Effortless (Less Is More Book 3) Page 12

  He continues beating me off until I can finally feel myself getting close. As we stop at a stop sign, I say, “I gonna cum, Sam.”

  I lift my shirt up to my neck and let out a soft moan as I unload all over my chest. I grab a napkin from the dash, and I watch as Sam brings his thumb to his mouth and licks it.

  “I can’t wait to taste the rest of you later,” he says.

  I laugh. “You’re like my knight in shining armor.”

  “I try. Have you eaten?”

  “I ate with Sadie a few hours ago. I could go for something small, though.”

  “I’m still surprised you even wrecked tonight.” He turns into the parking lot of a fast food place and parks the car. “What happened anyway?”

  “To be honest,” I say, scratching the back of my head, “I saw my ex there.”

  He takes off his seatbelt, and he says, “Oh.”

  “It was weird. We were eating, and he just showed up out of nowhere. He came over to the table. I told him to leave us be, but he kept pestering… so I kind of went off on him in front of everyone at the restaurant.”

  He laughs. “You drove home angry, then?”

  “That was part of the reason why I wrecked. I did swerve out of the way to miss a deer, though, which is the main reason. I was going too fast.”

  “At least you’re OK,” he says, opening his door. “That’s what matters.”

  I open my door and shrug. “I still shouldn’t have let him get to me the way I did.”

  “Come on,” he says, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. “Let’s hurry up and feed me, so I can go home and tend to your wounds a little more.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sam

  I F THERE WERE ONE SPECIFIC THING that I never wanted to happen in the history of my life, Elizabeth showing up at work today would be the number one thing.

  From the lobby, I can clearly hear her screaming at someone, and I instantly get an anxious feeling in my gut. I open my office door and make my way out towards her. Everyone is lined up outside of their doors, trying to hear what’s going on without making it obvious that they are listening.

  When I make it to the lobby I see her, and I freeze. In her hand is some sort of pistol. She doesn’t have it aimed up at anyone yet, but it rests firmly between her fingers. I look over at the receptionist and then back over to Elizabeth.

  “Where is he?” Elizabeth says. “Where is that bastard?”

  “Mr. Adams isn’t here today, Elizabeth, like I keep trying to tell you.”

  Elizabeth looks over at me, and she laughs. “Come to save the day?”

  I look down at her gun and then back up to her face.

  She shakes her head and puts her thumb over the trigger. “This isn’t for you, Sam.”

  I take a step towards her, and I see her grip tighten on the gun.

  I put my hands out in front of my chest, and I say, “Why don’t you come back to my office and we’ll talk about this? You haven’t done anything yet.”

  “Is he here, Sam?”

  Donald Adams is the CEO of the company. He’s probably one of the most disgusting people I’ve ever met in my life. He’s vulgar and inappropriate, and I can only imagine why she has a bullet ready for him.

  I shake my head. “He really isn’t. He went home early.” As soon as I say it, I close my eyes and wish that I hadn’t.

  She smiles, and she says, “Good to know.”

  I watch as Elizabeth leaves through the front doors and turns the corner down the hallway.

  I look over at Denise, the receptionist, and I say, “Why do I feel like I’m the reason that something bad is going to happen?”

  She looks down at her shaking hands and back up to me. “To be perfectly honest with you, I hope she shoots him.”

  ***

  When I get to work the next day, a cop car sits neatly in the parking lot, and I instantly freeze in place.

  It’s happening.

  I’m the reason he’s dead.

  Fuck.

  I lock my car and make my way into the building. As soon as I turn the corner and look through the glass doors, I see two policemen standing by the reception desk. I stop and start thinking about what in the hell they are here for. If she did indeed shoot him, they should probably be at the crime scene.

  “Sam.” Denise points towards me, and the two cops turn around.

  “What’s going on?” I ask.

  “Sir,” one of the officers says, putting his hands on his hips, “Donald Adams was shot last night by a former employee here. From what we’re told, she was here yesterday before it happened.”

  I let out a deep breath and make my way closer to the reception desk.

  I nod, and I say, “I don’t know the exact time—it should be on the security tapes—but I heard her screaming, so I came out here. She had a gun in her hand and said it wasn’t meant for me when I looked down at it. She asked about Mr. Adams, and we told her that he wasn’t here.”

  “Did you know Mrs. Sampson very well?”

  I shake my head. “I never really talked to her when she did work here. I got her job, though, so that’s why I wondered if she was here to shoot me with the thing.”

  “Did she say anything specific about why she wanted to do what she did?”

  I shake my head again, and the officer writes something down in his notebook.

  “We probably won’t be bothering you guys again. Most of the investigating is going to be about her relationship with him. We’ll be talking to people that knew them both well. If we have anymore questions for you though, we’ll let you know.”

  The officers leave, and I lean on the reception desk. I run my fingers through my hair and look down at Denise.

  “It’s not your fault, Sam,” she says.

  I nod. “I know.”

  “They were having an affair.”

  I lean off the desk, and my jaw drops a little.

  “He used her and let her go. That’s why she got fired. She didn’t do anything wrong except start something with him. When he was done, he got rid of her.”

  “How long have you known all this?”

  She lets out a deep breath and scratches the back of her head. “The week before she got fired. I found her in the bathroom. She was bawling and in hysterics. She told me everything, and I didn’t really know what to do or say.”

  “Did you tell the police that?”

  She nods. “They can’t really prove any of it, but at least they have a possible explanation.”

  I make my way back to my office and shut the door behind me. This whole time I thought Elizabeth was just this huge bitch that had it all coming to her, but finding out that she was just a victim in everything that’s happened really upsets me.

  My phone dings, and I see it’s a text from Oliver.

  Oliver: Anything happen?

  Sam: Exactly what I thought was going to happen.

  Oliver: Shit!

  Sam: Will you come in for lunch?

  Oliver: Yes, sir.

  ***

  “We’re leaving next Friday night and staying until Sunday.” Oliver takes a bite of his burger and looks back up at me. “She already has everything set up.”

  “Cool,” I say. “I haven’t been to New York in years. That guy I used to work with here is doing well over there so far. He even met someone, he said.”

  “We can see him while we’re there. Sadie has to be at her convention, literally, all day on Saturday, so we’ll have plenty of time to do whatever.”

  I smile at him and look back down at my food.

  He shifts in his seat, and he says, “Are you sure that you’re OK?”

  I nod. “Just been an odd last two days. I wasn’t expecting everything that has happened to happen. And I still feel guilty about thinking she was this huge bitch when she really wasn’t.”

  He shakes his head. “You really couldn’t have known. Plus, didn’t you say that she actually wasn’t the great at her job?”

/>   “Yeah, but maybe there was a reason for that. I’m sure she wasn’t in her right mind after being shit on.”

  He nods. “True.”

  “How’s the paperwork coming along?’

  “Good,” he says, his mouth full of fries. I smile, and he continues. “I have like no money now, but other than that everything is great.”

  “Are you gonna rename it?”

  He stops for a moment and shakes his head. “I’ve decided not to.”

  “Because of Bruce?”

  He nods. “I just wouldn’t feel right changing it.”

  “You’re a good person, Olli.”

  “Psh,” he says. “You’re just saying that because I brought this delicious arrangement of unhealthy garbage. How’s your sister?”

  “Fine. She’s stressed because school started back up.”

  “What’s she going for, anyway?”

  I shrug. “She thinks she likes teaching. I’m sure she’ll change her mind a few times, though. I don’t know. She’d make a good teacher.”

  “I had no idea what I wanted to do when I went,” he says. “I went into something that would make me money, but I never enjoyed it. I’m glad everything that happened did happen. Not that being a bartender is my dream, but it’s helping me achieve it.”

  I wipe my hands on a napkin and take a drink. “How do all your co-workers feel about you being their new boss?”

  “They all seem to like me, so if they actually do mind, they haven’t really made the fact known. I’ve never been in charge of anyone, so I’m a little nervous about that.”

  “Well,” I say, “I’ve learned that if you respect people, they will respect you back. If they don’t, they can go.”

  He laughs. “I bet you look real sexy when you’re stern.”

  I laugh and shake my head. “I never have to yell at anyone. Everyone does what they’re supposed to around here for the most part.”

  “Well,” he says, “hopefully I’m as lucky as you.”

  ***

  “Mom told me today that Gram is sick.” Kelsey looks up from her book and back down at it. “She tried calling you, but you didn’t answer.”

  “I just talked to her the other day. Gram, I mean. She didn’t mention anything about being sick.”

  “Mom only found out because she went over to see them, and she saw a bunch of hospital bills on the table.”

  I sigh and lean against the fridge.

  “I have a date tonight,” she says, setting her book down on the coffee table. She gets up from the couch and starts making her way towards the hallway.

  “You don’t seem very upset about this,” I say.

  “Just because I’m not verbal about the fact doesn’t mean I’m not upset about it. Unlike you, I don’t have to make comments to voice my frustration.”

  After everything else that has happened today, Kelsey being in a bad mood doesn’t help anything.

  “What the fuck is your problem?”

  “Mom said she called you like three times.”

  I lean off the fridge and put my hands out in front of me. “That’s why you’re being a bitch right now?”

  “I don’t get it, Sam.” She crosses her arms and makes her way into the kitchen. “You despise them both, and I just don’t understand why.”

  “It doesn’t matter why. Can’t you just accept the fact that—“

  “I’m not going to accept the fact that my brother hates his parents. There has to be a reason. Unless you’re just a dick.”

  I close my eyes and put my hands behind my head. I’m tired of this, and it’s only going to continue to get worse if I don’t tell her.

  “You won’t even believe me if I tell you why it is that I’d rather not speak to them. I don’t hate them, but no, I don’t feel the need to answer phone calls or go visit. I’m sorry that it bothers you so much, but that’s not my fault.”

  She sits down at the kitchen table and rests her hands on her chin. “Just… tell me. Please.”

  “When I first came out in high school, mom and dad paid my boyfriend to break up with me and move away.”

  She shakes her head. “You’re right, I don’t believe you.”

  I sit down at the table across from her and rest my elbows on the table.

  “I mean, why would they do that?”

  I shrug. “I’ve been trying to figure that out for a long time. I always wondered if it was because they didn’t support the fact that I’m gay, but I’ve ruled that out. I only know it happened because I saw him years later and he told me about it. He said it was because he didn’t fit into our standards; he wasn’t good enough.”

  “So,” she says, sighing, “you have resented them all these years because of that, yet you don’t blame him at all for actually taking whatever they gave him? Don’t you think that’s a little fucking stupid, Sam?”

  “Kelsey,” I say, putting my hands behind my head again, “I understand you think it’s dumb, but I don’t. You don’t realize the way they attempted to raise me. They learned from me and that’s why you turned out the way you did. They tried to make me money-hungry, and they wanted me to care about things that I truly could give a shit less about. I already was unhappy with my own life because of them, so learning about this just set me off.”

  I stop, but she doesn’t say anything, so I continue. “I know it’s fucked up; most people would kill to have parents in general. I have done quite well without constantly seeing them and talking to them, though, so I’ve accepted the fact that I really don’t need them in my life.”

  “It’s just annoying,” she says.

  “Why? How does it affect you?”

  “How has it not affected me?” She pushes away from the table and slams her fist on the table. “Because you hate them so much, I hardly got to see you growing up. You came on Thanksgiving and my birthday; that’s ridiculous. I know they aren’t perfect, but you still could have made the effort to visit more because of me.”

  “It’s never been anything personal against you.”

  She shrugs. “I never thought that. I thought you just didn’t like me growing up. I always wondered why my own brother hated me for no reason.”

  I let out a deep breath. “Why is this all coming out right now? I understand why you would feel that way, and I’m never going to be able to make you un-feel these things, but why are you so upset about it?”

  “Because, I’m pregnant.”

  I freeze, and my mind completely shuts off. I try to look at her, but my vision stretches past her towards the balcony, and I can’t move. I focus back in on her, and she smiles.

  “I’m just kidding.”

  I don’t say anything and get up out of my chair. I move past her towards my room, and she says, “Seriously?”

  “I could’ve had a heart attack or something.”

  “Hey,” she says, “I’m sorry. I’m really stressed because of school, and I’ve just been focusing on you and them. I’m also sorry that they did that. That’s shitty and stupid.”

  “I really don’t think you should go on that date tonight.”

  “Don’t worry,” she says, pushing past me towards her bedroom. “It’s with this girl I met last week.”

  She closes her bedroom door and again, I’m left standing there wondering what in the hell is going on. She opens up the door, and she says, “Kidding, again.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Oliver

  O UR ARRIVAL TO NEW YORK IS MET with rain, Sadie yelling at the hotel manager, and me getting food-poisoning from the Mexican restaurant that we went to before we got to the hotel.

  The second Sadie slides the keycard through the lock on the hotel room door, I shove past her and head straight into the bathroom. I turn the faucet on as the door clicks, and I spin around and plant my ass cheeks firmly on the toilet seat.

  Everything comes immediately, and I pray that the sound of the water is a lot louder than the sound of my disgusting mess of a stomach.

 
I sit there for a few minutes and make sure my body is done. Even though it probably isn’t, I get up and wash my hands.

  I look exhausted in the mirror, and I laugh.

  Of all the times to get food poisoning, why did it have to be on this trip?

  I walk out of the bathroom and stand outside of the door. I look to my right and see both of them sitting on opposite beds, trying to contain their laughter.

  “I don’t think I’ll be going out tonight.” I lie down on the bed beside Sam and put my hand over my eyes. “Why am I the only one who got sick?”

  “I don’t know,” Sadie says, “but I’m just glad that I didn’t.”

  Sam laughs and sits back closer to the pillows. He lifts my head up and rests it on his stomach. I turn to my side and close my eyes, listening to the echo of his heartbeat as he rises and falls.

  He runs his fingers through my hair and it sends a chill through my body. Even though I feel like I’m dying, the comfort of Sam’s body almost makes it all OK.

  “Do you want a trashcan or something?” he asks me.

  I don’t answer, lost in my own thoughts to the point of not being able to reply back to him.

  ***

  I wake up, and it’s morning. I lean onto my elbows and look over towards the window. Sadie is gone, and Sam is sitting on the edge of the bed watching TV. I move on the bed, and he looks back towards me and smiles.

  “What time is it?” I ask him.

  He looks on the TV, and he says, “Nine.”

  “That’s not too bad.”

  He shakes his head. “Do you feel better?”

  “Yeah.” I swing my legs off the side of the bed and make my way towards the bathroom. “I’m gonna shower.”

  He nods, and he says, “Okay.”

  I flush the toilet and slip off my clothes. I wonder if I woke up and puked last night because they smell awful. The water warms my skin as I rest my head against the wall of the shower and close my eyes.

  I hear the shower curtain slide open, and I smile.

  “I haven’t showered yet, either,” Sam says, his hand skimming my stomach. “Thought I’d save us some time.”