The Competition

by Riley Rollins

  “Stay with Ben, Emi. I’m sorry… I’ll be back as soon as I can. And I’ll explain somehow… I promise you.” Chase’s face was white. He turned to Ben. “Get her out of here,” he said quietly. “Take her to the office…. The cabin. Anywhere but here. Just get her out of here.” He took hold of Ben’s arm and I could see his knuckles whiten. “And no photographs.” Ben nodded and in the next second, Chase was gone.

  “What is it… what’s happening? Ben… tell me.” He had me by the elbow and was guiding me fast, past open doorways, down a narrow set of stairs that led to the kitchen. I glanced in one of the rooms and caught a flash of a naked woman. She was bent forward, sucking the man sprawled on the bed. Behind her another man was holding by the hips, fucking her in hard, short thrusts. Her breasts hung down, swinging with his movements…

  “The woman you work with… Where is she?” Ben’s voice startled me as he stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked back.

  “I sent her for another case of champagne…,” I replied, pulling against his grip on my arm. “She isn’t back yet. I want to know what’s happening. And why Chase told you to take me…”

  “Not now,” he cut me off firmly, but his face was lined with concern. Something inside told me to trust him… I just needed to know what I was trusting him with. “I’ll explain what I can in the car, but I need to get you out of here… please…”

  “It’s no good. Not here…”

  Ben had pulled the car in across the street from Envisager. The tower was lit to the top, and the main entrance thronged with news cameras and reporters. Vans lined the street, and glaring light were being set up to illuminate the glass lobby.

  “That woman, the one who was upset…” I felt foolish for being so slow to put the pieces together. “She did it… she told the press, right? That’s what this is all about… She’s trying to create a scandal about the party…” I flashed back to what I’d overheard on the phone, and Sutton talking about giving a woman more money…

  Ben pulled back out onto the road. “I’m sorry, Emily. But if they’re here, they’ll be at his townhouse, too. It’s gonna have to be the cabin.” He shifted gears and accelerated as we hit freeway traffic. “It’s not much more than an hour. But it’s private… not even a handful of people know where it is.”

  “I don’t understand all the cloak and dagger, Ben,” I said, watching the side of his face as he drove. “I get it, that this girl can cause a huge scandal, especially if word gets out about that party… Was she his girlfriend… or his ex?”

  “They were involved,” he said, shifting again and speeding up. “Briefly.”

  “And she wanted to make a scene… but that’ll blow over. The publicity’s bad, but it has nothing to do with the company. Nothing to do with Chase. And less than nothing to do with me.”

  “You’re involved because you matter to Chase,” he replied. He gave me a quick, sideways glance, enough for me to see that he didn’t like our situation any better than I did. “I’m sorry, I can’t explain any better than that, Emily, but it’s for him to tell, not me.” I saw kindness in his face when he smiled at me. “But I’ll stay with you until he comes… And I know he’ll do his best to help you understand.” He turned his eyes away and slowed the car as we turned off onto an unpaved road, lined with trees. In the darkness, they loomed over us, narrowing the road and the sky ahead into nothingness. “If you need to let anyone know you won’t be home tonight, call now,” he said. “Cell coverage can be spotty out here.”

  I reached for my bag and shuffled inside with unsteady hands. I should call Tam… have her tell Mrs. Williams I’d be spending the night at Reese’s… The thought of worrying Gran made my hands shake even more… Then Ben’s hand rested, warm and unexpectedly comforting, on my shoulder. “Chase will come as soon as he can,” he said reassuringly. “It’s gonna be okay… at least, I hope it will be.

  Chase is an unusual man, Emily. And he’s led an unusual life.” He shot me a glance filled with concern. “I also know there are things he would change… if he could…”

  The road turned into a winding gravel drive and in the distance was a split log cabin, with a stream nearby that shined silver in the moonlight. Ben pulled up and shut off the engine, turning so he could face me properly. “Just remember that none of us can change the past, Emily,” he went on. “We’ve all made mistakes… and some of us have learned from them. I’ve known him for a lot of years and he isn’t the same man he used to be.

  And he’s always found it easier to have more faith in other people… than in himself.”

  31

  Emily

  “Well, thank god. Do you have any idea what time it is, and just how worried I was when I got back and Sutton’s whole house was practically empty?”

  I let Reese vent while I paced the bank of the stream. It was the only spot I’d managed to get a call through and I’d been trying for a while. It was almost two a.m.

  “You were nowhere to be found. Neither was Sutton. And all I could get was voicemail. You can’t imagine what was running through my head… what I was afraid might have happened to you. I saw some things last night I’ll never forget…”

  “I’m fine, Reese. And thank you for worrying.” I took a deep breath, wondering where to even begin. “A woman… an ex-girlfriend of Sutton’s I think… showed up while he was upstairs with someone else. She was angry and making threats.” I exhaled. “But Chase got me out… everything’s fine…”

  “You don’t sound fine,” she said. “Where are you? Is Chase with you?”

  I paused for a second. “I’m at his place, and I’m fine. I won’t be home till morning. Just please, please… smooth things over with Gran about tonight and I’ll explain tomorrow.” The line went dead before I heard her reply. I turned back to the house and saw Ben coming toward me.

  “It’s late… you may as well get some sleep,” he said, slipping a blanket around my shoulders. I was still in my little black uniform and starting to shiver. “Come in and get warm. You can take the master suite if you like, and I’ll sleep downstairs on the sofa.” He smiled gently. “He will be here. I promise.”

  I let him lead me back up to the cabin. He even brought me a steaming mug of tea. And then he climbed back down the stairs and left me alone in Chase’s bedroom. A plaid work shirt was tossed over a worn chair, a pair of scuffed leather boots on the floor. The room was rustic, simple, and held a hint of the scent I knew so well. I undressed and slipped Chase’s shirt over my skin, grateful to sink down and curl up under the soft down comforter. Even his pillow carried the faint scent of woodsmoke. I breathed in deep, glad to be in his bed, even if I was all alone. He’d be here soon, everything would be fine… and we could pick up where we’d left off.

  I ran my hands over my breasts, down my belly and between my legs. I realized I hadn’t had time, until now, to think about what had happened between us. Now there was nothing to do but think. I was tender, inside and out… my pussy lips were still thick and slick from his seed. I shivered, thinking of the risk we had taken. But there was something about waiting for him in his bed that made me ache for even more. The thought of him, all of him, naked against my bare skin was almost more than I could bear. Everything we’d shared so far, even our hot and furious fuck at the party, seemed to be leading to this place. Where we could bare everything to each other, and turn our chemistry into something deeper… more intimate. What better place for that to happen, than in this wonderful wilderness cabin, where everything reminded me of him.

  I felt a warm, sleepy wave of sweet anticipation run through me and rolled onto my stomach, burying my face in his pillow. I had total confidence he would dampen down the scandal, no doubt lecture Sutton about his behavior, and then come to me in the night. For the first time in my life, I would wake up in bed next to the kindest, most wonderful man I’d ever met. He would take me again, and this time it would be slow and sweet and totally uninhibited… just the two of us, alone… for hours… />
  I snuggled deeper into his bed, his scent, grateful for the comfort it gave, and drifted off…

  “Emi…”

  I rolled over, unsure if I was awake, or still dreaming. My eyelids fluttered heavily. The room was still dark. Only a thin stream of moonlight shined in from the window. “Emi, honey…”

  “Chase?” I pushed a thick strand of hair off my face and felt his hands, his solid warmth against me. “You’re here…? When did you…?”

  “Only a little while,” he answered softly. I could see him only as an outline against the window. His face was shuttered in shadow. “I sent Ben back to the city. I wanted us to be alone.”

  He stroked my cheek with the pads of his fingers. Unlike before, his touch was slow and lingering. Instead of like wildfire, this felt like a slow, deep burn. I could feel it reaching inside me, heating me from within, stirring the memories of the party and of the cool night air slipping up between my legs along with the velvet warmth of his cock…

  “Is it over?” I asked, pushing up on my side. He climbed into bed beside me and reached out, his leg covering mine and pulling me closer. “What happened last night?”

  “The girl’s name is Pam,” he began. His fingers kept moving against my jaw. Slowly, deliberately… demanding nothing. “She and Sutton were… together, about a month ago. As far as he was concerned, it was finished. But it wasn’t for her. And everything Sutton did after, just made things worse. He used her… and he threw her away.”

  “I overheard a phone call,” I said. “He was telling someone to pay her off. He said every girl has a price… I guess she didn’t like his offer.” I put a hand on his chest and felt our mingled heartbeats. “But she had to know what kind of man he is,” I went on. “It’s not like he tries to hide it…”

  “Only in broad daylight… like the rest of us,” he replied, cryptically. “I talked to her… I did what I had to do, on many different levels. Because it was time… and because I knew Sutton never would.” He paused, and I felt his heart beating faster. “I think the damage is contained, at least for now,” he went on. “But this is bigger than one angry woman, Emi. I’m not even sure where to begin telling you… I only know it’s never been so important for me to explain… to try to make this right…”

  I caught his fingers in mine and pressed my lips to the very tips. I heard his breath catch hard, and smiled in the darkness. “I can see why Pam was angry, what with Sutton throwing that party and doing… well, doing what he was doing with another girl. And I can see how she could start an embarrassing scandal. That party was… well, I’ve never seen anything like it…

  But you must have a dozen lawyers. And with his kind of appetites, I’m sure this isn’t the first time they’ve had to deal with this kind of thing… What I don’t get, is how it has anything to do with me.” I shifted, trying to see his face in the dark. “If you’re worried that this could hurt me, just because I was there… or maybe my business reputation…”

  “This could cause damage you can’t even imagine, Emi,” he said. His voice was quiet, sad. “I did what I could to stop it. There are things I still have to do. If I could spare you, I would. But I owe you the truth.” He paused and took a breath. I could feel his heart pounding now.

  “The price I pay for that truth may be everything I have… everything I ever really wanted, now I’ve finally found it,” he said, brushing his thumb across my lips, his voice thick with regret. “There’s something I have to tell you… and once it’s out, there won’t be any stopping it. You… my sister… Sutton… the business… It’s my fault, but we’ll all pay the price, and it’s been a long time in the making.

  There’s a reckoning coming, Emily. And I’m the one it’s coming for.”

  32

  Chase

  It was too dark to see her. But I could sense her every emotion. Anger, bewilderment… disbelief…

  disgust…

  Before I’d left for the cabin, I’d done what I could to stop the story in its tracks, explaining to the guests that it was all just an argument that had gotten out of hand. Thank god, no reporters had gotten past security at the party. And Ben had headed straight back to the city to do what he could. Even so, the silence had been broken now, and there was no telling how many other women might come forward with accusations. Calm, collected women… who had every fucking right to be angry…

  But all I cared about was Emily. She’d been silent… all too silent, listening as I poured out the entire story. I’d held nothing back. I’d told her everything about the competition, from the beginning to the end. It was a story of weakness and indulgence. A story of selfishness and deceit. It was also a story of lessons learned, but far too late. I could have made a thousand excuses, but I’d made none. I waited, sharing Emily’s painful silence with her. I realized, as my chest squeezed painfully, that one more awareness that had come to me as well… and all too late. She was wrapped in my shirt and pacing the floor.

  “It was a game,” she whispered finally. “To see if you could… To see who would let you…”

  “It was for the excitement,” I admitted, unwilling to give her less than the truth. “For the challenge, too.” I looked her in the eye and took a deep breath. “I liked the danger,” I added quietly. “The idea that I might get caught… and the challenge of avoiding it.” I wanted to reach out for her hands, but kept still. “I stopped over a year ago. Because it had gotten out of hand. The betting…” I shifted my eyes, unable to meet her gaze any longer. “I knew it was wrong. That all of it was wrong. Long before I left the competition. But I stayed silent anyway, letting the others go on with it. Outside the circle of players, you’re the only one who knows.”

  “Did you do it too… ? Place bets…?” she asked. Her eyes didn’t waver. I could feel them on my skin.

  “A couple of times,” I said truthfully, gritting my teeth with the effort. “It was almost ten years ago, and in the very beginning.” I raked my hands through my hair and left them there, holding my head and feeling the painful throb in my temples. “I couldn’t after that… The others kept it up, but that wasn’t the part that I needed.”

  She nodded and stood up, walking to the window that overlooked the water. Moonlight put her in silhouette. She was still, unnaturally calm. “You just wanted the sex.”

  “I wanted the challenge,” I said, knowing she could never understand. That no matter how I tried to explain it, I could never justify it.

  “You have no reason to trust me, Emily. And I know that. I’m not even asking you to try. But I want you to know that you were never part of this. I didn’t go to Sutton’s party for the game. And I always hated the kind of spectacle he was after.” I heaved a sigh of impatience. “I was only there to make sure you were safe.”

  “Or to make sure I didn’t find out?” she asked, without moving. “I told you I could take care of myself. And I meant it.”

  “Sutton had interest,” I replied fast, coming up behind her. “He wanted me to play… Or to take you for himself. I’m not sure now he even cared which. But he’s been trying to force me back in the game for months.” I took a shaky breath that left my lungs feeling raw. “But I swear, with whatever honor I still have as a man, that I was there for you. Only for you.

  And I’m here for you now. I want you more than ever, Emi. Every time we’ve been together, I couldn’t stop thinking how much I wanted you in private. Where you could be all mine. Only mine.” I reached out and touched her hand, catching it lightly, stopping her from pulling away. “You’re the only woman who’s ever slept in this bed, Emi. With or without me in it. You’re the only one I ever wanted more with…”

  “More? Than a quick fuck, and then on to the next?” The sky was beginning to lighten and I could see her face. She was pale and there were dark smudges under her eyes. She pushed a strand of hair away. It had tangled in her lashes… “I thought you were different,” she said, dully. “I knew Sutton for what he was from the start, but I thought you were
so different…

  And I’m just like Pam,” she whispered, more to herself than to me. “I just got paid off with a delivery van instead of cash… Christ, Chase… There was cash too. That extra two thousand…” Her eyes were huge and her breath was coming far too fast. “I thought we were starting something real, that it was me you were responding to. All that time, I thought you were a gentleman…”

  She pulled her hand out of mine and backed away, watching my face in the early morning light. The dawn breeze rustled branches against the windowpanes as I sank down on the edge of the bed, hanging my head. “I’m not, Emi,” I said quietly. “And I never claimed to be. I know I’m no fucking good for you… for anyone. But what I feel for you is real. And what happened between us was very real…”

  “Oh… god… Oh my god…,” she gasped out. “The balcony… the fucking balcony… You knew what you were after, Chase, and you got it. You were there for me, alright,” she said, her beautiful green eyes wide and horrified.

  I stood, reaching for her again, but she held out a single hand. The look on her face stopped me cold.

  “Right there, where anyone could see,” she said, her voice chilling me to the bone. “He won didn’t he? He got you back in the game the only way he could… by getting you to compete for me. Sutton won… and you’re back in the game. He was your opponent…

  and I was just the pawn.”

  33

  Emily

  Chase drove me home in silence. The only thing that had kept me from bursting into tears was that he’d held my hand the whole way.

  “You have no reason to believe me, Emi,” he said, pulling the car up to the front of the bakery. “But I’m not the same man I was a year ago. Fuck, I’m not even the same man I was a few weeks ago.