d wear to the country club when he was meeting me. The kind of shirt I could easily remember helping him get out of time and time again, back when I was oblivious.
Go somewhere else with him? Somewhere private? Fuck that.
“No,” I said, and his expression darkened. Or maybe that was the shadows of the club, but still. Going anywhere with him right now was the absolute last thing I wanted to do. “Tell me how you found me, Bryan.” I said it firmer this time, hoping he would fess up.
He stepped toward me, an air of superiority about him, one I never noticed before. Too smug, too stuck-up and haughty. How the fuck did I ever find this ass attractive? The million-dollar question. “You should know nothing is impossible as long as you have the cash and the connections. I hired a PI to find you when you didn’t come back. Your family told me to wait for you to come back, that you had nowhere to go, but I couldn’t wait.”
Wow. They all thought I’d fail out in the world on my own, so they weren’t even looking for me. They didn’t care. They thought I’d come home with my tail tucked between my legs and that everything would go back to normal.
Fuck—and I could not stress this enough—that.
Ignoring the fact that this was quite stalker-ish and such an invasion of privacy, I asked, “Why? You were fucking my sister. You already had a Marbella; you didn’t need me, too.”
“Zoey, you didn’t even give me a chance to explain.” Bryan sighed, taking yet another step closer. I tried to back up, but my legs hit the table I’d just been cleaning.
We were in the back of the club, far enough away from the doors and the bouncer, but I could tell Jamie noticed something was wrong here, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw her leave her station behind the bar, going to grab our muscle.
“Explain?” I echoed, chuckling bitterly. “Explain what? You were going behind my back to fuck my little sister, and you were doing it for months!” The gall of this guy, seriously. To find me here, to come here… all so he could try to explain away why he was balls-deep in my sister? Yeah, that wasn’t going to work.
Bryan frowned, reaching for me. I tried to pull away, but he managed to grab my wrist. “Please,” he said. “Let’s just go somewhere and talk—”
Right then Jamie appeared, the Dollhouse’s bouncer beside her. I forgot his name, since I didn’t often talk to him, but he was a huge, intimidating fellow. He had his arms crossed, his bulging muscles calling everyone’s attention. Bryan was slow to release me, though he did not step away from me; the asshole pretty much blocked my escape route, standing between me and Jamie and the bouncer.
“It’s time for you to leave,” the bouncer spoke, huffing out the words and generally being as threatening as possible.
Bryan, though, didn’t look impressed. “No, I need to talk to my girlfriend.”
Girlfriend? This stupid fuck still thought I was his girlfriend after everything he did? Wow. This guy… he was on his own level of stupidity.
“Well,” Jamie spoke, giving him an attitude right back, “it doesn’t look like she wants to talk to you at all, so I’d listen to what Keven here said and get out—otherwise he’ll drag your ass out of here and toss that pretty face on the pavement outside.”
Crystal must’ve got Autumn out of the back, for around the bouncer and Jamie, I was able to see them both heading this way, along with… fuck. Along with two other people who decided to come to the Dollhouse tonight.
Carter and Roman.
Could this night get any messier?
They made a beeline to us. Autumn was the first to arrive, stepping between the bouncer and Jamie, sizing up Bryan as she said, “Is something wrong here?” Her black hair was pulled in a tight bun, her thin figure wearing a pantsuit, along with heels that had to be at least four inches high.
“All I want to do is talk to my girlfriend, and your employees are making it difficult,” Bryan said, reaching into his back pocket, about to pull out his wallet to pay them off, probably. “How much will it take for you guys to leave us alone?”
The man of the hour appeared, commanding the space nearby. Anyone who knew what was good for them stepped aside as Roman appeared, wearing the same sleek suit he always did, though today his undershirt was a dark red, the color of dried blood. With his black hair and equally black eyes, with his tall, towering figure and solid muscles, he literally looked like the devil incarnate.
I never thought I’d be happier to see the devil, if that was the case.
Roman must’ve heard what Bryan said—that, or he knew who Bryan was, since he investigated my old life—for he spoke, not even glancing at Autumn as he ordered, “Clear out the place. I want it empty in five minutes.”
Autumn blinked, not bothering to hide her shock. “What? But—” When Roman glared at her, she swallowed. “All right.” And with that, she walked away, Crystal at her side as they worked on cutting the music, getting Ruby off the stage, and informing the other patrons that the Dollhouse was closing early tonight.
Jamie automatically took a few steps away from Roman and Carter, tossing me a look. The bouncer remained, glaring at Bryan even though Roman was now doing a perfect job on his own.
“Who the fuck are you supposed to be?” Bryan asked.
Behind him, Carter sneered, but Roman allowed himself a slow, calculating smile. Anyone who knew Roman would know to be terrified of a smile like that, and yet my ex was so blissfully unaware of what that man was capable of.
Roman said, “I’m the owner of this fine establishment.”
Autumn and Crystal were busy shooing everyone out, the music stopped playing in the speakers. Overhead, the dim lighting brightened a bit, Autumn having flicked on the lights on her way out.
“Get these two out of here,” Roman spoke, referencing Jamie and the bouncer. Carter did as he was told, and in the next few moments, we were alone in the Dollhouse.
Funny how different it looked when it wasn’t trying to be a sexy club. Funny how strange everything looked; it all seemed out of place, like the mysteriousness had vanished the moment the lights were flipped on.
Roman glanced to the seats near the table I had been busy cleaning, gesturing for Bryan. “Sit,” he ordered, and for a moment, it appeared as though Bryan wanted to argue, wanted to tell Roman no one could order him around—but my ex popped a squat anyway, and Roman was slow to do the same.
I moved away from them, my feet bringing me to the stage. I still stood near them, but not close enough that Bryan could try to touch me again; my wrist still had the heebie-jeebies after that, the memory of his hand there almost too much. I never wanted to be touched by him again. Never. Hell, I didn’t even want to see him again, and yet here he was.
This… fuck. I had the feeling this night was only going to get worse.
