Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele

Chapter 27 [Atlas]

When Sydney said "bonfire" with some "friends," she didn't tell me that it would be more of a nightclub on the beach. Future Hollywood starlets in bikinis mingle with shirtless college athletes with sculpted abs and perfect California beach tans.

The closer we get to it, the more I am certain that coming out tonight was a bad idea. I am in no mood to socialize, especially with a bunch of overgrown children.

Sydney leads me to a group of jocks wearing board shorts and tank tops. They are all giving Sydney appreciative glances as they see her approach in her bright bikini and cut-offs.

"This is my boyfriend, Atlas," she announces proudly. She tells me their names but I don't bother with remembering them. I don't plan on spending time with them in the future.

"Hey Boyfriend Atlas," one of the large college boys laughs as he punches me playfully in the arm and he hands me a beer. "You're going to need this. We're about to play "Two Truths and a Lie." You drink every time you guess wrong." Shrugging, I take the drink from his hands and we gather in a circle.

And that is when I see her. Cordelia.

And she isn't alone.

"Clark!" I shout when I see my brother sit down. He sees me and his mouth opens in a wide "O". Leaning over, he whispers something in Cordelia's ear and she jumps, startled, before looking at me across the fire.

If the fire were not already lit, it would have ignited with the ferocity of her glare.

On the other side of her, that tan doctor places a protective arm around her shoulder. I take a deep breath to keep myself from punching him. Again.

As we go around the circle, I realize I am terrible at guessing the truth. I'm more than a little buzzed by the time it is Sydney's turn.

"I think I might be falling for my boss." she winks at me. "I don't like beer and... I'm a secret spy!"

Everyone starts laughing. Nobody bothers trying to guess the truth, they just assume all of the answers are lies. So everyone takes a drink.

I stand up straight. Looking for Cordelia, my eyes never leave her as I declare, "My grandfather chose my wife. She is here right now. I never cared for her." People look around nervously not sure how to react, especially Sydney whose face goes pale. "Is that your wife dude!" someone points to Sydney. I shake my head. After that, everyone just assumed that that was my lie, and I didn't correct them.

Cordelia doesn't take a drink. She isn't even holding a cup. Tonight her new friend and my brother are both doting on her, treating her as if she is something easily broken and fragile.

As I move forward to approach her I stop, seeing the size of the bruise on her exposed leg. I take another

step forward. I did that to her. She is leaning against another man because I was so caught up in my anger and pride that she was hurt by my hands.

Replaying the incident in my mind from the night before, I see her falling into the street, the car hitting her, the way she glared at me, demanding I never go near her again.

"Hey, Atlas! Where are you going?" Sydney pulls on my arm. "We were going to take a group selfie!" She drags me along with her to the other side of the gathering.

I reply with something non-committal. I'm not even sure what I'm saying, to be honest. I'm far too interested in listening to my wife on the other side of the campfire, her voice carried on the breeze. "Oh Clark," Cordelia laughs. "Stop it!"

"Later," I gruff, shaking off Sydney's hand and moving towards Cordelia. Seeing my reaction, she hands me a plastic cup. "What's this?" I sniff it.

"I

"Something to help you re Sydney snakes her arm around my back, turning my torso towards her and her friends. "Come on! Ignore...her," her lips curl into a forced smile. "We're here to have fun, remember?" Sydney's sad eyes remind me that I am here with her and that I am being a bad date. Cordelia is moving on. I am moving on as well.

Tossing the wine back, I hand out the cup and Sydney refills it with a huge, satisfied smile. The drink works almost instantly, relaxing every muscle in my body. And I find myself leaning into Sydney, letting her lean into me.

I need to stop thinking about Cordelia. She already has a boyfriend... Jude. She seems happy. I should be happy for her.

I look over to see her put a playful hand on each man, her right hand on Jude's chest, her left on Clark's shoulder. She then leans in and kisses each one on the cheek. When her face is turned away, Clark places his hand on the kiss, blushing. If she has Jude, Why is she playing around with Clark's heart too? My baby brother deserves better than to be a part of her personal harem.

I take another long drink of the wine. As I watch her walk away from the fire, I find myself standing and following her into the shadows. "Isn't one man enough for you?"

Cordelia snaps around, startled. "Are you stalking me, Atlas," she growls. "Why are you following me?" "I'm not stalking you, Cordelia," I bark laughing, "Although maybe you need someone watching you if you're going to behave like such a... slut in public." I don't mean to sound as harsh as I do, but I can't help but snarl. There is something about this woman that brings out the worst in me.

"Excuse me?" her hackles raised, she takes a step towards me, pushing me with her open hand. "How I spend my time is none of your business. And your brother is a grown man. If he chooses to spend his time with me, it has nothing to do with you!" "You don't think it's my business," I shout, giving her a little shove. "You're playing around with my

brother's heart. This isn't a game." I feel flushed, the alcohol affecting my speech, slurring the edges.

"Atlas, calm down," Cordelia almost seems concerned. I don't know why she is pretending. She never cared about me. She only cared about the Steele Familly name and the money our company added to hers. She never saw me as a man. "One Steele man wasn't good enough, so you had to collect the pair?" I scoff, my heart thumping in my chest. "Wasn't I enough for you, Cordelia?" I demand, grabbing her by the arms. "Wasn't I man enough?"

Pulling her body flush with mine, I kiss her with all the force of every emotion racing through me. As her mouth opens for mine, I deepen the kiss.

Her body suddenly stiffens. Pushing with all of her force her hands slam into my chest and I stumble backward.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

I don't see the slap coming until her hand connects with my face.

Reaching forward I grab her arms again, her lips are so beautifully plump and bruised from our kiss. If only she'd let me kiss her again. Then she'll understand. Then she'll know.

"You keep your hands off o...e, Atlas Steele," she gasps for breath, her body rigid with anger. "Or the next one will be a punch."

"Cordelia, please I..."

The sound of heavy shoes snapping a twig makes us both jump. As we turn, we find ourselves face-to-face with the LAPD.

"We are looking for Cordelia Grayson Steele," a deep commanding voice calls from the shadows as a flashlight blinds us.

"I'm Cordelia Grayson," she raises a trembling hand, "Is something wrong? Was there an accident? Did my father...?" The two men step forward, their badges flashing. A hand grabs Cordelia's arm.

"Come with us. You're under arrest."

VictoryAnne Vice Author

Oh no! Cordelia! What did you do???