Deception Page 7

  The garage was big enough to hold four cars, but only the Audi was inside. I walked over to it and climbed in. After I finally figured out how to raise the garage door, I backed out and headed down the driveway. The gate opened as soon as I stopped in front of it.

  I could really get used to this.

  The drive to work was uneventful, but as soon as I pulled into the diner parking lot, that changed. Junie was walking toward the building and stopped when she saw me. Her eyes widened in surprise when I climbed out of my new car.

  “You’ve got to be shitting me. A new car?” she asked.

  I walked over to her, suddenly uncomfortable. “Um…yeah. It came with the package.”

  “Package?”

  “I moved in with Robert last night. He found out about the gym and refused to let me stay there anymore. He also gave me this car.” I shifted nervously as I waited to see how she’d react.

  She shook her head. “You’re getting in deep with him, aren’t you?”

  “I guess so. Is that a bad thing?”

  “No, it’s just…I don’t know. I’m sure I’m just being overprotective, but I worry about you being with him.”

  “I told you before that you shouldn’t. Robert is a good man. All he’s doing is taking care of me and helping me. I really care about him. I lo—” I clamped my mouth shut, shocked that I’d almost said the L-word.

  Love? There was no way I loved Robert yet. It was too soon. Isn’t it? Falling in love with him wouldn’t be hard. As I thought about it, I realized that I might already be.

  “I’m going to pretend that you didn’t just say that. Come on, let’s get the diner ready,” Junie said as she started walking again.

  I followed her inside, the L-word still bouncing around my brain.

  When I arrived home that night, I was surprised to find a note on my bed. I picked it up and read it.

  CLAIRE,

  I HAD NEW CLOTHES DELIVERED TO THE HOUSE TODAY. ELLIE CHECKED THE SIZES OF YOUR CLOTHING IN THE CLOSET TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WOULD FIT. I HOPE YOU LIKE THEM.

  ROBERT

  I closed my eyes, trying to process what the note said. I couldn’t believe that he’d bought me new things. I opened my eyes and walked over to the dresser.

  Unsure of what I would find, I pulled the first drawer open. It was completely full. My eyes widened in shock as I picked up the first thing my hands touched—a pair of silky underwear. I dug through the drawer, checking out each piece of lingerie. He’d purchased every kind of underwear out there—from boy shorts to pieces of string that could barely pass for underwear.

  I closed the drawer and opened the next one. It was also full, but this time, it was bras. I picked up one and stared at it. When I saw the brand name, I dropped it back into the drawer. None of these were like the cheap ones I usually wore. No, they were expensive and sexy. I bit my lip as I closed the drawer and hurried over to the walk-in closet. I threw the door open and flipped on the switch.

  Oh my God.

  Last night, the closet had been empty, except for a small corner where I’d hung my clothes. Now, it was full of dresses, jeans, shirts, shorts, jackets, dressy clothes I’d never wear, and shoes.

  Oh, the shoes…

  There were at least twenty pairs. Some were heels, some sandals, a few pairs of running shoes, and even a pair of Converse.

  I closed the door and walked over to my bed. I dropped down onto it and picked up Robert’s note. I had no clue what to think.

  It’s too much. I can’t handle all this at once.

  I knew Robert was only trying to help me, but his generosity was starting to worry me. I’d only been with him for a month, but I already felt overwhelmed. The money he had spent on me so far made it seem like we’d been together for years. I’d never been in a relationship before, but to me, it seemed like we were moving way too fast. First a room, then a car, and now clothes... I was starting to feel more than a little freaked out.

  I knew what I had to do. When he came home tonight, I was going to sit down and talk to him. If I explained how I felt, maybe he would understand why he couldn’t keep buying me things. I didn’t want to throw his gifts back in his face, but I couldn’t accept them either. They were just too much, too fast.

  Decision made, I stood and walked to the dresser. I dug through the clothes until I found a pair of yoga pants and a tank top that I’d brought with me. After changing into them, I threw my work uniform into the hamper. I frowned when I realized the clothes I’d put in there last night were gone. Obviously, Robert’s maid had washed my clothes for me. Maybe I was being stupid, but I didn’t want her to wash my clothes. I was staying here rent-free, so the least I could do was wash my own laundry.

  Forcing my annoyance aside, I lay down on the bed and grabbed my e-reader off the nightstand. I needed a distraction until Robert came home. Reading would keep my mind off of everything going on in my life.

  Three hours later, I heard a knock on my bedroom door. I yelled for Robert to come in as I put my e-reader down on the nightstand.

  He opened the door and walked in. The smile on his face was infectious. I grinned back as he sat down on the bed.

  “I could most certainly get used to this.” He leaned over and kissed me.

  “Get used to what?” I asked when he pulled away.

  “Coming home every night and seeing you in my house.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone. “This is for you.”

  My happiness over the kiss disappeared as I took the phone from him. It was a smartphone. I’d seen television ads for them, so I knew they weren’t cheap.

  “I told you that I didn’t need a phone.” I put the phone down.

  “And I told you I wasn’t arguing with you over it.”

  I sat up. “I think we need to talk, Robert.”

  He gave me a questioning look. “Okay…”

  “Look, I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me. No one has ever cared enough about me to do the things you’ve done. But I can’t keep accepting gifts from you. The car, the clothes, the phone—they’re all too much. I know you’re trying to take care of me, but it’s just too much at once. It makes me feel uncomfortable.”

  “Why would you feel uncomfortable? Most women love when men buy them presents.” He frowned at me.

  “I’m not most women. I don’t want you to think I’m only using you for your money, and that’s what it looks like. I just feel like we’re moving too fast.”

  Anger flashed in his eyes, shocking me.

  “I know you’re not using me. You’ve fought me tooth and nail on every single thing I’ve given you. No, you’re not like other women. You’re innocent and kind. That’s why I’m with you and not with someone else. I’m sorry that the gifts bother you, but I’m not going to stop buying things for you.”

  “Robert—” I started.

  He cut me off as he said, “No, we’re done talking about this. You’re mine, and I plan to make sure that you’re taken care of. You will never want for anything again. All I ask for in exchange is that you stay with me. I love you, Claire. I have since the moment I laid eyes on you.”

  My mouth dropped open in shock. He loves me? “You can’t love me, Robert. You don’t even know me that well.”

  “Yes, I do. You think that I’d let a stranger stay in my house? I’ve done a lot of research on you, Claire. I know about every single foster home you lived in. I’ve read your records. Time and time again, CPS noted how you took care of the other kids and how caring you were.” He took a deep breath. “And I know about Jason.”

  My entire body froze. No, he can’t know. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Bullshit. I know what he did to you. I saw the pictures. He nearly beat you to death, Claire.”

  Jason was one of my foster siblings. It had been so long since I even thought about him. When I was fourteen, I’d moved in with the Jones family, and he had been the only other foster kid. He was two years older than me,
and we’d become friends almost instantly. For months, he had been my best friend. He’d even protected me at school when some of the other kids made fun of me for being in foster care.

  One night, he’d come home drunk. Our foster parents had already been asleep, so I’d unlocked the door to let him in. He had been so drunk that he could barely walk. I’d somehow managed to get him to his room without waking anyone up. When I’d helped him lie down on the bed, he’d pulled me down with him. At first, I’d thought it was because he was so drunk. Then, he’d started whispering dirty things in my ear as he tried to pull my tank top off. I’d kicked him to get away, but that had only made him angry. He’d called me a whore and a tease as he beat me. By the time our foster parents had woken up, I’d passed out.

  The weeks following that night had been horrible. I’d been ripped out of the home and placed with another foster family. Jason had been arrested for assault and battery. The cops had pressed charges against him, and I had been pretty much forced to testify against him by the police and my new foster parents. He’d been convicted as an adult, and as far as I knew, he was still in jail.

  After that night, I’d closed myself off from my foster siblings. It wasn’t until I’d met Shelly that I let myself trust again. The little girl had wormed her way into my heart in a matter of weeks. No one had managed to do that in years.

  “You had no right to look into my past,” I said as tears filled my eyes.

  “I wanted to know more about you, Claire, and you refused to talk about the past.”

  “Because I didn’t want you to know!” I shouted.

  I wasn’t sure if I was crying from the pain of the memories or because I was so angry with Robert. It was probably both. He’d invaded my privacy, and he made me remember things that I’d buried long ago.

  “You can’t hide things from me. What’s in the past doesn’t matter. You’re so broken, Claire, and you don’t even realize it.”

  “I want to be alone.” I looked away from him.

  “Claire, talk to me,” Robert said.

  I shook my head. “Just go. Please.”

  He sighed, and I felt the bed shift when he stood up.

  “All right, I’ll give you some time. I won’t apologize for searching into your past though, Claire. I had a right to know.”

  I didn’t say a word. I couldn’t. I was too angry at the moment, and I knew I’d say something that I might regret later.

  “Don’t forget that I have a surprise planned for you tomorrow. A car will pick you up at nine in the morning.”

  When the door closed, I started sobbing. I was so hurt and angry over what he’d done. He’d investigated me, like I was one of his cases that he would talk about. I felt violated. My past was mine, and he had no right to search into it. He should’ve respected me enough not to pry.

  I scooted down the bed and lay down again. After a while, my tears finally dried, and all I had left was anger. No matter what I said, Robert wouldn’t listen to me. He’d still continue to buy me things even after I explained to him why I didn’t want them. He’d continue to search for answers when I didn’t want to give them. Whatever I said wouldn’t matter.

  I closed my eyes and threw my arm over my face. He’d said he loved me. But how could he? If he did, he wouldn’t have dug into my past like that. For the first time since I’d met Robert, I wasn’t sure if I wanted anything to do with him. Finally, sleep took me, but my dreams were troubled the entire night.

  When I awoke the next morning, my head was throbbing. After digging through my purse for a bottle of headache medicine, I took a few pills, hoping that they would help. I opened the dresser and grabbed underwear before heading to the bathroom to shower.

  I felt horrible. The anger from the night before had drained me of energy. The fact that I’d had trouble sleeping probably wasn’t helping either. I showered quickly, dried off, and pulled on my underwear.

  I remembered that Robert had said a car would be picking me up at nine. Glancing at the clock on the bathroom wall, I saw that I only had half an hour to get ready. I debated on staying home since I was so mad at him. The pure rage I’d felt last night was gone, but I was still angry.

  I was quickly learning that Robert was all about control. He hadn’t been intentionally cruel to me, but the fact that he was now in control of almost every part of my life bothered me.

  In the end, I decided to go. If I stayed home all day, I would only mope about what had happened last night. I tried to look at things from his side. In his own way, he had only been trying to help me and get to know me better.

  I didn’t approve of how he’d handled everything though. Total and complete trust wouldn’t happen overnight, especially from me. If he’d given me time to get to know him better, I probably would’ve told him about my past and all the ugly things I’d endured.

  I pushed my troubled thoughts away as I scrambled to get ready. I didn’t bother with makeup since I was running late. I braided my hair while it was still wet. Not the best way to show up for a surprise, but I didn’t have much of a choice.

  I dressed quickly before running downstairs and out the front door to where a car was waiting on me. I hurried to the black Cadillac SUV and climbed inside.

  As soon as I closed the door, the car took off. Now that I was no longer rushing to get ready, my thoughts from earlier came back. I sighed as I realized that Robert and I were truly in a relationship now. We’d even had our first fight. I had no doubt that relationships were hard and ours would be no different. I needed to let go of the anger I felt toward him and move on.

  By the time the driver took me to my destination, I’d decided to let it go. I would still talk to him and explain why his prying had made me so angry, but I wasn’t going to hold a grudge. There was no point.

  It turned out that my surprise was a spa. After Robert’s driver promised that he would be waiting for me when I was finished, I walked inside and nervously looked around. I’d never been to a spa before, and I had no clue what to expect.

  A woman in her mid-thirties sat behind a reception desk, and I walked over to her.

  As soon as she saw me, she smiled. “Hi, can I help you?”

  “Um…yeah, I have an appointment here—or at least, I think I do.”

  She gave me a strange look. “Okay. What is the name on the reservation?”

  I gave her Robert’s name. The moment it left my lips, her eyes widened in shock.

  “Of course. Come with me.”

  I followed her across the room and down a hallway. She opened a door and motioned me inside. I walked in and looked around. A table stood in the middle of the floor. Several potted plants were in the room, and soothing music played from hidden speakers.

  “Mr. Evans arranged for you to have the full package today,” the receptionist said.

  “The full package? What does that include?” I asked.

  “A facial, Swedish massage, a pedicure and manicure, and a bikini wax.”

  My mind skipped over everything else and landed on the wax part. “Whoa, wait a minute. A bikini wax?”

  She nodded. “Yes, we’ll also wax your eyebrows and legs for you. Mr. Evans also instructed us to style your hair.”

  “I’ve never had any part of me waxed before,” I said nervously. I didn’t usually handle pain well.

  “Don’t worry. Everyone hears horror stories about how painful bikini waxes are, but I assure you that they’re not that bad,” she said.

  She lied.

  Twenty minutes later, I was biting my lip so hard that I could taste blood as I tried not to scream. The bikini wax was the most embarrassing and painful experience of my life. Having my legs and eyebrows waxed hadn’t been much better. When we finished, I limped to the next room for my massage, cursing Robert and the woman who had waxed my lady bits.

  The massage went much better. I enjoyed it so much that I almost forgave Robert for scheduling the waxing. The facial came next. I had to admit that being pampered was somet
hing I could get used to.

  The spa staff brought me fruity drinks while I was getting my manicure and pedicure. By my third one, I realized that they had alcohol in them even though I couldn’t taste it. I’d never had alcohol in my life, and the drinks were hitting me hard. The world grew fuzzy as I watched a woman paint my toenails.

  I still felt strange when they sent me to the salon a few doors down from the nail place. The stylist gave me a strange look as I practically fell down into the chair, but she didn’t comment on my behavior.

  “What are we doing with your hair?” she asked.

  I stared at my reflection in the mirror as she took out my braid, debating on what to do. My hair had always been the same—long and one length. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to change it.

  “Can you just trim it and maybe add a few layers?” I asked.

  “Sure. Your hair is gorgeous. I understand why you want to keep it long.”

  I watched as she pinned part of my hair up, and then she started cutting. She trimmed just enough to get rid of my split ends. When she finished, she gave me a mirror so that I could see what she’d done. I’d always trimmed my own hair, so I smiled when I saw how much prettier it looked, and I realized that cosmetology school wasn’t in the cards for me.

  “Thank you. It looks so much better!”

  “You’re very welcome. It’s amazing what some layers can do. Now, let’s get your makeup done.”

  She pulled a cart over to me. It was covered with makeup and some things I didn’t recognize. Besides foundation, eyeliner, and eye shadow, I didn’t really mess with makeup much. As she worked, she took the time to explain how to apply everything. When she finished, all I could do was stare into the mirror in shock. I looked the same but completely different.