Chapter 18: Not My Boyfriend

“Yes, and I must be hard of hearing because you can’t be calling from this number,” Sarah all but growled. “How did you get his phone? Did he give it to you?” Part of her was jealous that he was meeting a woman so soon after fighting with her. What happened to him being serious about her? “No. I was having dinner with him and our parents. As per usual. And I took his phone because I could,” she murmured. Sarah laughed bitterly. Yes, the rich always did fornicate amongst themselves. And to think Vera and Wendy Kincaid were close friends of Williams… What was she doing? “I didn’t realize you were interested in a man a greedy woman like me would hang around it. Isn’t that why you called me? To warn me off President Colton?” “You know what? You don’t deserve him at all,” she scoffed in a sound of utter disbelief. “I tried calling in hopes of understanding what the hell it is about you that you have two amazing guys vying for your attention. I now realize it’s not because you’re a cute and funny girl. No, it’s because you are a whore and you put out.” Sarah’s stomach dropped and she pulled up from the mattress. She was beyond angry. “Don’t mistake me for yourself, Miss Kincaid. I don’t pretend to be a nice girl while trying to destroy other people.” Her teeth were clenched tightly as she hissed out the words. “Don’t mistake William and Justin for being genuinely interested in you.” The words cut through her heart like a knife. Wendy hung up before Sarah could respond. - - - - - Sarah clenched her fingers around her cell phone as she waited for him to open the door. His last text said to wait for him there, but it had been almost ten minutes and Sarah was beginning to think she had been duped. She was on the verge of a nervous breakdown and she couldn’t get her brain to shut up. She couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t even eat. She had skipped dinner, too. The sound of the door creaking open drew her attention and Sarah felt relief as he stepped out and stared her down. “Hey,” she mumbled softly. “What are you doing here, Sarah?” His question was well deserved, but she didn’t have an answer for it. So she went with the truth. She licked her chapped lips and bit the skin. “I need to tell you something,” she said. Luca’s shoulders fell in relief. “It’s about time.” He ushered her in and shut the door behind them. - - - - - Sarah woke up the next morning, feeling all kinds of ways. She was about to grab breakfast but the kitchen was not empty. She gasped when she saw William sitting there, casually looking through the paper. The sunshine beamed merrily through the window behind him, casting an angelic glow around his still form. The sound caused him to look up, but he didn’t look surprised or relieved… or anything she would have expected. He was mad. He slapped the newspaper down onto the counter so hard that Sarah jumped. She moved back a step when he stood up, but he came at her with such a speed that she couldn’t back away quickly enough. She was backed against the wall, his hands on either side of her face, pressed against it. Sarah blinked up at him, confused and lost in a cloud of dizziness that she couldn’t shrug off. “H-how… How did you...” She was unable to finish. She couldn’t form a proper sentence. Suddenly, one of his hands turned into a fist and slammed against the wall behind her. Sarah felt the vibration from the hit rattle her all the way down her spine. Her heart started to beat faster and heavier than before. “I broke in,” he teased, his voice unkind. “Does it even matter to you?” He laughed without humor and when she looked away, his hand yanked her by the chin to look at him again. “I am trying to talk to you.” “Then act like a human being,” she snapped and pressed her hand to his chest, trying to shove him away. He didn’t budge an inch. And when she tried to do it again, he grabbed her by the wrists and put them high above her head. She winced as he held her wrists captive. “Who do you think you are?” He scowled into her face and squeezed her wrists. “Answer me, damn it!” he roared into her face. “Get off me!” she screamed back. “I saw you,” he said in a deathly calm voice. “Huh?” His fingers dug into her wrists. “Where were you last night?” Sarah’s face paled. “Are you going to deny it?” She shook her head when he asked, and somehow her reaction set him off again. “I saw you last night, Sarah. I saw you walk inside and I waited for two hellish hours until you left. I almost went inside and beat Luca to a pulp… My own assistant.” Sarah glowered at him. “You are not my boyfriend.” “I don’t give a fuck who I am to you.” His rage crashed over her in waves, anchoring her down. “You have no right to play with me like this.” “I am not playing with you. I am not doing anything!” she cried out angrily. “Stop lying.” She could see the strain on his face as he tried to rein in his fury. His entire body trembled from it. “You’re hurting me,” she whimpered and pulled at her throbbing wrists. In an instant, her wrists were free. “I swear to you, I didn’t go there to upset you. He’s my friend now. Please…” That was the wrong thing to say. In an instant he was far away from her, pacing in the kitchen. He grumbled to himself under his breath and Sarah pressed up against the wall, unable to move away or run. Suddenly, he hissed, “Goddamn it, Sarah.” Sarah jumped and moved out of his way, sitting down on the nearest chair. She pressed her hands into her hair. Her hair wasn’t washed and it felt oily against her fingertips as she slid them along her scalp. Suddenly, there was quiet. William wasn’t grumbling any longer. He was not pacing or cursing. There was no sound, but she didn’t open her eyes. She didn’t want to see him. But she was not given a choice. Before she could catch her breath, she felt two hands curl around just under her shoulders. Her eyes flew open to see his tense expression. He released her quickly and moved a step back. “Why did you do it?” He sounded like he was begging.