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
We were seated on his bed, and I nervously picked at the skin on my thumbs. I was waiting for him to say something, but he only stared at his hands.There was no rush; I will wait.He sighed and ran his trembling hand through his tousled hair. His gaze slowly shifted from his hands to meet mine. "It was about six months ago." He paused for a moment, swallowing hard, his lips twitching as if he were trying to hold back a torrent of emotions."Just like Liam said, we did go to Paris. I didn't want to go, but Bertha insisted that it would be an opportunity to fix our relationship after..." He trailed off and turned his head to the ground.My hands twitched to touch him, but I stopped myself. "After she caught me cheating."He couldn't look at me. He was ashamed."I really wanted to fix things with her, and so we went to Fredrick's Cafe, and then she... she slept with my brother. Right in front of me," he said, his voice cracking, "and now I just found out that she slept with Fredrick too
Jack's POVShe was perfection, everything I wanted in a woman. I sighed blissfully as I ran the tips of my fingers across her soft cheek and pushed the strands of hair out of her face.I smiled to myself as she groaned and turned to the other side of the bed. A soft knock sounded on the door, and I turned my head towards it with a frown.I gently got out of the bed, making sure not to wake Amanda, and wrapped a towel around my waist. I unlocked the door and pulled it slightly open, facing Bertha.My face instantly hardened upon seeing her. Her eyes moved towards the bed, where Amanda was asleep, and I shifted, blocking her view of my woman."What do you want, Bertha?" I asked, annoyance lacing my voice as I looked at her."Can we talk?" she questioned, her voice soft, her eyes burrowing into mine.I gulped as I looked into her eyes and, with a sigh, I nodded and walked out of the room, following behind her.We were at the balcony, and I was only in a towel with the cold biting into my
Four days until Christmas. Four days before I leave here. I was seated outside, wearing a grey sweater and black sweatpants.I looked at the notification that popped up on the screen of my phone and tapped on it."Babe, when are you coming?"It was from Charlie."I'll be back on Christmas, hopefully," I replied, then turned my head towards the sound of approaching footsteps."Bitch! Hopefully? Annie misses you?""Are you busy, Amanda?" It was Charlotte's voice. I exited the messenger app and turned to her with a smile."No, no," I smiled, letting out a breath of cold air, and she smiled back, taking a seat next to me."Jack told me that you would be leaving on Christmas Day," she raised a brow at me and crossed her legs."Yes," I chuckled and looked down at my phone. "I have to go back to my family," I added, and she sighed."I wish you could stay for Christmas and New Year. It would mean a lot to me," she begged, and I shook my head slightly."I'm sorry, Charlotte. I have to get back
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