Page 88 of Charlie
I stared at Conor, who stood with his pants unzipped, and then my eyes moved past him to Liv, who was red in the face and pulling her shorts back up.
“You… you…” I didn’t know who to get mad at first.
“Charles, we were in the middle of something. Maybe you can come back later.”
So that’s what the banging sounds had been; the two people I trusted most in this world, having sex behind my back.
Conor’s words made me see red. “You bastard. How dare you touch her?” I pointed a finger at her. “And you… I trusted you.”
Liv stared at me, her fingers to her throat where marks from his fingers were red against her creamy skin. Her fetish to be held around her throat was a detail she only told her lovers.
My tics went into beast mode and it felt like I was having a seizure with the way my body jerked. Why the fuck couldn’t I be like normal people. “How long has this been going on?”
Liv was heaving for air, unable to speak.
“Charles, there’s no need to get upset. Remember when I asked you if you’d share Liv with the rest of us? You gave your consent right away. Did you think I wouldn’t make a move on a beautiful woman like her?” Conor spoke to me in that tone he used when he was explaining something rather obvious to someone who was a bit slow. “Let me be clear. This doesn’t mean Liv likes you less. Love shouldn’t be limited in its expression, and it’s not like there’s less for you just because I dip in and take my share. I’m sure Liv can handle both of us.”
I took a step back. “No! Liv and I wereexclusive. We made a promise to each other.”
Liv was coughing and then she tried to say a few words. “You told him…”
We both looked at her, waiting for her to finish her sentence.
“You told him about the throat thing.”
“No. Of course I didn’t tell him.” My eyes darted from her to him. If she hadn’t told him… then… “How did you know?”
Conor zipped his pants and looking into the mirror, he made himself look presentable again. “Call it intuition.”
“No. You said Charles told you.” Her voice sounded rusty and forced.
“He did.”
“Why would I tell you something that private?”
“Because you trust me. You’re just confused right now, but you sat in my office and told me that Liv got turned on from being strangled.”
“I didn’t!” Lifting my hands to my head I felt myself going over every conversation I’d had with him. Why couldn’t I remember that I told him?
“Well, then I must be a mind reader.” Conor tried to move past me, but I intersected him.
And then the obvious explanation came to me like a lightning bolt. “You fucking read my diary, didn’t you?” It was the only explanation, and suddenly his ability to read my thoughts made sense.
“Charles, you’re being very dramatic right now.”
“I don’t care. What you just did is a deal breaker. Not only did you violate my privacy by reading my diary, but you’re spinning my words against me because we both know Ineveragreed to you having sex with my girlfriend.”
A small voice by the door, made me turn to look over my shoulder and see River standing behind me.
“Ciara sent me up to see what’s taking you all so long. Dinner is ready.”
“Tell Ciara that Liv and I won’t be eating dinner. We’re leaving.”
River paled. “You’re leaving? When are you coming back?”
“We’re not!” I gave Conor a cold stare. It was clear to me that whatever had happened between him and Liv didn’t mean she loved him. Liv hadn’t said much but she’d scowled at him a few times.
River ran to Liv and clasped her arms around her. “But we made a pact. You can’t leave me. Family for life, remember?”
