Wanted Always (Xander Barns) (14 page)

“You can’t,” Ben repeats. “Please, I’m
sorry. I swear I’ll change. Just don’t go.”

“You’re still the same,” I tell him as I
try my best not to cry. “You don’t want to change.”

“Why can’t we just go back to the way it
was before?” Ben asks. “It was good back then.”

“No it wasn’t!” I snap and jerk my face
out of his hands. “It wasn’t good. It wasn’t good for a long time.”

Ben steps away, looking at the ground,
then looks back up at me with a scowl. “You can go now.”

I look at him, shaking my head. He’s
telling me to go now. How funny is that? I guess I really hit him hard. How
many times can you hear someone say they don’t want to be with you?

It finally hit home.

“Ben, I’m not right for you. I’m not what
you want. You need to be with someone who’s like you: driven, has a university
degree, and all that stuff. I’m none of those things. There would always be a
problem between us,” I tell him softly as I walk up to him and grab his
shoulder. “I can’t make you happy.”

Ben doesn’t say anything; he just stares
at my hand on his shoulder.

“I was never good enough for you,” I
whisper to him. “Go find someone and be happy.”

He still doesn’t say anything.

“I’m going to go now, okay?” I tell him.

He nods and looks up, staring me deep in
my eyes. I lean in and kiss him on the cheek. “Bye, Ben.”

“Bye, Marisa,” he murmurs softly.

I let go of his shoulder and open the car
door. Ben helps me get inside and shuts the door for me. He stands on the curb
staring at me.

“Ms. Gellys, is everything okay?” Daniels
asks, twisting his body to face me.

I stare at Ben as he turns around and
marches up the steps. I turn back to face Daniels, “I’m okay; this was just a
long time coming. I just…I don’t know. I was kidding myself into thinking
tonight would go smoothly.”

“I’m sorry,” Daniels says.

“It’s all good.” I give him a small smile.
“So, are we going to Xander’s now?”

“If that’s okay with you?” Daniels
replies.

“Yes, it’s a requirement, apparently,” I
tell him. “He is a demanding bastard, isn’t he?”

Daniels chuckles quietly. “Shall we go,
Ms. Gellys?”

I take one last look outside my window,
catching Ben walking back inside the building. “Yeah, let’s go.”

As Daniels drives out into the main
street, I lean over and place the paper towel-wrapped treasure down between my
feet.

En route to Xander’s.

Here we go.

Chapter Nine

*Demetria*

I don’t care if I have to stay here all
night; I’m not leaving till I see Xander.

Tonight is the night. The waiting around
is officially over; it’s time to take life and love into my own hands, and make
what I want to happen, happen. That’s the way things work in life. If you want
something bad enough, you have to go out and make it happen, doing whatever it
takes, letting no man or woman distract you from your goal.

I pity any man or woman who dares stand in
my way, especially in my current mood. I’ve been waiting for over an hour for
Xander to come home. How long is his charity work going to take him?

I look down for the first time since
arriving; my hot chocolate is finished, and the cup is sitting there empty.
That reminds me of something, my heart. The only way I can fill the void is if
I ask for a refill; the same as my heart, I need a refill of Xander.

Desperately.

And as if the love gods are listening to
my despair, a familiar car pulls up to the curb in front of the hotel.

I know that car. I’ve ridden in that car.
That’s Xander’s car!

Oh my God! Baby! My fingers tremble as
they grip the empty cup. I slowly slide off the stool, shoving the empty cup
into the trash can that’s nestled beside my table. It’s as if my blood is
frozen, and after so long, I am about to come face-to-face with the love of my
life, and only he can make my blood flow again. I will do anything to be with
Xander; even sit in a pedestrian-ridden Tim Horton’s for over an hour, drinking
commoner drinks.

Goodbye commoner mother-ship. I hope I
never have to step foot into one of you again. Even though your hot chocolate
was not that bad. A lady of my stature does not buy hot drinks from places like
Tim Horton’s. She gets them made fresh during brunch at a high-class hotel
after a night of making love with her one and only love.

A cool breeze hits me, refreshing my
senses from the stale odor that consumes the airflow back inside. I feel like
I’m about to catch an airborne disease from how bad it smells in there.

Ugh! Disgusting! The things I do for love.
My eyes are transfixed on the car as it
sits idle by the curb. I zip my waist–length, creamy-white mink jacket while I
wait for the crosswalk to turn green.

I follow the rules sometimes.

But, not all the time.

Chapter Ten

*Marisa*

“Ms. Gellys?”

The clouds part.

“Ms. Gellys?” Daniels says again, a little
louder.

“Yes,” I turn from the fog that’s consumed
me for the last forty minutes and face Daniels. “Sorry, I was out.”

Daniels chuckles quietly, “That’s alright.
We’ve arrived.”

I glance out the window and stare at the
hotel Daniels has brought me to. “So this is where that bastard is staying?”

“Mr. Barns frequents the Ogall Hotel often
during his visits to Ottawa,” Daniels explains.

I look up to see how big the building is;
it looks to be about twenty floors.

Wow.

“I see,” I say. “So what am I supposed to
do?” I turn back to face Daniels.

“Mr. Barns obtained a suite on the
fifteenth floor; his room is 1501. You can just go straight in and head toward
the elevators,” Daniels instructs.

“What if they stop me?” I ask warily.

“Not to worry, just tell them you’re here
to see Mr. Barns and they’ll understand right away,” Daniels explains further.

“Okay,” I reply. “Well, I guess this is
it, Daniels. Thank you for the ride.”

“You’re welcome, Ms. Gellys. I hope the rest
of your evening is pleasant,” Daniels smiles.

“I hope so too,” I say as I reach down and
grab my little present for Xander. “Are you finished?”

“Yes, I’m off after this,” Daniels
replies.

“Well, thanks again,” I tell him and reach
for the door handle. “Goodbye, Daniels.”

“Goodbye, Ms. Gellys,” Daniels calls as I
get out onto the sidewalk. I shut the car door and wave at Daniels once more
before he drives away. I turn and head toward the beautiful brass doors. A door
attendant opens them for me.

“Thank you,” I tell him, as I set foot
onto the sleek marble floors. The lobby is the most extravagant that I’ve ever
seen. A giant chandelier is centered in the ceiling, with what looks like over
a thousand crystals glistening on it. I trudge my way toward the elevator
hallway, keeping my face straight as if I belong here. I make my way
successfully to the elevators and press the top button.

As I wait for an elevator to come down,
another guest joins me.

Which wouldn’t be odd, except for one
small detail; the person has stopped right beside me, even though there’s
enough room for about twenty people in the little elevator hallway.

So why is this person standing right next
to me?

I turn my head slightly, and from the
corner of my eye, I look at the person.

The first thing I see is a white fur coat
that stops at their waist. Curly hair spills from underneath a blue beret and
stops after her shoulders. She’s tall. I glance down at her high heels that
look about six inches. As my eyes make their way up to see her face, I’m
startled when I see that she’s staring at me.

Creepily.

I turn back to face the button pad,
feeling the side of my face heat from her constant gaze that hasn’t turned
away.

Why the hell is she staring at me?

The sound of the elevator arriving rings,
thank God, and the doors open with a ‘ding’. I walk inside, and the tall,
curly-haired girl follows right behind me. I push the fifteenth floor button as
the girl comes inside, and this time, she doesn’t stand next to me, but slumps
against the back mirror.

“Um…what floor?” I ask, my voice a tad
hoarse.

Silence.

“Sixteen, please,” she murmurs softly
beneath a bundle of curly hair that has escaped her beret and fallen in front
of her face.

“No problem,” I murmur back, pressing her
button. I stare at the elevator number pad as the floors light up, wishing it
would go faster; then I could get off one the creepiest elevator rides of my
life.

What’s with the people I’m meeting today?
Did Ottawa turn into a safe haven for the unusual while I’ve been gone?

Canada’s creepiest people, please head to
Ottawa; you’re safe there.
Envisioning the new tourist ads by the Canadian government makes me chuckle
a little. I turn my face away so she won’t think it’s about her, when it kind
of is, but it’s not. But I still don’t want any more crazy vibes from her, so
the less I offend, the better. As soon as I think I have a handle on the
chuckles, I look back up, and from the corner of my eye, I take a glance at
her. She’s staring at me, eyes wide.

The elevator rings at the fifteenth floor.

Thank God!

The elevator doors open; I give a small
nod to the strange girl and walk out. As the doors close, I take another
glance, and she’s still staring at me.

I shiver a little at the look she is
giving me.
What the hell is that?

Okay, time to find Xander and do this
thing so I can get on with my life without thinking I owe anybody anything
more.

I head down a long hallway, following the
numbers on the door. It looks like Xander’s room is down the hallway, which
makes sense since the closer I get, the sound of love-making music echoes
loudly into the hallway. It’s getting louder as I approach his door. The sound
of the elevator rings and I hear the doors open.

Shit!

It could be security or something! I reach
his door and knock.

No one.

What the hell is he doing in there? And
why is he playing music like that? I thought he was just seeing me tonight?

Oh God! I grimace once I realize that this
might not be a party of two, and might be a party of three. Xander doesn't
mind; just ask Bitch Blonde from last night.

Ugh, I don’t want to think about her. I’ll
be lucky to evade the memory of her and her nasty juices in her cheap choice of
undies in the future.

I wait for a few seconds before pushing
against the door knob; I’m surprised when it opens.

Xander didn’t lock the door?
Confused, I open the door and go inside.
A blast of sexy music hits me as I close the door behind me.

What the hell is going on in here?

Wow! What a room! A bit different from the
room I have back at the Old Country Bed and Breakfast. My room could fit inside
his suite about four times. But then again, I’m sure he’s paying more than
twenty times what I’m paying for mine.

Xander is rich…but what does he do?

Again, things I don’t know about this man,
who I actually went out with last night and let take me home drunk out of my
mind. He could have been a psychopath that could have done anything to me, and
nobody would have known.

I’m too trusting!

The sound of a girl giggling comes from
the open door of the bedroom across the large living room.

What the hell? I’m horrified. What did I
just walk into?

Xander is with a girl! He’s probably
having sex and doing dirty things, and I’m about to walk right into it.

That fucking bastard! What a freaking
pervert! I look around trying to think quickly about what I should do. Why did
I come here? I came here to give Xander the thong he wants in exchange for the nice
makeover he paid for this morning.

Okay! All I have to do is give him the
thong, and then I’m free to go. I came here; I’m going to give him the thong.

I drop my clutch and the paper-towel
surprise on the side table next to the door. I bend over and yank the thong
off, cold air instantly hitting me down there. I notice a pen on his coffee
table and skip over trying to make the least noise possible. I grab the pen,
but when I make my way back, I trip.

“Ow!” I hiss, holding my knee.

“Oh my God, what was that?” I hear a girl
screech from the room.

“Don’t move!” I hear Xander order her.
“Who’s out there?”

I lay on the ground practically paralyzed.
My knee is killing me and won’t let me get up without making more noise out of
pain.

“It’s me,” I yell out.

“Who’s me?” Xander asks, clearly amused.

“Marisa, you idiot!” I yell, mortified.

Oh God! I can’t believe I just walked in
on him having sex. Crazy, underwear-involved sex, whatever that is.

“Hold on a second, my dear,” Xander murmurs.
He comes out of the bedroom in a pair of tight black boxers that look like
they’ve been painted on him.

My mouth drops at the sight of him.
Muscles sculpt every inch of his lightly tanned body. Xander’s eyes narrow at
my expression and I snap out of it, as the memories of the last twenty-four
hours resurface.

“Well, what do we have here?” he asks,
amused. “You’re early.”

“I said I would be here within the hour;
it’s not my fault you decided to squeeze in a quickie with one of your
hoochies!” I growl at him from the floor as he comes to a stop in front of me.

“Hoochie!” A girl yells from the other
room. I can hear stomping from the other room, coming toward us. “Who are you
calling a hoochie, bitch?”

Out comes a familiar face.

Blonde Bitch!

“You again?” She stops in the doorway,
glaring at me with fury.

“Irina, I thought I told you to stay put,”
Xander tells her as she looks back up at him, scowling.

“Xander, why is she here? Every time I’ve
seen you, she’s been there,” Irina cries like a spoiled brat.

Spoiled, bratty hooker?

“Yeah, Xander, why am I here? Especially
when you have a
guest
? Rude behavior much?” I scowl at him. I rub my
knee, bending it a little. It hurts a bit, but I’m okay to get back up and get
the fuck out of here.

Xander scowls back at me as I get up.

“No, don’t help me up. I’m good,” I tell
him sarcastically as I grab hold of the coffee table and pull myself up. Xander
starts to come toward me, but I hold out a hand to stop him.

“No – no, I’m just kidding. Don’t touch
me. Especially since you’ve been touching
that
,” I point to Irina, whose
mouth drops.

“Are you saying that I’m dirty? You
cockroach!” she yells from across the room.

“How about you go put your G-string back
on, and then we can have a talk like serious, mature adults!” I say back,
rolling my eyes.

“Now, now ladies, come on. There’s no need
for this kind of attitude with one another; why can’t we all just be friends?”
Xander interrupts, holding his hands in-between the two of us as if it’s enough
to hold us back.

I’ve been holding a grudge against this
girl since the first undeserving scowl she sent me at the club last night. Then
there was the slight shove to the shoulder.

Nobody touches me, and the fact that I was
drunk is the only reason she got away with it. Trust me; she would have been on
the ground if I was sober.

Like I am now.

“Oh, I remember you, hoochie! Shoving my
shoulder last night just so you could go back to the private room first,” I
remind her.

Irina smiles, “Ladies first!”

“Keep talking and I’m going to skull-fuck
your ass out of this room. Trust that those wild screams I heard earlier will
be traveling into the hallway; and everyone will hear and come out to
investigate, seeing your naked, jiggly ass like the cheap whore you are!” I
yell at her.

“What did you say to me?” Irina screeches
in fury, coming towards me with her arms flailing in the air wildly.

Oh yeah, I’m ready, especially with the
night I just had. I could use a punching bag.

“Come and get it, bitch. I’ve been waiting
to do this all night, maybe for my entire life. That’s right, I time-traveled
from the future. I’ve just come back from visiting you at the hospital where I
put your nasty ass!” I taunt her.

Okay, what the hell? Even I know that
doesn’t make any sense.

Xander runs in-between us. “Stop it, the
both of you. There’s plenty of me to go around for the both of you.”

The sound of the door shutting loudly
makes us all jump. “Well, what about me, Xander?” A furious-sounding voice
calls from in front of the door. I look up and see the creepy, curly-haired
girl from the hallway.

She followed me here!
I do a double take when I realize that
she just called Xander out. Of course Xander would know who she is; creepy,
meet creepier!

“Demetria?” Xander murmurs confused.

Oh my God! What did Xander just get us all
into?