On the Edge (The Grange Complex Book 1)

Dexter

The confirmation was in the photo, but I still couldn't fucking believe it. I began opening the cupboards and pulling out whatever pills I had left on the counter. My mind started chasing one thought after another; a sign that I was just about to lose the last bits of self control that I had left in me. The world started spinning, turning me into another person, the violent Dexter. I was ready to beat the crap out of someone just to relieve my frustration.

I had no idea what to do, who to fucking call. They could lock me up for this shit, and I could get a good few years in prison. The pills were supposed to stop making me feel like I was losing the ground under my feet.

I always slept with whatever woman came my way, but a fucking fifteen-year-old! I had crossed the line this time, and I didn't even remember anything. My head was blank; I had no memories or recollection of anything that had happened at that fucking party. Someone must have dropped roofies in my drink, but now it was too fucking late to prove anything. The shit would be out of my system by now.

I was just about to swallow a dozen pills when my phone started to buzz. The number was unknown, but I answered it anyway.

"Tyndall," I barked.

"Told you, I'm not like everyone else. You can't just toss me aside and move on, Dexter," Victoria purred. I clenched my fists so hard that I cut the circulation to my fingers. "What the fuck do you want?"

"Just this and that. Don't worry, you will know soon. For now, you can do whatever you like. Just remember, I'm the one that's squeezing your balls slow, but tight."

"You're full of shit. You used someone to drug me."

"Don't be ridiculous, darling. The video is real Jenny couldn't stop talking about that night. Besides, I've missed your cock."

I tossed the pills on the floor, roaring with frustration. I could take the risk and just tell her to go and fuck herself, but I had been building my business and reputation for years, and I couldn't afford to toss it away. My track record wasn't exactly in my favour. I had been quite violent when I was younger, but this could jeopardise everything-my whole fucking life. I had used an underage girl for sex.

"Victoria, you want sex? Is this what this is about? I fucked you so hard and no one else came close?"

"Yes, I want sex, but I also need a date for a party."

"A party? What fucking party?" I shouted.

"Oh, calm down. It's something that I'll use you for, a date for a party and some other functions."

"I'll end you for this, Victoria. I can fuck you up so bad that you will never lift yourself up again."

She laughed. We had only been fucking for a couple of weeks, but I always knew that there was something off about her. I shouldn't have messed with her, especially after the freaky shit in the bedroom that she wanted.

"Promises, promises. Just wait for my phone call, baby. You will be going to that party with me whether you like it or not."

She hung up and I wanted to smash my phone, but somehow I managed to toss it on the table. I had shitloads of money and I could make this go away, but how? It was time to make some phone calls. "Hey! Are you all right?"

Sasha was just walking through the terrace doors. I was furious, but she was probably the only person I wanted to see right now. Yeah, this was none of her business, but right then I needed a good fucking distraction.

"Victoria sent me a video from this party we went to together couple of weeks ago, and this shit isn't good," I announced and scrolled through the e-mails. I handed her the phone when the video started playing. She watched it in silence, but the shock came straight after the girl announced how old she was. "The bitch is blackmailing me," I said.

Sasha exhaled and spotted the smashed laptop on the floor. She shoved her hands into her pockets, her eyes darting at me. "So you didn't know how old this girl was when you slept with her?"

"No. I think that bitch Victoria drugged me, because I don't remember anything at all. That evening I told her that I was done with her, but in the morning I woke up in her bed, and not in bed with the girl from the video."

"Does this happen often, that you don't remember stuff?"

"Of course not. I like women to be fully aware of what I'm doing to them. I was in a shitty mood then, and at the time I thought that the party would be a good distraction."

She was asking too many questions. Fuck, maybe she didn't believe me. She seemed so calm about this whole thing.

"Call your solicitor, Dexter. You can't let her get away with this."

"And say what? That I was too fucking high and drunk to remember anything? No, I'll deal with this shit and then I'll destroy her. This is a game to her; she only wants my cock, nothing else. She likes to be in control."

Sasha

I didn't know why I was so calm, talking about it like he didn't do anything wrong. I should have been freaking out; he'd slept with someone's child. He'd brought this on himself. Maybe with Victoria he finally crossed the line and she wanted to teach him a lesson. But I couldn't just leave him on his own with this. The video definitely seemed genuine.

The girl looked really young, but we couldn't be sure that she was underage. He needed to check this to make sure that he had actually committed a crime.

"Dexter, don't do anything stupid. I'm here if you need me, but we have to be careful who we talk to about it," I said.

"Thanks, Barbie," he muttered and then he cradled me to his chest, resting his face in my neck. For a moment I couldn't move, I was so shocked, but then I closed my eyes, enjoying that one rare moment of affection.

It all ended when my own phone started vibrating in my pocket. He let go of me, clearing his throat, and nodded for me to take it.

"Hello," I answered.

"Miss Scott, it's Jeremy from Thomas George."

My stomach sank and I glanced at Dexter, who was watching me.

"Hey, how are you?"

"Good. I just had a phone call from the client that viewed your property earlier on. He would like to offer you the full asking price. Also, Mr Clement is a cash buyer, so it looks like everything can be sorted within a few weeks."

I couldn't believe it-I finally had an offer.

"That's fantastic news! I'm happy to take the property off the market, and you can let your client know that I'll accept the offer," I said, trying not to sound too happy, knowing that Dexter was listening. His eyes narrowed and he clenched his fists. This wasn't good. Was he pissed that I'd sold the apartment?

I told Jeremy to call me back with more details. When I hung up, an awkward silence stretched on for some time. I had no idea why, but I felt like I'd betrayed Dexter. I wasn't ready to move out, but at the same time I couldn't turn the cash buyer away. Mum had called after I left Dexter with Victoria outside. She was insisting that I needed to speed things up.

"You fucking should have told me that you had a viewing," he snapped, leaning over the kitchen table and digging his hands into his hair.

"You knew the apartment was on the market, Dex, and since we had stopped fighting, I assumed that I didn't need to tell you about everything little thing I do. The guy viewed it when we were in Glasgow and I couldn't turn him away. I'm sorry that you had to find out like this, but I had no choice. It's my mother's inheritance," I explained. I didn't even know why I was saying this to him. He had known that sooner or later, this would end.

Fooling around one night in a hotel and a sad confession on my part didn't make us a couple. We were fuck buddies, and that's all there was to it.

"Fuck, Sasha, I'm not ready for someone else next door. Call this fucker back and tell him that you don't want to sell it. I need more time," he said, pacing around.

I frowned, confused. "This isn't about you, Dex. My mother is freaking out; she wants me to get rid of it," I insisted.

"Who is the buyer?"

"Don't know some old guy and he's offering cash."

Anger rippled through his face, and his jaw tightened. I really had no idea what the big deal was.

"Get out, Barbie. Get the fuck out of my apartment!" he shouted suddenly. I took a step towards him, wondering what the hell his problem was. Only a moment ago I was in his arms, and the apartment in question didn't even belong to him.

"God, Dexter, stop it! You knew why I was here. He won't be moving in tomorrow; we still have time. We could—"

"What, Sasha? You thought that everything would be same once I knew that you were leaving? I'm fucking pissed. You should have told me!"

"Dexter, calm down. I'm not moving out tomorrow. Why do you have to make such a big deal out of it?"

He laughed, but it wasn't his normal cheerful laugh. He looked like he was crazy.

"I don't fucking care if you stay or leave. You are one of the wettest pussies that I have fucked, but I'm not someone that you can mess around with!"

I didn't want to stand there and listen to his bullshit. I was so convinced that we were past that. I walked away and slammed the door behind me, angry that we were back to square one, that I let him get to me again. Why were we always arguing about stuff that didn't matter? It was pathetic.

Maybe I shouldn't have taken that phone call in front of him, but I couldn't pretend that I would live next him forever. It was my parents' apartment and I had no say in the matter. Mum needed a buyer. My job wasn't paying enough to for me to take out a mortgage for three hundred thousand pounds.

I threw up when I got inside my own apartment. Now he wasn't only making me mad, but also ill. Dexter was self-destructive, but he didn't need to take it out on me. I was trying to convince myself that he got angry because he cared about me.

It was early and I didn't want to stay inside knowing that he was next door. Several minutes later I heard him beat me to it, leaving first. I exhaled with resignation and then decided to go to bed.

I took some sleeping pills. With the visit to my mother, the intense sex with Dexter, my encounter with Kirk, Victoria showing up and then the phone call, I was utterly drained. I needed to be on my own for a bit to digest everything that had happened today. The pills worked their magic and I drifted within minutes.

After our fight, days passed and Dexter didn't come around. I heard him in his apartment, but we were living like we didn't know each other. Our argument gave him a good excuse to stay away from me, probably for good. I was waiting to see other women coming and going from his apartment, to show me that I was really just one of many.

Gina was pushing me harder during pole-dancing training, so I went to work on Friday night a little sore. She mentioned an upcoming competition in London in a couple of weeks and she wanted me to sign up for it.

I always dreamt of competing, but I never thought that I was good enough. I knew that I was ready, but Dexter occupied my mind and I couldn't quite focus, knowing what he was going through. I couldn't help someone who didn't want my help in the first place.

On Saturday I was done with arguments and fed up with waiting for Dexter to come over and apologise, so I signed up for the pole-dancing competition that Gina was talking about. That night I went to bed angry and pretty stiff from earlier training. It looked like Dexter wasn't going to apologise, and I was fine with it. Sunday morning I wanted to sleep in late, but a loud knock to my door woke me up. I got out of bed, wondering if Dexter finally had decided to pull his head out of his ass. I opened the door ready for a big rant, but it wasn't Dexter; it was Harry from number thirteen.

"Hey, beautiful, how are you?"

I threw myself at him, not caring for the world that we didn't know each other that well and this was a bit forward. When I pulled away, he looked relaxed. "Good. How are you?" I asked.

"Are you alone? Sure I'm not intruding?" he asked, looking around.

"Yes, I am. Why? Did you think that I had company?"

"Dexter..."

I lost my smile then. He probably thought that Dexter was a changed man and now we were madly in love.

"That bad, huh?"

"No, I'm fine. Dexter is next door and he's still himself."

Harry came in and sat on the sofa. Looking at him, I began to wonder what was wrong with me. Harry was a much better choice than Dexter: handsome, well mannered, and he was into me. I should take him up on his offer just to piss Dexter off, I thought.

"So how is it going anyway?"

"Good. I found a buyer, so it looks like I'll be out of here within the next couple of weeks."

Harry looked surprised. "Really? Wow, I wasn't expecting that. Where are you moving to?"

"Probably Edinburgh. I work in the city, so that makes more sense," I said and then began telling him about Joey and how I ended up in the complex. We talked for a while over coffee about his work and my pole-dancing competition. Harry was a good listener and two hours later we were still on the sofa talking about his business.

"So, what's happened to the madman next door? I know that it isn't my business, but I saw the way he was looking at you during the party," Harry finally asked.

"It was just sex between us; nothing else and nothing more,” I said, looking away.

"And you wanted more?"

I laughed. "No, of course not. I had no expectations. Dexter is a complicated man with a lot of issues. Yes, we had a great time together, but it's not love, just sex. He seems to be pretty pissed off with the fact that I'm selling the apartment."

Harry nodded. "Well, it's obvious; he's crazy about you, but he's too stubborn and self-centred to admit to it."

I was shaking my head. Dexter was crazy about my pussy, not about the fact that he wanted to be with me. I didn't want to dig into why he was so afraid of love. His old girlfriend was blackmailing him and my own past was too fucked up to make this work.

"Don't be silly. Dexter only cares about himself. We both know that," I said.

"You don't know him very well then. He cares, Sasha, but he has a strange way of showing it. I don't know why. I never asked about his problems."

"Let's just change the subject. This is too depressing and the world doesn't revolve around Dexter Tyndall."

"No, you're right," he said, getting up. "I need to shove off anyway; I have something that I have to take care of.

"It was great seeing you. Thank you for stopping by," I said, hugging him. I walked him to the lift. When it arrived, Dexter strolled out. He stopped instantly when he saw us.☐☐