Scarred Beauty Page 7

  “You’ve got me, Elle,” he whispered and then claimed her lips once again. They fell together, their lips locked and their hearts pounding. The rest of the hours passed in a haze as they spent the entire time together kissing each other.

  When the time ended, he helped her into her coat, placed the hat on her head, and folded the scarf around her face. He kissed her right cheek before taking her lips once again.

  “I think I should take you to the cops,” he said.

  “Why?”

  “Your lips are addictive, and I think I should report them.”

  She hit him on the chest and burst out laughing. “You’re so full of it sometimes,” she said.

  “Let’s take you home.”

  He went to his car as she gave back the key. The heating inside was on, so she would feel the benefit as soon as she got inside.

  “It is getting really cold out.”

  “I know.” He pulled out of the parking lot and made his way to her apartment. He noted her place was pitch-black as he turned up.

  “Do you want me to come up?” he asked, already unbuckling his seat belt.

  “You don’t have to.”

  “From the looks of it, your friend isn’t home, and I don’t like the thought of you going up there on your own.”

  He climbed out and followed her inside. Isaac waited as she produced the key to her door. She flicked the light switch, and he was in her apartment.

  The place was a lot smaller than he expected. He wondered why Brad was living in a smaller place when he could afford something more expensive and spacious. Their dad might not be the wealthiest man in the world, but he did have quite a bit of money. Isaac made a note to talk to him the next time his brother phoned.

  “Brad? Are you home?” she called out.

  No answer came.

  “He must be out with Ben.”

  “Who’s Ben?”

  “A guy he’s in love with.” She closed the door and pulled off her jacket and scarf. “I’ll make you some coffee before you go.”

  He went with her to the kitchen. Isaac sat in the only seat at the counter and watched her working the kettle. He found women in kitchens a thing to avoid as it created an intimacy that most women expected. Up until he met Elle he hadn’t wanted to share that kind of intimacy with anyone. Watching her gave him a sense of calm he wasn’t used to. Was he getting sentimental in his old age?

  “Do you want cream or sugar?” she asked.

  “Sugar, please, two.”

  She handed him his cup of coffee. “Thank you for seeing me upstairs.”

  “It’s my pleasure. I wanted to make sure you got home safely.” He took a sip of his drink and glanced around the apartment. He could tell instantly that she had done most of the decorating. The rooms had a feminine touch. Most of the paintings on the wall he guessed were drawn by her. There was a sketch of Brad on the far wall. He saw the many conflicting emotions from the drawing. “Did you draw that?” he asked.

  He got up from his seat and walked to the picture in question.

  “Yes. That’s Brad. I drew that not long after we moved in here. Brad was going through his withdrawal, and he wanted to remember his battle and asked for me to draw him. I love that picture,” she said. He gazed at her as she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. The action showed him the scar down her neck. Isaac wanted to reach between them to kiss the delicate curve of her neck.

  “Why do you love it?”

  “Because it shows him how hard he fought to get where he is today. You don’t know him. He thought he couldn’t fight his addictions, and he did.”

  “He sounds like an amazing guy.”

  “Brad is. He’s the first person who wasn’t repulsed by me.”

  “You’re a beautiful woman, Elle. Many men would see that if you gave them time.” Isaac meant every word. He saw her blush and couldn’t help but smile at her innocence. “Can you show me more of your work?” he asked.

  She hesitated, her gaze going from him to painting on the wall.

  “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

  “It’s not that. Brad is the only person who has been inside my studio. I want you to see it, but I guess I’m a little nervous.” She looked so young and fragile. When they were in the hotel room he could forget about their twenty year age gap. She was more mature for her age than most women. “You’re staring at me.”

  “I’m thinking about our differences in age.”

  “Does it bother you being older than I?” she asked.

  “No, but seeing you like this makes me think continuing our relationship is a bad idea. I’m old enough to be your dad.” His thoughts with regards to her weren’t fatherly. In fact, he should be shot for the way he was thinking about her.

  “You’re not my father, and he’s a lot older than you. Come on.” She grabbed his hand and led him across the room to one of the doors. He watched as she took a breath before opening the door and flicking on the light. “This is where I paint.”

  There wasn’t much furniture. Several canvases in different states of painting were placed round the room. Large windows overlooked the city, and he guessed it was for the light. She pressed a switch for blinds to cover the windows.

  He knew why she did it and felt sorry for her. On the easel she was working on he saw a portrait of her. The picture was of one side of her face. The unmarked half. He wanted to get her to paint herself one day. Thoughts ran riot around his head of what he wanted to experience with her.

  “Thank you for showing me where you work. I think it’s time for me to go.” He followed her to the front door of the apartment. “Stay here. I don’t want you to get cold.” Noelle nodded her head. Isaac pressed his lips to her, kissing her before he left.

  His lips tingled from the contact. Thoughts of her would keep him occupied for the remainder of the night.

  Chapter Eleven

  Brad waited inside Ben’s office while the other man finished the night shift. Brad knew he made Ben uncomfortable, and it wasn’t his intention to make him feel anything but comfortable in his presence.

  The club closed early on week nights, around twelve. Ben left to help round up the customers leaving him alone in the office.

  Brad allowed his mind to drift, and he wondered how Noelle would cope with another winter being holed up in the apartment. She looked happier most days, and he wondered who the person was she was seeing. It couldn’t be Isaac as he promised he wouldn’t see her anymore. Ben came back in about thirty minutes later. “Sorry about that.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ve invaded your working environment. I’m thankful you’re talking to me.”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, Brad. I’m talking to you, but that doesn’t mean anything has been rectified between us.”

  “I’m happy you’re talking to me. That’s all that matters. I can’t change what happened in the past. I can only show you the man I am now.” He rubbed his sweaty palms down his jeans feeling the nerves gather inside him. Ben could throw him out at any moment, and Brad didn’t want that to happen. He loved Ben and had loved him for as long as he could remember. The feelings inside him refused to go away no matter how many times he tried to talk himself out of it.

  It was times likes these where he wondered if going back to the drink would be for the best. He wouldn’t bother Ben, and he wouldn’t have to deal with the heartache he’d caused. No, he refused to take the cowardly way out. Brad was the person who caused these problems, and he would see to them.

  ****

  Ben felt sorry for Brad. He wasn’t a nasty person, and treating him like dirt had only made him more miserable. Brad didn’t have the first clue of what he’d done to him. Ben saw the pain and confusion on his face and wished he could be in the same frame of mind. Many of his nights were spent in the throes of endless pain waiting for the sun to come up. Ben suffered from insomnia, which made night-time the worst.

  Even as part of him hated Brad, he found h
e couldn’t be horrible to him. Brad clearly had no idea what he’d done. He wished when he’d met him all that time ago he’d known Brad had been hyped up on drink and drugs. He’d seemed so charming at the time. Ben blocked out the memory of their awful time together. He got up from his seat and walked round the desk.

  “I’m going to walk you home,” Ben said. Brad followed behind him as he made his way out of the club. He locked the door and placed the key in the inside of his leather jacket.

  “Do you know where I live?”

  “Yes. I don’t mind the walk.” He pulled the collar of his jacket round his neck and walked side by side with Brad. Ben still felt an attraction to the younger man even after what happened. He didn’t know what to think of his body’s reaction to the man at his side. Part of him wanted to be disgusted for feeling anything while the other just wanted to forget everything.

  Ben wondered if he was to tell him the truth whether that would change Brad in any way.

  “I like the club,” Brad said.

  “It’s all I’ve got left in this world.”

  “Are you ever going to tell me what I did to you to cause so much hate?” Brad asked.

  Ben stopped and looked at the other man. “I don’t hate you. I just don’t think you’re ready for what you want me to tell you.”

  Chapter Twelve

  During the day Noelle painted what she could. Her funds were fast running out, and she refused to ask Brad for any help. She knew he came from money, but she liked paying her way. Isaac called her regularly to set up meetings for the night-time. She loved the moments with him in the hotel room. They kissed and cuddled. At the moment it was more than enough for her, the touching and tasting of each other. Her lips spent the remainder of the night tingling from his touch. She loved it when he hadn’t shaved and then kissed a path down her neck. She shivered with delight thinking about having his lips on her body. The last time they’d met his hand had gone to her breast, the touch fleeting as he pulled away. She wished he’d taken the next step. She didn’t like the thought of asking him for more.

  Brad spent a great deal of time out of the apartment. Noelle hoped his time with Ben was helping him to deal with his issues. She cared about him and wanted to see him happy. More calls from her family came, which she ignored. It hurt to hear the sound of her father’s voice. She ended up taking the voice mail off so she wouldn’t have to listen to him. Loving her parents was hard at times.

  Isaac dominated most of her thoughts, and she’d begun to make sketches of him in her spare time. She wanted to be able to look at him without him being in the room. Most of her energy was used to draw him from her mind’s eye.

  Nothing she created was like the real thing. He made her feel normal and happy. She didn’t want the feeling to end.

  Winter had finally taken its toll on the city. Everyone was taking extra precautions when they left the house. Isaac had asked if he could pick her up from her apartment. She told him no. Explaining stuff like that to Brad wouldn’t help her cause. He worried too much.

  They lay on the bed in the same hotel room. Isaac was kissing her lips down to her neck making goose-bumps erupt all over her flesh.

  Sometimes they didn’t need to speak as they lay together. Staring into his eyes was perfect for her. The emotions he created within her scared her. She knew she was falling in love with him. The only thing she didn’t know was if it was a true love or a hero worship love because of him being the only man she’d been with, besides Brad, who hadn’t found her completely ugly.

  “I like spending time with you. The best part of my day is meeting you here,” she said opening up to him. Their visits had become daily as opposed to weekly. She enjoyed knowing he wanted to spend as much time with her as she did with him.

  “I love being with you, too.” He tucked her hair behind her ear exposing the scars. “To me you’re the most beautiful woman in the world.”

  She bought her fingers to her face, but he caught them before she touched the scarred part of her. He laid a kiss against the line of her cheek. She felt his lips, and the urge to cry consumed her. She kept the tears at bay, not wanting to spoil the moment.

  “You don’t have to cover yourself from me. Never feel that you have to do that,” he said next to her ear.

  “Thank you. You’re the only person who’s made me feel beautiful.” She wished she could take the words back. Her fears and insecurities were the only things plaguing their time. She still bought up his career choice. Noelle knew he didn’t like it and asked her to stop mentioning it. He was with her because he wanted to be.

  “Your beauty is much deeper than skin. I don’t know why you think they’re so ugly. One side of your face shows the battle you’ve had to survive,” he said. He was the only person she let touch her face. His thumb ran down the line of her face, going down her neck and resting at her collarbone where the mark came to an end. “You’re my scarred beauty.”

  Tears fell from her eyes at his beautiful words. She could live with her scars if Isaac thought her beautiful.

  ****

  Isaac saw her home every night. He loved being with her, touching her and kissing her. She responded to his touch with so much wanton need. It had been some time since a woman had been honest in her approach to him. Noelle was refreshing. He knew it would only be a matter of time before he wanted more. Touching her and not taking pleasure was starting to take its toll.

  He woke every morning to a large hard-on. For twenty minutes he would stand under a cold shower until he released his seed in the stall. Without fail, he would watch the white spurts of his cum drain down the sink. The need to be inside her was driving him crazy. His work was affected by his constant obsession. Being in the middle of a meeting and thinking about her spread open and ready for him made him call the meeting to a close. Brad had phoned him to see if he was doing okay. He tried to ignore the call for as long as possible. Lying to his brother no longer sat well with him, especially when his father and mother were looking for any excuse to get in touch with him.

  Clark kept trying to get him to share women. Beautiful blondes, brunettes, red heads, each with thin bodies. Seeing the women on his friend’s arm did little for him. His cock got hard for Noelle. Other women had lost their appeal.

  Every night he left her, he’d convinced himself that it would be the last night. He wouldn’t see her again. The following day he would find himself calling her number and arranging another night to meet until he saw her every night. When he checked the bank account he’d set up for her to transfer funds, he hated himself for the amount. With the rising numbers he knew he would tell her truth about who he was and what he and Brad had done. Then he would get into the hotel, see her smiling face, and know he could never hurt her by revealing the sordid truth.

  In a short time, his life had become complicated, and he had no way of bringing it back.

  Chapter Thirteen

  About a week later, Noelle knew she couldn’t put it off anymore. Her funds were dismal, and she still had to pay her part of the bills. Water, gas, and food. Her part of the rent was paid up for the year. However, she hadn’t sold another painting, and short of getting a job she couldn’t keep up his payments.

  She waited for him still in her coat. Her scarf and gloves she’d removed. The heat of the room made her feel uncomfortable. When his knock at the door came she called out that it was open.

  He stared at her as he closed the door. “What’s the matter?” he asked as he came to rest on the bed at her side.

  “Nothing,” she said staring at the floor. Their time together would be coming to a close. The money she deposited into the bank could no longer happen. Until she sold another painting, she was broke.

  “You look sad today. I hate seeing you like this.” He cupped her cheeks and kissed her on the lips. The passion she felt from the touch made her want so much more. Instead of grasping his head and pulling him closer, she raised her hands and pushed him away. Thinking about the money mad
e her realise she was paying a man to want her. What she felt for him no longer mattered. He would only feel something for her while she kept paying him.

  “Why did you pull away from me?” he asked.

  “I can’t do this anymore.”

  “Can’t do what? Don’t you like spending time with me?”

  “I love spending time with you, but I can’t afford it anymore.” The tears she’d fought so long came rushing forward. She stood away from the bed going to the nearest corner.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “I can’t afford you anymore. I’m broke.” She sobbed as she thought of their time together. In the small time they’d been together she could forget she’d been paying him to care. She gasped as he moved behind her, his hands going to her shoulder.

  “I don’t come here for the money,” he whispered against her ear.

  “Don’t say that.”

  “Why? It’s the truth. I don’t want the money. Keep it. I come because I love spending time with you.”

  “How do you expect our visits to continue? I can’t keep doing this, Isaac,” she said.

  “Take your coat off,” he said as he removed his own. Noelle didn’t see the point of arguing and took her coat off. “Now, what the hell is wrong with you?”

  “Why are we continuing on with this? What do you want? Are you happy being with me?” She found herself begging.

  Seeing him and knowing she couldn’t be with him much longer upset her. Isaac was an escort and probably had loads of women. Why would he ever care about her?

  “I can’t do this,” she said, picked her coat up and went to the door. She had to get out in the cold. She had to calm down her nerves.

  “Stop.” Noelle opened the door and yelped as his hand came past her head and closed the door. She yanked on the door to try to open it, but he held on refusing to let her go. “I’m not letting you go, Elle.”

  She cried out in frustration. He pressed his body against her back.