Chapter 18
Dane
Back in the house, Sydney was still upset. She sat down at the kitchen table with her face enclosed in her hands. She had stopped crying by now, but her cheeks were still streaked with tears and she was barely talking. I hadn’t seen her like this. My impression of Sydney was of her being a confident, self sufficient young woman who had a strong head over her shoulders. Watching her crying and miserable made me mad. Mad at the man who had done this to her.
I made us two big mugs of coffee and sat down at the table with her. These were new emotions that I was experiencing. I was concerned for her, protective of her happiness. I wished I could destroy the man who had done this to her, but she had given me nothing except his first name.
“I understand why you wouldn’t want to get in touch with people from your old office now,” I said and pushed the mug of steaming coffee towards her. Sydney looked up at me with bloodshot eyes. Her eyelids were damp from her crying. I wanted to kiss her tears away. I had never experienced these feelings of tenderness before. Sydney sniffed and sipped some of her coffee.
“Yeah, it would be so embarrassing. I didn’t really have any friends in that office I could call in favors with. The only person I might be able to contact would be James, and he told me categorically that he never wanted to hear from me again,” she said and I drew my chair closer to her.
“Forget about what he told you to do or not to do. You shouldn’t be calling him, period. He disrespected you, treated you like shit,” I said in a voice that I didn’t even recognize. I was experiencing a burning urge to call the shitbag himself and give him a piece of my mind. I wanted to ruin his life for hurting Sydney. This woman I barely even knew. But all I knew was that she didn’t deserve this. She was a good person…a smart, talented, beautiful woman who deserved the best treatment from everyone else.
She sniffed again, to control her tears, and snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Yeah, you’re right…but Leo needs my help,” she said and I threw my head back in frustration. Leo again. He didn’t deserve her either. I knew he would hurt her too. He just seemed like the kind of guy who would use her and then throw her away.
“Sydney, listen to me…” I said and leaning towards her, I took her hand in mine. “You shouldn’t make that call, just for the sake of Leo. He’ll have other opportunities. He can go to LA or San Fransisco himself, try and get a break the way everyone else does. You shouldn’t be undermining your own pride and peace of mind for a guy like him,” I said and Sydney shot me a look.
“A guy like him? A guy like what? You think he’s not a nice guy because he had a one night stand with some woman from the bar?” she said, with her eyes narrowed at me. I could sense that she had now begun to channel her anger towards me. I shook my head.
“That’s not what I said,” I told her, but she wasn’t done.
“And I don’t need to remind you, that’s exactly what we did last night too. It doesn’t say anything about his character,” she continued and I sat away from her. To give her some space to breathe.
“So, you’re going to do this for Leo because you like him? Are you with him? Are you in love with him?” I asked her in a harsh voice of my own. I couldn’t be sure where all of this was coming from. She didn’t need to answer me.
“I’m not with him and no, I’m not in love with him!” she snapped and stood up from her chair.
“Then why? Why do you want to do this for him?” I said and stood up from the chair too.
“I don’t know…” she said.
“Just admit it, Sydney. You have feelings for him. You slept with me last night because you were jealous of the girl he was having sex with. I was your rebound for the night and now that Leo is giving you his attention again, you want to do him favors,” I thundered and Sydney gritted her teeth at me.
“I’m weak! Is that what you’re trying to say to me?” she was yelling too. “That I don’t know how to control my emotions around the men I’m attracted to. Is that what you’re saying?” she said and I clenched my jaw. I wasn’t sure any more of what I was trying to say. All I knew was that I didn’t want her to call her ex in San Fransisco and I didn’t want her to do any favors for Leo either. I knew I had no authority over her. She was just a one night stand and I knew her only for a little over a day.
“You’re putting words in my mouth,” I said finally and we continued to glare at each other. She was eyeing me, my lips, my face, and my gaze swung to her breasts, her neck, her bare arms…
“You should just say what you want then, Dane. Tell me what you think of me,” she said and lifted her chin up challengingly. I looked at her, my mouth slightly open as I realized I was entranced by her. I had never met a woman like her before in my life.
I stepped towards Sydney, and she craned her neck to look up at me. I didn’t have the words to tell her what I thought of her, so I was going to show her. Sydney was staring up at me, her eyes wide and focused on my face.
I lowered my face to kiss her, and gently bit her lower lip and she flung her arms around my neck and drew me closer to herself.