by Measha Stone
"What?" Travis nearly knocked the chair over with his explosion. "For a measly hundred thousand? Do you know what that sort of investigation would do to my life? I'm a fucking district attorney! I can't be associated with this club publicly, and if you do that, my whole fucking life goes under the microscope." Spittle flew from his mouth. "This is fucking blackmail, that's what this is."
Bradley looked to Alex. "Did you force his hand to spend all that cash on weekend getaways with his mistress, or sending his wife on wild lavish spa dates so he could spend time with his girlfriend?"
Alex grinned. "No, not that I remember. Maybe you forced him to buy his girlfriend an entire new wardrobe from Lane Bryant?"
"Ah, yes, he does like his girlfriends a bit curvier than his wife."
Their banter only fueled Travis's anger. "I'll fucking sue you both for blackmail and—and extortion!"
Bradley outright laughed. "It's not blackmail. But if you really do see it that way, I'll have my attorney begin filing whatever he needs to file to pursue a legal case against you. Not only criminal charges, but there will be a civil suit as well." He pushed off his chair and walked around his desk, reaching for the phone.
"Wait." John held up a hand. "Just wait." He turned to Travis. "I can't go through a lawsuit. I'm no big lawyer like you, I just started with a new practice, my client base is minimal, and I sure as hell can't pay back all that money." He buttoned his jacket as he rose from his seat. "I'll make one counter offer. Let us keep part ownership of the first floor. That floor makes a decent profit. Silent partners—take our distributions as they come, no access to accounts. Just quarterly reports."
Bradley glanced at Alex to gauge his reaction to the proposition.
"Fuck that, John. That floor won't make us shit," Travis grumbled.
"Ten percent of that floor for each of you. No access to any accounts, nor will you have any say in the business at all. We don't answer to you in any way. Purely an investment on your end," Alex clarified.
"It's the best you're going to get from me." Bradley settled his gaze on Travis. "I'd rather let you squirm with the cops, but if it gets you out, fine. Ten percent of the bottom floor."
"Fine with me." John nodded and turned to Travis.
The man looked as though his body was about to combust. For an attorney, he sure as hell didn't have much of a poker face.
"Fine," he said. "Get the papers drawn up and send them to my office. You might as well drop my membership to the fucking club. I'm never stepping foot inside this shit-hole again." With that said, he turned on his overly-priced knock-off shoes and stormed out.
After the door slammed, John turned to Alex and Bradley with a somber expression. "Not that you have any reason to believe me, but I want you to know I never intended for it to get so out of hand. And I never intended it to be a theft."
Bradley believed him.
John followed Travis—that wasn't news. They'd known each other since childhood, but he was a grown man and needed to start putting his own better judgement to work. "I'll send you my attorney's information and will alert him to complete the transaction as quickly as possible."
"Thank you, John." Alex held out his hand to him, and Bradley watched them shake.
John gave a nod to Bradley, but didn't reach for his hand. "I should be thanking you." He gave a weak smile and headed for the door.
Bradley and Alex watched him leave in silence.
"Well, that could have been worse." Alex blew out a long breath. "Travis might give us some trouble later on, and we didn't get them to sign the ‘intent to sell.’"
"It wouldn't matter. They can change their minds anyway." Bradley scooped up the papers from the table and brought them back to his desk. "If Travis gives us trouble, we go the legal route. I'm not fucking around with him."
"I suppose." Alex scratched the back of his head. "I'll get the attorneys all lined up to start drafting everything. The sooner I get Alyssa's signature on those papers, the better I'll sleep at night."
"You still think she's going to run off on you? She forgave your stupidity, leave it alone." Bradley rolled his desk chair back and sank into the plush leather.
"No, it's not that. My father won't leave me alone until it's done. He wants to make sure she can stand on her own two feet. The man acts more like her father than mine some days."
Bradley laughed.
Alex walked up to his desk and folded his arms over his chest. Since he’d stopped working at the advertising firm, he spent more time at the gym, and it was starting to show. His suits were getting a little tighter in the arms.
"About Erin."
Bradley groaned. "Don't do the big brother thing with me, Alex." His phone buzzed in his suit pocket, and he snatched it, checking the screen. Not Erin.
She had gone in to work before he left for the club. He had checked on her wrists before she’d hopped in the shower that morning. All of her twisting and turning during their play a few nights before had left her skin a bit tender. She insisted she was fine, but he still checked to be sure there were no abrasions.
At every turn, the woman met his expectations and pushed for more. He didn't think he would ever find a woman who got as hot and bothered about her ironing his shirts nude as he did, yet there she was yesterday morning, stark naked, pressing his pants. He managed to at least wait until she finished before he threw her over the bed and took her.
"I'm not going to do the big brother thing." Alex nodded. "I'm going to do the friend thing. I know how you play, Bradley. I've seen you. I can't see Erin being able to keep up with you, and I know she says she's over Jonathan, but really, do you think she could have gotten over him that quickly?"
"Are you concerned I'll hurt her, or she'll hurt me?" Bradley grinned over the desk, trying to keep his attitude light.
Alex sighed, dropping his hands to his sides. "Hell, I don't know. Both, I guess."
"Look, Erin is an adult, and so am I."
"Fine. I'll leave it alone. Besides, the girls will keep an eye on her. Be careful with her."
Not again. "Right. Because she's a fragile little bird everyone needs to coddle." He rolled his eyes. If her friends could see the things she'd endured for pleasure, they would change their tunes. Erin could take care of herself just fine without everyone always running around with a safety net under her ass, but they still didn't see that.
"That's not what I meant."
"Sure it is. It's what you all mean. Just because she's been sheltered, and hasn’t explored submission before, doesn't make her weak."
"I know it doesn't." Alex narrowed his eyes.
Bradley gathered his phone and start heading for the door. "I have a meeting with Kendrick. I'll be back later."
"Kendrick?" Alex caught up with him in the lounge and they walked toward the elevators.
"It's nothing. Just need him to look into something for me." He escaped into the elevator before Alex could look for more answers than he wanted to give.
Chapter 21
Erin fidgeted at the corner table at Lou Mitchell's Restaurant waiting for Jonathan to show up and sign the listing papers for the house. The waitress refilled her water glass for the second time. She wanted to cancel the dinner, but Bradley insisted she go out, thinking she was having dinner with Kelly. He had to work late at the club, and he saw no reason for her to sit home alone. But he was worried about her, she could see it in his eyes when he looked at her.
He'd asked her several times over the course of the week if she'd received anymore letters. She hadn’t. He hadn’t asked about Jonathan, so she’d kept it to herself. Jonathan needed the money from the house. She needed to be rid of Jonathan once and for all.
She wanted to talk to Bradley about the house and having to meet with Jonathan, but whenever she tried, her mouth dried up and her tongue tied into a knot. Thinking about the situation sent her into a tailspin of worry, so she simply avoided the topic altogether.
It was time she did things on her own anyway
. She didn't need Bradley to babysit her while she talked with Jonathan. They would meet in a public place, and she wouldn't let him bully her. She could take care of herself.
Although, keeping him in the dark of her decision probably pushed that line of honesty a bit further than he would agree to, but she couldn't think of that. She had to focus on getting Jonathan to sign the papers, then she'd tell him. And accept any consequence that came with it.
Weaving lies into their relationship wouldn't help them in the long run, she needed to stand on her own feet. She would get through this last thing with Jonathan and be rid of him for good.
"Hey." Jonathan plopped down in the chair across from her, a little out of breath. His hair was disheveled, and his lips swollen, giving her the reason for being late. Behind him, a little blonde thing slid onto a stool at the counter. The blonde whipped her eyes away from them when Erin connected with her momentarily.
The blood drained from her face, and her stomach clenched. "Really? You brought your girlfriend?"
His eyes widened briefly before he gave her a nonchalant, carefree look—the one he'd perfected over the years to hide any real emotion he may have been experiencing.
"It's not like you haven't moved on." His snide remark dripped with venom.
"What does that mean?" She shoved the menu she had been pretending to study to the side and focused on him.
"I know why you haven't been back at the house. You've moved in with that guy." His eyes narrowed. "I really should have known you were like them."
"What the hell are you talking about?" She leaned over the table, trying her best to keep her voice down. The blonde was probably trying to listen in, and she would be damned if she would let her hear any part of their communication.
"I saw you with him. Last week, walking into that club Alex owns. I know what they do there, what sort of people hang out there. I should have known with all your co-dependency issues you'd end up with one of them."
She didn't miss the disgust laced in his tone. Her hands clenched in her lap. Determined not to let him get her temper riled, she forged forward with a steady voice. "I don't have any co-dependency issues. The man you saw me with was Bradley, and if by one of them, you’re referring to honest, loyal, caring men, then yeah, he's one of them."
"You know, you acted all broken up when I told you about Valerie, but really, you were just waiting for an excuse to get naked and jump into some sex club scene."
Her blood reached the boiling point, but she took a deep breath. He was the one who left. He was the one who cheated. She had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
"As usual, you don't know what you're talking about." Erin shoved aside the glass of water and pulled the listing papers out of her bag.
"Oh, I know exactly what I'm talking about. I ran the papers for that club, remember? I know what they do there. That guy you were walking with, he's one of the owners."
"For all you know, I could have been there working on their web design. Maybe Alex wanted me to come up with new graphics for their web presence." She shot at him, knowing full well that thought wouldn't have crossed his mind. He never grasped what she did as a graphic designer.
"Right." He snorted. "You need someone like him, I guess. Someone to order you around, tell you what to do, how to think. That's what you've always wanted. That's why you were always asking me what chores I wanted you to do, what way I liked my shirts ironed. You can't think for yourself."
His words cut her, and she let them for a moment, then she rolled her shoulders back and she set her glare on him. Nothing he listed was bad. Bradley loved each of them and saw them as the precious gifts they were—part of her submission to him.
Erin shoved the papers across the table. "Just sign these so we can list the house and be done with each other," she said. She wanted to rebuke him, hit him and scream he was completely wrong about her, but she caught a glance of the blonde still staring at them. No way in hell she would give that woman the satisfaction of seeing her upset.
Jonathan looked at her silently. "I'm worried is all," he said in a friendlier tone. Not having gotten the fight he was looking for, he would go for the concerned friend. Erin wouldn't buy into it. She'd seen it too many times before. "I know I hurt you, and I never meant to do that, but you can't hide beneath some man who pretends to care about you. He's only using you for sex, and when he's tired of you, he'll get rid of you. What will you do then?"
She put her hands into her lap and clenched them tightly, feeling her nails dig into the flesh of her palms, and took a deep breath.
"Like you got rid of me?" she asked the question in a hushed voice. "Jonathan, who I see is none of your concern. You have your girlfriend now, just sign the papers so I can go home. It's been a long day." That wasn't a lie. Every time she’d thought about her meeting with Jonathan, her body had tensed. She was exhausted.
"Fine." He picked up the pen and read the document. She rolled her eyes. It was a standard form, but he would need to read every single word of it.
Feeling her phone go off in her purse beside her, she dug it out and checked the message. Bradley.
When you're done being disobedient, get your ass to the club.
She felt every drop of blood rush out of her face and swallowed nervously. How could he know? Her long day was about to turn into an even longer night.
When Jonathan finally scribbled his illegible signature, he looked up at her, his eyes widening at her appearance. She realized her face felt hot, but she shivered at the same time. She could only imagine what she actually looked like to him at that moment.
"Thank you." Erin forced a flat tone and slid the papers toward her. "I'll file this tomorrow with Sarah at the reality office." She slid them into her purse and tucked the pen away as well. "She's going to put a lock box on the house, so we won't need to be there for showings, and she’ll inform us both of any offers that come in."
"Erin." The softness of his voice stilled her as she began to scoot out of the booth. "Are you okay? You look upset."
Erin shook her head. "I'm fine, Jonathan."
"If he hurts you—"
The laugh tore through her chest and filled the diner before she could stop it. A few unkind remarks sizzled on her tongue, but she didn't bother releasing them. Even if he could grasp the irony of his words, it wouldn't change anything.
"Your girlfriend is waiting," she said, and swung her purse over her shoulder. Erin could feel the blonde's eyes on her as she walked past her toward the exit, but didn't respond with a look of her own or a single word. The two of them could enjoy each other. She had Bradley.
Chapter 22
"Who are you texting?" Kelly demanded, leaning over Bradley's desk as he typed away on his screen.
"Kelly, back away." Kendrick pulled her arm away from the desk.
Bradley finished his message and put the phone in the top drawer of his desk. He wouldn't respond to her message and having it in his hand would only tempt him too much. She had disobeyed him. Blatantly. And had lied on top of it.
Had Kendrick not brought Kelly along with him for their short meeting, he might never have found out. When he saw her walk in right behind Kendrick, he’d asked if Erin was with them as well. He had figured it was a bit early for their dinner to be over.
Kelly had looked confused at first. "No, she said she was going home after."
"After?" Bradley had pressed. Kendrick realized the situation before Kelly did, and turned away from them.
"Yeah. After she got Jonathan to sign the listing papers, she was going home. Haven't you talked to her today?" The accusation in her tone only darkened his mood further, but he had focused on the first situation.
"She's listing the house and is out with Jonathan. Now?" Not waiting for her response, he had made it to his desk where his phone rested within three long strides, his temper beginning to simmer.
The reality of the events must have finally hit Kelly because she was at his desk before he finished typing
out his message, demanding to know what he was doing.
"Wait. I was wrong." Kelly yanked free from Kendrick, who was starting to look as irritated as Bradley felt at her behavior.
"You were wrong?" Bradley crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a good glare. She wasn't his to discipline, but he wouldn't allow her to get away with lying to him either. Not even to protect Erin. Especially not to protect Erin when she was off being disobedient.
He had been very firm that she not meet with Jonathan without him. At the very least, she could have told him what she planned. He may have insisted on going along, or if she had given him a reasonable basis for wanting to go alone, he might have consented.
"Yeah." Kelly glanced over at Kendrick, who had moved to her side, giving her a disapproving glare. "She was thinking of meeting up with Jonathan. I don't think she did, though."
"Kelly." The warning was evident in Kendrick's tone. "I really wouldn't—"
"Let her explain," Bradley said, cutting Kendrick off. In his experience, when a submissive thought they could talk themselves out of the hole they'd gotten themselves into, letting them try provided more insight and some entertainment as well. It was a little sadistic, but he enjoyed watching the hole get deeper and deeper until the sub was covered head to toe in her own bullshit.
"I'm just saying you shouldn't jump to conclusions, and you can't be mad at her." Kelly chanced a quick glance at Kendrick, but must have thought better of it because she turned back to Bradley.
"Why can't I be mad at her if she's completely disregarded the rules of our relationship?" Bradley demanded in a low tone. He wouldn't lay a hand on Kelly, but he sure as hell would not let her think she had any sort of upper hand with him.
"You look really pissed," Kelly said boldly, then crossed her arms over her chest as though that would intimidate him.
"You think lying to me again, on top of the lies she's already told me, is going to help the situation?" Kendrick kept a close watch on the two, but Bradley wouldn't give him a reason to intervene to save his little sub. No, if anything, Kendrick was going to have to intervene to keep Kelly from jumping over the desk at Bradley. She was in protective mode, Bradley understood that, but Erin did not need protecting from him.
