Table of Contents
Dedication
Also by Heather M. Orgeron
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About The Author
Excerpt from Doppelbanger
Pour Judgment
Copyright © 2019 by Heather M. Orgeron.
Cover design and formatting by Juliana Cabrera, Jersey Girl Design
Edited by Librum Artis Editorial Services
Photographer: Michelle Lancaster
Model: Heath Hutchins
First Edition: October 2019
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to retailer and purchase.
This one’s for you, Edeerie.
For thinking of me when you discovered that adult summer camps laced with booze were a thing and knowing this crazy Cajun wouldn’t be able to pass up such a gold mine of drunken debauchery.
Also by Heather M. Orgeron
Vivienne’s Guilt
Boomerangers
Breakaway
Doppelbanger
Prologue
Rhett
“Oh, Rhett, yesss…”
I squeeze harder, lapping her nipple into a firm bud through her thin top. My cock stiffens as she grinds her hips to the tempo of the music, giving me a sexy as fuck lap dance. Suddenly I have this inexplicable urge to look up, letting Monica’s tit slip from my mouth. I feel smothered—like all the air has suddenly been pulled from the room.
Who is that?
“It’s fine, Nick—” She digs her heels into the floor. “No, I don’t want to meet—”
“Rhett.” My drummer, Nick, approaches, dragging the very reluctant blonde behind him by the arm. “I’d like to introduce you to my cousin, Korie Potter. Korie, this is Rhett.” He gives her a little shove, landing her on her feet, right in front of my bent knees.
My eyes peruse her sweet little body. Her long blonde hair is pulled back in a low ponytail. There’s not an ounce of makeup on her face. Her eyes are a vibrant shade of emerald, and she has the most delectable little freckles dotting her cheekbones. She’s wearing a black Rolling Stones tee—slightly fitted, the collar ripped so it droops a little, exposing one shoulder. One creamy, slender, tantalizing shoulder. I clear my throat, reaching around the raven-haired beauty presently situated in my lap for Korie’s hand.
“I’m good,” she says, not reaching back, her face scrunched like she’s just gotten a whiff of something foul. “Just carry on with whatev—umm whoever you’re doing.” She whirls back on her cousin, eyes flaming. “I’m gonna go get some air.”
In her haste to get away, she trips over my foot and is sent hurtling face first to the floor. Like in the movies, the music stops and every pair of eyes in the room are on her.
“Oh, shit.” I slide Monica to the side. “Scuse me,” I rush out, blundering to my feet, the alcohol throwing off my balance as I hop around, trying to right my pants zipper before reaching her. “My fault,” I say, shoving the little douche aside who’s trying to help her up. “I’ve got it.”
He throws his hands in the air, backing away.
“Are you all right?” My fingers curl around her upper arm, and inexplicably my pulse begins to race.
Then, she turns toward me, and our eyes truly connect for the first time. Fireworks burst in my chest, and I can’t seem to locate my voice. The attraction is instantaneous.
Well, it is for me at least.
She visibly stiffens. “Get your hands off of me. I’m fine.”
“Just wanted to make sure you were oka—”
She shrugs out of my hold, popping to her feet and righting her clothes. “I said, I’m fine.” She glances around at the slew of eyes fixed on her, sneering at all the snooty females whispering, pointing their manicured nails, and giggling in their Louboutin shoes and designer cocktail dresses. What I found hot not even five minutes ago suddenly seems pretentious and well, boring. “You’re just making it worse,” she grits.
“Right.” Nodding, I withdraw my hand and bring it to my chest. “You all act like you’ve never seen a person trip before,” I say, addressing the crowd. “Get back to it.” I clap my hands loudly toward the DJ, “Music!”
With an annoyed huff, she rolls her eyes and storms off in her black Converse.
Sneakers at a Hollywood party…Who is this girl?
“Don’t take it personally,” Nick says, coming up behind me and clapping me on the shoulder. “She’s Jax’s daughter.”
Jax Potter…Nicholas’s washed-up rock star uncle, who hooked us up with our agent and helped get The Rhett Taylor Band off the ground. So, that explains why her name sounded familiar. But still doesn’t account for her odd reaction toward me.
“Did I umm…Have we met before?” I stare after her until she disappears through the balcony door. “Did I offend her in some way?” I’m beginning to wonder if we’ve maybe hooked up and that’s the reason, I feel this strange connection. But I’m positive I’ve never felt like this before, and she certainly doesn’t seem like someone I’d easily forget.
“Nah, man. This just isn’t her scene. You know Jax…wasn’t easy being the one at home with her mom while he uh…did his thing.” He shrugs. “I’m honestly surprised to see her here at all.”
“Right,” I agree as Monica’s hands slink around my waist from behind. She’s shimmying to the beat of the sultry music, her breasts pressed to my back, but I’m just not in it any longer. “I’ll find you later,” I lie, kissing the tips of her fingers and sending her off to her friends.
She pouts like a child, running a hand over my chest. “Don’t forget me.”
Nick laughs after she walks off. “That’s probably what uh…what did it. She thinks we’re all like her pops.” He gives his shoulders another shrug. “Thanks for the party, man. You’re the best. I’m gonna go check on
Korie.”
“Ahh, there you are,” I say, finding Korie perched on a wicker couch with a drink in hand. It’s a dark, clear night. She’s staring out at the stars, all alone on the balcony off Nick’s room. “So, I think maybe we got off on the wrong foot.” I take a pull from my beer then clear my throat. “I wanted to find you and reintroduce myself—start over again, you know, in less…awkward circumstances.”
Her head slowly rolls in my direction. The look in her eyes tells me she’s over this conversation before it even begins. “No need. Everyone with the internet knows who you are. You’re Rhett Taylor—bad boy of country music. Playboy. Womanizer.”
“Ouch.” I suck in a breath, bringing a hand to my chest. “Yeah…well, you see what the media wants people to see.”
She rises to her feet, closing the distance between us in a few strides. The wind blows through her hair, and I get a whiff of her floral shampoo. My dick twitches. She’s so close—inches away. I have to stop myself from giving in to the urge to reach out and touch her again. “What I saw when I walked in was nothing less than I expected.” She plants a hand on her hip. “That wasn’t the media. That was a rock star in his natural habitat.” She taps a hand lightly on the front of my shirt. “I know it’s probably real hard to believe, but I’m not here to go gaga and fall all over you.” She smiles a lazy smile. “As disappointing as that may be for your huge…ego.”
Did I just imagine her eyes dropping to my crotch?
“I came to see my cousin, who I haven’t seen in years. The rest of this”—her hand circles the air—“is just unfortunate.”
She stalks back into the house, leaving me to scrape my jaw up from the floor. Something about that sassy mouth of hers only makes me want her more.
I spend the rest of the evening lurking in the shadows of my own home, stalking a girl who wants nothing to do with me. It doesn’t take her long to befriend all of the girls who were making fun of her earlier tonight, including Monica. It would seem we’re all under her spell. But for some reason she’s decided to give them another chance. Me? Well, I think she’d written me off before walking through the door.
I’m green with envy. I don’t know what it is about this particular girl that has me feeling things I haven’t felt in years…but it makes me realize just how numb I’ve allowed myself to become.
For the first time since I can’t remember when, I’m feeling, and even jealousy feels a hell of a lot better than indifference.
Chapter 1
Rhett
“You’re serious right now?” Anika, my manager, paces the studio in four-inch stilettos while gnawing on the back of a pen. “You want to cancel studio time to go to…to camp?”
She’s kinda cute when she’s all riled up like this, her pale cheeks flaming red and daggers shooting from her amber eyes. I sink down further into the plush couch, crossing my arms on my chest. “It’ll be fun. I’m in need of some fun. You said so yourself. A few days on the coast with other single, college-aged adults. Real people, Anika. A break from Hollywood.”
“I said after we finish the album. Not right in the middle of recording it.” Her heels clack on the wood floors as she moves to crouch before me, resting her manicured nails on the arms of my chair. Her frustration is evident in the heaviness of her breaths. She shakes her head, tossing her long chestnut braid over her left shoulder. “It’s her, isn’t it? She’s going to be there?”
“Yes,” I answer, trying to cover a smirk. “Yeah…So, there’s no way I can put this off.” I realize the timing isn’t ideal, but it’s the perfect chance to work my magic on this girl, whom I can’t seem to get out of my head.
Pushing up from my knees, she’s again wearing a hole into the floor. “She hates you, Rhett. This is a terrible idea. Not only for your career, but because you’re going to end up disappointed.”
What she means is depressed. My first Hollywood girlfriend did a number on me, but that was before I knew how industry relationships worked. I keep my heart guarded now—locked up tight in a suit of armor. I just want the chance to play with my sword.
“I’m curious about her,” I say with a shrug, my mind wandering to my drummer Nick’s birthday party, about three weeks ago. To his cousin, Korie Potter. Her long, wavy blonde ponytail, faded jeans, and Rolling Stones tee. She stood out among the sequins and glitz. Her attempt to fade into the background had the complete opposite effect. Only adding to her appeal was the easy manner with which she carried herself. She had a confidence—an honesty—about her that I don’t see much in the circles I run. I can’t help but smile, remembering how unimpressed she was with everything Rhett Taylor. What did she call me again? Oh, yeah. The bad boy of country music. Someone’s been paying a little too much attention to TMZ.
At any rate, life gets rather boring when you can literally have anything you want. Anyone you want. I hadn’t realized how willing I’d become to settle until life dangled temptation, in the form of a sassy-mouthed, blonde-haired, green-eyed, fiery little vixen, right under my nose and shook things up a bit—shook me up a bit.
Yeah, Korie is just the challenge I need.
“The label won’t like it.”
Having had about enough of her negativity, I rise to my feet, towering over her five-foot frame. It’s not often I ignore her advice. We’ve been best friends since elementary school; she’s one of the few people in my life I actually trust. “I don’t give a damn what they like or don’t like, Anika. I’m tired. I need to rest. The boys and I are taking this trip.”
Her pointed jaw ticks as she stares me down, arms crossed on her chest in a stance that I’m assuming she means to be intimidating. “Does she know you’ll be there?”
I snort. “Of course not.”
She gives one final resigned shake of her head, blowing out a laugh. “You’re gonna regret this.”
“Or,” I say, thumping her nose because I know how much it pisses her off, “I could enjoy it very, very much.”
“And Nick is okay with this?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely,” the hulking, six-foot-three, tatted oaf himself announces, entering through the back door. “A week of tits, booze, and fun in the sun? And I get to watch him follow Korie around like a lovesick puppy while she hands him his balls in a sling? Sign me up for that shit.”
Chapter 2
Korie
“Hello everyone, and welcome to Camp Pour Judgment!”
My knees bounce as I glance around the cafeteria at the equally excited faces of my fellow campers. I’ve never done anything like this before, but with finals fast approaching, and adult life knocking at our door, my best friend, Raven, and I thought it’d be fun to burn off some pent-up energy and sexual frustration—clear our minds and libidos, if you will.
“Before we set you all free, we need to establish a few ground rules. Here at Camp Pour Judgment, we believe in the right to drink, play, and fuck responsibly.”
I can’t help my loud intake of breath at Camp Counselor Joe’s choice of words. I mean, I knew it was a singles camp, obviously, but for him to so brazenly put it out there like that is shocking. The man is old enough to be my father.
“Don’t be a buzzkill,” Raven says, squeezing my upper thigh as the rest of the room erupts in cheer. The sound of the twenty-four college-aged men and women is almost deafening.
“That being said, rest assured that you will be cut off if at any point we feel you’ve become irresponsibly inebriated,” the short balding man says, trying to keep a straight face. “Hooking up is permitted and even encouraged, so long as it is consensual. If at any point you try to force your attention on another camper, you will be evicted from the premises.” His eyes naturally move to the right side of the room, where the male campers are gathered.
A few snickers and boos ring out among the group.
“We are so happy to have you all here with us for our first ever Spring Fling,” his wife Essie adds to lighten the mood, narrowing her dark eyes at her husband as she snatches the
mic away. She looks to be considerably younger than he is, but it could just be good genes and hair dye. Her skin is naturally tanned and flawless, her hair a mass of thick, black waves. “We’ll begin each morning with a buffet-style breakfast and mimosas, served right here in this room between eight and nine a.m. For the safety of our campers, alcohol will be restricted throughout the day until our nightly themed parties, which begin at seven p.m.” She holds out seven slender fingers, to be sure there’s no confusion on the time. “You should have all received a detailed list of each day’s activities in your welcome packets…”
“That one’s mine,” Raven whispers, pointing a finger at a beefy blond guy across the room. At first glance he looks kind of familiar, but the dude next to him shifts forward, hiding his face from view. “Look at the size of those feet,” she hisses. “Mmm-mmm.”
“Ladies,” Joe interrupts, eying me and my friend pointedly, “you’ll follow Essie to the left side of the property, and she’ll show you to your cabins. Gentlemen, follow me.” He waves a hand over his head and starts for the door before stopping abruptly and turning back around. “I almost forgot. There are lockers along the back wall there.” He points to a row of rust-colored lockers that remind me of the ones we used in high school gym class. “Electronics are not permitted on the premises. You can lock your phones, laptops, and other devices up in one of those for the duration of your stay.” The middle-aged man waggles a finger in our direction, indicating for us to get moving. “What happens at Camp Pour Judgment…”
“Stays at Camp Pour Judgment,” his wife finishes with a sly grin.
Chapter 3
Rhett
Somehow, I manage to make it through bunk assignments without being recognized. And let me tell you, when your face is constantly on the cover of gossip rags, that’s no easy feat. Even with our newly grown facial hair, sunglasses, and ballcaps, I know I’ll be outed sooner rather than later, and that’s why I’ve already had Nick arrange with the counselors to have our team face Korie’s in our icebreaker event, tug of war. If there’s one thing I’ve learned since my career really took off, it’s that there isn’t much a little money can’t buy, and I’m not above using that to my advantage.
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