The Hourglass (6 page)

The next morning at work I couldn’t fight the smile that was on my face, my cheeks aching from how big it was. So blissfully happy from my time with Lucas last night, I couldn’t help but fantasize what it would be like the next time I saw him. I couldn’t wait for Savannah to come to work so I could tell her about the earth shattering night I had. Unfortunately, my morning was jam packed as I headed up to the Nike offices in our building to get an approval on a design layout I had mocked up.

“Ms. Reid, Luke will see you now,” the receptionist called from her desk. Standing with my idea board I confidently strode into the office she directed me toward to see none other than my sex-god of a man, Lucas. Flushing a brilliant shade of red, my face lit up with a smile.

“Well, well — this is a lovely surprise,” he crooned pulling me in and delicately kissing me with his soft luscious lips. “Can we do this in the elevator; I am on my way out.”

“Of course,” I replied, eager to spend more time with him.

Calling the elevator, Lucas got just close enough that the sparks between us were palpable. My core awoke, despite the soreness from last night, and a part of me wondered what else we could do in the elevator besides discuss ad designs. As soon as the doors opened, Lucas placed his hand at the small of my back escorting me in.

Once the doors closed, the heat turned up tenfold. “Brooke, last night was amazing.” Lucas’s voice was throaty and lust-filled making my insides churn.

“I agree, I was just thinking how I couldn’t wait for a repeat performance,” I teased letting my fingers tease the waistband of his slacks. “If only this elevator ride was longer.”

Lucas twisted me into him and set my skin on fire as he rained kisses on every piece of exposed skin he could locate. The elevator paused on the Hourglass floor, stopping to pick up more passengers. Lucas and I quickly separated like schoolchildren afraid of being caught.

The doors slid open, bringing Savannah’s face into view. When she spotted me she lit up with a knowing smile. Striding inside she averted her eyes to Lucas and grabbed hold of him, laying one hell of a kiss on him. Holy shit. The kiss was so familiar; it was clear she knew every intimate place to touch and tease him. Places on his delectable body that I had only learned last night. I watched in horror, as her experience and confidence disarmed the man I was attracted to, the man I had given myself to.

Just. Last. Night.

The doors began to close and I was overcome with nausea. I had to get out. I knew I couldn’t compete. Sticking the board into the closing doors, I watched as they jumped back with a clang and reopened.

“So you approve of the design, great! I will go let Monica know, umm… I’ve gotta go,” my voice went a little high pitched, despite my attempts to keep it in control. Dashing out the door I barreled into the bathroom, locking the door behind me.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” I cried as my fists pounded into the door repeatedly.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Savannah

FINALLY!
I THOUGHT
to myself, taking Luke’s face between the palms of my hands and laying an earth shattering kiss on him right in the elevator for my best friend to see. “I’ve been dying to introduce you to my…” Releasing Luke’s face I looked to my left and then to my right. “Where in the hell did she go?”

Glancing back at Luke’s panic-stricken face, I tried to figure out why Brooke had bolted.
What in the hell is wrong with that woman?
Wrapping my arms around Luke’s neck, I kissed his cheek. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost. What’s wrong?” As he was shaking his head no, I pulled my arms from around his neck and placed them at my side.

“Nothing, today is just really busy. Do you know by chance where her office is?”

Confused, I scrunched my eyes together. “Who, Brooke?” Luke nodded. “Well of course I do, Luke, that’s my best friend, the one I’ve been dying to introduce you to.”

His face turned white as a sheet. “Shit” he mumbled under his breath.

I stepped out of the elevator on the ninth floor and walked with Luke toward our parking spaces, he was clearly shaken as beads of sweat were now lining his hairline. “Luke, your sweating and I’m not even wearing a revealing top, are you sure you’re okay?” He nodded again.
What is wrong with everyone today? I’m dealing with Brooke’s disappearing act, and Luke seems to have swallowed his tongue.
“You better be because I’m not in the mood for another rain check tonight.”

Winking at him, I hopped into my car and then took off for my photo shoot. I picked up my phone to dial Brooke as I zoomed through traffic. Her cell went straight to voice mail, so I called the office and got the same thing, voice mail. Trying her cell one more time only to be dumped into her voice mail box for the third time, I conceded. “Brooke, what happened to you in the elevator? I wanted to introduce you to Luke. Isn’t he gorgeous? I’ll be out at a shoot all day, so we’ll have to catch up later. In the meantime,
Google
Lucas Wellington, his pictures are to die for, but nothing compares to the body under those clothes, and most importantly, his huge you know what! Let’s do a quick dinner tonight, my place. I’ll pick up takeout on the way home, and we’ll have Carl sneak us into your new condo for a tour. We’ll have to wrap up early though; I’m planning on having Luke as my dessert. Love you.” After I hung up, I cranked my music up as loud as it would go and sang along with Katy Perry and Juicy J, making up my own lyrics to their chart topper, Dark Horse. “
Her love is like a drug,
Luke
was tryna hit it and quit it. But Savannah is so dope Luke messed around and got addicted
”

Six hours later,
I’d wrapped up my shoot and sent the photos back to Hourglass with my assistant for edits. Swinging by one of my favorite restaurants, I picked up my takeout order and sent Brooke a quick text.

Just picked up dinner, meet me at my place in thirty minutes.

After dumping the contents of my purse onto the floor outside of my door and almost spilling dinner everywhere, I finally found the key to my condo.
I flung the door open and
made my way into the kitchen, tossing
everything on the counter. Looking at the clock I figured I had time for a quick shower before Brooke arrived. The water bounced off my skin like lava balls and the heat was so thick I could hardly see my feet in the shower, but it was just what I needed after a long stressful day. I wasn’t sure who picked the models for today’s shoot, but I was going to see to it they were never given a job again.

I turned off the water and
lifted
my towel
off the rack, drying myself off as I stepped out of the shower onto my plush, bright white bath rug. I
picked up
my phone
from
the vanity
and checked the clock, seeing I had five minutes before Brooke would be ringing my door bell. But knowing her as well as I did, it probably meant I had more like thirty seconds as she was always punctual. Rushing through the routine of drying my hair and getting dressed I ran into the living room with seconds left to spare.

Still, no Brooke.

I scurried over to the door and opened it, looking around and thinking maybe I’d missed her knock, but nothing. The place was deserted.

I called down to lobby. “Carl, have you seen Brooke?”

“I haven’t. Are you expecting her?” he replied.

“She was supposed to meet me here for dinner and she hasn’t arrived. It’s not like her to be late, I’m getting worried.”

Carl sighed into the phone. “I’ll keep an eye out for her Ms. Prescott. Is there anything I can assist you with?”

Shaking my head, I said, “No thanks, Carl,”
and hung up. Then
I
dialed
Brooke’s phone and it went to voice
mail. “What the hell?” I yelled, frustrated with my best friend.

Upon dialing the office my assistant
answered. “Savannah, what’s up?”

“Hey, is Brooke still at the office? I’ve been calling her all day and she isn’t answering or responding to my texts. She was supposed to meet me for dinner and she isn’t here.”

I could hear my assistant’s combat boots thumping against the marble floor and then a knock on what I assumed was Brooke’s office door. “It looks like she’s already left for the day. Would you like me to leave a note on her desk?”

Pulling a pair of sneakers on, I huffed into the phone, “No, I’m going to run over to her house, thanks for checking.”
I quickly pulled my
Broncos sweater over my head
and rushed down to my car, then peeled out of the parking garage and drove toward Brooke’s apartment.

Brooke’s lights were shining brightly through her windows as I pulled into her complex.
The car door
flung
open and
I
hopped out.
I rushed over to the stairs and took them two at a time before pounding
on her door. “Brooke, open the door, I know you’re in there!” I hollered. Standing there freezing I waited for her to open the door, but nothing. Again, I pounded loudly on her door and then I heard voices going back and forth. “Brooke, who the hell is in there with you? Open the damn door.” Finally her apartment door swung open and I was standing face to face with Luke. Staring past him, I saw Brooke on her couch, her eyes swollen and filled with tears.

Completely caught off guard, I backed up two steps and kept shifting my eyes between Luke and Brooke. Finally able to gather a thought, I scolded Luke like he was a child. “What in the hell are you doing here?”

Pulling me into Brooke’s apartment, he switched places with me and ran a hand through his hair. “I think the two of you need to talk.”

I turned back to Brooke, taking in the tears still pouring down her face. Utterly confused, I slammed the door
in Luke’s face and ran over to my best friend.

“Brooke, what the hell is going on? Are you okay? What in God’s name is Luke doing in your apartment?” She tried to talk, but the tears wouldn’t stop long enough for her to get a word out. Finally grabbing her shoulders, I gave her a gentle shake. “Brooke, breathe, talk to me damn it!”

She hastily stood up and began pacing back and forth in front of the couch, wringing her hands together and then wiping them on her pants
before speaking. “Lucas, Luke, whatever. He’s the guy who crashed into me.” Trying to understand where she was going with this I thought back to that day and remembered our conversation at the mall when Brooke was going on about the new guy she’d met after he crashed into her Jeep.
“I met a guy today; he is smokin’, I think I nearly reached the big “O” just looking at him
.”

Finally putting two and two together, I silently cursed myself for my blonde moment. The wheels were spinning in my head as I replayed the past couple of weeks. “Are you trying to tell me you’ve been sleeping with Luke? Luke is the guy you met, the guy
I
was sexting with for
you
just last night?”

Brooke stopped in her tracks and peered out the window, then looked back to me. “Yes, well, I haven’t been sleeping with him. I’ve only slept with him once, but shit Sav, we’re both dating the same guy, and he’s been playing us this entire time!” she screamed at me.

Livid, I wanted to chase Luke down and kick his ass, but I tried to calm myself because Brooke was obviously freaking out. Pulling her over to the couch we sat down and I held her hand. “Brooke, think about this logically, he may have been sleeping with me and then slept with you last night, but I’m not sure we can chalk that up to him playing us. I’m not his girlfriend and I am going to assume that you aren’t either?” She blinked rapidly and then shook her head no. “Okay, then maybe we need to give him the benefit of the doubt?”

Jumping off the couch Brooke screamed, “No way in hell!”

Smirking at my best friend, I pulled her back down. “Listen to me, I’ve played this game a lot longer than you and quite frankly, we all know I’m much better at it. Luke and I are nothing but consenting adults who enjoy screwing each other’s brains out. Now, obviously you like him, it’s written all over your face, and it would seem he likes you, because one can only assume he came over here to try and make things right with you. Am I correct?”

She nodded her head again.

“Okay, then that’s that. Trust me, there are plenty of other guys in Denver that I can hook up with. You and Luke figure things out, and I’ll stop sleeping with him. Granted I’ll be giving up a great piece of ass, but I love you enough that I’m willing to do this.”

I couldn’t help but stare at Brooke’s
blank face, letting out a chuckle
as her reaction was less than enthusiastic. “Sav, how can I continue to be with Lucas when I know the two of you have been intimate? You’re my best friend, that’s just…” her face turned green and she looked like she was about to blow chunks.

“Gross?” I
joked. “I don’t think so. I can assure you my vagina is the cleanest one in town.”

A smile finally crept up over her face and she let out a light laugh. “You are so disgusting.”

I
leaned in and
squeezed her tight. “I know, that’s why you love me. Now get Luke on that phone and figure this shit out. I want you happy and if he makes you happy than I’m willing to stop sleeping with him, but only for you. Y’all break up and I’m back at it,” I teased, winking at her.