Hers

CHAPTER 9

Our plane lands at JFK sometime around nine-thirty at night. After making it through the usual customs bullshit, Levi and I make our way to a limo waiting at the curb. Clyde is off until tomorrow officially.

I set my bags down on the curb and turn to Levi. We both have the same lingering question between us. What now?

“I have to go back to my penthouse. I have no idea what kind of condition Star left it in while I’ve been gone.”

I know I should go wherever he wants, but the truth is, the last time I left Star alone in my penthouse, I came back to a fucking disaster. I’m a little worried about the condition this time around.

“That’s fine. I’ll come along, as long as you show me your real bedroom this time.” He jokes, thinking back to our first night together. I could totally have some fun with that toy closet tonight.

I laugh and joke back, “You’re pushing it now, Mr. Parker. First, my bedroom, then you are going to want to move in!” Not that it doesn’t sound like a great idea; on second thought, it scares the shit out of me. FUCK! Why am I even thinking about any of this fucking nonsense! So much for playing it cool, Seven!

His eyebrow raises, and his face grows serious.

“Oh, that is something I plan on taking about, and soon.”

I want to laugh, but I don’t think he’s joking. The limo driver takes our suitcases and shoves them into the trunk, and I give him my address. We simultaneously scroll through our phones, catching up on anything we missed while we decided to nap during our flight across the Atlantic. A moment later I hear Levi talking quietly; I ignore it as much as I can, being in an enclosed space together. I have an email from human resources, requesting a meeting tomorrow morning upon my return to the office. I reply and schedule for bright and early.

I hope this is regarding the resignation from Daniel, but my life never works that easily. The limo comes to a stop in front of my penthouse, and we both head for the lobby without waiting for our bags. “Jesse, can you send those up?” I ask the trusty night guard as I head into the elevator. Levi follows closely behind, still engaged in his phone conversation.

“I’m in an elevator. I’m going to lose you. We will continue this in the morning.” He disconnects the line, shoving the phone into his jacket pocket.

“Everything okay?”

He shrugs. “Ex-wife. That was the lawyer.”

The elevator chimes and the door opens into my foyer. I stop dead in my tracks when I hear moans echoing through my house. I look at Levi, and he looks back at me, equally stunned. I just spent fucking six hours on a plane, and this is what I come home to?

The screams get louder, and I’d know the voice anywhere. Star.

“That woman is Star; the man is to be determined.” I stomp down the hallway heading directly for my playroom. “Un-fucking-believable,” I mumble under my breath.

I stop at the door, looking back at Levi, before we both burst through the door at the same time. Spread across the large bed is Star, with not one, but two men fucking her. One man I recognize immediately. Stuffy Evan who pitched a fucking fit when I would fuck Star. The other man I don’t recognize.

“What the fuck, Star?”

All three heads snap in our direction. That’s when I immediately know who he is. The second man. One of the two men in the entire world whom I can say I truly fucking hate. My brother, Blue. And the worst part of it all? He is still fucking her as if I’m not standing here, in my fucking penthouse, where none of them are welcome anymore. How could she think this would be okay?

“I’m sorry, Seven. I didn’t know you were back yet.” Because that makes it okay.

She pushes Blue away, and he falls back onto the bed. My fucking brother. Is naked. On the bed I use to fuck. I want to vomit everywhere, but I somehow contain it within my own mouth.

“All of you… get the FUCK out of my home. You are NOT welcome here.” I look Star in the eye, and press my lips together. “And YOU! I am done with you. All these years later and you do this. Again! You are DEAD to me! Do you fucking hear me? DEAD!”

My chest heaves as I struggle to catch my breath. I stomp out of the bedroom and head for the kitchen, the freezer specifically. Levi is hot on my trail. I can hear Star sobbing from the back bedroom, and something inside me breaks. I just don’t care. The one person I’ve loved unconditionally for virtually my entire life, has once again betrayed me, in the worst way. I can’t bring myself to look at her, or talk it out again. It may have been a long time since the first time I caught her with Blue, but now that it is front and center, in my own fucking home, I know for a fact this isn’t something that only happened once or twice.

Levi stands in the entry of the kitchen, shielding me from the men leaving. My brother stops behind Levi, and I can see out of the corner of my eye how protective Levi has become.

“Fuck off. She is my sister and I want to talk to her,” Blue mouths off at Levi. He doesn’t reply, but he doesn’t back down. He simply waits for my reaction.

“Blue, you aren’t anything to me. Get the fuck out of my home.”

Levi turns toward Blue, and I watch attentively. My brother clearly hasn’t been taking care of himself. His light brown hair is greasy, hanging just below his eyes. He has lost a lot of weight since the last time I saw him, but then again, it was so long ago that I don’t even know what normal is for him anymore. But the most notable thing about him is the fact that he is clearly strung out.

“You heard Seven. She said get out. If you don’t leave willingly, I will have you hauled out of here by the fucking police.” Levi is trying to be polite, and I can tell he’s holding back. His fists clench at his sides as he sways from one foot to the other. I open the freezer and pull out the bottle of Jameson’s I have hidden behind the ice machine. I unscrew the cap and bring the entire bottle to my lips. I take a large swig and shake it off as the amber liquid burns down my throat, giving me a moment of clarity. It used to be Seven and Star against the world, and now a very bright half of the dynamic duo is gone. For good.

Star walks past the kitchen and I can hear her sniffles. “I’m so sorry, Seven. I never wanted you to find out. I am so sorry.” She continues crying, as she tries to make it into the kitchen, to me.

Levi stops her and her mood shifts. Instead of crying hysterics, she could spit venom.

“Who do you think you are?” she yells at him, as she tries to push past him to no avail. “She will walk away from you just like she walks away from everyone else in her life. She will leave you with nothing. Broken and alone. That is what Seven James does. She doesn’t love. She destroys.” I must admit, her performance is Oscar-worthy.

He laughs in her face, taunting her. “Well, I guess if she walks away from me, I will be bitter and heartbroken. But one thing I won’t do is betray her like you have.” Before I can see what happens, I hear a loud slap echo though the bare kitchen. She slapped him, right across the face.

“GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!” I scream at the top of my lungs, then crumple into a ball on the tile floor. Star walks into the elevator, and out of my life. Hopefully for good. I can’t move. I just sit on the kitchen floor with my legs closely pressed to my heaving chest, my arms tightly wrapped around my knees. Dazed and confused. Wondering how my life became so fucked up.

I hear his footsteps before Levi sits down next to me on the floor. He wraps his arms around me and whispers into my ear, “I am so sorry, Seven.” I lean my head against his shoulder, and just let him hold me. His hands rub up and down my arms. I need this, more than I could ever imagine. What would I have done if I came home, alone, to that? Sometimes fate has a fucked up way of throwing people together, but I know whatever it is that Levi and I have, I need it.

In the past ten minutes, I went from having an awesome, lifetime best friend, to being alone with a man with whom I have no idea what the future holds, and it scares the shit out of me.

Ring ring, ring ring, ring ring, ring ring, ring ring.

My phone won’t stop ringing. I look over to see a picture of Star on the display for the fifteenth time tonight. She is relentless, but I refuse to pick up the phone. After every call, she sends me a text, knowing I will read it. Because I am just a fucking glutton for punishment. Always have been. It is like a train wreck; I just can’t help but look.

The list goes on and on. I am exhausted, and I just want to go to bed. I turn my phone off, not caring if I miss anything important, business-related. They can get a hold of me in the morning, when I return to reality.

I curl up in the arms of Levi, and for the first time since he climbed into my bed a week ago, I don’t sleep soundly. I toss and turn, keeping him up all night. Somewhere around four in the morning, my body says fuck you and throws me into a coma until my alarm scares the shit out of me at a quarter to seven. I can already tell this day is going to fucking suck.

“Miss James, come in. Have a seat.”

Kate Harris is an older woman, slightly grey around the edges of her dark chestnut hair. She wears a pair of thin, metal-framed glasses she continuously pushes up her nose, and for some unknown reason, she has a pencil stuck in her hair. Not exactly a fashion statement, but whatever.

“Thank you for handling this all while I was called away in London. If you could have even seen the mess over there…” I let out a small laugh while I sit down in the office chair, cross my legs, and wait for her to begin the meeting I was dragged into this morning. My first morning back in the States, when I have a disgustingly huge pile of shit to sift through on my desk.

“We have taken your complaint very seriously, Miss James. While you were gone, Mr. Alexander was asked to take a short leave of absence as we worked internally to find the best remedy for the situation. Seeing as he is part owner of the company, we just can’t fire him.” She’s pissed; I can tell already. Maybe Daniel came on to her over the years, too. She’s older but it seems like his taste is anything with a vagina.

She takes her glasses off, and rubs her eyes, clearly stressed, before picking them up and putting them back on. “We have very little in terms of options. The other board members have not opted to buy out his shares. They are loyal. We can offer him a severance package, but cuts would have to be made all around the company, and I don’t see that being a wise choice.” She pauses again, and I think it finally sinks in. She’s telling me there is absolutely nothing she can do about this whole fucked up situation with Daniel.

“Unfortunately, Miss James, there is nothing we can do.” Of course. I should have known better than to think taking the high road would ever get me anywhere. But karma is a bitch; in fact, it is one of the only beliefs I have in my fucked up life. So I am going to continue waiting for the universe to bite Daniel Alexander right in the ass.

“I understand, Kate. You did what you could; unfortunately, it is an uncomfortable situation all around when someone like him is untouchable. I appreciate all of your hard work while I was away. If that will be all, I am going to go tackle the giant pile of work I need to get through today.” I leave her with a polite smile. No need to take my rage out on her, since she did nothing wrong. If anything, she went above and beyond her own job description trying to get rid of this fucking menace.

I open the door to my office, only to find Levi sitting in my chair behind my desk. Oh you know, just fucking make yourself at home.

“Not in a better mood, I see.” He is observant, for sure.

“Meeting with HR didn’t go as I would have liked. Looks like we are stuck with Daniel.” After the words leave my mouth, I can’t help but remember the news Levi got while we were in London, about his ex-wife carrying on a long term affair with Daniel. I feel bad bringing him up, but he doesn’t look affected by it in the least.

“Come here. Let me make you feel better.” His words drip with lust, and I can’t help but think about last night, how it had been the first night in so many when we didn’t ravish each other the moment we hit the bed. Every night in London had become an opportunity for us to explore each other’s bodies. Our boundaries. Our sexual wants and needs. All of which vanished the moment I stepped into my penthouse.

I lock the office door and walk to the desk. As I round the corner, I would like nothing more than to christen it. The vision I stumble upon is something I will never forget, as long as I live. Levi has unfastened his belt, the top button of his dress pants is open, and his big dick is free of the restraints of the zipper. His hand slowly strokes up and down his length, all while watching me with hungry eyes.

Without a single thought, I hitch my skirt up and slide my pink lace panties down to the floor, kicking them off the toe of my Jimmy Choos before climbing onto his lap and straddling his strong thighs.

“You know what I love?” he asks me, as I move closer to his mouth, leaving enough room so we don’t touch.

“What?” I breathe out.

“The way that you come to me, without a single word or command. Like you are mine for the fucking taking; I always thought I would be the one belonging to you.” His words hit me like a slap to the face. He’s right. All the time I spent telling myself that I would stop at nothing to dominate him, and anyone I ever came in contact with sexually, and here I am, just as submissive as some of the men and women I’ve fucked over the years. The most troubling part of it all? I’m not scared.

“You bring out this side of me, Levi,” I whisper into his ear as I sink my wet pussy down onto his rock hard cock. I slowly move up and down, taking in every glorious inch that fills me so perfectly. A little too perfectly.

“I love the way your tight cunt grips my dick. It’s like your pussy was made for me. Only me,” he chokes out as his breathing hitches and he starts bucking his hips up to meet my pace.

His words make me even hotter than the fact that we are fucking in my office, something I would have never considered doing. Work and sex have always been two different worlds.

“My pussy was made for you.” My body is on autopilot; so is my mind. I don’t know what I am saying, because I am lost in the delirious frenzy of the orgasm I desperately need. I grind my cunt down on him, and that is when I feel it. He grabs my hips tightly and slams my pussy down onto his cock. I feel his orgasm emptying into me, and the pulsing of his dick sends me into my own world of orgasmic bliss.

I scream. Loud. So loud that Livie knocks on my door, asking if I’m all right. I stay in the same position I’ve been in for several minutes, spread eagle on Levi’s lap, in my office chair, with his come dripping out of my pussy. Any hint of a foul mood is now gone. All thanks to Levi. Fuck, now to explain that to my assistant!

I buzz Livie on the intercom and ask her to come in for a meeting once Mr. Parker leaves. Of course now I need to think of some kind of an explanation as to why I sounded like a fucking porn star behind the closed door of my office. Maybe the threat of firing her, or a raise. Yeah, a raise, that will work!

We share the en-suite bathroom while we clean up our mid-workday quickie.

Levi heads on his way, and I sit down for hours of work. By lunchtime, I haven’t budged, and it seems like the ocean of work is only getting deeper. I should just hire someone to do this shit for me. Now that’s a good idea. Note to self: get Livie to hire yet another fucking assistant.

I have lunch delivered and even though I can still feel Levi’s delicious release inside my body from this morning, my mood is getting worse and worse. Around three, my office intercom buzzes, and Olivia comes to life on the other end. Happy as usual. “Miss James, Star is here for you.”

The last thing I want to deal with. Why in the fuck would she come to my work? She fucking knows better than to ever bring her bullshit into my office. All these years, all these mother fucking years, and she decides she has to corner me in my office?

“Send her in.”

When she walks through the door, I can tell she’s been up all night; her hair is pulled up in a messy bun on the top of her head with loose strands falling all around her face. Her face is bright red, like she hasn’t stopped crying. The beautiful brightness in her blue eyes is gone, replaced with a void look of desperation, and she’s wearing the same clothes she left my penthouse in the night before. Then I see them. The bruises. There is a large one on her upper thigh. A handprint across her face, which was hidden by the redness of her cheeks. A small purple mark at the side of her eye and, when she removes her coat, I see them clear as day. Two large bruises around her neck. The kind of marks left behind when someone really wants to do some damage.

My heart stops. I am still so mad at her, but every protective gene in my body kicks in, and I have only one question. “Who did this to you, Star?” As much as I am still really fucking pissed about her betrayal, I can’t bear to see her, let alone anyone, on the receiving end of this kind of a beating.

“Blue.” She collapses into the chair in front of my desk and the crying begins. “Seven, I didn’t want to. I never wanted to. But he threatened to tell everyone what I did. He has held it over my head for years.” She makes absolutely no sense. What could he hold over her head that I wouldn’t already know? Maybe a secret from our parents, but in all the years we have been Star and Seven, she has never kept anything from me.

Her sobs get louder, and her hands come up to cover her face. Her entire body heaves as her breathing becomes labored, and then she says it. “Seven, I had a baby. Blue’s baby. The year you left for college.”

Shocked isn’t the right word to describe my feelings. I am appalled and sickened. I am hurt and saddened. I am furious and seething. But what I am mostly surprised at are my feelings of pity and concern for the broken woman sitting across from me. The woman who has needed me more than I have needed her throughout our lives. I feel responsible for letting that scumbag get his hands on her. I should have been able to protect her, just like I should have protected her last night instead of kicking her out.

I come around my desk, and pull her up from the chair, wrapping my arms around her body and holding her as tight as I can. Hoping I’m not hurting her. She cries and cries. One of those ugly cries. I just stand and hold her.

“I’m so sorry, Seven. I never meant to hurt you.” The last thing she needs to be doing in her state is apologizing to me. That is for damn sure.

“It’s okay Star. He won’t hurt you again. I will make sure of that. I am going to have Clyde take you to my penthouse until I get home. You are also going to fill out a police report detailing exactly what he did to you.” She nods, and gathers her things.

“And Star?” She turns back to me, a small smile trying to poke through the grim expression plastered to her face. “Where is the baby?” I know it is probably the wrong question to ask, but I can’t stop thinking about the child who is out there somewhere. God, it would have to be almost ten or eleven.

She wipes a tear from the corner of her eye, “I don’t know, Seven. After she was born, my parents took her to a commune upstate, and I never saw her again. Christmas Day, she will be eleven.”

She turns and walks out the door, and I sink into my office chair feeling like the weight of the world has just been dropped on my shoulders. First Blue will pay, and then I will find this little girl who was taken from Star. Looking at the clock on my computer, I notice it’s been over an hour. I have a meeting to head to, and sometime before the end of the day, I need to explain my new house-guest to Levi, who apparently is becoming a more permanent fixture around my penthouse.