by Hart, Rye
“Well, you had to live with the damn thing in your living room,” Andrea said.
We both laughed and continued our light-hearted abuse of my parents. They meant well, but they never truly understood me.
“So,” Andrea said, her tone suddenly shifting. “Have you heard from him?”
I froze. My heart felt like it stopped beating for a full minute. I knew Andrea would ask about him. Still, it didn’t stop me from feeling breathless and blindsided. My ex was the last person I wanted to talk about.
“No,” I said. “I’m not sure he even knows I left Dallas.”
“Of course, he knows,” Andrea said. She rolled her eyes. “It’s all over Facebook.”
“It is?”
“Well, I posted about it,” Andrea said with a shrug.
“That doesn’t mean he’s seen it,” I said. “Besides, why would he care? He dumped me.”
“Trust me, I know.” Andrea sighed and sat up. “How are you doing?”
Andrea’s green eyes found mine. She didn’t look away. She held my gaze until, finally, I felt my entire body cave and my resolve melt away into nothingness. As much as I didn’t want to talk about him, Andrea knew I needed to.
“I miss him,” I said honestly, “which is ridiculous. I know that. But I can’t help it. I still really miss him.”
“You were together for two years,” Andrea said. “It would be weird if you didn’t miss him.”
“But, he doesn’t deserve it,” I said firmly. “He totally screwed me over. I stayed with him while he finished med school. Despite the long hours he kept and the stupid fights he would pick every time he got stressed out about some test, I stayed. I put up with all of it. Then, he starts his residency and just bails? Who does something like that?”
“An asshole,” Andrea said bluntly. “A pathetic little asshole.”
“Exactly,” I said. “Then, why the hell do I even still care?”
“Because you’re a good person,” Andrea said. “You have a heart. A big one.”
“I wish I didn’t,” I said.
Andrea snorted and moved to the edge of the couch. She reached out her hand for me to take. With a sigh, I slid out of my chair and moved to sit beside her. She held my hand and once again fixed me with a stare that was almost too understanding.
“Do you want me to kill him?” she asked, her tone serious.
I laughed and threw her hand away from me.
“I’m serious!” she said. “I’ll do it. I have the shovel in my trunk already.”
“You’re insane.” I rolled my eyes.
“That may be true,” she said. “But I’m here. Whatever you need.”
“I’m glad you came,” I said.
“You needed me.”
Her response was simple, but it spoke to the core of who Andrea was. She and I had been through everything together. From Kindergarten to college graduation. From weddings to funerals. It wasn’t a surprise that she knew what I needed better than I did.
“I’m glad I moved,” I said. “This place is going to be good for me. I went into town today, and it’s perfect. There’s this little coffee shop in the square that I could spend all day in. I’m going to get so much writing done here.”
“That’s amazing,” Andrea said. “Now that Dr. Assface isn’t holding you back anymore, you can finally get some real work done.”
I frowned. “Holding me back?”
I was angry and hurt by my break up, but I never thought of Joshua as someone who held me back.
“Oh, come on,” Andrea said. “You know he did. In the two years, you were with him, you barely wrote anything, Julie.”
“My career has been successful,” I said defensively. “I’ve had at least one article published every month since college. That’s pretty damn good.”
Andrea held up her hands. “Listen,” she said. “I’m not questioning your success, okay? But I’m not talking about your articles. As a journalist, you’re killing it. You always have.”
“Then, what?”
“Your book!” Andrea said with frustration. “The book you’ve been writing since high school. The book you’ve been stressing about and dwelling on for ten years. Remember that book?”
“Oh.” I blinked. “Right.”
“See?” Andrea said. “He was holding you back.”
“I don’t know if we can blame Joshua for that,” I said. “I let the book slide. That wasn’t his fault.”
“Do you remember what he told you after he read the first chapter?” Andrea asked.
I frowned again. I hadn’t thought about my book in so long. Honestly, I couldn’t remember the last time I even opened the file on my computer. But when Andrea asked that question, everything came flooding back.
Joshua and I were in his apartment. I’d just given him the first chapter to read. I sat on his couch, waiting for him to finish it. I was terrified to hear what he thought, but I was also excited to share something so personal with him.
When he was finally finished reading it, he turned to me with a kind smile.
“It’s juvenile,” I said with a shake of my head. Andrea’s face came back into focus. “He told me it was juvenile. The immature ramblings of a confused, scared little girl who hadn’t yet figured out what to do with her life.”
“Exactly.” Andrea nodded. “That was the first time I knew he was wrong for you.”
“Why didn’t you say anything then?” I asked.
“Would you have listened?” Andrea asked.
“Probably not.” I laughed and shook my head. “God, I was an idiot.”
“No,” Andrea said. “You were in love. You wanted to believe he was a good man, that you weren’t wasting your time. You wanted to believe in him. That doesn’t make you an idiot.”
I nodded and closed my eyes. Andrea wrapped her arm around my shoulders while the reality of my situation sunk in.
This house was my new home. I left Dallas. I moved to Ennis. I was finally, after two years, breaking free from the hold Joshua had on me.
A surge of freedom crept up inside me. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut for a second before opening them again. Andrea was right. Joshua spent two years holding me back from being the person I wanted to be. When he dumped me, he was just setting me free. And now, I could do anything with that freedom.
CHAPTER 2
Michael
He may be a dick, but he’s my brother.
“So,” Josh said. He took a long swig of his beer and then turned to face me. “What kind of trouble are you getting yourself into in Dallas?”
I shrugged. “I told you. I just needed to get away from the office. Get into the city for a couple of days.”
“Work stressing you out?” Josh asked.
“No.” I shook my head. “Not any more than usual. Besides, can’t I just want to see my big brother?”
Josh snorted and took another drink. He knew I was full of shit. In the past few years, we’d gotten closer, but we still weren’t best friends. We were brothers, but we didn’t grow up together. I was adopted as a baby and, while Josh always knew about me, we didn’t meet until we were both adults.
It wasn’t an easy adjustment to make. Finding out I had an older brother when I was in my mid-twenties was a shock. I knew I was adopted from a really young age, but other than the fact I had a different set of biological parents, I didn’t know much else.
Josh was in his residency at a medical school in Dallas, while I lived just an hour away in Ennis, Texas.
I was initially nervous about meeting my long lost brother. Still, it was nice. After a few awkward meetings, Josh and I decided to just let things progress naturally. We saw each other periodically when we both had time. We never forced a connection or friendship. It became effortless, and it worked for us both.
“How’s the residency?” I asked.
Josh sighed and shook his head. He set his glass down on the bar dramatically before launching into an all-too-serious story about his lat
est life-saving adventure.
“I was poised on top of the gurney, holding the guy’s intestines inside his stomach, when he had a fucking heart attack. It was like he wanted to die.”
“Maybe he did,” I said with a chuckle.
“It’s not funny, Michael,” Josh snapped. “This job is intense. People die all the time, and sometimes it’s my fault. It’s hell. Every day.”
“Then, why do you do it?” I asked.
“Because it’s my calling,” Josh said. “You can understand that, can’t you?”
“Of course.”
The truth was, I didn’t understand it at all. Every time I met up with Josh, he complained about something. His job. His girlfriend. His apartment. Anything and everything. As much as I loved getting to know my big brother, it was glaringly obvious that we didn’t have much in common.
Me? I liked to laugh things off and enjoy life. I knew when to put on a straight face and when to loosen up, but Josh was all serious, all the time. Maybe that was why he was so good at his job. You had to be serious when people’s lives were literally in your hands.
It didn’t take much to get I was better with people. That, along with my unstoppable grit, was how I built a progressively growing company; now on its way to becoming the number one oilfield tool manufacturer in the world.
When it came to my competitors, the performance of my firm left them in the dust. That’s just how I liked to operate.
Where did I get my drive? Maybe, I needed to prove something to the world. I was self-aware enough to admit it. I decided early on that being given up for adoption wasn’t going to stop me from kicking ass and taking names. As a matter of fact, it was going to be my fuel.
“How’s your girl?” I asked.
“Broke up with her,” Josh said nonchalantly.
“What?” I turned to stare at him. “Why?”
“It’s not the right time for me to settle down,” Josh said. “We were together for two years, and I could tell she wanted to move forward. I just started my residency. I don’t have time to think about marriage or kids right now.”
“She was talking kids already?” I raised my eyebrows.
“No.” Josh shook his head. “But she mentioned moving in together a couple of times.”
“And?”
“And I told you, I don’t have time to focus on a relationship.”
“Whatever,” I said. “But from everything you told me, she was the real deal. Didn’t she deal with all your crap during med school?”
“You never met her,” Josh said.
“That’s true. I know it’s none of my business, though speaking from experience good girls don’t come easy. You might regret being such a dick to her next time you see her, and she’s in the arms of another guy.”
“You’re right. It’s none of your business.”
I didn’t want to start an argument with Josh. Tonight was about letting loose. I’d been cooped up in my office for weeks, and I needed to relax.
I needed another damn drink.
“Another round?” I asked as the bartender passed by. He nodded and quickly poured me another shot of whiskey. Josh got his second beer, and we lapsed into an easy silence.
My attention was focused elsewhere within seconds. Josh barely noticed as a blonde walked slowly past us, but I couldn’t have missed her. She was gorgeous and clearly on the prowl. As she walked by, I swiveled around on my barstool and watched her.
She glanced back at me, her blonde hair falling gently over her shoulder. My eyes met hers for a second, and I knew she was the diversion I needed. I came into the city to forget about work, and this girl was the perfect distraction.
“Here.” I stood up and pulled my wallet from my pocket. Slapping down a few bills, I turned to face Josh. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Where are you going?” Josh asked.
I nodded at the blonde. She was sitting against the back wall with a few friends surrounding her. They were talking in her ear, but her eyes were still focused on me.
Josh just rolled his eyes and grabbed his beer. I grinned and slapped his shoulder as I walked away.
***
“Oh fuck.” Her head rolled forward when my fingers found her clit. “Right there. Yes. Oh god!”
“You like that?” I asked. I slapped her ass, sending vibrations through my dick.
I was deep inside of her, taking her roughly from behind. My fingers massaged her clit, bringing her closer and closer to the brink. With each moan she released, I pounded on her harder and faster.
Her perky little ass looked amazing as I gripped her hip with one hand. When she came, it was with an earth-shattering cry of ecstasy that fueled my own desire.
“Scream for me,” I demanded. “Scream for me again.”
“Fuck!” Her voice was shrill and needy. “Holy shit! Don’t stop. Please. Don’t stop.”
Words failed her as pleasure rocked her body. She screamed out my name and collapsed onto the bed. I grinned and pulled out of her just long enough to flip her onto her back.
“I’m not done with you yet,” I said.
She giggled and brushed her hair out of her face. I grabbed her legs and pulled her forward, thrusting my hips at the same time. In one motion, I was buried deep inside her all over again. She gasped and moaned with renewed pleasure as I took her harder than before.
Her tits bounced, and her eyes rolled back in her head. It was mere seconds before she was bordering on yet another orgasm.
“Michael!” she screamed. “Oh, Michael!”
I could hear the people in the next room bang on the wall to silence us, but I didn’t care. In my hotel room, nothing mattered but my own release. If little miss blonde wanted to scream her head off, that was what she would do. So long as I got what I needed, my neighboring guests would just have to get over it.
“That’s it, baby,” I said. I rammed my hips forward and groaned. I was so close that I could feel my cock begin to throb.
“Yes!” she screamed and came again, her pussy tightening around my dick.
“Fuck,” I groaned and released myself, hard and fast.
I gripped her hips and hunched slightly forward, letting the waves of pleasure wash through my body. She was panting beneath me, trying to catch her breath. When I pulled out and fell onto the bed beside her, I could see her knees trembling. The sight brought a sly grin to my lips, but it didn’t last long. Once my needs were satisfied, I just wanted to sleep.
“Well,” she said simply, after regaining her breath. “I should get out of here.”
“All right.” I nodded and inwardly praised her for getting the hint. I hated when girls, especially those I picked up in bars, thought that sex meant the beginning of something. Clingy girls annoyed me more than anything else.
“Thanks for tonight,” she said. She pushed herself out of bed and began searching for her clothes. “That was a lot of fun.”
“Thank you.” I grinned. “You were fucking amazing.”
“I try.” She winked and pulled her dress over her head.
“Here.” I grabbed my phone off the bedside table. “I’ll call you an Uber.”
“No need,” she said, shaking her head. “I got it.”
“You’re perfect, you know that?” I asked, laughing softly.
“That’s what all the boys tell me.”
She leaned down and placed a quick kiss on my lips.
“Thanks again,” she said.
“Bye.”
I watched her slip out the door and, with a sigh, I rolled onto my side. This was exactly what I needed when I came to Dallas for the weekend. Drinks with my brother and sex with a hot blonde.
As I drifted off to sleep, I thought coming to Dallas was a great idea.
***
Monday came and went without incident. I went back to work and everything from the weekend was forgotten. The blonde from Friday night slipped my mind completely, and I even forgot about my time with Josh. Once I made
it back to Ennis, I threw myself into my work the way I’d done for ten years. My job was my life, and my life was my job. I allowed myself a break from time to time, but I always kept my eye on the prize. I didn’t make my millions by slacking off.
Tuesday morning brought in some executives from one of the largest oil companies in the country that I’d never met before. I’d been in contact with their employees for years, but they’d never taken the time to sit down and speak with me one-on-one.
Until now.
“Good morning,” I said when they walked through the door. I jumped out of my chair and extended my hand. “Thank you for coming.”
“It’s our pleasure,” Timothy Harrington said. He shook my hand and took a seat.
“You must be Jonathan,” I said to the man behind him.
“Nice to meet you, Michael,” Jonathan said.
“You as well,” I said. “Please, have a seat.”
I gestured toward the empty chair beside Timothy. Jonathan sat down. Jonathan was Timothy’s son, and they’d been running their company together for over twenty years. They were no-nonsense and extremely professional. I knew their reputation well, and so, I knew exactly how to conduct the meeting.
“And you can make that work?” Timothy asked after we got further into the discussion.
“Of course,” I said. “The tools we sell are of the highest quality, but there’s always room for improvement. I won’t hem and haw over a screw here or a screw there. So long as you can commit to exclusively using our tools on your rigs, I’ll make it work however you need.”
“That’s great to hear,” Jonathan said. “To be honest, we were a little concerned about coming in today.”
“Why’s that?” I asked, leaning back in my chair and crossing my hands over my chest. It was my power pose. The position I took whenever I needed to seem thoughtful and focused.
“You’re young,” Timothy said simply.
I smiled. “I won’t argue with that,” I said. “But my thirtieth birthday has come and gone. I’m not a zygote anymore.”
“You might as well be,” Timothy said boldly. “I’ve had the run of the oil business for four decades now. Twenty years ago, Jonathan stepped up. We’ve been doing this since you were just a child.”
