Made by Us: Giselle and Liam's Story (The Made Series Book 3) (8 page)

By the end of the evening, I’m laughing and drunk. Liam and I will eventually have to talk because of our business, but right now I’m enjoying time with my girls
.

Chapter Twelve

I haven’t seen or spoken to Liam in a week. The only communication we have had was when he sent a text stating that he was going back out of town to help Mike. When I try to call him, he sends me to voicemail.

Today’s the start of the renovations and I’m excited. Meagan’s at
Indulgence
when I arrive.

“Morning, Giselle. The crew arrived early and they’re working as we speak.”

“That’s good to hear. I can’t wait to see the finished product.”

“Liam called and said that he’ll be in shortly, but you already know that.”

“Yes,” I say with a forced smile.

We really need to talk, we have a business to run. I shouldn’t be hearing from employees that he’s back in town and what time he’s coming in. In our shared office, I look at a photo of us from the grand opening. We’re ecstatic and look very happy. Maybe I should leave before he gets here. I hope things won’t be too awkward. But I also didn’t expect him to say the things he did the other day. I know I hurt him and can never take that back but everyone makes mistakes. Instead of allowing myself to analyze the situation any further, I head out to the open space to see what’s been done so far.

The walls are painted lemon chiffon. The trim work is done in a popped corn color, which resembles an off white. I’m satisfied with the progress so far. A man wearing a flannel shirt and jeans walks towards me.

“Ms. Lewis, I’m Barry. I’m overseeing the completion of this project. I wanted to introduce myself so you know who to contact in case you have any questions or concerns.”

He reaches into his pocket and hands me a business card.

“Thank you. I love the paint job and can’t wait to see the rest.”

“We’re ripping up the carpet next. Unfortunately, until all the flooring is laid you’ll only be able to look from the door.”

“Thanks, Barry. I’ll be in my office, please let me know if you need anything.”

“Yes ma’am.”

My emotions are running wild, I wish Liam was here to see the progress. When I walk into the office, Liam’s sitting behind the desk. I shut the door for privacy.

“Hey.”, I nervously say.

His eyes dart from the computer to where I stand. A callous expression replaces his usual cheerful appearance. He doesn’t acknowledge my presence and continues to type away on the computer. I walk behind the chair where he sits.

“Liam, we run a business together. You can’t give me the silent treatment forever.”

He snickers.

“We’re both adults and need to act as such and talk this through.”

Silence.

“Please look at me. At least I was honest with you about what happened. I could have just slept with you and said nothing.”

He continues to stare at the computer screen.

“Liam, I’m begging you to talk to me, please.”

“There’s nothing left to say,” he huffs.

“There’s plenty to say. Stop acting like a child.”

The chair swirls around fast, his lips are tense and thin. His eyebrows are lowered and pulled together forming a wrinkle in the glabella.

“A child! Where the hell do you get off? You were only honest because you felt guilty. It would’ve been nice if you had told me before I licked your pussy juices, the pussy that some other man’s dick was in. Tell me, Giselle, did you want to find out who was better? Me or him?”

Tears flood down my face. This hurts so bad. He’s red-faced and I can literally feel the heat coming off it.

"Did you think things would be fine between us after this?"

"No, I know I hurt you."

“
I’m disappointed. You were supposed to be different." It is what it is. You’re right we have a business to run and we need to remain professional. Outside of work there’s nothing for us to discuss."

I walk out of our office without saying anything.

Chapter Thirteen

I break all the traffic laws speeding home. Where does he get off speaking to me that way? Yes, I cheated and destroyed our relationship, but he doesn’t have to be that cruel. Maybe we need to keep our distance. Unfortunately, that’s not a possibility.

              The only thing besides having a few drinks that will make me feel better is baking. I pull out some baking ingredients and grab my favorite orange striped five-quart collapsible mixing bowl from the cabinet.

Hours pass and I have baked three pies: apple, cherry and peach plus chocolate chip cookies. Now what am I going to do? The clock shows that it’s 5 PM. Still frustrated from earlier, I decide to finally take Marcia up on her offer and join her in taking a class with K-Dub.

              We meet at the gym. I’m sporting a loose windbreaker and gray Adidas pants with yellow stripes that match my running tee. Marcia’s wearing tight hot pink leggings and a yellow and white cutoff shirt.

              “I’m so glad you decided to come. K-Dub’s tough but you’ll feel and look refreshed afterwards.”

    “Today, I feel like punching and kicking someone. I hope this class helps.”

              “What happened?”

              I tell her about my encounter with Liam and the harsh things he said.

              “What an ass.”

              “He’s upset.”

              Raising her voice, Marcia states, “It doesn’t matter! He knows better. Don’t you dare make excuses for him!”

              “I’m not. I knew things would change, but never expected him to behave like this.”

              Marcia gives me a hug. “We all make mistakes, but as long as we’re alive they can be fixed.” She looks across the room and grabs my hand. “Come on, class is about to start.”

              Marcia gives a nod in K-Dubs direction and he partially shakes his head. I look around and notice the classroom’s full of women. We take our spots in the back of the room and await further instructions. K-Dub gets on the intercom and announces he usually doesn’t teach this type of class but was asked to try something new.

              “Ladies, welcome to Piloxing! A workout guaranteed to tone your muscles, strengthen your core, and have you walking out of here feeling brand new. We’ll get started with the high intensity boxing portion. Everyone grab your weighted gloves located to your right and let’s begin.”

              Once we put on the weighted gloves we start doing air punches in the beginning while making sure our core’s tightened each time our hands extend out. We continue this motion as a warm up exercise before he picks up the pace on us. Soon we’re all jabbing as we walk to the front of the class where he stands barking orders. I can feel the sweat dripping off me and we’re only fifteen minutes in.

              He changes from boxing to Pilates after I feel like I can’t go anymore, we unroll our mats to begin the final section of class before cool down. We change positions regularly throughout the 5thirty minutes that we’re on the ground. K-Dub walks around the class making sure all of us are doing the position correctly to avoid possible injuries. When he gets to where Marcia and I are, he gives us a two thumbs up. There are multiple ladies he has to assist, primarily the ones who start the gym just to find a man.

It’s time for us to cool down and stretch out our muscles for five minutes before being dismissed. The Pilates have improved my mood, leaving me feeling powerful and strong.  

              When class is over we take quick showers and head to Chili’s. I’m starving and order tableside guacamole as an appetizer and parmesan crusted tilapia as my entree and Marcia gets a Caesar salad and crispy chicken tacos.

              “I’m going to stay the night with you.”

              “Marcia, you don’t need to do that. Go home and be with David.”

              “He understands. You don’t need to be alone.”

              “I appreciate it, but I’ll be fine.”

              Marcia twist her lips and tilts her head to the side. Clearly, she doesn’t believe me.

              “If I need anything I’ll call you immediately.”

              She nods knowing she won’t win this battle. We hug before departing to our separate destinations. Truthfully, I’m not looking forward to going home. Hopefully if Liam’s there he won’t say anything to me. My wish is soon granted when I walk in and the apartment is empty. Class has physically drained me and now my belly’s full. I crawl into bed.

              I hear the front door slam, it’s 4 AM. Female voices are giggling, while Liam’s “shhing” them. My gut’s telling me not to get out of bed that I don’t want to see what’s going on but I can’t resist. In the kitchen Liam has his arms around two girls and they appear to be drunk. He doesn’t notice me until the blonde on the right starts laughing, “Looks like we woke someone up.” Liam turns in my direction. At first his eyes show remorse. As quickly as it appears, it’s gone and replaced with hatred. He grabs the blondes head and kisses her, but never loses eye contact with me. I want to look away, but that will show defeat. I continue to watch. Then he turns to the girl on the left and does the same. I want to run into my room and cry however I stand my ground.

              “That’s Giselle. We’re going to be up for a while.” The girls give a high pitched giggle. “Feel free to join us.” He looks at both girls and states, “Come on ladies, let’s fuck.”

              Like a fool I watch them walk away and become angry. I was hoping in time he would forgive me and we could move on, but now I’m not sure that I want that. I refuse to keep punishing myself for what happened and I’m not going to allow Liam to belittle me anymore. He can continue to be a jerk, I can’t let it affect me any longer.

Chapter Fourteen

In the last five days, Liam has brought random women home every night and today I’ve reached my breaking point. While making breakfast, I discover a pair of white silk thongs laying on the kitchen floor. It’s disgusting and very disrespectful. I would be lying if I say that him sleeping with these girls doesn’t bother me, and yes, I’m a little jealous. It should be me. Liam’s going to have to understand that we share an apartment and have to be mindful of each other’s space. I’m trying to build up the courage to address this matter and hoping he doesn’t have anything cruel to say. These days, I never know what’s going to come out of his foul mouth.

              As I pull out the quiche from the oven, Liam enters the kitchen. He’s shirtless and drinking from a water bottle. I watch his Adam’s apple move as the fluid drizzles down the back of his throat.  A tiny bit of water escapes his beautiful mouth and travels down that chiseled chest, which glistens from sweat. I’m saddened when the droplet stops at the top of his grey sweatpants that are hanging low.
Lord give me strength
. Liam Jackson is a sexy man. He frowns when he catches me staring.

              “I didn’t know you were here.”

              Rudely, I reply, “I
do
live here.” I place the quiche on the counter.

              “Do you have a minute to talk?” he inquires.

              I’m so angry with him, but looking into those deep dark eyes, makes my heart melt.  I tell him we can talk after he showers. There goes my eye candy.

              Twenty minutes later we’re sitting across from each other.

              Liam states, “I’ve been a complete ass lately.”

              Instantly I say, “Yes, you have.”

              He laughs, “You didn’t have to agree with me so quickly. But I have been. Things between us have changed and I didn’t handle them well. In the end I was disrespectful to you. For that I apologize.”

              He shifts in his chair. “Giselle, when I met you I knew you were something special. I couldn’t wait to hear your voice, see your face, and just be with you. When we started dating, I wanted to take things slow with you because I was scared that I would mess things up. In the past women have only been fun to sleep with, but with you I enjoyed everything we did together. The days weren’t long enough. That’s why it was so easy to make the decision to open
Indulgence
with you, because you’re the person I want to always have in my life.”

              Tears form in my eyes. Liam gets up, hands me a tissue and  sits beside me.