Page 26 of Strictly Business

“Ugh,” Serena says. “If anyone is marrying me, it’s my permission they need, not yours.”

“Oh yeah? Let’s remember that when you come to me for the money to pay for it all,” Martin says.

“Umm, no, let’s not,” Serena laughs and everyone joins her and luckily for me, after that, the conversation moves on to less awkward things.

I excuse myself and head back to the kitchen for anther drink. I open the fridge and peer in. I’m driving so I really just want a soda. I spot some Pepsi at the back of the fridge behind the beer and pull a can of it out.

“Very responsible,” Serena says from behind me. I can hear the amusement in her voice, and I turn around to face her. “What’s wrong? Scared you might say something you shouldn’t?”

“No,” I say. “I’m driving, that’s all.”

I open the soda and take a drink.

“I’m sorry about that by the way,” she says, nodding towards the sliding door into the garden. “You know what my dad is like. I really didn’t think gran and grandad would join in mind you.”

“Don’t worry,” I say. “They just like to embarrass you is all.”

“Well, they sure got their way there then,” she says with a smile. “They are majorly embarrassing. I seriously think I might just emigrate.”

“That’s a lot of effort,” I smile.

“Yeah,” Serena says. She winks at me, and I realize she’s a little bit tipsy. “I guess I’ll just have to stick with fucking in secret.”

She turns and leaves the kitchen before I can respond leaving me standing there open mouthed, my cock starting to go hard. I force myself to think of Craig, of Martin, and any thoughts of me hardening go away instantly. This girl is going to be the death of me I swear it.

I wait for a second and leave the kitchen behind her. She has moved to where Craig’s parents are sitting, and I make a conscious decision to go the opposite way and sit with a couple of the guys I know from our college days. After a while, I excuse myself and go back into the house. I go upstairs to use the bathroom. It is locked when I get there, and I wait. The door opens and Serena smiles out at me.

“I hope you’re not following me,” she says in a flirty tone which makes me think that actually, she hopes that I am following her.

“Of course not,” I say. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been trying to keep my distance all afternoon.”

“I’ve noticed,” Serena says.

She puts her head down but not before I notice the look of hurt on her face. I feel awful for making her hurt like that, but what can I do? Serena and I could never work out long term and I feel like if we keep giving in to temptation, it’s just going to make not being together harder for us both in the long run.

She walks away without another word and without so much as a glance back and it takes everything I have to go into the bathroom and close and lock the door without shouting after her. I use the toilet and as I do, I decide I am going to have one more drink and then get out of here. I’ve showed my face so no one can think I’m acting weird or anything, but being around Serena in a non-work situation in front of people who know me so well is just asking for trouble, especially now that she’s made it clear she still wants me.

CHAPTER19

Serena

Ihave always been at my most comfortable when I’m at my Uncle Craig’s place. As a kid, he was always the fun uncle, the one who let me eat things I shouldn’t have and do things that I probably shouldn’t have been doing. I watched my first horror movie with my Uncle Craig at eight years old and I had my first real drink here when I was eighteen. Now I’m an adult and I can do all those things anywhere I want to, my Uncle Craig is like a good friend, and I still love coming over to his place to just kick back and chill.

Except now it’s weird because Wyatt is here, and I want him so badly. I mean that was always a factor in my teens. Hot Wyatt would be round, and I would sit and moon over him. But it’s different now I’m not a kid anymore and especially now that we’ve slept together. The good-natured teasing of my family is no longer funny and Wyatt’s laughter, like the very idea of us being together is so ridiculous, no longer bounces off me. Now, it hurts. I just want to go home but I can’t think of a good reason that won’t either get me teased more or won’t worry my family. I’ll just have to stick it out. At least I have some eye candy.

Even that doesn’t last long. After our bathroom encounter, it seems that Wyatt can’t wait to get away. It’s barely been fifteen minutes since we ran into each other upstairs and he’s starting to say his goodbyes.

“Who is she?” Craig says.

“Huh?” Wyatt says, looking confused.

“Whoever you’re going on a date with. She must be hot to drag you away from my amazing culinary skills,” Craig says with a grin.

Wyatt laughs and shakes his head. Over the next few minutes, he cleverly protests just enough that Craig and my dad and the other guys are all convinced he’s going on a date but have no information or anything to back this thought up whatsoever.

The thought of Wyatt on a date with someone else really hurts me, especially when I let myself imagine for a moment that his date is with Ruth. It’s like something hot has been poked into my stomach and it’s turning, knotting my flesh, and burning it. I feel sick and I have to work to swallow down the large lump that sits in my throat. I know it’s stupid because I know Wyatt is only leaving because things with us are so awkward with an audience that knows us both ways too well. And he’s definitely not into Ruth. I would be able to tell if he was. I think he’s also totally oblivious to the fact that she’s in love with him.

Wyatt puts his hand on my shoulder on his way past me and I feel tingles flood down my body. I force myself to smile up at him like I normally would.

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