MAVERICK“What’s this for?” I hesitantly took the cards and a piece of paper wrapped around it.“My credit card. If you want to buy groceries or coffee or go shopping.”“I have money, Lake. And I don’t do shopping sprees.” I gave it back to him, but I only got a stare. “Fine. I’ll keep it before you put holes in my head. What about this one?” I flipped a debit card.“It has fifty thousand in it, and I will send ten thousand monthly.” The way he said it was as if we were not talking about money worth thousands of dollars.“I thought I gave the details of my bank account—”“That is not your monthly payment, Maverick. As your husband, I’m obligated to give you financial support for groceries, bills, spa day—”“Wait. Wait.” I raised a hand. “I already have the credit card. I don’t need this one.”“Take it. You might need cash. Follow me.”“Oh, God.” I rolled my eyes.“I saw what you just did.” He grunted as he went upstairs.I followed him, stomping my feet. “I’m gonna be late, Lake.”“Ju
LAKE“You were driving like a granny.”“Did I ask you to ride with me? I didn’t, did I? You have your guys and your Mercedes. You should have been here an hour ago.” Maverick paused, dropped her bag on the couch, and arched a brow at me.“Wow.” I stared at her in both amusement and surprise. “You just said five sentences. I was messing with you, Maverick.”“Well, you have a dry sense of humor,” she said as she went to the couch and played with her phone.“Thank you.” I left her alone and went upstairs. I took a quick shower and changed.Then my phone rang. It was my cousin, Striker.“What’s up, cuz?”“I heard a word on the street that you got married and did not tell me. Why?”“Linden has such a big mouth. I specifically told him not to tell anyone. At least, not yet.”“You didn’t tell me, toolbag.” Linden talked.“Oh, now he’s there with you, gossiping.” I got in bed and leaned against the headboard. I felt tired and sleepy. I even yawned and rubbed my eyes. “Is this the club you’re
MAVERICK“Why are you here?” I instantly felt his presence, smelled his cologne, and the mattress shifted as he joined me in bed.My senses awakened. My heart began pumping fast. My breathing held in my lungs as I felt his large hand on my arm.He could have felt my body tensing, but every time he came near me, a fire lit inside me that took all my strength to push my excitement back in place. I admitted our situation was getting complicated. At least, that was what I felt as I began to like Lake.Behind that playboy charismatic, charming, and overconfident Lake Winston, he was a good, caring, and thoughtful person. Before I entered into this arrangement, I thought I would be living in hell for 365 days, but so far, aside from being obnoxious and controlling, he was more tolerable than my ex.I had forgotten entirely about Heath. Lately, Lake had occupied my brain most of the time. And I knew this arrangement was going to screw me up over.“Can you at least turn and face me?”It was a
LAKE“Hey, Mom.” I just entered the entrance of her house, and she was already dashing in my direction to welcome me. Her blue eyes were bright.“Bunny.” She pulled me into her arms, hugging me tight. “I miss you, honey.”“I miss you, too, Mom.” One of her modern architectural houses was situated in her 12.6-hectare estate in Massachusetts, and she has always felt it was her home.“Tell me how you have been for the past weeks.”“Do you realize we just had dinner two weeks ago?” You could say I was a mama’s boy. Mom was also my best friend.“It feels like an eternity.” Her arm was still around me as we went directly to the dining room. I was a little bit late. It took over three hours to get here, and I left the office late because I had to help our IT department fix some code issues.“Well, I am here now.”We began dinner right away. The salad was delicious, topped with grilled prawns. One thing I remembered on Maverick’s file was that she had allergies to shells and walnuts.“If you
MAVERICKI reported to work two hours earlier so I could go home and wash my clothes.“So, where’s your hot and rich boyfriend?” Genesis teased me as she placed down orders on the tray for table five with four women in heavy makeup.“He’s not my boyfriend, GG.”She smirked, glancing at my hand. “Not your boyfriend. Perhaps a fiancee or a husband?”“Just send those orders before Rocco comes and fires us.”“Fine, but I will grill you with questions about your hot-not-boyfriend. And you barely come home, woman. He must be that good.”“Oh, my God.” I widened my eyes because I was sure Dallas was listening, and the customers kept coming.“Don’t mind me, Maverick, but I’m interested if you lost interest in him.” He winked, shocking me more. “I’m into both.”“Oh. Okay, cowboy.” I laughed as I dropped olives into the Martini.Genesis came back, still wearing that mischievous smile on her face. “How big he is?”“You saw him. Thick and long,” Dallas replied, making my face flush with embarrassm
LAKE“How the fuck did that happen, Huxley?” I was already vibrating in anger. My muscles tensed everywhere, and I wanted to throw punches at someone’s face.“She asked me to leave after I followed her to her work.”“Didn’t I specifically tell you to drive her to the Bazz?”“Yes, sir, but she insisted on going by her car alone, or she wouldn’t go to work.” Of course, she would do that.“But she’s a freaking woman, Huxley. You could have done better than that. I trusted you with her life, and I knew you could handle that kind of situation. It was not even a hostile situation. How did you become so incompetent? Now, what the fuck happened?”“Sir, I’m on my way to her work. Mr. Cordoso just informed me, and I haven’t gotten all the details.”“Is my wife okay, Huxley? Fucking answer me, or I swear to God, you wouldn’t be able to find a job again.”“She’s fine.”“Then what fucking happened?”“A group of women came to her work and—” My phone beeped. I had a call waiting. It was Linden on th
MAVERICKI couldn’t believe they vandalized my car with lipstick. They wrote bitch and slut in bold letters on the windshield.I was furious— mad, but I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of proving them right. Homer just arrived before I could even get in my car. I didn’t even know how he got in here so fast, and he told me not to watch the video. So, I followed his advice.He offered to drive home, and when I told him I wanted to go to my apartment, he didn’t resist.I showered and washed off the scent of martini on my body, then changed into an anime-printed T-shirt and pajama bottoms. Since I haven’t bought a bed or a mattress, I had to crash on the couch for tonight.I wasn’t done putting some boxes in the corner when I heard a knock.When I thought it was Homer, I was wrong. Seeing Lake in my apartment and my room was both a relief and a shock. I saw the anger and pain in his eyes, but all died away before he hugged me tight.I sighed in his arms as I hugged him back, but what
LAKEWith money and connections, my wife got her furniture in just a few hours. The men who delivered and installed the bedroom set just left. I was tired and sleepy, but Maverick still cleaned the closet and put her clothes in place. She locked the room and didn’t allow anyone to get in.I knocked again. This time, I had reasons. “For how long are you going to lock the door, Maverick? The food is getting cold.”“Just a minute.”I shook my head as I joined the guys in the small kitchen. “I can’t fucking believe it. Why am I not allowed to get in?”Homer shook his head in amusement.“Do you have something to say?”“Girls value their privacy a lot. They have things they didn’t want boys to see.”“Like what?”“Tampons, underwear, shavers, maybe pictures with their exes, love letters, and so on,” Owen replied.“Sex toys.” Homer shrugged.My blood started rushing in my head. “Sex toys?”“What are you guys talking about?”My spine stiffened, and I turned around. She was beautiful, looking s