She takes my beer from my hands and places it on the table. She then stands and grabs my wrist, pulling me up.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
She takes me to the bathroom. “You’re seriously overstressed. I mean, did you listen to what you just said? Who thinks that? Take a long hot bath. There’s bath oil, bombs, and bubbles, everything you could possibly need. Light the candles. Play some soft music. Just unwind. Then, go to bed because I think you’re delirious. But Maddie, don’t let all the shit I just mentioned freak you out. If you think you have control of the situation with Bennet and you’ve both agreed to the terms…what do I know?”
I laugh and shake my head. “You're probably right. I didn’t get much sleep last night,” I confess.
She smiles wide and nods her head. “I bet. Mr. Boxer got all up in that, huh?”
I laugh and shake my head. “What? No. Get out!” I point toward the door, and she slips out, laughing the whole way.
I bend down and run the water for a bath. I dump in some fancy bubbles, and while the tub fills, I light the candles. Finally, I strip down and turn off the lights. As I slide deep into the tub, I pull up some music on my phone and set it on top of the toilet lid. I close my eyes and lean back, letting the scent of lavender and eucalyptus ease my worries away. I take a deep breath and feel like I’m exhaling all negative things away. My neck is sore and stiff, but the hot water helps to break up the tension. Before I know it, I’m fast asleep… until my phone rings. I jump awake and answer it quickly.
“Hello?” I answer.
“He knows,” Bennet says on the other end of the line.
“Who knows what? What are you talking about?”
“Your brother, he knows about us.”
I sit up quickly, causing the water to splash over the side of the tub. “How?”
“He invited me out for some drinks. We started talking about things. He told me about you coming to stay, then asked if I still raced. Then he asked if I still boxed, and then he put two and two together. He said you mentioned getting hit on by a hot boxer.”
“Fuck,” I whisper. “How’d he take it?”
“I’m not sure. He didn’t say anything else. He just stood up and left. So, expect him to come in hot.”
“Great,” I mumble. “Thanks for the warning.”
“Will I see you tomorrow?” he asks quietly, like he’s afraid I’ll say no.
“I don’t even know if I’ll be alive tomorrow.” Without another word, I hang up the phone and stand from the tub. I wrap a towel around myself and hit the drain. I flip on the light and start blowing out the candles when I hear a door slam.
“Where is she?” he asks Jazz.
“She’s taking a bath. What’s wrong?” she asks, quietly but also urgently.
He doesn’t answer.
I quickly open the door and step out into the hallway, nearly bumping into him.
“Bennet? Really?” His chest is rising and falling quickly. The vein in his neck is popping out, and his jaw is cocked. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him this mad.
“Damon,” I start, but he cuts me off.
“No, Madeline. For the first time in your life, just tell me the truth. Are you sleeping with Bennet?”
“I don’t think this is any of our business,” Jazz tries, but he doesn’t budge.
He stares me down, and I stare him down. Jazz stands off to the side, bouncing from one foot to the other, eyes flashing back and forth between us.
Finally, I take a deep breath. “Yes,” I admit.
He shakes his head and turns to walk away, but I follow after him.
“What’s the problem with Bennet? Huh?” I ask, following him into the kitchen.
He swings the refrigerator door open and snatches a beer. He twists the top open, tosses the cap in the trash, and takes a long drink.
“Didn’t you say many times that you wish I’d stop messing around with all these fuckboys and find someone that has a decent job, that’s a decent guy?”
He refuses to look at me.
“That’s what I thought, Damon.” I turn to leave, but stop myself, remembering I have no place to go. “You’re my brother, Damon. Not my dad. And I didn’t see you rushing to tell me when you started fucking my best friend, did you?”
“Is that why you’re doing this? To get back at me?” he asks, holding his arms out at his sides, cold green eyes locked on mine.
“What? No. No, I’m not trying to get back at you. I love that you two are together. I love that you both found someone equally great. I’m happy that you’re getting married and having a baby. I love that you two get your happily ever after. But why am I being treated like your fucked-up little sister when I try to do the same?” Without another word, I walk back down the hall and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. I sit on the edge of the tub, and a deep breath escapes me. Tears fill my eyes, not because I’m hurt or sad, but because I’m angry. He’s my brother, and he’s Bennet’s friend. He should be happy that I’m with such a decent guy instead of Travis.
I hear a soft knock on the door and I dry my eyes. Jazz walks in holding a pair of clothes. “I knew you didn’t have anything, so I brought you some P.J’s.”
I take them. “Thank you.”
She nods. “Just give him some time. Remember how mad you were when you found out about us? He’ll come around, Mads. We’re going to bed, so the couch is all yours.”
I don’t look up until I hear the click of the door closing behind her.
I stand and pull on the clothes that she brought me while thinking about everything all over again: Bennet, Damon, what Jazz just said. I don’t see why I’m fighting so hard for something that doesn’t even really exist. I could end things with Bennet if I want to. But I don’t feel that I should. Damon doesn’t have the right to say who I can and can’t date—er… sleep with rather. I didn’t demand he stop seeing Jazz, and I hope he allows me the same opportunity. I know how I am. If you tell me no, I’ll want it that much more. If Damon tells me to end it with Bennet, I’ll fucking marry him to prove a point.
God, I hope I don’t end up married. I shake my head at myself.
I head to the couch in the dark house. Flopping onto the soft cushions, I pull the blanket up around me. For a second, I feel lonely and wish I would’ve stayed with Bennet, but that thought alone brings on a whole new fear, and I push it away just like everything else. I focus on how comfortable I am. I listen to the soft hum of the A/C unit when it’s on, and I count down the minutes until it starts back up. I look up at the blinds and watch as bits of dust dance around in the shine of the streetlights, almost like glitter. I focus on my heartbeat, wishing it were faster like it was last night when I was with him. A sigh leaves my lips. Is it Bennet I miss or his company? Is it the things he says, or is it the way he touches me and makes me feel alive? It’s all of it, I finally admit to myself.
I pick up my phone from the coffee table and debate on whether or not I should call him. Then see that it’s pushing midnight and figure I better not. I drop it back onto the table and curl myself into a ball. It seems like it takes forever, but I finally fall asleep.
10
Bennet
“You. You’re the boxer,” Damon says, narrowing his eyes at me.
My mouth opens, but no sound comes out. I can’t deny it, but I don’t want to admit it either.
He shakes his head, then pushes his way out of the booth, heading for the door. I stand up and watch him go, unsure of what I should do. He climbs behind the wheel of his Jeep and squeals the tires off the pavement as he leaves.
I sit back down and pull out my phone, calling Maddie.
After we talk, it feels like things are just a bigger mess than they were already. She wouldn’t give me an answer about seeing her tomorrow either. I tell myself that I’m overthinking, that I’ve just had too much to drink and need to sleep it off.
I stand and head back out to the parking lot. Crawling into the
backseat, the driver asks where I want to go next. I quickly think it over, debating between my usual club or the house. A part of me wants to go have a few more drinks, maybe find someone to take home, but Maddie flashes into my head, and all I can say is, “Take me home.”
That reply only makes me think more. Maddie and I, we have an agreement. And nowhere in that agreement did it say we can’t sleep with other people. But I don’t want to sleep with other people. I just want her. How the hell did she get under my skin so quickly?
When we pull up to the house, I stumble my way in and up the stairs, falling into bed still completely dressed. It only takes seconds before I’m fast asleep.
My phone ringing pulls me from my dreams. I wiggle around until I can slide my hand in my pocket and pull it free.
“Hello?” I answer, still half asleep.
“Mr. Windsor, this is Nathan, your front gate guard. There is a Madeline Strickland trying to get in. Should I let her in or call the police?”
“Let her in,” I nearly yell. “Always let her in.”
“Yes, sir.”
I drop the phone onto the bed and stretch. Finally, I sit up and tug off my shoes.
Maddie walks in, a smirk on her face. “Did someone have a late night?”
I nod. “Late, drunk, whatever,” I mumble.
She crawls up onto the bed with me, pushing me back down. She holds her head up by one fist while her leg drapes over my hips.
“How’d it go with Damon?” I ask, rubbing my head.
“He had a fit. But today, when they got up for work, he didn’t say anything.”
“Fuck, work,” I mumble. “I should go in.”
“Or, you could hang out with me all day. You seem pretty hungover.”
“Thirty-year-old scotch will do that to you.”
She giggles, and it’s like music to my ears. “I’d love to, but I need to go in. And you need to go shopping for your formal dress for this gala,” I say, moving her leg off of me and attempting to stand.
“I can’t afford a new dress, Bennet. My apartment just burned down.” She sits up, one leg hanging over the edge of the bed.
I place my hand on her cheek, causing her to look up at me. “There’s a list of stores that I have an account with. I’ll give you the info, and you can go get a dress, shoes, jewelry, anything you want without having to pay a dime.”
“No, I can’t do that; it feels like you’re my sugar daddy,” she argues, shaking her head.
I sit on the bed and roll us so that I’m on top, even though it makes my head spin. “You already agreed to go with me. Are you going to stand me up now?”
Her cheeks turn the slightest shade of pink. “Well, no.”
“Alright, then go shopping.” I press a kiss to her mouth before pulling away and standing. I can feel her eyes on me as I walk into the connected bathroom for my morning shower.
I’m standing under the flow of hot water, eyes closed while it pours down over my head. I feel a cold draft hit my back, then warm arms wrap around my stomach. I spin around and find Maddie, smiling up at me.
I let out a chuckle as I pull her lips to mine. Picking her up, she wraps her legs around my hips, and I press her back to the wall. My mouth devours hers, while my right hand rubs over her sensitive clit. I slide a finger inside, and she lets out a deep moan. That sound is like taking a lightning bolt to the dick. It jumps alive, pressing against her like it knows where it wants to be. Taking myself in hand, I place it at her entrance and push forward until we’re connected.
“I don’t want anyone but you, Maddie,” I whisper against her lips as I move my hips back and then forward again. “You’re different. You’re so goddamn beautiful and sexy. Smart and talented. Kind and sweet,” I say, pumping in and out of her with every word.
Her eyes open and lock on mine. All I can see is blue, like I’m looking into the deepest ocean. Her plump lips part with her heavy breathing and her nails dig into my biceps.
“Bennet,” she says in a hushed whisper.
“Maddie,” I reply, moving my lips back to hers. I kiss her deeply while never stilling my hips. I keep going, keep pushing her to feel me, to love me. I’ve never needed love from any woman, but with her, it’s all I want. I want her to love me. I want her by my side for the rest of my life. And if she wants marriage and kids, I’ll be more than willing to give her that. I’ll give her anything she asks for as long as I have her.
As my release rises to the surface, she begins moaning against my lips. Her muscles are squeezing my dick, making it extremely hard not to come this very second. Finally, when I feel her relax around me and her moans have quieted, I let go, riding out the waves of my orgasm and emptying myself onto the shower floor.
I have a smile as I walk into the office today, something I don’t usually have. Being with Maddie makes me happy. And it’s not just because we had sex. Just being with her, holding her hand, talking, lying next to her, it genuinely makes me happy. I’m still a little confused as to why I feel this way around her when it’s never happened with any other woman, but I’m trying not to overthink it. I tell myself just to enjoy it while it lasts.
When I step into my office, I find Callan at my drink cart. He’s standing near the window looking out over the city.
“You’re here early,” I say, going straight to my desk and setting down my briefcase.
He spins around. “What did you find out about the assistant?” he asks.
“I’m sorry, man. I completely forgot,” I tell him. “I’ll call her now.”
“Who do you have in mind?” He sits in the empty chair across the desk from mine.
“My sister.”
His eyebrows skyrocket. “Val?”
I nod.
“Doesn’t she have a job?”
I laugh. “She has a hobby, and you know as well as I do that hobbies don’t pay bills. She’s been borrowing money off me every month for her rent. She needs a job, even if she doesn’t want to admit it.”
“Alright, well, just let me know what you find out,” he says, standing and moving toward the doors.
“If I were you, I’d start looking through the applications. It’s going to take some talking to get her to agree.”
He laughs and nods, but walks out, leaving me alone.
I pick up the phone and dial her number.
“Hello?” she answers.
“Little sister, what have you been up to?”
“Why are you calling, Bennet? We both know you don’t call unless you want something.”
“I guess that’s mutual then, isn’t it?”
I can practically hear her eyes roll.
“How’s the art thing coming along?”
“Why? You asking to rub it in my face?”
“No, I really want to know. Is business picking up?”
“No,” she confesses. “I wish it were, but I’ve been thinking about what you said.”
“What I said?” I ask, shocked.
“Yeah, you know, about getting a job and doing my art as a hobby.”
“That’s great, Val. That’s why I’m calling.”
“Oh?”
“Callan has a spot open for an assistant. It’s five days a week, eight hours a day, and you get full benefits. That would give you the money you need to pay your bills, and you’ll be able to see a real doctor when you need one instead of going to that crazy quack down the road for her herbal concoctions.”
She snorts. “You are a snob; you know that?”
I open my mouth to snap back but decide against it.
“This is my life, Bennet. I know you and Mom and Dad don’t understand it, but it’s not your job to understand. It’s your job to be supportive.” Without another word, she hangs up the phone.
I shake my head and set the phone down, not at all surprised with how the conversation turned out. I’ll give her some time. The next time she calls asking for money, I’m going to turn her down, though. If she’s not willing to help herself, I
’m not going to keep supporting her behavior. There’s nothing wrong with chasing after a dream, but when you start losing things, it’s time to get serious.
I turn on the computer and start going through the massive amounts of emails and phone messages. I begin replying to them when my phone rings.
“Hello?”
“They won’t let me have the dress,” Maddie says.
“What?”
“They say I’m not authorized on your account.”
“Okay, send me the location, and I’ll be down in a few,” I tell her, rushing to finish the email I’m writing. When my phone chimes with a text message, I pick it up and leave the office.
It takes me a good twenty minutes to make it there with traffic, but I quickly park and walk into the store.
“Mr. Windsor,” a staff member greets me.
I walk past and give a nod hello, heading straight to the counter where I see Maddie standing, looking embarrassed. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and her eyes are narrowed.
“Mr. Windsor,” Meredith greets me. She’s known my family for close to two decades.
“What’s going on, Meredith?” I ask, motioning toward Maddie.
“I’m sorry, sir, but we can’t let just anyone charge things to your account.”
“You think this woman just picked a random store and knew I had a charge account here?”
“Well, no. But…I understand your frustration, sir. It’s for your protection,” she insists.
I laugh and glance over again at Maddie, feeling embarrassed for her. I feel like I’m walking on eggshells, constantly fearful that any little thing like this will scare her away.
“Have you rung the item up?” I ask.
She nods.
“Good, thank you, Meredith. In the future, I trust this won’t be an issue?” She gives me a curt smile and wishes us a good day as we walk out of the store.
I look over nervously at Maddie, who hasn’t said a word. “Hey, I’m sorry about that. I—”
“How dare she Pretty Woman me!”
Billionaire With Benefits: Make Her Mine-Book 2 Page 8
