Chapter 4

Tony

Ever since Brittney left, I’ve been tellin myself it’s for the best. It’s easier this way. She was never more than a convinience, a solution to a problem I needed to fix. And now that she’s gone, I can breath again.

At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

I sip my whiskey, the burn tracing down my throat as u sit in the office. The room is dim, the only light coming from the faint glow of the city’s skyline through the massive windows. The silience hung heavily around me, but I didn’t let it bother me.

I don’t let anything bother me.

She’ll come back, she always does.

For three years I watched her cling to me like a moth to a flame. Desperate for something I never promised her, love? That was never part of the deal. I gave her my name, my status, and a roof under her head. What more could she possibly need?

So, she left.

Women like Brittney don’t last long without someone like me to keep them afloat. She’ll realize it eventually, the world outside my name isn’t kind to women like her.

The phone buzzes on the table. Amelia’s name lighting up the screen. I don’t bother answering, she’s persistent, always has been, but right now, I’m not in the mood for her dramatics.

Instead I leaned back in my chair, my thoughts drifting.

Brittney looked different that night, didn’t she? When she stood up at that ridiculous family dinner, and announced she wanted a divorce. There was a fire in her eyes, one I hadn’t see before, a spark of something I didn’t think she had in her.

It didn’t matter.

That spark will fizzle out soon enough.

“Sir,” a voice interrupts my thoughts, snapping me back to reality. It’s one of my assistants Standind hesistantly at the door. “The report you requested is ready.”

“Leave it on the desk,” I said curtly, waving him off.

“Yes sir,” he places the folder down and quickly exits, leaving me alone again.

The whiskey in my glass swirls as I tilt it. I could call Brittney right now if I wanted to. One phone call and she’d come running back.

Because that’s who she is.

She doesn’t know how to be without me.

Or maybe that’s what I’ve told myself for so long, I started to believe it.

I rolled a blunt and put it inbetween my lips. The door creaked open and this time it’s Amelia. She strides in like she owns the place, her high heels clicking against the hardwood floor.

“Tony,” she purrs, perching on the edge of my desk. Her perfume is strong, almost suffocating. “You’ve been ignoring my calls.”

I took a drag, airing out the smoke. “ I’ve been busy.”

“Busy doing what?” She presses, crossing her legs. “Thinking about her?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” i scoffed, downing down the rest of my whiskey.

“Oh please,” she said, rolling her eyes, “you think I don’t notice? Ever since she left, you’ve been sulking around like some love sick puppy.”

I laugh at that, a sharp humorless sound. “Lovesick? Hardly. She’ll come back, she always does.”

“And what if she doesn’t?”

I took a drag once more, before pressing it on the ashtray. “ Then she’s a fool.”

“Why are you here, Amelia?” I ask, tired of her games.

She smirks leaning in closer, “I just wanted to remind you that not everyone leaves, some of us stay, no matter how much of an ass you are.”

Her gaze travelled from my eyes, to my lips, in the most seductive way ever. Her hands, unbotting my shirt.

I smirk back. “And yet you are, still waiting for scraps.”

Amelia plants a kiss on my lips. “Watch what you say,” she said sweetly against my lips and I could feel my cock twitch.

I crashed my lips unto hers and i kissed aggressively, more out of habit than desire. Letting the raw aggression of the moment take over. Her hands roamed across my chest. Tugging at the fabric on my shirt as she worked to undo the remaining buttons.

“Tony,” she moaned softly, her voice filled with need.

I pushed her back into the desk, scattering papers and folders in the process. Her smug smirk never wavered as she moved back, archon her body.

I let myself sink into the distraction. The chaos of the last few weeks, Brittney leaving, the quiet, nagging voice in my head. Amelia was the perfect escape, she always had been.

Her hands slid down to my belt, unbuckling it with deft fingers, but I hesitated.

I stepped back, yanking her hands away. “Enough!”

Her smirk turned into confusion, “what are you doing?”

“This,” I said, guest ur i* to the two of us. “Isn’t what I need ri*ht now.”

She say up, crossing her arms over her chest. “Oh come on. You’re just sulking because she left. Let me remind you why you don’t need her.”

“You don’t get it, this is not about Brittney.”

“Of course, it’s about her. You can’t even say her name without that brooding look on your face. Admit it, you miss her.”

I rolled my eyes, grabbing my jacket. “Don’t flatter yourself by thinking you know me.”

Amelia’s expression hardened. “You think she’s coming back don’t you? You think you can snap your fingers and she’ll come running, like she always does.”

I didn’t respond, but the silience was much of an answer.

“She’s not coming back,” Amelia said, standing and straightening her dress. “And you know why? Because for once, she realized she deserves better than you.”

The words hit harder than I wanted to admit, but I kept my face neutral.

“Get out,” I growled, leaving no room for argument.

“Fine,” she snapped, grabbing her purse, “but don’t come back when you realize you’ve lost everything.”

She stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

I picked up my phone, my thumb hovering around Brittney’s contact. Should I call her or let her be?.