CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3

“You have to see how wrong that is… I mean come on… You are not better for it.”

“How so? Of course we are better for it. Look at us… Look at the wealth… We have everything we could ever want or need. We never need anybody to tell us of our worth…”

“But you are still not content. You need to show the world what you have… What you own… How you control women… You are seeking approval…”

Callie could see that Tristan did not like hearing that. His eyes darkened at her statement. She was going to say it how it was, no use in lying. She would never see him after tonight.

“You’re telling me that if you had the opportunity to better your life you wouldn’t?”

“I am bettering my life. I work and I am doing what I want to do and I am getting married to the man I love. I’m full… I don’t need validation from anybody… Unlike you who constantly needs to show the world what you have…”

“You and I see things in a very different way. I assure you, I am not seeking validation or approval from anybody. You make cakes right?”  

“Yes.”

“And you are happy to share what you know? Happy to discuss your skills and knowledge right?”

“It’s different…”

“No it’s not. No it’s no different. I am doing the same thing. It comes out arrogant from me because of what I have achieved and gained. It’s the same thing… Trust me… It’s the same thing.”

Callie shrugged her shoulders at that. She did not agree with him at all. She decided to ask about her sister, why not right? She was here and here.

“What do you give Sally? Why is she happy to be there?”

“Give her? Why don’t you ask her?” He was such a fucking smart jerk.

“She won’t tell me. She tells me to shut up…” He gave her drop dead gorgeous smile. Boy he was attractive. Dressed all in black… Black pants, black shirt… Hot alright.

“I give her anything her heart desires. I am in a position to do that.”

“Why do that? Can’t you keep a woman unless you are buying her all that stuff?”

“I have kept many women who I have purchased nothing for. I wasn’t always rich Callie…”

“So why do it now? Why do you feel the need to pay to keep your women?”

“I want to. That’s the difference. I am in a position where I can buy them anything they want. It makes me happy… As a man, it’s my job to provide…”

“So you’re saying that they are like your family?”

“No… My family is my brother and my parents. The woman however as long as they are with me I will give them whatever they want. In turn they know to serve me… To please me… They know to make me happy.”

“Do you want to get married?” He scoffed at that.

“It will be the same. Married or not… She will serve me, obey me, she will please me…”

“And the other women?”

“She will accept that I will be with others.”

“Right…” Yep… He was too much for her.

“You look at it with disgust. If she agrees what is the problem?”

“Marriage is sacred… You are killing that…”

“I understand that marriage is sacred. I will always provide for my wife… I will always protect her and make sure she needs nothing…”

“So that makes it okay? You buy her things so you can fuck around? It’s stupid. I mean… She will have to accept that in order to keep you? And say she wants to be with other men? That’s okay?”

“No chance.”

“How is that fair?”

“It’s fair.” Wow.

“You let Sally and the girls be with your brother and your cousins…”

“Yes but they are not my wife…”

“You have to know how full of yourself you sound? Come on… You are so condescending…”

“Maybe I am but the fact remains that I can be. I can be however I want to be and nobody on this planet can tell me otherwise.”

“Yep…” She nodded her head knowing this was not going anywhere fast. She wanted to go back and leave. She literally wanted to see the back of his man and never ever see him again.

Nothing irritated Callie more than when a few girls asked to take a picture with Tristan for social media. They were literally giving him bedroom eyes. The smug son of a bitch didn’t even flinch. He took the picture like it was so normal.

Callie did not like this at all.

The cocky prick ordered dessert without even asking her. She didn’t complain, enjoyed the course. She drank her coffee while he nursed his liquor.

“What can I do to change your mind about leaving?” He asked shocking her. What was his aim?

“Nothing.” She was not going to bother beating around the bush. Nothing. Nothing…

“Come on… Give me something. Let me change your mind about me.”

“I gave you all night… If anything I believe what I believe more so now than I did before.”

“Ouch… That bad?” Again being all charming and shit. He was one good looking man it grated on her nerves that he had that. Like he was very attractive…

“Again, I’m engaged to be married. I would not give up Harrison for anybody…”

“You think I’m going to bend you over and fuck you senseless?” What the hell did he just say? She opened her eyes wide at his comment. “You act as though being around me is going to lead to that…”

“Trust me Tristan, it will never lead to that…” Nope… No way sir…

“You so sure you wouldn’t like it?” Oh god.

“It doesn’t matter what I would like or not. End game is no… It will never happen.”

“Don’t leave.” He was really pushing for this. Like really?

“What the hell? You don’t even like me…” She knew this to be the truth. Callie was not very likeable. Saying what she felt was not something most people found to be a good trait.

“I like you…”

“No you don’t. You like the game… You want to win.”

“Perhaps… I also know that I am not done with you…” Wow.

“Okay well… Thank you for dinner… I think it’s time we left.” Callie stood up and waited for the asshole to do the same. They were off… He was very quiet during the drive. It was awkward to say the least. She didn’t really know what to say…

It was late by the time they arrived back to the estate. Callie groaned when she realised the house was awake. The woman and AJ along with Jarred and Max were all sitting around with cigars, music, drinks and dancing.

The cheers erupted when Tristan walked over to them. He sat down and lit himself a cigar. Callie felt like an idiot standing there. Lilliana called her over. “Come on…”

“No… I’m going to pack…” Callie noticed Sally’s face drop when she said that.

“Oh…” Lilliana looked confused.

“Why?” Sally asked now. Callie didn’t bother on replying to that backstabbing bitch. She left the party and headed to the room. Callie felt like such a fool. This entire day had been a nightmare.

She changed out of her stupid dress and threw on a pair of trackpants and a singlet before Sally opened the door and walked into the room.

“You can’t go.” Sally stood there looking at Callie’s bags that were packed.

“Sally, you need to fuck off.” Callie was done with her sister. She had disappointed her for the last time.

“No… You don’t understand. You can’t go. Please…”

“What the hell? The only reason you asked me to stay was because of Tristan. You literally sold me to him. Who does that?”

“No… Callie… You can’t leave.”

“Oh my god. I’m telling you now to fuck off. Don’t ever call me again. Ever.”

“He will dump me… He will tell me to leave if you don’t stay… Please…”

Wow…

“Good. Maybe then you can come to your senses and fuck off out of here.” With that Callie grabbed her bag and left. She did not stop to talk to anybody, she did not say goodbye. She walked out and left.

That was a good month ago. Still felt like a dream… The entire situation felt like it was some fucked up crazy ass dream.

Callie returned to her small bakery and did what she loved to do. She made her cakes and her cookies and was happy to sell them. Shop was getting busier every week and she was almost unable to keep up with the orders.

It was fun… She enjoyed her little shop. It was hers… She made this all on her own.

Nothing in the world shocked Callie more than when was visited by Tristan in the flesh. He walked into her bakery and smiled when he saw her behind the counter serving a customer. Callie finished off the other three customers before it was Tristan’s turn.

“Can I help you?” She asked feeling completely unprepared for this encounter.

“You look cute…” He was looking at her pink apron. Great…

“Did you want something?” Tristan smiled and nodded his head. He looked around as though taking it all in. “Tristan I’m busy… If you are not going to buy anything you need to leave.”

“Okay… I’ll buy everything you have.” What the hell? She frowned not getting his game. “Give it all to me. Even what you have at the back.”

“I’m not doing that.”

“Why not? I’m a customer…”

“Why are you here?” She hated it that there was nobody left in the store. It was awkward.

“Well… I wanted to see you.”

“You wanted to see me? Really?” She couldn’t believe this man.

“Yes really. Why is that hard to believe?”

“Why? Why do you want to see me?”

“Okay look Callie… Got to tell you, I’m not a patient man. I don’t usually work this hard for a woman’s attention… I’m kind of getting over this bullshit game.” He had this seriousness about him suddenly. Callie rubbed her lips together trying to figure out what to do.

“Nobody is telling you to work hard at anything. I am not interested. I am with somebody else. I mean, how hard is it for you to understand?”

“Na, see, I do understand it. I do… I get it but the thing is I don’t like it.”

“Right and I’m supposed to care what you like? You need to leave.” Seriously this guy…

“I want to date you.” Callie was actually speechless. This man was seriously insane. “Let me rephrase that… I will date you.” She did not feel safe suddenly. The dark way Tristan said that was alarming. “It’s how you want to do this…”

“I am not going to date you.” She finally managed to say. “I’m sorry you think that anything will come out of this, I assure you that I will not be dating you.”

“Okay… Well I did come to you first. I did… I tried right… You have to give me that.”

“Look, Tristan… I am going to call the police.” He laughed at that. He gave he a don’t be cute look. “I’m serious… If you don’t stop hassling me I will be calling them.”

“You do that and let me know how that works out for you.”

“What the hell?” Callie was actually gobsmacked at his behaviour. He wanted to date her? Like for real? This was insane…

“The hell is that I want to have you. So… Get the fuck over this bullshit game of yours already and let us move on. Can you do that?” Tristan looked really dangerous suddenly.

“I’m not playing. I’m not playing any game with you. What on earth is wrong with you?”

“I’ll burn your shop… This little set up… I will burn it to a crisp…” Callie felt her body turn into ice. He meant it. He looked like a thug suddenly. It didn’t matter how expensive his clothes were or his watch was… He looked every bit of the thug he was known to be.

“Get out.” She knew that all this bullshit act of being all accepting and shit was nothing but that… An act.

“Okay, well you’ve been warned. I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to fuck your shop up, it’s really cute but believe me I don’t say anything for nothing… Either you show up to my place on Saturday evening or… You will be down a shop…”

Callie had no idea what he was doing so when he walked over to the counter and leaned over it she felt frozen in her spot. He kissed her cheek… Lingered there for a while as though taking in her scent before he left the shop.

What the fuck just happened? Callie was freaking out. She was really beginning to understand how deadly this man was. She had heard stories about him and his brother… How rough and tough and all street like they were but seeing them be so wealthy and so well dressed and shit… You would never assume they were thugs…

The first thing Callie did when she got her wits about her was call her sister. Sally didn’t seem too shocked by her phone call.

“What the fuck Sally?” Callie snapped the minute that Sally answered the phone call.

“All you had to do was play nice. Act like a bimbo and he’ll get over you.” Nice. Her sister was just so fucking nice.

“Oh my god… Are you hearing yourself? He’s threatened to burn my shop…”

“If he said it, he’ll do it. Just… Do what he wants. It’s not that hard. Why do you have to make everything so difficult for?”

“Sally! Oh my god… How serious is he? Is he bluffing?”

“No.” Fuck. “He will get over you… Just pretend that you are all into his money and stuff…”

“I’m engaged. Do you not get that?”

“Your fiancé is away.”

“You are really doing this to me?”

“Doing what? I am just telling you how to get out of it. Play like a dumb bimbo.”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“I’d figure it out if I were you… If he gave the threat trust me it’s a done deal…”

Fuck! Just fuck!!!

***

That was one way to show Callie how it was done. Thing getting to Tristan the most was how badly he wanted her. He couldn’t seem to get her out of his head. Tristan was certain that once he had her he would get over this fixation he seemed to have developed for her.

Tristan was not going to back down, wasn’t in his character to back down. No matter what, he would do what he would do to get what he wanted. He would fuck anybody up in his way. The only way to be, was to be aggressive.

The thing was he did give Callie the chance to play nice and make this a pleasant experience, she didn’t want to play. It really agitated the hell out of him seeing her be all against the idea. She actually looked disgusted by the mere notion of being with him. Definitely not something that Tristan was used to.

He was frustrated and that was saying something. Tristan didn’t have shit to stress about, not anymore. Yes he had enemies who wanted him dead and whatnot but that was nothing new, he was always on top of his game, only with Callie he seemed to be in uncharted territory.

Even when Tristan was broke and didn’t have a dime to his name, women always flocked his way… It was always the case. So having Callie completely disregard him was not something he knew how to swallow.

Sally was playing as he wanted her to play, she was doing anything he asked. She knew for a fact that she was on a fine line now. If she didn’t get her sister on board soon enough it was game over for Sally. She was good to fuck off out of his life too. Wasn’t that invested in her or in anybody else for that matter.

AJ was having a field day that Tristan was caught up in a woman. “Dude, she’s not your type…” He said as they hung around having a casual day by the pool. The girls were swimming and he was having a drink with his brother.

“Yeah, still… I want her.”

“And what? You have her and what?”

“Then I fuck her off… I don’t really care. She gets on my fucking nerves… Acts like she is above us… I can’t fucking deal.”

“She doesn’t get our way… Who cares? She’s not worth it bro.”

“I know, still, I want her. Even if it’s to fuck with her head and nothing more. She’s too opinionated… Needs a lesson in respect.”

Sally was out of the pool with a towel wrapped around her body now. She sat down beside AJ and kissed him on the mouth.

“Did you speak to her?” Tristan was edgy. It was Saturday and he was apprehensive about whether or not Callie was going to show up.

“She… Tristan she’s being stubborn… You can’t make her do something she doesn’t want to do. She’s been that way all her life. She is so head strong…”

“If she doesn’t show up…” He pointed his cigar at Sally now. “I will fuck her life up…” Yeah, this bitch was showing him up. “Call her.” He ordered Sally. Sally who called her sister and was smart enough to put the call on speaker.

“No. I don’t care.” Was how Callie answered the phone.

“Callie… Just come. It’s dinner… It’s at the house… It will be over and you can go home.”

“I can’t believe you are actually calling me. I can’t believe what a dog you are. Like seriously? Do you want me to fuck him? Is that is? Make me into a whore like you? Will that make you happy?” Wow, this bitch…

“Stop… You always make things into such a big deal. Why can’t you just go with it.”

“Fuck you that’s why. Stop calling me.”

“He won’t stop Callie. He holds a lot of power…”

“Yeah? Like I care. Tell that fucker to do his worst… And FIY… Harrison is on his way home.” With that she ended the phone call.

Sally looked helpless. She knew she was in hot water with this one.

“I… I’m sorry. She just doesn’t get it.” She said quietly.

“Dude, she’s engaged… Let this one go. She’s uptight… You couldn’t be with her if you tried. She’s not your type brother.”

“Na, I’ll have her.” Tristan was adamant now. It went beyond wanting to be with her now. He wanted to have her… He would break this bitch or die trying.

Callie did not show up. Instead she had the police serve him with a restraining order. Nice. He laughed out of frustration. This bitch was going to fucking get hers. He rose to the challenge now more so than ever. He would show her how to take him on.

Tristan would bide his time. He managed to get out of the restraining order within the week. Best lawyers around… Money spoke in every fucking language… This was nothing, it was a minor setback is all.

Tristan waited a couple of weeks before he decided to show up to her cute little café. He found a man inside standing with her behind the counter. They were laughing over something… She seemed so happy. This was Harrison…

Tristan walked into the shop and smiled when he saw her look of horror. “You can’t be in here.” She said making her way around the counter. It was like she was going to shut the door in his face.

“Says who?” He knew he was a cocky prick, never claimed otherwise.

“What’s going on Callie?” Harrison asked her. Built man… Clean cut type of guy… Straighty one eighty type of guy.

“I have a restraining order against him. Tristan Fortes… The one I was telling you about…” It was funny how Harrison made his way around the counter also. Did he think to fight? Bring it fucker…

“Na you don’t…” Tristan said shrugging his shoulders.

“Yeah I do…”

“No… No babe, no you don’t. Go ahead and call… Find out. I assure you that it’s been dealt with.”

“What the fuck do you want?” Harrison was seizing him up.

“What I want is for you to fuck off out of my face.” And Tristan was never one to back down from a fight. Tristan was itching to get this fucker… Been a hot minute since he was in a brawl. It seemed like it was long overdue.

“Harrison, don’t… I’ll just call the police.” Callie grabbed Harrison’s arm and led him away. “Tristan can you just go…”

“Can I go? Yeah, not until I speak to you alone.”

“What the fuck?” Harrison seemed really frustrated.

“Come on man, you have to know I’m fucking her right?” Tristan saw the absolute horror pass Callie’s face when Tristan said that.

And it was on…

Harrison attacked and it was just the opening that Tristan was waiting for. Tristan was more than ready for the fight. It wasn’t pretty, Harrison was strong, he had to give the fucker that.

Callie broke Harrison away and stood in the middle after a good five minutes. He was happy enough with his handiwork. Harrison was most definitely nursing a broken nose. Tristan spat blood out and smiled. “Honey, she’s a slut. Been fucking her since you went away… She told me exactly where you were stationed…” Sally was good to inform him of everything. “She let me know when you would be coming back… Said she has to be careful…”

“Tristan, oh my god stop!” Callie cried out.

“Na, tell him… Tell him that we dated…”

“You dated him?” Harrison asked looking all cut and shit.

“It wasn’t like that…”

“Yeah it was.” And Tristan was not letting up. He wanted to fuck this fucker up and fuck Callie up in the process. “Anyway, call me…” He winked at Callie before he left the shop.

Tristan was happy with how it went. He planted the seed of mistrust and now he was going to sit back and watch it grow. Harrison would either believe his girl or be suspicious as every other man alive would be. Hell Tristan would never wait for the girl to explain, he would fuck her off instantly if she went behind his back.

Lucky for him he was never one to care enough for any girl to really give a fuck who they fucked. The girls at the house all knew that they belonged to him and to AJ. As long as they were fucking them they were not allowed to be with other men… If they wanted to spread their wings… Or legs in this case they were more than good to go and fuck off.

Everybody was replaceable.

Was two days after the fight that Callie showed up to his place. He smiled feeling overly smug. He had a cigar in his mouth sitting with his brother and Jarred when Lilliana showed her in.

“Well well well, look what the cat dragged in…” Tristan said happy that she was here. Her face was one of utter anger.

“You have some nerve… Why would you say that to him?”

“Say what exactly? I’m confused…” He wanted her to say it. He wanted to hear her say what he said about them fucking.

“Oh my god… Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

“Do tell.” He was amused. “I mean last I checked he attacked first… Not good. I spoke to my lawyer and they told me to report the incident… Which of course I did…”

“You need to stop.” She shook her head now. “Please. Just stop… I don’t get it… What is the issue? Why can’t you just accept that I am with Harrison and that’s all there is to it. I’m not into this entire scene. Not into this entire thing. It’s not for me…”

“See yeah, I get that, I do but I don’t care.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“Sit…” Lilliana offered her a seat.

“No, I’m going…” Callie looked extremely fed up.

“You just got here…” AJ the other ass said.

“I need you to stop… Can you please just stop…” Callie was not even listening to anybody. She was too busy begging him to stop hassling her.

“I can… I mean, yeah of course I can, thing is right, I won’t… So…” Tristan knew he was riling her up. She was easy to rile up.

“Okay… Then do what you want. I am over it…” This little bitch!

“Tell me, did he leave you?” She smiled at his question now. Callie’s eyes looked electric suddenly.

“Did he leave me? Why? Because of the lie you said? No… No he did not leave me… Like really? You think he is going to take a thug’s word for it.”

“The fuck did you just say?” AJ asked now. He did not like to be insulted and if you insulted one of them you insulted the other.

“I said that he will never take Tristan’s word for it.”

“You calling my brother a thug?” Tristan could see how agitated AJ was becoming by this entire thing. It was confusing to have anybody talk to them this way and Callie was not only speaking her mind, she had openly rejected Tristan a few times now. Not something that happened around here…

“I mean… You didn’t know he is a thug? I thought that went without saying…”

“Dude, sort her out…” AJ gave Tristan a sort her out look before I do. Callie shrugged her shoulders and nodded her head.

“Sort me out? Yeah okay… Well I’m off…”

“You don’t know who you are messing with… I’d be very careful if I were you…” Tristan looked her dead in the eye when he said that. “Accidents can happen…”

“All this for what? At least explain it to me. I know you don’t like me… I know this. What is it you want to come from it all?” She had balls alright.

“I want to fuck you… I thought that went without saying…” Hit her back now. “All you’re doing is delaying the inevitable.”

“Is it because I rejected you? Is that the appeal?” She was switched on for sure.

“Maybe… Who knows?” He was making it out like she wasn’t getting to him.

“I’m sure you can get millions of others to be how you want them to be. Me… I am not into you… So if you can please just fuck off out of my life. I want nothing in the world to do with you.”

“Okay…” Tristan nodded. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you…” He was going to cripple her fiancé… That was the first thing he was going to do… Second thing was to burn her little shop…

She tensed when he said that. It looked a lot like she wasn’t sure what to do or say. “And don’t say I didn’t warn you either. I’m hoping you just stop with the games. I hoping you let it go and realise you are being stupid…”

“She calls me a thug AJ then she calls me stupid…”

“Yeah, she thinks we like to be insulted…” AJ playing along.

“You do not intimidate me, you do not scare me. You are bothering me… That’s all you are doing. It’s funny how you turn to threats when you don’t get your way. You think you can bully people into being how you want them to be?”

Tristan and AJ both laughed at that. It was funny… This bitch was killing him.

“Usually works.” Tristan said after taking a long drag of his cigar.

“Whatever…”

As Callie turned to leave Sally made her appearance. “Callie… You came?” She sounded so relieved.

“I came to tell your pimp to lay off. I came to tell him that he needs to stop. Maybe you can talk some sense into him.”

Sally grabbed her sister’s arm and led her away. She would be trying to persuade her to stick around. She would do anything to get her to give herself over to Tristan.

“Do you even want her?” AJ asked shaking his head.

“Not too sure brother… But I will have her.”

“Is it worth it. She’s a fucking head doer bro…”

“Yeah… I’ll fuck her then it’s done. Just want to get it out of my system.”

“You are looking for trouble on this one. I feel it.”

“What’s new right? Trouble is my middle fucking name…”

Tristan waited for Sally to return. She returned without her sister. “She won’t budge… Tristan I know my sister and I’m telling you now she will not be swayed. She is so set in her ways.”

Tristan took this all in. His next move was to find something that would force her to cede to him…

Sally told him everything she could about her sister. He wanted every minor detail. “She’s always been about what’s right and wrong. She sticks to what she believes in. She was the kid that always knew what she wanted and knew how she wanted things to be. She worked hard to get where she wants to be…”

“Harrison… He’s the key…” AJ up and said that. “If she’s so into him… We get him to fuck around… Take pictures and send them to her…”

“He won’t… He loves her…” Sally said with such certainty.

“We drug him… Easy does it…” Tristan said loving this idea. AJ you fucker… He got it!

“How?” Sally seemed confused. She didn’t look too convinced that it was going to work.

“Leave that to me…” He said knowing exactly what needed to be done. Yes… Now it was coming together. About fucking time…

Tristan was going to sit back and watch this unfold. It was going to be interesting to see how this went… Would Callie stick by her man?

AJ the machine was on it, he had it all set up. Set up the girl, set up the place… Told her to get Harrison intoxicated… Pop some pills in his drink… Anything… It worked.

Pat was great… She got the pictures and the evidence… She even made sure his face was in the pictures… She had taken the photos on Harrison’s phone as well and saved them… She put her picture as the contact for her number so when Callie saw it she would know that he was fucking her. She even wrote messages from her phone and replied off his phone… Callie was going to believe he was fucking around.

Tristan was not going to do a single thing but wait.

Took about two weeks… Two weeks before Pat received the phone call from Harrison. “Hey baby…” Pat answered. She had the phone on speaker. “Been thinking about you since the last time...”

“Who is this?” He asked clearly confused. As he should be, he had no idea who Pat was.

“Babe, it’s me… What’s the matter? Is she there? Is Callie around?” Making it out like he had spoken about Callie numerous time…

This was fun.