Caught in the Middle

Chapter 14

A couple hours had passed when my body couldn't take any more hunger pangs.  I stood in front of my mirror and started to pull my hair into it's usual knot, when my hands stilled.  I let the strands go and watched them tumbled down my slender shoulders, softening my facial features.  I decided to keep my hair loose as I dressed in a blue shirt and a black skirt.

I was never one to bother about my looks.  Irene was the beautiful one and I was her mere shadow.  I preferred to slip in the background.  If any man hit on me, it was because of his interest in her.  Men gave up on getting to know me. To them, I wasn't worth it. However, Dane breached my defenses. He was taking time to notice me and I was confused and shaken how to react to him.

I slipped out of my room and moved into the living room.  On the kitchen counter in the bag were boxes of untouched Chinese food.  I went to it and started to pull the boxes out of the bag.  I backed up and bumped into something hard.  Off balance, Dane caught me by the waist, steadying me.    I quickly moved away from him as the warmth of his hand lingered at my waist.

"I waited until you caved in for food," he said.  His voice sounded husky, his eyes bright.

I lowered my eyelashes as my face flamed with redness.  Then, the meaning behind his words hit me and I tilted my head back to look at him.  I opened my mouth to say something when he beat me to it.

"It didn't seem right to eat without you so I waited for you."  Now that he stated his true intention, I couldn't help but feel like an idiot.

"Thanks," I whispered as I lowered my head.

He moved around the kitchen to get plates, knives, forks, glasses and Pepsi.  We dished out our dinner and he took a seat across from me as he settled on his stool.

"I'm sorry about my outburst earlier," he said.  I stared at him with shocked eyes.

"Um... What?"

He shook his head.  A smiled lifted at the corners of his mouth.  "I won't repeat myself."

"That's fine."  I shrugged my shoulders, pretending his apology didn't affect me.

Throughout the rest of our dinner, we ate in silence.  I finished before him, gathered my dirty dishes and placed them in the sink.  I was about to leave the kitchen when he stopped me.  "There's something I will like very much to talk to you about," he said gently as he rose from his seat, causing me to jump in attention.  He took my hand and led me to the couch in the living room.

"What is it?" I asked him warily.  I sat down.  He remained standing up.

"How did you meet Nathan?"  He looked at me intently.

"Why do you want to know?" I was getting all-defensive on the subject.

"If I'm going to help you, you're going to have to tell me everything you did with Nathan."

He had a point.  I sighed.  "I met him through shelfslist.org."

He raised an eyebrow. 

"My friend set up a dating ad for me since I can't afford to pay a real dating site."

"Really?"

"I am telling the truth," I said impatiently.

He stared at me stonily before looking away and sighing.  He ran a hard through his dark hair.  "Are you aware that shlefslist.org has a site for people to meet for a good fuck."

My eyes widened at his rude comment.  "I am aware of that but..."

He raised his hand for me to let him finish, seeing how I opened my mouth to protest further.  "And there is no category on shelfslist.org for dating.  People who meet there expect one thing and one think only."  He paused as he looked at me deeply.  "So it seems that your friend set you up with the wrong people."

Now that I thought about his words, I remembered the crude emails I received from the other men.  But I couldn't believe that Irene would do something like that to me.  There had to be something wrong. Shelflist.org was a reputable site for selling and buying items, looking for jobs, creating clubs, and meeting people.

I jumped to my feet.  My fists clenched at my side while my whole body shook with anger.  "There's no way Irene will do something like that to me."

He stood up and towered over me.  "Lets not play games.  I'll make everything financially worth your while if you tell me who you really are."

"So you really view as some kind of prostitute?"  I stepped back from him, shock clearly showing on my face.  "After all the time we spent together, I thought you would realize I'm not one."

Dane stepped toward me.  I put my hands out as barrier between us.

I took another step back, glaring at the man before me.  "Stay away from me Dane," I cried as I saw him take another step toward me.

"I know you feel the attraction we have for each other and I am aware of what Nathan is doing.  I can keep you safe if we make a deal."

"I'm not for sale, Dane," I declared through trembling lips.  Moisture gathered in my eyes, blurring my vision.  I turned and ran from him.  With the amount of times I ran from this man, I wondered when would I finally stop running.