An Education in Business: A Somerset Novel (Somerset Series Book 3)

by Heather C. Myers

  Her hair was pulled in a ponytail, her bangs littering her face. She straightened them as best as she could because she knew he didn’t like the natural curls. Her makeup was smoky – she watched a dozen Youtube videos before she finally got everything right. There were moments like these when she wished she had a more natural inclination to all things feminine, like makeup and fashion sense, but she was who she was, and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon.

  In fact, she half-smirked when the thought truly sank in. She was beginning to like this woman she was turning into: less inhibited, more confident, and more comfortable in her own skin.

  This was a woman she could grow to love. It would take some getting used to – the feeling was new, after all – but it would be worth it.

  Avery slid into her car. She thought it would be safest if she met up with him there rather than go in the same car. She didn’t want to have to rely on him for anything and refused to think about the awkwardness that would ensue. Heck, he might not even want to be in the same car with her, which would be completely understandable.

  The drive was quick. La Chateau de Mes Amis was Rick’s favorite French restaurant. He actually took her there for their first date.

  Her heart skipped.

  Was it guilt or regret?

  She didn’t know. She didn’t want to think about it. Not when she was so sure of her decision. She didn’t want to analyze anything anyway. She would avoid the decision by compiling a never-ending pros and cons list. She didn’t want to be that scared little girl anymore.

  She wanted to be the woman she knew she could be. The woman she was.

  Rick was already waiting and looked good doing so. He wore a suit made specifically for his lean frame, and his hair was slicked back, bringing out the sharp features of his angular face. His blue eyes lit up when he saw her and Avery felt her heart skip a beat. Was that look for her?

  Was it dumb that she was so surprised?

  Not that she was surprised she could command such a look from a man, but because she was able to command such a look from him. Rick never looked at her this way before. She was almost offended that it took him this long – when she was ready to break up with him.

  “You look beautiful,” he said when he reached her, and pulled her into a quick, passionate kiss.

  He never kissed her like that before, either.

  They didn’t have to wait long for a table. They never did. Avery supposed it was one of the perks of coming from a successful family.

  They walked through tables of couples, murmuring quietly to each other over vanilla-scented candlelight, holding hands and playing footsie. The hostess led them to a secluded table by the window, where the crimson curtains were wide open so the full moon bled in, offering natural light to the dark setting. Her throat caught her heart mid-jump. The moon made her think of Lucas. For a fleeting moment, she wondered where he was right now.

  Once they were seated and the wine was ordered, Rick reached out and took Avery’s hand in his. Avery’s eyes widened at the sight of it. He had never done that before, either.

  What was going on here? Why was Rick acting strangely? Did he know about her and Lucas, and this was his way of attempting to rectify things between them and save their relationship? It was too little too late, if that was the case.

  “Av,” he murmured, his tone warm, his eyes open and unguarded. “Thanks for coming tonight. I just wanted to apologize about the other night. There’s no excuse for what I did so I’m not going to even try and justify it. All I can say is I’m sorry. I was drunk and I was behaving completely out of line. I respect the fact that you want to wait until marriage and I have no problem waiting.”

  “It’s not waiting until marriage,” Avery said before she could stop herself. She pulled her hand from his and stuck it in her lap. “I just… I’ve never been ready yet. To do that.”

  Rick furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?” he asked.

  Avery felt herself shift. She wasn’t quite sure how to explain herself but she thought it would be best if she was honest. “One elaborate wedding isn’t going to make it okay for me to have sex,” she said. “It’s not about waiting until marriage. I’ve been waiting until I’m ready to have sex.”

  “And you’re telling me that in the five years we’ve been together you haven’t been ready to have sex?” he asked, perking his brow. “That’s not good, Av. What does that say about me? About us?”

  Avery bit her bottom lip as a way to keep her patience. “Please, Rick,” she said, “let me finish. I completely agree with everything you’ve said.”

  “What do you mean, you agree?” His voice was louder than a whisper and nearby patrons craned their necks to see what was causing the noise. “You mean, you’ve been leading me on these past five years? I stayed with you because your dad is richer than God and you’re a hot piece of ass, Avery. Your personality sucks, though. You’re cold, you’re shy and not talkative. You don’t do anything fun. You don’t drink. And you don’t have sex. I might be able to find it within me to put up with it if you were a good fuck, but we’ve never gone past making out so I wouldn’t know. But I like your dad. I respect him. And I like you. You know, as a friend. A hot friend you might eventually end up fucking but…” He let his voice trail off. “There’s no love lost between us.”

  Avery let his words sink in. They didn’t hurt as much as she thought they might. Even the admittance of unromantic feelings, of sticking with her just to have sex and because her family came from wealth, deflected off of her like plastic darts that couldn’t quite stick to their target.

  “I’m glad you said that,” she replied. “I want to be honest with you. We’re not going to work out.”

  “Clearly.” Rick was past the point of petulance, it would seem.

  “Do you want to know why?” If there was an edge to her voice, she really did try to fight it off.

  He looked at her with a dry look on his face, leaning back against his chair. He spread his arms open as he said, “Enlighten me.”

  “I’ve been learning how to please men from Lucas Cruz,” she told him, her voice never wavering, her eyes never flinching. “I’ve sucked his cock and swallowed his cum after he spilled into my mouth like a goddamn faucet. He’s eaten me out until I was writhing on the bed, calling his name as I came against his face.” She interlocked her fingers and placed her hands on the table, leaning forward so she could look closer at him. She had no idea why she felt so guilty before; Rick made this so easy. “You’re right in that I had no personality when I was with you. I didn’t know who I was until Lucas showed me. I expect we’ll have sex soon. He makes me feel like a woman. You make me feel… nothing. There really is no love lost between us.”

  Rick’s cheek twitched three times. His fingers were clutching his arms, crossed across his chest. Without warning, he lunged across the table at her, but Avery scooted her chair back just in time to avoid any aggression he wanted to take out on her. She stared at him with fear, surprise, and determination. Without another word, she spun on the heel of her foot and walked out.

  ---

  Again, Avery found herself standing outside Lucas’s door. She didn’t even have to knock before he opened the door and brought her inside. He was in nothing but his pajama pants, his olive skin rippling in the candlelight. Avery almost shook her head – the guy loved candles. She wondered if it was because it saved him enormous sums of money in his energy bill or if he liked the sweet, subtle scent of vanilla. Or maybe he was just a romantic. Or maybe he knew the effect the flickering flames had on his abdomen.

  “Avery,” Lucas said, breaking the silence and interrupting her thoughts. Her eyes snapped from his stomach and found his eyes, dark and filled with concern. “I can hear your heartbeat from here. I can smell your…” He furrowed his brow. “Fear. What happened? What…” He let his voice trail off, his eyes dropping from her face to her neck, her dress. “You told Rick.”

  “I.” Avery stopped and looked
away. She couldn’t lie to him. Not when he could pick up on subtleties her body revealed that she couldn’t control. Finally, she picked her eyes up to look at him and gave him one affirmative nod. “I told Rick.”

  Lucas clenched his jaw, straightening his entire body by tightening every muscle he had. And for a guy known more for being lean, he had plenty of muscles to spare.

  “He didn’t hurt me,” she assured him, putting her hands up as a way to appease him. It didn’t seem to do much.

  “Then why are you shaking right now?” he asked, taking a step towards her. He tilted his head to the side, narrowing his eyes, trying to decipher what she didn’t want to say. She wouldn’t lie to him, but she didn’t think there was a point in upsetting him. Because she knew this would upset him. “Tell me, Av.” He pressed his lips together before widening his eyes. “Please.”

  The please undid her.

  “I was honest with him,” she explained. He reached out and placed his hands on her arms, rubbing her skin with his thumbs. His rough hands were so gentle with her, and though they eased her fear, they still gave her goosebumps. “I told him everything. Everything. I shouldn’t have been that honest with him. But he said some pretty nasty things about me and I couldn’t help myself.”

  Lucas growled at the mention of Rick saying anything untoward about Avery but his brow perked when she admitted reciprocation.

  “What did you tell him?” he asked.

  And she told him. He smirked when she finished, his eyes darkening with what she now knew was lust.

  “You’re dangerous,” he told her. She nodded, not contradicting him. “I suppose Rick wasn’t pleased?”

  “He lunged at me.” The minute the last words were out of her mouth, she had to reach out and grab Lucas’s arm, pulling him toward her and stopping him from leaving the house in nothing but his pajama pants. “Don’t go. Look, I don’t know much about werewolves, but with the full moon out, it probably isn’t going to help if you’re pissed. I know it’s hard for you to lose control.” She looked at him with big eyes. “Please. Stay with me. Make me forget him.”

  Lucas looked like he was going to argue. Avery prevented him with a long kiss.

  Lucas broke it, only to say, “If he even thinks about touching one hair on your body, I will rip him to shreds with my bare hands.”

  “I believe you,” Avery told him, and she did. She wouldn’t deny she got a jolt straight to her pelvis because of it, either.

  17

  Avery left early the next morning to return to her place and start packing up Rick’s stuff. She knew she could hire someone to do it for her but she needed some time to herself and she felt it was the least she could do. It took longer than she expected; he had more stuff over at her place than she first thought. She grabbed a black garbage bag and started piling in the clothes he kept over into it. When she finished, she grabbed a box and did the same thing with his gel, his toothbrush, and other knick knacks he liked to keep around the house. Rick was supposed to pick everything up later this evening, and she wanted to make sure everything was packed so there didn’t need to be a second trip.

  Avery hadn’t thought much about how he reacted after she told him everything. But now that she had some peace and quiet, and now that Lucas was nowhere near her as a distraction, she was able to finally break everything down.

  He had lunged for her. He was going to… Well, she wasn’t quite sure what he was going to do, but the threat was there. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t perfect, that he hadn’t been a saint. He had blatantly checked out other women in front of her and she hadn’t said a word. In fact, she thought it was her fault, for not trying her best or looking as beautiful as she was able to look. In fact, she was willing to give her virginity up to some guy just to make sure she was experienced for Rick. Just to make sure he didn’t have to do it with a virgin.

  Now that she thought about it, Rick would have been lucky to be with her sexually. She had no idea why she was more comfortable with Lucas in the short amount of time of knowing him than she had with Rick in their entire relationship. That had to say something, didn’t it?

  If Rick was smart, he would have understood that by being with her, by being with a virgin, he would have had the privilege of teaching her exactly what he wanted and how to please him. He would have had a clean slate, with no other man to compare him to. He would be all she knew; he would be all she craved.

  But he threw that all away.

  She couldn’t believe she didn’t recognize her worth until this very moment.

  The thought pissed her off more than anything – not at Rick but at herself. How could she have allowed someone to treat her this way? How could she believe she deserved it?

  Well, that was going to stop now.

  “I get it,” she muttered to herself, her eyes sweeping over Rick’s stuff, currently on the marble island in her kitchen. “And I won’t ever let anyone treat me that way ever again.”

  When she finished, she gave herself the day to do what she wanted. She bingewatched Scream Queens, she read curled up in her bed, she ate ice cream for lunch and munched on sour cream and onion chips throughout the day. She stayed in her pajamas until Rick texted her that he was on the way. Then, she threw her messy, unbrushed hair into a bun and threw on a slouchy shirt and yoga pants. She didn’t have to worry about impressing anyone but herself right now, not Rick. Not even Lucas.

  Right now, it was all about her.

  Rick showed up right on time. Avery stood aside so Rick could grab his stuff. There was quite a bit for him to remove or else she would have left it on the front porch. Even now, she didn’t like him being in her house.

  For the most part, Rick was quiet. Up until the point he had the last box in his arm.

  “Av,” he said, his voice shaking. Avery glanced over at him; she wasn’t used to Rick sounding so vulnerable. He looked… sad. And, despite her best efforts, it made her heart do a weird flutter in her chest. She was worried about this. She was worried he might try and say sorry or ask for her back. She didn’t want to deal with it because, despite all the changes, she didn’t want the confrontation. Not because she was worried she’d go back with him, but because she didn’t want to hear the sadness in his voice. Because she still did care about him, whether she wanted to or not.

  “Rick,” she murmured, reaching up to cup the back of her neck with her hand. “You should go. I don’t think it’s a good idea if you linger.”

  “Avery, just let me say…” His voice trailed off as his eyes honed in on her neck. Immediately, they burst into flames and his temper ignited in the blink of an eye. “Are those hickeys?”

  Avery reached up and her fingers brushed the marks left on her neck thanks to Lucas.

  “What the hell, Av?” he asked. He took a step toward her and Avery couldn’t help but take a step back, even though she didn’t want to. She wanted to hold her ground, remain unafraid, but her instincts kicked in, and the look on Rick’s face said this was not going to end well. “What the hell is going on? I thought what you said at the restaurant was bullshit, that you were just looking for an excuse to break up with me so you decided to find the one thing that would piss me off and use it to your advantage. But you really are fucking someone else, aren’t you? You slut!”

  Without warning, Avery reached out and slapped Rick across the face. Hard. Her palm immediately screamed as a million little needles stuck her and despite the fact that he deserved it, even Avery was surprised at how hard she had done so. It must be the pent-up rage she felt at all the ways he treated her so poorly.

  Rick grunted when her hand connected with his face, and the sheer force of the hit sent him back a step or two. When he looked back at her, his eyes were fire, and without warning, he lunged for her. He knocked her back so hard, her head smacked the door and he fell on top of her.

  “You stupid bitch!” he exclaimed. Once he got his bearings, he sat up and backhanded her across the face. “You dare disrespect me like
that? First, you cheat on me. You, Av, you actually fucked up. It wasn’t me. Maybe I looked but I never touched. I waited for you, you whore. I waited for you, and now I come to pick up my shit and you’re wearing his hickeys like they’re some goddamn badge of honor. When you never let me do anything of the sort? And then I call you what you are because, guess what, Av, you are a slut, and you fucking slap me? Are you out of your mind?”

  Avery couldn’t hear what he said because of the ringing in her ears and the grunting she made as she attempted to get free from underneath him. Her face burned, her hand still hurt. She was certain she was going to bruise. The crazy part of this whole thing was that Rick was the last guy she ever thought would raise a hand to her, even if she did something to upset him. He hadn’t seemed like the type. How wrong she was.

  “I don’t care who your daddy is or what your last name is,” he went on, holding her wrists over her head. All she could do was move her body underneath him in order to try and throw him off balance but even that wasn’t yielding the results she needed. “You think you can hang in the Somerset business world, Avery? You’re a joke. You’ll never work in this city. I’ll make sure of it.”

  Avery didn’t know why she said it. She didn’t know if it was because trying to get free through force wasn’t doing anything and maybe, if she distracted him by using her words rather than her body, she might get different results, but she needed to change it up and catch him off-guard if she had any hope of saving herself. From what, she didn’t know. She couldn’t predict what Rick was going to do to her, and that scared her the most.

  “You would know a joke,” Avery said, her words slurred. She could taste blood in her mouth. “Your fiancée wouldn’t even touch you but she’s fucking a wolf behind your back and bigshot Rick Ashton didn’t even know until she told him about it.”

  Avery had never expected to see a man break right before her eyes. Even more than that, she never thought she had the power to break one. Especially not Rick. Not when he was usually so strong and tough and everything she wasn’t.