by Sinden West
“No one.” I went to get out of bed, but his arm snaked around my waist, pulling me in hard against him.
“You’re not going anywhere.” He kissed my shoulder. “I’m going to keep you naked in my bed all day long.” His erection pressed against me. He lifted me on top of him and sat me there so his penis sunk smoothly into me. I automatically started to move, pressing down so it felt good.
“Good girl, good girl, Greta,” he said like a mantra as I moved against him. His hand reached up to cup my breasts, squeezing as his breathing became shallower. I leaned into his touch and savoured each moment that I had a small form of power over him. I left after that, parting with a kiss that he seemed to want.
I kept my phone off until I got home. I walked in the front door and came to face to face with Emma, Damien and Rick sitting in the living room. I cast a brief eye over all of them before heading to my bedroom. Rick was quick through the door behind me before I had a chance to close it.
“I told you to leave me alone.” I threw my coat on the bed.
He sat down beside it. “C’mon, you know that I’m not going to do that. I’ve given you space, it’s time we talked.” He reached out a hand and gripped my wrist, pulling me down gently down onto his lap. I let him, almost enjoying the feel of his hard body underneath mine. A hand snaked underneath my top to massage the skin on my back. I stiffened at that.
“Don’t do that.”
He didn’t stop though. “I sent her away,” he said softly.
I nearly laughed at that. “Why? You’re clearly in love with her.”
He pulled the sleeve of my top down, baring my shoulder, and kissed me there. “Me and Bella are so…complicated. I don’t know if its love or what it is really. She’s always been a big part of my life. I think I’m obsessed with her. This sounds stupid, but I don’t want to be with her, but I don’t know how to not be with her either.” He really looked torn.
“How long have you known her for?” I asked him, quietly.
“We’ve been screwing since I was sixteen. I do some work for her husband sometimes, he’s wealthy, that’s why she stays with him. He treats her like shit. He flaunts his lovers right in her face, guys and girls, he’s not picky.” He sounded angry.
“How did you meet them?”
“My older brother. He’s one of Lucas’s ‘boyfriends.’ He still lives with them. I figured it was alright if I screwed Bella, since my brother was his bitch. At first it just sex, I couldn’t believe this hot, older woman wanted to sleep with me. Then, I got to know her better and found out what she was really like. It’s all just an act, you know, the tough bitch. You’d probably like her if you got to know her—“He held me tighter. “Shit. Of course you wouldn’t. You think I threw you aside for her, but I didn’t, not intentionally. I hadn’t had sex with her until you were with us. Honestly, I thought it was a fucking dream come true that the two girls I cared most about were willing to, you know…” He shook his head sadly at me. “I was a dick. I put you in an impossible position. I knew it wasn’t your type of thing and I went ahead and practically made you do it anyway…” He trailed off, and I just stayed silent. “Greta, can we please try again. We had a good thing going, and I don’t want to lose that.”
I tried to pull out of his grasp, but he held me tight. “Listen, I know that I hurt you, and I am so sorry. At least let me take you on a date; let me try to make it up to you.” He was begging, which was so unlike him that I just knew that he was genuine.
Hope flared in me, maybe things could be the way I wanted them too. “Okay,” came out of my mouth before I realized it.
His mouth twisted into a grin. “Really? You won’t regret this, Greta. You have no idea how I feel about you.”
Yeah, but do you love me? Of course I didn’t say that though. Then he was kissing me and pulling me down to lie on top of him. I kept kissing him like my lips were starved of him. But then I remembered that a mere hour before I had been having sex with Oliver and a sick feeling went through me.
“Stop!” I pulled away, sitting up.
“Sorry.” Rick sat up. “I shouldn’t have expected you to want jump right back in the sack with me. Let’s wait.” He gave me a warm smile. “Let’s do it the old fashioned way. Let me wine you and dine you first.”
I couldn’t help but smile back, even though the thought that I was a pathetic, gullible fool lingered in my mind.
Pamela found me in the library, on my normal floor as I perused the shelves.
“What’s the story?” she asked.
“Bella’s gone.” I kept my gaze on the shelves.
“Yeah, but for how long?” she questioned.
I shrugged, trying to act like I didn’t care. But I did. I really did.
Pamela was silent for a moment then said, “You look sad.”
Did I? I just shrugged.
“What really happened? You can tell me.”
I let out a laugh. “Because we’re such good friends.”
“I thought we were allies,” she said, sounding a little hurt.
“Rick and I are still together.”
“Oh.” She took a breath. “Well, good for you. But you still look sad.” A devious smile played on her mouth. “Maybe I could cheer you up.”
Before I could question her further, she was turning me around and pushing me against the shelves. Her mouth was on mine; her hands were sliding down my ass to meet between my thighs.
“Pamela,” I hissed when she broke off for air. “What are you doing?”
Her hands were busy pushing up my top, revealing my bra. “White cotton? How old are you? Twelve?”
I tried pushing her away, but she wouldn’t let me.
“I’m not going to have a threesome with you and Rick,” I told her as I fought to keep my bra in place.
“I don’t want a threesome,” she whispered in my ear. “I just want to screw in the library. It’ll be hot. This is that legendary floor where everyone screws, right?”
I laughed in spite of myself, but then her mouth was on my nipple and I could think of little else. I felt myself arching my back and pushing my breasts up to her as if they were on a platter.
“Shit,” I whispered. This felt so good, especially as her hand started to rub between my legs.
Then someone cleared his throat, and we both looked up in alarm.
“Someone’s been trying to call you. You’re supposed to have your phone turned off in the library.” Tad waved my phone at me, before cautiously taking a step forward and passing it to me where I leaned half undressed against the shelves.
“Thanks,” I told him as he placed it in my hands.
“You’re welcome.” He walked away.
Pamela and I stared at each other, then her mouth started to twitch, and so did mine. In unison, we both bent over and laughed hard.
I put my bra back in place and pulled down my top. “I can’t believe you just did that.”
“Can you blame me? I’m horny, and you’re the most attractive girl on this floor.” She flashed me a bright smile.
“I’m the only girl on this floor.”
She just shrugged. “You want to come back to my place?”
“No. I’m going to study.”
She rolled her eyes as she pouted. “Suit yourself.”
I just shook my head at her as she walked away. Oddly, I felt flattered.
Chapter Twenty One
Emma lent me a dress for my date with Rick. She had muttered an apology to me, and I muttered one back, and that was all that needed to be said. She wasn’t a fan of Rick’s, but she was putting on a nice façade of happiness and excitement for me. That was fine. Playing pretend was good.
He turned up with flowers and ignored Damien’s laughter as he offered his arm for me to take and led me out the door. He even opened the car door for me which had me laughing, until I saw his knuckles. They were bruised and the skin was split.
“What happened?”
His eyes followed my gaze. “Oh, it’s n
o biggie. I just hit something.”
“A person? You were in a fight?”
He looked away for a moment then met my eyes. “It’s nothing for you to worry about, Greta. Let’s not ruin our night.”
“Okay,” I said slowly, a feeling of unease coming over me. He noticed and embraced me tightly, kissing the top of my head.
“You don’t need to worry about me, Greta. I can take care of myself. Let me be the one to worry about you.”
I looked up at him. ”Do you worry about me?”
He grinned. “Of course I do. You’re innocent and sweet. You’re forgiving and you see the good in everyone. Sometimes people take advantage of that.” He tilted up my chin and planted a kiss on my lips. “That’s also what I like about you as well. Don’t ever change.” His words warmed me, that feeling of security and safety he had given me returned.
The restaurant was fancy. The type of place I’d eat with my mother, the kind of place that had always intimidated me even thought my net worth was probably more than any of the employees would ever see in a lifetime. But with Rick securely holding my hand in his, I felt like I owned the place.
“You like?” Rick asked after the waiter had left. “I read about it in a magazine. They say it’s the best, you deserve the best.”
I blushed and smiled at the same time. Happiness was seeping back in. This was enough distraction to try and forget about my mortifyingly embarrassing come-on to David, who I hadn’t heard a word from since. And I certainly wasn’t going to contact him.
“What should we do tomorrow?” he asked, pulling my hand across the table to rest it within his.
“Actually, I’m going to visit my ex step brother.”
“Yeah? Where’s he at?”
“A rehab center.”
Rick frowned. “What’s his deal?”
“Drugs, I don’t know what type or anything like that. They called me because they want me to take part in one of his therapy sessions.” I’d been surprised when the therapist had called; apparently I was a significant person in Nathan’s life which was news to me. I had agreed once she assured me that Oliver wouldn’t be there as well. The thought of him left me with a mixture of emotions, and avoiding him was probably the best thing.
“If he’s an addict, maybe you should be staying away.”
I gave him a smile. “He’s in rehab. That means he’s getting better.”
Rick didn’t look convinced. “People like that are weak, Greta. They always relapse and at the end of the day, they will sell their own mother for their next fix.”
“There’s a lot of good in Nathan. He just needs to get back on the right path.”
Rick relaxed back, a small smile on his lips. “How did you ever get so…trusting?”
“You mean naïve and stupid?” I joked.
“No, well definitely not stupid. Naïve maybe…but that’s good. You’re all good.”
Our meals were extravagant works of art and it was almost a shame to eat them. But we did and left the restaurant satiated and half drunk. The minute we were inside his apartment, we jumped each other. It was a frenzy of tearing off clothes and kissing all at once, it was if we had been apart for years. When he pulled me toward the bed, I pulled him to the couch. After all, the memory of my encounter with Bella was not dimmed enough by the alcohol I’d drunken.
Everything was perfect. Afterward, we lay in each other’s arms, naked and happy.
Then his phone rang; it was the old one.
“Haven’t you given that back to your friend yet?”
“He’s out of town. Why don’t you got take a shower, I’ll join you in a second.”
I kissed him on the lips before making my way to the bathroom while he answered the phone. I lathered my body with soap and waited. When he finally poked his head in, he was fully dressed and looking regretful.
“Sorry, babe. I’ve got to go out for a while.”
“Really? Why?” I had to catch myself to make sure there was no whining in my voice.
“Business. Sorry. You’ll wait though, won’t you?” He flashed me that charming smile.
“Of course.”
He leaned in and kissed me, getting wet but not caring. “I’ll make it up to you. Promise.”
I fell asleep while I waited in bed for him, only stirring when he slipped in beside me. His strong arms came around me and pulled me in close, and I fell asleep again like that.
I was up early the next morning for my visit to Nathan. Rick cracked his eyes open only when I placed a coffee down beside him.
“Don’t go,” he murmured sleepily. “Don’t bother with him. He was an asshole to you.”
I answered him by bending down to give him a kiss. “Bye, lover.”
The grounds were nice at the rehab center; the inside though was kind of depressing. The green linoleum was cracked and the walls were painted a dull yellow in an effort to be cheery, but it failed miserably.
The therapist was an efficient, no bullshit type. She swiftly ushered me into a room where Nathan sat. He lifted his eyes from the floor when I entered and got to his feet.
“Hey,” he greeted.
“Hey.”
Then he sat back down, and the therapist asked me to sit as she took her own seat. I took the final chair and we formed a small, uneven circle. It was awful. For the next hour, I had to listen to Nathan go on about how horrible he had been to me and started to apologize for every incident. My eyes widened and I flushed in embarrassment as he described the pool house incident in detail. I dared look at the therapist, whose face was a stony mask.
“It’s okay,” I rushed out. “It doesn’t matter. I know you were having a hard time—“
It isn’t okay,” the therapist boomed out. “You’re not a punching bag for Nathan to abuse every time he has a bad day. It’s not fair that he made himself feel better by being cruel to you. And then, when you weren’t around, Nathan made the decision to use copious amounts of drugs to deal with his issues. He needs to start growing up and taking responsibility for his own actions.”
“But there are a lot of good things about Nathan. Did he tell you about all the kind things he’s done, like—“
“Was he really being kind or was he just behaving as we should reasonably expect any decent human being to act? Did it only stand out as kind because the rest of his behavior was so disgusting?” The therapist was a scary woman and I felt myself shrink back from her.
“Greta,” Nathan said quietly. “It’s okay. I’m taking responsibility for my actions, finally. Let me apologize, it’s the least I could do for you.”
After the ordeal, Nathan walked me out. We didn’t talk until we got outside the door. I paused, feeling like I should say something, but he got to it first.
“Thanks for coming.” He shoved his hands deep in his pockets, not really looking at me.
“That’s okay.”
“I’ve still got that money.” He snuck a peek at me. “My Dad bailed me out finally, and I wanted to give it back to you. All my stuff’s with them right now, but I’ll get it when I’m out of here. I tried getting in contact with you before I came here…”
“It’s okay, Nathan.”
He tilted his head and studied me. “Why are you so nice to me?”
I shrugged, smiling. “I guess I just am nice.”
He grinned.
I took a breath. “I saw your Dad.”
His grin dropped. “When?”
“A few times recently. I wanted to know what happened to you.”
He surprised me by leaning closer and taking my wrist. “Listen, Greta. Stay away from him. I’m serious.” His grip tightened, almost painfully.
“Ow, Nathan! Let go.”
He did. “Sorry. Shit, Greta. You know what he’s like.”
I did, and it was too confusing to think about the things I’d done with him. “Don’t you think he’s changed?”
Nathan barked out a short laugh. “No.”
“I better get goi
ng.”
“Okay.”
We stared each other for a few seconds, before I stepped forward and hugged him. He stayed still under my touch for a moment, then his arms came around me and he crushed me for an instant in a tight embrace before letting go just as suddenly.
“See ya, Greta. Take care.”
“You too, Nathan.”
Chapter Twenty Two
David’s PA rang to make an appointment to sign some documents. Usually David called me himself, and I very rarely had to go into the office, normally we would meet up for lunch. Obviously, I had made our relationship change, and not for the better.
I had to talk myself into walking through the glass doors that led to his offices. What would I say to him? But as it turned out, I need not have worried because one of his associates talked me through what I was signing. She was very efficient, and very pretty. I wondered if David was sleeping with her, and not for the first time did I curse myself for ever entertaining the thought that he may have found me even slightly attractive as to want to kiss me. He was only being nice to me because he felt sorry for me. That was it.
After the brisk, efficient woman had handed me my copies and I was heading for the lift, I saw David walking down the hall with a colleague. I stopped and waited, my heart lifting when he looked up and saw me. But all he did was give a quick nod in my direction. “Greta.” And continued on his way without a second glance.
I swallowed down the urge to cry, and hurried into the lift which someone was holding open for me. We were all going out that night, and for once, I was looking forward to it. I wanted to drown my sorrows in an alcoholic haze.
I stayed safe with Rick’s arm tucked around me, drinking every drop of liquid that he put in front of me. “You getting drunk tonight?” he asked, grinning.
“Yep.”
“You want to tell me what’s wrong?”
I shook my head, draining the last drop of beer.
“Are you sure it’s not me?” he asked.
“Not this time. I’ll get us some more.” I grabbed our empty bottles and took them up to the bar, indicating to the bartender for more.
Pamela came up to me at the bar as I waited and nudged me with her hip. “How’s the love life?”