by Nadia Aidan
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Chapter Two
If Dylan could have heard Lena's thoughts at that very moment he would have laughed because the only thing he was sure of was that he refused to back out of their bet. He'd spent most of the years of their friendship battling his growing attraction to Lena, only to watch her walk down the aisle, in a moment of impulse, with her creep of an ex-husband, Jason Wells. He'd tried to tell her that her husband was an asshole, but stubborn as she was, she hadn't listened.
A bitter chuckle escaped his lips.
"She wasn't the only stubborn one,” he muttered to himself.
Lena had warned him that Michelle was a gold digger and a user, but he'd been so blinded by his fury with Lena over her hasty marriage that he'd made one of the worst mistakes of his life and married his sweet and pretty assistant. It hadn't taken him long to realise that she was about as sweet as a viper and he'd brought a quiet end to his disastrous two year marriage. Lena hadn't been far behind, filing for a divorce three months later.
He ran a hand through his close cropped jet black hair and leaned back into his leather chair. For him, this bet was a Godsend. He'd spent the last two and half years of his life realising that what he felt for Lena wasn't just an innocent mix of friendship and attraction, it ran deeper than that. Unfortunately, he hadn't figured that out before they'd both jumped into two bad relationships. He knew Lena felt it too, maybe before he even realised what was happening between them. Yet for some reason she'd chosen to ignore the latent current of attraction between them that pulsed just beneath the surface.
A noise caught his attention and he glanced up at the sound of his office door opening and then closing shut, instantly jerking him back to the present. Barging into his office was none other than his best friend, and business partner, Chad Buchanan, who leaned against his door, with a broad grin plastered across his face.
"So how's life with your sexy roomie?” He crossed the room to plop down in one of Dylan's chairs.
Dylan twisted his face into a frown. Chad was a mutual friend of his and Lena. Had she called him up and revealed their bet?
"Fine. Why do you ask?” His voice sounded strained to his own ears.
Chad's grin grew wider. “Ah. I know that look. Something happened between you and Lena. I knew it would only be a matter of time."
He glanced down at his desk and shuffled several stacks of papers into neat piles.
"I don't know what you're talking about.” He continued to organise his desk, trying his best to avoid Chad's searching gaze."
"This must be big. You can't even look me in the eye."
His gaze instantly snapped to his friend's face.
Chad smirked. “You know you don't fool me, man. I know something's going on."
Dylan rolled his eyes. Chad always had a way of sniffing out dirt when it came to his relationships. It made it hard to keep a secret from the man. “What? Did Lena call you or did you just happen to sense that something was going on?"
He shrugged. “Neither. I just asked a question and when I saw the look on your guilty face I knew I'd hit my mark. So are you gonna tell me or do I have to go digging for gold with Lena?"
He snorted. “Good luck with that. You've never been good at prying information out of her.” Deciding to just tell him, he blew out a long breath, clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back into his chair. His gaze was serious as he stared at Chad. “I made a bet with Lena...” he started. When he was finished, he had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing out loud at the stunned look on Chad's face.
"Are you going to say something or just sit there staring at me,” he said after the silence stretched on for several long moments.
"What is there to say? You're crazy. Both of you are.” Chad pinned him with an incredulous gaze. “How could you make a bet like that with her? I expect that crazy shit from Lena, but I thought you were the sane one. Usually she's dragging you into nonsense like this, not the other way around."
Dylan hunched his shoulders into a slight shrug. “You know I've been interested in her for a while now. When she issued the challenge, I just saw this as an opportunity for me to get her to see me as more than a friend."
Chad's eyes rounded. “By sleeping with her on a dare? What is wrong with you? Why don't you just tell her how you feel and skip the part where you risk ruining a friendship of close to fifteen years?"
"You know I've tried to give her subtle hints, but she always just brushes my comments aside as teasing or a joke. I know once we cross that line we can't go back, but I'm willing to take that chance because I think she might just feel the same way—"
"And if she doesn't?"
He scrunched his face up into a scowl. Why did Chad always have to be the voice of reason? “I hadn't considered that."
Chad stood to his feet and exhaled a long suffering sigh as if to say are you an idiot? “Well I think that's the first thing you should do, because if this backfires then you'll lose Lena—for good."
Chad shot him another look of disbelief and shook his head before he shuffled out of his office.
Dylan's mood grew sour as he mulled over his friend's parting words. He'd been so certain that Lena had feelings for him, beyond friendship, and all she needed was a little coaxing, that he'd never considered the alternative. What if she only thought of him as just a friend? Was he willing to risk the real possibility of ruining his friendship with her just to find out?
* * * *
"Girl, are you insane? No scratch that. I know you're insane, but I never thought you were stupid. What on earth possessed you to issue a challenge like that to Dylan?"
Lena pulled her lips into a tight frown and held the phone about an inch from her ear, while her sorority sister, Maia Lee, screeched into the receiver at what sounded like the top of her lungs. Even with the phone separating them she could clearly see the light caramel complexion of her half black, half Korean friend blazing red with fury. She was sure steam was coming out of her ears at that very moment. Maia had a feisty personality and was not one to mince words, which is one of the things she both loved and hated about her. She knew she would hear the truth from Maia even if she didn't want to—like now. When she didn't answer, Maia took that as her cue to continue her rant.
"Selena, seriously. I told you after the two of you divorced to let Dylan find his own place. The man has plenty of money. He can afford a new house. But no, you felt bad that he had to give Michelle his home in the settlement and you didn't want to live in your big, empty house, alone, which I told you to sell by the way—"
"I know. I know. I know, Maia. We've gone over this before—"
"Obviously not enough because you two have only been roommates for three months and already you've found a way to drag him into your bed—"
Lena immediately blanched at the image Maia painted of her. “Hey,” She protested. “You make it sound as if I made this bet and forced him to go along with it. It was actually the opposite. I never thought he would accept."
The phone crackled as Maia sighed against the mouthpiece. “Lena, this is me you're talking to. And you know you're not fooling anyone but yourself. You wanted him to accept the bet. I'm amazed that Dylan can't see that you're half in love with him. I know you want him, but honey, this is not the way to go about it—,"
"But—"
"Uh, uh. Let me finish and then you can speak your mind. Seriously, Selena this smells like a rebound affair, which is not something you need right now. And Dylan is certainly not someone you rebound with. You love him as more than a friend, but he doesn't know that and when this is all over and he walks away thinking this was just a bit of fun and a harmless dare with ‘wild Lena’ you're going to be heartbroken, and worst of all you're not going to be able to go back to being just friends. He may, but not you,” she said softly.
Lena closed her eyes and shoved her free hand through her hair in frustration. She knew Maia was right. She'd told herself the same things o
ver and over all day. And yet, she couldn't seem to find the strength to call Dylan up and call off their bet because deep down she knew that she really didn't want to.
"I know Maia, but Dylan is always hinting at taking our friendship to another level. I always thought he was joking, but what if he was serious?"
"Then you ask him."
She tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth, something she always did when she was nervous. “But what if I do and he laughs at me for taking his words seriously when he was just joking?"
"Wouldn't you want to know that before you sleep with him?"
Yes, she would, but she was too big of a coward to ask. She held the phone against her ear saying nothing.
Maia sighed again. “Okay, girl. You have a lot to think about and I can tell you that nothing is going get solved during my lunch break. But before I go I just have two words for you to help you remember the last time you made a decision on impulse: Jason Wells."
Lena scrunched her face into a deep frown. “Ugh. Trust me I haven't forgotten. But Dylan is nothing like Jason.
"True. But it doesn't mean that this can't end up just as bad as your last rash decision.” Maia released a long sigh and then there was the distinct sound of paper rustling as if she was balling up her lunch and throwing it away. “I really better go, but I'll call you letter. Promise me you will think about what I said, okay?"
"I will,” she muttered and quickly said her good-byes before she disconnected with Maia.
Lena swivelled her chair around to stare out at the bustling Midtown Atlanta lunch traffic from her newly decorated expansive office at Taylor & Associates, courtesy of her recent promotion to partner. Even in the midst of her crazy divorce she'd managed to make senior partner in the premier sports and entertainment law firm, hence the brand spankin’ new cushy office.
She dragged a hand through her hair and closed her eyes as the events from the past two years replayed themselves in her head like a slideshow. When she got to the period of her marriage and divorce she wasn't surprised that she felt nothing. She supposed thinking about Jason Wells and her divorce should make her feel sad, but it didn't. She'd never loved Jason, so she was relieved to see him go. She just wished he could have left without being the biggest bastard cheater in all of Atlanta. It had really stung her pride, but not because she cared that he cheated, just that everyone seemed to know and they all felt sorry for her. It was humiliating. And her only regret was that she hadn't left sooner.
Maia had been right. She'd married him on impulse. He'd reminded her so much of Dylan. Physically they shared the same towering, muscular build, spiky close cropped jet black hair and charming smile. But that was where the similarities ended. Jason lacked the fundamental qualities that made Dylan who he was: kindness—respect—integrity.
From the moment they'd met on the stairwell in college she'd been attracted to him. She couldn't count how many times she'd made a crazy bet or taken an outrageous dare just to get him to notice her as a woman and not just his buddy—his friend. It was embarrassing to think just how long she'd pined over him only to have him grab beers with her and confide in her like the best friend she was. After awhile she came to accept that to Dylan she would always be just a friend.
So when Jason walked into her life, with his gallant ways that promised to sweep her off her feet, she'd jumped at the chance to finally rid herself of her ridiculous and futile crush. Dylan was never going to look at her the way she wanted him to so she figured it was time to move on. It was for the best anyway. It wasn't until after she married Jason that Dylan revealed just a tiny part of himself to give her a spark of hope, but by then it was too late.
* * * *
Two and a half years ago
"What the hell did I just do?” Lena asked herself as her Chanel heels dug into the plush carpet of the fifteenth floor of the Westin. She balled the skirt of her silk chiffon dress up a few inches just so she wouldn't trip as she stomped angrily toward her suite.
She couldn't wait to get out of her wedding gown.
This was a mistake. She repeated over and over in her head. She fished her key card out from where she'd hidden it in her bra tucked beneath her strapless gown and let herself in.
In minutes she was out of the smothering gown and in a complimentary silk robe the hotel had provided for the newlyweds.
"Some fucking newlywed I am.” She grumbled and plopped herself down on the lovely burgundy and gold king sized bed that was beautifully decorated with red rose petals. At the sight of the romantic picture a sob tore past her lips and she dropped her face in her hands, finally allowing herself to cry.
How could Jason do this to her? She'd caught him just minutes ago fucking his damn secretary in the women's bathroom right where their reception was going on, right where anyone could walk in and catch him—just like she had. Thankfully he'd been so engrossed in shoving his dick into the woman that he didn't even hear her come in or notice when she'd immediately left.
At the sound of an insistent rapping against her door, she lifted her tear stained face from her palms. She thought Jason hadn't seen her, but maybe he had. She was not in the mood to face him just yet.
"Go away you asshole,” she shouted at the door.
"Lena's it's me. Open up."
"Dylan?” She whispered, instantly perking up. She glanced into the mirror and frowned. She couldn't let him in. She looked like the love child of a raccoon and Medusa. Two black tracks of massacre ran down her cheeks and several strands of her freshly pressed hair stuck out from her bun where she'd ripped off her tiara and veil. “I—I'm not dressed. Come back later."
"I followed you, Lena. I saw Jason in the bathroom with that woman. I just want to make sure you're alright."
She closed her eyes and sighed. Oh, God this was humiliating. Dylan had told her not to marry him. He'd told her he couldn't be trusted but she hadn't listened and now he could say I told you so and he would be right in doing so. “I'm fine Dylan. I'll talk to you later."
"You don't sound fine. So you can either open this door right now or watch me while I break it down."
She shot an angry scowl at the door and stood to her feet. She knew he would do it too.
"Damn it, Dylan. Fine.” She shouted moments before she twisted the knob and wrenched the door open to reveal a furious Dylan.
He stomped in and she slammed the door behind him.
"See. I'm fine,” she said bitterly.
He rounded on her and grasped her by her arms, his green eyes flashing with anger. “Don't ever shut me out like that again. I love you Lena and if you're hurting I want to be there for you to lean on."
She dropped her gaze to the floor, feeling ashamed by her childish behaviour. Dylan was not the enemy. He was her friend and he'd done what any good friend would do. “I know and I'm sorry.” She lifted her eyes to his face. “But I really am fine."
He swiped at the moisture on her cheek with a single finger. “Then why are you crying?” He said with a wry smile.
She pinched her lips into a tight frown. “I know what it looks like but I'm not upset because I love him. It's because I feel like a fool.” A dry chuckle escaped her lips. “I guess you could say he hurt my pride more than he hurt my feelings."
A dark look flashed across his face and his eyes rounded in disbelief. “Are you out of your mind? What do you mean you don't love him? Why the hell would you marry Jason if you didn't love him, especially after I warned you not to?"
Again her gaze slid from his face in embarrassment. How could she tell him that she'd married Jason because she'd given up hope that he could ever love her the way she wanted him to?
"B—because he was charming,” she muttered weakly, hoping he wouldn't probe much deeper into her blatant lie.
His expression turned furious and he stared down at her as if she'd lost her mind.
"Because he's charming, Lena? Now I know you're out of your mind. You don't marry a man for just his charm. What were you thinking?
There are plenty of men out there that are charming. Hell, I can be charming. You could have married me if that was all you wanted,” he snapped angrily.
She narrowed her eyes at him, her own temper igniting. The fucking nerve of him to criticise her decision. Men were not banging down her door to propose to her—him included.
"I didn't see you jumping through any hoops to ask me Dylan. He asked me to marry him."
Dylan jerked back slightly, his eyes wide with shock as if she'd just struck him with her fist.
"So what he asked. I didn't know you were so hard up to walk down the aisle."
Anger coursed through her at his derisive tone. “I want to get married, have children. You have a problem with that—"
"Only the part where you tell me marrying a guy you don't love is a great idea. That's your problem, Lena. You don't think things through. You just act—"
Fury boiled in her veins as she stared up into his angry face. She hated when Dylan got on his soapbox and started preaching like he was her damn father.
"Dylan, I don't need you to tell me how to live my life. Men aren't lining up to marry me and if you hadn't noticed I'm not getting any younger. Jason asked me to marry him and so I made a decision—and it was mine to make so you're just going to have to accept it."
Hi expression hardened as his hands tightened around her arms. “I still can't believe you jumped at his offer so quickly. You didn't even wait a month after saying ‘yes’ before throwing this sham of a wedding together—,"
She gritted her teeth together to keep from screaming at him for the insults he kept hurling at her. Why the hell was he so angry with her anyway? Didn't he see she was fuckin’ distraught? She'd just caught her new husband cheating on her for chrissakes!
"What was the point in dragging this out? I knew what I wanted—"
"Really? That's what you wanted? That bastard husband of yours who can't keep his hands off anything with a skirt? Is that who you envisioned spending the rest of your life with when you dreamed of getting married as a little girl?"