by Coralee June
No. No, no, no.
“Petal—”
She grabbed my chin and squeezed. “I’m the one in control. I choose who is worth fighting for. I don’t get on my knees for martyrs and cowards.” I breathed in. My dick was out. My pride was shot to hell. I wanted to tell her everything. I wanted to make this right.
But then my phone started ringing. What the fuck now?
She wrapped her delicate fingers around my cock and tucked me back in my pants. Slowly, ever so slowly, she inched the zipper back up and fastened my button. I was so close to the edge that I felt like I was going to explode. “Aren’t you going to answer that?” she asked before licking her lips.
“FUCK!” I screamed. I’d created a monster.
I grabbed my cell out of my pocket and answered it with a growl. “What?”
Jack immediately replied, “Joseph is meeting with one of our distributors. I need you on a plane to San Francisco.”
“What? Right now?”
“Now. I’ve already got the jet ready. Drop off Vera and get your ass to the airport.”
I stared at Vera. We absolutely had some unfinished business, but this could be the moment we’d been waiting for. Maybe I could figure out what Joseph is up to way ahead of schedule. “Fine. I’ll go.”
I hung up the phone. Vera spun around and trotted over to the car, as if she didn’t just have my dick in her mouth. As if I hadn’t spilled my fucking guts to her.
“Vera?” I called.
She looked over her shoulder and smiled at me. “Take me home, Hamilton.”
What the actual fuck?
I shook my head, then jogged to the car. Once inside, we both sat there for a moment. I didn’t know what to say. “I have to go on a trip,” I whispered.
“Okay,” Vera replied, her tone soft and genuine. I tried to sense if she was upset with things, but she had a grin on her face.
“I feel bad about just leaving after what just happened,” I continued.
“Why? I’m the one that gave you blue balls.” She clicked her seatbelt and grinned. “You’re going to go off and do whatever you’re doing with Jack. But you’re going to be thinking of me.” She turned to face me and leaned in. “You’re going to ache, Hamilton. You’re going to have a hard cock, and nothing will ease it. Not your hand. Not memories of me. Not another woman. Me.”
Fuck, was it possible to get even more turned on than I already was? I inched closer. I craved her lips again. “Petal,” I whispered.
“Go do whatever it is you need to do, Hamilton. Now that the roles are reversed, I’m going to be for you what you were for me.” My girl, she smiled, obviously proud of herself.
I combed through the haze of lust and pulled back. “What?”
“You taught me how to stop being a martyr and take control of my life. Now I’m going to do the same for you, Hamilton.”
11
Hamilton
“If you don’t get your hand off my cock right now, I’ll dump my drink on you,” I growled low in the woman’s ear. Hailey…Heidi, Heaven, Hannah. That was her name. Hannah something. She was pretty enough, and if I weren’t hung up on the girl that haunted me—mind body and soul—my dick might have liked the attention. But my dumbass didn’t want Heidi, Heaven or Hannah.
I wanted Vera. Vera Garner.
“Your brother said…” she began, confused at my dismissal.
“My brother was misinformed.”
She stared at me in confusion for a moment before dropping her mouth open and saying, “Ohhhh. You’re gay. Dad in politics? I get it. Your secret is safe with me.” This girl was so full of herself that the only plausible reason in her mind for not wanting her was being gay? Arrogant little thing. “We already got some photos together, so my publicist will be pleased. Mind if I go dance?” She was already getting up and scanning the club for her next victim.
Fuck this place.
She honestly wasn’t worth the effort. “Have a great night, Hailey.”
“It’s Hannah,” she corrected me, brow arched in annoyance with her hands placed on her petite waist.
What the fuck ever. Just leave me alone.
My phone buzzed, and a text from Vera came through.
Vera: Thinking of you.
Yeah, I was thinking of you too, Petal. I couldn’t stop thinking about the way she wrapped her lips around my cock. I couldn’t stop obsessing over her intense behavior and the way she took charge of the situation. Our dynamic changed in an instant. I couldn’t quite make sense of it, but I liked her newfound confidence. She was cocky, almost. Aside from Jess, I’d never known someone to have so much blind faith in me.
I quickly typed up my response.
Hamilton: Stop texting me. I told you to leave me alone.
We both knew my refusal was half-hearted at best. Why was I pushing her away again? It had almost become a game between us, a test. Her response was swift.
Vera: How is San Francisco?
How the fuck did she know I was here? Another text pinged through.
Vera: I like the suit. The tabloids don’t do you justice.
What tabloids? I tossed my phone on the table top in front of me with a sigh. Coming here was a huge mistake. The second I got off the plane, Joseph was waiting for me on the tarmac, a smug grin on his face. It was as if he expected me to follow him here. I expected him to shrug it off and come up with some bullshit excuse, but no, he dragged me to some fucking nightclub.
I was about to order something other than this shitty champagne when my asshole brother and his cocaine-nosed date plopped down opposite me at the table we reserved in the VIP section. The club was opulent, modern, loud, and smelled like pot. Being here was a waste of time. I didn’t think it was physically possible to convince my brother I wasn’t up to something, but I had to try. None of this was adding up. The laundering seemed way too sophisticated. No matter what paper trail Saint and I followed, I couldn’t pin down the source. Jack had an entire team working undercover and none of us were any closer to figuring this out than before.
“At least pretend to be having fun, Hamilton. It cost me twenty grand to get this table, and that champagne you’re ignoring is more than most people make in a year,” Joseph said, his nose tipped to the sky as his date rubbed his upper thigh. Asshole.
“I am having fun,” I lied. “Lots of fun. So much fun I can’t stand it.” My dry tone was impossible to misunderstand. I didn’t bother lying to Joseph because if I wanted him to trust me, I had to be believable. Suddenly changing my entire personality would raise too many red flags.
Joseph was wearing a suit, the collar of his shirt stained red from his date’s lipstick. There was something satisfying about the way he swayed in his seat. Despite being wary of me, he was letting his guard down with the alcohol. He’d also disappeared in the bathroom for a long while, which made me wonder if he was sneaking off to the bathroom to do drugs.
It would be easy, to lunge across this table and stab him in the eye with my bottle of expensive champagne. I imagined how it would feel to snap his neck in front of all these people, spray his fucking blood all over the expensive carpet. “Did you hear a word I just said?” Joseph asked. The girl was sucking on his neck now.
“Nope. I’m too distracted by the girl trying to suck your face off.”
Joseph smiled and gently pushed her away. “Pretty thing, isn’t she? Want to try her?” The woman snapped up in her seat, and her brow dipped.
I frowned. “I’m not a fan of secondhand pussy, brother. We’ve never really been a family that had to settle for hand-me-downs, yeah?” I asked before taking a drink of the overpriced champagne. The bubbles brightened on my tongue, and I swallowed them down with bitter triumph.
“You got my secondhand mother, did you not? She was worn out by the time you were born. Like those sneakers you used to be obsessed with that had holes in the soles.” Joseph nodded at one of the cocktail waitresses, who then pulled the red privacy curtain around our table, hiding
us from view from everyone else.
I was livid, furious with his careless words. But I had to play the long game. “Mom was depressed,” I replied as Joseph eased down the zipper on his pants. His date licked her lips triumphantly.
“Suck my cock,” Joseph demanded, ignoring me. I shifted in my seat, prepared to leave, when Joseph held up his hand to stop me. “Stay. I’ve been wanting to chat with you.”
My brow arched. “You want me to watch you get your cock sucked?” I countered. “Disgusting even for you.”
“Don’t make it sound so vulgar, Hamilton. It’ll just alleviate my stress for when you inevitably piss me off. You know what happens when you piss me off, don’t you?” Joseph grabbed the back of his date’s head and forced her down so hard that she gagged and slurped. Thudding music pounded around us. Anxiety flowed through me like a crashing wave, but the only outward expression of my nervousness was the way I silently tapped my foot. “Suck me harder,” he commanded her while folding his hands behind his head and leaning back in his seat.
“What do you want to talk about,” I gritted. This was so fucked up.
“Why are you really here, Hamilton? Why are you working with Dad? The old you would have punched me in the face and marched out of here. But look at you, sitting there and watching me get off. Like a child playing dress up. I bet I could kick your ass and you’d just let it happen.”
His date bounced, bobbed, and moaned on his lap. I felt bile travel up my throat. It was taking everything I had not to puke right here in the VIP booth. I had to keep my cool. I had to fucking navigate Joseph’s insanity, dig through his power plays with a silver spoon. “Is this about Vera? You had such a unique connection with my stepdaughter, didn’t you?”
“You know I dated Vera,” I said. He wanted us to end our relationship.
Joseph let out a pleased grunt that made my stomach clench in disgust. “Vera’s a pretty girl. Can’t blame you. Was she good?” He stopped talking to moan. The timing of his question and the subsequent sound of pleasure had me raging. No. He wasn’t allowed to think of my girl like that. Fucking perverted son of a bitch.
“That’s none of your fucking business.”
“You still love her. Cute,” Joseph said before grabbing his date’s head and thrusting up into her mouth. “I like knowing who’s important to you.” He started pumping in and out while suffocating the poor girl. I averted my eyes until I heard him come, feeling weak and disgusted with myself as she whimpered. Fucking sick fuck. “What does dating Vera have to do with working for our father?” he asked. I looked up at him as he adjusted his clothes. The girl was still wiping her face when he tapped her on the cheek and nodded at the curtain. “Leave.”
She didn’t even argue.
Joseph’s ominous words were intended to make me angry, but I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he’d have to go through me to hurt a hair on Vera’s head. She was safely away from his psychopath ass, and I might not have been able to defend myself all those years ago, but I’d murder him with my bare hands without a second thought.
Once his date was gone, I answered my brother. “Vera wanted nothing to do with the Beauregards after you served her mother those fucking divorce papers. She felt betrayed by our family and broke up with me immediately.” It wasn’t too far from the truth. She’d despise the man I was now. Nothing about this life appealed to her. We couldn’t be more different now if we tried.
“Okay. Whatever,” he replied with a wave of his hand. “I’m still trying to work out what you’re up to. Despite your performance with Dad, I’m not convinced. You always were such a pathetic little martyr, but it would take an act of God to get you working for the family business. Come on, be honest with me,” Joseph said while leaning forward threateningly.
I let out a huff of hot air. “I don’t know, I normally wouldn’t give two shits about this company, you, or Jack. I’m not sure if I ever will. But I needed a change of pace. I wasn’t too thrilled when Vera and I ended things.”
Joseph shrugged. “Fair enough, you lying motherfucker. Those Garner women sure do fuck a man up. That bitch, Lilah, can rot in hell. She has me feeling particularly vindictive.”
There was at least one thing Joseph and I could agree on. “How are you handling the divorce?” I asked.
He scoffed. “Did you not just see the hot piece of ass sucking down my cum just now? I thought the best day of my life was when I found out Lilah wasn’t having my baby, but it turns out, the best day was actually when Dad asked me to dump her ass. I thought he’d care about his precious political image. You know how testy he gets with bastards running around.” Joseph swept his eyes up and down my body. “But since Lilah was lying, I didn’t have to do a damn thing. That article saved my life, Hamilton. Didn’t your half brother write it? Do send him my thanks. Funny how things work out.”
I clenched my jaw. Fine. If we were going to be honest about this shit, so be it. Pretending and lying wasn’t going to work with Joseph. Maybe it would be better to keep him on his toes. “You’re right. You don’t need to know why I’m suddenly interested in Beauregard Industries,” I began while standing up and fixing my suit jacket. “You just need to know that I’m not going anywhere.”
“That’s an adorable threat. I’m trembling from fear, little brother.”
“It’s not a threat. I’m simply claiming my birthright.”
Joseph scoffed. “The birthright of a bastard? Please. You barely deserved your job on the oil rig. You’re a nobody.”
“I’m a Beauregard,” I growled.
He chuckled. “Saying something over and over doesn’t magically make it true.”
I clenched my fist and surged forward, grabbing the lapels of Joseph’s jacket and pulling him up. “Shut the fuck up, you pathetic motherfucker.”
He tipped his head back and laughed. “Hit me, Hamilton. Maybe it’ll make you feel like a man.”
I jerked him around. “Is that why you hit me all those times, huh?” I asked. “Did it make you feel strong? Did it make you feel good to break my arm?”
Joseph smiled. “I suppose I would have felt something if I cared at all about you. But you were nothing, Hamilton. Just a toy to toss around.” I shoved him back, and he fell against the velvet VIP couch. His entire body slumped, and I watched as he started helplessly laughing. His arms folded at his middle, and his pores leaked rancid, alcohol-soaked sweat. Once his laughter subsided, he spoke. “You can put on a suit and ride around in our jet. You can even sit in meetings like you know what you’re doing. But you’ll never be good enough. You’ll never be a Beauregard. Because a Beauregard would have punched me just now.”
12
Vera
I stared at my phone, forcing myself to adopt the natural confidence that Hamilton personified.
Vera: I’m thinking about you again. Are you aching, Hamilton?
He didn’t respond, but he saw the message. I wasn’t giving up, and I wasn’t going to hate myself for fighting for what I wanted, either.
Standing outside of Jess’s apartment building, my acidic chest bubbled with nerves. I thought I’d have enough time to brave up and confront her during my forty-five minute bus ride, but I was still just as nervous now as I was two days ago when Hamilton left for San Francisco and I decided that I needed to talk to Jess.
If anyone knew what was going on with Hamilton, it was his best friend. I just hoped she’d talk to me. It would take an army of fiercely loyal people to pull him out of whatever mess he was involved in. I made up my mind to approach the situation the same way he pursued me: with unwavering determination.
I marched up the steps to the top floor with my head held high. Once I made it to her doorstep, I hovered my fist over the door and paused.
What if this was a mistake?
What if Jess didn’t want to work with me?
The door opened before I could knock. Jess arched her brow and glared at me. “How long are you going to stand outside our door, Vera?” she as
ked, forgoing the usual greeting.
“However long it takes,” I admitted before letting out a huff of air. “Just trying to figure out what I’m going to say to you.”
“Who says I want to even hear what you have to say?” she snapped back before crossing her arms over her chest. Jess looked worn down. She was wearing thick glasses that barely hid the exhaustion in her eyes. Her sweatpants hung low on her frame, and the oversized T-shirt looked like one of Hamilton’s.
I tilted my chin up, despite the growing sympathy filling me up at the sight of her. Gone was the submissive Vera, the one that let people walk all over her. I wasn’t in the wrong here. I had every right to talk to Jess about Hamilton.
She shifted from one foot to the other, waiting for me to speak.
“You hurt me,” I began.
“So what?” she countered on a snarl.
“You knew about Saint.”
“I did,” she replied.
“That’s pretty shitty, Jess. I get that you have loyalty to Hamilton. I suppose at the end of the day, you don’t owe me anything. But I’m not going to let you be mean to me after the shit you pulled. I’m here because I care about Hamilton, and so do you.”
Her eyes widened, the dark depths of her gaze filled with surprise. A couple of seconds passed, and she remembered that she was supposed to be short with me. “You don’t care about him! You’re the reason he pushed me away!”
“Who the hell are you to tell me who I care about?” I straightened my shoulders. “He’s shutting you out, isn’t he?”
“How do you know that?” she asked, her voice full of anguish.
“Call it a hunch.”
The resolve and pride in Jess’s shoulders slumped. Tears suddenly filled her eyes, and she reached out, grabbing me for a fierce hug. She sobbed as she held me, and I stood there dumbfounded for a moment before patting her back. “It’s okay,” I said, mostly because I didn’t know what else to say.
She pulled away and wrapped her hand around my wrist before yanking me inside her quaint apartment. I took a brief moment to look around, taking in the small, closed off floor plan, the tiny loveseat placed in front of a flat screen, and various musical instruments placed all around as if they were art pieces. “What’s going on?” I asked.
