“Almost five,” Becca answers with a giggle.
My eyes widen. “In the morning?”
The man who was eye-fucking me looks over at Ashlyn. “He’s not as smart as he is good looking, huh?”
Ashlyn was taking a drink of her beer, and she spits it out as she snorts with laughter. Then she’s coughing, yanking a towel off the countertop and placing it over her face.
I laugh but say nothing. I’m just glad they had fun. They both needed it.
Becca laughs as she points at the man. “Babe, this is Thomas. Thomas, this is my boyfriend, Jaycent. Jaycent Barnett,” she says with a proud smile, and I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face.
“Nice to meet you,” I say with a head nod.
His eyes widen. “Jaycent Barnett?” he asks.
“The one and only,” I say.
“You know him?” Becca asks.
“He’s one of the best architects in town.” He looks me up and down again and then smiles. “He is as smart as he is hot,” he says, and Ashlyn giggles.
“We all have our days,” I assure him.
“You’re hot every day, baby,” Becca assures me with a flirty wink, and I smile.
“I’m not sure that is what he meant.” Ashlyn laughs.
“What ...?” Becca asks, waving her beer around in the air.
A phone goes off, and Thomas pulls a cell from out of the back his pocket. His face falls when he looks down at it. “Not me,” he informs us then places it back in his pocket.
It beeps again. “It’s not mine,” Becca says, shaking her head. “Mine died an hour ago.” Then she tips her beer back.
It beeps again, and Ashlyn looks at them. “What?” she asks.
“It’s your phone, dear,” Thomas informs her.
She rolls her eyes and yanks her little black purse open. She pulls out her phone and squints as she looks down at it. “Oh, it’s Rick.” She frowns.
“I think his name was Nick,” Becca informs her.
Ashlyn looks up at her with her head tilted to the side. “I saved it as Rick.”
Thomas rolls his eyes. “Who cares what his name is? He was hot. What does he want?”
She squints as she lifts the phone closer to her eyes. “To see if we made it home.” Becca and Thomas both aww at that. “And if I wanna have dinner Monday night.”
“Oh, yes.” Thomas sets his beer on the countertop and claps excitedly.
She sets her phone next to it and shakes her head. “I don’t think ...”
Thomas grabs her phone, and she stops midsentence and asks, “What are you doing?”
He twists his back to her as she reaches out to him, and he types on her phone. When he turns back to her seconds later, she is giving him the death glare. “You accepted.”
She lets out a huff and says, “Your ass is sleeping on the couch tonight.”
“Honey, I can sleep anywhere.” Then he picks up his beer and takes another sip of it.
**
Sunday morning, I was the first one up. No surprise there. The girls and Thomas didn’t come home from the club until almost five a.m., and then we all stayed up talking long past the sun coming up.
Becca had passed out on the couch, and I carried her to bed. Ashlyn pretty much crawled to her room even after I offered to help her. And although Ashlyn told Thomas he was sleeping on the couch, I showed him to one of the spare bedrooms.
Sunday, we did nothing but lie around since the girls were hungover. We spent our entire day on the couch watching Top Gun like a hundred fucking times. Later that evening, Thomas’s phone finally rang, and it was that call he had wanted. He let it go to voicemail. His boyfriend apologized for whatever had happened and asked him to come home. He waited an hour after he received the call from his partner before he returned the call. He said he wanted him to sweat it out. And then he told us all bye and went home.
Monday morning came too fast, and it was back to everyday life. And for once, I didn’t mind it because I have Becca. But she seemed upset. She wouldn’t tell me exactly what it was, but I think it had to do with Ryder and Ashlyn. I think deep down she still thought her brother was going to come running back to her best friend, and she would welcome him with open arms. And once again, she was let down.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
BECCA
I stand in the kitchen with Ashlyn while Jaycent is in my shower. I hand her a coffee mug, and she smiles at me. “Thank you,” she says, and I nod.
She frowns, placing it on the counter. “What’s wrong, Becca?”
I sigh and shake my head. Not wanting to tell her that I’m sad about her date with the man from the bar Saturday night. It’s not my fault that Ryder has dropped the ball once again. She’s going to move on, and he’s gonna miss any opportunity he ever had with her.
I shouldn’t be worried about them. I have a very big day today. Today, I meet with my dad and the advisors. I’m nervous about how that will go. I’ve never had to meet with them before. Not for something so major like this. My father called me yesterday and told me that he had all the paperwork ready for me to sign for my trust fund, and I was just going to turn around and sign it all away. I shouldn’t be nervous, but I am. Not that I’m afraid to give it away, but I’m afraid that what I’m planning to do will fail. My mother’s words mean more than they should. I shouldn’t care that she is expecting me to fail. She would find satisfaction in that. And I don’t want to feed that evil part of her.
“Nothing,” I finally say. I still haven’t told her what my plans are, and honestly, I’m not sure why. I think I’m just used to keeping everything to myself that letting it go would be like revealing a part of myself. And I don’t want to do that until I know it’s going to happen. And if I tell her how I feel about her and Ryder, she may cancel her date tonight, and I don’t want her to do that. She deserves to be happy like I am—with someone who will treat her right—and my brother obviously isn’t that guy.
She places her hand on my shoulder. “Well, I am here when you’re ready to discuss it.”
That’s what I’ve always loved about her; she never pushes me to tell her anything. She will wait until I am ready.
“Good morning, ladies.”
We both look up to see Jaycent walk into the kitchen. He kisses me on the cheek and then nods at Ashlyn.
“Morning, babe,” I say, putting a fake smile on my face, so he won’t question it either. He won’t let it go. He will ask questions until I either tell him or he figures it out.
“Well, I am off to work, guys,” Ashlyn says as her phone rings in her purse. She smiles as she looks down at it, and I see it’s Margaret, her mother.
“Tell her I said hello,” I call out as she walks to the door. Even though I’m next on her list to call for the day. She nods as she answers it.
Jaycent comes up behind me and wraps his arms around me. I allow my head to fall to the side, giving him access to my neck. His lips are on it in the next second. I sigh as my right hand comes up and runs through his soft dark hair.
He flattens his hands on my stomach, and they run up my body until they cup my breasts. “Wanna make this a great morning?” I ask with a smile.
“Yes.” He moans into my neck, and my body breaks out in goose bumps.
His firm hands massage my breasts, and I sigh, pressing my ass into his front. He’s already hard. I pull away from him and spin around to face him.
His hands go to my ass, and he picks me up and then sets me down on the kitchen counter. He spreads my legs and comes to stand between them. His hands go to the hem of my shirt, and he pulls it up to expose my breasts.
“Yes,” I moan as he lowers his head and then his lips are on my hard nipple. I let my head fall back, and I close my eyes. He sucks harder and then his teeth lightly nibble it. My hands go to his dress slacks. I undo them frantically and then slip it inside once undone. I wrap my hand around his long and hard length.
“Baby ...”
The front
door swings open and hits the wall. “Shit!” He hisses as he jumps back from me and quickly does his slacks.
I pull my shirt down in a rush when I see Ashlyn enter, her blue eyes narrowed, and lips thinned. “That bastard,” she hisses.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, jumping down from the countertop.
She looks at me as if she’s just now realizing I’m still in the kitchen. Jaycent walks out of the kitchen, running a hand through his hair and excusing himself. “He just shut the elevator door on me,” she growls.
“Who?”
“Ryder.” She grips her phone still in her hand. “I was on the phone with my mother. The doors slid open, and I went to step in it but paused when I saw Ryder already standing inside the elevator. He just gave me this ‘go to hell’ look, and then as I went to step on the elevator, he reached over and pressed the button for it to shut.” Her arms go wide. “On me. He’s being a child!” She’s shouting; she’s so angry.
“You’ve got to be joking.” I sigh. What is wrong with him?
She shakes her head and then runs her hand through her hair. “Nope.”
I walk over to her and place my hands on her shoulders. “You have got to make him hear you.” It’s been long enough. My brother has acted like a little bitch for too long. She needs to make him feel like the idiot who fucked up. Because that’s what he did.
“What’s the point?” she asks, pulling away from me.
“The point is that this is not who you are,” I say, raising my voice. She narrows her eyes at me. “Jesus, Ashlyn. You are not this woman who lets a man treat her this way. Make him listen. Make him see that he is being an ass. That he has been wrong for long enough.” My voice gets louder as I speak. “Quit being this woman who lets a man make her feel small and doubt herself. You did nothing wrong, and he needs to see that.”
She lets out a long breath and looks from me to Jaycent, who has reappeared in the kitchen. “You’re right,” she growls, and I smile.
“Yes, I am,” I say with a curt nod.
She smooths her skirt down and then pushes hair from her face. “I am not that kind of woman. And I’m tired of letting him make me feel that way.” Without another word, she spins around and storms out the door like she entered.
“You just started a war. You know that?”
I turn around to see Jaycent now standing in the hallway. He has this look on his face that I can’t place.
I nod. “He deserves it.”
He runs a hand through his hair. “I hope you are prepared for what is to come next.”
I fist my hands down by my side. “Why should he get to treat her like shit?” I snap.
He holds his hands up, still wearing that look on his face. “I’m not saying I agree with how he is acting, but—”
“I know what that feels like,” I interrupt him. “Conner made me feel like that all the time, and she tried to get me to see that, but I never listened. I guess I just got used to feeling that way, but seeing it ...” I shake my head. “I wasn’t going to watch her feel that way anymore.”
**
I’m in the bathroom getting ready so I can meet Jaycent for lunch when my phone rings. I see it’s the front desk. “Hello?” I answer.
“Hello, Ms. O’Kane. I have a delivery for you from a Mr. O’Kane.”
I smile. So whatever Ashlyn did worked? “Send it on up. Thank you.”
I make my way to the front door and open it up just as the delivery guy steps off the elevator. He’s carrying a bouquet of a dozen red roses. “Thank you,” I tell the man and then place them on the kitchen counter.
Sorry I was such an ass. I love you, B.
Love, Ry.
I smile and take a picture of them before sending it to Ashlyn. I haven’t spoken to her since she stormed out of our apartment this morning. I was busy with my dad for the most of it, and then I came straight home to change to meet Jaycent.
Me: Whatever you said, did the trick. What do your flowers look like?
I know he sent them to her as well. It shows read instantly, and then I have a new message. It’s an image of a black wire trashcan. Water runs out the bottom of it onto the tile floor. I frown when I see her white roses upside down in the trashcan as well. Along with the message.
Ashlyn: In the trash.
Me: You threw them away?
Ashlyn: Yes! But Thomas took the vase. He said it was crystal or some shit like that.
I laugh but type back. Why did you do that?
Ashlyn: Because flowers don't make things better.
I set my phone down and almost smile. This is the Ashlyn I know. The stubborn and strong woman who can’t be bought. But this also creates a new problem. Ryder is gonna have to kiss her ass more than he knows how. And he doesn’t have any practice at this.
JAYCENT
“How much longer?” I snap into the phone as I stomp on the brake. My car comes to a screeching halt outside the Q’s.
“At least another week. There is more than we had originally thought,” Fredrick whines. “I’ll need at least another week, possibly two—”
“How did you not know this? Isn’t it your job?”
“I’m sorry, Jaycent. I am doing all that I can—”
“You have one week,” I growl and then hang up just as my driver’s door is open.
“Good evening, Mr. Barnett,” the valet says as I step out of my car.
“Good evening.” I walk around the back of my car, and out of habit, I button my suit jacket. And then send a quick text to Timothy.
Me: Another fucking week!
I walk through the lobby of the apartment building and then over to the elevator banks. I then send Becca a text as well.
Me: On my way up.
I get into the elevator and roll my shoulders. It has definitely been a Monday, and I’m ready for it to be over. I want Becca underneath me and then some dinner, some sex, and to pass the fuck out.
The elevator dings, and the doors slide open as I pull the key she gave me out of my pocket and unlock it. I undo the button on my suit jacket and shrug out of it. “Babe?” I call out, and my phone rings.
I look down to see it’s Ryder. I look around to see I’m still alone, so I hit answer. “What’s up, man?” I ask, tired and worn out.
“You sound like your day is going about as good as mine.” He sighs.
“Is yours going like shit?” I ask although I already know it is. I’m not sure what happened exactly after Ashlyn stormed out of this apartment his morning, but I know he feels bad for overreacting. I can’t blame him, though, for what he did after he saw her and Bradley together in this very apartment. I’m not sure I’d act reasonably if I saw Becca with another man.
“Is it Monday?”
I chuckle and say, “Yes.” He sighs again, and I loosen my tie and then pull it out from underneath my collar.
“I saw Ashlyn today,” he says out of the blue, and my brows lift as I make my way out of the entryway and down the girls’ hallway. It’s a little after eight. The sun has set, and the apartment is dark besides the lights from the surrounding buildings.
“How did that go?” I ask, but don’t need him to tell me. I knew how it would go, and I tried to warn Becca.
“I’m calling you, aren’t I?” he growls.
I laugh, opening Becca’s bedroom door like I live here with her but still don’t see her. “And I’m guessing it’s because you got something to get off your chest, so let’s hear it.” He doesn’t waste a second.
“She came crashing into my meeting this morning, told me off, and then stormed right out with this ‘fuck you’ look on her face,” he growls, and I place him on speakerphone and toss my phone onto the purple bedspread.
I undo the first button on my dress shirt. “And?” I urge him to continue although I’m sure I know how this ends.
“And after she left, I felt bad. I’ve treated her and Becca like shit for the last week, so I wanted to make it up to them. So I sent them both flowers
today.”
I undo the button on my slacks followed by my zipper. “Becca sent me a thank-you text, but Ashlyn sent me nothing.” My slacks fall to the ground.
“Did you really think flowers were gonna save the day? Week?” I ask, stepping out of them.
“No.” He sighs. Then a long silence follows. I reach down, pick up my phone, and turn it off speakerphone. Placing it to my ear, I tell him, “Ryder, I tried to tell you that night we went out that you needed to call her. Talk to her. If you want to save whatever it was that you guys had, you are gonna have to go the extra mile.” But I know no matter what he does, it won’t be enough. Ashlyn has hit that point where she no longer cares. Thankfully, Becca never made it there.
He lets out a long breath, and I sit on the end of the bed. “I know. But ... fuck, I’ve ignored her for a week, and I’m not sure how to get back to where we were. Or if she even wants to.”
I think about me and Becca—all the time we’ve missed, and how I should have tried harder. If only we had both known the truth ... I find myself sighing and closing my eyes. “Ryder, that night we went out, and I took you back to your office...”
“What about it?” he asks.
I lean over, placing my elbows on my thighs. “She had called you. You pressed ignore and tossed it to the floor. And then she called again, and you told me to ignore it, but I couldn’t. I answered it, and she just started spilling everything. I tried to stop her from talking, but by the time she was done, she hung up.”
“What did she say?” he asks slowly.
He honestly doesn’t remember what I told him? Could they both have avoided this heartache if I had just told him the next day? No more secrets anymore. I’ve seen firsthand how they tear people apart, and I will not be responsible for that! “She said what you thought you saw and what happened were two very different things.” I pause. “... and that she loved you.”
“She what—”
“I told you,” I interrupt him. “After she had hung up, you looked right at me, and I told you, but you didn’t say a word.”
“She loves me?” he asks softly.
“That’s what she said.”
He lets out a growl as if the official shock is over. “That was over a week ago.” I nod to myself as I sit up straight. “Of course, flowers aren’t gonna fucking fix that!” he snaps. “What am I supposed to do now?” he asks but knows I don’t have an answer.
Myself (Selfish Series, #2) Page 26