Page 9 of Playing to Win

“Bellamy,I shouldn’t be but about ten minutes, maybe fifteen max. Please, go grab yourself a cup of coffee.” I step out of the car. He no longer attempts to open my door when I get out, though that doesn’t stop him from opening the door when I arrive at the car.

“I’ll drive around. Call me if something changes, Miss Powers,” he replies. I roll my eyes.

“Please, call me Danica. I’ll be back.” I open the car door and step out gingerly, hoping he doesn’t notice the lingering pain Theo spent the better part of the night working my body to adjust to his. I also never made it home last night. Theo had his wicked way with me, a lot. And I’m not complaining at all. The man’s mouth is amazing, and he likes using it. He should have a meeting with other men and tell them us women love a man who can use his tongue. That’s also why I was not bothered that he ate me before even kissing me. A situation he rectified after my first orgasm. His mouth was dripping with my wetness, and he didn’t bother to wipe the mess away. Instead, he took my mouth like he took my pussy.I’m one lucky girl because after he kept wearing me out, ordering me to stay the night when I tried to leave for the second time. Theo woke me up this morning with my legs tossed over his shoulders as he licked me from ass to clit until I was seeing stars, pulling at his hair, and when I attempted to talk him into taking me again. I was told no, firmly. He went on to say that my pussy needed a break, but he needed a taste to tide him over until he got off work.

My thighs wince in pain as I take the last few steps up the staircase to my apartment. I have enough time to change, grab my backpack and laptop, make another cup of coffee, and stop at Mallory’s. I already feel guilty Bellamy is waiting downstairs for me. Theo was adamant that I’d be given a ride no matter what. It was either that, or he’d take me to and from. Fucking caveman.

“A few more steps,” I mumble to myself. The last step about took me out. I did notice when I walked in, there were numerous people. One working on the door, another working on the elevator, and another person replacing door handles and adding dead bolts. It was weird to say the least, but these things should have been done eons ago. I swear I’m going to have to ice my crotch and inner thighs when I get back to Theo’s, as well as do some much-needed homework that didn’t get done last night.

My keys are in my hand, I’m turning the lock, and by the grace of God, I’m in the apartment. A stark comparison to Theo’s penthouse, but I’m not playing the comparison game. That bitch is fickle, and I don’t have time to deal with her. I move to my dresser to grab an outfit to wear today—a bra, oversized shirt, leggings, and socks. Theo’s house is an iceberg of epic proportions, so much so that if I left out a head of lettuce, it would turn to a brick of ice. The clothes I’m going to change into will work for class tonight, too, easy and comfortable for a long-ass day.

I hurry myself along, stripping out of my clothes I wore yesterday minus the panties. They’re currently balled up in the pocket of my shorts. If I had more time and didn’t want Bellamy to continue waiting on me, I’d hop in the shower again even though I took one with Theo earlier. There’s something about being in your own space with your own toiletries that feels amazing. The clothes drop into a pile on the floor, and I quickly slide my bra over my head, one of those that are wireless and comfortable to wear all day and well into the evening. My black cotton thong is next, then leggings.

“Hoodie. Don’t forget to grab one,” I tell myself as I walk to my bathroom, forgoing my shirt just yet. I’ve been known to make a mess while brushing my teeth, and dried toothpaste that looks like dried cum isn’t on my agenda today. I take care of my mouth, run a brush through my hair, apply some deodorant, a couple of spritzes of perfume, and then I’m out of the bathroom.

A hoodie is on the foot of my bed from the last time I was home when it was a hair washing night. So, I grab that, put my shirt on, juggle putting shit into my bigger backpack, and then do the hop on one foot while hiking up my crew-style sock, repeating the process with the other foot. Sure, I could have sat down, but what’s the fun in that? I grab my bag, slide my feet into a pair of leather sandals, the dupe to the very high-end comfortable brand that lasts forever but isn’t in my budget. Yet.

With my keys in hand and bag on one shoulder, I head toward my front door. Coffee will have to wait until I get to Mallory’s. It’s been twenty minutes already. I’ve got to get downstairs. Time is wasting away, and there’s a lot to do before Theo gets home. I’m completely in my head, which is probably why I don’t notice Brian’s presence until it’s too late.

“It seems the ice princess has a type. Spreading your legs for rich dick. Figures.” I freeze. My back is to him, and he’s behind me, thankfully not flush but close enough to cause a ripple of revulsion to shiver down my spine. I’m not in a good situation at all. One wrong move, and Brian could escalate things further.Think, Danica, think. What would a woman in your situation do? I really should have taken that self-defense refresher the bar offered earlier this summer. If it weren’t for trying to double up on my class load to finally finish, I would have. Instead, now I’ve got to rely on my memory and pray to God that it’s done correctly. Do I try to slam my heel down on his foot or elbow him? All these questions run through my head on a carousel while he continues to talk, “I bet your snatch is tight.” A fearful mewl leaves me without my permission. The last thing I need to become is more vulnerable than I already am. Of course, everything else shuts down, and fight or flight hits me when his hand moves to my hip. I’m reactive. Somewhere in the recess of my brain, things click. I tip my head forward then slam it back, right into Brian’s face.

“Ouch! Fuck!” Stars appear in front of my eyes. I try to stay cognizant. That all goes to hell when Brian decides to snatch me up by my head, furthering the pain along with my side taking the brunt of a fall I wasn’t prepared for. That’s when everything fades to black.

FIFTEEN

Theo

“Didwe ever figure out what’s going on with Evertrust?” Parker asks. It’s one of the rare occurrences we’re all in the office, minus Boston. Unless there’s a situation he can’t avoid, he stays in New Orleans. Today, Parker has graced us with his presence, which means Nessa must be working the day shift this week. Ezra brought us coffee from Millie’s coffee shop, and I’d really like to get this meeting over and done with.

“Nope, still combing through the years. The decrease in money stems back ten or so years, so it’s taking our analyst a bit longer.” We hired a corporate accountant to work alongside our own. It was a no-brainer to have a neutral party look at everything as well.

“Fuck, this is taking too damn long,” Ezra states. He’s not wrong.

“We’ll go another week, two at the max, then I say we pull the trigger. Four Brothers can take the partnership, or we can grab him by the balls and offer a smaller amount with Trust being only ten percent partner while we have control of the board,” I tell Parker, Ezra, and Boston, who’s finally joined on a Zoom call. He’s an hour behind us and looks like he just rolled out of bed.

“Look who’s decided to grace us with his presence,” I remark. Boston’s hair is pulled every which way, and he’s got a cup of coffee in front of him much like we all do.

“I’m still trying to figure out why you’re at headquarters bright and early when a certain person spent the night.” He raises his eyebrows. It’s no use denying it.

“Probably because we can’t all fuck off like you fools do whenever your women snap their fingers. You’re all pussy whipped.” Ezra snorts at my bullshit answer.

“Bitch, please, Danica used to work at Four Brothers cleaning the employee area, yet now she only cleans your penthouse. You’re paying a hefty fucking penny. I’d say we’re not the only ones whipped by our women,” Boston replies.

“Jesus, and I thought Parker and I had it bad. I think you take the cake,” Ezra interjects.

“It’s not a bad thing, brother. A good woman in your bed every morning and night. Welcome to living the good life.” Parker sits back in his chair, looking more smug than ever. I’d like to say we’ll get back to talking about Four Brothers and what we all need to work on for the rest of the week, but the likelihood of that happening is highly fucking doubtful.

“Alright, we all good with giving Evertrust a couple of more weeks with the auditors before counteroffering?” I ask, trying to get the hell back on task.

“Works for me. Not sure why you needed me on a Zoom for this. You know my support is with whatever is good for Four Brothers,” Boston grunts. Amelie comes around the corner, and his arm goes around her waist, pulling her in. “I’m out. Let me know how things go with Danica and when we should fly up for the wedding.”

My phone vibrates on the conference table. Seeing Bellamy’s name, I pick it up right away. He’s yet to call me when it comes to Danica or anything. A text is usually his only form of communication.

“Hey, Bellamy, is everything okay?” I answer immediately. Parker and Ezra, who started talking amongst themselves, quiet down when they see I’m on the phone.

“No, I’m afraid not. I need you to get to Miss Powers’ apartment building right away.” I stand up and head out the door, keeping the phone to my ear as I hear him soothe, “It’s okay, Danica, stay where you are. Help is on the way.” I’m crawling out of my skin. It’s going to take me too fucking long.

“Bellamy, I need to know what’s going on. I’m heading out of the office now, but I’m still twenty minutes away, and that’s without traffic.” The elevator opens with a push of my finger, courtesy of having a designated elevator for our floor only.

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