The Man she Sees

Petra

Vegas was boring. Probably worse than I remembered it. I didn't come home throughout college. I stayed  back at Aunt Maggie's in New York City all period i was writing my thesis and during holidays. 

I thought staying out of Vegas will help me forget every memories of him, but that never helped. Like a supper glue, Dalton was stuck in my brain. 

 I stood next to a mail post waiting for my boyfriend, Noah to come pick me up. I looked at the watch strapped to my wrist before looking both sides of the free straight road. 

 A white BMW with windows tinted so dark they seemed to be part of the interior walls rather than actual windows drew up at the curb outside the front of the building and stopped in front of me. The  owner side window winds down and it was Dalton and the mystery woman. 

His deep, dangerous eyes peered right down into the very depths of me, just like when I entered his office. 

He looked angry. Maybe it was her. The woman that had her hands all over him was literarily not giving him a breathing space. And the Dalton I knew liked personal space. 

I felt sick to my stomach watching them. Jealousy was burning through my veins . My cheeks flushed red in anger and I had to tear my eyes away from them. 

“Get in.” Dalton commanded. “We’ll  give you a ride home. Is too hot out here.”

He was right, the sun was scorching and the heat was unforgiving, but I'd rather be toasted than be in thesame space with them. Especially her.

Mere looking at them made me sick to my bones, let alone sitting together with them the entire drive. God forbid! That would be torture. 

Though it warmed my heart to know that he still cared.

It wasn’t just his body I wanted, it was his care and  discipline. His ability to keep me in control. I was loud and chaotic, Sometimes I feel like I might disappear if I don’t make a scene, but Dalton sees me. Makes sense of my madness and demands better of me. 

“Darling, I am sure she will be able to find her way home.” The woman said. Her sea green eyes met mine and a mean sneer stretched her lips. “Right, sweetheart?” She asked me. Her mouth pulled into a distorted smile. 

I knew It there and then that she was going to be a thorn on my flesh and I hated her even more.

She wrapped her hands around his arm, resting her jaw on his shoulder. The world spun around me. The longer i stared at her perfectly manicured nails and dazzling engagement ring, the dizzier I got.

They were fucking engaged?

Aiming a fake smile right back at her, “Yeah…  I’ll be fine. Totally fine. Someone is coming to pick me up.” 

“Good, because mine and I, we are running late for a meeting.” She said, entwining her fingers with his.  Right, babe."

Dalton cleared his throat before responding to her,  "Right."

I controlled the urge to roll my eyes and click my tongue.  Dalton looked uncomfortable, like a cat that was pulled out of a well. Poor thing.

"Well, do have a nice day, Petra."

The window winded back up and the car wheeled off

I huffed  out a breath as I looked down at my wrist watch again. Noah never keeps to time and I was starting to get really really pissed. 

The screeching sound of a car made me look up and I saw an old red Nissan sunny pulling up in front of me. 

Noah fucking Jerkins. My boyfriend from high school.  A tall, tanned skin, sexy beast that got tattoos crawling up his arms. His brown hair streaked gold by the sun and pulled back into a short, messy ponytail at the nape of his neck, he was fucking gorgeous. 

“Sorry I’m late, babe. I was picking up Jessy and Claudia from school.” He shouted on top his voice. The music blasting from the speaker  was too loud, I could barely hear him. 

“No problem.” I shouted back at him as I walked around the car. 

I dragged on the old car door which usually required kicking or a hard hit to open. When I failed on three trial, he stretched forward and pushed open.  

He moved the camera bag laying on the front seat to the back seat, making room for me to sit. 

The camera was his career, and as long as he had  it with him, he  made money selling photo collections and putting  his work up in galleries.

Or, at least that was how it used to be until he began drifting. His mother fell ill and he had to look after her and his younger siblings.  Too much weight on a twenty four year old. 

As the engine rumbled to life, a favorite song from Backstreet Boys came over the radio. A smile stretched across my mouth as I cranked the volume up and he reversed. 

With the car in motion, He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he nods to the beat. 

Opening the pidgin hole, “Want some?” he asked, passing me a cup of vanilla milkshake. 

“My favorite! Yummy.” I reached for it and he pulled it back. 

He shook his head slowly. “Not so fast… first, you have to tell me if you got the contract.”

I groaned. “ You are so mean, boyfriend.” 

He snorted. “I know. So did you or did you not? Your answer will determine if you’ll get eat this."

I chuckled and shook my head. “What do you think? Dude, Your girlfriend is a fucking genius… of course i got it!” 

He looked over at me, his eyes wide in excitement. “Here is your reward for being so smart. Vanilla milkshake. Just the way you like it. You are welcome, Amore.” 

I guess the more things changed, the more they stay the same. I suppose that's a cliché for a reason. Because Noah never stopped using my favorite things to get me to do his biddings. It's been so since High School.

“You are going to come by my place weekend?... The girls misses you.”  He winked at me, adding arrogantly, “We can celebrate your win in a very special way "

My eyebrow rose and then I laughed. Hell, he was tricky as a tortoise but not so smart. “The girls or you?”

"No... Not me, the girls." He smirked.

"Admit it already," I playfully Jab his shoulder. "You fucking miss me. Arrogant fool!"

He chuckled, pinching the bridge of his nose. Hesitantly he said, "Come on, I haven't seen you in months. What do you think?"

Noah was your typical all-American teen in high school. Popular and full of confidence, he was the other star athlete of the school.

 He was every high school girl’s dream, and I had him. He still got his drip after High school except he wasn't popular anymore.

 He dreamed of going to college and climbing the corporate ladder after and owning the world. Unfortunately, he never got into college.

"So you coming?" 

“Yeah, I’ll be there.”

“Perfect! Wear that little skirt I got you on your twentieth birthday, would you?”

I knew exactly which one he was talking about. It barely covered my ass and was so tight that it showed all my curves in details.  He had pushed it up around my hips many times and fucked me like a raging bull in his late father’s van. 

“I’ll wear it just for you,” I promised. But I wasn’t sure. With Dalton in the picture, things was becoming different and a little complicated.