The Friendship Pact (Winston Brothers)

by J. L. Beck

  “Where are your glasses?” Reed leans down and whispers the words into my ear, his woodsy scent filling my nostrils while his breath fanning against my ear sends a flurry of goose bumps across my skin.

  “I left them….” I sigh, losing my train of thought as his fingers works the muscles into goop. It’s times like these when he touches me that I fantasize about what being his would be like.

  He finishes the sentence I forgot I was saying with a hint of laughter in his voice, “At home, right?”

  “Yes, they’re next to the paperback I was reading last night.” He knows me well. I’m forgetful, and I hate wearing glasses.

  “Bring them tomorrow or else…” There is a note of danger in his voice and it makes me clench my thighs together with need.

  My voice wobbles as I think about the possibilities. I want to ask if he’ll spank me, but I’m not that brave, so all I say is, “Or else what?”

  Reed stops massaging the muscles and grips the top of my arms tightly, his full lips pressing against the sensitive flesh below my ear. “Or else you’ll get another headache.”

  I blink, realizing he is messing with me, and not really about to threaten to spank me ... or fuck me against the desk like I wish he would.

  Clearing my throat, I try to cover my disappointment with a small smile and agree. “Right…Yeah another headache.”

  “I’m assuming you got Dad’s email?” He pauses in the act of grabbing his things off my desk but doesn’t wait for my response before giving me instructions. “I’ll need you in the boardroom in thirty minutes to take notes.” Looking down at his phone, he continues, “I need to talk to him beforehand.” He startles, looking down at me like he’s just remembered something. “Oh, and after that I’m leaving so please cancel all my meetings for the day. If anyone asks, just tell them I’m out of the office. They don’t need to know specifics.”

  I swallow hard, finally finding my voice now that his hands aren’t on me. “Of course, Reed. I’ll let everyone know.”

  Sadness tightens my chest as I watch him walk away and into his office, his perfect butt beckoning me. God, why does he have to be so handsome and so fucking off limits at the same time?

  I shake my head, making mental note of all that he said and try to turn my focus to the stupid spreadsheet he wants me to work on.

  Falling in love with your best friend shouldn’t be this hard.

  My cock goes rock hard the minute I put my hands on her. I know I shouldn’t have touched her. I should’ve walked away instead of making some lame joke in the hopes she would flirt back. Knowing she has a migraine, and I can’t cure it, irritates me. The fact that she isn’t mine, and it’s not really my job to care for her, irritates me further.

  I’ve spent years pining for her, wondering if she wants me like I want her. Hell, I even gave her a job here so I could keep her close when she could’ve gone anywhere. That was three years ago, and I’m still single, fucking random women left and right in an attempt to kill these feelings I have for her, and refusing to settle down because it isn’t with her.

  Slamming my stuff down on my desk, I push the things I can’t change from my mind and instead ready myself for my father’s announcement. I’ve been waiting for this day for years. The day he’ll finally give the company over to me and Winston Industries will be mine.

  I run a hand through my hair nervously before slumping down in my leather office chair, hoping like hell I can run this place as well as he has. A knock on the door interrupts my dark thoughts and I shoot daggers at it. I can see the shadow of a man through the blinds and know it has to be one of my brothers, not that it matters. I treat them both the same - like the assholes they are.

  “Go away,” I growl, opening my laptop so I can pretend like I’m doing something. The door opens slowly, and I roll my eyes when I see Ryker pop his head through the opening, a mischievous grin on his face. He looks more like Dad than Remy or I do.

  His hair is more clean-cut, and he’s a good three inches shorter but he has the body of an ox, and he isn’t all that bad looking either.

  “Don’t act like I’m interrupting something.” He chuckles, inviting himself in.

  “You are,” I lie, looking down at my laptop as he takes a seat on the leather sofa across from my desk. He’s doing it to annoy me, I can tell.

  He laughs. “What? You jacking off to a picture of Fallon?”

  I glare at him, his question a little too close to the truth. Little does he know that happens more often than I ever want to admit. “Shut up and get out of my office. We need to be in the boardroom in ten minutes or less and instead you’re doing what? Wandering around the office causing trouble?” I love my brother, even if it seems like we are callous and almost cruel to each other. That’s just what brothers do.

  “Oh, please. I was walking to the boardroom when I saw Fallon….” He cuts himself off, a smirk pulling at his lips because he knows she’s a hot topic for me. No one touches her, and no one talks about her in my presence. She’s mine as far as anyone else is concerned.

  “Don’t even start, Ryker. I will kick your ass across this office, so help me…”

  I don’t get to finish what I was going to say because the asshole cuts me off. “You know she’s got the worst migraine ever, right? I saw her suffering so I gave her a little massage…” It only takes a few seconds for my blood to turn boiling hot.

  Tightening my hands into fists, I push up from the desk and stand, staring my brother down. He apparently wants to meet the grave digger today.

  “You seriously need to knock it the fuck off…” I sneer. I’m so defensive over Fallon and she doesn’t even belong to me. Not like that.

  The smirk drops off his face as his expression turns serious, even though his next words mock me. “You seriously need to tell her how you feel… before it’s too late.”

  I exhale, my nostrils flaring as I try to cool my heated blood, but I don’t miss the words he adds to the end of his sentence.

  Before it’s too late.

  Those words will be my demise because I know Ryker is right and maybe that’s why I get so pissed off when he pushes me to do something about them. To make Fallon mine. I can’t let him know he’s getting to me.

  “Get out. I don’t need this shit right now. Not when I’m about to inherit the entire company.” I shake my head, frustration lacing my words as I turn and stare out the floor-to-ceiling glass windows onto the busy street below.

  “Right.” He draws the word out so it’s three syllables. “Mister I’m-The-Boss-Now. I’ll let myself out.”

  Clenching my jaw, I try and will the anger away. Why did he have to come in and stir the fucking pot? As if it isn’t hard enough watching Fallon date douchebag after douchebag, Ryker has to go and throw that shit in my face.

  I want Fallon.

  I want my family’s company.

  I want a happily ever after with the only woman I’ve ever seen myself loving even though I can never go there with her.

  Another knock sounds against the wooden door and I lose it. “Go the fuck away.” I snap, realizing a second too late that it’s Fallon standing in the doorway, a surprised look on her delicate doll like features.

  “Well, hello to you too?” She bounces back from my remark quickly and I’m glad because she’s the last person I want to act like an asshole towards.

  “Sorry. I’m stressed and there’s a ton of shit going on. What do you need? Did you get everything switched around?” I spit out the questions, not giving her time to answer and avert my eyes from her perfectly shaped body.

  She looks hot as fuck in the light gray pencil skirt and cream-colored blouse she’s wearing. It’s hard to not be sucked in by her beauty. Combined with dark brown hair and green eyes that call to you, it isn’t all that hard to get caught up in her and believe me when I tell you I can stare at her all day.

  “Actually, everything is perfect, but your father asked me to come and get you. He wants to start the m
eeting early.” She smiles, her eyes twinkling with something, but it’s gone before I can figure out what that is. It’s something I’ve never seen before, but it makes me want to kiss the fuck out of her.

  “Oh...” I crack my neck, exhaling a breath and running my sweaty palms down the front of my expensive designer suit.

  “Nervous?” Fallon asks with concern as she peers up at me through long lashes. Her beauty makes it difficult to breathe, hard to do anything really. When those green eyes of her pierce mine, I feel like she sees me, really sees me, and the love I have for her. The need I feel to be with her.

  “Nah, not at all. I mean I’ll just be responsible for thousands of employees, and my entire family’s empire from start to finish but no…” Sarcasm laces my words and Fallon elbows me in the side, her nose scrunching up as a tiny smile pulls at the corner of her pink painted lips. She’s trying to look angry but I knew she can’t stay mad at me for long.

  As I lead us down the hall, she complains, “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

  We come to a stop just outside the boardroom doors where voices can be heard on the other side. I turn towards her, stopping either of us from going any further.

  “What did you mean?” I lean into her, her sweet floral scent sending shock waves of pleasure straight to my cock.

  Do not get a hard on. Do not get a hard on.

  “I meant… isn’t it strange that your father would move up the date of the meeting to now? I thought he wasn’t retiring for at least six more months.”

  I blink, my eyes roaming over her face, unable to think of anything but how much I want to kiss her… and then what she said hits me.. “Yeah,” I pause to consider her words. “You’re right. That is strange. Really fucking strange.” I’m still thinking when I open the doors to the boardroom, knowing all too well that when I step out of this door again, I’ll either have fantastic news...or shittastic news.

  I’m anxious and trying to figure out what is going on as I take the seat across from Reed and his brothers while their father takes the seat at the head of the table. Mr. Winston, aka Clark, looks tired, miserable even, the deep wrinkles on his face making him look older than fifty-five. Lawyers and other important people sit along the same side as me, but I ignore them, my eyes bouncing back and forth between Reed and his father.

  Clark clears his throat before steepling his fingers and leaning back in the chair like he has no cares in the world. “I’m sure most of you here are aware of why this meeting was set up, though I’m certain you haven’t the first clue as to why.” He smiles at me and I smile back, warmth filling my belly. Clark was so kind to me growing up, and now I consider him to be a father figure.

  Remy snickers, saying something under his breath that earns him a dirty look from Reed. I cough to cover my own laugh, truly enjoying seeing them all together again. They each work on a different floor in the building, in different departments since their father knows as much as anyone else that putting them all together means nothing but arguing will get done. When you run a multi-billion dollar company, getting work done is kind of important.

  “I think we’re all anxious to hear what’s changed, Dad.” Reed asks it in more like a question than a statement, and I wonder if he’s afraid his father decided against giving him the company.

  It’s been a real fear of his and something we discussed many times, usually late at night when the worry made it hard for him to sleep. If he doesn’t take the company it will be sold to someone else, and years upon years of work will amount to nothing.

  “Well, for one, my health has changed.” I sit up a little straighter at his words, a million different scenarios going through my head. Is he sick? Dying? Does he have cancer like Reed’s mom?

  Concern seems to pinch all three of the men’s brows as they wait for their dad to answer. Ryker pipes up first, asking what everyone else is probably thinking. “Sick? Are you okay?”

  Clark smiles lovingly at him. “I’m getting older, and with age comes illness. I won’t go into the details on the matter right now, but I have changed my mind on handing the business over and thus added some stipulations into transferring everything over to Reed.”

  It’s strange how in that moment I can feel Reed’s fear as it slams into me, blanketing me, suffocating me. I feel all of his emotions and it terrifies me. He’s usually so calm and collected, and seeing him so out of sorts is strange. He always controls the situation, never letting it control him.

  “What kind of stipulations? I’ll do whatever you need me to. I’m here for you and the company. You know that.” Anguish overtakes him and it takes all I have not to rush over and comfort him. I know if I do though, he won’t be happy. Reed hates office gossip, and everyone in the office already assumes we’re having sex due to all the time we spend together.

  Clark’s heavy sigh is one I’ve heard many times with all the time I spent in their house when we were growing up. Anytime one of the boys did something to disappoint him, he’d make that sound and they’d all immediately feel bad and do whatever they had to so he’d be proud of them again.

  But something tells me there’s no talking their way out of this one. Clark has made up his mind.

  When he speaks again, the stipulation drops like a bomb. We’re all in shock. “I’ve decided I want a grandchild before the company can be transferred into your name, Reed.”

  My heart slams against my rib-cage as real fear invades me. That means Reed will have to get married. He’ll have to find someone to love and my chances of being that woman will be over. It will be too late to tell him I love him.

  With blurry vision and heat crawling over my skin, I want to jump up and volunteer, but I know that will only lead to rejection, and even worse losing his friendship.

  Reed clears his throat, opening his mouth like he’s going to say something, but his father lifts a hand, cutting him off with one singular motion.

  “I’ve made my decision, and I won’t listen to anything you have to say on the matter. Give me a grandchild and the company is yours. Refuse, and I’ll have somebody here to buy us out tomorrow.” The sound of pen against paper fills the room, and then complete silence encompasses us. I peek up at the men across the table from me, their faces full of varying emotions. Reed looks pissed, terrified and enraged. Ryker is smiling ear to ear, though I’m not sure why.

  He winks when he catches me staring at him, causing my cheeks to warm and I quickly look away. My gaze moves to Remy, who seems to be out of it, not really caring what happens with the family business.

  After his final words, Clark dismisses the entire room. As people filter out, him included, I remain seated, too afraid of what might occur once the room is empty. I never thought I’d see the day where Reed’s father would force him to get married and have children.

  “What in the actual fuck just happened?” Reed swears, which is completely unlike him, at least when it comes to being in a work setting.

  Ryker shrugs, “Dad one-upped you. Hell, he just grabbed you by the balls.” He seems overly happy for someone who just found out that his entire family's business is riding on whether or not his older brother can create a baby with another person ... and soon.

  Reed pushes up from the heavy oak table, his chair slamming against the wall of glass behind him. “Shut the hell up. You’ve been on my ass since you stepped foot in the office and it’s getting old real fast.”

  His eyes are wild, and with his hands balling into fists at his sides, he looks like a warrior on the way out to battle. Ryker isn’t his enemy though, even if he is doing everything he can to antagonize him. I don’t know what happened in his office before this meeting, but whatever it was, it’s made Ryker enjoy this way more than he should.

  “Look man,” Ryker starts to placate him, and the smug grin on his face is too much for Reed. Before I can even blink, he’s across the room, shoving his brother into the wall and pressing his forearm against his throat. I watch, wide-eyed, as they glare at ea
ch other. Ryker leans forward, getting as close as he can to Reed, then says something in a voice too low for me to hear. Reed’s free hand curls into a fist and I know I have to act fast because he will regret this later.

  My heart is pounding, but I make it over to them just in time to grab Reed’s arm. “Stop it.” I order, giving them both a disapproving glare when they both look at me. “Fighting with each other isn’t going to change anything.” My voice reflects the fact that I’m exhausted from this meeting. Not only that, but I’m hurt, and more than ready for the day to be over.

  Ryker opens his mouth to say something, but I shake my head, cutting him off. “No. I don’t know why you’re going out of your way to piss off your brother, but the two of you arguing is only going to make things worse. You need to work together, figure out a way to get Clark to see reason.”

  Ryker sags against the wall, contrition clear on his face. When Reed notices he’s backing down, he drops his arm and takes a step back, pulling his other arm out of my grasp when he does. I feel the loss immediately, but try not to show how it makes me feel. Reed’s rejecting me, and he doesn’t even know it. That stings.

  Knowing I need to focus on the baby issue, I look between them. “Your dad can’t just demand Reed give him a grandchild. What’s he supposed to do? Call up one of his one-night stands and ask them to provide an egg? The world doesn’t work that way. Besides, he should love the person he has a child with.” I drop my eyes to the floor for a moment, my words too honest and a little too raw. When I lift my eyes back up to them, I find Ryker looking down at me, an almost evil smile spreading across his face.

  “You know what? You’ve got a point. Maybe you should be the one to help my brother give Dad a grandchild. At least we like having you around.”

  I wait for Reed to scoff or immediately shoot down the idea, but he doesn’t. When I turn my gaze back to him, he actually looks thoughtful. Like he might be considering his brother’s crazy idea.