by Vivian Payne
Once I was back inside the club and ready to dance, I just had to show off to her. And boy did she showed off too. By the time I realized it, my lips were on hers. She kindly pushed me away then turned around to ignore me.
“Sorry about the call. But now you know how screwed up my life is, yours is looking good, huh?” she said, her cheeks turning red.
I smiled at her and pushed the button to make our way to their offices. When they got settled, I left them and made my way back to my office.
I was reading a client file when my door swung open. I lifted my eyes only to get annoyed at the person standing on my doorway. I groaned as my little brother walked in with a huge grin on his face. He looked way too happy for someone who had been threatened to be cut off financially.
I studied him for a while as he stood in front of my desk, looking like a kid wanting attention. I couldn’t help but remember how we used to play when we were little. I couldn’t believe how much we drifted apart once we grew up. Our playing games were over, and Ian would have to grow up because sadly, he couldn’t be Peter Pan.
“Ian, what do you want? I’m working,” I stated, but as usual, he ignored my words and made himself at home, sitting on the chair in front of me with his feet up.
I slapped his feet off my desk, and he just gave me a boyish grin. I rolled my eyes.
“Don’t piss on your panties, and let’s eat lunch. My treat,” Ian said, looking at me with amusement. I raised my eyebrow in confusion but didn’t want to ask if he was still using Dad’s credit card. We all had trust funds, but we were careful with them, making small smart investments. Well, that’s what we were doing—our sister and me. But we didn’t know if Ian was doing the same or was as careless about his money as he was with his future.
“No, thank you. I need to work,” I mumbled, still reading a file and trying to ignore him.
“Come on, Isaac, please.” He pouted, and it made me roll my eyes again. I was beginning to worry that my eyes would stay like that if I didn’t stop.
“Ian, you look crossed-eyed. Stop pouting; it’s not cute.” I scolded him, and he scoffed while crossing his arms across his chest.
“Please, I know I’m cute and sexy. So, what do you say, lunch?” He kept insisting, and I knew I wouldn’t get my work done if I didn’t accept his invitation.
So, I agreed, and we both made our way to the elevator. We picked people up on the way down. So when Melissa and Natalie came in, I didn’t think of anything until my brother screamed.
“Oh my god! Melly, Natty! What are you girls doing here?” Ian asked them. Both girls were surprised, but then their lips stretched wide into grins.
“Oh my god, Ian. We work here; we just started today. What about you? Did you finally get caught and need a lawyer?” Melly snorted as she asked my brother.
“No, you bitch. This is my brother, Isaac.” Ian laughed while gesturing between him and me. I eyed everyone who was inside the elevator with us; they were giving Ian and the girls strange looks and tried to avoid looking at me. People who worked here were kind of afraid of me because I was always so serious and strict, and Ian claiming me as his brother must’ve been a shocker.
“So, Natty, how’s Jasper?” Ian questioned, clueless as to what had recently happened.
I saw Natalie flinch a little.
“Wouldn’t know; we’re not together anymore,” she murmured, avoiding eye contact from any of us.
“Ah, he finally realized you were way out of his league…with a sexy girl like you, huh. Good for you. Hey, Melly, let’s get lunch together.” Ian chirped at the blonde. That’s my brother. He never stayed in one conversation long enough.
“Ian, we are having lunch, remember?” Damn it. Why do I always have to put up with this?
“I remember. Let’s eat lunch together. The four of us!” he said excitedly.
I reluctantly agreed, and so did Natalie. Melissa, on the other hand, was as excited as my brother. I noticed how Ian and Melissa were acting towards each other, all the subtle touching and small soft smiles while they were reminiscing about their fun times in college together with Natalie and Jasper.
We were now inside some restaurant, going through the menu and choosing our orders. Natalie kept on tapping her phone furiously, and I wondered if it was Jasper she was texting. Just when I thought of that, Ian voiced out my question.
“Are you fighting through text with Jazz?” I stared at Natalie with a blank expression on my face; being a lawyer helps you look uncaring.
I was dying inside to know, but why did I want to know?
“He just won’t take a hint; I don’t know what else to do,” Natalie responded with a sigh. I didn’t understand why the guy was insisting on talking to her since it was he who had been the one to call it quits.
“Give me your phone; I’ll fix it.” Ian stretched his hand out, and Natalie set her phone on it, looking unsure.
This wasn’t good.
He dialed some number; I assumed it was Jasper’s.
“Hello? Yes, this is Natalie’s number. Could you please leave her alone? She’s moved on, and you should too. My name? Ah. Well, my name is Isaac D’Angelo. Bye.”
My jaw dropped open, and my eyes went wide as saucers in surprise. Did he just use my name?
“What? Ian! You shouldn’t have done that!” Natalie yelled at my stupid brother.
“I’m sorry, Natty. I don’t do well under pressure, and his name was the first one that came to mind.” He finished explaining, looking at me with an apologetic look.
Under pressure? He was the one who offered to fix it.
Fuck me.
I stood up to leave, but before I did, I looked at the three of them.
“Fix this immediately,” I sneered lowly as to avoid attention from gossipers. Then I left.
I was angry, yes, but why? This wasn’t a big deal, and yet I was stupidly angry.
Chapter 3
Natalie
“Are you fucking stupid?” I hissed at Ian. I mean, why the fuck would he do something stupid like that?
My phone went off. I groaned, knowing it was Jasper. He wouldn’t believe what Ian said unless he saw it with his own eyes. And with this, Ian just made me look like a loser. I shut my eyes tightly, wishing that all this was just a nightmare and my ass was back in bed, sleeping.
“Don’t tell him the truth. Just keep lying.” Ian insisted, making me glare at him.
“Nat, just do that. We can always talk Isaac into going along with this.” Melly joined Ian, and I knew the meaning of her words: I’d make Isaac go along with my lie, and in exchange, no one would find out about his double life. I felt uneasy about all this, but I desperately wanted Jasper out of my life. And with that, my mind was made up.
I answered my cellphone after a deep breath.
“What is it now, Jasper? Yes, it’s true. Fine. Meet me at Pop’s Diner for dinner on Sunday. No, we can’t do it any other day. We’ll see you. Bye.” I felt bad for what I was doing, but my pride got the best of me.
We made it back to the office and straight to work.
My plan was simple: This Saturday, Melly and I would go back to the club to take pictures and videos of Isaac and his act. That way, I could have proof. I just prayed he wouldn’t try to charge me with blackmailing.
***
Sunday morning
Melly and I went to find Ian since he told me he was at the park with Isaac. I saw them playing basketball. Melly went to Ian to distract him while I went up to Isaac.
I cleared my throat to catch his attention. “So, Ms. Roberts, did you fix the mess?” he asked straightforwardly without looking at me.
“Actually, no, sir,” I responded and waited for him to give me his full attention.
“And why not?” Isaac snapped, and I fought the urge to flinch. He was going to be even angrier after what I was about to tell him.
“Well, sir, I figured you could do me the favor of going along since we know your secret and have proof.
” After I finished negotiating, I avoided his death glare; he looked so intimidating.
“Are you blackmailing me?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at me.
“I think of it as a favor.” I shrugged, but inside, I was a mess. Never had I done something like this. I felt dirty.
He glared at me for a while, then sighed in defeat. “Do you really have proof?” I nodded at him in response. He had a pensive look on his face; I could see different kinds of emotions going through his head just by looking at him, and I felt bad. Was this worth it? I could tell Jasper the truth. I mean, who cared about what he thought? When I was about to open my mouth to put Isaac out of his misery, he shocked me with his response.
“Fine, but only until he thinks it’s true,” he said with an annoyed look, and I smiled at him.
“Good. And oh, we have dinner plans with him at Pop’s Diner tonight,” I said nervously. Isaac nodded and started walking away, mumbling something about getting in a shower before meeting me at the diner.
I invited Melly and Ian to make it less awkward.
I felt bad for doing this, but I didn’t have a choice.
Well, I did, but I wasn’t going to look like a loser in front of Jasper.
***
Dinner time
As Isaac said, he was waiting for me at the entrance. Ian and Melly were also there, holding hands; they just started dating today.
I went up to Isaac, and he opened the door for me. I spotted Jasper right away. He was alone, looking out the window.
When Ian called his name, he snapped his head towards us, darting his eyes at me and then at Isaac. He smiled at us then got up. I started to introduce both of them to each other. “Isaac, meet Jasper, the old boyfriend.” I raised an eyebrow at Isaac when he hesitated to shake Jasper’s hand.
I couldn’t help but notice how Jasper winced at my cold hard tone when I said “the old boyfriend.” And I smirked at the difference between them. Jasper was the same age as me, so of course, it’s normal that he would be dressed in a shirt and jeans. Isaac was older, distinguished, and already a partner in his law firm. You could tell the man already had his life together just by looking at him wearing an expensive suit and a watch that probably costed more than Jasper’s car. I blushed because I was checking out the man who I forced to be my boyfriend just for a few hours.
We sat there, making small conversation. Ian and Melly started talking about the crazy shit we used to do back in college. Isaac cleared his throat, and I glanced at him for a bit before focusing back on Melly and Ian. My recently ex-boyfriend and my new fake boyfriend were both sitting at the same table with me and my friends, and it was too much for me.
How did my life change?
A year ago, I thought I would be in a law firm, working my way up to partner. I would often have lunch with Melly, Ian, and, of course, Jasper. And now, here I was, sitting and avoiding eye contact with Jasper and Isaac D’Angelo.
Speaking of D’Angelo, I couldn’t help but comapare the two brothers. Ian was immature and a funny party boy who has yet to decide on a major. All he thought about were going to clubs and roadtrips. Then there’s Isaac, the eldest of the two, who was a partner at his lawfirm and so mature that he made me feel like a child whenever I was around him. He already had his life together. When I saw him at the club, he was very confident and knew he was good.
I sighed as I began to recall when Melly and I first met Ian.
We had just gotten to campus, and Melly was agitated because our day had gone so bad. We got a flat tire and had gotten lost because our GPS was crap once we lost signal on our phones. Who knew? So, by the time we got there and hauled our stuff to our shared dorm, we were not in the mood for anything other than shower, eat, and sleep. But a certain male student had other ideas when he ran by us naked, being chased by the campus security.
“Well, I believe I’m going to like it here,’’ Melly murmured as she stared after the naked man. I chuckled as I looked towards the direction the guy had ran, only to see him sprinting back our way.
“Here he comes again.’’ Melly giggled as she stepped forward and stuck her foot out, tripping the guy as he dashed by for the second time. He was on his back; I had tried to look away from his lower parts, but it had been hard.
“An angel tripped me. Now, I can die a happy man.’’ The naked man sighed happily as he stared up at my bestfriend.
Melly had gotten close and looked down at the guy. “It’s kind of unfair to make them run after you. I mean, you’re fit and they’re not,’’ she said.
The guy smiled at her as he stood up. “Ian D’Angelo. Pleasure to meet you.’’ He introduced himself and smiled at us, showing his bright teeth. Ian held his hand out to shake ours. “You know, you’re so beautiful. We would make cute babies,’’ Ian said to Melly. My friend had thrown her head back and laughed. All this while the campus security stood and watched there as well.
And that’s how our friendship began.
Ian had never liked Jasper after I introduced them to each other, but he made the effort, and I was happy he did. Melly and Ian had started dating a few months after hanging out together. And now, seeing them still being friendly towards each other, I was confused as to why they had decided to take a small break from dating. I never saw them fighting. In fact, looking at them now, they were behaving like their usual silly selves.
I sighed. I guess I was taking too long going down memory lane. Jasper noticed this and spoke, “Natty, can we talk?” I agreed, but as I stood up to go, Isaac snaked an arm around my waist to pull me closer to him. He was still sitting down, but that didn’t stop him from dragging me down and planting a kiss on my lips, which made me shiver. “I’ll be here, so hurry,” Isaac mumbled while looking into my eyes; his intense gaze made me blush, and I just smiled shyly and gave him a quick nod.
“I guess I’m ready.” I mumble or at least I think I did, that kiss made me forget everything, Jasper and I made our way towards the exit. He turned to look at me, but I was still in a daze by Isaac’s kiss to even pay attention to whatever Jasper was saying. So, when I was outside with Jasper, my mind was still back in there with Isaac so I only heard part of it, I gave him an incredulous look. “I’m sorry. What was it that you were saying?”
“Natty, I want us to start over; I want you back. I realized that I messed up. Let’s rekindle the romance?” he told me, and I scoffed. Was he serious? Nope, not going to happen.
“Sorry, but no. We can’t rekindle what we never had,” I sneered, and with those last words, I turned around and went back inside, leaving Jasper standing there.
And damn if I didn’t feel good about it.
Chapter 4
I was sitting here on my desk, doing some work. Melly and I were in charge of the pro bono cases, and right now, I was trying to help a lady get her kids back. Her abusive husband took her three children from her, and she wasn’t allowed to see them.
I glanced at my desk; stupid Jasper had been sending me bouquets of red roses every day since he met Isaac, which had been already a week. He had been trying to get me to agree to go out to dinner with him, but I kept turning him down.
How could Jasper be an asshole? He knew I was with Isaac, and yet he was still hitting on me. How come I never noticed how much of a jerk he was? Ugh, thinking about all this is giving me a headache, I thought as I rubbed my temples.
A knock on my door snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Come in,” I said, wondering who could be at my door since Melly and Ian were having lunch together.
“Hey, I came to collect a favor.” Isaac smirked.
I raised my perfect eyebrow, not understanding what he meant by that.
“Not to be rude, but what the hell are you talking about?” I guessed I was still being rude.
He smirked devilishly once again.
“Well, I would need my fake girlfriend for my tenth-year high school reunion. Usually, I would hire escorts to do any kind of this shit, but since this is my
high school reunion, and I do have a fake innocent and smart girlfriend, hell if I’m going to pass on that.” He finished and plopped down on the seat in front of me.
“Really, what makes you think I’ll help you? I mean, the only reason you did me a favor was that I know what I know,” I stated, looking away from him and putting my attention on the file. He scoffed, and that made me look at him.
“I can always tell Jasper the truth,” he said nonchalantly, and I narrowed my eyes at him, silently daring him to go ahead.
We got into a staring contest, and I wasn’t going to be the one to look away first. But then he smirked and slowly reached inside his pocket. I saw his phone sticking out, and I spoke to dare him further, wondering if he was bluffing. His smirk didn’t go away, and I knew he was being serious.
Ugh. I hate this egomaniac douchebag.
“Ugh, fine! But no kissing, no touching any part of my body, and no pet names. Got it?” I shuddered at the last one. I hated pet names with a passion; it just sounded so fake.
“A few kisses, holding hands, a few hugs here in there, and one pet name.” Isaac went into lawyer mode, negotiating.
“Maybe holding hands and a few hugs. A hard no to kissing. Tell me the pet name, and I’ll think about it.” I stood my ground; I was a lawyer too.
He glanced at me then took out his cell and started dialing a number, his eyes still on me. I was curious to see if he was bluffing because I didn’t think he would have Jasper’s phone number.
“Yeah, it’s Isaac. I do believe you remember me. Jasper, right?” My eyes widened in shock. I took his cell away and pressed the mute button, freaking out.
“What the fuck?” I snapped at Isaac, forgetting he was my boss.
He smirked. “I don’t play fair, so we do kisses on the lips, holding hands, and hugs like there is no tomorrow. Oh, and pet names. Deal, or I press the unmute button.” I wanted to call him every name in the book, but I decided against it and sighed. It wasn’t like he was a bad kisser, and that was the problem. I knew that if we kept this charade, I was going to lose a part of me, and that was scary. Isaac D’Angelo was someone that I could easily fall in love with.