BROOKE POV
Oh boy, I challenged Samuel to fuck me through my utter frustration and anger towards him. I needed to release my pent-up emotions in the most physical way possible. But what the hell was I thinking when I blurted it out and then realised what I'd said? Yep, I have given Samuel Hunter permission to fuck me hard and give me a night filled with orgasms. The thought of it made my heart race and my body ache with anticipation. I couldn't believe I had actually said those words out loud, but now there was no turning back.
I shook my thoughts away as I glanced in the mirror to admire myself in my maid of honour's dress, and wow, it suits my figure perfectly. I was so focused on admiring myself that I blanked out my sister and my friends, chatting as they sipped champagne.
Just four weeks to go, and my sister will be getting married. I just hope mum and dad don't forget, because they've been living it up on a six-month cruise.
Leah offers me a drink as I step down from the platform. "Brooke, that dress looks amazing on you." Leah compliments me as I take the tall stemmed glass from her.
"It's beautiful." I made the remark as I turned to face the mirror and marveled at how the flowing, translucent satin dress highlighted my curves. The gentle pastel hue of the fabric matched my skin tone flawlessly, giving me a sense of divine beauty. I couldn't resist smiling at my reflection, feeling confident and graceful in the gorgeous dress.
"Brooke," my sister says to get my attention, and I turn to face her with a soft smile. "Lance and I overheard you the other night at dinner whispering to Samuel and challenging him." I was caught off guard and didn't know how to respond. I cocked my head and downed the drink, then reached for Ashlynn's and downed that too.
The girls glared, waiting for me to explain myself, but I simply shrugged and said, "Just having a little fun." Leah raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced by my nonchalant response.
"Oh no, you don't, Brooke. You spill the beans right now," she demanded.
"Did you kiss Samuel again?" Ashlynn asks as she refills our glasses with champagne in an attempt to loosen my lips.
My eyes bulged out of my head as I realised I couldn't keep the secret any longer. "Okay, we kissed, and it got a little heated, so we pulled back, then we kissed again." I admit it, and they glare at me, not impressed that I kissed Samuel. Damn, he's my fucking weakness; I can't help it.
Then my sister laughed, which caused Leah and Ashlynn to join in. "Brooke, are you fucking crazy to let him do this to you? Damn, you really got it bad for this guy." Ashlynn spits.
"What I want to know is the challenge you're willing to accept." Leah asked, and I just shook my head, unsure of what to say.
Shit, I really need to find the right words, or I'll never live this down. But hey, there's no need to hang back; I might as well just blurt it out. "The challenge I'm willing to accept is..." I paused as the room fell silent, waiting for my response. "For Samuel to fuck me hard and fast," I blurted out, feeling a sense of relief wash over me.
I slumped on the sofa, waiting for the girls to say something, but all they did was stare at me with wide eyes and mouths agape. I immediately regretted my outburst and wished I could take back those words. "Oh now, you all shut up and have nothing to say about it?" I remark as my eyes glare at each of them.
"Hum," Ashlynn says.
"Yeah, I guess we were all just surprised by what you said," Leah added.
"Lance and I heard everything." My sister informs me as she hides her face. I could feel the weight of their judgement in the air as I struggled to come up with an explanation for my outburst. The silence that followed was deafening, making me wish I had kept my thoughts to myself.
"Brooke, we all know Samuel is your weakness, and when he's around, you become a completely different person." Ella tells me.
"The fucking chemistry you and Samuel have is like a raging forest fire that no one can put out." Ashlynn's soft voice trails off as she looks at me with concern.
"Just be careful, okay?" Leah chimes in.
"Do you think he feels the same way?" I asked, and they all nodded.
"Oh yeah." Ashlynn spits and nudges Leah.
"I've watched the way he stares at you, and there is definitely something there." Leah said it with a knowing smile.
"Brooke, he feels the same because Samuel spoke to Lance about it and confirmed that he has feelings for you too." Ella says, as she hugs me.
"And all this time, I thought it was hate between us." I paused, then added. "Even at school, he was a fucking nightmare, pulling on my ponytail to get a reaction from me." I smiled at the memory, and that's when I realised that it wasn't hate; it was just his way of trying to get my attention.
Damn, Samuel Hunter liked me when I was six, but yuck. Mmm, back then I would have thought yuck, but now I'm like twenty-six and I think about how silly it was to judge someone so harshly when we were just kids. Mind you, Samuel was cute back when he was eight years old, and now he's even more attractive as an adult.
Fuck, Samuel Hunter is fucking hot compared to other guys, and don't get me started on that damn succulent body of his. Oh, my pussy is aching for him.
Five years is a long time to be without him, to feel his fingers glide over my exposed skin, or to have his tender kisses flutter across my neck and collarbone. Oh boy, all the images are rushing back from that one night five years ago when I slept with Samuel Hunter and woke up feeling more alive than ever before.
My goddamn clit is throbbing with anticipation at the mere thought of him.
Yep, the fear of sliding between the sheets with Samuel is lingering for all the wrong reasons. But the excitement and passion from that night still haunt me to this day.
***
The girls and I headed to the restaurant, where we were meeting up with the guys to discuss a few more things for my sister's hen night. But sadly, Samuel was not joining us due to his schedule, and he needed to sit with his co-star to go over the script.
So I called Fletch to join me because we still had a few work issues that needed to be sorted, and this was the opportunity I needed to address them.
As we sat, Fletch leans closer to me and whispers, "I think I know what the problem is." I grabbed my mobile to read the text, but my attention was on what Fletch said. So I started to speak in code.
"I think the issue is with the new project deadline," I said cryptically. "Autumn is too soon. We need to push it back at least a month."
Fletch nodded in agreement and whispered back, "I'll talk to the team about it later."
"September was supposed to be activation day. But Tia pushed for autumn, which is still early. Fletch, did you manage to get the coded message to the tech team for further review?" I asked him.
"There were a few bugs in the new system that needed to be sorted out first. Tia was happy with the final outcome, and she wants us to team up again for the next project." Fletch informs me.
We glanced at one another as the server took our orders, and as my mobile pinged, so did Fletch's. Which means there's been a breach in security. We need to act fast.
"Hum, Fletch, and I need to leave for a work thing." I blurted, and everyone sitting at the table stared at us as we stood and rushed out of the room.
Fletch was on his mobile and I was on mine as we headed towards the exit.
But as we headed towards the car waiting for us, Samuel stepped in front of us and blocked our path, a look of determination on his face. His bodyguards closed in around us to keep the screaming girls at bay, but what I wasn't expecting was for Samuel to get all hot-headed towards Fletch.
"Listen, I don't care about your work," Samuel said sternly. "You're not leaving until we settle this once and for all." Fletch raised an eyebrow, ready to defend himself as the tension between them escalated.
"Samuel, we are in a hurry." I said. But there was no getting through to him when it's clear that these two guys don't like one another. As the argument between Samuel and Fletch intensified, I could see that this was not going to be resolved quickly. The tension in the air was palpable, and I knew we were in for a long wait before we could continue on our way.
"Did you think I would just let you get away with that?" Samuel shouted, his face turning red with anger.
What the hell is he talking about, and then Fletch gets in his face? "Let's just try to calm down and talk this out like adults," I interjected, hoping to diffuse the situation before it escalated further. But it was clear that both men were too heated to listen to reason, and I braced myself for what might come next.
Fletch was about to throw the first punch when I grabbed him and shoved him towards the car that was waiting for us. I could feel the tension in the air as I struggled to hold him back.
"You really think you are some sort of god's gift to women, don't you?" Fletched shouted at Samuel, and I'm not sure how or why this escalated so quickly.
How the hell do Fletch and Samuel know each other? I didn't even know they were acquainted with each other. But duh, they obviously know each other to be shouting like that.
"Fletch, get in the fucking car." I hissed as I got the driver to help me, then I turned my attention to Samuel, who was clearly not happy. "And you, I will deal with later." I spit with rage at Samuel, who was finding it hard to stay calm.
"Oh, I'll be waiting, sweetheart; you know where my room is," he replied with a sinister smile.
I shake my head as I slide into the car with Fletch and vent my anger at him.
"What the hell was that?" I yelled as the car pulled away from the restaurant.
"Nothing, Brooke."
"You call that nothing, Fletch?" I hissed with gritted teeth.
"Just drop it, Brooke. We need to sort this pressing issue out with the breach in security before it's too late." Fletch couldn't even make eye contact with me as he spoke. I could feel the tension rising between us, as we both knew the seriousness of the situation at hand. Despite my frustration, I knew that focusing on finding a solution was more important than dwelling on Fletch's unsettling encounter.
"So how do you know Samuel?" I asked.
"Brooke, just drop it." His voice was low but filled with warning. I could tell he was hiding something important, which was making me even more curious.
If Fletch wasn't going to give me answers, I would have to ask Samuel himself. I needed to get to the bottom of this mystery, and if Fletch wasn't going to cooperate, I had no choice but to seek answers from Samuel directly. It was clear that there was more to this situation than met the eye, and I was determined to uncover the truth.
Two very hot-headed guys filled with hatred towards one another were not going to make this easy, but I was not going to back down. I needed to navigate through their animosity in order to uncover the secrets they were both keeping.
What were they hiding that caused them to have an altercation and throw insults at one another?
This will lay heavy on my mind until I get the truth from one of them.
The car pulled into the underground car park, where Tia and the rest of the team were waiting for us. But Fletch is still quiet, not making eye contact. I didn't have time to ponder over his sulkiness and wanted to focus on the dilemma that the entire team was going to face.
And with that glint in Tia's eyes, it didn't look good. I knew we were in for a difficult conversation. Tia's expression was a clear indicator that the situation was more serious than I had anticipated.
"I'm not going to sugarcoat it, but we have had a cyberattack on a government web site. The scammers are targeting vulnerable people, so I need all available personnel to shut it down. Brooke I need you to plant the seed. Let's take down these scammers." Tia informed us as we all stepped away in different directions, heading to our offices, where we have the most sophisticated technology known to mankind.
Within a few minutes, I had coded the seed, and it was planted. Now to watch the scammers go crazy.
This is what I love about my profession: getting the bad guy.
*****
Thank you for reading.