In This Thread:
Katarina Rosakis - 26
Christian Anderson - 31
Henri Beauchene - 30
Roberto Patenaude - 29
In This Thread:
Katarina Rosakis - 26
Christian Anderson - 31
Henri Beauchene - 30
Roberto Patenaude - 29
Dusk slowly settled down in New York as stores and shops began to close early for the eve of Christmas. A few layers of snow laid on the ground and the dark sky had opened up for more to ensure a white Christmas. Pedestrians walked at a fast pace on the sidewalks, eager to reach the warmth of their homes while the streets were crowded with impatient drivers.
Christian locked up the door of his studio and adjusted the lapels and collar of his coat as a mean to try and shield him from the gust of wind. He looked over his shoulder as a couple scurried past behind him. He smiled slightly at their small bickering and turned around to walk the very short distance to his apartment, which was directly over his studio. He had been very lucky to find this place 4 years ago. Although he had struggled in the beginning, he had managed to make a name for himself and business was great.
He ascended the stairs to his apartment and unlocked the door. He stepped inside and used his heel to shut the door as he shrugged out of his coat. He was only supposed to meet Olivia in Central Park in an hour so he had time to unwind.
He threw his set of keys on the kitchen counter and let it slither across the smooth surface while one hand reached back to rub his nape as he went to open the refrigerator door to grab the carton of orange juice. After taking a gulp of it without the help of a glass, he looked down at himself. He wondered if he should change. He shrugged. He wasn't going to meet his girlfriend at a fancy restaurant after all. Chris grabbed an apple from the fruits basket and padded toward the living room.
Kat looked at the building in front her nervously before paying the cabbie and hopping out. She gripped her hands tightly in front of her as she looked for the door that would take her upstairs. She couldn't remember being more nervous in her life. Not even at her first gallery opening. She took a deep breath as she opened the door and looked at the stairs that would lead up to his apartment. It seemed so close, yet so far. As she climbed the stairs, she couldn't help but wonder if he ever opened any of the letters she'd sent him. If he'd even seen the invitations to her gallery showings.
But he probably hadn't. And even if she managed to get him to follow through on their bargain, he'd probably deny her her new request. She was sure that just imagining it would make him sick to his stomach. She was a Rosakis, after all. He hated her.
She placed her hands against her stomach, hoping to calm it. It didn't work. With a deep breath, she reached up to tap lightly on his door. If she was lucky, he wouldn't be home and she could pretend he'd rejected her and flee back to the safety of her own apartment.
From his position on the couch, he looked toward the door with a frown at the sound of a knock. He rarely received unannounced visits and even Olivia had to tell him in advance before showing up. He placed his half-eaten apple on the coffee table and got to his feet. He absentmindedly rubbed his jaw, feeling the two days old stubble on his face as his legs carried him forward. He hoped it wasn't his parents with a surprise presence. He was 31 years old now and that was one thing that he didn't find as amusing as in his youth.
As his fingers turned the lock before closing around the doorknob, he felt a sense of foreboding. His eyebrows drew together and he hesitated. After a brief moment, he simply shook his head. He didn't know where that feeling came from, but it wasn't to make him feel skirmish.
Christian twisted the knob and yanked the door open to see a beautiful woman standing in his doorway. His brows shot up.
"Can I help you, miss?" he asked slowly.
Oh God, why did he still have to look so good? Couldn't fate have given him a beer-belly? Or premature baldness? Anything?
She smiled nervously and pulled her stocking cap off her head.
"Merry Christmas," she said, her voice a little shakier than she would have liked. "It's my birthday. Um. My 26th birthday."
She felt ridiculous. It was obvious he didn't even recognize her and she was babbling on about her birthday as if that would mean something to him from a stranger. Her eyes watered and it took everything she had not to just run away and forget the whole thing. There were other ways. It didn't have to be him.
When she suddenly blurted out those words that held no sense at all, Christian was ready to laugh and simply smile before telling her that she had come at the wrong place and person. However, before he could put in motion that thought, his body tensed as something struck him. His eyes turned into slits as he stared at her intensely. There was something familiar about her. He let his gaze roam her body from head to toe thoroughly, but what caught his attention was her hair and her eyes. Those gold locks. Those deep pools of sapphire.
Christian took one step back with his hand still on the knob.
"It's my birthday. Um. My 26th birthday."
He gripped the handle until his knuckles turned a ghastly white. He wanted to curse, to swear. Was this some bad joke? Anger surged inside him and he shook his head.
"No, it can't be," he snarled. "What is the meaning of this, Katerina Rosakis?"
"We had a deal," she said softly. "So I know you hate me and that's okay. Because I understand. But it's my birthday." She looked at him. Even now, with obvious hatred on his face, she couldn't help but admire him. Why couldn't anyone else compare with that? She shook her head.
"Never mind. I was stupid to come here. You probably forgot all about that stupid deal as soon as you found out who I was. I feel so stupid now." She put her hands over her face so he wouldn't see if she started to cry as she turned away from his door. What had she been thinking?
He wasn't any different than anyone else. He might say he valued honesty. He might pretend to be better. But he wasn't. She should just save him the trouble of rejecting her.
That deal. That Godforsaken deal they had struck all those years ago before he had found out about her lies, her betrayal. He clenched his teeth and a tick worked in his jaw as his nails dug into his palm. His eyes bore into her back and despite the hatred and fury pumping inside his veins, he noticed she was no longer the small minx that weighed as heavy as a feather. His gaze unwillingly went to the flare of her hips.
Furious at himself, he jerked his head away and inhaled deeply. He should just slam the door and forgot all about this. But as he glanced back at her, he couldn't. Not when she looked like this. His nostrils flared. Besides, he had the right to know why she was still a virgin at her age. That is, if she was telling the truth.
Before further thoughts, he reached out and grabbed her arm to yank her inside. He slammed the door shut and immediately released her as if he couldn't bear to touch her a second longer.
"Forget about it? Thanks to you, that mistake in my youth is glaring me in the face now," he snapped. "You want to make me believe that you're still a virgin, Katerina?"
He didn't believe she was a virgin? Of all the possible outcomes of her arrival on his doorstep, she hadn't even considered that one. She pressed her lips together and clenched her fists. She would not cry in front of him. That was not allowed.
"You and Karey said to wait for someone that loved me," she said, raising her gaze to look him straight in the eye. "Apparently, that was just as impossible as I always thought it would be. Even you think I'm a mistake and you're the most wonderful person in the world, right? So why should normal people be any different?"
She sniffled and hoped he would think it was just because of the cold.
"Do you think that if I wasn't a virgin, I would go somewhere that I obviously wasn't wanted and pretend that I was? Have I ever, ever acted like the kind of person who would ever be anything other than embarrassed by that? I'm an old maid, now, Christian. I wouldn't fake that. But if you'd like to have a doctor look at me, feel free. I've been poked and prodded plenty in the last year. What's one more doctor looking at my parts?"
"Stop it, will you? Stop saying that I'm the most wonderful person! You're a grown woman now, don't act like you were back then at 18," he said between his teeth.
Chris recognized those signs. She was treading on thin ice and was trying hard not to cry, he could tell. He wasn't to feel bad, not at all. He knew that a lot of people would find his grudge and fury unfounded, but to him, it was logical. After finding out who she was, who her father was, madness had gripped him. Later on, he had realized that what had raised his hackles was the fact that she had hidden the truth from him. And to him, that was the highest form of deceit.
He rubbed his face with a little too much force. "I don't need a doctor to verify that," he hissed and stomped over to the couch, letting himself fall on the cushions.
At that moment, all his anger turned around to hit him squarely in the face. His loyalty was unquestionable, but so was his honor. To him, promises were never meant to be broken and he had given his word to this girl-woman. He pressed the heels of his palms against his closed lids.
"You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
She shook her head, looking at him with brand new eyes. She'd thought she was the one who was wrong. She'd felt bad. For eight years. But he was just as full of hate and self-delusion as anyone else. It made her feel even more ridiculous for thinking he might actually keep his word. He probably had a girlfriend or a wife. With kids. He'd kick her out in the end, so he could protect his family.
"Yeah, Christian," she said sarcastically. "I really wanted to end up 26 with no prospects and not a single meaningful relationship in my life. Isn't that was everyone wants? To be alone and miserable? Sounds great."
Christian jerked his hands away from his face and lifted his head, narrowing his eyes at her. He rose from the couch and strode over to her, using his towering height to his advantage. He stared at her face without blinking and he felt his teeth sank into the inside of his cheek.
She had become a woman, there was no doubt about that, but her face still held the same innocence that had touched a part of him all those years ago. And even now, he wanted to wrap his arms around her to shield her from the world. However, he was determined to bury all those foolish sentiments. Starting now.
He grabbed her chin firmly and tilted her head up as he smirked. "You liked me, Katerina. Are you going to deny that? Even if you did, I wouldn't believe you. Since you still think the world of me, why shouldn't I think that you purposely stayed away from all those men just so you could have a piece of me?" he said crudely.
She pushed him away.
"Yeah. Fine. I liked you. Right up until about 5 seconds ago when I realized that you're a major asshole. But I didn't stay single all this time just to get a piece of you. Karey said I should wait for someone that loved me. Well, no one did. A couple of them liked me, and I'm still friends with them, but no one loved me. So stop acting like you're the best thing since sliced bread or something. I'm not still a virgin just because I wanted you. And it's offensive for you to say that."
Christian laughed, the sound deep and without warmth as he took a step back at her shove. He let his hand fall back at his side and folded his arms across his chest. She had grown some backbone, obviously. He wondered if she was as blunt as in her youth. And why did Karey's words mean so much to her that she took it to heart to throw at him in almost every line? He frowned darkly.
"You sure talk about Karey a lot," he said silkily, his eyes twitching. "Did you come to realize that he was too old for you? Is that why you didn't try to crawl into bed with him again?"
She shook her head.
"Fuck you," she said quietly. "I don't need this. There are a million guys in New York who'd be willing to sleep with me if I asked. I don't need to be humiliated first." She turned and headed for the door.
Chris gritted his teeth and reached to grab her wrist before she could get far. He yanked her toward him, spinning her around in the process, and the front of her body came in contact with his. His arms went around her automatically and he glared down at her.
"Why didn't you slap me?" he growled.
"Because I'd rather just leave and forget I ever came here." She looked up at him, her breath catching. Dammit, why did she still have to be attracted to him? Shouldn't the absolute anger pumping through her veins make him look uglier?
"Now, please let go of me so I can leave."
His arms tightened just to contradict her. His brows shot up high above his eyes and he clucked his tongue, shaking his head.
"Aren't you here to retract a promise from me, Katerina? You should get used to my arms being around you then," he said quietly.
As soon as the words escaped his lips, he closed his eyes and cursed. Try as he might to tell himself that the thought of spending one night with her repulsed him, it was in vain. The soft bundle against him filled his arms perfectly.
He was going to fulfill his debt to her, but he'd be damned if he'd show her any kind of softness. Olivia sprung to his mind and he bit back another curse. Somehow during the whole time Katerina had been here, his girlfriend had been forgotten. What will he tell her?
"Bite me. Like I'm gonna sleep with you now. I can't believe I actually thought you might be nice to me. You hated me before you ever knew me. Why would 8 years change that? You're still a judgmental prick who's full of hate. I don't need your poison inside me." She struggled feebly to escape his arms. She couldn't afford to get used to it. Not when it felt so good despite her best attempts to hate it.
"What did you call me?" he hissed through his teeth, seeing red at her insults. "You're talking as if I'm the one to blame! You had hidden the truth from me, Katerina. You had made me look like a fool!" His words ended on a roar.
He walked forward until her back touched the wall with a thud. "Doesn't need my poison, do you?" His blue eyes flashed before he ducked and crushed his lips against hers for a bruising kiss.
She squirmed in his arms fighting the temptation to melt against him. This wasn't a real kiss. He might as well be slapping her. She bit his lip hard, hoping it made him bleed. She didn't come here to hurt. Though she realized now that she'd been a fool to expect anything else.
"I didn't make you a fool," she spat. "You did."
Chris jerked his head back with an expletive. He touched his bottom lip and looked at the blood on his fingers.
"Damn cat," he growled and wiped his lips with the back of his sleeve. "I should put you over my knee and trash you."
"I dare you to try," she said, glaring at him. "I guarantee I'll make you hurt somewhere other than your mouth."
Christian laughed harshly and the corner of his lips tilted up into a taunting smirk. He grabbed a lock of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers.
"You'll need that part of me intact, sweetheart," he mocked. "Though I'd like to see you try and harm me."
"I don't need any part of you intact, buddy," she warned. "Right about now, I'd rather have a piece of plastic in me than you." She slapped his hand away from her hair.
"Stop touching me. I don't want you to touch me."
He should be mad, enraged. However, after she uttered those words to him, he found himself laughing. Not just the tamed chuckle he had given her so far, but a sound that came from the pit of his stomach that spoke of his amusement.
"My, still as blunt as ever, aren't you?" he said with a smirk. "I'll touch you if I want to. You gave me that right 8 years ago."
She shook her head, staring at him.
"I can't believe I ever wanted you to like me. If I'd known what kind of hateful person you really are, I would have saved myself the trouble and shoved my stupid last name in your face at every opportunity." She pulled her hat out of her pocket and shoved it onto her head. She didn't want to be near him even one second longer.
"Hateful person?" he repeated with heat. "Why did you think I turned this way, Katerina? Aren't you going to shoulder some of the blame?" At the sight of her taking out her hat to place it on her head, as if she wanted to hide or escape from him, he hardened.
Chris grabbed her hat and threw it behind them without looking. Then, he stared at her to wait and see what she would do.
"What the hell do you want me to say?" she yelled at him, overly furious about him throwing her hat like that. Just because he was mad didn't give him the right to disrespect her things.
"I was going to tell you. I wanted to tell you a million times. But I knew you'd hate me as soon as I did. So I didn't. And I kept telling myself that if you just got to know me first it wouldn't matter when you found out. So fine. I'm sorry that I didn't suck it up and just tell you. I'm sorry that I was afraid."