Twice the charm

5. The thin line between hate and love 2

LUCY

"You are disgusting." I finally managed to say. "Do you think I am that naive girl whose life whose life you ruined or is this just something you get off on?"

He did not speak. His game was still on and I knew it very well. Anywhere Grant walked, excitement and temptation followed. One look and I felt my legs shake and my lungs pitched on such a high of breathlessness.

"I still like to fast and high." His husky voice returned.

"Stop it..." I pleaded, my breath abruptly ending halfway through my sentence. My body kept betraying me. The tingles in my body and that chemical reaction I had when I was close to a negative creature like him spiked at an insane level. I felt my breasts tightening, becoming full and heavy against the end of my cheap bra. I feared he would notice and goodness knows what would happen when that happened.

He did not listen. Grant was not the kind of person who took no for an answer.

"How about we ditch this place and I take you to a hotel. Maybe for a few hours, we can enjoy an afternoon of immoral, and morally questioning erotic rediscovery?"Grant murmured huskily, his grey eyes penetrating through walls again and again. "We leave the anger and hate behind and just enjoy the passion that once burned between us."

Before the words settled to the ears, my hands, on impulse swung at his face. The slap was as loud and direct as the clap of thunder. I was stunned: By what I had done and Grant's sheer brazen nature. It wasn't the first time but his words reminded me of a distant past. One I would love to forget. It reminded me of the night I met Grant. It had been a friend's party and a younger and drunk Grant had demanded that I had s*x with him and I had slapped him for such an insulting comment but that did not in the slightest sent his ego neither did he relent in his chase to bed me. I felt he was doing it intentionally. Trying to remind me of the past. Trying to remind me that I was still that girl he could wrap in his fingers and squeeze like a stress ball as he saw fit.

"It is comforting to know that you haven’t changed one bit Grant. You’re still that horny, immoral snake who gets into people's head and use them in the worst manner possible." I muttered between gritted teeth and valiantly fighting off burning sensation damming up and clouding my eyes, ready to burst through those glass walls. "The only difference is I am no longer under the charms of Grant Clayton and I am certainly not his w***e anymore."

Grant tried to say something but I immediately took a dive out of his car and just as I did, his strong hand suddenly latched out to capture one of mine, holding me in place. "I'm sorry. That came out wrong. I don’t know what came over me. Temporary insan-"He tried saying but I cut him off at the last sentence, ripping my hand away from his.

"Do you think I don’t know you are trying to humiliate me? If you go temporarily insane, You should really check yourself in a psych ward because you, Grant Clayton need an examination" She trashed. "and it's so unfortunate using the same line again and again." she added for a good measure.

While he remained stunned and I wrenched the door open and made a dive for freedom. I missed a step on the road but even a step away from death was better than being anywhere close to Grant. I took one look at the shaken Grant and managed to cough out, "I cannot do this."

Memories from our chemical teenage years and the effects of bitterness was driving a wicked wedge through any effort we made to behave like civilized, intelligent adults and at the moment, I could not be in that kind of space. As I took a step toward again, I heard Grant whisper something, this time, however, It sounded like something that burst out of his pitch-black heart.

"I really am sorry."

***

An hour later, I was around the corner of my mother's house. I was in a wreck and I secretly hoped June had disobeyed my orders and sneaked out to the mall with her friends. I was not sure what I would say if she met me this way: Disenchanted and a total wreck. My mother was on the phone when I came through the front door She made some hand signals instructing me to go to the kitchen. It sounded urgent so I obeyed. I flicked the cooker off, taking a whizz of the sweet-smelling herbal tea mother was concocting. As I freed my body of the heavy, heat-inducing jacket I had on, I saw my reflection on the impeccable marble worktable. I looked horrible. My eyeliner was in all the wrong places and the stunned look in my eyes was still there.

"You are back early. What happened?’ My mom's voice came as she drew mugs out of a cupboard.

‘"The client I was going to meet, It was Grant—"

The mug on her mug hit the tiled floor and smashed into pieces.

"What!"

"I am just as surprised Mom." I confided in her. "What do you think he wants?"

"Let’s go into the living room," Mom suggested tautly. "We’ll be more comfortable there."

I couldn’t stay still in any case. My nerves wrecked impossible damage,  leaping up and down with Mario go energy. I folded my arms, pacing across the small room, and briefly outlined the part that bothered me the most. "And you will not believe this but his father actually told him I took the money he offered!"

Mom's angular face went surprisingly tense. "Grant mentioned the money?"

"And he just would not believe me when I said that I had refused it!"

Mom's dull brown eyes scattered dust, and her cheeks burned rouge. "Because... I accepted the money on your behalf."