by Amy Brent
“What the hell are you gonna do about my money, huh? He robbed me blind, Olivia. Do you not get that?”
“I do, and I told you I’d call the credit card companies. I can send over the information I already have. It’s enough to reverse the transactions he’s made on your card.”
“But he still gets to take the money with him,” she said. “He won’t rot in prison! Where’s the fucking justice in that?”
“I wanted to come tell you in person—”
“Does he love you back?” she asked, interrupting me.
The question knocked the wind from my lungs.
“Did you hear me?” Destiny asked.
“Yes. I heard you.”
“Does he love you back?”
I was thrown back into last night. To how angry he was and how guarded he’d become. I wasn’t sure I believed him when he said he had been conning me, but everything was so topsy-turvy now that I wasn’t sure what to believe. Confusion roiled behind my eyes, and my breathing began to shallow out, and then Destiny’s low laughter began to roll over my ears.
“You’re in love with a man who doesn’t love you back,” she said. “Tell me, did he love you in high school?”
“Destiny, I’m so sorry. I wanted to come tell you in—”
“Did he love you in high school?” she asked.
“I don’t know, all right?”
I took a deep breath to calm myself as Destiny crossed her arms over her chest. I could feel my head pounding behind my eyes, shaking my vision as I brought my coffee to my lips.
“I can’t help you any more on this case,” I said.
“You gonna protect him, too?”
“If you come after him with the anger you’ve shown me over the past few days, yes,” I said.
“You’re a fucking piece of work, Olivia. We’re done here. And don’t bother with the fucking credit card companies. By the time I’m done with him, he’ll be rotting in jail, and the money won’t even matter at that point.”
“If you come after him, I’ll defend him with everything I’ve got,” I said. “He’s a good man underneath what he’s done. You have no idea what he’s been through.”
“Hell. He’s got you magnetized to him with that cock of his, doesn’t he? It’s nice, isn’t it? Feeling his breath on your neck. Hearing him whisper how beautiful you are. His hips thrusting into yours while his lips pepper kisses along your body.”
“Destiny, cut it out. You’re just angry.”
“You’re damn right I’m angry! I thought you were my friend, Olivia. On my side in this. How the fuck could you go and fall in love with a fucking criminal?”
I didn’t even know how to answer that question, so I simply stayed silent. I was aware people were staring, and I knew if we caused any more of a scene, someone would kick her out.
Kick us both out.
“This friendship is over, you piece of shit,” Destiny said.
“Oh, come on, Destiny. Don’t do that.”
“Don’t do what? Cast you aside for a bit of emotion like you did to me? You’re not even casting me away because of emotion. You’re casting our entire friendship aside because you got the cobwebs knocked out from your pussy!”
“Destiny, we can still be friends,” I said.
“You’ve betrayed me in the worst possible way, and you can’t even see it.”
“If I remember correctly, you’re the one who told me to be seductive. Remember our phone conversations in the beginning? It was you who suggested I go undercover and use my womanly ways to get close to him.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t fucking tell you to fall in love, you insane human being. I didn’t tell you to start fucking protecting him!”
I saw someone from behind the counter go into the back room, and I knew I had to somehow get us out of here. I had to downplay the situation enough to get Destiny out of this place before someone called the police. If the police were called, Destiny would spill everything to them, and then this entire situation would be beyond my control.
“You’re getting your money back,” I said. “I’m still doing what you asked me to do. Can we please just go outside and take some deep breaths?”
“You’re a piece of work, you know that?”
“Please don’t stop being my friend.”
“Why? Because I’m the only one you’ve got? We all know you sit in your office, day in and day out, eating nothing but takeout and never going out. The entire fucking city knows you’re a damn workaholic with no life, no future, and no love prospects. Well, except for the criminal.”
“Destiny—”
“I don’t wanna hear it,” Destiny hissed. “I’m over this. I’m done. I’m outta here, and I expect you to get out of my life, too. Don’t worry about the damn credit card companies. I’ll fucking figure it out myself.”
“Destiny, please.”
“Keep it down, Olivia,” Destiny said. “I believe that’s the manager approaching.”
She scooted out of the coffee shop just as the manager approached my table. I knew he was talking, but I couldn’t hear a word he was saying. All I did was watch a very angry Destiny trip her way to her car before she ripped her door open and slammed it shut.
“Ma’am?”
“Hmm?” I asked.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yeah, just, uh, delivering some bad news,” I said.
“Do we need to call someone for you?” the manager asked.
“No, no. Let me breathe, and then, I’ll be on my way.”
“Well, I was coming to escort your friend out, but since she’s gone, you’re more than welcome to stay as long as you’d like. I just want to let you know, however, that if she comes back, I’ll have to call the police.”
“I understand,” I said.
“Can I get you anything?”
My friend back. Wesley back. My life back before all this bullshit started.
“No, sir. I’m all right.”
“Well, let us know if we can be of assistance.”
“Thank you,” I said, smiling.
As I sat there staring out the window, I felt more alone than ever. I was sipping on a coffee paid for by the only friend I had, who had just stormed out of my life. I thought about the one man I’d allowed myself to fall in love with since I caught my father cheating, and how he didn’t want to see me ever again. I thought about Destiny’s anger and how I was scared that it would backlash onto Wesley.
But the worst thing running through my mind as I sipped my coffee were the words both Wesley and Destiny had thrown at me.
Get out of my life.
I didn’t know what I was going to do, and I wasn’t sure if there was anything I could do. So, I did the only thing I knew I could do in that very moment.
I sipped on my coffee, watched the cars roll by, and tried not to scream.
Chapter 25
Wesley
I stood at my sliding glass door and looked out at the beach. The beach that had been tainted with Olivia. I sipped a beer, trying to rid my mind of her, and I cursed myself for bringing her here. There was a reason I never entertained at my home, and this was the reason. It was a way to keep them at arm’s length. It was a way for me to stay objective. It was a way for me to protect my home and make sure no one tainted it without my permission.
But I had given my permission. I was the one who had invited her over. I was the one who had pursued her. I was the one who had coaxed those beautiful legs open for me just so I could dive in and never come up for air.
I downed the rest of my beer before I pulled the curtain shut.
I tossed the bottle into the sink and heard it shatter just as my phone began to vibrate. I picked it up and saw Olivia’s name, but I scoffed and rejected her phone call. The last thing I wanted to do was think about her, much less talk to her or fucking see her. She’d shattered my entire world and made me question every single decision I’d made in the past week and a fucking half! She could go j
ump off a bridge for all I cared.
Except I knew everything inside of me would scream to save her in a heartbeat.
She called my phone again, and I simply ignored it. After the third phone call, I took the battery out of my phone, grabbed my things, and made my way to my car. I didn’t have to work tonight, but I needed my best friend. I needed the wisdom of someone I could trust. Someone I knew wouldn’t lead me down the wrong path.
I needed to talk with Chad.
I raced down the road, blasting music to try and drown out the sound of those words tumbling from Olivia’s lips. It was her fucking fault she let herself get caught up, but she wasn’t taking me with her. I knew better. I knew how to stand tall. Strong. Resilient in the face of something I desperately wanted. There were plenty of women I’d encountered throughout my years that I wouldn’t have minded settling down with, but I stayed strong. I knew they would do me wrong just like my mother did.
After all, they all enjoyed their libations around the same age my mother did.
All the women who came to see me at the bar were just shadows of her. Filled with alcohol and looking for a good time, just like my mother was. Neglectful of their other responsibilities while trying to wash away their sins with the stagnant taste of vodka, just like my mother.
Fuck women and their bullshit ways.
I knew there was something Chad would be able to do. Chad always had the right advice when I needed it. I cursed myself for not listening to Chad’s advice sooner. My boss, my best friend, wanted me to stop fucking around with women. Had I just stopped when I could take care of myself by working at the bar, none of this would’ve happened. That bitch with the fake tits wouldn’t have happened, which meant Olivia wouldn’t have happened. I could’ve stayed blissfully angry and ignorant all my life. I could’ve pulled any type of pussy I wanted for the rest of my days and never had to know of the anger and resentment Olivia Hart would bring back to my life after spinning my world out of control.
Out of control in all the best ways.
“I’m not in love with her. I’m not in love with her. I’m not in love with her.”
I chanted it all the way to the cabana. I got out of my car and headed for the tent, and I could tell Chad was surprised to see me. He checked the schedule before shooting another glance over to me, and then he cleared a space off at the bar and ushered for me to sit.
“What brings you around when you’re not working?” Chad asked.
“Dude, I need some serious help.”
“We all know this,” he said. “I got the number of a great shrink.”
“I’m serious. No games. No gimmicks. I need help.”
“All right. Calm down. What happened now?”
“Remember Olivia?” I asked.
“Hard to forget her. I’d be all over her if I wasn’t madly in love with Laura. What’s going on now?”
I wasn’t sure how much to tell him. What could I get away with leaving out that would still communicate my frustrations? What could I leave out of Chad’s ears so I wouldn’t get into trouble? Chad knew. He knew what I was doing to these women. It was just that I never spoke directly to him about it, just in case I got caught.
Like right now.
“Let’s just assume I know everything,” Chad said as he threw a rag over his shoulder. “What’s the most recent thing that happened?”
“Olivia’s not a real estate agent. She’s a private investigator.”
Chad looked at me and blinked a few times. Like he was trying to process whether what had just been said was real. In a flash, Chad looked down and began preparing two drinks, one for himself and one for me. He handed it to me before we clinked glasses. Then, the two of us downed the drinks.
“Holy shit, that burned,” I said.
“Good. Let me take a break, and then you’re gonna have to repeat that sentence again.”
He clocked out, and the two of us headed to the back room. The door shut behind us just as Chad turned on the light. I flopped down into the chair that Olivia occupied only days ago.
“She’s a PI,” Chad said.
“Yeah.”
“I take it you did something to a woman, and she’s hunting you down for it?”
“Apparently,” I said. “She posed as a real estate investor and developer to sniff me out.”
“So, why aren’t you in handcuffs?” Chad asked.
“That’s the problem. I’m not too sure.”
“Well, start from the beginning of the evening this shit went down and tell me what happened, dude.”
“It was all last night.”
“Oh, so this is recent,” Chad said.
“Very. I recognized the lawyer who signed off on the real estate purchase paperwork, so I placed a phone call to his secretary and got her jowls flapping long enough for her to tell me who Olivia really was.”
“All right. Then what happened?”
“I called her up and asked her to come talk. She seemed happy to come over, and I sat there waiting for her with the paperwork.”
“Oh, dude, you fucking cornered her, didn’t you?” Chad asked.
“Of course, I fucking cornered her. She conned me, man.”
“Uh huh. And that makes you angry because?”
“Because no one fucking cons Wesley Fox.”
“I have another theory, but go on,” Chad said.
“She practically spilled everything. How this chick named Destiny was coming after me. How she had all this information on me. She was calm, cool, collected. Just as confident as ever with her shoulders rolled back until I started to pull away. Then, she caved.”
“Caved how?”
“She started flying off the handle at how she couldn’t do this anymore. How she had been debating for days on whether to tell me what was going on. About how she enjoyed the time around me and how she was falling back in love with me.”
“Wait, wait, wait. She told you she was falling for you?”
“No,” I said. “She actually told me she loved me.”
“What did you say?”
“I laughed at her.”
“You what?” Chad asked.
“I laughed at her. I mean, what kind of bullshit is that? She comes strutting into my life with her lies and her fairy tales and then falls in love during her own fucking con? It’s perfect. It was the perfect karma for what she pulled.”
“A woman you’ve been salivating over for almost two weeks now, a woman you can’t stop talking about, a woman who has single-handedly stopped you from hitting on middle-aged women before crushing their hearts, tells you she’s in love with you, and you laughed at her?”
“What the hell else was I supposed to do?” I asked.
“Tell her you love her back, moron,” Chad said.
“I don’t fucking love her.”
“Yes, you do,” he said. “I see it in your face every single time she comes around. Every single time you mention her name. Every single time some other woman comes around asking for a drink and flirting with you. You’ve asked for more advice about this one woman than you’ve ever asked in the three, almost four, years you’ve worked here. You love her, and it pisses you off that you love her.”
“I don’t love her, Chad.”
“Yes, you do,” he said. “You look at her the same way I used to look at Laura. Hell, I still look at Laura that way. Your sexual escapades, all this shit you’ve gotten into with her, you haven’t ever done this with any other woman. You’re not smitten with her, nor are you pissed that she fooled you. You’re pissed that you fell in love with a woman who you thought was perfect, only to figure out she’s not. And you’re pissed now because you still love her, and you can’t get her out of your head, despite what happened last night.”
I sat there with fire in my eyes. What the fuck was my boss talking about? I couldn’t be in love with Olivia. Look at what she’d done!
But then I looked down at the chair I was sitting in, and I remembered the kiss. The way h
er body had leaned into me. The way she was so quick to give herself over to me. I could feel the way her hands pressed into my thighs and the warmth that ricocheted over my body when her skin met mine.
Then, I remembered the look in her eye. I hadn’t paid attention to it when it first happened, but it was glaringly obvious now. The pain and the confusion that peppered her gaze when she pulled back from me. The fear that had arisen behind them when she stood to push past me.
The slight glistening of the tears just before she shoved her way through the door.
“Fuck, I love her,” I whispered.
“I know you do. The question is, do you still want to?”
I closed my eyes before I pressed my palms deep into them. I wanted to force back the emotions. I wanted to compartmentalize all of it in the back of my mind. I was good at doing that, at splicing little moments and keeping them in their rightful boxes. But Olivia had come in like a whirlwind and knocked all of them down at once. I’d bent her over every single box I created and fucked her senseless while she rummaged through them, trying to piece back together my life while I lost myself in her.
She was trying to help me. Fix me. Make me better.
And all I’d done was laugh in her face when she’d uttered those beautiful, poetic words.
