Pushing the Boundaries (Picking up the Pieces #3) (29 page)

Should I have manned the hell up and told her what was going on from day one? Hell to the yeah. But I was a guy. It was engrained in our DNA to do stupid shit on a daily basis. The male population wasn’t exactly known for making smart decisions on the regular, you know.

So instead of doing the smart thing, I hid it all from her and prayed Marissa being there wouldn’t blow up in my face. I’d also prayed that she’d get the hint and take her J. Crew-wearing ass back to Louisiana. But it seemed that the more I ignored her texts, the more persistent she became. I should have known she wouldn’t go away. But like I said, men are stupid. It was wishful thinking on my part that when I’d gone nearly an entire day without another dreaded text, I was in the clear.

Yeah, not so much.

“Uh, Trev. You’ve got someone here to see you.”

I looked up from the computer in my office at Ink Addictz to see Mitch, one of my tattoo artists, standing in the doorway.

“Kinda busy here man. Is it someone you can handle?”

Mickey had been out sick for the last two days with some kind of stomach virus, leaving the shop overrun.

“No can do, boss. I got my own clients lined up back to back as it is. But something tells me this chick isn’t here lookin’ to get ink.”

At his comment, the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. No one came in here unless they were friends or planning to get a tattoo. That only left one person.

I stood from my chair and walked on heavy feet to the front of the shop. Marissa leaned against the front counter like she owned the damn place, playing around on her phone without a care in the world. I stood frozen for a few seconds as her gaze slowly slid from the screen over to me, a self-serving smile spread across her painted lips.

“What the fuck are you doin’ here?” I grated out, not bothering to hide my animosity from anyone else in the shop. All I could think was thank Christ Mickey wasn’t working. I’d have a hell of a mess to clean up if she’d been here to witness whatever drama was about to go down.

“I told you I needed to talk to you. You haven’t returned any of my messages.”

“That’s because I don’t have a goddamned thing to say to you other than get the fuck out.”

Dropping her phone into her designer purse, she turned to face me fully and propped her hands on her hips. “I’m not leaving until we talk. If you want to have this out in front of all these people, that’s fine with me. But I’m not going anywhere, Trevor.”

Her eyes were full of determination; she wasn’t messing around. Marissa was never a shy girl. She’d have no problem airing our dirty laundry to anyone who wanted to stick around to listen. Manipulation was something ingrained in her DNA from birth. It was a trait she’d only improved upon the older she got.

I scanned the shop, letting out a relieved breath that the waiting area wasn’t packed to capacity with curious onlookers.

Grabbing hold of her elbow, I pulled Marissa through the shop and into my office, slamming the door behind us.

“You have two minutes. Say whatever the hell it is you’ve got to say.” No point in dragging this shit out any longer than I had to. She could say her piece then get out. I’d rather light myself on fire than have to stand in her presence longer than absolutely necessary.

Marissa slowly lowered herself down onto the couch against the wall and crossed one leg over the other, swinging her dainty, high-heeled foot in a circle.

“Honestly, Trevor, is that any way to talk to someone you used to be so intimately acquainted with?”

Pressure built to a dull throb behind my eyes, the headache coming on so strong my skull felt like it was about to explode. I squeezed my eyes shut on a heavy sigh and began massaging my temples.

“For the love of God. Will you please just get to the point already?” I was desperate for this woman to get lost in a bad way.

My eyes were still shut when the sound of her heels on the concrete floor sounded through the room but jolted open in surprise when her hand came up and rested against my chest. The expression on her face was one I was so familiar with, a look that used to do me in whenever I saw it, a look that made my skin crawl now as I stared down at her, wondering what her motives were.

“I miss you, baby,” she said softly as she looked up at me from under her lashes, appearing so sad and helpless. But I knew better now. That look was pure bullshit. Marissa Boudreaux wasn’t capable of human emotion. She was a soul-sucking nightmare, and whatever her reason was for being in this room, throwing me those doe eyes, I knew it was not good.

Not good at all.

My jaw dropped in shock at her bold statement, and all I could do was stand stuck in place for several seconds as her dragon claws trailed up my chest and snaked around my neck.

“I want you back,” she purred as she lifted on her tiptoes to get closer until her body was nearly flush with my own and her breath fanned across my face. “I’ve missed
us
, Trevor. Come back home with me, baby.”

Her lips puckered up for a kiss as she leaned further in, the heat from her body so close to mine effectively pulling me out of my stupor.

Grabbing hold of her arms, I shoved her back violently. “What the fuck? Are you out of your
mind
?” I roared, instantly furious that she’d think, for even a second, that she had any right to touch me.

The sadness in her gaze quickly morphed into something else, something much more sinister when it came to Marissa. It was a look of determination. And a determined Marissa could mean disastrous things for anyone who crossed her path.

“You loved me once,” she said. “I can make you feel like that again, babe. Just give me a chance.” She took a step toward me, but I still had a hold on her arms, keeping her at a distance.

“I never loved you,” I told her, my voice full of warning. “I loved what I
thought
you were. I loved the lie you created in order to manipulate me to get what you wanted. If I’d have known this cold-hearted bitch was what lay beyond the exterior, there’s no way in Hell I’d have ever fallen for you.”

“You saw the real me,” she insisted. “I can give you back the woman you fell in love with. You asked me to marry you, Trevor. We were engaged. You don’t propose to a woman you don’t love.”

She couldn’t be serious. A curtain of red blanketed my vision as my anger took over, controlling ever fiber in my body. My hands clenched around her arms, squeezing tighter than was comfortable judging by her cringing face as I jerked her toward me.

“I proposed to you because you told me you were pregnant with my baby,” I hissed between clenched teeth. Her eyes widened a fraction as fury radiated off me in waves.

“You lied to me, told me we were having a baby just so you and my father could con me into going to work for him. But you’re fucked-up plan didn’t work, did it? Y’all didn’t get what you wanted.” I couldn’t help the maniacal laughter that rose from deep in my chest. “I screwed up your precious plan when I enlisted, didn’t I?”

Marissa’s eyes narrowed, her own anger quickly replacing her fear. “You’re making a huge mistake, Trevor. You don’t belong here.”

That caused another laugh to burst free. “And where
do
I belong? With
you
?” I asked incredulously. “You’re out of your fucking mind if you think I’m walking away from what I’ve got now for
you
. Lizzy is a million times the woman you will
ever
be.”

“You belong back with your family,” she responded adamantly. “You should be at your father’s side, ready to take over the company you’ve deserved since you were born. That was your family legacy, Trevor. And you threw it all away, and for what? To run off and play hero in the Marine Corps?” Her lips curled in disgust as she spoke. “You need to come home. Come back with me and we can start over. We can build the life we were going to have together.” She smiled and reached up to cup my cheeks.

Taking hold of her wrists, I pulled her hands away and took a step back.

“Get out, Marissa. Get the fuck out of my shop and out of my town. Stop texting me. Lose my number and never come back here. I’m done with you and my father.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off.

“I know he put you up to this. I don’t know why, but I know he’s behind you being here right now. If I was willing to lay money, I’d guess the two of you were still fucking, and you’re here to do his dirty work since he knows I won’t listen to a goddamned thing he has to say.”

Her silence was all the confirmation I needed. I let out a bark of humorless laughter. “I’m not even surprised. You cheated on me with the old bastard and lied about being pregnant just to try and trap me into working for him. I see the years haven’t done anything but turn you into an even bigger bitch. Looks like I should count myself lucky I never got stuck with you.” I turned for the door, ready to pull it open and shove her out.

“The company’s going under!” she spat out desperately. “Your dad made some bad investments and now there’s hardly any money left. He needs you, Trevor.”

Right then everything became crystal clear. Turning back around, I faced the woman who’d betrayed me with my very own father. “You mean he needs my money. The money I’ve earned running a degenerate tattoo shop in a Podunk little town, right?” I scoffed, using the very same words my own father had.

“You can come on as a silent partner!” she insisted vehemently. “You wouldn’t have to do anything. All we would need is for you to invest. Carlisle would be able to make your money back tenfold! We know how successful your business is. Your father looked into it a while back. He was so proud of you…” She was a joke. When she realized that trying to seduce what she wanted out of me wasn’t going to work, she’d quickly switched to lies and false complements. How the fuck had I never seen how pathetic and desperate she was?

She was exactly like Carlisle.

“Please, Trevor. We need you.”

“
We
?” I asked sarcastically. “You honestly think you and my father are a “
we”
? You realize you’re nothing more to him than a young, convenient snatch, right? A useless trophy he can hang on his arm to make him look good. If you really think there’s more between y’all than that, you’re delusional as well as crazy.”

Marissa’s chin tilted up and she squared her shoulders. “He loves me.”

At that, there was no containing my laughter. “You really believe that? Oh, God, this is
priceless
! Please, tell me you don’t really think he’s going to leave my mother for you.”

She remained quite as she stared at me, but I could see her resolve wavering. I’d hit a nerve.

Good.

“Got news for ya, sweetness. Where do you think the money for Carlisle’s company came from?”

Her eyes widened ever so slightly, causing a grin to spread across my face.

“I see you’re catching on. Dad’s side of the family might have been comfortable, but my mother’s family was
more
than well off. The only way her parents would be willing to give him the startup capital was if he agreed to sign a pre-nup before they got married. And there it is,” I chuckled when her jaw dropped open in disbelief. “Guessing the old man never told you that, huh? Looks like you backed the wrong horse, Marissa. Lucky for my mom, her folks were right-minded enough to protect her assets, seeing as she’s too much of a doormat to ever speak against the old man. No matter how badly he treats her, she’ll never leave him. And if he leaves her, well, he loses
everything
.”

Oh, man, the look on her face was priceless. I’d have given anything at that moment to snap a picture to capture it for a lifetime.

“And now you’re here, begging for
my
money because the man you put all your stock into sunk. Kinda ironic isn’t it?”

Her face looked an unnatural shade of white, but I had to give it to her; she wasn’t going down without a fight. “You’re wrong. He loves me.”

“Whatever you say, babe. But there’s no way in fucking hell I’m helping either of you. My suggestion, you jump ship while you still can before he pulls you down with him. But the only thing I’m going to do is sit back and watch one or both of you drown. Now, your two minutes are up,” I said, walking to the door and jerking it open. “Get the hell out.”

I was over it. I’d officially washed my hands of anything having to do with either of them.