Tempting BAD: VIP Spin Off (43 page)

I shook my head with a raised eyebrow. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Madam,” I replied in a calming tone.

She narrowed her eyes at me and disdainfully smiled. “Really? All right… how about we start with the man’s clothing you have all through your condo. What about the toothbrush and cologne? Not enough? How about the fact that you spend every spare second, with a man that’s not a client? Or we could simply talk about New Year’s Eve… hmmm?”

“Madam—”

She put her finger up in the air, silencing me. “You know what really pisses me off? Not that you’re not charging him, It’s your pussy, darling, you can let anyone stick their dick in there on your time.” She pierced her lips. “No… what really makes me livid, is the fact that you’ve been fucking lying to me for months. That’s a game I don’t play, Brooke.” She rose, pulling down her suit jacket. “Devon Hill,” she proudly stated. “Is the owner of The Cove, a very nice bar on South Beach, he has a child by the name of Ethan and an ex-wife, who decided to fuck his staff.”

My eyes widened.

“Oh, you didn’t know that?” She placed her hand on her chest. “I’m sorry… I thought you and your boyfriend told each other everything.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I justified as if it would matter.

“Really…” She placed her finger on her lips in a sarcastic gesture. “You let him come to your condo, you let him leave his clothes. He comes and goes as he pleases… and you fuck him. You fuck him, and you don’t charge a damn cent. So, you could understand why I would assume that Mr. Hill is indeed your boyfriend.”

“It’s complicated.”

“No shit,” she spewed, rounding the corner of her desk and standing in front of me. “When you involve feelings, everything is fucking complicated. I thought you knew that. I thought I taught you well. I didn’t think I had to worry about you, Brooke. I’m disappointed.”

I closed my eyes and bowed my head. I hated hearing her say those words to me.

“Look at me,” she demanded in a tone I didn’t want to fuck with, and I immediately looked up.

“You don’t cower down to me. You don’t cower down to anyone. I had big plans for you, Brooke; do I need to change my mind? You tell me… is this another Ysabelle situation?”

I vigorously shook my head back and forth, biting my cheek.

“Words. Brooke. Let me hear you say the goddamn words.”

“No, Madam.”

“I’ve told you hundreds of times. You do not fuck with your heart. What part of that did you not understand?”

“I know—”

“No, you don’t. Answer this question, hmmm… VIP. What does it mean to you? Is your boyfriend going to be okay with it?”

“He has been so far.”

“Interesting.” She nodded with a pale and callus stare.

I lowered my eyebrows, confused. “What?”

She snidely smiled. “I find it fascinating that you have judged and ridiculed your father, and your mother for as long as I have known you. Now, here you are in the exact same predicament.”

“It’s nothing like—”

“It’s not? Well, I beg to fucking differ. Please… stop me if I’m wrong. You have a relationship with him, right? I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve told him you love him.”

“I haven’t,” I blurted.

She grinned and shook her head in disgust. “Notice you didn’t say… you’re not.”

I jerked back; it was a slap to the face. Not from her retort, but from what I shared without even realizing it.

“My, my, my, Brooke baby. I guess you turned out to be just like your father. Is that what you wanted, hmmm? Did you want to string Devon along, like he does your mother? Your poor, pitiful mother that waits for him every night, and when he comes though the doors, he smells of another woman? Or do you think he washes himself first? How calculated do you think he is? Is it for your mother’s feelings? Or is it for his fucking conscience?” she paused to let her words sink in. “Trust me, I’ve seen the sad eyes she’s had when she’s watched him play. But she accepts it, because what choice does he give her?”

I felt my eyes pool with tears.

“You want that for Devon? Him waiting for you, while you fuck other clients? Huh? You want him to feel like your mother? The woman you so desperately feel sorry for.” She leaned in an inch away from my face. “Because from where I’m standing, it’s like looking at your father,” she whispered. “The man you want to hate; the man that uses everything to his advantage. The selfish, inconsiderate prick that steps on anyone to get what he wants. The man you fucking hate, but have to love. That man.” She softly pecked my lips, pulling away, but still lingering her lips over mine. “That man is you.”

I immediately pulled my head back, her words were spitting fire at me and I was getting burned with each and every truth.

“It’s not nice when the truth is staring you in the fucking face,” she reiterated, reading my mind. “Is it? That’s the beauty about facts, darling? They always have a way of coming out. They don’t stay hidden.”

“I don’t…” I cleared my throat, my voice breaking. “I don’t want that for him.”

“I don’t blame you. I’m not an evil woman, Brooke baby; you may hate me right now. The last thing I want to do is cause you pain… I love you,” she simply stated. “Sometimes in life… you need to have a voice of reason. I don’t mind being that for you. Do you understand me?”

I nodded.

“My advice. Cut him loose. You can’t have it all, and I know you’re a VIP. It’s in your blood. You won’t be happy. It may work now… but it won’t the longer you’re with him. I guarantee you that. You’re not made like that. Learn from your father’s mistakes.”

She reached around and grabbed a tissue from her desk, and handed it to me. I hadn’t realized I was crying.

“Tears don’t make you weak, Brooke. Consequences do. Be a good VIP and do what’s right, before the same stare that you have seen in your mother’s eyes, becomes the same stare you see in Devon’s.”

I wiped away my tears. “Yeah…” was all I could say.

When the truth is blatantly staring you in the face, it doesn’t make it any less easy for you to understand.

A few weeks had gone by, and it was now March. I hadn’t been seeing Brooke that often. She said something about the beginning of the year always being hectic and packed. As much as I wanted to question it, I didn’t.

I spent time with her when we could, trying not to blame it entirely on VIP. I used the bar and being swamped as an excuse, as well.

“Hey,” she greeted, answering her phone.

“Hello there, I feel like I haven’t talked to you in a few days.”

“We text every night and morning, Devon,” she stated.

“Yeah… but they’ve been pretty short,” I reasoned, wanting to get a better answer out of her.

“We’ve been busy. Life gets in the way sometimes.”

“I miss you,” I blurted, needing her to hear it. There was a long pause on the other end. I looked at my phone to see if the call was dropped. “Brooke? You still there?”

“Mmm hmm…” she grumbled.

“What are you doing today?” I asked, changing the subject, trying not to contemplate what was happening.

“Umm… not much.”

“Great. I’ll pick you up in an hour.”

“Devon, I—”

“I’ll pick you up in an hour,” I interrupted in a demanding tone.

“Okay,” she softly spoke.

She was waiting in front of her building when I arrived. She looked beautiful, wearing a long skirt and mid cut-off top. Her hair was down and framed her face. I noticed it immediately, though silently prayed she wanted to style it that way, and I wasn’t misunderstanding or overanalyzing it.

She opened the passenger side door and stepped in. “Where are we going?” she asked while putting on her seatbelt.

“A friend’s birthday party.”

She wearingly smiled at me. “Sounds good.”

I wanted to kiss her, I wanted to hug her, I wanted to do something, anything, but all I did was grab her hand. I placed it on my lap, and she locked her fingers tightly around mine. It drowned out the chaos that overplayed in my mind.

We drove in silence and I parked a few houses down from the party, cars were everywhere. We exited my car and I grabbed her hand once again; she let me. She followed behind me to the front door.

I knocked a few times, but there was no answer. I could hear the commotion coming from inside. I opened the door and stepped in, taking her with me. Kids ran everywhere and in every direction.

“Wow. I didn’t realize this would be a kid’s birthday party,” she mused.

“Yeah… I forgot to mention that part,” I teased to no avail.

I led her to the back porch, her hand still tightly entwined with mine. I looked around for someone I recognized.

“Devon, I’m glad you could make it,” I heard him say from behind us.

I turned, but Brooke stayed put as if she was glued to the ground. Her eyes were tightly shut, and her grip on my hand was so fucking tight, you would think she was trying to cut off my circulation.

“Hey, man,” I responded, looking back at him and then again at Brooke. “This is—”

“I know who she is,” he clarified. “Hey, Brooke. Nice to see you again,” he added.

She licked her lips and sucked in a deep breath, before opening her eyes and looking straight at me. She appeared alarmed, her face portraying nothing, but panic and desperation. She squeezed my hand one last time, before turning around, and locking stares with him immediately.

“Hi, Landon.”

I should have gone with my instincts. I should have ended it the afternoon that I left Madam’s office.

I didn’t.

I’m a coward.

I’m my father.

There I was staring at my past, with my present standing beside me.

How the fuck did I let it get this far?

“You two know each other?” Devon questioned, looking back between us.

“You could say that,” Landon nonchalantly responded.

“We grew up together. She and Christine were best friends.”

Devon’s eyes instantly amplified, understanding the simple, yet significant sentence that would change everything.

“It’s him,” he whispered, only for me to hear.

I nodded.

“Dad!” Ethan yelled, running over to him as fast as his small baby legs would let him. Devon picked him up, kissed his head, and placed him on his hip.

“Oh, Devon, I’m so glad you could—” Her face faltered when she saw me. “Brooke?”

“Hey, Christine,” was all I could say.

“What are you doing here? Are you here with April? I thought she couldn’t make it,” she explained.

I shook my head. “No… I’m here with Devon.”

She cocked her head to the side. “Devon?”

“Christine, I think Brooke is Devon’s girlfriend,” Landon cautioned.

“No!” I yelled out from nowhere, making everyone look at me. “We’re friends. That’s all. We’re just friends.” I didn’t have  the audacity to look over at Devon, but I didn’t have to. I just stabbed him in the heart. Purposely.

“Oh…” Christine breathed out.

“I’m going to use the bathroom. Where is that?” I asked, needing to get ahold of my emotions, and away from all the crazy stares.

I wanted to cry.

I wanted to scream.

I wanted to run away.

But mostly… I wanted to hide.

“Down the hall to your right. Here, I’ll take you,” Landon offered.