Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 302

Besides not wanting someone as unhinged as Tyler to have half my grandfather’s estate, I’d grown accustomed to the status quo. I wasn’t enthusiastic about handing half my money to anyone… especially the man who stole Natalie. I’d also been kicked around and threatened enough for one lifetime. I wasn’t about to be extorted by this overgrown man-child pulling some elaborate bullshit reminiscent of high school.

“Fuck off,” I said.

“Give me half, and I’ll break it off with Natalie,” he said. “I’ll go up there right now and tell her we’re done. She’s not really my type anyway.”

My jaw clenched; that hit a nerve, and Tyler could tell.

“I mean, she’s pretty enough, I guess. She’s a wet blanket in bed, though. I had to fuck someone behind her back just to keep from breaking up with her out of sheer boredom.”

By telling me that he was cheating on Natalie and not actually valuing her, he was trying to get under my skin and make me jealous. He was probably trying to provide further incentive to buy him off and leave her alone. It was almost working.

“You know what I mean, though,” Tyler said. “You fucked her. Boring, right?”

He waited a beat for me to respond, and when I didn’t, he said said, “You did fuck her, right?”

Not responding, I glanced at his bodyguard still leaning against the door with her tree trunk arms crossed over her chest. Fuck getting someone to kill this asshole. I wanted to feel his neck bones crackle in my own hands. Would I be able to reach him and break his neck before the Amazon closed on me?

“You didn’t, did you?” Tyler went on, goading me. “Did you guys kiss?”

He studied me and said, “Yeah… you got that far. She’s a good kisser. I’ll give her that. Those lips… y’know? Dick-sucking lips. It just sucks that she’s not all that great at it. Did you try her out?”

“Tyler,” I said.

“Hm?” he asked.

“Shut the fuck up.”

He pointed at me with his drink in hand. “That’s a ‘no.’ Bro… did you do anything other than kiss her? You even get to feel her tits? It’s her best feature!”

“Marcus.” I heard someone say my name—probably Chloe—but I barely registered it. I was too busy remembering how sweet Natalie could be… how—even though we’d decided not to date—she was a great girl who didn’t deserve to be used as some pawn in this spoiled rich kid’s stupid game.

“Goddamn, man!” Tyler said. “You’ve got it bad for her! You wanna know how it feels to fuck her? She’s not an impressive lay, but since you’re so hung up on her, maybe hearing about it will almost be as good as the real thing!” He chuckled and took another sip. “You see, Natalie tolerated doggy, but she really got going when you put her on her back and gave it to her from the front. She’s one of those romantic look-in-your-eyes types that—”

I lunged at him.

“Hey!” Someone bellowed.

“Marcus!” Chloe yelled.

I didn’t fucking care. I found myself on Tyler with his shirt in my hands. I felt a sudden jolt as we both crashed into the bar, and then my stomach fell away as we collapsed to the floor with me on top of him. I held firmly onto his shirt in one hand and drove my fist into his face, enjoying the pleasant sensation of something crunching under my knuckles. Something crashed behind me. There was more shouting, but I was too far gone to even pay attention to it.

Tyler pushed off the floor and sent us rolling across the wood and debris, and I slammed my hand into the ground just in time to bring us to a halt. Hovering over him once more, I drove the same fist into his face again. This time, I felt warm flecks of spittle and blood spray across my face; it was more satisfying than gross.

Wrapping Tyler’s collar around my fingers, I hauled his head and shoulders off the ground and shouted, “Leave her the fuck alone!”

Then my world went white as I felt something crash into the side of my head and felt myself hurling ass-over-head off my brother. My vision began to clear just in time to see Liz hovering over me, bending over to grab my arm. I felt her lift me off the ground as easily as picking up a grocery bag before tossing me like trash into Chloe. My bodyguard managed to catch me as I crashed into her, preventing our faces from smashing into each other as we both went to the floor. I landed on top of her, my chest pressed into hers as my face came to a halt inches from hers.

I stared into her wide brown eyes, and time seemed to come to a standstill. Despite having just had my bell rung, I was very aware of Chloe’s breasts pressed into my chest while my crotch was firmly planted into hers. We were so close that we could have both puckered our lips, and they would have touched. Her breath rolled over my face, reinforcing the intimacy of how close we were to each other, and I took a moment to admire her freckled cheeks and the way her wavy blonde hair framed her face.

Then, the moment passed as she brushed me aside and slashed behind me with her foot, and I heard a loud crash as something hit the floor. I oriented myself just in time to see Chloe kip up onto her feet, holding two guns as she stood a safe distance away from Liz’s and Tyler’s prone bodies.

“Everyone needs to cool off,” Chloe said as I climbed to my feet. Her tone suggested she was speaking to people being mildly unreasonable instead of breaking off a fistfight while holding two pistols.

Liz picked herself off the ground, eyeing Chloe as she reached down to help Tyler to his. My brother looked rough, with his nose bent slightly at an angle as blood poured from one nostril. His left eye looked slightly swollen. I wanted to launch myself at him and tear out his fucking throat.

“Get the fuck out of my house,” I snarled as I reached down and yanked a piece of glass out of my palm.

Tyler spat to the side, saliva and blood hitting the hardwood. “I won’t.”

“Tyler, Chloe called an extra security team the moment she saw the house had people in it.” I put my fist in the small of my back and arched it, trying to work the spike of pain I was feeling. I probably sounded more weary than angry. “If you’re not out of here by the time they arrive, I’m going to buy a prison, throw you in it, and forget you exist.”

“Liar,” Tyler spat. “You weren’t raised in this family. You don’t have the balls to do what has to be done. You aren’t a Gerrard.”

“You’re right. I’m not,” I said. “The Gerrards are all miserable losers who’ve been leeching off Colin their whole life. Now, get the fuck out of my house, or I’ll bury you under the prison.”

“It’s true,” Chloe said. “I’ve already got five people here. There’s another eleven on their way, and we will do whatever’s necessary to remove you from Mr. Upton’s premises.”

It was Tyler’s turn to glare back at us with a clenched fist and jaw.

“I don’t think they’re bluffing, sir,” Liz said. “I recommend we leave.”

Tyler didn’t respond. He simply stared at me for ten hate-filled seconds and then said, “We’re not done here.”

“Yeah,” I said. “We are. Stay the fuck away from me and anyone close to me, or I swear to god, you’ll regret ever meeting me. That includes your fake relationship.”

“No,” Tyler said. “Natalie’s mine, now. I’m gonna keep fucking her, and I’m gonna think about you every time and how much you want to be in my place. You took something from me… I’m taking something of yours.”

“Your relationship with Natalie’s done,” I said.

“How about you let her decide,” he said, starting to smirk before wincing, which turned into a frown.

“She’s a smart woman. She’ll figure out what you are.”

“We’ll see,” he said. Then he began retreating toward the door, keeping his eyes on me and Chloe. “Liz. The door.”’

Liz opened the door and waited for him to back out of the room, then turn and disappear down the hall. With her dark eyes still on us, she asked Chloe, “Can I have my weapon back?”

Chloe trained Liz’s own weapon on her. “No.”

Liz stared another moment before disappearing into the hall, shutting the door behind her.

“Fuck,” I said, walking over to the office desk and leaning against it, feeling a little woozy.

“You okay?” Chloe asked, keeping the gun trained on the door for another few moments.

“Just dizzy.”

“Wouldn’t be surprised if you have a concussion,” Chloe said, finally lowering the gun. She turned away from the door and moved to the desk, eyeing me. “Tyler clocked you pretty hard with that glass.”

“That’s what that was?” I asked as I realized half my hair and part of my shirt were drenched in alcohol. It was all I could smell. “He got me good.”

“So did you,” Chloe said. She placed her fingers on my cheek, gently guiding me to look into her eyes as she stared into mine. It wasn’t a moment of tenderness… she was clearly checking on my pupil reaction and ability to focus. However, a rare warmth in her eyes made staring back at her more enjoyable.

“I think you’re fine.” She finally said, her fingertips slipping away from my cheek. My bodyguard grabbed her gun off the desk and holstered it.

“The only good news,” I groused. “Fuck!” I kicked at the office desk. It barely moved. “This place is a mess… what a fucking waste!”

“Maybe,” Chloe said. She held her hand up in front of me. A small square of semi-transparent plastic sat in her palm.