Destiny: Hilltops Series - Book One

by Faith Starr

  “Hey, where did you guys disappear to, a little fantasy suite action?” Derek raised his brows suggestively, which surprisingly didn’t cause a rise in Noah.

  A wave of panic crashed through me. I wanted others in the club to view me as a professional who came to gather information for work, not as Noah’s fuck buddy. Oh Lord, that sounded so awful.

  “I was assisting Jordin with some research.”

  My nod had barely any movement to it. How respectable of Noah to keep things hush-hush between us.

  “Yeah, sure you were.” Derek winked. “Good night, Jordin. And just so you know, my brother has a way of bringing out the beast in women. I’d be careful if I were you.” He laughed, patting his brother on the back.

  Now I saw the rise. Noah creased his brow. “Shut the fuck up, D.” Derek walked away wearing a grin from ear to ear. Noah smirked. “Just ignore him. He’s an asshole.”

  “I have the feeling both of you are two big softies hidden underneath all your big muscles.” I smiled wide.

  “Ssh. Don’t say shit like that in here. I wouldn’t want anyone else to know.”

  Good. He lit up again.

  We continued our journey through the club to the exit.

  “Since Tasha makes all your phone calls, how would you like me to give you my contact information?”

  “She already has it. But let me give you mine so you can get in touch with me as well.” He fished a business card out of his wallet. “Here, this has all my contact information on it. I’ll pick you up tomorrow at seven.”

  He pulled me back into his arms, giving me a giant bear hug. It was so heavenly. I sank deeply into it and closed my eyes, already missing his touch when he released me. He planted a tender kiss on my lips.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He opened my car door and assisted me inside, the smell of his cologne ingrained in my shirt. Mmm, maybe I would have to sleep in it tonight.

  22

  Noah

  How bizarre. I hadn’t felt giddy about a woman in forever, if ever. But with Jordin I felt like a teenager in heat whenever she was nearby. I loved the feel of her long, curly brown hair. I loved the luscious curves of her ass, the perfect amount to hold on to. I loved her breasts, au natural and full. And I especially loved her big brown puppy-dog eyes. I had better watch myself with her. She had the capability of bringing devastation to my heart if I continued along the path I was currently on, which was right on target with my belief that love and relationships only led to pain and suffering.

  She was hesitant and wary. Not that I blamed her, especially given my reputation and track record. Yet even with my doubts about relationships, I wanted to show her I could be the vanilla guy she seemed to crave, but that she could also be what I needed. With time, I would make headway with her in the bedroom. She was captivating, and I had to follow my nagging curiosity. She was more than meets the eye.

  The following morning, I got busy bright and early. Derek came prancing in a few hours later. “How about joining me for a workout?”

  “Sounds good. Let me finish up in here first.” I put away the last of the files on my desk. I had finally made a dent in the pile, nodding in delight at my accomplishment.

  We went upstairs to our private gym, which was located between my and Derek’s apartments. I threw my towel on the elliptical and stepped on. Derek was ahead of the game, picking up his pace on the treadmill next to me.

  “Looks like things with Jordin are heating up.” Derek’s words were a bit choppy. He was hitting the machine with a lot of energy, his short breaths proof of it.

  “She’s piqued my interest.” Short answers were the key to getting him off this subject and easier to speak since I started to breathe heavily as well.

  “What’re you going to do when she’s done with her research and doesn’t need you to help her anymore?”

  “Hopefully her research will become personal.” One could only hope.

  “I knew you liked her.” That stupid fucking smug smile of his. “She’s a cutie pie.”

  “Keep your fucking paws off her.” I could say she was cute all I wanted, but I didn’t want other guys saying it, even if one of them was my brother.

  “I have no interest, not to worry.”

  His raised hand did a good job of affirming that point and putting my mind at ease.

  “Someone else catch your eye?” It was an ideal time to shift gears.

  “Unfortunately, not at the moment, which I’m perfectly fine with. I spend so much time downstairs. I don’t think a woman would put up with my schedule right now.”

  “Claude seems to be working out well. And Mitch has made a one-eighty. Things will slow down for us eventually, and maybe we’ll be able to have a normal schedule.” It had been a long time coming.

  “When have any of us ever had a normal schedule?”

  He was right. “I guess it’s par for the course when owning and operating a successful business.”

  “Trust me, I have no complaints. By the way, Mom called and invited us for dinner next weekend.”

  That caught my attention, as well as my eyes. “Why?” There was usually a reason if our mother invited the three of us to come over together.

  “She’s hosting a cocktail party to celebrate Dad’s semi-retirement.”

  “She knows the weekends are the busiest time for us. How can all three of us go and leave the club?”

  “We’ll have to figure something out. They’re expecting us. We can always have Tasha work a night shift. Between her, Bo, and the others, things should be okay for a few hours.”

  Sweat dripped down my neck, back, and face. I used my towel to wipe it off. “So are you riding solo?”

  “I’ll probably bring Syd.”

  Slut. I so wished he would move on from that bitch. He was way too good for her.

  “She’s still single?” Not that I doubted it, but I asked anyway. I had to show some support for their fucked-up relationship, if one could call it that.

  “Yes, and as long as she remains that way, then she’s my go-to for all family functions and sex in between.”

  “How can you live with yourself?” My faux disgust made him smile.

  “Very easily. Remember, it takes two to tango. Do you remember her birthday request two years ago?”

  The look in his eyes had me grimacing. “How could I forget?”

  “We gifted her with a threesome in a fantasy suite.” His eyes lit up at the memory.

  Yes, I know. I was there. Mine squinted in shame. It’d been a long time ago. It wasn’t one of my better moments either.

  “She’s a wild one behind closed doors. Are you still in contact with her?” He eyed me inquisitively.

  “Nah, not really. She’ll call or text periodically to check in and see what’s up with us Musketeers.”

  “Does Mitch know about the three of us?”

  “I don’t think so, but it doesn’t matter. It was a one-time occurrence.”

  “Not for me. We have an understanding.”

  “Yeah, and what’s that?” I didn’t get what he was so proud of. She certainly wasn’t that great of a catch. Realistically speaking, she had probably already bedded half the guys in town.

  “As long as we’re both single, we’ll help each other out with family or couple events and horniness.” He winked at me.

  “She’s asked me a few times if I would accompany her to work-related events and such, but I’ve always declined her offers.” Sadly, the sheer look of horror he displayed, his mouth wide open in surprise, was about to get worse. “Sorry, bro.” He had to find out sometime, it might as well be now.

  “She never told me that.” He pushed the button on his machine to slow his pace. He lifted his towel off the side rail and wiped his face.

  I had to give it to him. He had the stamina of a cheetah.

  “Like I said, I never went. I have no desire for her in that way.”

  “Hmm, I wonder which one of us was the fall
back guy.” He paused in between words to catch his breath.

  “Well, I always said no.” I didn’t need to spell it out for him. But I did think it was important for him to know the truth about her. She was trash. “Like I said, I’m sorry.”

  “Fuck that shit. She’s not complaining when I’m pumping her ass.”

  Fuck. Maybe my hand could shield the horrible visual. Nightmare actually. “Thanks for sharing. I don’t understand you two. Do you really think she’s the dating type?”

  “I don’t know. She had a crush on you way back when. Maybe she still does. Who knows?”

  His downturned mouth and lowered head made me feel bad. That hadn’t been my intent, but he deserved to know what she was really about.

  “We were horny teenagers. We had the hots for any and everything on two legs.” Maybe that justification would pacify and uplift his spirits.

  “That’s for sure. She gave me my first blowjob.”

  Guess it worked. He smiled and again pressed buttons on the control screen.

  “No shit?”

  “Yeah, it was behind the bleachers on the football field. You were too busy with…what was her name again… Cara?”

  “Oh yeah, Cara. I haven’t thought about her in forever. She let me fuck her in the back of my Volkswagen. It was the first time for both of us.” And probably the worst experience of my life. My sex life, that is.

  “Those were the good old days, huh?” His shit-eating grin was contagious.

  “I can’t complain. These days are pretty good too.” I upped my incline, my quads screaming as a result of it.

  “Life is good, bro. The club is successful. Our health is good. And the women are aplenty.”

  “Any thoughts of ever settling down?” What the fuck? Was I asking for myself or for Derek? I suddenly felt the need for speed, picking up my pace steadily.

  “I’m content for the time being. When I want a cuddle buddy, I call Syd. If she’s available, she’s game.”

  “Sounds convenient.”

  “Hey, why don’t you invite Jordin to the cocktail party?”

  Shit! I held on to the handlebars for dear life, my heart dropping as a result of almost losing my balance from looking over at him. “I don’t think that would be such a good idea.” A family event? Uh-uh. Not happening. Besides, if Jordin was intimidated by me, I could only imagine how she’d feel being with my entire family.

  “Why not?”

  “First of all, we have our first real date tomorrow night. It’s kind of soon to be bringing her home to meet the folks. Syd has known the family forever, so it’s a nonissue. And second of all, I’m sure the Berlin family will be there with Grace.”

  “So what?” His brow crinkled in confusion. He pushed the Stop button and toweled dry before stepping off the machine. He moseyed over to the water machine, which made me thirsty. I took a well-deserved drink from my water bottle.

  “Every time they’re at the house they try to shove their daughter down my throat.”

  “If you bring Jordin, they won’t have a chance to.” He smiled proudly, having an answer for everything today.

  “I wouldn’t want to put Jordin in an uncomfortable position. I mean, I did fuck Grace behind the house.”

  “What? You never told me that.”

  Really? I thought I had. Hmm. Guess not. “It’s been a while but still.”

  “For all you know she could be married and pregnant by now.”

  Was he kidding me? “We are talking about the same Grace, right?”

  “You’re such a dick.”

  Grin all you want. It’s the truth.

  “I’m just saying it like it is.” I held my hand up as if swearing in a court of law before testifying.

  “It obviously didn’t stop you from getting in her pants.”

  “It was dark and I didn’t have to hear that whiny voice of hers that loved to complain so much about everything.”

  “Fuck. That’s harsh.”

  His arms looked good. Maybe I needed to up my weight with curls.

  “She actually was a pretty good lay too.” I gave credit where credit was due. Me and Grace’s secret rendezvous had been a one-time deal. We had both taken a few too many shots on that night or else things never would’ve gotten as hot and heavy between us as they did. It wasn’t that she was a bad person, but she always talked trash about others. That didn’t sit right with me.

  “Man, you never cease to surprise me. Jordin seems so different from your usual type.”

  “Why do you say that?” I found his comment somewhat insulting.

  “For one thing, she’s intelligent. Although the fact she’s into you makes that statement questionable, and another thing is she doesn’t look like a Victoria’s Secret model.”

  “Hey, you know I like curves. Besides, Jordin is way better than a Victoria’s Secret model. She actually has an ass you can grab on to. She’s not a walking toothpick you could blow over with a heavy sigh.”

  “Someone has it bad, bro.” He chuckled.

  Yeah. Yeah. Go ahead and laugh, asswipe.

  “It sounds to me like you should be the one thinking about settling down.”

  “You know I don’t take that road.” I spoke assuredly.

  “Doesn’t sound that way to me.” He smirked.

  We continued our argumentative banter while spotting each other with free weights. It was exactly what I needed to rid myself from some of my angst I had about seeing Jordin. I didn’t want to scare her off as soon as I got her alone with me.

  After our workout session, I took my weekly drive out of town to the hospital. I still had a few hours to kill before my date.

  “Hi, Mr. Dorian, it’s always so nice to see you.” Juanita wore her usual smile, greeting me from behind her desk with her thick Hispanic accent.

  “Hello, Juanita. How’re you doing on this lovely Sunday afternoon?”

  “Better now that I’m seeing your handsome face.” She was old enough to be my grandmother but loved to flirt just the same.

  “You’re going to make me blush.” I leaned over the counter and kissed her cheek.

  “Go right ahead inside, sweetie.”

  The buzzer signaled my entrance into the hallway that led to the elevators. I took the slow ride up to the fourth floor where I was once again greeted, this time by Roger, one of the floor techs.

  “Hey Noah, how ya doin’, man?” His thick Jamaican accent sometimes made it difficult to understand what he said. It was quite a multicultural place.

  “Couldn’t be better, you?”

  “Lovin’ life, my friend, lovin’ the life that God has blessed me with. You can go inside. He’s sitting by the window.”

  He was always sitting by the window.

  Entering through another secured door had me inside the social area, if one could call it that. Most of the patients only socialized with themselves or with the voices in their heads.

  I strolled past a few wheelchairs that housed patients who were zoned out. And there he sat, in his usual corner by the large window framing the wall.

  “Hi, Noah.” Gretchen’s soft-spoken voice stopped me in my tracks. I took hold of the fragile hand she extended out toward me.

  “Hi, Gretchen, you look lovely today.”

  “I just came from the salon. Don’t I look like a Hollywood starlet?” She turned her head side to side to give me a better view and patted her hair.

  “You always do.”

  Every Sunday for the past twenty-plus years Gretchen and I had the same exchange of words. She hadn’t been to a salon in longer than that.

  “Hey.” I sat on the hard metal folding chair in front of his wheelchair. He didn’t acknowledge my presence. He never did. I still came anyway. “I have a date tonight. I think you’d really like her. Come to think of it, maybe not. She’s a shrink… I didn’t think you’d find that funny. I try. What can I say? She’s finishing up her studies and is doing research at my club. I’m taking her out to dinner tonigh
t. Where do you think I should take her?”

  There was no answer. No nod. No emotion. Nothing.

  “I thought seafood would be a good choice. I know a really nice place by the bay. It overlooks the water. Maybe if things work out between the two of us, you’ll get to meet her. She’s a looker too, absolutely gorgeous. Derek’s doing well. Mitch is a mess, as usual. But the good news is he’s trying to clean up his act. I’ll believe it when I see it. You look good. It looks like they gave you a haircut. It suits you. You better watch out or Gretchen over there will be chasing you down in her wheelchair. I see her looking over at us now. I bet you could have your pick in this place, although, you’re a bit too young for most of them. Actually, in this day and age, probably not.”

  The loving, familiar touch on my shoulder already had me smiling before I even saw who it was. I didn’t need to. It was the same one I’d felt for half my life.

  “Hi, Noah. Hi, Niles.”

  “Hey Patty.” Her hugs were awesome.

  “Here for your weekly visit?”

  “Yes. How’s Niles doing?”

  “He had a haircut yesterday.”

  If she wasn’t dark-skinned, you’d think he was her natural-born son. She acted like a proud mama showing off her boy’s first haircut. He could’ve been her son. She had virtually raised him. She had been his nurse since I was barely a teen and had pretty much watched me grow up as well.

  “I see that. He looks great. I told him he better watch himself with all these ladies around here.”

  “Oh yes. We do have quite a few who like to chase after the men.” She giggled, quickly covering her mouth so as not to be crude.

  “No shit?” She winced at my choice of words. “Sorry, bad habit.”

  Patty was a southern church-going woman who didn’t use profanity. I forgot every single weekend and had to apologize for my bad manners.

  “Your aura looks good, Noah. Life must be treating you well.”

  She had a knack for reading people.

  “Exceptionally well.”

  “That’s what I like to hear. I was about to take Niles for his afternoon walk in the garden. Would you like to join us?”