Christian watched his daughter depart, still not entirely sure what had just happened between them. Although he'd lied to her about what Frank had actually told him, he couldn't help but be defensive with her. If she found out what the man had actually blackmailed him with, that would mean he'd have to explain himself...extensively, and he wasn't so sure he wanted to bring up the more shocking bits and pieces of his past. At least not yet. It just wasn't the right time for it, and he sure didn't want another arguement to break out between them. Once was enough for today.
Exhaling sharply, he pivoted on his heels and stepped towards the front desk. In an attempt to push the day's drama out of his mind, he figured he might as well get back to work. Had there been an attractive female in the office at the time, he might have solved the problem by having himself a quick screw, but unfortunetly for him, there wasn't. Reaching over the desk, he grabbed the appointment book and set it before him, scanning over the potential clients scheduled for that particular day. His brows furrowed inquisitively, his eyes locking on the name of the client scheduled for four thirty: Amy Gellar. At first he thought he was seeing things, but as he looked closer, he realized it was real. His own daughter had made an appointment?
His jaw hung open in astoundment. His own daughter had made an appointment! He lifted his gaze from the book, staring dumbfoundedly at the back wall, trying mercilessly to figure out exactly why she was on their appointment sheet. Hadn't she told him she was there to visit Sean? If she was telling him the honest truth, then why would she need to make an appointment for that reason? It didn't make any sense. His jaw tightened up as he exuded a heavy sigh. Lifting the book from the counter, he turned away from the desk and marched in the direction of Sean's office. Not bothering to knock, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. Sean was still seated at his desk, but he was in the middle of a phone call. "We need to talk."
Sean looked up at Christian, continuing his conversation with the person on the other line. "Hang on, he just walked in." He took the reciever away from his ear and held it up. "Matt's on the phone. He wants to talk to you."
Christian sighed wearily as he crossed to his partner's desk. Taking the phone, he held it to his ear. "What is it Matty?"
"Hey man. I been trying to reach you for days but you haven't returned my calls."
He paused for a moment, a scowl crossing his face. Lately, he'd been doing that a lot lately. Not only with Kimber, but with Matt as well. What was the matter with him? Was his new daughter taking up too much of his time that he'd forgotten everyone? Even Matt? "I'm sorry buddy. Things have been a little hectic lately. What did you want to talk to me about?"
"I could use your advice on that girlfriend problem of mine. Things haven't been going too well. I thought we were hitting it off, but she doesn't seem to want to be intimate with me anymore, and if she does, all we do is make-out. I can't even make it to third base with her. What am I doing wrong man?"
Christian exchanged a look with his partner, exhaling sharply before speaking into the reciever. "Can we discuss this later Matty?" Now was definitely not the time or place to discuss that sort of thing. Especially with Sean within hearing range. Not that he hadn't scolded Christian before about his less than stellar influence on his son, but he didn't exactly feel like discussing the matter with Sean breathing down his neck. This was a conversation best held in private.
"Are you actually going to call me back this time?"
"Yes. I'll give you a call later on tonight, all right? I promise."
"All right man. I guess I'll talk to you later then."
After he and Matt exchanged good-byes, he set the phone back on its base, sighed softly and turned his attention back on Sean. "Amy didn't come in today to visit you, did she?" He stared intently back at his partner, his brows arching expectantly, waiting for an explaination.
Sean sighed softly before raising his eyes to Christian's face. He shook his head. "No. She came in for a consult."
His brows furrowed in bafflement as he dropped the appointment book on the desk. Brushing the fabric of his lab coat aside, he planted his hands firmly on his hips. "A consult? What the hell for?"
Sean shifted in his chair, a scowl crossing his face. "She was considering getting her breasts done, but in my opinion, they look fine just the way they are. Unfortunetly, she didn't seem to think so."
"Jesus, what the hell was she thinking?" He turned away from the desk, taking a few steps towards the center of the room. This was crazy. He had his suspicions about why she'd really been there, but this was nowhere on the list. He shook his head in disbelief. Things were just getting weirder and weirder as the day went on.
"I suggested she talk to you about this the day she made the appointment, but she told me she wasn't comfortable doing that, which I assume is the reason she came to me instead."
He exhaled sharply with a roll of his eyes before turning back to Sean. "It makes sense. Any other girl her age, would find it too God damn weird for her own father to give her a tit job, let alone look at them." His forehead wrinkled in thought, "did she say why she wanted it?"
"She conveyed a need to be independent, different. She feels she's finally free to make her own decisions. Despite my alternative suggestions, she seems to think that plastic surgery is the only way to do it."
He scoffed, biting down on his bottom lip. His jaw tightened up as did the rest of the muscles in his body. He began pacing back and forth, but more in an effort to shake off the aggravation that pulsated through his veins at the moment. "This doesn't make any sense. Getting a God damn tit job isn't the way she should be liberating herself. There has to be some other reason why she wants it so badly."
Sean nodded his head gently. "Maybe there is." His brows furrowed in thought. He sat there in silence for a moment as Christian continued his pacing. Finally, his partner spoke up. "Do you think it has something to do with her foster father?"
Both of his hands clenched into fists, his pacing turning into a menacing gait as he traipsed from one side of the office to the other. A low growl escaped his throat. "She wouldn't go to the extremes of plastic surgery because of one abusive asshole. I could understand if she looked like him, but she wants a tit job, Sean. This doesn't have a damn thing to do with him. There's something else going on, and if it's the last thing I do, I'm going to find out exactly what the hell it is."
"She did mention that she wasn't happy with her appearance. Look Christian, I'm not trying to play devil's advocate here, but did you ever consider that this change might have been brought on by you?"
He halted his pacing and turned to face Sean once again. A deep sigh escaped him, narrowing his eyes incriminatingly on the other man. The tone of his voice escalated with his next words. "What are you trying to say Sean? Are you saying this is my fault? That I've somehow corrupted my own God damn daughter?" He would never openly admit it to anyone, even himself, and he didn't even want to consider it to be a possibility in all this, but deep down, he had a bad feeling that maybe he had. "I've only known her a little over a week and I'm doing a hell of a job trying to be a good father. You really think that in that short span of time, I would put an idea like this in her head?"
"I'm not saying you've corrupted her, Christian, or that this is your fault, but considering that we're both plastic surgeons and her current need is to be independent, maybe she felt it was the right time."
He scoffed, placing his hands back on his hips. "The right time for what?"
Sean pushed himself up to his feet, starting across the room towards Christian. "To change her appearance. To take care of those imperfections on her body that she never could." He stopped a couple feet away from him, placing his own hands on his hips. "Maybe her mother was against the idea of plastic surgery, but after discovering you were her father, in addition to moving out, she probably feels she has no limitations. That she has the right to make her own decisions without parental restrictions. Sounds to me like you need to start setting some ground rules for your daughter."
He didn't know quite how to respond to that, but in a way, he knew that Sean was right. This was completely different than his past parental duty to Wilbur. He exuded a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. "Well in the instance that I do that, I can't keep her on a God damn leash her whole life Sean. She's nineteen, that makes her a consenting adult."
"No one is saying that you have to Christian, but she's still your daughter and its still in your duty to set a good example for her." Sean sighed softly, stepping closer to him. After a brief pause, he continued. "Look, if it's all right with you and she wants it that badly, I'll do her surgery for her, pro bono."
He shook his head. "Oh like hell you will. She doesn't need this operation. What she needs is to start discussing this shit with me, not with you. I'm her father. If she's got a problem, she should be coming to me." His brows furrowed in thought. "Why the hell didn't you tell me the day she made the appointment?"
"She didn't want you to know, which is why she advised me not to tell you."
He took in a breath to calm himself, biting back his growing frustration. "She advised you not to tell me, but did you stop to consider which one of us is your best friend? You should have told me Sean! She's my God damn daughter. I have every right to know about this kind of shit." He exhaled sharply, beginning to pace back and forth once again. His muscles were rigid as he stalked from one side of the room to the other. Sarcastically speaking, this day was just getting better and better.
Sean sighed wearily. "I'm sorry Christian, but I was hoping she would have brought the issue up before her consultation."
"Well she didn't! At least not to me."
"Even if I scheduled her for surgery, we both know you would have found out eventually."
A low growl escaped his throat, coming to a halt a few inches away from his partner. "Do me a favor Sean. The next time my daughter comes to you with a problem, you come straight to me and I'll handle it myself!" Without giving him the chance to reply, Christian whirled around on his heels and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Amy was on her way home to her apartment, having gotten only two miles away from the McNamara/Troy building when her celluar began ringing. She reached out to lower the volume on the radio shortly after Pat Benatar's hit, "Heartbreaker" came on, and reached inside her purse for the device. Expecting to see Christian's number, she was somewhat surprised to see a different number. It was vaguely familiar, but at the moment, she couldn't for the life of her figure out exactly who it was. As she flipped open the celluar to answer it, she made a mental note in her head to update her contacts list. "Hello?"
"Hi Amy! It's Kimber."
Well she sure didn't see that one coming. "Oh! Hi Kimber." She tried as she might to sound friendly but failed.
"I'm sorry, did I call you at a bad time?" Kimber inquired in the most innocent voice possible.
Amy brought her free hand up to tuck a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. With a clear of her throat, she shook her head, even though she knew Kimber couldn't see her. "Oh, no. I'm just driving right now, that's all. I can still talk. What's up?"
"I was just wondering, do you have any plans for the rest of the day?"
Her brows furrowed inquisitively. "Um, no. I don't think so. Why?"
"Well, I know this is kind of short notice, but what do you say to a make-over and spa day? I know this great little place on Collins Avenue that we can go, and after all that's happened, I think we both deserve a little pampering, don't you?"
She hesitated for a moment, contemplating the idea until finally uttering a reply. "Sure, yeah. That sounds good. I guess we could do that."
"Great! Well in that case, I'll meet you at the Le Spa in five minutes. I'm right across the street right now just doing some shopping so it shouldn't take me too long."
"All right, but I'll need directions."
"Oh sure, no problem."
She stayed on the phone with Kimber for the next few minutes as she steered her in the right direction, taking the designated streets and turns until she found the corner building. The sign outside reading "Le Spa" told her she was in the right place. After thanking Kimber for helping her in finding the place, she hung up and parked in the parking lot across the street. The mention of a spa day had her recalling back to that day at the hospital. The day that she and Christian had gone in for that paternity test. He'd made a remark about how she needed to loosen up a little more and then offered her a business card for a spa. They weren't exactly on the best terms at that time, which is why she had refused, but now that Kimber was offering, it didn't sound like a bad idea.
She was just about to exit the car and head over to the spa, but a sudden craving caused her to hesitate. That same craving she'd gotten on her way to her consult, and shortly after she'd left. Now might not have been the most appropriate time for it, but no one was around anyway, and after all that happened back at the McNamara/Troy office, she needed to clear her head. That way she could allow herself to fully relax while in the spa. Taking a quick glance around the half empty parking lot, she then turned towards her purse, reaching inside and slipping out the small white envelope Kimber had given her. She shook out a dime size amount of the substance on the arm rest between both seats. After arranging the powder into a straight line, she took out a short plastic straw, held it to one nostril and leaned in to take a quick inhalation. She repeated the process with the other nostril until the powder she'd arranged was gone.
Bringing her free hand up, she wiped any traces of the powder from her nostrils and zipped her purse back up, quickly exiting the vehicle. The high that she'd gotten the day before was already starting to swirl around her head, which caused her to stumble when she stepped out. She wavered on her heels, finding herself grabbing onto the car as a wave of dizziness passed over her. The parking lot around her tipped and turned, and suddenly she felt as though she would be sick. She willed herself to lean her back against the vehicle for a moment and shut her eyes, praying that the nausea in her belly would subside along with the dizziness.
How the hell was she going to make it across the street like this? She exhaled sharply, wishing she had only taken one inhalation. It wouldn't have been as bad, right? When she'd taken it the day before after her phone call with Sean, she'd felt a bit tipsy but she'd recovered fairly well. Why was she feeling more of it now? Beads of sweat broke out at her temples as she felt her heart began to pound in her chest. She took in a deep breath to try and calm down, and after another moment, cautiously opened up her eyes. Slowly, she pushed herself away from the car, slinging the strap of her purse over her right shoulder and starting towards the spa. The dizziness was still looming over her head, but she knew she would feel better once she was inside and sitting down. She just had to remind herself of that, even as she scurried across the street, praying that she didn't look drunk to the people around her because she could barely walk straight.
An allieviated sigh escaped her when she finally reached the spa. To her, it had seemed to have taken an eternity but still, she'd made it there. That was the important part. Luckily, Kimber was already waiting inside for her when she entered the building. She was conversing with a petite woman with brown hair, who, was dressed entirely in a white uniform. The woman's hair was pulled back and out of her face, scooped up into a black hair clip. Taking a quick look around, Amy noticed that the front room was done entirely in white. Brand name, Lancome products lined the walls: body oils, lotions, perfumes, hair gels, make-up, everything you could possibly imagine. There were a few pampering stations set in the center of the room, each with different products for customers to try out.
"Amy! You made it."
She quickly turned her head upon hearing Kimber's cheery voice. She smirked, nodding her head vigorously as the blonde turned away from the woman and came up to her. "Yeah, I did. Sorry it took me so long to get here, but I never been in this part of town I guess. How long have you been here? Have you been waiting a long time?" Brushing a few loose strands of hair that had matted themselves to her forehead, she found herself boucing restlessly on the balls of her feet.
"That's okay, and I actually just got here a few minutes ago." Kimber gave her a quick once over, her brows furrowing inquisitively as she gazed at her intently. "Are you okay?"
Amy nodded her head quickly, sighing softly. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just excited, that's all. I never been to a spa before. My friends never treated me to a spa day so this should be fun." She laughed lightly, bringing her hand up to wipe away the sweat that had accumulated on her forehead.
"Great!" Kimber beamed, wrapping her arm around Amy's shoulders. "Well, if this is your first time to a spa, you are just going to love this place. I come here all the time and honey, you are going to be in heaven. I called ahead for an appointment so we could do it today, my treat."
She smirked. "Thanks! That's really nice of you. What are we going to do first? You said a make-over and what else? Do I get my hair and make-up done?"
"Of course! You are going to look amazing by the time we're done. You should go with 'The Perfect Diva' package. It includes a thirty minute massage, a thirty minute facial, manicure, pedicure, and make-up application. I'll pay extra for the hair, don't even worry about it." Kimber's arm came away from her shoulders, turning to face her once again. "So, what do you think?"
Amy smiled brightly and nodded. "It sounds great. I actually like the sound of that package, and thanks again, but you really didn't have to do this." Feeling the sweat continue to build up at her temples and forehead, she wiped it away again with the back of her hand and sighed.
Kimber wrapped her arm around her shoulders once again, leading her towards the back of the room to a doorway where a white curtain hung, seperating the front room from the back rooms of the spa itself where the rest of the services were conducted. "Sweetie, I told you this was my treat, now relax because the next couple of hours are going to be heaven." She gave her arm a little squeeze as they neared closer to their destination. "First thing's first, we have to get changed. Then, let the pampering begin." She exchanged a smile with Amy as the two disappeared into one of the back rooms to do just that.
About an hour later, after the two had gone through their massages and facials, they entered another room where they sat side by side, and began getting their manicures. Amy had to admit, she'd never felt better than she did at that very moment. Suddenly, she had not a care in the world. Not Christian. Not her adoptive father. Not a thing. A content sigh escaped her as she allowed the hispanic woman across from her to file her nails. "You were right Kimber, this place is great."
Kimber turned her head and looked over at her, flashing her a bright smile. "What did I tell you? This place is heaven." She tilted her head to one side, looking intently at her. "Have you thought about what you're going to do to your hair, sweetie?"
She shook her head. "No, not really, why?"
Kimber's smile remained plastered on her face. "Well, I have an idea. It might sound crazy, but as long as you trust me, you are going to look incredible."
Her brows furrowed inquisitively. "What kind of idea are you talking about?" To be honest, she wasn't sure if she did trust Kimber. Sure, they were friends, but there was no telling what she'd do to her if she had the advantage. She remembered her father's word clearly, but then again, Kimber hadn't been anything but nice to her since they'd met. It was a tough call.
"The kind of idea that will have all the boys turning their heads when you walk into a room. I'm talking about a whole new look, and you know what they say, blondes do have more fun."
A smirk crossed her face. "Do you really think I'd look good as a blonde?"
Kimber gave her a smirk of her own. "Absolutely."
Suddenly, she found herself nodding her head. Her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug, "okay, what the hell. I'll do it! Besides, I'm starting to get sick of my hair color anyway." A light laugh escaped her. "I've actually been thinking a lot about changing it. Either like a chesnut brown or blonde, but I think blonde would be better. It would definitely help me to get a boyfriend, because it seems like all the other blonde skanks at my school are getting them. Oh, no offense to you." She scowled, realizing she might have in fact offended Kimber with her choice of words.
Kimber shook her head, shrugging her words off. "None taken honey. I've been there once myself."
She nodded her head in regard, glancing down to observe the work the woman across from her was doing on her nails. A woeful sigh escaped her. "So I guess I'm going to have to cross getting implants off my list of things to do, or even consider." She exhaled sharply with a roll of her eyes.
Kimber's brows stitched together in question. "Why? Did something happen between you and Christian? Did you talk to him about it? You didn't tell him it was my idea, did you?"
Her eyes widened in horror. "Oh God no! I already told you I couldn't talk to him about it. That would be far too weird." She sighed deeply. "See, after yesterday when you suggested me getting them done, I made an appointment with Sean. I went in for my consult today, but he told me I didn't need them. I didn't know whether to be offended by it or not, but mostly, I am." She rolled her eyes dramatically.
Kimber scowled. "That's odd. I would have thought Sean would at least be a little more understanding about it." She sighed softly. "But, need I remind you that you are Christian's daughter sweetie, and considering how long I've known him, he and Sean are--"
"Best friends, I know." She sighed deeply, looking down at her hands. "I've heard it from practically everyone. I know how close they are, but it just really pisses me off that I can't even be free to make my own decisions. Sean acted like he understood, but he doesn't. He wanted me to talk to Christian about it. Yeah right, like I'd even be able to do that. It was hard enough trying to keep it from him when I bumped into him back at the office." She brought one of her hands up to her forehead, then realized that she had just disrupted the techinician's work. After a rather awkward apology, she quickly put her hand back in its original spot.
Kimber sent Amy a sympathetic look just before informing the tall, red haired and freckled Caucasian woman sitting across from her what color polish she wanted. She turned back to the young girl beside her with a small smile. "Well, maybe you should reconsider talking to him about it. It couldn't hurt."
She blinked back her astoundment. "To Christian?"
"Yeah. Hey, when you called him in Vegas and told him you wanted to be with him, did he turn you down?"
She shook her head. "No, but that was different. I made up some lie and told him I was sick." Kimber stared intently at her, arching one of her brows as a wry smile crossed her face. It took Amy a moment to catch on to what Kimber was suggesting. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh! No, I can't lie like that again. What am I supposed to say? I need a boob job because I want guys to like me?"
"Well no, you don't have to use those words exactly, but you might try explaining to him how much better it would make you feel, physically and mentally if you got them done. Just try being honest with him about it. The worst thing he can do is say 'no.' It would be better if he heard it from you as opposed to hearing it from Sean, don't you think?"
She nodded her head firmly. "Definitely." Her eyes widened in horror, "oh my God. You don't think he already found out about it, do you?"
Kimber pursed her lips and sighed softly. "It's hard to say sweetie, but I don't think Sean will say anything. He's more morally inclined to privacy than Christian is, and there is that whole doctor/patient confidentiality clause."
An allieviated sigh escaped her. "Okay, that helps. I feel a little bit better now. Thanks." The hispanic woman across from her informed her she was done filing her nails, and questioned her which color polish she wanted for her nails, to which she answered, pink, and the woman went back to work.
"Don't worry. Assuming that Christian hasn't found out about it on his own, you shouldn't even worry about Sean."
She chewed anxiously on her bottom lip, praying that Kimber was right, and that she hadn't already aroused too much curiosity. Trying mercilessly to push her concerns aside for the time being, there was one thing that was still plaguing her. Clearing her throat rather uncomfortably, she leaned in towards Kimber, lowering her tone of voice. "Hey...about the...you know. Are you sure Christian won't find out about it? I mean, even I'm beginning to feel a little guilty about it."
"He won't hear it from me. As long as you don't throw it in his face, it'll be our little secret. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?" She sighed deeply. "It might come as a surprise but at one time, even he was doing it."
Her jaw dropped as her eyes widened in horror once again. "He was? Oh my God, seriously?"
Kimber scoffed with a shake of her head. "Honey, please, would you even put it past him? As much of an asshole as he can be, there are some things about him that don't seem to surprise you. Except of course for the better parts of him that we rarely tend to see. Unless of course you're alone with him that is."
She cringed, her stomach turning all of a sudden. "Please don't talk about his sex life. I think I know enough to not want to hear anymore."
"I could go on and on about his sex life, but seeing as how he's your father, I'll spare you the details."
Amy was quiet for a long moment. Then, finally got up the nerve to pose her question. "Just how much do you know about Christian?" If Kimber knew Christian as well as she said she did, Amy might as well take advantage of all this new information while she could. It might work in her favor in the future. "I mean, I'm sure there's certain 'things' he wants to keep secret."
"What do you want to know?" Kimber's brows arched expectantly.
"Well...is he the type to manipulate someone, especially if that someone is..." She swallowed the huge lump that had formed in her throat, her heart skipping a beat as she did so. It took her a moment to finally utter the words, "close to him?"
Kimber turned to look over at the anxious girl. "I don't mean to break your heart honey, but you can never be sure what he'll do, or what he's truly capable of. I wouldn't worry too much about it though, being in your position. The chances of him sleeping with you and throwing you out are slim, about as slim as hell freezing over."
Amy found herself cringing once again at the disturbing mental picture. "Uh...thanks, I think."
"As long as he hasn't started eyeing one of your best girl friends, you don't have to worry."
She blinked back her astonishment, the realization dawning on her. Courtney! It was bad enough that her friend was already harboring feelings for her father, but hadn't Christian said something about liking her too? How two different people could develop an attraction to each other before meeting, was beyond Amy's comprehension. Her shoulders slumped in defeat as she exuded a deep sigh. "Oh no," she grumbled.
Kimber swiftly turned her head in her direction. "What's wrong?"
She scowled. "I think it's time I should worry."
Christian paced incessantly back and forth in his living room, celluar phone held to his ear as he waited impatiently for his daughter to answer her own. A frustrated sigh escaped him, listening to it ring a few times before her voicemail picked up. The same voicemail he'd gotten about a hundred times already. "God damn it," he muttered to himself, bringing the celluar away from his ear and ending the call.
Over the last few hours, he'd gotten the chance to let off some steam after his stressful day at work. Shortly after he'd gotten home, he'd been tempted to have himself a screw and work off the aggression built up inside him, but decided against it at the last minute. He couldn't believe that after all this time, he had even been desperate enough to call up Kimber and offer her a night of steamy sex, if only to make amends for the way he'd treated her the day before. Unfortunetly, she hadn't answered her celluar either.
There was definitely something strange going on, but what, he did not know. One thing was for sure, after the startling events of the day, it was time he and his daughter sit down and have a talk. It was time she start being honest with him, and it was time he confront her about this sudden rebellious nature of hers...before things got any worse. He stole a glance at the clock on his cell which read: 8:15. Where the hell could she be at eight fifteen on a Tuesday night? He sighed irritably before dialing her number again. This time, he tried her apartment number, for the third time in the past hour. It rang once. Twice. Three times. He was ready to hang up again when suddenly, she answered, a bit breathlessly.
"Hello?"
He exhaled sharply, whirling back around on his heels and starting in the opposite direction. "Well it's about time you answered. I've been trying to get a hold of you for an hour now, sweetheart. Where the hell have you been?"
There was a pause on her end before she uttered a reply. "I just got home. I've been out practically all day. I'm sorry, I didn't really think it would be that big of a deal."
He was tempted to confront her about the situation with Sean at that moment, but decided it would be better done face-to-face instead of through the phone. He couldn't hold back the scoff the escaped him. "Forget it. Look, we need to talk. I ordered out some seafood. Why don't you come over and share it with me. I know how much you like the stuff."
"Um...yeah. Okay, that sounds good. I'll uh...be right over."
He was a bit inquisitive about the hesitant sound of her voice, but didn't think too much of it. They exchanged good-byes and he ended the call. Flipping his celluar closed, he slipped it back into his pocket and strolled towards the door. He waited a minute or two to see if he heard her coming. Upon hearing the door down the hall close, he waited for her to knock before taking a step back and opening the door. However, nothing prepared him for what he saw next. His brows furrowed inquisitively, blinking back his astonishment.
For a moment, he couldn't figure out if it was even Amy at all. Her hair was no longer the color of auburn. It was bleached blonde, and not only that but she had also cut and curled it, similiar to that familiar coiffure of Kimber's he'd become so accustomed to. She had on more make-up than usual. Her large brown eyes were more prominent, with the fair amount of black eyeliner, mascara and violet eyeshadow that adorned them. Her eyebrows were more defined and her puker was lined with a rosy pink shade of lipstick. She had even changed her ensemble. She wasn't wearing the dark denim jeans and black V-neck blouse she'd been wearing earlier that day. Instead, she was clad in a slinky, burgandy spaghetti strapped dress. The garment fell just a few inches above her knees and hugged her petite figure in all the right places, making her breasts appear more ample than they actually were.
Shortly overcoming his surprise, he leaned his hip against the door and sighed wearily. "Jesus," he muttered with a slight roll of his eyes. Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, it looked as though they already had.
A bewildered expression crossed her face. "What's wrong?" Before he had a chance to formulate some kind of reply, she went on. "Okay, look, I know what you're thinking, but I like the way I look."
His brows arched expectantly. "Right," his forehead wrinkled in thought, "and this little transformation of yours had nothing to do with Kimber." His words were more in the form of a statement rather than an actual question.
Now it was her who rolled their eyes. She shook her head in disbelief, planting her hands firmly on her hips. "Why are you acting like this again?" She exhaled sharply. "Look, I don't want us to get into another fight again, okay? Can I please just come in so we can have dinner?"
He bit back his frustration, contemplating the thought for a brief moment before opening the door wider for her to step inside. "Sure, come on in," he replied casually, keeping his eyes on her as she stepped over the threshold and inside his condo. Shutting the door behind her, he followed her over to his dining area. He'd brought their food about fifteen minutes ago so it was probably cold by now, but he hadn't entirely been to blame for his improper timing. She sure hadn't cared enough to answer her phone the first couple times he called.
Neither one of them spoke another word to the other until the table had been set, and they were both seated to begin their meal. He stole a glance at her before taking a swig of his beer, wondering if she'd offer up some sort of explaination as to why she'd done what she had. Not only for her sudden transformation but also why she'd lied to him about her consultation. She didn't make eye contact with him though. In fact, when he glanced at her, she didn't even look up. Instead, she kept her gaze fixated on her plate of food, poking at it with her fork, and shifting every now and then in her chair.
He sighed deeply with a roll of his eyes. Okay, if she wasn't going to speak up, he had no other choice but to initiate this whole damn thing himself. He stared intently at her. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Her brows furrowed in bafflement, slowly raising her eyes up to his. "Tell you what?"
"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. You lied to me. You didn't come into the office to visit with Sean. You came in because you wanted a God damn tit job." He noticed her open her mouth to debate with him, but he didn't give her the chance, "what the hell were you thinking? Did it ever occur to you to discuss this shit with me before going to someone else about it?"
Her jaw hung open in astoundment. "He told you? I told him not to! Why the hell would he do that?" She demanded. Sighing irritably, she crossed her arms firmly over her chest and shook her head in disbelief.
"Because he's more than just my partner, he's my best friend, and contrary to what you might have heard, we tell each other everything." Okay, well maybe not everything, but close to it. "What I want to know is why the hell you'd talk to him about it without consulting me first? You're my daughter. I think I have a right to know about this kind of shit."
She brought both of her hands up to her head, fisting clumps of her hair and shutting her eyes tightly. "Please! Please, just stop! I have a headache. Just please stop talking to me for a minute." She sighed wearily, pursing her lips together and looked as if she might start crying.
He fell quiet the moment she ordered him to stop speaking, not quite sure what was wrong with her, but he wasn't going to pressure her into talking until she was a little more reasonable. Or at least more coherent. He cleared his throat as he sat back in his seat. With a shake of his head, he brought the beer back up to his lips and took another swig. Instead of coaxing her into answering him, he picked up his fork and started consuming the food on his plate.
Slowly, she brought her hands away from her head and looked back up at him. "I'm sorry, okay? I probably should have talked to you about it, but do you have any idea how weird it would be? Me talking to my own father about getting a boob job? It would be more than a little awkward. I went to Sean because, no offense, but I felt more comfortable with him." She averted her gaze back down to her plate, once again beginning to poke at her food.
He exhaled sharply, stealing a glance at her plate before looking up at her face. He'd already heard this explaination from Sean, and he didn't need to hear it again. What he needed was the real truth of the matter. "Why the hell did you decide to get them in the first place?"
Her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Bringing her freehand up to her forehead, she brushed a few loose strands of hair out of her face. She shifted once again in her seat and wiped away a bit of sweat that had accumulated at her temples. "I don't know. I just wanted to do something for myself that would make me happy, and you know, I've never been happy with my body so I thought it would boost my self-esteem. I don't know."
His forehead wrinkled in thought, noticing how restless she had suddenly become, and it was then he realized that something was definitely off about her. "Is that why you've suddenly turned into Kimber's God damn Barbie doll? Because you thought it would boost your self-esteem?"
She dropped the fork in her hand with an audible clang, turning her head suddenly in his direction and glaring coldly at him. "I'm not her fucking Barbie doll, and yeah, maybe I did do it so it would boost my self-esteem, but it was my choice. Kimber treated me to a spa day, and after being there for the first hour, I actually felt better than I had in a long time. I needed this, and I needed a change. Besides, after all I've been through, I think I deserved it. I don't see what your problem is with it."
"I don't have a problem with this. What I do have a problem with is when my ex-girlfriend starts having a negative influence on my daughter." He waved one of his hands in the air, gesturing to her appearance, "frankly I could give a shit about this little transformation of yours, but when it comes down to you getting a tit job just to complete the Kimber package, that's where I draw the line."
She narrowed her eyes incriminatingly on him, quickly wiping away the excess sweat on her forehead and shifting in her seat. Turning her body towards him, she brought one of her arms up and placed it on the back of her chair. "She's not having a negative influence on me, Christian. Incase you didn't hear what she said yesterday, she's being my friend. A friend, not an enemy, and I'm nineteen years old. I'm old enough to make my own decisions, including getting a boob job."
He shook his head, crossing his arms firmly over his chest. "Over my dead body. Neither Sean nor I will give you this surgery, and if you go to another surgeon, the money sure as hell won't be coming out of my pocket, sweetheart. And another thing, why the hell are you so damn jumpy all of a sudden?" He cocked yet another eyebrow at her.
Amy exhaled sharply, turning her head away from him and then looking down at her hands. She shook her head. "I'm not jumpy," she argued.
"Oh yes you are. You can't seem to sit still for one God damn minute, and let's face it, you haven't had a bite of your meal. What the hell is the matter with you?" He leaned towards her, cocking his head to see her face and staring intently at her. "Are you high?"
Her eyes widened in horror, quickly lifting her chin and gaping at him. "What! No!" She sighed deeply, pressing one of her hands to her stomach, and looking down at her lap. "I just don't feel good, and if I eat anything, it'll probably make me worse. I'm sorry, okay?"
His jaw tightened up, debating whether or not he should believe her. He stole a glance down at the place she had her hand. Emitting a heavy sigh, he sat back in his chair, but kept his gaze locked on her face. "If you weren't feeling well, you could have at least told me that before you came over, or at the very least, I could have come to you."
She exhaled sharply, lifting her chin once again and staring straight at the wall across from her. Rolling her eyes dramatically, she shook her head, finally looking over at him. "I said I was sorry. What else do you want me to say?"
His temper was gradually rising to the surface, and his patience was also wearing thin. He took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself, but it was easier said than done. The muscles in his jaw constricted once more, the tension traveling downward, through his neck, over his shoulders, flowing through his chest, and finally settling in the pit of his stomach. "I want you to look me in the eye and tell me what's really going on. I want the truth Amy."
Her brows stitched together incriminatingly. "The truth about what?" She shouted. "I told you I didn't feel good. I would have thought that you of all people would understand. I mean, you are a doctor."
He sighed irritably, leaning a little closer and gazing deeply into her eyes. Well, her pupils weren't dialated which was a relief, but there were other signs there that still arroused his curiosity, and if his assumptions were correct, he was going to have a big problem on his hands. And so was she. "That's right, I am a doctor, and given my experience, I know damn well when someone is high. I know the warning signs when someone is doing too much."
She scoffed, crossing her arms firmly over her chest. Bringing one of her hands up to her forehead, she winced. "You would, seeing as how you got high yourself before." She opened her eyes, sending him an icy glare. "I already told you, I'm not feeling good! That's all! Just drop it."
He threw the fork down in his hand, which exuded the same sound hers had a few minutes ago, but still managed to startle her somehow. His blood was boiling, and as the minutes went by, he was finding it more and more difficult to supress his growing rage. He returned her glare with one of his own. "I'm not going to drop it until you tell me what the hell I want to know." His tone of voice escalated as he continued, "did Kimber give you a God damn hand out? Is that why you've been so jumpy lately?"
Both of her hands came back up to her head, pressing the heels of her palms against her temples and shutting her eyes. "I can't deal with this shit right now!" Pushing herself up to her feet, she scurried in the direction of the door.
He was on his feet a split second later, stalking after her. "Hey! God damn it Amy, come back here!" Reaching out, he grabbed a hold of her arm, stopping her within five feet of the door. "Where the hell are you going?"
She whirled around on her heels, struggling to free her arm from his grasp, which wasn't tight enough to hurt her, but firm enough to keep her from getting away from him. "Let me go," she demanded, as he noticed the tears that were already welling up in her eyes. "I'm going back to my apartment. I can't stay here anymore and listen to this. No matter how many times I deny it, you won't believe me anyway. You've been acting like this to me all day today, and I just can't take it anymore. I don't deserve to be treated this way."
His heart constricted in his chest as the tears began streaming down her cheeks. She tugged on her arm once again, and this time, he loosened his grasp enough for her to finally free herself. He planted his hands firmly on his hips, sighing wearily. Although a higher power was advising him to keep his mouth shut, he ignored it, along with the tears in her eyes and pressed on. "And I didn't deserve being lied to either but you still did it, didn't you sweetheart?"
Amy shook her head as the tears continued down her cheeks. With a sniffle, she brought one of her hands up, quickly wiping them away. She scowled and averted her gaze to her feet. "She was right. God, she was right." Exhaling sharply, she spun around on her heels and hurried towards the door.
A part of him was aching to go after her, but a bigger part knew it was better he left her alone. At least for now. He stood there, watching her depart from his apartment, a brooding scowl fixed on his face. The final slam of the door was, metaphorically, the final nail on the coffin. He sighed deeply, dropping his gaze to the floor. His eyes fell closed as he swallowed the huge lump that had formed in his throat. Yes, he was pissed at her for lying to him, and even more pissed at the unbelievable day he'd just had, but he had lost control. After all he'd been through that day, he felt as though his head were about to explode.
Opening his eyes, he exhaled sharply before turning on his heels and shuffling towards his kitchen. Stepping towards the back counter, he opened up one of the cupboards above the sink, grabbing the bottle of Macallan 18 stashed there along with his other hard liquor collection. Retrieving a clean glass from his dishwasher, he opened up the bottle and poured himself a glass of the scotch. He took guzzle of it before grabbing the bottle and stepping back into the living room. Dropping down onto his couch, he set the bottle down on the coffee table before leaning back. He took a swig from the glass. Then another, savoring the liquid as though he were extremely parched, but the scotch was more of a remedy for his own inner turmoil than his thirst.
He might seem like the biggest asshole to Amy right now for the way he'd chewed her out, but that talk had been long over-due. Sean was right. It was time he start acting like a father and set some ground rules for his daughter. He might have been easy on her before, but that was all about to change. Contrary to what she might think, she didn't have a get-out-of-jail free card just because she was living on her own or because he was her father. Yes, she was a consenting adult, but being an adult came with responsibility, as well as making logical decisions. Turning into a copy-cat of his ex-girlfriend was only going to lead her down a path of destruction. He still had his doubts about whether she was taking drugs, but as long as he kept his eyes open, he was confident the truth would come out.
She might be a good liar but she was still a Troy, first and foremost. That was the most important part, and it just might end up being the part that would help him discover what was really going on beneath the surface of things.