Chapter VI.
I hit something tall and hard. The breath left my lungs in a gust and I reached out to grab something before I fell over. I felt someone's arm wrap around my waist and catch me as I fell. I looked up and into the most familiar pair of golden brown eyes I had ever known.
Our eyes locked and he froze. After a moment he slowly let me back up and set me on my feet. His mouth was still slightly open and his eyes had confusion written all over them.
"Tina?" He whispered.
"Pardon?" I said feigning incomprehension.
"Do you know Christine Sterling?" He asked.
"I'm sorry, but I don't." I lied. He narrowed his eyes seeing right through my act.
"Sorry, have we met before? I am Enrique Mendez." He held out his hand palm up like always. My eyes flickered from his hand to his watching eyes before I shook his hand.
"Serena Metz. It's a pleasure to meet you." I said trying to gracefully step past him.
"I am big fan of your skills, tell me, how long have you been do ballet?" He asked studying my face for any sign I was Christine.
"Oh, since I could walk." I replied still trying to brush him off.
"You do ballet?" Jeremy asked and I realized my slip up. Christine did ballet, Serena, I, do contemporary.
"Well then, Serena," Edi said my name in a pointed manner to let us both know he didn't believe me for an instant, "I need be on my way, but I would love to see you again soon." He shook my hand and as he brushed past me I thought I heard him whisper, "Your eyes give you away." He walked off leaving me standing there frustrated and Jeremy confused.
"It is just me or does he seem odd. Like weird even for a billionaire." Jer said.
"Nope, he just knows me better than I know myself." I said mostly to myself. I shook my head at how canny Edi was at detecting me. He could always seem to read me like a large print book. For all I knew, my thought were written across my forehead in a ink only he could see.
"I am very confused, would you like to explain that little conversation you just had?" Jer said as I walked down the red carpet in long, quick strides.
"You want to know? Wait thirty minutes until we are in the car." I kept my chin up and headed toward my first interview. I spoke smoothly and represented myself well before I moved on. Jer and I did our interviews quickly, but politely and the minute the door closed to our limo he faced me.
"Spill." He said.
"Cover your mouth." I told him and waited until he rolled his eyes and did as I said. I leaned in and whispered, "Enrique Mendez is my old boyfriend."
"What the f-"
"Shhh, no one can know."
"But! How? Why! Are you getting him back?" He asked with wide ready for gossip eyes.
"In the beginning, I was planning on it, but now look at me, I'm just another drunk, washed up Hollywood actress. But he, he is even more than we ever dreamed." I closed my eyes and ran my fingers around the finger that used to have that delicate copper ring on it. I had removed it on the day I decided to drown myself in alcohol.
Before I had convinced myself that we were equals because of his money and my Eliteness. However, now I suppressed my gifts and went through cash as quick as I made it, whereas he was building one of the greatest empires the world had seen in millennia.
He was too good for me now.
I needed to run.
My eyes snapped open and I decided that I was leaving tonight after the party. I was going to fly away and never look back.
Enrique Mendez' POV.
So many years had past and now she had been standing in front of me looking more beautiful than I could have imagined. She was living her dream and she had never come back to me.
She didn't want me anymore. My heart paused and I barely had the will to concentrate on making it beat again. I thought back to her eyes. They were sad, wanting and something else. She wanted me but yet she did not come to get me.
I took out my phone and quickly searched her, Serena Metz. I quickly found out why she never came to find me. She was ashamed of herself. She was the target of all the tabloids and they waited for her to mess up so they could have a new front cover.
I did not care. I would love her no matter what she did. I smiled and realized I had a new mission.
I was going to get her back.
Serena Metz' POV.
I walked into the after party wearing a new, short cocktail dress and immediately fell back into my usual rhythm. I let my body sway back and forth to the music and lost myself in the repetitive pounding beat of the bass. I noticed a cute guy watching me a bit star struck and I made my way over to him.
"I'm Serena." I said holding out my hand to him.
"I'm Cole." He said standing up from his stool. "Let me buy you a drink." He turned around to the bar tender.
"No thank you. Not tonight." I declined before I grabbed him and pulled him onto the dance floor. I swayed back and forth in front of him and didn't slap his hands even when they started to get a little adventurous. I rubbed against him every now and then and just had a good time.
We had been dancing for about ten minutes when I glanced across the club and saw Edi walk in. Instantly our eyes met and I stopped in my tracks. Cole who had been kissing my neck paused and pulled away.
"Time for that drink." I grabbed his hand and dragged him back to the bar. "One shot of vodka please." I got it a minute later an threw it back. It burned down my throat and settle in my stomach like a little fire. I shook out my hair and grooved to the beat once again. I danced again and waited for Edi to catch up to me.
A minute later I heard his voice.
"Do you mind if I dance with her for a minute?" Edi said to whatever his name was that I was dancing with.
"Fine." He said a bit grudgingly.
"Christine." He said placing his hands on my waist and spinning me around like he had just done it yesterday.
"It's Serena." I stated coolly.
"Sorry, why have you not come back for me yet?" He asked. "I remember a promise you made and I intend on holding you to it." He purred in my ear and brushed his fingers up and down my arm. I turned around so my back was to him again. He placed his hands on my waist and swayed back and forth with me.
"Stop." I whispered meaning the exact opposite.
He pulled me closer and pressed his lips against my neck. My eyes slipped closed and I let myself enjoy the moment and then another one.
"Get off of her!" I heard an angry voice yell an set of prying fingers dug into my arm and yanked me away from Edi. My eyes flew open and I saw a very drunk Eric towering in front of us. Edi didn't look fazed. He ignored Eric and stared deep into my eyes.
"You are better than him. You do not need him." He had a pleading look in his eyes and I wanted to believe him, but I knew I wasn't good enough and I also knew that Eric would kill us both if I didn't go with him.
Eric grabbed my arm again and towed me away but not before I had one last glance over my shoulder at Edi.
Eric led me to a different part of the club and bought me three shots. "Drink them all or you'll pay for it." He snarled obviously still mad about Edi. I did as I was told and slugged back the shots.
"Now dance for me, make sure I'm impressed." He growled into my ear before dragging me back to a dance floor.
I danced as best a I could but the alcohol was making me sloppy and every time I made a wrong move he would pinch me somewhere. I knew that when I woke up tomorrow, I would be covered in bruises all over my body. Finally, he left me and got me another shot. I lifted it to my lips and tipped it back.
Enrique Mendez' POV.
I waited an hour before I dared start searching the club for her. I stayed in the shadows and watched for her or the guy she had been with. From one look at him I could tell he was the main reason for her problems and I knew that he would hurt her if he saw me again.
It wasn't that hard to find her. After I climbed the stairs to the upper level of the club, I spotted her. She was laughing and dancing on top of one of the tables. Even from across the room I could see that she was very drunk. My heart broke as I saw the crowd of people standing around her table teasing and mocking her like she was nothing. I pushed my way to the front and jumped up on the table. Cheers broke out for the split second when they thought I was joining her.
"Get out of here!" I said in a protective and menacing tone to the onlookers.
"What are you doing here?" Tina asked pausing her dance as she saw me standing next to her.
"We are going home." I said reaching for her arm.
"Don't touch me!" She screamed ripping her arm away from me. "Leave me alone!"
"It is ok, I will get you home safe." I promised reaching out again.
"What are you doing!" Eric roared suddenly appearing by the table.
"Taking care of your girlfriend because you obviously are not capable." I retorted.
"She's having fun. Let her do what she wants." He said.
I took a deep breath before I spoke. "She is drunk and has no idea what she is doing. You are having fun watching her suffer as you subject her to this lifestyle time and time again. Today, this stops."
"How are you going to do that?" He taunted.
"Either you let me walk out of here with her or I call the police and tell them about your drug problem." I bluffed, I was pretty confident it would work though because over 50% of all celebrities had experimented with drugs.
"Not going to happen." He said and moved to jump up on the table. I kicked his shoulder and he fell backwards landing sprawled out on the floor. Judging by his breathing he had gotten the wind knocked out of his lungs and would be lying there for at least a minute. I grabbed Tina's hands and got off the table before I slung her over my shoulder. I headed for the nearest emergency exit and booked it down the stairs. I set her on her feet and together we ran to my car. I helped her in before running to my side. I drove away and looked over to Tina, she was sitting quietly with tears shining in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" I asked gently reaching for her hand.
She pulled away and took a deep breath before answering. "I don't deserve you. You are too kind."
"No, do not say that. I have only ever wanted one thing and that is you. You are the only thing I want in this world and I am going to get it even if I die trying." I said which only seemed to make her sob harder. "I love you Tina. I have never stopped, I could never move on after you because you changed me. I became a better person with you by my side and you taught me how to live-"
"-stop." She interrupted. "Just stop. I'm not that person. I didn't do anything for you except ruin any shot at happiness you could have ever had. You should be blaming me not praising me." She seemed angry and annoyed but I was not convinced these emotions were directed at me. She seemed mad at herself.
I stopped at my house and she looked out the window. "This isn't my apartment. Take me home."
"You are to drunk to leave alone. It would be irresponsible, you are staying at my house tonight." I parked the car and went around to help her out. Instead, she crossed her arms and locked the door.
"I'm not getting out." She pouted.
"Unlock the door Tina." I sighed.
"No." She said with her muffled by the glass between us. I took as deep breath before I placed my hands on the frame of the car. I pushed back and forth letting the car rock on its suspension. About thirty seconds later Tina stumbled out of the car and threw up on the grass nearby.
I placed my hands on her back and held her hair out of the way. When she finished I gently guided her inside. I grabbed my clean pair of sweatpants and a large shirt and handed them to her before I left her in my guest bedroom. I went to the kitchen and rummaged around in the fridge not really looking for anything in particular.
"Do you have any oranges?" I heard her say behind me.
"Yes I do." I grabbed one out of the bottom drawer and turned around to toss it to her.
My breath caught in my throat as I saw she had not bothered to put on the sweatpants. The shirt was barely long enough to cover her bum and it was terribly distracting in addition to the fact that she was no longer wearing a bra under the shirt.
"Here you go." I gave her the orange and turned my back as she sat down on a stool at the counter.
"I want you to know that I can't ever see you again after this." She said and I scoffed.
"I want you to know I will never stop looking for you. Just know that everything I do is to expand my name in the hopes that you will never be able to escape it and eventually come back to me."
"You keep on trying that." She said obviously not believing I could succeed.
"Believe me, I will." I said with a bit of defiance. "And really Tina, you are never going to convince me that you do not want me if you wear that." I said walking over to her and spinning the stool so she was facing me. She remained silent as I rested my hands on her bare knees and drilled her with a stare that dared her to contradict me.
"You would not do this to me if you did not want me to try and win you over." I slid my hands down her legs caressing the soft skin. "So why do you not just go ahead and give in. It will happen eventually, so why wait?" I spoke softly and and touched her gently as her eyes fluttered closed with pleasure.
Assuming she was surrendering I skimmed my hands all the way up from her calves to her waist and pulled her off the stool. Automatically, her legs wrapped around my waist and I pressed my lips to hers. I kissed her hard and I took what I wanted unlike when we were children and I had to behave myself. Her hands worked through my hair and tugged a bit making me moan softly. I slid my hands under the shirt and felt the soft skin of her stomach. I took a deep breath to remember how good she smelled, but mostly I just noticed the scent of alcohol. Then I remembered why we were here, at my house. I brought her home because she was drunk and now I was taking advantage of her. That made me no better than the jerk he had been with. I stopped kissing her and set her down on her feet. My shame grew as she stumbled a bit on the gentle landing.
"You are drunk and I am taking advantage of you. It is wrong and I am sorry. Can you forgive me?" I said voicing my thoughts aloud.
She stared at me and I noticed for the first time that her eyes no longer had the white line around them. An emotion flashed across her face to quickly for me to see before she turned away and went back to her room.
I stood without moving for a moment before I crumpled and sat in a heap on the stone tile floor. I had one shot to make it up to her and I ruined it. I had one try to win her back and claim her forever and I messed up.
I sat there in misery for a long time before I crawled to my bed and laid awake for hours going over my failure over and over again.