Lucian
I stand next to Lia patiently waiting for her to finish the hug marathon she seems to have going with Sam. This is the first time they’ve seen each other since he drove us home from the hospital. Of course, he has called to check on her daily, as have Cindy, Aidan, and my aunt. “It’s so good to see you, Miss Lia,” he says, clearly doting on her. “You look just beautiful.”
“Thank you, Sam,” she says in that shy way she has. Lia always has a tough time accepting compliments, probably because her bitch of a mother never did anything but tear her down. She has finally gotten somewhat used to my compliments, even though I wonder sometimes if she believes them or just tries to humor me and accept them gracefully now. “I’ve really missed you,” she adds, making Sam literally crumble at her feet. There is little doubt that my driver, and longtime family friend, is completely enamored with her. Her mixture of sweetness and innocence, especially considering what she has survived in her life, is hard to resist. She draws people like a moth to a flame, especially my friends, it seems. I am quite aware that some of them, or maybe all, like her more than me right now.
He opens the door, ushering her in before turning finally to me. “Good morning, Luc. It’s good to see you, as well.”
Giving him a sarcastic smile, I say, “Yeah, I’m sure.” He grins in return, seeming completely unrepentant. He’s been with me long enough to know when I’m kidding. Truthfully, I love the fact that my inner circle is so taken with her. I would never tolerate them being less than courteous to her, so it makes things easier for all concerned. He and I had discussed the agenda for the day earlier. I thought he was going to throw a fit when he found out that he would be dropping me at the office and returning Lia to the apartment…alone. I’m certain he thought I was an insensitive bastard before I assured him that I was only honoring her wishes and didn’t like it any more than he did. I’ve also arranged for a couple of security guards from Quinn Software to screen any visitors to our home. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Sam sits on the street in front of our building until he picks me up later.
The drive passes quickly as we were lucky to miss the normal Asheville downtown rush-hour traffic. I help Lia from the car, settling my hand into the small of her back as we walk toward the modern structure that houses Dr. Patricia Kay’s practice. She has been my physician since I was a child, although I rarely see her more than once per year at my physical. As we approach the reception desk, the bored-looking attendant hands Lia a stack of forms on a clipboard that looks like they will take hours to complete. She seems overwhelmed, but determined, as she takes a seat and squares her shoulders. I see her pen pause when she reaches the section on insurance. I calmly take the pen from her fingers and cross the section out, writing ‘cash’ below it. “Maybe I should have gone somewhere…cheaper,” she mumbles as she looks at the expensive décor surrounding us.
I chuckle as I tweak her nose. “It’s fine, baby. Don’t worry about it.” She’ll be trying to clean the damned toilets in the apartment again to pay for the appointment. I’m going to have to hire a housekeeper before she gets any ideas. She is so fucking adorable sometimes that I wonder how I ever lived before her. The answer there is simple: I didn’t; I existed. Each day for the last ten years of my life was a repeat of the day before. The only thing that really changed on a regular basis was the woman I was screwing. The thought has no more than left my mind when a perfectly-manicured hand lands on my shoulder, causing both Lia and I to look up.
“Luc! How wonderful to see you… at a doctor’s office of all places.” I inwardly wince as my past collides once again with my present. I get politely to my feet and kiss Laurie’s proffered cheek before quickly pulling away. Her blonde hair is carefully styled in the usual sleek bob. She is immaculately dressed in tailored cream slacks and a silk top. Her jewelry is understated but expensive. I recognize the diamond bracelet encircling her wrist and am surprised she hasn’t managed to solicit a new one from someone else by now.
“Laurie, you’re looking well,” I say as I attempt to block her view of Lia. Like most of the women I’ve dated or slept with in recent years, Laurie is a jealous and petty person, and I don’t want her anywhere around Lia.
“Thank you, darling,” she gushes as her nails curl into my arm. I’d love nothing better than to tell her to fuck off. I abhor small talk, especially when it’s with someone who I’d be happy to never see again. She is doing her best to dart her eyes behind me at Lia. The office is almost empty, so it seems obvious that she and I are here together. “I hope everything is okay,” she says in a voice full of false concern. I feel the crazy urge to tell her that I’m here about my genital herpes but figure instead of having a little fun at her expense, she’d go screaming it in the streets at the top of her lungs. Damn, it would be fun to see her go off the rails for a bit, though.
With a perfectly blank expression that doesn’t encourage questions, I say, “I’m fine.” The irony of that answer isn’t lost on me. Of course, she didn’t specifically ask me if I was messed up in the head or snorting coke like fucking Pez lately, so it’s not technically a lie. She has now given up all pretense of being discrete and has moved to the side to look directly at Lia, who I see as I turn around is also looking at her with rapt curiosity. No doubt, she remembers Laurie’s name as the person I last dated before I met her. When Lia starts smoothing her hands over her ponytail and looking down at the stack of papers on her lap, I know I’ve hurt her feelings by not making the introductions. She thinks that I’m ashamed of her, which couldn’t be further from the truth. The expensively coifed woman on my other side could never hold a candle to the beauty who owns me body and soul. Therefore, I try to control my protective instincts as I extend a hand to Lia and pull her to her feet. I drop my arm around her shoulders and pull her possessively into my body, wanting Laurie to have no question as to our relationship.
“Laurie, this is my girlfriend, Lia.” I see the other woman’s eyes bulge at the title before she manages to get herself under control. Again, I hate the fucking juvenile word ‘girlfriend,’ but if nothing else, it scores a direct hit to Laurie because she knows she was never anything close to that, nor did I address her as such. “Lia, this is an old friend, Laurie.” As Laurie draws up even further, I decide that I’m just an evil bastard today. Maybe Lia’s right, and I have been in the apartment for too long, which is very unfortunate for Laurie.