The Scheme

by Mia Kayla

  I shoved him down on the couch, his head hitting the cushions, and ran my hand down his chest. I reveled in the firm span of his six-pack, which instantly made me wet. My tongue moved from his chin to the outer shell of his ear while my hands gripped his hair.

  “I’ve never done it on a brown leather couch,” I breathed, flicking my tongue against his.

  He shifted beneath me, and I could feel how ready he was. My insides clenched with anticipation as I pulled at his shorts. I guess the ‘I never’ game was over, which was fine by me.

  ***

  BRIAN

  I rubbed my eyes and stood. My head was spinning from the abrupt movement, and from one too many beverages last night. The last thing I remember was putting Kendy in a cab and giving the driver one too many bills. I walked slowly into the living room, shielding my eyes from the bright light.

  Trey was already dressed and sitting on the couch. Leftover pizza from whenever was on the coffee table in front of him.

  I didn’t say a word as I strolled to the windows, pulling the curtains together to lessen the light in the room.

  “Holy shit,” I said, rubbing my eyes with the back of my palms. The roof of my mouth felt like sand paper. I was probably dehydrated, but I needed to sit before I toppled over.

  I plopped next to Trey, who had this amused smile on his face, which didn’t help my mood.

  “Why you smiling like an idiot?” I practically growled at him.

  “Don’t know,” he joked, still looking at me like I was the funniest thing on the planet. I’d seen him butt-ass wasted before, and I’d been more sympathetic.

  “Got something to tell me, bro?” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

  My eyebrows pulled together. “What?” My headache coupled with my queasy stomach was giving me major issues with my mood.

  “Come on, man. Don’t hold back. What’re friends for? Lay it all out on the table.”

  “You’re speaking a foreign language, dude. And a little too loud.” I let my head hang between my hands and massaged my temples with my fingertips.

  “When did you start falling for her?”

  My head shot up, causing the whole room to spin. “What’re you talking about?”

  “You and the blondie. The one you’re doing. When did you—”

  “I heard you. But I told you, we’re not like that,” I snapped, glaring at him.

  He scratched his jaw, casting me a ‘yeah, right’ look. “Is that why you wanted to kick my ass for looking at her too closely?”

  I didn’t bother answering him. His statement did not warrant a response.

  “Well, if you guys aren’t serious, and maybe she’s into me, maybe I’ll take a shot at—”

  Before I could even stop myself, I shoved his chest so hard he shifted on impact. “Don’t fucking say it. I’ll knock you out cold. She’s not some sex toy.”

  His eyes widened and he raised both hands. “Easy, easy. I don’t see what the big deal is. If you’re not together, and she’s up for a one-night . . .” His voice trailed off, probably from the scary-ass look on my face.

  I stood. “Stop,” I commanded. “She’s off limits. End of story, shithead.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” His mouth trembled with a need to smile. “I’m just playing. I want nothing to do with your Kendy. I’m just trying to prove a point.”

  “What point?” I ground out.

  “That you’re falling for this girl.” He softened then, and I wanted to punch him for that, too. I didn’t need his pity. “Hey, look, I’ve been there.”

  “I’m not there. There’s no ‘there’,” I growled. “Quit being such a dickhead and leave it.”

  Trey sighed, stood, and placed one hand on my shoulder. “I’ve been there before, bro. With your sister. I tried my hardest to win her back, and part of me wishes . . . part of me wishes I’d tried even harder.”

  Win her back? He’d had my sister. They’d been together. What was he talking about?

  Pain flashed in his eyes as he let his hand fall to the side. His look turned serious, like he was finally going to go into what had happened between them, but then he shook his head instead. “You can win this girl. Don’t regret it and walk away without trying.” He turned toward his bedroom, glancing back one last time. “Don’t use work as an excuse, man. You let her walk away and be with that doctor without telling her how you feel, you’ll regret it. Trust me.” When he shut the door behind him, I contemplated heavily on his words.

  My mouth slackened as I let myself drop to the couch. The sane part of my mind was screaming at me that I had the deal of a lifetime. Every guy’s dream. No strings attached.

  But the crazy part of my mind wondered ‘what if’?

  I let my head fall between my hands again as it pounded more painfully than before. I ran my hands through my hair, gripping the tips in my fingers as I remembered how jealous I’d been last night. I slowed my breathing, inhaling deeply through my nose and exhaling slowly through my mouth.

  Why? Why had I been jealous?

  Trey was being a bastard, but maybe he wasn’t all wrong.

  I pressed my palms hard against my eyes, seeing only darkness, when the truth started coming to me. No, Trey wasn’t all wrong. Because he was right.

  I was falling for her. Hard and so fucking fast.

  Shit.

  I’m screwed.

  Now the question was—what was I going to do about it?

  THIRTEEN

  BRIAN

  In typical Brian-mode on a Sunday night, my computer was on my lap and I was tapping away, trying to write a proposal and figure out questions that I could ask the company when I met with them for our first meeting.

  My manager had just added a new prospect in my portfolio that he wanted me to call on after my Tiggins Corporation meeting. Here I’d thought that if I landed Tiggins Corp., I’d be sitting pretty for a while.

  Not at the nation’s biggest bank. There were probably a hundred young professionals willing to take my position tomorrow. I had to wear my game face.

  Kendy had called and wanted to hang out, because she was bored at home, so I invited her over. After what Trey had said, I shouldn’t have. And even though she’d be a distraction, I knew there was no way I could say no to her.

  Kendy flipped through the channels from where she sat beside me on the couch. “What time are you going to be done?” She had asked the same question five minutes ago, reminding me of a child in a car asking, ‘Are we there yet?’

  I lifted my head and noticed her signature pout. I wondered if she was doing it on purpose, or if it was just a natural reaction for her. A big part of me wanted to bite her bottom lip, which was jutting out, then maybe we’d just have dinner in bed.

  I shifted to adjust myself. “Give me thirty minutes.” I promised her dinner after I finished, and I wasn’t about to go back on my word. This boy needed to eat, too.

  She only bit her bottom lip then stared at the TV as though she was upset by the reality dance show she was watching.

  As I focused on the financials in front of me and studied the manufacturing company’s business, my stomach churned. I had an important customer call with the client tomorrow. If I impressed the CFO, I could secure a meeting with the decision maker, the CEO of the company. I had to convince the Tiggins Corporation why they should leave their current bank and bring their business over to Financial State.

  I rubbed my brow, squinting at the write-up on my screen. I had memorized my pitch, yet somehow I knew I could tighten it up, make it even better. Letting out a heavy sigh, I tilted my head from side to side to ease the tension in my shoulders.

  When I peered up at Kendy, I couldn’t help but smile as her knees bounced to the hip-hop music the dancers were performing to.

  Something about this girl calmed me. There was an overall lightness to her aura that was contagious. A minute ago, I was about to pound my head against the computer. Now, just watching her, I felt my whole bod
y loosening up. She was like my own personal beer on legs. All I needed was a dose of her at the end of a long ass day to relax me.

  But as I let that sink in, I remembered Trey’s assumptions, and my smile slowly faded. Jackass was haunting my thoughts.

  I debated telling her that maybe we could order in, but I didn’t want to see her famous pout again. I didn’t want to disappoint her when she’d come down specifically because I’d promised her dinner. This woman was my distraction to my every day. I didn’t know what to do with this newfound realization.

  My fingers worked faster on the keyboard, trying to finish my work up so I could satisfy this hunger in my belly and feed my girl.

  My girl?

  Closing my eyes, I took in a slow, jagged breath. Funny how the subconscious knew before the mind made a decision.

  Now what was I going to do about it?

  I guess I needed to finish the task at hand and eventually feed my girl.

  ***

  KENDY

  Bored out of my mind, I had the sudden urge to mess with him, but that would prolong me getting fed. But then an awesome idea entered my head so I poked his side.

  His stare was intently glued on his screen that I startled him, and he jumped at my touch.

  “Hey, do you want to watch a movie after dinner?” I poked his side again as his eyes remained glued on the screen in front of him. “Come on,” I cooed coercively.

  The side of his mouth curled up in a slight smile. “I just have to get this proposal done, and we can do whatever you want.” He was so focused that he hadn’t glanced my way. I was throwing him my Kendy sex look, but it didn’t help my case if he couldn’t see it.

  I started to unbutton my shirt, and then laughed when his eyes flickered toward me. Now I had his full attention. My fingers stopped on the third button, revealing my pink polka dot bra, which was a large contrast to my black button down.

  He quirked an eyebrow, amused.

  Seizing the moment, I shut his laptop, placed it on the low center table and climbed into his lap, straddling him. “That’ll be here when you get back. Come on, they’re showing that Zombie movie. Oooh, scary,” I taunted him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I pulled him even closer and gave him my pretend sad face, knowing he couldn’t resist.

  He smiled back at me, but his eyes flickered down at his watch. I saw the indecision in his eyes. I was about to convince him with kisses when he ran one hand down his face and let out a low sigh. “What time is the next showing?”

  “Eight!” I yelped, jumping up and down on his lap, knowing I’d won.

  “Easy, beautiful.” He chuckled darkly. “You keep doing that, and we won’t be making the movies.”

  I kissed his lips long and hard as his hands wrapped around my waist.

  Pulling back, I said, “I want popcorn, a Slurpee, and Snowcaps.” I kissed his cheek again then instantly debated if this was crossing the FTF line. But I wanted to watch this movie, so I pushed down the little voice of reason in the back of my head.

  He stood, forcing me off his lap. “Let’s go before it gets too late. I have to finish this proposal. I need to secure this deal tomorrow.”

  I barely refrained from groaning. I was a selfish little witch. I knew he had work to do, but still . . . I wanted to watch my movie. And for whatever reason, I wanted to watch it with him.

  “We’ll have to grab a quick dinner.” He piled his work papers in the center of the coffee table.

  “Better yet, let’s grab a hotdog at the movie theatre.” I wasn’t normally into greasy food, but my stomach was suddenly grumbling for a hotdog.

  He snaked one arm around my waist and pulled me in. “Great idea.” He pecked my lips sweetly, which awakened the butterflies in my stomach.

  I bit my lip and peered up at him through my lashes, studying his strong yet handsome features. I drowned in the sea of blue looking down at me, and a lightness spread throughout my limbs.

  Releasing a silent sigh, I went up on my tiptoes and kissed him again. “Thank you,” I whispered against his lips.

  ***

  BRIAN

  Her makeup was scattered all over my bathroom counter. She told me she needed five minutes to freshen up, but as I rested against the frame of the bathroom door, I wondered how long her five minutes would actually be. Probably as long as Trey’s five minutes.

  I rubbed the back of my neck, forced stress off my face and tried not to let my impatience show. My watch indicated it was almost time to go, and I counted the number of hours I had left before tomorrow’s morning call. I was torn. My responsible side needed to get my shit together and get the proposal done, but my fun side wanted to let loose and enjoy the evening with Kendy.

  She cast me a look and flung her makeup brush in my direction, barely missing my chest, which made me laugh. “You will not be thinking of work when you’re with me.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” I lifted my hand to salute her.

  With her, all sensible logic flew out the door. This woman, I swear, had a way to get me to do whatever she wanted, where there was no way I could say no to her.

  Funny enough, my father was the same way with my mother.

  My jaw locked automatically as soon as the thought filtered through.

  “Loosen up. Going out tonight will do you good. Work smurf. That stuff will be there tomorrow.”

  “All right then, Ms. Fashionista. You don’t want to be late for your movie, so hurry your ass up.” I picked up the brush and tossed it with a swish back in her bag.

  I was constantly having this internal struggle within myself, listing reasons why I shouldn’t be with her, reminding myself that she was ready to hook up and marry this other guy.

  I’d played our conversations over and over again in my head. Her constantly talking about him. When I thought of Stiff, I pictured myself knocking him on his ass, staking a claim on her as they had in the caveman days.

  True, I didn’t know him, but I didn’t like that he was still somehow the center of her world. I told myself that I’d promised her we were only ‘FTF-ing’, though I’d grown to hate that word. It seemed like weeks ago I’d promised myself all I needed was a little excitement, some fun, and a break from my day-to-day stress.

  I had thoroughly screwed myself. I knew this, because I watched her every move, and as she looked in the mirror and held up two different pairs of earrings, I thought it was the cutest thing. Everything she did was damn adorable.

  I wanted to tell her we should forego the movie and make a movie of our own. Or just rent one instead and make a point not to watch it.

  She finally decided on a pair and looked at me for approval. “Beautiful,” I said, but I wasn’t talking about the earrings. Damn me and my inability to keep our relationship purely platonic.

  I was screwed. I should cut myself off because the more we prolonged this relationship, the harder it was going to be on me. But I knew I wouldn’t. I just couldn’t. I knew myself. So I needed to formulate a plan.

  I would have to convince her to pick me over Stiff. As irritating as it was that I even needed to prove myself over the prick, I knew that’s what I would have to do.

  Smiling to myself, a thought pushed to the surface. Going forward, I’d break every FTF rule there was in that damn handbook of hers. Every single one.

  ***

  I pulled her to the elevator and pressed the down button. As we stepped onto the main floor, I held her hand and opened every door that led us to the outside without breaking contact.

  We hailed a cab, and I kissed our locked fingers, making sure I was breaking some unspoken rule. She had this look in her eyes, like she was quietly questioning my affection, yet she didn’t stop me.

  I opened the door as we stepped into the cab, and she babbled on about how she hadn’t seen a scary movie in forever, since she’d left Bowlesville. I wondered if she knew she had repeated herself three times.

  “Are you scared of zombies?” she asked, lowering her tone in a scary way
, which had the opposite effect on me.

  “There’s nothing I’m scared of, Kendy,” I told her with confidence.

  She laughed and flipped her blonde locks over her shoulder. “Silly me. Thinking this blue-eyed bad boy was scared of anything.” She pushed at my chest with her index finger.

  I laughed and pulled her in closer, taking in her intoxicating scent. I hadn’t felt like this in a long time—fully content, like nothing was missing—and I couldn’t help but feel as though it had everything to do with her.

  I didn’t tell her that I was lying. Instead, I released a shallow breath and remained quiet. Because the truth was, there was only one thing that scared me . . . losing her to Stiff.

  Losing her to anyone who wasn’t me.

  ***

  KENDY

  We were still holding hands as we strolled down the street. I’d never mentioned holding hands was against the rules, but really, I should’ve added that to my made up list. If we were going to keep our relationship strictly platonic, there didn’t need to be any handholding business.

  I didn’t want to lead him on, but he knew what our relationship was. I glanced at his profile, wondering what he was thinking. A little stubble had grown on his chin, and I wanted to run my fingers down his face—better yet, my tongue. But then we’d never make the movie.

  As we stepped in front of the attendant, I pulled out my wallet. I had to pay for my own ticket. I needed to make sure this wasn’t a full on date and keep the friendship lines clear.

  “What’re you doing?” he asked incredulously.

  “Paying for my movie.”

  He moved my hand away from the window. “No, you’re not.”

  I leaned in so no one could hear me. “We’re already boom-booming, and you’re taking me to the movies? Nope. I’m paying for my own. FTF handbook.” I winked at him to soften the blow.

  A muscle moved in his jaw, but his face remained unaffected. “You and your damn make-the-rules-as-I-go handbook.”

  Giving him a satisfied smile, I shoved my money toward the attendant through the small window. “One for Zombies Take Over.” I flashed a flirty smile, causing the teenage boy to blush, but then Brian blocked my path and moved my money to the side.