CHAPTER SIX
Christmas came and went. I felt like crap for leaving Dominick home alone on Christmas Eve, but he acted passive about it as normal, telling me that he would be happy, as long as we spent the end of Christmas day together.
I forced him to decorate the condo this year. Or rather, forced him to let me decorate it. His portion of the decorating consisted of hanging a few ornaments on the tree, though I was able to coax him into stringing up Christmas lights outside by offering him some pre-Christmas booty time. It's funny the things that men are motivated by.
The previous year, he had insisted on not having a tree because it made him feel lonely. This year, that wouldn't be an issue since I was only spending part of the day with Tammy, not the entire Christmas vacation. Still, he didn't seem very much in the Christmas spirit, even after we decorated. Maybe that's because it was last minute, like everything in December.
Christmas itself was nice. Tammy and Marcus bought me a lot of clothing and jewelry and makeup. I wasn't sure why they had gone out of their way to spoil me this particular year, especially since they had just bought the house, but I appreciated it. When I got home, there was a brand-new Volkswagon Eos sitting in front of Dominick's condo with a big red bow on it. The butt-head bought me a car, and I didn't even have a license yet.
“I'll teach you how to drive,” he promised me as I sat behind the wheel and marveled over all the gadgets inside.
Tammy was a bit upset at him for one-upping her, but he didn't care, and neither did I. If she knew the true dynamic of our relationship, the gift probably wouldn't have seemed so odd. Didn't rich guys typically buy their girlfriend expensive stuff for the holidays? For my birthday, he had bought me a pair of two carat diamond earrings set in platinum backings. Ever since we'd been officially dating, Dominick spent a lot of money on my gifts. This car blew the earrings out of the water though.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
“I love it!” I replied while Tammy scowled at my happiness from a distance.
She eventually got over my decision to stay living with Dominick, and after Christmas, she cracked jokes about the car, not blaming me for wanting to stay.
“He acts like he's your father,” she commented when I went over to have dinner with them one afternoon.
I wanted to correct her and say that he acts like my boyfriend, but we had been playing up the friendship thing fairly well, so there was no point in ruining it. For all the possessiveness and expensive gifts, Tammy and Marcus seemed to still have no clue what was actually going on.
The next semester began, and life went on as normal, with the new addition of me being able to see Tammy whenever I wanted. As Dominick had promised, he gave me driving lessons on the weekends and paid to put me through driver's education. I was excited to finally have my own car. It felt like life was slowly changing, our relationship evolving to where he trusted me more.
Dominick renewed his contact with Smart Romance Press, and like a dumb ass, had agreed to only marginally better terms than he had been under before. In the afternoons, I found him buckled down in his office, typing away the latest and greatest romance novel, and oftentimes in a bad mood about it. Life continued on the way it had before the new year, with us barely seeing each other, coming together for meals and the occasional romp between the sheets.
One afternoon, I came home to find an unfamiliar man arguing with Dominick in the living room. He looked up at me when I entered, though his eyes didn't brighten. He seemed to be about the same age as Dominick, with shoulder-length brown hair and cold brown eyes. He was dressed professionally in a crisp navy blue business suit.
“Hey, Kim,” Dominick greeted me wearily.
“Hey,” I replied, wondering if I should retreat to my room and leave the two of them alone. When the man stood up to introduce himself to me, I knew I couldn't escape.
“You must be the paramour I've heard so much about. I'm Ray Woods, Dominick's publicist.”
“Nice to meet you,” I replied meekly, wondering what he meant by calling me a paramour. I knew it was the name of a band, but I had no idea what the definition of the word was.
Dominick watched us shake hands with a hard expression. He wasn't happy that this man was here. That was obvious.
“Have a seat.” Ray gestured to the loveseat next to Dominick before sitting down on the one across from him. Nervously, I did as I was told, wondering why he wanted me in on their conversation. “I was just talking to Dominick about the publicity party that Smart Romance Press is throwing for Behind Her Green Eyes in New York in a few weeks. He says he doesn't want to go, but I thought that perhaps you and I could convince him otherwise.” The smile Ray gave me made me feel uncomfortable.
“There's going to be a publicity party for Behind Her Green Eyes?” I glanced at Dominick, who looked annoyed. “You didn't tell me anything about it.”
“That's because I don't want to go.”
“Why don't you want to go?”
“Because it's unnecessary.”
“It's very necessary,” Ray chimed in. “The movie is almost done being filmed. This is a party to push the book one last time before the movie comes out.”
“This is just one of a series of parties he's going to want me to attend,” Dominick informed me.
“But it's an important one, thrown by the company. They'll expect you to be there.”
“There's no clause in my contracts saying I have to attend these parties,” he insisted.
“No. But it's expected of you. Don't you care about your fans?”
“I do. That's why I want to stay. I'm already falling behind on my deadlines again. I'm sure they'd much prefer reading my new novel on time than seeing me in person.”
“It's only for one night, Dominick.”
“It's not just one night. I'd have to fly there, get a room for the night, and then fly back the next day. That's practically two days lost.”
“The company would pay for your suite.”
“That's not the point. I wouldn't be spending enough time in the suite for it to matter. You guys would constantly have me running around, wasting time socializing.”
“You're no fun.” Ray scowled.
“I'm not going. This conversation is over.”
“Fine,” he sighed. “The party will happen, with or without you though. Preferably, with you. I'd hate to see how disappointed your fans will be when they show up to the party and you're not there.”
“Then cancel the party. It's an easy fix.” Dominick stood to walk Ray to the door.
“We need to have one of these before the movie comes out. You know this. And there will be a separate party for the movie.”
“I just can't do it right now.”
“The party is in two weeks. Call me if you change your mind.”
“I won't.” Dominick closed the door behind Ray and exhaled loudly.
The whole exchange had made me incredibly nervous. Every time Ray had looked at me, it had been with distaste. I couldn't understand why.
“That man's aggressive,” I commented.
“He's annoying,” Dominick replied, coming to join me on the loveseat again. In exasperation, he raked his hands through his hair. I leaned in to gently massage his shoulder before kissing it.
“Is that party really important?”
“Yes, but I truly don't have time for it. I've signed myself into hole again. I thought that having two extra weeks between books would be enough time, but I've been having concentration issues lately, so I'm already falling behind again.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No. I just need to write.” He stood, brushing past me to go back to his office. It was a bad mood day, and Ray's visit probably hadn't helped. I would be better off just staying away from Dominick for now.
I was curious about the party, but I didn't bother bringing it up again. That was Dominick's business. If he didn't want to go, I could understand. It did make sense to spend his time meeting his deadline instead of meeting fans. The contract was important.
Several days later, I was walking home from the bus stop when I saw Ray standing outside of Dominick's condo. He was leaning against a dark-blue Corvette, staring out into the parking lot. For a few minutes, I thought he was looking through me, like he didn't recognize me, but then he smiled, and my stomach twisted in discomfort.
“Kim,” he said, though it came out in almost a whisper. “Let's take a ride.”
“What? Why?” I slowed down as I approached, half worried he was going to kidnap me. “Does Dominick know you're here?”
“I came here to see you, not him.”
“Why's that?”
“I wanted to talk to you about the publicity party that's coming up.”
“You can talk to me inside,” I said as I began to walk past him. He quickly took a step in front of me, blocking my way, which only made me more nervous.
“It's important that he doesn't know I'm here.”
“Why?” I tried not to show the fear behind my eyes. Instinctively, I kept looking at the door, hoping Dominick would hear us and come out.
“Don't act so frightened. I just want to talk to you. Let's take a ride.”
Against my better judgment, I relented, climbing into the passenger's side of the Corvette when Ray opened the door for me. We pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main highway, only going a few blocks before he turned into the parking lot of a fast food restaurant, parked, and killed the engine.
“I didn't mean to frighten you by showing up like that,” Ray told me, “But I really need Dominick to go to this party. A lot of important people are going to be there, people who are important for his career. This isn't just a social soiree.”
“What does that have to do with me?” I asked, wrapping my arms protectively around myself and refusing to look at him. I wasn't sure why this man intimidated me so much, but he did.
“I know the relationship between the two of you, how much your opinion means to him. If you told him that you really wanted to go to the party, he would go.”
“What about his work?”
“He'll get it done. He always does. This is part of his work, and it's important. You'll help me convince him, won't you?” his words sounded almost threatening.
“I can try,” I replied in a small voice.
“Good. With you on my side, we should be able to get him to cave.”
“I do understand why he doesn't want to go though. He says he's been having concentration issues lately.”
“Then this trip would be perfect. Sometimes we need to get away to clear our minds.”
“Alright. I'll do my best to convince him.”
“Awesome. You're a real life saver, Kim.”
With the conversation over, he drove me back to the condo and dropped me off in front of it, giving me what looked like a dismissive wave as he drove away, though I knew it was meant to be friendly. In truth, I could tell that all he cared about was getting Dominick to go to the party. I was just a means to an end. He didn't give a crap about me otherwise.
“You're late,” Dominick commented as I came inside and walked past his office.
“You noticed for once.” I stopped to smirk at him.
“I always notice things.” He frowned at me. “Just because I don't bring them up doesn't mean I don't notice them.”
“The bus was running late,” I lied, continuing on to my room to drop off my backpack before starting dinner.
Pork chops were on the menu tonight. It was the first time I'd cooked them in ages, and they came out kind of dry, but I doubted Dominick would complain. He was like a human garbage disposal, eating everything I put in front of him and just being happy that he didn't have to cook.
I decided to approach the topic while we were eating, easing into it slowly by asking why he hadn't told me about the party.
“I wasn't planning on going, so there was no reason to bring it up to you,” he replied, obviously irritated by the question.
“How long have you known about it?”
“For a few weeks now.”
“What's a party like that like?”
“Overwhelming. They give me social anxiety.”
“Oh, well then, I guess I can understand you not wanting to go. That Ray guy made it sound important though.”
“It is important, but not as important as finishing my next novel.”
“Would taking off for a couple of days really hurt? You seem pretty stressed out lately. Perhaps the time off would do you some good.”
“Trading one stressful situation for another,” he huffed. “Brilliant idea.”
“It was just a suggestion,” I grumbled, stabbing a piece of meat with my fork. “These pork chops are tough.”
“A little, but they're still good.”
We sat in silence for a few moments before I spoke again, “I would like to go to one of these publicity parties with you sometime.”
He sighed, “Is that what this is about?”
“Well, it just seems interesting is all. Besides, it's been a while since we've gone anywhere together.” I shrugged.
“The timing really isn't good now, but it is kind of important,” he said thoughtfully. “If you really want to go, I suppose it wouldn't hurt too much. But know that it's going to be another business trip. You'll have to get dressed up for it, and we won't be able to spend any leisurely time together. People will be demanding my attention the entire time we're there, and it will probably be a bit hectic. I might not be able to be with you all the time.”
“That's fine,” I replied with a hint of excitement. In all honesty, I was kind of curious to attend the party myself. It sounded like such a fascinating event.
“Alright. Then I'll call up Ray later and inform him that I changed my mind. That should please him.”
It will. Everything worked out as he planned.
That weekend, Dominick took me dress shopping. It was strange shopping with him like that, but after the sultry cocktail dress that I had brought on our trip to California, he didn't trust me to pick something appropriate for this event. My eyes first landed on a long black dress that was stripped with polyester and see-through lace, but Dominick quickly steered me towards safer waters. It was obvious he wanted to keep me covered up, for the most part.
“This is going to be a classy event,” he informed me. “While I think that you would look stunning in that dress, I don't want people thinking I'm with you solely based on looks.”
I nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed that my taste was so sexy. The only person I wanted to impress was Dominick, and my mind was stuck on the thought of seducing him. But, as he had said, this trip would be more about him than us, and I needed to look like a lady.
The next dress I picked out was a gorgeous flowing mermaid dress with a red flower pattern embroidered onto the top and a long white lace train. That dress he thought was too pretentious.
“This is a business gathering, not a red carpet event,” he reminded me, making me scowl.
“I can't find something that works. You pick out something for me.”
The dress he picked out made me cringe. It wasn't horrible, but it was far too old fashioned. It was long and fitted with a black skirt and a white top with a V-neckline in both the front and the back.
“No.” I shook my head at him when I stepped out of the dressing room.
“I think it looks nice.” He smiled at me, obviously delighted with the dress.
“No,” I said again, returning to the dressing room to take it off.
In the end, I settled for a purple chiffon dress with an empire waistline and lots of ruffles. It was modern enough to be likeable but modest enough to please Dominick. I probably wouldn't be the belle of the ball, but at least prince charming was satisfied.
The following weekend, we packed our suitcases and headed to New York. The party was being held in a large hotel, and Smart Romance Press was nice enough to put us up in the same hotel so that we wouldn't have to commute. It felt like from the second we arrived, we were getting ready for the party. Dominick called Melinda and Ray, and they came to visit with us before it was time to go upstairs for the festivities.
I marveled at the burgundy satin one-shoulder mermaid dress that Melinda was wearing, and then internally grumbled at Dominick for not letting me get the red and white one I had been considering. Melinda looked absolutely exquisite, her generous breasts pushed up high, her gorgeous blonde hair pulled back slightly so that ringlets cascaded down her back. The guys couldn't keep their eyes off of her, and it made jealousy rage through me, though I kept it at bay. I was the princess to her queen, out-shined in my girlish dress by her maturity.
All thoughts of comparison faded away when we went upstairs, and Dominick abandoned me to socialize. The conference room that Smart Romance Press had rented was bustling with people. It felt like we had only been inside for a few minutes before Dominick was lost to the crowd. I was left with Melinda and Ray, who were busy in their own rights, though not so much as Dominick. Excitement melted into nervousness dripping into anxiety. I found a quiet corner and tried to blend into the wall, having never felt more out of place in my entire life. Everything in me wanted to go back to the room and just wait the night out, but I knew that Dominick was only here because of me. He would expect me to stick around.
After about an hour, things started to die down a bit. Dominick was still swamped with fans and business associates, but the crowd around Melinda and Ray had dispersed, so I headed over to them to reintegrate myself into the action.
“That's a lovely dress,” Melinda commented. “I forgot to tell you when we were up in the room.”
“Not as pretty as yours,” I replied.
“I think it is.”
“That's sweet of you to say. I had wanted to pick one out similar to yours, except for it was sleeveless and embroidered. It was a gorgeous dress, but Dominick was worried it would be too much for the party.”
“He didn't want you to outshine him. He can be such a diva sometimes,” she joked.
“Well, I think you're both lovely,” Ray said, giving us a wink that sent chills down my spine.
“Oh look, there's Gina Mauck. I best go say hello.” Melinda excused herself, leaving me alone with Ray.
He took a step closer to me, drinking a sip of champagne while he watched Melinda start talking to the other woman. “Quite a party, don't you think?”
“It's something else.”
“Not what you're used to?”
“Of course not. I've never been to anything like this in all my life.”
“Of course not,” he said, giving the champagne a fake smile. “You know, I never thanked you for convincing him to come.”
“You never had the chance.”
“Well, thank you. At least, it's one thing you've done right.”
My stomach flopped at his words. There was some hidden meaning behind them, I could tell by his tone—something unpleasant.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You're ruining his career, you know.”
“I wouldn't be able to tell by all the people around,” my voice stiffened.
“You wouldn't. You don't know what goes on inside this business. And it's not his fans whom you're messing things up for him with, not yet at least.”
I sighed, turning toward him, my mood completely ruined. “Speak plainly.”
“Melinda told me he's been falling behind on his deadlines since the two of you got together. You're a distraction to him.”
“We fixed that already.”
“Have you? I hear he's behind again. How long before he misses a deadline.”
“How do you know this is even my fault?” I quirked an eyebrow.
“I've known Dominick for a very long time. I know how he is, always very business focused. It hasn't been like that since you came along. Besides, his relationship with you is scandalous. Not healthy. You're too young for him, and your living situation only makes it look like you're taking advantage of him. I'm sure that's not the case, and I'm sure that you do love him, but you should think about him, think about what you mean for his future. That's all I'm saying.”
Melinda returned to us, and Ray acted like the awkward conversation had never taken place. The guy hated me, I decided. Even after I had helped him, he still hated me. Was this how he showed gratitude, by trying to push me away from Dominick, or did he really have Dominick's best interests at heart? He was Dominick's publicist, after all.
For the rest of the night, my mood was irreparable. Even though Melinda did her best to keep me company, my mind continued to return to the things Ray had said, and I found myself fighting back tears, wondering if I really was ruining Dominick's life. Did the powers that be not want us together? It seemed like every time things were going well, something else would swoop in to try to tear us apart. Maybe he would be better off without me.
Each minute that passed brought me closer to crumbling, and eventually I submitted defeat and decided to go back to the room. Dominick was busy having a conversation with three different women at once, so I told Melinda to inform him that I had gotten too tired to stick around. She hugged me and nodded, and I glanced at Ray, who only looked upon me with cruel eyes, before I took my leave, bursting into tears the second that I stepped into the elevator. What a horrible night.
My mind was a mess of confusion, my body wrecked with exhaustion. By the time I peeled the dress off and crawled into bed, I was ready to cry myself to sleep. It didn't take long, maybe a few minutes before I drifted off, only to be woken up hours later by Dominick climbing into bed beside me. He wrapped his arms around me, drawing me close and sighing contently before kissing me on the back of the head and resting for sleep. I loved being in his arms. I wanted to be held tighter, for him to stroke my hair and tell me everything would be alright, but I knew that our flight was leaving early in the morning, and he needed his sleep.
The next morning, we woke up bright and early, packed our belongings, and headed back to Arizona. I was grumpy for most of the day, hating Ray for planting negative thoughts in my head. Still, I could see the truth behind his words. Even with Dominick's new extended contract, he wasn't getting his work done. The only possible reason was my presence. He had never had these issues before I came into his life. Maybe I should have moved in with Tammy after all.
As days passed, Dominick continued to be distracted. It really made me think about our schedules and what I could be doing to throw him off. Was eating together taking away from his writing? Should we be spending less time with each other in the afternoons? Maybe if I wasn't around as much, he'd get more done.
I decided to discretely remove myself from the equation by spending less time around the house. Instead of going straight home after school, I started hanging out with Tammy a lot. Dominick didn't seem to mind that. In fact, he thought it was great that I was giving her more of what she had hoped for when they decided to move to Arizona. I also began going out with Victor more on the weekends, which Dominick didn't like so much, though his deadline kept him from complaining about it. My goal was to make myself more of a scarcity than a distraction, but in the process, I didn't realize I was actually driving him away.