Denying Mr. Parks (The Parks #1) (21 page)

“No, neither do I wish to become acquaintances with it. Oh, and before I go, get familiar with this.” I marched towards him and slapped him across his face for the second time in a week. “How about that for a smack?”

I stormed out of the building, acting like a complete maniac. I had never been so angry in my life. My palm was throbbing, my body temperature had soared, and I was shaking. I felt suffocated and trapped by all the new things I didn’t understand, want to understand, or didn’t want to admit or feel. I couldn’t cope with lust, desire, and feelings in general. I just couldn’t.

I sucked in the fresh air once outside the building, then quickly found a bench and flopped down onto the metal, suppressing the urge to scream. My knees jerked up and down in agitation, and I knew what I craved, but I really, really wanted to fight it. Drink wasn’t the better half of me; I was the better half of me. Or so I kept telling myself, but I didn’t believe it. And without believing, I had no hope of ending it.

From the corner of my eye, I saw a black Jaguar. I turned my head to see Cleaver had followed me on my walk and was parked across the street. After taking several breaths I walked towards the car. “Why are you following me?” I asked tiredly.

“It’s orders, Evey. Mr. Parks wants you safe, but he got called into a meeting and couldn’t come himself.”

I rolled my eyes dramatically. “Tell him to get fucked.”

***

When I got in, I made spaghetti bolognese from scratch and sat on the sofa. Lounging in a pink tracksuit, I mindlessly flicked through the TV until I settled on
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
I tried to watch it and tried to eat, but my thoughts were niggling away at me like a parasite. Since I’d got out of work in a mess, all I kept thinking about was running to a wine bottle. More so because I was still thinking about that spank Parks had given me and I didn’t want to think about that.

When Steph walked through the door, I stopped playing with my spaghetti and pounced on her with my eager question. “Steph, do you know anything about spanking?”

Her head shot up, and she gave me a bemused look as she struggled over to the kitchen counter with an overloaded shopping bag of food. “Evelyn Banks, you kinky bitch. Food smells good. Did you make some for me?”

I shrugged, trying to come across casual and turned back to the TV. “I’m just curious, that’s all. And of course I did.”

Steph plated up her spaghetti, pushed off her shoes, and jumped on the sofa next to me, bare feet, causing me to turn my face away from her feet because they absolutely stank.

“Well, personally I love it,” she began. “But Mathew only ever spanks me when he’s drunk. You know, you can orgasm from spanking. But I don’t know any man that’s achieved that; neither have any of my Ann Summers girls experienced it.”

That made me pay attention. “You can come from spanking?”

“Yep, but come on,” she sang with a gob full of spaghetti, slapping my knee playfully. “What man makes a girl come in the first place? Never mind when he’s spanking her.”

“Hmm.” I went back into deep thought and mindlessly swirling my spaghetti around on my fork until Steph nudged me, chuckling.

“Anyway, you kink freak, I have paddles and crops if you’re interested.”

“Whoa, I was only curious. Keep the paddles and crops.”

She bit her lip to stop herself from mocking me. “I didn’t realise my brother was such a kink king.”

“Okay, Steph,” I snorted. “Stop saying the word
kink
.”

“Kink, kink, kink,” she sang annoyingly.

“Oh and Steph, by the way, your feet pong.” I pointed to them with my fork.

She leaned down to smell them and blew her cheeks out, revolted. “It’s those work shoes my mum makes me wear for health and safety. They’re like fucking clodhoppers.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I went back to mindlessly staring at the TV.

Chapter Fifteen

It was Friday evening, and I hadn’t seen Parks since the spank he gave me at work on Wednesday. He had been busy with other engagements but still had time to text me. Not that I texted him back. I needed to distance myself from him. I still didn’t know how I felt about what he did. On the one hand, I was enraged by his immoral behaviour; on the other, I scolded myself for taking a spank too seriously. Then I scolded myself again for thinking it was insignificant. It wasn’t. I hated that. Hated how men thought they could control women or wield power over them just because they were rich, dominant, and handsome. But then why couldn’t I stop thinking about how it made me feel? Angry on the outside, yet gratifying on the inside.

I pulled on skinny jeans and a casual T-shirt, then slipped my feet into Dr. Martens. I pushed my hair up into a loose ponytail and took hold of my black polka dot holdall. I thought going to my Aunt Cheryl’s for the weekend would give me that space I craved.

Steph walked out to her car with me in her converse, baggy boyfriend jeans, and blue jumper. Her curly hair was pushed back with a hairband.

“Steph, you really should have gone away for the weekend with Mathew,” I said. “Staying home probably hurt his feelings.”

She slammed the boot, annoyed. “Since when do you care about feelings?”

I sighed. Mathew planned to take Steph to Newquay, but she told him she had to drive me to my aunt’s house in Brighton. Which was a lie. I was planning on getting the train. Steph’s driving skills were atrocious.

Steph climbed into the car, doing her best to ignore me.

“I don’t understand you, Steph. Do you even want to be with Mathew?” I asked her whilst sliding my seat belt across my body and making sure it was fastened securely as she started up the car.

“You think I don’t love him, don’t you?” she pushed.

“It’s the way you are with him sometimes. I seriously would have kicked yo’ ass to the curb by now.” I laughed at myself, but Steph didn’t find it funny.

“Wow, just say it how it is, Evey.” She pressed ‘play’ on her music system, and Maroon Five starting singing “One More Night.”

“There is nothing I wouldn’t do to Adam Levine.” Steph closed her eyes and sighed, causing the car to turn slightly and almost mount the kerb. “Shit.” She grasped the steering wheel and straightened out. I looked over at her calm, smirking face and shook my head in bewilderment.

“I am going to die on the way to my aunt’s. I can see it now.”

She slapped my knee playfully. “You’re safe with me, Evey.”

I wasn’t as sure as she was. Then she proved me right.

“
Oh fuck!
” Steph screamed as we bumped straight into the back of another car. I was jerked forwards in my seat. My knees slammed against the glove box, but the seat belt did its job, stopping me from flying forwards. I quickly looked over at Steph to ask if she was all right. She looked shaken up as she glared at the car we had crashed into. I threw off my seat belt and leaned forwards to see it had made an impact on the car in front of us.

“Steph! Didn’t you see the fucking traffic lights?” I had to yell at her because she wouldn’t speak.

She shook her head slowly, almost tearful as she took in what she had done. “Oh my God. Look how expensive his car is. Shit, shit, shit. There goes my insurance.”

I could have killed her myself.

I saw the car was a red Ferrari, and the driver’s door was opening as a man climbed out. Cars beeped as they changed lanes to go around us, but we couldn’t move. I didn’t know what to do, and Steph started to cry. I wanted to slap some sense into her until I saw a familiar face walking towards us. The same man who had just gotten out of his car. He was furious.

I gasped. “You’ve got to be shitting me.” My luck was getting worse. I couldn’t believe the odds.

Steph quickly grabbed hold of my arm. “Please get out with me. I can’t do it on my own.”

“He’s coming.” I was panicking along with her but for a different reason and almost thought about telling her to drive away. Either that or I’d hide in the glove compartment.

She shot her gaze up at the oncoming man, and she completely stopped her blubbering. “Bloody hell. He’s hot.” She made short work of drying her eyes and climbed out of her car quicker than I’d anticipated. I put my head in my hands and begged God to take me away from the situation. “Come on,” she hissed before closing the car door.

“For fuck’s sake.” I heard Parks’s dominating but smooth American voice speak before Steph had a chance to. His tone caused goose bumps to dot all over my skin like it always did. “You really want to watch where you’re going. Do you see the danger you could have caused?”

I was surprised at how calm he was being. He had a Ferrari, and it had just been bumped. Then again, he was too charming and poised to yell at a woman, and he probably had another ten Ferraris along with his two Jaguars, anyway.

I gingerly climbed out of the car and hovered nearby on the pavement so he couldn’t see me. I quickly inspected the damage just for something to get out of going over to them. By the look of it, it was minor really, but Steph’s front lights had smashed off from what I could see. Stupid girl.

“I am so, so sorry. I must have taken my eyes of the road for a second and didn’t spot the lights switch. I…” Steph tried to argue her case, but I knew she was hesitant because that’s what standing in front of Mr. Parks did to women. She looked over her shoulder at me for support, but when she saw I wasn’t standing next to her, she called, “Evey?”

Fuck. I dipped my head down behind the car as I tried to figure out what the hell I was going to do. I thought about legging it, but really, I had no choice but to make myself known. I counted to ten in my head, braced myself, and then sheepishly walked around the car to where they were both standing. When Parks saw me, he recoiled in utter disbelief.

“Evelyn, you have any idea how much danger your friend put you in just then?”

Steph shot a glance to me, her brows creased in confusion. “Wait, you two know each other?”

“Parks,” I mumbled apologetically. He stood poised in a black, two-piece suit with a green tie that brought out his spectacular eyes. His presence alone captured me and my gaping friend, and I knew from experience it was hard to pull yourself together after getting pulled in by him.

I found a way, though.

Steph’s eyes widened as I said his name, and I panicked, not knowing what she was going to say or do. “Parks? As in Wade Parks?” She gaped at me. I nodded gingerly, then she looked towards Parks and crossed her arms. “So you’re the boss? The arrogant arse?”

Oh God.

Parks smirked. “Is that what Evelyn says about me?”

“Evelyn?” She was shocked he’d used my full name, because nobody ever did. “Well, ‘Evelyn’ failed to mention how fucking hot you were.”

“Steph,” I hissed. I could have actually killed her. I rolled my eyes up to the sky and turned my back on the both of them. “Just sort your shit out.” I went to climb back into the car.

“You cannot get back in that car, Evelyn,” Parks called after me. “You just had a bump. It’s not safe.”

“Hey, my car is safe,” Steph snapped. “And so is my driving.”

Parks’s dark, preened brows knitted as he took his gaze away from me for a second. “The dent in my car would put that remark to shame. Do you make a habit of driving this way? If so, I would like to demand that Evelyn is never to ride in the car with you again.”

I moved my hands up to my face so I could hide behind my palms.

Steph wasn’t acting offended now; she was acting suspicious and pissed off. “Demand her? Well excuse me, Mr. Expensive Suit, but my driving skills are perfectly—”

“Worrying,” he finished off her sentence and shut her up. Urging us to move onto the pavement, he stepped towards me. “Are you hurt?” He gave my body another studious glance, but I took a step back from him and wrapped my arms around myself to keep distance between us.

“I smacked my knees against the dashboard, but they’ll be fine.”

He threw a scowl over at Steph, then bent down to look at them. “Let me check you over.”

I took two steps back, making him groan. “I do not need to be checked out, Parks.”

“You can check
me
over, if you like,” Steph flirted with a wink. I slapped my hands over my face again. She watching his every move, and Parks seemed oblivious to it. He was so used to women acting that way he blocked it out.

“Excuse me whilst I make a phone call.” He put his finger up to silence Steph whilst he was on the phone.

“Is he going to call the police? Ask for my insurance details?” Steph started to panic again as she racked her hands through her hair. I bit my bottom lip and shook my head, telling her I didn’t know what he was up to. “You think he’s going to let me off? He has money, right? Tons of money. He doesn’t need to claim off my insurance, does he? Anyway, besides that, Evey, he’s fucking gorgeous. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you have a boyfriend,” I sang. And why would I talk to her about him?

Parks walked back to us as he slid his phone into his pocket. “Right, ladies…”

“Ooh, ladies.” Steph swooned, making me chuckle. “I’ve never been called a lady.”

I scoffed. “That’s because it’s debatable.”

Steph laughed along with me, slapping me on the shoulder. Parks ignored our personal joke. “Cleaver is on his way,” he said in his usual direct manner. “He will take you both home, and I will stay to sort this mess out. I will call Evelyn later to check in with her and let her know what is happening. Steph, your car will have be sent to the garage, and—”

“Wait a minute, who’s Cleaver? And how much is this going to cost me?” Steph butted in.

“He is my driver. And nothing.” He flicked his greens my way, and I thanked him with soft eyes. I knew he was only doing this because the incident involved me.

“Nothing?” Steph blinked in bewilderment.

“That’s what I said. The damage to the car is meaningless to me. But the safety of myself, you, and especially Evelyn is extremely vital. I’ll take care of it.” He looked at me again and caught me staring at how charming he was being. I couldn’t help watch him whilst he spoke—his actions, the way he moved with grace but also with extensive, error-less control. He smiled adorably at me—a smile that didn’t come out often. It caused me to look down at the floor, grinning like a loon, whilst Steph talked one hundred miles an hour, oblivious to how we were looking at each other.

“Are you serious? I bumped your car that’s worth, like, what? Two hundred grand? And you say I don’t owe you anything? Jesus, I sure am glad you know Evey.”

He was still watching me. “I sure am too.”

Until that moment, Steph didn’t suspect a thing between us. But as soon as Parks said those words, he gave me a look of pure tenderness to make sure his feelings for me were recognized, and yes, they were plausible. I glanced at Steph to see her brows had furrowed in suspicion. I looked away from her.

“I’m actually heading to Brighton,” I told Parks. “I should be on the M25 right now. How long will Cleaver be?”

“Why are you heading to Brighton?” His question was almost petulant. I got the feeling he thought I should have told him about my plans. My glare told him to back off, but I made my answer calmer for Steph’s sake.

“To see my aunt for the weekend.”

“I could have taken you.” Then his tone become softer. I knew he thought I should have asked him to take me. But why on earth would I have done that?

“Steph was driving me, and actually, I did want to go by train. I bloody wish I did now.” I was getting more uptight, and my tone was evidence of that. This had to be one of the most awkward and uncomfortable situations I had ever experienced.

Parks’s gaze shot behind me, and I turned to see Cleaver pull around the corner and head towards us in the Jaguar. When he pulled up behind the two cars, Parks walked towards him and told us to wait. I went into the boot of Steph’s car and took hold of my black holdall with one thing in mind: get me to Brighton.

Cleaver, to my surprise, climbed out of the car, exchanged keys with Parks, and walked towards us. “Evey,” he acknowledged me with a warm smile and turned to Steph. “Could you retrieve your vehicle and follow behind me, ma’am? We’ll get your car fixed up for you.”

Steph was confused, but I knew damn well what was going on and panicked.

“Steph’s car isn’t fit to drive?”

Cleaver answered for Parks as Parks’s smartphone rang in his pocket and he walked away to answer the call. “It’s not a major bump, Evey. We can drive it to the garage. It should be fine.”

“But if she can drive it to the garage, she can take me to Brighton first, yes?” I knew what was about to happen, so I tried my best to find a way of getting Steph to drive me.

“No, Evey, it needs to be fixed.” Steph was warning me to keep my mouth shut because she knew she was getting her car repaired for nothing.

“Fine,” I snapped. “I’ll get the train to Brighton.”

“You’ll do no such thing. I will be taking you to Brighton.”

I turned to see Parks slip his phone back into his pocket, wearing a wry smirk. My eyelids fluttered in exhaustion. “I’m sure you have places to be, Parks.” I didn’t want to share the same air as him right then.