Cherry Popper

by Victoria Quinn

  20

  Monroe

  WHEN HE REJECTED me a second time, it hurt just as much as the first time.

  Slate wanted me, but not enough to trust me.

  Simone and Coen really messed him up, made it impossible for him to trust anyone. I was harmless, but he viewed me as a criminal. All his walls were up, and he wouldn’t even let me get close enough to scale them.

  A part of me wanted to try anyway, to take it slow until he learned to trust me, but if he wasn’t willing to compromise with me, why should I compromise with him? He could push me away at any time, and I would have to start all over.

  And heal my broken heart.

  Wyatt had never asked about Slate, even after the awkward run-in at the office. Our relationship was still casual. We hadn’t even slept together. We went on dates, made out on the couch, and then I went home.

  It seemed too soon to sleep with someone else.

  Wyatt seemed to understand that, so he never pushed me. He might be seeing someone else while he saw me, so he was still getting action. But since we weren’t exclusive, it didn’t bother me. It also didn’t bother me because I was still hung up on Slate.

  I would be hung up on him for a while.

  Wyatt and I met up for lunch a few days later. We split a pizza and had a few sodas. The nice thing about Wyatt was he didn’t order a salad every time we went out to eat. He ate real food like a normal person—and still kept up his physique. I hadn’t seen him shirtless yet, but I imagined Slate was a lot more ripped because he was religious about his food choices.

  Wyatt finished his slice then wiped his greasy fingers on a napkin. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “Is Slate Remington the guy you slept with?”

  I wasn’t allowed to confide that information to someone else, but I felt awkward lying to him about who I slept with. I was torn in two, unsure what kind of answer I should give. “You know…I can’t really talk about him.”

  “So that’s a yes,” he said before he took a drink from his soda. “So you have a type—powerful men.”

  “Ugh, not really. My relationship with him just unfolded. And I was sitting in a bar drinking when you came on to me.”

  “And you said yes.”

  “Regardless of how powerful you were, I would have said yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re gorgeous.”

  He grinned wide, like those words perfectly stroked his ego. “Good answer.”

  “It’s the truth.” I picked up my second slice and took a bite.

  “So what did he want the other day?”

  “Who?”

  “Slate Remington.”

  “Oh…” I turned quiet, unsure what to say. “You know, I’d rather not talk about him.” I’d already said it once, but perhaps I needed to say it again.

  “I’m not trying to be nosy. I just want to know where you stand with him. Is there a possibility you might get back together? I’m sure Slate heard that we were seeing each other, and if he has any brains, he would do something to keep you. You’re gorgeous too.”

  My cheeks filled with a blush. “Uh, thanks.”

  “So?” he pressed.

  “He apologized to me and admitted he was jealous.”

  “As he should be.” He rested his elbows on the table and leaned toward me.

  “But he wasn’t willing to give me what I wanted.”

  “Which is?”

  “A relationship. I’m not looking for marriage or a conversation about kids. I have time to worry about that later. But I just wanted something…some kind of foundation. He has trust issues, so he turned me down.”

  “So let me get this straight. After dropping you, he chases after you to tell you he’s jealous and unhappy. But he’s still not willing to be with you?”

  “In so many words…”

  “That’s a bit douchey.”

  I shouldn’t defend Slate’s honor, but I felt like I had to. “He just has trust issues. He’s been backstabbed one too many times.”

  “Didn’t that thing happen with Simone like five years ago?”

  I guess the whole world really did know about it. “Yes.”

  “And shouldn’t he be over it by now?”

  I shrugged. “That’s his business.”

  “Well, if he’s not an idiot, he should let it go.”

  But he was an idiot. He wasn’t willing to trust me enough even to try.

  “Honestly, people cheat all the time. That’s just how the world works. For a businessman like him, I would assume he’d have a thicker skin than that.”

  I still felt loyalty to Slate even if I shouldn’t, and I didn’t like listening to Wyatt tear him down, especially when he didn’t even know him. “Let’s talk about something else.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I just kinda like you and want to know how likely it is that Slate will get his head on straight. Because you’re clearly still into him.”

  I didn’t deny it. “I don’t think he’ll ever get his head on straight.”

  “Well, that’s good news for me.”

  I WAS LYING IN BED, trying to fall asleep when my phone rang.

  I looked at the screen and saw Slate’s name.

  I hadn’t expected to see his name on my phone ever again.

  I should ignore him the way he ignored me, but since I couldn’t sleep anyway, I took the call. I let my silence announce my presence.

  He did the same.

  The silence ensued, and we didn’t speak a word to each other.

  I wasn’t even sure why he called. But I also wasn’t sure why I didn’t hang up. If this was really over, we shouldn’t be talking to one another. It would just make moving on more difficult. “Yes?”

  “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice deep and quiet.

  “It’s eleven. What do you think I’m doing?”

  “I imagine you’re in bed, alone, wearing cute panties and a baggy t-shirt.”

  “You paint a realistic picture. What are you doing?”

  “I’m in bed—nude.”

  “You always sleep in the nude?” I asked, missing that perfect body and that tanned skin.

  “Only when I jerk off.”

  My breath caught in my throat when I heard the sexy confession. “Are you doing that now…?”

  “Just finished. The used tissues are on my nightstand.”

  “That’s quite a picture…”

  “Does it turn you on?”

  I would be lying if I said it didn’t. “Did you think about me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then yes.”

  He sighed into the phone. “Sweetheart…I miss you.”

  I didn’t berate him for the nickname, not this time. “I miss you too.”

  “Don’t fuck him.”

  “I’ve got to fuck someone sometime. I can’t have great sex one time and then go celibate.”

  “So you liked it?”

  “Obviously. I came twice, didn’t I?”

  “But you also cried most of the time.”

  Because I had an enormous dick in between my legs. “It was my first time…cut me some slack.”

  “I’m not judging you. It was sexy. Your cherry was my favorite to pop.”

  “Then why do you want to keep doing it with other people?”

  He turned quiet. “It’s not that I want to keep doing it…”

  “You’re stupid if you throw us away over something some bitch did to you five years ago. You know that, right? Because Wyatt really likes me…and I’m starting to really like him.” Eventually, I would let myself really fall for him. Then Slate would become a distant memory.

  He sighed into the phone. “Like I said, it’s not about her. It’s just… I don’t see a lot of good in the world.”

  “You don’t think I’m good?”

  “I never said you weren’t. But I really don’t know you that well. We’ve only known each other for t
wo months—and I haven’t seen you much in the last few weeks.”

  “Then get to know me, Slate. I’m not asking for marriage or your pin number.”

  He chuckled. “I know.”

  “I’m not asking for anything…just for you to try.”

  “Even that is difficult for me. I’ve already let you in so much.”

  “Then keep going.”

  “Easier said than done.”

  I couldn’t keep talking him into this. I couldn’t entertain these late-night phone calls. “Slate, if that’s your final decision, you have to stop calling me. I’m not yours to call. I’m going to keep seeing Wyatt…and soon, I’m going to start sleeping with him. Once that happens, I can’t keep up this weird relationship with you. It would be deceitful.”

  He moaned into the phone like he was in pain. “I don’t want to picture you with him…”

  “Then don’t. But it’ll be a reality.”

  “That’s even worse.”

  “Well, that’s something you’ll have to live with.”

  He turned quiet, his somber mood heavy over the line. “I’ll let you go to sleep, sweetheart. Good night.”

  Just like the last time he rejected me, it hurt like hell. I didn’t even bother saying goodnight before I hung up.

  21

  Slate

  I SAT at my desk and stared out the window to the city beyond.

  My brother was getting married next week—and I’d never been more confused.

  Monroe was out there, dating billionaire Wyatt Newton. He was just as rich as me, just as handsome, and he understood just how special she was. In a short amount of time, he would win over her affection—and fuck her.

  That would kill me.

  I wasn’t just obsessed with Monroe because of her incredible pussy. I loved everything about her, from the freckles on her cheeks, to her full lips, to the way she laughed. I loved the way she licked her wine away when a drop came loose. I loved the way she pardoned me for my sins and saw me as a good man underneath. I also loved her purity—the fact that only I had fucked her.

  The second someone else had her, I would lose a piece of her.

  I didn’t want that to happen.

  But I couldn’t give her what she asked.

  So how did I accomplish both? How did I get her under my thumb without making a commitment I couldn’t keep?

  I stared out the window for twenty minutes until it came to me.

  The perfect idea.

  I SHOWED up at her apartment after work, hoping that asshole wouldn’t already be there. I knocked on the door and waited. Once I heard the sound of her footsteps, I held my breath and waited. She would see my face in the peephole, and she would probably be annoyed I wasn’t staying away from her.

  She opened the door, wearing dark jeans and a white blouse that tied in front of her waist. She had red lipstick painted across her lips, thick mascara, and sexy eye shadow. She didn’t wear a lot of makeup, but when she did, she was even more stunning. “Slate, what did we just—”

  “I need to talk to you. Can I come in?”

  She hesitated before she opened the door.

  I stepped inside her cramped living room and finally felt some privacy once the door was shut.

  She crossed her arms and looked at me, already disappointed by what I would say.

  “I want to offer you something. It’s the best compromise I can come up with.”

  “A compromise?” she asked. “I’m listening.”

  “You still have a $450,000 loan hanging over your head. Not only will you be paying that for the rest of your life, but you’re going to have $2,000 plucked out of your bank account every month.”

  “Thank you for reminding me…”

  “I’ll pay it off for you—in exchange for something.”

  Her eyebrow cocked, and she looked offended rather than pleased.

  “You. I want you for three months. And I’ll wipe out your debt.”

  “You do realize that officially makes me a prostitute.”

  “I don’t see it that way.” I saw it as a way to keep her for a little longer, to get her out of my system so letting her go would be easier. “In addition, that also gives me time to try to be what you want. A test run.”

  She didn’t reject it right away, but she didn’t seem happy either. “So you’re going to pay me for sex?”

  “Not just sex. But you.”

  “Same thing.”

  “And I said I’m willing to try to be something more. We’ll be monogamous. We’ll do the dates and the relationship…and if I can’t see it happening in three months…that’ll be the end.”

  “And my heart will be broken into a million pieces.”

  So would mine. “That’s the best offer I can give you. You’re risking your heart, but at least you’ll be out of debt for good.”

  “Slate, I want you for you. Not for your money.”

  “I know…but at least this gives you an incentive to give me a chance.” If I’d asked without offering the money, she would never agree. She wouldn’t risk getting her heart broken after three months with me. It was too risky, especially when I would probably leave anyway. But now she was cleaning up her debt for good. She would get a clean slate, a better chance of a quality life. She wouldn’t have to work just to pay bills. She could save her money, get a better apartment, and maybe even buy a car.

  She paced slowly as she shook her head. “You really don’t want me to be with Wyatt, huh?”

  “No.” I couldn’t stand the thought.

  “It makes me sad to think he’s the only reason this is happening. If I dated some nobody, you never would have known about it and never would have thought of me again.”

  Maybe I wouldn’t have gotten jealous and marched to her office to get her back, but I certainly would have thought of her. “That’s not true. If that were the case, I would have slept with someone before I even found out about Wyatt. But I haven’t.”

  She stopped pacing and looked at me.

  “Are you saying yes?”

  “I don’t know…”

  I needed her to say yes. I needed to have her back. I needed to take her back to my penthouse so I could enjoy her, to have the real thing instead of a stale memory. “Say yes.”

  “I’m not sure if the money is worth a broken heart.”

  “But you might not have a broken heart. Maybe you’ll get sick of me. Maybe you’ll be the one who wants to leave.”

  She scoffed. “I highly doubt that, Slate.”

  “There’s still a chance it could end differently.”

  “How good of a chance?” she whispered.

  I wished I could be different. I wished I could be a normal man and give this woman what she wanted. Before Simone, I fooled around because I hadn’t met a woman I actually liked. Then we got together, and monogamy was easy. But she took my virginity when we were young and then stabbed me in the back a decade later. I hadn’t been the same since. I turned off my heart completely and turned into a fucking machine. But everything had been different with Monroe, since the moment she stormed into my office. “I don’t know. But good enough to try.”

  22

  Monroe

  I DIDN’T FEEL comfortable running off to Slate’s penthouse right away, so I asked him to leave so I could break it off with Wyatt first. We weren’t serious, but he had the right to know what was going on.

  He took it well. Told me to call him if it didn’t work out.

  I suspected I would be making that phone call in a few months.

  I sat in my office and considered the offer I’d agreed to. Three months for $450,000—that was over $100,000 every month. I was being paid to put my life on hold, to risk heartache for a man who couldn’t commit. But I needed that money…and I needed him.

  Maybe it was just an excuse to do something reckless. Most people wouldn’t walk away from that kind of money, so it was a good reason to stay, a good reason to do something stupid. I wanted to believe there
was a chance Slate might change, but in my heart, I found that unlikely.

  But I wanted him anyway.

  The second he got what he wanted before, he was so cold to me. I would never forget the dread in my stomach when he ignored my phone call, the way he looked so annoyed when I stopped by his penthouse.

  He was a whole different person.

  Once he popped my cherry, he turned back into the asshole I’d originally met.

  Would he do it again?

  I finished a day at the office, and just as I was walking out of the building, I ran into Slate.

  In his suit and tie, he looked like a million dollars with his muscular physique. Ignorant to all the stares directed his way, he focused on me. He stopped in front of me on the sidewalk, one hand sliding into his pocket. He didn’t greet me with affection like he would behind closed doors.

  “What brings you here?” Now that he’d popped up at my apartment and my office, I was used to him catching me off guard.

  “Haven’t heard from you in a while.”

  “Just busy.”

  He’d just shaved that morning, so he looked particularly handsome. His brown eyes looked like melted chocolate that was perfect for dipping. His dark hair was nearly the same color as his eyes, so he had a naturally intense appearance. Even when he was at his sweetest, he was still threatening. “Have you thought about my offer?”

  This would probably be a mistake, but maybe it wouldn’t be a mistake I would regret. “I ended things with Wyatt yesterday. He took it well.”

  Relief danced across his eyes like it was the best news he’d heard all day. His shoulders relaxed noticeably with the deep breath he took. His rival was out of the way, which meant he had me all to himself. “I’m surprised he was so understanding.”

  “He told me to call him if it doesn’t work out.”

  The relief he showed a second ago disappeared. “Of course he did…”

  “If you don’t want me, someone else will. It’s not that surprising.”

  “It’s not surprising at all…just annoying.”

  I stepped around him and headed to the sidewalk. “You could have called.”