“I’m completely honest with you,” I said.
Now I had to be on the defensive.
“How the hell did anyone even miss this guy?” Laughter filled Britney’s words.
“You said no one would miss him because he’s homeless.”
“It’s just a fluke. Nothing to worry about,” Britney said flippantly.
Checking to make sure the detective hadn’t returned, I lifted one of the slats of the blinds on the front window. “Easy for you to say. You don’t have the police at your house.”
“You shouldn’t have left your phone at the scene,” she said.
“I shouldn’t have left it? You knocked it out of my hand and wouldn’t let me go back to get it.” My voice echoed around the sparsely furnished room.
“Don’t freak out. If you panic, then this is over for you.” A calm tone steadied Britney’s voice.
“Over for me?” I asked. “I didn’t do this.”
Panic consumed my words. A stark contrast from Britney’s steady demeanor. A tinkling of laughter came from Britney, like a melodic tune. To my ears there was an edge of mania in the sound.
“It seems like the detective thinks otherwise. After all, he paid you a visit, not me,” Britney said.
Now I was completely freaking out. She was right. As far as the detective knew, I was the only one in that alleyway. Though he had no proof.
“I don’t know what to do.” My voice trembled.
“We’ll meet tomorrow to discuss this,” she said without a hint of fear in her voice.
Before I had a chance to say no she ended the call. If Britney had told the police, then I was screwed. She said she hadn’t called, but I didn’t believe her. Now I had to go along with whatever she said. There was no way I was taking part in her sick plan to murder someone. She couldn’t possibly be serious. If she was determined to kill the assistant, then I had to tell someone. Letting her go through with it wasn’t an option.
One thing I knew for sure was that I needed something to take the edge off. I went straight to the wine cellar and picked out a bottle. Fear wasn’t all I felt. Anger bubbled inside me. A flash of smashing every single bottle of wine onto the floor popped into my head. It might make me feel better. Ultimately, I figured I’d just have to clean the mess, so it wasn’t worth it. After grabbing a glass from the kitchen, I headed for the bedroom. A long bath and a bottle of wine were just what I needed. Not just a glass, but the whole bottle.
After turning on the faucet and adding bath salts, I slipped into the tub, allowing the hot water to ease away the stress. I’d just started to relax a bit when the sound of footsteps traveled down the hall. He was home. Instantly I tensed up again. I hated feeling this way every single day. The footsteps grew near the bathroom door.
He rapped on the wood. “Can I come in?”
Why bother asking when he just opened the door and came in without waiting for my answer. My skin crawled when his gaze fell on my body, soaking in my appearance. Without uttering a word, he untucked his white dress shirt and started unbuttoning it. Next, he unfastened his Hermes belt and unzipped the black trousers. It never crossed his mind that he should ask to join me.
Before he removed the socks, I climbed out of the tub and grabbed a towel. The comfort of the terry cloth was all I had to save me. How could this be the first thing on his mind the second he came through the door? Didn’t he want to unwind a bit? I suppose that was his way of unwinding.
“I was just getting ready to make dinner,” I said as I secured the towel around me.
“We can order delivery and eat after we work up an appetite.” He grabbed me and yanked me toward his body.
My towel dropped to the floor. Now my still damp body was pressed against his sweaty skin.
“I’m hungry now.” I wiggled to break free from his hold.
The thought of food made my stomach churn even more, but I’d say anything to get out of the room. Patrick acted as if he hadn’t heard me as he placed sloppy kisses on my neck. There was no use in fighting it. I knew what would happen if I said no. It was easier just to go along with it. If I acted as if I was into it, he wouldn’t last long. A couple minutes tops. He offered to pleasure me, but I always made up excuses.
As we moved into the bedroom dread consumed me. He tossed me onto the bed in the usual disrespectful manner. The smell of roses overwhelmed me as he climbed on top of me. Nausea grew as I tried to push the thoughts out of my head. His loud groaning was almost more than I could handle. Flashes of the garden from all those years ago flooded my mind. The memories never faded.
I was right though. It had only lasted a few minutes. Now I had to go through the motions of pretending to enjoy dinner. Faking delight in my time with him was never-ending. Always with a forced smile on my face. I was always pretending, but never for the right reasons.
Once he had rolled off me, I dressed and escaped to the kitchen. I ordered food and tried to act busy while waiting for it to arrive. Patrick strut out from the bedroom like a rooster in a henhouse. He talked while he sat in front of the TV, but I wasn’t really paying attention to what he said. A dry sob burned in my throat, but I refused to release it. Memories closed in on me, thick and suffocating, but I had no way to escape.
Chapter 7
A horn honking in the distance woke me the next morning. I opened one eye lid and peered at the time. Ten o’clock. How had I sleep so late? I’d downed the entire bottle of wine and passed out after dinner. I didn’t even remember going to bed.
My phone rang and I fumbled to retrieve it from the nightstand. Britney’s name lit up the screen, taunting me. The last thing I wanted was to talk to her.
“Hello?” I mumbled when I answered.
“Bitch, where the hell are you?” Her shrill voice boomed in my head.
I rubbed my forehead. “You know, the first few times you called me bitch may have been a novelty, but it’s really starting to be played out.”
My comment was met with silence. That didn’t happen often. The words had taken her off guard. There was only so much I could take before lashing out.
“I’m sitting in your driveway. Put on whatever ratty yoga pants you pull out of the dirty laundry and get your flat ass out here.” Irritation tinged with anger laced her words.
Britney hadn’t appreciated being called out about her overuse of the word bitch.
“Why are you here?” I blinked, trying to adjust my eyes to the bright sunlight.
The shades had been closed last night. Patrick opened them on purpose when he left hoping that the daylight streaming through would wake me. As usual I felt like nothing more than a used rag.
“We’re going somewhere. Now hurry up. Don’t keep me waiting.”
Yeah, god forbid anyone keep Britney waiting. When the call ended I climbed out of bed. Like a good little flunky, I did as I was told.
Despite what Britney said, I slipped into clean black yoga pants and pulled on a white t-shirt. Stuffing my feet into my shoes, I grabbed my bag and headed for the door. Britney’s idling Bentley was at the end of driveway.
After locking the door behind me, I trekked down the sidewalk, forcing each step. The closer I got to her car, the more my stomach churned. The little voice in the back of my head told me I’d regret this decision. Britney was behind the wheel. She was alone in the car. I didn’t want to be alone with her. I had hoped the at least the others would be with her. Though what did it matter. They were obviously on her side.