Scandalous Series - Book cover

Scandalous Series

K. Dillon

Chapter 2

“Why didn’t you deck the jerk?” Elena, my best friend, fumed. “If I could just get my hands on him—” She mimed strangling someone in the air. It was kind of funny, hearing all the ways she wanted to off Aaron.

If only you knew the whole story.

I realized how much I’d missed this. Elena and I had a standing date every other Friday after work for what we called ‘girl’s night.’ We ate, we drank, and we vented.

“I can’t believe he’d cheat on you with that airhead.” She shook her head. Elena’s eyes were the same tropical green as her cocktail. Usually, those eyes sparkled with laughter, but I knew the news about Aaron had upset her. And she only knew half of it.

She knew Aaron cheated on me with Regina, but not about that night.

Elena thought I’d lost my virginity at 18. I felt so dumb for lying to my best friend.

Maybe it’s time to tell her the truth.

“I don’t think he cares, El,” I sighed.

Elena’s face softened and she scooted closer to me. “Don’t let him get to you, Haley. He’s the one who’s losing out.” She put her hand over mine.

I loved her in that moment.

You owe her the truth!

No one ever believed Elena was a preschool teacher—she looked like she should be on a runway, not chasing after kids all day. But she loved her job, always had. She wasn’t like me—she didn’t have to lie to feel normal.

“Elena,” I choked out.

“Shit, don’t cry, Haley, you were too good for that asshole!” She was sitting next to me now, stroking my hair.

“I’ve been so stupid,” I sobbed. “I lied to you.” I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t have to see her reaction.

“What are you talking about?”

“Sex!” I blurted out.

“What?”

“I’m a virgin! I’ve never had sex.”

The stroking stopped and there was a silence.

I slowly opened my eyes.

Elena was looking at me with a sympathetic smile on her beautiful tanned face. “Haley, why didn’t you just tell me?”

I shrugged miserably. “I’m pathetic, okay?”

“No, you’re not, Hales. You shouldn’t have lied, but I know you must have had your reasons.” She squeezed my arm reassuringly. “Can I confess something?” She smiled sheepishly as she sucked on the pineapple from her cocktail and then leaned in close. “I think I’ve always known you were a virgin.”

“You did?”

“Uh huh, I just picked up on it but never said anything. Like I said, you must have had your reasons.” Elena took a sip of her tropical drink.

I couldn’t help but smile. Yeah, things weren’t exactly going great right now but I had Leon, I had Elena, and I had my crazy mom.

I didn’t tell Elena about the mystery man from the fundraiser, didn’t tell her how he affected me. He seemed so raw, so intense. I’d never met anyone like him in my life. And then there was the fact that Leon hated him with a passion.

Somewhere deep inside me, I knew that there was something I wanted, something. Maybe it wasn’t even a person, but just a feeling, a rush. I’d been having this recurring dream all week that I was chasing something in a wild meadow, but I couldn’t tell you what it was. But I wanted it.

***

I sat at my desk sorting through the pile of outstanding correspondence. Since the whole Aaron situation, I’d made a habit of staying in my office with the door safely closed.

I know, I know, I shouldn’t have been hiding, but could you really blame me?

How could I face them out there after everything Aaron said about me? I was probably known as the dry vagina girl.

I thought back to when I’d told Elena about what had really happened between Aaron and me that night. Elena had actually stood up with her fists at her sides, ready to give Aaron a piece of her mind. It took a lot to get her to calm down, but after she saw that I just wanted to drop it, she did.

But I knew that wasn’t the last I was going to hear about it. I knew at some point Elena was going to make me confront him. Even I knew that I deserved an explanation for why he treated me the way he did. But the more I thought about it, the more I kept telling myself it was my own fault.

The winter sun was setting behind the tall skyscrapers as I parked outside Walmart for a quick grocery run. Still in my work clothes, a black and white pantsuit, I hurried through the aisles with a shopping cart.

I was deep in thought trying to decide between chicken breasts or ground beef when I felt a familiar presence at my side. I don’t know how, but I knew who it was without looking. The sharp, musky scent sent a shiver down my spine.

I turned to face him, the man I kept trying to forget. It was as if all the air had been sucked out of my body. When I looked into his dark eyes, I could see my own reflection.

His face was expressionless—he looked like a statue carved from smooth marble. He was wearing a thick black turtleneck with clean black trousers. His hair was slicked back and when my eyes drifted to his full lips, I noticed his bottom lip had healed some.

He took a few steps closer until he was right next to me. My heart started pounding. But he reached up for the chicken breasts and held onto them.

I turned away and continued down the aisle with the cart, but every corner I turned, every aisle, every food section, there he was, tossing random food that he wasn’t even looking at into his own cart. He didn’t say a word and I knew better than to think this was a coincidence—he was following me around this supermarket and I’d be a fool if I didn’t ask why.

I finally made it to the dessert section and tossed a strawberry cheesecake into my cart, waiting for him to make his choice. But he just kept staring at me, tossing dessert after dessert into his cart.

“What are you doing?” I asked, my brow furrowed. This was getting weird.

“Shopping,” he answered, his voice as smooth as ever.

His voice still had the same effect on me as it did at the fundraiser.

“No, you’re following me around this store,” I pointed out, trying to keep my cool despite his proximity.

“Free country.” He shrugged.

I shook my head, turned my cart toward the checkout, and walked away.

I kept glancing over my shoulder as my groceries were scanned and bagged.

What was his game? Should I have called Leon? Or maybe I was just imagining things and he was just shopping.

“That’ll be sixty-two dollars please,” the cashier said.

I reached for my credit card to pay, but a large hand covered mine. He was back, and he’d just paid for my groceries with his own card.

“What the hell are you doing?” I shouted. This was too much. Whatever game he was playing, it had to stop.

He walked away slowly toward the exit, a smirk on his face.

I loaded the grocery bags into the cart and headed for the parking lot.

Where the fuck did he go?

“Argh, stupid, stupid man,” I muttered as I loaded the groceries into the trunk of my car.

I thought about calling Leon, but I didn’t want to worry him. It was too embarrassing and surreal to explain. Hey bro, your arch nemesis just bought all of my groceries. What the hell just happened?

I was still in a daze as I put away the groceries—I didn’t know whether to laugh or be angry. But one thing was undeniable: that man was a mystery. He was so beautiful it hurt. But it annoyed me that I was attracted to him.

I reached into my purse for my cell phone and my fingers brushed against something else. It was the receipt from my shopping trip, but there was writing on the back.

“The world is not thy friend, nor the world’s law.”

I stared at the elegant handwriting on the thin piece of paper. I knew without a doubt who had written it. The Walmart receipt felt heavy in my hand as I tried to decipher his message.

I knew it was a quote from Romeo and Juliet, but I had no idea what he meant by it.

He’s playing games with you, Haley. Just throw it away and move on.

Sleep eluded me that night. It was a little after 2 a.m. and I was tossing and turning in the dark, feeling like I was being sucked into another dimension. Part of me wanted to ask Leon who this man was and what had happened between them.

Those dark eyes.

Sleep never came.

***

I managed to grab a cup of coffee from the office kitchen without anyone noticing. My hair was in a messy bun and I didn’t need a mirror to know there were dark circles under my eyes. I was on my way back to my office when I ran into my boss, Steven.

“Ah, Haley!” He greeted me as if he’d been waiting for me.

“Hello.” I smiled, sounding unsure.

“Could you step into my office for a minute?”

Uh oh.

“Yes, sure… is everything okay, Steven?”

“This will only take a minute.” He gestured for me to follow him to his large office at the end of the third floor.

I felt like I was sweating bullets. Had I messed up some numbers?

“Take a seat, Haley.” He closed the office door behind him and sat down across from me in his big brown leather chair.

We stared at each other for a moment, him scratching his graying beard.

“Haley, you’ve been here almost three years now and we’re very pleased with your work. You would tell us if you were thinking of leaving, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes, but I’m not leaving, Steven. Why would you think that?”

“I don’t think I’m at liberty to say.” He suddenly looked tired and defeated.

“What’s going on?” I pressed. Steven wasn’t usually nervous around me—usually, I was the nervous one.

Steven cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. “I’m offering you a raise, Haley.”

“Oh really?” I responded, surprised. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, it’s long overdue. You’re very good at your job and your overtime hasn’t gone unnoticed.”

“Thank you, Steven! Really, thank you so much!”

I walked back to my office with a spring in my step, but I felt a bit uneasy about how nervous Steven had been. That wasn’t how I’d expected to get a raise. I laughed to myself, imagining someone holding a gun to his head or something.

“Hales!”

Fuck! I quickened my pace, hoping to avoid dealing with this jerk right now.

“Haley, wait. Stop.”

“What!” I snapped, turning to face Aaron.

He stopped in front of me. “You… look tired, Haley,” he said.

I rolled my eyes and nearly crushed the now-cold coffee cup in my hand.

“What do you want?”

“Woah. Why the cold shoulder? I know things ended badly between us, but you don’t have to avoid me. You look like you haven’t been sleeping well. Is this what our breakup did to you?”

I took a deep breath to calm myself. Was this jerk serious? He thought I looked like this because of him.

“You know, Aaron, the world doesn’t revolve around you,” I said, trying to sound confident.

“I miss you too, Haley.” He reached out to take my free hand.

“Don’t lay a finger on me, you deceitful, lying jerk!” Without a second thought, I splashed the cold coffee all over his face, watching it trickle down his crisp dress shirt.

“What the hell, Haley!” he spat, wiping his eyes from the unexpected attack.

Serves him right.

“Stay away from me.” I started towards my office.

“Stuck-up bitch,” Aaron mumbled under his breath, and it stung more than I’d like to admit.

Okay, a lot more.

With a heavy sigh, I spun around. “You know what, Aaron? You’re so terrible in bed, you couldn’t even get me excited!” I winced. I could hear a few gasps and snickers from the cubicles around us. I quickly retreated into my office, slamming the door behind me.

After taking a moment to collect myself, I smiled. I’d done it. I’d told that slimeball off. Elena would be so proud of me. I was proud of me. A raise and a revenge, all in one day.

Not too shabby, Haley.

***

“This place is awesome,” I shouted over the RnB music the DJ was blasting for the packed dance floor.

Elena was moving her body with the grace of a queen, while I swayed my hips with the grace of a penguin. We were both tipsy, of course, and had spent most of this Friday night celebrating my raise and revenge. I had been a different person for the rest of the week—I felt happier, lighter. Now I could walk into the office kitchen without a worry, and it was Aaron who was avoiding me.

I was wearing blue baggy jeans and a white T-shirt because I hadn’t planned on partying when we’d sat down for dinner at Hal’s Burgers and Beers earlier. But Elena, being Elena, made sure we celebrated in style, especially when I told her about Aaron and my sweet raise. She convinced me that my simple outfit was club-worthy.

She was dressed in a stunning cobalt playsuit. “Just let your hair down, you’ll look great,” she had told me as we hailed a taxi.

Now here we were, living it up and tearing up the dance floor like we owned it.

“I need water!” I yelled into Elena’s ear over the music. She gave me a quick nod but kept dancing as I navigated through a sea of enthusiastic, drunk dancers.

The bartender handed me two bottles of water with a napkin.

“Thanks!” I smiled gratefully, ready to down my bottle. But then the writing on the napkin caught my eye.

Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast.

Same handwriting as the one on the receipt, another quote from Romeo and Juliet.

What in the world?

I looked around curiously, scanning every dark corner, every hidden shadow. “Who the hell are you?” I mumbled under my breath before guzzling down the entire bottle of water. I tucked the napkin in my back pocket and headed back to Elena.

Elena had made a bunch of friends in the two minutes I had been gone; she was dancing with a group of two girls and a guy. I waved at them but then excused myself to get some fresh air; it was getting stuffy in there and for some reason, I felt like I was suffocating.

The alcohol made me dizzy as I paced outside the club. It took exactly 30 seconds for me to pull out my cell phone and call Leon. He picked up on the third ring.

“Haley bear?”

“Who was that guy?”

“What? What are you talking about? Hales, it’s late, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m at Club Wild with Elena. I’m fine. I just need to know about the guy from the fundraiser.” I bit my lower lip, but nothing was going to stop me from finding out this information.

“Are you kidding me? Why do you want to know?” I could hear the curiosity in his voice.

“I don’t know; I was just curious. I’ve never seen you so angry before, he must have done something pretty terrible to make you so mad.”

Leon sighed and I could hear him shifting around. “That’s not for you to worry about.”

“Why won’t you just tell me?” I retorted.

“Haley, please,” Leon pleaded.

“You’re really not going to tell me what happ—” My cell phone was snatched from my hand and Elena held it to her ear.

“Listen, Aaron, you dumb jerk. If I ever cross paths with you, I swear I will kill you. Starting by gouging your eyes out of their sockets.”

I tried to protest but she pushed me back and walked away. Shit!

“Don’t huh me, you stupid idiot. I bet you’re so small and you had the nerve to tell my best friend that she was frigid?”

Oh God, no!

“Elena, stop!” I tried to chase after her.

“You think you’re some tough guy, huh? Haley is so much better off without you, you’ll see how many men line up to sleep with her. Men who know what they’re doing, men who know how to satisfy a woman!”

I curled up into a ball on the floor. I couldn’t breathe and the thought of Leon hearing those words about his little sister had me retching. I could have thrown up right there on the floor.

“Get up, Haley.” Elena pulled me up and handed me my phone. “You don’t need that jerk, don’t ever call him again,” she slurred.

“El, that wasn’t Aaron,” I whispered, cringing.

“What do you mean?” She frowned.

“You just told my big brother that I’m going to sleep with a man who knows how to ‘satisfy a woman.’ Oh God!” I leaned against the wall for support.

“That was your brother!?” Elena’s tanned skin turned pale very quickly. “Fuck,” she breathed. “Maybe he didn’t hear any of that.”

I shot her a look that clearly said, ‘yeah, right!’ He had to have heard everything.

“I’m going to grab us some more water,” Elena suggested. “Want to come with?”

“No, I need a moment. Go ahead, I’ll catch up with you.”

Elena glanced at the phone in my hand, and I could tell she thought I was going to call Leon again. But there was no way I was ready to face him yet. I was surprised he hadn’t called me back. Once I was alone, I took a deep breath and pulled out the napkin from my back pocket.

“Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast.”

I gasped when he emerged from the shadows again. His velvety voice stirred feelings I shouldn’t have. He was a god, cloaked in sin. The devil. He tossed his cigarette to the ground and crushed it under his foot.

“Why are you following me?” I asked, causing him to arch a perfect eyebrow.

He slid his hands into his pockets and moved closer. He looked stunning in a black dress shirt and trousers, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows revealing muscular, defined forearms.

“I’ll call the police, stalking is illegal,” I warned.

“Is that why you haven’t told your dear brother yet?” He sneered, closing the gap between us by placing his arms on either side of me, trapping me.

I swallowed as I looked up at his face, captivated by his dark eyes. I could hear my own shaky breaths—this man affected me in ways I didn’t understand.

“W…what do you want from me?” I trembled under his intense gaze.

“I think the question is, what do you want from ~me~?” He licked his lips.

“Your name?” I asked, a bit too quickly. I shamelessly breathed in his musky scent and realized how much I wanted to lean into him, to taste his skin.

What is wrong with you, Haley? This man is stalking you and is clearly dangerous.

“Jax,” he replied.

“What happened between you and my brother, Jax?” His name rolled off my tongue easily.

“I’ll let your dear brother fill you in.” His dark eyes flickered toward my lips.

“He won’t tell me,” I admitted. “But I’m not stupid.”

“Oh?” He smirked.

“I know that whatever this is, it’s to get at Leon,” I said, disappointment clear in my voice. There was no other reason a man like him would pay me any attention. “You need to leave me alone.”

“Is that what you want, Haley?” I savored the sound of my name on his lips.

“Yes, you need to leave,” I responded.

The wind blew harshly, causing strands of my hair to fall across my face. Jax’s long finger brushed my skin gently. He moved the strand and tucked it behind my ear, his thumb resting on my cheek.

“So innocent,” he murmured with a frown. “So… good.” It was as though the word ‘good’ was foreign to him.

I shivered inwardly, secretly craving more. Hating myself for wanting more and leaning into his touch.

“Do you always let people walk all over you?”

“Huh?” I snapped out of his spell.

“You’re an accountant for a top firm. How could you not realize they were underpaying you by thousands?”

“What are you talking about?” I furrowed my brows, but then it hit me. The sudden pay raise. Steven’s strange behavior. “What did you do?” I accused.

“What you should have done a long time ago. That thieving old hag owes you money!”

What the hell was happening here?

“Wait.” I shook my head, trying to grasp reality. “What does any of this have to do with you?”

“I don’t know, Haley, let’s say I was scouting an accountant for my own business.” He licked his lips. “I found her, she’s perfect. So I approach the company she works for to find out how much she’s being paid so I can top that.”

I gasped, unable to believe the words coming out of his mouth.

“Well, it wouldn’t take much to offer you more money seeing as they were paying you a pitiful salary.” he laughed. “But it really pissed me off that you let the company screw you over like that, so I had a little chat with your boss’s boss’s boss and, well, I think they got the message.”

I stood there, blinking up at him, hearing his words but utterly confused. Why was he helping me? Why did he care? If he wanted to hire me, why would he get the company I work for to raise my salary?

“Uh, I don’t even know what to say.” I blinked. “You’re… I don’t know what you’re doing,” I whispered.

“I want to hire you. I need your expertise, your nerd skills to help sort out the mess my dad left the family company in.”

“I can’t help you. Need I remind you that my brother hates you?”

“Yeah, I’m not exactly his biggest fan either, but what’s a job offer got to do with your brother? Is he your boss?”

“No,” I retorted. “But he doesn’t like you and my loyalty is with him.” I crossed my arms over my chest, causing my breasts to rise, and Jax’s eyes dropped to my cleavage.

“And,” I hesitated, “I don’t trust you.”

“Well, that’s a shame,” he whispered, leaning into me. His long finger traced a beauty spot on my neck and moved up toward my lips and then ended up on my forehead. “Use this brain of yours to realize that you can make a decision for yourself.” He smirked, his plush lips curving beautifully. “You want to work for me, don’t you?”

Yes. “No!” I blurted out, lying through my teeth. The truth was, I’d never been so drawn to anyone like I was to the man standing before me. I yearned to uncover his secrets, to step into his enigmatic world, to illuminate his shadows.

“Get the fuck off her!” Leon’s voice echoed from the street where he’d parked his car. Oh, shit!

“Hey, Leon, didn’t expect to see you here,” Jax taunted, stepping back and lighting a cigarette.

“Haley, get in the car.”

“But, Le—”

“Get in the fucking car, Haley. We’ll talk later!”

“Goodbye, Haley,” Jax’s voice was a purr as I reluctantly moved towards Leon’s car.

I felt like a chastised child.

“Don’t you dare speak to her. I told you to stay the hell away.” Leon seized Jax by the collar, shoving him against the wall.

Jax was grinning like a Cheshire cat, while Leon looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel.

I slumped into the car, cradling my head in my hands. The night had been too intense, too bewildering.

After a few minutes, Leon slid into the driver’s seat. “Where the fuck is your friend?” he spat.

“She’s still inside,” I murmured. “Leon, I—”

“Save it, Haley. We’ll talk later.” He flung open the car door. “Stay here while I go find your foul-mouthed friend,” he grumbled, disappearing into the club.

Damn, he was pissed. Really pissed.

After what seemed like an eternity, I glanced towards the club entrance. I had to squint to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. Leon was carrying Elena over his shoulder, caveman style, and she was cackling like a hyena. He dumped Elena in the back seat and jumped back into the car.

“You girls have some explaining to do.”

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