by Piper Frost
"To be honest, she's just doing what you told her to do." He follows me to the kitchen. "I heard your plan last night, Grant. I know what you're thinking, but I don't think you truly understand it. It's a dangerous game when you fuck with someone's emotions like that."
I scowl over at him and grab a bottle of water. "What's that even supposed to mean, man? I'm not fucking with anything." I snap the bottle cap out of my fingers and it hits him in the head.
He curses and rubs where it hit. "Hell, Grant." He walks over and sits at the table. "Sit."
I straddle the chair and drink this water bottle like it's alcohol. I could actually use a drink to get drunk right now.
"Do you love her?" His point blank stare pins me to my spot and pisses me off.
I reel back. "Whoa, dude. Slow your roll."
This isn't happening.
"I've tried beating around the bush before. Affton's tried. We all saw the way you acted around the girl, Grant. But then we all saw what happened when her feelings went too far for your liking. So before you go through with this grand plan and whatever other bullshit you're thinking about, stop to think about the girl you're about to crush again."
I nod, biting my tongue. He's pushing me and he knows it. He wants me to fly off the handle and confess everything I'm feeling but I'm not big on sharing feelings unless it's with my dick. So I'm going to count down from ten and hope he just goes away.
He's not going away...
"She can handle her own."
His eyebrows raise and he nods. "You didn't live with her for the last month." He chuckles. "She's learning how to hold her own without the only person she needs, though. And you were a hell of a lot more fun to be around when you two were together..." He shrugs. "Don't get me wrong, I love you two together, but, dude, if you're not willing to be what she needs, let her go and let her find someone that is."
"Like Eric?" I snicker. "Good idea. I'll let her go move in with some dude that's her fucking rebound right now and ruin her life completely. You like Eric, Tommy? Huh? He a good guy?" I lean on my hand, waiting for him to tell me all Eric's good traits. Rich as fuck. Fake as fuck. Boring as fuck.
He leans back in his chair, glancing outside as he stretches out. "Like I said, I'd like it much better if it were you. I've only met Eric a few times and something doesn't rub me right." He looks back at me. "But it's not for you to choose who she's with, right? Not unless there's something you ain't tellin' any of us?"
"Like hell it's not. I'm her dom." I wink and chuckle, getting up and going to the fridge. "She wants me, dude. I know this. You pretty much said she does. She'll come to her senses and I'll help her. Stop worrying so much about her feelings." I rip the lid off a yogurt and start to drink it.
"Wanting someone and deserving them are two totally different things, Grant." He curses then stands and walks to the drawer, grabbing a spoon and tossing it to me. "This ain't a barn, Matthews." He chuckles. "The girl needs more than a dom, man. She needs someone that loves her. If you're not it, then why not let her try to find the one that does?"
"I'm not holding her back from finding anything. I just want her to stop pretending she doesn't want me. She'll figure it out, man."
He shakes his head and curses. "Going in circles," he mutters.
I smirk, thankful he's dropping it. He's not getting information out of me before she does.
On my way home, I stop at the shop but don't see Affton's truck so I don't bother going inside. She's already covered it up... Fuck, why do I even care like I do? It was a stupid tattoo.
In the morning, I don't bother going to the house, I go right to the hangar and prep my plane. I shoot Affton a text telling her to get their asses moving so we can get to Vegas. I wanted to say bye to Parker, but didn't want to get bombarded by Tommy and Affton at once.
I keep the cockpit door closed so they don't bother me. But when Tommy knocks, I slide it open. "Sit down and buckle so we can leave." I close it before he can respond.
Not until we're in the air do I grab my radio. "We'll be arriving at McCarran in four hours and twenty eight minutes. It's ninety-eight point four degrees with a humidity of high as fuck. Stay in your seats because you get obnoxious when you move around the plane like you own it. Not you, Affton, technically you still own the plane until I finish paying it off. Also, will the only other dick on the plane please turn the music down? This isn't a hoedown. Lastly, if the hot chick in the black leggings wants to blow the captain, the cockpit's unlocked. Enjoy your flight."
Tommy turns the music up even louder and whoops, "Yee-haw, motherfucker!"
When we land, I wait a few minutes before walking to the ramp.
"Thanks." Affton kisses my cheek. "Love you, see you at the hotel?"
I nod at her. "Love you too." When Tommy steps up, I kiss his cheek. "I love you too."
He winks at me and grabs Affton's hand, walking away.
Carter tries to slip around me but I grab her arm. "Flight okay?" I was going to make the same joke, but it wouldn't be funny to her.
"Yeah, thanks." Her eyes cast down to where my hand is still on her arm and I look. She didn't cover up my name...
The relief makes my cock jump. Lifting her arm, I kiss her wrist before kissing over the small airplane still proudly flaunting my name. She pulls away and her eyes are wide when they finally hit mine. She pushes her eyebrows together and I wonder what's going on in that head of hers. Adjusting her purse strap she heads across the ramp.
I open my mouth, wanting to stop her. I just have questions. So many questions like what the hell she's doing with Eric. It's obvious he's a rebound. But I quickly close my mouth because I know what she's doing with Eric. She's with him because I'm a fucking idiot. I just need to talk to her, but not here.
At the hotel room, Affton's getting ready for tonight and Tommy's napping. This is when I realize Carter has her own room. Of course she does. Probably with Eric. I never realized he'd be here, but I don't know why I wouldn't. He's Affton's textiles guy, or whatever. He's going to be most places she is while Beany Designs start to come to life.
"Affy, where's Carter's room?"
"Grant," she mumbles with her face in her laptop.
"I just need to talk to her."
"About what?" She glares at me in annoyance.
I'm not telling her before I tell Carter.
"Stuff." I shrug.
"Hers and Eric's room is across the hall. And he's been waiting to see her. Leave them alone."
Staring at her, she leans toward her laptop again. I want alone time with Carter to show her she doesn't actually want to be with that dude. I'm sure he's nice, treats her well. But he's too nice. Too fake. And I question his heterosexuality. She'd probably be pissed investing a ton of time on this guy then he comes out of the closet.
When we get to dinner, Carter's already here with Eric and the other guys from Cultured Relief. I was hoping I could pull her to the side, maybe up to the bar and talk to her a little. I just need to get her the fuck away from Eric for ten minutes.
"What're you thinking?" Eric asks her and she shrugs. Her face has been in that menu since I sat down.
"Maybe a burger. I don't know." She sighs. "Hey, I'm going to run to the bathroom." She drops her purse on her chair and slips away from the table without looking at me. I've been trying to catch her eye since I got here.
"That sounds good," I mutter, staring at my menu. The only reason I'm not scaring Eric off is because she might actually like the guy, not more than me, I know that for a fact. But if I scare him away then I'd be an even bigger dick than she already thinks I am. I'm tired of her thinking I'm a dick and I'm kind of in a bind...
The waitress approaches for orders. "Uh." I glance toward the bathroom. "We're waiting on someone," I tell the girl so she can come back.
Before she can walk away, Eric speaks up, "It's fine. I know what she wants." He picks up his menu. "I'll take the Surf and Turf. She'll have the chicken Caesar salad. Dressing on the side, please." He closes
the menu and hands it back to the girl as the entire table falls silent.
I finally chuckle in confusion. "Did you just order her a salad?"
"Yeah." He takes a drink of his water. "I figure she's drinking a lot tonight, gotta balance out those calories. I, on the other hand, am her DD so I can eat whatever I want." He smirks and Tommy's silverware clanks on the table.
I look around the table, completely shocked. Blown away. I'm going to fucking murder him.
"Cancel that salad. She wants a cheeseburger with extra mayo." I look at Eric and he raises his brows. I wish he'd get out of that seat and come toe to toe with me. Fucking try me, motherfucker. I'll gut you, you little bitch.
He lets out this cocky laugh and shakes his head. "It's fine. She doesn't need to drink too much tonight anyway." He rolls his eyes. "I guess country life is just a different lifestyle," he mutters, pulling his phone out.
"What the fuck's that mean?" I jump to my feet, my chair almost tipping but Tommy grabs it and my arm to keep me from reaching across the table and clearing it with this fuck.
"Grant! Sit." His eyes glare at Eric. "What the fuck were you insinuating with that bowl of rabbit food, Eric?"
"Just that models are always watching what they eat. She'll be bringing in a lot of calories later, so I'm saving her from getting any bigger." He shrugs like what he just spewed is okay.
I lunge across the table and grab his shirt. Tommy grabs me at the same time I swing so I don't get in a good hit, but now he's dragging me to an exit and this entire place has started to get loud. My gaze hits Carter's confused expression as Tommy drags me past her but I don't say anything.
"You can't go getting yourself arrested in Vegas, man." Tommy huffs when we make it outside. "I wanted to kill the fucker too, but not here. Goddamn, I don't know what she sees in him."
I walk in a few circles, trying to calm down but it's too fucking hot and humid to calm down.
"I'm done for the night. I'm not going to that fucking party. She's going to show up with him and I'll fucking kill him, Tommy. He's lucky you were there. I'm going to kill him." I run my hand through my hair, fighting running back in to end him.
"There's going to be more people there than at dinner, Grant. You're the only other one here I want to talk to so I vote go, don't murder him, and just hang out with me while my girl schmoozes all these fucking people. Hurting her boyfriend isn't going to get you where you want, you know."
"Yeah, I fucking know." I look at him. "I'm not going back in there. I'll meet y'all at the party." I walk away, having over an hour to kill but I'd rather do it alone than with Eric and Carter.
I don't know what the fuck she's thinking. Why she'd be with someone like that. She wouldn't! That's the thing. She fucking wouldn't. I need to talk to her but I probably won't get the chance to until tomorrow when I can show up to the event while Eric's distracted.
After a few beers, I head to the hotel this party's at. I know a lot of these people and thankfully there are tons of people here so if she shows up with Eric, I can avoid them. Normally I'd be in that pool with those half naked models, trying to figure out how many times I could get off tonight. But that's not my norm anymore. I'm a tamed man who only has one pussy on his mind and it belongs to a woman dating a complete asshole I'm going to kill.
Just because I don't feel like partying doesn't mean the party stops surrounding me. I texted Tommy forty minutes ago asking where they are. I've been here almost two hours. But no response yet so I'm trying to enjoy my company until he gets here.
AFFTON: Carter's at the party if you still want to talk to her. We'll be there soon!
I read her text and roll my eyes. Yes I want to talk to her but not with that asshole around.
"Where's your cowboy hat today, Grant?" World renowned Virginia Racell pulls my attention away from my phone. She's hot, annoying as models can come, and a total bitch Affton refuses to work with so I promised I wouldn't sleep with her again.
"Not a cowboy tonight." I chuckle when she plops into my lap. I grab her hips, standing her back up. "I need a pisser." I slip through the crowd to get inside to a bathroom, really hoping Tommy and Affton show soon.
I spot Carter with her head thrown back in laughter, looking happier than a pig in shit. What the fuck does she have to be happy about? Her boyfriend's a tool. I can't see who she's laughing with and if it's Eric, I'm going to pound his face in, so I walk in the opposite direction.
When I step out of the bathroom I get a proposition from a model I would normally never turn down. "I can suck you right here or you can finger me in the cab back to your hotel room."
Now, this may have happened before, but my dick's not into it tonight.
"I gotta get back out there." I smirk and step around her, wincing when her screechy gasp sounds. Before she claws my eyes out, I dodge around a few people and head back outside. If I don't find Tommy or Affton soon, I'm leaving.
"Grant, come do shots with us!" Two girls grab my arms and start pulling me toward the water where the swim-up bar is.
Suddenly I'm wearing a drink when someone trips and I huff, really wishing I never came to this party. I pull my sticky shirt off and the girls start pulling my arms again, reminding me they're still around. One jumps into the water in her white dress and the other giggles in hysterics while she latches onto me, wrapping herself around me. She's drunk and about to fall into the water so I wrap my arm around her. When white dress gets out of the pool and showcases she's not wearing a bra I laugh and help her with the drinks she's balancing between her clawed fingers.
Turning around to find a table for all these unnecessary drinks, they certainly don't need more, I come face to face with Carter. She's got that look in her eyes again but I don't know what the hell for.
"Affton said you wanted to talk to me?" She cocks her eyebrow at one of the girls still hanging on me and crosses her arms in front of her, amplifying her tits in that dress.
"Uh, yeah." I reach for a nearby table to set the drinks down but these girls won't back up. "Sorry, ladies, I gotta run."
"No! Grant." One of the girls wrap both her arms around me. "Hang out with us."
"Don't leave!" The other wraps her leg around mine. I've been in this situation before but for the first time in my life, I wish this weren't happening when the woman I want is finally giving me the time of day.
I look at Carter apologetically, hoping she doesn't run off pissed.
It started when he asked me to cover up Grant. To erase him. At the time I thought it was innocent. He didn't know about mine and Grant's past and he didn't know how hard I was struggling with letting him go. Or with talking myself into starting to let him go.
Then there were a few comments about how I seemed stressed lately and maybe a workout routine would help. I blew them off, just thinking he was trying to be helpful. But then came the salad debacle that tipped me over the edge. I was hesitant to move in with the man in the first place, but I was doing it because I had no other choice. It took seeing the look in Grant's eyes as he passed me on my way back to the table to flip that switch.
Eric's 'nice'...he's too nice. I didn't see through it but everyone else did. And when the can of worms was opened? Well, I saw how he really felt about plus size models. Like he needs to fix them. Like he wanted me to fit in society's box for what a model should be sized. Fuck him. I told him off in the most public of ways and left dinner without eating because I felt so sick that I almost did that with my life.
So here I stand, a single woman that's still moving to California, probably landing back at her dad's place until she can get on her feet again... A single woman, standing in front of the man that broke her heart and he's looking at her like she's the only girl in the room, even when he's covered in size zero, fake titted models.
"I think the man said he needed to leave." I step closer to the whores and look at Grant who actually looks like he doesn't want to have this many Barbies wrapped around him. I'm not sure what I'm doing. When
I broke up with Eric I was riding high on adrenaline, feeling so good about myself, so I came straight to the party. When Affton told me Grant wanted to talk to me I knew what tonight was going to end up being...and I'm not mad about it. "Get off of him," I growl loud enough for them to hear but they don't move. I may have to snap these bitches in half tonight. I'm not claiming him...not for good...but if I'm leaving for good I can at least enjoy one more night of pure ecstasy.
What happens in Vegas, right?
Grant pries his leg from the one and gently pushes the other back. "See this name?" He points to his chest and…oh my fuck! "That's her name." He reaches for me as these dumb bitches stare confused. "That means she's in charge." He shrugs, looking back at them as he wraps his arm over my shoulders but I can't even think straight.
"Grant," I whisper, panicked. "What did you do?"
He branded himself! With my name!
"I need to talk to you." He starts pulling me away from the crowd and I almost trip over my own feet, still trying to process the fact that my name's tattooed on his chest.
"You need to explain that," I blurt, finally finding my voice. My eyes fly to the tattoo on his chest then back to his eyes. "What the fuck is that!"
"I'm not sure what you're talking about." His arm pulls me closer, guiding us through the people until we get inside the hotel and he directs me to the hotel bar, pulling his shirt from his back pocket and yanking it on.
"You're not..." I bark out a laugh. "Grant Matthews, you have my fucking name on your chest! With...a heart! And a plane!" I hold up my arm. "One that looks almost identical to this!"
"No shit?" He studies my arm a minute. "Coincidence." He nods at the bartender. "Ladies first."
"I'm not thirsty." I blink at him, my night being a rollercoaster of every fucking emotion possible, and here I stand. At a bar in Vegas with the one man I was trying to swear off because he's afraid of emotions...yet he has my name tattooed on his chest. "You're fucking mental, you know that?" And yet I'd still fuck him right here.
"Yeah, I do." He chuckles before muttering his drink choice to the bartender.