Enemies and Playmates (9 page)

Stephen muttered a string of curses between gulps from the bottle of whiskey. He kept his back to Lauren, wouldn’t meet her eyes or even glance her way.

Carrie had been standing by, watching. Now she stepped in and said, “Lauren’s right. No sense in creating a scene or starting trouble.”

Kevin shot an angry glare at Stephen. He said, “Hey, he don’t pay the rent here.”

Lauren shifted her weight, allowing more space between herself and Kevin. She searched for something to say that wouldn’t show her desperation to escape. “These are his friends,” she said. “Not mine.”

Kevin started to protest further but Gina wriggled between them. “Lauren’s right,” she said. “No sense in starting a family feud over this.”

“Oh c’mon,” Kevin said. “Don’t let his sour mood chase you out of here.”

“We weren’t planning to stay long, anyway,” Gina said. “I just wanted to stop by and say hi.”

Stephen shot a look over his shoulder. He took another long swallow, seemingly defying Lauren to say something. Kevin shook his head. His eyes remained locked on Lauren. “I could toss him outta here easy enough.”

“Don’t read too much into one evening,” Gina said. “So he was drinking and he copped an attitude. That’s nothing we weren’t doing at his age.”

Lauren gazed out the window at the passing traffic. She wished she’d skipped the party and gone out with Jesse instead. Though she wasn’t ready to admit it, even to herself, she missed him. She enjoyed being with him. Maybe too much.

8

Lauren stood in front of her mirror brushing her hair. She pulled it up in a loose twist and studied her reflection. Frowning, she took it down and brushed it once again.

Stephen disappeared down the hall. Lauren turned back to face the mirror, sighed, and put down her brush. She walked out to the hall and glanced into Stephen’s open doorway. She hadn’t seen him since the incident at Kevin’s the other night. Maybe she should apologize, although she wasn’t sure exactly what she should be sorry for.

“Looking for me?”

Startled, Lauren spun around to find Stephen watching her with a goofy grin. In that moment he looked like the boy she’d spent hours with in their living room, building tents with blankets, pillows, and empty cardboard boxes. She said, “Yeah, I was. I wanted to talk to you about the other night.”

“Let’s just forget it happened.”

Lauren shook her head. “No, I want to apologize. I shouldn’t have shown up there without letting you know. It must have been awkward for you.”

A meal of chocolate covered ants was less revolting. “I haven’t spoken to Kevin since that night at his apartment,” she said. “I’ve been seeing someone for awhile now.”

Lauren started down the hall just as the doorbell chimed. Her stomach did a nervous flip. Goosebumps erupted on her skin. She rubbed her arms as she skipped down the stairs.

***

Lauren and Jesse sat in a small Mexican restaurant in downtown Boston. The mood was light, the pace slow. They talked about art exhibits, fad diets, alternate realities, and the waiter’s pierced eyebrow. Jesse was playful and kept Lauren giggling through most of the meal.

By the time they arrived at the Back Alley Blues club, Lauren’s nervous butterflies were long gone. The club’s muted lighting and overall ambiance gave it an erotic undertone. Like love and sex happened in the darkened corner booths where the music vibrated the floors and the drinks went down too easily.

Lauren gave a little shake of her head as she noticed how crazy her thoughts had become. Maybe not so much crazy as obsessed. With Jesse. With sex. With sex with Jesse. She turned to see him looking at her and her skin immediately grew red hot.

Jesse grinned. “Now there’s trust.” He made his way to the crowded bar and soon returned with two frothy drinks. Placing one in front of Lauren, he said, “I hope you like it.”

Lauren took a sip. “Mmm, what is this?”

“My secret,” Jesse said with a wink.

The band started into a slow, grinding beat. The vocals fell somewhere between a plea and a groan. Jesse took Lauren’s hand, pulling her to her feet. “Let’s dance,” he said.

Lauren’s knees threatened to give out on the way to the dance floor. Jesse settled his warm hands on her waist. Her skin tingled. His breath was warm against her neck. For a few moments the music and Jesse’s overpowering presence replaced all thought. No one else existed on that dance floor.

When the song came to an end, Lauren realized that she had all but melted into Jesse’s arms. Embarrassed, she started to pull away. Jesse ran his finger lightly over her bottom lip, slipped his hand beneath her chin and gently directed her mouth up to meet his. The kiss was soft and slow and she was lost in its depths.

When their lips parted, Lauren suddenly became aware of the people around them, dancing to a new song with a new beat, while they stood still, lost in that kiss. Heat rose to her cheeks. Jesse laughed. “You blush easily, don’t you?” he said.

“Unfortunately, yes,” she said.

Jesse pulled her close. “Want to dance some more?”

Nerves got the better of her. And, as often happened, with the discomfort came thoughts of her father. No doubt he would find out she’d been with Jesse tonight. He’d be furious. No one disobeyed him, particularly the women in his life. Would there be more threats? Or worse?

She had to be honest with Jesse. He deserved to know that her father wanted him out of her life. He should be allowed to decide whether he wanted to stick around, despite that. And she deserved to know where her father’s raw hatred came from.

Lauren took a deep breath, met Jesse’s eyes. She said, “I need to talk to you about something.”

“Okay, let’s sit down.”

Back at the table, Lauren silently cursed her father. He had not only ruined her childhood, but now he was verging on ruining her adult life as well. Why was she allowing him to do this to her? She looked down at her hands and fought the compulsion to pick at her lavender nail polish. She said, “You already know my father’s not a very nice man when he doesn’t get his way.”

Jesse reached out, covering Lauren’s hand with his. “Look Lauren,” he said, “I don’t want to start trouble between you and your father. I wouldn’t want to mess up your relationship.”

“My father and I have no relationship.” Lauren paused, weighing her words. “I think you know my father much better than most people. And I trust you to decide how to handle him. But I know the man no one else sees. I know what he’s capable of.”

“I’m not afraid of your father,” Jesse said. “I just don’t want him to make your life miserable.”

A small, bitter laugh escaped Lauren’s lips. “That would be an understatement. He has always made my life hell.” The simple warmth of Jesse’s hand brought Lauren a comfort she hadn’t known with anyone before. “I’ve never told anyone that,” she said. “Everyone I know thinks my father is the greatest. You knew better all along, didn’t you?”

***

Lauren was jarred awake by the sound of angry shouting downstairs. She lay still a moment, listening. The voices were muffled. No distinct words, just sharp garbled noise. Wide awake now, she sat up and checked her clock. Four a.m. With a sigh, she climbed out of bed, pulled on her robe and slippers, and stepped out into the dark hall.

Stephen’s bedroom door was open, which likely meant he hadn’t been to bed yet. Lauren continued down the hall. The voices grew more distinct. Her mother and father.

“Please stop,” Kara said.

“I have warned you before,” Alex said. “You know better than to ask such a ridiculous question.”

Lauren reached the bottom step at the exact moment that her father backhanded her mother across the face. Kara stumbled backward. “Stop it!” Lauren said. “Leave mom alone.”