Page 1 of It Destroys Me
Chapter 1
Theo
I was in the study on the couch, staring at the fire in the hearth with my feet on the coffee table. My arm hung over the back of the couch as I held my cool glass on my thigh. It’d been a couple days since Astrid and I had spoken. Talking about Shayla had forced me onto a trip down memory lane that left me bitter. It would pass, but it passed quicker in silence with a scotch in hand.
My butler George came into the room. “Axel and Scarlett are here to see you.”
“Why?” I didn’t take my eyes off the fire.
“They’re taking Astrid to dinner. Wanted to say hello before they left.”
“What?” I blurted out the question on instinct because it made no sense.
“Shall I tell them you’re unavailable?”
“No.” I set the glass on the coffee table and rose to my feet. “I’ll handle this.” I walked past him into the entryway, seeing Axel in a button-up shirt with his sleeves pushed to his elbows. Scarlett was in a black dress with her hair back, gold earrings in her lobes.
Axel grinned when he saw me. “You want to join us?”
“Join you for what?”
“Dinner. Astrid and Scarlett made plans, and I decided to tag along. You know, just in case.”
My eyes flicked back and forth between them, detecting deceit but unable to pinpoint it. “And why was none of this mentioned to me?”
Axel gave a shrug. “I don’t know, man. All I care about is paying for dinner and getting a blow job afterward.”
Scarlett rolled her eyes, but she wore a smirk she couldn’t hide.
“You want to come?”
I looked at the stairs and expected to see Astrid standing there. “I’d rather Astrid stay here, under the circumstances.”
“You think I’d let anything happen to her?”
“She’s not your responsibility, Axel.”
“Then come to dinner with us,” he said. “Problem solved.”
I heard footsteps on the stairs and turned to see Astrid holding the banister as she made her way down in heels. She wore a skintight black dress. Her cleavage was on display, given the low-cut of the neckline. Her long hair was in curls and a lot thicker than it normally was. Along with the dark makeup around her eyes and the pink shine to her lips, she looked like she was begging to be fucked.
I watched her as she came closer, my eyes locked on her sexy-as-fuck appearance. If this was all a ploy to get my attention, then she succeeded—with flying colors. I watched her green eyes meet mine, her confidence mixed with that same vulnerability she showed me during our intimate conversations. It’d been a rough couple of weeks, and I’d felt no desire. But seeing her like that made me remember what I had under my roof.
“I would have invited you, but I figured you’d pass.”
I wasn’t sure where she’d gotten that dress. It fit her so well, it looked like it had been tailored to her exact proportions. She had nice, perky tits, so that dress was made to display her unbelievable rack. I felt everyone’s stares on me, a veil of invisible pressure that smothered my senses.
“Come along,” Axel said. “So we can talk about guns and tits while the girls talk about makeup and whatever else women talk about.”
“We don’t talk about guns and tits.” I looked at him.
“Well, now we have a topic of conversation.”
“Why do I feel like this is a setup?” I looked at Scarlett next, knowing she wouldn’t lie to me.
“We’re going to be late for our reservations,” she said. “So if you want to come, get dressed.” She spoke to me in her mom voice, manipulating me to get me to behave the way she wanted.
I looked at Astrid next, a goddamn smokeshow. “Just give me a minute.”