“As much as I would like that,” he says amused, “my intentions were never to force myself on you. If you ever end up in my bed, it will be your choice, I assure you.”
“Yeah, keep dreaming.”
“I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t want you, because I do. I’ve wanted you since I first saw you in the dress store, but I just want to get to know you, spend time with you.”
“Must be pretty lonely at the top for you to go to all that trouble just for some company. You must have hundreds of people banging down your door, wanting to spend time with you.”
“That’s just it. I do, but they all want something from me, they usually want money, a favour, a loan, a quick fuck...” he trails off. “You, you’re nothing like anyone I’ve met before, money doesn’t impress you, I didn’t impress you.”
“We’re not all shallow, materialistic assholes you know. Maybe the reason people always want something from you, is because all you have is money to burn, to throw around when it suits you, when you want something.”
“Because it’s the only way I know how... and I know that makes me a dick, but...”
The elevator door dings, and they slide open as we reach the lobby. We walk out in silence, crossing the wide, open foyer.
“Good morning, Mr King!” A lady shouts from the welcome desk, jumping up from her seat the second she saw us coming. She’s young, insanely beautiful and a little too enthusiastic. We walk over to her and stop in front of her desk.
“Morning… um….” He trails off, searching for her name.
“Stacey,” She replies, giving him the biggest smile, I’ve ever seen, flashing him her name badge.
“Stacey. Can you give Alex a call and ask him to bring my car around?”
“Of course,” she replies, still smiling, never taking her eyes off Kyle. She picks up the phone on her desk and makes the call.
Kyle turns to me.
“Will your dad be home?” he asks.
“Probably,” I reply, the feeling of dread washes over me.
“Your car will be ready in a few minutes, Mr King.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem. Have a lovely day,” Stacey says, twirling her hair around her finger seductively.
Kyle places his hand on the small of my back, sending a shiver through my body as he leads me away through the lobby and out of the entrance where a shiny dark green 1960’s mustang sits. When we reach the car, Kyle holds the passenger door for me, once I’m in, he shuts the door behind me and makes his way around the car to the driver’s side and gets in.
“Queens, right?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
Kyle nods. The car rumbles to life, the sound is glorious, the steady hum of the engine sending vibrations through my body. We pull out and wind our way through the busy streets of New York.
I reach for the car radio. The silence is deafening, I need something to cut through this atmosphere. “Do you mind?”
“Be my guest.”
I flick through the stations until I find the classic rock station, playing Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd. How ironic.
The journey consists of mostly silence, in which I spend most of the ride, gazing out of the car window, resting my head on the cool smooth glass, while I allow the music on the radio to drown everything out, only speaking to give Kyle directions.
A short while later, we arrive outside my house, my dad’s car is parked on the driveway. My stomach lurches at the thought of seeing my dad.
Kyle pull the car up to the curb and turns off the engine, the radio cutting out. “I’ll wait out here.”
“Okay.” I climb out and make my way to the front door.
Before I have chance to open the door, it swings open and my dad steps out.
“Hayley! Thank God,” he says, pulling me into a tight hug.
I struggle out of his grasp and step back. “I won’t be staying long.”
“Wait.” He tugs me back gently, his eyes widen. “What happened to your face, and your neck?” He looks up to see Kyle who has gotten out of the car and is now standing in front of it, watching us. My dad tenses. “Why is he here? Did he do this to you?” he asks, attempting to hold back his anger.
“No, he didn’t. In fact, he was the one saved me, and don’t you dare be mad at him! Let’s just remember how we got into this situation in the first place, more specifically, how you got us into it,” I shout.
Of course, Kyle isn’t innocent, not by a long shot, but my dad isn’t either, and here he is acting like he’s done no wrong. I move past him, stomping into the house and heading up the stairs into my room.
“Did someone hurt you, did they… did they touch you? Tell me,” he calls after me as he bounds up the steps and across the landing, into my room, where he sees me shoving a few handfuls of clothes into a bag.
“I’m fine.”
“Where are you going?” he asks.
“I’m not staying here, not after yesterday.”
“So, you’re going with him? You can’t trust him Hayley.”
“And, I can trust you?”
“Of course, you can, Hales, I’m your dad.”
“Don’t call me that, and no, I can't trust you. I know Kyle’s no saint, but neither are you. And yes, I’m going with him. I don’t particularly relish the idea, but I don’t really have a choice, after all, you’re the one who made that deal with him. If I back out, we lose everything. So, thanks, dad, for putting me in this position.”
I pack up more of my stuff and brush past my dad, heading back down the stairs, out of the house and back to where Kyle is waiting for me.
My dad follows me. “Hayley.” I turn around and look at him, his eyes pled with me not
