The Big Gamble

by M Andrews

  “Brooke was just telling us about how she wants to bang her new neighbor,” Lucky teases.

  Ryder laughs, shaking his head at Lucky’s statement knowing she’s full of crap. But I still slump down in my chair ready to die of embarrassment.

  “Lucky, leave the poor girl alone. And you and I both know she’s saving herself for me. That’s if I can get her to say yes to dinner first.” He flashes me a wink then waves the bartender down to order a beer.

  Ryder has been trying to persuade me to go out on at least one date with him. But in the little time I’ve gotten to know Ryder, I keep getting a sense that he’s just using me to show Lucky what she’s missing out on. I can see he’s crazy about her from the way he looks at her and how he hangs off every word she says. He wants more with her, but Lucky doesn’t strike me as the relationship type.

  Lucy detects my discomfort and diverts the conversation off of me and onto Lucky, asking about one of her creepy clients from the strip club. I relax back in my chair and sip on my drink listening to their conversation and the music coming from the dance floor.

  A few minutes later a tall stranger works his way between Ryder and me. I look over at him and my heart leaps into my throat when I see who’s standing just inches away from me. I recognize the short mussed dark brown hair, the brown eyes that could light up the night sky and the cocky grin that I just want to slap off his face. “Asshole,” I whisper.

  Just then he turns and his eyes narrow when he realizes who he’s standing next to.

  “What are you doing here?” I growl, staring him down.

  Ryder turns his attention from Lucky and smiles when he spots Brian. “Hey man, I see you found us. Oh, hey, you haven’t met Brooke yet. Brooke this my partner and best friend Brian. Brian this—”

  “Oh, Brooke and I are old friends.” He smiles, with an amused look in his eyes.

  “Wait! How do you two know each other?” Ryder asks.

  I’m completely frozen, my mouth gaping open. I watch as Lucky and Lucy say hello to Brian. My mind is racing. How do they know him? How did they not know it was him I was telling them about? What the hell is going on?

  “Brooke’s that neighbor I was telling you about.”

  Ryder’s head snaps back to look at me. “Your crazy bitch?”

  “What did you just call me?” I snarl, feeling my rage kicking in again.

  Before I can snap into full bitch mode, Ryder is pulling me into his arms, giving me a huge bear hug. “I’ve been dying to meet the woman that finally put this asshole in his place. You are my hero.” He squeezes me tighter lifting me off my feet, and I can hear Lucy and Lucky putting together the pieces of what’s going on. My rage now turning to embarrassment, wondering what he’s told them about me.

  I pull away from Ryder’s grasp, trying to fight back the tears that are now welling in my eyes. I can’t believe he told people I was a crazy bitch. No one has ever been so callous to me. I just wanted him to keep the fucking noise down. He’s the one that keeps pushing my buttons.

  “I can’t deal with this. I’m getting out of here.” I can’t hold onto my tears for much longer, and I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I grab my bag and fight my way through the crowd, ignoring Lucy and Lucky calling for me to come back. I burst through the back door out into the alley behind the bar. I lean back against the brick wall of the bar, breathing in the cool night air trying to calm myself before walking home. This whole situation was getting completely out of control and I don’t know what to do to stop it. Other than move into a cave in the middle of the forest where no one would know me as the crazy bitch.

  The back door of the bar opens again and I think it’s Lucy coming to find me, but when I look up, it’s Brian standing before me. Why can’t he just leave me alone?

  “If you’re here to make fun of me some more, you can turn around and go back inside because I don’t have the energy to fight with you anymore.” I wipe the tears away from my cheeks.

  “I’m not here to fight with you. I’m here to apologize.”

  Apologize? He wants to apologize to me?

  This feels like a trick, but my mind is intrigued. “I’m listening.”

  “Look, Brooke, I’m sorry for being such an asshole to you before. I was completely out of line. You were frustrated and exhausted and I only made things worse, so I’m sorry. Do you think we could start over?” A sincere smile stretches across his lips and I can tell he’s being truthful.

  “I think we could do that. I’m sorry for slapping you and calling you out in the elevator.”

  Okay, maybe he’s not the asshole I thought he was.

  “I kind of deserved it, and you were spot on in your judgment of me.” He chuckles softly. “Hi. I’m Brian Gamble.” He holds his right hand out to me.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Brian. I’m Brooke McCoy.” I slide my hand into his and a shiver runs down my spine, just like it had in the elevator when I felt his hands slip under my dress.

  “So, friends?”

  “Have you ever been friends with someone you’ve made out with in an elevator?”

  His laugh echoes through the quiet alley. “No, but there’s a first time for everything. I’m willing to give it a try if you are?” He flashes me another crooked smile.

  Damn that smile is sexy as hell. Calm yourself Brooke.

  “I’m willing to try.” I return his smile, feeling myself starting to relax again.

  “Great! So how about we kiss and make up?” He smirks, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

  I can’t help but laugh and shake my head. “Friends don’t kiss.”

  “I know, I was just teasing you. But I did get you to laugh.”

  “That you did, and I kinda needed that.” I giggle again. Funny and sexy, that’s a dangerous combination.

  “Do you want to come back inside and I’ll buy you a drink?”

  “That’s sweet, but I think I’m going to head home. It’s been a long day and I should try and get some sleep.” As much as I want to go back inside with him, I just need some space to process finding out my asshole neighbor isn’t the asshole I’d pegged him to be, and that he’s also best friends with my new friends. This fucking day is throwing me for a loop.

  “Do you want me to walk you home?”

  “No, that’s okay. You should go back inside and enjoy the rest of your night.”

  “All right. Sweet dreams.” He flashes me a wink.

  “Um…thanks.” I turn and start to walk away.

  “Oh, and Brooke? I hope I’m good tonight,” he calls out.

  I stop dead in my tracks. Oh, fuck! He heard me through the wall. Now I really need to go crawl under a rock.

  It was after midnight when I finally made it home. The house was dark and quiet and it made me miss the days when Jillian would wait up for me. I tossed my keys on the counter and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. Taking a sip, I walked back to the bedroom, pausing when I saw a soft glow coming from under the door. At first I thought maybe Jilly did wait up and had a surprise waiting for me. But as I got closer that was when I heard the soft moans. I quietly stepped closer to the door and I could hear the moans growing louder and more ragged. I carefully turned the knob on the door and opened it just a crack and I saw her, bent over our bed. Her bright red hair falling over her face. Her screams of ecstasy making my stomach turn as I watched her getting fucked to with an inch of her life by our Captain. She looked up and saw me watching from the crack in the door. An amused smile painted across her face. “Loser,” she mouthed.

  And that’s when I spring up from my bed, covered in sweat and breathing hard. My eyes begin to focus and I realize I’m back in my bedroom in my apartment and it was just a dream. It’s been five years since that night since I walked in on my ex, fucking my former Captain in the bed we once shared and it still haunts me. Lola hops up on my bed. She must have sensed my distress because she curls up in my lap then licks my face in an attempt to make me feel better.r />
  I met Jillian in the police academy. When I first met her she was a different person, she was confident and caring and didn’t take shit from anyone. And feisty as all hell, which was one of the things I loved most about her. She was the first woman I ever really loved and I was almost going to ask her to marry me. But after we graduated from the academy she started to change. Her competitive side began to show more and more with the other officers on the force. And once I started passing her up, getting promoted before her, she started to resent me for it. She started taking her frustrations and confidence issues out on me and anyone else who got in her way. At first I just brushed it off as stress of the job, but once she started making me question who I was and if being a cop was really what I was meant to do, I started wondering if being with her was really worth it. I got my answer that night. I wasn’t her boyfriend anymore, I was just a road block to her and she didn’t care how much she hurt me if it meant she got what she wanted. I walked out of the house we shared that night and never looked back, but she still manages to get in my head.

  I glance over at my alarm it’s seven in the morning and there’s no way after that nightmare I’ll be able to go back to sleep, so I decide to go for a run to help clear my head.

  As I slip on my running shorts, I hear a soft knock on my door. I head out to the living room, wondering who could possibly be at my door this damn early. Opening the door, I feel the nagging voice in my head fade away when I see a smiling Brooke standing at my door. I notice her deep blue eyes immediately. They’re sparkling with intensity and look happier than the last time I saw her at my door. My eyes move down to her beautiful full lips and I’m instantly taken back to our kiss in the elevator. Less than twenty-four hours ago those warm, sweet lips were devouring my mouth. With that image, my dick begins to stir.

  “Hey, Brooke. To what do I owe this lovely surprise?”

  She softly smiles holding up a plate of what looks to be donuts. “I just thought I’d bring over a little peace offering.” She looks me up and down and pulls her bottom lip between her teeth as her eyes linger on my bare chest before meeting my gaze again. “Oh, I’m sorry, did I wake you?”

  “No, I was just getting up. So what did you bring me?”

  “I made a batch of bacon maple donuts.”

  My eyes widen and my stomach growls in anticipation. “You had me at bacon. Get your sexy ass in here.” I step aside letting her step inside.

  Closing the door, I follow her to the kitchen and there’s that sexy, confident sway in her hips again and it has me in a trance. She’s dressed in a pair of denim cut-off shorts, a casual pink T-shirt and a pair of white chucks. I love girls who wear chucks. Her long dark hair is pulled up in a messy bun on top of her head and she has a hand print of flour smeared across her ass. Damn, is there anything this woman doesn’t look sexy in?

  “How about I make us some coffee.”

  “That would be fantastic.”

  “So did you make these yourself?” I ask eyeing the plate of donuts as she sets it down on the bar, I’m trying not to drool over how good they look and how much I’d love to lick the icing off her gorgeous body.

  “I did. I couldn’t sleep last night and when I can’t sleep, I bake.”

  “Sounds like I’m not the only one with sleeping issues.” I flip on the coffee pot and feel her eyes on me and it feels oddly calming.

  “So why couldn’t you sleep? Late night with one of your girls?” she asks and I can hear a hint of jealousy in her tone.

  “No. Just happens from time to time. Besides the only girl in my bed these days is my dog, Lola.” I point over at Lola as she walks out of my bedroom. I hold my breath hoping she won’t attack Brooke like she does with all the other women I’ve brought home. She’s a jealous little thing. But she doesn’t go after Brooke, instead sits at Brooke’s feet and begs for her to pick her up.

  “Oh my God, she’s so cute.” Brooke’s face lights up as she bends down to pick up Lola. As soon as Lola’s in her arms she proceeds to excitedly lick Brooke’s face. “You are quite the little love bug. I bet you get lots of girls for your daddy.”

  “Actually, she doesn’t normally like a lot of people. This is the first time I’ve seen her let anyone but me pick her up.” I usually I have to lock her in her crate when people are over. I’ve lost count at how many times she’s bitten Ryder when he comes over.

  “I don’t believe that she’s just so sweet. How old is she?”

  “Nine months. I found her while doing a raid on a dog fighting ring. I was the only one she’d come to when animal rescue was loading up the dogs to take them back to the shelter. Something told me she belonged with me, so I adopted her right then and there.”

  “How very noble of you,” she says flashing me that beautiful smile of hers.

  Brooke sets Lola down on the floor and looks around my apartment while I pour us a couple cups of coffee. I sip my coffee, watching as she inspects the art on the walls. “Let me guess, you were expecting whips, chains, and a sex swing?”

  She throws her head back and laughs, and it’s the most beautiful intoxicating sound I’ve ever heard. “More like pyramids of empty beer cans and posters of half-naked women bent over sports cars. Whips and chains are more my thing,” she says matter-of-factly and I can’t tell if she’s kidding. God, I hope she’s not kidding.

  She hops up on one of the bar stools and takes a sip of her coffee. I grab one of the donuts and take a big bite. My eyes roll back in my head as I chew. The maple and bacon taking over all my senses. This is hands down the best thing I’ve ever eaten. “Oh my God Brooke, this is the best damn thing I’ve ever had in my mouth.” I take another big bite.

  “Well, that’s because you’ve never had me in your mouth,” she says nonchalantly, taking a bite of her donut.

  I take a sharp breath, choking on a piece of bacon. Did she really just say that? She looks over at me with a glint of concern in her eyes.

  “Are you okay?”

  I finally clear the chunk of bacon out of my windpipe. “Do you always say shit like that, or is it just me that brings that out in you?” I choke out.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t really have a filter on this thing,” she points to her mouth, “I tend to just say what’s on my mind without thinking about it sometimes.”

  “Oh, so what you’re saying is that you really want to be in my mouth?” I cock a curious eyebrow up at her.

  “No, I didn’t say that. It’s just—” Her face turns a bright shade of red.

  “But you did say you speak what’s on your mind, and clearly what’s on your mind is to ride my face,” I tease.

  “I do not. Can we please just change the subject?” she says hiding behind her coffee cup.

  She’s fucking adorable when she’s flustered. This friendship is going to be fun.

  “Okay, okay. We can talk about how much you want to have sex with me later,” I say flashing her a wink.

  “Oh my God, stop! I don’t want to have sex with you.”

  “That’s not what I heard through my wall yesterday.” I lean over the counter, getting nice and close to her face. “Did you dream about me last night? Is that why you couldn’t sleep?” I whisper, watching her body shiver and her face flush even brighter. “Oh, you did. Such a naughty girl.”

  “I’m leaving.” She stumbles getting up from her stool and starts to walk toward the door.

  “Wait, Brooke, don’t go.” I run past her, stepping between her and the door. “I’m sorry. I took the teasing too far. Just the whole, you in my mouth thing, made me go into my usual Gamble mode. Please stay.”

  “No, I’m sorry. I don’t know what it is when I’m around you. I either want to hit you or sleep with you.” She looks up at me with those big doe eyes and I quickly realize she’s feeling the same way I am about this whole situation. Two days ago I hated her, but now I can’t fight this feeling of wanting to fuck her. “You know this friendship is doomed to go up in flames?”

  �
��Probably, but just think how fun the ride will be.”

  Brooke grins and softly giggles. I got her to laugh again so that’s a good sign.

  “I really should be going. I’ll see you around?”

  “You know where to find me.” I step out the way and open the door for her. She stops in front of me and turns to place a sweet kiss on my cheek. “I thought friends didn’t kiss?”

  “They can kiss on the cheek. Thanks for the coffee and the laugh.”

  She turns and walks away. I rub my hand along my cheek where she kissed me and it feels like her lips are permanently seared into my skin and I want that feeling over every inch of me.

  As soon as I hear Brian’s door close behind me I bolt for the stairwell, needing to see my girls. What the hell just happened? One minute I’m bringing Brian a simple plate of donuts as a peace offering, and the next thing I know I’m blurting out that he’s never had anything as good as me in his mouth. What is the matter with me? Every time I’m around Brian I lose all function of my brain and turn into a crazy horn dog.

  I burst out of the door onto the busy street, breathing in the fresh morning air. My head’s still spinning as I make my way down three blocks through the crowd to Lucy’s. Opening the door, I almost run into a guy coming out. After quickly apologizing, he flashes me an evil glare. I step inside scanning the small coffee shop for Lucy, who isn’t at her usual station behind the coffee counter. Thankfully, the place is empty after the morning rush. As I walk around the coffee bar, Lucy comes walking out of the back kitchen carrying a big tray of freshly baked cupcakes.