Naughty Friend Buys My Silence Ch. 16 (Patreon)

May 16, 2021

IMPORTANT: This is the beginning of a major turning point in the story, where the plot will start appearing to go a negative direction, but abruptly goes in a more positive direction (for the relationships involved), but this chapter does end on a cliffhanger.

<< Chapter 15 | Chapter 1

- CHAPTER 16: Choice -

- SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20: Late Afternoon -

Unfortunately, Amber ended up talking with her mom on the phone for over an hour and a half, and then wanted to rinse off in the shower after they hung up, resulting in me spending virtually no time with her at all prior to me having to leave to see Victoria.

The redhead stripper wanted me to show up at her place at four o’clock, and even made sure to send me her address once she got home, coupled with a sexy message about how she was going to ‘rock my world’ when I came over. However, by 3:40pm I still hadn’t left yet, trying to speak with Amber before I headed out, knowing she’d gotten another phone call shortly after getting out of the shower.

I could tell from her low murmurs through her closed bedroom door that she sounded serious, but had no idea who might be on the phone or what subject was being discussed.

Hopefully it wasn’t that asshole of a teacher again, although I felt confident Amber would be firm about not sleeping with him ever again.

In the end, I decided to run to my room to check something on my computer while I was thinking about it, and then finally returned to her room to knock on the door, knowing I was out of time to delay. I was already going to be pretty late at this point, as it was.

“It’s open,” she said loudly, indicating it was unlocked.

Cracking the door open, I was surprised to see that she was just pulling up her jeans, allowing me to catch sight of an emerald green thong before her toned ass was hidden from me.

Granted, I would have seen anyway, since she was only in a black lacey bra up top, allowing the straps to be visible on her hips, even after she buttoned her pants.

Frozen in place, wondering why she was grabbing such a nice shirt, which was white, lacey, and super sexy, I wasn’t able to say anything until she got the garment fully on, glancing over her shoulder at me with a surprisingly somber expression.

“What’s up?” she wondered simply.

“Oh, well, I just wanted to say goodbye before I left…” My voice trailed off.

She nodded, moving to walk over to her closet. “I guess it is about that time, isn’t it? Better get going then. Don’t want to be late.”

I frowned at that. “And what about you?” I asked seriously, even more shocked when she grabbed a pair of her black leather boots, plopping down on the bed and slipping them on, pulling the zipper up to the top of her calf casually.

She didn’t respond right away, but she wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that she planned on leaving the house as well.

Once she had both boots on, the glossy surface catching the light as she moved, she went back to her closet and grabbed one of her leather jackets, only to begin slipping it on with a heavy sigh as she faced me. “Well, you’re going to be busy for a few hours, and I’ve had something come up. But don’t worry, I’ll be back way before you are.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, suddenly feeling both angry and depressed at the same time.

But especially angry, since she’d promised me that she wasn’t going to take on any more clients during Christmas break. Fuck, did Amber really lie to me? Was she really breaking her promise?

Dammit!

I tried to keep my cool. “Don’t tell me you’re going to see that teacher,” I said almost harshly, knowing in the back of my mind that getting too pissed would cause her to respond in kind, resulting in this turning into a fight that would only make the situation worse.

She frowned at that, clearly not liking my tone. “No, absolutely not. I wouldn’t fuck that bastard even if he did pay me. Not after that stunt earlier.”

“Then?” I asked, forcing my voice to be softer.

She sighed, and glanced away, surprisingly not becoming angry herself. “It’s the guy from yesterday,” she admitted. “Cashing in on that raincheck. Said his parents unexpectedly dropped by yesterday, which was why he shooed me away, and that they wanted to celebrate a mini-Christmas with him prior to going on an extended vacation.” She paused. “He said they gave him a ton of money, as an apology for it being so sudden.”

“Shit, Amber,” I said in disbelief. “And you actually believe him?”

She shrugged. “That’s why I talked to him on the phone for so long, to make sure his story held up and he wasn’t just screwing around with me. He’s kind of a wimp. Not really the type to keep up a lie when under pressure…” Her voice trailed off. “And he already deposited a full grand into my account…” she added, only to abruptly begin speaking faster when she saw my look. “Of course, I chewed him out for doing that, explaining there was a reason why I needed the majority of it in cash, and I even threatened that I might just keep the money, instead of refunding it, but he kept apologizing, so…” She took a deep breath. “So I told him this was the last time. Forever. A fuck and a blowjob. And then, after this, I’m never helping him out again, even if he does deposit money in my account.”

I finally crossed my arms, my anger having resurfaced for a variety of reasons.

I mean, sure, I knew she still planned on doing this kind of thing, and it wasn’t as if it was something romantic by any means. She wasn’t exactly cheating on me, since we weren’t truly together, only providing a service -- something that definitely wouldn’t turn her on. Not to mention, I could see where she was coming from, considering it was a super easy thousand dollars that she could make while I was out of the house anyway.

However…

“Baby,” she said seriously. “I plan on giving you the money. I…” She grimaced and looked away. “I’m doing this for you. All that money I made last night is for you too. And I was thinking about you when I made enough money to give you ten thousand for school.”

“Why?” I blurted out without thinking, my irritation getting the better of me. “Because you want to guarantee that you’ll get to use my cock for your porn videos?”

Her head immediately snapped in my direction, her green eyes wide briefly, before they immediately narrowed. And I knew I’d truly gone too far, being unfair and illogical, since she’d always made me a priority, even when she was being bitchy toward me. And even before we started fucking only a day ago.

I apologized before she had a chance to respond, dropping my arms, knowing very well that it would be impossible to work with her if I made her pissed.

“Sorry, Amber,” I said sincerely. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

She frowned as she glared at me, before her expression slowly relaxed too.

I was again shocked.

Amber didn’t let stuff like that go.

If someone was going to be an ass toward her, then she was going to be a bitch right back, even if it was me giving her attitude. And the sudden softening of her light green eyes, was a potent reminder of all she’d told me before.

It truly was all for me.

As she’d mentioned, she’d given me over ten grand to fund my education, so that I could go to the school of my choice, and knowing that I was low on money after my first semester, she’d been literally handing me hundreds of dollars to stuff my wallet and bank account full again.

Never mind last night, when she rubbed her tits in those guys’ faces from the bar, probably doubling her tips from that alone, all with the intention on giving me the money.

Granted, I’d be a fool to think she didn’t enjoy doing this kind of thing too, even if she did normally view most of her sucks and fucks as purely clients. But it was still truly a job.

Taking a deep breath, having abruptly made a decision, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone.

I was well aware of what I was about to do.

I was well aware of the implications. And the potential consequences.

But something in Amber’s expression, and something about her behavior earlier, just made me feel like us leaving home separately would mean more than what it seemed superficially.

As if this was a huge turning point in our fledgling romance…

If we left home separately, then we were essentially just ‘friends with benefits,’ with me going off to fuck the real girl I wanted, while she went off to fuck a client as usual.

Problem was, even though we’d only just started having sex the previous day, I didn’t view her as a casual fuck.

Not at all.

I sighed. “I guess do you want to take my car or yours?” I asked simply, feeling bad as I typed out my message, but knowing I couldn’t proceed with the alternative.

My question definitely threw Amber off guard.

“W-What?” she said in sincere shock, glancing down as I typed on my phone. “Fuck, Ryan! Don’t tell me you’re cancelling on her. You can’t do that!”

I met her gaze, feeling like shit now, but trying to keep my expression neutral.

“Already did,” I said simply.

She just stared at me in disbelief, before her expression became determined and almost angry, abruptly walking up to me, reaching for my phone. “Like hell you did!” she snapped. “You’re not cancelling on her!”

I simply lifted my phone above my head, holding it just barely high enough that she couldn’t reach it without jumping. She still attempted to grab it, leaning into me as she did so, only to slap me in the chest as she glared at me instead.

“Seriously,” she hissed, her face barely a few inches from mine. “You’re going to break her heart. She has something really special planned for you! Ryan, you can’t cancel. I’m not even kidding. This isn’t a joke.”

“I fully agree,” I said seriously. “It’s not a joke. You told me you weren’t going to take on any clients for the next couple of weeks.” I scoffed. “And yeah, I realize this is kind of different. So whatever. But if you’re going to go out to fuck some random dude, then I’m going to at least drive you there.”

“That doesn’t even make any sense,” she said seriously, finally taking a step back and crossing her arms. “I don’t need you, or anyone else, to drive me around. And you’re not going to be driving me around every time I meet a client.” She scoffed right back at me, her tone becoming sarcastic. “What, did you think you were going to be my chauffeur from now on? I can’t wait around for you to be available to drive me places. Nor do I want you to.” Her tone became more firm. “You don’t need to come right now, and you shouldn’t come. In fact, I don’t want you to come. You need to go to Vicki’s place, like you promised.”

My anger resurfaced. “I’m not going to be able to enjoy myself anyway!” I snapped, prompting her light green eyes to widen at the obvious frustration. “Not when I know you’re off fucking someone else.” I then gritted my teeth. “And like I said, whatever. If you’re going to do it, then whatever. But don’t expect me to enjoy it, or to enjoy myself with someone else while you’re doing it. Because that’s crossing my boundaries, okay Amber? Seriously. This is just like in the shower. You knew from the beginning I was only ever putting up with this, and that I never liked it.”

Her light green eyes pained at that, and she turned her head away.

We were both quiet for a few seconds, before she responded.

“Fuck,” she hissed, only to sigh, focusing back up at me. “Okay, how about this? I’ll tell her I’m borrowing you for half an hour, and then I’ll drop you off at her place. That acceptable?”

I just shook my head in disbelief. “And what, you’ll wait in the car while I fuck her?” I asked seriously. “Because she has work, and probably isn’t going to have time to drop me off back home. And no, I don’t want to drive separately.”

Amber just shrugged. “I don’t care if I have to wait,” she said seriously. “I mean, if you’re going to be waiting on me while I do it, then I can certainly wait on you while you do too.”

I gritted my teeth again and looked away, feeling really annoyed by the whole situation.

Dammit, why did this have to be so complicated?

I felt like if money wasn’t a problem, or if she at least had a way to make a similar amount of money by other means, then this wouldn’t even be an issue. But this was literally her job, and I was frustrated because I wanted her to stop, whereas she didn’t even view it as an option when she was about to make an extra thousand dollars for maybe thirty minutes of work.

Basically two weeks pay, for only thirty minutes of work.

Amber sighed again, not waiting for a response, walking away from me to grab her phone off the bed, holding it up to type a message.

I assumed she was going through with the plan, even though I hadn’t agreed to it.

She then walked back up to me, looking so ridiculously hot in her leather jacket, focusing on me expectantly. Her tone was surprisingly gentle, but also very hesitant, almost uncertain.

“Need to grab anything before we go?” she asked quietly, reaching up to tuck some of her blonde hair behind her ear.

I sighed, biting the inside of my cheek, my mind unexpectedly going to dark places.

Very dark places.

My mind suddenly thinking of all the possible worst-case scenarios.

“Umm, yeah I need to grab my backpack,” I commented, knowing exactly why I really wanted to bring it. “Might as well bring my computer,” I added. “Both for while I wait, but also so you have something to do while you’re waiting.”

Of course, she understood why having it along would be useful, since she could easily use her phone as a hotspot for internet, affording a larger screen to watching a show, or whatever she wanted to do.

“Sure,” she agreed quietly. “I’m pretty much ready, so I’ll go warm up the car.”

I immediately gave her look. “You better not leave without me.”

She gave me a sympathetic expression, stepping forward and placing her hand on my chest. “I’ll wait,” she promised simply, before slipping past me and exiting her bedroom door.

Taking a deep breath, I hesitated a few seconds, only to leave her room as well, just in time to see her begin heading down the stairs. I then went into my room, grabbed a black backpack from my closet, stuffed my computer and cord in it, and then grabbed a couple extra shirts…

I then headed down the hallway to my dad’s room, not even second-guessing my decision to do what I was about to do.

Tossing the backpack on their king-sized bed briefly, I walked over to his dresser and opened the small unlocked safe, which my father had kept unlocked ever since I turned fifteen…

Because when I’d turned fifteen, and gotten my youth hunting license, he decided I was old enough to handle having access to his handgun as well, even though I still didn’t have a normal gun permit. Grabbing the black weapon, I set it on the bed, only to grab the magazine and hastily load it with a few bullets, only to proceed wrapping it up in a shirt separate from the gun, stuffing both parts into a bottom section that Amber should have no reason to check.

Of course, I had no intention on actually using it, and knew I was being ridiculous for even bringing it, but I was just so pissed about the whole situation that a part of me almost wanted something to go wrong so I could shoot someone.

Granted, I knew I couldn’t really do that.

Not unless I wanted to get thrown in jail, since I’d be shooting an unarmed individual. Never mind the headache of trying to explain why I was there in the first place, with a loaded gun without a carry permit, or what Amber had been doing there.

They’d probably think drugs were involved, as in the ‘sale’ of drugs, but that would be the least of our problems if there was a dead body involved.

Because I knew how self-defense laws worked. My father had certainly drilled it into my head well enough.

Legally, I was allowed to shoot to ‘stop a threat,’ not shoot to kill, a difference that many might not realize existed.

And whether or not lethal force was truly necessary would determine whether it was self-defense or a homicide, obviously being the latter of those two options if the victim was unarmed.

So yeah, no way in hell would I ever end up using it.

Plus, not only could Amber take care of herself, and not only was this client a nerdy one, who was more than happy to pay her for her time, but Amber also usually carried mace with her, which was again something my dad had pressed for, emphasizing that, ‘You’ll never know when you need it, so the only way to be prepared is to always have it on you.’

Honestly, I had mace too, though I usually didn’t keep it on me directly. It was stuffed in one of the pockets in my backpack, which meant I’d be bringing it along either way.

Nevertheless, I was so irritated that I wasn’t even second-guessing my intention on bringing the gun.

Shouldering my backpack, I headed downstairs, turning off the living room and kitchen lights, before heading out the front door to find Amber sitting in the passenger’s seat, my car running, while she sat back with her arms crossed over her leather jacket, looking to the side as she stared into space.

Her expression was mostly unreadable, and I couldn’t tell if she was secretly happy I was going, or truly annoyed about this turn of events. At the very least, she was humoring me, instead of drawing the line in our relationship and telling me how it was going to be.

It also meant a lot that she’d truly waited for me, instead of sliding into the driver’s seat and disappearing down the road while I was getting ready.

Not that I had been worried about her leaving without me, but her doing so certainly would have damaged our relationship in possibly an unrecoverable way. Because this wasn’t a situation that involved her simply being fickle. This was a situation where our mutual trust and respect for each other was on the line.

And despite her intention on seeing this client again, it was obvious she was trying to still respect me. Obvious that she didn’t want to lose my trust…

Opening the backdoor first, I stashed my backpack onto the floor behind my seat, and then slid behind the wheel, putting it in gear and backing up without a word.

Amber didn’t look at me, continuing to stare out the window in silence as we headed out of our wealthy subdivision and down the street.

It wasn’t until her phone vibrated that she unglued her arms from her chest, taking a deep breath as she checked to see who was messaging her.

She then began typing out a response, a pained look in her light green eyes.

I tried to keep my voice casual, forcing myself to relax. “Who’s that?”

She cleared her throat. “Umm, well that was Sarah, asking when it was alright for her to come over to hang out.” She paused. “But I’m responding to Vicki first,” she continued. “She sent a message earlier, while I was waiting on you to come out, and I just hadn’t checked it yet.”

I nodded. “Can I ask what she said?”

Amber sighed heavily again. “Vicki has a heart of gold,” she replied. “And honestly she’s a better friend than I deserve. I’m sure she feels disappointed that you’re going to be late, but the first thing she asked was if everything was alright. She especially wanted to know if my side was getting worse.” She laughed, though there wasn’t much humor in it. “Even if she dropped out of the nursing program, she still has the tendency to think every little pain is a sign of something major.”

Oh damn, I’d almost forgotten about that, since I kind of assumed it was just a side-stitch from running or something. Glancing at her again, I suddenly wondered if the pained look in her eyes wasn’t from stress or emotional discomfort, but instead from physical pain.

“And how is your side doing?” I asked seriously.

She shrugged. “It’s fine.”

“Is it getting worse?” I wondered, knowing Amber was in perfect health, but also knowing there were definitely certain ailments that could affect even a healthy individual.

She shrugged. “I think the medicine I took is helping. Although if it’s a gas pain, then the pizza for lunch certainly didn’t help.” She sighed. “Might just be an ovarian cyst or something. Mom used to get those every once in a while before she had the hysterectomy.”

I nodded, being aware her mom couldn’t have kids anymore due to that particular surgery, and that she’d actually gotten the fake boobs for a similar reason, finding out from a genetic test that she was a higher risk than average for breast cancer.

That was nine years ago.

Given that we’d all had DNA tests done just last year, partly because our parents wanted to make sure Amber didn’t share those risks, I knew that Amber sincerely didn’t have the same genetic problems. However, that didn’t necessarily mean she’d be immune to getting cysts.

As far as I was aware, any woman could get ovarian cysts.

Granted, on the positive side, the symptoms would usually resolve on their own, without surgery or treatment. Nevertheless, if she did get much worse, I knew our parents would much rather us go to the hospital to get her checked out, rather than get to the point where we were calling for an ambulance.

“Well, let me know if it’s not going away,” I commented simply, not even about to recommend that she reschedule this appointment, since I knew she wouldn’t either way, and I personally would just rather get this over with.

Unsurprisingly, Amber only nodded, saying nothing more as she tucked her phone between her thighs and crossed her arms over her huge tits again, her leather jacket making noise as she moved.

We were both quiet for a few seconds, before I resumed the conversation.

“Were you going to respond to Sarah?” I finally asked.

She shook her head. “No, not right now.” She paused. “Since we are stopping by Vicki’s place after I’m done, no telling how late we’ll be before we get home. Plus, once we do get back, I’d like to shower and maybe relax a little before we have company over again.” She glanced over at me, looking like she was going to say something else, before visibly hesitating, only to lean back more fully in her seat again, obviously choosing not to continue.

I wasn’t sure what she wanted to say, but suspected that maybe she was worried about me rejecting whatever idea she had been about to voice, especially if she was intending on recommending something that specifically involved me, whether that be sex, or an activity that was much more simple like cuddling on the couch with a movie.

I sighed, trying not to stress about the situation, forcing my tone to come out gentle and affectionate. “Want to snuggle together, or something, once you’re ready?” I offered.

Amber immediately looked at me in surprise, prompting me to meet her gaze briefly before focusing back on the road.

“If you want,” I added.

She nodded, her light green eyes looking vulnerable. “Umm, yeah. I’d really like that,” she whispered.

“Then, sounds like a plan,” I said simply, my voice losing some of its warmth as I made a turn on the road, not needing her to give me directions since we’d literally just gone this way the previous day.

She only nodded once, not responding this time as she focused back out the window.

I suspected her lack of reaction was because she heard a little bit of apprehension leak back into my tone, which I’d successfully hidden when I initially asked if she wanted to snuggle.

Oh well.

And I mean, I was doing my best to avoid causing discord between us, by openly expressing how much I didn’t like this situation, but I wasn’t exactly offering solutions either. Honestly, if I really wanted her to give this lifestyle up, then I should be the one to do my part to provide her with alternatives, whether that involve getting a part-time job and taking my education a little slower, or at least making those porn videos a big priority, in hopes that the income from those continued to increase.

Really, the porn videos could be a legitimate way of resolving this inherent problem between us, however the potential fickle nature of that income stream was something to be worried about.

After all, which would be worse -- her giving up her sucks and fucks now, only to have to return to it later when the video income dried up, or having her just doing that all along with the video income just being an ‘extra.’

Dammit.

Honestly, I was expecting too much, too soon.

Yes, I wanted Amber to give it up, because I wanted her to myself, but I knew from the very beginning it was something that was going to take possibly months to achieve. Maybe longer. Which pretty much left me with only two choices.

Either I tough it out, or I let her go completely and focus on other relationship possibilities.

Sighing, I knew there really wasn’t a second option, because now that Amber and I had crossed that line, I couldn’t imagine us ever going back.

I couldn’t imagine myself ever wanting someone more than I wanted her.

Victoria was proof of that.

The sexy redhead and I shared some intense chemistry, to a degree that I hadn’t experienced before, not even with Amber, despite how passionate it felt to fuck her. And yet, here I was driving Amber to one of her client’s places, rather than going to a private show put on by the most erotic person I’d ever met.

That alone spoke for itself.

Amber came first in my life.

And I wanted her most of all.

My tone was much more casual once we pulled into the mostly empty apartment’s parking lot, with me deciding to back up into a spot more toward the road, hidden by a fence, next to another car and facing where she’d be entering the building, so I wasn’t constantly looking over my shoulder, wondering if she was done yet.

“Alright,” I said warmly, almost cheerfully. “I guess I’ll just chill out here until you’re done. Any chance you’ll be longer than half an hour?”

Amber seemed hesitant as she replied, I suspected due to the obvious shift in my attitude.

“Umm, it’s unlikely I’ll be much longer than that, but don’t freak out if I am.” She grimaced. “After one or two meetings, some of my clients end up looking into the normal costs of what I do, and like to try to ‘educate me’ on how they could get a full-service session for an hour, for half of what I charge.” She shrugged then. “But this isn’t Vegas, and I politely inform them that they are welcome to hire an escort if that’s what they’re looking for. Still, conversations like that pop up every once in a while, and eat up a lot of time.” She frowned then. “Well, depends on their attitude. If they’re a complete asshole about it, then I don’t bother wasting my breath.”

I nodded, glancing around at the few other cars, just to have something to look at as I tried to avoid thinking too deeply about her having that type of conversation. Honestly, I found it odd that there weren’t very many vehicles in the parking lot right now, possibly because a lot of the people who lived here were college students, or maybe they were just off enjoying their Sunday afternoon.

I sighed. “Okay. Well, I might call you if you’re longer than forty minutes.”

She shrugged, her leather jacket making noise with her movement again. “That’s fine. Definitely shouldn’t be that long, but I don’t have a problem with that.” She reached for the handle to pop open the door. “See you in a bit.”

I frowned when I glanced down at her purse still on the floor, quickly clearing my throat awkwardly. “Oh, umm, you have a…” My voice trailed off when she paused, causing me to clear my throat again. “Condom, and everything, right?”

She nodded, patting her leather jacket pocket, her voice sounding normal, but all the volume gone. “Yep,” she almost whispered. She then hesitated again, before opening the car door more fully, stepping one foot out.

“Oh, and what’s the apartment number?” I blurted out, suddenly finding myself wanting to delay her. To keep her here, thanks to an unexpected visual image popping into my head of what she was about to do.

Dammit.

She frowned at that, pulling her foot back in and closing the door most of the way. “Why?” she asked seriously, her tone suddenly cautious and almost annoyed sounding.

I scoffed at her reaction. “Chill out, Amber. I’m not going to interrupt or anything. I just want to know where you’re going, is all.”

She continued to frown for a second, before sighing. “It’s 219. And he doesn’t have a roommate or anything.”

I frowned at that, recalling the story she’d told me about why he suddenly had the money for this. “And why did his parents give him so much money anyway, if he’s just going to be staying here for Christmas break?” I wondered. “Seems like their plans shouldn’t even affect him.”

“He’s not staying,” she replied simply. “He’s leaving to go home tomorrow morning.” She then sighed. “Look, I don’t have time to go into all the details right now, but I drilled him for a good twenty minutes before agreeing. Okay? Now, the sooner I get this over with, the sooner I can drop you off at Vicki’s place.”

I took a deep breath, reminding myself that this was just a job, and it wasn’t even something she would enjoy. Honestly, I wasn’t sure where my calmness had disappeared to, because I was fine when we parked, but the moment she opened her door to leave, it was like suddenly I felt like she was about to go cheat on me.

Or actually, that’s what it was.

When she opened the door, my jealousy flared up, a mental image of her fucking some asshole of a nerd popping into my head, and my natural reaction was to stop it from happening. But, I had to remember that Amber had been fucking regularly before she’d seduced me, and honestly she never would have even had the nerve to fuck me at all, if she wasn’t a slut.

More than that, she never would have tried to seduce me if I hadn’t actually caught her in the act of fucking someone who wasn’t her boyfriend.

So I had this lifestyle to thank for us crossing that line.

Because, without a doubt, we wouldn’t be lovers right now, if not for that asshole paying her three grand to stay over Friday night.

Dammit.

Who even spent that kind of money?

And yet, in a demented way, I had that guy to thank.

Fuck.

I just had to let it go.

“Okay,” I said simply, forcing myself to relax. “See you soon.”

Amber hesitated at my abrupt change in demeanor again, before nodding and finally stepping out, closing the door behind her.

I took a long deep breath as I watched her cross the parking lot, heading for the glass door that separated the communal stairwell from outside, having a weird sense of déjà vu at the sight. Because I’d seen the same scene only yesterday, except in the morning instead of late afternoon, but now the mood was completely different.

Honestly, I hadn’t felt overly jealous yesterday, but now everything had changed.

A single day, and suddenly my desire to have her to myself had become almost crushing.

That, and she’d only come here with the intention of doing a blowjob last time, whereas this time that bastard’s cock was going to be inside her. I mean, shit, I knew he’d be wearing a condom, but I felt like that was a big contributor to my jealousy right now.

Because, if this was just a blowjob, then I felt confident I’d be a little less frustrated with the situation.

A little.

Dammit.

Taking another deep breath, I leaned back in my seat as I watched her black boots disappear up the stairs to the second floor, barely visible due to the reflection of the daylight on the glass door. My gaze then unfocused as I glanced at the time, knowing I wasn’t going to be able to occupy myself with music like I’d planned last time.

No, I was just going to sit here in silence for the full thirty minutes, or whatever it took for her to come back out.

Fuck.

Scanning the area again, I noted that the snow had all melted in the sunlight for the most part, my mind beginning to wander a little bit as I realized just how nice this place really was, having neatly trimmed hedges along the rocky walls, that overall just gave this whole place a very luxurious feel. And the apartments had nice balconies too, the railings a tasteful black metal, that didn’t lend for much privacy outside the sliding glass doors, but that issue was at least mitigated with the white blinds that could easily cover an otherwise direct view into the apartments…

My eyes narrowed slightly as I focused on the two balconies on either side of the front entrance, realizing that both apartments had their lights on, allowing me to see directly into their living rooms.

Honestly, for half a second, I felt a spike of jealousy again when I realized I might see Amber at any moment, but then felt stupid for the thought, knowing the building itself was pretty wide, and had rows of balconies on the back side as well.

Obviously, the apartment she was visiting must open up in the back, and while a part of me wanted to get out and run around to see if I could view inside the place, I knew Amber wouldn’t risk fucking the guy in plain sight.

Dammit.

Taking another deep breath, I leaned back in my seat more, not having realized I’d grown so tense.

My brow then furrowed unexpectedly as a car abruptly sped past going way too fast for a parking lot…followed immediately by another trailing after it. I mean, I knew the snow had mostly melted and the roads weren’t icy, but shit!

Suddenly annoyed, I kept my gaze on them as the two vehicles hastily parked in front of the other glass door, leading to a different group of apartment doors, surprised at how nice one of the cars was, feeling like I’d seen it around before.

I then watched as five guys all climbed out, a few of them boisterously laughing at some joke while they gathered on the sidewalk, before beginning to make their way as a group to the other entrance, only making me more annoyed.

Because I wished I could laugh so carefree like that right now, the sight kind of making me miss my buddies from high school. Shit, I hadn’t even really talked to them much in a good four months now. Perks of going to school out of state -- it was super easy to lose touch, even with social media, and I hadn’t made any effort to make new friends my Freshman year.

Deciding to grab my phone out of my pocket, figuring I’d go ahead and listen to music after all, my brow furrowed again when I saw movement in the corner of my eye, realizing those guys were coming right back out the glass door, this time walking much more quietly, and moving like they had a purpose, as they headed down the sidewalk for the other entrance in my direction.

Confused by the odd behavior, my eyes suddenly widened when I recognized one of the guys in the middle, looking objectively handsome with light brown hair and blue eyes, which I only knew were blue because I’d seen them much closer only a day ago…

Shit, there was no way in hell the guy Amber let stay over Friday night lived here too…

Or did he?

No. No way.

I mean, I knew this apartment complex was really nice, but I didn’t take this guy for the ‘apartment type,’ especially after he’d dropped so much money on Amber, which then made me wonder if they were here for a party or something.

Because, on second thought, it was obvious that none of them lived here. Otherwise, they should know where in the hell they were going. But they all just went into a different entrance, only to come right back out as if they hadn’t a clue exactly where they were heading.

My anxiety immediately flared up as the worst possible outcome popped into my head, which was that Amber was actually planning to put on a show for all of them, something I definitely wasn’t okay with. But then I recalled how she’d reacted during our threesome with Victoria, and suddenly realized that wasn’t even the worst scenario.

I could think of something much more horrible.

But surely not.

No way in hell. That would be ridiculous.

Even though I knew that kind of thing had certainly happened before to other women, I just couldn’t imagine that they were doing what I thought they were doing.

But there was also no way in hell I wasn’t going to make sure, especially since it just occurred to me that Amber’s purse being on the floor meant she likely didn’t have her mace on her right this second.

Problem was, how in the fuck was I supposed to verify where they were going, without being seen?

Dammit!

Feeling like my heart was going to burst out of my chest as I tried to time it right, I waited until the first guy opened the glass door, now all of them facing away from me, before I popped open my door and attempted to casually get out.

I then started strolling across the parking lot, focusing on one of the balconies instead of their group, knowing there was only one guy who would recognize me if he happened to look back.

However, just as the last person stepped inside, revealing that they were heading up the stairs, I suddenly realized something vital.

Why in the fuck was I sneaking around?!

Who the fuck cared if they saw me?

If anything, it would be better if they did see me!

Because if they were heading where I thought they were heading, then I wanted them to fucking know I was out here, and I didn’t even give a damn what assumptions they might come to. Because, at the end of the day, I could just claim I thought Amber was dropping off a book she’d borrowed or something, not that it mattered anyway!

Fuck!

Immediately picking up my speed, I began making my way for the door, grabbing it just in time to hear two things that made my heart freeze solid in my chest.

“The hell?!” Amber said in alarm, her voice distant like she was in another room, just before an apartment door slammed shut.

Fuck!

FUCK!

Chapter 17 >> (MAIN story)

Chapter 17: ALTERNATIVE ROUTE >> (NOTE: For this story, I decided to create an alternative route, in which Ryan and Amber pursue a monogamous relationship just between the two of them. If that's not something you're interested in reading about, then definitely go with the main route, where Victoria and Sarah stay involved.)