Wanted Always (Xander Barns) (19 page)

I moan as his fingers move deeper inside
me. His face comes closer to mine, and as his lush lips touch mine and his tongue
jerks across mine, I feel the wave overtake me. Everything goes white as the
biggest orgasm I’ve ever had overtakes every inch of my body.

I turn into my pillow, moaning loudly as
if I have no other choice, suppressing it would only make it worse. I have to
let out the song.

My heart beats at a mile a second, ripping
against my chest. I struggle to breathe as a cold sweat has my entire body
shivering. As my heart-rate returns to a normal pace, I pull the blanket over
me, covering the evidence of my thoughts of Liam.

As the orgasm wears off, I pray that any
lustful feelings towards Liam will wear off with it. I curl up on my side and
close my eyes, feeling a wave of tiredness consume me.

I feel light and relaxed as a cloud soon
comes over me, taking me inside it.

I fall asleep rather quickly.

****

I wake up with the sun shining on top of
me, feeling refreshed and alive. I wipe my eyes and pull the blanket off me as
my phone begins to buzz. I reach for it and see that it’s Xander’s number.

What?
My eyes jerk open. I thought this shit with him
was over. I had no intention of spending any more time with him or any of his
family.

Err…Liam,
I dare to think, but shake it off. I decline the
call. I’m not going to be picking up any calls from him, not today. If he wants
the clothes and shoes back, he can get them back in Toronto; I’m not going to
do anything for him anymore.

But what about the bag?
I stare down at the beautiful bag I’m
about to transfer all my things into. I’m keeping it. I deserve that bag for
all the shit he put me through; especially with what happened last night with
Irina and that demented, love–sick puppy, delusional chick Demetria.

I’m owed this bag. And no matter, I’m
keeping it. I’d resort to blackmail if I had to. Smiling, I get off the bed.
Checking the time once more, it’s just after 9am; I have to call Dad and set up
a time for coffee before my train leaves for Toronto at 1:30pm. I have until 11
to check out, which is enough time to fix everything and take a shower.

My cell buzzes; Xander is calling me
again. I decline his call again. I go to the bathroom with a towel and take a
nice twenty-minute shower, the steaming hot water washing all of the bullshit
from last night away. I wash my downstairs extra carefully, and once the shower
is over, for the first time since meeting the bastard, I feel less
contaminated.

I dry my hair quickly, and leave the
bathroom with the towel wrapped around my body when three hard knocks on my
door make me jump.

Who is that? Is it management telling me
to hurry up because they need the room? I walk right to the door and put my ear
to it. “Who is it?” I ask apprehensively.

No answer.

After a few seconds of silence I ask
again, “Who’s there?”

“Who do you think?” A familiar voice
replies from behind the door, and I jerk myself back in shock, shaking my head
in horror.

No!

That bastard; he’s been calling me all
morning and I’ve been declining his calls thinking it would get me away from
him. But no, here’s the problem: he’s come to me.

Xander is here, waiting behind my locked
door with whatever it is he now wants.

Shit!

“What the hell do you want?” I shout at
the door.

“Let me in and I’ll tell you,” Xander
says. “I promise I won’t bite.”

“I don’t owe you anything. I didn’t ask
for all these clothes!” I snap, feeling trapped. “I’m not doing you any more
favors; last night was a nightmare.”

“I promise, you don’t owe me anything. The
clothes were an extra ‘thank you’ for spending so much time with me. They’re
yours to keep, no strings attached. I just want to run something by you. Now
will you please let me in? I’m creating a disturbance in the hallway,” Xander
says.

I sneer. Now he’s worried about creating a
disturbance? What a laugh! “Fine. But wait, I have to put on some clothes,” I
sigh.

“I don’t mind waiting inside while you
change,” Xander suggests; I can hear a smile in his voice.

“Dream on!” I call out while I rustle
through my bag for a fresh pair of underwear and bra. I put them on, then slide
on a fresh, ocean blue shirt, then throw on my only pair of jeans. Once I’m
good and ready, I march to the door, stalling for a moment as my hand hovers
over the knob.

He has five minutes, then he’s out,
I order myself. I slowly open the door,
finding the bastard standing with his arms crossed over his chest with an
irritated expression across his face. He leans his body forward, bringing his
face a few inches away from mine, but I don’t step back. This is my room.

“It’s about time,” he says.

Whatever…bastard.

“Alright, out with it. What the fuck do
you want?” I hiss in a hushed voice, and he smiles as if he’s guilty of
something.

Oh no…shit!
Alarm bells ring and everything goes black.

“Marisa!”

Chapter Fifteen

*Marisa*

What is wrong with him? Or the better
question: what the fuck is wrong with me?

I let him in again!

I was in the homestretch and I opened the
door?

I opened the door and let trouble back in
my life!

Shit!

“Marisa?” A worried voice echoes through
the darkness, bringing me closer to the light.

“Who…what?” I choke out as my eyelids
slowly open to a pair of familiar, ocean-blue eyes that seem wide with fear.

“Oh, thank God!” Xander exclaims, the
relief in his voice unmistakable. “I was worried for a second that I’d have to
call for an ambulance!”

My eyelids snap completely open staring up
at Xander. “Why?”

“Because…it wouldn’t be the first time
I’ve had to call an ambulance because a girl fainted.” He gives me an innocent
smile. It doesn’t work.

“What…get the fuck off of me,” I jerk my
body out of his arms. “That’s because you’re trouble; everything you touch
turns to shit!”

“That…is not fair!” Xander growls from the
floor as I get up. “It wasn’t my fault!”

“When isn’t it?” I snap over him. “You’re
you! You’re the one who makes everything into a huge mess! And you don’t even
care!”

“Lies!” Xander shouts as he gets back up
on his feet. “You weren’t there. It was a worst-case-scenario situation!”

“Oh really? Then how come I’m not the only
one who thinks this about you…Liam!” I declare, jerking my chin forward.
Xander’s mouth shuts; his jaw twitches as if he’s trying to contain himself.

Well I don’t care if he’s angry; I’m going
to keep going until he pops a vein!

“That’s right. Older brother isn’t too
fond of you either,” I say slowly, enunciating each word.

“Well, isn’t that swell!” Xander smiles
bitterly, his eyes going dark. “I see you’ve had the pleasure of spending time
with boy wonder! I’m sure you’ve already noticed all the glory that is Liam.
Bet you’re already swooning at his precious golden feet already!”

Jealous much? Yes, I think so. Judging by
the hard look in his eyes when I mentioned Liam, there is definitely some major
sibling rivalry going on.

One of them acts perfect to get attention,
and the other acts like a crazy pervert to get attention. I want to know,
between the two of them, who’s been winning up until now? “You’re the messed up
twin and that bothers you! Admit it.” I say quietly.

Ha! It’s my turn to abuse you, Xander.
Prepare your fragile psyche; I’m coming in,
I think happily. Xander needs to prepare for a
mental thrashing so severe, that when he leaves to go home he’ll cry like a
little bitch. I hope that he’ll remember this moment the next time he decides
to be a stupid idiot and fuck with people’s lives. He will remember this
moment.

Silence. Xander doesn’t make a sound. I
continue, “It all makes so much sense. Why you are the way you are, your fucked
up shit… it’s all been a result of your jealousy toward Liam.”

“Shut up,” Xander growls lowly.

I don’t care!

“You’re jealous of him; he’s perfect and
you’re the leftover shit!”

“Shut up,” Xander growls louder and
charges toward me. I back up and fall backwards on to my bed. Xander leans over
me and growls through his teeth, “You don’t know
anything
.”

I stare deep into his eyes and scowl.
“Move back!”

“No!”

“I said
move back
!” I demand
sternly, but he shakes his head and sneers.

“You think you can mouth off to me knowing
the sensitivity of that subject and I’d concede to your commands?”

Oh, I’ve had enough of this shit!
I swing my leg up quickly, hoping to hit
the target that is his baby penis and his peanut-sized balls. He moves out of
the way just in time.

Lucky!
I swing my body up, back onto my feet. “And you
think you can create havoc and misery into my life, play me like a fiddle, then
you can pop in right afterwards and demand a request from me?!”

I jerk my chin at him. He takes a step
back and looks away. “What happened last night was unfortunate; that wasn’t how
I planned things to go.”

“Well, knowing you even after only 36
hours, there probably wouldn’t have been much of a difference!” I snap,
unconvinced.

“Well then, I believe we’re about even
now,” Xander says all of a sudden, catching me off guard.

Ugh…excuse me?

“Fuck you! There’s no way we’re even now.
What the hell have I done that would equal the shit you’ve pulled?” I demand
back, bewildered at his statement.

“You made unsympathetic low blows at me
regarding the relationship my brother and I have,” he explains softly, trying
to sound sad. But I know better!

“Low blow? You’re lucky that’s all I did
to you after yesterday morning. The nasty thong…remember that?!” I snap at him
again.

“And I remember I helped you transform
into a glamorous, gorgeous princess. Tell me now, were you the belle of the
ball last night? Could people not take their eyes off you and tell you how
amazing you looked?” Xander says matter-of-factly.

Shit! He got me…damn!

I don’t say anything and Xander smiles
knowingly, probably thinking he’s won.

“Your silence speaks, Marisa…we’re even,”
Xander crosses his arms. “And I’m only throwing in the low blow about my
brother and me as a measure of good faith. Do I have to even mention your
main
infraction? Now can we please move on?”

I shake my head in protest. “It wasn’t the
same. It
was not
the same!”

“You’re right. It wasn’t. I believe your
retaliation last night far exceeded whatever I unfortunately did to you. You
actually owe me,” Xander smirks.

My mouth drops as I jerk my chin back. I’m
flabbergasted. I think if I was a weaker person, I would have fallen for his
manipulative speech. But I’m not weak, and he had another thing coming if he
thinks I’m ever doing anything for him again.

I owe him? Is he delusional? What the hell
is he talking about?

“Dog shit!” I snap.

“Oh really? Speaking of shit,” Xander says
as if he’s trying to remind me of something. Then I remember…the blue plastic
bag from last night. I hope that isn’t it. It can’t be; there was no shit in
that bag, just a little man-juice.

“There was shit in that bag!” Xander says
and shivers.

I shake my head, “No there wasn’t. It was
man-juice all over one of my mom’s whore-bag friend’s underwear.”

“Ah, yes, thank you for reminding
me…shit…man juice, the blue bag you played as a gift last night. I must say
Melania wasn’t too happy when she opened it; but I quickly took her mind off of
it,” he explains, smiling suggestively at the end.

He presses his lips together and leans
forward. “So you see, you still owe me for that stunt you pulled last night;
but because I’m nice, I’ll just ask you for one more favor and we’ll call it
even.”

“And if I don’t want to?” I ask, taking a
giant gulp.

He crosses his arms and says quietly,
“Well, let’s hope you won’t go there.”

Shit…fuck!
I’m backed into a corner. I can’t tell him to
fuck off now. I probably should have taken into account that Xander had the
money, and probably the influence, to make my life a living hell. There is no
way out that doesn’t involve me getting into some sort of shit. I have no
choice but to concede.

“What do you want?” I grumble, barely
getting the words out of my mouth without snarling at the end.

Xander smiles joyously and answers, “A
date for my mother’s spring garden party.”

“A garden party?” I ask, confused.

“Yes, a garden party,” he answers.

“When?”

“Today at 2pm.”

“Today!”

“Yes.”

“I have a train ticket for 1:30 pm!”

“I’ll get you a train ticket for later,
business class,” Xander says.

Then I remember the coffee date with Dad.

“I made plans with my dad for coffee,” I
reply.

“Reschedule it for another time; this
event takes precedence,” Xander states stubbornly.

“You want me to blow off my dad…to go to a
party with you?” I ask, bewildered.

“That’s right,” Xander answers.

“A garden party?” I ask slowly. Xander
nods, his eyes clouding. Moaning loudly, I plop back down onto the bed and
cradle my head in my hands.

This is not fair!

My head snaps up as another brilliant
realization pops into my brain. “I don’t have a fucking garden party outfit!”

Xander rolls his eyes and gives me his
infamous knowing look. Let me guess: he can fix that too!

“That is not a problem.” Xander states
slowly, smiling a cocky grin.

“Don’t even say it. It’s an easy fix,
right?” I sneer.

His grin widens, showcasing his pearly
whites.

Yeah…that’s what I thought.

****

The next few hours go by in a blur. I
quickly call Dad and inform him that I have to cancel our coffee date;
something unexpected came up.

A 29 year old man whose beauty blinded
innocents of what he really is: a slimy menace!

I don’t tell him that; but nevertheless,
Dad isn’t too happy. So to ease the guilt I feel for blowing off the meeting,
and after hearing the sadness in his voice as he reminds me of what little time
we’ve had to connect after my five month absence, I give him my phone number. I
instruct that it is for his use only. This seems to calm him down, and now I’ll
be getting weekly phone calls from him to make sure I’m okay.

After the phone call, I pack the rest of
my things and check out of the inn. As I bring my carry-on and the brand new
luggage out to the SUV on the curb, Daniels gets out and helps me put the
things in the back.

You know who isn’t helping? Mr. Princess,
a.k.a Xander; he is busy chilling in the back on his cellphone, completely
oblivious.

“Aren’t you a chivalrous gentleman? No –
no sit…I got this,” I yell from the back as Daniels and I slide in my things.

“What was that?” Xander asks, as Daniels
opens my door, stifling a smile as Xander shuts off his phone.

“Oh nothing, just observing,” I say
sarcastically as I climb inside the SUV. “Wouldn’t want to get your delicate
fingers all roughed up by helping me with my bags.”

“What was that about bags?” He points to
my brand new leather DKNY bag. I pull it away from his nearing touch.

“This is my bag!” I snap, cradling the bag
closely to my chest.

“Couldn’t agree with you more,” Xander
chuckles.

“And completely well deserved,” I
continue.

“Absolutely,” Xander laughs, turning to
his window.

That’s right!

As Daniels drives the car away, I turn to
Xander, “What now?”

“Now, we get you ready,” he tells the
window softly.

“How? Where?”

Xander looks from the window and grins.
“We’re going to Gustavo’s.”

My eyes widen.
No!

****

I. Hate. My. Life!

Have I mentioned that lately? Because I
do. I hate my life!

“Hold still, girl!”

I glare at the madman in the mirror as he
pulls and tugs and rips my hair with a round brush, as his other hand holds the
world’s hottest hairdryer. I swear to God, any hotter and it would become a
kitchen appliance.

Fuck my life!
I groan loudly as my hair is pulled one last
time.

“My…you’re a troubling one!” Gustavo
exclaims loudly, turning off the hair dryer. Is he the same guy I actually
thanked yesterday for making me look like I never had before?

Yep! It sure is, unfortunately.

And I can’t believe that; especially with
how the last hour has been going. I don’t know how I could have possibly said
‘thank you’ to him after the torture he sadistically just put me through! No
matter how amazing the end result could be.

Asshole!
I stare at his perfectly put together reflection
in the mirror. From the moment I sat in his white leather salon chair, I didn’t
hide my distress, and showcased every single time my body withered in pain. I’m
not a hide-your-emotions type of girl. If I’m being abused, I’m gonna show it.

“You’re lucky you’re pretty, girl! Because
if you weren’t…” Gustavo trails off, not so under his breath. I scowl at him
again as the hair dryer abruptly turns back on and my head is painfully jerked
back. The torturous round brush yanks my hair back.