Forgotten Promise (Forgotten Series Book 2)

by Virginia Wine

  “Right there, Nathan.”

  Finding her G-spot that makes her come instantly. Her damp quivering thighs telling me she’s close, I know I am. Clutching each other until our final surrender.

  “I’m coming, Bryer, fly apart with me.” And I watch the love of my life, the tantalizing image of what I can do to her. Fuck I feel like a real man.

  Chapter Sixteen

  ~Bryer~

  “What’s taking you so long, are you coming out of the closet?” Gen asks.

  “You have the patience of a saint.” I say sarcastically. “I’m almost ready.” I pick up the front, so I don’t trip over the poof, and lace. I step up onto the platform to see the three-way mirror. Not bad, but that’s a lot of dress. I can see the displeasure on her face.

  “Too granny. Is that a hoop I see? Dear Lord, Bryer, there is nothing sexy about a hoop dress.”

  “You’re a very sassy maid of honor, I should have shopped around.”

  “You’re stuck with this bad-ass maid of honor. Who will tell you the truth, it sucks.”

  “Well, as you so eloquently put it, I’ll take the sucky dress off.” Hands on hips.

  “In the first place.” Her arms circling the offensive dress. “It’s a beach wedding, not Gone with the Wind. I envision a flowing train, strapless maybe. By the way, you are not picking my maid of honor dress.”

  “Am too.”

  “Ah, that’s a no.”

  And I know she means it. “I get final approval.” I’ll veto anything that falls in the neon category.

  “Fine. Whatever.” Knowing she’ll get exactly what she wants.

  “Miss, oh Miss.” Gen waves her arm at the poor saleslady, who is juggling several brides to be.

  “Can we see several other styles, more appropriate for a destination wedding on the beach?”

  “Of course.”

  A rude look is exchanged, cat fight? I get into more trouble with Gen than I do with anyone. What’s the common denominator here? “Pure torture, Gen, how many dresses do I have to try on?” I complain.

  “Until we find the one.” Shaking her head, like I’m clueless.

  I watch as the saleslady adds 2 more dresses to my pile in the dressing room and follow her in.

  I grab the one closest to me, it glides on and fits like a glove. Wow, stunning. Twisting and turning in the mirror looking at every angle, strapless with a sweetheart neckline, cinched bodice, crystals scatter in a beautiful pattern, the floor-length silk slides over my body perfectly. The tapered sheer overlay adds a surprisingly sexy quality. I love it.

  I can’t hold back the huge grin as I walk out. Gen’s eyes roll over me and her intake of breath tells me this is it. I shamelessly walk to the pedestal and do a 360 as the fabric flows and follows my every move.

  “I promised you would know, Bryer.” She comes from behind with a jeweled crown veil that is stunning.

  I just became a bride.

  “Surreal, I’m going to be Nathan’s wife.”

  “Lucky you!” Gens giggles.

  “This is it.” I tell the saleslady, she only nods and smiles. As I return to the dressing room to change, I see Gen on the pedestal twirling in a butter yellow halter dress. It’s perfect.

  “You’ve got to be kidding you found the dress already?”

  “First try.” She boasts, with a sweet smile plastered on her face.

  “You would.” Returning the smile

  “Is that your final answer?”

  Leading me to believe I have the final say. “Yes, wrap it up with mine.” As she hugs me and we jump up and down simultaneously.

  “This will be epic,” I acknowledge and we’re on our way to lunch. We take separate cars because I’m going straight to work.

  After solving the world’s problems, in fashion that is, picking out flowers, the cake, all while eating Mexican food, it’s coming along nicely. We pay and get up to leave. My eyes float across the restaurant, I’m stunned into silence, I skid to a stop at what I’m witnessing. Gen literally runs into me, falling into my back.

  “What the hell, Bryer?”

  And before my name leaves her lips, I feel her frozen in place. I turn to help, to watch her reaction, but I’m too late.

  She stalks over to the booth where Walker and some skeevy-looking woman are pushing the limits to PDA. “So Walker, this is you traveling? I’ve heard it called many things before, but never that.” Her hands on her hips.

  I follow, knowing all too well where this is going. I see his look of shock, rendering him speechless.

  “What a load of crap, a liar and a cheat, what a lovey combo, Fuck–Ass.”

  Oh jeeze, now people are turning to stare, but knowing Gen she doesn’t care. Truthfully, how can I blame her?

  “Gen, we need to talk in private.”

  That’s the wrong answer, as both women look at him with murder in their eyes.

  “Here,” she hands him a napkin, “bleed on this.” Then slaps him across the face, one blow the sound echoing in my brain, I’m assuming it was much louder in Walker’s.

  “Jesus, Gen, calm down, you’re acting like a bitch.”

  Stupid man, stay down.

  “Am I, asshole? I’ve been called worse by better.”

  I swear I see smoke coming from her nostrils. What a fucker. Who would do this to Gen? She’s gorgeous, funny, smart, and so far from needy, she’s every guy’s wet dream.

  “You can have him.” Looking over at the tramp. “You have something on your chin.”

  I watch as the woman wipes nothing away.

  “No the third one down.” Gen dismisses her rudely. “Don’t miss me too much, Walker.” As she turns leaving with the pleasure she just emasculated him.

  I follow, putting my arm over her shoulder, just to let her know I’m here.

  “Don’t say it, Bryer.”

  Determined to get to her car as fast as possible. “Don’t say what?”

  She stops, turns and looks into my eyes.

  I see the hint of emotion, hurt coming out in anger.

  “That you were right.” Her eyes glazing with tears that she won’t let spill.

  “I would never do that, nor did I ever want this to happen, I just thought he was high risk.” Pulling her in for a hug, noticing she doesn’t hug back as firmly. “I’m so sorry, I’ll go back there and slap both of them if you want,” watching a small smile break.

  “Yeah, you do that. I’ll supply the two by four.” She reaches for her keys and starts to climb in her car.

  “Call me,” I offer.

  She nods then drives away.

  My heart aching for hers.

  ~ ~ ~

  “Special delivery.” As Jake leans on my door frame, holding a dozen yellow roses in a beautiful glass vase.

  “For me? You shouldn’t have.” I tease.

  “I didn’t, there’s a card.” Setting them on my desk.

  “Nice to have you back, stranger.”

  He pats my back like one of the boys, I always liked that. “You’re awful chipper this morning.” I notice.

  “The latest gossip just hit, interested?” Grinning way too big to resist.

  “Okay, you got me, spill.” Smiling at his enthusiasm.

  “Our boss Thane, Mr. Kingsley has received an offer to buy him out.” His arms out in a Ta-da pose.

  “What? By who? Where did you hear this?”

  “His secretary,” he answers.

  “That’s a reliable source,” I say, tapping my pen on my desk, pondering what this means.

  “I’m optimistic.”

  He knows more, I know it. “Why? What else do you know?”

  “I know it’s a legal firm.”

  A gut-wrenching thought crosses my mind, God help me if I’m right, my world will crumble around me. Would he? No, he wouldn’t dare. Oh Hell. It’s feasible. I need to speak to Thane, today. I call his secretary and make an appointment for this afternoon. I have no plan in place, except the fact I need to find
out what firm, and if he is involved.

  I can’t concentrate on any projects, A continual loop is playing in my head, speculating on two scenarios—one being a small business change, the other a bomb exploding in the middle of my life.

  “Come in,” Mr. Kingsley says.

  “May I have a word with you, sir?”

  “Sir?” One eyebrow raised, while ushering me to sit.

  “This must be important. Leaving us, Bryer?”

  “No sir…Mr. Kingsley, I just heard some rumors flying around, and I wanted to hear it from the source.”

  “Shoot.” He leans back in his chair.

  His relaxed demeanor has always calmed me. I take a deep breath, and mirror him, resting back on the chair and crossing my legs. “I hear there’s an offer on the table.” I know he’ll appreciate a straight shooter.

  “You heard correctly, Bryer.”

  “And you’re considering it?

  “Yes, Bryer, there’s nothing I would like more than spending time with my family and retiring a little earlier than planned.” Pointing with his pen at his family picture, just one of many sprinkled around his office.

  “I fully understand, Mr. Kingsley, I understand it’s a legal firm, which strikes me as unusual.”

  “I agree, but it’s an offer I have to consider, an opportunity like this may never happen again.”

  Nervous asking my next question, I feel tension in the depths of my stomach. “Which firm?” I see him rummaging through his paperwork, and finding what he needs.

  “I have no issue letting you know, Bryer, but until this is final, keep it between us. I would like the staff to hear it from me.”

  “Of course.”

  “Here it is, Kendrick, Roberts and Harrison.” He concentrates on the proposal in his hands, and my body starts to shut down. Revulsion consuming me, not only is it Cash, it’s Nathan’s father’s attorney. Which means they have joined forces. And where there is corruption, his father can’t be far behind. I’m getting hit from both sides. This is unbelievable, it can’t be real, it can’t. Gut-wrenching fury, mixed with fear of the unknown is a deadly cocktail. I feel sick, physically sick.

  “Bryer…Bryer, are you alright?”

  “Yes sir, thank you for trusting me with the delicate information.” I abruptly stand and excuse myself as fast as possible. I don’t know what he’s up to, but I plan to find out.

  Nathan picks up on the first ring. “Hey, baby.”

  “I have some very disturbing news. Can you ask Stan to meet us tonight after work? Sooner if possible.” Sounding frantic.

  “Jesus, Bryer, you’re scaring me. What happened?’

  “Cash happened.” And I fill him in.

  “He’s stepped on my dick one time too many. Meet me at home now, I’ll call Stan.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  “Holy fuck!” Nathan shouts, as I lay out the complete scenario to Stan, who is listening intently.

  “I don’t know what his motive is,” I admit.

  “You are his motive, Bryer.” Nathan paces while running his hands through his hair.

  I knew he would react this way, I don’t blame him.

  “I can guarantee your father is funding this little venture. I researched Cash’s finances, he doesn’t have the means to pull this off,” Stan states, matter of fact.

  “My father and Cash, together, scheming, this is a lethal combination, I just don’t know understand how Cash thinks this will win Bryer back.” Nathan’s fists turning white.

  “Nathan, the company I work for will be owned by Cash, he will have all the control and power,” I say.

  “Do we have a time frame, when does the deal close?” Stan asks.

  “It’s close, the proposal is on the owner’s desk.”

  “Fuck, bottom line, the company will be his,” Nathans says.

  “He has to know I would leave my position before I would let him get close to me again.”

  “Aren’t you under contract, Bryer?” Stan asks

  “Yes, but couldn’t I get out due to a buy out?”

  “That’s a question for a lawyer, one I’m sure Cash already thought of,” Stan says.

  When will it end? The audacity of this man is spiraling out of control. He’s so underhanded, scheming behind everyone’s back to achieve…what? To force himself in my life, for what reason? It’s too late, it’s over.

  “He won’t benefit by sabotaging the company, they all would lose too much money,” Nathan says.

  “Not necessarily, it looks like the main financial contributor is your father, Nathan,” Stan offers.

  “He’s relentless.” It’s astounding, what’s his stake in this?

  “Let me put my men on it, and I’ll personally do backgrounds on the two other men. We know one is an unethical lawyer who represented your father. But who is Roberts?”

  It’s two in the morning, and I roll over to no Nathan, cold sheets and soft noises coming from downstairs. Slipping on my robe, I silently make my way downstairs. The pleasant sound of his guitar puts a smile on my face. Considering our day, I assume Nathan’s motives are to escape.

  “I didn’t mean to disrupt you.” As he notices me leaning on the door jamb.

  “Well, that depends.”

  “Depends?”

  “On what other disruption you have in mind.”

  I watch as he slowly puts his guitar down, and motions for me to come closer. Causing a surge of desire, I straddle his legs facing him, while he balances on the round stool.

  His fingers fondle my tangled hair.

  “Let me.” I grab the bottom of his T-Shirt and lift, it easily slides off, throwing it over my shoulder, allowing me to take in his musky wood scent. “Your body is breathtaking.” As I run my hands from his shoulders over his hard chest, and trace every ripple of muscle ‘tilI reach his bottoms.

  “You want it, baby?” he whispers in a sexy low growl. “You want it all?”

  “Need you ask?” Licking that spot on his neck, feeling the scruff from his unshaven face.

  He reaches for my silk robe and it falls open, exposing my shoulder, where his lips burn caresses on my skin. Then he repeats the other shoulder as if fair play is demanded. Soon the robe is pooling at my waist, and my tits are pressed against his chest.

  “Arch your back.”

  I hear a moan as he takes one nipple in his mouth, causing it to pucker. “Yes.” Slips from my lips.

  He lifts us both, and his pants are at his ankles.

  I circled his neck with my arms and held on as his body surges into mine.

  “I need you right now,” he says as he penetrates me hard with each thrust.

  “I’m here, baby, fuck me,” Throwing fuel on a roaring fire.

  “Tell me when baby, I’m waiting to erupt.”

  He circles my clit, causing a chain reaction meant for fast results, and with breathless urgency my head flies back. “I’m there.”

  He buries his head in my neck as he floods me with his heat chanting, “Fuck I’m coming.”

  I feel his tremors as the aftershock weakens.

  “You always heal me, Bryer, bring me peace.” Holding on tight, as if I intended to leave the comfort of his embrace.

  “I love you, Nathan.”

  His husky voice whispers, “I love you too.”

  “Nothing will tear us apart, I promise.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  ~Nathan~

  “What do you have, Stan?” I ask, answering his call.

  “It doesn’t look good, Nathan.”

  “That’s no fucking surprise.”

  “Since we already did some background on Harrison, I focused on Roberts and Kendrick. Roberts is just as slimy as his two counter parts. Exploiting the terminally ill for profit, the list is endless. Kendrick takes any case that involves big money, but he’s still linked to your father. The three lawyers couldn’t pull this off without deep pockets, and that’s where James Sr. comes in. We found a trace through
an offshore account, linking Kendrick to James Sr.”

  “Even behind bars, my father is up to his old ways. None of this makes sense. Why have they joined forces, and for what reason?” Pacing the living room, stopping briefly to blindly look at the garden, fading in the cold.

  “I have some intel that Harrison initiated the deal, so we know he most likely needed a few snakes to help him pull this off, whatever this is. You said Harrison has interest in M&M Global also? It’s personal, Nathan,” Stan says.

  “It’s all personal, Stan. The bastard continually wants control over Bryer or myself. He just set himself up to do just that, we’re both under his thumb. I had a lifetime of being under someone’s evil clutches, it’s not happening again.”

  “I still have a few feelers out, let me work on it and I’ll call you.” Stan hangs up just as angry and confused as I am.

  What’s stopping me from finding this asshole and beating the holy living crap out of him is beyond me. I feel myself raging like a bull, the temperature in the room seems to be rising, and I won’t promise not to put my hands on him.

  Then, I simply think of Bryer, I’m sure she doesn’t want to bail me out of jail weeks before our wedding. What a fucking mess.

  Wedding, well hell.

  My list, pick up tuxes for Clayton and myself. Book the flight, arrange the officiate to perform the wedding, and hire a cellist.

  “Dude, are you coming in today?” Clayton asks as he answers my call.

  “No, in fact I wanted you to go with me to try on your tux.”

  “What have I done to deserve that? I gave you my suit size, for fuck’s sake.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind when you’re wearing a lime green tux, two sizes too small.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “It’s uncanny how you can get under someone’s skin in a matter of minutes, so cope with it.”