by Pamela Ann
We took the shore route after walking on the long, winding path of never-ending rows of olive trees. Being this close to the sea, where I almost died, brought both sadness and comfort to me. Now I looked at the azure body of water as an omen, a sign, a challenge even. Together with the reality check from Taylor, it taught me that no matter how great the problem, I should at least learn how to endure it, tackle it, fight it. The only thing we could do in life was to survive it. It was the survival of the fittest. Seeing life this way altered my perception completely.
“Do you think Amber’s really in rehab because her grandmother presented her with that ultimatum, or is it because she totally went overboard and got out of hand?” Lindsey gave me a quick glance before she looked down to watch her feet as she walked when she asked me that question.
This had occurred to me as well. Amber was pretty good at hiding her bad habits, even from me, her best friend. It was hard to tell when she was telling the truth or only partially telling it. Amber admitted once that she didn’t outright lie, but spoke only partial truths when the situation needed it. So, it was hard to gauge her text message. “The thought crossed my mind, but I think she’s telling the truth about the ultimatum. I don’t know, but I guess we’ll know the truth when she gets back in a few weeks.”
Lindsey blew out a long breath and shook her head. “Amber is pretty messed up. I still can’t believe that woman bitch-slapped me, though. That shit was painful.”
I snorted when I remembered the incident. “I admired you when you didn’t do anything crazy. I mean—knowing how feisty a woman you are—I expected you to slap her back to her senses or something, but you held back. That was out of character.” We both started to laugh madly. Amber had bitch-slapped Lindsey like she was on WWF.
When our laughter died down, Lindsey spoke up again. “Amber was hurting inside. I’m not that much of a bitch to want to add to her pain. Her parents already got the trophy for that.”
We became silent after her remark. I was sure her thoughts matched mine. Memories of Amber through the years, being treated with cold indifference and no apparent love, twisted my heart. I remembered in sixth grade Amber mentioned that she overheard her father telling her mother that she was a failure since she couldn’t even produce him a son. When I brought the subject up a few days later, Amber made me promise never to speak about it to her, or to anyone, ever again. Thinking back now, I think that brought clarity and answers for her, but then again, Amber has always hidden her real feelings when it came to her family. Funny, Amber was the one who finally caught me with Harry. I thought I had hidden Harry pretty well, but no, never with Amber. She was the female version of Sherlock Holmes.
We could see people hanging out in one of the cottages that lined the shore. I assumed they were the film crew. They looked like the artsy, passionate types. When they yelled and waved, we greeted them the same way as we passed. As we drew close to the cottage, I sighed with relief. I had one more thing to do before we left for Athens this evening.
That thing being Carter’s present. One of the biggest predicaments I had was how to get Emma alone—without Lindsey, Bass or Taylor around. I would have to be more than just sneaky. Bass might hate me forever if he ever found out.
Lindsey and I dusted our feet off before we entered the cottage, barefoot. “I’m going to go get some agua, want some?” I asked Lindsey.
I frowned at her while she stood there, frozen. “Dude, I just asked you a question.”
“Shh… shut the hell up. Be quiet!” Lindsey barely glanced at me as she tiptoed towards the marbled hall, in the direction of the bedrooms.
Of course, curious, I tiptoed and followed her cat-like pose. “What are we doing?” I hissed at her.
“Do you hear that? I think it’s our girl getting her freak on,” Lindsey whispered back. Her eyes sparkled wickedly.
We looked at each other for a few seconds, before it clicked. Oh, heck yes! Score!
We obviously couldn’t miss the down and dirty show—not where the famous Bass was concerned. We started to hurry and listened for where the moans where coming from.
I was giddy with joy and curiosity when we found Emma’s bedroom door halfway open. Jackpot! Lindsey and I were both hyperventilating when we got close to the door.
I poked Lindsey’s arm out of excitement, but she flicked it off. We both mouthed “Oh my god” as we craned our necks to get a closer glimpse of Bass.
The first thing I saw was Bass Cole’s golden ass. He was settled in between Emma’s parted legs. They were making out… that was until Bass started to get down and got ready to show off his special masterful skills. Bass was whispering something in Emma’s ear as he started to slowly stroke her with concentrated precision. Boy, the dirty words that came out of that hot friggin’ mouth… I wanted to die. It was SO blatantly hot! I needed to fan myself before I passed out.
“Ladies.”
A voice came from behind us. Oh, dang it! Did he have to interrupt us when the show had just started?
I immediately stood up, as did Lindsey. Taylor was across the hall, arms folded against his chest with an amused expression on his face. He cocked his head at us, directing it towards the patio. He even had the gall to wait until we silently moved away from the holy hotness of the Bass fuckery. Until the day I die, I will remember that image in my head. Emma was one lucky lady.
Go get it doll, I cheered in my head.
Once we were outside, Lindsey and I shared a look, a-barely-contained-excitement kind of look. “Shit. Was that the hottest thing you’ve ever seen or what?” Lindsey wondered out loud, matching my thoughts.
“Hell to the mother-fucking yeah!!!”
“Did you see that ass?” We both exclaimed, swooning.
I was a little annoyed when Taylor cleared his throat, breaking our concentration from thoughts of sex and mental images of the sensual play we’d just seen. We were so caught up with our own thoughts that we forgot about him, standing there on the opposite side of the patio, watching us fawn and daydream about what we had just witnessed. I wasn’t sure what he thought about us daydreaming nasty thoughts about his best friend’s buns of steel and I wasn’t quite sure I cared because it had definitely been the show of a lifetime.
“I think five minutes is enough replaying it in your dirty heads, no? Those two will be joining us soon, once they’ve realized we have arrived. It would be awkward if Bass came out here and you girls looked all flushed.” Taylor tried to hide the smile. He was definitely making fun of us.
Lindsey grinned at him as she started to walk towards one of the chaise lounges then sat, facing him. “Come on, dude. I’m sure this thing always happens to you.”
He gave her a humorous laugh. “It does, and it never gets old.”
“So, did you guys ever like the same woman? I’m sure that’s happened before. I mean, you guys are both exceptionally good looking,” Lindsey said as she stared at Taylor, waiting for him to answer her direct question.
He looked thoughtful a moment, pondering Lindsey’s question with consideration. “Nah, Bass and my tastes are different. He has a thing for exotic beauties with accents. On the other hand, I prefer brunettes.”
Lindsey frowned at that. “That’s interesting to me. Emma’s not an exotic beauty with an accent. Why do you think Bass is with her then?”
Fucking good question there, Doll, and what’s with Taylor’s thing for brunettes? Was he trying to tell me something? Fucktard!
Taylor didn’t even look worried about Lindsey’s suspicions. “The only one that could answer your question would be the man himself. Anyone with eyes, though, could see how crazy he is about her. In the end, I guess a person can’t really control what they feel towards someone, even if that someone is not what one expected them to be. We don’t do the choosing, our souls do.”
The last few sentences made Lindsey frown. “Well, that’s a fucked up thing to say, Taylor. You totally just screwed with my head. I say we need some hefty margarita
s in our systems.” She stood up and left the patio, heading straight to the bar inside. I knew Taylor’s words made her think of Brody.
That would definitely pissed her off. If Lindsey could ease up on her thoughts of Brody for a little bit, she could breathe easily. Then again, Lindsey was one stubborn-headed bitch. Not only that, but she has a notoriously vindictive personality to boot. Ever since our small weekend jaunt in Tahoe last year, Lindsey was bitchy when it comes to Cece. And that includes ALL the men Cece slept with, including the men who she was in love with since middle school.
Emma, Bass and Lindsey all came out at the same time, bringing drinks and snacks with them. Bass was only wearing his ripped, stained jeans. I blushed when he gave me a smile. Yeah, I was a little embarrassed because I was admiring his ass while he was having sex with my friend a little over half an hour ago. If he had known that, I wondered if he would still smile at me. Emma, on the other hand, gave me a happy kiss on the cheek. Her torso-hugging dress flared loosely from her hips to her ankles. It showed off her amazing body in an understated way. Yeah, Emma’s one of those girls that appears as if they popped into this world looking like a damn super model. I caught Bass cupping her ass before he moved past Emma; he was trying to be subtle, but had failed miserably. The gesture made it obvious that he couldn’t get enough of Emma. If he wasn’t in love with her already, he was on his way there. I was glad that she finally found a man who adored her like mad. It wasn’t hard to see the happiness that radiated off her.
We were discussing our trip in Ios when a slight knock on the glass made us look up. All five heads turned to watch a blue-eyed, dark haired, Greek piece of perfection walk towards our table. Holy shit, this island harbored all the hot males.
“Good evening. I let myself in after a few knocks. I hope you guys don’t mind.” The Greek man spoke with a husky, accented voice.
“Girls, this is Dimitris. We’ll be staying at his place in Athens tonight.” Bass introduced him to Lindsey and me. It was obvious that Taylor already knew him since they greeted each other like long, lost buddies.
“You’re an actor as well?” Lindsey asked him as Dimitris settled himself across her. To other observers, she might look nonchalant and blasé, but I knew better. Lindsey’s eyes sharpened, her “come get me boys” look was in place. Sultry Doll was definitely ready to play.
The Greek actor looked like a devil-may-care kind of guy, but something about him told me that Lindsey might find her usual strategic games challenged by him. “I am. I play Emma’s husband in the movie,” Dimitris murmured before he helped himself to a glass of red wine.
Damn. Emma’s job was to make out with and be in the arms of two very fine, exceptionally good-looking men? Talk about super unfair!
Emma reach out and touched my arm. “Tris, do you mind helping me make some more drinks?” she asked on the side, getting my sole attention, while Taylor and Bass, Lindsey and Dimitris were all engaged in their own conversations.
Grinning, I reminded her of my bomb skills. “Sure, but you know how deadly I make mine.” I knew Emma couldn’t handle hardcore concoctions, but that didn’t stop me from trying to get her to drink them anyway.
We both stood up at the same time. She laughed, shaking her head, remembering fun memories of us plastered. “Yeah, don’t remind me. Your drinks gave me the worst hangovers.” Emma slightly ruffled my hair, before slinging her arm loosely around my shoulder as we walked back inside the cottage. When her arm kept pushing us past the bar, I knew then that she was up to something.
“He sent an email heading ‘Did Trista give you something from me’? Did he really send something?” Emma whispered, worried.
Of course, unanswered emails wouldn’t faze tough-as-nails-sexiness-was-named-after-me Carter Mason. What Carter wants, Carter gets. If it gets tough, Carter aims harder. He wasn’t the kind of man who would give up. Back in middle school, when our school banned those old school Nokia phones from being used at breaks and lunches, Carter made a damn petition and nearly got the entire school to sign it. He then took it to the local radio stations and made sure that the entire city was made aware of the school ban. The school principal, of course, lifted the “no cellphones allowed” policy the following day. The principal even gave Carter an apology. Yeah, Carter was a lot of things, but giving up wasn’t part of his DNA.
“My room, let’s go.” I ordered her to follow behind me. I hastily opened the door to the room and waited for her to get inside. Once she did, I gently closed the door behind her. “I’ll go grab it. It’s hidden in the closet.” It didn’t take long for me to locate the item. I handed it to her.
We were both sitting on the bed, anxious. Our eyes dauntingly stared at the white package. “Did he say what was in it?” Emma asked, obviously apprehensive.
Like Carter would tell me.
I shook my head. “No, he didn’t.” I should excuse myself and leave her to open the present from Carter, but I was way too curious to have the decency to do that. I wanted to see what Carter Mason had up his sleeve to try and win her back. The man was bound to do something monumental.
“Phew, okay. This is stupid. I don’t know why I’m even nervous. Let’s just get this out of the way, shall we?” Emma sounded like she was trying to ease her mind, but it was obvious that she was a little shaken.
Her fine, dainty fingers swiftly opened the bag and poured all the contents on the bed. My eyes took in the four by four picture frame of them kissing during Halloween last year (they looked utterly crazy about each other in this one), his current jersey, a DVD of The Pirates of the Caribbean and a card. What really caught my attention was the final item, a black velvet ring box.
I nervously glanced at Emma. Her blue eyes stared at it like it was dangerous. It was her Pandora’s Box. When her hand reached out to get the small square item, they were trembling. My heart was in my throat when I saw what that ring box contained. “OH MY GOD,” I whispered in awe and shock.
Holy fucking COW, it was epic. Epically crazy, epically ludicrous, epically original—but most of all, it was Carterepic.
“His great-great-grandmother’s engagement ring!” Emma screeched with shock and bewilderment. The antique, oval-cut ring was truly magnificent, with a huge sapphire surrounded by flawless diamonds. What made this ring significant was that Carter’s great-great grandfather bought this for his new betrothed from a European royal who needed more money to continue supplementing his expensive lifestyle. The ring was a medieval piece of art that carried centuries of history. It was Emma’s birthstone to boot. For Carter to offer his grandmother’s ring to Emma, proved his intentions were beyond boyfriend/girlfriend. The ring had been passed down through the family to his grandmother who died when he was about eight, I think, and had been set aside for him, intended for the woman he would someday marry. The fact that he sent it to Emma was a statement that he had just made LOUD and CLEAR.
I remembered Lindsey mentioning seeing her grandmother’s ring before, but I hadn’t expected Carter to send it through me. I hid a ring that cost millions in a fucking closet! It was in my luggage and went through international customs! What the hell. That was messed up. What if someone had stolen it? Thinking about those possibilities almost gave me a panic attack. So not cool.
When my eyes returned back to my friend, I started to worry. “Emma?” she looked pale, ghostly.
Emma bit her bottom lip before she took hold of the letter and opened it, without parting with the ring.
My Emma,
The past two months without seeing your beautiful face have been the greatest challenge of my life. Your mind must be going nuts about my grandmother’s’s ring. Do you remember when I was telling you about it this past Christmas? I hope you do. It was the first time in years that I didn’t dread the occasion.
There’s no better way to tell you how serious I am than with this ring. You know what this ring signifies, to me most of all. This is my way of telling you that I want my future with you in it.
/> I don’t want anyone else but you, Emma.
You can keep ignoring me if it makes you feel safe, but that doesn’t mean I will ignore you when you do. Our relationship was rocky, but we had a lot of good memories, too. I don’t know how to fully explain myself. You know more than anyone that I’m not good with expressing my feelings.
ALL I SEE IS YOU. There is no one else except you.
Forgive me, Emma. I will prove that I will be worthy of you again.
Forgive me for betraying your love and trust.
Forgive me for fighting for you.
Forgive me for loving you so much that I can’t let you go.
Ours was the kind of love that stays with you. You know more than I do, that it’s never going to be over, my Emma.
I love you.
Carter
This was like D-Day, the rounds just kept on coming. Carter blew my mind with this screwed-up-fucking-ingenious gesture of his.
“Emma…” I trailed off. I wanted to say, “be strong and don’t let him change your mind”, but a quick glance at her made me stop. She was about to cry, but was trying to control it.
“What do I do, Trista? This is too much.” Emma’s small voice shook, troubled and confused.
Oh, no. She’s reacting to him. Not a very good sign. “Do you still have feelings for him, Em?”
“It’s going away. There are days that I don’t even remember him and his betrayal. I’m unprepared for this. I wasn’t expecting this.” Emma gently wiped her tears away.
Even if Carter was persistent, it still didn’t change the fact that he had hurt her badly. Even though I grew up with Carter, and have a soft spot for him, Emma needed a guy that was loyal and who was crazy about her. I believed Bass was that man, and then some. “Bass is crazy about you. If he knows you still have feelings for Carter, it could definitely complicate things.” Bass was the true gentleman, but he too has limits. I knew this from Emma’s stories.