A Love Like This (Book 1) (17 page)

“
What took you so long?
”
 
 
She asks Mike poking his chest with her bony finger.
 
Mike hated Amy, hated the control she had over him but he was in too deep to back out now.

“
I got held up at work.
 
I have a life outside of your fake romance.
”

“
You just remember that if it wasn
’
t for me you wouldn
’
t have that job.
”

“
That reminds me. I just accepted an offer at Stockman and Grant.
 
They
’
re a much larger finance company and my salary will increase significantly.
 
You
’
re going to have to find a new lap dog.
”
 
He says turning to walk away.

She grabs his arm, her face red with anger.
 
 
“
You think you can just walk away from me after everything I
’
ve done for you?

“
That was the plan,
”
 
he says with a scowl.
 
“
You
’
re delusional, Tucker doesn
’
t like you and he never did.
 
The only thing you
’
re good for is a good fuck.
”

She pokes his chest again.
 
 
“
Don
’
t try to get all high and mighty with me.
 
How would you like me to tell your best friend that you slept with his girlfriend?
”

He gives her an arrogant smile,
 
“
Tucker will never believe that I slept with you.
 
I mean look at me I can have any girl that I want.
”

“
I
’
m not the only girlfriend of Tucker
’
s you
’
ve screwed.
”

Mike
’
s expression hardens.
 
She smiles satisfied.
 
 
“
Women talk,
”
 
She says shrugging her shoulders.
 
 
“
The poor girl was so upset about betraying Tucker that she couldn
’
t even accept that beautiful four karat platinum ring he offered when he proposed.
”

“
What do you want Amy,
”
 
Mike asks exasperated.
 

“
I want you to get rid of that fucking girl,
”
 
She hisses.
 
 
“
Tucker and I are going to be together.
 
You fix this,
”
 
She says before spinning
aroun
d on her Gucci heels
 
and marching
away.

____

The back yard is dimly lit with teak torches
 
lining the walk way
 
and tea lights in the pool.
 
It
’
s much quieter
 
outside
 
and there is a cool breeze coming off the Bay.
 
I wrap my arms around myself and shiver. Tucker takes off his jacket and drapes it over my shoulders.
 

“
That
’
s quite a right hook you got there slugger,
”
 
He says as we walk towards the pool.

“
I can
’
t believe that little weasel accosted me in the middle of a crowd.
”

“
Yeah that was pretty brazen.
”

“
I like to think I can take care of myself but apparently I can't always. Thanks for helping me that was pretty sexy,
“
 
I stop myself and look down at the cobble stone walkway.

“
Oh you liked that huh?
”
 
 
He stretches his massive arms into a Mr. America pose.
 
 
“
I
’
m thinking of becoming a crime fighter in my spare time.
”
 
 
I laugh and slide my arms into his jacket. It
’
s still warm from his body heat and it smells like soap and the beach.
 
He seems much more relaxed than he does at school.
 
We find seats near the pool.
 
 
I lean back in the chair and cross my legs.
 
 
 
“
I like the new look,
”
 
he says looking me up and down.
 
 
“
The bun made you look so serious.
”

“
I am kind of serious,
”
 
I say running my fingers through my hair.
 
I
’
m surprised it hasn
’
t started to frizz from all the moisture in the air.
 
 
“
I
’
ve set a lot of goals
 
and I have to see them through.
”

“
There
’
s nothing wrong with being driven.
 
It
’
s an admirable quality.
”

“
Thank you,
”
 
I say feeling self conscious.
 
“
You make me a little nervous.
”

“
Look Sarah told me to leave you alone until my bitch (her words not mine) of a girlfriend was completely out of the picture.
 
She also said that if I hurt you she
’
d cut off my balls in a sacrificial murder.
 
I
’
m pretty sure she
’
s crazy enough to do it.
 
So you don
’
t need to be nervous because
 
I
’
m not interested in being castrated.
”

“
I
’
ll have to thank her later,
”
 
I whisper.
 
 
There is
 
a stone fireplace and
 
I
 
can see all of San Francisco from the red cedar deck.
 
“
This place is beautiful.
 
I wonder what he does to afford a house
 
like this.
”

“
Tyler
’
s in real estate, a broker I believe.
 
He works for my father
’
s company.
”
 
 
Tucker pauses for a moment and stares at me expectantly.
 
“
Do you know who my father is?
”

“
Nope should I,
”
 
I ask a bit perplexed.

“
Really, you
’
ve never heard of William Bradley.
”

“
No, have you ever heard of Xavier Peterson?
 
Why are you asking me about your father?
”

“
No reason, it
’
s just that most of the women I
’
ve dated know everything about my father way before they ever lay eyes on me,
”
 
he says pulling my chair closer to his so that we
’
re face to face.
 
I close my eyes
 
and I can feel his
 
warm
 
breath on my lips. I
’
m not a particularly sexual person.
 
I
’
ve done it once before with a boy named Kenny Macklin my eleventh grade year of high school.
 
My friends talked about sex like it was the greatest thing in the world.
 
They would always look over at me with pity, like poor
 
pathetic virgin Leila.
 
 
I wanted to know what all the
 
hoopla
 
was about
 
and
Kenny was handsome and nice enough.
 
So on one of the rare occasions I was home alone I invited him over under the guise of studying.
 
After a few minutes of groping and several
 
failed attempts at trying to find the right hole the ordeal was over.
 
I never told my friends that I
’
d done it.
 
It didn
’
t seem like anything worth discussing.
 
In fact up until now I didn
’
t understand what all the fuss over sex was about but Tucker makes me want to give it another go.
 

“
I like you,
”
 
he says his lips gently brushing against mine as he speaks.

“
Why,
”
 
I ask pulling away.

“
You
’
re beautiful, smart, a bit of a smart ass and you have a great rack what
’
s not to like.
”

He pulls me from my seat onto his lap and kisses me deeply.

I push away breathless,
 
“
There are plenty of smart, mouthy, pretty girls at Berkeley.
 
There has to be more to it than that.
”

“
You really don
’
t
 
have to rationalize everything,
”
 
He says leaning forward to kiss me again.

I pull away.
 
 
“
Yes I do it
’
s who I am,
”
 
I say crossing my arms over my chest.
 
“
As much as I like kissing you I
’
m not willing to be just another groupie.
”

“
Ok,
”
 
he exhales.
 
 
“
Do you remember that day in the rain?
 
You know when you walked away from me.
”

I nod my head yes even though that isn
’
t the way I remember it.

“
Well you
’
re going to think I
’
m being arrogant but no woman has ever done that
 
before.
”

“
Done what?
 
You mean walked away from you?
 
You
’
re kidding? I say incredulously.
”

“
I kid you not.
 
No one
’
s ever called me a
 
‘
big lump
’
 
either, even when I
’
m acting like an ass women just over look it.
”

“
Yeah that was an arrogant statement but I promise you that I will never over look your asinine behavior,
”
 
I say with one hand on my chest and the other
 
raised
 
to the sky.