Spring Break

by Lucy Smoke

  "—out, and we can talk again later. I just—"

  "—but no thanks. I'm—"

  I realized I could hear snippets of their conversation from where I was standing. My eyes widened and when I heard approaching footsteps, I backed away from the door quickly, trying to wipe the guilt from my expression. I hadn't meant to eavesdrop.

  The door swung open just as I stepped into the living room and Darren lifted his head as Dex stood in the doorway.

  "Sorry about that," he said. "You guys ready to eat?" Cody and Taylor came back in and Taylor rushed forward, heading for the hallway.

  "Fuck yeah!" he yelled.

  As I stepped out after him, followed by Cody and Darren, I saw that Stephan was nowhere to be seen. When I chanced a look at Dex, he caught my expression and shook his head. I didn't ask. Some part of me recognized that whatever they had been talking about had to do with me—I didn’t ask, though, because, truthfully, I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to know.

  Cordelia’s was packed. The table we sat at this time had only enough room for the five of us, and barely at that. Still, though, the company was good and the food was delicious. I watched as Taylor and Darren teased Cody mercilessly about something that had happened during our ziplining trip. Dex held my hand on one side and Darren held my other.

  Something felt off, though. The back of my neck kept tingling—like an itch I couldn’t quite reach. Or like a sense that someone was watching. I looked around but didn’t recognize any of the faces at the tables nearby. I turned to Dex when Darren took his hand away to reach for a breadstick.

  I bit my lip, debating on asking about what had gone down with his family, with his brother. In the end, however, I chickened out and kept my questions to myself.

  We ate in relative happiness. The teasing continued, but even the noise of the surrounding area didn’t dim the mood. At least, it didn’t seem to for the others. But I caught Cody glancing my way. I knew I was being quieter than usual. I also knew that Dex was too. He had barely touched his food.

  When he had first seen us to the restaurant, he had attempted to smile, but as the meal dragged on, his pseudo-smile slowly dropped away. He pushed his fork around his plate, finally dropping it and not picking it back up again—instead, choosing to down glass after glass of wine. And when most of us had finished the meal, he didn’t wait for the rest of us to finish.

  “I have a headache,” he said sharply as he stood up from the table. “I’m going to walk around for a bit. I’ll see you back at the suite.”

  He didn’t give any of us a chance to respond before he was tossing down his napkin and rising from his seat. I stared after him for a moment before flashing a concerned look to Darren.

  Darren sighed. “I’ll go after him,” he said, rising from his own chair.

  “Thank you,” I said, reaching for his hand.

  Darren squeezed back lightly before trailing after Dex’s departing back. That tingle still hadn’t gone away. I supposed whoever was watching, then, wasn’t interested in watching Dex.

  Several minutes went by and twin cell phones pinged. I reached for mine before I realized that I hadn’t gotten the foreign travel minutes like the guys had. Cody and Taylor checked their phones and frowned.

  Taylor was the first to get up. He strode around the table and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Darren asked if we could meet him,” he said by way of explanation.

  I nodded as Cody got up and did the same. “We’ll meet you at the suite,” Cody said. “Don’t worry about dinner, it’s paid for.”

  I bit my lip as I watched them go. Once they were out of sight, I started cleaning up. I finished the last bite of my meal—forcing it down out of duty and willpower—before I placed my napkin on the table and began to rise. A large palm slapped the table in front of me and I turned, looking over my shoulder and noticing how the arm attached blocked my exit before tilting my face up.

  “Stephan?”

  Stephan’s expression was unreadable, but he stared at me for a long while. “Can we talk?” he finally asked.

  I didn’t know what to say, but I felt responsible for the obvious fight that I had accidentally overheard between him and Dex, so I didn’t feel right denying him. I nodded slowly with both brows drawn down.

  “Wha—” Stephan grabbed my wrist, cutting me off and began to tug me behind him as we swiftly made our way through the restaurant.

  I hurried to keep up with him. His legs were much longer than mine. He didn’t seem to realize how tall he was though, by comparison, as he continued to pull me behind him. He didn’t stop once we left the restaurant, but instead, continued to lead me through the maze-like hallways of the cruise ship.

  Finally, he came to a stop in an empty hallway with several closed doors and one light out at the very end. We must have been several floors down because for some reason the farther down I got the more I could feel the rocking of the ship. I leaned against the wall as he turned and slapped a hand down alongside my head, making me jump.

  “S-Stephan?” As he leaned closer, I realized something. Stephan’s eyes were unfocused. His expression hadn’t been unreadable, he just hadn’t been able to clearly fixate on me. Even now as he stared down at me, crowding me against the wall, he looked at me without really seeing me.

  He was drunk.

  And I was in a lot of fucking trouble.

  Chapter 12

  Stephan, you’re making me uncomfortable,” I said quickly, as I tried to slide to the side and out from underneath him.

  He merely followed me, his gaze trying to find mine. “You know…” he started. “I knew my brother was into some kinky stuff, but this…”

  He didn’t sound drunk, but his breath reeked of alcohol. I flinched as the foul smell hit my nostrils and turned my head away.

  “I don’t blame him, you know.” I jumped when I felt a hand on my side. “You’re pretty fucking hot.”

  “Y-you’re not thinking straight, Stephan,” I stuttered. “Let go.”

  Stephan leaned over me as I attempted, once again, to squirm away. “Come on, Jamie,” he said, emphasizing my name. “I just want to know what has those boys wrapped around your little finger.” As he talked about wrapping, his own hand found my wrist and jerked me forward.

  My eyes widened as he pushed my hand against the hardness starting to rise in his slacks. I tried to yank back, but he only pressed it against him harder as he shoved me into the wall and dropped his head to my neck.

  Panic ripped through me, sucking away my breath, draining me of my voice. Why wasn’t I screaming? I thought. I should be screaming. Calling for help. Doing something! But as I opened my mouth, nothing came out.

  I felt vomit rise from the pit of my stomach, curling in a grotesque shape in my gut. I turned my head away as Stephan brushed his lips across my cheek. I squeezed my hand into a ball, refusing to touch him as violent anger tore through me.

  I shifted to the side raising my only free hand and clasping it around his shoulder. With a quick move, I jerked my hand out of his grasp and brought my knee up just as he leaned down to kiss my shoulder. His teeth sank in as he curled inward with a long groan of pain. I yanked myself from his arms, twisting towards the end of the hall.

  I didn’t care where I ran so long as I got the fuck away from him. Two steps away and I whirled my head back around as I felt a strong hand grab onto my ankle as Stephan sank to his knees. I was already moving—there was no way for me to stop. I went down in a heap, banging my knees on the hallway carpet and scraping them raw as I tried to pull away.

  “You fucking whore!” Stephan choked out as he used his grip on my ankle to drag me back towards him. The hem of my dress lifted as I slid, the fabric gliding up my thighs revealing smooth skin.

  Finally, my voice returned. “Stop!” I screamed as he crawled over me, still hunkered down and wincing with pain. I obviously hadn’t hurt him badly enough, though.

  “You missed my cock, you stupid cunt,” he snapped grabbing on
to a chunk of my hair. My scalp stung as he ripped several strands free. “But now my fucking thigh aches like a bitch.”

  I squirmed and shoved at his chest. The scent of sharp biting alcohol blasted in my face as he spoke.

  “You’ll give it up for my brother and his friends, but not for me? You’re a choosy whore, aren’t you? Don’t worry, I can pay you. I’m just as rich as my brother.”

  I gasped and screamed in frustration as I sank my nails into his arms, drawing blood.

  “Ow! What the fuck! I told you I’d pay y—” Stephan disappeared before he could finish his sentence. My scalp smarted where his hand only half released me before he was dragged away. One second, he was hovering over me, his hand moving to the zipper of his slacks and the next, he was gone.

  When I looked up and saw who had saved me, my heart began to race in my chest. Dex stood holding his brother in an iron grip against the wall. Cody and Taylor moved around him, dropping to their knees alongside me. I reached out, clutching onto them as they helped me to my feet. I was shaking—trembling between them as they both turned their heads and glared at Stephan. Dex ran his eyes over me before he turned them on his brother, the coldness in his gaze could have frozen the ocean.

  Darren stood just behind Dex’s shoulder—watching Stephan with animalistic bloodlust. “You’re fucking dead,” he said, his voice a whisper in the nearly empty hallway. I reached for Cody’s and Taylor’s hand, drawing their attention.

  “Are you okay?” Cody asked, looking down at me with concern in his beautiful brown eyes.

  I nodded, but for the life of me, I couldn’t seem to let go of their hands.

  “Dude, I was just fucking with her,” Stephan said, raising his hands. “I didn’t think you’d mind. She’s just a bit—” Dex’s fist slammed into his brother’s face.

  “What the fuck!” Stephan spit out, blood dribbling down his lower lip onto his chin. “I just said she—”

  “I wouldn’t finish that fucking thought, you stupid piece of shit,” Darren warned.

  Dex was barely contained, a vibrating mass of violence just waiting to be unleashed. For a second, I wondered why he was holding himself back and when he cast a glance back towards me, I realized it was because he didn’t want me to see. But he did want information.

  “Where did he touch you, Jamie?” he demanded.

  I swallowed against the lump in my throat. “H-he didn’t—”

  “Then where did he make you touch him?”

  I blushed hotly, my eyes finding the carpet as I gritted my teeth. There was no fucking reason for me to feel ashamed. But I couldn’t stop the stutter in my tone as I answered. “H-his—he m-made me touch h-his…” Shit. I couldn’t even fucking say it without wanting to puke. So, I just nodded down towards his cock and released Cody’s hand to turn into Taylor. If all it took for Dex to punch Stephan again was me not looking, I would shut my damn eyes. But I wanted to hear it. I wanted to hear all of it.

  I wanted Stephan to bleed. Who the fuck got off on trying to force someone? Who the fuck thought they were so fucking elite that they could get whatever the fuck they wanted if they just threw money at it? People weren’t for fucking sale. I wasn’t for sale.

  Taylor’s hand cupped the back of my head and I heard Stephan grunt as a fist slammed into him yet again. I stared over Taylor’s shoulder as Cody’s hand found mine and he stepped up alongside Taylor.

  “You stupid fucking bastard.” Dex’s voice was low, deadly.

  “She was ripe for it,” Stephan said—the idiot. “I told you she would be. I brought her down here to show you what a pussy like hers is used for since you’ve gotten your damn head shoved up her ass.”

  I was shaking—with embarrassment, with shock, with violent fucking anger. But Stephan wasn’t letting up, he kept talking.

  “She was almost ready to beg for it,” he said. “I knew she would be. Any girl that lets four guys fuck her isn’t going to help you run a fucking business, Dex. Mother was right, she’s a plaything, not marriage material.”

  My mind didn’t even freeze on the fact that he had mentioned marriage. None of the guys ever had. I wasn’t thinking about marrying—though I could see myself with them for the rest of my life. No, I was seeing just how fucked up Stephan Smythe-Jones was.

  “So, you thought that was reason enough to try and rape me?!” I screamed.

  “Cody, Taylor,” Darren said. “Get her out of here. We’ll take care of this.”

  “You sure?” I jerked my head to the side at Taylor's reply. I had never heard his voice go that deep. When I saw his eyes, I realized why. He looked on the verge of committing murder. Just as much as Dex and Darren. I twisted my head to look at Cody. He did as well.

  “We’ve got this,” Darren replied. “Take care of Jamie.”

  Cody urged me to turn around.

  “Hey, I was doing you a fav—” Dex didn’t wait for me to be completely out of earshot before Stephan’s words were cut off. The sound of flesh hitting flesh, of crunching cartilage, and a gurgle of blood reached my ears as Cody and Taylor led me away. And I couldn’t find it in myself to feel sorry for the piece of shit.

  Later, after Cody and Taylor had dragged me out of my clothes and bundled me into soft pajamas, Dex and Darren came back to the suite. Dex bypassed me completely, but I didn’t miss the soft coppery scent of blood on him. Nor did I miss the red marks on his knuckles.

  Darren came immediately to me as I sat on the couch between Taylor and Cody. He dropped to his knees and reached for me. "You okay, sweetheart?"

  I reached for him, twining my arms around his neck as I snuggled into his chest before I nodded my answer. He sighed as I pressed my chest against his and squeezed me tight. We sat like that for a few moments, no one saying anything more. Then, he pulled back and looked me up and down.

  "Dex is pretty upset, sweetheart," Darren told me, tugging my hands gently away from his neck. He held them in his, staring down at them. "He dragged Stephan back to his mother and informed them as soon as we got to shore that he was cutting them off."

  The organ in my chest squeezed tight. I didn't know what to say to that, but my eyes darted to the closed bedroom door. Before I knew what I was doing, I was gently pushing Darren back and standing. He released my hands without a word, but he, Cody, and Taylor watched me as I made my way towards the room Dex had disappeared into.

  I didn't knock. I doubted he would answer.

  Turning the knob, I pushed the door open, stepped through, and quietly snicked it shut behind me. Dex sat on the bed, his head in his hands, covering his face. His shoulders were drooped and he didn't respond as I moved closer. I sat on the bed at his side and still, he did not react. The cold wave of air-conditioning slid over my skin, raising goosebumps as I waited. I wasn't sure what for—perhaps for him to say something, perhaps for me to say something. In the end, neither of us said a word.

  Until finally, I couldn't take the silence anymore.

  "It's not your fault," I said. Dex jerked as though he'd been hit, but I continued to talk. "What your brother tried to do doesn't—"

  "I know that," he said, sounding tired. "I should've known, though."

  "How could you have known?" I asked.

  "The way he was acting earlier." Dex raised his head, dropping his hands—his arms—down to dangle between his knees.

  "Was he drunk then, too?"

  Dex didn't reply.

  "He was drunk," I said. "He wasn't thinking clearly. I don't blame you."

  "I beat the shit out of him," Dex said. Yeah, I had expected as much. I nodded. "I don't like anyone touching you like that, Jamie."

  "I know—I mean the guys—"

  "I don't include them," he said quickly.

  I sighed and nodded. "I know."

  "After tonight, I'm not sure we should see each other anymore, Jamie." He refused to look at me as he spoke. Surprisingly, I wasn't shocked or even angry. Somehow, I had known it would come to this. I had known Dex for alm
ost three full years. Sure, he was dominant in the bedroom, but he was that way because he was protective. He was a provider, a lover, a watcher. He wanted the guys to do well and he wanted me to do well. And if he saw a threat to his friends or me, then he wanted to remove that threat.

  At first, the obvious threat was Stephan, but I knew his brain would be working. He was thinking of all the scenarios. His family was rich. Even if he left his family and never spoke to them again, he would be afraid that what he did tonight would come back to hurt me. And I found that I didn't really give a shit.

  Silence reigned. I waited for him to say something more, but he didn't.

  With a sigh, I grabbed his hands and forced him to look at me. "Dex, I love you. Not your family. Your mom and your brother can go fuck themselves for all I care. I'm dating you, not them."

  "What happened tonight—"

  "Is over," I snapped. "And you are not breaking up with me."

  "Jamie, I don't think you understand."

  "I don't care," I said.

  "Mother is—"

  "It's. Over," I said through gritted teeth. I reached up and grabbed his chin when he turned his head to look away. I held his gaze. "You and me, Dex. We're together. You and me and the guys. We're your family. I don't care if you have money. I don't care if you don't."

  Dex's eyes focused on mine and for several heartbeats, they didn't waver. I waited for him to make a decision. I waited for him to decide to believe me. Finally, he did. I knew the moment that he did because he dropped his eyes and squashed me against his chest, holding me like I would drift away at any moment.

  "I love you," I whispered against his chest as I struggled to get my arms around him. I didn't tell him that he was squeezing me so tight that it hurt. I liked the hurt—it was the force of his love for me and I accepted it fully.

  "I love you, Baby. So fucking much. I thank the universe every day for giving you to me."

  "We all do, buddy."

  We both jerked our heads up and turned towards the now open door. Darren, Cody, and Taylor stood there. Taylor grinning, Darren watching us and Cody striding forward. Before Cody could say anything, Taylor burst around him and threw himself at us.