Corruption - Leigh Lennon Page 0,21

eyes turn to the liquor in my office, wondering if I should switch back to it again.

“What is it about this girl?” Anton questions, and my eyes focus on him yet again. “What? You are my very best friend, even before my twin, so I think I know you better than anyone in this world. I’ve heard you call out for her in your dreams, and I’ve seen how you stare at your screen when she walks in the club. Hell, I’m not dumb.”

He gets my attention with the word hell. Anton doesn’t swear. Not ever. It’s the oddest thing, but if he’s very passionate, he’ll use hell on occasion.

“Does this mean you’re going to tell me about your girl troubles, too?” I chuckle, drinking my soda.

“I think that is enough for you, my dear friend.” He yanks my Pepsi from me like Chadwick had earlier, probably thinking I have liquor in it, but I don’t argue with him. “So this is about Cheryl, right? You’re back to this again, just like you are every time you have to deny yourself someone good.”

I push from my chair, and it flies behind me, hitting the wall. It’s my turn to start on him. “And you aren’t denying yourself happiness right now by sneaking around? So I’m your best friend, more so than the man who shared a womb with you, and you what, can’t tell me about her?”

Anton has always been the most calm and collected of all of us, and he displays this now as he leans back in his chair, not letting my words get to him.

“So,” Anton begins, “there’s truth to what you said, you big old baby, but we’re not talking about me. My issue isn’t about to cross the doors of the club as she begins a scene with her new possible Dom. So, yeah, this conversation is all about you, not me.” I attempt to sit down but forget my chair had been flung away from me and fall flat on my ass. Anton chuckles as he looks over my desk. “You okay there, buddy?”

I pull on my desk, a smile now on my face. I’m hurt; the pain is so deep with the mention of Cheryl and the images of Jewel on the stage without me as her Dom. But even I can recognize a funny situation with my tantrum. “Yeah, it took my mind off everything if just for a second,” I admit.

“Now, I’m going to ask you again. It always goes back to Cheryl, doesn’t it?”

I don’t have to nod. Anton was there with me at every stage of the clusterfuck I called my life with Cheryl Berrins.

“Fuck, it was ten years ago. Don’t you think you’ve punished yourself enough for a situation that wasn’t even your fault? The witch lied to you, then used you, and you’re still taking it out on the one person who doesn’t deserve the blame—you.”

“But I—”

In his mild mannered tone, he raises his hand, only to point his index finger at me. “No, don’t start this with me. It wasn’t your fault.”

“But I—” I begin, and this time, he waves that fucking index finger in my face.

“Maddox, no! It was never your fault. The only thing you did was trust someone you thought you loved.”

I take in a sharp inhale of air. “I did love her,” I bite out.

“I know you did. But now, she continues to hurt you as you let go of someone who most definitely loves your brooding ass.”

I deflect with humor. “Look at you, two swear words in one conversation. I think I’m corrupting you, asshole.”

“Yeah, if you haven’t tainted me with twenty-five years of friendship, I don’t think you can,” he adds, leaving me to my own demons, and Cheryl Berrins is most definitely one of those demons.

Chadwick has all the owners and their girls in the VIP room. It’s relaxed as no one is in the D/s position right now as Cord has Shiloh sitting on his lap. I laugh at the sight of Chadwick playing cards with Eve, Tilly, and Embry. Gio is the lucky bastard with two girls. Greer has some guy I’ve never met sidled up to him, but Greer’s men are one and dones, then he never sees them again. Jared has Kira in a corner, making out with her, and if I were to stare longer than is appropriate, I’d say they are doing more than just kissing. And Gio and Anton are having some