The Ex Games #3

Chapter 2

Brandon



Matt’s phone call had stopped my heart. I hadn’t waited all these years and come this far for Katie to just give up on me. I couldn’t let it happen. I wasn’t going to let it happen. All my life I had gone from woman to woman, not knowing what love was and not caring, and then I had met Katie. Katie of my heart and soul. Katie who set my heart on fire with one smile. The moment I saw her, I’d known she was the one. Something about the way her eyes stared into mine with her shy smile, the way her hair always curled no matter how much she straightened it. There was something about her that couldn’t be tamed. Yet, she appealed to me. She was the love of my life. But now, she was giving up on me.

I watched as Harry played with his Legos, carefully pushing the pieces on top of each other. I loved him more than life itself. My son, the flesh of my loins. I’d never experienced a love like this before. He was the symbol of all my dreams come true, and I would not let him experience the pain I’d had to experience. Before I made any changes in our lives, I had to be one hundred percent sure that he wasn’t going to get hurt. That was why I’d left Katie early this morning. I knew she would be upset that I had left while she was asleep, but as I’d lain with her, watching her sleep, I’d known that I was too weak. I hadn’t wanted to leave. I hadn’t wanted to let her go again. It was becoming increasingly hard to not say to hell with everything and just stay with her. But there was too much at stake. There was Harry to think of now. And I knew that, to a lesser extent, I had to take Maria into account. And my promise to Will. And I couldn’t forget what had happened with Denise. I closed my eyes as I thought about Denise—she was the reason for all of this. If I could only turn back time—then I wouldn’t be in this mess.

Last night had been hard. When Matt called me, I knew that I didn’t have much time left. I couldn’t let her leave Marathon Corporation. I knew that if she left, everything would have been for naught. I was mad at myself when I got off the phone with Matt. I had pushed Katie too far and too fast, and she was already breaking. And now she had kissed another man. I wanted to hit someone at the thought. I grew angry and jealous at the thought of her making love to another man. She hadn’t last night, but who knows what stopped her. I was sure that it hadn’t been for the lack of the bartender trying. I was going to have to find out what bar she had gone to and have a talk with the bartender, just in case Katie went in there again and had any ideas. My insides felt like they were going to burst out of my stomach. I clenched my fists as I thought about her kissing another man and enjoying it. I had done everything in my power to get us to this moment, and it wasn’t working out as planned. Not at all.

I thought back to the first night I met her. It was the best and worst night of my life.

The first time I saw her was at 1:30 a.m. I could still remember it as clear as day. I had been walking home when I saw her standing there, looking so lost and innocent. She had been standing against the wall and dancing and singing to herself with a huge smile on her face. I hadn’t been able to stop myself from going up to her, even though I hadn’t wanted to. My insides had screamed at me to move on, but there was something about her that had made me grind to a halt.

“Are you okay?” I’d approached her apprehensively, hoping not to scare her outside of the trashy club.

As I got closer to her, I realized that her face looked pale. I immediately felt concerned for her, though my brain was screaming at me to leave her alone. I knew that Doug’s was a bar full of miscreants, and after the last couple of weeks I had had, I wasn’t interested in meeting any new women.

“Do you need me to take you somewhere?” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them, and my hands gripped her shoulders. As soon as I touched her, I felt a buzz of electricity run through me. She looked up at me then, her big brown eyes friendly and surprised. She studied my face for a few seconds before grinning at me in appreciation.

“I’m fine.” She giggled slightly and moved closer to me. A part of me wanted to kiss her right then and there. She captivated me with her openness. It was something I wasn’t used to. “I’m just waiting on my friends.” Her words slurred and she hiccupped.

I looked around the street to see if I could see any other girls. There was no one else outside, aside from one of the bouncers and a seedy looking man who was staring at her legs. I glared at him before turning back to her angrily. What was she doing standing outside this sleazy club by herself? Didn’t she know what could happen?

“You’re drunk. I’m not seeing any friends here.”

“They’re in the toilet.” She stumbled towards me.

“I see. I’ll wait with you then.” I took her hand and we leaned against the wall, waiting for her friends to come out. She stared at me again with a sweet smile.

“Thank you,” she said softly and I nodded at her, not knowing what to say.

This girl was different, with her big, wavy hair and cheap, overdone makeup. She didn’t fit the sleek, made-up look of other women in the city. A part of me was attracted to her for all she represented, and the other part of me was attracted to her because she was sexy as hell.

“Are you trying to seduce me?” She wiggled her eyebrows at me while staring at me with obvious lust as she giggled and pushed her chest out. I appreciated the fact that she was showing me who she was and what she wanted, even though I knew there was no way I would sleep with her now. Not when she was drunk. Not after what had happened with Denise. I’d be a fool to go down that road. I declined her offer and smiled at her. There was something so lost but genuine about her. Standing there brought out feelings I had never felt before. This girl was different, and I was loath to just leave her alone.

I can still remember my brain screaming at me as I offered to take her home with me that night. I supposed I could have asked to see her driver’s license and sent her off in a cab, but I wanted to make sure she was okay. And I wanted a chance to see what she was like when she wasn’t drunk. I helped her back to my apartment slowly. I was mad at the fact that she went with me so easily. She fell asleep and became dead weight in my arms about two blocks from my apartment, so I picked her up and carried her back quickly, feeling like her knight in shining armor. Only, she didn’t know, and I knew that there was no one else who would ever call me a Prince Charming. I’d placed her in the bed and gone to sleep on the couch in the living room. I didn’t want her to wake up in bed with a strange man and panic, even though I’d wanted to feel her in my arms.

The next morning she woke up with a trusting face and a huge but weary smile, and I knew she wasn’t like all the others. She was different, and as she looked at me so guilelessly, I knew that I wanted a relationship with her. But I couldn’t forget what had just happened with Denise, so I called Will and asked him to check her out and follow her. I just needed to know that she wasn’t setting me up. It was the second-worst decision of my life, and once again, I felt like everything was crashing down around me.

“Ow,” Harry whimpered, and I was immediately brought back to the present.


“What’s wrong?” I hurried over to him.

“My Lego hurt me.” He grinned at me and jumped up. “I want to go and play on my new skateboard now.”

“Not right now, Harry.” I shook my head and ruffled his hair.

“Oh come on, Dad. I’ll be careful.” He looked up at me with a hopeful expression and a small pout. He reminded me so much of his mother with his expressive face. I hugged him to me for a second and shook my head.

“Maybe tomorrow.”

“You always say that.” He frowned and pulled away from me. “I’m going to go and play Wii.”

“Maybe I’ll join you in a few minutes,” I called after him as he ran out of the room, and he looked back at me with such a look of joy that I told myself I definitely needed to play with him after my call.

“Hello?” he answered slowly and unsurely. I knew he was worried about my tone. I had been furious with him last night.

“Matt, it’s Brandon.”

“She’s not answering my calls, sir.”

“That’s fine.” I bit my lower lip, not sure how to continue. “Right now I need you to focus on something else.”

“Sure. Do you want me to look into another company?” His voice grew excited at the possibility, and I sighed internally. He wasn’t as good a detective as his father Will had been. I knew his heart wasn’t in the job, not if it wasn’t to do with business. Matt was a journalist first and foremost, a detective second. And I didn’t trust him, not like I had trusted his dad. But when his dad died of a heart attack two years ago, he had taken over the business, and I’d remained loyal to honor his dad.

“No, I need you to find a bar.”

“A bar?” His tone sounded surprised.

“I need to know the name of the bar Katie went to last night when she left your apartment. And I need to know the names of all the bartenders that were working last night.”

“How am I supposed to find that out?” Matt sounded bored, and I wanted to reach through the phone and smack him. Matt irritated me, and if it weren’t for all he’d done so far and all the information he knew, I would have told him what I thought of him. The only reason I’d hired Matt to date Katie was because I knew he was gay. No matter what happened, he was never going to seduce her and have sex with her. And I didn’t care about a few sloppy kisses—not from him. I knew he could never set her on fire like I did.

“Do some work.” My tone was angry. “Go through her credit card bills, see who saw her in the street, check every neighborhood bar around you with photos, do whatever it takes. But get me that information.”

“Sure,” he sighed.

“I want it by tonight.”

“But I was planning on—” He started and I coldly interrupted him.

“I don’t care what your plans were. I need this information by tonight.”

“You only care about yourself,” he muttered with a bitter tone.

“Don’t forget who got you the job at the Wall Street Journal,” I hissed. “And don’t forget who’s looking after your sister.”

“How is Maria, by the way?” His voice was glib. “Should I reserve a date on my calendar for the wedding?”

“Funny.” My tone was anything but humorous.

“I dare say she wouldn’t mind being a part of some sort of sister wives marriage,” he joked. “Seeing as you like the group stuff anyways.”

My blood boiled over at his comment. I knew that he was sending me a warning, not just idly joking. But he had no idea who he was messing with.

“Matt, just get me the information.” I hung up the phone and rubbed my temples. That was the problem with having too many people in your business. Will was the only other person who knew what had gone down with Denise and me that night. And now it seemed that Matt knew as well. I knew then and there that it was over for him as well as for Maria. I’d done as much as I could to help them and honor their father’s wishes, but I could take them no further. I didn’t care how cruel I had to be.

I called Katie’s number and waited with bated breath to see if she was going to answer.

“Hello?” Her voice was standoffish, but she answered after one ring.

“Sorry I had to leave early this morning.”

“You did?” Her voice faked surprise. “I didn’t even notice you weren’t here when I woke up.”

“I didn’t want to leave.” I wished my words could convey the depth of my feelings for her.

“Whatever. You hit it and quit it. That’s your usual M.O.” Her voice sounded harsh. “Nothing unusual.”

“Katie.” I was getting angry. “That’s not what happened.”

“What do you want, Brandon?” she sighed.

“To talk,” I said softly, though I really wanted to say, “You. I want you.”

“Well, talk then.” She sounded irritated. “I have to go.”

“Don’t quit.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have hired your fiancée’s brother to date me.” She was angry. “And what exactly does his dad do for you?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. I told you. Not now.” I gripped the phone. I hadn’t been completely honest with Katie when she had asked how I knew Matt. I’d been in shock when she asked me, on the point of orgasm, and my brain wasn’t able to comprehend the depth of how scared I had been. If she’d stayed around to hear more of Matt’s conversation with me, she would have figured out that he was now working for me instead of his dad. There was silence on the phone and my heart dropped. “Katie.” I talked into the phone, but I knew she had hung up on me.

I called her back, but this time she didn’t answer. I wanted to throw the phone into the wall when I heard the call go to voicemail. I was so angry and worried. What if I had lost her? After everything that had happened, I knew there was a high possibility that she was done with me. And what did I expect? I was forty-two, and she was twenty-five. I’d always wanted to give her space so she could make her own decisions. I’d always known it was a risk and that things might not work out as I hoped. But it had been seven years. I’d sacrificed everything for this moment and opportunity, and it looked like my worst fears were coming true.

“Dad, you coming?” Harry shouted from the living room, and I put my phone in my pocket. I’d try calling Katie again later. Now I needed to be with my son.



***

"I was thinking we should set a date." Maria walked into my study with a tight smile. She had asked me to talk while Harry and I were playing Mario Kart, and I’d told her to come and see me later. Now I wished that I hadn’t.

"A date?" I looked up at her blankly.

"For the wedding." She walked behind the desk and sat on my lap. "Silly."

"What are you talking about?" I sat back, uncomfortable with the way she was moving against me.

"I'm ready to get married and make this real." She leaned in toward me and I jumped up.

"This isn't real, Maria." I shook my head as I felt my heart pounding.

"It wasn't at first, but now now it is." She stood up and grabbed my shirt. "I know at first you only started dating me as a favor to my dad, but we're in love now."

“Maria, we never dated." I tried to keep my voice gentle, as I knew how fragile she was. "And we aren't in love."


"I love you, Brandon." Her eyes looked upset. "We're a family."

"We're not a family, Maria." I shook my head, fear forming in my stomach.

"I spoke to Matt last night." Her voice changed. "I know that Katie's done with you. She's quitting and wants nothing to do with you. It's time to move on now, Brandon," she pleaded with me and her fingers ran down my arm. "It's time to give that dream up."

"That's none of your business, Maria." My voice was hard.

"I'll tell her the truth if you don't marry me." Maria looked up at me with ice in her blue eyes. "I will tell her the truth and that would ruin everything."

"You don't know what you're talking about." I called her bluff.

"My dad told me everything that he did for you." Her fingers ran down the front of my pants, but my cock remained frozen and still. "I know everything." She tilted her head and looked up at me. "What time of year would you like the wedding to take place?"

"Your father would be ashamed of you if he knew what you were doing." I grabbed ahold of her wrist and pulled her hand away from me. "You're disgracing the family name."

"What do I care?" She looked at me with anger in her eyes. "They didn't care about me when they pawned me off to you."

"I've tried to help you."

"Because you love me." Her voice softened and her eyes looked at me adoringly. "You've taken me in because you love me." She rested her head against my chest and I stood there, immobile. I hadn't counted on Maria trying to make this difficult. I decided to save my breakup talk for the next day; I couldn't afford for Maria to go rogue on me—not now. Not when everything was still so precarious with Katie. If Maria really knew everything, then I was in big trouble. She would have the power to topple my deck of cards and have everything come crumbling down around me.

"I have to go out." I extricated myself from her embrace and quickly left the study. Maria was going to make this difficult—very difficult indeed.

"Wait." She grabbed my arm. "Kiss me before you go."

"Maria," My voice was stern as I pulled away from her. "Go and get your bags packed."

“Why?"

"I think it's time for you to move." I cleared my throat. "It's been nice having you here, but it is time for you to move on."

"You told my father you would look after me."

"I've given you a roof over your head. I've protected you as best as I can, but enough is enough."

"It's because of that whore, isn't it? Maria spat out with hatred in her eyes.

"It's time for you to go." I turned around and walked out of the room before I did or said something I would regret.

“You'll never have her, you know!" Maria called out. "Not by the time I'm done. You two will never have a relationship. Not when she knows the truth."

“Maria, I’m warning you.” I took a step away from her, hatred burning in me.

“I know about the whores, you know.” Her eyes danced with evil joy as she studied me. “And I know about the files. I wonder if innocent little Katie knows. There’s quite a lot she doesn’t know, isn’t there?” She grabbed my hand and placed it on her breast. “Just make love to me, Brandon. Just make love to me so we can make a brother or sister for Harry. Then I won’t tell. I won’t tell Katie.”

“Don’t threaten me.” My voice was cold and deadly as I pulled my hand away. “You do not want to mess with me, Maria.”

“I think it’s you that shouldn’t mess with me, dear Brandon.” She smiled and took a step back. “Where’s Harry? I want to go and read him a story.”

“He’s gone to my dad’s house.” I felt myself thanking God for getting my dad and his new girlfriend to pick up Harry for the rest of the week. I’d had a feeling that shit was going to hit the fan, and I knew Maria would try to involve him.

“You didn’t ask me.” She glared at me.

“I didn’t need to ask you.”

“He’s my son!” she screamed, her eyes blazing.

“No, Maria.” I shook my head and looked into her eyes. “He’s never been your son.”

“She’s never going to take you back, you know.” Her eyes looked at me with a bitter glee. “Not once she knows everything.”

I turned away from her abruptly and left the house. I didn’t hit women, but I had come mighty close to slapping her. But I wasn’t even mad at Maria; I was mad at myself.

About thirty minutes later, I found myself outside of Katie’s apartment. I needed to see her. I needed to feel her. I called her phone and waited for her to answer.

“Hello?”

“You answered.”

“What do you want, Brandon?”

“Can I see you?”

“No.”

“Can I come over?”

“No.” Her voice was firm. “I’m having an early night. I’m going to bed now.”

“I can be there within five minutes.”

“Sorry. No.” And then she hung up on me again.

I stood there outside her front door, wanting to just open it up and go inside. No one told me no. But I didn’t. I knew I couldn’t invade her privacy like that. What if she moved out? I couldn’t risk losing every connection I had with her. I started walking down the stairs when the phone rang. I grabbed it eagerly, thinking it was Katie.

“You changed your mind?”

“Mr. Hastings?” Matt’s voice sounded surprised.

“What is it, Matt?”

“I found the bar.” He sounded proud of himself.

“I see. How do you know?”

“There are only three bars near me.” His voice sounded obnoxious.

“That doesn’t answer my question.” My voice grew angry as I became frustrated. “How do you know which one she went to?”

“Well, I happened to be in there just now.” His voice was quick and excited. “I was sitting in a corner booth. It’s dark in the corners so people can’t really see you, but you can see them.”

“Get on with it,” I growled.

“Well, I was sitting there, and Katie just walked in.” My heart stopped at his words and I hit the wall as I exited the building.

“And?”

“And the bartender looked up at her and smiled.” Matt’s voice rose. “And he said, ‘Well, this must be my lucky week! I get to see your pretty face two days in a row.’”

“I see.”

“So obviously, she must have been there last night,” Matt continued. “And I think something happened. Because when she sat down, he offered everyone at the bar blowjob shots. He said that everyone deserved to get as lucky as he was going to get tonight.”

“What’s the name of the bar?” I growled, furious.

“Getting Lucky,” Matt drawled. “I just left the bar and Katie was there flirting with the bartender. He also owns the place. But yeah, the name is Getting Lucky. And I guess we both know what’s going to go down tonight.”

I hung up, and this time I did throw my phone against the wall. I watched as it cracked and fell to the ground. Katie had blown me off and lied to me. I wasn’t happy, and there was no way in hell I was going to let some chump come in and steal my woman away from me. Not after everything I’d been through. Even if I had to play rough and dirty, I was going to make sure that there wasn’t ever going to be a relationship between Katie and the bartender.