Blink (Billy Hargrove x OC)

#26 The Negotiation/The Ultimatum

"Don't talk to my wife that way!" Neil gets up out of his chair so he's towering over Billy.

"This is exactly what the problem is!" Billy stands up to face him.

"Billy." I lightly grab his wrist and Billy looks at me angrily then softens his gaze after I stare back at him, terrified.

"Billy." Neil's dad says in a mock British accent.

Dammit.

"Fuck you dad." Billy says. "Don't talk to her like that."

"Hey!" Susan stands up too.

This is getting out of hand.

The three start arguing and I stand up too and yell "HEY!"

Everyone turns to face me. Susan looks like shocked and angry, Billy is just steaming, and Neil looks like he wants to bite my head off.

"This isn't going anywhere." I say. "Look, I know I'm not a part of this family and I'm not trying to be-"

"Good, then leave." Neil Says.

"Dad." Billy growls.

"But..." I continue. "We have to circle back to what we came to do. We have Max."

Susan glares at me.

I look at Billy. "If you can't control your temper this is never going to work."

Billy huffs and sits back down.

I sit with him. "Thank you." I say.

Billy takes a long swig of his beer. Slowly, Neil sits down with Susan.

"You want me to stop putting my family in their place huh?" Neil looks at me. "You're obviously the man of this relationship since my pussy of a son needs you to tell him what to do."

Even after Billy beat Neil up, Neil still doesn't respect him...

"No." I say. "Billy is the man."

I look to my boyfriend.

"But we're a team." Billy says, wrapping his arm around me.

Neil sneers.

"We can up and leave at any moment. And we will take Maxine with us. You're a businessman, lets do business." Billy says confidently.

"What do you want?" Neil waves his hand.

"If you fail to show me, Susan, or Maxine respect, then we will leave." Billy says, emphasizing the word 'respect.'

Neil scoffs. He turns to look at Susan and sizes her up.

"Would this make you happier?" He asks.

Susan just looks frozen, like a deer in the headlights.

"Susan." Neil says suavely and reaches for his wife's hand.

They exchange a glance, sorrowful and longing.

Susan doesn't say anything but Neil sighs and turns back to Billy. "Okay. I can try. But I think I'm going to need a little something else to push me through, I'm a little set in my ways."

Neil smirks and looks down, then sets his stone cold eyes on me.

Chills run through my body again.

Please, please don't make it something hard. Please. Please just heal your family. Please let Max grow up in a normal home and please don't break Billy anymore than you already have.

I catch myself slowing time a little bit, and Neil's words are dragged out from his open mouth slowly.

"Break...up...with...your...whore..."