Episode 4

The next day, Blade was in his office, shouting at his manager who stood in fear of being sacked. What he did was worth getting sacked but he was hoping the boss would show him mercy.

"You are fired", the boss finally said, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Get out!" Blade ordered.

"Please sir", he almost knelt down. That job was his only means of survival and losing it would mean starving for months.

"Please, boss, forgive me", he continued pleading as Blade was furiously going over the paper works before him again and again. He was confused, angry and frustrated. He didn't know where to start from. The manager had made a big mistake which was going to cost the company a big fortune, thereby making them incur some losses.

Blade hadn't seen it coming and it shocked him to the bones. He trusted the manager so much but he had been disappointed. A single mistake from him was going to ruin his company but he wouldn't allow that. He wouldn't even allow the man another chance to make the same mistake again. He was a man of his words, even though he showed mercy whenever he chose to.

"I promise, this won't repeat itself again", Blade's blazed red eyes locked with that of the manager and he almost scrambled away in fear. But he was a man, he stood his ground shuddering in fear and anticipation for a second chance.

"Landon, when I said get out, I mean it", he barked the words at him. "So get out or I will call the security to come and throw you out."

Landon felt threatened. He didn't want to be humiliated so he took a step backward with a sad look on his face. Then he walked out.

Blade heaved a sigh of relief that he was gone. It was as if he was gone with a little of his anger. He discovered seeing him alone was making me annoyed and irritated.

After much thinking, Blade felt the mistake might have been caused by an outside source. As much as he tried to figure it all out, the puzzle was a bit difficult. He was tempted to pick up his phone to call his private investigator to help him fix the dilemma so he could get to the root of the matter.

He huffed and puffed simultaneously. His anger hadn't fully dissipated. He wanted something calming. He got up from his seat abruptly, deciding to go home.

He picked up his briefcase and phone before walking to the exit. He got out of the company without having a smile like the rest of the days, he wasn't happy about the losses.

The car was awaiting him outside and he got in. When he rested his head in his seat, he knew all he needed at that time was Tory's sweet music. He was glad he employed her. He was sure he would never regret what he did.

He smiled.

After spending several days at home, away from work to regain his strength and zeal to work again, Blade was back to his normal self. Tory was also there to help him through. He didn't tell her anything but he was sure she caught on to it that he was sad.

Her music made it easier for him to deal with the office problem. He loved how she moaned involuntarily whenever she struck a low tone. He was able to find out his attraction for her was genuine after spending the fifth day at home.

He wanted more of her music so one day, when she got to work, he invited her over to the terrace to play him some music.

It was open and Tory felt more safe outside than being indoors with him. The way he ogled her the past few days was making her uneasy and uncomfortable. She has been careful so as not to cause a messy relationship between best friends. She couldn't think of why both men were attracted to her at the same time.

Her relationship with Arnold had graduated from lust to love. She could no longer deny her feelings for him and he always sang to her ears how much he loved her whenever they were making love.

She was attracted to everything about him, from his blue eyes, hair, and appearance as well as the aura around him and the way he walked with confidence. She felt like coming over to the house to stay there because of him but she was scared what her boss would say of that and if he would ever approve of their relationship when he got to know.

Tory didn't know how to tell Arnold that his friend was attracted to her. She was being careful, besides she knew Arnold to be hotheaded.

Blade watched her play and sing at the same time. He was sitting crossed leg with the glass of wine beside him. His hand was on his jaw as he peered at her intensely, watching her every move, appreciating her shape and studying her features.

When Tory struck on the last string to indicate the end to her music, he gave her a standing ovation with a proud smile on his face. Tory was just sitting there smiling down to herself.

When he was done clapping, he opened his arms for a hug. Tory was shocked. She didn't know whether to decline or not. She knew she would look foolish if she declined so she stood up and walked into his arms for a hug.

The hug was passionate.

Arnold didn't go to work. He had been unusually lazy ever since Tory started working there. He couldn't get enough of her. He was either having sex with her or watching her do things around the house, especially when playing music to his friend.

He could see how much she loved music and that was one thing she had in common with his friend. He wasn't really a fan of music but with Tory's sonorous voice, it was sparking up the interest for music in him.

He got up lazily from the bed. He had missed Tory the last few days. She barely had his time because his friend was always home and they were always together with Tory singing him a song and playing the guitar for him.

He realized he had a hard on and groaned. He wished his friend was away so he could have Tory to himself all day long.

He grumbled and walked to the bathroom. He freshened up and pulled a shirt over his head before heading out.

As he ate his late breakfast, he heard the sound of the guitar coming from the terrace and he smiled. He made a mental note to go check after eating.

When he was done eating, he moved swiftly to the terrace, winking at one of the maids. He had done that before realising the gravity of what he did. He scolded himself mentally doing that after chuckling slightly at his behavior.

He got to the terrace to discover Tory was done playing. He wanted to join his friend so he could watch her face and appreciate her shape. The thought of her wasn't doing anything good to his morning glory. He was still as hard as a rock.

He wanted to see her boobs and sucked on them once again like he did the other night. They were ripe, firm, shiny, round and beautiful. He loved everything about her, even her large hips that drove him crazy.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Troy in his friend's arms. They were passionately hugging each other. He became mad and almost rushed out to beat up his friend. He tried to calm himself down as he watched them.

Tory pulled away from her boss and hugged shyly. His friend touched her face and pecked her forehead. His mouth lingered there for a while, making Arnold more mad. Then Blade kissed her nose, finding his way to her mouth.

Arnold knew he was going to kiss her and he was resisting the urge to go stop them as he tightened his fist. Before he could touch her lips with his, Tory Burch was out of his reach, as if sensing his presence.

"I need to go now, sir." She said,

Blade wanted to say something but was cut short by the ringing sound of his phone. He picked the phone up from the little table his wine was placed on.

"Hello?" He said into the phone and listened to what the person from the other side was saying. Tory was still waiting for his permission to go.

"Ok?" He waited for a while before adding.

"I'll be there in a jiffy." He disconnected the call and got up in a hurry.

"I need to go to the office", he informed Tory. "If I don't come back home early, you can go home", he didn't look at her as he rushed off.

Arnold had hid from the terrace so he wouldn't see her while Tory watched his retreating figure, trying to take in what just happened between them.

When Blade was out of sight, Arnold got out of his hiding place and walked to Tory furiously.

When she saw him, her face broke into a smile. Arnold didn't return the smile, his face was frowned and Tory knew instantly that he saw what happened and she was in for a round of argument with him.

Arnold grabbed her hands and dragged her all the way from the terrace across the living room to his bedroom. Tory followed quietly. She knew he was angry and she was thinking of how to defend herself.

When they got to the room, Arnold locked it and stood with arms akimbo, waiting for some sort of explanation which was not forthcoming. His anger intensified.

"How long has this been going on?" He demanded, pointing his hands towards the window. The terrace was out of the window view.

"What?" She exclaimed in pretense.

"Dont fucking tell me you don't know what I am talking about", he half-yelled at her.

"Well, I don't know what is getting you all rolled up like this' ', she folded her arms, trying not to get intimidated with his looks and ensuring that she wasn't stammering.

"Angel, don't tell me you don't know what I am talking about", he muttered with disbelief. She took note of how he called her name. She loved the sound of it.

"No!" She said sharply, shaking her head to get out the thoughts of any romance with him.

"No?" He laughed and turned his back on her. When he faced her, she saw his red angry face and she almost trembled beneath his gaze.

"If you want to act like you don't know what I am saying, fine. What the hell happened between you and my friend just now?"

Troy shrugged. "That was nothing."

"Nothing? And he was hugging and........"

"It was just a harmless hug", she defended.

"Oh, really? That hug was harmless?" He shouted, pointing towards the terrace again. "And he even kissed you?"

"He didnt. He only pecked my forehead and......" She trailed off.

"Go on, I'm all ears", his hands were folded as he tapped his feet on the ground.

Troy sighed. She looked at his angry face and thought of what to do to calm him down.

She dropped her arms in resignation. "I'm sorry, I didn't see it coming."

"Really?" He was sarcastic.

"Come on, Arnold '', she moved closer to him and he stopped her with a stretched out finger. He was telling her not to come closer. Tory was hurt by his actions. He wasn't even giving her a listening ear and she got mad.

"What do you even take me for, uhn?" She shouted at him in annoyance. Arnold was shocked at the outburst.

"You think I'm the type of girl that will date a friend and a friend at the same time? Because I dont seems to get you. I don't see how what happened is my fault. In Fact, I avoided the kiss from happening, if I hadn't stepped away, your friend would have kissed me. Well....I guess you didn't see it well enough to know what I did right", she said in one breath.

Arnold's eyes softened a bit and he paced up and down the room. Tory moved to the door when she waited for his reply without hearing any word from him.

She tried to get out but noticed the door was locked already. " I need to get out of here, please open the door for me." She requested politely.

Arnold didn't answer, he was just watching her. He was thinking of what he would have done if it was another man doing that to her. He hates sharing and Tory was someone he wouldn't want to share with anyone, especially his friend.

"Arnold", she called, pulling him out of his reverie. " I made a request. Come open the door for me", her voice was a bit raised.

He strolled to her and touched her shoulder. She flinched in anger and hit his hand away. He laughed. It got Tory more angry.

"I'm sorry", he apologized with a half-smile.

Tory looked away. He was getting her with a smile.

"Babe, come on", he pulled her into his arms. Tory struggled to get out of his hold but he was stronger. He began to laugh at her effort to be free from his grip. After several attempts, she gave up, making Arnold laugh more. His laughter sounded like music to her ears.

" I'm sorry", he apologized again, when he noticed she wasn't smiling. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"I have nothing to say to you. Just let me go." She said stubbornly.

"Come on", he urged her to smile but she didn't. Then he began to tickle her and she ran away from his hold. He ran after her, laughing together like children. When he caught up with her, she was close to his bed, he continued his tickling and she fell to the bed. He got above her without letting go.

"Please, stop!" She pleaded, amidst laughter.

"Will you say something now?" He demanded, without stopping his ttorture on her body.

"Yes, yes, yes, please!" She answered in a rush.

He stopped and grinned at her as she panted like someone who had done a marathon race. They both laughed.