DESTINY
I was so late. So late. I hyperventilated. Everything was wrong today. My boss was going to fire me. My alarm didn’t go off, I forgot to charge my phone. Now I couldn’t get my damn car started.
“C’mon Susy, don’t let me down!” The starter whined again and after the third try my old beat-up 76’ Beetle gave a cough and revved into life. “Yes!”
Slowly I pressed down on the accelerator. Susy didn’t take kindly to being rushed. Praying fervently for my luck to change – please don’t let Ken fire me today – I steered Suzy down the gravel road. I needed this job otherwise I was going to be out on the streets. The trailer park was all I could afford with what little money I had.
I’ve worked for Ken at the convenience store for six months now. He was a real piece of work, and I hated the way he looked at my boobs when he thought I didn’t notice. At least he hasn’t tried anything. Yet.
Shit! I never even brushed my hair this morning, I realized when I looked in my rearview. My pink hair looked like a rat’s nest. I reached for the glove compartment. There had to be a brush in there somewhere. With one hand on the steering wheel, I scratched around for my brush my foot pressing hard on the accelerator. Susy launched herself onto the tar road.
Damn this brush! It was tangled up in my charger cable. Trying to disentangle the brush I didn’t notice the approaching stop sign.
The next thing there was a bone-crushing crunch. My face hit the dashboard with a force as Susy came to a lurching stop and died.
“Oww! My head!” What happened? Did I hit something? My head hurt so badly. I could hardly open my eyes. Everything was hazy. Something dripped onto my jeans. Blood! I felt my face. The blood streamed out of my nose.
The driver’s door flew open, and I stared into a furious looking face.
“Are you fucking blind?!” the man shouted. He looked wild and dangerous. His hair was long and wild, and he held a motorbike helmet in his hand.
I pinched my nose on the bridge to stop the bleeding.
“Do! I see you perfebly.” I said through my swollen nose.
He frowned. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, more concerned about my poor Susy. Could this day get any worse? I got out to assess the damage. This was bad and it wasn’t even Friday the thirteenth yet.
“Did you hit me?” I asked.
“Hit you?! You ran the stop, you fucking idiot!” he threw the helmet on the ground. “Just look at my bike!” he ranted.
I walked around Susy. I gasped in horror.
“Oh, shit!” The black bike’s front was firmly wedged into Susy’s passenger door. My poor car! I grabbed my head. This was possibly the worst day of my life. Not only was I getting fired for sure, but this guy was also probably going to assault me. He was livid.
“I’m really, really sorry. I didn’t see you.” I tried to explain. “I’m late for work and…”
“Look lady, I don’t give a shit about your personal problems.” He stalked towards me, and I retreated a few steps to get away from him. I noticed his black leather pants were torn. He was hurt. Luckily, he didn’t break any bones, judging from the way he was moving. There was blood on his temple as well.
“You’re hurt.” I said, pointing at his leg.
“No shit! Do you know who I am?” he snarled back at me.
Oh, no! This was worse than I thought. He couldn’t remember his name. He would probably sue me for medical expenses as well. Not that I have a single penny on my name.
I went over to him and placed my hands on his shoulders. “Please, sit down, Mister. I’m sure your memory will return as soon as you get over the shock.” I tried to press down on him to make him sit. I have no idea about first aid, but I was sure he needed to sit down. “If you have a phone, I could call an ambulance.” I offered.
“You’re insane! I know who I am, you fool!” He slapped my hands away from him.
“Oh.” My face heated up like the fourth of July. It was a legitimate mistake though.
“I need your license and registration papers.” He said through tight lips.
“I don’t have a license.” I felt like crying. Now he is going to have me locked up. I can’t go to jail. “Please, please don’t call the police.” It was my father’s car and the only thing I have left of him. He taught me how to drive, but we never had money to apply for a driver’s license for me.
He stared at me like I grew an extra head or something. I knew I must look a sight, maybe slightly crazy even. I couldn’t help it, maybe it was the shock or seeing my Susy in the state she was in and knowing I would be out on the streets. I didn’t even have a cardboard box. I started wailing. Snot and blood and tears streamed down my face.
“Oh, Jesus! Stop crying, Lady.” He approached me, bending down a little, because he was so tall.
The more I tried to stop, the more I sobbed. The man threw his arms in the air.
“Can you just stop your crying for a minute! Fuck!”
That made me wail even harder. He was so mean. I needed a tissue.
“We’ll work something out. Just stop your incessant crying.” He took off his leatherjacket. I noticed he wore a black T-shirt with a popular band’s logo on it. My eyes nearly popped out of my skull when he whipped the shirt over his head and gave it to me.
That stopped me crying. He was incredibly well-built and covered in tattoos. With the T-shirt in my hand, I stared at him, not knowing what he wanted.
“Wipe your face, for goodness’s sake. You look like a train wreck.” He said, putting his jacket back on. He left it open.
I couldn’t do that. I had some toilet paper in Susy’s glove compartment. We had a communal toilet at the trailer park. I walked to my wrecked car.
“Where the hell are you going?” Mean guy asked, stalking after me.
“Getting toilet paper to blow my nose. Okay?” I don’t know why I was holding onto his T-shirt. “I won’t drive away, if that is what you’re worried about.”
He snorted. “I’d give you a thousand pounds if you were able to drive this rust bucket away from here.”
Huh! Well, I could give it a go. My Susy was a legend. She was also made of steel, not the plastic most modern cars were made of. I could do with a thousand pounds.
I blew my nose and wiped my face as best I could. I even found my hairbrush and pulled it through my knotted hair.
“Will you be able to take your motorbike out of my Susy’s door?” I asked politely.
“Susy?” he shook his head, glaring at me. He mumbled something I didn’t quite catch. He bent down, looking at the damage. His bike’s front wheel was pushed back badly. Bits of his fender lay on the road. He swore under his breath, words I would never repeat.
“I could take you back home, maybe get someone with a truck to load your bike.” I suggested softly. I didn’t want to anger him further. It was the least I could do.
“Lady, are you out of your mind? Have you any idea how much this is going to cost?” he stood up, wheeling around to face me.
I leaned against Susy to keep myself from sinking to my knees. He was scary when his blue eyes flashed like that.
“No.” I said, my voice sounding small. “I-I don’t have any money.”
He snorted again, looking me up and down.
“Do you really not know who I am?” he asked again.
Why would I know who he was? He never introduced himself to me. I shrugged.
“No, do you sing in a band?” I thought of the T-shirt I was still crushing in my hands. Not that I went on social media or even the internet for that matter. I only used my phone to make calls. The phone was too old anyway.
“Do you live under a rock or what?” The way he asked that made me feel so small.
“No, of course not.” I felt my face heat up even more. “I live in the trailer park down the road.”
He sank down onto the tar road next to his bike, shaking with laughter. I didn’t get the joke though.
“What’s your name, by the way?” He looked up at me. I was struck by how handsome he looked when he was smiling.
“Destiny.” I said.
JAMESHer name was Destiny. I couldn’t stop laughing. Be careful what you wished for, James old boy, you just might get it.“What’s so funny? What’s your name anyway? Maybe I’ll find that something to laugh at.” She said, pouting.I guess she wasn’t all that bad looking, pink hair and all. She had a nose ring which surprised me somewhat. I supposed she could clean up nicely.“James.” I didn’t add Barrington the third, not that I thought it would matter to her anyway. I got up and gave her my hand to shake. “Pleased to meet you, Destiny.”“Well, nothing weird about your name. So, you’re not in a band?” she asked, and I might have imagined it, but she looked a bit disappointed.I turned around to look at the wreck of my Hayabusa. The old rust bucket of a Beetle didn’t have that much damage. Fucking hard piece of metal! I sighed. My leg started to smart. Probably getting infected.Grabbing the handlebars, I tried prying the bike off the monstrous car.“Damn it!” It wouldn’t budge.“Let m
DESTINY This man! “Why would you want to fake marry me?” Gosh, maybe he was touched in the head. Or he could have escaped from some asylum, and I brought him to my home. Good going, Destiny. I always attract the weirdos. “Like I said, Destiny… You owed me, have you any idea how much damage your rust bucket caused? That motorbike cost more than this entire property.” “Well, now you’re exaggerating.” I shook my head at him, does he think I’m stupid or something. “Okay, but still. My father and grandfather have threatened to disown me if I don’t get married and settle down. And I really like my lifestyle.” He explained, sitting down beside me on the sofa. I shifted up, not trusting to be so near to him. “Are you rich or something?” I frowned at him; I was not going to be some rich boy’s plaything. “No, nothing like the sort. I work for my father. I’m the only child.” He smirked at me. “Would you want to be married to a rich man?” “I’m no gold digger!” I have always managed well e
DESTINYWhen I entered the house, I stood still in the middle of the entrance hall. I’ve never been in a house this big before. There I was with my two shopping bags of all my worldly possessions standing in this impressive place that smacked of wealth. Gosh, and he said he wasn’t rich! The carpeting on the floor was worth more than my Susy. Not that I know that much about carpets. A chandelier hung from the ceiling. Who has chandeliers, even?“Hey! What are you standing there for?” James peered down from the banister on the second-floor landing. “Come on up. I’ll show you to your room.”“Okay.” I started up the stairs to where he waited. “Jeez, don’t look so scared.” He said, frowning at me.“I’m not. Do you live here alone?” I couldn’t believe he had all this space to himself.“Of course.” He pulled me behind him down the corridor. There were four rooms on opposite sides of the passage. He opened one door and pulled me inside. “This is your room.” “Wow!” I couldn’t help but stare
JAMES“Well, that’s done.” I breathed a sigh of relief. Arthur left after two hours of trying to convince him I knew what I was doing. We gave him our notes on our expectations, and he promised to have a draft ready by Monday latest.Destiny had a pensive look on her face, she chewed on her lower lip, staring into space. She’d better not be having second thoughts about this.“Penny for your thoughts, Ms. Johnson?” It scared me how much I sounded like my father just now.“Your lawyer friend doesn’t like me much.” She looked up at me with those big olive-green eyes. Actually pretty, I thought.“Does it matter? We need to do some serious shopping. I can’t have my future wife looking like a homeless person, now, can I?” Her sense of style sucked seriously.“Excuse me?” she huffed, “What’s wrong with me?” she sounded miffed.“Where do I start…?” I pulled her up from the couch and twirled her around. I liked the tight jeans. She had a nice ass, and I could tell her boobs were just the size
DESTINYThe way James and Giovanni stared at me made me feel self-conscious. I hardly recognized myself in the mirror. I don’t think I’ve ever looked this good. I used to hate the color of my hair until today. Giovanni really knew his stuff.“Thank you, Giovanni, James.” I blushed like a teenager.“My pleasure, Bella!” Giovanni kissed me on both cheeks like he greeted James. It felt strange to me, I wasn’t used to affection from strange people.James held out his hand for me to take. He looked pleased with himself, a smug grin on his face, like he’d won the Lotto or something.“Let’s go, gorgeous.” he said.Wow! I wasn’t expecting that. I took his hand, and we strolled out of the salon.“Mr. Barrington! Mr. Barrington!” Someone called out and James stopped in his tracks, swearing under his breath.Barrington? Was that his surname? Why did it sound so familiar?James looked over at me, “Can you run, Destiny?” He grasped my hand firmly. “Come!” We ran to the car. He opened the door and
JAMESShe really had no idea what she was doing to me. Damn, what have I gotten myself into? I can’t remember when last I had a girl as innocent as Destiny. I think when I was thirteen. No, scrap that. That girl took my innocence, and she was three years older than me. She was no innocent little virgin that’s for sure, I remembered and grinned. What was her name again?“James?” Destiny broke me out of my thoughts.“Yeah? Sorry, I spaced out for a moment.” Watching me with those big olive-green eyes of hers while sucking on her milkshake… Oh, my God, James! Stop it! This girl drove me nuts! I wanted her, that thought sobered me enough to choke on my beer.I spluttered and coughed, tears stinging my eyes.“Gosh! Are you alright, James?” She got up to pat my back, her cleavage almost in my face. God, she smelled amazing. I wanted to press my face against those pretty mounds.“I’m fine…just fine.”She handed me a napkin to wipe my face, trying to hide her smile. She had no idea how gorgeo
DESTINY“Good afternoon to you too, Grandfather. Let me introduce you to Destiny Johnson, the girl I am intending to marry.” James said just like that, beaming a smile at me.The two men stared at me as if I came from another planet. I was dumbstruck, hanging onto James’s arm like he was a lifeline. “Good afternoon.” My voice managed to slice through the heavy silence that seemed to press down on us.James’s father was the first to react. He stood up and reached out well-manicured hands towards me. His grip was firm enfolding my hand in both of his.“I must say, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Destiny.” He was an older version of James, but more polished. It was clear that James got his handsome looks from his father.“Yes,” the grandfather drawled, wrinkling his nose as if he were smelling something unpleasant. “More like surprised to see you actually exist.” He placed his newspaper down on the table next to his chair.James pressed my hand reassuringly. He did warn me his grandfather
“Oh, my God that was exhausting.” I told James when we were on our way home.“You did well, Sugar.” James chuckled, “Sorry about that South Africa thing, I don’t know what came over me. It just slipped out.”“Your grandfather is scary. And your father knows we’re lying. I’m sure of it.” I wasn’t being paranoid.James laughed it off. “Don’t worry about it. Even if he does, he can’t stop us.” James turned a corner so fast I was thrown towards him. My hand landed on his thigh to steady myself.I pulled it away so fast like he was hot metal. “Sorry, sorry.”James glimpsed at me a cheeky smile on his lips. “You have nothing to apologize for. If you want to touch my leg it’s fine by me.”“Oh, get over yourself, will you.” I stared out the window and he chuckled.“By the way, I got a text from Arthur saying he’ll see us tomorrow with the draft of our agreement.”“Really? Wow, that’s fast.”I was sure that Arthur didn’t like me at all. He must think that I was after James’s money.“Have you t