Enemy Beloved

25 | women talk

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C L A I R E

"So, what's the plan?" Vaughn asks as he pulls the car at a parking slot outside the gates of Bradford Institute of Fashion and Technology.

"I'll tell you later." I open the seat belt and grab my bag but rather than opening the car door and leaving quietly, I end up stealing a look at Vaughn. "Will you go to work now?"

We returned home just this morning and after having a shower — together, Vaughn chose to drop me to college himself. We even got the car and our phones back, courtesy of the mysterious Jake Gallagher. I have to meet this new guy for myself soon.

"Yeah," he hums. "I have a meeting with our new clients. It's time we show them the designs for their complex."

I pull my bottom lip inside my mouth as I watch him. He is dressed in a well-tailored grey suit that fits his frame to perfection. It is a wonder that he takes so little time to groom himself yet comes out as a classy gentleman while I have to take an hour to just get my hair done before stepping out.

He glances at me and catches me staring at him. "Anything, blondie?"

"I'm sorry for last night," I say, looking at the dashboard of the car. "I'm not that good with alcohol."

"Which part are you sorry for?" He turns the engine off and shifts on his seat to face me. "The part where you asked me to continue where we left off or the part where you gave me a lap dance for the second time in your life?"

My ears perk up at that and I jerk my head towards him. "Second time?" I repeat, unable to recall the first. "When was the first?"

"You don't remember?" His eyebrows lift in amusement as he watches me. "Junior year in high school?"

My eyes widen in shock. Humiliation courses through me as I recall the night he is referring to. It was Gracie Hall's birthday bash and I ended up getting drunk for the first time. I don't remember what else happened that night but the next morning, I found myself safe in my bed and didn't think about it again.

"Oh my God!" I shut my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. "Please tell me I didn't do anything stupid."

He laughs, the timber low and vibrating my beating heart to a faster rhythm.

"You called Chris in your drunken state to pick you up. He was busy so he sent me. I found you in a completely lost state and had to literally drag you to get in the car and then...you just..."

He pauses and I see a faint blush on his cheeks.

"What?" I blurt out. "What did I do?"

He touches the nape of his neck uncomfortably. "You told me that you liked me. Then you got on my lap and started to give me a lap dance."

"Holy shit!" I curse, my cheeks flushing. "Why didn't you stop me?"

"I tried to but you started to shout," he says. "I didn't want people to think I was taking advantage of you so I just let you do what you wanted to until you fell asleep on me."

I drop my forehead on the dashboard, embarrassed to the core while Vaughn just chuckles. I was just sixteen. If we had gotten caught, it would have been troublesome for Vaughn since he was an adult then.

"What did you do then?"

"Nothing." He reaches forward and brushes my hair from the side of my face to look at me. I meet his eyes without lifting my head from the dashboard. "I brought you back home and carried you to your bed. Your parents were out so no one saw us."