Come What May (Forever and Always #9)

by E. L. Todd

  Monnique wouldn’t look at me. “Ryan, just stay out of it.”

  “No,” I snapped. “Cortland doesn’t deserve this. He’s done everything for you. You’re really going to throw him away because he didn’t tell you he slept with Scarlet a year ago, before he even knew you? That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard.” I didn’t mean to sound so angry but I couldn’t help it.

  “You don’t know the whole story.”

  “Then tell me.” I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the car.

  “He was in love with Scarlet. That changes everything.”

  What? “He said that?”

  “Yeah. Like you didn’t know.”

  I didn’t. But I didn’t say that.

  “I’m a rebound to him. And he sees her everyday. It’s just not going to work…”

  “You got that totally wrong. Scarlet was a rebound from Elizabeth. Then he met you and fell in love. Secondly, you really think something is going to happen between them again? My sister is married to the love of her life, and she’s fucking pregnant. And there’s no doubt that Cortland doesn’t see her like that. He’s in love with you—just you.”

  “And I bet he’s sleeping with Scarlet every night he’s over there,” she said bitterly.

  “Knock it off.” My voice boomed loud in my ears.

  She wouldn’t meet my gaze.

  “Are you five?” I asked incredulously.

  She started to get mad. “Can you honestly tell me you would be perfectly fine if Janice told you she used to be in love with Sean? While she fucked him?”

  The idea made me sick to my stomach. “It would hurt, make me feel like shit, but no, I wouldn’t leave her. That girl could do anything to me and it wouldn’t change the way I feel about her. Because I love her. And I know you love Cortland. Lying about Scarlet is the one bad thing he did. Let it go. Look at all the wonderful things he does for you. The guy even makes me look bad. Come on, Monnique.”

  She shook her head. “I appreciate what you’re doing for Cortland, but stay out of it.”

  “No. He’s the greatest guy I know. He doesn’t deserve this. I’ve never seen him happier than he is with you. I can’t let this happen to him.”

  She reached for the door then pushed me away. “I’ve listened to you. You can repeat yourself again but it’s not going to change anything.” She got inside and tried to shut the door.

  I held it open. “You can’t leave.”

  “I’m going back home when my two weeks is over. There’s nothing for me here.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “Ryan, I’m sorry…”

  “You’re going to regret this, Monnique. And by then, it might be too late.”

  “So be it,” she said sadly. She waited for me to step back so she could close the door. I took a deep breath and forced myself to move away from her. I hated myself for not convincing her to stay with Cortland. My friend’s happiness depended on it.

  I went to Scarlet’s house to see Cortland. He wasn’t very open about his emotions but I knew he didn’t want to be alone right now. Janice missed me since I wasn’t around much, but she understood.

  Cortland was sitting on the couch, doing absolutely nothing, when I walked inside.

  “Hey,” I said. “Let’s play ball.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t want to.”

  I grabbed two beers from the refrigerator and sat on the couch next to him. I handed him the bottle and took it without drinking it. He felt the condensation on the bottle and stared at the label, not reading it. “Did you walk her to her car?” His voice was so low, he was whispering.

  “Yeah.”

  “Is she…doing okay?”

  I nodded.

  “God, I miss her.”

  I didn’t know what to say.

  He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “I don’t know what to do. I knew she would be upset but…she actually left me. It’s been days and she hasn’t called me.”

  “She told me you were in love with Scarlet at one point.”

  He didn’t look at me.

  “That’s true?”

  “Yeah.” His voice was quiet. “I wanted to be something more but I knew she loved Sean. I kept my feelings to myself. But I swear they disappeared when I laid eyes on Monnique. From that moment on, she was the only woman in my heart.”

  I nodded. “I understand why Monnique is upset, but I think she’s still being unfair.”

  “I don’t care what she’s being. I just want her back.” He put the beer on the table then leaned back on the couch. I knew the conversation was over. “You don’t have to stay with me. I know you have other things to do.”

  “I know, Cortland.” I turned on the TV and flipped the channels until I found a basketball game. We didn’t speak for the next hour.

  Finally, Cortland cleared his throat. “Thanks…”

  “I’m always here for you, man.”

  We fell silent again.

  Sean and Scarlet came through the door, both laughing. They clearly had a good time. When Scarlet saw Cortland on the couch, she came to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

  “You doing okay?”

  “I’m fine,” he said with a strong voice.

  When I looked at the way Scarlet held Cortland, I realized she had no idea how Cortland really felt about her a year ago. I thought it was best if it stayed that way.

  “Did you have a good time?” he asked.

  “We saw that dumb bitch Penelope.”

  “What?” I said. “Does that girl ever go away?”

  Sean shook his head. “It’s like she has a GPS on me.”

  “What happened?” Cortland asked.

  “I told her to stay away from my husband,” Scarlet said firmly. “And threatened to beat the shit out of her.”

  Cortland and I both laughed loudly.

  Scarlet narrowed her eyes. “What?”

  “I’m sorry,” I said as I continued to laugh. “I can’t see you ‘beating the shit’ out of anyone.”

  Sean laughed too.

  “Well, I meant it,” she said firmly. “I’m tired of her bothering Sean. And when she tried to hit me, Sean pushed her. So she did get a little action.”

  “She tried to hit you even though you’re pregnant?” I asked incredulously.

  “Well, I said some pretty mean things.”

  Sean stared at Scarlet. “It was pretty hot. I liked seeing her fight for me.”

  I eyed the grocery bag he was holding. “Get more beers?”

  “Uh…” Sean glanced at the bag then looked away. “Just some stuff.”

  I studied him then looked at the bag again. It was cheap and easy to see through. “Whip cream?” I raised an eyebrow.

  Scarlet blushed.

  Then I realized what was going on. “Eww.”

  “There’s cherries too.” Scarlet winked at Sean.

  “Okay,” I said. “This is getting gross.”

  Cortland laughed. “This is tame compared to what they normally do—even at work.”

  Scarlet glared at Sean. “You told him!”

  Sean shrugged. “It may have came up at lunch.”

  She shook her head, still angry. “You’re unbelievable.”

  “What?” Sean said. “It’s not like I showed him anything.”

  “It sounded pretty hot,” Cortland said.

  “No whip cream for you,” Scarlet said as she stormed up the stairs.

  “That’s what you think.” Sean followed her.

  Cortland returned to his somber mood as soon as they were gone. I wanted to cheer him up but I couldn’t think of anything to say or do.

  Cortland leaned back and sighed. “It’s nice not being alone.”

  I nodded. “I know.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  “Yeah.”

  7

  Mike

  I missed Wall Street but running my own company had its perks. No one told me what to do, besides my dad
and Sean, and I had complete autonomy. And I couldn’t complain about the paycheck. I had a nice apartment in the city, but now I could upgrade to a better one. I just wasn’t sure if I needed a bigger place. What was the point if I didn’t have anyone to share it with?

  Last weekend, I picked up a nice looking girl from the bar. I took her to my place, got what I wanted, and then gave her money for a cab. I tried to have feelings for her but I couldn’t. She was superficial and stupid. How did Cortland and Ryan find their girls? Was there a secret place I didn’t know about?

  When I was at work, I stayed in my office and tried to get as much work done before I headed to the gym. When four o’ clock came by, I was always gone. I wasn’t exactly a hard worker. Sean left early most of the time so he could be with Scarlet. I didn’t mind. Sometimes he put extra work on me so he could leave first. Since she was pregnant, I let it slide. I would want to be with my wife too—if I had one.

  I was jealous of my brother. He had everything. And what made it worse was the fact he knew he had everything. He saw the way Scarlet looked at him, nothing but love and adoration in her eyes. Every day he came home, she stood outside while he pulled into the driveway because she missed him. I came home to an empty apartment, my beer and porn for company.

  Where did the years of my life go? I was already thirty and I never had a single serious or meaningful relationship. Every one else already settled down. The only people left had kids or they were just crazy. I was doomed to be alone forever.

  When I searched the documents on my desk, I realized I was missing a few invoices. I had to enter them into the computer before I left for the afternoon. My assistant was on break so I left my office and went to the accounting department.

  Everyone nodded to me and said hello as I walked down the hallway. My ass has never been kissed like this before. Or maybe they just liked Sean and I because we didn’t change the company. We ran it exactly the way our father had before us. It was his legacy and we wouldn’t ruin it.

  I walked inside the office and looked for Julia. She usually sat at her desk, eating lemon drops all day long. Her counter was covered in pictures of her kids and her husband. But she wasn’t there.

  A different woman was sitting at the desk. Her back was straight and her posture was perfect. Her legs were crossed, her pencil skirt reaching her knees. Her blonde hair was silky and smooth. It framed her face and reached down her back. The strands reminded me of the sun. They were almost gold, not blonde like Janice’s hair.

  Her buttoned shirt was tucked into her skirt, but her breasts were still prominent. She had a tiny waist, large tits, and long legs. Her green eyes contrasted against her red lips. I stood in the doorway, staring at her like a psychopath. She was a stranger to me, but she was gorgeous. I would definitely remember her if I ever met her.

  Then she looked away from her computer, spotting me by the door.

  Shit. What do I do?

  “Hi.” She gave me a gorgeous smile, supermodel status. “Can I help you?”

  “Uh…”

  God, this was embarrassing.

  She patiently waited for me to speak.

  “Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “I’m looking for invoices.”

  “Okay.” She smirked even wider. “Which ones?” I could tell she was trying not to make me feel stupid. And I knew I sounded like a damn idiot.

  “Oh yeah.” I came further into the room and approached her desk. “I’m Sean. I mean, I’m Mike.”

  Stop talking. Stop talking.

  “Hi, Mike. I’m Cassandra.”

  Cassandra….geez, that was a sexy name.

  She rested her hand on the mouse, still looking at me. “So…what invoices did you need?”

  I needed to get my shit together. This was just humiliating. “Yeah, I need the last invoices from Gober Framework.”

  “You got it.” She typed on her computer and pulled up the invoices. Then she printed them out and handed them to me. “Anything else, sir?”

  A date. “No. Thank you for your help.”

  “Anytime.”

  I stayed rooted to the spot.

  She turned back to me. “Yes?”

  “Umm…what happened to Julia?”

  “She’s on maternity leave. I’m covering for her temporarily.”

  “Oh.” I held the papers in my hand, crinkling them. “I’m the owner of this place.”

  “I know.” She kept smiling.

  Could I sound anymore like a fucking douchebag?

  She extended her hand. “It’s nice to formally meet you. I’ve already met, Sean.”

  I eyed it before I took it. Her hand was tiny in mine. I could crush it with a simple squeeze. I shook it while I glanced at her left hand, searching for a wedding ring. There wasn’t one.

  Yes.

  “I’ll see you around, Mr. Preston.”

  “Mike. Call me Mike.” I hated it when people called me that.

  “Will do.”

  She was more professional than I was. “I’m not normally like this…”

  “Okay.” She looked down, unsure what else to do.

  I think I was freaking her out. “Well, thanks for the invoices.”

  “Of course.”

  “Umm…bye.”

  “Bye.”

  I turned around and left the office as quickly as I could without running. I never made such an idiot of myself before. That was just pathetic. It was like I’d never seen a pretty girl before. Well, she wasn’t pretty. She was…wow. She didn’t look like she should work in an accounting office. Sports Illustrated should have her on the cover.

  I barged into my brother’s office, the invoices still in my hand. “Have you seen that new girl?”

  Sean quickly clicked on his mouse then turned to me. “Don’t you knock?”

  “You watching porn or something?”

  “Something better than porn.” He turned in his chair and faced me. “What are you rambling about?”

  “You got naked pictures of Scarlet back there?” I teased.

  He glared at me. “If I did, I wouldn’t show you.”

  “Damn.”

  “What new girl?” he asked.

  “Cassandra. She works in accounting.”

  “Oh,” Sean said. “Julia is having her baby soon so she’s taken over her desk.”

  “That girl is smokin’ hot.”

  Sean glared at me. “Leave her alone, Mike. I mean it.”

  “What? I’m not going to bother her.”

  “I won’t tolerate harassment in this office. I don’t want anyone bugging the girls who work for us.”

  I knew he had a soft spot for this topic because of what happened to Scarlet. I rolled my eyes. “Do I look like a psycho sexual harasser? It’s not like I’m going to offer her a promotion if she sleeps with me.”

  Sean continued to glare at me.

  “Okay. That happened one time, but I was just joking.”

  Sean still looked pissed.

  “I’m not going to bug her. I just think she’s…fucking hot.”

  “She’s off limits.” Sean turned back to his computer.

  “I can ask her out. If she says no, I’ll leave her alone.”

  “No, back off.”

  “Calm down,” I said. “She’ll probably say no anyway. I made a total idiot out of myself.”

  “What’s new?”

  “Why can’t I date her?” I asked. “I’m not going to sleep with her then never call her.”

  “It’s inappropriate to date someone you work with, especially since you’re the owner of this company.”

  “But it’s okay to fuck your wife in the office?” I said sarcastically.

  “It doesn’t affect my work, so yes, I can fuck my wife.”

  “Well, if I get one someday, I’m fucking her brains out all the time.”

  “We’ll cross that bridge when he come to it.”

  I sat in the desk facing his chair. “You know anything about her?”

  Sean
shook his head. “She has a degree in finance. That’s all I know.”

  “Does she have a boyfriend?”

  “Why the hell would I know that?” Sean snapped.

  “You might.”

  “Just forget about her, Mike.”

  “Easier said than done.”

  Sean looked at his computer. “Now get out. I have work to do.”

  “Staring at naked pictures of your wife doesn’t constitute as work.”

  “They aren’t pictures.” He winked at me.

  “Pervert.” I was totally jealous. Not because I wanted to see Scarlet naked, but because she was so cool. I hoped I’d find a chick like that.

  I changed into my workout clothes before I headed to the gym. Sean and I went to the same place but we had our separate workouts. He had his own trainer because he hurt his shoulder a few weeks ago. I didn’t have a trainer because I wasn’t a pussy like my brother.

  I thought about Cassandra on the drive. I kept thinking about her legs. They were long and toned. I wondered what she did for exercise. I wondered what she was like. Did she think I was an idiot?

  Who am I kidding? Of course she thought I was.

  After I checked in, I headed to the weights and worked on my arms. I liked having a strong upper body. Suits looked good on my shoulders and chest. And the girls liked it too.

  I lay on the bench and did my presses. I should have someone spot me but I was too independent. I wouldn’t do a weight I couldn’t handle. After I racked the bar, I wiped my forehead with a towel and saw Sean doing push-ups with his trainer. He didn’t concentrate on getting bigger. His goal was to be toned and fit.

  I walked to the drinking fountain to refill my water when I spotted a girl doing dead lifts. Her back was to me so I saw her defined back and waist. She wore only a sports bra, and along her ribs was a small tattoo. It was lyrics of some sort in neat cursive. Her spandex framed her ass, making it look prominent and tight. She was a fit chick, gorgeous and sexy.

  I liked seeing a girl do weights. It made them tone and strong, not just skinny. I loved the lean muscle covering her body. The girl was sexy as hell. I looked in the mirror to catch a glimpse of her face.

  It was Cassandra.

  Fuck. This girl was torturing me.

  She put the bar on the ground then stood back, her hands on her hips. She breathed through the burn in her muscles. Sweat clung to her chest and dripped down. I eyed her stomach and saw it was toned and tight. A slight definition of a six-pack was evident.