The Dirty Dozen: Alpha Edition

by Kay Maree

“Trying your luck with me now, are you?” Sibi stated.

  I looked up to see Sibi smiling, she clearly liked Nate and I wasn’t about to begrudge her of a good night. Besides, this guy made me nervous and I suspected by the smile he was giving Sibi, that she was in for one hell of a wild night; while I’d be more than happy to hit the pillow and sleep a little longer.

  “Sibi,” I called, returning my focus back to my menu. “If you two want to hook up after dinner, it’s fine. I can walk home, it’s only three blocks,” I said, pretending that this whole thing didn’t make me feel a little gooey inside.

  As much as I was keen to enjoy a night of drinking, I preferred to sleep. The time difference, and jet lag from my flights from here to America, to Sweden, and every other country I’d been in over the last few weeks was taking its toll. Besides, if I was to get up early enough to spend the whole day shopping then I needed a good night’s sleep.

  “Come find me?” Nate whispered, placing a kiss on her cheek. I shook my head; English men were said to be gentlemen. Nate, on the other hand, I thought was kind and sweet but player rang out loud and clear on this guy. That smirk of his was dangerous enough, and it sent my body into a frenzy. Maybe it was because of everything I’d experienced of late. Any ounce of affection I was shown, I soaked up, if a guy smiled at me I usually enjoyed it; but smiles came few and far between for me from men, and as for affection… let’s just say that it’s been a while since I’d been with a man.

  “Off you go,” I said.

  “What?” Sibi shrieked.

  “You heard me, off you go,” I repeated.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with this, I promised you a girl’s night out?” she said.

  “Sibi, I am here for the next six months; I don’t expect to spend every waking hour of those six months with you. Besides you have a life and you’re entitled to live it. Go and enjoy a sex-filled evening with Mc Hottie over there, and I’ll go and curl up in bed,” I stated.

  “Mc Hottie--I love your nickname for him,” she giggled.

  “Just so you know, you’re not backing out of shopping tomorrow so be prepared to wake up and leave in the morning,” I said firmly, taking the last swig of my beer.

  Sibi felt bad about leaving me, so she decided that we should eat dinner together before she left. We ordered and finished our meals because Sibi insisted on it. After that I said my goodbyes to her and she headed over to the table where Nate was sitting with a group of guys.

  They clearly enjoyed the attention of females and were drawing in a small crowd of girls who appeared to be swooning over the British men.

  I smiled and headed for the exit in need of some fresh air to soothe myself; I walked the three blocks back to the apartment, admiring the nightlife of a beautiful city.

  ***

  “Good morning, sunshine,” I said, turning around to hand Sibi a cup of coffee.

  “Hello, stranger,” a male voice spoke. I froze solid, leaning against the bench. Crap, I was roaming the apartment in my PJ shorts and tank top, and they barely covered my arse let alone covered the bits of my body I wanted covered. I wasn’t a showgirl, and I most certainly wasn’t expecting any guys to be seeing me dressed like this.

  “Is that mine?” he pointed to the cup in my hand as I swallowed the lump in my throat. I wasn’t able to even think straight, this sucked. I wasn’t that type of girl. I took a deep breath and handed him the cup before turning around to place some sugar and milk into my coffee. I froze again as a chill spread up my spine at the feeling of his hand on my hip as he leaned over me to pour some milk into his cup.

  “If this is what it’s like waking up here, I might just move in; pretty girls lying in bed and just as pretty girls serving coffee,” he whispered. I licked my now dry lips and turned my head to see him a little better. I was going to bruise from my hips digging into the bench top as I tried my best to get as far away from him as I could, but that was neither here nor there now. I could feel myself shaking, and I knew he made me nervous. Why? I didn’t know…I seriously had no clue.

  Men in Australia were straight forward, told it like it was, and never really cared about what people thought, or said, about them. Men in the U.S. were nice, and a lot of them were sexy, but they only ever wanted sex from me. However, British men I couldn’t read. I had been told they were gentlemen, and that chivalry was still alive and breathing here. Men opened doors for women, paid for dinners, even went as far as to show a girl a good time without expecting too much. Nate, on the other hand, implied everything; sex, money, good times and bad.

  From the way he stood, to his subtle rubbing of his thumb along my bare flesh, even the slight whispers in my ear about being a lucky guy, were starting to rub me in such a way that I thought I might just end up swooning in the corner over him. Shaking my head to regain some form of sanity, I reminded myself that this guy was with my cousin and I wasn’t going to go there.

  “I make you nervous?” he said, stepping closer. My stomach was pushing into the kitchen bench even further as I looked away and tried to concentrate on anything other than the feelings running through my body.

  “Why?” he asked. Shit, how was I supposed to answer this question without sounding stupid?

  “Do you really wanna know?” I asked after a moment’s pause.

  “Step away from my cousin Nate,” Sibi warned as she came into the room. He chuckled and moved away towards Sibi. I took in a deep breath of relief. I hadn’t realised that I was holding my breath until now, and for once I was happy that someone had interrupted what could have been one hell of an awkward moment.

  “You ready to go shopping?” Sibi smiled, pouring herself a glass of orange juice. I was surprised to see she wasn’t as hung over as I thought she would be. I remember briefly hearing her come in roughly four hours ago. I was stunned to see she was up and looking healthy and ready for a busy day of shopping, because the poor girl didn’t know what was about to hit her.

  “I’ll catch you later, baby,” Nate spoke, kissing her on the lips.

  I rolled my eyes…I was ready to shop.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  RUBI

  I loved shopping, maybe a little too much. My father worked hard, almost too hard, and as a compensation for not being around he would pull out the credit cards and allow my mother and I to go on shopping sprees. I owned so much clothing that I’d had to have my home back in Sweden renovated to accommodate everything, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “Don’t you think you’ve shopped enough?” Sibi remarked as she licked her ice-cream.

  “Never,” I smiled. “I love shopping, besides I wanna check out the Amore Intimate Store here in London. The New York store is amazing and I was told this was one of the original shops that started the business.”

  “Well, I’m stuffed and I need to have a rest before my date tonight,” Sibi beamed.

  She had a date tonight with some guy, and it wasn’t Nate. I’d found out that Nate and Sibi had serious history, they had dated back in school.

  Of course, the man is a playboy, and much like the rest of his mates they all enjoyed playing the field. Sibi, as much as she swore her sainthood, I knew was no saint at all. She also liked to date many people, staying unattached so she could enjoy the single life while getting her kicks.

  Her date tonight was with a guy called Nikko. He was on holiday from Greece, and I suspected that he must look like some Greek Adonis for Sibi to even consider going to dinner with him. She might be my cousin, and I loved her to death, but she was shallow although she’d never admit it.

  ***

  “Holy hell, woman, you can shop,” she stated as we rode the lift towards her apartment. “I swear you just brought out most that store.”

  “Honestly, the owner is going to love me. The charming guy held a business conference a few months back and I learnt a lot,” I commented.

  I smiled as we walked in her front door and I went to place the
bags down on my bed. I was looking forward to wearing a lot of the things I had purchased, even though I knew that the credit cards would make me think about those purchases at some point--but I had the money to spend and I was more than happy to spend it.

  Amore Intimates could seriously be the death of me.

  “This date with Nikko--is it serious, do you like him?” I asked, tipping the bag of underwear out onto the bed; the colours making my eyes go a little crazy as I tried to focus on anything I’d purchased today.

  “I like him a lot, but you know me. I prefer to be single, and mingle a little longer before I decide on settling down,” she responded picking up a little black lace pair of panties.

  “Don’t show these to Nate, because he will claim you in a flash,” she joked, making me laugh. I thought he was attractive and close to the type of guy I usually went for, but I wasn’t interested in sex with him. I just wanted to…what is the British word? Snog the fella.

  “Laugh all you want, I know you like him,” she stated. “Just be careful,” she warned.

  “He is great in bed, but he is terrible at being anything other than friends with benefits,” she commented, throwing some panties at me.

  I smiled because it was never happening. He might be extremely good looking, but I wasn’t one for sleeping with a man who had already slept with my cousin.

  A few hours later I saw Sibi off. She left me with menus, the TV guide, and as many snacks as she could find in her pantry. I had decided on Thai food and called down to order from the restaurant, which was happy to deliver the order to the door. I didn’t realise until it arrived that I had seriously over-ordered. There was enough food to feed a small army. Unfortunately, no army was coming to dinner to help eat this feast. I showered; and then dressed in one of the new slips I had bought from Amore Intimates, and tucked myself up among the blankets and cushions on the floor with everything surrounding me, ready to watch the History Channel.

  ***

  AIDAN

  Damn, I hated when this happened. Being called into the office on a Saturday was torture, but what could I do?

  The Museum had called needing some paperwork signed in order to finalise the new displays, and I had expected it to only take an hour. I hadn’t realised to be stuck in the office all day. It was now going on eight o’clock at night, and I was just walking back through the lobby of the Jubilee Apartments.

  I was starving and knew that it was time for me to bite the bullet and go food shopping. Greta usually did everything for me, grocery shopping, cleaning she even cooked and froze meals, but I had sent her on a much-needed holiday, an around the world cruise that wasn’t due to return for another two weeks. I knew all too well that I couldn’t survive another two weeks with no food in the apartment, because I honestly couldn’t take another night of buying takeout. Smiling, I reached into my pocket and started typing a message. I knew someone who lived close by and always had plenty of food.

  Sweet cakes, please tell me you have some food I could devour at your place?

  Just got home - starving and my kitchen is empty.

  For you Aidan, anything. You know I can’t say no to you.

  But I’m not home, so let yourself in. You have the key - love Sibi Xoxo

  Thanks, sweet one, I owe you – Aidan Xo

  Perfect plan, I headed to my apartment, showered got into my gym clothes and then headed back down to Sib’s apartment. I had known Sibi for quite a few years, having met her back at a Uni party we both happened to attend. She was fun, very out there, but we instantly clicked and, all in all, I thought of her like she was my sister.

  She, of course, hated that I thought of her as a sister and proved it by dating Nate for a while; until she decided he wasn’t the dating type and they split. When Sibi left Uni she went straight to work, scoring a job with a firm of lawyers situated in the same building that housed my office. When I moved to the Jubilee building, we reunited and I discovered her father had been trying to stake out an apartment for her. He was surprised when he found out why he couldn’t have the penthouse for his beloved daughter; that was because I’d already staked out the penthouse for myself, securing it almost a year ahead of completion.

  I slipped my key into the lock and opened the door, stepping inside her apartment. I hadn’t been here in a few weeks, not since Sibs threw her last party. The neighbours weren’t too happy, but with the amount of money I threw in to maintain the building, the other residents had little choice other than to grin and bear the noise. Closing the door behind me, I stepped into the small hall that led to the kitchen/dining and lounge room. Open-plan living, you’ve got to love it because it made smaller apartments look bigger.

  When I walked through the door of Sibi’s apartment, the last thing I had expected to hear were sexual sounds, however, that was exactly what I could hear coming from the living room. The faint sound of moaning and female cries met my ears and made me grin like a loon. I wondered who the hell was here, because Sibi had been clear that she wasn’t home. Maybe Sibi was here and she just didn’t want to tell me she was getting her rocks off with some guy in her living room.

  I wasn’t sure if I should be walking into a lounge room where there was the potential for me to see arse and tits, but then again it wouldn’t be anything I hadn’t seen before; besides that, I was fucking starving and I needed food.

  I stepped down into the open living room and came to a complete halt. The moaning and female pleasure was coming from the TV; and as for my question about Sibi being home, that question was answered quick smart when I saw it wasn’t Sybil in her living room, but someone else.

  “Hello,” I called out, moving further into the living space. A scream rang out as two big green eyes locked with mine. Shit, I hadn’t meant to scare the poor girl.

  “Whoa, calm down. I’m not here to hurt you,” I reassured her, putting my hands up and trying to put her at ease. She immediately shuffled away from me.

  “Calm down, I’m not a killer,” I remarked. “I’m a friend of Sibs; she said I could come here and use her kitchen.” I pulled out the set of keys from my pocket, dangling them in front of her face. Sibi had given me a key when she’d first moved in; she was a slight klutz and tended to misplace or lose things quite often.

  “Who are you?” she asked with a shaky voice.

  “Aidan…I live upstairs. I’m a friend of Sibs. I’ve come to use her kitchen. She told me no one was home.” I frowned, looking at the sweet petite woman on the shaggy rug, surrounded by pillows, blankets, and wine.

  How the hell did Sibi not know that this girl was home? What the fuck, was Sibi playing at something?

  “Well, I’m home,” she said licking her lips.

  “And you are?” I inquired, taking a seat on the floor next to her. I looked up at the TV and found that she had been watching Game of Thrones. I smiled. That explained the crazy sex noises I was hearing.

  “I see you’re a GOT fan?” I stated, pointing to the TV. I looked at her and immediately wished I’d never stepped into the fucking living room.

  “Rubi,” she whispered, giving a half smile.

  “Sorry, I missed that. You are?” I asked, even though I’d heard her name roll off her tongue.

  “It’s Rubi, my name is Rubi,” she responded.

  Rubi…fuck, I loved her name. She was a natural beauty with her long brunette curls, pale skin and flawless facial structure, from what I could tell she had curves in all the right places and those lips…damn, she needed to stop licking them.

  “Why have we never met?” I questioned, curious as to how she knew Sibs, and why Sibyl hadn’t mentioned she had a visitor when I texted her.

  “I only arrived two days ago,” she replied. “Sibi is my cousin,” Rubi added.

  I smiled because I remembered back in Uni that Sibs mentioned a cousin who travelled a lot and enjoyed a good life. I just never expected to meet the cousin. I’d heard through stories from Sibs, that her
cousin had been born in Sweden but had an Australian father, who travelled so much that the kids travelled all over the world along with him. I smiled; this could be an interesting night.

  My day might have started out like shit, but tonight was set to take a turn for the better.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  RUBI

  Wow was my word for this city, but knockout was now my word for Aidan. I hadn’t expected to have company tonight…tonight was my one woman only night; takeout, wine, and some trashy movies. Unfortunately, I got distracted by Game of Thrones, effectively sending the trash to the bin.

  I swallowed hard as I gripped the blanket covering me, pulling it in closer. The small amount of clothing I was wearing under it wasn’t appropriate to be wearing in company, but then again I hadn’t expected to have visitors tonight, and especially not such a handsome visitor. I was really thankful for the throw blanket on my lap, and I could feel myself subconsciously continuing to pull at it to cover more of myself. I wasn’t an exhibitionist, even though I liked what I had and I wasn’t afraid to flaunt it in the right setting, but there was something about having a very attractive stranger sitting beside me while I was half-dressed that made me want to conceal myself; to hide behind whatever barrier I felt would protect me.

  Why I felt the need to protect myself was a little blurred, but it certainly had to do with the cluster fuck of a relationship I had been in previously. I could say the reasons behind my need for concealment were nerves, but to be truly honest I was feeling self-conscious among other things. I suspected that the smile on this man’s face had broken a million girls’ hearts, and then some. Aidan was attractive and his thick British accent had me a little…well, I felt several flutters in my stomach. This Adonis-like God was like no other man I had ever laid eyes on. He was tall, handsome, and mysteriously dark, with striking facial features, and his lush brown hair made me want to run my fingers through it. But it was his pale blue eyes, hiding behind those thick long lashes that were drawing me in. I wondered if he knew how much sexier he could be if he wore thick black-rimmed glasses. Alright, so I had a slight crush on geeky men, but Aidan seriously reminded me of Clark Kent…sexy Superman. Fucking hell, Rubi - note to self to never drink wine because your brain tends to wander and think of the most ridiculous things.