Vicious Desire by Leslie V. Walker

Chapter Ten

Ayanna

“What are you doing?” My eyes snapped open after hearing the door open.

My new roommate, Summaya, walks further into the cabin until she makes it to her bed right next to mine and goes to lay down.

“Were you out the whole time?”

“I had a family thing.” Is all she says as she lays down with her back toward me. She seems tense. Out of this world like she’s somewhere else.

For as long as we’ve been friends since I arrived, I have never seen her like this. “At this time? What’s wrong?”

“It’s just my mom. She’s sick.” Her voice shakes as a sob leaves her. I push off the bed heading toward her.

Lying next to her, I hug her from behind causing her to flinch. “Hey, I’m here. It’s okay.”

“Ayanna.” My thoughts are broken by my aunt placing a hand on my back.

“Yeah?” A smile spreads on her beautiful creamy skin that glows against her brunette hair.

“I said if you can go get more ice for the freezer out back.”

“Of course.” I nod before leaving to head inside the house to the garage.

Music plays in the cause for celebration of my aunt, Mary’s, engagement. We celebrate today in her house just a few minutes from the border of town. I love being around my family, but I can say I wish I never came. Not because of my aunt but my father.

He gets more intense when it’s a family outing and makes us act as if we were high class and superior to the rest of our family. When it is the quite opposite.

It’s why I chose to rebel a little and dress in black jeans, vans, and a Shining shirt. Let’s just say he wasn’t pleased and was yelling at me non-stop till we arrived.

I walk past the living room taking in Aunt Mary’s house. It’s pretty basic, with only the normal necessities in plain baby blue. My aunt and future uncle travel for a living so they’re barely here, but once in a while they take breaks and settle for a few weeks. Like today but once Monday comes they’ll be off to Cancun.

It’s a Saturday night about to hit eleven and I already know this party will drag on till morning. October brings out the wild side of people here in Ashbourne Hills. I’m still not quite sure if that’s a good or bad thing.

It’s only been a few days since it was revealed two bodies were found dead. And just this morning when they ruled it a deal gone wrong for both parties. Whatever made them come to that conclusion I don’t care. Because since Rocco has been keeping me up to speed on every bad thing Arnold has done. And since then, it’s been hard to feel bad for him.

Entering the garage, I open the freezer just next to the door and take out a bag of ice. Lifting it up I make my way past the guest rooms to where I was when I hear someone yell from the other side. Stopping to see if they needed help just as I’m going to open the door my dad’s voice carries out.

“You promised, John. You said after I gave you the information, he’ll let me cut ties and I wouldn’t be in debt anymore.”

Who is he talking to? And what debt?

My pulse quickens urgently to know more. “No. No! You promised me! It was a deal set and now he has guys watching me twenty-four-seven and asking for more. That wasn’t part of the deal.”

“I don’t think I have to remind you about fulfilling your part of the deal. So, tell him to call off his dogs.”

I have this feeling that whatever he’s talking about and to who is nothing good. My dad has always been a violent man. Verbally with me but physically with others. I’ll never fully understand what he does or how people most times work for him when we barely have any for food on the table.

“I don’t give a shit. That boy is running around town with those other three chipmunks of him following. They’re getting suspicious, snooping around town.”

He’s talking about Brendan and his friends. I always knew he never liked Brendan, but what could he possibly find against him.

I inch myself closer to the door but just then someone calls out to me, “Ayanna dear. The ice!”

Right. I look back and forth on if I should stay but Aunt Mary is rushing me, so I make my way outside to where lights are hanged around the trees giving the place a nature feel with a dance floor in the middle and a DJ. Tables surround the dance floor with a long fold-in-half table sits in the back where all the food is. My family and my aunt and her fiancé’s family and friends are also in attendance.

“There’s someone here to see you,” Mary tells me as I finish putting the ice in the bucket before walking away. No one knows I’m here besides Jason.

I wave to my mother who’s happily eating and talking with some friends. looking around for my friend over the crowd of people instead I spot 6’4, green eye guy who has developed this habit of stalking me.

I rush toward him looking to make sure no one has spotted him, but already people are looking this way. Just glad my dad’s currently not here.

He catches sight of me immediately and a grin explodes on his face causing goosebumps to rise as he meets me midway strutting with all black fitting perfectly with him.

“What are you doing here?” I demand to know grabbing onto his wrist and forcing him closer so no one would hear us.

“Came to get you. We have to go. So, say goodbye to your little cult and come on.” He lifts his chin signaling me to get a move on it.

“What cult? I...” taking a deep breath to calm myself I step into his personal bubble, so he’ll take the hint. “I’m not going anywhere with you. You made a deal. I only had to go to the dance.”

“I’ll inform you of the task on the way there. Now let’s g––”

“Ayanna dear, you never told me you had a boyfriend.”

“I don’t.” I snap at my grandma looking at her like she’s grown three heads. “He’s just someone from school.”

My sixty-year-old Nana smiles kindly at Brendan, giving her hand. My pulse speeds scared he’s going to reject her hand and say something mean but he surprises me by taking her hand and lifting it up to place a kiss.

My lips part as I take in his bright eyes and smile as he talks with my Nana. “Since he’s here why don’t you guys dance. Aunt Mary wanted to have a group dance next.”

“We can’t. Brendan was just about to leave.” Taking a hold of his wrist I walk toward the exit but am pulled back against his chest.

“We’d love to dance.”

“No.” I shake my head, but Nana just shakes her head and motions us to where everyone else who has a partner has started.

The instrumental version of “All of Me” by John Legend plays as everyone meets their partners and starts to dance.

Pulling me in close, his hands wrap around my waist as our chest touch one another. My arms wrapped around his neck as he guides us. I’ve never been one to dance so I follow his rhythm and the song.

I feel myself lose control of my body of being in his arms. Of having him so close the desire to kiss him and more intensifies.

“This is fun,” he teases.

“What do you need me to do? But you have to tell me everything. Leave nothing out.”

“I’ll let you know on the car ride there.”

“Let’s go now.” I push against his chest but his hold on my waist tightens bringing me back to him.

“What’s the rush?”

“My dad...”

“I’m not scared of your dad. I’ve dealt with my uncle. And they are both the stupidest creatures I’ve ever met in my life.” The lights cast down on the dance floor as the moonlight glows brightly.

My eyes trace his face taking in him closely as his eyes, lips, and jawline. Just as I remembered, but more defined and fuller. I feel his fingertips brush lightly at my back on my bare skin and a small gasp leaves my lips.

“How’s it going with your sister? I tutor her most days.” I look past him not wanting to stare at those intense green eyes making me melt.

He doesn’t sound affected as I thought he would, which tells me she told him I was her tutor. She comes by every Tuesday, and we always finish early and talk about everything. Most times we would go get ice cream; we’ve gotten close but have still yet to talk about the elephant in the room.

“The same. Only now John thinks he has a chance at fighting against me to be her guardian. I freeze remembering that name as the same guy my father was on the phone with.

“Your uncle is John?” I ask nervously which catches his attention.

“Why? What do you know?” His eyebrows furrow as he looks me over trying to draw out the answers.

“I heard my dad mention a John on the phone just about twenty minutes ago. He sounded furious at a deal gone wrong. I’m not sure what about, but he kept mentioning this debt he already paid off and how his boss wasn’t letting him... I don’t remember but... is it your uncle who he was talking to?” We’ve stopped dancing as the others continue, just to the left of the middle. My hands now fisting his shirt as I think about what I heard.

Could it be my dad was involved in illegal activities?

“What else did he say? Who’s the boss?”

I shake my head trying to remember more.

A gasp leaves me as his hand grabs a fist full of my hair and he presses me against him so he can lean down closer to me. “Did he see you?”

“Did who?”

“Your father,” I shake my head. “He can’t know that you know this. It could end badly.” I don’t know what he’s saying because all I can think about is his lips only centimeters away from mine.

I want to feel them against mine. Even if I slightly still despise him for what he did.

“Do you hear me?” He growls low so no one would hear but me.

“Tell me what’s going on.” I protest ignoring him which only gets him even madder.

“Answer me first. Promise me he won’t ever find out you know.”

“Why does it concern you what happens to me and what doesn’t?” I question rising on my toes to get closer to him. His hand tightens in my hair, his eyes glaring at me viciously.

He hesitates on what to say until finally settling for an answer, “I need you at the dance.”

“Then after?” I rise taller.

“I don’t know. Haven’t made it that far. But I have today. And were close to running out of time. Let’s go.” He tugs me with him but instantly when I turn around, I bump into him stumbling back a bit but his grip on my wrist holds me still as I look up to see my dad throwing daggers at us.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”