Control Us (Next Generation Book 1)

by J. M. Walker

  Even from the other end of the phone, he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. With dark eyes, black hair, and that sexy as hell dimple, I was lost to him.

  “So, remember when I was a kid and fell off the swing?” I asked. Although the conversation was random, I knew Zach needed distracting from whatever nightmare he had. “You kissed the booboo on my forehead even though I didn’t have one.” It was one of my favorite memories and also when my crush for him started brewing.

  “I remember,” he said, his voice deepening. He pushed his dark bangs off of his forehead, his bicep twitching at the movement. “You remember the first time you wore those teeny tiny shorts in front of us boys? I thought your dad was going to have a coronary.”

  I laughed. “My dad always looks like he’s going to have a coronary.”

  Zach chuckled. “Well, you are beautiful and…” He cleared his throat. “Anyway…why can’t you sleep?”

  “I…I’m not sure. Just feeling antsy I guess.” I wasn’t sure what my deal was. I was still young but at a time in my life where I should already be making plans for the future. Instead, I felt…stuck. Like my feet were planted in quicksand and the only thing I could do was sink into the murky depths beneath me.

  “Luna?”

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Tell me your plans for today.” I needed to change the subject off of me or else we would go down a road that I wasn’t sure either of us was ready for. Maybe he would tell me about his job. When it came to his work, he could talk for hours and I would always willingly listen.

  “I have to head into the city. I have a few meetings and then dinner plans with a prestigious restaurant owner.” Zach grunted. “The guy only wants to meet me, so he can get a free room for his mistress whenever she’s in town.”

  “Well, at least you get free food.”

  “True. That’s only if he pays. They never usually do.” He paused. “Come with me.”

  My eyes widened. “What?”

  “Come to dinner with me. He’ll probably have a date with him anyway. You won’t have to say anything. You can just be there.”

  “So, I’d be like the hot piece of candy on your arm?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Well, I wouldn’t go that far.”

  “Hey,” I cried, laughter bubbling out of me.

  Zach laughed along with me. “You know what I mean. Like you said, it’ll be a free meal and maybe I won’t be so nervous if you’re with me.”

  “You get nervous?” Zach was slowly trying to take over his father’s company, so he could retire completely. He had already left the navy and now he just needed to tie up loose ends with his business. I knew he had nothing to worry about when he was leaving everything to Zach. But I still never imagined a guy like him would get nervous.

  “I do, Moonbeam. So, what do you say?”

  “I…” I inhaled a sharp breath. “Okay. I’ll come with you.”

  “Great.” Zach’s smile widened. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Now I have to figure out what to wear.” I tapped my chin. “I have a red dress that—”

  “No,” Zach snapped.

  “Excuse me?” My heart thumped.

  “I mean.” Zach coughed. “Don’t wear red,” he said gently.

  “Why not?” I loved the color red.

  “Because the guy’s a dick and I don’t want him eye-fucking you because when you wear red, you look hot as hell,” Zach said all in one breath.

  “Oh. Is that all?” I muttered.

  “Listen.” Zach shifted, placing the phone down in front of him. “I want you comfortable but don’t go out of your way to impress him.”

  “What if…what if I want to impress you?” I asked, not sure where this newfound bravery was coming from.

  “You don’t need to wear a pretty dress to impress me, Moonbeam.”

  “So, you’re saying that I could wear a paper bag and you’d be impressed?” This conversation was beginning to become…weird.

  “Something like that.” Zach winked.

  “Why, Zachary? Are you flirting with me?” I waggled my eyebrows.

  He grinned, rubbing his jaw. “Maybe I am.”

  “Luna? You awake?” Angelica Rodriguez called out from the other side of the door.

  “I am,” I yelled back.

  “I’ll let you go, Moonbeam,” Zach said. “I’ll see you tonight. Be ready for seven.”

  “Okay.” We said our goodbyes as the door opened. “What’s up, Gigi?” I asked, using the nickname I had given her as a child when I couldn’t say her full name. Gigi stuck, and everyone started calling her it.

  “Meadow’s making breakfast. She tried out this new recipe for some pastries.”

  “She couldn’t sleep either?” I asked, sliding off the bed. Meadow was Gigi’s younger sister and working her way to owning her own bakery. She never admitted to that of course but we all knew it was what she wanted to do.

  “No.” Gigi sighed, pulling an elastic from her wrist and putting her long auburn hair back into a ponytail. “Neither could I, so I figured we’d at least start the day off right with good food.”

  “I like that idea.”

  “Were you on the phone with Zach?” she asked, leaning against the doorframe.

  “Yeah.” I rummaged through my dresser, pulling out a pair of gray shorts and a white t-shirt.

  “Everything okay?”

  I met her gaze in the mirror. “Of course.” I wasn’t sure if they knew that Zach got nightmares every now and again, so I kept that piece of information to myself.

  She shook her head. “I don’t get you two. Clearly there is something there, but you are too stubborn to do anything about it.”

  “Well…” Were we too stubborn? Sure, Zach and I flirted, but it never amounted to anything more than that. Besides, as much as I liked him, he slept with a lot of women. And I couldn’t compete with that.

  “But I get it.”

  My head snapped up. I slowly turned toward her. “You do?”

  She nodded. “Our fathers are over-protective. I’m not sure if that’s the issue here but I do know that it could cause a problem.”

  “My dad hasn’t really said anything.” Not that I ever dated anyway but he never laid down the law when I became old enough to date.

  “Well, that’s good at least. My dad ignores the fact that I have a boyfriend.” She laughed lightly. “Anyway, I’ll let you get dressed.” Before I could respond, she left my room and shut the door quietly behind her.

  Her boyfriend.

  My stomach twisted.

  Matt Hillman was a douche, but Gigi was happy, so we all put up with him. The guy didn’t deserve her and treated her like an object rather than the wonderful person that she was.

  I quickly got dressed and left the room. As soon as I stepped out into the hall, I was greeted with the scent of something sweet mixed with bacon, eggs, and coffee.

  My stomach rumbled.

  “There she is.” Ashton and Aiden Donovan greeted me at the same time. The twins came toward me.

  “Hi, guys.” I gave them each a hug. “What are you doing here so early?”

  “We were on the way to the center when Meadow texted that she was cooking breakfast.” Ashton hooked an arm around my shoulders. “You know we could never turn down her food.”

  “It also gives us an excuse to delay our arrival a little bit,” Aiden said, wrapping an arm around me from the other side. “I love the center, but our father likes to work us to the bone.”

  I laughed. “He’s trying to make you hard workers for when you take over his company.”

  Ashton grunted. Both of them were built like their dad, Asher, but had the bright blue eyes of their mother. Even though they complained, I knew they loved working for their father and doing the work they did to help fix up and expand the center. The Dove Project had been a part of our lives ever since we were kids. Now that the guys were older, they helped with the construction on it. The cente
r, as most of us called it, was a safe place for human trafficking victims. It offered shelter, food, clothing, therapy, schooling, and even jobs. It was something our mothers had started before us kids were born and it still left me in awe at how big it had become over the years.

  “It’s the summer. We shouldn’t be working so damn much.” Ashton released me and sat at the dining room table.

  “I love working,” Gigi added. She had just opened up her dance studio the year before but also worked at The Dove Project. She was a new teacher, so business was slow at the moment until her name got out there more.

  “Of course you do.” Aiden sat beside her at the table. “You actually have a business.”

  She scoffed. “Yeah and I have only a handful of clients. I need to get some more fliers printed.”

  “Meadow, are you done with the food yet, woman? I’m fucking starving.” Ashton leaned back in the chair, stretching his arms up and over his head. “I’m withering away.”

  “Do you kiss your mama with that filthy mouth?” she called from the kitchen.

  “No, but I’d sure as hell kiss you with it,” he threw back at her.

  “Ha!” she scoffed. “You wouldn’t even know what do with me if I was laying naked before you with my legs spread open. I bet you wouldn’t know where a woman’s clit was even with a neon sign pointing directly at it.”

  “What?” Ashton’s face turned bright red. “Fucking women.”

  Laughter sounded around the room.

  I joined them at the table when Meadow started bringing plates out.

  “Did you need any help?” I asked her, moving to rise from my chair when she lifted her hand to stop me.

  “No thank you.” She smiled her widest smile. Her full red lips pulling thin.

  “Why do I feel like you messed with these?” I asked her, glancing at the plates of pastries on the table before us.

  She laughed, placing the last plate on the table and tugged her shirt down. She only ever did that when she was nervous. “One of the plates has special cookies that I made. I don’t suggest eating them if you have things to do today or need to drive somewhere.”

  Ashton leaned forward and popped a cookie into his mouth. “Looks like I’m sleeping on your couch again.”

  “You are helping me today. I’m not making up excuses for you again.” Aiden shook his head and picked up a croissant before breaking off the end and shoving it into his mouth.

  “I have to work today, so no special cookies for me,” Gigi said, pouting.

  “I’ll just stick with eggs and bacon,” I muttered.

  “Try a cookie, Luna,” Ashton said, waggling his eyebrows. “We could have some fun.”

  I grimaced. “No. Thank you.”

  “Have you talked to Zach today?” Meadow handed me a plate of food.

  “I did,” I said, picking up a piece of bacon off the plate in front of me. “He couldn’t sleep either.”

  “Must be something in the water,” Aiden mumbled.

  Ashton grunted.

  “Is he coming to the party tonight?” Gigi asked, shoving a forkful of eggs into her mouth.

  “I believe so. He has a dinner meeting at seven first that he invited me to. It’s with a possible client.” The parties that Gigi threw were once every couple of months. Since all of us worked hard, it was her way of making it so we could relax, forget about our day jobs and just unwind. I knew that once we got older and started getting married, having kids and so on, the parties would be few and far between. So she threw them now while she could.

  “Which reminds me, I’m going to need help in deciding what to wear,” I told Meadow and Gigi.

  Silence fell around the table. You would think I just told them that I was pregnant.

  Ashton broke the silence by letting out a cheer. “I knew it. That’s fifty bucks, brother.”

  Aiden rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t a bet, asshole.”

  “Doesn’t matter.” Ashton punched him in the shoulder. “You still owe me.”

  “We never shook on it.” Aiden leaned back in his chair. “Doesn’t count.”

  “Wait.” I looked between them both. “You guys had a bet going about me?”

  “No. My brother did,” Aiden said, nodding toward Ashton.

  “Placing a bet on your friends is a little immature, don’t you think?” Meadow asked, raising a dark eyebrow.

  Ashton glanced between her and the rest of us. “Nope.” He glared at his brother. “Fifty. In my hand. Now.”

  “No.” Aiden sat forward. “He made the bet. Not me. Like I said, we never shook on it.”

  “What was the bet?” Gigi asked, rising from the table and gathering up the empty plate.

  “That Luna and Zach would be the first ones to go on a date out of all of us.” Ashton held out his hand and tapped his palm. “I don’t see any money.”

  Aiden rolled his eyes.

  “It’s not really a date. I’m going with Zach out of support.” Although as I said the words, it didn’t stop the nervous flutter from racing through me.

  Ashton tapped his palm again.

  Aiden slapped some bills in his twin’s hand. “Happy?”

  “You guys need to get lives,” I laughed, shaking my head.

  “Alright, kids.” Meadow placed another plate of pastries on the table. “Eat up so I have an excuse to make more stuff.”

  “How the hell did you have time to make all of this?” Ashton asked, grabbing a croissant off the plate.

  Meadow laughed. “I don’t sleep.”

  While they continued chatting amongst themselves, my thoughts traveled to what could possibly happen tonight and that only sent my nerves into overdrive.

  ***

  This was a bad idea. A really bad idea. I had a half an hour before Zach was picking me up and I still wasn’t ready. My nerves were shot, my skin was clammy, and I had nothing to wear. Absolutely nothing.

  A soft knock sounded on the door.

  “Need help still?” Meadow asked, peeking her head into the room.

  “Yes.” I rushed to her, pulling her into my bedroom.

  Gigi laughed, joining us and went right to my closet. “Still can’t find something to wear?”

  “No.” I sighed. “I have nothing, and I don’t have time to go shopping. Why did I agree to this?”

  “Because he asked you and you said yes,” Meadow said. “Because you want to jump his bones and ride him like a pogo stick. Because—”

  I clapped a hand over her mouth. “We get the idea.”

  “Maybe this is a step in the right direction finally,” Gigi said, searching through my closet.

  “We’re friends. Besides, he doesn’t think of me that way.” Not that I ever asked him though.

  “Right,” both of them said slowly.

  “What?” I frowned. “What?” I repeated.

  “You really don’t see it, do you?” Gigi stared at me.

  “See what?” I looked between the both of them. “What am I not seeing?”

  “He likes you, Luna,” Gigi told me. “And you’re the only one of us that he actually talks to. Sure, we’ve all known him our whole lives, but I’ve never carried a full conversation with him.”

  I stared at her. “Yes, you have.”

  Gigi shook her head. “Have you?” she asked Meadow.

  “Not really.” Meadow joined her sister at the closet. “He does ask me how my baking is going, and he’s always been nice. We don’t know him how you know him though.”

  “I didn’t know that.” I thought back to all of the conversations we’ve had over the years. How he would always ask me how my day was or how he would tell me the last book he read or movie he watched.

  “And I know there are rumors going around that he’s slept with half the city, but I don’t think that’s true.” Meadow pulled a dress out from the closet, frowned and put it back. “I know he was wild in high school. That’s what the twins say anyway. But I don’t think he’s like that anymore, no matte
r what the rumors are.”

  “I…” Could the rumors be lies? It wasn’t like I had ever asked him about his sexual exploits. It wasn’t any of my business anyway and I didn’t even want to know. “Really? How come?”

  Meadow shrugged. “I just don’t.” She pulled out a green dress. “What about this?” She grimaced. “Never mind.”

  The dress had been shoved into the back of my closet for a reason. It was old and an ugly shade of green.

  “You don’t see what we see,” Meadow continued. “The way he looks at you, thinking we’re not watching. Or that he’s being discreet. Or the way you look at him. God, you two are in love and you don’t even know it yet.”

  “Uh…” I wasn’t sure what to say to that.

  “What about this?” Gigi pulled out a red dress this time.

  “I can’t wear that one.” I grabbed it from her and hung it back up.

  “Why not?” Meadow pulled it back out of the closet. “It’s perfect.”

  “Yeah, it is.” I snatched it out of her hand and hung it up again. “But apparently the guy we’re having dinner with is a pervert or something and…”

  “Zach doesn’t want another man lusting after you?” Meadow raised an eyebrow. “But you really don’t see it.”

  I huffed, pulling another dress out of the closet. “I have no idea what you girls are talking about. Zach and I are just friends. We are not in love and whatever you think you’re seeing, there’s nothing there.” But even though I said those words, I had always hoped for something more. He had been the only guy I ever felt comfortable with. I could be myself around him and he never judged or made fun of me for my quirks.

  “Come on, Luna. You can’t honestly believe that,” Meadow said.

  “Leave it alone,” Gigi told her sister. “She’ll see it eventually.”

  “I feel like we’ve overused that word,” I mumbled.

  “Fine.” Meadow reached into the closet. “What about this?”

  I looked between the dress in my hand and the one she was holding. I ran my fingers down the black fabric. I stewed over their words. Could Zach be wanting more from me? Could he be feeling something different? Could he finally see whatever it was that they saw? I shook my head, chewing my bottom lip. I wasn’t sure, but I was willing to find out.