Best Friends Forever_A Marriage Pact Romance

by Jess Bentley

  “What’s wrong?” she whispers so nobody else can hear.

  “The buyer’s premium…” I whisper back. “It’s… It’s more than I’ve got. I can’t pay it. Oh my God, Wanda, what did I do?”

  “I got you,” she shrugs.

  “See, I knew it!” Ron huffs. “You should have just left this to me, Penny. You’re just making it difficult.”

  The registrar pushes the paper to me and scowls at Ron briefly. “You know what? I’ll just give you a minute. I’ll be right back, okay?”

  She pushes herself up from the folding table and discreetly shuffles away. While I appreciate her discretion, I don’t see how that’s going to help me.

  Wanda takes me by the shoulders and forces me to look right at her, and only her.

  “Wanda? I think it’s over. I think… I have to let him have it.”

  “Penelope Gable. Has it ever occurred to you that you are stubborn to the point of being stupid?”

  If she weren’t holding me so tightly by the shoulders I could probably kick her or something.

  “Seriously, I’m asking,” she continues. “How is that all working out for you? All that stubbornness? Hmm? Is it satisfying in any way? What does Clay say?”

  I totally ignore the Clay part of this conversation and focus instead on the auction.

  “The buyer’s premium is 20 percent,” I explain calmly. “I guess I knew that, but in all the excitement, it slipped my mind. So I am short. By a lot.”

  “No, you’re not,” Wanda growls at me. “You and I are going to be partners, and you are going to take my money.”

  “You can’t bully me into being partners with you,” I insist, trying to shrug away from her viselike grip and getting nowhere. “Didn’t you learn about bullying in school? Hello?”

  “Ladies? Why don’t you just let me take care of this?” Ron says reasonably, his chest all puffed out. “If it’s too much, that’s okay. You’ll get the next one.”

  “Don’t look at him!” Wanda exclaims. “Look at me! Your partner!”

  My thoughts swirl around as I force myself to stare into her deep brown eyes.

  “Please, sweetie,” she says in a much more gentle voice. “You can do this! We can do this together. Come on. You have to trust somebody sometime.”

  The registrar returns, deliberately turning her back to Ron and pushing the paper toward me again gently with her manicured nails.

  “Let’s just sign these papers, okay?” she suggests.

  Wanda nods emphatically. “Yes, okay? Let’s?”

  With a heavy sigh, I turn toward the registrar and hold out my hand for a pen, which she places in my palm with a subtle smirk toward Ron.

  “You did this,” I hear him say as I sign the papers, then write out a check and slide it with Wanda’s matching check to the smiling woman. “You did this… with Clay. Oh, I knew he didn’t need me at Crosswind! That was a fucking wild goose chase. You guys all did this to me. I can’t fucking believe it.”

  “Okay! You’re all set!” The woman beams at us. “Good luck with your new business!”

  “So I guess you realize that you’re fired. Both of you,” Ron huffs.

  But I am barely listening to him. Instead I’m just smiling at Wanda, trying to slog through the emotions that are flooding me at hip height. Relief, fear, joy, excitement, all of it. She feels it too, I can tell.

  “It’s going to be great,” she whispers excitedly. “Just as soon as we change the name, okay? Feather Rock is a stupid name, right?”

  “You’re fired! You heard me, right?”

  I turn toward Ron and hold out my hand to shake his hand. He just stares at it.

  “Ron, it is just business,” I shrug. “You can’t win them all. It’s been really great working for you. Thank you.”

  “And Clay, too!” he continues, beet red. “I can’t believe you guys!”

  “Oh, come on. You don’t have to do that. Everything is gonna be okay. It’s just one small thing.”

  As we turn around and walk down the steps, Wanda slides her arm through mine so we can walk arm-in-arm like the opening credits of a TV show.

  “Seriously, this is going to be so great!” she says again. “You will see, Penny. This is the right thing to do.”

  “I think you’re right,” I agree, half-holding my breath with excitement. “And yeah, we have to change the name. Feather Rock really is pretty dumb.”

  Chapter 23

  Clay

  Elise keeps looking at the door, the oversized cappuccino mug hovering just under her lower lip. She is a good match for Wanda, I think. I don’t know what it is, but they seem to go together. I wouldn’t have automatically assumed that a construction goddess like Wanda would match up so well with a quirky redhead like Elise, but when they are together they just spark. It’s just nature. There’s nothing you can do.

  “I’m sure they will be here any second,” she mutters to herself and to her cappuccino.

  When the waitress swoops by, I raise a hand to order a tray of sweet things. Cookies, pastries, scones. Carbs. All the carbs. I figure that no matter how she feels about the auction, carbs are definitely required.

  I don’t know what just happened, but the air changed. I don’t even have to turn around. I know that they are coming. I know that Penny is looking right at me.

  When she sits down, the satisfied smirk on her beautiful, plush lips is the only answer I need.

  “So how did it go?” Elise gushes as Wanda settles in next to her with a grin.

  “It went amazing,” Wanda confirms.

  I lock eyes with Penny, bracing myself for the download of that superhighway of her mental state. All at once I can feel her excitement, her fear, her courage.

  “You got it,” I smile.

  “We got it,” she smiles back.

  “Wait, what?”

  Wanda sticks her chin out. “Oh, yeah. Looks like we are business partners. Check it out.”

  Elise gasps in surprise. “Oh, that is amazing! Good!”

  I feel my eyebrows go up. That explains some of the nervousness that Penny is broadcasting.

  “Partners, huh?” I ask, trying to hold back a little bit of jealousy that seems to be creeping into my tone of voice.

  “And you thought I had commitment issues!” she smirks.

  “No, I know you have commitment issues,” I mutter back, but she isn’t listening to me right now.

  Elise is talking a mile a minute, making suggestions, dropping some very impressive names one by one. I don’t think that Penny even knows a lot of these people, but she definitely will. She definitely should.

  “Hold on… Hold on,” I interrupt, leaning forward. “If there are going to be investments made in this new partnership, I am first in line, okay?”

  Wanda purses her lips dramatically. “Excuse me? What are you saying?”

  “Dibs. I call them.”

  “You call dibs?” Penny repeats suspiciously. “Dibs on what?”

  I want to answer right away, but stall. I feel like there’s more going on in that question than just whether or not I get to give her a million dollars or so to build me some houses.

  And I can also feel Wanda and Elise leaning forward, eager to hear what I’m about to say next. It’s a little much.

  “I want to be your round one investment,” I answer slowly. “I want you guys to get this done right. Anything you need. You just say the word.”

  Nodding excitedly, Wanda glares at Penny. “That’s good,” she says. “See how he just jumps in there and commits right away? That’s good. Strong.”

  Penny rolls her eyes. “Yeah. Okay. You are coming through loud and clear, Wanda.”

  “I have a guy who can set you up a partnership agreement if you want,” Elise suggests helpfully. “He’s really fast. Really good. Do you want me to give him a call?”

  “Yeah,” Penny breathes, shaking her head as though trying to clear it. “I guess… yes? We have to get that done.”

&n
bsp; “Just take it one step at a time,” I suggest, reaching out to take her hand in mine. I can feel her fingers trembling lightly and she looks up at me with surprise.

  “Okay, one step at a time,” she repeats hoarsely.

  “Oh my God, they are totally holding hands in public,” Wanda stage-whispers.

  Penny automatically draws her hand back, leaving my fingers cold.

  I guess that was a little bit too familiar. But she seems nervous. I want to reassure her.

  “Get the partnership agreement, get some funding in place, and you guys can be rolling right away, right? Do you want to drive out there and take a look at it?”

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asks me suddenly, her voice dropping so low I can barely hear it above the ambient noise of the coffee shop. “You don’t have to invest. Since we are friends and everything. You’ve already done so much for me. You don’t have to do this.”

  “Actually, I do have to do this,” I smirk, leaning forward. “I don’t have a job anymore, so I need you to go build me some houses real quick.”

  “Wait, what?” she gasps. “Did Ron fire you?”

  I nod. “Three times, actually. Twice by text. Once in a phone call.”

  “Wow, he is really on a roll,” Wanda observes. “He fired us too.”

  “Okay… I guess everybody is free and clear!” Elise announces. “So, I just have to run to the office and check on a couple of things. Should we take a field trip? Go kick some rocks at your new development site?”

  “Absolutely,” I smile, watching the light dance inside Penny’s eyes. “Let’s go see what the future looks like.”

  “That sounds good,” she sighs, biting her lip gently. “We will meet you there, okay? I have something I need to do real quick at home.”

  My eyebrows go up as I watch her look me up and down. This is another excellent part of the Penny Experience. When she is flying high, she is the most beautiful creature in the world.

  “Yes,” I agree quickly, daring to take her hand again and pull her to standing. “We will meet you there.”

  Chapter 24

  Penny

  My mind is churning with excitement as we drive, tumbling over itself so quickly that I can barely keep up with the images.

  Clay keeps a steady, reliable silence next to me. I know that he wants to talk, but he is holding back right now so that I can savor this moment. This feeling of standing at the edge of the diving board. That moment where I strap myself to the paper airplane. This jumping-off place.

  Whatever the right metaphor is, I feel like I’m at the beginning of something amazing.

  Every time I start to worry about accepting Wanda’s help, I have to kick that feeling right back onto the sidelines. I guess that was about the thousandth time that she has commanded me to take her money. It’s an investment. It’s not charity. That means she expects to get something out of it too. Okay. I just need to keep remembering that.

  It’s a totally new feeling. Construction is something I can handle. Seeking out investors is something I can handle. Relying on someone besides myself… That is going to be a challenge.

  As we drive, Clay’s hand drifts over to my seat. His fingers find my fingers and steeple against them, providing me with a strong thing to push against. It’s perfect. I can’t just grind my fingernails into my palms. But I can hold his hand, trace circles against his fingertips with my fingertips.

  “You’re doing the right thing,” he smiles with his eyes focused on the road ahead.

  I don’t have to answer, I know. He is just telling me what he thinks I need to hear. He is freakishly good at that.

  My body is vibrating so hard, I feel like a violin string. I wonder if he can hear me. It’s almost too much. This combination of fear and excitement…

  “Okay, the pictures online look like the development is somewhat closer to town. That little town? Stony something or other?”

  “Stony Point,” he answers automatically.

  “Right, Stony Point. I will need to make some friends over there right away. Do you know anybody?”

  “Oh, I might have played golf with the mayor a couple of times. I’ve certainly bought him more than a few drinks.”

  “That’s amazing,” I smile, drumming my fingertips against his. Strange how good that feels, how satisfying.

  “Are you planning something that’s going to frighten the mayor?”

  “Let’s just say I have some pretty exciting ideas I want to try out,” I answer, biting my lip to keep the words from all spilling out at once. “Can’t hurt to try, right? Just go fully green?”

  “You can do anything you want,” he chuckles. “It’s your development, Pen. You can go completely off the rails.”

  It’s my development, I repeat to myself. That’s just crazy. Not to be sexist, but seriously crazy.

  I know we’re driving too fast, but I’m just as eager to get home as he is. With the house to ourselves and Ethan at school, the possibilities are just delicious.

  I watch the muscle in Clay’s jaw bounce as he clenches his teeth, his body taut with concentration. As soon as we get to the driveway, he cuts the wheel hard to the right and practically screeches into the garage.

  “Meet me on the patio,” he growls. “I just have to get something started for you.”

  Slightly bewildered, but tempted, I watch him jog into the house and slowly follow. I enjoy watching him walk away, or run away. I’m not sure I will ever get over how thick he is now, compared to the boy I once knew.

  Walking on air, I glide toward the patio doors, curious what he is doing out there. From inside, I watch him strip down in a hurry, pulling his shirt over his wide shoulders, scowling as he thumbs the controls on a panel behind the pool. To my surprise, the Jacuzzi begins to bubble violently, splashing over the sides.

  He turns back and sees me through the patio doors, jerking his chin to beckon me forward.

  Slowly I come through the door, unbuttoning my dress and watching his eyes track the movements of my fingers. Here in the full sunlight, there’s nowhere to hide. I can’t look away. I can’t pretend not to see him. I can’t pretend not to see the way he’s looking at me.

  “Jesus, you’re so beautiful,” he breathes as I let the dress fall from my shoulders and slip to the limestone tiles.

  My heart races. I am a live wire.

  “Take off your panties,” he tells me.

  Thrilled and shivering, I slide my pale cotton panties over my hips and step out of them, basking in the full sunlight that bathes me. I watch his eyes track back and forth over every inch of my skin, like he’s memorizing me.

  “Now you,” I tell him, gesturing toward his dark-washed jeans.

  The sound of the Jacuzzi is an insistent roar as his jeans slide to the ground. He kicks them away and stands there with his palms out.

  “Do I meet with your approval?” he smirks.

  “I think that you will do,” I smirk back.

  “Really!” he huffs, striding around the Jacuzzi toward me, his muscles flexing in precise, undulating waves.

  Bracing myself for the collision, I let him take me over. I like this, the way he almost wrestles with me. Here in full sunlight, nothing to hide, nothing between us.

  He feints like he might wrestle me to the ground, but instead just wraps his arms around me and pulls me off balance, growling against my neck, lifting me off my feet. I pretend to push away, but not really. I just want to flex, knowing that he is strong enough to take it, knowing that he’s strong enough to carry me off.

  With a few steps back, we’re falling forward into the bubbling water. I crash, twisting in the water, splashing against the shock as the hot liquid covers me. But he is right there, slipping around me, picking me back up before my feet even hit the bottom of the shallow pool.

  Slippery and hot, our skin glides wetly as he holds the back of my head, kissing me deeply. His tongue plunges into my mouth, leaving me breathless and wanting.

&nbs
p; I ache for him. My pussy is throbbing with need, but I don’t even have to say anything. He just knows exactly how to move me, where to touch me.

  “Look at me,” he commands. “Don’t stop looking.”

  Blinking away the water, squinting against the starbursts of sunlight, I force myself to look right at him. It’s too bright, but I won’t look away.

  “That’s good,” he murmurs as he kisses me, his eyes still locked on mine.

  Pushing against the resistance of the water, he holds me and drags me to the edge.

  “You did really good today, baby,” he says, positioning my arms back so that I can lean against the edge. “I know that wasn’t easy for you. I know that took a lot of courage.”

  The head of his cock slides between my legs. He is always hard, but this time he is really thick. It takes my breath away, but I don’t look anywhere but his eyes.

  “I’m going to fuck you really hard,” he smiles. “You’re going to want to close your eyes, but don’t, okay?”

  I nod obediently.

  “I know you won’t,” he grins, his face sparkling with drops of sun.

  Squaring off in front of me, Clay shifts his weight so he’s underneath me and my hips are floating in the pool. With his hands around the top of my thighs, he moves me like a steering wheel, then plunges into me, so hard I almost have to cry out.

  “Look at me!”

  It’s almost impossible, but I don’t look away. His body smashes into mine, ramming me with a bone-jangling intensity, fast and hard, pistoning like a machine.

  I can’t stop staring at him. I have to get that connection, even as my body comes apart at the seams. I have to reach out and trust him, let him dismantle and reassemble me.

  He scowls, grunting, as his cock plows me unrelentingly. White spots begin to explode in front of my eyes but I still won’t look away. I can’t stop now. I have to just let it overtake me.

  It’s like fireworks. A meteor that passes between us. A brush fire. As I come, I lock my ankles behind his thighs, pinning him inside me.

  “Oh! Penny, I’m going to.... Aaaaauughhhhhh,” he snarls, trying to twist away.