Misguided Vows: Chapter 19

It’s nearing the end of the day and I’m absolutely buzzing as I go back and forth among the construction workers. I’m in a small office that’s going to be the last room they touch. I look over the plans, impressed. I can’t wait to see this come to life.

Jerry, one of the workers, pops his head in. “Miss, there’s someone here to see you.”

“Is it the tiler?” I ask, looking at my watch. I wasn’t expecting him until Tuesday.

Jerry shrugs. “I don’t know, he just said he has to see you.”

“Okay, no problem. I’ll be there in one second.” I scan my reflection in my laptop screen and quickly adjust my ponytail. I admire my red lipstick, appreciating the new purchase, and take one last sip of my coffee before I go out onto the shop floor. Chaos is erupting around me as men busily work away.

I come to a stop the moment I see Will standing at the door. He looks out of place in his freshly pressed attire considering all the dust and dirt fluttering about him.

This guy has got to be kidding me. I stalk up to him, and his arrogant smile pops that dimple into life. “You haven’t replied to my text messages.”

I grab him by the elbow and usher him out to the front of the store, where there are fewer workers. The moment we step outside, and the door closes behind us, I snap at him.

“Can you leave me the fuck alone?” are the first words out of my mouth. I could throttle him. And had I not met him before, I’d be in absolute disbelief by his sheer audacity at being here right now.

“Alina,” he drawls arrogantly.

“Wow, it seems like you’ve finally remembered my name with that one brain cell of yours,” I say with a vicious smile. “Now, leave.”

The door opens, and the contractor who I’d been speaking to ten minutes ago, starts to speak but stops when he notices the way Will and I are facing off.

“He was just leaving,” I tell the contractor.

“No, I wasn’t, and we’re not done,” Will argues, and there’s a threatening edge in his tone that catches both me and the contractor off guard.

“It’s not urgent, miss, I can wait inside,” the contractor says in a thick Boston accent and all but runs back inside.

I turn on Will with my finger in his face. “You can’t just show up here. This is my job, and you need to kindly fuck off. Whether these are your friends or not, it doesn’t give you the right to piss me off whenever you please.”

“Alina, I came to apologize.”

I try not to laugh as I place a hand on my hip. He’s deadly serious now. “For what, exactly? Humiliating me? Almost getting me killed? Because I’m pretty sure Anya is capable of it. Stalking me? Pissing me off every chance you get? Interrupting me at work? Shall I continue?”

“It’s a rather impressive list, isn’t it?” Will acknowledges.

I throw my hands up in the air, exasperated. “Can you take anything seriously?”

“I’m taking you seriously,” he says, and it catches us both off guard. He frowns at what he just said. “Come on. I know as much as I piss you off you also enjoy the challenge. I know that despite it, we have fun, don’t we? Please let me make it up to you.”

I shake my head in disbelief. I don’t know why he’s so focused on me, and yes, it’s flattering; yes, I do like the challenge. Yes, we’re sexually charged around one another, but I can’t make out what this connection is exactly. I know there’s depth to Will despite him hiding behind his humor and wit. I know this well because he’s not the only one who hides behind a mask and keeps everyone at an arm’s length. And it’s that intrigue making me want to discover more about him, to unravel him as much as he’s probably trying to figure out me, that’s the problem. What if I’m wrong? What if there is no depth and I’m wasting my time?

That startling realization brings me to a halt. Because why do I care about his layers? wasn’t it only physical attraction and a little banter and fun before he stepped too far?

I have to cut whatever this is here and now. I already have enough to think about without my friend’s brother chasing my skirt. “Thanks for the apology, but no, thank you.”

“How about another bet?” he suggests.

My mouth falls open in shock. I clearly didn’t hear him correctly, right?

Did he just suggest another bet?

He’s either deadly serious or absolutely trying to get another bite out of me. And it works. Every fucking time.

“So you can rig the next one too?”

“Nope. You pick the terms and the prizes this time. And I’ll play along like a good boy.”

“How would that benefit you? Win or lose, I could choose that you fuck off either way.”

“I think you’ll be fair. I mean, my prize should still stand. You let me have you for one night. And for yours, you pick what happens if you win.”

“Not if, when,” I correct him.

Damn, I just played right into his game.

I hate that I’m so competitive.

I hate that I want to play any type of game with him.

I just can’t shake him. Is it just sex? Is that what we need to do to end this? Just fuck already?

That’s when a car pulls up to the curb and Dawson and Honey climb out. Honey is carrying a bag of what looks like baked sweets.

“Well?” Will asks.

“You need to leave. I have work to do. And shouldn’t you be chasing someone down and getting your bounty money somewhere or something?” I wave him off as Honey approaches me. I ignore Will as he and Dawson begin talking.

“Why does it look like we just walked into something we shouldn’t be a part of?” Honey whispers as we enter the shop.

I sigh, exhausted and somewhat perplexed. Honey has been very vocal about becoming friends, but I don’t know where to draw a line since I’m working for both her and Dawson. But it’s the same feeling I have with Maria, that it’s an immediate friendship and surely they know more about Will than I do being his friend. She’s already prodded me so many times about what’s happening between us, and I want answers, too. Why is he so persistent? But I don’t want whatever is happening between Will and me to ruin this gig for me. “He just won’t leave me alone,” I tell her with a casual shrug, trying to probe casually. When she looks over her shoulder, he’s staring at me while still in conversation with Dawson.

“Looks like he doesn’t intend to leave you alone. He seems mesmerized.” She laughs. “These are for the workers, by the way. I made them fresh today for everyone.”

Jerry is walking past when I tap him on the shoulder and point to the baked goods. His eyes go wide as he happily takes them from Honey and whistles to the other guys working. I’ve never seen men stop so quickly, and they meet in the middle of the room to look through the bag.

Honey seems pleased with herself.

“I didn’t know there was anything between you two before he recommended you to redesign the shop,” she quietly whispers.

I roll my eyes. “There is no us. And I don’t know why he won’t leave me alone. Yesterday he almost got me murdered by a beautiful Russian woman. I’ve never been more terrified in my life. If looks could kill, I’d be dead.”

“You aren’t talking about Anya Ivanov, are you?”

My head whips around. “Do you know her?”

“Of course. And if Anya wanted you dead, you would be dead without a doubt.” She pauses, raising a brow. “What did you do?”

I scoff and head to the back of the shop so I can get farther away from Will. I’m somewhat reluctant to speak with Honey since her husband hired me, but she also has that immediate “you can tell me and trust me with anything” vibe. Damn her for being so kind.

I lean against the counter and pull out my camera. I take a few photos for my social media before I hesitantly say, “He made a bet with me.”

“A bet?” she asks, confused. A few of the men thank her for the baked sweets, and she smiles brightly at them. I have the distinct feeling if her husband saw her smiling at other guys, he’d sack them all in an instant. What is it with these men?

I can’t imagine Will being possessive, but then I think about how he spoke to the contractor. I push the thought away, reinforcing to myself that Will and I aren’t anything.

I pick a piece of lint off my shirt, then explain, “Yes. You see, I have issues with saying no to things I could win and I also love a challenge.” I give my best eye roll. “Anyway, he bet me I couldn’t get some guy’s number.” Her eyes go wide, as if already knowing where I’m going with this. “Turns out he was married.”

“You tried to get River Bentley’s number and you’re still alive?” She laughs, quickly covering her mouth as she tries to stop herself. “I’m sorry, but she’s killed for far less.”

I don’t know if she means in the literal sense, but it wouldn’t surprise me. Which makes her one hell of a dangerous woman, and yet I find myself confessing, “I kind of liked her. She went over to Will and tore him a new one.”

“Yep, that would be Anya. River and Will have been friends for a long time.”

“Of course they have.” I sigh. He must’ve planned the bet the moment he spotted River at the bar.

“I don’t know Will too well, but River and Dawson seem fond of him. From what I’ve heard, he’s never taken interest in a woman. Serious interest, that is.”

I roll my eyes, because I don’t think Will is taking me seriously, at least I hope not because I don’t do serious. I’m certain this is just sexual tension we both need to exploit.

I have very mixed feelings regarding Will. I must confess that I haven’t had any man try this hard to be with me. It kind of gives me a small boost of serotonin. But part of me thinks it’s absolutely crazy to entertain the idea of us, and that I should stay as far away from him as possible.

But what could it hurt? He could turn out to be my best lay ever. He could fuck like a god. Hell, he could give me multiple orgasms, which I have a feeling he knows how to do for the simple fact that he made me come with his fingers alone.

That in itself is a hard task. The only way I have ever been able to come prior to our encounter was with vibration on my clit. And yet, this man traps us both in the tiniest bathroom and manages to do it all within five minutes—with only his fingers. So yes, there is a small part of me that wonders if I should lose this bet. I would be stupid to give him that power over me.

But I think it’s a game I want to play. And I may very well lose on purpose just to get him away from me—or better yet, on top of me.

“I can see you thinking. You like him,” Honey says.

“No. No, I don’t,” I reply, baffled as to how she even came to that conclusion. She hums as her husband walks in, and I notice Will has finally taken a hint and left.

“I hear you’ve met almost everyone,” Dawson says, and I sag in defeat. It’s becoming rather difficult to keep the professionalism here. Will gossips just as much as any woman. Even though I’d just been doing the same.

“He told you about River and Anya?” I clarify.

“Oh, he sure did. Interesting, really.”

“I don’t think ‘interesting’ is the right word. Stalker might be the right one though.”

“Some of the greatest love stories start off with stalkers,” Honey gushes.

“You read too many romance books,” Dawson says, putting his arm around her waist and scanning the space.

“I feel like I see him every day since he’s at the same hotel,” I say absentmindedly as I flick through the photos I just took.

“Really?” Honey sounds surprised.

I look up and see they both have puzzled expressions. I thought they knew since they paid for my hotel.

“Yep. He apparently has access to open my room too,” I tell them, shaking my head.

Honey bites her bottom lip, and she and Dawson exchange a look.

“What?” I ask, not understanding what I’m missing. I feel guilty now. I hope they don’t think I’m ungrateful for them paying for my stay.

“He seems like he’s got it bad,” Honey says, then waves it off and goes on. “Well, anyway, if you’d like my old apartment, it’s vacant. At least that way you’ll have your own kitchen. And it’s in a good neighborhood not far from here.”

“I couldn’t impose,” I gush.

“Honestly, I haven’t been there for well over a year, so it’ll be nice to know someone is using it. Only if that’ll make the next few weeks more comfortable for you, that is.”

“Ah, sure, if you don’t mind. I mean, that sounds really nice, actually.”

She clasps her hands together. “No problem. I’ll bring in some keys tomorrow and give you the address. I told you, we’re friends now.”

Dawson kisses the top of her head almost as if adoring her kindness. I wonder if it’s what he gravitated toward at first, but Honey has a charm about her that I imagine is very difficult for anyone to ignore.

I admire what they have.

It doesn’t mean I want it though.

No, what I want is hard fucking.

And if I’m checking out of the hotel tomorrow, maybe I should make the most of tonight with a man who is far from sweet and adoring.

It doesn’t hurt to have a taste. Only once. Right?