Relinquishing Liberty (23 page)

My stomach took a nose-dive. I couldn’t believe the words that had just come out of her mouth. She must have been mistaken. That wasn’t my Shayne. That wasn’t the sweet, compassionate, sensitive man I had fallen so hard for over these past few weeks. I felt like my brain had been thrown into a centrifuge, separating what I believed to be true from the actual truth.

I couldn’t think straight. If there was even a hint of truth behind what she told me, then that would be it for us. I already had my heart broken once, and I wasn’t about to go through that again. Shayne’s father had said that Shayne was worried he might slip back into his old ways.
What if he already had?

I made a promise to his father that I wouldn’t give up on Shayne…but I was going to have to break that promise.

Vanessa was relishing in the fact that she had gotten a rise out me. She grinned at me like the little scheming bitch that she was, and I really just wanted knock her the fuck out. Sadly, I wasn’t in the mood to spend the night in jail. Tonight had been shot to hell, and I still had to deal with Shayne.

I shoved past Vanessa and made my way through the sea of bodies on the dance floor. Then a brilliant idea came to me. People always say, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”. Here was the perfect opportunity to follow through with that. Shayne promised me dancing, and so help me God, I was going to dance tonight!

I hurried over to the bar, making sure I wouldn’t have to be served by Vanessa. I ordered two shot of Jameson and downed them one after the other. The burn was rough, but soon it numbed my whole body and loosened up my inhibitions. I was about to do something I’d probably regret in the long run, but I just wanted to forget everything about tonight. Scanning the dance floor, I scoped out my options, and it didn’t take me long to find a willing participant.

As soon as I made eye contact with Mr. Tall, Dark and Lonely, I strode over to him like a woman on a mission…well I kind of was on a mission. A mission to get back at Shayne for lying to me and leading me to believe that he might actually take our relationship seriously. I must have been crazy to think I could ever trust him.

As I approached him, his crooked grin was pulling me in like a sexual magnet. He looked like he had plenty of experience enticing vulnerable women who were down on their luck and just looking for a good time. Well, he hit the nail on the head; not that I was so much vulnerable or down on my luck. I was more pissed off than anything. But I was definitely looking for a good time, and he was going to make that happen.

When I was just a few inches away from him, he dipped his head down next to my ear, cascading me with his hot, liquor-stained breath. “What’s a gorgeous thing like you doing out here all alone?”

My gaze was locked on the floor, but it slowly trailed up the length of this body until I reached those deep blue pools that filled his eyes. “I could ask you the same question.”

His eyes were hooded as he grinned at me, slowly licking his thin lips. He gripped my hips like he was already familiar with them and pulled me flush against his pelvis. “Well, I think we need to change that, baby.”

I swallowed hard, trying to keep up with my confident façade, but I knew I wasn’t a very good actress. “You have no idea.”

He took my hand and led me out onto the dance floor. The bodies surrounding us swayed together liked a steady wave, moving together as a single entity. Soon they all meshed together, swallowed up into one big blur. I couldn’t make out any faces in the sea of people; not even Shayne’s. I hated to admit it, but I hoped he would see me here, swept up in the arms of another man. I hoped he knew what it felt like to have your heart ripped out and stomped on. It was only fair. Eye for an eye, baby! I knew I always liked that Hammurabi guy.

The nameless stranger pulled me in close. His fingers hooked into the belt loops of my skirt, tugging on me and causing me to stumble a bit into his solid chest. My hands rested there, splayed out against his firm pectorals. I couldn’t help but feel my way around, imagining what might be hidden under the thin cottony fabric of his shirt. I gradually slid my hands up and over his broad shoulders until my fingers linked around his neck, leaving a little bit of slack. He wasn’t as tall as Shayne, so I wasn’t straining to reach him. He followed suit, and his hands coasted along the slight swell of my hips, reaching the area just above my ass where the dimples of my back dipped in.

I hadn’t seen Shayne since before my disastrous, yet enlightening visit to the restroom. I hoped he’d see that this is what you get when you fuck with my heart.

The music started to pick up, and our bodies moved in unison. Calvin Harris and Florence Welch’s “Sweet Nothing” came to life over the speakers. I almost felt like the DJ had read my mind because this song was so perfect for this very moment. The words swirled around in my head, reminding me that everything I thought I had with Shayne was gone. It was all a lie. Everything. Every emotion he brought out in me. Every kiss we shared. Every touch that sparked a burning passion deep within my soul. All a lie.

Everything about this felt wrong. So wrong. Maybe I should have drunk a little more before I decided to go through with this little charade. The foreign body in front of me was not at all what I wanted or needed;
but I couldn’t have that anymore, could I?

He held me tighter and brushed his thigh between my legs. I blocked out any thoughts of this stranger, who was now feeling me up with his wandering hands, and all I could see was Shayne. All I could feel was Shayne. All I could taste, smell and hear was Shayne. He was so far embedded into my senses, it was impossible to unleash the hold he had over me. I was able to move against him with more eagerness and intensity now that this alien-being had been replaced in my mind with the only one who ever truly had my heart.

The lyrics continued to flood through my mind, but I forced my way past them, trying to hold onto this feeling for just a little bit longer. I whirled around in his arms, with his chest now pressed up to my back. We were both drenched with perspiration, causing our bodies to become virtually glued to one another. I reached my arm up, bringing my hand around his neck and gliding through the beads of sweat that had collected there. It brought us even closer together, and he took that as an invitation to make a move. He bent his head down and traced his lips along my neck, lazily dragging his tongue up to catch the salty droplet that was slowly making its decent.

My hips continued to roll and sway against his, while I pushed my ass further into him. He looped his arms around me, resting his hands low on my hips. One of his wayfaring hands was reaching dangerously low and making its way towards the slit of my skirt. His fingers raked over the smooth skin of my thigh, causing a nervous shiver to course through my body. I could feel something grow and harden behind me, and I squeezed my eyes shut, as the underlying guilt of what I had done grew ten-fold. I could feel the bile rising in my throat. At that point, I didn’t even care if Shayne saw me. I was thoroughly disgusted with myself.
What the hell was I doing?
This wasn’t me at all. I had to get out of here. Like now!

I felt his mouth latch onto my neck one more time before being violently ripped from me with such force that I could feel the suction of his lips pop against my skin. I swiveled around to find Shayne’s fist pummeling repeatedly into this once handsome stranger’s mug. There was blood everywhere; on his face, on the floor, covering Shayne’s hand and sprayed across his shirt. My stomach began to lurch at the sight of the crimson liquid encircling them both. I shouted Shayne’s name over and over again until he broke free from his enraged trance. His eyes shot up to mine, and they no longer sparkled a beautiful shade of emerald green; they were black as coals. I stumbled back, startled by the fury storming within his intense stare. He stalked towards me with zealous determination in every step, and not once did his gaze divert away from mine.

His hand snaked around my wrist venomously and yanked me forward, dragging me behind him towards the exit. Even in heels, my little legs could barely keep up with his large strides. Frustrated by my snail-like pace, Shayne quickly spun around, and without any warning, lifted me up with ease and tossed me over his shoulder. I yelped, taken by surprise at his swift, effortless movements. I hung there like a ragdoll before the wrath inside me finally exploded. I pounded relentlessly against his back, hoping he would loosen his grip on my legs, but instead, he just slapped my ass.

“Dammit, Shayne, put me down!”

He ignored my plea and continued to push through everyone to get to the exit.
Why the hell is everyone just standing around? A little help here!

“I’m not kidding! So help me God, I’ll scream ‘rape’ if you don’t put me down!”

“This would be a lot easier if you’d stop wiggling around so much, and shut your damn mouth. I think you’ve gotten yourself into enough trouble tonight. Let’s not add to it.”

I’ve
gotten myself into enough trouble?
Are you kidding me!?
What a fucking hypocrite! What I had done was nothing in comparison to the shit he pulled with me. He cheated on me! That was about as bad as it could get; unless he has an illegitimate child somewhere that I don’t know about. Now
that
would be the icing on the cake!

When we got out to his Jeep, he opened the passenger door and slid me down his body just far enough so that he could cover my head before plopping me in the seat. He slammed my door and clicked the car remote, locking the doors as he rounded the car to the driver’s side.
What the hell? Did he honestly think I was going to make a break for it?

I sat there with my arms crossed, absolutely fuming at him, as he unlocked only his door and climbed into his seat. Now he was just being ridiculous. He sat there for a few seconds and finally turned to look at me. The next few words to come out of his mouth better damn well be an apology because I didn’t know what else he could possibly have to say to me.

“Buckle your seatbelt.” He turned the ignition and flicked his headlights on.

I refused to even acknowledge that he spoke to me and kept on staring out the window with my arms across my chest. I waited for him to back out of the parking lot, but we continued to sit there in silence while the car sat motionless. Shayne let out a heavy sigh and reached over to buckle my seatbelt for me. He didn’t even bother to unfold my arms before he pulled the seatbelt over me.

I knew I was being stubborn, and I was about to prove just how stubborn I could be. I waited for him to drive a little ways down the road before I unbuckled myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shayne grip the steering wheel even tighter and shake his head.
Yeah, that’s right. What are you going to do about it?

I spoke too soon because all of a sudden Shayne developed a lead foot and slammed on the gas pedal, sending us flying down the road. I grabbed the “oh shit” handle above the door, gripping onto it for dear life. He took the winding turns at an unimaginable speed, and it was a miracle he didn’t flip the Jeep. This was a completely idiotic attempt at trying to prove a point, but I wasn’t ready to cave just yet. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of being scared, although inside I was screaming like a banshee.

We made it back to Shayne’s house in record time. He slammed on the breaks when he pulled into the driveway, causing us both to jolt forward in our seats. Of course my seatbelt wasn’t on so I had to brace myself on the dashboard so my face wouldn’t get smashed in.
Ass.

Shayne didn’t say anything before he got out of the Jeep and came around to my side of the car. He opened my door and stepped aside to let me out. But I didn’t get out. I sat there ignoring him. Hey, if he thought he could treat me like a child and lock me in the car, then that’s what he was going to get; a stubborn little child. He needed a serious reality check and to realize that he couldn’t always get his way. If he wanted to be in a relationship with me, then I had to have all of him, 100%. I refused to share him with another woman, especially a skanky little bitch like Vanessa. He couldn’t have his cake and eat it too.

A deep growl resonated in Shayne’s chest before he grabbed me around the waist and threw me over his shoulder again.
Jesus Christ, here we go again!

“Not this again! Shayne, put me down right now!”

Instead of heading towards the front door, he turned and made his way towards the back of the house. His feet trudged through the sand with determination, bringing us closer and closer to the dark waves roaming up the beach. I did NOT like where this was going. Maybe if I went with the “nice guy” approach he would actually listen.

“Shayne, please put me down. Let’s talk about this. I’m sorry about what I did, but Vanessa told me something tonight and to be quite honest, I’m pretty pissed at you.”

“Nice try, sweetheart, but I think you need to cool off before we do any conversing.”

Oh. He. Wouldn’t. Dare.
Would he?

Apparently I misjudged him. I clung to the belt loops of his jeans while he strut his way straight into the ocean, clothes and all. When he made it about waist deep, I could feel the freezing cold water just barely sweep against my toes.
Oh this was really going to suck.

“Any last words, sweetheart?”

Oh there were plenty of words I’d like to say to him, but only two came to mind. “Fuck you!”

I looked up at him, even as he held me upside-down behind his back. He turned his head so I could just make out the side of his face, and his mouth was curled up in an insidious smirk.

“That’s what I thought…and that is exactly why you need this.”

Without any warning, he lifted me up and tossed me like a sack of potatoes into the blackened sea. Everything moved in slow motion as I fell back to earth and crashed through the icy surface. Gravity’s unforgiving pull, along with the strength of the waves, submerged me even further into the aqueous darkness. It pierced through my skin like a thousand knives causing my body to lock up and leaving me immobile.