Chapter 25
“Bout time you made it. I’ve been waiting out here for 30 minutes. This is a prime example of why I need a key to your place, Jesse huffed.
“Negative. I’d wake up in the morning to find you in my bed.”
“Guilty,” Jesse admitted with a massive grin on his face. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever, Jesse sighed, entering Arianna’s apartment.
“It hasn’t been that long, and I think you forget that I have a life outside of you.”
“For now, but it’ll be a completely different story once I get myself right and you give in and marry me.”
“That’ll never happen, Jesse.”
“Why?”
“Because your family has too much money, and I want a quiet, simple life.”
“You just keep coming up with more excuses not to be with me. In other news, what are we going to be for Halloween? We’re entering the contest, right?”
Arianna sucked in a deep and tried to figure out how she would let Jesse down softly. He would accept what she told him like an adult or storm out of her apartment again.
“Um, about that. I’m contemplating being partners with someone else for the contest.”
“Who?” Jesse skeptically asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
“Pierce.”
“Oh, my God. Are you serious?”
“Yup.”
“So, are y’all dating, dating?”
“It feels like it, but we haven’t had that talk, and we haven’t placed a label on it.”
“You really like him, huh?”
“I do,” Arianna confessed, laying back on her bed.
“What about him do you like so much?” Jesse asked, taking a seat next to her.
“I guess first and foremost, it’s how he makes me feel. He doesn’t make me feel like some trophy or prized possession that he just has to have. I feel like he desires me, but for me, and not what’s in between my legs or what my hands and mouth can do. I feel like he would put my wants and my needs before his, and I trust him.”
Jesse snorted and began flipping through the channels on her TV.
“What’s with the snort of disbelief?”
“You barely know him. What has it been a week?”
“Something like that.”
Jesse was jealous, but he wouldn’t let his jealousy ruin his relationship with Arianna. She was obviously serious about someone else, and all he could do was be the supportive best friend. If things didn’t work out between the couple, he would pick up the pieces.
Chapter 25
need a ride to work tomorrow.
“Why? What’s wrong with your car?”
“I don’t have a car any longer.”
“Arianna Rose, if you were having difficulty paying your car note, you should’ve said something. I would’ve spotted you,” Jesse said with a sigh
“Jesse, my income sufficiently meets my needs. I paid the car off early, in fact; however, my parents received the title in the mail and stole the car back in the middle of the night.”
“Shut up!”
“I’m telling the truth, swear to God. They even had it listed online for sale.”
“Oh, my God, that’s so fucked up. Did you call the police?”
“I did, and I reported it stolen.”
“How did they find out where you lived?”
“I’ve been thinking about that for a hot minute, and the only thing I can think of is that they may have stalked me on social media. I went through my social media and saw that recently you tagged me when you came over, and for some reason, you checked in your location. They would’ve been able to get the name of my apartment, and since I have an assigned parking spot, they would’ve been able to get my apartment number once they found the
car.”
“I’m so sorry, Arianna. I promise I won’t do that anymore.”
“This is one of the reasons why I warn you about social media. My parents found me, but next time it could be one of your crazed groupies showing up at my front door, and that’s not cool.”
“I get it. I told you that I wouldn’t do it again.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“Are you afraid that they’re gonna come back and start shit?”
“I wouldn’t say that I’m afraid, but I wouldn’t put it pass them.”
“Agreed. Let’s get out of the house and go do something.”
“Like what?”
“I’m feeling putt putt golf,” Jesse said, pulling Arianna off the bed.
“Sounds like fun. Give me a second to feed Legs and get ready.”
Jesse sat on the edge of the bed, contemplating what he would be for Halloween since he didn’t have a partner. His eyes caught a piece of fabric sticking out from underneath Arianna’s bed. He reached for it thinking it was a sock and was surprised to find a men’s bow tie instead. Jesse knew he had no right to be upset, but he couldn’t help the sadness that suddenly overcame him. The discarded satin bow tie made it all real. He didn’t have a chance in Hell.
A couple of days had passed, and to Arianna’s surprise, she hadn’t heard anything from her parents. Jesse gave her a ride to work every morning, but she knew that wasn’t sustainable. She would need to figure something out quickly. Arianna browsed cars online, hoping to find something cute and reliable with a payment of under $300.00 a month.
“Don’t get that,” Arianna heard from behind her, causing her to jump in her seat.
21:32
nu, iz Jun
Chapter 25
“Oh my God, Pierce,” she gasped, clutching her chest.
“Did I scare you?” he chuckled.
“What do you think? Sneaking up on people and whispering in their ears and shit,” Arianna huffed. “Where did you even come from
“I came in from the back. I wanted to surprise you,” Pierce admitted, placing a cup of coffee on
her desk.
“Mr. White, according to Elite SA policy, you are to enter through the front door and check in with the receptionist. This is your first and final warning ”
“Oh? So, I’m back to being Mr. White again? What happens if I break the rules again?”
“Failure to adhere to the rules may lead to a suspension of services, club access, and the receptionist.”
Pierce tsked: “I think I can live with two out of three, but that last one is a dealbreaker.”
“Then you better act right…thanks for the coffee, by the way. I didn’t get much sleep last night because someone wanted to talk my ear off on the phone all night.”
*Jesse is such an inconsiderate friend,” Pierce sighed.
“Stop it,” Arianna chastised. “I was talking about you, and you know it. But back to your comment earlier, why can’t I get this? Arianna whined. “It’s so
cute.”
“You know what else is cute?” Pierce asked.
“What?”
“You in your funeral dress.”
“Pierce! How could you say such a thing?!”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I’m just telling the truth. That little Fiat will not provide any protection if you were to get into a collision. You’ll be crushed like a tin can. It’s not even cute. Get something bigger.”
“You’re ruining my fun.”
“That is not my intention, but if I have to be the bad guy, then so be it. When are you going car shopping?”
“I’m not telling you.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want you spoiling my fun,” Arianna huffed.
“Let me let you in on a little secret, Ari. Car shopping is never fun, and you shouldn’t sacrifice safety for aesthetics. So, when are we going?”
Arianna sighed loudly and consulted with her phone calendar to see when she was getting paid. “The first weekend of November.”
“Perfect, it’s a date.”
Arianna’s head snapped up when she heard a throat clearing in front of her.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Arianna seethed.
“Nice to see you and your old ass husband,” Mr. Carter sneered back.
“Fuck you,” Arianna spat back, standing out of her seat.
Chapter 25
Mr. Carter lunged toward Arianna but was quickly shoved away by Plette
Pierce was furious that Arlanna’s father planned to attack her, but he planned to take care of her parents once and for all.
“You may be her father, but Arianna’s my wife, and I will not allow you to disrespect her or put your hands on her. That sneaky shit y’all pulken ti night was downright evil.”
Arianna looked around and found that two staff members curiously observed the altercation, reminding her that they were at her job.
“Both of you! Shut up, and follow me!” Arianna said, scurrying towards the ballroom that she knew was vacant.
“We know it was you!” Arianna’s father accused as soon as Arianna secured the oversized mahogany doors.
“What is it that you think I did?”
“You trashed the car!“.
“I’m not following,” Arianna innocently sighed.
“We took the car, and you came to the house when we weren’t there and pretty much totaled it,” he gritted out.
“If that was the case, then I’m sure officers would have been knocking on my door, but they aren’t. Why is that?”
“You have no idea how you completely fucked me and your mother!” Mr. Carter shouted, getting closer to Arianna. Pierce pulled Arianna protectively behind him. Her father had one more time to come at her, and he would be the next piece of evidence that found itself in the back of his trunk.
“It’s you that has fucked me over!” Arianna screamed.
“Arianna, we needed that money to keep us from losing our house!”
“Sounds like a personal problem! Pay your bills instead of gambling, you fucking deadbeat. If you were smart, you would’ve taken that $80,000 you wan and applied it to your mortgage. I bet you took out a second mortgage on your house and gambled it all away, but that’s not my fucking problem!”
“Trust me! I’ll make it your problem!”
“Okay, enough!” Pierce shouted. “Save your threats because you’re not gonna do shit. You wanna know how I know?” Pierce challenged.
“How?”
“Because you haven’t paid taxes in the last four years. Not only that, but you and your wife have been committing identity theft for just as long. Trust me. I have the evidence to back it up. So, unless you want me to hand it over to the police, I suggest you leave my wife out of your financial woes. She doesn’t owe you for taking care of her all these years because that’s what parents are supposed to do. She already helped you out by getting a job, paying some bills, taking care of her personal needs, and paying off the vehicle to fund your habit. And let’s not forget about her college fund too. This is your last warning. Leave me and mine alone, or you and your wife will find yourself locked up in federal prison.”
“This isn’t over,” Mr. Carter growled.
“It better be,” Pierce warned. “Now, get the fuck out.”
Darian Carter whirled around and stormed out of Elite San Antonio. He knew that Pierce had him by the balls, but he needed to get his hands on a shit ton of money and quick. Jail time was the least of his concerns at the moment.
“Are you alright?” Pierce softly asked Arianna, pulling her into a hug.
“Not really,” she sniffed. “I should’ve just let them have the fucking car instead of being so reactionary. Lord only knows what they’ll do next.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of you.”
4/5
Chapter 25
“You’re my husband. You better,” Arianna giggled, pressing her body closer to him.
“I don’t want you staying at your apartment,” Pierce confessed.
“Fine,” she drawled. “I’ll go stay with Jesse,” Arianna teased.
“I’m not even going to react to that because I already know you’re joking. I’ll pick you up when you get off tonight and take you to your apartment so that you can pack.”
“Will I get to sleep with you?” Arianna curiously asked.
“I don’t know. The jury’s still out on that one. I actually want to get some sleep, and with you, that’s not possible.”
Chapter 26
