by Amy Brent
“Are you fucking serious?” I asked.
“And I’ll tell my parents about you and Amber. Fucking hell, my mom would have a field day, and Dad would probably be so angry he’d cut her off from everything. You think her life is bad now? Keep fucking around with her,” he said.
I shoved him off me and straightened my coat and shirt before I balled my fists up at my sides. Luke had lost his damn mind, and at this point, I didn’t know if I even wanted to consider him my fucking business partner anyway. He’d always had a level head, a bright mind set in a body that looked deceivingly innocent. I had come to trust him over the years, and we’d fallen into the roles we played: he was the handsome negotiator, and I was the rugged shark. Depending on the customer or client determined which one of us they got.
It’s why we were so successful.
“You’re willing to throw away everything we worked for because you don’t want your sister screwing me,” I said.
“Yes,” he said. “I’m serious about this. Stay the hell away.”
“You’d do all that? Ruin the company and your sister’s family life?”
“I would. I wouldn’t destroy the business, I’d hire a new partner. As for Amber, she’s got her limits. Mom and Dad cutting her off would be that limit. She wouldn’t be gone for long,” he said.
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that, brother dear,” I said sarcastically. “I’m pretty sure your sister’s itching for a way to write you all off.”
“Well, keep screwing around with her, and she won’t have to find another reason. It’ll be done for her,” he said.
I couldn’t stay here anymore. This family was absolutely nuts, and I didn’t feel wanted or safe. Running my hands through my hair, I backtracked to my room and began throwing things into my suitcase.
“What’re you doing?” Luke asked.
“Packing,” I said.
“Where the fuck are you going?” he asked.
“Anywhere but here. A hotel. Home. I don’t know. I just know I’m not staying in this house a second longer,” I said.
“Dude, come on. I’m serious. You’re blowing this out of proportion over my sister,” he said.
“I’m blowing it out of proportion?” I said as I whipped around. “You just threatened the success of the company as well as your sister’s existence in your family so you can have control over who she fucks, dude!”
“I need you to understand how serious I am about this,” he said, leaning against the doorway.
“Then listen to how serious I am about this.”
I zipped up my suitcase and pushed past him as I made my way to the stairs. I clutched Ron and Darlene’s Christmas gifts in my hand as I descended. They met me at the bottom of the stairs where they were standing, trying to figure out what all the commotion was about. I handed them their respective bags as Luke followed behind me.
“Mrs. D, thank you so much for your hospitality,” I said. “Mr. Duffield, thank you for opening your home to me. But, I won’t be joining you for Christmas.”
“Oh, come on, Tyler! It’s not worth it!” Luke exclaimed.
“You know what? Maybe that’s the issue,” I said as I turned to look at him. “Maybe it’s about time she was worth it.”
“Who was worth it, honey?” Darlene asked. “Is everything alright? Did we do something wrong?”
Oh, how I wanted to answer her question honestly. How I wanted to stick it to every single one of them before I flipped them all off and screamed ‘go to hell’ while backing out of the driveway in the cab. How I wanted to break every single one of them down and let them know that Amber and her attitudes were a product of their environment.
How I wanted to make them cry with shame.
But, I drew in a deep breath before I pulled my phone out and called a cab, and the entire time they were all looking at me for an answer.
“I no longer feel welcome,” I said, glaring at Luke. “Happy holidays, everyone.”
I walked past Luke’s parents and made my way outside as I stood on the corner of the street. I had to call Amber. I had to call and ask her what the hell happened this morning, because if it was anything like what had just happened to me, then I needed her to know I got it.
And I needed to thank her for keeping me at the forefront of her mind.
“What?” she asked.
“Don’t hang up,” I said. “Answer one question: did you get a phone call from Luke this morning?”
Her silence told me everything.
“He cornered me in the house,” I said as the cab pulled up to the corner. “Threatening my job and telling me he’d isolate you from the family if we kept up what we were doing.”
“I can’t let you lose your job over me just because we’re screwing around, Tyler,” she said.
“‘Just screwing around.’ Is that all we’re doing?” I asked.
And again, her silence told me volumes.
“I’m climbing into a cab. I no longer feel welcome at your parents’ house, and I won’t be spending Christmas with them. I’m booking myself a hotel for the rest of the stay. If I send you the address, will you show up?” I asked.
The cab driver pulled away from the curb, and I asked him to drive around. Honestly, at this point, she was the only thing anchoring me to LA The business left to be done setting up the new location could easily be completed over the phone, and if I wasn’t going to be able to see Amber anymore, then I needed to head to the airport and go the fuck home.
“Sure. I,” her voice hesitated. “I’ll come to the hotel.”
“Give me five minutes to book one, and I’ll send you the address, okay?” I asked. “And Amber?”
“Yeah?”
“I know you’re scared. Kicking me out because of what he said shows me you give a shit about me. And with what Luke threatened, it shows me I haven’t been cared about in a long time. Thank you.”
I knew it sounded like some soppy, cheesy bullshit, but I was serious. Her kicking me out after her brother threatened my job and her home life meant, at least, on some level, that she cared. She gave a shit about what happened to me as well as herself, and that spoke deeper than I think she even realized.
“Five minutes,” I said.
I hung up the phone and pulled up a travel app on my phone. I booked the nearest hotel before I showed the cab driver where to go, and I shot the message off to Amber. I needed to see her. I needed to hold her and comfort her and tell her everything was going to be alright.
The cab driver was pulling into the parking lot of the hotel just as Amber messaged me she was on her way, and I smiled as I got out of the car.
At least for now, everything was going to be alright. As long as I had her, at least.
Chapter 20
Amber
I used a room key Tyler left for me down at the lobby check-in to get into the room. There he was, sitting at a table by the window, just staring down at the city. His brow was furrowed as if he was deep in thought while his legs were sprawled out underneath the table, but all I could see was the hurt misting in his eyes. What Luke had done to him, what he had done to both of us, was wrong, and I could tell it was wearing Tyler down. He had bags underneath his eyes, no doubt from the hangover we were both still nursing, and I dug around in my purse for some migraine medicine before I walked toward him.
“Here,” I said, handing it to him. “I’ll get you some water.”
“Thanks.” I watched as he opened the container of medication and swallowed two pills like it was nothing before he went back to staring out the window. I grabbed a water from the stocked mini-fridge in the room before I looked around at how grand it was. The massive bed was covered with what looked to be luxurious Egyptian cotton sheets, and the bathroom held a spacious walk-in shower and a jet bathtub.
Even my mother would be impressed, and that was saying something.
“Here,” I said as I set the water down in front of him. “How are you feeling?”
“I�
�m fucking pissed,” he said as I sat down at the table.
“Don’t blame you,” I said.
“He told me he’d cut me out of the damn company. Give me nothing. After everything I’ve done to make it successful. Just because we are fucking. Said he’d tell your family and get them to cut you off or some bullshit like they aren’t already doing that anyway,” he said.
“I know,” I said.
“You know?”
“Yeah. I know because Luke called me this morning. It’s why I kicked you out,” I said.
“He told you all that over the phone this morning?”
“He did. And it petrified me. Hell, I don’t care about my family kicking me out. All that would do was give me my freedom. But you? You’ve worked too hard alongside my brother to lose everything, and you deserve better than that. I can’t let that happen to you,” I said.
“Amber, look at me.”
I raised my gaze to meet his, and somehow it seemed a bit softer. His eyes didn’t look as hurt, and his frown didn’t seem so set in stone any longer. He leaned over and held out his palm, beckoning for my hand as a tear flooded down my cheek.
And I placed my hand in his as I relished in how warm his touch was.
“I’d hire a fucking lawyer and take half his shit before he kicked me out,” he said, grinning.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what to do this morning. I still don’t know what to do,” I said.
“I understand. I’m a bit lost myself right now. I’m glad they don’t know where I am. The last thing Luke needs to do for his health is come find me. You know he grabbed me by my shirt and pulled me in like he was going to hit me or something?”
“Wait, my brother did what?” I asked.
“Yeah. Had I not been so pissed I would’ve actually been kind of proud,” he said, chuckling. “But, you don’t have to worry about this situation. Monetarily, I’ll be okay.”
“It’s not about the money, though,” I said. “You and Luke have developed a strong friendship. I mean, this is some bullshit, yes. But, he trusts you. And you trust him, right?”
“I did. Until now,” he said.
“I’ve seen the two of you together. You push each other to work harder, and you make each other better. I didn’t kick you out because I thought he was going to pull your hard-earned money from you. I kicked you out because it was going to ruin your friendship.”
“You do understand he’s the one ruining it, right?” he asked.
“I get that. But, I can’t be the reason you guys tank. I wouldn’t be able to live with that,” I said.
“And you won’t have to,” he said as he traced circles on my skin. “I promise.”
“How are we going to fix this?” I asked.
“We aren’t. Luke and I are done,” he said.
“Tyler. Come on. I mean, the business, you can’t just split something like that can you?” I asked.
“Actually, you can. I’m the type of person that thinks through all the contingencies, and I’ve thought long and hard over the years about what would happen if Luke and I were to go our separate ways.”
“Are you really done with him, Tyler?” I asked.
“He threatened to take away everything. He threatened me, his business partner. He put your relationship with your family on the line, and he’s a fucking hypocrite. You know as well as I do that he’s fucking around with your best friend, and yet he’s pissed that we’re doing the same. I can’t work with someone like that. One of the reasons we worked was because he had better morals than me. He made me a better person, not just a better businessman. But now, he no longer has his morals. He’s on a rampage for control. And he won’t be able to control our relationship. He’s fucked his way out of his own control, and I’m not giving it back to him to smooth things over,” he said.
As I sat there and listened to him, I had to support him. While I felt wholly and completely responsible for the downfall of their friendship, I knew where he was coming from. If my business partner grabbed me by the shirt and threatened me, I’d be pulling out, too.
“So, what are you going to do?” I asked.
“I’m going to break off the LA section we’re currently establishing and keep it for myself. I’m the one who’s signed all the paperwork and his name currently isn’t on any of it because he’s still fucking around with whether or not to keep the space I chose. Right now, he has no power over it, and I won’t give it to him. I’ll franchise it out or something, but there’s no way Luke can treat me this way and still be my friend. we’re done.”
“I get it. I understand,” I said.
“Do you remember anything about last night?” he asked.
Do I tell him what Luke said to me? Did Luke already tell him this morning? Was he talking about the incident in the bar with the microphone or was he talking about waking up with these marks on our bodies?
“Not much,” I said, giggling.
“I honestly can’t remember if we fucked or not last night,” he said.
“I think these marks on our bodies say otherwise,” I said.
“I don’t know, that could just be from a ferocious necking session,” he said.
“You? Just necking? Seriously?” I asked.
He got up from his seat and pulled me into him. His body felt so warm and strong against mine, but I was very much aware of where this was going.
“Tyler, this is what’s gotten us into this situation,” I said as I pressed my hands on his chest.
“Amber, I don’t fucking care,” he said.
“You should,” I said, looking up at him. “You’re about to lose everything because of it.”
“Only half,” he said, grinning. “And I think what I’ve gained is much better than the half I’m losing.”
“And what are you gaining?” I asked.
I held his gaze for what seemed like an eternity. His hand dipped lower on my back, pressing me into him while his other hand cupped my cheek. I could feel myself already spilling into my panties as my knees grew weak, and my legs collapsed from underneath me as he caught me. His thumb traced the apple of my cheek, flushed with embarrassment, fear, and lust.
I wanted him more than I could stand, but what I’d already cost him was too much for me.
“Tyler, we can’t.”
His lips silenced me, and I threw my arms around his neck. Our teeth clattered together as we moved toward the bed, and his lips were all over my neck before I could protest any further. We didn’t need to be doing this. We couldn’t be doing this. We’d lose everything if my family found out we were still doing this.
But holy fuck, he felt so good.
We ripped each other’s clothes off before I jumped and wrapped my legs around him. He barreled me into the wall, sucking on my hard nipple as I moaned and writhed against him. His throbbing cock found its home in my wet pussy as it slid in effortlessly, and he fucked me until my tits were bouncing in his face.
He threw me onto the bed and turned me over, my ass staring at him as he knelt behind me. He slid into my swollen pussy, my walls clamping down around him as he snapped his hips against mine. His cock was throbbing against my body as his thrusts pushed me farther and farther onto the bed. I let out a gasp when his hand reached down, and his fingers started flicking over my clit. The sweet sensation made me shiver and cry out for more.
He continued stroking me with his finger as his cock slammed into my tightening pussy. I was on fire, gripping the bedding and moaning as the intensity spiraled me higher. When the orgasm rocked through me, I cried out as my pussy clenched around his cock and my toes curled. My body was shaking as it plummeted to the bed, begging for rest but craving more.
I needed more of him.
I needed all of him.
“Come here, beautiful.” He turned me around onto my back before he sank between my legs, and his fingertips danced along my forehead as they brushed the hair from my face. His fingers danced along my nose, my cheeks, my lips, and they p
uckered to kiss their tips as his eyes danced along my features. It was like he was memorizing me, enjoying me like this was the last time he would be able to.
And there was something inside that sunk when I thought about this being the last time I’d ever get to feel him.
“Tyler,” I said.
“Yes?”
“Take me.”
He slid into me slowly, torturously. Watching my every reaction as his dick parted my pussy lips. My eyes fluttered closed, and my hands slowly ran down his back, and the second I dug my fingertips into the meat of his rippling back, I knew I would never want to let go. His hips began to roll into mine, slowly and delicately, and my lips reached up for his as our worlds collided once more.
My juices dripped down his cock and balls as he picked up his pace, and I wrapped my legs around him to draw him closer. The heat in my pelvis was building again as our skin slapping together was getting louder and faster. His head dipped into the crook of my neck as my nails raked down his skin, and his groans were muffled by my body as his dick slammed deeper into my pussy.
“Cum for me, Tyler,” I said.
“We’ll do this together,” he said.
His hands found mine as he interlocked our fingers and pinned them above my head. Our eyes connected as his balls slapped my ass, and I felt ready to pop. My jaw unhinged and my breathless pants became mindless groans, and my back arched off the bed as he dipped his face into my breasts.
