Now or Never

by Nyora René

  The sisters all looked at each other, speechless. “That’s cold as hell lying on his granny,” Ruby said.

  “Yeah, so my anger was justified,” Amethyst said, grabbing the menu in front of her.

  “Such serious conversations we have these days. I come all the way from Japan and roll up on you looking somber, and then we talk about Amethyst’s lying-ass co-worker. Is this all you three do these days, talk about boring shit?” Jade asked, turning in her seat to catch the eye of the waitress.

  Once she walked over, the sisters ordered their food and drinks.

  “Come home more often and you’d know what our conversations are about,” Ruby retorted.

  Jade rolled her eyes. “Unless you’re going to tell me that you finally got laid, that Crystal admitted to her ‘best friend’ she’s in love with him, and that Amethyst finally told her boss to kiss her ass, I’ll pass.”

  All three sisters chimed in at the same time.

  “Hey!”

  “Shut up, Jade.”

  “My sex life isn’t your business.”

  “So, same shit different day, got it,” Jade smirked as she sat back.

  Crystal grimaced. Her sisters were the only people who knew that she was in love with her best friend, Brendon Marks. They’d been best friends for the last ten years and she’d been in love with him for years.

  “Actually, that’s what I was teasing Crystal about before you all showed up,” Ruby said.

  Crystal rolled her eyes. “Didn’t we agree to not tease? Are we going back on that truce or nah?”

  Amethyst and Jade looked at each other, eyes wide, then turned their gazes back towards Ruby and Crystal.

  “Now this sounds juicy! What did we miss?” Jade asked, leaning forward and resting her arms on the table.

  “Nothing!” Ruby hurriedly answered, tugging the collar of her shirt.

  Crystal shrugged. She didn’t have to stay quiet, her sisters knew her secret, Ruby, on the other hand, rarely confided anything to them.

  “Crystal, I know Ruby’s lying, so what’s the tea?” Jade asked, turning in her seat to face Crystal.

  “Come on, we don’t know that she’s lying,” Amethyst said.

  Jade sucked her teeth, but didn’t respond to Amethyst. “Come on, dish, girl.”

  “It was nothing, just the usual bugging about my career and the last time Ruby got laid,” Crystal said, glossing over the meat of the truce.

  Jade scoffed. “Ruby hasn’t gotten any action from a real live man since the last time Fitz and Olivia Pope had sex. Her love life is non-existent, unless you count the loving her vibrator gives her on a nightly basis.”

  Ruby flushed and the glare she leveled on Jade made Crystal squirm in her seat. All of the sisters were outspoken, but whereas Ruby and Amethyst were more politically correct southern belles, Jade and Crystal were unfiltered, Jade even more than Crystal.

  “Look, just because I don’t go whoring—”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Why are you slut shaming?” Jade asked.

  Crystal looked at Jade and wondered what she was up to. Sure, it was fun to tease Ruby, but Jade was going a step further than usual.

  Ruby stood up. “I didn’t come here to spend my lunch hour arguing with my sisters. When you can—”

  “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I was just teasing,” Jade said, raising both hands in the air.

  Amethyst and Crystal glanced at each other, holding their breath. Jade and Ruby were like oil and water, their personalities were so different. Jade enjoyed teasing Ruby, and Ruby was way too serious to take the jokes at face value.

  The waitress came back with their orders and Ruby sat back down. Crystal released the breath she was holding. “So, Jade, what brings you back home early? You weren’t supposed to be back in town for another two weeks.” She hoped the change in topic would get them back in better moods.

  “Can’t I come home early because I missed you all?” her sister asked, digging into her apple walnut salad.

  “Is that the real reason?” Amethyst raised an eyebrow.

  Jade put her fork down. “Yes, nosey rosey. Besides, a photoshoot came up last minute and it’s scheduled during the time I was supposed to be home. I rearranged my schedule so that I could come home now, instead of later. Since I was going to be in the Maldives this week on vacation, I decided to come home instead.”

  Ruby tilted her head to the side and hummed. “You ‘rearranging’ your schedule wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain celebrity chef moving back home around that time, would it?”

  Jade stabbed her fork in Ruby’s direction. “How about you mind your own damn business. That’s your fucking problem—”

  “I’m thinking about telling Brendon how I feel!” Crystal blurted out, hoping to avoid World War Three between the warring factions of Jade and Ruby.

  Amethyst quickly jumped on the preserver Crystal threw out. “Oooh! Tell us more, like how you plan to go about telling him.”

  Ruby and Jade fell silent, glaring at each other over their plates.

  “Uh, well…maybe you all can help me come up with a way,” Crystal said, placing a hand over the hand Jade had clenched around her fork. When Jade’s fingers relaxed their grip, Crystal gave her hand a squeeze.

  Across the table, Amethyst was rubbing Ruby’s back gently. When the tension left Ruby’s body, and she sat back in her chair, Amethyst gave an audible sigh.

  All four sisters had sore spots and Jade’s was any mention of her ex-fiancé. Ruby’s was her dominant, no-nonsense attitude, Amethyst’s was her lack of speaking up for herself with her boss, and Crystal’s was Brendon. Occasionally, they would tease each other, but on days when they were feeling raw, that teasing felt like alcohol being poured over a fresh wound.

  Ruby waved her hand in the air. “Just tell the man. What are you afraid of?”

  Crystal finished chewing the bite of grilled chicken salad and took a sip of water. “Oh, I don’t know, how about losing my best friend?”

  All three sisters shook their head, but it was Amethyst who spoke. “Sweetie, I don’t think there’s anything in this world that can make Brendon Marks stop being your friend.”

  Crystal squirmed in her seat, no longer wanting to talk about her feelings for Brendon. “I changed my mind, I’m not ready to have this conversation yet.”

  “Putting it off won’t do you any favors. The both of you are single…at the same time. That has never happened since you finally admitted your feelings about him. Tell him already,” Jade said, eating her salad.

  “I don’t agree much with Jade, but…she’s right. The timing is right. Besides you thinking you’d lose his friendship, what are you waiting on?” Ruby asked, cutting into her grilled chicken.

  Crystal opened and closed her mouth several times, not wanting to verbalize her other fear…that Brendon didn’t feel the same and she’d look foolish.

  Amethyst took pity on her. “If you’re not ready, you’re not ready. Let’s change the subject.”

  Crystal sent Amethyst a smile of gratitude, her smile growing at Amethyst’s wink. When she shifted the conversation to the latest episode of their favorite reality tv show, Crystal breathed a sigh of relief.

  She needed to clear her mind. Later on today, she had a workout with Brendon and the last thing she wanted taking up residence in her head was telling him how she felt while he was barking out instructions. Her sisters were right, however, that she either needed to man up and tell him how she felt or find a way to let go of her feelings for him. This in-between stage was wreaking havoc with her inner peace.

  2

  Brendon Marks ran a hand down his face and then rubbed his weary eyes. He was beyond tired. He’d been up since five this morning, getting in a run and quick workout before starting his work day.

  His gyms, Marks Fitness, were now in five surrounding states. He’d been in negotiations with a representative from a major sports line to sell and market his special protein shakes, and that meeting
had taken up most of his morning. Immediately after he hung up with the representative, he’d had to hightail it across town to have a business luncheon with his marketing team for the gyms’ upcoming promotions. Usually they met at his office, but today he’d wanted to treat them to lunch as a thank you for all of their hard work, so he’d rented out a space at Chez Vous restaurant and held his meeting there.

  Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes and immediately saw green-gold eyes like that of a tiger. Those striking orbs were framed by thick, long lashes against honey-toned skin. Brown spiral curls with gold highlights surrounded a heart-shaped face. Crystal.

  Groaning, Brendon popped his eyes open and sat up. Crystal Jasmine Harris was his best friend in the whole world. She was, literally, the only person he trusted, full stop. They’d been best friends since he began tutoring her in high school, but lately… Lately, he’d begun to think about her in more than a friendly way.

  He glanced at the silver clock on his desk, a gift from Crystal that had a picture of the two of them on the day he was drafted into the NFL.

  “She should be here by now,” he murmured. Crystal had enlisted his help with keeping her in shape after she noticed how tight her dress fit at his last gym opening.

  He stood and walked over to the huge window that looked out over the gym. The window was really a two-way mirror that allowed him to see out onto the main gym floor but prevented others from seeing him. Crystal had convinced him to install it.

  “It lets you see what’s going on while letting you have your privacy. Don’t be one of those bosses who doesn’t know what’s going on in his own company, B.”

  Those had been her exact words when he was building this gym, the original location, and his company’s headquarters. The top floor was dedicated office space. Originally, it had been personal fitness rooms for clients who booked private workouts. Once he recognized the growth of his gyms and realized he’d need office staff, he bought the land next to him and expanded, making the new space workout rooms. He restructured the old rooms into office space for him, his vice president of operations, his CFO, assistant, and managers.

  He cast his gaze over weight machines, rowing machines, the indoor track, and the front desk. Growing impatient, he opened the door just as his gaze found Crystal. She was talking to Everett, the manager on duty.

  Brendon’s face tightened when he saw Everett glance at the cleavage displayed by Crystal’s neon green sports bra and lick his lips. Clenching his fists, he slowly counted to ten, then moved towards the stairs, his office door automatically shutting behind him.

  Coming up behind Crystal, he narrowed his eyes at Everett, whose face paled and he backed up a couple steps.

  “From the look of horror on your face, your boss must be behind me,” Crystal teased, then turned around to face him.

  “Everett, I don’t see anyone manning the front desk. Perhaps you should check that out,” Brendon told him. Turning to Crystal, he cupped her elbow and steered her away from his employee and towards his personal workout room.

  As Crystal walked through the door, she said, “Well, hello to you too, Brendon. What’s that? Oh, I’m doing just fine, thank you for asking. Such lovely manners you have.”

  He pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry, that was rude. It’s been a long day, but that’s no excuse.” Pulling back, he smiled at her and tugged on a stray curl that had escaped from her messy bun. “How are you doing?”

  Her smile lit up her whole face and sent a jolt of desire down his spine.

  “My day was okay. I had lunch with my sisters. Oh! Jade is in town, so you know Amethyst and I had to run interference between her and Ruby,” Crystal said.

  Brendon shook his head. “Those two are always butting heads. Remember when you decided to quit college? I thought they were going to come to blows with the way they went at each other.”

  Crystal groaned and looked up at the ceiling. “Yeah, don’t remind me, Ruby reminds me every time we meet up about my ‘poor life choices.’”

  Brendon rested one hand on her shoulder, and the other he used to cup her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Ruby still giving you a hard time? Does she realize how much your brand is worth and how much time you put into your business?”

  Crystal shook her head, dislodging his hand. “Nope. She thinks I’m broke with no future plans or savings.”

  “Why don’t you show her your financial portfolio? That would shut her up real quick if she realized that you’re a millionaire.”

  Crystal had quit college after her sophomore year. Ever since high school, she’d maintained social media accounts dedicated to lifestyle. Her accounts ranged from fashion to home decor, to store hauls and product reviews. By the time she was a freshman in college, she’d amassed a following of over half a million. Today, she had over a million followers, her social media accounts were monetized, and she was the spokesperson for several companies.

  When he was first drafted to the Chicago Vipers, Brendon wasted no time getting a financial planner to help him navigate his newly rich status. On the first meeting, he’d brought Crystal along with him so that she could learn how to balance and manage the money she was making.

  Crystal shrugged and looked away. “Sure, it would get her off my back temporarily, but Ruby’s main problem with me is that I don’t have that oh-so-necessary status piece of paper called a degree.”

  He turned her face back towards him and searched her eyes. “Do you regret not finishing college?”

  She closed her eyes and moved away from his touch, shaking her head. “Not really.”

  Brendon’s shoulders slumped slightly at her rejection. “Not really is not the same as a firm no. If you want to go back, you can. I’ll—”

  Crystal’s eyes flew open. “You better not volunteer to pay for my schooling, Brendon,” she said, glaring at him.

  He took a step back and held his hands up. “I’m just saying, I’m here to support your dreams, Crys. And yes, I’ll pay for you to go back, if you want me to.”

  She sighed and walked up to him, cupping his cheeks in her palms. He fought like hell not to outwardly react to her touch, but inside his heart pounded.

  “As you just pointed out, I’m a millionaire. No, I don’t have nearly as many zeroes behind my net worth as you do, but I don’t think paying for college will bankrupt me. Besides, you have done more than enough for me. I don’t like feeling as if I’m taking advantage of you.”

  Brendon grasped her wrists and bent to touch his forehead to hers. “You’re my best friend, and I’d do anything for you. When I lost my mom right before the draft, you were there for me. You took a whole semester off from school to come stay with me, traveling to all of my games—”

  “You paid for transportation and I stayed with you rent free,” she interrupted.

  He shook his head against hers. “Nah, baby girl. I mean yeah, I did that, but that was nothing. You being there, helping me plan the funeral, holding my hand through it, insisting that I go to grief counseling, and making sure I ate, slept, and got to practice on time on the days when I found it hard to get out of bed, saved me from self-destruction. I look back on that time, and I know that I wouldn’t have made it without you.”

  Just thinking about how lost he’d felt when his mother suddenly passed away from a brain aneurysm made his gut clench and his heart ache. His mom never got a chance to see him drafted or watch him play professionally. All of their talks about how he’d make sure she lived in the same city as him and travel to all of his games never came to fruition. He’d sat in the auditorium two weeks after her death, numb. The only part of his body that felt anything was the hand that was encased in Crystal’s as she sat beside him, often picking up his slack in conversations because his mind was not on the draft, but on his mother.

  Crystal turned her head and kissed his hair-roughened cheek. His thumbs caressed her wrists, and he enjoyed the feel of her pulse leaping beneath his fingers.

  “I didn�
��t do anything. You would have made it because your mother raised you to be tough.”

  “Don’t diminish your actions or downplay your worth to me. You know I don’t like that shit.” Brendon moved his hands to grasp her upper arms and lightly shake her.

  “I’m not, I promise. I’m just saying, you’re a strong individual. You lost your mom, and no one would have faulted you for grieving,” she said, staring into his eyes.

  He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing their body into close contact. When she wrapped her arms around his neck and moved closer, he leaned down and buried his face in her neck, inhaling the scent of strawberries and shea butter. He willed his body not to react to her closeness, but as usual, his dick had a mind of its own.

  Quickly separating their bodies, he cleared his throat. “Let’s get started with your workout.”

  Crystal eyed him but thankfully didn’t say anything. Together, they gathered the ropes, free weights, medicine ball, and exercise mats they needed for her workout.

  “Let’s start with our stretches,” he told her, leading the way.

  She arched an eyebrow. “You’re working out with me? You only stretch when you plan on joining me.”

  “Yeah,” he said. He seriously needed to work off some of his erotic thoughts about his best friend, lest he act on them.

  She eyed him warily but didn’t say anything, just began to stretch alongside him. He was grateful she didn’t push, and that she didn’t stretch in front of him. With her in front of him and the wall of mirrors behind her, he had a perfect view of her plump ass. He would have never been able to hide the erection that he would have sprung the moment she bent over in those spandex leggings.

  As they stretched, his mind whirled. He either needed to get a handle on his feelings for Crystal or he needed to tell her how he felt. Pulling away from her wasn’t an option.