Tangled: Contemporary Romance Trilogy Read online

  Trinity abruptly stopped crying and gave me a beatific smile. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re in a public place. I’m a member of this gym. I can be here too. You don’t get to tell me where I can and can’t go in public with your silly restraining order.”

  During her speech I was acutely aware of our audience. Six o’clock is a pretty busy time at any gym. Mine is no exception. That meant almost every station and piece of equipment in the main part of the gym was in use. The spinning class wasn’t as popular at six because most people took cardio kickboxing at six thirty. So you can imagine how many freaking people were loitering around waiting for the next class.

  “Uh, Mr. Alvarez?” The spin instructor was waving at me. “Is everything all right?”

  “No. It’s not all right. Who let this woman become a member?” I was ready to spit nails at whomever was responsible for that travesty.

  The instructor shrugged. “It’s not an exclusive gym. We offer membership to anyone who can pay for it. I don’t know who signed her up.”

  Trinity grabbed my arm and hugged it tight. “Sweetheart, you know you’re ready to be back with me. You know I’m the only one who can take care of you. Look how I had that water bottle all ready to go for you! Would anyone else do that?”

  I was going to go with no, but that was because nobody needed to get a water bottle ready for me to take a sip. I wasn’t a toddler! I tried to breathe through my nostrils just to calm down. That only made me feel like I was going to throw up. I felt hunted. I was a beast and she was quickly destroying all of my territory like some parasitic force of nature.

  “Trinity!” I scraped her arms away from mine and took a step back. Of course, that meant I stumbled back into the demented dismantled robotic mess and nearly went down again. It was almost like the stupid cycle pieces were trying to suck me back in. Maybe they were working with Trinity to hobble me for good. Fortunately for my freedom, I managed to stay on my feet.

  I waved my hands at Trinity almost like she was a stray dog trying to follow me home. Of course, this was how it felt. “Get away from me! Now. You want to be a member of this gym? Fine! Go be a member. Go work out or do something on your own and leave me the hell alone!”

  I was now officially getting the evil eye from a lot of the women in the room. What was it with women? They could witness something like this crazy bitch stalking me in a gym where her only reason for being a member was to bug me. And they still thought it was my fault and that I was being mean. Nobody could ever accuse women of not sticking together when it came to that sisterhood of the traveling underpants I was talking about earlier.

  The amount of hostility rolling toward me from the room at large distracted me from my pursuer. Big mistake. Trinity flung her arms around my neck and kissed me. If I could have spit at her I would have. As it was, I was having difficulty not toppling over backwards into the mess again. She was hanging on my neck and trying to drag me to the floor. You wouldn’t have thought such a small person could be so strong, but it was almost like she had achieved herculean strength thanks to her dedication to a lost cause.

  “Trinity, knock it off!” I scrambled to grab her hands and wrench them apart without actually harming her. Contrary to what everyone in the gym probably thought right now, I wasn’t trying to be mean. “Trinity! Stop. Seriously. Stop. Just… Oh, for crying out loud!”

  I was done. She was actually rubbing herself against my chest. What the hell! I could feel her nipples getting hard too. My skin began to crawl. I was embarrassed and horrified and nobody was helping me they were all just staring as though they were watching some kind of horrible reality television show and wanted to see what would happen next.

  Desperate, I used every bit of force available to me and wrenched her hands apart. She yelped like a spanked puppy. Then I pulled her wrists down and pushed her away from me with enough force to send her cartwheeling backwards. She whimpered and at first I thought she was going to let loose with one of her temper tantrums. They were legendary. The woman could practically shatter glass with her voice alone.

  But no. Trinity wasn’t stupid. She gave one surreptitious look around and knew exactly how to work her audience. “Ouch!” She shrieked the words. “You’re hurting me, Damion! Why would you do that? You’re always so abusive and I just keep loving you and giving you second chances in spite of it.”

  I didn’t know what to say. The pushy woman had just neatly outmaneuvered me and there was nothing to be done about it. There were whispers going on at the front desk. I felt like it was possible that they were not only judging me, but trying to decide if they should call the police.

  “Trinity,” I said in a firm and pretty embarrassingly loud voice. “I told you months and months ago that our relationship was done. You slashed my tires, keyed my paint job, and put sugar in my gas tank. And that was after you stole my credit card and went on a six thousand dollar shopping spree.”

  “I needed clothes.” Her wounded tone of voice had disappeared. She sounded absolutely lucid and unapologetic. Good. She was back in her self-righteous injured party mode. Keep going, girl. “You owed me. Do you have any idea how many times you could have done something nice for me and didn’t? You owed me! Plus, I really wanted that tennis bracelet at Tiffany’s. You wouldn’t buy it so I bought it for you for me. Simple.”

  With her hands on her hips and her short choppy-looking blonde hair all nice and slicked close to her skull, she now resembled everyone’s horror of an ex-girlfriend. Even the other “girlfriends” in the room were starting to look doubtful. I actually heard someone whisper the words six thousand dollars! Good. They needed to feel my pain. Really feel it.

  “You’re such an ass.” Trinity pointed at me. “You called the police on me this morning. That’s not fair. That restraining order stuff isn’t fair either. You are mine. You got that? You better just get it through your thick head. You’re going to propose on Halloween and we’re going to get married down at the Jewel Box on Christmas Eve. That’s what I want and that’s what I’m going to get.”

  I swallowed. There was a lump in my throat. It had probably occurred when her mask fell off and I saw exactly just how totally freaking nuts this woman really was. I almost expected there to be a puff of black smoke when she spun around and stomped out of the gym. There wasn’t of course. That would have been way too cool for Trinity.

  Trinity chose to finish out her spectacle by screaming at Ava on her way out the door. “This place sucks! Did you know that? All of you suck!”

  “Dude, that was scary!” A weight lifter who still had a twenty-five pound weight hanging from his right hand pointed at me. “You need to move. You got that? Move. Don’t tell her where you’ve gone. Get a place in one of those gated communities with a guard at the gate. Better if the guy is armed, but I don’t know that they do that.”

  Weight Lifter Guy’s buddy was now nodding with enthusiasm. “No joke, man. Gated community, limo tint windows. Drive a new car every day or something. That’s the kind of bitch who winds up on that show.” He turned to Weight Lifter Guy. “What’s that show called?”

  “Deadly Women,” Weight Lifter Guy supplied. “And if you get the flu or something, don’t think it’s the flu. It’s probably arsenic or antifreeze.”

  “Exactly.” His friend was now nodding emphatically. “Never let anyone touch your sports drinks.”

  “Arsenic and antifreeze. Got it.” I was glad they didn’t think I was some kind of abusive boyfriend type, but the idea of a gated community was becoming more and more appealing. A lot more so than the idea of hiring a food taster.

  Chapter Four

  Lena

  “I’m hiring a new admin at my recruiting firm, Lena. If you want, I’ll give you the job.”

  Gee. What could be more appealing than becoming my sister’s personal go-to gopher bitch? I really hate these dinners with big sis. No. That’s not fair. I love my sister. I really do. She’s a wonderful person. Eleanor is one of thos
e people who is so freaking organized that she just seems to go through life as though it was smooth sailing every day. Success was effortless. And she had it in her head that if everyone would just do things her way, they too would have huge success and rampant happiness.

  “I’m not an administrative assistant. I work in real estate,” I told her stubbornly.

  We meet once a week on Monday nights for dinner. We meet on Mondays because that’s the only night that Eleanor feels she can’t possibly schedule appointments to talk to potential recruits. For some reason IT nerds turn into pumpkins on Monday nights. After all, it’s unlikely that they would be busy watching Monday night football, which I think was moved to Thursdays anyway. Maybe. I don’t know. It never matters anyway. Eleanor’s schedule is far more unforgiving than mine.

  “You’re a secretary at a real estate office,” Eleanor said flatly. She used her fork to point at me. “You can call it however you want, but you know I’m right.”

  We were at the Cheesecake Factory because that’s just where we’ve always met for dinner. Eleanor is far more rigorous about her diet than I ever have been. Apparently the Cheesecake Factory has a sugar free cheesecake that Eleanor could eat without drowning in guilt.

  “Here you go, ladies. Your desserts!” The waiter set down our plates and I nearly sighed with anticipation as I got my first whiff of sweetness from my lemoncello cream torte. “Eat up and enjoy,” the waiter advised.

  I fully intended to take his advice. I was already stabbing my fork into the first few layers of vanilla cake. My mouth watered as I thought about all of that lemon marscapone. It’s so good. Better than sex. Well, better than any kind of sex I’d ever had. But I didn’t really want to think about that right now. It would totally ruin the moment.

  My sister took a deep breath. I almost cringed as I realized what was about to happen. “Do you really want to eat all of that?”

  I didn’t pause. I got a huge bite on my fork and shoved it between my lips. The flavors exploded on my tongue. So good. After I managed to chew for a moment and swallow the sugary goodness, I nodded at Eleanor. “I’m going to eat every single bit of this and I’m going to enjoy it just as much as I did that plate of chicken and biscuits that I finished right before I ordered this thing.”

  Sometimes I wonder if Eleanor doesn’t want to come to the Cheesecake Factory on Monday nights because it’s a little less busy. We meet at six thirty. The restaurant is located at a mall. Most people are either at the movies or grabbing a quick bite at the food court on Monday nights. So the normally loud din of conversation in the cavernous restaurant is far more manageable on Monday nights than say on a Friday. This way Eleanor can make sure I hear every single word she has to say.

  “I love you, Lena.” Eleanor carefully shaved off one bite of cheesecake with her fork and lifted it to her lips. It was barely qualified as a bite. It was more of a taste. “But I’m really worried about you.”

  “Oh?” I shoved bite number four into my mouth. I was really going to town. This thing was about sixty times larger than Eleanor’s tiny slice of cheesecake and I was going to get done first. Good. Maybe I would order another just to piss her off.

  “Yes!” Eleanor gave me her best mom look. “When Mom and Dad died,” she continued. “I made myself a promise to make sure that I would always look after you. But you are floundering around for the most part and it really bothers me. For your sake of course.”

  “Of course,” I said through my mouth full of food. “Because being your administrative assistant would just be such a huge stepping stone to a life of success. You know, as opposed to getting Upscale Bob to sponsor my real estate license, which would be a much better opportunity. I love the real estate business. I can pretty much handle myself in a transaction. I already know everything I need to know about closing paperwork, about tax credits, and write offs, down payment requirements, and the ins and outs of the lending community in our current market. I don’t know why I would want to switch from real estate to headhunting.”

  “Recruiting,” Eleanor corrected me. “I don’t like that term.”

  I shot her a withering glare. “You hunt for nerds. They’ve all got big heads because they all think that their nerdy selves are the biggest nerd in the sandbox. Ergo—you headhunt.”

  Eleanor slipped out of her unflappable big sister routine just enough to roll her eyes at me. “You’re so crass.”

  “Uh huh.” It was my turn to wave my fork. “So let’s get on to the next part. You spent all of dinner regaling me with tales of your success in life. I think you even dated the same guy three times. Right? That’s got to be a freaking record.”

  “I have standards!” she snarled. “Not like you!”

  “Ah yes. So here we are at the next part of the weekly program.” I hated this. I love my sister, but I hate this part of our relationship. “So what do you have to say about my sex life now?”

  “Sex life?” She sounded a bit like a chicken laying an egg. Then she cleared her throat and leaned in as though we were suddenly talking about something totally forbidden. “I said nothing about sex! I’m talking about a meaningful relationship between two like-minded individuals who want to engage in conversation and stimulating activities before becoming intimate in-in-in that way.”

  “Good freaking Lord!” I gasped and could not stop myself from laughing. I nearly sprayed Eleanor in marscapone. Would have served her right too. The repressed old woman! “Have your girl parts totally dried up? Because they sound like it. You know, because of all of that meaningful relationship stuff you’re apparently still trying to foster with a bunch of men who just want to get it on.”

  “Oh, what?” Eleanor was fuming. Her face was fire engine red. It was redder than the token raspberries topping her bland dessert. “As opposed to people like you who just jump in and out of everyone’s bed? You’re sleeping with your boss!”

  My humor evaporated. “Hang on just a second here! Who told you that nonsense?”

  “Tansy.”

  “Tansy doesn’t know what she’s talking about then.” And I was going to set her straight in the morning when I ripped her head off. What was she thinking telling Eleanor that? “I haven’t done anything inappropriate with Upscale Bob! I spend a hell of a lot of time fending him off too so I kind of don’t appreciate the way you minimize my efforts.”

  “Oh, please.” Eleanor snorted and actually did another eye roll. My sister was really on a roll. “Everyone knows that the only way to get anywhere at Upscale Real Estate is to sleep with Bob.”

  “Really? Did Tansy tell you that too? I feel like she didn’t since it would be incriminating herself.” It was a thing. That’s true. And I was about to start breathing fire because I was sick of this thing. “And I really want to stop talking about my love life, okay? It’s none of your business.”

  Eleanor wasn’t even looking at me anymore. She was staring off toward the front entrance of the restaurant as if she was just dying to get up and leave. What was it with this big sister bossy thing? Did she really think that our dead parents were holding her liable for my life? That was disturbing. My parents had been great people, but I’d been the disappointing one since the day I was born. Poor Eleanor shouldn’t think she was going to change that after I’d had thirty years to make an even bigger mess of things.

  “Eleanor? Hello?” I waved my hand in front of her face.

  She finally seemed to snap to. “You might not want to talk about your love life, but unfortunately it’s here and walking this way.”

  “Huh?”

  I did the worst thing that I could possibly do. I turned around. Dammit! I’m such an idiot sometimes! Eleanor had given me a huge hint, and I didn’t freaking take it.

  Of course, the love life she was referring to happened to be the biggest asshole on earth. Karl Kitson. Yep. Good old Karl. The guy I had wasted two whole years on. Fortunately for Karl, those two years weren’t a waste for him because he had never stopped dating. The guy had g
one through so many girls on the side that I wouldn’t be surprised if they had created a Facebook group for survivors of Karl Kitson.

  I know. You might want to know why I would keep dating the guy when he was cheating, but he’s really good at making promises and saying sorry. The man is loaded. His parents own a high end country club that he pretends to manage for a living. That means he has a lot of cash to throw around. A girl can get pretty used to having a guy fly her to Hawaii just to say that he’s sorry and that he’ll never ever do it again. Ugh! It still makes me mad to think about how many times I fell for that crap.

  “He’s really good looking,” Eleanor murmured. “I look at him and I think I can totally see why you bought his bullshit for so long.”

  “Yeah, but he was really bad in bed,” I assured my sister. “Like bad. He’s so selfish and egotistical I kept expecting to see that he’d put a mirror on the ceiling or something so he could give himself a thumbs up right in the middle of his orgasms.”

  “Ew.”

  “Total ew,” I agreed. “Oh. And don’t forget that he wears spanx to bed.”

  “Wait. What?” Eleanor actually choked this time.

  Karl was just about level with our table as I was saying this. I didn’t care. “Apparently, the super tight fabric has the ability to squeeze whatever water your cells might be hoarding right back out. So it helps keep you all nice and svelte for when you get up in the morning.”

  Karl appeared at my left elbow. He was smiling like a total creep. It was so fake looking that I could see Upscale Bob being jealous. “I am rather svelte. I spend time on my appearance and making sure that I’m always presenting the world with the best me that I can.”