by Lisa Bilbrey
Elle turned to her. “Why are you sorry? You’re not the one who’s ruined everything.”
“Neither have you,” she argued, and when Elle shook her head, Sadie stood up and walked over to her, placing her hands on her shoulders. “This is all on Helina and James. They’ve made the decision to turn their backs on you. Them, not you.”
Elle’s knees buckled and she dropped to the floor, wrapping her arms around Sadie’s legs.
“Oh, honey,” Sadie murmured, placing her hand on the back of her head as the door to the house opened. She looked over at Derek and Callum, who stopped in the doorway to the living room.
“What’s wrong?” Callum asked, rushing over to Elle, and kneeling next to her. He placed his hand on her back, and she turned and threw herself in his arms.
“The boxes, they’re from her parents,” Sadie explained. “It’s full of the stuff she’d left back in Texas. They … they said they’re sending the rest.”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Derek swore, dragging his hand through his hair. Kneeling, he crawled over to Elle and Callum, placing his hand on her back. She looked over at him with tears welling up in her eyes. “Oh, beautiful.”
“They don’t want me anymore,” she cried. “Why am I not good enough to be their daughter?”
“You are prefect. They are the assholes,” he murmured, brushing her hair out of her face. “One day, and I hope that it’s soon, they’re gonna realize what they’ve done, how much they’ve hurt you. And when they come crawling back to you, sniveling and begging you to forgive them, we’re gonna be right here by your side, loving you.”
“Promise?” she sobbed, reaching out and grabbing the front of his shirt. “Promise that you’ll never leave me?”
“I promise,” he whispered. “Callum promises, Sadie promises, we all promise, beautiful.”
“That’s right,” Callum said, quietly. “Forever, remember?”
Elle nodded.
“I have an idea.” Sadie sat on the edge of the coffee table. “Let’s go out tonight. Dinner, dancing, I don’t care. We need a night of fun.”
“Sounds good to me,” Derek agreed, smiling. “What do you say, beautiful? Want to go dancing with us?”
“Yeah, yeah, I do,” Elle whispered.
“Good.” Derek stood up and offered her his hand, which she eagerly took. He pulled her against him, his arm sliding around her waist and leaning down so that his lips were barely touching hers. “I’m sorry they hurt you again. I wish I could make it better, but I can’t. Just remember that no matter what, we love you.”
Elle snaked her hand around his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair. Tugging hard, she closed the distance between their lips. “I love you, too.”
Twenty-one
“Elle, are you ready?” Sadie asked, walking into the bathroom and smoothing out the front of her baby-blue, silk dress.
“Almost,” she replied, smiling. “You look gorgeous.”
“Thank you.” Sadie’s eyes dragged down her body, lingering on the way the tight sage-green baby-doll dress hugged her breasts before she slipped her arm around her waist. “You do, too. Love that dress on you.”
Elle smirked. “I know.”
“Are you okay?” Sadie asked, shifting her body toward her. “You’ve been distracted all day.”
“Just been thinking,” she said. “About what we talked about this morning.”
“Marriage and babies?”
Elle nodded. “I want that. With you, Derek, and Callum, I want that so much, but I can’t help wondering if we’re foolish for even considering a life like this.”
“Every time I’d meet a new guy, I thought ‘what about Elle?’ What would happen to you if …?”
“If you fell in love?”
Sadie nodded. “I couldn’t leave you behind. You were mine, always mine.”
“You’re mine, too,” Elle whimpered. “I love you, Sadie.”
“And I love you. I do, but if you’re not committed to me, to Derek and Callum, then you need say so now, because, baby, they’re amazing men, and they love us just as we are: faults and all.”
“I am,” Elle pleaded. “I am committed, I am. I just … I’m just scared, Sadie. Our parents threw us away because we didn’t fit the ideal of what daughters are supposed to be. It hurts,” she whimpered, placing her hand on over her heart. “I never thought she’d hate me like this.”
“Oh, baby, I wish I could make the hurt better, but I can’t. It sucks that they won’t accept us, that they refuse to see that we’re perfect just the way we are.”
“It does,” Elle sniffled. “Are we selfish? For wanting it all, does that make us selfish? Careers, love, a family, do we have to choose which we can live without?”
“No, no, that’s crazy!” Sadie exclaimed, taking a step backward. “There are a lot of people who have careers that they love and families … and everything, right?”
“Are there?” Elle asked.
“Yes, of course there are! What is this really about?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Just me being silly, I guess.”
“It’s not silly if it bothers you,” Sadie said, placing her hand on top Elle’s. “Talk to me.”
“Everything’s different now. Better, but still different. We’re living with Derek and Callum, Ivy and Nick are married, our parents have disowned us, our company is now a part of Davis Architecture and Design … Doesn’t it scare you? Everything that has changed in the last couple of months?”
“Of course it does,” she scoffed. “But like you said, it’s for the better. We’ve lived the last ten years as a lie, pretending that we were happy fucking behind closed doors. I wasn’t happy, Elle. I wanted more. More of you, more excitement. Derek and Callum give that to me. I want to marry them, to have their babies, and I want to marry you. Don’t you think we deserve to have a happy ever after?”
“More than anything,” Elle whimpered, leaning her forehead against Sadie’s. “I’m just being emotional, I guess.”
“You’re allowed to be emotional, baby. Just don’t keep your feelings locked away inside of you anymore, okay?”
Sniffing back her lingering tears, she nodded.
“Good, now, let’s go. There are two sexy men waiting downstairs for us, and if we don’t move our asses, we might find them sucking each other’s cock again.”
Elle laughed, thinking about how she and Sadie had come home from work Wednesday night and found Derek and Callum laid out on the couch, arms wrapped around the other while feasting away on each other’s cocks. The vision of them sucking each other was enough to make her pussy tingle. According to Derek and Callum, they’d planned to seduce Elle and Sadie, but got distracted by each other and one thing led to another and before they knew it, they had a throat full of dick. Not that Elle or Sadie minded. Hell, they’d had their share of moments together, too.
—FA—
Club Venom was packed to the hilt when they arrived. Thankful once again that Dave, the bouncer working the front door, let them skip the line, Elle and Sadie went to find a table while Derek and Callum trudged over to the bar to get them a drink.
As Elle settled at a table on the far side of the club, she watched as Derek and Callum approached Frankie, who laughed as he high-fived both men. Whatever they told him had the bartender smirking as he looked over their shoulder at Elle and Sadie. With a tip of his head, he turned and started making drinks.
“Something tells me that Frankie’s pleased that we’re here with Derek and Callum,” Sadie said with a laugh.
“So it seems,” Elle snickered. “Though, we should still be pissed that he gave two strangers our drink order. For all he knew, they were creeps.”
“No, I think Frankie knew Derek and Callum were different than other guys,” she disagreed as she stood up and grabbed Elle’s hand. “Let’s dance.”
“But …”
The words died out in her throat when Sadie yanked her to her feet and dragged her out onto
the dance floor. Though the song playing was a popular dance tune, Sadie slid her hands across Elle’s hips and nestled their bodies against each other.
Their movement were slow and sensual. Once again, they found themselves so wrapped up in each other that they forgot everyone around them. It just Elle and Sadie.
Only, it wasn’t.
Not really.
Derek and Callum were always there, always holding them, always reassuring them that they could be happy. So why couldn’t Elle get past the doubts that lingered in the back of her mind? Why was she so afraid of just letting go of what society had told them was normal and just let her live the way she wanted to?
As the song ended, they made their way back to the table. However, Derek and Callum weren’t the only people sitting there. Thomas and Leigh were across from them, a fruity drink with umbrellas sitting on the table in front of them. Thomas had his arm on the back of Leigh’s chair, and when he looked over at Elle and Sadie, the cheesy grin on his face grew.
“Damn, you two were hot out there!” he cackled, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Thanks.” Sadie laughed and sat next to Derek, reaching over and picking up one of the apple martinis on the table. Taking a sip, she moaned. “Mmm, delicious.”
Derek shifted in his seat, which caused Thomas to burst out laughing. “Dude, she’s got you squirming.”
“She does,” he admitted, though he looked over at Elle. “They both do.”
Thomas smiled again as he reached over and picked up one of the fruity drinks. However, before he could take a drink, something to his left caught his attention. He leaned in and whispered in Leigh’s ear. She looked over in the same direction that he was, smiled, and nodded.
“I’ll be right back,” Thomas said, before kissing Leigh’s cheek and standing up.
Elle watched as he walked across the club, and over to a tall, African American man with short cropped hair and large muscles. Thomas and the man hugged, and then, to Elle’s amazement, they kissed each other. Not just a small peck on the lips, either, but a full on, passionate kiss with tongues. She shifted her eyes to Leigh, expecting anger or jealousy, but she was smiling.
Catching Elle’s eye, she laughed. “That’s Tyson, Thomas’s ex-boyfriend.”
“No way,” Callum exclaimed, and stood up and leaned over the table. “I haven’t seen him in … What’s it been? Three years?”
“More like four,” Derek said. “He left L.A. to take care of his mom, didn’t he?”
Leigh nodded. “Yeah. She passed a few months ago. Thomas went back east for the funeral. Said Tyson was in a bad place, but he was hoping that he’d move back this way and start over. I’m guessing he did,” she added as she stood up.
With his hand wrapped around Tyson’s, Thomas led him back to the table, only letting go when Leigh threw herself in Tyson’s arm. The man wrapped his around her, picking her off the ground, causing her to squeal.
“Put me down, jackass!” Leigh laughed as he placed her back on her feet. Her hands slide up his arms to his face. “Look at you! You look fantastic.”
“So do you,” he chuckled before he leaned down and kissed her. Unlike the way he kissed Thomas, this kiss was soft and simple, yet there was a sense of intimacy that had Elle grinning. Bringing his hand up to Leigh’s face, he cupped her cheek. “I’ve missed you, honey. So much.”
“Me, too,” she murmured with a sigh. “Why didn’t you tell us you were back?”
Tyson grimaced. “I wasn’t sure you’d want to hear from me. Not after the way I just left.”
Leigh frowned. “We understood. We didn’t like it, but we understood.”
“Yeah, I know.” Tyson shifted his attention to the rest of them, first Elle and Sadie before looking at Derek and Callum, his smile returning. “I don’t believe it! Derek? Callum?”
“Hey, Tyson.” Callum walked around the table and gave him one of those one-armed hugs that men always seemed to give, and for a moment, Elle expected them to kiss, too. That thought had her stomach in a knot. Thankfully, however, their lips never touched. “It’s been a while.”
“Too long,” he added, turning to Derek and offering him a hand. “You look good.”
“I know.” Derek smirked, tilting his head in Elle and Sadie’s direction. “They make us look good.”
“Can’t argue with that.” Tyson offered Elle his hand first. “I’m Tyson Pinkerton.”
“Elle Reid,” she murmured, wrapping her fingers around his. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You, too,” he said before looking at Sadie.
“Sadie. Sadie Williams,” she told him.
He gestured toward the bar. “I’m gonna get a drink. Anyone want one?”
“I’ll go with you,” Leigh offered, sliding her arm in with his.
“We’re good,” Callum said, taking his next to Elle again and placing his arm on the back of her chair.
Tyson chuckled before he led Leigh over to the bar. As they ordered their drinks from Frankie, he placed his hand on the small of her back, almost nestling her against him.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Thomas said, pulling Elle’s attention to him.
“And what’s that?” she asked.
“You’re wondering how Tyson fits into mine and Leigh’s relationship, especially since we’re married.”
She pressed her lips together as she nodded.
Thomas shifted his eyes back to the bar. “Have you ever looked at someone and just knew you were in love with them?”
“No,” she admitted, and when he turned back to her with a lifted eyebrow in her lovers’ directions, she said, “Attraction isn’t the same as love.”
“Maybe,” he admitted as Leigh and Tyson joined them, the later sitting between Thomas and Leigh.
“Maybe what?” he asked.
“I was just telling Elle about us,” Thomas said, looking over at him. “She’s a bit confused.”
He nodded, shifting his attention to Elle. “Does it make you uncomfortable? The thought of us being together?”
“No,” she replied, reaching over and placing her hand on Sadie’s thigh. “I’m just a nosy bitch.”
Tyson’s lips twitched. “You want the short version or the long version?”
“Short,” Derek and Callum said at the same time that Sadie and Elle said, “Long.”
Groaning, Derek pushed away from the table and stood up. He offered Callum his hand. “Let’s dance, babe.”
Smirking, Callum wrapped his hand around Derek’s and nodded before standing up and leading the way out to the dance floor. Derek grabbed Callum’s hips, tugging him against him as they started moving to the music. Tyson’s eyes widened as he looked from them over to Thomas, who nodded.
“About time, right?”
Tyson laughed. “No shit,” he scoffed, and looked at Elle. “So, you want the long story, huh?”
“Sure, why not,” she chimed.
“Okay.” He shifted in his seat. “Growing up in Georgia as a black man, I knew I had keep the fact that I’m gay to myself. People weren’t accepting, and I was smart enough to know that I had to bide my time until I got out of there. And that’s what I did. I pretended to be straight. I dated girls, did what I had to in order to blend in, but inside, I was … I was dying inside. I felt like a fraud, and I hated that I was leading those girls on, making them think I was interested.”
“Tyson and I grew up together. He was my boyfriend, my high school sweetheart,” Leigh said, causing Elle and Sadie to look over at her. “I thought I was in love with him, and even though he barely kissed me, or never seemed to want to touch me, I thought he was just scared of going too far, getting me pregnant, and ruining his future. Of course, looking back I realize that I was an idiot.”
“I should have been honest with you. You deserved better than that,” Tyson groused, lifting her hand to his lips.
“Yes, I did, but you shouldn’t have had to hide who you were, either,” she argued.
&nbs
p; “No, I suppose that’s true, too.” Tyson turned his attention back to Elle and Sadie. “Leigh and I got scholarships to UCLA, and we didn’t think twice about taking them. People all over town were talking about how we were going to get married and have babies, be the perfect couple.” A dark look filled his eyes. “I left Georgia at the end of July. I was receiver for the Bruins, and practices started August first. That’s where I met Thomas.”
“Turned my whole goddamn world upside down, too,” Thomas chuckled, shaking his head. “I didn’t understand why I was attracted to you.”
“Oh, come on now,” Tyson scoffed, waving a hand in front of him. “Just look at me. You know I’m hot.”
“You are,” Thomas admitted, shifting his attention to Elle and Sadie. “Before I met Tyson, I had never been attracted to a man. I thought I was as straight as they came, but then I saw him and something changed. For weeks I fought it, for weeks I told myself that I was just lonely. But I’d be in bed at night and I’d think about him and I’d get hard.”
“Ew,” Sadie laughed. “TMI, dude.”
“Sorry.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Just before classes started, we had a game in Arizona. As freshmen, we were lucky to even get a jersey, much less any time on the field. The game was brutal, though, so we all got to play. I’d come from a small high school in southern Iowa, and I was facing off against guys twice as big as me and a hell of a lot meaner. During the fourth quarter, the linebacker I was blocking plowed through me. His hand got caught in my facemask, and when he pulled me down, I twisted my knee. Tyson and one of the assistant coaches helped me off the field, and when the game was over, he helped me into the locker room. Because of my knee was swollen, I had trouble moving around and by the time I was dressed, only Tyson and I were left in the locker room.”
“I couldn’t leave him,” Tyson admitted. “He was so cute, all helpless and needy.”
“Was not,” Thomas grumbled.
“Were, too.” Tyson winked at him before speaking again. “Once he was ready, I wrapped my arm around him and helped him to his feet. He started to fall so he turned and grabbed the front of my shirt. I looked at him, and he was just right there, just so beautiful. And I kissed him.”