What a bastard. How could he put Royce in that spot? And Royce chose his career over me. That hurts.
“I’ve wanted you since the first night I saw you at the fights. Why do you think I keep coming back? I’m an important man Brandi. I don’t have to give you a choice you know. I need to get close to you…to touch you… to have you. I want you to be mine.”
“if you cared about me you wouldn’t be giving me an ultimatum. We had sex one time. Yeah, while it was great, I deserve better than this, from you…from anyone.”
Parker reaches across the car and tangles his fingers in my hair before pulling me in for the kiss of all kisses. His tongue swipes across the bottom of my lip, he moans an, “Mmm,” against my mouth before pushing his tongue into my mouth and claiming me as his. I answer his claim and our tongues dance in a tango.
“Stop,” I pant and sag against the door as I fumble for the door handle. “I can’t Parker.
“You make me crazy Brandi. All day I think about you and ways to get close to you. But my life it’s not one I’d wish on anyone. You are so beautiful, if anything ever happened to you…”
“Parker I’m not sure I follow where you are going with this.”
“I’ve done things…bad things to get what I want. I’ve hurt people…”
“I’m sure it can’t be that bad Parker. But you aren’t ready to tell me and that’s okay. I want to work for your company, but not so much that I am willing to make a deal with you when it comes to my love life. I’m not with Royce, but I’m sure you know that already. I’m not a friend with benefits type of girl. I don’t go around sleeping with a different man every night.”
“Who said anything about being friends Brandi. I want you as my lover and mine only. I don’t like to share. I assumed you understood that after our fun in the bathroom. It’s different with you. I don’t go around fucking my friends. I tell you what, when you are ready to grow up, come see me.”
Come see him when I grow up…Who does he think he is dismissing me like a child? I’ll show him a child… After collecting myself and my emotions I remove myself from his car and he speeds off in to the distance.
Kline’s truck is here and the lights are on inside the apartment. I really hope he is alone, but the sound of numerous voices tells me he is celebrating his win. Is it wrong that I don’t want to join in on the celebration? Maybe I would be more in the celebrating mood if I knew Kline was finished taking on Charlie’s troubles. A good sister would suck it up and join the party, but tonight I am feeling selfish. Instead of celebrating, I opt out of joining Kline and his buddies for beer and jello shots. Driving myself straight into Royce’s arms to confront him about what Parker told me.
Just as I thought my key still works and the security alarm pin is the same. I enter the six-digit code in and walk upstairs to slip in bed with Royce. When I reach the top of the stairs I am just in time to hear the faint moans of a woman crying out with an, “oh yes.” This isn’t my night. I turn too quickly on my heel and take a roll down the stairs. “Fuck,” escapes my lips a little too loudly. My plan to make a quiet escape without Royce knowing I caught him, and leaving with my dignity is an epic failure. That quick turn has cost me greatly; I can only hope I haven’t injured myself too greatly.
Karma must be paying me back for all the times I have ever done wrong in my life, because my right ankle cannot bear my weight right now, and to add to my humiliation Brad is standing at the top of the stairs in his boxers.
He turns the light on that is centered over the middle of the stairway. “Brandi is that you?”
“Yeah,” I croak hobbling to the couch in the living room.
Royce comes running down the stairs wiping sleep from his eyes. It comforts me to no end to know that the moan I was hearing wasn’t coming from his room. I am a perfect example of what happens when you assume things. “Babe, not that I’m not glad to see you, but what are you doing?”
“I changed my mind. I was going to surprise you and I heard a woman, and I…”
“You thought I had someone over?” Royce is kneeling in front of me and he takes my hands. “I told you I want us to work. I need you to trust me. Brad’s girlfriend Kelsey is staying over.”
“I know. I’m sorry it was wrong of me to assume.” I twist my ankle. It’s feeling stiff, and the laces of my shoe is feeling tight, it’s pinching my skin. A hiss of discomfort leaves my lips as Royce turns his attention to my swelling ankle.
He turns on the side table lamp and inspects my aching foot. “I think you just twisted it, but if you want me to take you to the emergency room I will.”
“I just want to lie next to you. Can we just go to bed?”
“Yeah but you better let me get some ice on that ankle.”
I still want to say something about what Parker told me, but Royce talked me into taking a prescription painkiller and it is knocking me off my ass.
**
“I really like waking up with you in my bed. I may not let you out of it.” Royce has his head lying on my breasts. It does feel right being here with him. Nothing happened last night other than him giving me a rough time for suspecting the worst of him.
“Well, I do have the next three days off.”
“Don’t tempt me to hold you here. Trust me I want to but I have training all week. You could stay here though, if Kline is still throwing a rager. Or you could stay because you want to. It would be really nice to come home to you waiting for me.”
My ankle feels so stiff; it hurts to stretch. I let out a low whimper. “That’s it. I’m taking today off so I can take care of you.”
“I’ll be fine really. But I appreciate the offer. It is tempting, but I don’t want you missing out on your workouts because I am a big baby.”