by Amy Muscat
“I'm sorry. Last night when I saw you, I knew I would be seeing you today and I-I don’t…don’t know. I thought maybe we could get a head start on the awkwardness of seeing each other again. Reminisce a little, maybe? I don’t know, but when I saw your little girlfriend? I don’t know something just came over me, and I just flipped,” she tells me.
“Reminisce? Remi-fucking-nisce? Are you for fucking real! What’s there to reminisce? How I spent three years of my life with a woman, I thought I loved– a woman who I thought loved me. Then I find her balls and cock deep with two men when I was gonna propose to her?!” I shouted.
Her whole face drops, and I watch as her bottom lip wobbles. “You were going to propose to me?” she asks stunned.
Damnit. “Yes.”
“Oh, my God,” she breathes, the shock evident in her eyes, as she brings her hands up and cups her mouth. “Blake.”
“Don’t.” I snap. “It's fucking history, it doesn’t matter anymore. I'm glad I caught you, and I'm glad that I never got the chance to ask you to marry me; because if I did, there's no doubt in my mind that you would’ve cheated on me at some point: it’s just in some people to cheat.”
“Blake, please? I'm sorry. So fucking sorry for what I did. I regret it every day.” She stresses, emphasizing her last words. “Please forgive me, please.”
“No.” I was being blunt, brutally so, but I didn’t care; there was no lost love for her from me.
“Are you gonna take the job? Will you protect me?” She asks in a child-like voice, and I inwardly cringe. She had always used that voice on me when she wanted something, and she always got her own way, way back when.
I, for some fucked-up reason, hesitate with my answer, and she pounces. Literally. One second she is standing across from me, back against the door, and the next she's in my face, rubbing all over me.
“I’ll make it worth your while,” she says, her body swaying, and then she reaches down and cups my–
“What the fuck do you think you are doing?!” I shout as I push her away from me.
“Come on, baby. Don’t you want me? I told you I'd make it worth your while,” she pouts pathetically.
Fuming, I tell her, “One, don’t call me ‘baby’.” I spit the word out. “Two, no, I don’t fucking want you! What is wrong with you? I have a girlfriend for fucks sake, I don’t need you to make anything worth my fucking while!” I'm shouting at her, my anger flying off the Richter scale. I couldn’t believe this woman– no, actually I could. If someone could cheat on their partner after being with them for three years, then she could definitely try and seduce me when she knows I have a girlfriend.
“I know she doesn’t mean a lot to you. I know you still care about me… love me even.” She bats her fake eyelashes at me, trying to look pretty, but to me she just looks like a fucking idiot.
I laugh darkly in her face. “Love? Love you still? Hahaha. Don’t make me laugh, Lucy, you mean nothing to me. Nothing.” I repeat. “I don’t even like you. So no, I won't be taking the job, I can't bear to be around you for a minute longer, let alone for a minimum of six whole weeks.” I tell her nastily.
I watch as her eyes water at my harshness, but I don’t give a fuck. “Blake…”
“Get. Out.”
“Blake, please, I'm sorry I won't do that agai–”
“GET OUT!” I roar.
She jumps, just as the door opens and Keller rushes in, Kane right behind him. Keller takes one look at my face, and concern for me instantly washes over his face. But when Kane looks at Lucy, crying pitifully and looking up at me with big sad eyes, he comes for me…
THE DING OF THE elevator snaps me out of my rather murderous thoughts. Thoughts of going back to work and beating the shit out of Kane, again, enters my mind over and over.
Pussy. Okay, he put up a good fight, I'm quite impressed, but in the end, it took Keller and three of Richards’ men to pull me off of Kane.
Hearing the commotion, Rob and Richard had come running into the room just as Keller was pleading with me to calm down. They’d asked what had happened, and through gritted teeth, I'd told them the situation; both with Lucy and then with Kane. To say that Richard wasn’t impressed, with the both of them, is an understatement. He’d grabbed Lucy by her arm and pulled her along with him, barking at the men to follow.
When they had left, Mr. James had come over not looking happy at all and told me to go home and have the rest of the day off.
I nodded and told him thanks, shrugged Keller off and after a two-minute elevator ride, I was striding out the huge doors of James Security& CO.
It took me just over an hour to get back to my apartment building thanks to the fucking traffic that is nonstop in New York City.
As I'm opening the door to my apartment, I'm still so angry about what happened, that when Lottie says a surprised hello to me, I don’t even acknowledge her. I just walk over to the kitchen counter, fling open the cupboard and pull the bottle on Scotch and a tumbler glass out and start pouring myself three fingers. I swig it back in seconds like it’s a cheap shot of Tequila and not a $5000 dollar bottle before I place the glass on the counter with a bang.
I lower my head between my arms, my whole body tensing when I feel a small hand rest on my forearm.
“Blake…” I hear Lottie's hesitant voice say to me, but I ignore her keeping my head bowed. “Blake.” She says more persistent this time.
“What?” I snap. It’s unintentional, I didn’t mean to snap at her, but the anger still coursing through my veins is having none of it. It wants to lash out and smash things up, preferably Lucy or Kane’s face, but I don’t hit women, never have and never will. And I've already beaten Kane up once; I don’t need to do it again.
“Baby what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Would you stop being short with me, and look at me when I'm talking to you?”
“No,” I mumble, I sound like a–
“You sound like a petulant child. Grow up, and tell me what the matter is.” Her tone got harder and her accent came out in full force. I loved when that happened. “Blake for fucks sake, tell me what happened from the time you left here all happy and fine, to you being a moody bloody git.”
I spin around to look at her, but whatever I was about to say dies on my lips as I see the worry glossing her navy eyes.
Sighing, I pull her into my arms and lay my head in the crook of her neck. Inhaling her scent calms me considerably. It was soothing. She smelt of strawberries, her Chanel perfume, and the Sun. How she could smell like the sun was beyond me, maybe when she had fallen? I don’t know, but what I do know is that I thank God that he sent me this beautiful angel.
“Baby, you're worrying me, please, what happened?” Lottie asked, her voice muffled from my chest.
Sighing again, I lift my head and wait for her to do the same. She does and I tell her everything that happened in the meeting, watching her mouth drop open when she hears that the person I was meant to guard was Lucy. I watch as she mouths the word ‘coincidence’, and I watch as the relieve flashes over her face when I tell her that I wouldn’t be taking the job.
“Well thank fuck for that. I don’t know how I would be able to handle you being around her twenty-four-seven.” She blows a breath out of her pink, plump lips. Lips that my body is begging me to kiss, so I do. I brush a chaste kiss over them before I continue.
“I told Rob and Richard that I couldn’t do it, walked out of the meeting room, and–”
“One minute,” she says holding a finger up to me, making me smile. “I understand that you don’t want to guard her, and I'm really, really happy about that, but surely that didn’t make you that mad.”
“It didn’t, but if you wouldn’t interrupt me every five seconds then I probably would’ve gotten to the point about why I was– am! Am so angry.” I smirk at her now guilty face.
“Oh.”
“Yes, oh.” I bend and kiss her bottom lip. The lip where her teeth were
just embedded, and lick at the grooves that she has left behind, before biting it myself and licking the sting away with my tongue.
“Mmm… Blake. Stop trying to distract me, and finish the story,” Lottie says, lightly pushing my chest back.
“Okay,” I say disheartened. I really would prefer to kiss her then tell her the rest. “So as I was walking to my office, Lucy followed me. I told her to fuck off. She didn’t listen. After some words, she tried to… persuade me to take the job offer.”
“What do you mean by persuade?”
“She came on to me, and when I told her that she knew I had a girlfriend, she just batted it away and starting spewing some bullshit about me still loving her, and–”
“What the fuck?!” Lottie hissed, her stunning features twisting and turning angry. “That fucking whore!”
“Yeah, I know. She tried to grab my junk and then–” Again, I was interrupted.
“She did what! Oh, that stupid fucking slut! I will fuck her up if I ever see her again. How dare she? Thinking she can touch my man… whore… stupid bitch…” Lottie was pacing, walking back and forth in front of me, mumbling about how much of a walking STD Lucy was. I had to laugh at some of the stuff she was saying.
“You gone all ghetto on me now, Lott's?”
“What?” she asks distractedly.
“I asked have you gone all ghetto on me.” At her confused expression, I repeated what she had said about fucking her up the next time she sees her.
She stops pacing and looks up at me and says in a deadpan voice, “Baby, I'm from East London.” And carries on pacing and mumbling.
East London? Is that a bad place then? I'd have to look it up, 'cause the way she said it, makes it sound like you had to be tough growing up there. Sort of like if you grew up on the wrong side of the tracks.
“So anyway, I shouted at her, made her cry, and that was when Keller and the douchebag Kane walks in. He takes one look at her crying, me angry, comes at me, and we end up fighting.” I say to her, looking over at her I see the two mugs of unfinished coffee sitting on the island counter-top. “Lott's, do we have company?” I ask her the same time she stops her pacing and looks over to me worriedly.
“You got into a fight?” She flits over and starts running her hands over me, checking for bruises. “Why would he fight with you over that?”
“I don’t know, maybe because he’s her guard? I don’t know. Angel, not that I'm complaining about you rubbing your hands over me, but is someone else here?” I ask staring at the second coffee mug again.
“What? Oh, yeah… Melody is here,” she tells me just as my little sister walks around the corner, saying bye to whoever she was on the phone with.
“Blake! You're back,” my little sister says happily, before walking over to me and giving me a hug. I feel a thump on my back and wonder what it was, but my silent question is answered when she pulls back and in her hand is the book she left here. “Happy belated birthday! I brought you your present,” she smiles cheerily, before skipping the four steps over to the island and producing a birthday bag from the floor.
“Ah, thanks, Mel,” I tell her taking the bag from her hands and giving her a smile.
“Open it, open it,” she exclaims, bouncing on the spot.
“Okay, okay, chill out.” I l tell her, looking at her warningly as I look into the bag and see three presents. She knows what can happen if she gets too excited. I open the first one and see my favourite cologne. “Thanks, Mel,” I tell her before I open the second and pull out a long sleeved Ralph Lauren polo. Again I say thanks. It's when I spot the third that I notice she gets a huge grin on her face. “What?” I ask suddenly weary.
“Nothing. Just open it!”
I picked the box up and noticed it had some weight to it. Pondering what it could be that would make Melody all giddy, I start unwrapping the present. When I get all the wrapping paper off, I was left with a glittering pink box, and I feel my eyebrows shoot up.
“Oh! That’s the only box I could find that it would fit in, don’t worry, and I want that back.” She looks at me threateningly, like I was going to keep for large, pink sparkling box…
I hear Lottie giggling next to me, and I look over at her, loving that sound. “Do you know what it is?”
“Nope,” she replied popping the P. “But I'm willing to bet that’s it’s brilliantly awesome.”
“How very British–American of you,” Melody tells her.
“I know right?” My beautiful girlfriend tells my sister. They were acting like they had known each other for years, and not for a couple of hours.
I pull the cellotape tape away and lift the lid of the box open, only to be obscured by pink tissue paper. Rolling my eyes, I tore the paper away and… I felt my breath get caught in my throat.
Holy. Fuck! Ho-ly fuck.
“Mel…” I couldn’t even talk. My voice had skipped off into the sunset, leaving me mute.
“What is it?” Lottie asked curiously.
Clearing my throat, I scratchily tell her what my present is. “It’s a personalized signed football by Eli Manning,” I manage to choke out.
“Who?” Lottie asks, but I don’t answer her. I can't answer her.
“Eli Manning. He was/ is the best Quarterback the Giants have ever had. Blake idolized him growing up and still does now.” My sister tells her.
“Wow, that’s lovely.”
I pay them no attention as I read the football again.
There's also his signature, along with his number, 10.
I very, very gently place the box onto the counter and yank Melody into my arms. “Thank you so much, that is the best present anyone has ever got me,” I tell her truthfully. “You're my favorite sister.”
She leans back and lightly slaps my chest. “I’m your only sister Blake,” she tries to go for stern, but she just ends up laughing.
“Okay, you're the best sister anyone could ever ask for. Is that better?”
Lazily, she says, “I suppose so,” before placing a kiss on my cheek.
I reciprocate by giving her a big kiss on her cheek and squeezing the life outta her.
“Okay, okay! Stop slobbering all over me, put me down. I know I'm awesome and all that, but there's no need to drown me,” she giggles as she fights her way out of my arms.
I throw her a wink and pick the box back up. “How did you get this?”
“A lot of ass kissing and grovelling, and I had to agree to go out with someone…” she whispers at the end.
“You had to what?” I ask, sure I had heard her wrong.
“Nothing, it doesn’t matter, it’s only one date. It’s fine, Blake, stop stressing.” She says reassuringly.
Reluctantly, I say fine.
“Oh, before I forget! I was just on the phone to mom, and she asked if you would like to go for a birthday dinner? Frankie and Tillie are going to be there, and mom also said to make sure Lottie comes.” She tells us with a white smile.
Narrowing my eyes at her and ask, “How does mom know Lottie's here?”
“A little birdie told her.”
“Hmm… and would this little birdie be you?”
“Maybe…”
Rolling my eyes heavenward, I turn to Lottie and ask if she would like to come.
“Sure.” She shrugs easily.
“Really?” I ask her skeptically.
She places her hands on her lovely hips. “What’s that meant to mean, really?”
“Nothing, I just thought I might need to persuade you,” I look her over, thinking about the numerous ways to persuade her.
“Eww. Dude, that’s just gross; I don’t need to hear that shit,” Melody said, scrunching her nose up in disgust.
Laughing at her displeasure, I grab her arm and pull her into a side-hug. “Thank you for my present, I fucking love it,” I tell her, placing one more kiss on her head.
“You're welcome, Blake. Don’t tell Frankie, but you're my best brother,” she grins.
C
huckling, I tell her, “Oh, I know I'm your favourite.”
“Narcissist.”
“I know.”
“Douche,” she giggles, swatting my chest with the back of her hand.
“Shut up, you love me.”
Signing, she replies, “Yeah… it’s unfortunate, but I do.”
“Aw.”
We both look over to Lottie and see her looking at us with a smile on her beautiful face.
“What?” Melody and I ask simultaneously.
“Nothing, it’s just nice to see you two together, that’s all. I haven’t got any siblings, and I always wanted a brother or a sister. Both even.” She looks saddened, but she’s trying to cover it up.
“Hey,” I say softly, dropping my arm around Melody, and walking over to Lottie and pulling her into my arms. I cup her hips and ask if she was okay.
“Yeah, I'm fine.” She waves her hand dismissively, before laying her hand on my chest, lightly rubbing over my left peck.
“You sure?”
“I'm fine, Blake, I'm just being silly. Don’t listen to me.”
“Hey, you have me for a sister, now. Frankie as a brother, too; I'm sure he’ll love you,” my little sister says, smiling a gentle smile.
“That sounds brilliant, thank you.”
“Yeah, I've had her for years now, you can have her. I'll take her back when Christmas and birthdays come up, 'cause she gives the best presents.” I tell Lottie, giving Mel a soft jab in her side.
She jumps away from me, pointing and giving me a narrow-eyed stare; she was immensely ticklish. “Don’t you dare! I'm gonna go now, but I'll text you the details later. Goodbye lovebirds,” she blew kisses at us and picked her purse up from the island, and walks out.
“Bye!” Lottie and I shout.
“I like your sister, she's lovely,” Lottie tells me.
“I'm glad, I know she likes you.”
She looks into space and then startles me when she starts laughing. “What’s funny?” I ask, feeling my lips tilt-up.
“When she first got here, I thought she was one of your groupies, so I answered the door in just this,” she says gesturing to her body that was covered in my top and a pair of boxer shorts. Very nice. “To say she was shocked would be an understatement. She asked who I was, and me still thinking she was an ex, I told her your girlfriend– thinking that she was about to blow, but she got really excited and then introduced herself as your sister; the relief I felt was bloody tremendous. Then, I don’t know, I feel like we just clicked and had known each other for years,” she smiles up at me, her navy blues sparkling. Just that look let me know that she was glad that everything had gone swimmingly with my sister.