The Split Page 5

  Unfortunately, I’ve realized this when I might only have days left to live, the nanobots threatening to give way at any moment and rip me apart like nothing more than a string of faulty computer code.

  I sink deeper into Derek’s supportive embrace, taking in his masculine presence.

  “Are you alright?” Derek finally whispers. “I’m sorry, we don’t have to talk about the past anymore.”

  “I’m fine.” I tell him. “It wasn’t you. I just have this… skin thing.”

  Derek doesn’t say anything in return, but he seems to buy it; for now at least.

  Finally, I pull away from this breathtakingly handsome man and look up into his eyes. We connect instantly, an excitement flowing between us that simply can’t be denied. I lift up onto my tiptoes and slowly push my lips towards his.

  “I’m sorry.” Derek says, pulling again.

  Disappointment hits me like a ton of bricks. “What is it?” I ask.

  Derek stares back at me with an achingly sad, but stern, look in his eyes. “I can’t.” He says. “I’m dating Tara. I’m not the kind of guy who does this anymore.”

  I want to fight for this, to try and talk Derek out of it somehow, but I already know that it’s no use. Derek’s mind is a strong one, well trained after long hours of controlled emotion at the poker table.

  “I understand.” I tell him, lying through my teeth, and then go in for another long, supportive hug.

  I never want to leave this position, but eventually the muscular man pulls away and leads me back to our booth, where he pays and then the two of us leave in silence.

  The rest of the drive back to my place is quiet, both Derek and me lost in our own mess of deep, swirling thoughts.

  As much as this man says he’s attracted to me, and as much as I believe him when he looks deep into my eyes, I can’t help but think that if I truly mattered to him he would break things off with Tara right then and there. Of course, this is just me being selfish and I know it, but I can’t help myself.

  I also can’t help thinking that if Tara wasn’t standing in the way, I could be starting the first day of the rest of my life tonight, taking the easy road to recovery with a fellow addict and, when the time was right, finally having a sexual relationship with someone that wasn’t built on darkness and self loathing.

  What the fuck did Tara have that I didn’t, anyway?

  Well, a fantastic set of tits, for one; even if hers were bolted on by a surgeon back in nineteen-ninety-one.

  I just can’t help it any longer. The big green monster of jealousy has consumed me and I’m completely at its whim, overwhelmed by the desire to have Derek entirely for myself. If only him and Tara could just realize that they weren’t really compatible and get this whole charade over with.

  I suppose, however, that there are ways I could speed up the process.

  The second that I think this awful thought I immediately try to push it away and lock the gates behind it. I’ve spent the last two years making every decision as thoughtfully and morally as I can, and I’m not about to let that change over some man that, real talk, I only just met. Still the feeling lingers within me, and the longer that Derek and I ride in silence, the more powerful it grows.

  The damn within my soul is leaking, I suddenly realize, cracked open when I relapsed the other day in the security office. The sexual creature that has been lurking within me is anxious to get out, ready to explode forth and devour everything in its path after all of these years pent up and alone.

  Who am I to stand in its way?

  “Arrived.” Says a feminine, disembodied voice over Derek’s stereo system.

  We’ve pulled up outside of my modest, Echo Park apartment, a place in the driveway still empty as my car remains marooned at the Allencorp parking long.

  “Thanks for coffee.” I tell Derek with a smile.

  He laughs and grins back. “No problem, maybe next time we can actually stick around long enough for dinner.”

  I try to keep up my cheerful charade but I can’t, immediately realizing that there won’t be a next time. Derek is with Tara now.

  I start to climb out of his car and then stop myself, turning back around.

  “Hey, do you have a sponsor yet?” I ask.

  “Yeah.” Derek nods. “Bruce, the older guy with the tattoos.”

  “Okay, good.” I confirm. “Well, thanks again for tonight, it was really nice talking to you.”

  Derek gives me a playful wink that sends a sharp chill of desire down my spine. “Don’t mention it.” He tells me.

  I close the door and watch as his gorgeous red sports car disappears completely around the next street corner, then immediately walk as briskly as possible to a payphone at the nearby connivance store.

  First, I call for a taxi to come pick me up, then immediately hang up and dial Bruce’s phone number.

  I nervously shift my weight back and forth under the mini market’s neon green glow. As the phone’s receiver begins to ring back at me through the headset, I focus on altering myself internally, lengthen or shortening the size of my vocal cords.

  “Hello?” I practice aloud, my voice dropping a full octave. I try again, tightening things up as I go. “Hello? Hello?” I play with the word in my mouth, trying to find my best approximation of Derek’s voice until Bruce answers abruptly.

  “This is Bruce.” Comes the man’s voice on the other end of the line.

  “Hey there, it’s Derek.” I say, impressed by the tone that I’ve been able to craft for myself, especially having never done this before.

  “Derek?” Bruce asks, noticing something strange in my voice. “Is everything alright?”

  “No man.” I tell him. “I need you to come over here.”

  “Shit.” Bruce says, fully alert now. “I’m on my way.”

  “Wait!” I tell him. “I’m in my second loft downtown, you have the address to this one?”

  “You’ve got more than one place down there? Let me see here.” Bruce says, pulling his phone away form his mouth for a moment. I can hear some papers rustling around in the background. “Okay, the address I have is 472 Main St. Apartment #1507, is that the one?”

  A devilish smile crosses my face. “Yep, that’s it. You remember the gate code?”

  “Of course I do.” Bruce tells me. “Back-to-back whips!”

  I freeze, having no idea what the man just said to me. “What?” I finally ask.

  “Two whips.” Bruce repeats.

  I’m completely dumbfounded. What does this have to do with the building’s gate code?

  “Derek?” Bruce asks, a sudden stab of skepticism in his throat. “This is Derek isn’t it?”

  “I… Um.” I stammer, my voice cracking slightly as I lose my concentration.

  A taxi pulls up behind me and honks twice, causing me to throw up my hand in recognition that my ride has arrived.

  “Who the fuck is this?” Bruce demands to know.

  “I’m sorry, I think I’m actually gonna be fine tonight.” I tell Bruce. “Don’t worry about coming by.”

  I hang up the phone and then run over to the cab and climb into the backseat, “472 Main street!” I tell him.

  The cab peels out into the warm Los Angeles night, heading for downtown as my mind races in the backseat. I’m terrified by my actions, yet somehow impressed by my own devious resourcefulness. Still, there’s one kink in my plan that I’ve got no idea how to work out.

  “Can I ask you a question?” I finally say to the driver, an overweight man with dark features and a smug smile. “Do you know what a whip is?”

  The cab driver laughs. “A whip? Of course I know what a whip is.”

  “No, I mean like…” I trail off, still not knowing exactly what I mean. “Numbers maybe?”

  The cabby glances at me in the rearview mirror. “Are you fucking with me kid?”

  “No.” I shake my head.

  “Do I know what number a whip is?” He repeats back to me, and then shakes
his head. “It sounds like you’re speaking a foreign language kid, I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.”

  I let out a sigh and fall back into my seat, suddenly realizing that all of this may very well be for nothing if I can’t get inside.

  When I open my eyes again I notice a pair of fuzzy dice dangling from the cab driver’s rear view mirror. Suddenly, it hits me.

  “Do you gamble?” I ask.

  The driver nods. “Yep.”

  “Poker?” I continue.

  “Yep, why do you ask?”

  “Is there something called a whip in poker?” I question.

  A smile immediately crosses the driver’s face. “Oh!” He says in confirmation. “The whip! W-H-I-P.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Worst hand in poker.” The driver explains, a twinkle in his eye now that the riddle has been solved. “Two and seven. The whip is two and seven.”

  I bite my bottom lip with excitement, and then mumble under my breath. “Double whip. Two seven, two seven.”

  6

  I press the code into a cold metallic keypad with a finger that I don’t recognize. Moments later, the door to Derek’s building let’s out a loud buzzing sound and then a click as it unlocks.

  I push through into the luxurious lobby.

  There’s usually a doorman, but it’s too late for that right now. Instead, a security guard waits for me at a large oak desk. He nods and waves me on. I’ve already entered the gate code, and this man’s job is much more about keeping out transients than play detective. Besides, how’s he supposed to keep track of every resident in this massive downtown skyscraper?

  Unlike most of the buildings down here, this place is brand new; beautiful, shiny and modern. As I cross the lobby, I can’t help but admire all of the upscale furnishings.

  I reach the elevator and then step inside, pressing the button marked fifteen, which is where Derek’s penthouse is located. When the door slides closed in front of me I nearly jump out of my skin as I lock eyes the woman staring back.

  I am no longer Mandi Evans; that entire shell stripped away and replaced by that of the most ravishing woman I could ever hope to dream up, Ms. Hyde. I give myself a little wink in the elevator door’s reflection, still impressed by my incredible new body.

  Wondering if Derek prefers the long and wavy look or a short bob, I adjust the length of my hair accordingly and then settle back on my original, voluptuous dark curls that roll down past my shoulders. I also suddenly remember that this building, like the one at the lab, probably has security cameras and I’d be wise not to make any more sudden changes to my appearance.

  The door lets out a pleasant ping as it opens up onto the fifteen floor, which has only a small hallway due to the enormous size of the lofts. I step out and walk down the ornate carpet a little ways until I reach unit 1507, then knock loudly.

  After a moment I hear the shuffle of footsteps from somewhere deep within, then abruptly the door is unlocked and swinging inward.

  “Can I help you?” Derek asks. The startled man stops abruptly when he sees me. He tries his best not to glance down at my massive breasts nearly falling out of their low cut top that I’ve chosen for the night, but Derek’s only human. His gaze doesn’t linger however, and moments later he’s collected himself enough to hold a conversation.

  “Hi.” I say, smiling sweetly. “I’m Alison Hyde. Your neighbor upstairs.”

  Derek looks confused. “Are you new? I’ve never seen you.”

  I nod. “Just moved in. I love the building, I’m so happy to be here but there’s just one problem.”

  I let my comment linger in the air for a moment until Derek finally takes the bait and asks. “What is it?”

  “Well, I’m trying to sleep right now, and all the noise down here is keeping me awake.” I say.

  “Noise?” Now Derek is really confused. “What noise?”

  I roll my eyes playfully. You don’t have to be embarrassed, the whole building can hear you fucking in there.”

  Derek can’t help but burst out laughing as I say this. “I’m sorry, but you definitely have the wrong guy. There’s no fucking going on in here.”

  “Well, you don’t have to admit it, but I can hear it through the vents and it’s very loud. I need to get up early for work so if you could please keep it down, I’d appreciate it.” I explain.

  Derek shakes his head. “I swear to you, there’s no sex happening in here. I don’t know which apartment the sound is coming from but it’s not mine.”

  I take a step closer to Derek now, crossing into his personal space and letting the electrify flow freely between us. “Listen, you’re very handsome, so I’m sure you can invite her over again tomorrow when it’s the weekend and the rest of us don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn. I’m not trying to ruin the fun, but please keep it down.”

  Derek is playfully frustrated now, not by the way this mysterious woman has just barged into his life unannounced, but by the simple fact that I refuse to believe him.

  Finally, Derek throws open his door all the way and steps to the side with a laugh. “I swear to you.” He says. “Come see for yourself.”

  I shrug and cross over the threshold of Derek’s incredible luxury apartment, trying not to celebrate my small victory towards his inevitable seduction. I feel powerful in this perfect body that I’ve created, like anything is possible.

  Derek’s place is phenomenally large; a well kept bachelor pad that’s way bigger than it needs to be for just one man. The first room that we step into is a massive living room that overlooks the city below, the night skyline twinkling with a smattering of distant apartment lights from other people burning the midnight oil like ourselves. The ceiling is high, and I immediately realize that the place has two stories, which gives my story slightly less credibility.

  “Look!” Derek says, motioning over to the right. “My bedrooms not even upstairs, you couldn’t have heard me anyway.”

  I pretend to be too preoccupied with the majestic city landscape to follow him, instead stepping forward until I’m right up against the massive, living room windows. I can see the slight reflection of my strange new self staring back at me, and watch as Derek steps up behind.

  “Your view is incredible.” I tell him, my eyes remaining transfixed on the urban beauty that stretches out before me.

  I catch Derek making a confused face in the reflection. “Don’t you have the same view upstairs?” He asks.

  “Yeah, I do.” I respond, stumbling over my words a bit as I try to think fast. “I just mean… in general. It’s an incredible city.”

  Derek nods.

  Not wanting to waste any more time, I turn around to face the handsome, rugged man and then slowly but surely begin to pull my top off over my head.

  “Whoa! Hey!” Derek says, reaching out to stop me. “What are you doing?”

  He’s holding my arms now, keeping me from pulling off my shirt entirely and revealing the lacy black bra underneath, but instead of pushing me away the two of us just stand here, locked together.

  I can feel Derek’s heart thumping in his chest, clearly trying is best to keep it together around such an incredibly attractive young woman.

  “You should go.” Derek finally whispers. “I don’t even know you, and this isn’t me anymore.”

  “This isn’t me either.” I say, revealing more about the situation than he could ever truly understand.

  Standing here in his embrace reminds me of the way that Derek held me earlier at the diner, but this time there is something sinister blooming between us, something darker. I find myself wishing that he was seeing me for who I really was, not just this sexed up bombshell character I’ve created.

  But that’s not the real world, and the sooner I let go of that the better. At the end of the day Derek is just a man, I tell myself, and I need to accept that he’ll never like me for who I really am. At least not with Tara in the picture, anyway.

  As Ms. Hyde, howev
er, I have the chance to actually take a stand and do something about it.

  I reach down and run my hand across Derek’s muscular chest, moving slowly so as to appreciate every subtle curve of the man’s toned body. He doesn’t resist and, instead, closes his eyes as he reels from the long lost sensation of a woman’s touch. It’s easy to forget that Derek’s resisted this temptation for years now, which could be an obstacle for most women trying to seduce him, but with my perfect new body it only makes my sexuality even more powerful.

  Should I feel bad for trying to get Derek to relapse? Yes, I should. But I’m relapsing as well, albeit behind the safety of a manufactured character. These may be my cells and their nanobot counterparts, but they’re not arranged in any way that truly resembles what is it to be Mandi Evans. I’m disconnected now, free from responsibility and guilt; free to fuck and fight and live any way that I please.

  “I want you.” I say, letting my hand drift lower and lower until it reaches Derek’s belt buckle, which I unclasp.

  “I want you, too.” He says, finally giving in.

  I undo his belt, then slowly unzip Derek’s pants which I can see now were hastily thrown on when I woke him up, because there’s no underwear beneath.

  Instead, I’m greeted by this sight of his beautiful throbbing member, which springs forth from the fabric as soon as I let it. Derek’s hard as a rock and aching to be touched, his enormous cock jutting fiercely out towards me.

  I smile and slowly drop down into a squat before Derek, so that his shaft is pointed directly at my gorgeous face, and then look up at him with my big soulful eyes.

  “Do you want me to suck you off?” I ask playfully, once again feeling confident and sultry in my new body.