Best Friend Takes His Wife Ch. 04

Author's Note: This is the fourth and final installment in the series. Our story comes to a shocking end. All characters featured are over 18 years of age.

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Dress shopping with Lucy went off without a hitch. Emily picked out a sexy strapless red dress that showed off all her curves and ended mid-thigh to show off her long legs. Her big tits looked amazing in it. She hoped that Matt would be very pleased with her choice. Lucy seemed to think he would love it and Emily agreed.

Friday came faster than she could have possibly imagined. Before she knew it, she was climbing into the limo with Stu to have him drive her to the company party. Her stomach was in knots. What if Matt's father detested her? She knew she shouldn't care about what the haughty man thinks, but she did. The truth was, she was falling for Matt more with each passing day. Impressing his high and mighty father was a big to-do on her honey-do list.

The way that Matt described his father made her think that she was going to absolutely despise the man. It sounded like he had mistreated his son for a long period of time, and was still possibly doing it. But they co-ran a company together. It would be very difficult for Matt to escape his father's mistreatment at this point. So was that why he went to therapy? To learn coping mechanisms? It was sad to think about.

The company building was colossal. It looked like it had 100 floors altogether and was in the heart of downtown. It was intimidating that Matt worked in a building like this every day. And impressive, to say the least. The man never failed to continue to surprise her. Just when she thought she knew everything, she learned more. And the more she learned, the more there was to love.

Things were becoming very complicated between her and Matt. Even if she returned to her husband, she knew she was never going to be the same. As much as she loved Toby, things with Matt were different. They were exciting and new. The two men were polar opposites. Matt was hunky and dominant and Toby sweet, gentle, and always forgiving. They were like night and day.

Emily felt like she was falling in love all over again. But as much as she wished it was with her husband, it wasn't. It was with his best friend. It felt wrong and right all at the same time. She and Toby had brought this on themselves by gambling with fate. After all, it was a poker bet that had put her in this situation. And there was no going back now, the damage was done. To be honest, she wouldn't have it any other way. She was happy. She was glad this had happened.

It wasn't just Toby's reaction to all this that was on her mind. She was growing increasingly worried about Abby finding out. Thankfully, her best friend and her husband didn't really talk. At least not that she was aware of. They knew each other, but that was because Abby and Emily hung out often. When they were around each other, they exchanged friendly banter and that was about it.

What the hell was Emily going to say to her? What could she say? She was fucking the man she had just divorced and she was on her way to a company party to meet and impress his father. No one could deny that this was a date. Would Abby believe her when she told her at the beginning the relationship between her and Matt had been forced by a bad poker bet gone wrong? But that wasn't the case now. How could she even begin to explain that? Would Abby listen?

Emily realized that thinking about all these things now was not going to help the situation. She was here to have fun with Matt. To meet his father and see where the night was going to take them. She wanted to have a good time and worrying about every little detail of her life and psychoanalyzing all her actions was not going to allow her to accomplish that. It was best to put her thoughts aside and focus on having fun.

"This is it," Stu said, interrupting Emily's train of endless thoughts.

Emily blushed as she realized if Stu had been talking to her she hadn't heard a word he said. Matt had been right in stating that he was a kind man. They had chatted and gotten to know each other on the short ride to the building before her mind ran amock. She had learned that Stu had been married fifty long years to a woman named Margaret that seemed very sweet and kind. They had five lovely children together. If things lasted with Matt she was definitely going to take the time to get to know him better. She hoped he didn't think she was a flake!

She said goodbye to Stu and sent a text to Matt that she was in the lobby. About five minutes later the elevator doors opened and there he was. Her handsome man. Dressed in the most divine black suit and tie with his short hair slicked back instead of spiky. She wanted nothing more than to pounce him and rip that fancy outfit off. But as it was she would be on her best behavior tonight since the end goal was to get his father to like her.

"Hey, you," Matt said, pulling her in for a soft kiss to greet her. "Excited?"

Emily smiled, playfully adjusting Matt's black-tie even though they both knew it didn't need it. "Excited, nervous, anxious. I really want to give your father a good first impression."

Matt nodded. "I know. He's a hard man to please. But I think you can do it. And if not, we tried. That's all we can do."

"You're right," Emily said, intertwining their fingers and giving his hand a squeeze. "Take me to your leader."

Matt chuckled, amused by her quirky nerdy behavior. "You're such a dork."

"I know," she agreed because she even said it in the lame martian voice.

They got into the elevator and Emily had to do everything she could not to touch Matt more. She wanted to pull him in for deep, heated kisses. She wanted him to lift up her dress over her ass and take her hard against the elevator wall when he figured out that she wasn't wearing panties so he would have easy access to her when he wanted her. She had many dirty fantasies about being taken in an elevator. Now was not the time, though.

They were still holding hands as they entered what she could only think was the cafeteria of the establishment. Much like the building, the room was massive. Tables and chairs had been strategically placed around it to accommodate the big crowd that had gathered for such an occasion, as they would be eating dinner together in an hour or so. A DJ was playing a mix of pop and indie music that was meant to keep the mood light and airy.

Emily was surprised to see so many people in one room, but then, Matt had said his company had over one thousand employees, which was part of what had led to its huge success. She shook the hands of anyone that Matt introduced her to. They were mostly his colleagues and their respective spouses. It took them some time to locate the man of the hour, Matt's father.

But there he stood. He was an imposing man, towering over everyone he spoke to at 6'5. He had the same intense blue eyes as Matt and the same bright smile that could make women melt without even trying. His hair was short, spiky, and grey. His beard was well-kept and shaved beautifully. The man clearly was in shape and took care of himself. The suit he wore was gray and impeccable. He looked and appeared to be charming and handsome. But if there was one thing Emily knew it was that looks could be very deceiving.

"Father," Matt said, giving Emily's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'd like to introduce you to my date, Emily."

Emily swallowed roughly as Nathaniel Bradford's piercing blue eyes met hers. "Hello, Emily. It's good to finally meet you. Matt has told me a lot about you. Oh, don't look so worried. All good things of course!" He elaborated, with a big charismatic grin on his face. Wait, wasn't he supposed to be an asshole?

Emily shook his hand enthusiastically with a smile. "Likewise. He's said a lot of good things about you as well, sir."

"Please. Call me Nathaniel. Tell me, Emily, how long have you known my son?" Nathaniel asked, with genuine curiosity in his tone.

The question caught her off guard. Should she tell the truth? Uh, yeah! She didn't want their relationship to be founded on lies.

She recovered quickly. "Oh, well, a long time, actually. Just about five years, give or take. We are good friends that just recently decided to take our relationship to the next level." That explained it in a nutshell, right?

Nathaniel seemed pleased with her answer. "Well, that's just wonderful. I haven't seen Matty this happy in years. He deserves it after that awful Abby woman put him through the wringer with a sudden divorce."

Talk about awkwardness. She really hoped that Nathaniel didn't ask if she and Abby knew each other. She didn't want to talk about her with him.

"Did Matt mention that I'm going to college to become a nurse?" Emily asked, quickly changing the subject.

His smile was infectious. "He did not. How wonderful. No future in accounting then?" He joked.

Emily laughed. "Surely you jest! No, the most I work with numbers is when I'm doing a budget so I don't overdraft my bank account." She had to catch herself using the right words in her sentences. Imagine how much fun it would be if she let it slip that she was married and had a joint bank account with her husband. It certainly might spice up the evening.

She at least got a cute smirk out of Nathaniel on that one. The evening continued as normal, with the three of them making small talk among each other. So far Nathaniel and Matt seemed to be on their best behavior and everyone seemed to be getting along. Things were going more smoothly than she had anticipated.

Dinner was served and boy was it fancy. Prime rib, mashed potatoes, and broccoli smothered in garlic butter that melted in her mouth. It was delicious. She was having a lot of fun.

About halfway through dinner, she felt like someone was watching her. And boy were they. She nearly fell out of her seat when she saw Toby and Abby enjoying dinner together at another table. Her husband's gaze was fixated on her and he didn't look happy.

"Um. Can you excuse us?" She asked, wiping her mouth with her napkin and abruptly standing up.

Matt sensed something was wrong and followed Emily off to the side. "What's going on?"

Emily pointed to the table where Abby and Toby were chatting. "That! That is going on! Did you know about this?"

"What the fuck?!" Matt looked just as shocked as she was. "Is that Toby and Abby? My Dad is going to flip his shit when he sees her here! He hates her guts, with good reason."

"More importantly, what is Toby doing here?" Emily's stomach was in knots. Everything had been going so well and now it was turning into a disaster!

"I don't know. Wait." Matt furrowed his brows, lost in thought. "My father mentioned hiring some new people this morning and inviting them to the party last minute. Does Toby work here now? Fuck. What kind of shit is that? Has he gone insane?"

Emily's head was spinning. This couldn't be real. And what was Toby doing with Abby? Was she his plus one? Were they on a fucking date together? Unbelievable! She couldn't breathe. She felt herself starting to hyperventilate.

"I need some air," she said, heading quickly toward the stairs that led to the roof to make her escape.

And then there was Toby, blocking her path. She nearly ran into him but was able to catch herself before she did.

"We thought we might see you here," Toby said, a smug smile on his face.

Emily felt like she was going to pass out at any moment. "Toby, please, I can explain."

"You don't have to, Emily. It's obvious what's happening. But don't let me keep you from your date with Matt," he said, a wave of harsh anger in his tone.

Emily shot him a nasty glare. "You're just as much to blame right now! You're here on a date with Abby!"

"And?" Toby asked, his brow raised. "You're fucking my best friend. Well, guess what? I'm fucking yours. It evens out in the end, doesn't it? And if you hadn't figured it out, I work here now. Just started this morning. I'm making twice the salary I was at the old job, so I'll be able to pay off our mortgage and sell the house in no time. And if Matt even thinks about firing me, I've got a few pieces of evidence from Abby that will make him sorry if he does. I kind of wish he would so I can destroy him for what he's done to me."

Emily didn't know what to say. She was in shock. Since when did Toby grow a backbone? Had Abby changed him that much in such a short amount of time? How long had they been seeing each other? She felt like she was in a tailspin. She had so many questions to ask but couldn't form the words.

Finally, she was able to speak again. "You and Abby are seeing each other? For how long? What evidence? Who even are you?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing and how Toby was acting. Where was all of this bravado coming from? But it wasn't genuine bravado, it was pure evil intentions nested in a web of jealousy that was not a good look on him.

Toby sighed. "I thought I made that pretty clear, but yes. For a few days now. I told her everything, Emily. She was pretty pissed but we got to talking and getting to know each other better. One thing led to another and we ended up having sex. I didn't plan on it happening, it just did. But it worked out for the both of us, didn't it? You're with Matt now. I'm not going to tell you what evidence I have against him. Just consider this a warning to him. If he fucks with me, I'll fuck with him."

Emily straightened her shoulders, searching her husband's handsome features. She felt a lot of things at this moment. Regret, heartbreak, betrayal, anxiety. Was this karma coming to bite her in the ass? Toby seemed serious about the evidence against his best friend. She was going to have to warn Matt to leave him to his own devices.

"First of all, I'm with Matt for two more weeks because that was the bet, Toby. The bet that you lost! Unlike my circumstances, you made a conscious choice to sleep with Abby, no one forced you into it! I can't believe you. I can't believe that you'd be that much of an asshole just to get your petty revenge. I thought you were different. The Toby I know and married is kind and sweet and would have never done this to me. He would have never acted so carelessly over a grudge. Has my relationship with Matt twisted you that much? You're a completely different person, one that inflicts pain on others for the fun of it. I don't even know who you are anymore. And I don't think that I want to."

With that, she stormed past him to get some fresh air. She hoped her words stung but she wasn't sticking around long enough to see. Given the state of how he was acting, Toby didn't give a flying fuck that she was angry with him. She didn't know where Matt was. She assumed he had stayed out of the way to let her and Toby talk, but watched the exchange to make sure things didn't get out of control.

But Emily was done talking. That man in there was not Toby. That man in there was a stranger that had taken over her husband's body and mind. Just as she suspected, this whole ordeal had taken its toll and changed all involved. Who would have thought losing a poker bet could impact so many lives and cause so much resentment.

Emily placed her hands on the railing on top of the building, staring at the beautiful city before her. At least the view from up here was nice and the fresh air was helping. She wanted to just put her face in her hands and cry in despair. But she also didn't want to give Toby the satisfaction. She had never been so furious with someone in her life. Were they over? Was Toby going to have his happily ever after with Abby? So many unanswered questions were racing through her brain and she had no means to stop them.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Matt's voice asking if she was okay behind her. She turned and ran to him and wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into his strong chest. She let all the emotions she was feeling come out of her in the form of tears. Did she want to work it out with Toby? Or did she want a divorce?

It took her a long time to compose herself so she could speak rationally. "If you hadn't figured it out already, Toby and Abby are together. Or fucking. I don't know. Oh and Toby works here now. Your father hired him this week and you were right, his first day was today. He's threatening you, Matt. Says that he and Abby have evidence that could be used against you if you try to fire him. I implore you, just leave him alone. Please. I couldn't bear to see anything bad happen to you because of his vengeance."

Matt blew out a breath. "Fuck, Em. I am so sorry. Alright. I won't get him fired. I have pretty good lawyers if he wants to fuck with me, but I respect your decision to stay away. Are you okay?" He realized it was a dumb question but he had to ask. He cared for her and he wanted to show it.

Emily stared up into Matt's beautiful baby blues. "I don't know, Matt. So much is happening so fast. It's all a lot to take in. Abby and Toby? Never in a million years would I see that one coming! And Toby is not himself. I don't even recognize who he is anymore. Abby has changed and twisted him into someone else. Someone cold-hearted and mean-spirited. Someone I don't want to be married to." That much she knew for sure. If this was how Toby was going to be from now on, she was not okay with it.

Matt sighed, rubbing her back soothingly. "I didn't think the bet would push him over the deep end like this. I underestimated him."

"We both did," Emily clarified, leaning into his strong embrace. "I don't know if I can stay here, Matt. Not with them being here. I don't want to see them. I was having a good time but this is way too much for me. Please take me home?"

He gave a sympathetic nod. "Of course. I understand. We can leave. I'll tell my father you suddenly aren't feeling well. He's going to wonder why the fuck Abby is here anyways so hopefully, he doesn't see her. Go ahead and head downstairs and wait in the car with Stu. I'll be there in five."

Emily wasn't going to argue. "Please tell him I enjoyed meeting him and look forward to seeing him again soon." She wiped away her lingering tears and hastily left the roof and got back into the elevator at the bottom of the stairs. As Matt had promised, the limo was there waiting for her by the time she was out the front door. She took a moment to inhale the fresh night air once more to calm herself before walking over to the car and slipping into the backseat.

As much as she wanted to talk to Stu, she remained silent. She hoped he didn't think she was being rude. But he could probably tell by her state of distress that something had happened that made her upset. He seemed like a smart enough guy to figure out quickly that she was not in the mood for small talk.

Matt got into the car not five minutes later. "Take us home, Stu."

"Roger that," Stu said, pulling out of the parking lot and into the road. He quickly realized the lovebirds in the backseat needed time to themselves and shut the privacy window.

Matt took Emily's hand in his. "I'm sorry, Emily. I truly am. None of this would have happened if I had never made that bet. I understand if you hate me. Who would blame you if you couldn't find it in your heart to forgive me."

Emily gave Matt's hand a firm squeeze. "You want to know the truth? I could never hate you, Matt. Things have changed for the better so much between us in the last two weeks. I don't even know where to begin. Toby's behavior is completely unacceptable. I think I want a divorce."

There was a heavy silence after that statement, so Emily continued. "I admit, in the beginning between you and I, it was over a bet. But it quickly escalated to so much more than that. I've been agonizing about how to tell Toby. You and I both thought that he was at home this whole time sulking. Instead, he and Abby were plotting and scheming their revenge on us behind our backs."