Page 34 of I See Red

Bet

“I want to hit first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth all at the same time while remaining neutral. Staying in gear has never been my strong suit; always been a sucker for reverse when it comes to him.”

—Red

“Hey,”I bust out through the kitchen, having not seen each other in a few weeks.

“What are you doing here?” Ivy’s tone is somber, making it clear I’m once again intruding and unwelcome.

“Jezzum, can’t I just miss my best friend?” I snap at her.Fall back bitch.

Remember who the fuck you’re talking to.

“I mean, sure you can, but let’s not pretend that’s what this is?”

“I could say the same. By the way, howisLiam?” My passive aggressiveness merely a brazen attempt to shut her out.

“Amazing, and T? Care to explain?” Her words smug, like poison to my brain. God, never have I ever been so over someone. It’s sad we are here again, but I do like her better when she finds her voice. It’s kind of cute in like a pet rabbit kind of way.

Good girl, Ivy. Fire back, find your voice, get fucking pissed please. Please get mad.

“The car arrives tonight,” I tease her, hoping it will make her snap at the knowledge that I bought him his dream car and not her.

“So, the finances disclosed to me last week.” Her breath hitches like she is contemplating something. A fire in her eyes appears as if she is filled with rage, yet she remains composed for a reason I know she wants to say but doesn’t. Is my best friend hiding something from me?

“I’m assuming the delivery is taking place soon?” she says instead.

“Tonight,” I giddily taunt.

“Which leads me to believe tonight you will be seeinghim?”

“Ivy, I’ve never wanted to hurt you but fuck, I love him. I am not afraid of what it means to choose him, a choice I know you will never allow me to make. So what if I have him tonight or other nights? Is it really that harmful? You have Liam. Don’t I deserve the same? You chose Liam, I fucking chose Tayden.Final.

“Exactly, and you should have respected that and stopped bringing him into our lives.” Her tone growing angrier, grasping a pause before she shreds into me.

“It’s not that simple, Red. What you fail to realize is thatyour actionsaffect everyone. Choosing Tayden fucks us all. It keeps him not only in your life but mine as well. Fuck, Red, you actlike we have the ability to say no to him. We weren’t able to back then, and we damn sure can’t even now. This is going to end badly for all four of us—Fuck.”

“I’m not giving him up, Ivy. I can’t. No matter what it costs myself or anyone else. I love him. I am in love with him, and I won’t apologize for how I feel. There is no world where he is not in my life.”

“I know, and I’ve always known that. Honestly, go out, have fun, just make me a promise.” Her intensity turning to defeat far too quickly leaving me confused. This win suddenly does not feel as good as I thought it would.

“Depends”rolls off my lips, my arms crossed, my defenses up.

“Meet me back here so we can figure everything out between us. I really don’t want to lose you.”

“Of course, thanks, Ives. I’ll meet you back here after.” Her sadness makes winning not taste so sweet this time. So, I play into her request. It’s not for a lack of love for her that I am the way I am. I love her more than myself at times, butfuck,I love him too.

“Don’t thank me yet.”

Commissioning his car would usually take a couple years. Luckily, being connected to Tayden pays off in more than just mind-bending orgasms. Disclosing for whom the car was for carries an even heavier weight. Money has a lot of downfalls, but at times like this, it has its perks. Contrary to belief, I’ve never been much of a name slinger because I’ve never really had to; being known can be exhausting, but there are always those times when you are reminded of the weight that your name truly carries. The dopamine that transcends through you is exhilarating. The combination of his and mine, and I’m fucking drenched like the pavement on the other side of the dam. Ha, lies, all lies. I commissioned it two years ago, shortly after atext conversation between us. I have zero fucking idea why I’ve always wanted to buy him his dream car, but I have. You’d think someone as rich as he is would have done it by now, but lucky me, he hasn’t. These past two years waiting for this has been hell. I had originally planned to have it shipped to him in Dallas. He would assume he was taking in a new car for the dealership or a client. Nonetheless it being his dream car, I knew one hundred percent he would have been the one to handle the transaction and paperwork. Little would he know, he’d find his name above the owner line. As fate would have it unbeknownst to me, he’d be living less than twenty minutes from me by the time the car was ready. I swear God really did paint us together since the beginning of time. I bet we ruled fucking kingdoms together in our past lives. The genius part of the entire scheme was truly just fitting in a new delivery plan, and lucky for me, the Formula One race was the perfect place to make a bet that, even if he won, would remain so far out of reach. Then bam, the car appears, and he thinks I can move mountains. It’s a win-win, regardless of how it happens. Fuck, I’m so devilishly smart. It has to be a mental illness, at the very least, illegal. The icing on the cake; he’s going to think the car is the big prize, but with what I have planned for tonight, the car will simply be an aftershock to what’s about to play out. His mind will be fucked, begging for his own release, andbeggingis exactly what I’m going to make him do. You don’t spend over a million dollars on a car for a quick transaction. No, I’m going to milk it for all it fucking is. I plan to fully take advantage of the power in which these keys in my hand possess.

“I’m going to finish getting ready, then head out; talk later?”

“Yeah, for sure. Ireallyhope you have a great time.”Her tone is sincere, but something in my gut tells me she’s not as okay with this as she’s playing it off. Oh well, not my fucking problem because tonight, it’s all about Tayden and I, and quite possiblythe ride of both our lives. Hopefully, it’s not our last, and whatever Ivy wants to talk about tonight will grant me freedom and allow me to finally break the pact and ask the question we’ve all wanted to ask one time or another but haven’t.

Choose me, pick me, love me, claim me.

Red:Hey, handsome, have you left the office yet?

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