Authors: R.M. Martinez
“You figured wrong.” She said.
“Babe, you have two choices. You can either ask your rich exboyfriend for it, or you can come work it off with me. Either option works for me.” He said.
She was fired up. She wanted to kill him, but she didn’t want to ruin everything she’d worked for. Instead, she stood and headed for her front door. She held it open to him.
“I need you to leave.” She said. “Please.”
He stood and walked over to her. He pressed a lingering kiss to her cheek and she had to resist the urge to step away or flinch. “I’ll expect to hear from you soon.” He said and walked away.
She shut the door and bolted it. She prayed that Eleanor stayed at Kevin’s and didn’t change her mind and come back. She wanted to be alone. She needed to be alone.
Walking back to her room, a sound caught her attention. She glanced at her phone and nearly tripped, diving for it.
“Hello? Hello? Bree? Answer me, Bree. Damn it!” Jon was yelling into the phone.
“Jon?” she croaked.
“Bree, sweetheart, are you okay?” he asked.
“Did… Did you hear him?” she was almost in tears.
“I heard him, baby.” He said. “I need you to get out of the house. Is there anyone you can call there? Didn’t you email me that your roommate is also in New York?”
She nodded like he could see her. “Yeah.” She said.
“Good.” He exhaled loudly into the phone. “I’m in Chicago. I will be there in a few hours.”
“No, Jon.” She sighed. “I’ll be fine.”
“Baby, you come first. Always.” He said. She heard something rustling in the background before a woman’s voice sounded over the speaker. “Who’s that, Jonny?” she asked.
“I don’t want to interrupt anything, Jon.” She rubbed her eyes and took in a deep breath. “Just, promise me that you’ll be open when you come to town. Three more weeks, right?”
“Right, babe. I miss you.” He murmured.
“I miss you too.” She ended the phone call before he could insist on coming to see her.
She let out a shaky sigh and looked around the room. She hated the sudden bad feeling she got being in a place that she loved, but what was she supposed to do? She wanted to go upstairs and spend the night with Drew, but she didn’t want to drag him into her problems with James. She was almost tempted to call Lucian, but the thought of him cuddled up with Samantha made her stomach turn.
So, with no one else she was willing to drag into her mess, she turned and headed for her bedroom. She closed the door and locked it behind her for a little extra safety before climbing into bed. She pulled the blanket over her head and tried to clear her mind. Soon all she was doing was concentrating on her breaths. A few tears escaped her eyes.
And then she was asleep.
Twenty Five
For three whole weeks, he ignored her. She didn’t know why Drew was suddenly upset with her. Their date ended well, she was sure she didn’t say or do anything to put him off. She hoped that he hadn’t seen James leave her apartment. One day she got a note that she was no longer needed in his office anymore, and from that day on, she was stuck under the thumb of Regina the Mean.
Brianna spent her free time shopping with Eleanor, Kevin, Amira, ad Kelsey. She had plenty of fun dinners and nights out dancing with her friends. And she also cried herself to sleep every night that James sent her a text reminding her of her past and the fact that he was waiting for her as soon as she stepped back into Colorado.
She was so thankful that it was the weekend again, but at the same time she was nervous about the mandatory company picnic at Drew’s house in the Hamptons. She really didn’t want to go, but Kevin and Ellie insisted. Kelsey also promised that she would be there and wouldn’t let her brother’s recent bad mood affect her good time.
House didn’t even begin to describe the mansion that they pulled up to. It looked to her like it was part Victorian house and part light house with two regular houses welded in between. Who knows, maybe that’s what it was. It certainly was big enough.
Eleanor was already stripping out of her sundress before they reached the side gate that led to the party. She had plans to spend her time either by the pool or on the beach, getting a natural tan. She definitely had her choice of both. The massive lawn spread out as far as the eye could see and blended flawlessly with the beach and then the ocean. It was really beautiful.
“My brother’s here.” Kelsey’s voice came from behind her.
She turned and hugged her friend. “Of course he is. It’s his house.” She said.
“Not him.... Well, yeah, him, but Lucian is here too. With Sam.” Kelsey said.
“Oh.” What else could she say? Kevin squeezed her hand and pulled her towards the pool.
She decided to take her cue from her friends. She was going to enjoy her day. There was food going on a grill, drinks in bins around the yard, and people and children playing and having a good time. She stripped out of her sundress as well and joined her friends by the pool, closing her eyes and taking in the sun. She was almost asleep when she heard a familiar song start to play.
“A band?” she asked.
Kelsey nodded. “Every year my brother hosts a mini concert for the employees.” She said.
With that, she stood up and searched for the stage. There was a crowd screaming and dancing as Jon and the others played through their first song of the day. Her heart was suddenly so full that she started crying as she made her way to the front of the crowd.
De’Antae quickly pulled her onto the stage before the next song started and returned to his congas. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she danced with the band, hugging each and every one of them, completely happy to see them. Jon looked relieved to see her in one piece and held her close through two more songs, swaying with her in his arms as he sang.
When their set was over, he brushed his lips against hers, making the crowd go wild. It was a completely friendly gesture, but the crowd didn’t seem to know that. And when she locked eyes with Andrew, it seemed that he didn’t know it either. There was fire in his eyes and he looked like he was ready to throttle both her and Jonathan.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Jon asked as they walked the beach awhile later.
“I’m not sure.” She admitted.
“Did James hurt you?” he asked.
“No. Just threatened.” She shrugged.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “We don’t have that kind of money, Bree.” He said. She appreciated that he included himself into the equation. “Did you call the cops like I told you?”
“Yep. They’ll protect me as long as I’m in New York and the police in Colorado fined him for leaving the state while he’s on parole. But he’s not behind bars, so when I get back, I’m sure he’s going to be on my back.” She sighed. “Maybe I should just cut my losses and just work for him.”
“That’s the worst thing you can do. And I won’t allow it.” He growled.
“Maybe I don’t have a choice. I mean, I royally screwed things up here. Andrew hates me for some reason, Lucian is getting married. And even if Drew didn’t hate me, if I kept seeing him people would think I was trying to sleep my way to the top. That’s according to my other boss, Mr. Kline.” She sighed. “I thought I had such a good chance coming here. I thought I could start over, but my past came back and bit me in the ass, and I was just being reckless with myself even before that. I don’t deserve to be here.”
Jon stopped walking and gripped her shoulders. He looked like a rock star. He cut his hair, was growing out a beard, and even his clothes were different. He didn’t look like the poor boy she grew up with anymore.
“B, if you say that one more time, I’m going to be forced to slap you. Remember the slap game we played when we were kids? You hated it, but you still played thinking you could keep up with the boys. Remember?” When she nodded, he went on. “That’s the kind of girl you are. The kind of woman you are. You don’t give up. You just knew that you’d win one day.”
“But I never did.” She pointed out.
“That’s because we learned to never hit girls.” He said. “You just need more time. So what if this Drew guy hates you. You don’t have to work for him when it’s all said and done. Just work your ass off for your boss and take your great reference letter to another company. I guarantee you’ll do great and you’ll be happier.”
“That’s true.” She agreed.
“I love you, babe. And if this job thing doesn’t work out, you know I’ll always take care of you until you figure out your next step.” He pulled her in for a hug, kissing the top her hair before resting his chin on her head.
“I love you too.” She said, inhaling his scent. He still had two more weeks of touring before heading back to the Midwest for a few bookings before he heads home. She couldn’t wait to go back to normal. She was starting to crave it.
Jon left her with a new sense of determination. She spent the rest of the day eating and enjoying herself with her friends. Every now and then she would catch one of the brothers staring at her, but she would just turn away and continue what she was doing. She participated in some of the games, she ran around with some of the kids, and she enjoyed two plates of the barbeque.
By the time the day was done, she was exhausted. She had a good conversation with Mr. Kline about her future plans, she met a handful of the executives, and even Regina seemed nicer outside of the office. When the day wound down she was exhausted and ready to go home and relax.
She was looking for Eleanor and Kevin so that they could head back to the city. She’d searched half the beach, the pool area, and the front yard. She really didn’t want to head into the house, but after twenty minutes of searching, she had no choice. Walking into the kitchen wasn’t so bad. It was a gorgeous space with people working in the kitchen putting away food and talking.
It felt weird being in Andrew’s other home with him being upset with her for some reason. That’s where her thoughts were when she turned a corner and was suddenly pulled into a library. Lucian’s lips were on hers and it made her furious. She pulled away and slapped him.
“What are you doing!” she demanded.
“I…I don’t know.” He was drunk. She could taste it when he kissed her, and looking at him, he could barely stand without swaying on his feet. “You look delicious in that little pink bikini. And your navel with that piercing has been driving me wild all day. I just want to dip my tongue there.”
“I think you need to talk to your fiancé about letting your tongue explore her body.” She said, pushing him away.
“She doesn’t have your body. I want yours.” He said, pushing her against a bookshelf. She tried to push him away again, but he was using all of his force to stand his ground. Then he shocked her by slamming her against the bookshelf, causing a few books to fall around them.
“Lucian, you’re drunk. Stop it.” She said, pushing against him.
“I hate that you’re in that dress. It’s covering the bikini.” He said, grabbing at the shoulder straps of her dress. She tried to pull away and felt one of the straps rip.
“Stop, Lucian.” She pleaded. He was beginning to scare her. She’d been in this situation a few times before and it was never good.
“I miss you so much. I don’t really want her. I just need her. But not how I need you.” He murmured, burying his face into her neck. He placed a kiss on the space between her neck and shoulder, then rested his head on her shoulder. “Do you feel it to, Bree? The spark?”
She did, more than ever whenever he touched her. And when he kissed her, just like every other time, she couldn’t resist him and she kissed him back.
“I think I love you, Brianna.” He whispered before his tongue dipped sensuously into her mouth. She couldn’t think. She could barely breathe. She was once again caught up in the delectable cloud that he surrounded her in as his hands roamed her body.
“I’m telling you, I saw him come this way.” Samantha’s voice drifted in snapping Lucian out of whatever drunken haze he was in. He snapped her out of hers as well as he moved away from her so fast that she almost fell on her ass just before the door opened.
Samantha and Andrew walked into the library and stopped cold, taking in the scene before them. Brianna was leaning against a bookshelf, close to tears, with her dress ripped. Lucian was standing a few feet away, obviously drunk and swaying on his feet with a mix of lust and regret written across his face.
“Honey, the car is waiting.” Samantha walked over to Lucian and started tugging him towards the door.
Without a word, he followed his fiancé, allowing himself one look back at Brianna before disappearing around the corner. She slowly lowered herself to the floor. She’d forgotten that Andrew was still in the room until he walked over to a cart and poured a glass of water and handed it to her.