by T. L Smith
I shrug. “He’s sent letters, but I haven’t opened them. I’m not really sure if I want to. Other than that, he hasn’t contacted me.”
Rhianna lifts her glass of vodka and drinks it all before she smiles at me. “You sure you don’t want to get drunk with me?” She winks.
I laugh and can already tell the difference between the twins, Rhianna has a carefree attitude about her, while Rylee is more reserved.
“No, I’m good. But thank you.”
“That’s all right, you can watch me be a hot mess instead. It’s always so much fun, especially when I get horny and Noah tries to push everyone out without being rude and puts the kids to bed.” I laugh at her openness just as the door opens to the backyard, where I can see Oliver playing with two little girls, one of them August and Rylee’s daughter, Winter, and the other must be Rhianna’s daughter.
“That’s Summer. She may or may not be annoying like me.” We laugh when we see Summer put her hands on her hips and poke her tongue out at Oliver, who just looks down at the ground.
Rylee walks in, her smile bright when she sees me. “You made it. I’m so glad he passed along the message. I would have come to invite you myself, but we have some news. Good news, actually.” Rylee steps over to Rhianna and reaches for her hand and pulls her toward the door, looking back at me. “Come, Jacinta, you’re part of our family now, too. Come out.” I know she is being nice, but I haven’t been a part of a family for a long time. August was my family, and now he is hers.
I follow her outside, and when I do, I see there are more people here than I thought. I spot August, who stands when he sees Rylee and pulls her to him as she drops her sister’s hand.
“What news?” I watch as Rylee looks up at August, her eyes fluttering and a smile on her face that would be impossible to break.
“August asked me to marry him.”
August turns her hand around as Rylee shows the ring to everyone. I watch as her family stands and wraps her in hugs.
All except one.
“Hi, Beckham,” I say, not realizing he’s sitting right next to me.
He tips his head up to me and lifts his drink to say hello, then looks away.
I watch as everyone congratulates them. When they’re done, one of the ladies comes over and smacks Beckham’s crossed leg, and he drops it.
“Sorry, Mother,” he mutters.
His mother offers me a smile, but I can see she is assessing me. “Do you plan to introduce me?” she asks.
Beckham looks to me, then back to his mother in some sort of under-no-circumstances-is-it-my-problem way.
“No. Rylee invited her. Ask her,” he says with not a care in the world as he sips his drink.
“Beckham.”
My head turns to the man who was in the office the other day. Today he’s in casual clothes rather than a police uniform.
Beckham stands and walks off with his drink in hand to where the kids are playing. Beckham’s mother offers Glenn a small hug before August steps over.
“Congrats, August. Paige would be so happy right now.” I watch as pain slices across August’s face, but it’s gone as quickly as it appeared. “Beckham decided to walk off,” Glenn says and motions in the direction of Beckham.
August then notices and introduces me to Glenn. “Glenn, this is Jacinta.”
Glenn smiles. “August has told me a lot about you. It’s nice to finally meet you, officially.” I blush and thank him.
“It’s so good to see you here, Glenn. I was hoping you would come,” Rylee says as she joins us. I look at the ring on her hand and smile. It has a small diamond in the middle, which is surrounded by more diamonds that then wrap around the entire ring. It's elegant and beautiful.
I feel a tug on my leg and see it’s Winter, so I smile down at her.
“Oliver wants you to come,” she says in a small voice and takes my hand. I follow after her, my hand in hers until we walk up to a treehouse. It’s high but not high enough that it scares me. I climb up the first few steps until I reach the door and can squeeze inside. When I do, Oliver is crying, and Beckham is tapping his back.
“What happened?” I ask, rushing over to grab him. “What did you do?” I yell at Beckham.
“Woman, will you calm down. He kicked his toe.” He shakes his head. “Why the fuck would you presume I did anything?”
I look down to see Oliver’s toe bleeding. “Buddy, it’s not that bad, just a little blood,” I tell him and look back to Beckham, who’s watching me now with a sour expression on his face. “Why are you in a kids’ treehouse?” I ask.
“Why are you?” he bites back. “I was here first.” I can’t help the smile that forms on my lips at his words. Winter calls for Oliver, and he scoots to the door and climbs down. His tears vanished and his pain all gone.
“You should probably leave now.” Beckham pulls out a bottle that I didn’t see and puts it to his lips. When he sees me still sitting here, he wipes at his lips, and his bad mood is obvious when he speaks again. “Do you not think it’s weird that you’re at your ex-husband’s surprise engagement party?” he asks, then takes another sip. “Hell, the first guy you stole right out from under Rylee’s feet. And the second, you didn’t so much steal but marry him. And she still gives you a job and lets you come to her family gatherings.”
“You are an asshole, you know that?”
He rears back at my words. “Oh, so she does have a backbone after all.” He chuckles, lifting the bottle again to his lips.
“At least I’m not drinking to remove the thoughts of my dead girlfriend,” I spit back at him and turn to leave, but he moves quickly and grabs my wrist.
“Keep your mouth shut about things that don’t concern you,” he says through gritted teeth.
I pull my arm free and sneer right in his face. “Fuck you, Beckham.” With quick feet, I climb down, and when I reach the bottom, his mother is waiting.
She checks me over, then looks up the tree but says nothing.
I walk past her and hope to God I can leave soon.
Chapter 7
Beckham
Sitting in a kids’ treehouse was not how I wanted to spend my day, but it’s how I plan for the rest of this party to go.
“Beckham Harley.” I groan when I hear my mother’s voice. “Get your ass down here … now.”
I could ignore her.
She may go away.
But the possibility is low.
Very low.
Because she’s a powerhouse, and my mother doesn’t walk away from much, even when it’s best she does.
I crawl to the opening, and there she is, looking up at me.
Rylee had a tough time with mother. She wanted nothing more than for her to be with Anderson, but she wasn’t aware of what a complete asshole he was to her. I almost hated my mother for that.
Almost.
“What?” I say, glaring down.
Mom taps her foot and locks eyes with me. I take a deep breath and pull myself down until I’m standing in front of her.
“He came to see you, you know.” I take a step, but then the raised voice halts my stride. “Stop walking away. You’ve done it for too many years, and now it’s time to face your demons.”
“What would you know about demons?” I ask.
“I lost my first love, too, Beckham. Your father wasn’t the only man I have been with. I know loss, better than the next person. And I am telling you, you need to grow up.”
I’m surprised by her words. Not once has she shared that information with any of us before.
“I am grown up. Just ask any one of my lady friends,” I say and wiggle my eyebrows. She leans forward and clips me on the back of my head. “Ouch, what was that for?” I ask, rubbing my head over zealously.
“Go over and congratulate your sister, and for God’s sake, act normal.”
“I already knew … before all of you,” I reply. I don’t know why she thinks otherwise, Rylee and I are close.
“Of c
ourse, you did. You two are crazy inseparable. Anyone would think I had triplets,” she says as she walks off. Knowing I have to follow, I do.
“Where did you go?” Rylee asks, walking up to me with a glass of wine in her hand.
“He snuck up to the treehouse,” our mother chimes in.
Rylee laughs and shakes her head.
We wait until Mom wanders off before Rylee grabs the bottle in my hand and looks up at me. “Now go and apologize to Jacinta. We all heard what you said. You were rude.”
Scrunching my nose up at her, I furrow my brows. Being surrounded by women isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. They are bossy and overbearing most of the time.
“I’m not apologizing to my employee.”
“Go,” Rylee snaps.
She’s small, but she can be vicious. So, I give her a nod and take a deep breath. I look around for Jacinta but don’t see her anywhere. What I do see is someone who I don’t think I’ve met before standing next to Glenn, her eyes down as she reads something on her phone.
“Beckham, you remember Tamara?” I do, but only vaguely. She was one of Paige’s only friends.
She looks up at me and smiles. “It’s good to see you again.” Her eyes rake over me, and I know that look well.
“Tamara was coming over to bring me food, and when I told her I was coming to see you, she wanted to come.” Glenn lets me know. I look to Tamara and raise my eyebrow at her.
Tamara walks over and slips her arm through mine. “It’s been so long. Catch me up on all things in Beckham’s world.”
Tamara is my type—the type I fuck, that is.
Blonde, petite, and totally doable.
Easy pickings.
She looks up at me with doe eyes, and I know what she wants and the reason she is here.
It’s not just to see me.
It is what she can get out of me.
“Care to get me a drink?” she asks, looking down at my empty bottle.
“Follow me,” I reply and walk back into the house.
Her hands don’t let go of me, and I don’t push her away either.
“I’m amazed you remember me. I never really saw you much unless you were with Paige.” I wince at her using that name. She doesn’t seem to notice, too lost in her own world.
Which I plan to be lost in soon as well.
It’s better than my hell.
“Do you want to go to the bathroom?” I ask. My words are direct, and I don’t mince them. She nods eagerly, her hands touching my chest. Usually, I would never do this. But today, well, actually, this whole week, can go fuck itself in the ass.
I lead Tamara to one of the two bathrooms and guide her in. It’s simple, just a toilet and a sink. Enough for me to bend her ass over and fuck her.
As soon as the door click shuts, she pulls at her dress, lifting it until it’s removed. I watch her with hazy eyes, then she reaches for my pants, undoes them, and pulls out my cock. She strokes it and leans in, kissing my lips. I let her because it’s better than the alternative.
Thinking of her…
When I’ve had enough of her lips, I turn my head to the side and push her down. She goes willingly, drops to her knees, and the hand that was massaging my cock keeps on doing so. Her tongue darts out, and she licks the tip before her mouth covers me, and she starts sucking. I grip her hair hard and help by fucking her mouth.
My eyes close for just a second, and when I reopen them, the door to the bathroom is slightly ajar, and standing there is Jacinta.
Her mouth completely open in shock, and disgust is written all over her face. I don’t miss the cold eyes, nor do I mistake the wrinkling of her nose. Perhaps disgust was an understatement. It’s more like abhorrence, even revulsion.
But why isn’t she moving?
I bite my lip and grip the girl’s hair harder, pushing in as deep as I can go as she makes a gagging sound.
Jacinta continues to watch.
“I can always take you next. She’s just warming me up,” I say, and her eyes snap up to mine, and her lips press into a thin line before she sneers at me with disdain.
“You are truly disgusting. And girl …” Jacinta looks down on the woman who’s wiping her mouth, “… think better of yourself before going into someone’s private bathroom and sucking cock.” Jacinta turns and stomps away. The girl on the floor, Tamara, I think her name is, stands and pulls herself into me.
“Get dressed.” I push her away and tuck my cock back into my pants and rush out of the bathroom. When I turn the corner, I find Jacinta standing in the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator.
“You got some real attitude,” I say.
Jacinta faces me, then gives me an eye roll that I’m sure her eyes will be lost in the back of her head before she turns and walks toward the door.
“Offer still stands.”
She pauses at my words then turns back to look at me. She strides over and pushes her water bottle into my chest. “Sober up! You’re embarrassing yourself.”
I reach out for Jacinta, not giving her the opportunity to pull back from me, then lean right into her ear, and for some reason, instead of speaking, I breathe her in. Since when does she smell this good?
“You enjoyed it. Every damn minute of it.”
Jacinta gasps and pulls back. I expect her to slap me, but her hands are clenched at her sides. She simply shakes her head and walks away, leaving me standing there.
When Tamara finally comes out, she gives me the filthiest look before she heads toward the door.
Yeah, whatever!
Good riddance.
Chapter 8
Jacinta
I don’t look forward to going in to work the following Monday. Not at all. And to think most of my weekend was filled with images of the faces he pulled as that woman sucked his cock.
It was pure pleasure.
Why was I thinking anything about what he did?
I don’t like the man.
Yes, he’s good-looking, but I do not like him.
Not in the least.
Arriving at work at the usual time, I walk straight into Rylee’s office and shut the door.
She looks up, and I glance down to her hand, the one that bears the ring. “Congratulations again.”
She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Is this weird for you?” she asks in a soft, well-mannered voice.
“No, it’s not. I mean … I knew it was inevitable. We were just living, not really breathing. I want to breathe,” I tell her, hoping she understands my answer. “I actually came in so I could speak to you about something work-related, if that’s okay?”
She shuts her laptop and turns to me to give me her full attention. “What can I help you with?”
I look down to my feet and then glance back at her. “I want to transfer.”
Rylee’s mouth forms a perfect O. She looks at me a little shocked, then nods her head. “Was the pay not high enough? I know being Beckham’s assistant is hard, but that’s why he pays so well, knowing what an ass he is.”
No, the pay would never be an issue. It’s double what I was earning before working for him. Actually, it’s so good, I’ve been saving half of it every pay, so I can have savings.
Savings.
I’ve never had that before.
But my well-being has to come first.
“No, I just don’t think it’s working out,” I reply, my hands coming together to meet in some sort of attempt to calm myself down.
“Has he done something to upset you?” Rylee asks. “Because if he has, I can kick his ass.”
“It’s just not going to work,” I relay again. I do not need to tell his sister about what I saw.
“Okay, well, it won’t happen right away. We will need to find a replacement for you, then you will have to train her, and we will have to move you back to your old position if it's not already filled,” she says.
“That will be fine, thank you.” I go to turn, but her words stop me.
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“He can be an ass, I know. But he isn’t that bad if you give him a chance.”
I don’t say anything else. Just walk out the door and to my desk. When I get there, his office door is open, and I can hear him on the phone, so I get on with my day.
I don’t see him again until later that afternoon when he walks out.
“Jacinta.” I look up, and he’s standing in front of my desk. “You wish to be let go of this position?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Why?” he asks.
Oh shit! I didn’t think he would ask me directly, and I don’t want to tell him.
“I think you can find someone better suited than me.” I give him as honest an answer as I possibly can.
His dark eyes assess me to see if I’m telling the truth.
“I approved the request. They are looking for someone now,” Beckham says, then walks off.
I go back to my work.
The rest of the day, he doesn’t ask me to do a single thing.
And that’s okay with me.
“Jacinta.”
Goddammit! I’m ready to leave, my bag in hand, which he can clearly see since the office door is open.
“Please come in here for a second.”
I huff and head to his office.
When I enter, Beckham looks up from his desk and turns to face me. “You want a different position because of what happened over the weekend. Am I correct?”
“Yes.” No point in lying.
“What if I said, I will act with nothing but professionalism around you if you stay?”
“I saw your cock, sir.”
“And some would think you lucky.” He smirks, and when he sees I am not amused, it drops from his lips. “I see. Would you reconsider?” he asks.
I bring my purse up and clutch it tighter in my hands. “You won’t treat me any differently?”
“I will treat you as a regular employee if that’s what you wish. But I need someone who knows what they’re doing without me having to tell them. And you are good at what you do.”
“Thank you.” It’s the first real compliment he has given me.
