Shortly after takeoff, Zander sent her aunt a heads-up of what was to come. Diplomatic it was not, but if she was looking for direct and honest, she certainly received it, and in spades.Zander: Hopping on a plane to discuss Matheo with you, who, by the way, fucked my second wife. Consequently, I was back with Elvie, my first wife. I am bringing her over, so keep your claws tucked in.P.S.Bella, my assistant, booked a conference call with the entire board later this afternoon, and that includes your philandering ex-husband. I sent you some recordings you need to listen to, so please do that in between auditioning for new boy toys.P.P.S.I meant it about the claws. I am planning on keeping this one for a while.After they landed, Elvie was surprised to find they were sharing a Mandarin Hotel suite, but she didn’t let it show. She dove headfirst into the huge bed, making a snow angel on the sheets. She didn’t know why that made him want to fuck her so hard that he’d nail her to the ma
Elvie walked across the aisle, her shoulder brushing Zander's arm, and dropped the record back in its place, picking another one instead. He didn’t see what it was and decided he didn’t care.“Queen and Jimi Hendrix never won a Grammy. Justin Bieber did,” she whispered, her grin signalling that she had won the battle.“I didn’t give you your iPod back because I wanted to keep a piece of you with me,” he admitted.And won.And lost.And what the fuck?“What?” Her smile wiped off so quickly, you’d think I’d told her I’d been giving her brother placebo drugs for the past few weeks.He picked up the record she was holding and walked over to the register to pay for it.Elvie didn’t want him to buy her nice things. But that didn’t stop him from wanting to. Because the truth was, he’d never been taught how to show affection. Zander was taught how to buy it.The salesman didn’t even wake up as he slid a note across his counter, plucked a plastic bag, and put the record inside.Pet Sounds by t
“My parent’s network?” Zander spat, laughing incredulously. “Where the fuck have you been for the last decade? Even before you moved to Florida, you didn’t give two shits about SBC. You only attended board meetings, and even that was half-heartedly and solely for the chance of screwing my dad over somehow. You could have managed it yourself, but you chose to give it to some incompetent asshole because working is not your jam. I spend ten hours a day in the office. I live it. I breathe it. I eat it. But when I make one decision that has nothing to do with it, it’s suddenly an issue. This network is not yours more than it is mine. Just because Kristal was born into the right family doesn’t mean she’s right for me. And that bullshit where you marry someone without standing up to their fucking face? I had a front-row seat to that scenario at home, and I’m sure I’m not spoiling it for you when I say it ended badly. One last thing—Elvie is not, in fact, disposable,” he noted. “But I know a
Life was full of surprises. Zander thought.There were good surprises, like finding out Elvie’s pussy tasted like honeydew and was tighter than his fist. There were also bad surprises, like finding Kristal standing inside his apartment, his spare keys dangling from her fingers in triumph, completely naked.Again.He dropped his suitcase and cracked his neck, walking straight to the bar. Luckily, they’d broken things off before he’d had the chance to become a full-blown alcoholic. Kristal certainly looked better behind the mist of hard liquor.“Are you officially a nudist? I haven’t seen you with clothes on in a while,” Zander pondered, unbuttoning the first two buttons of his shirt.“You’re funny,” she hissed in what he assumed was meant to be a seductive way.“And you’re naked. For a rich girl, you could surely use a new wardrobe. How did you get my keys?”Part of him wanted to know, and the other dreaded killing the person who’d given them to her—not that there was a long list to ch
Guilt nibbled at Elvie’s gut as Joey exclaimed how happy he was for her. For them and for Zander.Of course, she’d sugarcoated the situation to the point that it looked like a churro.Instead of telling him she was now blissfully happy and screwing her heartless husband, she painted a picture in soft pinks and vivid baby blues in which Zander and she had fallen desperately in love and decided to be together. To which she wondered if, by telling that to his brother, he would ever admit his involvement with Zander’s parents' accident and ask forgiveness, or would he deny it? Not that she didn't doubt Zander; she had all doubts and a fear that maybe Joey was involved with or without his knowledge.Joey swallowed the entire thing and asked for seconds. He came clean about the experimental treatment and said he loved Zander like a brother. Like. A. Brother. And he was willing to change and be grateful for the second chance God had given him. Could she believe him?Maybe.But she knew to b
The next few days were a blur. Things somehow got both better and worse.Better, because people had very little time to duck their heads down and whisper about them.News about their marriage, Kristal's involvement, and their fake divorce echoed the four walls of the Stanton building.Zander was running around the office, screaming his lungs out at them. They were severely short-staffed, and every calamity in the world had decided to land at their feet.Worse, because ever since the new ads started rolling, Zander was in and out of meetings on the sixth floor, and every time he came back, he punched a wall to its untimely death. They were four holes in, with their ratings slipping each passing second and their competitors openly discussing their current situation as a network dying a slow, painful, and very public death.Zander had not been kidding.Matheo wanted to kill SBC before he left; he had all the shareholders under him, everyone except Zander, and now that Zander was no longe
Her legs were up before she knew it, carrying her to the exit. No explanation. No apologies. Elvie felt his grave steps thumping in her hollow chest as he followed her out. It was raining outside—the kind of dirty, humid rain to break the pulses of summer heat. It reminded her of the day they’d met at the university, of the carnal desperation that ate at her back then, and of the fact that she was still alone.Elvie felt his hand on my shoulder as he swivelled her around sharply. He jerked her into his arms.I didn’t want him to let go.I didn’t want him to keep me there, either. She thought.“I wish I’d never met you.” My fists pounded his chest, and he took it. Maybe because he knew he deserved it. His mouth pressed against my cheek felt like a rusty, hot blade. The world felt like it was ending, even though I knew it couldn’t be.The vane of his breath sliced through my ear. “I wish that, too.”That night, the sex was different.Slow, intense, and angry. Every thrust was a punishme
On the way to work, Gerald told her in her earbuds that they’re spending the treasure that love cannot afford, and Elvie nodded, not only to the rhythm but to the sentiment. Her shoes were blood red, and she’d spent the ride dying their laces black with a Sharpie.She walked into the office, not knowing what to expect. The professional side was going to be evidently extra depressing. But last night, Zander and she showcased their hearts like they were on a window display when they touched—crawling into each other’s mouths and seeping into each other’s souls. Then she’d left, without a message or a phone call. It was not her most mature moment, but she was sure he needed time to think too.Elvie walked the hallway, ignoring the judgy looks and raised eyebrows people tried to pin her with. One of the secretaries passed her and winced. She didn’t say anything, but one look at her face told Elvie she was in for an unpleasant surprise. What the hell was wrong with these people? Why on eart