Devil in a Suit

“It happened years ago!” Andrew sighed.

I abruptly stood up from the bar, glaring at Andrew. “And he ruined years of friendship. I don’t want to fucking hear it,” I snapped. I dug into my pocket and took out enough bills to cover my drinks. I had to get out of here before I blew up on Andrew. He could’ve dropped this, but he kept pushing.

I stormed away from the bar, hurrying down the stairs to leave the establishment. I didn’t want tonight to turn out like this, but I wasn’t going to sit there and reminiscence about someone that had stabbed me in the back. That wasn’t how I wanted to spend my time, especially when that snake was coming after my company. He just couldn’t let me succeed.

This time, I was going to come out on top and stay there. He would be a speck, a useless smudge on my slate of accomplishments. He would remain still as I drove myself forward. Brandon Krouse never deserved to be my friend, and he wasn’t even good enough to be my competitor. I would show him.

When I reached the sidewalk, I stopped and tilted my head up, taking a breath and trying to calm down. There went my plans for tonight. Usually, I hung out with my friends for hours when we finally had the time to meet up. Now, I had the rest of the night free.

I didn’t think that going back home and stewing in my thoughts would be a good way to spend the rest of the hours of the night. I wasn’t going to do anything stupid, but I knew that my mood would suffer even more. I needed something to pick me up. Or someone.

A certain person entered my mind, and I was sure that she was the only person who could make me feel better tonight. She had been good at putting a smile on my face lately. If she could make me happy tonight, she could make me happy no matter what.

I reached into my pocket and grabbed my phone, scrolling through my contacts to find Madison’s number. I got her number a few days ago so that we could message each other to meet up in hidden spots at work. We both had needs to satisfy, even if we were at work. It was completely reckless of us, but I couldn’t find the will to stop.

I tapped on the call button and lifted the phone to my ear, listening to it ring a few times before she picked up.

“Hello?” Madison said.

“Hey, you busy?” I asked her, jumping straight to the point. I wasn’t going to sit there and play around when I knew what I wanted. I was sure she would appreciate the directness as well.

“Just working on my business plan. Why?” Madison asked me, sounding curious.

“Want some company?” I asked her, deciding not to get into my drama. It didn’t matter. She knew that I hated Brandon. She just didn’t know the reason yet. I didn’t tell many people about what happened between us. It made me feel stupid because I hadn’t seen the warning signs.

Madison laughed softly. “Sure. I’ll send you my address,” she said.

“Great. See you soon.” A hint of a smile crossed my face as I looked down at my phone. Maybe my night would turn around now. A few moments later, a text from her popped up on my phone with her address. Luckily, she wasn’t too far away. I suspected that she lived in some apartment near the university like a lot of seniors did.

I headed to my car, feeling my heart rate start to pick up slightly. At least I was already ready and dressed. If my friends were going to grate on my nerves tonight, I would spend my time with someone else, and she had a habit of making me feel a little bit better.

Chapter 13

Madison

As soon as Tyler hung up, I stood from the small desk in my bedroom and darted around my apartment, picking up any trash or dirty clothes that were still laying around. I regretted inviting him over. He would see my tiny apartment, which was just sad compared to the gorgeous penthouse that he lived in. I should’ve told him that I would meet him at a bar or something. Now, I had to hurry up and clean my place up before he arrived. I didn’t even know how far away he was.

Once I made sure my apartment looked decent enough for company, I darted into my bedroom and yanked out a pair of black lounge shorts and a grey tank top. Maybe I was purposely picking out an outfit that showed off my body, but I didn’t have any shame anymore. We knew what we wanted, and he was one of the few people that I felt comfortable enough to show off to.