Chapter 56: Chapter 56
/Amber's pov/
Yes, I was expecting you to put money down my trousers like some sort of stripper, but I wasn't expecting you to do it like that." He laughed and shook his head, clearly delighted. The man questioned me as he withdrew an envelope from his pants and gave it to me. "So, what are you going to spend your money on then, Angel?" he inquired.
I shook my head, a smile on my face. "I'm at a loss for words. What are we going to buy? "You get half of it."
He gripped my ass and stated, "I don't need anything, I already have everything I could possibly desire right here," his hands still clutching my ass.
"Is that all you want? Just my ass?" I asked, my voice full of mirth.
He flashed a smile. "Strictly speaking, it's my ass now, right?" He looked at me with a sneer before kissing the back of my neck.
"For the time being," I joked as I backed away. With the envelope, I blew on myself to cool myself off. Having obtained what I want, I'm not certain if there is anything in this relationship that is beneficial to me anymore.
Mike placed an arm around my waist, laughing and rolling his eyes at me as he did so. Then, as we were walking down the hallway, he proposed, "Come on, I'll accompany you to class."
Mike took the envelope from my hands. "Would you mind taking care of this for me?" "I don't really trust myself with it, and I'm afraid I'll mess it up." It made me feel sick to my stomach to think of losing all of that money.
He accepted it with a grin, folding it in half and tucking it into the inside of his jacket's pocket. "And what if I don't get it back?" he wondered.
When we arrived at my class, I embraced him and pressed my body against his, squeezing him against my body. "If that's the case, you'll simply have to pay me in kind," I said, nibbling his lips before sprinting out of the room into my class.
As I stepped into the room and sat down next to Kate and Josh in the seat they had reserved for me, Jessica gave me a look. It was fortunate for me that my instructor was also late, else my tardiness would have resulted in detention.
The next month flew by in record time. Mike was still the most charming boyfriend on the planet, bringing me out on dates and getting me flowers and chocolates on my birthday and other special occasions. Jake was still overprotective in the same way he had always been; nothing would ever change in that department. My mother returned to work, but she was scheduled to return home in two weeks because she was required to remain on for some kind of product launch or something. Despite Jake's displeasure, Kate was continuing flirting with Josh and making him feel bad about himself. Kate's ex-boyfriend, Jake, informed me that Mike had talked to him about her. Jake, it seems, did not want Kate to be with him; he just did not like the idea that Kate was falling all over someone else when she used to be into him. He seems to have felt a bit left out. So, in order to fix the situation, he slept with a couple of additional females, which helped him feel much better.
In addition, our connection with Josh had altered significantly. Actually, he was a pretty good friend of mine at this point; he was such a wonderful man who appeared to be gaining confidence with each passing day. I believe that Kate's influence had a role in this decision. They'd gone out with each other a number of times, and Kate informed me that he'd kissed her the night before, which she thought was fantastic. She was genuinely very taken with him, and I believe he felt the same way about her, which was lovely.
The past two weeks, Josh had been to our 'after game party' for a couple of hours after the game, which was held on Fridays. Josh had been coming to watch the Friday hockey games with us. We never talked about my father, he never asked me anything about him, and I never brought him up in our conversations. On rare occasions, he would make a passing reference to him, usually in connection with his personal life or home, and every time it happened, I felt sick and a little panicked.
Today was a Sunday, and I was accompanying Josh to a skateboarding tournament where he was competing. The moment he pulled up, just after lunchtime, I kissed Mike goodbye and ginned at his pouty expression. "Mike, please stop pouting. With a grin on my face, I replied, "I'll be back in a few hours."
He let out a big sigh. "But why am I unable to attend? "Sundays are my days," he mumbled, a smirk on his face.
I cracked a grin. "Mike, as I previously said, he was only eligible for one guest pass. He requested me to accompany him on his trip! Put an end to your moaning. "I'll see you later," I said, kissing him on the cheek once more as I rose to my feet. "I'll always love you," I promised as I reached for my keys and telephone.
Angel, I opened the door and dashed to the vehicle, hearing him shout out, "I love you, even more, Angel."
"Hey," Josh said, a smile on his face, as I climbed into his gleaming little sports vehicle.
“Hey. "Are you all pumped up and ready to go for the competition?" I inquired, a smile on my face.
He smiled and nodded. "Actually, I'm a little scared about it." The new trick that I've been practicing has been proving to be unsuccessful. When he sighed, a grimace appeared on his face. "I'm going to seem like such an idiot if I fall on my face."
"Don't worry, Josh, you won't fall on your face. "Have some self-assurance," I said angrily in response.
He drove us to the skate park, where they had put up a massive half-pipe ramp thing, and he smirked and rolled his eyes as he did so. The previous week, Josh had attempted to teach me a few things about skating, but to be honest, it was like most sports-related instruction that went in one ear and out the other. If it wasn't dancing, I simply wasn't that interested in it anymore.
Normally, I like seeing Mike play, but just for the sake of perving on him when he was in his uniform. The ramp that they had constructed was incredibly massive. When I glanced at it, it made me feel a bit queasy. It was at least fifteen feet high on each side, and it towered over everything. "Can you tell me whether you're certain about this?" As we approached the sign-in booth, I posed the question. Josh gave us our competitor credentials, and we were each issued yellow wrist bands and waved into the competition.
"Don't worry about me, Amber. I'll be alright." Then he took me over to the skater area, where people were gathered, ready to go on the ice and practice. He chuckled the whole time.
"Holy sh*t, Josh, that's a lot of money! "What if you get hurt?" you may wonder. My question came as I swallowed a knot in my throat.
"Hey, get it out of here right now. "You encouraged me in the vehicle to have some confidence, and I want you to do the same," he continued, a smile on his face as he spoke. I had faith in him, but it would be devastating if he were to fall from that height! We waited on the sidelines and watched while the other skaters had their rounds. The stunts that they were doing really blew my mind, including somersaults, handstands, and whatever else came to mind.
Throughout the whole process, I felt worse and worse. I wasn't even sure I'd be able to stand there and watch him do it. After about an hour, Josh was summoned to the dressing room to get dressed, and my heart began to race against the walls of my rib cage.
"Oh, my God. "Please use caution," I pleaded with him.
"I'll give it my best shot. "However, if I die, you may take my vehicle," he said, a wink in my direction.
"Only if I can re-spray it pink," I laughed, trying not to show him how afraid I was of the prospect. He smiled and dashed off to a nearby place to warm up for a few minutes before continuing his journey.
When it was time for him to speak, I couldn't take another breath. I stood at the end of the platform, watching him ascend the stairwell to the top of the platform and position himself at the end with the board pushed up, ready to go. He glanced down at me and I attempted to reciprocate with a grin - I'm quite sure my face looked more like a grimace, but it was an attempt. When the whistle sounded, he was the first to tip-off. I clenched my eyes tight, listening to the applause and cheers of the crowd, but I didn't want to see anything. My intuition told me that the moment I opened my eyes, he'd fall to the ground and break his neck.