Fools Like Us Read online

  I nearly growled at Rory’s last comment, but I ignored it. “I told him not to do this, but…” I shrugged, finally glancing at the diamond and nearly cried, thinking of what he’d done when he put it there.

  “Damn Courtney. I never would’ve thought you’d fall for someone so easily. Why are you tearing up?” Gabe said, sounding concerned.

  I sniffed and shook my head. “I’m just… Goddamn, this is so typical! It’s bullshit I can’t stay here with him.”

  “Yeah, but you got a job, remember? And I’m guessing he does too?” Curtis added.

  “He builds cars for rich people. The night we met he’d just taken a job, so he has to stay here.” We got in the line to board the plane. I pulled out my phone.

  “May I have your attention, please? Courtney Hague-McNamara, please step up to the desk.”

  What the fuck?

  “Hey that’s you, right? Your new married name?” Gabe asked.

  “Yeah. Lemme see what this is about. Hold on.” I strolled to the desk and waited for the reservations agent.

  “Mr. Hague-McNamara?”

  I cleared my throat. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Hi. Just wanted to inform you, your seat has been upgraded to first class. Stand off to the side and wait to board in about five minutes, okay?”

  I rolled my eyes and smirked. “Thanks.” Only Chancellor would do that without telling me. I took the boarding pass and walked back to where my friends were.

  In a way, I was sad I wouldn’t be sitting with them, but on the other hand, I figured this was the beginning of what Daddy Chancellor would do to make his point.

  “Sneaky bastard.” I muttered to myself and grinned. “I’ve never sat in first class so I might as well enjoy it.”

  “Damn. Must be nice.” Rory said, smiling. “What’cha gonna do in first class, hot shot?”

  “Have a drink and take a nap.” I removed the neck pillow from the bag and plopped it on.

  “Wow. I’ve only sat in first class once with my Mother.” Gabe offered.

  “I never have. Make sure you fill us in on how it is, Court.” Curtis asked.

  In only moments, the lady asked for first class and military to board. I sighed, eyeing the rest of them. “I’ll see you guys soon.”

  “Yep.” Rory said, waving his middle finger at me.

  “Jerk.” I mouthed and walked onto the aircraft.

  By the time I settled in my higher-class seat, we arrived at O’Hare. The man sitting next to me snored from the moment we got on until the thing touched down. Thank the goddesses Chancellor got me these earplugs to drown him out with dance music.

  Once we were cleared to use our cell phones, I fired a quick message to Chancellor to let him know I made it. Immediately, I received several hearts and kissy lips, telling me to call him when I got home.

  Contrary to what I was used to I was one of the first to get off. When my friends met me, we grabbed our bags from claims then headed upstairs.

  As we walked towards the shared ride area, I heard someone calling my name.

  “Courtney? Mr. Hague-McNamara?”

  Another person who used my hyphenated name.

  What the hell did he do now?

  When I turned around, a guy, dressed in a suit ran up to me, holding a sign. “Sorry, sir. I wanted to catch you before you left. Your ride is waiting.”

  “What?”

  “Your car, sir. I’m supposed to take you home.” The man waved his hand towards where a bunch of drivers stood, holding signs.

  “What the…”

  “Wow. I guess you’re getting home fancy too.” Curtis said and whistled.

  My cheeks pinked and I laughed. “I… shit, guys. I guess I am. Who hired you?”

  “Mr. Chancellor did. He said look for a pretty man with a pink carry-on.” The guy spoke in a heavy accent.

  Daddy strikes again.

  After I hugged the three of them, they followed me outside. The chauffeur took my bags, placing them in the trunk, then opened the door for me to climb into stretch limo.

  As the man drove off, I blew kisses at my friends. Admittedly, I loved that he’d made sure I got home in style, but I was riddled with guilt for leaving my friends to fend for themselves.

  On the way to my apartment, I texted Chancellor to let him know I was in the limo, to which he replied: Good. Take advantage of it, get some sleep, and call me as soon as you get home.

  I replied with thank you again, I will, and kisses. But no way would I be sleeping. I’d already grabbed water from the fridge and an apple since I was hungry. I lay across the seat to put my feet up though. Had to say, this was a lot more comfortable than being cramped in a small car with my friends.

  Since it seemed Curtis would be the only one siding with me about marrying Chancellor, I dialed him. I was sure Rory would eventually come around, but I was a little ticked at Gabe for blurting out the info on Brad. He claimed it wasn’t in purpose, but I didn’t believe him.

  “Hey, Court. Are you home yet?”

  “No. Maybe an hour away. Did you guys grab a car?”

  “Yeah. We’re still stuck in traffic though. Seems like the moment you left everyone needed a freaking ride. Have you talked with your hubs yet? Damn that shit sounds weird.” He laughed.

  “I know right? I texted him, but we’ll talk when I get home.” I took another sip of water and a bite of my apple. “I miss him something fierce, but neither one of us would get anything done.”

  “Dude, if I was you, I would’ve stayed with him. Not because of that ring, but because of what he did before putting the thing on.”

  I sighed, nodding in agreement. Chancellor had gone out of his way to prove a point. After thinking of it a little more it was kind of embarrassing, but at the same time I loved it. How many men would go through such great lengths to let you know how much they wanted you? Chancellor did a lot in just these first five days. I could hardly wait to see what else he had under his sleeve.

  “Courtney? Hello?”

  “Shit, sorry, Curt. I’m just…” I exhaled and sat up straight, propping my foot up on the rest in front of me.

  “I know, off in dreamy land with your man. You wanna call me back later?”

  “Yeah. I need to regroup. I don’t have much time to rest since I go back to work the day after tomorrow. I really fucked up on that.”

  “Well, you also had no idea you’d come back married.” Curtis laughed. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Okay, I’ll call you all after I talk to him. Text me when you guys get home though.”

  “All right.”

  “What the hell, ho? You don’t wanna talk to me?” Rory screamed from the background.

  “I will later, bitch, okay? Bye Curtis.” I pressed the disconnect and put my phone in my purse. After sipping more water, I leaned back against the seat cushions to relax and watch the familiar sights go by.

  Plenty of farms, open acres, and gas station signs with how much fuel costs. So different from the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas.

  Where is Chancellor now?

  At that moment, I placed my bottle in the cup holder and lifted my hand. The sunlight bounced off the ring, nearly blinding me but that’s not what held my attention. It had been hours since Chancellor had licked my finger, but I couldn’t get the memory out of my head.

  “Freaking bastard.” I grumbled and smiled, thinking of when he’d come to see me. I had to make sure my apartment was spotless before he stepped through that door. Judging from his place, he liked everything pristine. Mine wasn’t a dump, but it wasn’t as majestic as his house.

  Then what?

  Knowing how needy we were, how could we carry on this relationship being so far away? Surely, he wouldn’t be able to come every weekend, right? He had to run his business. That would take him away from me for extended periods of time.

  Regardless, I had to be strong, not only because I didn’t want to disappoint him, but also to prove to Rory I could be faithful. While
true what he’d said about my attention span when it came to partners, I was ready to turn over a new leaf.

  This would be challenging, but Chancellor was worth the temporary suffering. It wouldn’t be easy, but nothing in life ever was.

  Chancellor

  As I suspected, Erick was shocked and dumbfounded by my news. He claimed to need a couple of drinks, but I told him to hold off until we got home. Despite being a straight guy, I could talk to Erick about almost anything. Hardly anything phased him…well, other than any discussions about my sex life to which he said was business he didn’t need to know.

  “So, you married a guy you knew all of about twenty-four hours?” Erick glared at me and sipped his iced tea.

  “Less than.” I patted the corners of my mouth and placed the napkin on the table.

  “And he lives where?”

  “In Carrollton, Illinois. It’s far away, but he’s worth it.”

  “Man, dude. What were you thinking? And this guy is how old?”

  “Twenty-nine. Why are you asking?”

  Erick shook his head and bit off his club sandwich. He finished chewing then swallowed. “I figured he had to be a young, hot, piece of ass for you to jump so quickly.”

  I snorted. “He’s not just a hot piece of ass. He’s a college instructor, a former dancer, and a sweetheart.”

  “And?”

  “Perfect boy material.” I said before drinking my water.

  Erick twisted his lips. “I knew it.”

  I grinned at him and leaned ack in my chair. Didn’t matter that the man wasn’t gay. I’d filled him in on my desires for years, especially since he was the only one other than Tarik that would listen.

  “So, he’s your boy.”

  “Yep.”

  “But he lives in another freaking state.”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  “You trust him?”

  “Implicitly. Giving him the ring put a lot on his mind. So did other things, but you don’t want to hear that.”

  Erick put his hands up. “Nope. I’m good. I’ll take your word for it.”

  “You sure, Erick?”

  Erick smirked. “Positive. What happened when you gave him the ring?”

  “I almost picked him up and tossed him over my shoulder.” I shrugged and exhaled. “If he didn’t have responsibilities at home...”

  “You would’ve made him?” Erick cut me off.

  “No. I’m very convincing. Tyrant and Daddy aren’t the same thing.”

  Erick raised an eyebrow. “For real? I thought the whole point to that was making someone do what you want?”

  “To a certain extent, yes. That’s beside the point though. Even if we weren’t into that dynamic, I would’ve married him. Perhaps not in that short amount of time, but… Erick, things just clicked for us right away. Like, boom, chemistry.” I spread my arms for additional affect.

  “But you don’t know much about him.”

  “I don’t have to. I’m sure more will come out when I visit him, but, dammit, Erick I feel it in here.” I pointed to my heart. “He’s the one.”

  “You mean you feel it in your other head.” Erick laughed.

  “See there you go. Always the cynical one.”

  “I’m not, I just find it hard to believe you’re falling for someone you barely know. I don’t believe in love at first sight.”

  “I never said it was love…yet. It’s based on gut feelings. I’m not gonna lie. Our physical relationship plays a part, but sometimes, not a lot needs to be said to know how you feel about someone. It’s that spark, man. The fire that burns through my veins when I’m around him. How he makes me feel.”

  “Look at you waxing poetic.” Erick smiled.

  “Do you ever recall me doing that when I dated someone else?”

  “Not like that. Lord knows you tell me everything about whoever you’re dating, so.”

  “Because you’ll the only one that’ll listen. When Tarik ran off with the tycoon, you took his place.”

  Erick snorted. “Lucky me. It’s cool though. I’m happy for you man, just shocked. I’m not sure that kind of setup would’ve worked for me.”

  “Hey, I’m not all that crazy about it either. Us being apart will be a test, but I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to handle it.”

  “I hope so… but—”

  When my phone rang that special tune I’d picked for Courtney, I put my hand up. “Hey sexy.”

  “Hey Daddy. Thanks for the flowers.”

  I grinned and sat up in the chair. “You’re welcome. I guess the flower people made it there right after you did?”

  “He was waiting in his truck by my building. Scared the crap out of me too.”

  “Ah, that’s no good. Don’t you live in an apartment?”

  “I do, but my landlady wasn’t here. The driver says he usually would’ve left them behind, but there was so many he decided to wait.”

  “All right. Well I’m glad you’re home safe. Did you enjoy your ride?”

  “Yes, thank you. Look, I know you want to take care of me, but I felt horrible leaving my friends at the airport while they had to take an Uber.”

  “Okay. Next time I’ll make sure to include them.” I said with a grin.

  “Chancellor, that’s not the point, I just… ugh. That might be a little overboard.”

  “Baby boy you’re gonna have to get used to it, okay? Now, I’m having lunch with my best friend. I’ll give you a call once he goes home. I’ll text you first then we’ll video call. I need to see your sexy body before I sleep tonight.”

  “Shh. Oh God. I don’t know if I can handle a video chat. I’m still thinking about you sucking my finger.”

  I chuckled. “It tasted good, but not as delicious as your… um, the rest of you.”

  Courtney laughed. “Why didn’t you say dick?”

  “I’m not sure my bestie wants to hear me say that, plus I’m in a crowded restaurant… even though, if I was alone that second part wouldn’t have mattered much.”

  “Really? Oh, well, um… I guess I’ll have to wait to find out then. I’ll let you go on and finish eating.”

  “I’m done, babe, but it’s kind of rude to carry on a full conversation with company at the table. I had to answer though to make sure everything was all right and to hear your sexy voice.”

  “Aww. Oh my Goddess, Chancellor you’re gonna make me regret leaving Vegas aren’t you?”

  “Yes, I will. Let me go. I’ll call later.”

  “M’kay. I’ll be waiting.” Courtney dropped his tone an octave and that made my blood flow south.

  I nibbled on my bottom lip and reached under the table to give my cock a swift tug. “Kay, babe. Later.” When he hung up, I put my phone in my pocket, then took another drink from my glass.

  “Boy, sounds like you got it bad. From that look in your eye I suppose it won’t be long before you’re talking about how much you love him.”

  “No, it won’t but, it doesn’t matter. We skipped the love part to get to marriage. Now it’s all about learning about and complimenting each other.”

  “And what if you find out something you don’t like?”

  I shrugged. “I’ll deal with it. I don’t think there’s anything that would drive me away from Courtney.”

  “What if there is?”

  I wiped my mouth and leaned back in the chair. Erick had been through some hard times so I could see where he was coming from. “We’ll work through it, man. I’m in this for the long haul. No matter what it is that may come up, we’re in it together.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Courtney

  After last night’s virtual make out session with Chancellor, I slept like the dead. I didn’t even hear my alarm go off at around a quarter to six. Thank the Goddess I was off work today. The more I thought about my stupid move, the angrier I got. Truthfully, I needed another day to prepare for Chancellor’s arrival tomorrow night. It wasn’t a sty, but not the way Daddy would expect it.r />
  Thinking of how much I had to do, I turned over and grabbed my phone. Perhaps if I begged the Dean, she’d allow me to take a vacation day.

  Just as I started dialing, my phone started pinging and lighting up like a Christmas tree. I had six unread texts. Two from Hubby, one from Rory, two from Mom, and one from my boss. I opened that one first, wondering what it could be about.

  Dean Ellis: Courtney, I know you expect to come back to work tomorrow, but we have your class covered through Friday. Please do not return until Monday. Thank you. Hope you had a great vacation.

  “Well, I’ll be damned.” I smiled to myself. Good thing I checked my messages instead of ignoring them. Next, I tapped Rory and Curtis. Both of them just said to call when I finally woke from my haze.

  Although my parents and I weren’t close anymore, Mom regularly checked on me. I did send her a quick note to say I was home, but now I supposed she wanted to talk about my trip. Maybe now that I had the next four days off, I’d inform her of my great news. It had crossed my mind to take Chancellor with me, I figured I’d clue them in first.

  Lastly, I swiped the screen to see what Chancellor said. Immediately, my lips curled into a smile, noticing the eggplant and red lip emojis along with an old song lyric he sung to me last night.

  “Making love to you is like a dream come true and I never want to wake up.”

  Why was he doing this? No question, I loved it. Even better when I stroked myself while envisioned him pummeling me into the mattress.

  However, it was no good for my productivity.

  Mr. Clean was in my immediate future, not Mr. Hague-McNamara. If I wanted to have this place spotless, I had to get out of bed.

  Next message.

  “Can’t wait to christen your new bed tomorrow night. ??”

  “My new bed? I don’t have…” At that moment, my phone pinged again, signaling a new email. I slid my finger across the display and read it to myself. “Oh Goddess. Chancellor.” I covered my eyes, dragging my hand down the length of my face. I should’ve known complaining about how old my mattress was would set my man into motion. As much as I needed a new one, I didn’t want him to start buying things because they didn’t measure up to his standards. We’d have to chat about that once he touched down tomorrow evening.