A Double Dose of Billionaire: Part Three (2 page)

I heaved a sigh of relief. The media was bound to spin our encounter into another deceiving story, but I didn't care about them anymore. The elevator closed and chimed as it reached the floor I worked at.

Today was going to be one hell of a day. I didn't have enough energy to battle with those incompetent colleagues of mine.

***

Ryan and Riley were discussing something in the CEO's office. They politely asked me to leave when I propped my laptop next to them, readying to take notes. I tried not to take it personally, but I couldn't.

Not surprisingly, I found it difficult to focus at work today. Helena seemed pretty happy about the lack of my harping, flitting away at her keyboard, probably playing some Facebook game. I myself was slacking, too. On my screen was a browser with multiple tabs opened up; each tab showcased the web page of some company I could potentially work for in the future.

Maybe my time with the twins had run out. Thinking about it, leaving them would solve the problem of their mother, and I'd be able to live life as a respectable, self-sufficient individual. I'd had enough of the humiliation they inflicted. They didn't check if I had properly consented last night.

Mrs. Crawford would have a field day if I left, but who cared about her, anyway? Seeing her happy got on my nerves, though.

Would these companies put me at the management level? My CV called for it, but with those spaces so scarce, I was afraid I would have to slowly climb up the corporate ladder again. Without the twins, Tyrone would have to leave. I liked having my own personal driver. I was only searching up those companies on a whim. I didn't actually think of leaving, did I?

Perhaps this lifestyle had made me too complacent.

Interrupting my bout of busily staring off into space, my cell trilled. I picked it up. "Hello?"

"What have you done?"

I immediately recognized the woman's voice. After being conditioned to it all my life, I didn't think I'd ever forget. "Mom?"

"Your dad just called me, Scarlet."

I bit my lip. She sounded panicked. Bad news was on its way.

She blew out a deep breath. "He just got fired from his job. It’s ridiculous. They didn’t even have a good reason.”

"What?" I placed my fist over my mouth in disbelief. My dad earned his living as a senior financial adviser at his bank. He'd been there for years. It was strange that they’d kick him out after so long.

"He's really angry at you. We need some explanations."

"What does this have to do with me?" The news caused me worry, but they shouldn't blatantly put all the blame on their daughter.

"Apparently, word of you and the twins has traveled. Everyone in town knows about it. His bank fired him, saying they didn't want to have dealings with a man with such a
slutty
daughter."

My breath hitched.
What the fuck?
"They can do that?" Another ingredient had been added to the mix of complications I had with the twins. It must have been a sign—a sign to call everything off.

"I told you those two aren't good for your life, darling. Please, save us the trouble and end this."

"Mom—”

"I didn't raise you to be like this. One playboy is enough, my dear, but two? It's unorthodox. It's not right."

I nodded my head. "Maybe. Maybe I should have listened to you from the start."

"That's my girl. Break up with them, Scarlet. Maybe after that your dad can get his job back. The folks here don't like what's happening with you and those tabloids. It's not good for your reputation either. Think about what others will say when you try to get a job. They'll think of you as a mistress. It's not a very good image to carry around, sweetheart."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I’ve just… maybe I got kind of sucked in."

"Have they done anything to you?"

Other than tying me up and filming me, after violently taking me from behind? "No, Mom, nothing to worry about."

"You tell me if they ever break your heart or anything. Momma's got your back. I'll fly over there and make sure they get the worst beating of their lives."

I chuckled. That would be a sight to see—my mother bashing up the twins, possibly with her two-inch heels. "Thanks. That would be lovely."

"I want you to be safe, hun. Don't live life so recklessly."

"I know." She sounded so naggy, but a little bit of nag from my mother didn't hurt. It comforted me, slightly, and reminded me of home.

"And don't overwork yourself, or drink too much coffee. How many times must I say that the stuff is bad for you?"

She knew me too well. I had at least three cups a day. "I'm not drinking a lot."

"Don't lie to your mother. Oh, your dad's pulling up in the driveway. I better hang up the call before he comes. He said  he intends to give you a good yelling."

I felt incredibly guilty about my dad losing his job. "Will you guys be okay, like, financially?"

"We're old, Scarlet. We've got savings. Our house is fully paid. It's not very nice to get fired, and we'll have to be more careful with our money, but we're fine."

"That's good."

"Well, goodbye, darling. Call me more often when you have the time. We miss you."

"Yes, Mom."

"Love you, pumpkin."

I smiled. Maybe it was time to plan a trip back to my hometown. "I love you, too."

We both hung up the call.

I set the phone onto the table and opened up a Word document—I knew what I had to do.

***

Holding a white envelope in my hand, I knocked on the door.

"Come in," a twin said.

It took me a lot of resolve to do this. I typed the letter in a hurry, not giving myself any time to back out. And now I wanted to.

It's the right thing to do.

Slowly, I opened the cold metal door, reeling all my courage to face the twins. How would they react to this?

Riley smiled. "Hey, are you feeling better?"

"I have something to give you," I said, my voice cracking. I raised the white envelope and he snatched it from my hands.

His face fell when he saw what was written on it. "Letter of resignation? You're resigning?"

I didn't want to look up at them, not when something sharp was coiling around my heart. "My dad got fired from his job because of us."

"How does that even happen? You're making excuses." His voice was a mixture of anger and confusion.

"He did. And I don't want to continue this anymore, not if it affects my family."

"We'll get him a new job."

Ryan placed his finger on my chin to raise my head, so I looked right at his delectable, chiseled face. "You don't have to leave us."

I backed away as I swiped his arm aside. "We've had enough fun. I don't want our sexual relationship to hurt my family."

Riley placed the envelope on his desk. "If you want to leave, fine. It'll take two weeks to process." He sat on his desk and turned his head aside.
Look at me,
I thought. I didn't want to be rejected again by men I put too much faith in. Not by the two most wonderful men I'd ever met.

I placed a fist to my heart, trying to control how hard it throbbed against my ribcage. "Can we shorten the resignation process?" I couldn't bear looking at them any longer.

Riley scowled. "Is that what we've meant to you all this time? Just another sexual endeavor?"

I gasped softly. "I thought that's how it was supposed to be like from the start." Having Riley say it aloud chilled my chest.

"I'm disappointed," he said with a sullen face. "I thought we meant more to you. Two weeks is the minimum I need to process your resignation. TTA international is coming soon; we need you. We can't afford to let you resign so quickly." He emphasized the word
need,
and the emotional part of me hoped he didn't mean that in a company context.

I darted my eyes to a corner. "Of course you mean more to me," I choked out.

Ryan cupped my cheeks with his hands. "Can you honestly tell me you don't want to stay?" He forced me to look into his green eyes again. They danced over my features, embodying something alluring. Not now. I couldn't fall prey to them now.

I held back my tears. "No."

"Then why?" His lips were so close. I could just tiptoe and kiss him, forget about everything I just said, and live in my fantasy for a little while longer. The memory of his mouth was fresh in my mind—sweet and sensuous, like an addiction I could never have enough of.

It took everything in me not to let my fingers rake through his silky hair. "It's the better option. It's safer. The paparazzi will start to leave me alone. My parents' reputation won't be tarnished. Your—" I stopped as I was about to tell them about what their mother said to me. Now that I was leaving, there wasn't any need to pit them against her.

Ryan kissed me. I didn't pull back. "We'll miss you. Was it last night? We were stupid, Scarlet. We got too carried away. We forgot that you are new to this, and we let ourselves go too far." I reveled in the light brush of his lips, the sweetness of them leaving too quickly. Why did he have to let go? His fingers traveled to my waist. I shuddered under his touch. Was it because of fear? Pleasure?

"It's not just last night, Ryan." I shifted my jaw from side to side nervously, not sure how to explain it to them. I wasn't sure if I could explain my reasons for leaving to myself. "It's... the things that have been happening. And... and I'm afraid I'm nothing but a plaything to the both of you. You made it seem pretty clear yesterday."

Riley pinched his nose. "Damn it, Scarlet. It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?"

"It's our fault, entirely. We forgot. We had... other girls come into that room before. They were experienced—they had done these things before. It's no excuse, but we saw you at the landing yesterday, looking so beautiful.” Knowing they were attracted to me sent a tingling to my chest. "We wanted you so badly. And then, we forgot. You always came off so strong, so independent. We thought you could handle it, but we forgot that you weren't used to such things." The sides of his lips curled down. "We had a rough week. We shouldn't have caused you to suffer because of that."

Jealousy grabbed me by its sticky claws. "Was I always like one of them? Like those other girls?"

"No!" He paced closer to me, studying me with his gaze, causing my pulse to quicken. "You were never like one of them."

"You're special to us, Scarlet," Ryan said. "We've never met another girl like you." His face was so close that I could feel his breath on my neck. "You are daring, strong, and everything we could ever ask for.
Perfect.
"

I let out a nervous laugh. "That sounds like a confession."

"It is."

My jaw tensed. What should I make of this? It felt like everything, and all I ever wanted, was just handed to me on a plate. But it was too good to be true.
Too perfect
to even make sense.

They waited for my response as their eyes examined mine. Entrancing, dangerous...

Too perfect.

Not knowing what to do, I cried, then laughed. Was this some kind of cruel prank they were playing on me?

"Why are you crying?" Ryan said, concerned. His thumb trailed across my cheek, wiping a stray tear aside.

I shook my head. I was supposed to be strong, dependable, the A student, the quintessential modern day woman. That person was whom my parents raised me up to be and who I wanted to be.

But here were the twins, bending me like pliable straw under their strings, playing me like a puppet, sending me to tears like the weak woman the modern age taught me not to become.

I bit my lower lip in frustration. "You guys are the worst."

"We love you," Ryan said, wearing a dark look. He didn't sound like he was pleading, or needy. He said it as a challenge. He wanted me to succumb and accept.

I shook my head and backed against the wall, suddenly finding it difficult to breathe. "I don't know." I shook my head. "I don't know what to do."

"Are you still resigning?"

"I'm not sure," I murmured under by breath.

Apparently, Riley heard me, because he responded, "We'll give you as much time as you need to think about it. I'll withdraw or process your resignation as soon as you're ready to give an answer."

I was thankful he didn't press me on our relationship any further. I should have been the happiest woman alive after having that confession from the two most eligible bachelors. But how could I be after what happened last night? I couldn't trust them with telling me the truth. I put faith in them in the bedroom, and they nearly suffocated me to death.

They might have been weaving a huge lie to keep me in the company. After all, the directors of TTA international were arriving. I read the brief today—our company had a big party planned, and it'd be troublesome for the twins not to have a personal assistant to help with organizing the event.

What if, after the whole event was over, I found them in bed while lying next to some other blonde girl?

If that happened, I wanted to be able to walk away without being the brokenhearted girl who gave up all her feelings to men she couldn't trust.

"Are you tired?" Riley asked. "You can stop for today. There aren't any important meetings."

I nodded. "Yes, please." The emotional part of my brain had been thoroughly fried, and I felt more nauseous than I'd ever been. I figured another bout of vomiting was nearly due.

"I'll call Tyrone up. He'll wait for you in the lobby."

"Are the both of you coming home?"

"We have some work to wrap up."

I turned on my heels and stalked to the metal door.

"And, Scarlet," Riley called. "Don't forget about what we said. We meant every last bit of it."

Without even giving them a glance, much less a reply, I pushed the door open and made haste to exit.