TOBIAS: “Thank you, Tobias,” Keri whispers, resting her forehead against mine. “Thank you for being understanding and being the best version of yourself when I need you the most.” I grit my teeth, feeling like utter filth. An imposter imprisoned within myself with no way of escaping. Again, Keri proves to me that she is too good for me and I don’t deserve her. Lies… Deceit... I have told the woman I am obsessively in love with, nothing but lies this evening. If Keri were to find out that I was the one that Ava was arguing with on the phone, she would leave me in a heartbeat if she knew why. As I predicted earlier, Ava called me, fuming about the amount of money I had deposited into her account this morning. She previously demanded five hundred thousand dollars and being the proud prick that I am, I deposited five hundred dollars and not a cent more. I am not a man that plays games. If you have cheated me and think that you can blackmail me, you will quickly learn that hell
I stir in my sleep from the soft touch of Tobias pressing his warm lips against my forehead.“Mmm, what time is it?” I yawn, feeling like I had just fallen asleep moments ago.“It’s four in the morning,” He whispers, stroking my cheek with the pad of his thumb, which sends a ripple of goosebumps to disperse across my body.I love it when he touches me with affection.I doubt he will ever understand how much it means to me, not only because he is a man, but how can I expect him to understand when I, myself, am trying to find a reason behind my emotions? “Four in the morning?” I moan in a croaky voice, peeling my eyelids open. “What are you doing up and dressed at this time of the morning?”Tobias is seated on the edge of my bed with his body angled to the side. Every time I see him wearing one of my favourite hued, slim-fitting suits, my mouth waters.The colour indigo-blue accentuates his irises, and the tailored suit emphasizes his ripped physique beneath all of that expensive fabri
I want to rip my heart out!I want to tear away at the layers of my flesh and pull the beating organ from my chest.As I watch my world lighting up before me, it serves no real purpose to me at this moment.I want to scream until my lungs collapse and my throat ignites into a fireball from the searing agony consuming me.Why?Why would someone do this to me?Was I targeted?I mean…what could drive a person to do this to another?Everything I have worked so hard towards is now up in flames within a matter of seconds.The carnal beating of my heart pounding against my chest entwines with the smoke alarm, drumming out everything that surrounds me.Then there is silence…The beautiful stillness of emptiness.Until the gossip of the early morning breeze whispers through the treetops, and rustling leaves until I find myself plummeting into an abyss of darkness.“No…” I cry, frantically shaking my head as I jump out of my car.Today, the world burns.The heat from the consuming flames sweeps
Still, in a state of shock, I absentmindedly watch as the paramedic cleans the small wounds scattered across my arms as the detective continues to ask me questions. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Landry, but do you have any idea who would want to burn your bakery down?” Detective Ashley inquires, his pen touching the pocket-sized field notebook he holds in his hand. Continuing to watch the paramedic, I shake my head, “No.” I sigh, trying to come to terms that everything that has happened this morning wasn’t a dream. “Witnesses say that you accused a male named,” He pauses, flipping a few pages forward, “Kip.” Flipping the pages back over, he regards me again. This time I turn my head and look at the detective through misty eyes. “Kip?” I sniffle, feeling like shit for blaming him in the first place. “Kip wouldn’t hurt a fly. He said something that didn’t sit right with me and in return, I accused him. It was petty, and I wanted to hurt him.” Detective Ashley nods his head, writing everything I
The emotions of feeling: Shocked. Hurt. Confused. Misguided… swirl in the pit of my stomach, and it feels like my insides have grown teeth about to go on a rampage and turn me inside out.“I… I…I don’t understand or get why Tobias would lie to me.” I swallow thickly, past the lump that continues to grow in my throat. “Maybe it is you who is misunderstood, Davis,” I whisper, wrapping my fingers around my throat.Davis snakes his fingers around my upper arm, above my elbow, and gently pulls me to the side. Out of sight and hearing range for all to hear and see.His hand slowly glides down my arm, sending a surge of goosebumps to infect my skin. His fingers find mine, and he laces them together, gently stroking the pad of his thumb across my knuckles.I notice his eyes dilate as he sweeps the firm tip of his tongue across the sharp bow on his upper lip, and he takes a step forward, entering my personal space. “Unfortunately for you, I know full well that we have no business in Perth,
“Would you like another drink, ma'am?” The bartender asks me as he stands across from me behind the bar.Pushing my wine glass forward, “Yeah, one more should hit the spot.” I say quietly with a slight slur and hyper-aware that Tobias has been sitting in the corner booth for the last hour, cradling the same tumbler of whiskey on the rocks in his hand since his arrival.I’m unsure if I feel elated that he has not approached me and given me the space I require with the comfort of knowing that he has tracked me down. Or, if I feel annoyed that he hasn’t come to me, grovelling at my feet and seeking forgiveness where it is due.As the bartender slides my glass back across to me, he flings the hand towel he used to wipe the bar top with and rests his hands on his hips. “Rough day, was it?” He enquires, arching his brows.“You can say that,” I reply, picking up my glass and touching the rim to my lips. “What gave you the vibe? Me sitting here all alone sipping on wine for the past four hour
I emerge from the shower, towel-drying my hair, still trying to wrap my head around what Tobias had told me last night regarding his mother and my bakery. I plonk myself on the end of the mattress and inhale deeply as my head is still slightly spinning, matching my churning stomach after too much to drink yesterday on an empty stomach.It all still feels so… surreal.Like I’m stuck in a bad dream that refuses to release me.Dipping my head, I look at the wet towel in my grasp and try to come up with some sort of explanation as to why Janice would stoop this low. I mean, yeah… I slapped her across the face and didn't have anything nice to say to her when I was last in her presence.But she deserved the slap, and I don’t take back anything that I said to her. Janices’ actions and her vein outlook on life have left nothing but a path of devastation in its wake. Multiple lives have been affected - many are left ruined.Lies… Secrets… more lies...I hate feeling so useless when I have
TOBIAS:Shit! God-damn it to hell! The look on Keris’ face slices through the flesh of my chest and digs deep into my heart, piercing it with enough venom to stop it from beating entirely.I hate being the cause of her pain. The reason that has her doubting herself as a beautiful, strong, and intelligent woman. She deserves more, so much more that I doubt any man can give to her. But this is a flaw of mine that I have noticed surfacing a lot recently where Keri is concerned and the truth is…I’m a fucking imbecile!And that's putting it lightly. I know the only thing running through her mind right now, are images of me sleeping with her sister. But that couldn’t be the farthest from the truth.I wouldn’t dare stick my cock in Ava. Just thinking about it makes me shudder with disgust and compels my dick to shrivel up like a dried-up prune.Believe it or not, Ava has absolutely nothing on Keri. No one I have come across does.She is one of a kind, a rare breed indeed, and it