“Goddamn it, Callan,” Bennet yells, turning his angry eyes back to me. “What the fuck is your problem? You just cost us over twenty million dollars.” His brows are arched high, arms held out.
“The way he was treating Val may be okay in your eyes, but it’s not in mine,” I say, shaking my head.
“If she was uncomfortable, she should have come to me. I would’ve been able to put a stop to it without losing that account! You need to get ahold of yourself. And since when are you her keeper?” He points over at her, standing next to my side.
I look down at her, and she looks up at me.
He looks at the both of us. “No,” he says around a laugh, causing us to both look back at him.
He shakes his head. “No way. You two?” he asks, motioning toward the two of us.
Neither of us deny it nor confirm it.
His smile begins to fade, morphing into a tight line as his eyes narrow on me. “You’re fucking my little sister?” he asks more quietly, stepping toward me.
“Ben, man…”
He shakes his head again and walks off. Maddie grabs her purse and chases after him, leaving us alone.
We leave the club, and neither of us talk on the ride home. She walks into the house before me, and I follow her up the stairs and into my room. She stops at the dresser, slips out of her shoes, and beings removing her jewelry.
I walk into the closet to strip out of my clothes. I walk back out wearing only my boxers. “I’m sorry,” I breathe out, hanging my head.
She walks up to me and wraps her hands around my neck. “It’s not your fault. You were only doing what you promised.”
I lean my forehead against hers and inhale her scent deeply. “I’m just worried about what he’ll do. I refuse to let you go, Val. This past month, it’s the happiest I’ve ever been.” I press my mouth to hers.
She kisses me back, and I pick her up against me, moving us to the bed. We collapse on top, and I crawl up between her legs. She breaks our kiss and pushes against my chest until I roll over. Then she gets up onto her knees and starts removing her dress.
“You know, I never thought we’d make it this far,” she admits.
I pull my arms behind my head, holding it up so I can watch her.
“I knew that we were magical when we were together, but I never thought that either of us would be this happy. We were both a little wild.” She reaches behind her and unzips her dress. It falls to the bed, and she pulls it away, slinging it to the floor. “But now that I know how great we are together, I don’t want it to end.”
“It won’t,” I whisper, cupping her cheek and directing her lips to mine. “I swear, Val, it doesn’t matter what he does or says: I’m not letting you go. You hear me?” I roll us over, claiming my spot between her legs.
I open my eyes and see her nod, a small smile appearing.
“What if he fires you?” she asks as I kiss my way down her neck.
“If he fires me, I’ll get another job.” I kiss her collarbone.
“What if he wants to fight?” she whispers.
“Then I’ll let him beat the shit out of me, but I won’t let you go.” I unhook her bra and suck her nipple into my mouth. It hardens with my touch, and she lets out a soft whimper.
I slide my hand down her panties, and my fingers glide between her folds with ease. Feeling how wet and ready she is for me excites me. “Fuck, Val. You’re always ready for me,” I whisper against her skin as my lips work their way lower.
She lets out a soft giggle. “All you have to do is touch me, Callan.”
I open my eyes in the morning, and the first thing I see is her. She’s sound asleep, dark lashes fanned out across her cheeks. The corners of her mouth are lightly turned up into a smile. I can’t help myself. I reach out and gently run the tips of my finger up her bicep. Her eyelids flutter open, and her smile widens.
“Hey,” she whispers.
“Hey,” I reply, scooting closer, so we’re nose to nose.
Her hand comes up, cupping my cheek as she pulls me closer. She presses the softest of kisses to my lips.
“Good morning,” I whisper against her lips just before I demand entrance into her mouth.
We kiss long and slow, and just as I’m rolling over to claim my place on top of her, my phone rings. I want to ignore it. I want to keep going. I don’t know what it is about her, but she’s all I want: all I want to touch, all I want to kiss and hold. The world could end tomorrow, but as long as I have her, I’ll be just fine.
“Please, answer that,” she says, breaking the kiss.
I groan but roll back over to my side of the bed. “It’s Bennet,” I mumble, shocked that he’s calling.
“What do you think he wants?” she asks, eyes widening as she pushes herself up into a sitting position.
I shrug. “To talk about last night?”
She takes a deep breath, but motions for me to answer.
I push the button and bring the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“I need you at the office,” he says quickly.
“Alright. What’s going on?”
“What do you think is going on? We have damage control after your little stunt last night.”
A sigh leaves my lips. “Alright. I’ll be there soon.”
Without another word, he hangs up.
“Well?” she asks with hopeful eyes.
“I gotta go into the office,” I admit, moving to stand.
“What? Why?”
“As Bennet put it, damage control from my stunt last night.”
She rolls her eyes and scoffs. “What’s his deal? Why can’t he just let this guy take his money and go? He’s a complete asshole.”
I sit back on the edge of the bed and place my hand on hers. “If it were just a regular guy, I’m sure he would. But the company will take a serious hit if it loses twenty million dollars in one quarter. As much as I hate this guy and hate to admit it, we need him.”
She throws herself back. “Alright. Go, leave me,” she says, teasing.
I laugh and crawl back up over her. “I’ll be home later. We’ll grab some dinner, maybe hit up a movie. Our secret is out. We no longer have to hide behind these walls. We can do whatever we want.” I press my mouth to hers.
“Mmm, I like the sound of that,” she says around a grin.
“I gotta jump in the shower. Can you start some coffee?” I ask, pulling away and heading for the bathroom.
15
Valerie
When Callan leaves for the office, I take a long hot bubble bath to relax. I grab my phone and call Maddie.
“Hello?” she answers.
“Hey,” I breathe out.
“Hey,” she replies.
“How’d it go last night, Mads? Is he totally pissed at me?”
She laughs. “He was. But he’s come to terms with it.”
“Really? Already?”
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s still pissed about losing that account, and he’s not so happy with Callan. He said that if Callan had feelings for you, he should’ve come and talked to him instead of hiding it. But you, you’re his baby sister. You’re not in any trouble.”
That makes me feel a little better, but I also don’t want Callan to be in trouble either. “You think his and Callan’s friendship will survive this?”
“I think it will take some time to get them back to how they used to be, but in the long run, I think everything will be okay.”
“Okay, Mads. I just wanted to check in and say sorry if I made your night horrible.”
She laughs. “Are you kidding me? Bennet was pissed, that’s for sure, but he put all that aggression into se—”
“Hey, too much information,” I say, cutting her off, which only makes her laugh harder.
“So, to change the topic. You and Callan!”
This time, it’s time for me to laugh. “I know. You were right,” I admit.
“I knew it the moment we started talking about it. Jazz and my br
other were the same way, you know. They hated one another for the longest time. But you know what they say…there’s a fine line between love and hate.”
“Yeah, but I always thought that meant you could go from loving someone to hating them.”
“Shush it; it works both ways.” She lets out another giggle. “So, the sex. Spill it. Is he a monster in bed?”
“Madeline Windsor, you’re a married woman.”
I can practically hear her eyes roll. “So what? Is it hot and passionate?”
I can’t hold off my smile. “So good, Maddie. He’s sexy and cocky but in a good way. And he never gets enough. I swear, his libido is like a teenage boy.”
She laughs. “Sounds like he and your brother have a lot in common.”
“Ew! Gross, why would you tell me that?”
“Well, you told me.”
“Yeah, but it’s not your brother!”
“Alright, I’m sorry. I’ll just listen to all your sexy stories and won’t tell you any of mine. But, Val, I have some good ones.”
I shake my head. “Just tell me it was with another guy and not my brother.”
“Deal,” she laughs out.
“I’m going to get off of here, Mads. Since Callan is gone for the day, I’m going to get ahold of Krista and see if she wants to hang. I haven’t seen her in a while.”
“Alright. Have fun but be careful. We all know the messes you get yourself into.”
I roll my eyes. “You’re starting to sound as bad as my brother.”
She groans. “Don’t make me the responsible adult.”
I laugh. “See ya later.”
“Bye.” She hangs up, and I drop the phone onto the floor to finish my bath.
When I get out, I dry off and wrap myself in a fluffy robe. As I stand at the counter and fix my hair and makeup, I call Krista.
“Hey, bitch,” she answers.
I laugh. “God, I’ve missed your voice.”
“Of course you have. What’s up?”
“Callan is busy working today. I figured I’d see if you wanted to meet up. We can grab some lunch and hit the mall or something?”
“Sounds good to me. I have a party to go to later and need to find something hot to wear.”
I laugh and shake my head. “I’ll be by in an hour?”
“See you then!”
I hang up the phone and finish getting ready. I’m pulling up to her apartment an hour later. I pull to the side of the street and send her a quick text. Moments later, she comes running down, blonde hair flying crazily around her.
“Hi, love,” she says, bouncing into the car.
I smile. “Hey, ready?”
“Always.” She pulls her seatbelt around herself.
We talk as we head toward the mall. I tell her about dating Callan and how we’d managed to keep it a secret. Then I tell her about my brother finding out and his reaction.
“Really? Bennet?” she asks, scrunching her face.
I nod. “Yep. My brother, the guy that used to go through girls like bubble gum, is now giving me shit for dating a guy just like he was.”
“Marriage has changed him.”
I laugh. “No, Maddie changed him. I’m not sure any other woman could have done it. I just don’t know why he can’t look at Callan and me and think I’m just like Maddie to Cal. You know?”
She nods. “You’re the one that made him change his ways,” she agrees.
“Enough about me. Tell me about you. Who are you seeing? Still messing with Brain?”
She smiles wide and nods. “Yeah, me and Brain are still a thing. But I’ve met this new guy. His name is Scott. He’s super hot and fun to hang out with. Plus, he’s rich, and every time we go out, he ends up paying for everything. Which, I know this isn’t a big thing to most women, but I’ve never been with a guy that’s already secure in his job. Most of the guys I end up with are crashing on their best friend’s couch. It’s like I’m a loser magnet.”
I giggle. “Are you and this Scott getting serious?”
She shrugs one shoulder. “More serious than I’ve gotten with anyone else.”
“But not too serious since you said you’re still messing around with Brain.”
“I mean, we have a casual thing going. But the longer it goes on, the more he’s calling me.”
“What about Decon? Have you seen him lately?”
She nods. “Yeah, every time Brian and I go out, he ends up tagging along. He wonders off as soon as we get to the club though. And he keeps asking about you. Every time, he’s all, where’s Val? Is Val coming? Why don’t you call her up?” She rolls her eyes and shakes her head.
“I can’t believe he has the audacity to even speak my name!”
“He’s something else. And here lately, it’s gotten worse. He’s asked if I’ve seen you, your address, where he could casually bump into you.”
“You haven’t told him, have you?”
“No! Of course not. I’m not stupid.”
Just hearing that he’s still asking about me pisses me off. I mean, who does that? Who attacks a person, gets away with it, and then continues to ask about them? He’s lucky I didn’t have any evidence, otherwise, I would have gone to the police. Unfortunately, all I had evidence of was having drugs in my system. It would’ve been mine and Callan’s word against his, and that’s not good enough. I don’t think the police will play by the playground rules of two against one.
We get to the mall, and we go into nearly every store. Krista finds her perfect outfit for the party, and then we head into the Chinese restaurant on our way out of the mall. I order fried rice and orange chicken, and she orders a sample platter with a big cocktail.
“Are you sure you don’t want anything to drink?” she asks.
I shake my head. “I’m scared since that night. Every time I smell alcohol, I get flashbacks from that night, how sick I was, how my head was pounding so bad. My heart starts racing and fear burns its way up my throat. I think I have some serious PTSD.”
She offers up a sympathetic look. “It’s understandable.”
I let out a deep breath. “I wish you’d stop hanging out with those guys, Kris. I mean, you got this new guy. Get serious with him and get out of the club scene. It’s dangerous.”
She nods and offers up a smile. “I know. I tell myself that all the time.”
“Then why don’t you?”
“I don’t know. I just feel like if I do that, then it’s like finally admitting that I’m getting old and growing up.”
I laugh. “You’re twenty-one, for crying out loud. That’s nowhere near old.”
She joins in on my laughter. “I know. I just feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. You know, acting stupid, enjoying my youth, making mistakes. I’m afraid of settling down and being with one man.”
I nod in agreement. “I know, it is scary. Especially after living the way we have been. I mean, up until a month ago, I’d never had a serious boyfriend. We got fake I.D’s at seventeen and have been in the party scene for way too long. I think we were exposed to too much too soon. But, I promise, once you find the right guy to be with, all that stuff will no longer be important. I remember thinking that if I spent a Saturday night at home, I was a loser. But now, I’d much rather be home with Callan than having some strange guy I don’t know grinding against me in a crowded club.”
She offers up a small smile. “I think about it sometimes. Who knows, maybe Scott will be my Callan.”
“I hope so,” I agree.
After we eat, I take Krista back to her apartment to get ready. She talks me into coming up and hanging out with she gets dressed and does her hair and makeup. And since I still haven’t heard from Callan, I figure, why not? It’s not like I have anything else to do.
She leads me up to her apartment, and I collapse on the couch while she goes into her room to change.
“You can make some coffee if you want. Or there is stuff to drink in the fridge,” she tells me fro
m the other room.
I stand up and move to the fridge. I open the door and pull out a bottled iced coffee. I close the fridge and twist the cap, my eyes landing on a picture stuck to the front of the door.
“Is this Scott?” I ask, looking at the picture of her and a guy I don’t know. He’s cute, with dark hair, blue eyes, and a five o’clock shadow on his chiseled jaw. She’s wearing a full-blown smile, causing her blue eyes to shine.
“Yeah, isn’t he sexy?”
“He is. Where’d you meet him?” I take a sip of my coffee and head back to the couch.
“At the gallery, actually. He came in and bought a piece. We hit it off immediately, and he left with my number, you know, in case he found himself in need of more art. To my surprise, he called me that night and asked me out.” She comes walking into the kitchen in her new black dress and heels.
“Look at you!”
She laughs and spins around. “What do you think?”
“I think you’ll leave Scott speechless.”
She opens the fridge and pulls out a bottle of water. “Will you come with me? I mean, you don’t have to stay long or drink. Just hang out with me until he gets there?”
“I don’t know, Kris,” I whine, leaning against the counter.
“Please, I don’t want to be standing there by myself. You can leave as soon as he gets there.”
“Whose party is it?”
“My friend, Gemma’s. You’ve met her a couple of times; remember?”
I nod. “I remember.”
She pokes out her bottom lip and gives me her best puppy dog eyes.
“Fine,” I breathe out, rolling my eyes. “But I’m not drinking, and I’m leaving as soon as he gets there.”
She smiles and jumps up and down. “Thank you, Val,” she says, running off to finish getting ready.
16
Callan
I get to work and let myself into Bennet’s office. Since it’s a Saturday, his secretary isn’t at her desk to announce his visitors like usual. I walk in the door and find him sitting behind his desk that’s covered in papers.
My Boss’s Sister: Make Her Mine Series-Book 3 Page 10