Thursday, 8:51 pm
The SUV drove away, leaving Emily and me in front of the doors of the building I now lived in - what I'd learned was called the Liberty Elite. It was occupied by a diverse collection of residential and commercial tenants. The first floor was a prime spot for high-end shopping and dining. Several stories above that were reserved for parking. More commercial space and some government offices took up the next twenty to thirty floors, with the remainder used as residential spaces, including my apartment, which took up the top remaining floors.
As we approached the ostentatious glass and black marble entry, a concierge opened held the door for us, and said, "Have a good evening, Mr. Upton!" He looked to be in his early twenties, unlike the older gentleman I had met when first arriving. I did a double take, then gave him a nod and a smile; I was surprised he knew who I was. Whoever managed the operations of this location was doing a hell of a job.
"Your own doorman?" Emily asked after we passed into the lobby.
"Well, it's the building's doorman, but yeah."
She spun around, taking in the beautiful design of the massive lobby as we headed toward the elevators. "Oh my god, Marcus!"
"This is just the lobby, Em. Wait till you see the actual apartment."
The elevator ride to the top was faster than anyone had a right to expect from a sixty-story journey. The first time, I had Danielle and Erin to keep my company and had been too busy checking the new girl out to notice how long it had taken to get to the top. This time, it was just me and Emily. Not to say Emily wasn't distracting. I'm sure she turned the heads of every man she came across. She was a tall, fit woman with captivating looks, a kind smile, and a lovely personality, but she was my sister and one of my best friends. At sixteen years old, when I was nothing but a bag of boiling chemicals ready to explode at anything resembling curvature, it was impossible to ignore how her jeans molded to her ass, but I was a little more in control of my penis these days. A little. Besides, I had a foursome with three impossibly gorgeous angels only a few hours ago. My libido was mostly in check.
The doors eventually opened and Emily stepped into the impressive open-floor living room complete with balconies, rich furniture, and a breathtaking view of New York's city skyline on the opposite end from where we stood. The sun had already set, so approaching the window revealed the twinkling cosmos of The Big Apple's vibrant nightlife. The apartment was illuminated by sconces on walls and columns, and an inferno was blazing inside the fireplace, giving the apartment a sense of coziness.
There were two people other than Emily and me currently in the apartment - one I had expected, and another I hadn't. Erin was currently roaming the kitchen and taking stock of the current situation. After recovering from the foursome, I took the time to make sure she was alright. After things heated up at the pool, Danni and I moved to the master bedroom while Erin was occupied eating out Helen. They joined us a little later, and I'd taken Erin's compact ass with her consent and Helen's insistent and enthusiastic urging. My assistant swore she was fine, and after enough interrogation, I believed her, but that didn't stop me from feeling at least a little guilty about the entire thing. I was growing attached to Erin, and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her or give her cause to leave. The other two women had stayed in bed while Erin and I had our heart-to-heart downstairs. By the time I left, Erin was going through resumes for bodyguards and we heard moaning from upstairs; the other two hadn't had their fill yet.
That was hours ago, and I suspected those Danni and Helen were long gone. It made sense that Erin would still be here, but what didn't make sense was the other person in the room. Ashlee VanCamp had been sitting on my new couch and scrolling through her phone. As soon as the elevator door opened and we stepped out into the lobby, she looked up from her device and over the back of the couch toward us. She had a large, warm smile for me and looked like she was about to say something. Then she noticed Emily and her smile faded.
"Marcus! Your new home is lovely," Ashlee said, ending the sentence in a tiny frown. She recovered quickly enough and banished it, standing up and coming around the couch.
"Thanks," I said, more than a little confused. I glanced at Erin, who was rummaging through one of the drawers at the kitchen island. I looked back at Ashlee. "It's good to see you. What brings you here?"
I was suddenly very nervous. This was the first time Ashlee had been around any of the other women in my life other than Helen. I was starting to suspect that the young paralegal was chasing after a wealthy, eligible bachelor. How was she going to react around someone like Erin? Or Danni? Would she cause some sort of scene if she felt slighted? Were Danni and Helen still actually here? I mentally kicked myself for not checking in with Erin before coming back to the house, especially with my sister.
Emily was my other concern. I wasn't exactly thrilled with my sister finding out that I'd been fucking every good-looking woman I'd come across lately. I also didn't want her to bear witness to any drama that Ashlee might bring with her. If things went poorly here, I would probably never hear the end of it.
"Helen returned to the office to work with insurance and get the appropriate things taken care of on your behalf. Something came up for her, so Roger had me finish everything and bring it over for you to sign."
Roger. She must have meant Roger VanCamp. Also known as Ashlee's father and Helen's husband. Every time his name came up, I remembered this was the man that not only knew I was screwing his wife but had given his blessing. Had Richard kept Helen from completing the due diligence on my apartment? What kind of situation had come up to keep Helen away? Did it have something to do with our arrangement?
"Thanks," I said, "but couldn't you have just emailed it over?"
"Eh... Daddy's a little old-fashioned," Ashlee said, "besides, I heard about the new purchase and had to see it for myself! Marcus, this is amazing!" As Ashlee approached and interacted with me, her body language and stance made it clear that she was trying to exclude Emily from the conversation.
"Thanks, Ashlee," I said, growing more uncomfortable with things by the minute. "This is my sister Emily. She showed up at my apartment and decided to tag along so she could see the house"
As soon as I said the word 'sister', Ashlee's entire demeanor shifted. That full, genuine smile she'd first displayed returned, and her eyes shined with genuine interest. "Oh my god! It's so good to meet you!" she exclaimed and reached out to take one of Emily's hands in both of hers.
Emily, who looked confused at first, mirrored Ashlee's warmth and returned the handshake. "Thank you, Ashlee! Same! How do you know my brother?"
"Ashlee works at my law firm," I explained.
"Oh cool! So you'll be working with Marcus pretty regularly," Emily said.
"I hope so," Ashlee returned with a giggle. "God, you're so tall, Emily! And gorgeous! Where do you get your makeup?"
That was my cue. I backed out of the conversation about makeup and approached Erin, who had quit rummaging through the cabinets and was watching the situation unfold between the other two women. I leaned against the island next to her.
"Are you guys the only ones here?" I asked quietly so our conversation wouldn't disturb them.
