The Black Tangled Heart

The Dress

Walking down the street, Camila linked her arm with Liam's and rested her head on his shoulder "Liam I'm so sorry" she told him for the hundredth time since they had met that evening

"It's not your fault Camila, you don't have to keep apologising" he subconsciously lifted his hand to his bruised eye and then grimaced at the way it stung when touched

"I'm the one that brought him into our lives, but he's gone now I swear"

"So I'm not going to end up with a second black eyes for walking down the street with you?"

"No. I made it more than clear to him earlier that I never wanted to see him again"

"So that was a guy you were eating burgers with?!" Exclaimed Cassie as she stopped walking and turned to gaze at her friend accusingly

"Yeah"

"And the sex part?!"

"No we weren't, of course we weren't, well... not exactly"

"Meaning?!"

"Meaning it was just his fingers, he kept everything else in his pants"

"Oh my God Mila! He fingered you whilst you face timed me in the middle of a packed restaurant?!"

Camila felt Liam tense up next to her "That was before I found out what he did"

"You two are animals" Said Cassie as she shook her head and then kept walking

"Look I'm not going to lie, he's hot and he's incredibly talented but he's an asshole, he disappears for days on end and then makes me feel stupid for asking where he's been and he touches me until I'm just about to cum in a packed restaurant and then just gets up and leaves and expects me to kiss him goodbye"

"Don't forget he breaks into your friends apartment and assaults them and threatens them"

"Did I tell you that I'm sorry about that?" Camila held his arm tighter as he pressed a kiss to her hair

"It really wasn't your fault Mila"

"Hey Camila!" A voice soundly spoke suddenly and loudly from the left of them.

Turning towards the busy bar it took Camila a second or two to spot Shawn, sitting at a table with three other men, one of whom bore enough of a resemblance to him that she knew immediately he must be his brother and they were surrounded by women, all tall and curvy and Camila felt her heart drop

Of course he had been lying when he said she was the only one he was with

Of course he was.

He had left her in the restaurant to come and drink beer with some guys and some whores. He was just like every other guy she'd ever met

"Fuck you Shawn!" She spat as she clung to Liam's arm and kept walking

"Looks like you didn't take a telling" Shawn said, obviously speaking to Liam "but don't worry, you and I will continue our conversation later" he lifted his beer bottle into the air and winked before turning away and continuing his conversation with the men, never lifting his head or acknowledging Camila again

"Ugh, I hate him!" Camila said through clenched teeth as Liam squeezed her a little tighter

"I can handle him" he lied, his mind beginning to race at all the ways their 'conversation' could go and in every one he ended up either unconscious or dead

"Mila, did I ever tell you that you have the worst taste in men?" Asked Cassie whilst linking her arm through Liam's spare one

"All the time"

"Well this one's the worst"

"Unfortunately he's also the hottest" Camila grumbled, sparing a glance over her shoulder to see Shawn watching them as they walked away, his face dark and his drink clenched tightly in his fist

*********

Walking up the shiny, wooden steps to her bedroom Camila couldn't help but feel that something was off.

Her parents were both home but weren't fighting, in fact they were both sat by the pool enjoying a late night cocktail together. Her sisters car was missing so she must have been staying at her boyfriends house and for once it felt like walking into an ordinary, family home and not a place where your family were your enemy.

Pushing open her door, she didn't bother to shut it as she pulled off her blue cropped sweater with two black lines that ran down the arms and then kicked off her denim skirt, hating that the sight of herself in those black lace panties reminded her of Shawn and what his fingers had the capability of doing to her so she grabbed her black, silk, robe and pulled it tightly around herself

She was just about to pick out some bedclothes and then head for a shower when something on her bed caught her eye so she gently padded over to the purple duvet cover and then gasped in surprise

A black Versace dress lay there, the front was low cut and revealed an orange bra detail as well as a pink pleat at the bottom of the very short skirt

"Do you like it?"

Her mother's voice asked from behind her as she slipped into her room and pulled the lock closed

"No it's disgusting"

"It was a present to you" her mother's voice was low and her words slightly slurred

"From?"

"Uncle Roger"

Camilas heart dropped into her guts so quickly and so violently that her mouth began to water and her vision began to burn white

"I... I don't want it" She stuttered out but her mother was already lifting another bag Camila hadn't seen up onto the bed and pulling out a pair of very expensive black heels

"Do you know how much he spent on these for you?"

"I... I don't care, I didn't ask him to and I didn't want him to"

"You will wear them both to dinner tomorrow evening, the car will be here at 7"

"I'm going out"

"That's right Camila you are"

"No. I have plans, I'm going out with friends"

"Cancel them"

Spinning around to face her mother, Camilas voice was barely a whisper "Papá didn't pay off that debt... Roger did and now you owe him" her mother's gaze never moved from her daughters, as her face showed not one hint of shame

"7pm Karla"

"Don't call me that! He always calls me that"

"You'll be there"

"I won't"

"Oh you will or I will tell your father all about you and your sordid little secrets..."

Camila bit down hard on her tongue, she wouldn't cry in front of her mother, no matter what she did or how much she hurt her, Camila would never show her the weakness she seemed so desperate to see, so Camila bit down, grabbed the dress and threw it towards the silver waste paper bin in the corner of her room

"7pm Camila, don't be late" her mother smiled before sauntering over to the bedroom door, unlocking it and then disappearing out as Camila ran to the wooden barrier and slammed it shut, resting her back against it and then sliding down slowly as she fought against the sting of tears. Refusing to cry over this, refusing to cry over herself and who she had become and refusing to cry over Shawn and what she had hoped he would be versus what he had turned out to be... nothing!

*A slight change in the direction I had planned for this book but I will wait for your feedback before I write more