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LIAM: Have fun, baby.
ME: Thanks! I will.
Another tear streaks my cheek hating myself for lying to him again.
This has to stop. I don’t know how the hell I’m going to do it, but I have to fix this. Before the truth comes out.
Before I lose him.
Chapter 11
CANDY
“Are you sure about this?” Liam asks as I turn the lock on the back door of Penny’s. “Aren’t you worried you’ll get fired?”
Yeah, even though I have a key, using the theater after hours for personal use could get me fired but I couldn’t care less. I don’t really need this job anymore since the debt I owe isn’t financial.
Besides feeling awful for lying to him and bailing on him last night, Liam has done so much for me, letting me live with him rent-free, feeding me, picking me up from work so I don’t have to ride the bus and risk unwanted close encounters with the men from the club… I want to do something for him for once. Something that will hopefully soften the blow when I finally tell him the truth. Now that my debt belongs to the Kings, there’s a good chance I’m going to have to pay it off by giving them a full access pass to my pussy.
“Not if we don’t get caught,” I say, punching the security code into the keypad. There are still cameras but no one checks the feed unless the alarm goes off. “Come on.” I pull Liam into the building and drag him through the employee lounge and out into the theater lobby. “We won’t risk burning the place down running the popcorn machines but grab a box of candy and a drink. I’ll get the movie ready.”
Liam is full-on deer-in-the-headlights but I leave him to work through it and head to the projection room.
Penny’s only has one screen and digital projection. Basically, a glorified home theater setup. He doesn’t know it yet, but I grabbed Liam’s favorite movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, to watch tonight. I can’t wait to see his face.
“Candace?” Liam whisper-yells from the seats below.
“Pick a seat, I’ll be right there,” I call back, through the projection window.
As soon as everything’s all warmed up, I start the movie and run down the stairs.
I’m shimmying between the seats to where Liam sits dead center when the opening credits flash on the story-tall screen.
Liam’s jaw drops. Without taking his eyes off the screen, Liam marvels, “Candace. You hate this movie.”
“But you love it. Also, I don’t hate it. There are just other things I’d rather watch. But that doesn’t matter tonight. I wanted to do something for you and sneaking into the theater to watch your favorite movie on the big screen was in my budget.”
“You didn’t have to—.”
“I wanted to, Liam. You’ve done so much for me. I wanted to do something for you. Something special.” Before everything goes to shit.
“And you did. This is perfect.” Liam puts his arm around me and places a warm, loving kiss on my temple.
“At least I did one thing right,” I mumble under my breath.
I didn’t think he heard me but when the movie starts, Liam doesn’t take his eyes off of me.
“You’re missing it,” I tell him but he still stares at me.
“Candace…” He pauses and searches my face. Then, as serious as I’ve ever heard him speak, he asks, “What if I told you I knew a way to erase your debt? No strings attached. Eddie would have his money tomorrow and you’d be off free and clear. Would you take it?”
“I mean, yeah. But that’s impossible.” Especially since Eddie doesn’t own my debt anymore.
He shakes his head. “It’s a sure thing. Just say the word.”
What the hell? Is he saying…? “You? How? No. Never mind. It doesn’t matter. It wouldn’t be free and clear. My debt would be with you and I don’t want that between us.”
He’s still shaking his head. “I can make a call, right now. The money would be in your bank account tomorrow and if you walk out the door and I never see you again, I’d miss the hell out of you but I wouldn’t miss the money. I’d just be happy knowing you were safe and free.”
