RUSH
Woods was standing outside of the clubhouse arguing with that Angie or Angel or Angelina... Hell I couldn’t remember her name. She’d been around off and on through the years. I was pretty sure she was a summer f*ck for Woods when we were in high school. Her daddy was in the same business as the Kerringtons and Grant had thought that Woods was going to marry her.
Then this Della chick had shown up and my guess was things had changed. Or not. I couldn’t tell. Last I’d heard Della hadn’t gone to jail and it had been a misunderstanding. Woods had raised some hell at the police station though. The girl had her hands on Woods’ arms and it looked like she was begging him. I wasn’t sure I wanted to walk up on that conversation but the dude looked like he needed help.
He had enough shit to deal with now that his dad was dead. No one had been prepared for it and Woods had it all thrust at him overnight.
“Get off me Angelina. I swear to God, if you don’t leave me the f*ck alone I’m going to have a restraining order on your ass,” Woods said as he shoved her hands off him. He turned to see me walking up and the relief in his eyes was obvious. “Rush. Hey, you here for that meeting?” he asked.
I had no idea what he was talking about and I was willing to bet he’d just made that shit up. “Yep,” I replied.
“This isn’t over, Woods. I swear to you it isn’t. You’re making a huge mistake,” she cried out as Woods broke free from her and started toward me.
“Get me the hell away from her. Fast,” he muttered as he walked past me. I turned and followed him. I’d been here to talk to Bethy about babysitting tomorrow night so I could take Blaire out on a date. But it looked like I was going to get to chat with Woods first.
He opened the door to the club and went inside not waiting to see if I followed him. “Craziest f*cking bitch I’ve ever met,” he swore once we were both safely inside. He ran his hand through his hair and let out a frustrated growl. “I was running. I was. I was gonna pull a f*cking Tripp. I was taking Della and we were going to leave this shit behind. My dad had pushed me too far and I was done. Then he had to up and die. Come to find out Dad’s will stated that on my twenty-fifth birthday, which is in two months, that this place became mine. My grandfather had made it very f*cking clear in his will and it was so locked up my dad couldn’t budge it. I can’t run now, can I? It’s all mine. The grandfather I loved and admired hadn’t screwed me over after all. But God, it’s all so screwed up now. I just need to focus on getting Della better. I don’t have time to handle all this. I know nothing, Rush. Motherf*cking NOTHING. My dad didn’t let me into the business side of it. He said I had to earn my place.” Woods let out another frustrated sigh and started pacing the floor.
I wasn’t sure what all he was talking about but the dude had problems. Grant was the guy he needed, not me. I wasn’t someone to share your shit with. I didn’t do heart to hearts.
“Woods?” A petite brunette with big blue eyes walked inside the door looking right at Woods with a concerned frown. “What’s wrong?”
The man morphed right in front of me. He took two long strides and pulled her into his arms like someone was about to touch her and he needed to make sure she stayed safe. “I’m fine. Did you get to sleep late?” he asked in a tender voice that I swear to God I’d never heard the dude use.
She nodded and slipped her arms around him. “Yes. Everything was fine this morning. Stop worrying,” she told him. She turned her head and looked over at me.
“Della, this is Rush Finlay. You met his wife, Blaire. Rush, this is my Della.”
His Della. Oh man, that was what was wrong. He’d been sunk. I couldn’t keep the grin off my face. I understood that feeling completely. And damned if it didn’t make me happy that Woods was wrapped up in another woman and wasn’t sniffing after mine anymore. Thank you, Della.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said.
“Nice to meet you too,” I replied. She had no idea just how nice. Good ole Woods Kerrington was in love. Funniest shit I’d heard all week.
GRANT
The banging on my door sounded like a damn freight train. I pushed the covers off me and looked over at Paige. I’d brought her home with me last night from a party. We’d both had too much to drink and we had plenty of fun before we’d passed out. That much I could remember. Paige was always nice and easy. She didn’t do the clingy thing.
The banging kept on. I grabbed my discarded shorts from last night and pulled them on before walking down the hall toward the door. “Shut the f*ck up! Dammit, that’s too f*cking loud,” I yelled before opening the door. The sun was up and right in my eyes. I threw my arm over my eyes and squinted while calling whoever was at my door a crazy motherf*cker.
I didn’t do hangovers well.
“Aren’t you charming this morning,” Nan drawled as she pushed past me and walked in. Shit. Not who I wanted to deal with this morning.
I slammed the door. “What do you want, Nan? It’s ten f*cking a.m.,” I growled.
Nan walked into my kitchen and leaned against the bar.
“I need a place to stay,” she said in a softer voice that she only used when she wanted something. A year ago that shit worked with me. I was so wrapped up in her selfish ass I couldn’t see straight. It was all the sex though. She was good at it. A f*cking gymnast in the bed. I’d learned the hard way that sex didn’t make up for heartbreak and bitchiness. I was done with her. With all of it.
“Call Rush. I’m going back to bed. You know the way out,” I replied, heading back to my bedroom.
“I can’t! He won’t help me. I can’t stand Blaire and he knows it. He loves her more than me. She took him away from me. She took everything away from me. I hate her and I can’t pretend to like her. But I don’t have anywhere to go. I don’t want to live with my mother. I want to come back to Rosemary.”
“Sucks for you. Bye Nan.” I opened the bedroom door and walked over to the bed and laid face down.
“Paige? Really Grant? You don’t know where all that has been. You’ve stooped pretty low. Even for you.”
Paige sat up rubbing her face and I enjoyed the fact she was naked and Nan was getting a very good look at her tits. They were a helluva lot nicer than Nan’s.
“I stepped up. Last chick I f*cked was you,” I replied. She’d walked into that one.
Paige looked at me then Nan with bloodshot eyes. I was pretty sure she’d been smoking pot last night. “What the f*ck?” she grumbled pulling the sheet up to cover herself.
“Nan’s here to make my life hell. Ignore her,” I said rolling on my back and propping my hands behind my head.
“Really? This is what we’ve become?” Nan asked.
“This is what you made us, Nan. You wanted to screw around well I agree. It’s fun. Thanks for the idea.”
“Paige, for godsake, get some clothes on and leave. We’re trying to have a conversation,” Nan snapped at Paige who was sitting quietly listening to us.
I reached over and patted her leg. “Don’t leave. Her ass has been shown the door. She needs to take it,” I told Paige. I really had rather they both leave but I wasn’t an ass. I wouldn’t kick Paige out. I’d let her leave on her own.
“For real? You’re gonna just whore around and not even let me explain? Did you know I was in a rehab? Did you care? You sure as hell didn’t call me. No one did. Not even Rush.”
I felt a small pang for her but it was really small. Sometimes I still saw that little girl who wanted someone to want her so bad. Those were the times I had compassion. Then I remembered the bitch she had become and decided she deserved what she got.
“When you dish shit out you get shit back. That’s what my granddaddy always told me. Maybe somebody should have taught you that too. Saved us all a f*cking load of trouble.”
Nan pointed at Paige. “Leave. Now.”
I grabbed Paige’s arm. “Ignore her.”
Paige looked back and forth between the two of us and then shook her head. “You two are all kinds of f*cked up. I think I’ll go home and get some rest. My head can’t take this.” She started to get up then reached over and kissed my cheek before crawling out of the bed naked.
I admired her ass while she got her clothes on for Nan’s sake not because I really wanted to. I was too tired to think about naked females.
Paige waved bye to me then hurried out the door carrying her shoes. I had no idea where her car was but that didn’t matter right now. She lived two floors up in the same condo complex as I did. Which was another reason she was handy.
Nan walked over to the bed and sat down.
“Get off my bed, Nan. I swear to God I’ll tell you every detail of what Paige and I did on these sheets last night if you don’t get your damn ass off my bed,” I warned. I couldn’t really remember exactly what we’d done last night. But Nan didn’t have to know that.
“You’re disgusting,” she screamed, standing up and glaring at me.
“Yeah, so are you. At least I know Paige. She’s not some girl I just plucked off the damn street to f*ck.”
Her flashed with unleashed fury. I’d called her shit. She’d wanted to push me away and she’d succeeded. I had seen enough. I wasn’t interested anymore.
“You said you loved me,” she reminded me.
“I thought I might could love you, Nan. But then I woke up and realized a hot f*ck and good p-ssy isn’t love. It’s just really good sex.”
The hurt look in her eyes should have made me feel guilty but it didn’t. I had confused need and want with love. I didn’t know what it was like to love someone. Not the way Rush loved Blaire. I’d never felt that. I knew that now. I had no f*cking clue and I was pretty damn sure I never would.
“Fine. You want to hurt me then do it. I deserve it,” Nan spat, standing up and walking back to the door. “But this isn’t over, Grant. I can admit that I messed up. You just need to admit that you still have feelings for me.”
Did I? I wasn’t sure I did. I was angry at her for jerking me around but I wasn’t sure there were feelings left.
“I am working through some things. It would be nice if someone gave a shit and understood.”
I would not let her turn this around on me. I hadn’t asked for this shit. I’d tried to make it work. She’d refused to ever be more than a f*ck buddy. I had wanted more and she’d made it clear that I could easily be replaced.
“I don’t think I’m the one to help you, Nan. Problem is I know what your life was like and I know why you’re a bitch. But unlike Rush, I don’t let that excuse fly. It’s time you stopped using it and changed. You’re pushing everyone away. Do you want to end up like your mom?”
She stiffened and I knew I’d hit a nerve. Without a word she spun around and stalked out of my condo slamming the door behind her. Good f*cking riddance.
Now I could get some sleep.