“You heard Seven. She said get out. If you don’t leave willingly, I will have you hauled out of here by the fucking police.” Levi is trying to be polite, and I can tell he’s holding back. His fists clench at his sides as he sways from one foot to the other. I open the freezer and pull out the bottle of Jameson’s I have hidden behind the ice machine. I unscrew the cap and bring the entire bottle to my lips. I take a large swig and shake it off as the amber liquid burns down my throat, giving me a moment of clarity. It used to be Seven and Star against the world, and now a very bright half of the dynamic duo is gone. For good.
Star walks past the kitchen and I can hear her sniffles. “I’m so sorry, Seven. I never wanted you to find out. I am so sorry.” She continues crying, as she tries to make it into the kitchen, to me.
Levi stops her and her mood shifts. Instead of crying hysterics, she could spit venom.
“Who do you think you are?” she yells at him, as she tries to push past him to no avail. “She will walk away from you just like she walks away from everyone else in her life. She will leave you with nothing. Broken and alone. That is what Seven James does. She doesn’t love. She destroys.” I must admit, her performance is Oscar-worthy.
He laughs in her face, taunting her. “Well, I guess if she walks away from me, I will be bitter and heartbroken. But one thing I won’t do is betray her like you have.” Before I can see what happens, I hear a loud slap echo though the bare kitchen. She slapped him, right across the face.
“GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!” I scream at the top of my lungs, then crumple into a ball on the tile floor. Star walks into the elevator, and out of my life. Hopefully for good. I can’t move. I just sit on the kitchen floor with my legs closely pressed to my heaving chest, my arms tightly wrapped around my knees. Dazed and confused. Wondering how my life became so fucked up.
I hear his footsteps before Levi sits down next to me on the floor. He wraps his arms around me and whispers into my ear, “I am so sorry, Seven.” I lean my head against his shoulder, and just let him hold me. His hands rub up and down my arms. I need this, more than I could ever imagine. What would I have done if I came home, alone, to that? Sometimes fate has a fucked up way of throwing people together, but I know whatever it is that Levi and I have, I need it.
In the past ten minutes, I went from having an awesome, lifetime best friend, to being alone with a man with whom I have no idea what the future holds, and it scares the shit out of me.
Ring ring, ring ring, ring ring, ring ring, ring ring.
My phone won’t stop ringing. I look over to see a picture of Star on the display for the fifteenth time tonight. She is relentless, but I refuse to pick up the phone. After every call, she sends me a text, knowing I will read it. Because I am just a fucking glutton for punishment. Always have been. It is like a train wreck; I just can’t help but look.
I am so sorry. Please hear me out.
Seven, please don’t throw our friendship away over this.
You don’t understand. This isn’t how I wanted my life to be.
Please, just talk to me.
The list goes on and on. I am exhausted, and I just want to go to bed. I turn my phone off, not caring if I miss anything important, business-related. They can get a hold of me in the morning, when I return to reality.
I curl up in the arms of Levi, and for the first time since he climbed into my bed a week ago, I don’t sleep soundly. I toss and turn, keeping him up all night. Somewhere around four in the morning, my body says fuck you and throws me into a coma until my alarm scares the shit out of me at a quarter to seven. I can already tell this day is going to fucking suck.
“Miss James, come in. Have a seat.”
Kate Harris is an older woman, slightly grey around the edges of her dark chestnut hair. She wears a pair of thin, metal-framed glasses she continuously pushes up her nose, and for some unknown reason, she has a pencil stuck in her hair. Not exactly a fashion statement, but whatever.
“Thank you for handling this all while I was called away in London. If you could have even seen the mess over there…” I let out a small laugh while I sit down in the office chair, cross my legs, and wait for her to begin the meeting I was dragged into this morning. My first morning back in the States, when I have a disgustingly huge pile of shit to sift through on my desk.
“We have taken your complaint very seriously, Miss James. While you were gone, Mr. Alexander was asked to take a short leave of absence as we worked internally to find the best remedy for the situation. Seeing as he is part owner of the company, we just can’t fire him.” She’s pissed; I can tell already. Maybe Daniel came on to her over the years, too. She’s older but it seems like his taste is anything with a vagina.
She takes her glasses off, and rubs her eyes, clearly stressed, before picking them up and putting them back on. “We have very little in terms of options. The other board members have not opted to buy out his shares. They are loyal. We can offer him a severance package, but cuts would have to be made all around the company, and I don’t see that being a wise choice.” She pauses again, and I think it finally sinks in. She’s telling me there is absolutely nothing she can do about this whole fucked up situation with Daniel.
“Unfortunately, Miss James, there is nothing we can do.” Of course. I should have known better than to think taking the high road would ever get me anywhere. But karma is a bitch; in fact, it is one of the only beliefs I have in my fucked up life. So I am going to continue waiting for the universe to bite Daniel Alexander right in the ass.
“I understand, Kate. You did what you could; unfortunately, it is an uncomfortable situation all around when someone like him is untouchable. I appreciate all of your hard work while I was away. If that will be all, I am going to go tackle the giant pile of work I need to get through today.” I leave her with a polite smile. No need to take my rage out on her, since she did nothing wrong. If anything, she went above and beyond her own job description trying to get rid of this fucking menace.
I open the door to my office, only to find Levi sitting in my chair behind my desk. Oh you know, just fucking make yourself at home.
“Not in a better mood, I see.” He is observant, for sure.
“Meeting with HR didn’t go as I would have liked. Looks like we are stuck with Daniel.” After the words leave my mouth, I can’t help but remember the news Levi got while we were in London, about his ex-wife carrying on a long term affair with Daniel. I feel bad bringing him up, but he doesn’t look affected by it in the least.
“Come here. Let me make you feel better.” His words drip with lust, and I can’t help but think about last night, how it had been the first night in so many when we didn’t ravish each other the moment we hit the bed. Every night in London had become an opportunity for us to explore each other’s bodies. Our boundaries. Our sexual wants and needs. All of which vanished the moment I stepped into my penthouse.
I lock the office door and walk to the desk. As I round the corner, I would like nothing more than to christen it. The vision I stumble upon is something I will never forget, as long as I live. Levi has unfastened his belt, the top button of his dress pants is open, and his big dick is free of the restraints of the zipper. His hand slowly strokes up and down his length, all while watching me with hungry eyes.
Without a single thought, I hitch my skirt up and slide my pink lace panties down to the floor, kicking them off the toe of my Jimmy Choos before climbing onto his lap and straddling his strong thighs.
“You know what I love?” he asks me, as I move closer to his mouth, leaving enough room so we don’t touch.
“What?” I breathe out.
“The way that you come to me, without a single word or command. Like you are mine for the fucking taking; I always thought I would be the one belonging to you.” His words hit me like a slap to the face. He’s right. All the time I spent telling myself that I would stop at nothing to dominate him, and anyone I ever came in contact with sexually, and here I am, just as submissive a
s some of the men and women I’ve fucked over the years. The most troubling part of it all? I’m not scared.
“You bring out this side of me, Levi,” I whisper into his ear as I sink my wet pussy down onto his rock hard cock. I slowly move up and down, taking in every glorious inch that fills me so perfectly. A little too perfectly.
“I love the way your tight cunt grips my dick. It’s like your pussy was made for me. Only me,” he chokes out as his breathing hitches and he starts bucking his hips up to meet my pace.
His words make me even hotter than the fact that we are fucking in my office, something I would have never considered doing. Work and sex have always been two different worlds.
“My pussy was made for you.” My body is on autopilot; so is my mind. I don’t know what I am saying, because I am lost in the delirious frenzy of the orgasm I desperately need. I grind my cunt down on him, and that is when I feel it. He grabs my hips tightly and slams my pussy down onto his cock. I feel his orgasm emptying into me, and the pulsing of his dick sends me into my own world of orgasmic bliss.
I scream. Loud. So loud that Livie knocks on my door, asking if I’m all right. I stay in the same position I’ve been in for several minutes, spread eagle on Levi’s lap, in my office chair, with his come dripping out of my pussy. Any hint of a foul mood is now gone. All thanks to Levi. Fuck, now to explain that to my assistant!
I buzz Livie on the intercom and ask her to come in for a meeting once Mr. Parker leaves. Of course now I need to think of some kind of an explanation as to why I sounded like a fucking porn star behind the closed door of my office. Maybe the threat of firing her, or a raise. Yeah, a raise, that will work!
We share the en-suite bathroom while we clean up our mid-workday quickie.
Levi heads on his way, and I sit down for hours of work. By lunchtime, I haven’t budged, and it seems like the ocean of work is only getting deeper. I should just hire someone to do this shit for me. Now that’s a good idea. Note to self: get Livie to hire yet another fucking assistant.
I have lunch delivered and even though I can still feel Levi’s delicious release inside my body from this morning, my mood is getting worse and worse. Around three, my office intercom buzzes, and Olivia comes to life on the other end. Happy as usual. “Miss James, Star is here for you.”
The last thing I want to deal with. Why in the fuck would she come to my work? She fucking knows better than to ever bring her bullshit into my office. All these years, all these mother fucking years, and she decides she has to corner me in my office?
“Send her in.”
When she walks through the door, I can tell she’s been up all night; her hair is pulled up in a messy bun on the top of her head with loose strands falling all around her face. Her face is bright red, like she hasn’t stopped crying. The beautiful brightness in her blue eyes is gone, replaced with a void look of desperation, and she’s wearing the same clothes she left my penthouse in the night before. Then I see them. The bruises. There is a large one on her upper thigh. A handprint across her face, which was hidden by the redness of her cheeks. A small purple mark at the side of her eye and, when she removes her coat, I see them clear as day. Two large bruises around her neck. The kind of marks left behind when someone really wants to do some damage.
My heart stops. I am still so mad at her, but every protective gene in my body kicks in, and I have only one question. “Who did this to you, Star?” As much as I am still really fucking pissed about her betrayal, I can’t bear to see her, let alone anyone, on the receiving end of this kind of a beating.
“Blue.” She collapses into the chair in front of my desk and the crying begins. “Seven, I didn’t want to. I never wanted to. But he threatened to tell everyone what I did. He has held it over my head for years.” She makes absolutely no sense. What could he hold over her head that I wouldn’t already know? Maybe a secret from our parents, but in all the years we have been Star and Seven, she has never kept anything from me.
Her sobs get louder, and her hands come up to cover her face. Her entire body heaves as her breathing becomes labored, and then she says it. “Seven, I had a baby. Blue’s baby. The year you left for college.”
Shocked isn’t the right word to describe my feelings. I am appalled and sickened. I am hurt and saddened. I am furious and seething. But what I am mostly surprised at are my feelings of pity and concern for the broken woman sitting across from me. The woman who has needed me more than I have needed her throughout our lives. I feel responsible for letting that scumbag get his hands on her. I should have been able to protect her, just like I should have protected her last night instead of kicking her out.
I come around my desk, and pull her up from the chair, wrapping my arms around her body and holding her as tight as I can. Hoping I’m not hurting her. She cries and cries. One of those ugly cries. I just stand and hold her.
“I’m so sorry, Seven. I never meant to hurt you.” The last thing she needs to be doing in her state is apologizing to me. That is for damn sure.
“It’s okay Star. He won’t hurt you again. I will make sure of that. I am going to have Clyde take you to my penthouse until I get home. You are also going to fill out a police report detailing exactly what he did to you.” She nods, and gathers her things.
“And Star?” She turns back to me, a small smile trying to poke through the grim expression plastered to her face. “Where is the baby?” I know it is probably the wrong question to ask, but I can’t stop thinking about the child who is out there somewhere. God, it would have to be almost ten or eleven.
She wipes a tear from the corner of her eye, “I don’t know, Seven. After she was born, my parents took her to a commune upstate, and I never saw her again. Christmas Day, she will be eleven.”
She turns and walks out the door, and I sink into my office chair feeling like the weight of the world has just been dropped on my shoulders. First Blue will pay, and then I will find this little girl who was taken from Star. Looking at the clock on my computer, I notice it’s been over an hour. I have a meeting to head to, and sometime before the end of the day, I need to explain my new house-guest to Levi, who apparently is becoming a more permanent fixture around my penthouse.
CHAPTER 10
Sharing
My phone buzzes with a text from Levi as my town car pulls away from the Alexander Mobile building.
Meeting with PI and my lawyer, will be a little late. See you around 8.
Clyde slows the car at the curb of my building, but before I step out, the partition slowly rolls down, and the friendly older man, who has been a trusted employee for years speaks.
“Everything okay Miss James?” He is concerned, concerned like a father should be. Something I have never experienced from anyone, not even my own father.
“Yeah, Clyde. Life is good.”
Until I self district, I should say. But, I don’t.
When I walk into my penthouse, I see a small bag by the couch. Star’s overnight bag is open and a couple pieces of clothing are pulled out. I hear water running in the distance, and hope she is using the guest bathroom because all I want to do right now is take a damn shower, throw on a baggy pair of sweatpants, and veg out until Levi comes in for the night. I feel like I have been hit by a Mack truck of work. The worst part of it all is that I still have more to do tomorrow.
I walk into my bedroom to see clothes on my floor, and I know she’s using my shower. It’s big enough for a small army, but with the events of the day, would it really be a good idea to go and jump in with her? Granted we have been showering together since we were like five years old, but after the fallout of the past day, I just don’t know. Then my slut charged mind kicks in. Seven, go take your shower, in your fucking shower. She is lucky you are going to forgive her, for fuck’s sake!
I open my bathroom door, and the room is full of steam. The mirrors are all fogged up, and the glass doors of the shower stall are the same. I can hear her humming to herself, and I recognize that her mood h
as improved some since she left my office. I worry about her, and now her years of depression seem completely justified. I’d always thought the worst. Like someone had abused her as a child, because given the crowd our parents ran with, I’m downright surprised we hadn’t been targets.
“Star?” I say, while I start to unbutton the blouse I wore for the day.
“Seven? You’re home.” Was that a question?
“Yeah, I need to get in there. It has been quite the damn day.” I continue to undress, and wait to hear the water turn off and see her step out of my shower. But she doesn’t. “Are you okay in there, Star?” She is unusually quiet, and I battle between opening the foggy glass doors, or just hightailing it to the other bathroom down the hall.
“I’m fine, Seven. Are you coming in or not?” Well, I guess that answers that question. I stand at the glass doors for a minute debating whether or not this is a good idea. I mean, of course, I think she is attractive, but I’m still kind of mad at her. At least I don’t have a dick that would give my arousal away.
Against my better judgment, which is a pattern in my life, I open the door of the shower.
I stop in my tracks when I see her. Completely naked, white suds covering her body. One hand rests on one of her large breasts; the other falls somewhere between her legs. I don’t know if I should turn and look the other way, or get out. I do neither.
I can feel moisture pooling between my legs, and I can tell you for fucking certain that it isn’t from the showerhead I just turned on. Her gaze never leaves mine, and we stand and stare at each other for minutes.
“Like what you see, Seven?” she speaks and my knees could buckle. Like what I see? Fuck, yeah. When have I not liked that hot little body? I can’t form words to answer her question, but I nod.
“It has been so long, Seven.” She moves a step toward me. Her words remind me of just how long it’s been since I’ve felt her body pressed against mine. Evan wouldn’t share, and I hated him for that.
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