She pitched a perfect shut-out with one angry throw. The diamond smacked his cheekbone and bounced into the gutter at her feet. She yelled something, but he couldn't hear it over the roaring in his ears as he watched thousands of dollars lose itself in the muck of rotting leaves, fast food trash, and disgustingly unidentifiable goo. All thoughts of his recently purchased and obscenely expensive clothes dissipated when the 24 karat gold gave a cheery flash and slid under a half rotted oak leaf. Joseph dove for it. Armani met half-dried ketchup and his hand flailed in something that he'd rather not know about. He found the oak leaf and then the ring. Christine turned on one tiny, spiked heel and disappeared into the gawking crowd.
His apartment was in shambles and for once he didn't care. Her fur coat had swirled as she climbed in a cab and left him in the literal gutter. He'd walked home and ripped his clothes off. He had wanted to burn them, but he didn't have a fireplace. He'd settled for shoving them into the bottom of an antiseptic, black trash bag. He'd dragged it through the living room and knocked over a crystal figurine with his bare ass. Christine had given that to him to celebrate his latest deal. A moment later it was in the trash bag. By the time the fury diminished the bag was bulging, his apartment looked like someone had tossed it, and there was no trace of her left in his life. Except for a trash bag and a dirty ring. It was almost symbolic.
"Wow, this place is a mess." He whirled to find Aimee lounging in the doorway, Christine's apartment key in hand. She wasn't looking at his decorating.
"Go away."
"Now is that any way to treat the calvary? She had your stuff on its way to Goodwill. I rescued it for you." Aimee nudged at a box with her toe. "The least you can do is invite me in for a cup of coffee and thank me."
Her eyes remained locked on target and it was stirring his anger again. He resisted the urge to throw something at her. "Consider yourself thanked and get out of here."
She licked her lips and dragged her jade green eyes up his chest to smile at him. He didn't like that smile. "I know why she dumped you."
"I could care less." That was a bald-faced lie, but he didn't want her in his house.
"Look, she's my sister, okay? I care about her, too, and I just want to see her happy."
He felt like an ass. "Fine. Kitchen's through there. I'll get dressed and we can talk."
"Pity."
He glared at her.
She raised her hands defensively. "I love my sister, but I'm not blind." His expression never changed. She dropped her hands. "Fine. Kitchen."
His oldest sweats and ratty shirt weren't enough to keep her eyes from physically assaulting him. That's one of the things he'd always hated about her; the relentless sexual pursuit. He occupied himself with the coffee to keep her from bothering him. He could still feel her staring at him; it was making him twitchy.
"Why did she break up with me?"
"You've been a naughty boy."
He threw her a glare over his shoulder. She grinned unrepentantly. At his ass.
"Someone told her that you were screwing around on her with that girl you had over here for a week."
When he was tearing his apartment apart he didn't think it would have been possible to get any angrier. He was wrong. "Who told her that?"
Aimee inspected her fingernails. "What's it worth to you?"
That bitch. "You told her."
"I was on another continent at the time, remember? Chrissy and I were in London."
"Who did it?"
"What's it worth to you, Geronimo? I know you were screwing around on my sister. I can help you convince her that you weren't. But I want something."
If he hit her his father would kill him. He would go to jail. Christine would never forgive him. "Spit it out."
"24 hours."
"What?"
"I want you for 24 hours. You're not engaged to my sister anymore and what she doesn't know won't hurt her. Starting now."
"Get out."
She smiled at him, looking exactly like the coyotes that dotted the plains around his mother's house. "I'll tell Chrissy that you tried to rape me and she'll never have anything to do with you again. Now you don't want that, do you? All I want is 24 hours out of your life and you'll never have to deal with me again, except to be nice to me at Christmas. 24 hours and I'll be an absentee sister-in-law."
"She'll never believe you."
"Right. She'll take your word over mine. The word of a cheating creep over her own sister's. That scar that cuts right through your pubic hair won't hurt much either. How'd you get that anyway? It makes you look delicious."
Joseph forced his fists to open one finger at a time.
"I don't have all day. What's it going to be, stud? Happy ever after with Princess Chrissy or are you going back to the reservation to pout?"
"Tell me who did it first."
Her laughter was as harsh as she was. "Oh come on, what do you think I am? You'll get the name afterwards."
"No deal. I get the name first and then you get the 24 hours."
"Not likely, chief. You'll skip out on the deal and I'll get nothing for my troubles."
"I thought you loved your sister."
"I do love my sister. I just love my pussy more and you are going to be very good for my pussy." She was staring at the soft cotton that covered his crotch again.
He wasn't the whiz of Mergers and Acquisitions for nothing. "You give me a little of what I want and I'll give you a little of what you want. I need to know that you're not lying to me."
"Fair enough." She dug her cellphone out and gave him a perfectly fake smile. "Chrissy?"
He almost dropped his coffee cup, he hadn't expected her to call her sister.
"I just dropped Joe's stuff off at his apartment. The guy looks pretty torn up."
He strained to hear Christine's voice.
"Yeah, sis, I know. I think that maybe you should give the guy a chance to explain." She winced and pulled the phone away from her face. He could hear the distinctive sound of a yelling Christine. "Look, Chrissy, maybe there was more to it than what we heard. The guy isn't a complete loser, you did fall in love with him right? Right? Chrissy? Good. At least give him a chance to explain things."
His heart stopped beating.
"No, I don't think tonight would be good. He was hitting the bottle or something. I didn't know that. You broke his heart, sis, that would drive any man to drink. Let him sober up and think about it. Tomorrow afternoon would be a good idea. Want me to come along with you? Okay, I'll stop by and pick you up at three. Nah, I bet he calls in sick. The guy was throwing up already. Love you. Muah." She pressed a button and put the phone away. "There, just call me John Gray. You've got yours coming and now I want mine. You can start by stripping."
He crossed his arms over his chest instead. There was no way he was going to fuck that bitch. "You first."
She smiled like a pirana. "I don't think so, Sitting Bull. You're mine, you're the one jumping through hoops."
"You know where the door is. Don't let it hit your ass."
"We had a deal."
"I don't kiss ass. You want it, you work for it." He grabbed his crotch and squeezed. "You want it, Aimee?"
She licked her lips. "I'm in charge here."
"I don't think so." He massaged his cock gently, just enough so she could watch it push against his sweats. "You want it?"
She ripped her eyes from his hand and glared at him. "Look, Kemosabe, we're going to get something straight, I run this little show. Not you."
He gave her his best disgusted look, then picked up the coffee cup as if it were the most important thing in the world just because he knew it would piss her off.
"We had a deal. Maybe I should call Chrissy."
"Maybe you should just take your fucking clothes off." She looked shocked. For a moment he thought she would run straight to her sister with tales that would destroy any hope of a relationship forever. Then he caught the look in her eyes. So that's the way she floats her boat. He put the cup down and grinned at her. "Take your clothes off, bitch."
Her hands made an abortive move toward the buttons on her blouse. She threw her shoulders back and threw a weak glare in his direction. "You're bought and paid for, Tonto. You're the one whose going to strip, not me."
Stealthy as bobcat in the sage, he crossed the room until he was bent over the table and in her face. All of the blood drained from her cheeks and her green eyes were wide as the sky. "I won't tell you again. Take your clothes off."