by E. L. Todd
“Hello to you too,” I said sarcastically.
“You’ve made me wait all day. Sorry if I’m a little anxious.”
“We’ve gone for weeks with just having sex two times a day. Why is this any different?”
“Because we’re trying to put a bun in the oven,” he snapped. “Or did you forget?”
“But we don’t have to make a deadline out of it,” I countered.
“Just go upstairs and take off your clothes.”
Andrew cleared his throat. He was standing in the kitchen, out of our view. “A word of advice, Sean. Just take a quick scan when you enter the room, especially if you know other people live with you.”
Sean didn’t seem to care at all. “Let’s go.”
“Could you stop acting like a caveman?”
“Could you just do as I ask?”
“I’m not having sex with you like this,” I snapped. “You don’t boss me around.”
Sean charged me then flipped me over his shoulder. “Too bad.”
My anger disappeared and I laughed. “Let me go.”
He carried me up the stairs. “Nope.”
“Asshole.”
“My beautiful wife.”
I hit him in the back just to spite him.
“God, you’re weak.” He flipped me onto the bed then pulled his clothes off like we hadn’t had sex in years. My underwear was yanked off and my dress was pushed up. He was inside me before I could even argue.
I lay back and gripped his arms, feeling him thrust into me.
Sean looked at me and watched my breasts jiggle while he pounded into me. The headboard tapped against the wall as he moved in and out. He wasn’t being gentle or loving, just trying to deposit his seed as quickly as possible.
“This is romantic,” I said sarcastically.
He grabbed my legs and pushed them over his shoulders. Then he lifted my hips and moved further in than he had before. It hit me in just the right spot. He pressed his face close to mine and continued to hit me right where I liked it. I started coming immediately, digging my nails into his skin, moaning.
“Like you care,” he said between his thrusts.
Just when I hit the peak of my climax, he released himself, his moans matching mine.
“Hmm…” He kissed my forehead then pulled out. “I love trying to knock you up.”
I lay still, closing my eyes as I suddenly felt exhausted.
Sean put a blanket over me then placed a pillow under my head. “I’m gonna take a shower.”
“Yeah…”
He disappeared into the shower. The sound of the falling water lulled me to sleep. A knock on the bedroom door woke me up.
“Umm…Sorry to bother you but Cassandra is here to see you.”
My eyes flashed open. Did I hear him right? “I’ll be there in a second.”
“Okay.”
I fixed my hair so it didn’t look like I just got fucked like a dog and adjusted my clothes. Knowing Cassandra was downstairs had me feeling anxious. What did she want? Was it something about Mike?
“What’s wrong?” Sean asked when he came out of the shower.
“Cassandra is here.”
He froze. “The Cassandra?”
“Yes,” I hissed. I pulled my shoes on and headed to the door.
“What does she want?” he demanded.
“I don’t know! Why do you think you I’m trying to get downstairs?”
Sean pulled on whatever he could find then came behind me. When I got a look at him, I saw he was wearing shorts and a turtle neck.
I eyed him when we reached the entryway. “You look ridiculous.”
“Now you know how you look in those orange sweat pants you love so much,” he countered.
I was never going to live that down. I ordered them online and thought they were pink, but when they turned out to be orange I kept them anyway. Sean hated them the moment I wore them, saying I looked like a clown. “If you want to get laid again, I suggest you be a little nicer to me.”
“I’ll get laid anyway,” he said like a smartass.
“Whatever.” I opened the door and saw Cassandra on the other side.
She wore a loose fitting shirt and jeans. Her hair was perfect like it normally was, but her eyes gave her away. She looked like she lost the world.
“Cassandra? Is everything okay?” I asked.
“No,” she said simply. “Can I come inside?”
“Of course.” I opened the door wider so she could step inside.
Sean and I looked at her like she wasn’t real. When Cassandra became uncomfortable with our stares, she looked down. I just couldn’t believe she was here. I hadn’t seen her in months.
“What can we do for you?” I asked.
She fidgeted with her hands before she found her voice. “I didn’t realize what I did to Mike until the other day. I had no idea he was this bad. I didn’t know how much I hurt him…”
What was she talking about? “I’m sorry. I’m not following.”
“I asked Mike to take me back. He said no…”
“What?” Sean asked. “Why would he say no? He’s madly in love with you.”
“He says he’s not anymore.” Her eyes were heavy with moisture. “I told him I was sorry about everything, but he told me wasn’t the same man anymore. He said he didn’t believe in love, didn’t believe in anything. And he wants nothing to do with me.”
“Did you tell him you want to get married?” I asked.
She nodded. “He says he’s not a one-woman type of guy anymore.”
“What?” My head was spinning. “What happened?”
“I don’t know.” She took a deep breath. “Scarlet, if anyone can help me, it’s you. Please help me get Mike back. I know I made a mistake when I turned my back on him, and I’ll apologize until the end of time, but please talk to him for me. Do something.”
“Of course,” I said. “I know how much you two love each other.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
Sean studied her for a moment. “Mike was depressed over you for a long time, and then one day, he was a completely different person. Something happened to him. It was before my parents got a divorce, but I have no idea what it was. Do you?”
She fidgeted with her hands again.
“Did he see you with someone else?” Sean asked.
“No,” she said.
“Then do you know what happened?” I asked. “Did you see him?”
She sighed. I could tell by her posture and inability to meet my gaze that she didn’t want to discuss it. “I ran into Mike at a bar one night. I wanted to walk out without speaking to him, but I was drawn to him the moment I saw him. The loneliness and despair washed over me. I just wanted be with him again, talk to him again. So, we exchanged words then headed back to my apartment.”
“Then what?” I asked. “Did you have sex?”
She nodded. “He thought we were back together, but I thought it was just a moment of weakness for both of us. And when he realized I still didn’t want to get married…he got upset. I’ve never seen him so angry. He told me everything had changed.”
I processed what she said, feeling Mike’s pain radiate through me. I could imagine how he must have felt. He thought everything was back to normal, that he and Cassandra finally worked out their differences, but he ended up being totally wrong. She still didn’t want him. She used him. Now I was pissed.
“That explains everything,” Sean said. “Everything.”
“We had dinner together and I apologized then asked for another chance. But he told he wasn’t the same man he used to be.”
“What the hell were you thinking?” I snapped. “How could you do that to him?”
She flinched at my hostility.
“You realize you broke him, right? He totally went off the deep end. Now he’s the same he used to be before he met you. He’s shallow and superficial. He doesn’t respect women and he spends his nights at bars. He
doesn’t think my marriage will last because love doesn’t exist. He doesn’t believe in anything anymore. Why didn’t you just leave him alone?”
Cassandra’s tears fell. “I didn’t know that would happen. I swear.”
“You knew he felt like shit, but you slept with him anyway,” I argued. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Sean placed his hand on my arm. “Baby, calm down.”
“No. No one messes with Mike and gets away with it. Why should I help you? I can’t even tell if you really love him or not.”
“Of course I do,” Cassandra said firmly. “I want to spend the rest of my life with him. Please help me.”
I shook my head. “No. I’m not going to do that.”
The light left Cassandra’s eyes. “Scarlet, I made a mistake. I was depressed and out of my mind. We all do stupid things when we’re unwell. I love Mike and will do anything to get him back. Don’t turn your back on me.”
“It’s already turned,” I snapped. “You’re on your own.”
Cassandra turned to Sean. “Please. Please.”
He sighed. “Honestly, I don’t think I can help you even if I wanted to. Mike is…too far gone. Every time I try to talk to him, he shuts me out. He’s a different person now. I don’t think he’s ever coming back, Cassandra.”
The tears fell from her eyes. “Well, you guys can give up on him but I never will.” She turned around and walked out. “He and I are supposed to be together. I’ll get him back or die trying.”
I didn’t say anything. I was too angry to think. Mike was my brother, and I couldn’t stand the idea of someone hurting him. It was unacceptable.
Sean shut the door then leaned against it. “Wow. I was not expecting that to happen.”
Andrew had been sitting on the couch the entire time, hidden in the darkness. He stood up then approached me. “Her apology seemed sincere.”
“What she did was unforgivable,” I snapped. I never spoke to Andrew that way. But that’s how upset I was.
“And it seems like she regrets it,” he said simply. “We all do things we regret.”
“Well, she already apologized to Mike and he refused her,” Sean said. “And I think that was the right decision.”
Andrew stared at both of us for a while. “I’ve watched Mike grow into the man he’s become. Even when he was away at college, I had my eye on him. When he was hitting the streets as a playboy, never taking things seriously, I was never worried about him. He’d find his way eventually. And while Mike made the effort after being influenced by the two of you, he really didn’t change until he met the right person. You can guess who that was.”
Sean and I didn’t speak. I had nothing to say.
“She’s also the woman who has the ability to change him back with the flick of an eye.”
“What are you saying, Dad?” Sean asked.
“That I think that woman is the right person for Mike. If there’s such a thing as soul mates, she’s his. And it would be in the best interest of your brother to help them find their way back to each other.”
“Did you not hear what she said? How she hurt him?” Sean snapped.
“And how many women has Mike hurt? How many hearts has he broken? How many lies has he told to get what he wanted? Cassandra is obviously a woman with a bad past in terms of relationships. Mike is basically dating one of the women he screwed over. He knew it would take time and patience. It’s unfortunate she had to lose him to understand what she lost, but she has. Now let’s help them reconnect.”
I didn’t look at Andrew. I hated it when he was right. He could see through people’s emotions and understand the important aspects of certain situations. He could see through the bad and concentrate on the good. Years of wisdom and experience taught him so much.
“Please don’t give up on my son,” he said firmly. “Because, for a moment, it sounded like you had.”
“We’ve never given up on him,” I said quietly.
“Then help him find his way back.” He moved back to the couch and sat down.
Sean and I looked at each other and had a silent conversation. Mike was cold as ice and a completely different person. Even if we wanted to help, we didn’t know what we could do. It would definitely be an uphill battle.
12
Cortland
“I can’t believe you got tickets to this,” Hazel said excitedly while we stood in line.
I shrugged. “They fell into my lap.”
“How?”
“Some woman at work asked if I wanted them.”
“Why did she give them away?”
“Her husband was sick and she had no one else to go with.”
“Well, that worked out for us.”
I smiled. “Yep.”
“Where’s Monnique?” she asked.
I didn’t want to talk about her. I was struggling in the relationship and I was tired of thinking about it. I just wanted to go out and have a good time. “She had to work.”
“She works a lot,” she said immediately.
“It seems that way. What’s Flynn doing?”
“Working,” she said sadly.
“On a weekend?”
“He’s writing a screenplay and he’s falling behind.”
“Gee, I wonder why…” I nudged her in the side.
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t automatically blame me.”
“I’m sure you’ve been distracting him.”
“Okay. You caught me.” She had a big smile on her face.
I could tell she really cared about Flynn. There wasn’t a time when she mentioned him and didn’t grin like an idiot.
“So, you still acting like you’re in a mafia toward him?”
I laughed. “No. He’s fine.”
“You finally accept him?”
“Should I not accept him?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Of course you should. Well, you just acting a little crazy for a second there.”
“Only because I love you.”
She smirked and her cheeks reddened. “I love you too.”
We moved further up the line then handed over our tickets. After we got our wine, we took a seat in the auditorium. Hazel was practically squirming in her seat because she was so excited.
“How’s work?” I asked.
She cringed. “Awful.”
“What happened?” I asked.
She told me the entire story, how one of the dancers ruined her stuff and she was suspended.
“I can’t believe that happened…”
“It’s been a nightmare.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I said defensively. I knew Hazel wasn’t exactly rolling in the dough. If she wasn’t working, I didn’t know how she’d make rent and buy groceries. I opened my wallet then handed her a bunch of cash. I usually carried a thousand dollars in my wallet for emergencies, which probably wasn’t the best idea.
She eyed it then looked at me like I was crazy. “Cortland, I’m okay. But thank you.”
“It’s fine, really.” I still held it out to her. “I don’t want you to stress about money.”
She pushed it away. “Flynn is paying my bills.”
“Oh.” Now I felt stupid for not assuming that to begin with. “Sorry.” I stuffed the money back in my wallet.
She gave me a soft look. “But I do appreciate it, Cortland.”
I patted her hand. “You know you can always come to me if you need help, right?”
“I know,” she whispered.
“Now did this bitch get suspended too?”
“Yeah. In fact, it if weren’t for Flynn I’d be fired.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you’re sleeping with the boss.”
She shrugged. “It has its perks.” The melancholy drifted into her.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I just…sometimes I wonder if this career was just a mistake. I love it and everything, but I’m tired of not having a steady paycheck. I want good health insurance. I wa
nt to have money in my savings account, you know?”
I didn’t realize things were so bad for her. “Yeah, I know.”
“And my feet hurt all day, and I work my ass off just to be in the back. Thousands of other people can replace me. And when the show’s over, I’m back on the street looking for another job. And I barely make minimum wage…I don’t know.”
I leaned close to her. “Those are all valid points.”
“Do you think I’m wasting my time with this?” she asked seriously.
“I think you’re a wonderful dancer.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
I shrugged. “There is no right answer, Hazel. Only you can decide that. What’s more important to you? Dancing or having nice things?”
“It’s not about materialistic things, Cortland. It’s about knowing I’ll have food on the table.”
“I didn’t realize it was this bad…”
She sighed. “I don’t want you to feel bad for me.”
“How could I not? I care about you.”
“I’m just confused…”
“I’m more than happy to give you money every month, like a sponsorship. Not to make you feel bad, but I have more money than I’ll ever need. It won’t be missed.”
“No,” she said immediately. “I don’t want anyone to give me money.”
“Then you’ll have to choose,” I said simply.”
“I suppose…”
An idea struck me. “What if you had a part-time job?”
“Doing what?” she asked. “I’m not flipping burgers.”
“I was thinking more on the lines of software design.”
She looked at me like I was crazy. “I don’t even own a laptop.”
I laughed. “I can find you something at the company. You can be my assistant or something and work a few times a week. I know Sean wouldn’t mind. There are a lot of things you can do, and part-time time employees are easier because you don’t have to worry about healthcare or retirement.”
She considered my words for a moment. “But what would I do?”
“You can help me with the IT stuff. There’s a lot of paperwork that comes with it. If you took care of that, my time could be used more effectively.”
“You think Sean would be okay with that…?”
“Sean and Scarlet love you. Of course they wouldn’t care. Mike just gave Laura a job working in marketing and she doesn’t even have a degree.”