by Rachel Angel
“Oh hi! Mr. Black!” A woman in her late 30s carrying a sign approached me. Karen Wilson, the Director of the new division in Los Angeles of Black Biotechnologies Inc. I knew her from the photo in her employee profile.
I walked over to her and acknowledged her with a nod.
“You don’t look like how I pictured you,” she said, looking at me in my black Armani suit, John Lobb shoes, and crisp white custom shirt. Dressed in my suits, I always appeared older than my 17 years, passing for a young man in the twenties.
“I know,” I said. Because of my regime of exercise, diet, and training; I had the body of a very fit athletic young man. I also had the poise and bearing of a man. My father made sure of it since I was old enough to walk. I glanced at her briefly, noticing her chin-length blonde hair, her black skirt suit, and her flat black shoes. She was dressed like the corporate yes-person my father liked to surround himself with, and she was wearing neutral make-up to play down any hint she was a woman.
“I mean, you’re…”
“Taller? Older-looking than my age?” I said.
“I thought you’d be a rough-looking tough guy based on your reputation, but you look like you just stepped out of a fashion magazine.” She smiled. “Like a gentleman. So well-dressed.”
“I like dressing well, Karen,” I said, ignoring her rudeness in calling me rough. “And since you apparently know my reputation, I’d suggest you keep your opinions about how I look, to yourself. Like it or not, I’m going to be running this division so I’m going to dress like the boss that I am.”
“Yes, sir,” Karen said.
“You did get my e-mail to you about my moving arrangements?”
Karen nodded. “Yes, everything is taken care of.” She handed me a set of keys. “These are the keys to your car. The make and model as you requested. And here are the keys to your house. A mansion in Hidden Hills as you requested. You’re in luck, the house you wanted came up for sale.”
I looked at her with a small, but annoyed smile. “When it comes to me, there is no luck. I wanted that house, Karen, so I made it happen. Now, tell me. Am I enrolled in that private school with the same name as the Hidden Falls enclave?”
Karen checked her phone and said, “Yes, just received confirmation that you are enrolled. Senior class. Hidden Falls High Academy.”
“Good,” I said. “You are off to a good start working for me.”
“When would you like to visit Black Biotech?” she asked.
“You mean, my company?” I said, correcting her. The faster she understood that I was now in charge of Black Biotech Inc. as the owner, the better off she would be.
“Yes, your company Black Biotech,” she corrected herself.
“As soon as I get settled in at my new place,” I said. “And make sure everyone is in attendance when I do show up on my first day, Karen. I want to make sure everyone knows who I am. The sooner they know I am here to stay, the better.”
Because my father, the bastard who put me in charge, would never step foot into this part of the company if I could help it. He wouldn’t need to with me in charge.
They said I’m the blackest of the Blacks and was born without a heart. That was why I could do the things no common man could do. That was why my father had trained me to be the one to get the toughest jobs done.
He had sent me to places where I had to take out the competition. He gave me jobs to prove I was tough enough and smart enough to take over Black Biotech Inc. at any given moment. More so than anyone.
Now I have this one job left before I was truly crowned King and Heir of the multibillion-dollar conglomerate, and I had come to Hidden Falls High to do it.
Chapter 1
Summer
Not one word. Not anything from the Donovans since they moved out of Hidden Falls, the small highly exclusive enclave in Malibu. It had been over a week since they moved overnight. Guessed the kidnapping attempt on Nat, my forever crush, and Rachel was enough for them to move out. Then Drew’s real kidnapping and near murder really scared the Donovans enough to get out of Dodge.
But why didn’t they tell me anything? Why didn’t they let me know where they had moved?
I looked woefully at a photo of Drew, Rachel, me, and Nat when we were toddlers in a white wood frame with a beach theme. Nat was smiling straight into the camera and standing next to me, while I was beaming. Rachel and Drew had pushed each other and were looking like they were about to fall over when the camera snapped the photo. “I miss them,” I said. “Why did they move without telling me anything?” I held back the tears that were threatening to fall. I had cried for days when I first found out they left. Now I was all cried out. I was exhausted from it.
“They have their reasons, Summer,” my Aunt Sookie said gently to me. “I don’t agree how they just cut off total communication to you and everything in Hidden Falls, but there must be a good reason for it. It’s not like Nadine and Nat to close off like that to us. But I do know that Nadine, was frighten out of her mind when she learned she had been drugged, while Drew was kidnapped, and Nat was almost lured to be kidnapped. And her husband was living in San Francisco full time now with Nat always flying or driving there when he could to work with him. It made sense for them to move as soon as they could to be in San Francisco to live with him.”
“Do you think they’ll ever move back?” I asked, trying to see if she knew anything more about the Donovans’ sudden move.
Aunt Sookie came over to hug me. “I’m sorry, Summer, I think they’re moving to San Francisco permanently. They’re house in Hidden Falls went up for sale a few days ago. For their sake, they needed to move right away. And for your sake, Summer, I think it’s best for you to move on as well.”
She was right. I couldn’t expect Aunt Sookie to pack up and leave Malibu and her house, known as The Pad, just because of me missing the Donovans. It wouldn’t be fair to her, after all she had done for me and the Donovans.
The Pad was a big place, right on the beach so that it was easy just to walk out through one of the screen doors and onto the sand. It was a modern design - I remember Aunt Sookie telling me it was designed by some architect friend of her producer husband…with a large kitchen, a big open plain living area, plenty of guest bedrooms, and a pool out back with a view out onto the beach. There were Oriental rugs on the floor instead of carpets throughout most of the house.
To me, The Pad had always felt like home. Maybe it was just that Mom and Aunt Sookie both had the same taste in décor, going for that Nantucket feel with plenty of whites and blues around the place to reflect the ocean, as well as starfish and shells scattered around the house as ornaments. I know some of them have come a long way, like the multi-colored shell from Japan, because Aunt Sookie enjoyed telling me stories of how she acquired them. She had a lot of adventures when she was in her twenties.
My favorite room was the kitchen with its granite counter tops, and I can remember sitting at them as a little girl, with Aunt Sookie running through scripts while she cooked. There was so much space in there. It was the kind of kitchen people don’t just cook in it, they live in it. Just stepping into it reminded me of where I was, and I was at home instantly.
Since we were toddlers, the Donovan kids – Nat, Drew, and Rachel had spent every summer at Aunt Sookie’s. The first bedroom on the second floor was for Drew and Nat. The one opposite it was for me and Rachel.
Although the Donovans had their own house in the Hidden Falls area of Malibu, it wasn’t on the beach like The Pad was, and they didn’t moved to Malibu until a few years ago. Since we were toddlers, my mom and their mother Nadine Donovan would drop us off at Aunt Sookie’s for the summer where she would teach us how to surf, play video games, attend her summer acting camp for kids, and whatever we wanted to learn.
Mom told me it was because Aunt Sookie never had kids of her own and loved taking care of us that we had always stayed with Aunt Sookie for the summer. If she could get us for any time of the year, she would, but
summer was when we could be a part of her summer camp.
She was my guardian for now since Mom’s deployment on a top secret mission. An award-winning actress with beautiful copper hair and hazel eyes, she was my mother’s little sister, in her 30s, but looked much younger.
That also meant that I had to move from San Diego to Malibu to live with her and go to a new school almost a month after school began. It was harder to get into the public school then, and with her pull as a local and famous actress, I was able to get into Hidden Falls High Academy, where Nat had attended and became the student body President and also the leader of the three Knights, followed by Lincoln Blaine and River Millions.
“With Nat gone from Hidden Falls High, I’m not sure I want to keep going there,” I said. “I miss him so much, although we had made a pact not to act like we knew each other at school.”
“Summer,” Aunt Sookie said, placing a plate of fruit, poached eggs, and toast in front of me for breakfast. “Just because Nat isn’t there doesn’t mean you should switch schools. The way he left, it was like the Donovans wanted you to have the least amount of disruption. Besides, I already paid the tuition for the rest of the year, and you’re doing so well there now. Your teachers all send me notes on how well you’re doing. You’re the top of each class, Summer. I think you’re in the right place because the other schools around won’t give you as much challenge as Hidden Falls High.”
“But you do know I was bullied early on,” I said.
“I know. Nat told me about it, but he also said you could hold your own. In fact, he did little. It was all you. You turned everything around, even making those boys who were trying to bully you, become your friends. What are their names?”
“Lincoln Blaine and River Millions,” I said, smiling, knowing how I had turned those guys around since they last tried to bully me out of Hidden Falls High. River was still waiting anxiously to see how I would exact revenge on him.
Aunt Sookie practically snorted out her coffee which she had been sipping when I said their names. “Lincoln Blaine, the son of the adult film actress Ruby Rhinestone and the rock star Billy Blaine?”
“Yup,” I said. “That’s Lincoln.”
“I heard he’s as crazy as his parents,” Aunt Sookie said.
“Well, you would be if you had parents like them,” I said.
“Summer, is he the right company for you to hang out with?” Aunt Sookie asked. “Does he take drugs and stuff like that?”
“Aunt Sookie! No, he’s tamer than his parents, but crazy in that he’s not like the rest of us. He lives in a mansion in Hidden Falls all by himself since his parents are always traveling, and he made it like a bachelor’s pad. Basketball court, arcade, movie theater. But he gets good grades so he can be in the student body council as Vice President,” I said. “Not bad for a kid spawned by Ruby and Billy Blaine.”
Aunt Sookie said, “He gets good grades and is Vice President in your school? Okay, guessed I judged too quickly. Sorry, just trying to be a parent of a young lady. You know I’m pretty new to it. Being an Aunt is so much easier.”
I laughed. “You’re fine either way. You practically raised me and the Donovans throughout the years, too. Not just as an aunt, but as a mentor and role model, too.”
“Aw, Sweetie,” Aunt Sookie said. “You always know the right thing to say. You’re so mature. That’s why I’d jumped at the chance of having you here with me all year, rather than just summers. You’re like my daughter, too, you know.”
“I know,” I said, smiling at my beautiful aunt.
“Okay, now that you’ll forgive me for being a parent aunt to you, what about this River Millions? Is his last name really the word, ‘Millions’?
“Yes, that is really his last name, and he is the River Millions who is heir and grandson to the Max Millions megabillion empire.”
“I’ve heard of Max Millions, the super fit fitness guru, former Olympian and Ph.D. who manufactures supplements, food plans, gym equipment, gym design, and anything fitness-related so successfully that their Max Millions brand are the number one sellers in supplements, vitamins, nutrition and more everywhere,” Aunt Sookie said.
“He’s the living embodiment of all that good health and fitness,” I said, almost blushing, thinking about how that one time I had him pose nude for me as my nude model for art class and being able to see what a perfect specimen of a male body, that he was. Afterwards, he confessed to really liking me, and how he wanted me as his girlfriend.
“I’m glad he’s into fitness and healthy living then,” Aunt Sookie said. “Hope that rubs off on you too. You can never stop learning about how to take care of yourself better.”
“So you approve of him hanging out with me, if he would,” I said.
“As long as he doesn’t try to bully you again,” Aunt Sookie said. “Because if he does, I’ll destroy him.”
I laughed. Seeing Aunt Sookie destroying anyone would be worth watching since she could be tough when she wanted to, but extremely sweet when she wanted to, too.
“Good,” I said. “Because he’s taking me to school this morning so you don’t have to drop me off on your way to your Acting Academy.”
Chapter 2
Summer
The doorbell rang right as I was finishing up breakfast.
Aunt Sookie went to get the door, and I heard River’s deep voice greeting Aunt Sookie, followed by Aunt Sookie’s laugh.
Aunt Sookie walked into the kitchen with a tall well-built young man who stared at me as I turned around from the sink, where I had washed my breakfast plate.
River was too hot and good-looking for his own good. White blonde hair, cut into short layers, but flattering to his high cheekbones, chiseled chin and large dark blue eyes. Although he wore a blazer and a tie over a white crisp shirt that was buttoned up neatly, and nothing was out of place on him, he filled out his school uniform like a dream.
Our eyes met, and I could feel his desire for me penetrate and wrap around me like an electric current. Ever since he posed nude for me as my nude model and then went down on me, the tension between us had been thick like molasses. He went from being my biggest bully to wanting me anyway he could get me.
“Summer,” River said, his voice softer than usual. It was the first time he had visited me at my house, and the first time meeting my family, Aunt Sookie. He was on his best behavior.
“River!” I smiled. “You’ve met my dear Aunt Sookie, haven’t you?”
“Of course he did, Silly,” Aunt Sookie said next to him.
River smiled a small smile, not one to be expressive, especially since my best friend of the same age and the little sister to Nat Donovan, Rachel once described River as “Super Hot.”
“Your Aunt,” he said. “Is a celebrity, Summer. I’ve watched those hit television shows she was on. You’re an Emmy-Award-winning actress. It’s an honor meeting you.”
Aunt Sookie laughed. “That was years ago. Now I mostly teach and run an Acting Academy close by.” She looked at River still staring at me the entire time and said, “Thank you for taking Summer to school this morning. Hope to see you around more often. She could use more friends at school since she’s still new.”
“She’s fitting in really well,” River said. “One of the most popular girls in school now, and definitely the most beautiful.”
I blushed and shrugged when Aunt Sookie looked over at me and back at River. I knew what she was thinking. “Um, I’ll go get my backpack, and we’ll get going to school.”
I rushed over to the sofa where I had my backpack on the ground and flung it over my shoulders. I was dressed in the same Hidden Falls Academy blazer, and white shirt as Silver (aka River as I call him once in a while because of his silvery eyes), but wearing a plaid skirt and knee-high socks with flats.
I grabbed River’s hand and led him out the door, while calling back to Aunt Sookie. “I’ll be back tonight for dinner.”
“Oh Sweetie,” Aunt Sookie said. “I have a lat
e class I have to teach tonight. Maybe you can grab something for dinner. Sorry!”
River said, “That’s okay, Summer forgot we have an Art project we have to work on tonight. I’ll have my cook prepare an extra meal.”
I threw River a surprised look and said, “Yeah, I forget it is a big project. I’ll be fine tonight. Have a great class!”
River walked me to his silver Ferrari and helped me into the passenger seat. He walked to the driver’s side, sat in smoothly and reached over to pull the seatbelt over my lap.
His icy blue eyes, which became silvery at night or whenever it was dark, turned to me. “I do want you over for dinner at my place tonight, Summer. Now that Nat is no longer enrolled at Hidden Falls and left, I’ve stepped up to become President of the student body and Lincoln is the first Vice President. I want you to know, the first thing we voted on and passed was the stupid rule about enforcing student body demands to make new students enrolling late, leave. We were overruled by the student body to bully you out of Hidden Falls High because of that rule so we had to go through it. Now that I’m President, we won’t enforce anything as stupid as that.”