It was another Monday, and I was standing behind the counter, scrolling through my phone when the bell on the door rang, alerting me that a customer had entered. When I looked up, my eyes widened as I saw Jack walk in through the door.
He took off his sunglasses and glared at me with those grey eyes. "We need to talk," he said.
I chuckled nervously and patted down my apron. "I'm working."
He raised a brow and looked around the room filled with empty chairs. "I doubt that," he mumbled and turned his head back to me.
I crossed my arms over my chest and frowned at him.
"I'll also have a cup of coffee with no sugar," he said and walked to one of the vacant chairs and sat down, his eyes still on mine.
I sighed and placed my hands on my waist. Damn, here I was thinking I would never see him again.
I prepared his coffee, placed it on the table, and sat in front of him. "How did you find me?"
"Your friend from the club," he answered and took a sip from his coffee.
"Fucking Joe," I muttered under my breath and shook my head. "Okay, why are you here?" I finally asked, and he crossed his arms as he looked at me.
"Why did you leave?" he asked in return, and I couldn't help but laugh.
I tapped my chin, pretending to think about it. "Well..." I trailed off and brought my face closer to him. "Maybe because I never want to see you again, and I got what I wanted."
He seemed confused and furrowed his brow. "What's that?" he whispered, and I smiled sweetly at him.
"Fucked you out of my system."
He smirked as I said those words and also brought his face closer to mine. "Did you really?"
My breath hitched, and I took in a short breath and clenched my hands. Damn, he was right. All I thought about after that night was him and how good he felt.
"I need your help," he said before I could speak. I bit my lip as I considered asking him what it was, and I caved.
"Screw it. What do you want?"
"I need you to come home with me for a week," he said, and I scoffed and looked at him like he was crazy.
"Home?" I asked, as if he had lost his mind.
"I need you to act as my girlfriend for a week while I visit my parents."
I stood up and shook my head as I began to walk away. "Not interested."
He grabbed my hand and stood up as I turned and glared at him. He let go of my hand as if it burned and cleared his throat.
"I'll pay."
"I know my worth, but I'm not a whore, Jack," I spat in anger. His eyes widened.
"I never called you one," he said, his eyes softening.
"I'm sorry, I really can-" He cut me off before I could finish speaking. "Ten thousand dollars."
I looked at him like he was crazy, and for a moment, I actually considered his words. "Fifteen," I said, expecting him to object, but he nodded. "Deal."
"You really are crazy," I mumbled, and he smirked. "Maybe I am."
He took his brown coat from the chair and shrugged it over his black turtleneck. He put on his sunglasses and brought his lips to my ear. "We leave tomorrow morning, Princess," he whispered, and I took a step back, looking at his tall form.
"Oh!" he said and brought out a pen and paper from his pocket. "I'll be needing your number," he smiled. I shakily took them from him and hastily wrote down my number.
"See you soon," he said and walked out the door. It felt like I could breathe again, and I placed my hands on my cheeks, gently patting them. What had I gotten myself into?
**
"Are you crazy?" Charlie gasped, looking at me like I'd grown another head. "What if he's a psychopath and kills you, ditching your body somewhere?" He shouted in my face, and I cringed, grabbing his shoulder.
Emily gave us a dirty look and mumbled, "Crazy bitches," under her breath, walking out of the back area of the house.
"I need this money, Charlie," I muttered, and he also grabbed my shoulder. "Girl—" "Ani," I said, cutting him off.
"I need this money for Ani's surgery."
His lips formed a thin line, and we both let go of each other. He sighed and looked at me with sad eyes. "I hope you know what you're doing," he said and walked out when Emily yelled his name.
"I hope I do too," I whispered.
**
I woke up early to go see Ani. I greeted the nurses with a smile as I walked into the building and rushed to Anna's room.
I gently opened the door and smiled as I watched her sleeping form. I sat next to her and held her hand in mine, which instantly woke her up.
"Amanda," she smiled at me, and my heart melted. I cupped her cheeks in my hand and gently rubbed her nose.
"Good morning," I whispered, and she sat up and hugged me. A lump formed in my throat, and I felt bad that I would be leaving her, even though it was only for a week.
"What's wrong?" she asked as I broke the hug, and I sighed.
"I'm sorry, Ani," I said, and she frowned. "I won't be home for a while," I mumbled, stroking her cheeks, and her lips turned down.
"Why?" she questioned, tears already welling up in her eyes. "I have to work far away so you can get your surgery and get better."
"Who will take care of me? Mom—" "You'll be staying with Uncle Charlie," I cut her off, already knowing what was running through her mind.
The door burst open, and Ani and I both turned as Charlie walked in. "Oops! Sorry," he mumbled, balancing two cups of coffee in his hands.
I glared at Charlie as he cursed in front of my 8-year-old sister and slammed the door. His eyes widened at my glare, and he blurted out another curse. "Oops! I'm sorry," he exclaimed, realizing his mistake.
I let out a deep sigh and shook my head, while Ani giggled at Charlie's slip-up. Maybe it was a bad idea to let Ani stay with Charlie. But at least it was better than her being with mom.
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and quickly retrieved it, unlocking it to read a text from an unknown number."Where is your address, Princess?"I sighed and promptly sent my address to him. As I put my phone away, Mom stumbled into the living room, a cigarette hanging from her fingers."Mom!" Ani yelled and rushed to hug her, while Mom just looked around the room and yawned. Her eyes landed on the bags on the floor, and she looked up at me."Who's moving out?" she asked, taking a puff from her cigarette."I'll wait outside," Charlie said, picking up Ani's bag."Ani, come here," I said, and she frowned, walking to me. I smiled at her and cupped her cheeks. "Go and wait with Uncle Charlie.""Okay!" She said and ran out the door. Mom scoffed and took a drag from the cigarette."I'm going away for a week, and Ani will be staying with Charlie until I'm back," I said, and she lazily placed her hand on the arm of the couch.She scoffed again and tapped the ashes from the cigarette on t
As Jack's mother led me through their mansion, I couldn't help but feel a mix of awe and discomfort. The sprawling rooms were filled with opulent furnishings and expensive art, yet there was a sense of emptiness that lingered. I turned to Jack and wondered what it was like to grow up in such luxury and still have a mother who loved him."Wow, this place is amazing, Mrs. Hawke," I said, genuinely impressed."Oh, please. Call me Charlotte," she waved her hand, and a small smile formed on my lips."And yes, it's quite something, isn't it?" Charlotte replied with a small smile. "Jack's grandfather built it back in the 1920s.""I can't imagine what it must be like to live here," I whispered to myself, but Jack turned his head towards me. He was about to say something when a man in a gray suit walked down the stairs."Jack!" he yelled with a laugh, and Jack clenched his hands and glared at him."Liam," he gritted out. I couldn't help but stare in awe at how similar Liam and Jack looked."Br
James.I couldn't help but stare at him. He was seated next to Charlotte who was all smiles as she stared at him with dreamy eyes and all I could think about was how the fuck was he Jacks Dad.His eyes were a bright green and his hair was all salt and pepper and his smile was fucking hell hot.If he wasn't Jacks Dad, I would want him too.I turned to Jack with confusion written all over my face and he answered my unasked question. "Step Dad"I shake my head and took a bite out of my pasta when I felt his gaze on me. "Who's the lady?" He questioned, his voice making me choke on the food while Jack patted me in n my back and handed me a glass of water."I'm Amanda... uhm, jacks girlfriend" I mumbled, his eyes looking at my form for a quick second."Ah! I see" He chuckled. "You finally have a girlfriend" He added the last part and he glanced at me.Damn, this family makes me uncomfortable.Dispit what had happened a few minutes ago, the evening was becoming enjoyable as Charlotte kept on
I couldn't help but feel relieved as James walked away from the balcony, leaving me alone with Jack. The tension that had been building between James and me had finally dissipated, at least for the moment. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart, and turned to face Jack, who was now standing next to me with a concerned expression."What happened?" Jack asked, his voice laced with worry. His eyes darted between James and me, trying to make sense of the situation.I let out a frustrated sigh, my voice tinged with annoyance. "What's his problem?" I muttered, my gaze fixed on the spot where James had disappeared.Jack furrowed his brow, clearly confused as he walked up to me. "Did he do something to you?" he asked, his tone protective. In his hand, the bottle of wine he had brought for the evening was forgotten as he placed it on a table.I shook my head, a mixture of frustration and confusion swirling inside me as I looked at Jack. "No, it's not like that. It's just..." I sh
"Are you sure you are ready for this?" Fredrick asked, a smirk playing on his lips, his hand gripping the handle of the door."Amanda..." My name trailed off Jack's lips. "Don't.""Come on, Man. You've had your fun; let the lady enjoy what's behind this door."I puffed out a breath and turned to Fredrick. "Open it."One would have expected that when the door was opened, I would be met with a few people, naked, but that wasn't the case.I raised a brow as Fredrick motioned for us to step into the elevator."Going down," he said, and the ride was somewhat tense and uncomfortable... Well, Jack was making me feel that way.I was one who loved to explore every sexual experience out in the world, and I would be damned if I would be missing this one.The elevator dinged, and as I blinked, brushing a few strands of hair from my face, my lips were slightly parted as I watched the scene unfold before me.Men and women... All naked.I could not move my eyes from their sweaty bodies, and my eyes
The ride back to the house was uncomfortably silent, and the only sound that could be heard was the cars honking and the tip of his fingers tapping the steering wheel.We soon arrived at the estate, and the gate was opened. My tensed body slowly relaxed as he parked the car.I watched him get out of the car, and he wasted no time in opening the door to the mansion without glancing back.What did I do?That was the only thing I had in mind since I entered the elevator with him. I sighed, got out of the car, and slammed the door behind me while I rushed after him. The mansion was silent, and I assumed that there was no one home. I quickly walked up the stairs and opened the door.The room was empty, but I could hear the shower running, and I sighed, running my hand through my hair and closing the door behind me. I put my hair up in a bun and sat on the bed.I picked up my phone that was on the nightstand and saw two missed calls from Charlie."Shit," I cursed myself for not taking my ph
I groaned, turning my head to the other side and slowly opened my eyes. "Oh, god," I muttered under my breath and closed my eyes again."Good morning, beautiful," Jack sighed, and I raised a brow. "How long have you been watching me sleep?" I questioned with one eye open."A few minutes."I rolled my eyes and got up from the bed, heading towards the bathroom. I quickly lathered my toothbrush with toothpaste and brushed my teeth. As I was about to undress, Jack walked in, his brows raised high as he looked at me with my hands about to pull down my pants."Let's take a shower together.""Absolutely not.""You're my girlfriend.""Maybe I'll take that back if you do not exit the bathroom.""Okay! Okay. I'll leave."A slow smile spread on my lips as I watched his retreating back. I shook my head and turned to look at myself in the mirror. I frowned as I stared at my reflection."Does being Jack's girlfriend mean I won't be getting the fifteen grand he promised me?" I sighed. We need to tal
Sitting at the local diner at the fair, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease wash over me. As we stared at our plates, the clinking of silverware against porcelain was the only sound that broke the silence. Liam had finished eating his food and had his left arm wrapped around Bertha, while Bertha's eyes were on Jack as she slowly slurped her drink.Liam was buried in his phone, and from the corner of my eye, I could see he was scrolling through Instagram with a mischievous grin on his face. I couldn't help but glance over at Jack, who sat across from me, his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. He hated his brother, and it was no secret.Liam, oblivious to Jack's glare, couldn't contain his laughter as he tapped his phone's screen. "Check this out, guys!" he exclaimed, pushing the phone toward the center of the table. It was a post. A photo of Jack and me kissing.My breath hitched as I looked at the background; it was from Frederick's sex house."Oh, brother..." Liam laughed as