Текст книги "Sudden Desires"

Автор книги: Shanora Williams

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 11 страниц)

I drop my other, both hands sliding down and around to the small of her back. They continue south, and stop right on top of her plump ass.

I squeeze her cheeks in my hands, and she giggles behind our kiss as I start to turn rock hard in my pants.

I’ve just met Angelina, yes, but I do trust her… believe it or not. There aren’t many people that can open me up like she can. Not many of them can get answers out of me without actually trying.

She’s such a natural, kind-spirited, and absolutely sexy woman. Why she would be foolish enough to waste her time fucking the likes of me still astounds me.

She deserves better…

But I’m not letting her go, and if signing this contract means we get to work together for the years to come then, yes, I will sign it. That way, even if she decides to quit on me, I will still have some sort of hold on her.

I will still have her at my side, at my table, and in my office. She won’t be able to turn away because she loves working. She’s passionate about what she does, and I can count on her to show up just for that.

She will be mine, whether she gives up on me or not.

The only negative is I won’t be able to tell Jenkins.

If he finds out our money is being split with a third party, he’ll kill me.

This secret will remain with us, and after I fuck my beautiful angel raw on this table top, I will make her promise me that much.

That this is between us. That no one outside of Boyd and Clarke will know of the business we now, technically, share.

Fuck, this is new. I don’t share. Ever.

But, for Angelina Clark, I would share with her the world if it were all mine.

TWENTY

Angelina

“I’ll sign it tonight,” Griffin says, halfway out the door.

I’m tying my hair up in a bun after having my roots practically yanked out by his gruff hands. I nod, and he plants a swift kiss on my cheek and then my lips. I return it, giving it all the enthusiasm I can.

But when he’s long gone and the door is shut behind me, I can’t help but feel an abundance of guilt and shame. This isn’t me…I shouldn’t have done that. But it’s too late now.

I can’t take it back.

I have to go through with this.

I care about Griffin, and I know he cares about me, but when it comes to my life, I care about my family and mine more.

I look towards my phone on the table. The screen flashes, and I go towards it, spotting Jackie’s name. Jackie, my half-sister. The one not even Scott knows about. Mom doesn’t know her either. But Dad did, of course.

He used to take me to dinner to see her. He let me meet her lots of times, her mom too. He told me personally that he could trust me not to say anything and since I liked Jackie so much, I promised I never would. It was like me and Dad’s tiny little secret.

He’d cheated, but I’d heard about Mom’s affairs as well. I guess I couldn’t blame either of them… or myself for that matter.

There’s no wonder I love sex so much. I give into most of my desires without many regrets at all. I love risks. Being with Griffin is a huge risk, but it’s one that I have to take.

Because if I don’t, it means risking losing Jackie.

It means letting Dad down.

And I can’t let him down, nor can I lose her. Not yet. I love her, probably a bit more than Scott as a sibling. It’s much easier to be around her. She’s kind and accepting. Sweet and generous. We are only two years apart, she younger than me. We can relate about a lot of things.

I haven’t seen her in weeks. I’m sure she misses me because I miss her like crazy. Luckily, she has her boyfriend David, but as soon as this thing with Griffin is sealed tight, I will be on my way to hang with her for a whole weekend.

I grab the phone, but I end up not answering. I absentmindedly stare at it. I need to think. I need to digest this pill of guilt. Jackie wouldn’t approve of this, which is why I have yet to tell her. She hates lying. She has a good heart. I wish I could say the same for myself.

Griffin is going home with that contract and I know he’s not going to read through its entirety. I know because, as he mentioned, he trusts me, and since he knows I created the contract, he’s going to skim through it, sign it, and then hand it back to me with the need of a quickie.

But just in case he does get to read it all, I’m going to distract him with emails. I’m going to get him to really, really trust me.

Me, Angelina Clark, the terrible, no-good liar.

The backstabber.

The slut that tricks men like Griffin Boyd into contracts.

My phone buzzes again after several minutes pass.

I stand and walk towards it.

Scott.

I pick up immediately and answer with a faint voice.

“Angelina?”

“Yeah?”

“You alone?”

“Yes.”

“Is it done?”

I shut my eyes briefly, gripping the phone tighter in my hand. My eyes feel hot, my palms now clammy, and with the biggest brick of disappointment sitting at the pit of my stomach, I answer, “Yes, Scott. It’s almost done. He’s going to sign it tonight.”

“Really? That was faster than I thought, but that’s good.” He sighs, as if relief is truly flooding him as much as my remorse. “This is good, Angelina. You did great. He trusts you?”

“I assume so.”

“Figures. I knew he’d trust you more than he would me. There’s always something to get a man to crack. My stunning sister, of course. Good thing he never met you before. When are you flying back in?”

“A few days after he signs. If I leave as soon as he signs it, it’ll look too suspicious on my part. I have to keep hanging with him, opening him up. I have to distract him from the contract until we get it filed and finalize with Lexi.”

“Right. Okay. Well, when you get here come right to my place. We have a lot to discuss, sis.” He pauses and I remain silent. Apparently my silence deafens him because he speaks up again. “You are still… in on this right… sis?” I want to shout no! I feel horrible. Disgusting. But then Scott continues talking, and I feel even worse, but I know he’s kind of right. “Ang, it’s because of the people he works for that Dad is gone. I’ve told you this over and over again. Don’t get your emotions involved. You did what you had to do, and now we are set. Once he signs that contract I will handle the rest. You won’t even have to see him again if you don’t want to, and there won’t be anything he can do about it.”

“I know, Scott.”

“Good… so cheer up!” He forces a laugh.

And I do the same, dropping my head in the process. “I’ll let you know when I’ve landed.”

“Okay. Remember, you’re doing the right thing here. The bastard has what we should have because of his stupid father-in-law. Nothing personal against Boyd, but we have to get to the root of it all and you know what that is. We are done letting people walk all over us. The Clarks are taking back what’s rightfully theirs.”

“Right,” I breathe, nodding, but I can’t fight the plummeting in my stomach, the heavy knots forming. Scott says goodbye and I hang up, slowly dropping my phone as I stare ahead through the window for, I’m certain, the fourth time today.

He is right. Dad would probably still be here if it weren’t for Steven Jenkins. He never would have panicked or stressed. He never would have endured that stroke.

He was a hard working man, but shit went haywire and his stress levels doubled. His blood pressure spiked after what Jenkins did to him.

But, now that we’ll have Griffin wrapped around our finger, we will be on top again. We will be winning again.

Like Scott said, it’s nothing personal against Griffin. I know he will hate me when he finds out the truth... but he won’t find out too soon, I hope.

If it does happen sooner rather than later, I won’t show my face anymore. Scott will do all the work and transfer everything to me. I’ll stay in New Mexico and handle what I can.

Griffin… he’ll expect me, but I won’t come, no matter how hard it will be not to… and soon I will get over it. If Scott can’t make it, we’ll send someone else. We’ll hire someone, and Neil can finally go in peace like he always wanted.

It’s all worked out.

All of what Griffin owns—all that he has worked so hard for—will soon be ours, and he doesn’t even know it yet.

I can’t imagine how betrayed he’ll feel, but my family is more important. Jackie is sick, and I need money to keep her healthy. Jackie comes first. Fulfilling Dad’s wishes, making him smile up in heaven. That is the goal.

He lost everything because of Jenkins, and we’re snatching that shit right back and shoving it right in his fucking face like the pile of shit he is. The greedy bastard will probably have his own stroke, die right when the news is delivered.

But let me not get ahead of myself. First, we need Griffin Boyd’s signature because Griffin is Jenkins’s sole proprietor. In a way, without Boyd, Jenkins is nothing. He would be broke without him. We looked into it. We know.

Once that’s done, everything will be set in motion. Everything will be much better… well, everything outside of our new partnership with Boyd, that is.

I’m not sure how he will take it, and I truly don’t expect him to understand.

I’m generally a good person. I have never betrayed anyone in my entire life, but I’m glad I didn’t get in deeper with him. I’m glad we aren’t months in, to the point where I would have no choice but to feel something for him.

But even if we were, this would still have to be done.

I would feel worse than I do now, but either way it would be too late to take it back. I guess that’s how this business works. If you don’t fight hard enough, you won’t win.

TWENTY ONE

Colette

He’s still not home. It’s four in the afternoon and he’s still not here.

I’m getting way too worked up, so much that I end up calling my guy. He answers with a smoothness in his voice. His voice always reminds me of chocolate. Dark, sinful, and sweet. His voice is a sin, really.

“Have you heard from Griffin?” I ask him.

“Give me one second,” he says, and then I hear shuffling.

I sigh impatiently as I pace my study, staring at the depressing painting I created last night due to my annoyance with the Potters.

When he is finally clear, it takes me by total surprise when he says, “Griffin is here. In my office. We’re going for lunch in about thirty minutes.”

I frown at the floor. “What?” I spit. “Why is he with you? Why didn’t he come home?”

He’s quiet on his end for several seconds. “I don’t know. Why? Was he supposed to?”

“No—well, I don’t know. He said he was going to work to do something but I called and his assistant said he didn’t come into work.” I pinch the bridge of my nose, a thickness swelling in my chest. “Is he… is he wearing fresh clothes? Does he smell sweet, like a woman has been around?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa… are you implying that he may have been sleeping around on you?” I don’t answer, but he speaks up again. “Look, Colette,” he sighs into the phone. “I know Griffin is a bastard. I know you deserve someone better than him, but what I also know is that he would never cheat on you. He’d be a fool to do something like that—especially with the hold your family has on him. He owes you… for life. And I’m not just saying that. That’s basically what the contract says.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know.” I groan, plopping down on the arm of my recliner.

“But to answer your questions, no he doesn’t smell sweet. He’s dressed clean, like he’s been at work.”

“Yeah… only, I’m sure he hasn’t.” I look at my painting again, the lonely child above the abstract blue clouds.

The child reminds me of Bradley. I swallow hard, marching for my door and storming out to get to my bedroom.

“Just calm down,” he coos to me. “Take a few deep breaths. Griffin will be home soon. I’m sure.” He’s quiet for a moment. I hear some chattering in the background. He must be in the hallway. “I miss you, Colette. You owe me some explaining about the other morning.”

“What is there to explain?” I snap, but only because I’m not in the mood to talk about us. Something is up with Griffin, and whether he wants to help me or not, I’m going to find out.

“Well… the way you just ran out. Made me seem like I did something wrong.” His voice is hesitant now. That’s another one of his downfalls. He loses his backbone so quickly when I snap on him.

“I told you I had things to do. Look, keep an eye on Griffin, will you? Tell me if he seems… I don’t know… too chipper or something?”

“Yeah,” he responds dryly. “I’ll do that.” And then he hangs up, and normally it would bug me, but not this time.

This time I don’t care. I sit in the bedroom for a while, listening to the clock ticking on the east wall, the minutes rolling by.

I am wasting my time on this. I should just go back to my study and pretend nothing is happening. I should act like I don’t care what the hell is keeping Griffin away from home.

But who am I fooling?

I spring off the bed, power walking down the hallway and meeting at the large, polished mahogany door. The door that is the only thing keeping me out of Griffin’s office.

It’s normally locked because he hates when Arianna cleans and organizes things that he’ll need later but can’t find right away, but when I jiggle the handle, it’s not.

I look around, hearing Arianna downstairs vacuuming the living room. She’s busy, and Griffin is away. I’m sure he won’t be home for another few hours. Nothing is stopping me.

I sneak in, shutting the door behind me quietly and staring ahead at his large black desk. His Mac sits on top of the desk, unoccupied. Unused. He hasn’t used it in a while.

Tired of stalling, I walk towards the desk and wiggle the mouse, tapping the keyboard, and to my complete surprise, it’s not shut off. It’s unlocked. I slip into the chair behind the desk, clicking through his files first.

Maybe there is something big with work. Something holding him up, like a big deal or stock exchange. Hell, I don’t know how this stuff works.

Most of what I see is business stuff, shit that I don’t really care about. Like the annual fall banquet that I will be forced to attend.

I scroll through his website. Other than that deal he was talking about with Quarter or something, nothing is new. I continue scrolling, but it is then that a woman catches my eyes.

A beautiful brunette woman.

Gorgeous, really. Bold, blue eyes, slender body, beautiful legs and great fucking heels. It’s not that she bothers me, her looks I mean. I’ve always been the less attractive one of Beth and me.

It’s not that she’s so stunning I should feel intimidated. It’s the fact that she stands so closely to Griffin in the photo of him shaking hands with some men at the agreement meeting. It’s the caption that makes my insides freeze and stop beating.

The caption reads: CEO of Boyd Enterprises, Griffin Boyd, lands a great deal with Quarter Banking in San Diego, California.

I should be proud of him for this. He’s proud of his work, happy about something so big. But… I’m not. Because that woman is looking right at him, and standing shoulder to shoulder.

I’m certain that’s admiration in her eyes. There is nothing that mentions her. No name, but she looks important to his job. He never told me he was working with a woman… he never said anything about it. I’m sure I would remember such a thing.

That’s not the only thing taking me completely off guard—what’s making my heart double in speed. It’s the fact that he was in San Diego with her… during that rainy night when he couldn’t get home. He stayed, and he didn’t respond to my rant of a text message.

He was probably with her… celebrating. Drinking… and we all know drinking leads to anonymous actions.

My throat hurts when I swallow. I click through his website, hoping I don’t see her anymore and, luckily, I don’t.

I should stop, but I can’t.

Like a fool, I venture through his emails and when I come across the name Angelina Clark… my heart skids to a stop. Angelina… Angel. A coincidence, I think, that is until I read the emails from just last night.

Intimate emails.

Hotel name and room number type of emails.

Slowly, I back my face away from the screen, unable to blink, unable to speak. I knew he didn’t go to work, but I was hoping deep down that he hadn’t run off and done something stupid either.

“Ah, my sweet fucking angel.”

My sweet.

Fucking.

Angel.

He said those words to me… only, he wasn’t picturing me. It was her… it was all her. So this is why he’s been acting strange. This is why he’s stopped caring so much.

Those words haunt me, making my brain rattle, my pulse stutter. I lift a hand and cover my mouth, and the first thing that hits me is rage. I close out the tabs and the Internet, leaving it the way it was, and I have the urge to destroy his office, break everything in sight… but I don’t.

That will leave too much proof.

Instead, I storm back out, and I’m glad our living room is so big and that Arianna is still vacuuming because when I make it back into my study, the first thing I grab is the canvas. I slam it across my knee, tossing the remains at the nearest wall.

Heatedly, I snatch books off the shelf, throw paintbrushes at the window, snap the legs of my easel in half. By the time I’m done, my hands are bleeding, and my body is on fucking fire.

I pant unevenly, seething, blood dripping on the rug as I focus on the window ahead. I wish I could jump out right now, end it all. I wish that things were like before. I wish I didn’t give a fuck… but I do.

God, I hate my emotions.

Why does this keep happening?

Why can’t I just stop feeling?

Why can’t I just stay cold…?

My husband… my sweet, adoring, patient husband of seven years has cheated on me for the first time.

The first time, I know, because he’s never shown signs like this. He’s never lost interest in me so quickly, no matter how much I’ve turned him down, and even when he does he always tries again. I always give enough to keep him interested and entertained.

Griffin… my god, I’ve lost Griffin. My Griffin.

After all these years, he’s gone.

Off fucking another woman behind my back

A stunning woman named Angelina Clark.

And what’s worse is that I can’t tell anyone… I can’t because this… this will destroy my existence. This will end my life as I know it. This is fucking insane… but I know what to do.

Two can play at this game.

I will not lose Griffin to that bitch.

I will have to die first before that even comes close to happening.

TWENTY TWO

Griffin

Good thing I had some clothes to pick up from dry cleaning.

I had Kelly pick them up for me and stopped by my office very briefly to occupy the loft in my building.

I took care of myself, and then, with the contract Angelina sent me, I went to visit my best friend, Gabriel Adams.

Now, I’m here, sitting across the desk from him, watching as he does that annoying tapping noise on the desk with his pen.

He flips through the pages of the contract, and with each one his brows further crease, proving to me that something isn’t right.

I don’t want to believe something is wrong because I’ve handed Angelina my trust, but after stepping out of that hotel, peeling back the sunroof of my car, and allowing in some fresh air, I realized that I was out of my fucking mind.

I was about to agree to something, sign it just because I wanted to keep her pussy afloat. I was going to cave for that girl, and I thank God I didn’t sign it in front of her.

I’m glad I said I would wait it out. By the look on my friend and lawyer’s face, I now know that I was wise not to share my business so willingly.

Sighing, Gabriel lowers the papers in front of him, and after studying the last page once more, his brown eyes shift up to meet mine. “Well, it’s a damn good thing you didn’t sign this before coming to me,” he says, placing both the paper and his pen down.

I sit forward in my chair, one brow cocked. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, it seems pretty legit. It’s all been worded nicely, to the point that you wouldn’t read over it twice…”

“But?”

“But, and I’m sorry to tell you this, Griffin, the Clarks aren’t just trying to share. They are trying to get in closer, and soon, they will take what’s yours and own you.”

I narrow my eyes. “What would make you assume that?”

“Oh, I’m not assuming anything.” He grabs his pen and underlines a few lines, then he slides it across the table and I focus on him before snatching it up. He watches me as I read over the three lines. It is something I wouldn’t have thought twice about.

Basically, what it states is that after two years, all of my stock businesses that run well on Wall Street, like Dow Jones Industrial Average and NASDAQ and even Quarter Banking, will be assigned contracts to Clark. Meaning, they will no longer come to me to be their way maker, their deal settler.

The companies will go to Clark, and they will most likely sign contracts, which will put them in a position of never seeking my help again.

Losing assets that big will leave me practically broke. There are other companies like Apple and Samsung, but they aren’t as big as these. The people that work with NASDAQ and DJIA are pretty loyal to me.

They have trusted me for years because I spent years in New York gaining it, and when I finally got my business going, they came running into my arms, seeking my help, pretty much tossing me their money just so I could negotiate and make ways for them.

“Wow,” I breathe. I can’t believe she would do this to me. Angelina… she said things would be the same as they are now, and I guess she was partially correct because things would have been fine… but only for two years, as the contracts states.

I slump back in my chair, staring wide-eyed at the papers. I was almost served a cold, hard dish of bullshit, all because of some tight, young pussy that stole my common sense away.

This is what I get. This is exactly what I get for stepping out of line.

I drop the papers on the desk and stand, whipping out my cellphone. “What are you doing?” Gabriel asks, pushing out of his chair.

“Calling the Clarks. They think they can set some shit like this up and expect me to fall for it?” My head shakes, heat tunneling through my veins.

Gabriel walks around the desk and when he meets in front of me, he grabs my arm, forcing my hand down. “Hold on now, Griffin. Think about this. They don’t know that you haven’t signed, but I’m guessing they think you will? That you assured them of it?”

“Yes,” I snap.

“Why on God’s green earth would you agree to some shit like that? Sharing your business? You have never shared a thing in your life—nothing like this!”

I pull my eyes away from his, focusing on my cellphone. I can feel him trying to catch my eye, but it only takes several seconds for him to catch on.

“Oh... Holy shit? A woman? There’s a woman, am I right?”

I look up, but don’t respond. My look of blatancy is enough to answer him with.

“Griffin… you’re telling me that you—that you cheated… on Colette?”

“Don’t even put it that way, Gabriel. You and I both know Colette has been done with me for years. She’s over me. She doesn’t love me anymore. The only reason we’re still in this together is because of that fucking contract—which would have been broken by me if I’d signed that shit.” I point back with my thumb at Angelina’s full-of-shit contract.

“No, listen… this is good.” He holds his hands up, remaining patient with me, completely ignoring the fact that I’ve had an actual affair. “They don’t suspect anything. If that woman’s goal was to seduce you into signing, it means she’s confident… comfortable around you. And you are—well, were comfortable around her. Am I right?”

“Yes,” I mutter, walking around him and dropping down on his sofa.

“Right, so since they wanted to pull one over on you, how about we hand them back what they’ve just tried to dish out?”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I will write up a quick contract, one that looks similar to what she has created. They want to play dirty, oh, we’ll show them dirty. All she has to do is sign, which she will because her signature is needed too.”

“Okay… I’m intrigued.” I sit forward. “What exactly will the contract say?”

“It will have all the same words, but the little holes she tried to toss in there, I can change them. I will write it up fast, a quick copy and paste. Won’t take me too long. What she won’t realize is that what she’s signing is an agreement to pay up over fifty percent of what the Clark business makes… which means more money for you, and you will always have an eye on their accounts.”

“Their accounts? How?”

He shrugs, pride masking his emotions. “I can toss that in there too. I’m telling you, I will have it look exactly like hers. And the best part,” he says, grinning so hard I think his face might break, “is that she can’t sue. She won’t be able to because this is a binding contract. We have a copy of hers and I’ll file it, and if she ever tries to take this to court, she’ll know we will win. She’ll know because we’ll have a copy of her contract. Her lies. Her deceit. Yes, if it goes to court you’ll have to testify about the affair, but I’m certain it won’t go that far because she’s not foolish enough to lose everything over this measly contract. Imagine if word got out that she tried to sleep her way to the top. Their company would be ruined.”

I look Gabriel over, stunned by his wicked wisdom. This guy isn’t my best friend for no reason. He’s my best friend because he’s a fucking genius, and he gets me out of trouble every single time I make a mistake.

“This is good,” I murmur, standing again. “Really good. How soon do you think you can get the contract back to me?”

He shrugs. “By tonight, I’m sure. If not then, no later than tomorrow morning.”

I nod. “Good. That works for me. She’ll wait here as long as I have the contract.”

“In the meantime, try not to ignore her. I know you’re probably pissed about this, I would be too, but she needs to know you’re not onto her or her lawyer will revoke the contract, meaning that as long as it isn’t signed, they have the right to pull it from their records and demolish it’s proof. Our copy could look like a sham. A hoax. But, if you hand them the new contract signed, the girl will rush to file it, no questions asked. It will be on file then and it can’t be revoked because it will be considered a legal and certified contract.”

“How are you so sure?” I question, side-eyeing him.

“Griffin, I’ve been doing this all my life,” he laughs. “Trust me, this will be handled.”

I smirk at him, making my way towards his door. Gripping the doorknob, I say, “Well, just make sure you get it to me as soon as possible. In the meantime I’ll try to occupy her.” I pause on twisting the doorknob, narrowing my eyes back at him. “If you’re so damn good at what you do, why the hell can’t you find me a loop in Jenkins’s contract?”

He holds his hands out in an innocent state and shrugs. “I’ve read that thing forwards and backwards. The man has some pretty strong, smart lawyers. Trying to challenge it will only make you lose everything, Griffin.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I mumble, pulling the door ajar. “I’ve heard that one over and over again.”

“Hey,” he calls, and I pause. “What’s the girls name anyway, if you don’t mind me asking?”

I sigh, and with defeat, I say, “Angelina Clark. But don’t get used to it. Her name won’t be of much use after this is over.”

I intentionally work all day, though I can’t exactly concentrate.

During my three conference meetings this afternoon and this morning I kept spacing out, leaving Kelly to fill in answers for me and then later on ask me if I was okay.

I told him that I am okay, but now I regret being absentminded so many times because this is his fourth time coming into my office to ask me something pointless. I know all he’s really doing is checking up on me.

Without me, he has no boss, which means he has no job. No one else will hire Kelly because he’s extremely eccentric.

He holds extraordinary respect for me, and I him, but I think only I would accept his revolving hair color, his hoop nose piercing, and his painted nails.

I find him unique. Not only that, but he reminds me of my baby brother, Walter, who just so happens to be on the flamboyant side too.

I take no offense to him or Kelly because, ironically, they have bigger balls than me for being so proud of who they really are.

“Would you like me to get you some coffee or anything, sir?” Kelly asks from the door. “I was just going to take my lunch break. I can run and grab you a cup.”

He folds his fingers in front of him, somewhat edgy.

“Uh, yeah… sure, Kelly. That’d be great. Thanks.” He nods and walks out of the room, shutting my door behind him.

When he’s gone, I sigh and sit back in my seat, spinning around and facing the open window. The same window Angelina stared out of pretty much the whole time she was in my office the very first day I met her.

I can’t believe her, and right now I don’t know whether I should consider her one clever-ass woman, or one audacious, backstabbing bitch.

My hand comes to my chin and I fold my fingers into a fist, resting my elbow on the arm of the chair. My hand keeps my head upright, and I try to fight the shadow of gloom cloaking my emotions, but I can’t.

I thought she was different.

Better.

A little more considerate than the woman I deal with at home on a daily basis, but I think I’d much rather deal with a neglectful woman than a woman that will place a dagger in my back without thinking of how I’d feel.

My computer makes a chiming noise.

An email.

I turn in my seat and spot Angelina’s name now on the screen.

Angelina Clark: I think you should come again tonight. That would be really nice.

I don’t respond for a while. How can she be so playful? How she can still try and fuck is beyond me. I respond an hour later to make it seem like I’m busy.

Griffin Boyd: I wish I could. Lots of work with this new client. As soon as I can grab a slot of free time, have her ready for me.

It takes everything in me not to delete my last sentence. She doesn’t deserve my cock. Not anymore.

Angelina Clark: Oh, I will. Whatever you want, right?

Griffin Boyd: Right. Whatever I want. Always whatever I want.

But is it?

Something tells me it has never been about what I truly want—that this whole time it has been all about her and no one else.

I arrive home a little after midnight, physically and mentally worn.