by Lexi Aurora
He picked up the phone on the second ring.
“Hello, Violet,” he said in a chirpy, cheerful voice. “How are you?”
“I’m fine,” I said, swallowing.
“How’s it going with our friend? You convince him to sell his share yet?”
“No,” I said. “Actually—no. He’s not going to do it no matter what I say.”
“Did you even try?” Dirk asked, sounding suddenly annoyed.
“I did,” I insisted. “I tried, but he’s stubborn. He—he threatened to sue if you try to stop him. And you should see the business branch down here. He’s really perfect for the job. I think it’d be a big mistake to let him go.”
There was silence on the other end, one that made me shiver with its implications.
“Violet,” Dirk said. “Thank you for trying. I’ll see you when you get back.”
He hung up the phone then, the coldness in his voice lingering even after he was no longer on the line. I sighed and glanced at myself in the mirror. I didn’t feel as guilty as I had before, but I knew that I had to tell Cooper the truth about why I’d come out here. If I wanted a future with him, I had to be honest. I only hoped that it wouldn’t ruin the possibility of that future, though I knew it very well could.
There was a knock on my door only a few minutes later and I nearly jumped out of my skin before I took a deep breath and went to it. I opened it to see Cooper on the other side, his eyes hot on mine as he backed me into my room. He kissed me, and I told myself to pull back, to tell him the truth, that it was no longer fair to touch him under these pretenses. But the desire was too much for me to bear, especially when he pulled my dress off and had me naked below him, his eyes traveling over my body, looking at me like I was the most beautiful woman in the world. It made me feel sexy, made me want him even more, and the idea of ruining the moment made me keep the confession to myself, if only for the rest of the night.
“There are so many things I want to do to your pussy,” he growled. “I want to taste you again, to fuck you with my fingers. But right now I need my cock inside of you, okay? I can’t wait.”
“Yes,” I said to him. He nodded, grinning, slipping out of his clothes quickly and sliding a condom over his cock. Within seconds, he had pushed inside of me, started to move his hips back and forth against mine.
“I’m already addicted to this,” he said, fucking me slowly, biting his lip as he did so. “Already need it every fucking minute of every day.”
I moaned in response and he shook his head at me.
“This house is full of people,” he whispered, putting his fingers over my lips. “My family. Can you be quiet for me, angel?”
I nodded at him, though I wasn’t sure that I could manage. And indeed, another moan escaped my lips when he started to rub my clit. He only smiled and kissed me, muffling my cries with his mouth. There was a pounding on the door then, one that made us jump apart.
“Uh, not to ruin your night, but we all think this is really fucking uncomfortable, Coop. Can you not?”
“Sorry,” Cooper called out as I flushed a deep red, covering my face in embarrassment. I heard Abigail stomp away.
“Bad girl,” he said. “I told you to be quiet. Now we can’t—”
“I’ll be quiet,” I said, rolling over on top of him, taking his cock in my hand. I covered my mouth with my free hand as I guided him inside of me and started to ride him slowly, unsure of my movements, letting the pleasure guide me. Apparently, it was enough for him, because he started to buck up underneath me, hitting that sweet spot in my pussy. I whimpered against my hand and he pulled it away, covering my mouth with his own, bigger and more effective. I continued to ride his cock, letting my body move wildly as I cried out and bit into his palm. My eyes rolled back, my body out of control as I shuddered and came all over him, moving erratically. After a few moments, he came as well, and we both laid there in each other’s arms as we caught our breath.
“I guess I don’t have to sneak out of your room tonight,” he said, chuckling.
“That was humiliating,” I said.
“Nah,” he said, waving me off. “They’ll get over it.”
“You’re not the one who was making all the noise.”
“Mm,” he said, kissing me. “I love those noises you make. Tomorrow, we’ll have to stay somewhere in the city.”
“How much longer are we going to be here?”
“I don’t know,” he said. I snuggled up to him, content to stay for as long as possible. If I never had to go back to New York, I wouldn’t. I stayed in his arms until we fell asleep together, feeling perfect, like I belonged for the first time.
Chapter 16: Cooper
I woke up to my phone ringing and smashed it silent, careful not to wake Violet as I got out of bed. I slipped into a pair of pants and left her room, answering the phone.
“Dirk,” I said. “How’s—”
“You know exactly how it’s going,” Dirk hissed. “Threatening to sue me? You have another thing coming. There’s a lawsuit being filed and on your way.”
“I’m sorry?” I said, something sinking in my chest. The only way he could know about me trying to sue him was if Violet had told him so. “You’re going to sue me?”
“Yes. You’ve been outvoted. You’re off the board. If you choose not to sell your share, we will take this to court.”
“You can’t just—”
“You don’t know what we’re capable of, Cooper. Watch your back. Keep an eye out for papers—they’re coming your way. You have 48 hours to put your shares up for sale or you will be sued. Don’t bother coming back to the office.”
Before I could say anything, I hung up. I felt anger fill me, quickly building to fury as I gritted my teeth. I had given Violet everything—given myself to her, opened up to her, and she had betrayed me by passing Dirk information even after we’d been so close. I paced back and forth in my room, running my hand through my hair before I got dressed and rushed back to Violet’s. I opened the door to see her still sleeping there, and went over to wake her up.
“Violet,” I said, pushing gently at her arm. She woke up, and her lips spread into a sweet smile when she saw me, one that made my stomach churn with pain and rage.
“You need to get out of here,” I said to her coldly. “Get up and pack your things. You’re gone. I’ll have Abigail take you to the airport.”
“What?” she asked, confused.
“I tried to ignore the fact that you were working with Dirk,” I said to her, and her face went pale, a shamed look in her eyes. “I thought that this was real despite—despite that. But I was wrong. I want you fucking out of here. And I never—ever want to see you again.”
“Wait, Cooper—” she said, grabbing my arm. I tugged away from her.
“Let me explain,” she said. I turned around, narrowing my eyes at her.
“What is there to explain? Did Dirk send you here to convince me to sell my share of the company?”
“Yes, but—”
“Did you tell Dirk that I was planning to sue him?”
A confused look passed over her face, then one of exasperation.
“Yes, I did,” she said. “But I didn’t—”
“Abigail should be waiting for you once you’re packed and go downstairs,” I said to her through a tense jaw, something burning in my throat. I turned around and left her there, going downstairs to find Abigail.
“Can you take Violet to the airport, please?” I asked my sister when I got downstairs.
“Uh oh,” she said. “It was that bad?”
I shot her an annoyed look.
“Abigail, please. Just do it. I don’t want to take her myself,” I said.
“What happened?” asked my mother. I shrugged off her question.
“I’m going outside,” I said to her, and hurried through the front door, across the lawn to where the pond was hidden. I didn’t even want to watch Violet get in the car—I just wanted her away from me. I wanted,
too, for the pain of losing her to go away. I had fallen in love with Violet in such a short time, and I felt like a part of me was shattered as I made my way far from the house.
I was sitting on the rocks, dipping my feet in the pond when I heard a noise through the trees. I looked up to see that it was my mother, her hands on her hips.
“You can’t hide out here all day,” she said, climbing up onto the rocks and sitting beside me. She stared at me with concern in her eyes, studying my face.
“What happened with Violet?” she asked.
“Violet betrayed me. Maverick wants me to sell my share of the company. They want to take over the business branch—the branch that dad built, and turn it into another corporate warehouse.”
“How did she betray you?”
“The whole reason Violet was here was to manipulate me. And I knew that in the beginning. Dirk sent her to flirt with me, to convince me to sell the share. That was it. But we got closer and I thought—”
“You thought she had fallen for you,” my mother said. “What makes you think that she didn’t?”
“She told Dirk something that I told her in private. Something that she knew she was supposed to keep secret. This was yesterday. After we’d already—gotten close. We stayed the night in the barn and it was perfect.”
“Did you let Violet tell you her side of the story?” she asked softly. “You’re just like your dad. He was all or nothing, black or white. Did you let Violet explain?”
“There was nothing to explain,” I said bitterly. “There’s no defense for what she did.”
“Did you know Violet was demoted before she came here?”
I swallowed. “Yes,” I said, “but—”
“That job is all that girl has. You must understand that,” my mother said. I sighed.
“I don’t know what’s real or what’s fake with her,” I said. “She was probably just manipulating me the whole time. Trying to get me to do what she wanted. I can’t—I can’t believe that I fucking fell for it.”
My mom gave me a disapproving look.
“Sorry,” I said, knowing she didn’t like the language. “I’ve just—I’ve never been this angry before.”
“I can tell you one thing, son,” my mother said. “Whatever feelings you think that Violet had for you—those were real. I could see it in that girl’s eyes. She’s crazy for you.”
I stared at her, then shook my head and stood up, drying off my feet and putting on my boots.
“I’m going to the office,” I said to her. “I’m going to talk to the employees.”
“Are you going to sell?”
I gritted my teeth together.
“I’m going to fight,” I said, and left her there. I got into my truck and made my way to the branch, my head spinning as I went. My phone rang and I ignored it. It rang again, and I picked it up with a near-snarl when I saw that it was Dirk.
“What do you want?” I asked him.
“I just want you to know that you can’t convince me to change my mind, no matter how much Violet begs for your sake. It’s foolish that you would send her back on your behalf.”
“Violet asked that you wouldn’t sue me?”
“Yes,” Dirk said. “She said you’re sending her back. I told her not to bother.”
“Oh,” I said. “You fired her?”
“Yes,” Dirk said. “And I strongly advise neither you nor Violet come anywhere near this building. I will call the police.”
“I don’t plan on it,” I said, hanging up the phone. I took a deep breath, thinking of Violet trying to stand up for me, and in that moment I knew that I had made a huge mistake, one that I wasn’t sure I would be able to take back.
Chapter 17: Violet
I took a deep breath, waiting for Amanda to knock on the door of my apartment. I had been back for three days and refused to see anybody. All I did was lay around, miserable and guilty, totally ashamed of everything that I had done. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Amanda, but she was bringing my things from work, and I had the vague hope that seeing her might take my mind off of Cooper, at least for a little while.
The doorbell rang and I dragged myself off the couch, opening it to see Amanda with a cardboard box with a picture of pizza on it. She set it down on the counter and looked at me with a frown on her lips.
“You look awful,” she said.
“Thanks,” I said dryly, opening the pizza box. She picked up and piece and started eating it without grabbing a plate, burning herself in the process. I laughed and brought her one from the kitchen, getting my own slice and carrying it all into the living room.
“So tell me what happened,” Amanda said. “And don’t tell me no. I need to know what’s going on. First, you get fired. Then Cooper Maverick sells his share—”
“He what?” I asked, shock evident in my voice. “Cooper sold his share?”
“Yeah, yesterday,” Amanda said. “It was a surprise to everyone. Dirk was over the moon. So what happened?”
“Why did he sell his share? Did he say?”
“Not that I know of,” she said, then put her hand over mine. “Honey, what happened with Cooper? What’s going on?”
“Dirk sent me to Texas with Cooper to try to convince him to sell his share of the business. That’s what Dirk wanted all along. I told him that I’d try—he promised I wouldn’t have to work for Patricia anymore once I came back. He implied that I’d get my old job back. And working with Patricia was awful—I would have done anything to get away from her. He made it seem like I didn’t have a choice, so I agreed.”
“Did Cooper know that’s why you were going with him? I would think he wouldn’t want to take you.”
“I thought he didn’t know,” I said miserably. “It turns out that he did. He brought it up the last time I saw him. I think he knew all along. It explains some things.”
“Like what?”
“He started out as an asshole. Always on my ass. But then—he got sweeter, and softer, and we got—we got really close.”
“Did you sleep with him?” Amanda asked. “Did you—you know—lose your virginity?”
I nodded miserably.
“Yes,” I said. “And it was perfect. But now he’s gone. He sold his share—which means those employees at that branch are losing their jobs and it’s all my fault.”
“It’s not your fault, honey,” Amanda said. “You did what you thought was best. You didn’t know you were going to fall for him. You couldn’t help it.”
“I should have known better, Amanda,” I said, pushing my hair out of my face. “And now he’s gone. He would never trust me again. I’m so—I’m so angry at him, too, I just want to slap him or something. He’s so difficult and I can’t—”
“You can’t get him off of your mind?” she asked gently. I nodded, putting my face in my hands.
“Now I don’t have a job, I don’t have the man I love, I don’t have anything,” I said. “No family—”
“Listen,” Amanda said. “I’m your family. You’re going to get through this. You’re awesome at what you do in the advertising industry, Violet. And you were being overlooked at Maverick. It’s a good thing that you’re going to move on. Dirk is an asshole. You deserve better.”
I sighed. “You might be right, but that still won’t help me find a job.”
“You’ll get back on your feet,” Amanda said, pulling her bag close to her feet and pulling out a bottle of wine. I laughed.
“You were prepared for this,” I said. She nodded.
“Somehow, I knew you’d want to drink. Come on,” she said, taking my hand and leading me into the kitchen, where she poured two glasses of wine and handed one to me. Before I knew it, I was doubled over with her, giggling, with Cooper lingering at the back of my mind. It felt good to drink wine, forget about what I’d lost, and spend just a few fun moments with my best friend.
I wished her goodnight at the end, feeling happy and content for a moment as she hugged me goodbye. As soo
n as I shut the door behind her, however, my mind wandered back to Cooper. He had sold his share of the business. The business branch would close, and all of those employees would be forced out of a job or forced into the corporate building like the one in New York, efficient and effective but like a prison inside and out. The more I thought about it, the more it made me angry. I found myself pacing back and forth in my living room. If Cooper had sold his share, that meant he was in town, and I knew of only one place that I could guess he would be. I picked up the phone and called the Copper Hotel, the place he had been staying at the first time I’d met him in the bar there.
“Copper Hotel,” said the man who answered in a pleasant voice.
“Hi, I was just wondering—is there a Cooper Maverick staying there with you right now? I’m his lawyer and I’m having trouble getting ahold of him.”
“You’re his lawyer?” the man asked. “He did mention something about a lawyer—what did you say your name was?”
“Uh—Misty. Misty Grey,” I said, praying that he wouldn’t know any better.
“Right. That’s right,” the man said. “Misty Grey. Mr. Maverick is here. He’s staying in room 519. Should I let him know you’re coming?”
“No,” I said. “I’ll just be there in a few minutes. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Ms. Grey,” the man said, hanging up the phone. I chewed on my lip, going over my speech in my head. I was angry at Cooper for giving up his business, giving up on his people like that. He had always been so adamant that it was something he would never do, and now he had caved and done it, just because he was angry. I got dressed quickly, stopping to look in the mirror before I went. My heart was fluttering nervously, even though I knew that I couldn’t let seeing him affect me. There was no way that I could ever have a relationship with Cooper if he couldn’t ever trust me again. I also wouldn’t be able to look at him the same after he’d gone through with something as heartless as letting his employees go without a net. It made a lump form in my throat knowing that I had contributed to his decision. It was my fault, but he had decided to go along with it, to quit and give up instead of fighting for what was right.