Chapter 9: Desperate
Time seemed to fly by in a blur with Stephen. Dinner had come to an end with us breaking the ice after getting to know each other some more. During that period, I had realized how much of a bitch I was because all I was thinking about was getting in his pants while he was planning another date. He had been the perfect gentleman, never once making his eyes linger on my exposed cleavage even though I would purposely lean forward as we spoke.
The man had intentions on being in a committed relationship while I was pursuing a one night stand.
But who said we couldn't compromise?
Being fuck buddies was somewhere along those lines right?
With that final consolation, I bit my lips as I stared at Stephen who sat way too confidently back into his seat after returning from the men's restroom. His posture was more causal, unlike the stiff and upright one he always had. Even the way he slightly tapped his fingers against the table was getting to me but I brushed it off, thinking I was only overthinking.
"Did you enjoy your time with me?"
My brows furrowed at the forward question.
"Uh...yeah, you're great company to have. We should do this more often."
"I don't think so." I heard him mutter and my mouth fell open.
"What did you just say?"
"Huh?" He blinked innocently.
I stared at the expression, something about it oddly reminiscent.
"I swore I just heard you turn down my offer of us hanging out again. If you did, that would make me very sad. You're not getting back at me for always ignoring you before, are you?" My hands covered his large ones and I titled my head at him in a curious manner.
My next move was to give him eyes that no man could ever deny.
When he continued to stare, I knew I had him right where I wanted him.
But that was when things became really intense.
He never stopped staring.
Not until he uttered with a stoic face, "Do you talk to every man like that?"
"Like what?"
"As if you're desperate."
A punch was delivered to my self esteem as I pulled my hand away.
He appeared very serious, his form not giving away more than that.
Staring at the man who always had such a boy next door personality, I couldn't believe that he could say something like that. Especially to meâsomeone who he's been crushing on. I knew it. Our colleagues knew it. Even freaking Angelo who had been serving us for the past hour knew it! Though I haven't seen any sight of him for a while now. I was starting to wonder if he had given up on stalking me, seeing as I already had company.
I forced a laugh at his words.
"Steph, you're really killing me! Is that your idea of a joke because I hate to break it to youâit's not funny." I ended with a deadpan face.
Who the fuck did he think he was calling me desperate?
As if we both didn't know who deserved that title more between the two of us.
"I wasn't trying to make you laugh. If I were, I would've painted my face like the clown you take me for."
My hands reached for the glass of water and took a big gulp out of it. I tried not to react out of instinct because if I had, the cold liquid wouldn't be going down my throat right now but instead it would be dripping down someone's face.
Fixing him into a hard stare, I mirrored his actions and leant back into my chair.
"Are you fucking with me right now?"
"No, and frankly, I'd like it if you'd lose the attitude. It doesn't go well in a refined setting like this one. In fact, I'd say everything you're wearing doesn't suit this place but you don't hear me complaining."
Talk about a wolf in a sheep's clothing.
You really fooled me, Stephen.
Here I was thinking that he was actually a sweet guy and feeling guilty for taking advantage of him.
Not bothering to argue with him any further, I grabbed my clutch from off the table.
The stink eye I gave him made him flinch a little before I got up and left.
Once I was out the door, the cold night air hit me and my body trembled by the force of it. Hugging myself, I made my way to the parking lot while calling myself a taxi.
"Hello, I'm trying to book a driver. How long do think it'll take before you get to the destination I just sent you?"
The man on the other line began to talk but before anything could register, the phone was ripped out of my hand.
"Hey-"
A frown made its way onto my face at the sight of Stephen.
"What the hell do you want?"
"Isabelle, I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me! I didn't mean any of the things I just said to you. You've gotta believe me!" He exclaimed with urgent eyes. His desperation for me to buy his story was obvious and I would have if he hadn't trampled over my pride. Just by doing that alone made me not want to do him anymore.
"That's great and all but could you please give me back my phone?"
He flushed before handing me back the small device.
I looked down at it and saw that my call had ended.
"Great." I muttered sardonically. "Now I'm gonna have to go through all that process again."
"Let me take you home." He interrupted quickly.
The man was twiddling his thumbs like a child would when they had done something wrong.
It was clear that he was regretting the things he had said back in the restaurant but that was what confused the heck out of me. The way he acted was so unlike himself. Even if someone was ever to make him angry, I doubted that he would be able to raise his voice much less tell them off, so what he had done to me not only offended but disappointed me.
"Are you sure you would be okay with that? I don't want to come off as being too desperate again."
He flinched.
"I really didn't mean that," Stephen mumbled the disheartening words under his breath. "It was just one mistake. Can't you forgive me? Please?"
I sighed whilst running a hand throughout my hair.
"Okay." I decided.
I wasn't one to hold things against people.
Moreover, this was his first strike since I've known him and that had been a year. As much as people tried to bring the pretense of it, nobody was perfect. There was no reason to behave as if he had been.
A certain happiness lit up in his eyes. "Really?"
"Yes, I'll forgive you this time around. But it doesn't mean that I'll forget it. After all, we both know who's the one more desperate between the two of us, right?" I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Right." He nodded eagerly.
Now that's the Stephen I know.
I looked over at the man who was now awkwardly stationed in the front seat. He had dropped me off at my house without any hints at wanting more than the quality time we spent together. After his little slip of the tongue, he had probably expected that much. And as much as I needed get those pair of silver eyes out of my mind, right now I wasn't in the mood for him to help me do it.
That was precisely why a woman should never fail in having a good toy tucked away.
On a rainy day, you'll always have it to take out and play.
And right now, it was pouring.
Shaking my head at the recollection of how a certain hottie's veins stood up in his arm as he took our order earlier, I gave Stephen a little wave before heading for the side door.
"Good night, Stephen. I'll see you at work on Monday."
He gave a timid smile as he watched me leave but then I heard a distinctive click fill the inside of the vehicle.
Wait...
That sounded like he had just-
Frantically, I attempted to open the car door and leave but it wasn't working. It had been closed shut from the inside. At that realization, I turned to the baby faced driver in a fit of rage.
"Stephen, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
He watched me with a smirk lining his face and I bristled. It reminded me of his demeanor earlier when he had reprimanded me for coming off as too strong. Cocky to the point of being dreadfully supercilious.
"What? Isn't this what you wanted?" He purred, hands making its way onto my exposed thigh.
I threw his hands off me, gazing down at the spot as if he had left a mark.
"Did you just touch me? Voluntarily at that?"
"Why? Do you want me to do it again?" He leant forward and I blinked rapidly at the Cheshire smile on his face. Oh my God. Why did it seem like I was constantly being confronted by two different people with the same face?
Maybe that was the answer!
"Stephen, do you have split personality perhaps?" I asked seriously.
If that was the case, I could've been more understanding of his shift in moods.
Okay, not totally but to the point where I didn't want to set his ass on fire for making me get an emotional whiplash every other time he opened his mouth.
A sudden light of amusement sparked in his eyes and it wasn't the good kind.
It brought the chills.
"If that's what you call it then fine. It won't really matter by the time I have you screaming beneath me."
"Wait, wait, wait!" I stopped his pursuits quickly as he began to lean into me. "What makes you think that I want to sleep with you? To be honest, the way you're acting makes me never want to greet you in public ever again. It's unsettling."
"What, are you scared?"
My lips twitched in a tiny snarl. "Open the fucking door."
"I thought you wanted to be laid," he continued, unperturbed by my anger towards him. "At least, that's what you've been thinking all night. Why don't you let me make you wish come true?"
Before I could even speak he pounced on me.
Running his hands all over my body, Stephen violated me in ways I didn't know was possible for someone of his character.
"Get your hands off me! Right now."
"Why? I thought you wanted to be properly fucked." He grinned devilishly and slipped his hands between legs. My eyes widened. "I can give you what you want. Be your little boy toy for the night. Have you trample all over my self esteem only to get a taste of you."
"S-Stephen...stop it."
I was beginning to panic.
It wasn't supposed to be like this. How could the day turn out to be such a pain in the ass? Who would've thought someone as sweet as Stephen would turn out to be a dick who'd stoop as low as forcing himself onto me? Not me that's for sure.
When his thumb pressed against the front of my panties, that's when I started thrashing against him, hitting his head and shoulders.
"I said stop it goddamnit!"
He took ahold of my offensive hands and clasped then before me in a tight grip.
His eyes were a storm as he gazed at me and I started to tremble by the potential threat within them.
"Don't you dare try and fucking stop me. I'll give you exactly what your heart desires." His lips were on mine in the next second and I took the liberty of pressing mine closed, determined not to reciprocate it.
My mind was on a haywire as I tried to get out this situation but couldn't no matter how hard I tried. His hands had a vice-like grip on me and I physically couldn't move anything but my legs but even they were stuck at an awkward angle beneath the dashboard.
"Please," I begged, feeling the full force of panic. "Don't do this."
He didn't cease his harassment, continuing to let his lips do their work against me and that was when his dark words rang into my ears.
"You're mine. Nobody else can have you but me. Nobody. I'll teach each and everyone of them a lesson if they ever so dare to even lay a finger on you. I won't refrain from meeting out an even worse treatment to you either if you welcome their advances, understood?"
All I could do was nod in compliance.
Of course I didn't agree with anything he was saying but I was willing to accept it if he was going to let me go.
He only held onto me tighter.
When he pulled his mouth away from mine, I gasped in relief. However, it was short lived. Hot hair brushed the nape of my neck and goosebumps raised on the surface accordingly. Something about the way he held me brought a sense of alarm but also...security.
What was I fucking on?
Noâwhat the hell was he on?
The sobs came amidst the moment of genuine perplexity. I just couldn't understand what was happening and it was bringing out the fear in me. I didn't want to fear someone like StephenânoâI didn't want to fear anyone period, but I just couldn't help the way I was feeling. I felt like I could hardly breathe being in his embrace but at the same time I felt like I was being given a breath of fresh air no one else had the blessing of experiencing.
So I cried.
I cried, and cried, and cried.
Upon feeling my body racking with sobs, the man released me and took a look at my face.
The shadow over his face slowly lifted at the sight of me so broken. An emotion I never thought could've overcome him was presentâregret.
Within Stephen's brown eyes a sliver lightning flashed before he blinked rapidly.
"Fuck, I'm sorry." He began to apologize but his change in demeanor only riled me up more.
"I didn't mean to-" He reached for my cheeks but I flinched, turning away from him.
His face dropped.
"I didn't mean to make you cry."
I sniffled before giving him an exhausted look. "Please just open the door."
Taking me by surprise, this time he complied and pressed a button and gave free access to the door. As soon as he had, I pushed it open and ran for the towering building. Once I had buzzed myself inside, I didn't bother to take the liberty of looking back. I quickly headed for the elevator and when I had made it to my apartment I made sure to put every lock there was to use.
Bracing my back against the front door, I painted heavily. I brushed my brunette hair out of my hair as the adrenaline died down.
With my heart beating at a critical rate, I slid down onto the floor of my place wordlessly.
The only thing that came afterwards were tears.
***
Poor Isabelle.
She bit off more than she could chew.