"So, Lucky, how long do you plan to grace us with your presence?" Becket asked his fiance's best friend as he studied the interaction between the women seated on the sofa. It had been three days since Lucky showed up in his house without an invitation. He didn't get many guests, but for those he did have, he required them to ask beforehand. There were the occasional run-ins with his drunk friends or his meddlesome parents, but even his brother and cousins had the decency to give him a heads-up. He watched Cherokee push herself sideways so she could look at him and her friend gave him the awful expression, as if he dared to ask her that question.
"Is it a bother for her to be here?" Cherokee snapped. Something Beck did not expect to happen. The times that he had been around his new fiance, she was sweet. Full of hope, kind, and not at all like the display of raw emotion he just witnessed.
"No. Not at all. I was just inquiring." Becket brought his attention back to his phone and tried to mask his expression as if he was studying an important email. That was far from the truth, though. He had been mindlessly scrolling through his phone. He wanted to take Cherokee out on a date. He wanted to be near her. Sure, they slept together every night, and that had been difficult enough for him to control himself. But he found himself wanting to be in her presence. It was a wreck in his brain. He knew he could never love anyone, not fully. He already drew up the contract. A few times, he thought about Cherry and how she acted around him. He was coming out of his shell.
"I was going to leave tonight," Lucky mentioned with sarcasm laced on her lips that he knew he couldn't mistake. "I have a date with the Adams brothers." She giggled as she rose from her seat.
"What? Both of them?" Cherokee asked as she kept her brown eyes on her friend as Lucky made her way around the glass coffee table.
"Mmhmm," Lucky answered as she glanced at Beck, who watched Cherry's every move as if he was making mental notes of her movement. "I have been dating both of them,"
"OH, MY!" Cherokee squealed as she jumped up. "Lucky!"
"Well, how lucky," Becket spoke as he looked up from his phone. Trying to look as sincere as possible. He knew his cousins well, sure they took plenty of women to bed and have been known to have sex with one girl at the same time. But to date one together? He would have to get to the bottom of it before his wedding.
"Yes! I am!" Lucky remarked as she shot Becket a glare before taking off down the hall to pack her bag.
"You should be nicer to Lucky," Cherokee stated as she heard the click of the guest bedroom door. "Lucky is my only family. We both only have each other." She walked around the table and made her way towards the hall. "She knows, by the way,"
So Cherokee told Lucky about their agreement? Maybe that was the reason why she was so hostile to him. He desperately wanted to go after her and tell her that he was her family, that he would be there for her, but he knew he couldn't. He knew he had to push aside his feelings and get through the wedding because, after a short time, he could get divorced and forget this whole fiasco. She broke the contract; he thought carefully. So, that's what he would focus on. She couldn't even hold out to get the money. "I'll have Reggie come around whenever you're ready!" He called out to Lucky.
"Ugh, I'll just leave now," Lucky barged into the living room as she swung open the front door. Quickly Becket texted his driver to meet his fiance's best friend outside as he watched Cherry run after her. He didn't miss her narrowed eyes in his direction as she disappeared out the door. He surely didn't understand why she acted this way. He was nothing if not cordial toward her. Shrugging his shoulders, he stood up and walked into his bedroom.
"Why did you say that to her?" Cherokee asked as she entered their bedroom. She watched as he stripped out of his black jeans and button down green plaid shirt. Unable to take her eyes off of his muscular build.
"I only said when she was ready to let me know so that I could have Reggie take her home. Surely that was better than her taking a cab." He noticed her eyes roaming his body and normally he would have taken the opportunity and scooped her up and had his way with her. But not now, no he knew it was lust, and he just needed to get through this with no strings. "I'm going to shower...." He studied her jaw as it flexed open and closed like she wanted to retort, so he took the chance to make her uncomfortable. "Care to join me?" Throwing out a flirty grin, he walked into their bathroom in his underwear.
Cherry didn't answer, she was too shocked at his physic and the words that came out his mouth. He must have been joking. This was a business deal. A transaction. There was no way he could be serious. So, she stomped off and sat back in the living room. She knew why Lucky was acting that way toward Becket. She had let it slip that she was beginning to fall for him, but she was sure he didn't feel the same. Lucky had to remind her that it wasn't real. Because there was no way he would ever fall for her. Not after what she heard from his own cousins the other day. That was the whole reason why she came over. It wasn't to hang out. It was to tell her about what kind of person he was and to see how Beck treated Cherry. Lucky wanted to make sure Cherry could keep her feelings in check. "Where are you going?" Cherokee asked when she saw Becket dressed in a suit, walking toward the front door.
"The office,"
"Cherokee!" Lucky shouted as she ran up to the long raven-haired girl standing barefoot under a tree. "Lucky!" Cherokee smiled as her best friend came running up to her. "Is something wrong?" She asked hugging her tightly. Her mahogany hair blew freely in the wind and Cherokee's butter scotch-colored skin seemed to always kiss the sun the way it showed in the day. "Girl, did you forget?" Lucky punched her shoulder playfully as she interlocked their arms. "We're going to Owen's Bar in the city tonight." She dragged out in hopes her friend of twenty-two years would get the slightest clue the slower she spoke. "Oh, no, I forgot, sorry," Cherokee apologized as she rested her head on Lucky's shoulder as they continued back into the reservation where they lived. "We still have time, come on!" She pulled her down the dirt-covered road to the third trailer on the right. The Rez as it was commonly called by those who lived there, those who are registered Native Americans to be exact. "This
"So, sorry I didn't come last night, the guy at the bar was just too cute, I couldn't pass on that opportunity." Lucky laughed as she walked through the front door of their shared trailer. "It's okay, the guy you left me with was kind of rude," Cherokee stated as she put her empty cereal bowl in the sink. "Who, Becket?" Lucky asked as she picked up Cherokee's bowl and filled it with cereal making her way to the plastic round table. "Yeah, he's like that, his brother, Kaleb is so much nicer, but Beck wins in the looks department. So, I got a text from Nick and he wants us to come back tonight." "Oh, I don't know, I was planning on just relaxing at home." Cherokee turned on the television while sitting back on the older brown sofa. "Cherry you do that every day, it's Saturday, it's time to let your hair down yeah." Lucky grabbed the bowl and headed to the sofa where she plopped next to her best friend. "Come on, the only person that won't be there is Kaleb, he's got some modeling gig
"What are you talking about?" Lucky asked as she drew closer to Cherokee rounding the small kitchen table. "I don't want to go," Cherokee plopped down on the worn-out sofa. "We have been going every night, and you always leave with some guy. Not shaming, just saying, and Beck has to give me a ride every time." "And, you like Beck, I've seen it with my own beautiful brown eyes." Lucky giggled as she sat on the sofa next to her. "Why do you think I've been asking him?" "It doesn't matter that I think he's beautiful, intelligent, or his blue eyes sparkle," She gazed away before clearing her throat. "He barely says one word to me, at the bar or on the way home." "You don't see what I see," Lucky wiggled her eyebrows. "Every time I glance toward him he is always passing looks at you." "Yeah looks of embarrassment maybe." Cherokee sighed as she began looking for the remote. "Hey, don't think that way, you are a strong gorgeous native, we are dine and we are fire." Lucky spoke out as sh
"Hello, son," Todrick spoke out as he opened the door to his son's office. "Father, I wasn't expecting you," Becket replied as he rose from his chair, and nodded toward the honey-blonde woman leaning on his desk. "Uh, thank you, Ms. Carver," "Still at it, I see," Todrick retorted as he made his way to the brown leather chair in front of the large oak desk. "Son, need I remind you that you are still under a probationary period, this is still my company to take back as I see fit." He grabbed a handful of cashews in the marble bowl in front of him and he brought them to his mouth. Becket and Todrick were the spitting images of each other, it was as if someone copied Todrick and gave him a different name. "What are you talking about, Father?" Beck asked as he sat back down in his chair across from Todrick. "Ms. Carver was just bringing me the Connecticut file," "Yes, among other things, last time I walked in here, she was laid out on top of your desk, sprawled out like some animal." To
"Where did you go last night, Beck?" Nick asked as he barged into his cousin's office. "Yes, you came in, said your hellos, and then were gone, you sneaky fox," Mark said as he walked behind his younger brother. "I umm... left," Was the brief reply Beck spoke out as he took yet another call. "Boys, I don't have time to play today, Philippa, Uh, Ms. Carver is not doing her job properly this morning, so I'm a bit swamped at this moment." "So, fire her," Nick relayed as he sat on the sofa next to his brother. "Ahh, he won't do that, dear brother, no I caught him with her skirt hiked up, sitting on our handsome cousin's desk." Mark retorted as he grabbed a handful of pecans getting ready to crack. "Shut up Marcus Dean," Beck raised his voice as he leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. "Hey Becket Levi, let's not resort to name-calling here," Mark whined as he popped a pecan into his mouth. "Yes, let's be civilized boys," Nick laughed as he rose from the sofa and walke
"Cherry, I think Beck sent his car for us again tonight," Lucky screeched as she bent down the blinds from the living room window. "He definitely has a thing for you, maybe I should up my game with the Adams brothers," "I'm telling you, Lucky, I don't think he likes me," Cherokee rolled her eyes as she grabbed her purse and pulled down her cream-colored dress. "I'm going to find out why he's sending us the car then, it's the second time." Lucky made her way into the black limo, as she slid to the other side. "Since you say he doesn't like you, we'll see..." "You don't see the looks he gives me," Cherokee retorted as she followed Lucky into the limo. "Here, look I know Beck, uhh, Mr. Petersen doesn't tell you much but has he by chance said anything pertaining to me or Lucky?" She questioned the driver as she looked into his eyes through the rearview mirror. "No, ma'am, Mr. Petersen doesn't tell me anything, only where to go," Was his only reply as he rolled up the back window to se
"So, tell me," Lucky started as she pulled off her jacket and sat on the sofa. "I saw you with Beck last night, holding hands. Where did you guys run off to? All I know is you two were together and pretty cozy, I would've investigated more but you know Nicolas and Marcus." "Um, yeah, Beck asked me to a more private area, to ask if I wanted to start a relationship with him," Cherokee began as she walked over to the sofa and sat next to her childhood best friend. "That's it, that's all I get?" Lucky asked as she shifted in her seat and put her head on Cherokee's shoulder. "He took you to another V.I.P. room and all he did was ask you out? Wow, the guy's even more boring than I thought," "Is that someone in the driveway?" Cherokee questioned as she pouted her bottom lip to Lucky. "Cherry, I'm pretty sure Beck sent a car for you because Reggie is outside leaning up against the vehicle," Lucky said as she peeked out of the living room blinds. "Oh, I didn't think he meant this early," C
"But I don't understand, why does he want you to move in?" Lucky blurted out as she threw a pair of socks into my suitcase. "He wants me to," Cherokee said as she folded a shirt throwing it on the bed. "He wants you to, so you go?" Lucky whined as she plopped on the bed. "It's... it's a little more than that," Cherokee replied as she sat on the bed next to her best friend since childhood. "A little more?" Lucky furrowed her black eyebrows together as she rolled up a sweatshirt and hugged it to her chest. "Yes, I have kept something from you, and you know me, it's so hard for me to keep things from you," Cherokee folded up another shirt and put it into her suitcase. "If I tell you, you have to promise that you will not tell a soul, I know how you get when you've had too much to drink," "True, but I promise, now tell me what have you been keeping from me?!" Lucky shrieked as she slapped Cherokee's arm. "I signed a contract, a marriage contract with Beck, he's giving me money, and