Page 19 of Tops
I peeled the coat from my shoulders, finding instant relief from the heat. I turned to look at the window next to the table where I liked to eat breakfast. The rain outside was coming down in sheets now as water streamed down the glass like tiny rivers. There wasn’t a slow race anymore, just a rush to get to the next destination.
I turned off the light to the apartment before shutting the door and locking the bolt. Nik stood in the hallway with my bags and winter coat. At least I could hold the umbrella for him as we walked back to Bottoms.
7
Magnetic Appeal
Nikleftmeandmy possessions in my room at Bottoms. I guess I had a few more keepsakes than I realized. Nik said he would be back tomorrow to get me for class if he didn’t visit sooner. That last part was delivered with a wink before he left me alone to decorate my new room. He also showed me how to work the TV. I had thought it was a fancy painting across from my bed. My bracelet unlocked a tablet on my side table. It controlled the temperature, TV, and even the shower.
I really needed to try out the shower. There was a button you could press to change the color of the lights in the water. And at least a million different controls for massages. I spent a long time looking at all the various menus and features on the tablet before remembering that I needed to get my stuff put away.
There still wasn’t much. Not compared to the size of this bedroom. The few clothes I brought barely occupied any space in the closet. I did have a few pictures of my dad that I remembered to grab. I placed them neatly in the top drawer of my new bedside dresser before flopping back down on the bed. Ready to look at more controls and then eventually try out the TV.
I was still scrolling through movie options when a slight knock came at my door.
“Fully dressed,” I yelled absentmindedly, as if it was Hannah on the other side.
“I’m not sure the alternative would have dissuaded me,” Colten said, his voice almost shy, as if he was unsure about his comment now that it was out in the world. He pushed his glasses back up his nose and swept the hair from his face before smiling. His suit now seemed too formal for the occasion, and I wondered what he wore around the house.
“Bit late in the evening for all that, don’t you think?” I teased, taking a quick look at the time and noticing it was almost midnight.
“With my life, I never clock out,” Colten laughed lightly. It must have been an inside joke. “I told Tanner I may as well crash here for the next couple of days while we work out your protection schedule. Tanner and Nik are both in the lounge. We could all sit down and discuss your daily schedule if you’re not too tired.” Colten put his hands into his blazer pockets and looked at me like a kid waiting on the ice cream truck.
Maybe I should have started humming nursery rhymes just to see how he reacted. All around the mulberry bush…
Rather than looking like a completely insane person, I decided to get out of bed and join the guys in the lounge wearing pajamas. Asking Colten to wait while I changed seemed weird, since my pajamas were a pair of boxers and an oversized shirt. But what a couple we would make side by side while he was in his obviously expensive suit. Colten led the way, not at all bothered by my attire. He pointed out various wall paintings and sculptures on shelves. It was almost like walking the hall with a museum director. I hadn’t even noticed all the priceless pieces of work when I first ventured through.
I heard the TV before we cleared the hallway. Tanner’s voice came next as he grumbled about something on the news. He was sitting in the middle of the U-shaped couch, with Nik on the left section. Colten headed right for the empty side, leaving me a choice of which man to sit next to.
Why did it even have to be a choice? They should have just squished together in the middle, and I could have laid across them.
Nik grabbed a tablet, like the one in my bedroom, that he used to mute the television. The local news still flashed across the screen as some girl talked about a murder. It must have been something special to gain the public’s eye. People die around here all the time.
“Did you want to play a twisted game to see where I wanted to sit, or does someone want to scoot in next to their bestie and give me a section to myself?” The words flew from my lips. Never in my life had I talked to someone like that, well, other than Hannah. Yet something in Tanner seemed to bring out a bratty side.
I watched as all three of them looked at each other. Colten moved to get up, but a stern glare from Tanner had him sitting back down again. Nik leaned back and spread his arms casually on the headrest. If I sat with him, his arm would surely have been on my shoulder.
Colten pushed his glasses back up his nose again as his elbows rested on his knees. Waves of uncertainty seemed to emanate from him as he tried not to look at me while I was being forced to pick.Which one would I want to sit next to?
When my eyes slid to Tanner, I knew my choice had already been made for me. He slid slightly to the side before patting the space next to him. His eyes tore into my soul. My knees almost felt shaky, as if they were begging to kneel before him. It was all a bit fucking much to feel toward an individual.
I sat next to Colten, glaring at Tanner the entire time. Tanner laughed lightly before sliding his finger across the short stubble of his beard. He leveled me with a look as if he was saying, “so that’s how you want to play it?”
I felt Colten relax next to me, settling into a more casual pose on the couch. Nik had a big dopey smile, as he clearly loved how I shook up their protocol. I had no idea why Tanner, of all the individuals on the planet Earth, was the one person who drew me in and repelled me like a magnet. I had a feeling if one of us snapped, the collision would be monumental.
“I couldn’t find a place of employment when I had your background check run,” Tanner started, with something too close to suspicion in his tone. “So how then do you afford your rent at your apartment?”
“My mom got a lot of money when my dad died. She gave it all to me,” I shrugged, looking at Tanner, unsure of what he was expecting. “Well stashed it into a savings account since I was seven. Once I became an adult, the money was mine.” I shrugged again, not having much of a story to tell. I didn’t think of myself as wealthy, but my savings account back home had a lot more zeros at the end of it compared to most people my age. I gave myself a fixed amount each week, making it possible for me to avoid working while going to college.
“I didn’t see a large account on my reports,” Colten said from my side as he leaned forward to look at Tanner.
“My mom opened the account when I was so young. I haven’t bothered to take her name off because it’s her money, too,” I said directly to Colten, feeling like he would be the best one to understand. “She doesn’t want things that remind her of my dad.” Tanner could damn well hear it over my shoulder. Colten nodded like he got it, and I exhaled in relief. I didn’t want to go into more detail about that with them at this moment.
I took a few deep, slow breaths until I finally deemed myself ready to face off against Tanner. Only this time, he looked contemplative, as all the fight seemed to have disappeared from the room. Guess Tanner had gotten the message too.
“No one needs to worry about escorting her to work. Or the security detail while she works. That’s great,” Nik said, his voice far too cheery for the frigid atmosphere I had just created.
“You only have to leave the house for your anthropology class with Nik?” Tanner’s eyes fixed on me with a dark look as he made sure to slow his voice again. I realized he did that whenever he wanted to be explicitly clear on a matter.
