Briella
My eyes must be playing tricks on me. I can’t really be seeing who I think I am. Right?
“Hey Bri, give daddy some sugar.” Colby stretches his arms out in an inviting hug.
“I’ll repeat myself again because you’re seeming a little slow today. What the fuck are you doing here?”
There’s a loud noise and I see the flight attendant shutting the door to the plane. That’s when the panic sets in.
“Excuse me Miss. Can you open that thing back up? This man won’t be joining us on our flight today. It turns out he got on the wrong private jet. You see, he’s not well.” Nervous laughter escapes my mouth. The universe must really hate me.
“Oh no, it’s okay Miss Fairbanks. Someone called this morning and updated the flight plan. She said she might not have been able to get in touch with you so I’d have to explain.” She smiles at me like she’s talking to a moron. Funny coming from a woman in what can only be described as hoochie clothes. Maybe the Mayor’s double dipping as well.
I growl in frustration and head straight for the cause of all my inner anxiety. Just a foot away I stop and glare at him. The jackass smiles back, as if this isn’t a big deal.
“Why are you here?” I grit through my teeth.
His whole demeanor changes, going into business mode. “You need me on this case.”
“No, I don’t. I’m perfectly capable of-” He cuts me off.
“You are capable of a lot of things Briella, but going up against the mob isn’t one of them. Even though I’m not your favorite person in the world…”
“That’s the understatement of the century, Casanova.”
“You need me on this case. If something goes down, you’re by yourself out there with no backup. No way in good conscience could I let you go at this alone. It was an easy decision once Skylar approached me. And hey, we’ve worked on so many cases before, this will be a cake walk.”
“Fucking Sky, I’ll kill her. And you’re blowing this out of proportion. The mob being involved is only alleged at this point. Do you really think I’d put myself in danger just to avoid seeing you?” I head for the back of the plane.
Some of what he’s saying definitely has merit, but I don’t want him here. Thinking that, I get an idea. I turn around and walk back towards him.
“Call Marcus.” I dare him with my eyes to shoot me down.
“He’s on a case. Actually…” he looks down at his watch. “He’s just jumped on a flight to New York for an assignment. Any other nonsense you wanna bring up before you realize I’m your only option?”
“Fine. But stay out of my way.” I narrow my eyes and take a seat far away from where he’s standing hoping he gets the hint. Which he obviously doesn’t.
“How have you been Bri, we haven’t talked in ages. Give me the gossip, the 411, the lowdown.” He places his hand under his chin and god help me, he looks so freaking adorable.
“What are we, girlfriends now?”
“No, we’re best friends. Always have been and always will be. One stupid night will never change that Bri.”
And he just had to bring up that night, didn’t he? Well, two can play this game.
“How’s Casey?” I cock an eyebrow waiting for his answer.
“Fuck Bri, don’t do that. I didn’t mean-”
But I can’t hear anymore without reliving that night all over again, so I get up and escape into the bathroom. Damn, this bathroom is almost the same size as mine at home. Living a life of luxury definitely has its perks.
Splashing some water on my face I try to regain my composure. How does he do this to me every single time I’m with him? Before we were stupid enough to jump in bed with each other, we were inseparable. We spent most evenings together other than when he was out trying to bang some bar slut. I’d be lying to myself if I said I didn’t have a small crush on him. Okay, that’s a total understatement. It started out as a crush until I was 15 and he stood up for me to my bitch of a cousin. That day he stole my heart and damnit, I want it back.
Up until I met Colby I never thought I was good enough for anybody. My dad had been a total asshole, or so my mom had always told me. I don’t remember him, and mom didn’t have any pictures around the house for memories sake. She was a mess back then. She did all the things moms were meant to do and I always knew I was loved, but she was broken inside. I used to hear her scream and cry in her sleep, begging him to stop hurting her in her nightmares. It took years for her to finally find some peace but as a child, I always felt so useless because I couldn’t make her feel better.
Then one day, the cute boy from next door smiled at me. Even at five I remember being nervous to talk to Colby out of fear that he’d laugh at me. But Colby made me feel special for the first time in my life. When it got bad we had a system. Ever seen the movie Three Ninjas? We were obsessed with it and made phones out of two cans and string going from his bedroom window to my own. Just like in the movie. When my mother’s screaming was so bad, I’d block out the world and talk to Colby until I passed out. I always passed out first because he’d never let me sit in bed alone and upset.
That’s the Colby I slowly fell for, not the playboy who while making love to me yelled out my cousin’s name when he came. My bitch of a cousin who couldn’t care less if I was even alive was the winner of the night. I always assumed he had a thing for her even though he swore up and down that it wasn’t the case. Hearing my fears confirmed was a gut check.
There’s a knock on the door and I’m almost certain I know who it is so I don’t bother answering. The knocking continues so I continue to ignore him.
“Miss Fairbanks, the pilot needs to taxi out to the runway and you need to be in your seat.”
Shit, it’s the flight attendant. Now I look like an idiot. Unlocking the door, I barely have it opened when I’m being pushed backwards. I try to say what the hell? but a hand clamps over my mouth as I’m pushed up against the bathroom wall.
“Bri, you need to listen to me. This has gone on far too long and we need to clear the air. What I did that night was inexcusable. I know it and so do you. But I can’t go back, I can’t change what I did. All I can do is apologize and tell you how much I miss my best friend. Because I do, I miss you so fucking much.”
I shake my head letting him know I need to speak. “Tell me why. Why did you sleep with me that night?”
His face falls and he takes a step back. Not exactly the grand gesture I was hoping for in an answer. He scrubs his hands down his face before looking back at me.
“I don’t know Bri. Every single time I try to wrap my mind around it, I come up blank. Why was I willing to jeopardize our relationship? I just can’t answer that. In the moment it felt right. Like our whole relationship leading up until that point came to a crossroads. But, I think we chose the wrong path. I can’t give you a relationship. I can’t give you lovey dovey shit. That’s not me. Had I known that night meant more to you…it never would have happened.”
Wow, so this whole time he knew I wanted to be in an honest to goodness relationship with him? This whole bathroom sesh is a crush to my ego and I need to save face before I’m just the girl who’s jilted by a man. Clearly, I’m not worth a leap of faith if he can’t picture being in a relationship with me.
I go to open my mouth but the flight attendant knocks on the door telling us we really do need to come out for takeoff.
When I walk past Colby, I need him to know I’m not some poor pathetic girl that’s fallen in love with her best friend. I need him to think I’m not looking for anything serious with him.
I open the door and turn my head so I can see him out of my peripherals. “I knew what that night was, too bad you ruined it by being an asshole. I was looking forward to some no strings fuckery with my best friend. A person I now know should be able to satisfy my every need. We could have had some fun, now we’ll never know.” I wink and exit the bathroom. There, take that playboy.
***
Since walking out of the bathroom Colby hasn’t spoken to me. He sat as far away as humanly possible and it’s throwing me for a loop. Wasn’t he just 30 minutes ago saying how much he missed me? I suppose it’s for the best in the long run.
I find my carry on and pull out my computer. We need to be thorough on this job and I need to be on my A-game when it comes to all the information me and the team have collected. Colby should really be seeing all of this too. When I look up I’m met with his warm brown eyes and I’m surprised to see he looks angry which makes me inwardly laugh. Now he’s the mad one? What a pussy.
“Hey Casanova, wanna go over all the files with me? Or are you too busy brooding?”
“I’m not fucking brooding.” He mumbles before getting up and taking the seat next to me. When his scent wafts around me my panties get a little moist. Damn he smells good. Note to self, hide his cologne for the duration of the trip.
“This case is about the Mayor and his two-timing wife.”
“I know.”
“You know? How much? I need to make sure you’re up to speed.”
“I know it all Bri. I’ve been briefed about all aspects and the players involved. Did you forget how I operate?” He has a cocky smile on his face that I want to kiss off. What… no. I want to smack it off…
“Believe me, I know how you operate.” I reach down and pull out a few of my files while I wait for my laptop to boot up.
“Oh, I think we’re finally getting somewhere.” He rubs his hands together. “Are we on the joking about the night in question phase?”
I laugh. “That’s not actually how I meant it. But now I’m intrigued, what’s the next phase?”
“Talking about how I rocked your world.” He winks.
“Was that what that was? Honestly, with how much you whore around I was expecting fireworks, not a birthday candle.” I tap him on the shoulder in sympathy.
“Hold the fuck up Briella Margaret Fairbanks.” He fully turns to face me.
“And he’s whipping out the middle name!” I taunt.
“I knocked your fucking socks off sweetheart. You were so out of your mind you were speaking in tongues.”
“Or I was trying to keep quiet so I wouldn’t yell ‘Stop, this is the worst I’ve ever had!’” I snicker. Riling Colby up is so much fun.
“No way, I want a do over. Let’s do this.” He stands up rolling his neck back and forth.
“Wait, what? You’re insane.” I look around paranoid, thinking everyone knows what he just propositioned me.
He levels me with a stare, confidence written all over his gorgeous face. “What, are you chicken? I never thought you were one to stand down from a challenge.”
Fuck, I’m not. But I can’t sleep with him again, even if it’s for the sake of getting along. This could ruin everything... again. We’re going to be together in tight quarters for the next month and things can potentially turn into a cluster fuck of epic proportions.
“What happened to,” I drop my voice, “We went down the wrong path?”
“I fucking lied. Up you go.” He bends down and hauls me up so I’m on my feet in a matter of seconds. Then he grips my elbow and drags me towards the bathroom.
What the hell? This can’t happen again. It crushed me last time, would I be able to recover a second time? I dig my heels in stopping our forward progress.
He sighs and looks at me. “Listen, I know you want this as bad as I do. I haven’t stopped thinking about that night, how it felt to slide inside your tight pussy. Feeling you pulsate around my cock when you came, hard. Your cousin is nothing to me. Want some truth? I saw something in your eyes that spoke volumes to me and it scared me shitless. I don’t do relationships, you know that. When I saw my best friend in the world looking up at me with such adoration I knew I needed to make it clear.”
“What are you talking about? Are you saying you yelled out Casey’s name so I wouldn’t want to be in a relationship with you?” This is completely crazy.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying Bri. I’d never do that to you unless I thought there was no other option. Could a second go fuck up our relationship again? Possibly, but it can’t be any more screwed up than it is now. Knowing that it meant nothing to you too, I think we can have some fun on this trip.” He waggles his brows.
I mull it over. Am I that easy to read? I really did think he wanted more in the moment. Can I go into this with no strings attached? I look up at Colby and see nothing but truth and desire on his face. Desire for me. I’m going to regret it, but I can’t pass this up. I’ve wanted Colby practically my whole life. If this is the way I get him, then so be it.
“I really hope you came to play this time.” I sway my hips as I saunter past him and smile when I hear Colby groan on my way to the bathroom.