Dare to Succeed (The Dare 2)

“That’s not the case anymore, Alicia. You need to realize something very important. We’re here for you. We’re your protectors. You’re not alone anymore,” Monroe said then leaned forward and kissed her bare shoulder.

“We’re not the asshole who lied to you, cheated on you, or told you that having sex with other men makes you used goods that no one wants.”

“What?” she exclaimed.

“Last night you mentioned a brother, Alvin, and how he believes that you belong with your ex, Tony, and that you shouldn’t be with any other men or Tony won’t take you back because you’ll be used goods.”

She covered her mouth and looked at Caldwell then tried to get up off the bed.

Max pulled her toward him and kept his hands on her hips. She knelt in front of him.

“You need to tell us if you’re still in love with this guy and if he’s going to come here looking to take you back.”

She shook her head side to side as Max’s words sunk in and Caldwell was processing what Max said.

“I don’t love him anymore.”

“Your brother Alvin must think you do since he told you that you’d be used goods and that Tony won’t take you back,” Max pushed, and Caldwell let him. He was worried now, too, that they fell in love with Alicia and that she may still have feelings for her ex.

“Alvin is Tony’s best friend. My brother has problems and he thinks that Tony is a means to financial freedom. But he also thinks that I belong to Tony and that I can’t live, survive, succeed in anything without them. I don’t love Tony. He hurt me. He lied to me and used me and he cheated on me. He sold the store out from under me.”

“Then why is your brother trying to get you two back together? Why is he pushing this?” Monroe asked.

“Because Tony got money when he sold the business and he told us he reinvested it to make more. I haven’t seen a cent of that money and never will. Tony is a liar and Alvin is holding on to him because he wants that money.”

“Why haven’t you just told them to leave you alone? Why are they still contacting you?” Max asked.

“Contacting you? Shit, you still talk to your ex and your brother after all that?” Caldwell couldn’t help but to ask. It was like he needed clarification. Why would she talk to these men?

She lowered her head. “I haven’t spoken to Tony recently. Only once since that day we made love for the first time.”

“Go on,” Max pushed.

She was silent as she sat back on her heels and moved her hair around her shoulders so it would cover her breasts.

“I know I shouldn’t let them get to me. I know I should have told them to go to hell.”

“But?” Max asked, tilting her chin up toward him so he could look her in the eyes.

She was crying and sniffling.

“I believed them,” she said and at first Caldwell hadn’t understood.

“You believed that you couldn’t survive, work, or succeed without them like they told you?” Monroe asked in a tone that showed how shocked he was.

“I was weak, vulnerable, and so insistent upon making things right and keeping them happy and just wanting to be loved, that I let them walk all over me and make decisions for me.”

“And what changed after the day we made love to you for the first time that you decided you wouldn’t talk to them anymore?” Max asked her.

The tears rolled down her cheeks.

“The three of you showed me compassion, honesty, trust, and even an equality and worth that I never felt or experienced before. You asked me to trust you. You told me that you cared for me, would protect me and take away any pain and ensure that I would never feel pain again. I believed you.”

Caldwell felt the shift from anger and confusion to adoration and love. Alicia trusted them with her heart and soul.

“That’s right, Alicia. We’re not Tony or Alvin. We’re your men, your protectors and lovers. We’re here for you and we’re not going anywhere.”

Max leaned forward and kissed her deeply. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight.