"Why are you being so difficult? What's come over you?" I ask.
"Do you even know what Brittney used to do before we hired her on?"
"Yes, I already know all about that," I say. "She told me. She was in porn, and then started her own business, Man Chasers LLC."
"And did she tell you what she did with that company?"
"Yes, she told me all about that too," I shrug. "Look, it doesn't bother me. She helped women get back at their cheating husbands. She helped them find closure … and justice."
"Did she forget to mention how she managed to pull that off?" Cheryl asks.
"Well, we didn't go into depth on that."
"She used deceit, Ethan. That's what she did. She lied. And she was good at it. She could convince even the most powerful men to drop their pants for her, and she was cunning enough to gain access to them," she says. "Think about that for a moment."
I never really thought about it like that. I guess Cheryl has a fucking point. But what Brittney and I have together is fucking different. I'm not some cheating husband that she's been hired to uncover.
"Look, I'll prove to you that the prototype is fine," I say. "I brought my tablet. It's connected to the cameras in my apartment. I'll power it on, and I'll show you that the prototype is still sitting in my briefcase, on the table."
I hold down the home button and toggle my tablet on. The screen glows to life, and I click on the application that'll show Cheryl everything's fine. Maybe then she'll get off my back. I know she means well, but I wish she'd just fucking trust me.
The app launches and I immediately see a live view of my apartment. Everything is still. I don't see Brittney anywhere. She must've already left.
I pan around to the living room, and I zoom in. I see the couch … I see the table … but I don't see the briefcase.
What the fuck? My heart sinks, and my pulse races. I know I left that briefcase in plain view. I should be seeing it. I'm trying to fight the dizzy feeling that's beginning to flood my head.
I'm trying to keep my cool in front of Cheryl. What if she's right? Fuck.
"I know the briefcase is around here somewhere," I say, panning around the apartment.
"I thought you said it was on your living room table?" Cheryl asks.
"It was … or I thought it was, but I could've misremembered," I say.
"It's gone, Ethan," she says. "I told you. Brittney couldn't be trusted. Now what are we going to do?"
My heart now sinks even further as I realize Cheryl's right. I'm not sure if this is what a broken heart feels like, but it must be pretty fucking close.
The realization finally sinks in. Despite the fact that I know what she did, I have to repeat it to myself.
Brittney used me. She stole the prototype.
There's a moment of stunned silence.
"Ethan you can trust me," a voice says from behind me. "Here's your prototype."
I feel a hand on my shoulder and I turn around. It's Brittney and she's holding my briefcase in one hand.
"I thought you stole the prototype," I say. I'm relieved that she's here, but she looks distraught. This isn't the Brittney I kissed goodbye to in my apartment.
"I love you Ethan," Brittney says. "I love you with every fiber of my body. I've never felt this way about a man before … but now that I've met you, I know what true love feels like. I can't imagine my life without you."
"Brit, come here," I say, embracing her in a hug. I see tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. "What's wrong?"
"I'm afraid Ethan," she says. "Very afraid."
She continues, "There's a man out there who wouldn't hesitate to see me dead."
151
Brittney
I don't care about what happens next. I can't bring myself to betray Ethan. Whatever the consequences are, I'll face them as long as he's with me. When I first came into this, I came ready to do my job, but I ended up falling for the best man I have ever met … And I can't turn my back on him. I deserve this.
It wasn't easy to stroll into his office with an admission of guilt, throwing myself at his mercy. But this was what I had to do. Even if Simon makes good on his word, there was no other option for me. Not anymore.
So here I am, standing in front of Ethan, fear and hesitancy nestled in my mind. I look at him with pursed lips, knowing that there's no going back from this; this is my personal Rubicon, and I've just crossed it. Cheryl dismisses herself from the room.
"I'm sorry," I tell him, taking one step toward him. He's standing in front of his desk, dashing as always. And now, more than ever, I need to feel his arms around me. "I really am."
"Don't." He brushes the back of his hand on my cheek, and then runs his long fingers through my hair. "You're here, and you did right by me. We'll work this out." I nod, hoping that his words turn out to be true, and that everything will work out. Looking into his eyes and seeing the confidence shining there, I can't help but trust him. Still, deep inside of me I know that the world is a mean and dirty place, and it will do everything to crush me. I know it, and Simon does too. "I promise you," he adds, and then leans into me. His lips touch mine, and there's a gentle tenderness to our kiss.
"I'm so glad I met you," I whisper, pressing my forehead against his and smiling. Whatever happens, nothing will change this. Meeting someone like Ethan … It was like finding an oasis after walking for years through a barren wasteland.
"Me too," he says, pressing his mouth against mine once again. I take my fingers to his face, and gently hold him as I part my lips and push my tongue inside his mouth. My heart is beating steadily, and this time it isn't just lust racing through my veins; there's love too. Love. It feels good to admit it; I love him, and I wouldn't change that for all the money in the world.
I let my hands fall down from his face and I press them over his chest. Underneath his shirt and his pectorals, I can hear the steady beat of his heart. It's silly to say this, but it almost seems that his heart is beating at the same rhythm as mine. Right now, I can't help but feel like the luckiest woman in the world.
Sliding my fingers up from his chest to his collar, I loosen his tie and then unknot it. Instinct guiding my hands, I start to unbutton his white shirt, my fingers working swiftly. Once I get down to his waistline, I untuck the shirt from his pants, and finally flatten the palm of my hands against his abs. It doesn't matter how many times I feel his body … I can't get enough of it. It's almost as if God put Ethan on this Earth for me to find out, all his perfection a hidden gift.
As I slide my hands over his abs, Ethan rests his hands on my ass, over my skirt, and pulls me into his embrace. With my breasts pressed against his bare chest, I feel my nipples hardening, a warmness spreading from them and numbing my mind. Between my thighs, I feel my pussy growing wet, desire spreading its wings inside of me.
"I want you," I tell him, pushing his shirt down his arms. "I need you," I continue, taking my hands to his head and grabbing his hair.
"I'm right here," he tells me, squeezing my ass cheeks as his lips curl into a smile.
"You are," I smile back, crushing my mouth against his. This time, there's nothing gentle about the way we kiss; I surrender to that craving inside of me and simply let loose. He does the same, sliding his fingers under my skirt and hiking it slightly up; I tremble as I feel his touch on my bare ass, and my hands dart to his waist. With an anxious knot in my throat, I press one hand against his crotch; my heart starts picking up the pace as I feel the hardness under his pants, his cock already hard and pulsing with desire.
Pulling back from his kiss, I lay my lips against his neck. Slowly, I go down on my knees, gently kissing him as I go. My lips brush over the curve of his pectorals, then over the hard blocks of his abs, and each kiss I lay on his body just makes me grow wetter.
When my knees finally touch the carpeted floor, I look up at him with an easy smile on my lips. I take a deep breath, and steadying my hands, I unbuckle his belt and pull it out from its loops. Placing it on the floor, I have to take another deep breath as I start unbuttoning his pants. He just looks at me, running his fingers through my hair with a tender smile on his face. In his eyes, there's that familiar flicker of lust … But there's something more too. Something gentle and kind.
With his pants now unbuttoned, I let my eyes wander down his body; his cock is pushing back against his boxer briefs, its thick shape perfectly delineated. Ethan's cock is almost as thick as a can of Coke, and with its 12 inches, it's perfection made flesh. And what really matters is that Ethan knows how to wield it; trust me, I know.