by K. B. Webb
“So did you! Quit with this pity me bullshit. You lied too. We both fucked up, okay? We both did our part in ruining this relationship, so don’t just blame it all on me. Why didn’t you tell me about the money? I knew about Reggie. I knew about the dancing, so why hide the money?’
I place the last cup in the dishwasher and slam it shut, spinning around to face Lucas. There is so much pain written across his face, which I put there. I want to keep yelling at him. To fight him. I have imagined how this fight would go over and over in my head. In most versions, I verbally assault Lucas, and then kick him in the nuts, but this version, the real version, isn’t going like that at all, because he’s right. I fucked up too. I fucked up more. I preached honesty but was never fully honest with him.
I sigh in defeat and hang my head, wringing the dishtowel I’m holding between my hands. “I didn’t want you to think that I was a whore. I let a man buy me, Lucas. That makes me a whore. I didn’t want you to think of me like that.”
He sighs and shakes his head. “Red, I would have never thought that. I love you too much to ever judge you like that.”
I feel a tear roll down my cheek but I let out a small chuckle.
“What’s so funny?”
I look up at him with a sad smile. “You called me Red.”
He sighs and stares at the floor, “so what do we do now? We know we still love each other, but we also know that we don’t fully trust each other either. How are we supposed to make this work without trust?”
“I, I don’t know.” I look at my feet again and can feel the tears rushing down. I want this with him. I have been trying to bullshit myself and everyone else for weeks into thinking I don’t care anymore, but I do. I care too damn much. I love him. He loves me. Why can’t that be enough?
Lucas’ voice breaks into my thoughts, “it can be.”
“What?” I realize I must have been thinking out loud. He takes a step toward me, closing the space between us so that I am backed against my counter. “You said that you love me Red, and I love you. That can be enough. We can work on the trust part. It will be hard, and it won’t happen overnight, but we can do it if we try. Sometimes loving me will mean following me down into my own personal hell. I need to know what that happens you’ll follow me and save me from myself, not run. So what do you say, so you want to try, Red?” He’s braced on the sides of the counter, his strong body covering mine, his mouth just inches away from my lips. I can smell the toothpaste on his breath. “What do you say, Red?”
I lean up on the balls of my feet, pressing myself against his chest, and place my lips barely away from his. “Lucas, I would follow you anywhere. I say okay.”
With those three words, he crashes his mouth to mine and lifts me up on the counter, standing between my legs. He kisses me for all the time he hasn’t in the past few weeks, placing his hands on both sides of my face to deepen our kiss, nipping at my lips before pulling away to make his way to my neck. He kisses my sensitive skin that is already covered in goose bumps.
“Fuck. I missed you, Red.” He pulls away from me so that we are looking in each other’s eyes.
“I missed you, Lucas. I’m so sorry for all of this.”
“No apologies, okay? We’ll figure it out. You’re moving though.”
I think about arguing, but I know it’s futile. He’s right. I should move. “I’m not moving into your man cave, Lucas.”
He laughs softly and places a hand on my cheek. “Okay, we’ll get our own place. Sound good to you?”
“Yes, sir, it does.” I smirk at him.
He growls and places both hands on my hips, pulling me closer to him so that I can feel his dick is already hard. “Don’t make me fuck you right here, Red.”
“Ya know, I kind of like that idea. I’ve always wanted you to fuck me on this counter top.”
“Your wish is my command, Red.”
He quickly removes my shirt and bra and begins palming my breasts and pinching my nipples while devouring my mouth. He drops down to his knees and slides off my shorts so that he is now face to face with my needy pussy. He licks his lips and looks up at me with a smirk on his face and a raised eyebrow. “Fuck, I’m hungry.” With that short statement, he dives into me headfirst, using his mouth and tongue until I am screaming, shaking and calling his name over and over. He stands up and begins to make quick work of his pants when the door opens and Jasmine walks in the kitchen.
“Damn it, guys! Again! Put some fucking clothes on. Your mom and Jason are right behind me.”
“Shit!” I jump off the counter sliding my shorts back on while Lucas buttons his pants as quickly as he can.
“Where the fuck is my bra?”
Jasmine coughs and points to the fruit bowl beside me where my black lace bra is resting on top of an apple. I grab it and hurry to put it back on along with my shirt just in time for my mom to walk in with Jason right behind her.
“Lucas, you’re still here. Does that mean you two made up?”
Jasmine laughs awkwardly. “Yeah, they did.”
I shoot her the best death glare I can muster. “Yeah, we did, Mom. We’ve decided to work things out.”
Lucas looks down at me with a beaming smile. “Thanks for calling me, Gail. It was the kick in the ass I needed.”
“Well, I’m glad things worked out for y’all,” Jason walks toward us, “but Lucas, you hurt her again and I’ll break more than your nose next time.”
Jasmine, my mom, and I all look confused. Jasmine speaks first, “Wait? You broke his nose? When did this happen?”
Lucas answers for him. “I deserved it. It doesn’t matter when it happened. I won’t hurt Dani again so there’s nothing to worry about.”
Jason smiles and nods, pleased with his answer, and reaches for the fruit bowl, grabbing the apple my bra was resting on not moment before.
“No!” Lucas, Jasmine, and I all scream simultaneously, stopping Jason before he takes a bite.
“What the fuck is wrong with y’all?”
I grab the apple from him and throw it in the trash, along with all the other fruit in the bowl.
“It was all bad. I’ve been meaning to throw it out. Sorry!” I shrug it off like it’s no big deal. Jason looks confused but doesn’t argue.
We all begin to walk back toward the living room, but I stop Lucas, holding him back.
“Lucas, I—”
He cuts me off before I even get a chance to finish, “I love you too, Red.”
“Here ya go, Red.” I place her coffee, with an obnoxious amount of creamer and sugar, and Diet Coke on the bathroom counter. She is in the middle of singing the song she is currently obsessed with, “Follow You Down” by Seether. She says it reminds her of us, and I guess I kind of agree. Hell, anything is better than the Taylor Swift bullshit she usually listens to.
“Hey.” She sticks her head out of the shower right as I am about to walk out the door. Her hair is wet and stuck to her head, and knowing that the only think separating me from her naked body is a thin shower curtain, makes me want to rip the damn thing down just to fuck her against the shower wall.
“Are Jasmine and Ryan up yet?”
“I don’t think so. I haven’t heard any movement from the spare bedroom.” Last night was the first time Ryan and Jasmine had officially met. They had seen each other in passing a few times, but last night they both volunteered to help us unpack our new house. We had an unpacking party as Jasmine called it. That meant that Ryan and I moved heavy shit all night while the girls drank wine, hung up pictures and organized our pantry. Ryan and Jasmine flirted all night, and when Dani and I woke up this morning, Ryan wasn’t on the couch and the door to the spare bedroom where Jasmine had slept was locked.
“Do you think they, ya know?” She shrugs, trying to imply what she refuses to say.
“Do I think Ryan and Jasmine fucked last night? Um, yeah, probably.”
“Well, good for them if they did. Poor Jasmine can’t even breathe the same air as
anything with a dick without Jason having a fucking fit. She deserves some fun.”
“You’re right and Ryan deserves it too. He spent the last week moving stuff into your old apartment and he finally got a personal trainer job he’d been wishing for.”
When Dani and I decided to buy our own house, we struggled on whether to sell her apartment or rent it out. It just so happened that Ryan was wanting to move out of the house he shared with my brother Logan and his girlfriend Molly, so he asked if he could rent from us. It worked perfectly. Dani had been worried about who would live next to Jasmine, and you couldn’t pick a better neighbor than Ryan.
Dani and Jasmine had a big-sister-little-sister relationship, especially because Jasmine’s older brother Jason was severely overprotective. Jasmine came over bitching about Jason on an almost daily basis. Dani had wanted Ryan and Jasmine to meet, hoping they would hit it off and be friends so Jasmine would have a new neighbor to go to when her brother flipped his shit. I don’t think either of us expected them to spend the night together, but hey, everybody’s gotta get laid sometime.
“Well, we just have to make sure that Jason doesn’t find out about this. He would flip his shit.” With this statement, she flashes me a smile and closes the shower curtain, continuing her shower singing.
I walk out of the bathroom and make my way into our new kitchen, eyeing the shiny counter tops and thinking of the ways I will fuck Dani on those when Ryan and Jasmine leave.
“Dude, does Dani always sing in the shower?” Ryan comes walking into the kitchen, sliding a shirt over his head and looking slightly hung over.
I laugh at his question. “Yeah, dude, she does, and she’s a morning person on top of that. So there is always lots of early morning shower singing.”
He chuckles. “Lucky you!”
“So, you weren’t on the couch when we woke up. You, uh, hang out with Jasmine a little last night?”
“A grown-ass man does not kiss and tell.”
“Is she awake yet?”
“Yeah, why?”
I shake my head at him because he has no idea. “Dude, I would bet my life on the fact she is sitting on the bathroom counter telling Red all about it. Those two tell each other everything!”
“Well, ain’t that some shit.” He sighs and shrugs slightly. “Yeah, we slept together. It’s not a serious thing though. We just get along and we both needed to get laid. No big deal.”
“Dude, y’all are neighbors. You don’t think it will get complicated?”
“Naw, man, I really don’t. Jasmine’s a cool girl. She isn’t looking for anything serious either.”
“All right, man, if you say so. Just make sure her brother doesn’t find out. He’s a little overprotective of her.”
He nods and grabs a mug from the cabinet, sidestepping me to get to the coffee pot.
“So tell me about your new job, man?”
He stands up a little straighter and I can tell he’s proud of himself.
“I start Monday, man. I’m pretty fucking pumped about it. I’m head trainer for Slade Fitness. It’s a fucking dream job for me.”
I spit my coffee out slightly, chocking on it. “Did you say Slade? As in Jason Slade?”
“Uh, yeah, he’s my boss. Well, he and his sister, but apparently, she is just a silent partner. She doesn’t really have anything to do with the business. You know Jason?”
He just fucked his new boss’s little sister. Hell, he just fucked his new boss! As I am about to break the news to him, my front door swings open and Jason walks in.
“Lucas, where the fuck is Jazzy?”
“Talking to Red. What’s up?”
He walks in the kitchen, sees Ryan standing there, and falters a step. “We had a breakfast meeting this morning and she didn’t show up.” He glances between Ryan and me. I notice Ryan looks really confused, and then confusion morphs into a look of panic.
“Wait, Jasmine is your sister?”
Jason gives a no-shit look. “Yeah, how do y’all know each other?” He waves between Ryan and me before turning his attention back to Ryan. “Wait, how do you know Jazzy?”
“Oh, shit.” Ryan looks like he just got hit in the gut with a bag full of bricks. “Jason, I didn’t know she was your sister. I swear.”
Before Jason can respond, Jasmine comes strolling in the kitchen with Dani right behind her. Red’s eyes instantly double in size when she sees Jason, but Jasmine is paying so much attention to Ryan that she doesn’t even notice her brother.
She strides right up to Ryan, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Morning, handsome.”
“What the fuck, Jazzy?” Jasmine jumps at the sound of Jason’s voice. “You fucked Ryan last night?”
“Wait, how do you know Ryan?” Jasmine is the one who looks confused now.
“He’s the new trainer I hired yesterday. I was going to tell you about it over breakfast. You know, the one you missed this morning because you were up late fucking him.”
“Jason, man, I did not know she was your sister,” Ryan pleads with Jason.
Jason snaps back at him, “Did you even ask her last name?”
The whole kitchen becomes deathly quiet as Jason closes the space between him and Ryan. Physically, Ryan is larger than Jason, but the rage burning in Jason’s eyes makes me think he could royally fuck him up right now if he wanted to.
Jasmine steps in between Jason and Ryan, facing Jason. “No, he didn’t ask my last name, and I didn’t ask his. And yes, we fucked last night. We’re both consenting adults. Chill the fuck out.”
“No, I won’t chill the fuck out, Jazzy. Do you understand that not only did you behave like a cheap whore by fucking a guy who is basically a stranger, but he works for us? That means you’re his boss.”
Jasmine puts her hands on her hips and raises her eyebrows at Jason. “I understand what ‘he works for us’ means Jason.”
“Do you, because it means that you can’t sleep together. He signed a contract with us and inside that contract is a no fraternizing policy. That means that if you two do anything like this again, he’s fired. Do you understand now, Jazzy?”
“You can’t do that!” Jasmine is challenging Jason. She does this all the time, and I don’t know why. She never actually wins; she just pisses him off. A lot.
“Yes, he can,” Ryan finally speaks up and takes a step away from Jasmine. “I read the contract. It said there will be no physical relationships between members of the company. You and I are both members of the company.”
“You can’t be serious, Ryan.” I can’t tell if Jasmine is angry or hurt, but I would assume it’s a combination of both.
“I am, Jasmine. Last night should have never happened and it will never happen again.”
He walks out of the kitchen slipping on his boots and grabbing his keys before addressing Jason, “Mr. Slade, I am very sorry about all this. I had no idea, and I know that doesn’t make it better, but it will never happen again. You have my word.” He looks at Dani and me who are standing to the side of the kitchen, still both in shock after what just happened. “I’ll come by after work tomorrow and see if y’all need help with anything else.” He smiles and walks out the door.
“Damn it, Jason!” Jasmine shoves her brother in the chest, hard, but Jason doesn’t even budge. “Why did you do that?”
“Me! Why did you fuck a guy you don’t even know? And why didn’t you show up for our meeting this morning. You know, Jazzy, you say you want to be more involved in the company, that you are mature enough to handle it, and then you make dumb-ass decisions like this and I realize you aren’t ready. You still act like an immature child. Get your shit together and get to your apartment. I’ll be waiting for you there. We need to have a serious talk about your actions.”
Jason storms past Dani and me, and slams the door when he leaves.
Jasmine huffs and storms off to the spare bedroom, grabbing all of her stuff before telling Dani and me good-bye.
“Huh?”
“What?” Dani looks at me.
“I wonder which will be more awkward. Jasmine being the boss of the guy she just fucked or being his neighbor.”
Dani laughs and shakes her head at me. “I don’t know, but luckily, we keep a lot of wine around and have a spare bedroom. I have a feeling she will be using it a lot in the future.”
“Yea, and good thing we put your stripper pole in our bedroom this time.”
If I thought Jasmine was around a lot already because of Jason, the fact that she just spent the night fucking her neighbor/new employee means she will never leave.
“This is going to be a giant clusterfuck, isn’t it?” Dani looks at me with questing eyes.
“Oh, yeah, get the popcorn ready, Red. Cause shit is about to get crazy.”
My amazing husband Tyler, thank you for listening to endless story lines and loving me enough to tell me if they were terrible. Thank you for dealing with me not cooking or cleaning for days at a time in the name creativity. Thank you for taking care of our sweet girls just so I could finish one more chapter. I love you more than you will ever know.
Mila and Avery, my sweet girls. I hope one day you read the books mommy has written, when you’re over 18 of course, and can be proud of what I’ve done. All I ever want to do is make you both proud. I love you two so much. You are the little loves of my life and I am blessed to be your mommy.
Keitha, thank you for being my best friend. I’m not easy to deal with sometimes, and I know it, but you have never left my side. 23 years of friendship and we’re stronger now than ever. You’re my person and I am so blessed because of that. I love you strawberry shortcake!
Mom. I don’t really know how to say thank you. There aren’t enough thank yous to cover everything you have done for me. I am so excited to see where my writing takes both of us. I know as long as you’re with me it will be an amazing journey! I love you momma.
Jen. I always heard terrible stories about mother-in-laws, but I lucked up when I married your son! Thank you for asking me at least once a day for months how many books I had sold. For being so proud of me. For supporting me fully. But mostly, thank you for being my friend when I didn’t have many and for never giving up on me.