by Nicole Dykes
I clear my throat and wipe my sweaty palm on my shorts. “I’m fine. Really. I do have some news though.”
“Oh no. Bad news?”
I sit in the chair in my office, confident that Missy can handle things alone for a little bit. “It depends on how you look at it.” Just tell her. “Stephen and I called off the wedding. And I know you and dad have paid for things already, but I will pay you back.”
There is nothing but silence on the line. I really hate disappointing my parents. They have been so good to me.
“Mom?” I ask meekly.
“I’m sorry to hear that, sweetie. I really thought you guys were good together. What happened?”
She means well, but I can hear the sadness in her voice and it guts me. All they want is for me to be settled. “It just wasn’t right mom. We were too different.”
“Well they say opposites attract. Of course, your father and I are very similar, so who knows.”
I smile, that’s true. My parents have almost everything in common. They even have the same profession. “I’m sorry to let you guys down again.”
“Oh honey you haven’t let me down and besides this has happened before. Never say never.”
I should tell her it’s different this time. That Stephen and I are on the same page and that we aren’t getting back together, but instead I humor her. “You never know. Tell dad I love him. I have to go. I love you.”
“We love you too. Talk to you soon.”
With that I hang up and sit in my quiet office for longer than I should with the whole place figuratively burning down around me.
I want to get married and have babies. But I don’t want to do that with the wrong person. Maybe I’m just destined to be a spinster for the rest of my life.
Might as well have fun in the meantime before I totally give up totally, get a cat and settle into being alone.
Chapter 25
Shriller
I
arrived back in L.A. this morning and went straight to my house. It was eerie, everything was exactly the way I left it a month ago, except there is no trace of Tiffany.
I still called a locksmith and had them change the locks for good measure. After that, I packed up some of my stuff to take back to K.C. and went to my favorite restaurant for a late lunch. I thought I would be happy to be back here, but the streets just seem too crowded and the food doesn’t taste nearly as good.
I suddenly miss Alex’s neighborhood. I’ve grown accustomed to it in the weeks I’ve been there. I’m even on a first name basis with a few of her neighbors. I would take Brooke’s cooking over the fanciest restaurant in L.A . I’m not sure what the hell is happening. Maybe it’s because this is just a quick one day trip?
Who the hell knows. I’m not gonna dwell on it.
At around two, I’m bored and decide to head to Dick’s office an hour earlier than our agreed upon time. I’m sure he can squeeze me in and I’m ready to get this over with.
I drive downtown to where his office is located and walk in. His assistant isn’t at her desk, so I walk back to the hallway that leads to his office.
I hear voices right before I reach the frosted glass door of my manager’s office. My eyes focus on two images through the glass. It’s distorted, but obvious that Dick has my former girlfriend, Tiffany, bent over his desk, pounding into her.
I could just leave. They have no idea I am here, both lost in that moment. But fuck that, it’s really not my style.
I steady myself on my single crutch and open the door. I walk in and make sure to slam the door loudly. “Well isn’t this cute?”
Tiffany and Dick both freeze, both staring at me.
I casually take a seat in the chair on the opposite side of the desk. Dick doesn’t look too horrified. No, he looks more irritated.
“Please don’t let me interrupt. Tiffany clearly has some major daddy issues she needs to work out.” I say, as I gesture for them to continue.
He moves away from her, tucking his dick in his designer slacks and Tiffany pulls her sundress back down over her ass before asking me, weakly, “What are you doing here? I thought you were in Kansas City.”
“What, Dick didn’t tell you we have a meeting scheduled today?” I ask her, staying calm in my seat.
She turns to my manager who has taken a seat in his fancy office chair. “You knew he was coming?”
He brushes her off and I ask him, “So what, did you want me to witness this?”
His mouth morphs into a wicked grin. “Actually, I had planned for her to be gone by the time you got here. There was something thrilling about conducting our meeting where I fucked your girlfriend only minutes before.”
Asshole. I want to wipe that smug look off of his face, but I don’t want to go to jail and I don’t want him to know it bothers me. “Ex-girlfriend.”
“Ah that’s right. She dumped your ass.”
Tiffany looks slightly guilty and really uncomfortable, standing beside the desk playing with her long blond hair.
I fold my arms over my chest, grateful that the pain in my right shoulder is minimal. “And was this shit going on before that, or was this just a fun little idea that popped into your head for today?”
He smirks over at me from across the desk, but before he can answer Tiffany pipes up. “I never cheated on you. How could you think that?”
I laugh outright at that, “I don’t know, Tiff. Probably has something to do with you dropping me as soon as something real happens and you saw your meal ticket going out the window. Or me walking in on you fucking my manager a month later.”
She huffs and folds her arms over her chest too. “I’m not a slut.”
I laugh again at her expense and stand up as cool as I can balancing on a damn crutch. “You said it, not me.” I turn to Dick now, “You’re fired.”
He stands up, looking into my eyes. He doesn’t look worried at all which pisses me off. “Fine by me. Let’s face it Shriller, you’re done. You’re turning thirty-one in a couple of days. You’re going to be out for at least a year. Besides, I’m already representing the next up and comer in the racing world.”
Fuck, his words cut deeper than I would ever admit out loud. All of my worst fears laid out in front of me. “Fine by me asshole. Good luck with some young punk that’ll shit his pants the first real race he’s in.”
He smirks again and it takes all of my self-control not to jump the desk and wring his neck. He holds up a copy of a racing magazine I’ve graced the cover of numerous times. Only this one has a picture of some kid, probably around twenty, dressed in a racing jumpsuit without the top pulled up. The headline reads, “Racing just got hotter.”
Fuck. Dick won this round and I can’t get out if here fast enough. I turn to leave and I hear him say, “Since we still have three months left, you can either deal only with me for a few months, although I’m not putting any real effort into it, or buy me out. Your choice, but I find out you’ve so much as been in the same room as another manager, I’ll sue you for everything you’ve got.”
I should’ve known this would happen. The minute I wrecked I was dead to him. “I’ll send ya’ a check.” I say as I walk out the door, not looking back.
I need to get out of this fucking city. I don’t want to be in the same time zone as those two people. I shouldn’t be this pissed off, but when in the hell will this shitstorm be over?
I switch my flight for a late night one and wonder if Alex has changed her mind about hooking up again.
I could use an hour or two of being with Alex to forget this day. Hell, this month.
Chapter 26
Alex
I
sit straight up in my bed on high alert because I’m pretty sure I just heard a sound coming from inside of my apartment. I look at the clock next to my bed, it’s one o’clock in the morning. I just fell asleep an hour ago.
Shriller is out of town until tomorrow afternoon, so I’m in full panic mode as I climb quietly out of my bed and grab
the baseball bat I keep next to my door.
I open my door slowly and walk out into the dark hallway, clenching the bat to my chest. Seconds later, I bump into a hard body and scream loudly, lifting the bat. I stop when I hear, “Alex, shit! It’s Shriller. Calm down.”
My breathing is heavy as I find the light switch and illuminate the hallway to see Shriller standing in front of me. His face has a cocky amused look on it that makes me want to smack him. He’s leaning on his crutch with his overnight bag slung over his shoulder. I lower the bat and place my hand over my thumping heart. “What the hell are you doing here this early? I’m not supposed to pick you up for twelve hours!”
“I’m sorry. I should have sent you a message. I decided to come back early.”
He seems genuine in his apology and I ask, “Why?”
His confidence looks shaken and his face isn’t so carefree when he tells me, “I fired Dick.”
“Good. He’s a creep.”
He half laughs at that, but still seems upset. “You have no idea.”
“What happened?”
He studies me, his eyes roving over my body in a way that would have gotten his ass kicked weeks ago, but now I can’t deny the effect it has on me. “I’m not really in the mood to talk.”
His body moves closer to mine as he lets his bag drop to the floor next to him. Uh oh. This isn’t good. We’re alone and I don’t think I’m strong enough to resist him. “Right. You’re probably exhausted and just want to go to sleep.”
He smirks at me, his eyes hungry as his face comes only inches from my own. My back is against the wall. “Nope.”
Holy shit, his look is intense as hell and he smells really good, even after being on a flight. I put my hand up, placing it on his firm chest over his dark t-shirt, desperately trying to keep some distance between us. “Look Shriller, I’ve been thinking a lot about our night together.”
“And?” his husky voice whispers near my ear.
“And it’s probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”
I see his lips turn up into a devious smile, “But?”
The asshole knows he has me. Why deny it or pretend that I don’t want this? I’m single. So is he. We’re both adults. “But my body is dying to feel your touch again.”
“That, I can do,” he says, leaning his crutch against the wall. He places his hands on the wall, pinning me between them.
His lips are hovering above mine when I say, “Wait. Just promise me something. I need your word.”
“Anything.” The word comes out in a ragged breath.
I put my hand on his arm and lock eyes. “No, don’t just say that because your dick is hard and you are dying for a release. Listen to me.”
He grins, “Okay. What?”
“Swear to me that we will always be friends. That no matter what happens, I can always call you and it won’t be weird between us.”
His lips graze my neck and I hear him say, “That’s easy. I already told you we will be.”
I try to make myself focus with his full lips sliding along my bare collarbone. “Promise?”
“You have my word. Now you promise me something and not just because you’re soaking wet and your body is craving my cock.”
He growls that last part in my ear, and I’m a combination of pissed off and more turned on than I’ve ever been in my life. “Asshole.”
He brushes that off without a thought and says, “Promise me you won’t let yourself think you’re falling for me. If even for a second you think you have real feelings for me, recognize that it’s just an illusion.”
My eyes meet his and I laugh, “You don’t have to worry about that.”
His look shockingly remains serious. “I mean it. No matter how much we care about each other, we aren’t in love.”
He's right. That’s how these things go downhill, one person falls or thinks they are falling in love. If we go into this knowing it’s not real, we have a good shot at staying friends. “Okay. I promise.”
As if he read my mind he grins and says, “Good. That’ll make my promise a breeze.”
I shake my head at his cockiness, but gasp at the feeling of his lips on mine with the same, if not even more of the intensity as last time. His hands rip my tank top over my head and, since I wasn’t wearing a bra, my chest is bare for him. His lips move down, encircling my nipples with his tongue, spending just enough time on each to drive me fully insane.
My hands snake under his shirt to feel his tight ab muscles before I undo his jeans. He pulls a condom out of his back pocket before I push them down.
We are both frantic in our movements. It isn’t slow and sweet. It’s desperate and dirty. He slips the condom on and pushes my cotton shorts and thong down in one motion before pushing inside of me, my back firmly against the wall and my hands gripping hard in his hair.
His lips find mine as he moves in and out of me furiously. His hands find my ass as my legs wrap around his. There is a brief thought about his knee, but I can’t vocalize them as I feel the familiar glorious buildup of an orgasm.
My nails dig into his scalp as I move my mouth to his shoulder and bite down as I come hard, clenching tightly around his dick.
I hear him groan with insane pleasure as he comes with me, squeezing my ass firmly and pressing me hard against the wall.
I lean my head on his shoulder, pinned there, trying to catch my breath.
I hope I don’t regret this.
Chapter 27
Shriller
T
he next week is a blur of hot, dirty sex over every inch of Alex’s apartment. Seriously, I don’t think there is one spot we haven’t fucked. It’s been fun and drama free. Exactly what we both needed.
My surgery got bumped from this week to next, so now we’re spending this hot Saturday celebrating my thirty-first birthday, which is actually tomorrow. Brooke insisted on throwing me a party, and we are all out on the deck in their backyard.
Jax and Dylan are grilling. Brooke is making sides with Charlotte in the kitchen as usual. The kids are in the pool. And Alex is laying poolside getting a tan on that hot body.
While they’re all doing that, I’m sitting at the glass outdoor table with my bad leg propped up. Alex and I did a hell of a number on it in the shower this morning. Worth it.
The back gate creaks open and Luke and Hannah walk in the backyard. They are followed by Cassie and her boyfriend, Hunter. I smile when I see Hunter’s friend, Cam, with Hannah’s hot friend, Vanessa, come in a few seconds later. I haven’t seen them since Christmas.
Cam is on the Kansas State University football team with Hunter and at one time, with Luke, before he quit school. I think it’s cool they are still close.
Hunter, always the polite gentlemen, goes straight to Jax and Dylan to offer help over at the grill. Hannah, Cassie, and Vanessa go inside. Cam and Luke head my way, both giving me a fist bump before taking a seat.
“Your injuries don’t look so bad, man.” Cam says as Luke tosses him a beer from the cooler sitting beside me.
I laugh at that. “Nah, just a couple of bumps and bruises.” I say, happy to downplay it, even though I know he knows the extent of my injuries.
He nods, “Good, you’ll be back on the track before you know it then.”
I tip my beer back and nod my head wishing that were true. I’d give anything to get back to racing. Of course, I have to admit these last few weeks at Alex’s have been nice.
Cam is a huge racing fan and I’m honestly surprised he went into football instead. “So, what are you doing in K.C.?”
Luke smirks when he answers for him. “Once finals are done, they all flock straight to me.”
Cam shakes his head, laughing. “Actually, Hunt couldn’t talk Cassie into staying in Manhattan over the summer, so we all decided to rent a house here until we have to go back.”
“All? Even Vanessa?”
I grin at him as he nods his head slowly. Cam and Vanessa used to date and I have no clue
what happened between them. All I know is, there is some serious tension there. I can’t believe they are going to live together this summer.
“That’s ballsy man,” I state.
Luke laughs, “That’s fucking stupid is what it is.”
Cam flips him off, his head turning as the sliding glass door opens and the girls walk outside. His eyes follow Vanessa the whole way as she , Hannah, and Cassie join Alex by the pool. Poor fucker.
I grin into a sip of my beer at that thought. His eyes look a little panicked a minute later when Cassie’s friend, Dani, walks into the backyard. Damn, for my birthday there sure are a lot of kids here. Of course, Dani’s presence ups the odds of some good ole-fashioned drama, since she’s all over Cam and she and Vanessa hate each other.
Gotta love dinners with the Monroes. They are entertaining as hell. Dani struts right over to Cass and, after talking to her for a bit, strips down into a tiny orange bikini, making damn sure she has Cam’s attention while she does it.
Vanessa is watching the whole thing with jealousy in her eyes.
“Fuck, Van is gonna kill her skanky ass,” Luke tells Cam.
Cam just shrugs it off, casually. “Nah, she doesn’t care. She’s over it. We’re friends.”
Luke and I both chuckle at that. I turn when there is a loud splash as Dani soars into the pool. She pops up gasping for air and screams at Vanessa, “You bitch! You did that on purpose.”
Vanessa just shrugs, “Oh please. You tripped over my foot.”
Cam groans and stands up along with Luke, who can’t resist saying, “Oh yeah, she doesn’t care at all,” before they both head over to help.
See, drama. Always.
Jax who is still laughing takes the seat next to me. “I love a good catfight.”
I grin. “Yeah, that was kinda lame though. No hair pulling or bitch slapping to speak of.”
“It’s still early.”
I laugh at that as we watch Cam give Dani a hand getting out of the pool, while she and Vanessa glare at each other as Hannah and Cassie try to keep them apart. Alex just looks as amused by it all, as I am.
