Chapter 16
Chapter
Sixteen
CHLOE
I am on cloud nine. I swear it feels like I’m floating through life.
I know I should still be looking for a place to stay, but I haven’t even bothered.
I enjoy living with Brantley. I don’t want it to end. Maybe if we can make this dating thing stick, I won’t have to.
I left him at home tonight. Figured I needed to give him a chance to miss me. So while he is pining for me, I am meeting up with Adrianna and Olivia for drinks at a local pub.
“Hey, there she is. I was wondering if you got lost,” Liv jokes as I walk through the door.
“Haha. That’s so funny I forgot to laugh.” I glare at her as I take my seat.
“She really did get lost once. Lived in Boston her entire life and ended up on the one street she had never been on and couldn’t find her way out,” Liv tells Adrianna.
“Oh, that sounds scary.” Adrianna looks at me with concern.
“It turns out I knew the street. I used landmarks to navigate and they tore down the old hotel that I used to turn left at. It was a bit of a fiasco, but I figured it out when I got to the next block and saw the old bodega,” I tell her.
She starts laughing. “Why didn’t you use your GPS?”
“Who uses GPS in the city they grew up in? No, I figured it out.”
She shakes her head. “If you say so.”
A server comes by, dropping off drinks.
“I ordered you a martini,” Liv tells me.
“My fave. Thanks. How are things at the foundation, Adri?” I ask.
“Great. Now that the scandal has all died down, we are back to doing what we were meant to be doing all along. With Elijah’s help, I’ve been able to find money in the budget to help six new charities.”
She is beaming. I love that for her. She truly found her passion. It’s rare to love what you do.
“That is amazing. Eli still getting on your nerves?” Liv asks.
“When does he not? Isn’t that their entire job? I swear sometimes he calls and asks me to make him a coffee just to get under my skin. He doesn’t even like coffee.” She shakes her head as she rolls her eyes.
“Remember, orange is not a good color for you. It would wash your skin out. Stick with red and go federal if you are going to do it,” I joke.
“How do you make murder federal?” Adrianna asks.
I snort. “You kill him in a post office and damage something. Duh.”
“Is she always like this?” Adrianna asks jokingly.
“The entire time I’ve known her,” Liv confirms.
“Whatever. You guys love me.” I take a big drink of my martini.
“That we do,” Adrianna admits.
“How are things at the hotel? Does it feel weird working for Mason and then, you know, ‘working’ for Mason?” I wiggle my eyebrows.
“Not really. I know some couples can’t work and live together, but it’s natural for us. Maybe because we spent so much time apart that it feels like getting to know one another again? Besides, he works from home a lot when someone needs to be there with Ari. It gives us a little separation.”
“You’ve fucked on his desk, haven’t you?” I ask, making Adrianna spit out her drink.
“Chloe!” Liv’s cheeks turn red.
“Oh, come on. We used to reveal all the dirty little details of our sex lives before Ari. I’m not asking for his size or if he manscapes. I just asked if you fucked on his desk yet. Mason’s turned you into such a prude.”
She looks around before she whispers, “His desk. The supply closet. Oh, and the conference room.”
“Oh. My. God.” Adrianna buries her face in her hands.
“Really? You’re telling me you’ve done nothing at work?” I pose to her.
“Don’t drag me into this.”
“Nope. You’re in it now,” Liv says.
Adrianna groans. “We may have christened a few offices and maybe my old desk.”
“Ha. I knew it. Now I guess I need to christen an office too,” I muse, thinking about Brantley’s office.
“Oh yeah? Who are you going to do that with?” Liv asks.
“Hey, I went on a first date recently,” I tell her.
She laughs. “We need another round to hear this. What happened this time? You clogged his toilet? Tripped and nailed him in the balls? His mother showed up and you had to hide under the blanket for hours?”
“Ignore her, Adri. She likes to pick fun at my dating mishaps. This date actually went really well. He even asked for a second date,” I tell her.
“Wow. Where’d you meet this one? Usually your dating app dates don’t make it past the first date,” Liv says.
She’s not wrong. All my dating app dates have ended in disaster one way or another. Even my date with Brantley wasn’t perfect, but instead of making a big scene, he minimized my mishap and made me feel special.
“Well…” I start and then trail off.
“It’s not the homeless guy you give money to, is it?” Liv asks.
“Aww, that’s sweet you give them money. I do too,” Adrianna adds.
“No, it’s not Bert. Even if it was, he’s a good guy. He is down on his luck. I think you would give up living too if you lost your wife and kids to a drunk driver,” I tell Liv.
She winces. “You’re right. Sorry. Who is it really, though?”
I bite my bottom lip. “Brantley.”
“Excuse me?” She turns her head. “I must have misheard you. Did you say Brantley? As in, Mr. Playboy never takes anything seriously and refuses to settle down, Brantley?”
I frown at her description. I used to think he was that way too, but he hasn’t been recently.
He hasn’t brought a single girl home. He could be going to their place, but I don’t see how when he comes straight home after work.
Hell, we even ride together to and from work.
He’s even taken to ordering food for us on the way home or cooking himself after working all day.
“Yeah. Brantley,” I tell her, feeling weird now.
“Wow. I did not see that coming,” Adrianna mumbles.
“Are you sure he’s the guy you want to date? He doesn’t seem like the forever type,” Liv adds.
“He didn’t used to be, but I’ve gotten to know him.
You know, after I cut myself, he went through the house and did what he called ‘Chloe proofing.’ He hid the knives and anything I could possibly hurt myself with.
Now he makes sure that when he’s in town, he is home to help me make dinner if we are cooking, and if he’s out of town, he sends me takeout.
Does that sound like a guy who isn’t the forever type?
” I huff out, a little angry at the way she is talking about him.
“I’m surprised, is all. You know the Brantley I know. You used to think he was a snake oil salesman too. I didn’t realize that had changed.” She reaches out, squeezing my hand.
“We all put facades up to protect ourselves. It makes sense that he would adopt a playboy persona since he is in the spotlight a lot. Many women would be trying to tie him down because of his money, so if he lets them think he is a hit-it-and-quit-it type of guy, he doesn’t have to hurt their feelings when he’s not interested.
Now Chloe is in his space and he’s having to show parts of himself he doesn’t normally let be seen, so it makes logical sense that there are feelings developing between the two of them.
I mean, Chloe is quite the catch and so is Brantley, so why wouldn’t they find solace in one another? ”
Both Liv and I stare at Adrianna a moment.
“Where the hell did that come from?” Liv asks as Adrianna takes a sip from her straw.
“It’s obvious. When you watch people your whole life, you learn things about human nature.
You are surprised to find Brantley would actually want to date Chloe because you only have seen him as Mr. Playboy.
Why would you see him as anything else? He’s the fun uncle to your daughter and the goofy best friend of your man.
He only shows me the same thing. Chloe is different, though.
He can see that, so he is slowly showing her who he really is inside. ”
I snort. Then that turns into a full belly laugh. The others join in as I practically die on the table.
“I’m so sorry,” I tell Adrianna between laughs. “It’s so smart.” More laughter. “You’re right.” Suck in a breath. “I didn’t see it.”
My laughter slows down as I smile at her. “I didn’t see it. I guess we only see what we want to.”
“The question is, what do you see now?” she asks.
“I see a man I want to date.”
Liv holds up her glass. “To dating the Kings of Boston and all the shit that comes with that.”
We clink glasses and drink as I think about Brantley.
I can’t wait to ask him out on a second date.
brANTLEY
My phone rings as I’m starting the third season of The Traitors. Chloe will kill me for watching without her, but I plan to act surprised by the drama. She doesn’t need to know.
Seeing her name on the screen, I quickly pause the show and answer.
“Hey there, good-looking. Whatcha doing?” I ask in a low tone.
“Brantley, I am a little drunk. Come get me?” Chloe yells into the phone.
“Of course. Where are you?” I ask.
“The pub off of Union,” she mutters.
“There are like six pubs on that street. Can you be a bit more specific?” I ask, amused as I pull my shoes on.
“The one with the blue door. I don’t know. What’s the name of this place, Liv? The what? The Rooster’s Crow? She says the Rooster’s Crow. Are you coming to get me? I want to come home with you. I miss you.” She stumbles over her words, making me chuckle.
“I’ll be there in a minute. Stay at your table until I come.”
“Okay. He’s coming to get me, guys. Yeah, he said so. He’s so dreamy.”
I hang up the phone before I can hear any more.
I want to hear it all, but I won’t invade her privacy for it.
Still, there’s a little extra pep in my step as I drive down to where she is.
When I enter the bar, I see the three women all in varying stages of drunkenness. Olivia seems to be the most sober.
“So glad you are here. Chloe is being herself except drunk and extra loud,” Olivia tells me as soon as I make it to the table.
“I could tell.” I go to move toward Chloe, but Olivia stops me.
“Listen, I don’t know what you two have going on, and it isn’t my business, but that girl right there is my best friend.
She was my baby daddy when Mason wasn’t around.
She showed up for me time after time, so if this isn’t real for you, if this is just some game, then you need to stop it now.
Don’t hurt that girl. She acts all tough, but each guy who hurts her leaves a little mark, and before long she won’t be able to heal from them. ”
“You’re a good friend. I’m glad she has you. This isn’t a game. Chloe is one of a kind. If she will allow it, I want to keep her.”
She gives me a little smile. “Good. If you hurt her, I know how to make a body disappear.”
“Then he had the audacity to tell me that I was too much. Can you believe it?” Chloe yells out, interrupting us.
I can see the server eyeing her.
“Let me go pay the tab. I’ll be right back.”
Walking to the server, I pull out a few hundred dollars. “Will this cover their tab?” I ask.
She nods. “This is too much. They only spent like one fifty.”
I pull out an extra hundred, bringing it to four hundred. “For the trouble.”
She smiles. “No trouble at all.”
Walking back to the table, I wrap my arms around Chloe. We hadn’t talked about telling our friends, but I think she might have already done so anyway.
“Let’s get going, buttercup. It’s time to go home.”
“Brantley! You’re here. I was just talking about you. Wasn’t I?” she asks her friends.
“Do you guys need a ride home?” I ask them.
Olivia shakes her head. “Mason just pulled up. He will wait until Eli gets here. Get her home safe, please.”
“I will,” I tell her. “Come on, babe. Let’s get you home.”
Chloe wraps her arms around my neck as I pull her to the car.
“I’m sorry I’m so drunk. I didn’t mean to be. They just kept bringing the drinks,” she mumbles.
“It’s okay. Let’s get you home and get some water into you,” I tell her.
I nod to Mason as I pass him on my way out. He nods back. Then I get Chloe to my car and buckle her in.
The entire drive home is chaotic. As soon as we start moving, she turns on the radio and starts belting out each song as if she was a professional singer.
Spoiler alert: she isn’t. She isn’t just singing, though.
No, she is giving a full-blown concert to the windshield.
By the time I get her home, she’s winded.
“Aww, I wasn’t done singing,” she whines.
“You can sing in the house, my little superstar,” I tell her.
Getting her out of the car is easier. I can tell she is sobering up a bit. Once inside, I help her sit on the couch before going to get some water and headache medicine. I bring it back to her as I sit next to her on the couch.
She climbs onto my lap as soon as I sit down, kissing me.
I push her back slightly. “You need to take these.”
I hold the pills out to her. She takes them, tossing them back before choking on them. I open the water quickly and hand it to her. She takes a big swig before she coughs and sputters, spilling a bunch on me.
I take the water bottle and replace the cap before she spills the entire thing.
She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand before she looks down at me. “Brantley, I want an orgasm.”
My eyes widen. “Um, what?”
She groans. “I haven’t had one that I didn’t give myself in ages. Give me an orgasm.”
My cock starts to grow at her words, but I will it down. There is no way the first time I have sex with Chloe, it’s going to be because she is drunk and horny. Nope, she will be an active participant.
“I won’t take advantage of you. Ask me again sober, and I will,” I tell her.
She frowns. “So mean. Fine, I’ll give myself one.”
I have no idea what she meant by that, but I didn’t realize I would be playing an active role in her show.
She starts grinding on me without abandon, making my dick painfully hard.
My hands fall to her hips, but instead of stopping her, I only make sure she is stable as she moans out her pleasure, using me as her own personal toy.
“Oh, fuck. Yes. Brantley,” she calls out.
It takes all my will to sit there and let her do her thing. I want to flip her over and see how many different octaves I can make her scream my name, but not tonight. As it is, I think she will have regrets in the morning.
She screams out my name once more as she stops grinding, her face totally blissed out. Then she collapses on top of me, her head in my neck.
“Feel better?” I ask her.
“Yep. I did all the work, though. Next time you do the work. I’m sleepy now.”
I chuckle, picking her up in my arms. She wraps her legs around my waist as I carry her upstairs and down the hall to her room. Once there, I set her on her bed.
“Don’t go. I’m tired of sleeping alone,” she mumbles.
I consider leaving anyway, but I hate how sad she sounded. So I strip to my boxers and climb under the covers next to her.
Then I hold her while she falls asleep.