THUD! THUD! THUD! “I will break this door down, Bria!” I can hear Bryant say as I’m walking Lisa to bed. “Cruz, you’re fucking drunk, man,” I hear him tell Cruz outside the door.
“I'm not that drunk Bryant. I… I have her house keys,” he slurs, speaking to Bryant.
“What the hell, man; you see I'm out here...” he trails off. “Your ass is fuckin' crazy. I can go to jail out here, and you have the fucking keys.” I can clearly hear them arguing outside the door. What will my neighbors think?
The chain is on the door, so they won't get very far. Before I know what's happening, I can hear my door being pushed open and that chain. That chain is non-existent. Cruz has broken the chain off my door and my heart speeds up. The adrenaline pouring through my body has my heart pumping full speed. I turn and run toward the spare bedroom I just walked Lisa to. I get into the bedroom; she's balled up on the bed sleeping. I lock the door to the hall. I already took the precaution of locking the bathroom.
Thud! Thud!
“Bria?” He's calm.
Lisa jumps up. “Shhh. Go back to sleep, Lisa.” She sits up with her back to the headboard.
“What the hell have you done to these men?”
I shake my head. “Absolutely nothing.”
“Bria, can you and I talk? It’s not what you think.” Cruz tries to explain. I don't say anything because Cruz is not who I am upset with, Bryant is. Bryant has disappointed me so many times this week; it just hurts now. I can't believe I tolerated him tonight.
“Bria, I promise I just want to talk, let me explain. I'll leave... we'll leave.” Cruz is at my door pleading to speak with me. He’s not the one who should be explaining anything.
“Bria?” I'm startled by Lisa's voice. I walk over and sit on the bed.
“You should listen to what he has to say. Maybe we are overreacting to what Bryant said.”
I shake my head. “It’s true. I know because Cruz is here, not Bryant.”
“Where did he go?”
I shrug. “I'm not sure, but I need to resolve this.”
I yank the door open and Cruz falls forward. He must have been leaning on the door because he fell in face first. I walk out into my sitting room. Bryant is sitting on my sofa, face in hands. I stand in front of him with my arms folded. He senses me there and he just shakes his head.
“Bree, I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for Cass, for scaring you, for being an ass, for taking our friendship for granted. I'm fucking numb without you in my life, Bree.” He looks up at me and his face looks tired. “I did. I admit it. I gave you to Cruz. I knew in my heart that I wasn't who you wanted. You tolerated me; you settled for what we have... had. I knew the night I made you scream my name. I knew when I walked away... when I left you. I left my heart. Cruz met you at the Vodka Bar. He asked me, Bree. I wasn't thinking when he told me he was going to find a common ground with you. He was going to take your mind slowly.”
“Shut up, Bryant!” I scream. “Shut your mouth!” I turn to get away from him. Cruz is standing behind us.
“Get out! Both of you!”
“Bree, listen. I have to tell you. It wasn't supposed to be like that.” Bryant is pleading with me to listen, but I can't. My anger level has reached skyscraper height.
“Wasn't supposed to be like what? OH MY GOD, you knew! The night I told you that he came on to me. You nonchalantly tried to pawn me off to him.”
“Bree, no, it wasn't a business transaction.”
I draw back to slap Bryant and Cruz catches my hand. He lifts me to restrain me, but my anger has me strong tonight. I power my way away from Cruz to get to Bryant, just in enough time to knee him in his dick. He doubles over then I slap him. Cruz finally gets hold of me. He’s gripping me so tight I'm becoming exhausted. I feel myself blacking out.
* * *
My eyes are closed and my body is limp. I'm finally beginning to understand the human body better. If I open my eyes, my body will come alive. My brain is only half functioning when I hear the sound of my front door closing. I can barely make out what I think are two people talking.
“Is she going to be okay?”
“Sure, I don't think she's drunk anymore.”
“You should have driven her home anyway.” That's Cruz's voice telling Bryant he should have driven Lisa home.
“She'll be fine, Cruz.”
“Okay, man, if something happens to her, your ass is already in hot water with Bria.”
“I know; this is a very bad situation. She has never been violent. She must be beyond angry.”
“It doesn't matter anymore, Bryant. The deal is about to close; you're about to become CEO of my family's company. You'll save the day and Bria will forgive your selfish ass.”
“I'm selfish, Cruz?” These idiots are arguing... are they serious?
“Yeah, you are. What guy trades his best friend for a guaranteed sale of a company?”
“I knew you were testing me, Cruz.” I can hear Bryant breathing hard. He sounds frustrated. “You wanted to see how loyal I was to her as a symbol of family, but you wanted to know how ruthless I was for the company. If I'm selfish, you're a pig.”
I can hear Cruz's arrogant ass gasp. “Me a pig?”
“Yeah... you. How many times have you had your dirty hands on my best friend?”
“None the way you think.”
“Fucking liar,” Bryant retorts.
“None. Bryant, man, she's...”
“She's what?” I hear Bryant ask.
“She's worth more than a fuck,” Cruz admits.
“Oh, don't I know it,” Bryant replies.
They are quiet for a minute. My body still won't respond. It’s as if I'm paralyzed. I can hear; my eyes are moving, but my body won't. I hear Bryant speaking again.
“I can't believe you've been here with her all this time. Never, not even once you've had sex with her?”
“Nope.”
“You can't resist a woman like Bria.”
Cruz laughed. “I know, trust me, I know... God, do I know. I have self-control, Bryant. A few factors helped with me not taking her.”
“Yeah, what's that?”
Cruz chuckles. Oh God, he's not turned on by me. Oh god, why am I concerned by that right now? I can't freaking move.
“Shit, man, you married?” I can hear a thwack and I'm guessing Cruz just hit Bryant.
“No, man, I'm not married.”
“So what's the deal?” Bryant continues to question Cruz.
“When was the last time you had sex with Bria?” Cruz asks Bryant.
“Shit, the day after you drugged me.” How the hell did he know Cruz drugged him, and why can't I fucking move?
“Yeah, man, I don't think that dose was strong enough. I knew I wasn't going to be able to control myself around her.”
Wait… he wanted to be drugged, so he wouldn't have sex with me? He's knows the damage he could have caused himself. Wait... they planned it?
I feel like my stomach has turned inside out. I start convulsing. I feel my body shaking uncontrollably. I try to calm myself; but whatever is happening with me, it's not subsiding. I can still hear those idiots talking though.
“You call me a pig. You assured me you wouldn't fuck her again.”
“Seriously, Cruz, what's the difference?”
“You don't get it. For me, the best pleasure is pleasing a woman by any means: sexually, mentally, physically, and most of all, emotionally. I never want to follow a man in that area sexually. I wanted Bria's body to crave me naturally. I couldn't very well have that happen while you kept drilling her.”
Bryant laughs. “She will kill you for referring to being with her as being drilled.”
“Probably,” Cruz says. “But still there's something I crave in her.”
“Ha,” Bryant says. “Yeah, and we know what that is.”
“HELP ME! PLEASE!” I can hear the swift movement of feet coming closer to me.
“Bria,” Cruz is yelling my name
in a panicked tone. I finally jump out of my paralyzed state. “Hey, hey, you're okay.” His voice is soft and calming. I'm still shaking uncontrollably. Cruz pulls me to him for comfort. “Shhh, honey, I'm right here; you're okay. You're okay.”
I'm silent and staring right at Bryant. He has the most apologetic look on his face. I turn my face away from Bryant. I rest my face on Cruz's chest. I can feel it rise and fall; it's actually calming me.
The feelings of uneasiness I had before are gone.
“Bria, it’s still early morning. You need to rest,” he informs me.
“Did you give me anything, Cruz?”
“No, Bria, I didn’t; you have my word.”
“I blacked out so suddenly, why? That’s all I can remember.”
“Bria, don’t get upset.”
“Upset, why?”
“I, uh, I put you to sleep.”
“What?”
“I physically put you in a sleep-restraint hold; you were hysterical. We tried to calm you. You just weren’t listening.” Cruz is telling me this in his calm voice. It’s soothing so I can’t be upset.
“Your physical state was altered by the alcohol, Bria. I didn’t want you to hurt anyone or yourself. You are fucking strong for a chick.” He’s laughing but sincere. He’s holding me so close to him. This man who’s only been in my life for a few weeks has ignited something within me. I’m not sure of the feeling. I’m not sure I like it, but it’s here.
Sunday morning came and went. Both Bryant and Cruz are in my home. Somewhere in the middle of Cruz explaining why he gave Bryant an ultimatum versus a proposition was clearly because Bryant didn’t deserve me in that way. I fell asleep again still in Cruz’s arms with Bryant posted up against my doorframe. He looked sorry and pissed, but I can’t control the feelings he brought on himself.
* * *
I think my body has had enough sleep for one day; and although I’d like to lie here the rest of the day, I just can’t ignore the noise my phone is making. I search for my phone underneath my whole bedspread. When I finally locate it, I see I have several texts and a missed call from Lisa.
I click on the text; it’s also from Lisa.
(Lisa) Hope all is well, sunshine… no ménage à trois without me… LOL
(Me) I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen without you. ;)
(Lisa) MY GIRL!
I click the next text, it’s signed Stone… who the hell is Stone? I jog my memory… Stone, Stone. I keep repeating over in my head. Ohh, Mike Stone.
(Mike) Hi B. Just saying hi this morning, wanted to let you know how good you felt last night. Hope you have a blessed Sunday.
(Me) Hi Mike, I really like the name alias. It’s very reputable.
I get a text back from him right away.
(Mike) Ah, she’s soft and smart. I was beginning to think my text was inappropriate.
(Me) No, it was flattering, thank you.
(Mike) What are your plans for today?
(Me) I had a very rough night so I’m not certain.
(Mike) So your two guys didn’t cooperate last night?
He just assumed that Bryant and Cruz are my guys. I mean ‘my guys’. I’m not sure I even want to clarify his assumptions, so I don’t. However, I send him a quick text.
(Me) My endeavors in ALL my business activities are very discreet.
(Mike) Absolutely, thank you for clarifying.
I send him one last text.
(Me) Let me assess things, I’ll get back to you about tonight.
(Stone) Absolutely.
I can hear Cruz and Bryant talking again. They are like little schoolgirls.
“Bria has remedied this entire take-over for you, Bryant. She worked her ass off on this deal.”
“Shit, I know. I don’t know what I was thinking, hooking back up with Cass.” Cruz pauses before he continues to respond to Bryant, it sounds like he’s eating. I’m starving and they are in my house eating my food. They are arrogant bastards.
I remove the heavy bedspread to reveal I’m wearing an oversized T-shirt. My hair feels like a bird’s nest, and I’m in need of the toilet. I feel dehydrated. I’m not sure what I will relieve myself of. My mouth is like a desert. I could piss sand right now. I can hear their voices clearer the closer I get to my sitting room. Unfortunately, I have to close the bathroom door. I can hear a muffled voice.
“Sounds like she’s stirring.” I’m not sure whose voice that was.
“Bree?” I can hear Bryant call standing near the bathroom door.
“Who the hell else could it be?” I whisper to myself. I’d rather not answer him. I was told I tried to dismember his member. My mind is so full of memories of the activities last night, some of which was assaulting Bryant.
Shit, he probably deserved it. Two knocks on the door diverts my brain back to where I am.
“On the toilet, Bryant,” I shriek. That seems not to matter… He opens the door from the hall.
“Bryant!”
“Bree, I know.” He comes in anyway.
“Bree, c’mon, I’ve been in the bathroom while you took a tinkle before.” I shake my head because closed doors aren’t provided for privacy anymore.
“Look, Cruz and I are probably the last two people you want to be around.”
I nod. “You got that right,” I say softly. “Can you please turn around?”
He cocks his head to the side. “Really, Bree? I’ve licked and seen your pussy so many times, your underwear should be jealous.”
“Oh, my God! Get the fuck out. I’m coming out okay,” I say rather loudly. He just stands there. “Bryant, give me some privacy please, at least turn your back.”
He laughs. “I know you, Bree; you’ll wipe, wash, and dash.” He shakes his head, not happening.
“Ugh…” I sigh. While I finish up, he’s looking at my hair. I haven’t quite looked in the mirror, but his face is distorted like he’s horrified.
“What?”
He points to my head, and then pats it down as if he’s afraid to touch it. I look over his shoulder into the mirror and yep, just as I expected… a bird’s nest. I just shake my head. As I’m washing my hands and face, Cruz steps in. “Dammit, I know my bathroom is huge, but not huge enough for a thr…” I pause mid-sentence. They both eye me.
“What was that, Bree?” Bryant’s the first to catch my slip up.
“Nothing, my bathroom isn't big enough for all of us. That's all I'm saying.” Cruz smiles, he looks at Bryant who looks at me.
“Pervs.” I push past both of them to enter the hall. I smell food, deliciously cooked food. I walk into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the refrigerator. The two in tow are laughing.
“As much as I'd like to share business with you, Bryant, I cannot share women. Well, I could, but not her.” He's turned serious; his eyes are doing that light to dark thing.
“What? You don't want to know whose is bigger, Cruz?”
“Seriously, Bryant,” I scoff.
“I was talking about his hands... His hands are huge.” He laughs. Cruz shakes his head as he walks toward me. Bryant is still chuckling at his perverted joke. What I can’t understand is why he acts as if everything is settled between us. It's not, not even a little bit.
“Are you hungry, Bria? You should be,” Cruz comments.
“I am; who prepared food?”
“We ordered from that Italian restaurant you like.” My senses wake up.
Oh, it smells so good. Bryant is standing there watching us. I wonder if he feels like the third wheel. Cruz is staring at my hair. He pokes at it. I jerk away at his annoying gesture. Usually a woman wants to look her best around men, but these two aren't worth going through the trouble for.
He and Bryant both laugh. “Uhm, that's... different. What's the ratio good to bad hair days? I may want to reconsider... Um, I can contribute to the salon weekly,” Cruz says with a straight face. Bryant on the other hand has busted a stitch laughing.
“Who decided to put m
e in bed on my side? This is the result,” I growl, pointing at my hair.
Bryant points to Cruz. “The fucking guy had a hard on just because I unzipped your damn dress. Seriously, we both undressed and dressed you. He actually made me leave the room when you were in your... wait. You didn't have on any underwear.” Cruz looks pissed at Bryant's confessions.
“Shut the fuck up,” Cruz grunts. He seems awkward.
“Man, she's my best friend. I've been in her… life for a very long time. Whatever happens with you two, I'm not going anywhere.” I'm standing in my kitchen with two of Minnesota's panty-dropping men, and I can't be more disgusted by either of them.
I'm more disgusted by my thoughts of them. Bryant is eating some type of Italian bread, leaning on the counter. Cruz is staring at me like he wants to eat me.
Bryant breaks the silence. “Hell, can I at least watch if the threesome is out?”
I throw him a wicked glare; he ducks and shrugs his shoulders. Cruz doesn't laugh at all he just stares at me.
“What?” I say with an attitude, because the staring is just annoying.
“You need to eat, Bria; you've slept most of the day.” His voice has gone low but serious. “You'll need your strength.”
I scrunch my face. “Why?”
Cruz looks to Bryant. “You really want to watch?” Bryant’s face turns to me, and he raises his eyebrow to ask permission.
“Uh, no,” I say. Cruz’s face lights up, and he doubles over holding his stomach. He's laughing so hard he can’t catch his breath. “You two are fuckin' idiots, perverted idiots.”
Bryant stops laughing. “Seriously though, I would want to watch. I think it would be fucking hot!”
Cruz doesn't say anything, which leads me to believe he wouldn't mind Bryant watching him have sex.
“You don't think that's borderline... gay?” I ask.
“No, what's the difference in watching a pornographic movie?” Bryant questions.
“Me, I'm the difference,” I roar.
Cruz shrugs. “I'm all for it; but the look you gave me tells me you aren’t,” Cruz confirms.
What They Don't Know (Won't Hurt Them Trilogy #1) Page 20
