Is It Revenge Or Love?

Taken

~Jaylene~

The ride to the event was filled with pleasant conversation and many compliments directed toward me. It made me kick myself that I ever doubted whatever this is between us. I’ve wasted time that I could have spent with him, and it’s irritating to know that. The one thing about Monroe is that our interactions are easy. They were that way in high school, and nothing has changed.

The moment I walked into the venue, I knew that it had to be organized by Deon’s family. I was tempted to tell Monroe we needed to leave, but I stopped myself at the last minute. I don’t owe Deon anything, and I was invited to attend this party. I don’t need to run because Deon will be here, even though I’m sure my parents will also show up.

Monroe Jensen, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Walter Fredricks.” I turn my head to look at Monroe, working hard to keep my expression neutral. Who the hell is Monroe Jensen? That was never his last name. It’s always been Rivers. I tell myself that this is something that I will need to address later and in a much more private setting.

“This is my date, Jaylene Mackey.” I look into Mr. Fredricks’ eyes, but they don’t spark familiarity. Many of the people here, who are familiar to me are so because I met them through my father. I put a smile on my face and hold my hand out to the older gentleman.

“Mackey? Would you in any way be related to Benny and Georgia Mackey?” The question sits heavily on me as he shakes my hand. I’m not surprised he either knows or has heard of my parents. There aren’t many who haven’t.

“Yes. They are my parents.” They are summoned almost as if my words are magic.

“Did someone call for Benny and Georgia?” My parents spin into our orbit, and I try to move closer to Monroe. I really don’t want to deal with them right now, and definitely not in public. I don’t miss the looks they both give me, and I have no doubt that things wouldn't be so civil if we were in a more private setting.

“Yes, I’m just meeting your lovely daughter. She came as a guest with Mr. Jensen here.” My parents are across from me, pushing Mr. Fredricks closer to my right side, with Monroe on my left.

“Ah, yes,” my father responds. “She is a lovely woman and a wonderful daughter. Always so dutiful.” I don’t miss the edge of his voice as he makes his claims. Oh, I know that if they could, they would be flying off the handle right now.

“Mom, Dad, nice to see you two. You look amazing.” I smile and get tight smiles in return. My Dad turns his attention to Monroe rather than responding to me.

“Mr. Jensen. It’s a pleasure to see you again. I had no idea you knew our little girl. She was already gone when we met at your party.” I swear my breath gets caught in my throat. The party that I went to with my parents was Monroe’s?!

I know the shock would be evident on my face, so I drop it and look at my feet, trying to compose myself. That party was for a tech company that was 'new to the States. ' So many people wanted to meet the genius behind it and have a business relationship with him. So he’s my Monroe from high school?

My mind tries to process the news and starts to go over our interactions since we met again. He definitely doesn’t work at our apartment complex. How the hell did he know where to find me? We have so much to talk about. I slowly bring my head up and feel a grip on my elbow. I guess Monroe wants to make his presence known to me. He probably realizes how much has been revealed in less than an hour and knows we need to talk.

Without warning, someone pulls my elbow, and I’m being twirled around. The only thing I can see is an array of fabrics floating around me. I can’t make anyone out or see where Monroe went. I’m getting dizzy, and I feel like I’m going to stumble and fall.

Just as abruptly as the movement began, it ends. I’m unsteady on my feet, but no one is holding on to me. I lift my head to look up, and my heart sinks as my eyes settle on the person in front of me. “Hello, beautiful. I just knew I’d see you here.”

~Deon~

That was a symphony of movement, and I’m pretty proud that I was able to pull it off. The Mackeys did their part, distracting Jensen so I could grab my girl. I moved her to the edge of the floor, close to the doors. I plan to place her in the suite so she can wait for me to come to her after this party. I may or may not be planning to lock her in, just to ensure that she’s there when I return.

Jaylene looks at me with venom in her eyes, but I don’t really care. She will quickly get over it once she realizes the importance of tonight. I grab her arm and walk toward the door. Jaylene is openly struggling with me, trying to free herself from my grasp. I could tighten my hold on her, but the optics of her struggling are bad. I pull her to me and wrap my arm around her waist. I pull her up so her ear is level with my mouth. “You could scream, but no one will hear you. There’s too much noise at the moment.” I push my tongue out, letting it flick across her earlobe. I chuckle to myself as I walk through the doorway and head for the private elevators.

The elevator ride was made longer due to Jaylene’s constant attempts to break free. I had to exert too much energy to keep her secure, but I’m sure I will see its value later. I will just have her make it up to me.

The elevator bell dings, and the doors open with a whoosh. I walk into the lobby of the penthouse suite. I have men stationed at the door. You can never be too careful. The door opens for me, and I walk inside the room. I bypass the lounge area and walk straight into the bedroom. I deposit Jaylene on the bed and snatch her purse from her. She’s breathing heavily, so I guess I was holding on tighter than I intended. “Get comfortable, love. I will be back when the party is over.”

“Le… let… let me g…. go! Yo… you cccccan’t kkkkkee… kkkkeeeep me hhheeere!” I turn and smirk at her.

“Jaylene, you’ll find that a motivated man can do just about anything he sets his mind to.” I blow her a kiss and hurry out of the room, not missing the sound of the crash behind me. I wonder what she broke. I walk out of the suite and wait for the door to close. “No one goes in but me and no one comes out. Understood?” I get nods in response, and I hurry to the elevator. I can’t be gone too long since I’m the host and all.

Walking toward the room where the party is being held, I run into Georgia. “Is she upstairs? I need to speak with her.” I grab her arm as she moves past me, effectively stopping her in her tracks.

“I have her settled in, she’s fine. You can talk to her tomorrow when you congratulate her on our engagement.”

“Well, let me call her.” I pull her bag from under my arm and hand it to her.

“That will be hard since you now have her phone.” I step closer and see the flash of fear in her eyes. “She’s fine, Georgia. Go back and enjoy the party. You will see Jaylene tomorrow.” I make sure I put an edge to my voice so my intentions are not mistaken. I don’t wait for a response but turn and walk back into the party.