Undeniable Attractions: The Too Bad Series Contemporary Romance Box Set

by Emma Vikes

  Hastily, I stood up. “I need a drink.”

  “Brit, I think it’d be better if you headed home.”

  I shook my head, feeling dazed. “I need a drink, Laur.”

  She didn't have much of a choice but to follow me down to the bar. She still tried to talk sense into me, but my mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. They warned me about Morgan, that he never dated without an agenda, but I had refused to listen. There was a reason for Patrick's obvious vehemence towards him.

  I waved at the bartender and ordered myself an entire bottle of whiskey. Lauren was trying to talk me out of drinking, but I’d already downed one glass. I turned to look at my best friend. "Did it ever occur to you that he might've been dating me because I'm Chris Baldwin's daughter?"

  Lauren rubbed my arm and smiled apologetically. “That’s what Alex and I always tried to tell to you, Brit. But you were so entranced by him that you weren’t listening.”

  “God, I’m so stupid,” I muttered, pouring myself another glass and downing it in one go, wincing at the heat in my throat. "I should've just listened, but no, I'm too hard-headed for my own good."

  Lauren tried her best to console me while I continued to be bitter and hysterical. I wasn’t sure how many glasses I’d had when Alex came. “Whoa, I didn’t think it’d be this bad.”

  I turned to look at him. “Could you beat him up for me?”

  Alex smirked and then lifted his fist. It was red and raw. “Patrick’s disposing of him in a taxi to send him home. Morgan won’t be making any appearances for a while.”

  I downed another glass just as Patrick arrived. “I thought you were making sure she wasn’t getting herself too drunk.”

  I turned to face Patrick. He looked completely disheveled, and the anger was clear in his bright green eyes. "Are you here to tell me ‘I told you so'? Because if you are then go ahead and gloat, Pat. Indulge yourself in the truth that you’re right.”

  Patrick sighed and ignored me. “Lauren and Alex can go. I’ll take you home.”

  “I don’t want to go home.”

  Patrick replaced Lauren on the seat, and my best friend bid me goodbye and walked out of the bar with Alex. Patrick moved the whiskey out of my reach but left me with the glass that was half-full with the alcohol. “I’m sorry that Morgan broke your heart, Britney. But moping around in a bar and drinking yourself to oblivion won’t make the pain go away.”

  I tried to reach for the bottle, but he swatted my hand away. "You can’t stop me from drinking my sorrow away, Pat.”

  “But I can drag your ass out of here and to your penthouse. Now, if you don’t want a scene to unfold and be caught by the media and stain your father’s name, I think it’s better that you just come along with me without complaint.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him, but Patrick wasn't fazed by my glare. I remained in my seat still, finishing the drink left in my glass as he waited for me patiently to stand up. When he realized that I wasn’t going to leave anytime soon, he seized my wrist and pulled me close. Too close.

  Our faces were inches apart, and if one of us moved even just an inch, our lips would have touched.

  I wondered what it would feel like.

  “I’m taking you home, Britney,” Patrick whispered, his green eyes bright and intense. He stood up, my wrist still in his hand as he dragged me out of the bar. At least he knew not to make it too forceful so we didn’t receive unwanted attention. I didn’t even bother fighting back. The electricity that sparked between us was enough to numb the betrayal I felt. That, and I was drunk enough not to be able to walk properly.

  Patrick managed to get me into his car and drive me to my penthouse. Neither of us lived with our parents anymore, not since we’d started college. Patrick had been the first one to move out, and in all honesty, we only lived together for two years. His place was a bachelor pad and was given to him as a gift from his biological dad.

  Patrick parked his car right beside mine and then helped me out of the car, carrying me. My arms wrapped around his neck and I snuggled closer to him, inhaling his scent. “What’s your passcode?”

  I peeked at him and realized we were already at my floor. I must’ve been drunk enough not to take note of my surroundings. I placed a finger on Patrick’s jaw, tracing the stubble slowly. “I’m afraid if I give it to you, you’ll come as you please.”

  He shivered under my touch. “This isn’t the time to play games with me, Brit.”

  I giggled and then allowed him to put me back down on the ground. My back was still pressed against him for support as I pressed down the digits that would open the door of my place. Patrick helped me inside and placed me on the couch. I reached for the whiskey that I had on the table, something I’d kept there for Morgan when we had been together. I poured two glasses and pushed one to Patrick. He was still standing in front of me.

  Patrick exhaled loudly. “I’m not gonna stay and listen to you cry about Morgan Steelman, Brit. He’s not worth your tears. He was never worth your time.”

  I took a sip of my drink. “You’ve told me that a million times since I began dating him two months ago. I know you weren’t thrilled, Pat. I know why too.”

  “And why didn’t you listen?”

  I pulled him so he would sit beside me on the couch. He didn’t fight and settled next to me. I placed a hand on his face, my thumb gently caressing his cheek. “I didn’t date him because I was in love with him. I dated him to distract myself from what I wanted most.”

  Something flickered in Patrick's eyes, but I broke contact, grabbed his glass and pushed it to him. "Now, stay with me while I drink myself into oblivion to forget the betrayal."

  Neither of us spoke as we drank. I wasn't sure what was on Patrick's mind, but he was pouring himself drink after drink too, but not at the same pace as I was. I was just glad that he wasn’t scolding me. He was on his fourth glass when he finally spoke again.

  “You deserve the love that would give you the world, Britney. A man who would go through tribulations just to be with you. A man willing to fight for you and with you. You deserve the right kind of love, Britney.”

  My hand reached to cup his face. His green eyes had grown darker, wearier, defeated even, like he had just lost an age-old battle. I wasn’t sure what I was doing. I wasn’t sure if this was alcohol or a betrayed heart fueling me with the courage that I now possessed. But whatever it was, I wished I’d had it when I was younger, before our parents tied the knot.

  “What are you doing?” Patrick whispered.

  “Something I’ve always wanted to do.”

  And then I kissed him.

  Chapter 3

  Patrick

  I SHOULD’VE STOPPED her or pushed her away. That would’ve been the rational thing to do when my intoxicated step-sister started to kiss me. But I didn’t. No, I did the opposite, actually. I responded to the kiss because who the fuck was, I kidding? I wanted this as much as she did. Our tongues battled for dominance as Britney pulled me close and I responded with the same kind of fervor.

  I pushed her gently onto the couch, stripping myself of the clothing that was a barrier between the two of us. “Fuck, I don’t think this is a good idea, Brit.”

  She shook her head. “Pat, I want this to happen. Please.”

  I stared at her hazel eyes, at the golden orbs that had the speck of green in them that I’d always thought held the universe. She placed her hand on my cheek again and then leaned closer, her lips touching mine in the gentlest ways. It was enough to make me succumb to the desire and allow this to happen, even if it were just for one night.

  I tore her clothes, ripping away the thin fabric as she also clawed my shirt open. The gentle kiss that she’d started turned into an urgent one as we clung onto each other, satisfying the thirst we felt for one another. It didn’t even take long until we were both stripped naked. My mouth latched onto her right breast, my hand kneading the left as she arched her back and ran her nails on my back in satisfaction.

  “O
h god, yes, Patrick! Your mouth feels so good!” I could feel her running her hand through my hair. “I’ve always wondered what it would feel like.”

  I moved lower down on her body and spread her legs open. I looked up at her, and my gaze was met by shining, lust-filled hazel eyes. I didn't hesitate in plunging two fingers inside of her warm core, and she gasped at the abrupt intrusion. "Fuck."

  The cuss sounded like music to my ears as I quickened my pace and licked the folds of her vagina. Her hips hoisted up slightly as she savored the attention, I was giving her. It was only a matter of moments before she reached her climax. “Fuck, yes, Patrick!”

  She was breathing heavily when I pulled myself up to her face again and crashed my lips against hers, letting her taste herself on my lips. “You like that? You taste amazing, right?”

  She moaned and nodded her head. “Just fuck me, Pat, please.”

  I didn’t need to be told twice. “Get on your back.”

  I positioned her on the couch and then stood behind her. Her ass was up in the air, and I positioned my dick at her entrance. How many times had I dreamt about this happening? Of fucking my step-sister and right now I was. It was all kinds of wrong, and I could have stopped right then, at that moment, if I’d had enough willpower to do so.

  But I didn’t want to.

  I fucked her. I fucked her all night long and listened to her scream my name over and over again in ecstasy. She didn’t even mind me slapping her ass and the dominance that I exuded. She accepted each slap, each pull of the hair, each harder and deeper thrust.

  Fuck, it was far better than I’d imagined.

  I woke up hearing my phone ringing. I groaned and moved, only to realize that I wasn’t in my apartment but at Britney’s. I didn’t need to glance to my side to know that she was sleeping right next to me. I was aware of what had happened after we’d reached her penthouse. I was aware that we’d had sex. It would take a few more minutes - maybe hours - for the mistake to sink in, but at the moment, I was aware that we were fast asleep on the kitchen floor, naked and wrapped in each other’s arms.

  I should've answered my ringing phone. It could've been work or something important. But I knew I had to put Britney to bed first. I lifted her up, aware that she was still naked and her body was on full display in clear, broad daylight. The memories of last night flashed in my mind, and I allowed my brain to remember it because I was pretty sure that this would be the last time something like this ever happened. Britney was intoxicated, so was I, neither of us had been thinking clearly.

  My phone was buried deep in the couch, and I noticed that mom had sent me a bunch of text messages.

  “Chris went to Stocks. I need to talk to you at home. Have breakfast with me.”

  I told her I'd be there soon. I quickly stopped over at my place to get a quick bath and change of clothes. It was a good thing it was the weekend which meant I didn't have work. I arrived at mom's an hour later, and I could smell brunch as soon as I walked in.

  My mother was already seated at the table on the balcony, and the meal was set before her. She looked at me up and down when I arrived. "I thought you would never come."

  I kissed her cheek. “I woke up late.”

  Mom pursed her lips but nodded her head, accepting my reason which was a relief. I wasn’t sure how she would accept the fact that I’d just slept with her step-daughter. “You wanted to talk to me?”

  She lowered her cup gently onto her plate and clasped her hands together. “It’s about the announcement Chris made last night.”

  Of course, it was about it. Since she’d married him, there had been numerous instances where she’d told me that she truly hoped that Chris would give me one company to run. I always had a feeling that she targeted Stocks to be given to me but I always thought it wouldn't happen by a long shot, but after the announcement last night, it was clear that it would, no matter the compromise.

  “What about it?”

  “I want you to run it,” mom said slowly, her green eyes looking straight at mine as she added, “alone.”

  My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I stared at her. I placed the croissant I was about to eat back down on my plate. “What do you mean alone? Chris said that Britney will be joining me right after she finishes her MBA. We’ll run Stocks together. It’s already an honor for me to run it when I’m not blood-related to him.”

  Mom sighed and looked at me in a certain way that forced my mind back to the version of her that I’d spent five years with after my sister had died an untimely death, the mother that had raised me alone for five years after Dad had also left, and before she’d met Chris. I didn’t like this version of her. This one was cunning and cruel and power-hungry. I remembered how she’d dated man after man, letting them spoil her rotten with extravagant gifts and asking them for pricier ones and, when she’d got them, she’d leave them for some other social climber to sink her claws into.

  With Chris, I thought it would have been different. Maybe I’d been wrong.

  "I don't have anything for you to inherit, Patrick. My parents disowned me when I married your father, and he...he built an empire that crashed down before you were even old enough to lay your claim to it, pursuing creativity and art instead, such pointless things." She reached for the flask that I hadn't noticed was on the table. Alcohol at this time of the day, something that version of her enjoyed too. “Christopher always wanted a son. He asked me so many things about you when we began seeing each other. It was then that I realized he was looking for a male heir to groom and I knew that it could be you. Patrick Cunningham, inheriting every crop Christopher Baldwin grew.”

  I was unable to comprehend what my mother was trying to say because, if my assumption was right, then it seemed to me that she’d married Chris so that I could inherit the company. She leaned closer to where I was and reached for my hand. "You're my only son, Patrick. You're my only child after Paula passed. Your father ruined his business a year after our divorce, and it left him bankrupt. Had I not done what I did in the five years after Paula's death, I'm not sure where we would be."

  She was trying to justify her manipulating ways. "Patrick, honey, all I want is what's best for you. I know you're capable of running that company on your own. Christopher groomed you well, and your own brilliance serves you well too."

  My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I pulled my hand away from hers. “Mom, Britney and I are running that company.”

  She huffed and leaned back in her chair, shaking her head. “That blonde bimbo won’t be able to handle the responsibility of running Stocks. She’ll only bring you down.”

  “But she’s his daughter.” Mom looked at me and smirked. I could see the glint in her eyes and my heart raced anxiously. “Mom, what are you scheming?”

  She chuckled and then sipped her drink. "I'm not stupid like Christopher, Pat. I saw the way Britney looked at you when you were younger. I thought she would grow out of that phase, but it's pretty clear she hasn’t. She wouldn’t have dated that Steelman boy if she didn’t like you in that way anymore. She did it to spite you.”

  This made me even more confused. “You sound so sure about this.”

  I didn’t want to tell her that she was right because I’d just had sex with Britney earlier and I was pretty sure it wasn’t just the alcohol in her system that had caused it to happen. We weren’t that drunk, although ‘drunk’ would still be our excuse. But if Britney liked me, why wouldn’t she just come out and say it? I was well-versed in the kind of confidence that Britney had; her attitude that whenever she liked something or someone, she would have found a way to get it.

  "Because I am, Patrick," mom said, smiling at me triumphantly. "So, we will use her feelings to our advantage. You make sure she truly falls in love with you, and I will convince Christopher to retire earlier so you won’t have to endure being with her longer. But what you need to do while you're with her is make her fall so hard that she'll be willing to offer the entire company to you."

&
nbsp; I wasn’t sure if that was going to work. I knew how much Britney cared for her father’s companies. I knew how much she got herself involved with them. I’d had summer training with her when we were younger. And I knew first-hand how capable she was of running them. There wasn't any doubt in my mind that she could handle the responsibility. Mom had just never seen her in action, but Chris had, so I wasn't entirely sure if he would be happy with the idea that I would solely have the company, especially when I wasn't biologically related to him.

  “Chris would never allow this to happen.”

  Mom scoffed and tilted her head, assessing me. “Then you don’t know your step-father that well, Patrick. He’s questioned Britney’s decisions more than once, never entirely in favor of them. Especially her choice of partners and friends. If Britney would voluntarily give up her inheritance, I am certain that Chris would support her.”

  I was afraid to ask what would happen if she wouldn’t, certain that my mother had a plan B and I wasn’t ready to hear what it was. I knew what my mother was capable of when it came to acquiring power. I knew what lengths she would go through to get her way. After all, weren’t her methods what had got her own daughter into such a tragic accident that cost her life?

  “Don’t tell me you don’t want the company all to yourself, Patrick?”

  I pursed my lips. Stocks was the company of my dreams. I never thought that Chris would deem me worthy enough to make me co-owner with Britney. I thought getting hired and placed in a certain position would be enough. But owning the company...

  It was a dream come true, and I'd spent my entire life preparing for this.

  I looked at my mother, hating my own power-hungry demon. “What do you want me to do?”

  Mom smiled triumphantly. “All you have to do is make her fall in love with you.”