by CJ Warrant
“Well, you didn’t, and I wanted all the cash owed to me.” Hannah wouldn’t look at her.
“So, you didn’t want to settle for payments.” Beth wasn’t going to beat around the bush.
Hannah stared down at the floor and stayed quiet. Beth knew she hit the mark. “I’m sorry it had to come to this but, Beth, I need the money. Trent and I are getting married. With the cash from the shop, we’ll be able to move to California and start a new life.”
“Hannah, there were better ways to get my attention. Stealing the money and taking off isn’t the right choice. I was worried for your life, thinking someone had you at gunpoint and made you do it.”
“I’m fine.”
“I see that. Why didn’t you just drag me out of whatever I was doing and yell and scream at me?”
Hannah shook her head. “I’m tired of discussing this, Beth.”
Beth’s clarity about their friendship and partnership stung hard and sharp like a swarm of wasps. She was nothing to Hannah, and that was how she had to handle this situation.
Beth’s spine stiffened and took an even breath before she spoke. “Okay. Now that I know your true feelings about the business, the money you took will make up two-thirds of what I owe you. With that, I will pay back the six thousand within one year, on a monthly basis.” She raised her hand to stop Hannah from interrupting. “I know it’s less than the cost you brought into the partnership, but for the hassle you brought to Sweet Cupids, you’ll take the offer. And, I won’t bring charges against you for stealing the money.”
“You can’t do that. I’m part owner,” Hannah stood up and hissed in her face.
“Remember Hannah, we are an LLC. We are employees of Sweet Cupids. You stole from the company,” Beth countered right back in her face.
The realization hit the redhead fast. Hannah’s bloodshot, green eyes widened. “Oh, shit. Beth…” Her words trailed off in a choked cry. “You filed charges against me?”
“Like I said, I will drop the charges if you agree to my demands. It’s more than fair.”
Hannah stood there for a moment, teeth clenched, debating on if she should agree or not. But Beth knew she had no choice but to take the deal. “Fine,” Hannah relented.
“Good. I’ll have the papers drawn up in a few days. Where can I reach you to sign them?”
“Just call my cell. I’m staying with Trent until we leave for California next week.”
Beth stepped back, and gave Hannah room to leave. “Fine,” Beth said, extending her hand. Hannah looked at it for a second with a pinched frown and went to shake it, but Beth shook her head and uttered, “Key.”
With a single nod of understanding, Hannah pulled out her key and handed it over to Beth. “I’ll hear from you in a few days?” There was a note of resolved admission in her question.
“Yup.” Beth folded her arms at her chest and watched her ex-friend and partner clutching the plastic bag to her chest and walk out of the shop.
With resounding relief and a bit of scorched sadness settling over her, Beth collapsed against the desk and huffed out a few deep breaths. Even though Hannah’s reason for stealing the money was somewhat asinine, Beth couldn’t blame her any more than she could blame herself for being a careless partner. They both should’ve handled things differently. Admittedly, she would miss Hannah. After all the outlandish things they done in college and opening Sweet Cupids, it was sad their friendship was over.
However, Beth couldn’t wait until Hannah signed the agreement and finalized the dissolution of their partnership. Once done, Hannah would be out of her life for good.
After Beth got her bearings back, she noted to herself to get a locksmith as soon as possible to change all the locks. She straightened up her desk, grabbed her cell phone and Bryce’s number, locked up, and left.
In the car, Beth flipped open the phone and noticed no calls had come in. Worry began to seep into her as she debated on calling Bryce, or wait to call him tomorrow.
Exhausted, she decided to wait.
On the ride home, Beth wondered what he was doing. Was he okay? The look on his face had been a bit scary. She had seen him mad, but never to the point of fury blazing in his eyes and directed in such deadly manner at Markus.
As Beth pulled up to her flat on Paulina Street, her headlights flashed across the stairs and she spotted Bryce. He was hunched over on the top steps.
How long had he been waiting for her? The overhead light cast an eerie glow over his face when he looked up.
One look at his face and panic filled her.
Chapter Six
What the hell? Beth quickly parked and ran to his side. “Bryce, what happened?” she frantically asked as she lifted his chin. A nervous shudder went through her as she examined his beaten face. Pain, deep and enraged, reflected in his blue eyes.
A closer look, his left eye was swollen, with black and blue bruising extending to the temple and a small laceration cutting through his left brow. His top lip was split, and the knuckles on his right hand were all bloody.
“Who did this to you?”
“Markus,” he growled. He pulled away from her touch and let out a groan.
“Oh, Bryce,” Beth muttered with regret. She shouldn’t have left them alone. Deep down, she knew this would happen. “Come on.” She pulled at his arm, helped him up, and led him to her apartment on the top floor.
Beth quickly opened the door and urged Bryce to the blue couch. She ran into the bathroom and retrieved her green fix-all box. It had Band-Aids of all sorts and sizes, ointments, disinfectant cleansers, and an assortment of pain pills. Hey, a girl had to be prepared for anything, and Beth always was.
After Beth moistened a washcloth, she headed back to Bryce, who was still standing. She nudged him to sit down on the sofa and began cleaning his wounds.
“You have a lot of Beatles crap.” Bryce winced when she wiped at his jaw. “Shit, that hurts.”
“I barely touched you,” she said incredulously. “And besides, that’s what you get for saying my Beatles collection is crap.” She gave him a frown, but couldn’t help smile at the way he bowed his lips.
“Sorry.”
“I forgive you, but only this once.” She let out a soft chuckle but had to ask why he was fighting with Markus. “Bryce, what happened? Why were you two fighting?”
He pulled away and looked at her. “Markus had no right pawing you.” His words were simple, but Beth knew there had to be more. Bryce wouldn’t look the way he did otherwise.
“Bryce—”
“No, Beth. That man-whore will not touch you again.” His clipped words demanded no arguments for her. But that wasn’t Beth. She’d argue until she got what she wanted.
“Bryce, I know there is more to it than Markus hugging me. So spill it,” Beth declared.
He eyed her with a look that only could be described as annoyance. Pulling his hand out of hers, Bryce said, “About a year and a half ago, I was engaged to Brittany Manning. She was the daughter of one of my father’s closest friends and business associates.” He laughed and got up from the couch with a groan. Pain lanced across his face, he walked over to window and looked out. “Fuck. This wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t give my word to my grandfather.”
“What does your grandfather have to do with your engagement?”
“If I didn’t agree to work with my father, I wouldn’t have met Brittany, and Markus and I would still…”
“Be close.” Beth finished his sentence. A knot formed in his throat when she knew damn well Bryce missed his brother. They were twins. The deep bond between them, broken over a woman, was simply sad.
“Did you know we were supposed to be married six months ago?” Regret coated his question.
“No, I didn’t.” Beth wanted to run over and wrap her arms around him, but she didn’t move. He stood by the window, straight and stiff, his hands touched his face, wiping away any unseen tears.
“I thought we loved each other until… one ni
ght, I came home and found her fucking another guy.”
The tortured strain in his voice made Beth tear up. Her heart hurt like a dull knife was plunged right through it. She had felt a similar agony herself once, seven years ago when Bryce slept with Andrea. However, she wasn’t going to mention that, and it wasn’t on the same level as his betrayal.
“What happened?” Beth asked, as she walked over to him and touched his forearm.
Bryce slowly turned around, his broad shoulders slumped and his eyes glistening with tears. Beth hated to see a grown man cry. She reached up and touched his cheeks.
He covered her hand with his, leaned slightly into her touch, and pulled away.
“I was supposed to work late that night, but luckily…” Bryce took a deep breath and continued. “I got done with a client and left the office a few hours earlier than what I had told Brittany. We had a place on Waldon, not too far from work. That time of the evening, it took me about twenty minutes to get to the condo.” He stopped talking, shook his head, and faced Beth fully.
He looked right at her—or right through her.
Beth knew what he was going to say. She said for him. “The guy you found with Brittany was Markus.”
Bryce huffed out a laugh. “Oh yeah. And in my bed too, of all the fucking places.” He pinched his eyes closed, as though to push the image away from his mind.
He opened them and said, “Do you know what that bastard said to me right before I kicked his ass?” He didn’t let Beth answer. “That asshole had the audacity to tell me that Brittany seduced him—like that makes a big fucking difference. He’s my brother. He should have pushed her away—walked away—something.” His voice strained with hatred. “And this was the kicker, my father wanted me to forgive Brittany and take her back.”
“Seriously?” Beth couldn’t believe it.
“I told him, if he wanted to be in bed with the Manning group, then he should sleep with Brittany. I’m sure she wouldn’t turn him away.”
“I’m so sorry, Bryce.” It was all Beth could say as he tried to collect himself. Love sucked. And they both knew it. “So what did your father say?”
“He threatened to fire me. And I told him to go ahead—Fuck!” He raked his hair back and paced the floor. “But do you know what was more surprising about all this shit? Yes, their betrayal hurts like a son-of-bitch—still does, when it comes to dealing with my brother. But I realized I never loved Brittany—not the way I should. She was beautiful, charming, and had the right connections my father liked. And I have to admit, we had chemistry in the bedroom. But outside the bedroom, there was nothing. We had nothing in common. I knew deep down it would have never worked for us. We didn’t have the connection, like how you and I had.”
He got close. Maybe a little too close that she couldn’t think straight. Beth swallowed hard at his admission. She didn’t know how to react or what to say.
He started to laugh, stepped back, and wiped his eyes. “Shit, I’m crying.” He ran both hands over his face and combed his fingers back through his hair. “Why did you stop talking to me seven years ago? What did I do to piss you off?”
Bryce’s question threw Beth off guard. “What?” Stunned, she felt her eyes go wide.
He leaned in, mere inches from touching her and said, “The day I left for Harvard, I knew you were pissed at me. I want to know why?”
Beth backed away, almost stumbling over the grey ottoman. “You did nothing. I was… just upset you were leaving, and I couldn’t face you.” The lie sounded good when the words came out. Her throat hurt like hell though when she spoke.
“You’re lying, Beth. You know I can tell.” Bryce reached up and touched her cheek, caressing her heated skin with his thumb. “Tell me, please.”
Oh God, she wanted to lean into his touch and envelope herself in his warmth. Instead, she side stepped the ottoman and settled on the couch.
The small knot in her chest grew into a boulder. It hurt to breath, but she barely managed. Would telling him the truth be worth digging up her heartbreak? No. It wasn’t worth the pain.
And looking back, she’d been down right ridiculous about how she reacted. The petty jealousy came from the insecurities of a girl who loved a boy who had no clue about her feelings for him. Her spite ruined a wonderful relationship with Bryce and now that he was back in her life, Beth didn’t want to lose his friendship. She had lost one friend, and didn’t want to lose another. Her heart couldn’t take another crushing blow from his rejection.
Besides, nothing good came from dredging up the past.
“It was nothing, Bryce. I was being petty. Childish and stupid.”
“I care for you, Beth. I always have. Now, tell me why you were angry?”
He cared for her? Maybe as a friend. Although, her heart leapt a little at his affirmation.
Bryce had no clue how much she loved him—still loved him. She had to tell him the truth or it would eat her inside out. Here goes. “I wanted to spend more time with you that last night before you left for Harvard. I… I wanted to give one piece of me that I hadn’t shared with anyone else. And when I saw you leave with Andrea, I… I got mad.” She felt a tear trailing down her cheek. “Really mad.”
She couldn’t look at him when he reached her side. The memory and the hurt flooded her like acid, and melted deep into her bones.
Bryce traced the tear with his thumb, which sent tiny shivers of want through Beth, but she tampered it down.
“What were you going to give me?” he asked in a choked whisper.
He knew damn well what she was talking about. They were best friends. He knew all her secrets.
Beth couldn’t talk for a moment, afraid that what would come out of her mouth would sound right, but shook off the panic. “Doesn’t matter anymore. I don’t have it to give. Anyway, it was too late. You slept with Andrea and I have to get over that.”
His eyes went wide. “Where did you get the idea that I slept with Andrea?”
“She was mauling you on the couch and then you left with her.” Beth’s voice cracked in response.
Bryce gave her a level stare and drew into her, molding their bodies together. Oh crap, he had her right where she always wanted to be. Beth’s heart felt like it was racing right out of her chest. Don’t look into his eyes. You will lose.
“What are you doing?” Beth tried to pull away, but his fingers locked behind her back and wouldn’t let go.
“So you saw me leave with Andrea and assumed that I slept with her?” His lips brushed along her ear. His words came out soft with an underlying note of anger disbelief. “You know what assuming makes a person.”
Beth pushed at his chest. “I know damn well what an ass I have been, but…” Beth’s voice trailed as her splayed fingers rubbed against his hard pectorals. Damn. The contact generated so much heat that her body was consumed with fire. “I… I—”
“Answer me, Beth. Where did you get that conclusion?”
There was no denying this man. The gentle grasp of his hands around her body made her melt, but his heard words made her spine stiffen.
“Well, didn’t you?” Beth blasted back.
This time she pushed him away, out of his reach. She glared at him. His beautiful sexy grin had Beth thinking twice about her anger. Damn it. She was letting her fears of getting hurt rule her actions again. She took a breath and closed the gap between them.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have shoved you like that, especially since you got beat up.”
“First things first, I didn’t get beat up, I did the ass beating. Second, don’t say sorry for how you feel. I’m the one who should say sorry.”
Did he mean that? Beth wasn’t sure because of the way his wicked gleam in his eyes said something totally different. Oh man, she was in trouble.
“Since we are telling truths… Honestly, it was my intention that night, until I saw you.” He paused and reached for Beth’s hand. He brought it to his lips, locking eyes with hers and kissed her palm. H
e had her breathless again. A surge of electricity zapped through her hand, up her arm, and spread through her body charging every nerve ending.
“When did you see me?” Beth couldn’t help sounding breathy. Those handsome blue eyes of his had her hypnotized. Her panties became wet and her sex thrummed for his touch. She was afraid to move.
Bryce lowered her hand, but kept a hold of it. Never taking his somber eyes from her face, he said, “I was drunk, and Andrea suggested we head up to her room for some fun. About half way there, in the hallway, I saw a picture of you and me wrapped together, arm and arm at Lincoln Park. Remember that day?”
“Yeah. It was the summer going into our senior year. You came for a visit, and we went to lunch at Lou’s and walked around the zoo.” Beth remembered that day as though it happened yesterday. It was one of the best days of her life.
“And the guy who took our pictures didn’t know how to use the camera on your phone.” Bryce laughed. “Beth, you never told me you printed that picture.”
Slight guilt filtered in her, washing more of her fear away. “That picture is my favorite.” She was barely audible.
He gave her a smile and finished. “Well, I saw that picture and it stopped me. I couldn’t help but stare at you. Your smile and your beautiful sparkling brown eyes were focused on me while I stared at the goofy Chinese man. And I knew in that moment if I slept with Andrea, our friendship would be over. So I told her no. But, apparently, I lost you anyway.” He released her hand and stood back.
He thought her eyes were beautiful? Beth was going to cry again by his confession—by all of his confession. “So… you didn’t sleep with slutty Andrea that night?”
“Slutty Andrea?” He laughed again. “Nope,” he said with a sensual lilt. His eyes had a beguiling gleam with a hint of mischief in them. She couldn’t help but laugh also.