***Knocks appears in my Mason series***

She slumped against the end of her bed, bottle of wine pressed against her temple, the letter creased in her hand, she re-read it again for the umpteenth time, her vision was now blurry but she had almost memorized it.

“No words can explain how much last night meant to me, I didn’t get much sleep thinking about it all, I just took the enormity of it in and have come to the conclusion that I need some time to figure myself out, I am going back home to try and sort my family life, I have arranged to stay with my cousin until I leave, I will be in touch soon. Please take care and remember you are a brilliant person.

Sunni x”

A fresh wave of sobs began to bubble in her stomach, another person she had cared about in her life had left. Some part of her, deep down, understood why Sunni had to leave but it still hurt just the same. She was still feeling guilty over the mess she had made regarding Clarke and the app but she was doing her best to make it right, she was ashamed to admit that she was even enjoying herself and then she had to go and bump into Seth. Fucking Seth. He had arrived just like he had done all those years ago and turned her world upside down then vanished. Lyla took another mouthful of wine and grimaced, she had been dumb to let him back in and even more foolish to think she could settle down.

The heat was making her thin vest and panties uncomfortable, she sat down the bottle and stood up unsteadily, she peeled the vest over her head and let her full breasts flop against her chest, she plucked the waistband down over her curvaceous hips and slid one leg out, her toe caught in the material and she fell forward landing heavily on her elbow. The tears that had been threatening to come all evening fell and she passed out naked on the floor.

**************************

“Who the fuck is making all that noise?” Lyla moaned out loud to the empty bedroom. It took her a few moments to realize that it was her phone vibrating on the bedside locker. She let it go to voicemail, turning her head she caught a glimpse of herself in the full length mirror, her hair was matted against her face, eye makeup making her look like she had gone seven rounds in a boxing match, it had been three days since Sunni had left and she had been in a drunken stupor ever since. She continued to make eye contact and felt a fire that was absent for weeks reignite within her.

“I am Lyla Samson.” She kept muttering as she pulled her aching, hungover body off the floor, she held the wall as she maneuvered towards the bathroom. The cold water woke her up and helped banish some of the dark thoughts and fog that had clouded her mind. She was beginning to put a plan in place for her future, tough calls had to be made but she needed to take back the power and start to get a grip. She didn’t bother towelling off as the heat was so intense that she was sweating by the time she made it back to her room. Lyla, out of habit, went to knock on Sunnis’ room before she remembered that her housemate had left. She padded down the hall to her room, her wet bare feet leaving prints on the tiles. Her phone was flashing and she unplugged it from the charger and flopped on the bed.

Five missed calls and seven text messages, three were from Seth, the other four were from Clarke. She deleted the ones from Seth, she was nowhere near the correct head space to be dealing with him right now. She pressed on Clarkes name and scrolled.

“Please call me Lyla, an opportunity has landed in our laps, this could be what we need to get back on track once and for all.” The other three continued in this vein but the urgency in which he wrote increased. She cleared her throat and rang him, the steely determination still lingering in her bones. He picked up on the second ring.

“Lyla, I had begun to think you had dropped off the face of the earth.” He panted, the apprehension evident in his voice, they had not spoken since they had Sex, their last conversation had sent her down this dark path, the two investors they had lied to had forced them to fuck and Clarke then revealed they had taped the whole encounter and were blackmailing him to do whatever they wanted. “I spoke to Gunner earlier and apparently Chris Pepper is a frequent visitor to his club in the city, he spoke to him at length the other night and he agreed to a meeting about endorsing the app at launch. Gunner so kindly mentioned that you would call to his house to drop off the paperwork tonight. I am sorry about this Lyla but he is very hard to contact and Gunner said he would cut down the wait time to give back the footage. I don’t know what Cassie would do to us if this ever came out.”

The name Chris Pepper sounded familiar to Lyla, she was sure she had seen him on some celebrity news sites.

“Chris Pepper, he’s that new Hot shot baseball bad boy?”

“Yes, that’s him.” Clarke replied, he sounded tired and defeated.

“Send me the address.” She said after the silence lingered on between them. “After this Clarke I am done, I feel like I have done more than enough to try and rectify my mistake, this weekend I am going to book an indefinite leave of absence from work and this city. I cannot go on living this way.”

She heard him sigh loudly on the other end of the line.”

“I don’t blame you, I sent Cassie on the shopping trip like you suggested and I have had a lot of time to think too. Once I get the footage back and the app is launched I will step back from it all. I have a meeting with Gunner tomorrow morning, I will check in with you then. Thanks Lyla.” He hung up quickly before she could reply.

She hated hearing him like this but the time had come for them all to hopefully put this chapter behind them. After some time spent staring at the wall, Lyla grabbed her laptop and searched for Chris Pepper online. A tall hulk of a man stood with a baseball bat rested on his broad shoulders, his career statistics were positioned beside his tall muscular figure. His game stats meant nothing to Lyla, but the 6’1, 190 lbs of pure man sent her into a flutter. She crossed her legs and settled her laptop between her knees, she clicked the interview link, his booming voice soon filled her room, he exuded power and cheeky swagger. He had the whitest teeth she had ever seen, they glowed against his caramel skin, both of his muscular arms were covered in religious symbols. His haircut was so tight against his head that it almost looked painted on, his diamond shaped goatee danced on his chin as he replied animatedly. It wasn’t just his physical attributes that perked Lyla’s interest, it was the way he spoke to the interviewer, so cocky and self assured, his charm seemed to seep through the screen and shot straight between her legs. She quickly searched for other images of him, her mouth went dry as she scanned the results. She would never tell Clarke or the investors but she was looking forward to what the night held in store.

*************************************

Lyla held the mirror of the compact up to her face and began to fix her lipstick, she had just swung by the office to pick up the contract and was now in a taxi. Clarke had tacked on a hand written note.

“I have not spoken to Chris personally but Gunner said that he was a good guy who would help us out greatly, just so you know he also mentioned that Chris told him about his more kinkier exploits while blind drunk one night at the bar, he has acquired tastes bedroom wise but of course Gunner wouldn’t elaborate but he said he was confident that you would be able to handle it. I just want this mess to be over. So please for what hopefully will be the last time, could you please work your magic so we can finally put this mess behind us. Clarke.”

“You and me both.” She said as she pushed the envelope into her bag. Her mind was racing as she prepared for the night, part of her new found empowerment included owning her sexuality and no longer feeling ashamed or being hard on herself for enjoying a good hard fuck. Getting into the waiting taxi, she rolled down the window in the back seat and let the humid night air caress her skin and gently blow her hair. The driver was taking his time and Lyla found that she didn’t really mind the casual pace. It made a change for her to take her time and not always be rushing after men. She had decided to dress casual. She wore black heels and a cut off tight white jean skirt, it made her Ass pop and legs look slim. Her black waistcoat had a similar effect on her breasts and arms. Her bag contained her reliable hook up stash, lipstick, lip-gloss, wipes and perfume. She decided against going commando despite the heat, even so she packed a second pair of clean lacy knickers and a matching bra just in case, she also had a rolled up vest and short shorts for the morning after.

“Not gonna embarrass myself further if I have to do the walk of shame.” She thought before mentally checking herself. “Not the walk of shame, that’s the old Lyla thinking, there is no shame anymore. If I do have to leave looking a mess then fuck it, it will be the stride of pride.”

A confident smile graced her plump red lips and she sat a little taller in the back seat, inhaling the sweet evening air.

Nearly thirty minutes later she stood outside the front door of a giant apartment block on the rich side of town. She told the doorman why she was here and he quickly buzzed the intercom and spoke on her behalf.

He walked down the steps to her as she was fanning herself with the giant envelope, the sun was setting but the chill of the dusk had yet to reach the streets.

“Mr. Pepper thanks you for your patience and is sorry to tell you that something has come up and if it would be ok with you, he will conduct the meeting in his limo. He also wished me to inform you that he will get his driver to drop you off at any place in town upon conclusion.”

Lyla tried her best to hide her disappointment, surprised at how much she had wanted this night to happen but figured she would make the most of the offer and get dropped off at a club, she wouldn’t give up until her night ended in a bang. She was surprised that her final task for Clarke wasn’t going to finish with a fuck but resigned herself to the fact that this was strictly business. She had neither met a celebrity up close before or been in a limo so she guessed the night wasn’t going to be a total bust.

After thanking the door man she turned her back and looked across the street at a group of people her age, sitting outside a bar, laughing and joking. She tried to think back to the last time she had a night out where she just drank moderately and ate and caught up with her friends. The realization dawned on her that she never drank moderately and had no friends. She smiled wryly to herself at the thought as she heard the doorman clear his throat.

She spun around and there Chris stood, he was the same height as her but seemed to stand as tall as a mountain, he wore faded jeans over bright red high top sneakers, a black vest framed his muscular torso, his chestnut skin seemed to glow in the fading light. The man that stood to the side of Chris was about a foot taller than her, he wore a mesh t-shirt and it was obvious that he had no body fat and was all tight muscles, he had long thin dreads that fell heavily down to his shoulders, his skin was darker than his friends’ and he wore sunglasses and a scowl. He kept turning his head up and down the street, he lingered on Lyla. He leaned in as the doorman whispered something in his ear before he tapped Chris on the shoulder and pointed in her direction.

He sauntered towards her, his left leg dragging slightly.

“You must be Lyla, Gunner told me a lot about you.” She didn’t Love how he emphasized a lot. He gave her a knowing smirk as he looked her up and down. “Real cool of you to give up your Friday night to deliver the contract. I am sorry I couldn’t take you to the house, got girl drama that I need to sort out, but maybe some other time I could give you the tour.”

Lyla’s stomach rose and fell as if she were on a roller coaster, she took a deep breath and shook her hand he had outstretched, his grip was firm as he pulled her in for a double kiss. He smelt musky and strong and she inhaled deeply despite herself.

“Ah you like it huh? It’s my new range of cologne, it drops soon, I will send you a bottle if you got a man, if you don’t you can spray it on your pillow and think of me on those long lonely nights.” He looked at the incredulous look on her face and threw his head back in a hearty laugh. “I kid I kid.”

The limo had just pulled up, Lyla walked towards it, Chris sent the doorman back and opened the car door for Lyla himself.

“Ladies first.” he said with a giant, sexy smirk that showed off his pearly white teeth.

“Fuck he is so charming.” She thought as she deliberately brushed her chest off his arm as she slid in the back seat. The rev of fuck lust stirred in her as she sat down and moved towards the window.

*****************************

She took in the amazing interior of the limo, it had dark blue strobe lighting running along the roof, halfway down was a long tinted sunroof that took up at least half the entire length. It showed the wispy clouds in stunning clarity, on the left was a long shelf that Lyla assumed was the bar. On the right was a long sofa. The air was gloriously chilled and the leather felt soft under her thighs. Chris’ friend slid in beside her, his dreads gently slapping at her knee, he moved along and sat on the sofa, one leg stretched across it. She saw Chris lean against the door and shout back to the fan that he loved them too before he entered and plopped himself beside her. He placed his hands to his face and began to massage his temple and let out a low groan.

“Have a drink man.” His friend said, immediately taking his foot off the seat and began rummaging in the fridge. Chris’s aroma quickly filled the area, it was tingling all of Lyla’s senses.

“What will you have Lyla?” Chris said as he accepted the glass his friend held out to him, the ice tinkling against the edge.

“Whatever you’ve got.” She replied, her mouth going dry.

“Knocks fix her the same and one for yourself, I feel like it’s gonna be a long night.”

Knocks went to work and handed Lyla the glass, she took a sip and the musky woody liquid burned her lips, she couldn’t help her reaction and her grimace was met with laughter from the two men.

“We have a fully stocked bar Lyla, don’t be shy. Knocks can have yours and make you anything. My best friend is a mean barman.”

Knocks immediately had a full smile on his face, Lyla handed him back the glass and it was plain to her that this man idolized his best friend.

“So which girl are you having trouble with tonight boss?” Knocks said as he passed Lyla a vodka.

“Fuck off man,” Chris replied playfully, “You know I don’t fuck around anymore, Dove is the only one for me.”

“I know, I was just fooling.” Knocks replied a little dolefully and started to scroll on his smartphone.

Chris stared at him out of the corner of his eye for a few seconds before he seemed to snap back to reality.

“So Lyla, where is the contract your boss wants me to sign, any other night and we could have had a few drinks and hung out but my girl is blowing up my phone. “

Lyla swallowed a large mouthful of vodka and began rummaging around in her handbag for the envelope, she could feel his eyes looking her up and down and her cheeks flushed red. Between her thighs started to perspire. She moved her spare clothes and finally found the contract crumpled against the bottom of her bag.

“Here,” she said as she managed to remove it without mangling it further, “Sorry it’s a bit squashed.”

He looked past her outstretched hand and tried to peer into her bag.

“You usually pack this much for all the meetings you attend or was this just an inconvenience to the wild night you had planned after?”

“No, it’s with this heat I like to be prepared.”

Chris let out a small chuckle and Knocks looked up at her and then his best friend before resuming his scrolling, he cocked an eyebrow and tried to suppress a grin.

“What was all that about?” She asked herself as she drank some more vodka, it was going down really easy but she had to remind herself that he was going to be dropping her off someplace soon and she tried to formulate where she would go and how she would turn this night around. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t realize Chris had pulled out the small slip of paper.

“What’s this? A handwritten note? How thoughtful.”

Lyla had read the contract but couldn’t remember a handwritten note, then, with all the ferocity of a moving train, it hit her, she had forgotten to remove the instructions that Clarke had left for her. She made to grab for it but Chris held it at arm’s length, his brow furrowed as he read.

“Fucking Gunner.” He said angrily, his whole demeanour changed as he tossed the note to Knocks, ” Cannot tell anyone anything these days. I heard that piece of shit pretends to be best friends with you when you are blind drunk to get some dirty secret out of you.”

Knocks read it quickly and shook his head in disbelief.

“That wouldn’t have happened if I was there boss. You all the time wondered he was a loser anyways”

“Must have been a weekend you were off making videos for your little hobby. Hand it back. I want to read it again.”

Lyla wished nothing more than to disappear into the leather seat and to fall out

onto the road, she could feel her blood scorching through her veins, a sheen of sweat appeared on the back of her neck, she held the glass to her face but it provided little comfort.

Chris held the note closer to the neon lighting and read it slowly aloud, he stopped

at the end of each sentence and shook his head or laughed sardonically.

“I have not spoken to Chris personally but Gunner said that he was a good guy who would help us out greatly, just so you know he also mentioned that Chris told him about his more kinkier exploits while blind drunk one night at the bar, he has acquired tastes bedroom wise but of course Gunner wouldn’t elaborate but he said he was confident that you would be able to handle it. I just want this mess to be over. So please for what hopefully will be the last time, could you please work your magic so we can finally put this mess behind us. Clarke.”

“Fucking hell man! It sounds even worse when you read it out loud, he is trying to make out you’re some seedy deviant.” Knocks commented, his body language unsure if Chris would laugh or lose his temper.

“Do you even work for Gunner or this Clarke guy?” Chris asked solemnly.

“I work for Clarke yes, Gunner is just an investor that is involved. I obviously didn’t mean for you to read it and I am so embarrassed, as you mentioned Gunner has a way of finding out information and using it to get what he wants. There is a lot more going on behind the scenes than you could possibly imagine. With you on board it would tip us over the edge and I for one can finally fucking move on from the business and the app.”

Lyla found that as soon as she started trying to explain herself that the words just tumbled out of her mouth. She was happy that she sounded strong and confident because inside she felt like a silly child who made another rookie mistake.

“I had an idea how Gunner made his company associates, I have seen him in action

in the past and I told myself to distance myself from people like him, I wanted to make it to the top the correct way, I am not sure I want to sign this now. Sorry for wasting your time.”

Lyla’s stomach dropped again, she couldn’t believe that she had fucked this up so royally.

“Wait Chris, please just let me explain.”

He waved her away dismissively and looked back at the note.