Chapter 46: She’s a Slut

When Luke left her loft he did not leave the building. He took the elevator down but once he got to the main floor he stayed out of plain site and waited for Caitlin. He saw the locksmith go upstairs and Caitlin come down. She knew he would be waiting, but he surprised her nonetheless.

“What do you think about our plan now, Caitlin? She sent both of us away. Now there’s a locksmith up there and neither of our keys will work anymore.”

“I’m not worried. I think arguing over her dating arrangement with the billionaires is a hot button, but when she cools down she usually calls me wanting advice. Poor little thing, she has to decide on one billionaire out of three,” she said sarcastically.

“That’s fine for your relationship with her but what about mine? I don’t want her dating any of them. But she was totally clear that she doesn’t want me anymore. I can’t compete with billionaires.”

They saw the locksmith come down and leave the building. But they also saw Alex, Don, and Ricky each get go up within minutes of each other, but separately.

From their hiding spot, Luke jabbed Caitlin in the waist saying, “There goes the competition.”

“We’ve gotta get back up there,” Caitlin reasoned. “They can do no wrong in her eyes and they’re probably here wanting to give her yet another chance.”

Meanwhile, the guys were visiting the still very tired and upset Laura.

“I came to speak with you alone, Laura,” Alex said.

“Me too,” Don and Ricky agreed.

“We all got the letters,” Ricky explained.

“And although we were each hurt immensely...,” Alex stated.

“Life without you in it is no fun,” Don concluded.

Just as Laura was about to try to work through the latest part of the billionaire dilemma, Caitlin and Luke returned to her floor and started banging on her door with their own home-delivered drama.

Laura went to the door and cracked it open a little bit, intent on denying them entry and reiterating her desire to be left alone. They took advantage of the crack and pushed the heavy door open, easily walking right past her.

“Well, well, well. We’re all here.” Caitlin sized the billionaires up.

“You must not have anything going for you if Laura told you to go,” Don said to Luke, not even acknowledging Caitlin’s feeble flirtatious wink.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere Luke ran toward Laura and grabbed her from behind, holding a Swiss Army knife at her throat. “She’s mine. She was mine and she’ll always be mine. You three just came to the show at the last act. We’ve lived together. She had more of a commitment to me than she was willing to have with one of you,” he chided, stopping between his words to take deep, shuddering breaths.

“Don’t come any closer or I’ll cut her and the lovely Laura will be no more. I love her, but I won’t let anyone else have her, either,” Luke finished his speech.

“Okay, man, okay, just give me the knife and no one will get hurt. If you hurt her you won’t be able to have her either. It’s not too late to turn this thing around. Just take it slow and easy and drop the knife,” Don said, trying to stay calm and keep everyone else calm.

“It’s gonna be alright. Just don’t hurt her. If this helps, we all love her enough to let her go. Just drop the knife and you get a second chance; use the knife and lose everything,” Ricky calmly tried to explain what he was up against while he encouraged Luke.

“I don’t even want her after she’s been passed around you three. She’s yesterday’s news. A real slut. A hussy. A b*tch. A whore. I just don’t want any of you to have her. Got it? So I could slit her throat like this and this whole share-a-whore situation would be over.” Luke was gaining momentum with his own twisted logic.

“I bet you all screwed her too. What, you can’t find a better piece of *ss than this cheap piece of trash with all the money you’re supposed to have? Ha! I’ve got more game than all of you and I don’t even have a job.” Luke pulled Laura closer to him.

The hand he was holding the knife in was shaking. The sharp side of the blade was against Laura’s neck. When he moved her closer to him, he pricked her slightly and a drop of blood fell.

Alex was angry about the danger and violence they were experiencing, but he had been easing his way closer to Luke and Laura. Alex had a ninth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and felt no compunction about using his skills right then to set Laura free and take Luke down. When he was an arm’s length away from Luke, he moved the man’s arm from around Laura, and pulled it behind his back, making him drop the knife.

Don ran up, kicked it out of the way, and picked it up with his white, cotton handkerchief. It left a little red spot. Ricky moved Laura as far away as he could. She was shaking and in shock, so he grabbed the blanket from the sofa and wrapped her up in it, then just held her on the sofa and rubbed her back to keep her as calm as possible. Anyone would have tried to help her from being murdered, even if she had broken their hearts. The guys were good guys, and they answered duty’s call with a humane response to a potentially homicidal situation.

Caitlin had been sitting on the floor in an almost fetal position, rocking back and forth. She did not know that violence would be part of the new plan. Now it was almost certain that she had no chance with any of the billionaires.

“If you two are what pass for her friends, that’s the most pathetic thing I’ve ever seen. I think you should probably take your services elsewhere, you’re no longer welcome here!” Don shouted.

“You’re lucky that we didn’t call the cops,” Ricky said, raising his voice only slightly so as not to upset Laura further.

“Get going and don’t come back if you know what’s good for you,” Alex warned.

Caitlin and Luke left as fast as they could, scared off by the anger radiating from the three men. The men’s force of friendship, love, and protection clearly surrounded Laura. It was evident to both of them that the billionaires’ love for Laura, a bond broken by hurt or not, would always be stronger than Caitlin and Luke’s jealousy and hatred.