Chapter 11 #4
“Dad was counting on you to take over some of the accounts when I became CEO, and you kind of bailed.”
“The plan had always been for us to be joint CEOs,” I say. “And Dad made you CEO. I did what I had to do.”
“You’re still fucking upset about that? I’m the oldest son.”
“I know you’re the golden boy, Rex. You’re the Haverbrook who will inherit it all.”
“You’ve always been jealous of me, haven’t you?”
He hangs up, and I just stand there, staring at the phone, wondering if he’s right.
Have I always been jealous of Rex?
I must have spaced out for a little bit because the next thing I know, Mia’s walking out of the bathroom in a long, flowy cream skirt and a midriff green top.
Her hair hangs straight down her back, and she’s got a glittery headband on.
Her brown eyes are warm as she gazes at me.
As she comes closer to me, I notice her expression change.
“What’s wrong? Who was on the phone?”
“Rex.”
“What did he want?”
“He doesn’t seem to believe that we are really together, and he just made some comments about the family business.”
“He sucks.” Mia presses her lips together.
“He does.”
“You know you should have become the CEO yourself. You shouldn’t even have been joint CEO. You’ve always been the one with the business prowess.”
“Yeah, well, I surmise when you’re not quarterback of the football team, you’re just not a good enough Haverbrook.”
“I’m sorry,” she says. “Your parents—well, your dad …” She wrinkles her nose. “He just seems to value the wrong things.”
“It’s okay. I am over it. I’m an adult now.”
“Yeah, but childhood hurts, and slights can still hurt.”
“Yeah, they can. You look pretty this morning. I like your skirt.”
“Thank you. I got it at a thrift store.” She spins around, and it flows back and forth across her ankles. “You like my top too?”
“It’s revealing.” I frown slightly. It’s sexy, but maybe too sexy for a morning breakfast.
“It’s not like it’s showing my boobs, Luke. It’s just a little midriff.”
“I can see your belly button.”
“It’s cool.”
“I know. I’m just saying, in New York, this would be a very daring outfit.”
“Well, I don’t live in New York, do I?”
“No, you don’t.”
“Are you going to shower?”
“I guess I should do that, but unlike you, I do not have clothes to change into, nor do I have clean underwear.”
“So, you can go commando.”
“I suppose I can.” I grin. “Unless—”
“You’re not about to ask me if I have a pair of panties you can wear.” She bursts out laughing. “Because you totally can. I have a thong.”
“I’m not that sort of guy. I do not want to wear your thongs, though I wouldn’t mind seeing you in one.”
“Ha-ha, Luke,” she says, hitting me across the shoulder.
As her fingers touch my skin, I grab her hand and pull her into me. She looks up at me. She’s breathing slightly hard, and I can see that she doesn’t hate my touch. Her heart races slightly, and her eyelashes flutter down as I continue to stare at her.
“We have to up our game in front of Rex and everyone else. He didn’t think we were touchy-feely enough. He didn’t believe us. I don’t know if he’s just saying that, if he’s just jealous or what, but he said we just looked like regular old friends. So, we need to play the part a bit more.”
“I can do that,” she says, biting down on her lower lip and nodding. A flush of heat rises in her cheeks, and I wonder if she’s thinking about last night. I wonder if she’s thinking about the way she rubbed my cock or the way my fingers stroked her clit.
“We should get ready. You want me to go down to get you a pair of shorts? I’ll get some from the surf shop.”
“Yeah, that sounds great.”
“Anything else you want? A T-shirt?”
“Yeah, why not get me a Coconut Beach T-shirt? Really make me feel like I’m back in town.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” she says, squeezing my hand. “It’s been too long since we’ve seen each other.”
“I know,” I say. “And I’m sorry about that.”
“Yeah, me too. And I’m sorry about your brother and your parents. They kind of suck.”
“Joke’s on them. I’m about to close the merger of my career, and it’s going to be amazing.”
“Well, good for you, Luke,” she says softly and heads toward the door.
I stand there and think about all the emails I likely have waiting for me, and my mind immediately shifts into business mode.
I have work to do. I pull out my phone and bring up my emails.
I’m here on vacation, and I’m meant to be enjoying this wedding, but this deal is really big, and now that Rex is being even more of a jerk than usual, I have to ensure that I close it.
I have to ensure that everyone knows that I am a far better businessman than Rex will ever be.
“Hey, Luke. Did you hear what I said?”
Mia stands there in the open door, and I gaze up at her.
“Sorry, I was just thinking about work.”
“It’s okay. I’ll be back.” Something flashes in her eyes, and she shakes her head, looking annoyed.
She closes the door, and I stand there, wondering why she sounded so upset.
I head toward the window, and I look out at the beautiful blue water and the white sand in the distance. The beach isn’t too busy right now, save for maybe about five people.
I can’t believe I’m back in Coconut Beach, and everything is so familiar and yet so very different.
Everything about this trip is making me question who I am and where I’m going.
Not for the first time do I wonder if it was a good decision to play the part of Mia’s boyfriend because what I’m beginning to realize is that my best friend, Mia, the girl who captured my heart when I was just a teenager, blossomed into an even more gregarious and beautiful woman, and the teenage crush that I once had has not only remained, but it has grown, and I want her badly.
I want to know every inch of her inside and out.
I know I can’t have her though.
She is the best friend I’ve ever had, and I can’t risk that, and I have a feeling that is why Mia didn’t want to discuss the night before either. She was clearly into it, but I’m reminded of what she said when we were teenagers and going to have our first kiss together.
“If we get too physical or too intimate, it will make things complicated, and when relationships become complicated, they’re far easier to break. And I don’t want to lose you, Lukey. You’re the best friend a girl could ever have, and a kiss is not worth losing that.”
Her words reverberate in my brain, and I feel the sting of them just as much as I did back then. If a kiss could ruin our easy friendship, then sex could break us.
I’m not going to push the issue, even though my cock is aching with need.
I can ignore my cock, though I am not sure what I can do about my heart.
Mia let me know in no uncertain terms that we are never going to be anything more than friends, and I am going to respect that because the truth of the matter is, I can’t lose her from my life.
She is the only constant that makes me feel like I am good enough and smart enough and funny enough, and I know she does it because that’s just the way she feels and not because of the way I look, or the money I have, or the power I have at my company, and that is worth a lot more than some hot sex.