by Kayla Oliver
“Are you kidding me?”
“Nope. That’s how he works. He’s finally got his groove back, so don’t fuck it up by trying to get in his business,” she warned me.
“Fine,” I bit out. “Oh, since I have you on the line, you’re friends with Harvey, right?”
There was a pause, then a drawn-out “Yes. Why?”
“I assume you know Callum as well?” What are you doing, Marnie? A little voice in my head asked me. I ignored it. I knew what the hell I was doing.
“Of course.” She sounded stiff.
“Well, do you by any chance know where he is?” I prompted.
“I assume with Amelia. He’s been with her most of the last week.”
I froze.
Amelia? Who the hell was Amelia? And why was he spending the whole week with her when he fucking told me he’d been swamped with work?
I told myself not to freak out and to be calm. Obviously, there was an explanation for this. I’d just ask Sarah who Amelia was and everything would be fine…
“I have to go. I’ll text you the date when I get home.”
Before I had the chance to say another word to her, much less ask who the fuck Amelia was, she’d hung up.
I clutched my phone to my ear for a long time, listening to the dial tone. As I finally hung up, I had to ask myself: was Callum playing me?
Chapter Sixteen
Courtney
I ended up spending the following evening with Liz and her sister again. We hadn’t had to talk much the previous night as her sister, Amelia, had spent two minutes with us before apologizing and canceling. She cited an important interview as the reason, but I was skeptical.
Who had themselves dropped off at the restaurant to meet people they’d planned to meet with, only to turn around and cancel their evening events, catch a cab, and go to an interview?
It was all highly suspect, and I didn’t buy it. She said her phone had been demolished when she got in the car before dinner, but I had a feeling she was lying.
Or she was really just that ditzy, which was a pretty valid option.
But tonight, I was meeting up with the sisters again, this time at a nice little eatery with awesome outdoor seating. We put our orders in and made casual conversation.
Amelia spent a lot of time in Europe, and then along the East Coast, but she was really thrilled to be here in Washington now.
“Oh, I was going to ask you the other night,” I interjected casually, because whether I was fighting with Marnie or not, I had to know the truth to save my friend from any potential heartache. “Who was the guy that dropped you off?”
“Oh, Callum? He’s awesome,” she said, her face lighting up and her eyes practically sparkling. If she were the Barbie doll she looked like, I’d have thought someone painted those sparkly little diamonds on her eyes. “I mean, really. Absolutely wonderful. I just wouldn’t know what to do without him.”
My stomach dropped. Although I wanted to know, I’d secretly been hoping that I was wrong. That there was a reasonable explanation for who this woman was and what her connection to Callum was.
But this didn’t sound good.
“Yeah, Amelia is actually staying with him for a little while,” Liz added helpfully. She was seriously bored, stirring her drink which was now just ice. She was hitting the hard stuff early, thank you very much.
Amelia nodded. “Yeah. He’s so great. He doesn’t even get mad when I leave my bras hanging all over the place or run around in my pj’s.”
I pictured her scantily clad in lacy underthings and throwing bras all over Callum’s mansion. At least, I assumed it was a mansion. The guy was a fucking billionaire.
“I’ll bet he doesn’t,” I muttered, then plastered on a smile.
She smiled back. “I’m so lucky to have him in my life.”
If she said one more thing about how great Callum was and how lucky she was to be doing him, I was going to lose my shit. So I waved down a waiter and ordered another drink—one for Liz, too. She smiled at me gratefully.
Feeling rude, I turned to Amelia. “Did you want something other than water?” I asked her.
Her smile flickered, but she caught herself and forced it wider. “Oh, yes. An iced tea would be awesome. Virgin, please.”
I shrugged and added, “Also more water.”
The water nodded, then headed to put in our drink orders.
“How long were you planning on staying in the area?” Liz asked her stepsister.
The other woman thought about it for a long moment. “I’m really not sure, but I’ve been thinking about making it permanent.”
I felt like gagging. This woman thought she was going to be a permanent fixture in Callum’s life, and Callum was still sleeping with Marnie!
Hell. No.
I had to tell Marnie. Right now.
“I’m sorry, I know we just got here, but I swear I’ve already got to pee,” I told the others, smiling like I was embarrassed. I pushed back my chair to stand.
“Oh, no worries. We’ll wait on the drinks,” Amelia said with a smile. “We really need to catch up anyway.”
Liz looked at me with wide, pleading eyes. The message was clear: please, for the love of God, don’t take too long. I hurried off to the ladies’ room, feeling a little guilty for leaving Liz in her time of need. But I didn’t need to be. I just needed to make a phone call with a little bit of discretion and privacy.
I dialed Marnie’s number and prayed that she would answer.
“C’mon, c’mon, Marnie, pick up,” I hissed, impatiently pacing as the phone rang.
Just when I thought it was going to go to voicemail, she answered. “What do you want?”
Her tone was harsh and biting, but I ignored it. This was more important than our little tiff. “Liz’s sister is in town, the Stepford from hell? And she was dropped off yesterday by a man. That man was Callum.”
There was a pause, and for a second I thought the call had dropped.
“Hello? Marnie?”
“I’m here. Who was this woman?”
“Liz’s stepsister, I told you,” I said, exasperated. “And I wouldn’t necessarily think anything bad, but when I asked about him, she said she was living with him and he didn’t care if she was prancing around in panties or whatever!”
For a second, all I could hear was Marnie’s breathing, and it didn’t sound like the good kind of breathing. She sounded like she was trying really hard not to panic.
I felt like a real piece of shit to have to tell her this, but someone had to. I wasn’t going to let her get hurt by a player who was lying to her.
Like I was.
“Marnie?” I prompted gently.
“What’s her name?”
“Amelia. Why?”
The next thing I heard was something terrible, something I hadn’t heard from Marnie in years. A sob.
“Oh, shit,” I muttered.
She collected herself enough to speak. “Fuck, Court, I was just in a meeting with this girl, Sarah. Jesus, she’s Harvey’s secretary, and I was stupid enough to ask her about Callum. I asked where he’s been lately. She said that he was with Amelia all week!”
And just like that, it was confirmed. Callum was a lying, cheating son of a bitch.
“Court, do you think Callum’s cheating on me?”
I wanted to be able to tell her that he wasn’t. That everything was fine. That they would be great together forever and live happily ever after. But I knew better. “I don’t know, Marnie, but… but it really looks that way.”
Marnie thanked me and suddenly all the anger between us melted away. We were friends, just like we’d always been, and friends stuck together. I wished I was there to comfort her.
“We’ll get lunch tomorrow,” I promised, and she agreed.
We hung up then. The whole confirmation had done one thing for certain. It had reaffirmed my theory that all men were inherently assholes.
Chapter Seventeen
Marnie
It was a miracle I didn’t wreck my damn car. Tears streamed down my face for the majority of the drive. My skin was blotchy when I checked it in the rearview mirror, my freckles a deeper shade of red and my pale skin spotted with deep fountains of red. But my makeup was intact.
I’d never been so grateful for waterproof mascara.
Not that it matters. I’m here to tell him off, not woo him with my looks.
The thought tried hard to bring on another bout of tears, but I managed to hold them back. I’d pulled my car to a stop outside of his home, a stylish house with a brick façade and an overgrown fence around the front yard.
The fact that it had a yard alone spoke of money.
I got out of my car and slammed it. I steeled myself for the sparring match that was about to take place, but at least I had all the cards. I’d tell him that I knew about Amelia, that I wasn’t going to be played by any man, and if he thought he could have a little something on the side, he had another thing coming.
I marched up the steps to his front door and knocked. When he didn’t answer immediately, I knocked again. I was about to knock a third time when he finally came to the door.
“Marnie? What are you doing here?” He was dressed in a pair of sweats that were hanging low on his hips and a white tank top that outlined all of those sexy muscles that I loved so much.
But not enough to stay with a cheater.
“Are you a little surprised to see me?” I challenged, working hard to keep the trembling from my voice. “Well, I’ve got news for you, asshole: I know everything. I know what’s going on.”
His eyebrows rose high on his forehead, and there was a genuine look of surprise on his features.
Well, he was in for a real surprise.
“What are you talking about? You know what?”
I crossed my arms over my chest and stood to my full height, straightening my back and lifting my shoulders. “Who the hell is Amelia, and how long have you been fucking her?”
I thought guilt would flash instantly across his face. I thought he’d give himself immediately away, incriminating himself and revealing the truth. That he was cheating on me.
But none of that happened. Instead, surprise remained on his features for several long moments before slipping into confusion. His eyebrows pinched together, and he tilted his head to the side.
“I’m sorry, but what are you talking about?” he repeated with a little more emphasis this time.
“You heard me. I know all about Amelia.”
“Doubtful,” he told me, and his mouth tugged into a smirk as amusement slipped across his features.
“Excuse me? Are you seriously going to stand there and try to deny it?”
“Deny that I’m sleeping with my sister? Absolutely.”
I blinked. “What?”
His smirk turned into a genuine smile. “Amelia. She’s my little sister.”
Sister? Was that… possible?
The anger left me in a rush as the possibility that there really was a reasonable explanation for everything hit me. Sister.
“If she’s your sister, why didn’t you tell me about her?”
He sighed. “Come in.” When I didn’t move, he stepped aside and added, “Please? I’m not going to explain to you while you stand on my front porch. That’s just rude.”
After a moment, I stepped in after him. I wasn’t 100 percent convinced about the whole sister thing, but now that there was a competing theory over who she could be, well, I was willing to be a little more reasonable.
Mostly because it wasn’t until that moment right there that I realized just how much I wanted this woman to be his sister.
I didn’t want Callum to be cheating on me.
I wanted him to love me, even if that was scary as shit.
I stood awkwardly in the foyer for a long moment, not really sure what to do with myself.
Callum looked back over at me and smiled. He gestured toward the couch in the living room. “Have a seat. I’ll get the pictures.”
Pictures?
I went into the living room—the couch was a velvety red-wine color while the drapes were a soft color caught somewhere between midnight blue and purple—and sat in the middle of the couch. Callum had disappeared around the corner to fetch whatever pictures he wanted me to see, and I found myself on edge as I waited.
What if Callum’s proof wasn’t convincing? What if this was all just a bullshit lie? Part of his act?
I hoped it wasn’t, but I had my reservations.
Callum returned after a few minutes with a photo album. “I want you to know, these are bad.”
He set the album on his lap and opened it up, revealing pictures of himself as a child—with a young girl a little younger than him at his side. He pointed at her. “This is Amelia.”
He flipped to several more pages, each one filled with pictures of family events, him standing with that little girl. But it wasn’t until the one of him in high school showed up that I was convinced.
“Jesus, is that Liz?”
“Elizabeth? Yeah, she’s my stepsister.”
My eyes widened into saucers. What were the odds that I met his stepsister in college? Apparently, pretty good, because that sure as hell was her, standing next to Callum and… Amelia. His sister. The stepsister that Liz always bitched about.
“Unbelievable,” I murmured.
He shrugged. “My parents had a nasty divorce when I was younger. Dad was a good man, more or less, but his weakness was women. In general. He couldn’t leave it at just one woman, so he always ended up fucking around. Mom was obviously upset when she found out.”
“Shit, I’m sorry.”
He waved off my apology. “They split, dad remarried Patricia Laney, Elizabeth’s mother. It was kind of a joke, and it definitely didn’t last, but it was enough to make us legally family.”
It was hard to believe that the world was that small, but the evidence of it was staring me right in the face. “I can’t believe it.”
He nodded. “I made a promise to my father to take care of Amelia. So here she is. Once again in need of care.”
Callum took the album from my hands and set it beside him on the cushion. Then he turned to face me. “Don’t ever think I’m not faithful. My dad was an asshole. I’m not. If I don’t want to be with you, you’ll fucking know. No games, no other women.”
I bit my lip, feeling oddly vulnerable after the whole thing. “Promise?”
He nodded, eyes burning. He cupped my cheeks and pulled me to him, his mouth crashing against mine in a demanding kiss that was as much a promise as his words.
It was probably only supposed to be reassuring, but he couldn’t seem to leave it at that. His tongue slipped across the seam of my lips until they parted. He explored my mouth with his tongue while his hands moved from my face down to my shoulders. They continued lower until they found my hips, gripping them and jerking my body toward his.
My breasts crashed against his hard chest, and I moaned. I wrapped my arms around his neck as my leg lifted to settle in his lap.
His hands were tugging at my shirt, pulling it free from the skirt I was wearing. My hands were busy, too. I was dragging one down the front of his chest, letting my fingers trail over those hard abs, until I found the waistband of his sweats. He broke our kiss to suck in a harsh breath when my hand dipped beneath the fabric of his pants to brush against his member.
He was already hard.
“Fuck, Marnie,” he ground out.
I grinned, then started placing kisses along his neck and shoulders as I wrapped my hand around the length of him.
I gave him a good, long stroke, his hips trying to jerk into my hand as a result. He was cursing up a storm as his hands got my blouse free of my skirt. But that wasn’t enough. His hands went to the front of my shirt to start unbuttoning it.
“Damnit, Marnie, I’m getting you a Velcro shirt,” he managed to get out as his fingers fumbled with my buttons.
I giggled but silently agreed with him. Velcro was an excellent idea. I crawled on top of Callum’s lap, causing my skirt to ruck up to my hips. I continued to stroke him, and he groaned in pleasure.
Finally, he managed to get my blouse open, then cursed again. “Velcro and no bras. It’s the newest thing.”
I laughed at him, then gasped as his hands dipped beneath my bra to cup my breasts. A moan escaped my lips when his fingers found my nipples and began to roll them, making them hard.
“I need inside you, Marnie,” he told me bluntly. “Now.”
I nodded in agreement. I released his cock out of necessity only. Standing, I pushed down my skirt, then kicked off my panties. My blouse went next, followed by my bra.
Callum was quicker. All he had to do was shuck off his sweats and jerk his tank up over his head. And just like that he was naked, his full glory there in front of my eyes.
We didn’t spend long staring and admiring each other. We were too worked up, too eager. I laid back on the floor, thankful for the thick, soft throw rug beneath me. Callum followed quickly, his hands caressing my bare body. He let his palm slide up from my thighs, along my waist and ribs, to reach my breast. He fondled me, squeezing the supple flesh there until I was arching up into his palm.
His mouth was equally eager. He kissed my stomach, my ribs, finally my breasts. He popped a single nipple into his mouth, then rolled his tongue over it. Then he caught it between his teeth and worried at it.
I gasped. “Oh, please. More.”
He suckled my breast a moment longer, then returned the favor to the other. Finally, when he was satisfied that he’d played with me enough—for now—he sat up on his haunches so that he could position himself better between my legs.
My body hummed with anticipation, waiting, wanting. When I felt him position his cock at my entrance, I almost sighed with relief. He pressed the head between my lips, and the next movement was a thrust that made him bottom out within me.
I cried out in pleasure, arching my back, and he grunted in agreement.
He didn’t give me a moment to adjust. Instead, he started thrusting immediately, hard, fast and needy. I loved it. My hips rose to meet his, determined to keep up. I clutched at his sweaty body, holding him close to me, riding out our lovemaking.
