Page 19 of Punish Me

“I don’t understand.”

“You know how a woman has the right to say ‘no,’ or according to YouTube these days, you have to specifically say ‘yes’?”

“Um, sure...”

“Well, he didn’t say yes or no, but it damn sure wasn’t consensual. Sexual assault can happen to a man, not just a woman. We don’t discuss it because people don’t take it as seriously. How can a woman possibly do to a man what he can do to her?” he scoffs.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’ve said more than I have the right to, but let’s just say old girl put a Mack hand down, got a baby, and locked my boy into a marriage right after getting him a sixty-nine-million-dollar deal with Nike.

We grow silent for several moments until Brayden breaks the silence.

“Screwed with his head. He’s been whoring around ever since.”

Sickness overwhelms me, and I can no longer pretend to be okay.

“Excuse me. I need to use the restroom.”

I push through the doors, and Shayla’s hot on my tail.

“Girl, what’s wrong with you?”

I drop my face into my hands and groan.

“Bryn, talk to me,” she says, clamping her hands on my shoulders.

Looking up at her, I swallow and say, “I’m falling for him again, Shay.”

“How is he feeling?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I know the attraction is still there, but I’m not sure beyond that.”

Shrugging, she says, “I knew it.”

“Knew what?”

“When you first told me about you two, I knew you still had it bad for him. It was in your eyes, voice, and smile. Whenever you talk about work now, you only complain about him and say nothing about anyone else.”

“Does Bray know?”

She shakes her head. “Girl, no. You heard that saying, ‘Don’t shoot the messenger?’ I don’t plan on taking any chances. You know how your brother is about you with his friends. Hell, you just heard him at the table.”

“Yeah, feels he has to stand in Dad’s place since he’s all the way in Charleston.”

“It’s your life. Brayden might be upset, but you and Ro must decide what you want from each other. If you decide to be together, don’t let anything stand in your way. Bray will get over it in time. Just prepare for the initial fallout and decide if it’s worth it.”

Sighing, I agree. “You’re right.”

We return to our dinner and enjoy the rest of the night despite the gloomy air that clings to me.

7 – AMBROSE

“Thank you for meeting with us today, Mr. Charles,” Andre Baxter says, looking at me over his wireless glasses. “I understand that there’s been a change in the guard, and you have a lot going on in your transition. It means a lot to us that you’d honor the meeting in light of Mr. Cape’s passing. Please accept our condolences.”

I nod and glance at the company’s attorney, Rick Ward, sitting to my right and then back to the attorney sitting across from us. “We understand you wanted to contract Top Tier to handle the construction of a new resort here in Ocean Falls. Am I correct in my understanding, Mr. Baxter?”

My cousins, Marco, and Alessandro DeLuca, sit across the table from me with their attorney, Andre Baxter, and Greyson and Mitch Black sit to my left with their attorney, Dave Wolf. Beside Rick is my brother, Austin.

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