“Kim.”
“Kurt.”
“Look, just give me a chance is all I’m asking. I’m good. I can even give you an orgasm.”
“Kurt, as nice as it is to know that you can show some care and attention to the women you’re with, to me, all of this, it’s wasted on me. I don’t want anything to do with you. I don’t like you.”
“I know I was an asshole. Okay. I get it. I hurt you. I tortured you—”
“And the fact you can say that with even the remotest hint of sarcasm is one of the reasons why I’m always going to say no to you. I don’t like you, Kurt. I can’t trust you, not now, not ever.”
She closed the door and leaned against it. She wouldn’t be that one girl that fell for his crap.
****
“Can I have one dance?” Kurt said.
He stared at Kim. She was dressed in a beautiful deep blue dress, and her blonde hair was bound up on top of her head with curls coming down, framing her face. Her green eyes once again stared at him with doubt, and a little fear. He’d not attempted to hurt her, or call her names. In fact, now he actually went out of his way to hurt anyone who tried to hurt her.
She hesitated, and seeing it broke his heart.
“One dance, nothing else.”
“Sure.” She placed her hand within his, and he escorted her onto the dance floor.
“So we’re just going to dance.”
“What are your plans for after graduation?” she asked.
“I’ve got a job lined up at my father’s company. I intend to start on the ground floor and work my way up. When I’m in college, I’ll work there part time.”
“Are you taking over from your father when you’re older?”
“I don’t know. I’ve got my own plans, you know. What about you?”
“I’m going to art school. My mother thinks I have what it takes to make it on my own with my work.”
“That’s pretty good.” Kurt hadn’t seen any of her artwork. She’d always been so quiet about it. Whenever he tried to talk to her to get her to open up, she just seemed to close up even more.
“Yeah, I think so.”
He pulled her into his arms, placing his hand on her waist and holding her close. Across the hall he saw Elsa wrapped in Noah’s arms. His buddy had always been different, never really running with the rest of the pack. Now he understood why. Noah had never gone out of his way to hurt Elsa, whereas Kurt was suffering for being a constant jerk to Kim.
“Kim, I’d like for us to start over. We’re leaving high school, and I want to leave all the memories behind.”
She pulled away, looking at him. “No.”
“Please.”
“Kurt, I understand that you’re different. You’ve seen the error of your ways, but it doesn’t work like that. This is my life. I get to choose what I do, and I don’t choose you.” She stepped away from him. “Thank you for the dance.”
Even as she stepped away, he knew he couldn’t be angry. He was the one who fucked up, and now he was paying the price. Going toward the long table, he grabbed one of the drinks, disappointed to see it hadn’t yet been spiked.
“You okay, man?” Noah asked, coming toward him.
“She’ll be mine one day.”
“Why don’t you just cut your losses?”
“No. I want her, Noah. One day, she’ll see I’m not that bad of a guy.”
He finished his punch and left the prom. Kurt had danced with the only girl he was interested in. One day, Kim would belong to him, and she would see that he wasn’t the same asshole who had hurt her.
Chapter One
Ten years later
“What the hell are you doing here, Kurt?” Kim asked. It had been ten years since she’d seen her tormentor. Ten years of wondering what had happened to him. Toward the end of high school, Kurt had changed. He’d been different. She didn’t know why, other than he’d just decided to change. A lot had happened, especially between their two friends, Elsa and Noah.
“You know why I’m here.”
She stared at him. He was handsome, and he hadn’t gotten fat, bald, or ugly. Kurt looked much better now than when he was in high school. Some people have all the luck.
“You’re looking to buy this business.”
“I couldn’t give two shits about this business, Kim. The only reason I’m here is because you are.”
“Me?”
“Yes.” He looked around the room, moving toward one of the paintings she’d done not long after prom night. Kim hadn’t wanted to bring it, but Mr. Coal had insisted that it was one of her best works. She found Mr. Coal strange at times. He was constantly blowing hot and cold when it came to her work, never taking her to the next level. The scene was of a sunset outside of her bedroom window. She’d been so impassioned she hadn’t been able to stop, whirling the colors together so that it was all blended. “This is your work?”