Page 6 of Wreckin' Amethyst

“Motherfucker! Stop the limo!” I bang my fist on the divider when Shane, our driver, tries to pull away. He skids to a sudden stop and I barrel through the arms trying to hold me back.

“Myles, man, just let the police catch up with her,” Owen whines.

“We have an extremely tight schedule,” Carter grinds out. Neither I pay attention to, and I shrug my hand out of Sebby’s when he softly tries to grab for mine. Not wasting my time on the locked doors, I shoot myself through the sunroof, wriggling as my hips get stuck. Carter will be having a heart attack about me creasing the Saville Row suit, but I finally manage to drag myself from the hands trying to yank me down and throw myself over the side of the limo.

The midday sun sparkles from her dress like a beacon. A lighthouse threatening to blind me, but nothing will stop the pursuit of my latest craving. The faster she runs, the tighter the tug on my chest pulls. Dress shoes eat up the pavement, those in my way not occurring to me as actual people. Simply objects I need to shove aside. When the glittery dress disappears around a corner, my breathing stalls. I’ve craved sex every day of my life since puberty, but the object of my desire has never been so defined.

Pushing beyond the limitations my lungs try to impose, I fly around the corner and stumble into oncoming traffic, at a loss of the vixen I’m hunting. Horns blare, my friends scream out as they also take chase, yet it’s the fog in my mind that’s all consuming. I make it across the street, hunting for a glimpse. One tiny clue of which way she’d go. Stumbling into a hot dog vendor, a splash of condiment flicks onto my suit just as Carter catches up to me.

“No, no, no! Fuck’s sake, Huds, not today please,” green eyes beg of me. Grabbing a napkin, he foolishly tries to salvage the powered blue jacket until I grab his wrists.

“I have to find her,” I tell him. Demand of him. Carter is a stern bastard, but everything he does is for my best interest. He won’t deny me now. Tossing aside the napkin, Carter’s shoulders sag in defeat.

“Tomorrow, I promise,” he nods. I suppose that’s as good as I can ask for. Nodding, I begin to trail behind him, ignoring the cell phones that follow my every move. Footage for TMZ, no doubt. Owen and Sebby catch up to us, agreeing with Carter’s short, clipped commands. A call to our PA to have a replacement suit at the office prior to our meeting. Delay said meeting by thirty minutes. Have Shane bring the limo around.

All three of them fall into hushed discussions while I investigate the sidewalks branching off in all directions. Even in the city, she can’t have disappeared. I look up to the sky, willing the cloud threatening to eclipse the sun to hold off just a few moments longer. Just until that telltale sparkle catches my eye, causing my head to whip sideways.

There! Slinking down a street lined with town houses and fences. Falling three steps behind my friends, I turn and run for it. Lost to the crowd, pushing myself to full speed this time. I won’t let her escape again. Darting across a busy road, my mind is crystal clear this time. Attune to the sway of her hips, the shifting of her blonde wig. Beginning to climb a set of stone steps, I shoot behind her, whipping her backwards by the waist. Her surprised scream is cut short when she tumbles into my arms and stares up into my eyes. But those which greet me are not the violet I was hoping for.

“Well hello there, handsome,” a woman leers up at me, grinning a toothless smile. Grime coats her cheeks, the wiry hair beneath her wig writhe with small bugs. I almost drop her, until I remember people film me everywhere I go. Every second of my damn life outside the businesses we own is caught on camera, someone waiting to blackmail or sell me out to the press. Myles Hudson, the reformed sex addict who will no doubt strike again.

Clearing my throat, trying to not show how strongly her stench is affecting me, I place the woman back on her bare feet.

“Excuse me. I didn’t intend to frighten you. Can you tell me where you got that dress, I’ll pay you for it,” I reach into my jacket and start to pull out my wallet. Wait, I can’t be seen fondling this homeless woman and then handing her money. The tabloids would have a field day with that one. The imposter brushes the wig over her shoulder, drawing my attention to the thick diamond bracelet on her wrist. I smirk to myself. This woman has already been bought off, and it seems I’ve underestimated my prey. “Never mind,” I shake my head and take my leave.

Carter is waiting for me at the end of the street, his shoe tapping and face contorted with anger. The limo is parked up behind, forcing me to make the walk of shame all the way back to them. As I merge from the side street, a group of teenage girls with a bodyguard barge into me, taking a selfie and not watching where they’re going. One on the outside, with purple hair that mocks me, stomps her studded boot onto my foot.

“Watch it, asshole!” she scoffs, scowling at me from behind a pair of sunglasses. I frown, watching her saunter by in a corset and tatty old skirt, before shaking myself back to reality. My mind’s tripping, causing me to question everything. Once the coast is clear, I finally make it to Carter and he pops the limo door, ordering me to get in.

It was fun while it lasted, but I fail to convince myself. Sebby shimmies up the seat to my side while Owen leans forward and pats my knee. At least something came out of today. Ifelt. For the man who can and does have it all–women, booze, sex–I’d become lost in the motions. Dulled to routine. But not anymore. She’s the vixen I didn’t realize I was missing. Like a blood hound, I have her marked, and nothing will deter me from finding her.

Chapter 4

Iwatchthelimodrive away before diverting from the main street, where I can finally compute what the hell just happened. I could have left when I traded my stunning gown and wig for that tramp’s soiled skirt, but curiosity prevailed. I needed a closer look. One last glimpse, I scold myself.

Forcing one boot in front of the other, the city falls into the shadow of dense cloud as a faint pitter patter of rain speckles the stolen sunglasses. Light at first, until the heavens open, intent on washing away our sins with a sudden downpour. I’d need an entire tsunami to tackle mine.

Tossing the sunglasses in the nearest trash can and hitching up the patchwork skirt, I make a run for it. From the city’s mass of umbrellas to the drenched souls in the slums. Never once stopping, I’m on the verge of cardiac arrest by the time I clamber into the Thirsty Kirsty. Hair stuck to my face, eyelashes dripping.

Several of the girls are lounging in plush armchairs, the stench of weed drifting towards those helping themselves to the bar’s inventory. Still no sign of the owner then. I don’t pay any notice, heading directly backstage and down the stairs. The sodden skirt hinders every step, weighing heavily on my waist. If it weren’t for the sturdy boots I refused to give up, I’d have been shivering long before now. Pushing open my bedroom door, a body slams into me.

“Oh my fuckity dickballs,” Charley gasps, shaking more than me. “I was so worried. I didn’t know what to do.” Leaning on her until I find the strength to straighten, I plaster an easy smile on my damp face and usher us into the safety of our room.

“I’ve told you, if anything happens to me, take the duffel and move Pig to Hawaii. She deserves a life of luxury.” Dropping to the ground, Pig crawls from her hiding space beneath my bed. She knows to stay out of sight when I’m not around, but one sharp whistle has her shuffling and grunting out to greet me. Scratchy licks coat my hand until she wriggles up my thighs and I lift her into the cradle of my arms.

“So, what happened?” Charley shifts from foot to foot. “I saw you enter the limo and not leave. How did you manage to get away?” I continue to give Pig’s spotted belly a good rub before settling her on my bed. Rolling onto her back, Pig’s tongue hangs out, her pointed teeth on full show as she almost instantly falls asleep. It’s been a long day all round.

“Shower first, then we’ll gossip. Stash these with the rest.” I shove my hand into my cleavage and draw out the length of a diamond necklace. Charley gasps, easing it from my pruned hands.

“You…you got it. When it wasn’t on your neck…I figured–”

“You should know me well enough by now. I don’t lose easily or gracefully.”

Once in her possession, Charley opens the wardrobe and uses the shoehorn we keep tucked just inside to pry open a plank in the base. The duffel below is loaded with jewels and money, and that’s exactly how I know I can trust Charley. She could have taken the cash and ran at any point in these past six months, especially since she knows I have no attachment to it, but it’s still right there. Loyalty like that can’t be faked.

***

True to my word, I told Charley everything the other night. It’s the least she deserved, after having the genius idea to order in a pizza while I was using up every last drop of hot water. Usually, a set of satin pajamas and a belly full of comfort food would have been enough to put the strange encounters of that day to rest. If not that, laughing with the only friend I’ve managed to obtain for myself and Pig licking my face should have done it. But no. I layed on my thin mattress all night, lost in my thoughts.

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