It was another Monday, and I was standing behind the counter, scrolling through my phone when the bell on the door rang, alerting me that a customer had entered. When I looked up, my eyes widened as I saw Jack walk in through the door.
He took off his sunglasses and glared at me with those grey eyes. "We need to talk," he said.
I chuckled nervously and patted down my apron. "I'm working."
He raised a brow and looked around the room filled with empty chairs. "I doubt that," he mumbled and turned his head back to me.
I crossed my arms over my chest and frowned at him.
"I'll also have a cup of coffee with no sugar," he said and walked to one of the vacant chairs and sat down, his eyes still on mine.
I sighed and placed my hands on my waist. Damn, here I was thinking I would never see him again.
I prepared his coffee, placed it on the table, and sat in front of him. "How did you find me?"
"Your friend from the club," he answered and took a sip from his coffee.
"Fucking Joe," I muttered under my breath and shook my head. "Okay, why are you here?" I finally asked, and he crossed his arms as he looked at me.
"Why did you leave?" he asked in return, and I couldn't help but laugh.
I tapped my chin, pretending to think about it. "Well..." I trailed off and brought my face closer to him. "Maybe because I never want to see you again, and I got what I wanted."
He seemed confused and furrowed his brow. "What's that?" he whispered, and I smiled sweetly at him.
"Fucked you out of my system."
He smirked as I said those words and also brought his face closer to mine. "Did you really?"
My breath hitched, and I took in a short breath and clenched my hands. Damn, he was right. All I thought about after that night was him and how good he felt.
"I need your help," he said before I could speak. I bit my lip as I considered asking him what it was, and I caved.
"Screw it. What do you want?"
"I need you to come home with me for a week," he said, and I scoffed and looked at him like he was crazy.
"Home?" I asked, as if he had lost his mind.
"I need you to act as my girlfriend for a week while I visit my parents."
I stood up and shook my head as I began to walk away. "Not interested."
He grabbed my hand and stood up as I turned and glared at him. He let go of my hand as if it burned and cleared his throat.
"I'll pay."
"I know my worth, but I'm not a whore, Jack," I spat in anger. His eyes widened.
"I never called you one," he said, his eyes softening.
"I'm sorry, I really can-" He cut me off before I could finish speaking. "Ten thousand dollars."
I looked at him like he was crazy, and for a moment, I actually considered his words. "Fifteen," I said, expecting him to object, but he nodded. "Deal."
"You really are crazy," I mumbled, and he smirked. "Maybe I am."
He took his brown coat from the chair and shrugged it over his black turtleneck. He put on his sunglasses and brought his lips to my ear. "We leave tomorrow morning, Princess," he whispered, and I took a step back, looking at his tall form.
"Oh!" he said and brought out a pen and paper from his pocket. "I'll be needing your number," he smiled. I shakily took them from him and hastily wrote down my number.
"See you soon," he said and walked out the door. It felt like I could breathe again, and I placed my hands on my cheeks, gently patting them. What had I gotten myself into?
**
"Are you crazy?" Charlie gasped, looking at me like I'd grown another head. "What if he's a psychopath and kills you, ditching your body somewhere?" He shouted in my face, and I cringed, grabbing his shoulder.
Emily gave us a dirty look and mumbled, "Crazy bitches," under her breath, walking out of the back area of the house.
"I need this money, Charlie," I muttered, and he also grabbed my shoulder. "Girl—" "Ani," I said, cutting him off.
"I need this money for Ani's surgery."
His lips formed a thin line, and we both let go of each other. He sighed and looked at me with sad eyes. "I hope you know what you're doing," he said and walked out when Emily yelled his name.
"I hope I do too," I whispered.
**
I woke up early to go see Ani. I greeted the nurses with a smile as I walked into the building and rushed to Anna's room.
I gently opened the door and smiled as I watched her sleeping form. I sat next to her and held her hand in mine, which instantly woke her up.
"Amanda," she smiled at me, and my heart melted. I cupped her cheeks in my hand and gently rubbed her nose.
"Good morning," I whispered, and she sat up and hugged me. A lump formed in my throat, and I felt bad that I would be leaving her, even though it was only for a week.
"What's wrong?" she asked as I broke the hug, and I sighed.
"I'm sorry, Ani," I said, and she frowned. "I won't be home for a while," I mumbled, stroking her cheeks, and her lips turned down.
"Why?" she questioned, tears already welling up in her eyes. "I have to work far away so you can get your surgery and get better."
"Who will take care of me? Mom—" "You'll be staying with Uncle Charlie," I cut her off, already knowing what was running through her mind.
The door burst open, and Ani and I both turned as Charlie walked in. "Oops! Sorry," he mumbled, balancing two cups of coffee in his hands.
I glared at Charlie as he cursed in front of my 8-year-old sister and slammed the door. His eyes widened at my glare, and he blurted out another curse. "Oops! I'm sorry," he exclaimed, realizing his mistake.
I let out a deep sigh and shook my head, while Ani giggled at Charlie's slip-up. Maybe it was a bad idea to let Ani stay with Charlie. But at least it was better than her being with mom.
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and quickly retrieved it, unlocking it to read a text from an unknown number."Where is your address, Princess?"I sighed and promptly sent my address to him. As I put my phone away, Mom stumbled into the living room, a cigarette hanging from her fingers."Mom!" Ani yelled and rushed to hug her, while Mom just looked around the room and yawned. Her eyes landed on the bags on the floor, and she looked up at me."Who's moving out?" she asked, taking a puff from her cigarette."I'll wait outside," Charlie said, picking up Ani's bag."Ani, come here," I said, and she frowned, walking to me. I smiled at her and cupped her cheeks. "Go and wait with Uncle Charlie.""Okay!" She said and ran out the door. Mom scoffed and took a drag from the cigarette."I'm going away for a week, and Ani will be staying with Charlie until I'm back," I said, and she lazily placed her hand on the arm of the couch.She scoffed again and tapped the ashes from the cigarette on t
As Jack's mother led me through their mansion, I couldn't help but feel a mix of awe and discomfort. The sprawling rooms were filled with opulent furnishings and expensive art, yet there was a sense of emptiness that lingered. I turned to Jack and wondered what it was like to grow up in such luxury and still have a mother who loved him."Wow, this place is amazing, Mrs. Hawke," I said, genuinely impressed."Oh, please. Call me Charlotte," she waved her hand, and a small smile formed on my lips."And yes, it's quite something, isn't it?" Charlotte replied with a small smile. "Jack's grandfather built it back in the 1920s.""I can't imagine what it must be like to live here," I whispered to myself, but Jack turned his head towards me. He was about to say something when a man in a gray suit walked down the stairs."Jack!" he yelled with a laugh, and Jack clenched his hands and glared at him."Liam," he gritted out. I couldn't help but stare in awe at how similar Liam and Jack looked."Br
James.I couldn't help but stare at him. He was seated next to Charlotte who was all smiles as she stared at him with dreamy eyes and all I could think about was how the fuck was he Jacks Dad.His eyes were a bright green and his hair was all salt and pepper and his smile was fucking hell hot.If he wasn't Jacks Dad, I would want him too.I turned to Jack with confusion written all over my face and he answered my unasked question. "Step Dad"I shake my head and took a bite out of my pasta when I felt his gaze on me. "Who's the lady?" He questioned, his voice making me choke on the food while Jack patted me in n my back and handed me a glass of water."I'm Amanda... uhm, jacks girlfriend" I mumbled, his eyes looking at my form for a quick second."Ah! I see" He chuckled. "You finally have a girlfriend" He added the last part and he glanced at me.Damn, this family makes me uncomfortable.Dispit what had happened a few minutes ago, the evening was becoming enjoyable as Charlotte kept on
I couldn't help but feel relieved as James walked away from the balcony, leaving me alone with Jack. The tension that had been building between James and me had finally dissipated, at least for the moment. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart, and turned to face Jack, who was now standing next to me with a concerned expression."What happened?" Jack asked, his voice laced with worry. His eyes darted between James and me, trying to make sense of the situation.I let out a frustrated sigh, my voice tinged with annoyance. "What's his problem?" I muttered, my gaze fixed on the spot where James had disappeared.Jack furrowed his brow, clearly confused as he walked up to me. "Did he do something to you?" he asked, his tone protective. In his hand, the bottle of wine he had brought for the evening was forgotten as he placed it on a table.I shook my head, a mixture of frustration and confusion swirling inside me as I looked at Jack. "No, it's not like that. It's just..." I sh
"Are you sure you are ready for this?" Fredrick asked, a smirk playing on his lips, his hand gripping the handle of the door."Amanda..." My name trailed off Jack's lips. "Don't.""Come on, Man. You've had your fun; let the lady enjoy what's behind this door."I puffed out a breath and turned to Fredrick. "Open it."One would have expected that when the door was opened, I would be met with a few people, naked, but that wasn't the case.I raised a brow as Fredrick motioned for us to step into the elevator."Going down," he said, and the ride was somewhat tense and uncomfortable... Well, Jack was making me feel that way.I was one who loved to explore every sexual experience out in the world, and I would be damned if I would be missing this one.The elevator dinged, and as I blinked, brushing a few strands of hair from my face, my lips were slightly parted as I watched the scene unfold before me.Men and women... All naked.I could not move my eyes from their sweaty bodies, and my eyes
The ride back to the house was uncomfortably silent, and the only sound that could be heard was the cars honking and the tip of his fingers tapping the steering wheel.We soon arrived at the estate, and the gate was opened. My tensed body slowly relaxed as he parked the car.I watched him get out of the car, and he wasted no time in opening the door to the mansion without glancing back.What did I do?That was the only thing I had in mind since I entered the elevator with him. I sighed, got out of the car, and slammed the door behind me while I rushed after him. The mansion was silent, and I assumed that there was no one home. I quickly walked up the stairs and opened the door.The room was empty, but I could hear the shower running, and I sighed, running my hand through my hair and closing the door behind me. I put my hair up in a bun and sat on the bed.I picked up my phone that was on the nightstand and saw two missed calls from Charlie."Shit," I cursed myself for not taking my ph
I groaned, turning my head to the other side and slowly opened my eyes. "Oh, god," I muttered under my breath and closed my eyes again."Good morning, beautiful," Jack sighed, and I raised a brow. "How long have you been watching me sleep?" I questioned with one eye open."A few minutes."I rolled my eyes and got up from the bed, heading towards the bathroom. I quickly lathered my toothbrush with toothpaste and brushed my teeth. As I was about to undress, Jack walked in, his brows raised high as he looked at me with my hands about to pull down my pants."Let's take a shower together.""Absolutely not.""You're my girlfriend.""Maybe I'll take that back if you do not exit the bathroom.""Okay! Okay. I'll leave."A slow smile spread on my lips as I watched his retreating back. I shook my head and turned to look at myself in the mirror. I frowned as I stared at my reflection."Does being Jack's girlfriend mean I won't be getting the fifteen grand he promised me?" I sighed. We need to tal
Sitting at the local diner at the fair, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease wash over me. As we stared at our plates, the clinking of silverware against porcelain was the only sound that broke the silence. Liam had finished eating his food and had his left arm wrapped around Bertha, while Bertha's eyes were on Jack as she slowly slurped her drink.Liam was buried in his phone, and from the corner of my eye, I could see he was scrolling through Instagram with a mischievous grin on his face. I couldn't help but glance over at Jack, who sat across from me, his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. He hated his brother, and it was no secret.Liam, oblivious to Jack's glare, couldn't contain his laughter as he tapped his phone's screen. "Check this out, guys!" he exclaimed, pushing the phone toward the center of the table. It was a post. A photo of Jack and me kissing.My breath hitched as I looked at the background; it was from Frederick's sex house."Oh, brother..." Liam laughed as
Amanda’s POV:Ethan.My gaze moved from each man as I wondered what the hell was going on. “Jack?” I called, and slowly, his eyes were now on me. I took steps away from the man—Ethan—and stood next to Jack.“Is something wrong?” I asked, placing my hand on his bicep. “Do you know him?”“We’ve had a brief encounter.” I turned to see Ethan walking towards us. He stretched his hand towards Jack. “It’s nice to see you again, Jack,” he added with a smile on his lips.Jack’s brows furrowed a little before he took Ethan’s hand. “What are you doing here?” Jack asked him suspiciously. “You never mentioned to me that you would be coming to my family’s party when we met,” he said, and Ethan chuckled.“Well, I didn’t know that you were Mrs. Hawke’s son. I got an invite to the New Year’s Eve party just this afternoon, and since I was going to be in town for a while, I decided it wouldn’t be a bad idea if I attended a party,” he said, and then his eyes turned to me. “And I guess it really wasn’t a
---**Amanda’s POV:**As soon as I got downstairs, I was surprised to see the mansion already filled with guests, even though it was still early. My eyes met Charlotte’s, and she waved me over.“Oh dear, you look wonderful!” she complimented me, and I smiled at her.“And so do you,” I replied, walking next to her.“I wasn’t expecting this many people,” I muttered, looking at the guests scattered in every corner of the rooms.“Oh, these aren’t all of the guests. I am still expecting a few more,” she whispered. I nodded, already distracted when I spotted Charlie going up the stairs with Liam.“Can you excuse me for a moment, Charlotte? I need to check on something,” I smiled at her. She waved her hand dismissively, and I clutched my purse tightly, following behind them. As soon as I reached the balcony and spotted them, I took a deep breath and cleared my throat.Charlie jumped back as soon as he saw me, while Liam only gave me a dismissive glance.“Charlie?” I called, taking a step clo
**Amanda’s POV**There was a party. Tonight. The only reasonable dress that I had was the one Jack got me for our date. All that was left were just jackets, trousers, and shirts. I took in a deep breath and ran my fingers through my hair. Now this was something else that I had to worry about. There was a knock on the door, and I frowned and dropped the shirt that was in my hand on the bed.I walked to the door and pulled it open, and standing before me was Charlotte. I sucked in a breath, and a smile played on my lips. “Hi!” I chirped and stepped backward, letting Charlotte in the room.“Oh, Amanda! We live in the same house, but I hardly ever see you,” she said while I chuckled awkwardly.Her eyes moved to the pile of clothes that were on the bed and back to me. “Would you like to go shopping with me, Amanda?”*****I couldn’t say no. I mean, I tried, but Charlotte definitely didn’t let me. She said we needed some “we” time, so I agreed. We both walked around the mall as we looked fo
Jack's POVMy eyes couldn't move from the paper that was peeking out of Amanda's bag. My eyes moved to the door, then to the bag, and I quickly took it. I couldn't shake off the feeling of Amanda being with someone else. I turned the paper over and read what was written on it.My hands tightened, crumpling the paper as I read the words over and over again. I took in a deep breath, got up, put the paper in the back of my pocket, and walked out of the room. I paused as I watched Amanda walk into her sister's room, and with my brows furrowed, I walked down the stairs."Oh perfect!"I turned my head to see Mom waving at me. "Jack, come here," she said, walking towards the couch and sitting down with her legs crossed over the other.She brought out a list, filled with names, and I frowned. "I was thinking about having a party for New Year's Eve. You know, we could all count down as we go into a new year, and these are the names of people I'm inviting," she said in a breath, and I looked ov
“What did you do?” I gritted my teeth as I met Bertha at the hallway. She turned to me, eyes swollen and rushed to hug me. I stumbled back and frowned then pushed her away.I scoffed and shook my head. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” “It’s not what you think, Amanda! I swear. When I came back to the bar you were already gone!”I chuckled, my eyes glaring daggers into her head. “You drugged me.”“W-what? What are you talking about, Amanda,” She frowned moving forward while I took some steps back. “I should have known everything you were saying about leaving Jack for me was bull shit. You wanted me to cheat so he would leave me”Bertha stared at me for a few seconds before a low chuckle escaped her lips. She wiped the tears that had formed around her eyes. “Like I said, Amanda. I didn’t do shit.” She stepped forward and pointed her fingers at me.“Don’t blame me for what you did. You spent the night out with God knows who and you’re trying to pin it on me?” She scoffed and
I rested my back on the door and took a shaky breath. My eyes moved to the bathroom door, and the sound of running water could be heard. I trudged my way to it and pulled the door open.Jack's back was turned to me, and I waited a few heartbeats before moving closer to him.I got into the shower, my clothes getting soaked, but that was the least of my concern. I wrapped my arms around his torso and placed the side of my cheeks on his back.I sniffed, my lips smacking hard against each other, and my eyes pressed closed. "Why did you leave?" he asked, and I snapped my eyes open."I—I don't know... I guess I just needed a reason to be angry," I whispered, and he turned around. My hands left his body while his palm cupped my cheeks."I was scared, Amanda. I thought something happened to you," he whispered, placing his temple on mine. I closed my eyes as my lips shook.Something did happen. I just couldn't remember what.I wrapped my fingers around his neck and opened my eyes. "I know. I a
Sweaty bodies, cheap perfumes. Fuck, I missed this. I took a swig of my drink, gulping it down in one go, and my head instantly began to spin as my hips moved with the beats of the song.I laughed with Bertha as we held each other and danced. "My legs are killing me! Let's take a break!" she yelled over the loud music, and I nodded, stumbling our way to the bar."Who knew it'd be so fun with you when you aren't being such a bitch!" I giggled, and she laughed. "Yeah, well, you could also be a bitch at times," she shrugged, and we both laughed."Handsome!" Bertha called to the bartender, and he smiled at her. "Two more shots of vodka!"I placed my head on the table and groaned. "Fuck. I'm so drunk right now.""Let's have one last drink and go home," Bertha laughed, and I raised my head to her. "Fine!" I groaned, took the drink from her, and downed it."I'm going to head to the bathroom real quick, then we will be on our way!"I waved her off as she walked away and ran my hands through m
"Annie!" My little sister rushed into my arms, and I held her tight. "I miss you," we both said and laughed. When I looked up, Mom was standing behind Charlie with her eyes fixed on the mansion. I walked over to Charlie, who was grinning at me and wiggling his eyebrows.I laughed and hugged him tight. "I miss you so much, Charlie," he whispered in my ear. "Missed you too."Mom only spared me a glance and turned to Jack, who was watching us. She smiled brightly and stretched her hand to him."It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Reynolds." He smiled at her, and she waved her hand. "Oh no. Just call me Mary-Ellen.""Of course," he said with a grin that would melt any woman's heart. But definitely not hers."Please come in," he added, taking one of the bags from the truck and into the mansion. Charlotte's heels clicked as she walked to us. "Oh my," she smiled, walking faster."I am so glad you were able to make it!" She clapped her hands. She wrapped her arms around my mom, shocking her. "
I walked into the kitchen and instantly smelled the delicious Christmas food. Surprisingly, the room was busy with people preparing for the holiday. Bertha, of all people, stood near the counter, sipping on a glass of juice. As our eyes met, she put down her drink and began to walk towards me.I released a sigh as I already knew what was to come. My body tensed, and my eyes widened as her arms wrapped around me. "Merry Christmas, Amanda," she said, a grin on her face."Wh-?"I looked at her in confusion, my eyebrows furrowed as I wondered what she was trying to get at. Bertha never liked me, so why was she being nice to me now?"Would you look at that," Charlotte walked over to us with a smile. My face softened at how happy she looked. "My daughter-in-law is finally getting along." She placed her hand on her chest and looked at us happily.Before I could say anything, Bertha's phone rang, and she excused herself. I raised a brow as I watched her walk away, skeptical of what she was pl