I grinned at the screen, making sure she saw every second of my pleasure. I pumped my cock, slow and hungry, never looking away. Vera let out a soft moan, slid her hand down her stomach, and parted her thighs so I could see just how wet she was.
“Wish I was there?” she whispered, voice shaky with need.
“Every damn second,” I groaned, watching her fingers circle her clit. “Touch yourself for me. I want to see you come.”
She gasped, hips rocking, her smile never fading as she built herself higher. My own control slipped. I shuffled harder, breathing quick and rough while we watched each other unravel. Our moans overlapped, bodies shuddering, the distance between us gone for a few wild moments.
We lay there in the blue glow of our screens, both of us smiling and aching for more.
Vera
Monday, May 30
Alistair Bryce Scott got under my skin. What started as a game had become deeper. He and I weren’t a couple yet, so I wasn’t disclosing my love life to friends or family. It was still too early. I know, I’m a master of secrets. I survived high school, college, and work that way; nobody really knew me, but I knew them. Their feelings and secrets.
About secrets—I went to Julian’s apartment and found him curled up in bed, crying his heart out. Even the strongest men break. My brother. My protector. Sometimes he was just as fragile as the rest of us.
“Jules, get up,” I said, gently shaking his arm. I knew he wanted Saph, but she needed space. I get it. She’d just seen him with a powerful and rich woman who paid him for sex.
Julian lay on his side, catatonic and silent, while tears rolled down his ruddy, sullen face. It reminded me how he was after Dad died from cancer. Jules was stoic and silent at school, but he cried to sleep every night for months after the funeral. He was eight and I was five. Back then, I didn’t know what to do, except cry with him. Things were different now. I was stronger, tougher, and ready to help him fight his war against Saira.
“Jules, listen to me. I know someone who can help you,” I said, standing over the bed.
“My contract with Saira was meant to end,” he lamented, ignoring my words, caught up in his own turmoil. “But shekept pulling me back, dangling funds for the archaeology department, swearing it was the last time. It’s all a lie, Vee. She’s now threatening to destroy my career and the people I love if I don’t give her more.”
He paused, the silence stretching before he spoke again. “Saira can wreck my university career at the university. I don’t give a damn about that. But I can’t let her destroy Saph’s life. She’s got everything. Power. Money. Influence.”
I cringed at the memory of the night Saph and I saw Julian with Saira. There was something chillingly evil about the way the ash-blonde queen stared at us with her slate-gray eyes. She reflected power and dominance, but there Alistair wielded the same influence.
“I know someone with more power,” I confided.
“Give it up, Vee. Stop fucking with me,” Jules shouted, throwing a pillow at the wall behind me.
“I’m dead serious. There’s a man who can help, and I’m sure you’ve heard of him. His name is Alistair Scott.”
“Saira’s ex-husband? He’s unattainable,” Julian scoffed. “Why would he help us? We’re nothing but dust in the world of the Scotts and Quinns.”
“For God’s sake. Will you just trust me?” I snapped, planting my hands on my hips.
Julian lifted his head and glared at me. “Can you make miracles happen?” he asked, dragging himself to the edge of the bed. His shoulders sagged, but at least he was back in the land of the living.
“I have my ways.” A crooked smile tugged at my lips. “Take the rest of the week off work. We’re flying to New York.”
“What the fuck, Vee? Is this a joke?”
“Yeah, hilarious, and I’m Bobby the Clown.” I rolled my eyes and sighed. “No, Jules, it’s not a fucking joke. Get your shit together and start packing. You’re seeing Alistair at eighton Wednesday evening. We’re meeting him at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Egyptian exhibition opening.”
“And the flights? Accommodation? You think of that, genius?”
“Already handled.” I wasn’t about to mention Alistair’s private jet just yet. One step at a time.
Julian rubbed his chin, exhaling hard. “I trust you know what you’re doing.”
“You’d better. I know exactly what I’m doing.” I patted his shoulder. “Alistair wants to destroy that bitch.”
A small smile ghosted across his face, his anxiety loosening. “You’re the best sister a man could have.”
I laughed, hugging him tight. “You’ve only got one.”
