Shackled Lily (7 page)

My father cleared his throat and then began asking Anna and her illegitimate child about their day. I stopped listening the moment she opened her mouth and concentrated instead on the food in front of me. I went to reach for my glass when it dawned on me that they hadn’t served wine with dinner. We ALWAYS had wine with dinner.

When Rosa returned to fill our glasses, I asked her to bring me a glass of Merlot. She looked up at my father, and he informed me that we wouldn’t be having wine with dinner for a while. I just shrugged my shoulders and continued eating in oblivion until my stomach was full.

I was starting to believe I would get through this dinner unscathed until I heard my father’s voice turn to me.

“So Issy, classes at Carolina start next week. I spoke to an advisor at Winsor and registered you for some basic courses you seem to be missing. They should transfer back easily.”

“Basic courses for what degree, Dad?” I asked sarcastically.

“Business, of course. What else would you take? It’s nothing difficult, college algebra and Intro to Business will likely be the hardest ones on your schedule.”

“I don’t want to major in business.”

“Ok, what do you want to major in then?” he asked calmly. I didn’t have an answer and just stared at him, silently challenging his control. “Exactly what I thought,” he continued. “This is a good course load no matter what you want to do.”

The discussion was over, a fact left very clear by his body language. I realized sitting there that this was my father’s best-case scenario. I had screwed up enough for him to take absolute control of my life, and no one would stop him b
ecause they believed as he did—that I was incapable of managing my own life. I felt the anger surge in me again as I fought for control.

“Can I please be excused?” I asked through gritted teeth.

My father saw my expression and nodded. I guess his tolerance for my outbursts was done for the day. I was moderately grateful and stormed through the door and out to the lake. The cold breeze from the water chilled me to the bone, but I liked it. I needed to feel numb.

6
. western carolina university

After almost a week in captivity, I actually felt a little grateful for the escape that school brought, even though I had no intention of doing any more than was necessary to stay enrolled. My father had finally brought my car down from Winsor, so I at least had transportation again.

I stood looking in the mirror before leaving for school and smiled. My hair was a beautiful purple color
, and I put back in my nose ring that I only wore when I wanted to tick off my father. My ensemble of tight black jeans, knee-high black boots and a tight black long-sleeved sweater adorned with multiple layers of silver chains and bracelets, just magnified my hair. It was exactly the first impression I wanted to make, and I smiled before taking two swigs of Vodka. I would need a replacement bottle very soon I realized as I swirled the last of the liquid around in a circle.

I intentionally swung by my father’s office to say goodbye, and he looked up at me with a scowl. He was getting more and more agitated as the week went on. His need to “babysit” me had kept him in town far longer than I had ever seen. I secretly enjoyed the fact that Anna grated on his nerves almost as much as she did mine, which became more and more apparent the longer he had to spend with her.

“I’m off,” I announced, walking into his office. Grant was sitting opposite of my father, with his back to me, but turned when he heard my voice. Seeing him after a week of avoiding all contact left me almost breathless. We locked eyes for a second, and he grinned, appraising my look. I grinned back and winked at him, knowing my father would catch the gesture and be even more annoyed.

“You look…interesting,” was all my dad said before returning to whatever he was doing when I walked in.

“Thanks, Daddy, that was exactly what I was going for. See you tonight…seven sharp,” I continued sarcastically. Grant was trying to hold in his laughter as this point, and while my father just waved his hand at me, I saw his ears get a very weird shade of red.

Mission accomplished
, I thought as I started my car. There was no way my dad would make it another week in this house, and I was so ready for him to leave.

The drive to school only took ten minutes. While I had never been a student here, I was relatively familiar with the campus, or at least the main buildings. College bars were often the best for underage drinking
, and Ben and I had spent many weekends here enjoying that perk.

I parked the car and headed to my first class, Intro to Business, garnering second glances from most of the boys I passed by. I let them stare, moving my hips provocatively as I passed.

The class was about twice the size as Winsor’s, easily two hundred chairs in a theater type setup. I stood at the bottom and looked around. Where I sat would be critical, and I needed to find someone immediately who would get me into a decent party scene.

Before I could settle on a location, I heard a whistle behind me as a dark haired hottie with two women perched on his arm walked by me. His hair was shaggy, falling over one eye casually and his ice blue eyes burned into mine as he passed. Most women would swoon from such a look, but it actually made me nauseous. Guys like that were the worst. They were totally aware of how cute they were and used it shamelessly to degrade and manipulate women. I rolled my eyes and kept scrolling through the crowd to find the perfect seat. It took only a minute for him to deposit his harem before finding his way back to me.

“You must be new here, because I have no doubt I would have noticed you before today,” he said seductively as he stood in front of me, blocking my view. His arms were crossed, and I saw multiple tattoos climbing up his chiseled arms until they slid up under the sleeves of his black t-shirt.

“Not interested,” I said flatly before moving around him. I was going to have to make this decision quicker than I wanted to. I found a row of empty seats that still had a good view of the class and sat next to the isle. The dark haired stalker followed me. I sighed, knowing I was trapped. Men like
that were so sure every woman wanted them that they took dismissal as foreplay, making them pursue even harder.

He squatted down by my chair. “At least give me a name to go with those piercing green eyes, or I’m afraid I’ll spend the whole class distracted and not learn a thing.” He was staring up at me through long eyelashes, just waiting for me to cave.

“Listen,” I said, annoyed. “I’m sure there are about a hundred girls in here just waiting for your charm and abuse, but I’m not one of them. Please go away.” The chairs were quickly filling up and the longer he stayed next to me, the less likely my chances were at finding a real prospect for fun.

“A thousand girls would be
a sad substitute for you, green eyes. Come on, just a name, what’s the harm in that?”

It was becoming more than obvious that he was not going to leave, and I was about to give up when I finally spotted my savior. He was easily as tall as my dad with dark skin and a body that screamed football player. He had his cap pulled down over his eyes and his arms crossed as if he was catching a last minute nap.

“Excuse me,” I snapped as I slid from the desk and made my way to the seat next to the sleeping giant. I set my stuff down and leaned into his ear whispering, “Make this idiot go away, and I swear I’ll owe you.” He didn’t say a word, but I saw his eyebrow arch.

The dark haired stalker slid into the seat next to me and grinned. “Good choice. The view up here is much better…on many accounts.” He started to lean into me, placing his forearm on my desk as he spoke.

The sleeping giant sat up in his chair and pulled his cap up off his face. He was even more intimidating than I previously thought. “I think you’ve got the wrong chair, Casanova, the lady’s with me.” His voice was steady and calm, but there was no room for argument. I took the hint and wrapped my small hands around his bulging bicep, feigning a hug.

The dark haired boy looked shocked, but finally left to rejoin his awaiting fan club. What possessed a woman to share her man was beyond me.

“Thank you,” I said sighing as I released the giant’s arm. “I’m Issy, and you are officially my knight in shining armor.” I shot him my most charming smile and flipped my bright hair off my shoulder.

He wasn’t impressed and just pulled his cap back down and went back to his hunched position. “Reggie,” he said flatly, closing his eyes once more.

I decided right then that I liked Reggie. He didn’t know it yet, but he was going to be my new partner in crime. I needed a Jake substitute, and he was the perfect fit. Handsome, intimidating, and totally not interested in me that way.

The class was as boring as the name implied it would be, and I spent most of it texting my friends from Winsor. I texted Jake, telling him my dad trapped me in a business class. His only response was to ask if I had heard from Avery today. I immediately tensed. Avery and I had talked every day since I got to my dad’s, but I hadn’t heard from her since Saturday. I knew she was still spending too much time with Jake, but she assured me nothing was going on.

Me: No. Why?

Jake:
No reason. I’ll call you later.

I sat up a little, knowing without question that something bad was happening.

Me:
What’s going on?

There was no response this time. I, in turn, texted Avery a question mark. No response either. I felt anger burn in my stomach. I hated this! I was completely out of the loop.

Class finally ended and Reggie woke back up. “I miss anything?” he asked sleepily.

“Nope. Guy figures we can’t read and spent the hour going over the syllabus.”

Reggie actually smiled, a row of white teeth visible against his dark lips. It made his brown eyes light up and made him appear much less intimidating, almost friendly.

I followed him out of the class and kept in step with him as he walked briskly across campus.

“So Reggie, how long have you been at Western?” I asked, practically running.

He slowed down so I could keep up and shot up his eyebrow again. “Sophomore, why?”

“Just making conversation. I’m new here, and you looked like my new best friend,” I explained sweetly.

He laughed out loud and stopped to stare at me. “Who are you?”

I was amusing him which was perfect. “Issy. It’s actually a very long, sad story that neither of us want to relive, so let’s just say that I love to party and have fun, and you look like a guy who’s got a few connections…and the ability to keep ego maniacs off of me.”

“And what makes you think I have connections?”

Just then, two equally large men walked up to Reggie and did some kind of hand slap hello before settling appreciative eyes on me. I looked up at him and smiled smugly before introducing myself to his friends.

The shortest one with blond hair and blue eyes took the most interest in me, asking me all sorts of questions about school. I flirted back and before the conversation was over, had a personal invitation to a back to school party the football team was putting on. They had apparently rented out the alumni clubhouse for the night and promised a great time.

Before I could agree, Reggie’s arm was around my shoulder, pulling me along with him. “Come on, Tink,” he said shaking his head. “It’s a good thing I have little sisters.”

“Tink?” I questioned.

“Yeah, like Tinkerbell, the tiny, green fairy that wouldn’t go away,” he explained with a smirk.

I thought about it for a second and decided I liked it. Tinkerbell never grew up and could fly. Could there be
a better nickname? “Works for me,” I agreed as I curled my arm around his.

Reggie deposited me off at my next class and reluctantly agreed to meet me for lunch at the student union. This class was much smaller and more intense as most math classes often were. It had been two years since I looked at math and secretly wished Avery was still in the room next to me. She could do this stuff in her sleep. Oh well, I could buy old tests on line and at least pull a passing grade without much effort.

I exchanged numbers with a shy, smart girl named Kari, who took more notes in this one class than I had in all two years I was in college. Yep, she would be a good resource.

I quickly realized that Western Carolina was much like Winsor except everything was larger. The classrooms, the buildings and even the student union was double what I was used to. I perched myself on a bench outside and tried once again to text Jake and Avery while I waited for Reggie to show up. Still no answer. Something was definitely going on.

I looked up when I heard Reggie clear his throat and saw him standing hand in hand with one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen. She was tall on her own, but her three-inch heels put her almost eye to eye with Reggie. Her skin was a light brown color that was so flawless I almost wanted to reach out and touch it. I watched as her full lips turned up to smile warmly at me and I returned the gesture, noticing the sparkle in her large brown eyes.

Reggie looked a little bored, but made the introductions. “Tink, this is Candace, my girlfriend.” This was the best-case scenario for a girlfriend because there was no way she’d feel threatened by me.

“It’s Issy, actually,” I replied reaching out my hand. “But, since Reggie has been my savior today, I let him call me whatever he wants to. It’s very nice to meet you.”

Candace shook my hand politely and then let go of Reggie’s hand so she could walk with me into the building. As we approached the food court, Candace filled me in on all the gossip regarding the people who would likely sit with us.

“The blond one you met today,” she continued. “Don’t ever take a drink from him or get in a room alone with him. He’s not a good guy.”

“Good to know,” I said nodding.

“The rest of the guys are pretty harmless, but most of their girlfriends are territorial. Don’t worry, though, you’re with Reggie and me, so they’ll be nice to you…despite how gorgeous you are,” she said with a wink. “The only one really worth dating is Rusty. He’s a genuinely good guy. Girls try and throw themselves at him all the time, and he never pays them any attention. He prefers the good girls.”

I started to laugh. “Well, that certainly puts me out of the running,” I admitted. “Doesn’t matter anyway, I’m not the dating type. Too much restriction.”

“Whatever you say, but maybe you should wait until you see him first.” Her lips curled into a breathtaking smile and I knew right then she and I would be great friends. It made me almost want to thank the dark haired hottie who forced me into the seat next to Reggie. I had certainly hit the jackpot.

The table was almost full by the time we joined the group. The blond
e from earlier waved at me, but I heeded Candace’s warning and blew him off. He realized I had been warned and removed himself from the table in a huff. Candace was right about Rusty…he truly was one of the most handsome men I’d ever seen. Worse, he got better looking the more you got to know him because he was such a gentleman. It didn’t matter, though, he was definitely not my type and truth be told, there were only one pair of eyes that could make me swoon and it wasn’t Rusty’s,

“Where are you headed to next?” Rusty asked when he saw me starting to pack up.