Flip Trick

  I’m taking out all the shit I need for my protein shake when my phone starts ringing in my pocket. I throw the spinach and bananas onto the counter and then reach for it, sliding it unlocked. “Yo.”

  “Maddox, I need you to not get into any trouble right now, do you understand me?” Stacey screams into the phone, I pull it away and hit speaker.

  “Yeah, I got it,” I answer, putting my phone on the counter.

  “I know you’ve got it, but has it sunk in? Like really seeped into that big brain of yours, because I know you’re not stupid, Maddox!” She sounds breathless, and she used my full name. She’s pissed.

  My eyes narrow. “What are you doing?”

  She exhales loudly. “I’m—I’m…” The doorbell dings. “At your house.”

  I hang up on her. Of course she is.

  I pull open the front door then turn back around, heading to the kitchen. She shuts the door behind herself. “Mad, I get it, I do, but you can’t keep doing this to me. I’m tired. Okay? I’m tired, and I’m just—good Lord what the fuck are you making?” She gestures to my shake.

  “My smoothie, and I know, Stace. Trust me. I just, I’m all fucked up right now.”

  “This bitch. She always gets you all fucked up!” She throws her hands in the air in frustration.

  I chuckle, swallowing my shake and wiping the shit off the top of my lip. “Stace, you’re a cool chick, and you do a fucking lot for me, but if you refer to her as ‘bitch’ again, I will clean my floors with your blood. Got it?”

  She rolls her eyes, pulling out a bar stool. “Fine.”

  Yeah, Stacey is my ex, but she and I were over a long time ago. Well before Amethyst came back on the scene the first time. It just took Stace a little longer to catch on. There are no blurred lines now, though. She knows where her place is, and that’s nowhere near my cock. She’s also married with a kid now too. Ben, he’s cute as fuck. Kennedy fluffs around him like a mother hen, and then always proceeds to ask me when she’s getting a little brother. Stace’s husband is a good guy. He’s the complete opposite to her. Where she’s loud and annoying, he’s quiet and chill. I feel for the dude. She wears the pants in their marriage, but you see the love they have for one another.

  “Okay, so I don’t think we need to release a statement just yet. I will make one tomorrow, but until then, we can leave it. Your followers have bumped up another hundred thousand on Instagram and you’re currently trending on Twitter.” She carries on, but I tune her out. I don’t give a fuck about online presence, she knows this. She’s all “it’s the way of the future,” and it’s too exhausting to tell her to shut up, so I just let her fly off on her rants. With a nod and a casual “mmhmm,” she almost always thinks I’m list—

  “—Maddox! Were you listening?”

  “Hmm? Yeah? Why?”

  Her face goes flat.

  My phone rings and I take it, thankful for the distraction. I don’t look at who is calling.

  “Sup?”

  I wink at Stace.

  She flips me off. “Fuck you.”

  I touch my heart in mock hurt. “You hurt me, baby, you do.”

  “Good.”

  “Hello?” I answer again, but the line goes dead. What the fuck. I look down at the caller ID and see Amethyst’s number, so I call her back. She answers on the third ring.

  “Hey!” She sounds over the top happy. Something’s wrong.

  “Why’d you fucking hang up on me?”

  “Jeez, Maddox, when did you become so moody?”

  “Around the time you left me for your baby daddy.”

  Silence. “Ouch.”

  “That hurt?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good, because I’m just warming up.”

  “Think I’ll call you back when you’re in a better mood.”

  I push off the counter and take a swig of my shake. “Hang up on me and I’ll use a stick next time, and trust me, there are other ways I can use one other than smacking you across the ass with it…”

  “Yeah?” I can hear the humor in her tone and every muscle inside of me loosens slightly. “Who said I was giving you a second time?”

  I chuckle. “Who said I’d fuck you?”

  “Oh Jesus Christ,” Stacey massages her temples.

  I lick my thumb and trace it down my stomach, winking at her.

  Stace scrunches up her face and points to her ring, then mouths, “Married!”

  I grab my junk and mouth, “Owned.”

  Stace blushes. I ain’t lying, Amethyst owns my shit. Always has, but that won’t stop me from walking away from her again if I think she’s going to waste my time. I want her more than I’ve ever wanted or needed anything, but I’m also stubborn as fuck.

  “Who’s there?” Ame asks casually, obviously picking up on my being distracted.

  “Huh? Oh, Stacey. You remember her right? You said she was a bitch.”

  Stace straightens in her chair, her face stiffening in offense. “Exxccuussee me, but—”

  I laugh. “Shut up, Stace, I’m kidding. Go home to your husband and Ben, I’ve got this handled.”

  Amethyst is silent on the other end. She’s probably sulking because she doesn’t know about Stacey.

  Stace picks up her shit and gives me one more glare before leaving. Once the door is shut, I sigh softly, gripping my phone.

  “Baby…”

  “Hmmm?” Amethyst says.

  “Stop thinking.”

  “Maddox, I don’t even know you anymore.”

  I laugh, gritting my teeth. That fucks me off. “Ame, you’re the only person walking this earth that truly knows me, so shut the fuck up because you’re beginning to piss me off.”

  Silence.

  I exhale. “Come over.”

  She clears her throat. “I don’t really want to.”

  “Come over.”

  “I should be getting ready to go back to L—”

  “—Amethyst?”

  “Yeah?” she replies softly.

  “Come. Over.”

  She sighs. “Okay, send me your address.”

  AMETHYST

  “I don’t think I should…” I announce loudly, walking back and forth in the sitting room. I’m pacing, undecided with what to do. I glance at my packed bag, rake my long ass hair out of my face, and then look back to Leila and Wolf. Talon had to leave early with Liza, something about them arguing. I don’t know much about Liza or her family, which is odd considering she has always been there. I wonder if Leila knows much about her. Focus.

  Leila shuffles on the couch. “Listen, I think you should go…”

  I pause. “Lei, look at my body! Last night was… was,” I pause, searching for the right words. “Was so fucked up that I can’t even form the right words. I’m sore, I can’t walk because my vagina feels like it might fall out of me, my ass cheeks are on fire, I have bruises all over my arms and neck, but do you want to know what the worst part is?”

  “No,” Wolf answers instantly getting to his feet. “I fucking don’t.”

  “What?” Leila says, tilting her head.

  “It’s what he did to my head. He distorted my mind just as much as he did my body, Lei!”

  “For fuck’s sake, we need some boundaries in this family,” Wolf dashes out of the room, but we both ignore him.

  “Amethyst.” Leila stands and slowly steps toward me. Her hands come to my shoulders and I let my eyes drift to the floor to ceiling window that demands NYC. “I’m going to ask you this question, and you need to answer it.”

  “Okay.” I look back to the fireplace and watch as the hot flames thrash together in an attempt to create heat.

  “Do you want to be with Maddox?”

  Instant. “Yes, but it’s complicated.”

  She shakes her head. “It’s really not. You’re complicating it with your anxiety, nothing else. Go and see him. Give him a shot, give both of you a shot. For the love of God, it would make all of our lives simpler.” She sags back ont
o the sofa and massages her temples. “Stacey is his head of PR and marketing. She’s happily married to her lovely husband and they have a very cute son named Ben. Maddox hired her because, well, who she is as a person and she knew Maddox. He somewhat trusts her. Go and talk with him. You owe it to you both.”

  I leave the house, catching an Uber to the address Maddox sent me. I texted Mom briefly to see if she wanted to catch up while I was back, but she and Elliot went out of town after bailing Maddox out of jail. I told her I’d see her once I sort out this Maddox thing and this sex tape thing. People are about to be sued, that much I know. I get out of the car and slam the door closed. He lives on Long Island, which is even farther from Mom and Elliot, but close to Wolf and Leila. It’s all modern-day glass with wooden railings. It screams executive beach home. I can smell the damp salt in the air and hear the crashing of waves, so I take it it’s a beachfront home. I go to the door, but it’s opening before I get there. Maddox grins, inspecting me closely. He looks bigger but leaner, then I remember his fight that’s supposed to be on in a couple weeks.

  “Hi,” I say, tucking my pink hair behind my ear. I felt miniscule compared to his house, and him, but that really is nothing new.

  “Hey, baby, come in.” His hand comes to mine and he pulls me inside, shutting the door as soon as I’m inside. A spiral staircase is to the left, the railing woven with intricate swirls. The walls are bare—no artwork on them. There’s furniture lazily sitting around with white sheets covering them. This house lacks the home touch. Even though every wall is glass, with the beach directly as the front yard, the air is warm.

  “It’s only one of my houses. I bought this for the trips home. I live in Vegas full time. Cass and Ken live there too.” He disappears into the kitchen.

  I want to say that I know, but I don’t. I’ll put that in the box with how Travis videotaped us having sex without my knowledge. The box will be labeled Things that will make Maddox explode. Handle with caution.

  He comes back out holding a couple of drinks, then gestures toward another room. I follow him into the living area, my attention going to the roof. “It’s…”

  “Empty,” he finishes for me, handing me a glass of red wine.

  I smile. “Yeah.” Then I take a seat on the large sofa. “So, any particular reason why you wanted to see me?”

  “Yeah,” Maddox says, sitting beside me. He’s wearing loose grey sweats and nothing else. The band to his Calvin’s strapped around his waist is taunting me. The tattoos—taunting me. The nose ring…I could go on. He must take that out during fights. “Gonna need you to sit on my dick again, Rosé…”

  My eyes cut to his.

  He bursts out laughing, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me into his chest. I sip my wine and count to ten.

  “I’m kidding,” he kisses the top of my head. “Sort of.”

  I shove him, kicking my sneakers off and curling my legs under my butt. “I’m sort of mad at you.”

  “Well, that’s cute, babe, but I’m real fucking mad at you, so…” He gets to his feet, putting his glass on the small table and disappears into the kitchen. I quickly look around to take in anything else I can. But there’s nothing. Most everything seems to still be in boxes.

  “Are you going to be unpacking here any time soon?”

  He comes back holding a box of donuts. I grin, my heart clenching in my chest.

  He puts the box between us and sits back down. “How can you be mad at me now? I bought you donuts.”

  I hide my smile from behind my shoulder. “Tiramisu?”

  He watches me, a dimple sinking into one cheek with his half grin. Goddamnit. “You know it.” He licks his lip.

  I take one out and bite into it. “Mmm,” I suck the cream off my finger. “Are you about to tell me you’re married again?”

  He laughs, sipping his drink. “Nah, babe. No way.”

  “So, what, then? What’s your story?”

  “You mean what’s my story since the last time we saw each other? Do you not watch TV or, I don’t know, go on Instagram?”

  “Oh, I do,” I say, taking another bite and chewing slowly. “I just don’t go on there for you.”

  “Ouuuccchhh.” He smirks again. “Not much, Rosé. Ken takes up most of my time when I’m not training or running the businesses I have.”

  “Oh?” I say interested, leaning back on the sofa and putting the donut back in the box. I go to suck my thumb, but he snatches my hand before I can do it.

  “Do that shit again and our talking is done.” Then he wraps his lips around my thumb, his tongue flicking against the palm of it. He grins, his eyes connecting with mine. My lips part, my breathing shallows. He sucks off the cream and then bites my finger in his retreat. “Carry on.” He takes another sip of his Whiskey like he didn’t just blow my mind. Or my ovaries.

  I’m still trying to gather my wits from the explosion inside my vagina when I clear my throat. “Ah.” Fuck. Why does this fool always have a way of making me feel like a teen again. “Um, I didn’t know that you had a business?”

  “I’ve always had Dutch.”

  “Wait.” I shake my head and put my wine glass onto the coffee table. “You own Dutch?” I remember the restaurant cabin he took me to. I didn’t know that he owned it, though.

  He nods. “Yeah, I do. It was my mom’s and when she passed, Dad wanted to sell it. I begged him not to when I was little, and that I’d buy it off him when I was old enough. Wolf and Talon didn’t want anything to do with it. The memories we have there are raw, and I hate going out there, but I kept it for her, unlike the rest of the bitches in my family.”

  “I loved that place,” I whisper out. “I didn’t think you were uncomfortable when we were out there, Maddox.”

  He shook his head. “Ame, things aren’t the same when you’re around. I can handle anything. I look down to the gold chain he’s got around his neck. The chain he stole from me so many years ago. “And you still wear my chain?”

  “Never took it off. It’s always around my neck when I’m not fighting, whether it’s under my shirt or not,” he answers smoothly. “Want a tour of the house?”

  I shake my head. “No. I sort of…”

  He tugs me onto his lap so I’m straddling him, then buries his hand in my hair and yanks on it, forcing my head back. He licks my neck. “I’m hoping your next words are going to be want to fuck…”

  I moan. “Yes, yeah.” Only, I haven’t told him that I’m leaving to go back to LA tomorrow.

  JESSICA

  When I first found out that I was pregnant, I was horrified. Not because Jonah and I were having a baby. That wasn’t it, even though that was partly why I was terrified. We were friends. Best friends. Who got very drunk one night, decided to be each other’s firsts, and in true my luck way, I got pregnant. At sixteen. Back then, that was scary, but that still wasn’t it.

  When Amethyst was born, she stole my heart, and Jonah’s. We were so smothered with her love that we decided to take her away from my family and bring her to somewhere fresh, so we moved to Washington. Figured it was a safe enough area and far enough away from my family and most of their connections. Amethyst was two when my mother first tried to interfere when she found us. You see, I was raised in a motorcycle club. My family wasn’t just blood, and we sure as hell shed it. I didn’t want Amethyst anywhere near that life. So, I took her away from everyone and we started fresh. I tried my hardest to make Amethyst choose a different college. I moved back to New York fairly early on and opened my bookstore when Amethyst was around four, only for the sole purpose of keeping a closer eye on my mother. But Amethyst was adamant that she wanted to go to Columbia, and her father and I aren’t the kind of people to refuse something she wanted. She never asked for anything, never expected anything. She was never a bad child, so we felt we owed it to her to allow her to attend Columbia, even though we both knew the dangers of it. Elliot was Jonah’s best friend through school. He and I had a long history growing up, so I
knew he was here when I moved back. I knew he was married with the boys—but we still carried on our affair. I’d meet with him every Thursday at five at Krispy Kreme so he could give me an update on my mom and Satan’s Angel’s MC. Elliot ran this city, he knew who was coming in and who was going out. Nothing passed him.

  Amethyst doesn’t know about my family. The only memory she has is of when my mom took her to a playground and left her there. Well, that’s the story we told her.

  I needed to keep this secret.

  Amethyst has gone this far without knowing. Because if she finds out about what happened that day, then she’s going to find out the biggest thing I’ve kept from her and I risk losing her forever.

  “Jessica.” Liza comes into the kitchen, handing me her cell phone. “I don’t know how long we have.”

  I clear my throat. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean,” Liza says, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear. Gosh, she was beautiful. “She is coming.”

  AMETHYST

  I stretch my arms wide, trying not to wake Maddox. Reaching down to grab my phone, I check the time. Just past one a.m. I should leave, but I don’t want to. I want this with him.

  I look around the room, and even though it’s empty with just the king-sized mattress we dropped in the middle of the floor with a few sheets, it felt full because I was with him. He is here. I bury my face in my hands. What the fuck am I going to do?

  I stand from the mattress and make my way to the little patio that hangs off the room, quietly sliding the door closed behind myself. I suck in the fresh salt air, gripping the railing. My hair floats in the whisk of wind as the angry ocean waves crash against the heavy sand.

  “You ok?” His voice pulls me out of my peace, and I smile.

  “Yeah.”

  I look out to the ocean, watching the waves pelting against the sand. It is therapeutic, and one of the many reasons why I loved the Hamptons, I love Long Island too though.