Building Our Love (Griffin Brothers #2) Read online

  “Oh my God, Chloe.” Yasmin comes over and hugs me. “You said that there were three things. So, there’s more?” I nod.

  “Scott may have told you that the Griffins had a large project they were doing with a famous architect who Ryan was interning for.”

  “Yeah. He said that the architect almost backed out to go work for a competitor, which would have hurt their reputation. But then that deal fell through and he went ahead with the Griffin building.” A look of understanding dawns on her face. “They offered to drop the contract and give them back the architect, didn’t they?”

  I can’t keep the bitterness out of my voice as I confirm it. “Yes, they said they would do that, too. All I had to do to protect the people I loved was give up Ryan and three years of my life. They felt that Adam’s reputation would be intact by the time we graduated from college. I agreed to do it and broke up with Ryan over the phone while they listened in.”

  “Wait, so you had to fuck that bastard for the last three years? Now, I want to kill him even more.” Candi’s expression is murderous.

  “No. I drew the line at having a real relationship with him. I made them put it in writing that if he touched me, I could take control of their company. Adam countered and said that he could say whatever he wanted about me when we had our fake break-up. Which is why all of Chicago thinks I’m a slut who cheated on him constantly with other men over the last three years. I had to act affectionate when we were in public and let him hold my hand and kiss me but nothing more.”

  “So you haven’t been with anyone at all except for Ryan three years ago?” Sam asks.

  “Three years ago and the last month, but no. I haven’t slept with anyone except for Ryan.”

  “The last month? So there is something going on between the two of you! Alex said she thought there was even though you denied it,” Yasmin says with a mischievous smile.

  “There is something, but I don’t know what it is. I was hoping you guys could help me figure it out before I go crazy.”

  “I think I speak for all of us when I say that we would love to help you. I can’t imagine what you must have gone through, and I for one want to see you and Ryan together now more than ever.” Erika smiles at me, and the other women nod.

  “Thanks. When I came here with my dad to beg for a job, Ryan insisted that I only work for him. You all know that I’m his assistant. Two weeks after I started working for him, I told him that I wanted him back, and he said that we could only have a sexual relationship. One that was for his pleasure and not mine. I agreed but made him promise not to be with any other women sexually. Then I spent the next two weeks, umm…well…giving him blow jobs in his office every day.” I bury my head in my hands as I tell them this.

  “Hold up. This is Ryan we’re talking about? He had you do that for two weeks? Wow! I didn’t think that boy had it in him.” I look up and see Candi looking impressed.

  “Yes. I think he was trying to protect himself from me, and I understood. I was hoping it would lead to more. Then, a month ago, he called me into the office, and I thought that it was for more of that. Instead, he asked me to call a girl and set up a date for him. And also make the show and dinner reservations.”

  “Shit,” Yasmin says. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt, but damn that’s cold. Ryan has always been so nice and caring with me.”

  “He is nice and caring. I really think that he thought he needed to be cold to me, so he wouldn’t take me back so easily. He wanted to punish me for hurting him.” Saying the word “punish” makes me blush.

  “Anyway, the night of his date, he came by my place and told me he had to leave her at the show because he could only think of me. He kissed me for the first time since I’ve been here in Vegas, and then we had sex. He held me in his arms as well fell asleep on my couch. I woke up in the middle of the night and decided to work on some ideas since Gary and Ryan were going to give me a chance at an interior design job. Ryan found me and had me tell him about my ideas. After hearing them, he told me the job was mine, and then we had sex again.” I’m not going to tell them what he did to me while I was talking. That’s between us.

  “So, you are back together then. That’s great,” Erika says. “Were you okay with, you know, being with him? You said you had only been with him that once and then nothing for three years. I don’t mean to pry.” She adds quickly.

  “No, actually we aren’t. There’s more. As for being okay, it was uncomfortable at first, and he noticed. I told him he shouldn’t believe what he reads in the papers and that it had been while. He asked if that meant I hadn’t been with Adam recently, and when I told him that I hadn’t, he seemed happy. After that it was very good.” I can’t help but smirk a little thinking about how good it was.

  “Anyway, I screwed things up after that first night we were together. I told him I loved him. He freaked out and left. I haven’t said anything like that again, because I didn’t want to scare him off. Yesterday when I went into the office, I decided to take a chance. I left him a little note in this office telling him one of the reasons that I love him. I know it’s silly but, I wanted to put something in writing.”

  “It’s not silly. Scott and I write each other letters all the time. I love it, and he does too,” Yasmin tells me.

  “Thanks for telling me that. So, I left him the note hoping he would like it and then I started on my work. Ryan came in and asked me to come into his office. I closed the door and went to give him a kiss. He stopped me and told me that he had things to discuss with me. He went over my salary and what he needed from me, as well as telling me he wanted me to stay on as his assistant. I couldn’t stop myself and ran over to hug and kiss him. He responded at first but then pulled away. And told me to send red roses to his date from the month before, telling her that he would make it up to her for leaving her.”

  “What the fuck?” Candi blurts out.

  “Yeah. I wasn’t expecting that, and I honestly went into the bathroom and cried for like 15 minutes. I couldn’t help it. I really thought there was a chance.” I take a deep breath and continue. “About an hour later, Ryan comes out and stands in front of my desk. He tells me he has something to say. Then, his phone rings and he takes the call, making a date with that woman, Cel, in front of me. He asked her to be his date for the party on Saturday, and also said he wanted to take her out that night. Before he goes back into his office, he leaves me a piece of paper telling me one of the reasons that he thinks that I’m awesome.”

  “Again, what the fuck?”

  “I know. The mixed signals were giving me whiplash by then. That’s when Alex came by and asked me to drive her to the bookstore and meet all of you. Ryan came out and was acting like nothing had happened, and even led Alex to believe that we were together. I told her he was with someone else, and he didn’t correct me. I had pretty much decided by then that I couldn’t keep this up and retain my sanity. I decided that I could maintain a working relationship with Ryan but there could be nothing else.

  “I called in sick yesterday and was at home, trying to relax and accept my decision, when Ryan came to my door. With my favorite flowers. I went off on him asking how he could make me order flowers for another woman and then just show up with some for me. He tried to laugh it off saying he couldn’t ask me to buy my own flowers and that he wanted to talk to me. I told him if by talking he meant sex, I couldn’t do that anymore even though I knew that I had agreed to it originally. I told him it was too hard and asked him to tone down the PDA with his girlfriend on Saturday. He said that he would, and he didn’t correct me when I called her his girlfriend. So that’s where I’m at now.”

  “Wow. I thought Scott and I had some miscommunication, but this is on a whole other level. No wonder you’re going crazy,” Yasmin tells me, squeezing my hand.

  “I think you need to force his hand. Wear something sexy and talk to the other guys at the party—not Owen, though. If he really wants you, it’ll drive him crazy, and he’ll come to you.
If he doesn’t, then you know he isn’t into you,” Candi advises me.

  “First off, Owen is like a brother to me. So no worries there. But I don’t know if I can go around flirting with a bunch of guys like that. I don’t like playing games. Besides, he’s not going to just up and walk away from his date, or girlfriend, or whatever to claim me at the party.”

  “So, don’t flirt with the other guys. Butdo dress sexy,” Sam says to me.

  “We’ll all be there to back you up no matter what you decide,” Erika tells me.

  They all agree, and I thank them as we settle in to watch You’ve Got Mail. It feels nice to finally have friends. Women who I can talk to without being afraid they’ll make fun of me or tell all of my secrets. I had to socialize with a bunch of fake women while I was pretending to be with Adam. I hated every minute of it. These women are real and pretty wonderful. I’m glad that I met them, even if things don’t work out with Ryan.

  Chapter 7

  Ryan

  I head downtown to Owen’s place after work. He used to live in City Center like Luke and me but he felt that downtown would be a better fit for him, so he moved into the Ogden. The Downtown Project is revitalizing the area and some cool places are moving in. I’d like to bring Chloe down here for a date night if I can convince her to go out with me. A few days ago, I know that she would have. But after yesterday, I’m not so sure.

  I park in the garage and head up to Owen’s apartment. He opens the door with a smile. “Hey, Ry. We’re glad you could grace us with your presence for once. All work and no play makes Ryan a grumpy brother.”

  “Ha-ha asshole. Just let me in and be ready to lose some cash.” I walk in and see Sean and Danny there, as well as Luke and Scott. I didn’t know they would be here, but I don’t mind. They’re cool guys and I can use all the help I can get to figure out how to make things right with Chloe.

  Speaking of Chloe, Sean surprises me when he tells me that he met her tonight. “I met your assistant, Chloe. She was just getting to the house when I was leaving. The girls met her yesterday and invited her over. She seems really cool.”

  “She used to be. But not anymore,” Scott tells him. I see the pain in his eyes. Chloe’s betrayal of me hit him pretty hard too.

  “She’s still cool, Scott. And I need all of your help to fix the mess I’ve made with her.”

  “You messed something up at work with her?” Owen asks.

  “No. Work is amazing. She’s doing great as my assistant and after hearing her plans, I gave her the interior design job for the Seattle building.” I look over at Owen. “She’ll be contacting you soon about the art. She wants edgy and fun instead of the usual corporate stuff.”

  “Really? Wow, I can’t wait. But if it’s not work, then what did you screw up with her? You aren’t with her again, are you?”

  “No, but I want to be. It’s always been only her for me.”

  “I called it last month when you were coming home from her place. I told you I thought you would want more, that your ‘sex only’ deal wasn’t going to fly for long,” Luke reminds me.

  “You were at her place all night? And what the hell does Luke mean by a ‘sex only’ deal?” Scott asks me and he’s honestly looking a little pissed now.

  “Yes, I was at her place. As for the deal, I need to explain everything to you guys. Then, I need your advice and help.”

  “You’ve got it, man. Whatever you need. Now enlighten us,” Luke tells me with a smile.

  “I’ll hold my opinion until you finish, but I’m honestly a little pissed right now. What Chloe did to you was inexcusable, but she doesn’t deserve to be fucked around with just for fun.” Scott’s eyes are blazing.

  “I know, Scott. That’s why I need your help. Let me explain and then you can punch me if you want to.” He nods. “I don’t think Danny and Sean know my background with Chloe, do you?” They shake their heads. “I don’t want to spend a lot of time on it, so here’s the short version. I have known Chloe since she was 11, and I was 14. We were really good friends. I dated girls, but no one ever seemed right. When I was almost 17, I realized that it was because no one else was Chloe. I asked her parents if I could date her, and I kissed her on her 14th birthday in our treehouse. We were together for five years, and I waited for her to be ready to have sex with me all that time. I was so happy with her that I really didn’t care. We did other things, but it wasn’t until she was 19, and I was 22, that we made love for the first time. The next day, she dumped me and started dating the douchebag son of one of my dad’s biggest competitors.”

  “Jesus. And you want her back?” Danny looks at me like I’m crazy.

  I nod. “I do. I have a hard time believing that she left me without a good reason, and having her back in my life these last few weeks has made me realize how much I still love her. I know that she still loves me. I can see it in her eyes.”

  “So, she’s back and you both love each other. You seem willing to forgive her. What’s the problem?” Sean asks.

  “The problem is that I have been behaving like the biggest asshole on the planet. She told me last night that she’s had enough. Honestly I don’t blame her.” I hang my head, resigned.

  “Tell us what you did, bro,” Scott says to me. “You all know what a bastard I was to Yas, but she took me back.”

  I take a deep breath and begin. “A couple weeks after she came to work for me, she said that she wanted me back. I told her that I would only have her for sex and only for my pleasure, but I didn’t want her to say I was sexually harassing her. She typed up a document and signed it saying that whatever happened between us was not sexual harassment. Then she got on her knees and took care of me. She did it every day for the next two weeks.”

  “Wait a minute. You told her she could only blow you, and she not only agreed but signed some paper and then did it for two weeks?” Owen is looking at me in disbelief.

  “Yes and no. I didn’t tell her she could only ‘blow me’, as you so eloquently put it. But I did tell her that I didn’t care if she came or not. It just happened that we didn’t do anything else those two weeks. I was afraid that if I even kissed her, I would give in to my feelings for her.”

  “So what happened next? You came home minus a shirt, so I don’t think she only went down on you that night,” Luke points out.

  “I came in to work one day and just seeing her made me weak in the knees. I was afraid I was getting too close to her so I called her into my office. She was flirty with me, and I told her I didn’t need my whore, I needed my assistant. Then I had her set up a date for me with a girl I’d gone out with last year. I had her make the show and dinner reservations too.”

  “Damn, Ry. You have been an asshole,” Owen looks kind of freaked out. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”

  “I don’t. I’ve felt like shit since we started all of this. Anyway, I went on the date, but all I could think about was Chloe. I left my date with cab fare and headed to her place. I kissed her and more that night. She told me her ideas for the Seattle project, and I hired her before doing things with her again. Then she told me that she loved me. I couldn’t handle hearing it because I could tell that she meant it. So I took off.

  “We’ve been having sex for around a month now. I got to work a couple of days ago, and she looked so beautiful and happy. I knew that she was happy because of the job and because of being with me the last few weeks. I still felt the need to hurt her, though. I called her into my office and kept our conversation strictly business. Then, she jumped up and gave me a hug and a kiss. I pulled away and told her to send red roses to my date, along with a note telling her that I would make it up to her for leaving early last month.”

  “Okay. I concede my title. You’ve been taking bastard behavior to a new level,” Scott tells me, shaking his head.

  “It gets worse,” I admit and then continue. “After I did that, I found a note she left for me, telling me one of the reasons that she loves me. I felt like a jerk, so I dec
ided to write a note to her telling her why I thought she was awesome—I couldn’t say love yet and I had seen a book like that at Yasmin’s store.”

  “Well, that sounds good. Yas loves the letters I write to her.”

  “It would’ve been good if I hadn’t answered a call from the other woman in front of Chloe when I went to her desk to give it to her.”

  “Dude.” Luke only needs to say that one word. I already know what a bastard I am.

  “Yep. I took the call and invited her to be my date to the party on Saturdayand I asked her to go on a date that night. All while standing in front of Chloe. I dropped the paper on her desk and then retreated to my office. I came out later and found Alex with her, asking to talk to her. I tried to joke about old times when they would talk for hours, and I wasn’t allowed to interrupt. Alex took that to mean that we were back together. Chloe immediately told her that we weren’t together and that I was seeing someone else, who she would meet at the party. After they left, I realized that I wanted Chloe. Like, really wanted her. I couldn’t deny it anymore. I canceled my date and then brought her favorite flowers to work for her. She’d called in sick, though, so I had to wait until later and then I took them to the guest house.”

  “I’m guessing that it didn’t go so well,” Sean remarks.

  “No. It didn’t. She was mad that I made her send flowers to someone else and then showed up at her door with some for her. I tried to make a joke but it only pissed her off more. She told me she couldn’t keep just having sex with me while I had her make dates for me and send women flowers. She begged me to limit the PDA at the party and referred to Cel as my girlfriend. Then she took the flowers and closed the door in my face.”

  “You are aware that you deserved to have the door closed in your face, right?” Scott asks me.

  “Yep.”

  “I never thought you’d be the one of us who would treat a woman so badly. I don’t think you could have done much worse to her,” Luke reminds me.