Deceived - The Complete Series (12 page)

She smiled. “Me too, actually. But honestly, I need to slow down...just a little bit. I’m not pushing you away. I just need to feel like this isn’t all too sudden...okay?”

He nodded, but his face showed he was frustrated. Steve wasn’t a man that was used to being told no. “I will see you tomorrow at the shoot.” He brought his lips back to hers and kissed her hard then, slipping his tongue into her mouth and letting it linger, long and slow. When he broke the kiss she was out of breath and flushed in the face. “To remember me by,” he said with a wink and a grin.

“I could never forget you,” she said, breathlessly. He waited until she was safely inside before leaving. Joanne was still up when she walked into the living room. She was painting her toenails and watching Lifetime television.

“Hey, what are you watching?” Angela asked her.

“It’s this movie about a stalker. Speaking of which, have you talked to Thomas tonight?”

Angela laughed. “Thomas is not a stalker. He’s still my, friend...we’re just on a little break. He’s your friend too.”

Joanne shook her head and said, “You’re too nice.”

“Now you sound like Steve. I need to get to bed so I can be at the shoot bright and early. Thanks for letting me stay here.”

“Anytime. I wish I had more than one bedroom and you could move in with me.”

“I couldn’t live with you,” Angela said as she headed down the hall. “I’m too attracted to you. I couldn’t control myself.” She felt the couch pillow hit her in the back of the head. She finished making her way to the bedroom to the sound of her friend’s laughter.

Angela woke up the next morning with a back ache from sleeping on the roll away bed in Joanne’s room. She fixed a pot of coffee while Joanne still slept and thought about how her life had changed so drastically in the past week. She’d gone from thinking she would never be happy again, to looking into the future that she thought she would never have...all because of Steve. It felt like Kismet that he came along at exactly the right time.

She finished her coffee and then took an Uber car to the office. As she was walking into the lobby, she ran into Thomas. He was wearing a dark blue suit with a gray tie and he was clean shaven and bright eyed. He looked good, better than he had the last few times she’d seen him. She prepared herself for him to be angry, but she needn’t have worried. He smiled at her and said, “Are you still my best roommate?”

She smiled back and said, “For now.” Putting his arm around her, he led her to the elevator. As the doors closed he kissed the side of her head and said, “You know how much I care about you, right? I’m stupid sometimes, but I do the things I do and say the things I say because I want to take care of you.”

“I know, but I really don’t need to be taken care of anymore. Not like I did. I think we got a little too dependent on each other there for a while. Things are better now.”

“Because of Steve?”

“No...I mean, yes, of course he’s a part of it. But, they’re better because I finally accepted that Blake would want me to be happy.”

The elevator stopped and they stepped off. “True story,” he said with a smile.

*****

Angela, Thomas and Kimberly rode to the Irwindale Speedway together. It was about a forty minute ride in the traffic, but they were in the back of a limousine that Kim had hired, so it was a comfortable ride. Angela couldn’t help but notice how upbeat Kim was. She and Thomas both seemed happier than she’d seen either one of them in a while. She wondered briefly if Kimberly knew about her and Steve, but decided against it since she was being so nice to her.

When they got to the speedway, they were taken to the offices right alongside of the track. There were big windows where the executives could see the race from the comfort of their office. They went inside and found Steve waiting for them. Angela couldn’t help but notice how Kimberly’s already bright face got even brighter. Steve on the other hand, didn’t look happy to see her. Thomas and Steve ignored each other. It was all slightly uncomfortable.

Steve grinned at her and told Kim, “The car is all set up. We’re just waiting on Wade.” Wade is their driver and Steve and Ana were going to pose with him for the pictures this morning.

“Okay, where is your sister?”

“She’ll be here,” Steve said. “We still have half an hour. The photographer is not even here yet.”

“Okay, well, I’d like to see the car so I know what we’re looking at as far as angles and all of that.”

“It’s right out there,” Steve told her. The car was burnt orange and had the number “12” painted on the side. Steve told Angela it was in honor of a football team. It stood for the man who always stood ready in case the team needed him. Wade was a former football player and so that was the number they’d decided on.

“Come out with me,” she said, “I need to see it up close and know what you want us to get photos of.” Steve glanced at Angela. Kim didn’t miss it and she didn’t look happy about it. She shook it off quickly however and said, “Come on, we don’t have all day.”

With a sigh, Steve followed her out. Thomas and Angela stayed behind and Angela began to prepare the releases they would need Wade, Steve and Ana to sign for the photographer. A few minutes passed when they heard the sound of a phone. Angela looked over and saw Steve’s phone on the desk. Thomas was looking at it too.

“You should probably get that,” he said.

“Why? It’s not my phone.”

Thomas shrugged. “Maybe it’s Ana?”

“It’s a text. He can look at it when he gets in.” Angela was surprised when Thomas went ahead and picked it up. She shook her head and watched him read the message. He drew his brows together in the middle and curled his lip. Curious, she said, “What is it?”

“Nothing,” he said with disgust, tossing the phone back on the desk like it had burned him.

“It doesn’t look like nothing, judging by your face.”

“It’s an old message. I guess he just hadn’t checked it yet so it was still making noise.”

“How old?”

“I don’t know Ang. Just let it go, okay?”

“What do you mean, let it go? What am I letting go?” she suddenly needed to see what was on the phone. She reached for it and Thomas snatched it back up. “What the hell is wrong with you? Let me see it.”

“I don’t think you should.” He glanced out at Kimberly and Steve on the track and looked nervously back down at the phone.

“Damn it, Thomas, what the hell is on that phone?”

He looked a little sick as he finally handed it to her. She looked at what Thomas hadn’t wanted her to see. It was a photo. She pressed to enlarge it and a photo of Kim lying naked on a dark red satin comforter popped up. “Fuck! What is this?” She scrolled down. There were three more, all of Kim and all naked in different poses. Now she felt sick. There was a message attached to them from her that said,

“I can’t stop thinking about having your hard cock buried in my hot pussy. You were great last night baby...as always. I’m glad your dinner finished early. Let me know as soon as it happens again. I can’t wait to suck that big cock again...In the meantime; I took some selfies to tide you over. I know how much you love to look at me naked. Can’t wait to see you on the track in a few hours. Too bad we’ll have so much company or we could fuck in the car like we did last week. See you soon, Kisses, Kim.”

Angela dropped the phone on the floor and looked at Thomas. His face looked like he was torn up for her, but didn’t know what to do. She felt the tears rising and she looked out the window at Kim and Steve. She couldn’t see Steve’s face, but Kim glanced at her and touched Steve’s arm. He looked up at her and she said something. He put his head back under the hood and Kim looked like she was laughing. She glanced one more time in Angela’s direction. Angela suddenly wondered if they were laughing at her. She felt like such an incredible fool. She ran into the bathroom and dropped to her knees in front of the toilet. She began to puke up her morning coffee. She didn’t have anything else in her stomach. Suddenly she felt a pair of warm hands gather her hair from behind. Thomas had knelt behind her and was holding her hair up out of the way.

“What is wrong with me?” she thought. “Here is this really great guy who has been my rock for so long...and I’m willing to give that up...for what? A cheater, a playboy?” She leaned her head into Thomas when she was done vomiting and he wrapped his arms around her. He leaned back into the wall and just silently held her. All of the progress she had made was gone...out the window with the naked photos. She was back to square one and the guy who had always been there for her was still the only one there.

C
hapter 1

“So are we going to look at the apartment in Lakewood after work?” Angela and Joanne were sitting at the sidewalk café down the street from Angela’s work. She was on her break and doing her best to avoid her boss at all costs. Her phone buzzed...again. It was the tenth time today at least that Steve tried to reach her.

“Yeah. I think it might be the one...as long as it looks as good in person as it does online.”

“Lakewood is a little longer trip for you to and from work.”

“I know. I might have to invest in a car...” Angela looked down at her phone in her lap.

“Is it Steve again?”

“No, this time it’s Thomas. He wants to have dinner tonight. He’s going to be pissed when I turn him down to go apartment hunting.”

“Too damned bad! He seriously needs to get over himself. It’s creepy the way he thinks he owns you...I’ve known him almost as long as you and I have never seen this side of him.”

“He doesn’t think he owns me, Jo. He’s just a really good friend.”

“Too good, if you ask me, he wants to be a lot more.”

“You know, other than that night at dinner, he hasn’t really done anything to give me that idea. He’s just always there for me, Jo. I have to give him so much credit for that.” 

“You give him too much credit. You’re too nice. Just do me a favor and really watch the way he looks at you...it’s not right.”

Angela smiled at her friend. She knew that Joanne was just worried about her. She also knew that’s all that was wrong with Thomas too. She couldn’t wait until her life was back in a place where no one had to worry. “Okay, I’ll watch him,” she said, putting her credit card down in the tray and motioning at the waitress. “I’ll see you at about five-thirty?”

“I’ll be there with bells on,” Jo said. Angela kissed her cheek, signed for lunch when the waitress got back and headed back to work. The first person she saw when she walked back into the lobby of the building was Steve.

“Angela...”

“You can’t just show up like this. I’m at work.”

“I was here for a meeting...”

“Oh really? With Kim? Another photo shoot? I hope you got some good ones.”

“Angela, listen to me, please. I came here to confront Kim about those pictures and what she said in that text. She’s trying to come between us, baby...”

“Don’t call me that, you have no right...” Angela was trying to get to the elevator but Steve was standing between it and her. “Get out of my way. I have to get back to work.”

“Will you please...”

“The lady said to get out of her way.” Angela turned at the sound of Thomas’ voice. It was a bit startling the way he’d come out of nowhere, but she was grateful he was there.

“Stay out of this. It doesn’t concern you,” Steve said.

She felt Thomas step up next to her. She put her hand on his arm. He was coiled as tightly as a spring that was about to pop. “Thomas, it’s okay. We can’t do this here, alright?” The muscles in his arm became even tauter with her words.

“He can’t just keep showing up here, harassing you, Ang.”

“He’s not harassing me. He was here for a meeting. You’re leaving now, right, Steve?”

Steve shot Thomas a glare and then gave Angela one last, pleading look before he said, “Yeah, I’m leaving. Angela please call me...”

“Get out,” Thomas said in a tone that indicated the next thing he had to say would not be as nice. Steve didn’t seem fazed at all by Thomas. He never took his eyes off of Angela’s face. He gave her one last agonized look before stepping around Thomas and heading for the door.

When he was gone Thomas looked at her and said, “I’m going to talk to Kim about him. She can deal with Ana. He needs to stay away from here...”

“No!”

Thomas looked shocked. “What do you mean no?”

“Just what I said. I appreciate your concern, Thomas...I really do. But, this is my job. I don’t want my personal life being brought into it. Please don’t talk to Kim. I don’t doubt that given the choice between me or Steve that she would choose him. Please don’t make this worse than it already is.”

He set his jaw and for a second Angela thought he wasn’t going to let it go. Then just as quickly, he relaxed. He threw his arm around her and pulled her in for a side hug. Brushing his lips quickly across her hair line he said, “Okay. I don’t want to do anything to make this harder on you. I’ll leave it alone. As long as he leaves you alone.”

“Thank you,” Angela told him. “I’m going to get back to work now. I have a meeting this afternoon at four.”

“Okay,” Thomas said, taking his arm off of her shoulders. “Will I see you for dinner? I didn’t get a response to my text.”

“Oh shoot! I’m sorry. Joanne and I were having lunch and I just forgot to text you back. I can’t have dinner tonight.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Why not?”

“I’m looking at an apartment tonight in Lakewood.”

He looked angry again instantly. “What the fuck, Angela? I thought we agreed that you were going to wait...”

“Thomas, I need you to understand that I need my own space.”

“You have your own space, Ang. I’m not crowding you at home, am I? You were gone for the whole weekend...I didn’t call or text you the whole time you were at that fancy house in Long Beach...”

“Fancy house? How do you know what kind of house it was?”

He rolled his eyes. “I’ve met Ana and Steve. They’re spoiled, rich brats, both of them. I’m sure it’s a big, fancy house. That doesn’t matter though. My point was that you went away to have fun and I left you alone. You have your own room and most of the time; I’m not even home...” His voice was growing louder and more desperate. Angela looked around the lobby and realized they were drawing attention.