Read Story: SEASON 2 EPISODE 103

A throat cleared, interrupting any chance I had of responding, and I turned to see who was trying to get my attention. Rose’s arms slowly slid from my shoulders as she straightened.

Chandler Greyson stood in that range that suggested he wasn’t sure if he was intruding or not.

“Ah,” he said, clearing his throat uncomfortably. “Hello, my dear boy!”

“Chandler!” I said, getting up to offer the older gentleman my hand. We shook, and his discomfort melted away. I used the handshake to pull him into a hug.

“It’s good to see you!”

“Oh!” He said, taken aback by the sudden shift in formality. “Why… thank you! It’s good to see you’re whole!”

Parting, I gestured to one of the several empty seats. “Care to sit?”

“Ah… no, sir. While I thank you for the invitation, I can hardly sit anymore without the risk of falling asleep. The dangers of getting old, you see…”

“I’ll see if I can get some scientists to fix that,” I said, eyeing Jessica, who seemed to be hovering nearby. She took my attention as a sign that she could approach.

“Excuse me,” she said to Chandler, holding a small tray with drinks. “Would you like a fresh one?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Chandler said, switching out his drink. I noticed how hard he tried not to be obvious as he stared at Jessica’s generous cleavage.

“I must say, I’m so relieved that you weren’t harmed by your time in Norway.”

Jessica glanced at me, tray extended. I took one of the flutes. “Thanks.”

She offered a pleased smile, a slow blush creeping across her cheeks, revealing just how desperate she was for my approval. A simple thank you for doing her job was taken as some sort of flirtation.

I paused a beat to consider the harsh attitude I had toward Jessica. It felt more… sinister than before I’d left for Europe, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on what had me so on edge around her. Honestly, it made sense that such a small gesture would mean so much to her. She clearly still felt guilty about how she’d left me for that other guy. Part of her probably felt like she deserved the way I’d treated her earlier when she woke me up… especially if she was hoping to work her way back into my good graces. Compared to what happened in my room, a simple thank you probably did look like flirtation.

When it became clear that I didn’t have any other words for her, Jessica started to reluctantly turn away.

“I’ll take one,” Rose said, stepping up beside me and giving Jessica what looked like a warm smile, except for the slight brittleness at the corners.

Rose had instigated a game of Truth or Dare on this very rooftop just over a month ago. Jessica had been there simply as another party guest, but she’d gotten swept up in the hedonistic machinations of Rose’s game. Thanks mainly to Erin and Rose, Jess had ended up watching me fuck almost every girl in that hot tub while she was passed between the guys. It had been a defining moment in our relationship—a clear message that things could never go back to the way they were.

Jessica’s behavior since my return suggested that my month-long absence had dulled the impact of that message. For her, hope sprang eternal.

My ex hesitated, glanced at me as if looking for guidance, then turned back to offer the tray to Rose.

I took a sip from my own drink while Rose ***********ed hers.

She raised her glass to Chandler. “To keeping Marcus out of the bad kind of trouble.”

I swallowed my drink. “There’s a good kind?”

“Oh,” she said, giving me a knowing look, “you certainly know there is.”

She got me there. If a weekend in bed with five women wasn’t a good kind of trouble, then I didn’t know what was.

“Now that is something I can drink to,” Chandler said, clinking his glass against Rose’s. “Keeping our boy here out of danger would certainly do wonders for my stress… and probably keep me around for another few years as well.” He tossed back the rest of his drink.

Rose grinned at him. “Stress isn’t good. Maybe we need to find you some trouble of your own!”

Chandler raised a hand, as if fending off the very suggestion. “Oh, no! I’m afraid I’m a little too old for that. The old constitution isn’t quite what it used to be.”

“You never know until take it off the shelf and blow the dust off it,” she said with a wicked gleam.

Rose’s gaze flicked to Jessica, and the smile she gave my ex was slightly brittle. Then she looked back at me, pressed her thumb to my bottom lip, and swept it across—gathering the remnants of alcohol. She brought the thumb to her mouth and pressed. I watched in fascination as her finger slowly sank between her lips as she sucked off the alcohol, all the while giving me a smoldering stare that should have set me on fire.

Then she cut her eyes back to Jess. I did the same.

My ex looked like she was about to turn the tray she was holding into a weapon. There was some kind of power game going on here, that I couldn’t even begin to fully understand, but it was easy to see who was winning.

Rose extracted her thumb and trailed her hand across my chest as she passed between me and Jessica, her eyes and smile lingering. “I think I’m going to mingle a little bit more. Make sure to find me later.” Her eyes twinkled. “Bye, Chandler.”

Chandler and I both watched her walk away, the way her small black dress clung to her toned dancer’s ass was impossible to ignore.

“Um…” Jessica cleared her throat awkwardly. “Is there anything else I can get either of you?”

I turned back to her. Her cloudy gray eyes, flecked with green and blue, flashed with rage and shame.

“No,” I said, my tone much softer than it had been before. “You can go. Thanks, Jess.”

She stared at me a moment longer, then performed an awkward, shallow curtsy and then left without another glance my way.

I looked back at Chandler to find him still watching Rose as she sauntered over to Jonah and Honey.

“Changed your mind?” I asked.

“Hm?” He looked back at me.

“About looking for trouble.”

“Oh, no,” he said with a wave. “As I said—those days are long behind me.”

“Well, if that’s the case, better to leave her alone. She’s almost too much trouble for me.”

“Is she a prospective girlfriend?”

“Rose?” I shook my head. “No. She’s just a friend. I’m not dating anyone. At least… nothing serious.”

Chandler sighed. “I remember what it was like to be young and tempted by all manner of flesh.” His tone shifted, his usual levity vanishing. “Just don’t let your genitals do all the thinking for you, my boy. It’s all well and fun for a season, but in the end, most of us have to face the consequences of our actions.”

I looked across the rooftop and spotted Natashya, Emily, and Bobbi sitting along the edge of the pool, talking. “Yeah,” I said. “I’m starting to figure that out.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Really? And so young?”

He sighed. “Though if that’s true… I wish clarity had reached you sooner.”

My eyes narrowed slightly as I stared at him. “What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about Carla,” Chandler said, bitterness in his words.

“Oh.” It was my turn to sigh. In terms of consequences, she might’ve been my biggest sin. “Helen mentioned you’re having trouble with her. Is it bad?”

“No,” he said quickly, sensing my concern. “Nothing as serious as all that. She’s just driving me mad.”

Relieved that it wasn’t as serious as literally everything else to do with the Tanakas, I chuckled.

“Yes! Go ahead and laugh at my expense!” he retorted. “Give the girl a six-figure salary and little more to do than man a phone that barely rings, and you’d think I threw her into a pit of adders.”

“What does she want?”

“She’s nearly beating down my door every day, begging for a position of importance. Says she wants to make a difference… not be stuck as an executive assistant to the Vice President of Finance at PrimeX Logistics.”

“That’s one of our subsidiaries, right?”

“It is,” he groused.

“I’ll talk to her.”

“Talk?” Chandler quirked an eyebrow at me. “Is that all you’ll do?”

Instead of answering, I leveled my best glare at him.

“No bloody use denying it,” he said. “I’ve known Hiro Tanaka a long time, and while he’s a stubborn old bastard, you sleeping with his wife was the proverbial needle.”

I sighed. Maybe Chandler was right. Maybe if I hadn’t slept with Carla, we might’ve been able to make peace.