Fighting to Survive (Guarded Hearts Book 3) (9 page)

I hurry to finish scrubbing my body and washing my hair.  My mother will most likely flip out if I’m not ready on time.  Stepping out of the shower, I wrap a towel around myself and head into my bedroom.

I hear a knock on my door and it makes me jump. “Who is it?”

“It’s your mother.” I can almost hear her trying to listen and figure out if Shawn is in here, too. I bet she even has her ear pressed against the door. “Come in, Mom.”

She opens the door slowly, and once she sees I’m alone, she steps in and closes the door. She sits down on my bed.
This can’t be good.
“Cece, how serious are you about this boy?”

My jaw drops. She has barely said two words to him and I can hear the disdain in her voice. “I care about him, Mom. He really is a great guy, and if you would actually give him a chance, you would see it, too.”

“Cece, let’s be serious here and drop the rebellious act. You know he isn’t someone you will end up with in the long run, so why lead him on?”
I can’t believe she is actually saying these things right now!
“I mean, really, his father does construction for a living and his mother is for all purposes a babysitter. What kind of future can he give you without a good background?”

“Ugh! I can’t believe you! Shawn is a great person and you don’t even know him or his family to judge them. Unlike you, I don’t think money is everything. He treats me right and makes me happy and that’s what matters!” She is such an ass sometimes and I swear if she calls me Cece again I might just scream!

“Lower your voice, young lady. All I’m saying is there are much better choices out there for you. Like Scott Jameson for example, now there is a boy who has it together.”

“Mother, for the last time I am not, nor will I ever be interested in Scott.” Scott is the son of one of my father’s business associates. He’s an over-privileged trust fund baby who thinks he can do no wrong. Even just looking at him makes my skin crawl, and my parents have been trying to get us together for the longest time. While I have no interest at all, he thinks I’m just playing hard to get. “If you don’t mind, I would like to finish getting ready.”

She gives me one of her ‘this discussion isn’t over’ faces and then leaves. I swear she makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs sometimes. Holly always jokes that it’s amazing I turned out normal after living in this house. When we were in high school, she only came over a few times because of how my parents are. It really sucked, too, because we always wanted to come here, but it was just easier not to.

I always loved going over to her house, though. Her dad was great and he always made me feel so welcome. He was everything I wish I could have had growing up, but it is what it is and I have to deal with it. I’m sure most people would think I sound like a spoiled rich girl, that’s not it at all, though. I know I was privileged to have as much as I did growing up, but money in no way replaces love. Unfortunately, love is the biggest thing my family has always lacked.

I finish getting ready and then head down to the guest room. When I walk in, he’s just pulling his shirt over his head. He has on a pair of black dress pants, and a light blue shirt. I love when he gets dressed up. Don’t get me wrong, he looks good in everything, but I love him like this. “Good enough to rub elbows with the rich and famous?” He smirks at me and I can’t help but laugh.

I walk up to him and wrap my arms around his neck. “I really don’t care about all the rich snobs who will be there. You’re more than good enough for me.” I stand on my tip-toes and kiss him before I hear someone clear their throat behind me. I turn around and my dad is standing there.

“Your mother asked me to come tell you we need to leave.” He turns around and walks back down the hallway.
Just great.
I couldn’t be dreading this night any more.

When we walk into the club, I have to work at not letting my jaw hit the floor. This place is really nice. Everyone here has some sort of expensive name brand on and enough jewelry to probably double what I paid for my truck last year. Christen squeezes my hand and I look down at her. I knew she was nervous about me feeling out of place, and now I see why. I smile down at her, letting her know I’m fine and try to get a hold of myself.

As ridiculous as it sounds, I feel like they all know I’m wearing a shirt I picked up from Wal-Mart for eight dollars. I honestly don’t care what these people think of me, but I do care what her parents think. Even though I know they don’t have the best relationship, I also know she really wants their approval. We walk into the dinner area and are shown to a table by a waiter in a suit, even the waiters are dressed better than I am.

When we sit down, I notice five chairs which is strange considering there are only four of us.  An awkward silence sets in as we all look over the menus. Half of the crap on here I have never even heard of. When I see someone sit in the empty seat at the table, I look up and see a guy about my age. I look over at Christen, and when she notices him, her face drops.
Who the hell is this guy?

Christen’s mother smiles at him. “Scott, dear, it is so nice to see you. How is Stanford?”

He gives her a cocky smile, and I can already tell he thinks way too highly of himself. “It’s easy, really. People who say it’s challenging are really just idiots.”

Her parents start to laugh that rich, fake laugh you always hear people doing at these kinds of places. “You have always had a good shoulder on your head, son, I’m glad you are doing well.”

He turns his gaze to Christen who is still avoiding eye contact and staring at her menu. “So, Christen, when are you going to make the switch? To an Ivy League, that is.”

Even though he makes it clear he’s talking about schools, I know from the sideways glance he shoots me he is talking about our relationship. This guy has been here a minute and I’m already about to drag him out of here by his collar.
Who the hell does he think he is?

Christen looks up and narrows her eyes at him. “I’m not making a switch to anything, Scott.”

That’s my girl.
I can see the disdain in her mother’s eyes as she looks at her, though. Her mother continues to talk to Scott and tries to keep Christen involved in the conversation, completely ignoring my existence. I can tell no matter what I do at this point, there is no way I am ever going to win her mother’s approval. This douche is the only kind of guy she will ever approve of, which is ridiculous because even an idiot could see Christen despises him. The fact I know she can’t stand him is probably the only good thing happening right now. I can’t sit here anymore and listen to him, though, so I excuse myself and take a walk to the bathroom.

Even the bathroom in this place is probably bigger than the first floor of my house. I’m just getting ready to head back to the table when the door opens and Scott walks in. I walk past him, not wanting to start anything because I’m already on edge from how the night has been going. When we pass each other, though, he throws his shoulder into me. Even though it hurt less than getting bitten by a fly, it’s just enough to push me over the edge.

I grab him by his shoulders and throw him backward, sending him flying into the elaborate wall of mirrors behind us. The mirror he hits cracks in multiple places. The door to the bathroom opens again, and when I look back, Christen’s dad is standing there. He surveys the scene and then gives me a look of disgust before heading back through the door. I walk back to the table, expecting everyone to be pissed off, but only to find no one has any idea what happened.
Why hasn’t he said anything?

The rest of dinner is a blur, and I can’t really concentrate on the conversation, not that anyone but Christen has tried to involve me. When we get back to the house, her parents go their separate ways without a word and the both of us head upstairs. Christen follows me to my room, and I’m still debating on whether I should mention what happened with Scott or not.

She closes the door behind her, and before I can say anything, she crushes her mouth to mine. Her hands wrap around my neck and her fingers grip my hair. I spin her around and back her toward the bed, wanting to have her now and not giving a damn if her parents are home or not. She lets go of my neck just long enough to pull her shirt off. I lower my mouth and kiss a trail down her neck and across her chest. As much as I want to take it slow and enjoy every minute of it, I need her now. I rip the remainder of our clothes off in less than a minute, then pick her up and toss her further up the bed. I leap on top of her and bury myself deep inside, loving the gasp she lets out when I do.

Christen wraps her legs around my waist, pulling me deeper into her. I can’t hold back any longer. I grab her hips, using them as leverage, and start slamming myself into her. She’s being really loud and I’m pretty sure no matter how big this house is, her parents can hear us. Her fingers scrape down my back, setting my skin on fire. I can tell by the way she’s acting she’s close, which works for me because I can barely hold back.  She screams my name as she lets go, and the sensation of feeling her muscles tighten around me is too much and I immediately follow.

*  *  *

Christen comes into the room just as I’m getting out of the shower. “Hey, babe, I was gonna come find you when I got dressed. What’s up?”

“Nothing. My mom wants me to go with her to get a dress for the party at the club on Friday. Will you be good here for like an hour or so?”

“Yeah, no big deal.”

She leans up and gives me a kiss. “Okay, I’ll see you soon.”

I hear the door shut and wander downstairs to try and find something for lunch. I’m just walking into the kitchen when Christen’s dad walks out of his office.

“Did they leave already?”

I look around, surprised he’s actually even speaking to me. “Um, yeah, they left a couple of minutes ago. I know Christen has her phone, though, if you need them.”

“No, that’s fine. When you have a second can you come into my office?” He turns and walks back into the office before I can answer.

I grab a bottle of water and then head to see what he wants. His office is just as nice as the rest of the house. The walls are lined with bookshelves and there is a large oak desk in the corner with two chairs in front of it. He’s sitting with his back to me, but must have noticed me coming in. “Have a seat.” He turns around to look at me, and I have a feeling this conversation isn’t going to be a pleasant one. “We need to talk about the relationship between you and my daughter.”

“Okay. I just want you to know, Mr. Daniels, I really care about her.”

“While I’m sure that may be true, this whole situation is not going to work. As I understand it, you are going to school as a pre-med major, and from what I have been able to find, you’re having a hard time paying for it. My wife and I are prepared to offer you an incentive if you agree to part ways with our daughter.”

What?
I’m completely blindsided by this and I honestly have no idea how to react. “Sir, I don’t want your money. I care about Christen and I’m not willing to walk away from her.”

He seems unfazed by my reply. “That’s what I thought you might say. My wife thought you would jump at the offer for money. I, on the other hand, thought you may need a little more persuasion. That’s why I did my homework.”

What the hell is he talking about, he did his homework? Does he know about the fighting? Is he gonna call the cops?

“Your father owns Matthew’s Construction, right?”

How does he know about that?
“Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“As you know, I have a lot of connections in this town. I know right now your father’s company isn’t doing very well, and he and your mother are barely getting by. Now, being the influential man I am, I can either decide to be a great help and encourage all of my contacts to hire your father, or I can tell them to never consider a bid from him again. You can either put your family in a great position or you can send them into poverty.”

I can’t believe this is actually happening right now.  I know Christen’s parents don’t approve of me but I didn’t think they hated my existence this much. “Why are you doing this? You barely know me, and you know nothing about my family.”

“I may not know you, but I know your type. My daughter is destined for much more than a middle-class lifestyle, and if she can’t make the right decisions regarding her future then I will make them for her.”

I shoot up out of the chair. “Who are you to judge me and decide what is right for her future?”

“I am the man who holds your family’s future in my hands. Think about my offer, and if you accept it I expect you to be gone tonight.” He flips open the laptop that’s sitting on his desk, seemingly dismissing me. I just stand there like a statue, still trying to digest what just happened. After a few minutes, he peeks over the top of the screen. “You can go now, you have a lot to think about.” Without a second glance he continues to type, completely ignoring my existence.

I want to say something to him, I want to scream and break everything in his office, but I don’t. I know by doing so, I will only reinforce his opinion of me as nothing but an uneducated loser. I walk back up to the guest room and sit on the bed, trying to figure out what the hell I can do now. My phone beeps in my pocket, and when I pull it out, I see a text from Christen.