All I've Never Wanted (8 page)

I bowed my head, letting the warmth of the sun wash over me even as a slight chill signaling the arrival of fall floated through the air, gentle but crisp. It was getting hard hiding everything from my parents. I hadn't told them what happened, of course—I didn't want them to worry—but despite my best efforts to clean myself up before I went home, they were getting suspicious, and my excuses were growing flimsier and less believable by the day.

Suddenly, I felt a vibration in my bag, and with a small frown, I pulled out my cell phone. An unfamiliar number flashed across the screen.

I was confused. No one ever called me except for my family and Venice. I communicated with my old friends solely through emails, Facebook, and text messages, though those had become few and far in between.

"Hello?" I asked warily.

"Hi, is this Maya?" a rather familiar voice asked.

I hesitated. "Yes?" It came out more like a question than I would've liked.

"Hey, this is James."

My eyes widened in surprise. James? The same James I'd met all that time ago? Actually, now that I thought about it, it had barely been a week.

God, Stan’s party felt like forever ago.

"Oh, hi," I said, even more confused. Why was he calling me 
now? 
"Um…how did you get my number?" I immediately wanted to take back that stupid question. Though it was a perfectly reasonable one, it also sounded kind of rude.

James, though, apparently didn't think so. "I got it from my friend who knew Venice," he admitted sheepishly. "I hope that wasn't too forward."

"No…no, it's ok." I cleared her throat. "So…" I trailed off, hoping he would indicate why, exactly, he had called.

Luckily, he did. "Listen, I just wanted to apologize," James said quickly. "For Saturday night. I let my temper get the best of me and…well, I kind of feel like you're only in this predicament because you wanted to—protect me?" His voice lowered a bit at the end of the sentence, uncertain.

I pondered this a bit. I was surprised to find his conclusion was, in fact, right. I had wanted to protect him, because he'd been so nice and down-to-earth, which was ironic because I felt like he had wanted to help 
me 
by going toe-to-toe with Parker. At the same time, though, I had been motivated by other factors to ream Roman out. "You don't have to apologize," I assured him. "Trust me, it's not your fault I—" I stopped. Something he'd just said finally registered. "Wait, what do you mean by my 'predicament.'?"

James took such a long time to answer I thought he'd hung up. Finally, reluctantly, he said, "Well, what's happening to you in school right now would be considered a predicament…" His voice trailed off.

"How did you know about what's happening?" I didn't bother trying to deny it. What was the point?

"Some of my friends told me."

Yeah, and they've probably participated, 
I thought, feeling bad even as I thought it. It wasn't James' fault Valescans were such assholes.

"Yeah, well, I'll survive." I shrugged, even though I realized he couldn't see me. "I mean, it's not—"

I broke off when I noticed a distinct black-and-electric-blue Ferrari pulling up beside me. I was so shocked I didn't even notice when my phone slipped out of my hands and crashed on the sidewalk, the back cover and battery promptly spilling out.

This was what I got for still using an old-school Motorola instead of an iPhone like everyone else.

I just stood there, stunned and paralyzed, as the window rolled down and Roman Fiori's irritated face, half-hidden by dark designer shades, emerged.

"Get in," he ordered gruffly.

I just stood there, mouth agape, wondering what the 
hell was going on.

Noticing my lack of response, the irritation on his face grew. "Get in!" he repeated, more forcefully.

This time, I had recovered enough to muster up a fairly strong and defiant, "No way in hell!"

Before I could say anything else, Roman, obviously exasperated, got out of the car, gripped my arm, and dragged me into the passenger seat.

The residual traces of shock were still in my system, slowing me down, and everything happened so fast I barely had time to think before Roman peeled away from the curb.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I demanded angrily, having finally found my voice. "Let me out right now!"

He didn't even look at me, that bastard. "Or what?"

"Or…or…or I'll call the police!"

He snorted, making a sharp right turn. I let out a small shriek as I slammed into the passenger side door. Deciding it was better to be safe than sorry, I immediately buckled my seatbelt.

"You and what phone?" he asked, casting a pointed glance at my empty hands. "Besides, it sure looks like you're making yourself comfortable in here."

"I am 
not 
making myself comfortable, I merely do not want to die," I snapped. "Now stop this car this instant! I don't want to be here!"

"Too bad," came the detached reply. It was followed by pounding rock music that drowned the car and nearly deafened me, and I noted with resentment that Roman controlled the sound system on his steering wheel. No way would I be trying to manipulate 
those, 
not unless I wanted us both to die.

As we sped through town at breakneck speed, however, it finally dawned on me that I was essentially being kidnapped by the heir to the most powerful family in the world, and there was not a damn thing I could do about it.

Have I mentioned how I really, really, 
really 
hated my life?

CHAPTER 5

There was a look of grim determination on Roman's face as he guided his car through the town's pristine streets, narrowly avoiding hitting a pedestrian on several occasions and dangerously ignoring more than a few stop signs.

"Where are we going?" Maya demanded, her voice managing to rise above the thumping music to make its way into his ears.

Roman ignored her, pressing his foot down harder on the gas pedal. The Ferrari's quiet, powerful engine let out a satisfying small roar in response.

"
Where are we going?" 
Maya repeated, this time sounding even more pissed off.

Roman gripped the steering wheel, trying not to explode from irritation, because in all honesty, he had no fucking idea. Not about where they were going, or why the stupid girl was in his car in the first place. He hadn't planned to drag her inside, it had just… happened.

It’s official. I've gone certifiably insane, 
he thought. The past week had started off promisingly enough, but then it devolved into a disaster. How fucking hard was it for so many students to break one girl?

His violet eyes narrowed slightly as he examined her out of the corner of his eye. With her delicate features, silky straight dark hair, and uniform that still bore the faintest remains of food stains despite countless washes, she looked more fragile than the overpriced Lalique figurines his mother scattered all around the house.

But if that was true, why the hell was she still here?

"Are you going to answer me?"

Was she really still talking?

"Shut up," he finally replied crankily, though his words were mostly drowned out by the music. Whatever. He didn't care if she heard him or not.

When the car finally reached its destination, Roman, who had been driving without really thinking about where he was going, was surprised to be faced with a pair of exceedingly familiar wrought-iron gates.

Even though he couldn't see it, Roman knew an invisible scanner, part of the Fiori mansion's astronomically expensive, state-of-the-art security system, was taking in all the details of the car and its inhabitants at that very moment. A mere ten seconds later, the gates opened, sliding smoothly into the high, thick brick walls on either side.

Roman was oddly pleased to see a fleeting look of awe on Maya’s face until she quickly covered up.

Thankfully, she remained silent until he had pulled up right in front of his family’s imposing, palace-like mansion. The minute Roman fully stopped the car, Maya threw open the door, burst out onto the cobblestones, and ran down the driveway.

At least, that was what probably would have happened had she been able to get the door open. Unfortunately, Roman's customized Ferrari was so high-tech and complicated Maya couldn't quite figure it out, which was how Roman ended up standing by the passenger side with a smirk on his face as he watched her struggle to get out. He had locked the doors and made no move to help her.

Maya glared at him through the glass. "Let me out, you bastard!" Her voice was muffled by the shatter-proof glass.

Roman's smirk grew wider. He leaned against the side of the car so he was looking at her profile. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" he drawled, crossing his arms over his chest and thoroughly enjoying her discomfort.

"Let me OUT!"

He yawned, staring up at the sky. "Still don't know what you're saying," he declared loudly.

Maya's full lips thinned. She sat up straighter, narrowing her eyes, and drew in a deep breath. "I SAID LET ME OUT YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHING SCUM OF THE EARTH!" she screamed so loud it would've shattered any regular glass ten times over. She punctuated her furious statement with an equally furious pounding on the window.

An angry hiss escaped Roman's lips, her insult finally setting off his temper's already short fuse. He violently yanked open the door, surprising the girl inside and causing her to nearly tumble on the ground.

To her credit, Maya stumbled only a bit before straightening up and brushing off her skirt. Sparks of fire were practically flying out of her eyes as she glared at him.

Roman glared back. What the fuck did 
she 
have to be angry about? He hadn't been the one insulting her in front of her own house!

"Drive me home right now!"

Roman's jaw nearly dropped at her astonishing demand. 
No one 
talked to him like that! Where was the groveling, the simpering, the fear? This was unacceptable!

"Do I look like your goddamned chauffeur?" he ground out, his voice low and dangerous.

She tilted her chin up stubbornly. "Since you apparently like driving me around so much, I would say yes, you rather do."

Her haughty tone of voice made Roman's blood boil until he was afraid he would explode. "God, you're a bitch!"

"Bitch. How original. Is that the best you can come up with?"

Roman's hands clenched into fists before he raised one arm, causing Maya to flinch.

He noted this with smug satisfaction. Though he would never hit a girl, it gave him immense pleasure to see her squirm. Gripping one of her arms, he dragged her toward the front entrance without a word.

"Let me go! What are you doing?" Maya struggled to escape his grasp, but it was like an iron shackle on her forearm.

Roman stormed into the foyer, dragging the unwilling girl behind him and tuning out her inane babble, even as he tried to ignore how soft and smooth her skin felt.

Suddenly, he froze, causing Maya to slam into his back. He barely noticed. Soft and smooth…? Where the hell had 
that 
thought come from?

Shaking his head slightly, Roman set his jaw and resumed his trek through the house. He need to get rid of this girl somehow, and fast. She was driving him crazier than he'd ever thought he could be.

*              *              *

"Eat."

I stared suspiciously at the admittedly delicious-looking slice of chocolate cake in front of me but made no move to touch it.

"No," I said, rather stubbornly. I knew I was being difficult, but can you blame me? The spawn of Satan decided to kidnap me after school, bring me to his house, mock me, and he was now…
feeding me chocolate cake? 
Hmmm, now which one of those does not fit in with the others?

Roman narrowed his eyes at me from across the tile counter. "It's not poisoned, you know."

I sniffed disbelievingly. I had no way of knowing whether or not it really was poisoned—I wouldn't put it past him. Besides, even if it wasn't, I in no way wanted to ingest something that was even remotely associated with the name Fiori.

"Why don't you just cut to the chase and explain to me why I'm here," I snapped, shifting on the stool I was currently perched on.

A part of me was aware how ridiculous this scene was, me and Roman Fiori, chatting over cake in his obscenely huge kitchen.

Well, we weren't really chatting, but you get the idea.

"If you're not going to eat the cake, then I will," Roman said, ignoring my request. Without waiting for an answer, he slid the plate back over to his side and spooned a creamy chocolate chunk into his mouth.

I swallowed as my mouth involuntarily watered. Damn it…To make matters worse, my stomach chose just that moment to let out a loud, hungry growl, like it was scolding me for only feeding it a sandwich and some water today.

Roman smirked, but didn't offer me the cake again. Bastard.

Not that I would've changed my mind and accepted the offer, of course.

I glared at him. "I know you have an ulterior motive for bringing me here, so you might as well just spit it out." My fingers tightened on the edge of the table. "Do you have a mob waiting to finish me off once and for all?”

"Please," Roman scoffed. "Like I need a mob to finish 
you 
off."

"Right. So it's not like your twisted plan to run me out of school hadn't failed or anything," I retorted sweetly. I almost flinched when the words left my mouth. I was playing with fire here, but I couldn't help it. There was something about him that just makes me blurt things out without thinking.

Roman's suspiciously (and unusually) calm demeanor cracked a bit and I could see anger flare up in that chiseled face of his again.

Such a shame, really, that someone so good-looking could be such a monster…

Wait, what the heck? Why was I even thinking that? I should
not
be focusing on his looks right now! It’s not like I was one of his mindless groupies.

Get it together, Lindberg.

"The game isn't over yet," he snarled, before getting a hold of himself. Calming down once again, he eyed me speculatively. "But since you want to know so bad, I brought you here to offer you a means of surrender."

"A means of surrender…" I repeated slowly. This was going to be good.

"Yes." Roman straightened up and studied me the way a lab assistant would study a research subject under a microscope. "If you surrender and publicly apologize for the rude way you spoke to me at the party, promising to stay out of my way and never cross me again, I will see to it that all the…inconveniences you've been experiencing lately will cease."

"Inconveniences."

"Yes. As long as you agree to the terms I just stated."

"The terms you just stated."

Roman shot me an exasperated look. "Did a parrot fly in here while I wasn't looking and take over brain?" he growled, his temper back in full force.

He was clearly bipolar.

I smiled sweetly. "Of course not," I cooed, feeling a flash of satisfaction at the surprise that leapt up in his eyes at my tone of voice. "Don't be silly." I stepped closer. "Even I have to admit your offer is so generous there's only one thing I can say…SCREW YOU!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, nearly shaking from the intensity of the fury I felt inside. I emphasized my statement with a loud slap across his face. I swear the sound echoed in the huge room.

I only had a moment to revel in the absolute shock that crossed his face—now marred by a bright red handprint on his left cheek—before I regained my senses, took advantage of his temporary immobility, and hauled ass out of there.

*              *              *

She had slapped him. 
Slapped 
him. 
Him. 
Roman Fiori. Sole heir to a fortune so vast it probably couldn't even be translated into hard cash because there weren't enough hundred dollar bills in existence. The leader of the Scions. Ranked as the #1 billionaire heir under the age of 25 by a leading global business magazine. The most powerful teenager in Valesca.

Roman gritted his teeth as he reached up to touch his cheek. It had been hours since Maya had left him standing there in the kitchen, too stunned to move.

He could almost still feel the sting of her slap. What shocked him even more than the act itself, though, was the mixture of emotions that had been plaguing him since the incident. Sure, he was furious, but he was also confused. After all, his offer
had 
been exceptionally generous; for any other person, Roman would've gone to all lengths to make sure they would never wanted to step foot in Valesca again. The emotions that worried him most, though, were those of reluctant admiration and something else he couldn't quite name, but was sure he didn't like.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Roman stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom, trying to calculate his next move. However, the only thing his mind could focus on was Maya slapping him across the face. Maya trudging home from school before he'd brought her here. Maya getting harassed by the other students. Maya yelling at him at that party.