Exposed - Chapter 32
Friday
Brooklyn
Matt pulled the car over to the curb. “We’re here.”
“You okay?” Matt asked.
I stared out the window. “You didn’t tell me they lived in a hotel.
” When I’d agreed to get ready for the prom with everyone, I wasn’t expecting this.
It felt like I was in high school all over again.
Like I was standing on the outside looking in.
Dating Matt meant I’d be thrust into the world of the elite again.
I hadn’t fared well the last time that had happened.
“It’s just a normal apartment. Or maybe it’s technically a condo? I’m not really sure.” He smiled at me.
“But it’s in a hotel .” I knew everything was different this time with Matt.
We were both adults. But I still didn’t feel like I belonged in this world.
Penny and Daphne had been lovely the other night.
And the one time I’d met Bee, she had seemed nice.
But I’d been so distracted at that football game.
What if Bee didn’t like me?
What if I didn’t fit in?
What if I lost everything again?
“Maybe I should just get ready at home,” I said.
“I thought you’d be nervous.” Matt unbuckled his seatbelt. “Which is why we actually came an hour earlier than everyone else.”
“Wait, you’re coming in with me?”
“Just until the girls get here. I thought it might be fun for us to hang out with just Mason and Bee beforehand. And I may have another surprise up my sleeve.” He climbed out of the car and opened my door for me.
I grabbed his hand and immediately felt a little better. “Is the surprise that they live in a hotel?”
Matt laughed. “No.”
I felt a little ridiculous walking into the posh hotel dressed the way I was. But Matt fit in. He’d fit in anywhere. And it was hard to feel like I didn’t belong when I was on his arm.
“You’re sure Ellen will be able to handle all the kids tonight by herself?” We’d dropped Jacob off at Penny and James’ apartment before coming here. Jacob was excited for a night with his new friends. But it made me a little anxious to leave him.
Matt pulled me onto the elevator. “I have no doubt that Ellen can handle it. But James called in reinforcements anyway.”
“Who?”
“Well, he’ll leave two of his security detail there for starters. And I know James’ dad is coming too. The adults will still be outnumbered four to six, but Scarlett can only get everyone in so much trouble.”
I stared up at him. “I thought James and his father didn’t get along?” I remembered being in James’ room back in high school. Neither Rob nor James had anything good to say about either of their parents.
“They didn’t. But they’ve gotten closer after the divorce.”
“James and Isabella’s divorce?”
“No. James’ mom and dad got divorced.”
“Really?” There was no out in my father’s family. And for some reason I kind of thought that extended to most of NYC’s elite.
“Some people really can be redeemed,” Matt said as we stepped off the elevator.
I was happy that James had a relationship with his father. But… “Why do I feel like we’re talking about my dad right now?”
Matt laughed. “I definitely wasn’t talking about Mr. Pruitt. Just Mr. Hunter.”
“It’s kind of cute that you still call James’ father Mr. Hunter. And my dad Mr. Pruitt.”
“Well, I can either call your dad Mr. Pruitt or ass hat.”
I laughed. “I prefer ass hat.”
We stopped at one of the doors and Matt knocked.
There was no answer.
“Are you sure they’re expecting us early?”
“It was Bee’s idea.” He knocked on the door again.
No response.
Bee had invited us over early? I don’t know why I was so nervous. Bee seemed excited to get to know me too.
“They probably got held up at work. Luckily I have a key.” Matt unlocked the door.
He opened it a crack before it was slammed shut in our faces.
“Just give me one second, man.” Mason’s muffled voice came through the door.
I stared up at Matt.
He shrugged. “It’s probably a sex thing.”
“What?”
But he didn’t have time to respond because Mason opened the door. He was wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and no shirt, the same outfit he’d usually worn around his house back in high school. I swear it was like no time had passed at all.
“Sorry about that,” Mason said. “We lost track of time. And I keep losing the keys.”
“To your door?” Matt asked.
“Ha. No. Hey, sis.” Mason pulled me into a hug.
Why was he so sweaty?
Matt tried to walk around him, but Mason let go of me and stepped in front of his brother to block his path.
“One second. You good, babe?” Mason called over his shoulder.
“No! Damn it, Mason, I can’t unlock them myself!”
Mason laughed. “If you’ll excuse me for one second. I left my wife in a bit of a bind.” He walked down the hall and turned into the open kitchen.
“Um…what is happening?” I asked.
“This should be entertaining.” Matt grabbed my hand and pulled me after Mason, instead of giving him a few seconds like he’d asked.
My eyes grew round as we turned into the kitchen.
Bee was sitting on the counter in a short, silky black dress. It would have been a pretty normal sight. Minus the fact that her hands were above her head, some kind of leather shackles strapping her to the cupboard above her.
Mason grabbed the key from her hand and put it into the side of the shackles.
Bee’s hands fell free and she wrapped them behind Mason’s neck. “How many times do I have to tell you that I can’t get free by myself?”
“That’s kind of the point, baby.”
“You’re impossible.”
“Hmm.” He grabbed behind her knees, pulling her to the edge of the counter. “You know what else you said was impossible? Making you come three times in three minutes. And I just proved you wrong.”
Oh my God.
“Told you it was a sex thing,” Matt said.
Bee yelped and slid back from Mason. “Oh, hey guys,” she said. “I didn’t realize Mason had already let you in.” She hit his shoulder and then tried to fix her hair.
As if fixing her hair could erase whatever we’d just seen.
Mason laughed. He grabbed Bee around the waist and pulled her off the counter. “Welcome to our home. You guys want a drink?”
“Yes, get them something to drink,” Bee said.
She opened up the cupboard she’d just been tied to and pulled out some wine glasses.
“You guys handle that while I go talk to Brooklyn.” She looped her arm through mine and pulled me out of the kitchen and into the family room.
If you could really call something with a perfect view of Central Park a family room.
The sun was just starting to set and the sky was turning pink. It was breathtaking.
“Sorry about all that,” Bee said as she plopped down on the couch. She rubbed her wrists that were red from the shackles.
I laughed. “It’s fine.” Actually…all of that somehow made a lot of sense. Mason always seemed so…in control.
“Right.” She waved her hand through the air. “You know how the Caldwell men are.”
“Mhm.” Matt had never tied me up before. But after the other night in the shower…I wondered if maybe he did like that. I crossed my legs. I kind of wanted to find out.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t make it the other night when Penny and Daphne raided your house. I had a meeting run late. But Mason has filled me in on a lot. I’m so happy you’re here. But so sorry about the circumstances that brought you back.”
“Thank you.” That was a really nice way of putting it.
She looked over her shoulder at Mason and Matt laughing in the kitchen. “He’s really happy. You did that.”
I smiled. I hoped that was true. I hoped Jacob and I really were enough for Matt.
He wanted to keep trying to have kids. And I was worried what would happen after months of negative pregnancy tests.
I wondered if it would break him too. But all I could do was hope for the best and believe he’d stay. Believe we were enough.
“It all makes sense now,” Bee said. “The way Matt has been.”
“And how has he been exactly?”
“Destructive. You’re lucky he’s still alive. There were a few times where I thought James might kill him.”
I laughed. “Because of the crush on Penny thing?”
Bee nodded.
“I kind of want an example of one of those times.” I was so curious. The way everyone described Matt when I was gone… It wasn’t the Matt I knew.
“Oh, I have a good one! At Rob and Daphne’s wedding, Penny and Matt were paired up to walk down the aisle together. And they had to enter the reception together too. We were all supposed to do a fun dance on the way in. And Matt went under Penny’s skirt and lifted her over his shoulders…”
“Can we maybe not talk about that?” Matt asked as he handed me a glass of wine. “In my defense…I was drunk.”
“We were all really drunk that night,” Mason said and plopped down between me and Bee.
“No, I want to hear the rest,” I said. I peered around him to see Bee.
Bee laughed. “When it came time for Penny to dismount, Matt got down on his knees and just kept his head under her skirt for like…at least 30 seconds. James grabbed him by his lapels and shoved him. I think he mentioned something about killing him…”
“If I ever see you with your head up my wife’s skirt ever again, you’re dead,” Mason quoted.
“Yup, that was it! I thought they were going to fight in the middle of the dance floor.”
“Not my finest moment,” Matt said. He grabbed my hand. “But nothing happened. I was just messing around.”
“You are such a great friend,” I said. I tried to keep a straight face but I laughed.
“Oh!” Bee said. “And then there was the time Matt drugged James at his bachelor party. Apparently. That was pretty shit.”
“Are you serious?” I glared at him. What happened to the caring guy who’d been worried about James’ addiction problems? Actually, I knew the answer. I broke him. I shook away the thought. “Well…too bad it didn’t somehow stop him from marrying Isabella.”
“Oh no, this was right before James married Penny.”
“Seriously?” Matt. How could you?