Chapter 16

“Tonight was wild.” Beatrice checked her lipstick in the side view mirror of Skylar’s car. The brown hue had disappeared from the inner parts of her full lips, leaving an outline around its shape; side effect of drinking numerous drinks, no doubt. But she hated the look. It screamed messy and unkempt. It didn’t matter that she was on her way home.

Beatrice snagged up Skylar’s packet of wipes from the backseat, tore one away from his like friends and swiped the moist paper over her lips. Satisfied that all remnants of lipstick had been removed, she applied some chap stick.

“So much for our spot,” Skylar giggled, her eyes trained on the road ahead. She despised driving and if it weren’t for the sake of convenience she’d have long ago forgone the need to get a license.

“The event attracted a creep, that’s for sure.” Beatrice leaned her head all the way back on the seat, the effects of the alcohol buzzing its way to a small hum and she began feeling lethargic. “Did security come sort it out?” She kept her eyes on Skylar, tugging at the seat belt to give her way to successfully shift in her seat. Her back shoulder propped against the car door.

When she was alone outside waiting for Skylar her heart was thundering. While it was only one man, some people were volatile when drunk. Her heart had sung when she saw Skylar walking up to her.

“Actually, the guy came to his senses after we spoke to him.” Skylar responded softly. “He needed to be told a few times that I wasn’t interested but once he understood that he left,” Her mind racing with too many thoughts of Austin. Who would have thought that he of all people was willing to defend her? Skylar had never been ungrateful, if anything, she experienced gratitude and loyalty with an overwhelming need for repayment.

Did she need to repay him? The searing light from a car driving past them incinerated that momentary lapse in judgement.

She had to remind herself that Austin had an agenda. Nothing he did was out of the goodness of his heart…assuming he had one. If she didn’t have something he was interested in there was not a tiny speck of doubt in her mind that he would have closed his eyes to the entire situation. Not that she needed his help. Those men weren’t exactly trained assassins, rather mediocre men that banked on their natural strength to intimidate and assault women.

“We?” Beatrice echoed the words with an insinuating undertone, her eyebrows wiggling about in a quest for further information. “Guess I wasn’t wrong about you having chemistry with that handsome, roguish devil.” The words were a sigh, spoken in the same manner one would use when mentioning a celebrity crush. Beatrice knew when Skylar was hiding something, which had never been much.

Skylar’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. “That venomous devil,” Skylar spat, part in response to her own troubling thoughts, “is probably the closest thing I have to a real life arch nemesis. I think you mistake our dying restrain in wanting to choke each other out for chemistry.”

“Isn’t choking one of your kinks?” Beatrice chuckled, “he has some pretty strong hands. Could you imagine his dark eyes pinning you with just his gaze, that smug grin on his lips while his hands are around your neck…”

The car swerved to the wrong lane as the words shifted into creating the disturbing imagine in Skylar’s head. Beatrice’s body shifted and she reached out to the dashboard to steady herself. Skylar immediately caught hold of herself, and straightened the car. It was lucky the road was clear. Thank God for back roads!

“Ugh, why would you put that image in my head, I’m driving.” She yelled over the sound of Beatrice giggling. Skylar rued the day she’d told the girls about her sexual kinks. Not that she’d really experienced any of them. Her need to be in control when it came to men had restricted her in expressing her sexual desires and no, she had yet to meet a man that was capable of fulfilling them.

“He came up to defend you, that’s not very arch nemesis like.” Beatrice objected, her eyes fluttering open in a struggle to stay awake. It was a good thing she was heading to Skylar’s house for the night. She was able to just relax for the drive.

“He came up to have his own ego stroked,” Skylar corrected her. His male bravado had nothing to do wanting to keep Skylar safe. He’d already seen her as his property because of the baby inside of her and he was just marking his territory to discourage other men.

She was no one’s territory. And she needn’t his help to dissuade predatory men.

“You really don’t find him a tad bit attractive?” Beatrice was losing her train of thought as her brain sent signals to her body; it was time to sleep.

“Who a person is on the inside determines how I see them on the outside.” Skylar glanced at Beatrice and smiled. She’d always been a lightweight. Four drinks max and she was out like a light. For that same reason most of their girl’s night were at home.

“Seems to me like you don’t actually know him.” Beatrice’s voice grew whiny.

“When have I ever judged someone prematurely or without good cause.” Skylar questioned, unsure if she’d get an actual thought out answer with the state her friend was in. She was struggling to stay awake. Her body bundled up into a cosy corner.

“First time for everything, he actually helped you out and you still can’t see past your own hatred.” Beatrice accused her. Skylar gasped, what?

“I had it handled!” Was the entirety of her circle to see her as incompetent now that Austin was floating around enchanting them all? Her own mother had lost faith in her and now her best friend? This was some serious voodoo.

“Sure you did.” Beatrice’s words were barely audible over the sound of the air-conditioning. These were the last lucid words she spoke until they arrived at Skylar’s home. Skylar had woken Beatrice up, helped her to a guest bedroom all before taking a shower and jumping into her own bed.

Skylar folded her hands on her stomach and stared up at the ceiling; a shadowy, limitless pit in the darkness of her room. The events of the night kept swirling around in her head. Only the events that involved a certain devilish imp.

Was Beatrice right? Did Skylar judge him too harshly? She’d been a child when she had made the decision to hate him, but she wasn’t a child anymore. Then how could the very thought of someone be so irritating? From the little she saw of him recently she had no reason to alter her perception. It was seeming that her sixteen-year-old self had good instincts. However, she’d promise to leave herself open to the possibility of Austin redeeming himself in her eyes. If she were to see any good qualities she will consider it.

That was all she could really do. Her perception would entirely depend on him now. Not that he would care. The problem was never with her alone. Austin also despised her. She had not gotten up one day and randomly decided to hate him. It was mutual.

Skylar kicked of the bed sheets and sat up in bed. Sleep had forsaken her tonight and condemned her to spend it with her thoughts. She threaded to her windowsill, plunging onto the window seat she had installed a couple years ago. She drew a throw pillow into her arms as she let the windows out. The night air whispering excitedly as they made an exploration of her room.

Yet, why was their hatred mutual? It had been their whole dynamic for as long as Skylar could recall and she didn’t know why. Some people were just born enemies, she guessed. Some people just couldn’t stand the sight of each other. How was she to blame for the reaction he conjured up in her? She couldn’t.

At the end of it all, all the wild thoughts and doubts, it was simple. She couldn’t force herself to like or tolerate Austin in the same manner he could not be forced to like her. It was against their very natures. She respected that and she had no need to explain that to anyone.

Skylar rested her head against the window frame, her eyes jutting down. In a few days Austin would have forgotten about this ridiculous marriage nonsense and her life would go back to normal. As normal as it could be now that she was an expecting mother.

Sleep dragged her down with the promise of Austin Cyner being a name soon unheard by her ears.

***

“Ms. Taavon?” Paris peeked her head through Skylar’s office. Their phone lines were being serviced today so Paris was on her feet more than usual.

“Yes?” Skylar didn’t look up from her computer screen. The day was running away and she suffered fatigue. Last night’s sleep at the windowsill had not been the most invigorating.

“There is an Emma Meyers here to see you and she doesn’t have an appointment.” Paris said the words steadily, “She’s very insistent to see you, though.” Skylar abandoned the view of her computer, knowing well what Paris meant by ‘insistent’. There was someone rude demanding an audience. Skylar didn’t tolerate rude.

“Wait, Meyers?” Skylar echoed the name and Paris nodded. Meyers was the title of Colin’s family and well, Austin too. Skylar recalled him educating her on their differing titles. She wondered why any of that family would visit her work.

Perhaps it was time she moved…

“Send her in.” Skylar directed, closing down her work.