Wilted

by Mia Michelle

  It scares the shit out of me when I think about all the time I spent alone with him. He’d spent the night in my apartment, working on a major presentation. He’d brought me dinner and even my laptop when I needed it. Sitting here thinking about all the instances has me wanting to throw up. I’d even kissed him, for fuck’s sake! What the hell is wrong with me? Knowing that he’d practically been living right next to me freaks me the fuck out. If I ever lay eyes on Evan again, I will gladly make him eat fifty thousand volts, along with the heel of my stiletto.

  Sebastian’s call had caught me off guard a bit. The idea of throwing a fabulous, surprise, getaway wedding on a tropical island for my best friend overwhelms me. Skylar and I had just talked about wedding details last week, so I know what she wants. I just have to make it happen with the snap of my fingers, and not spill the beans to my best friend, in the process.

  To be honest, I don't know why Sebastian wants to move up the wedding, but my guess is, after everything they’ve been through, he doesn’t want to wait another day to officially make her his wife. I’ve been around him long enough to know he doesn’t have patience when it comes to getting what he wants.

  There had been a time when Nik and I together on a tropical island had been heaven. Now, it should be complete hell. The two of us can’t even be in the same room more than two minutes without fighting, so the idea of being on a remote island should prove quite comical. If he pisses me off too much, I swear I will make him shark bait.

  NIKOLAS

  “You do realize she’s going to kill you, right?” Sebastian warns me over the phone. Kylie was supposed to fly out on Sebastian’s jet, but I changed that by having her things transferred to my jet instead. She hasn’t boarded yet, so I know I’ll catch the wrath of her when she does.

  “Yeah, she’ll be pissed, but so what? There’s no sense in taking two jets when I’m going there anyways.”

  “I hope you have a tranquilizer, because you’re going to need it. I personally think you have a death wish.”

  He has no idea how true his words are. One has not seen fury until one has seen Kylie Reynolds loose her temper. It actually turns me on so goddamn much that I used to pick fights just to get her pissed at me. We’d end up making up in no time, and let me tell you, that was phenomenal make up sex.

  This time I know that won’t be happening, but I still can’t help it. It’s as if I am a gluten for punishment. I deserve what I get. I just want her to see how much I fucking miss her. Somehow, someway, I’ve got to get my girl back.

  “What the fuck is going on?” she shrieks the moment she sees me sitting in the seat.

  “Nice knowing you,” Sebastian says before hanging up.

  “Well, it’s nice to see you, too.” I greet her with a smile.

  “Don’t fucking get smart with me, you dickhead. Why the hell are you on this plane?”

  “Well, that’s easy. It’s mine.”

  “Yours? I’m supposed to be on Sebastian’s plane!”

  “Yeah, about that…”

  “Sir? There’s been a mistake,” she says to the pilot making his way past us.

  “No mistake, ma’am. We’re almost ready for takeoff, Mr. Thorne.” The pilot turns inform me.

  “Thank you, Nigel.”

  “Nigel, whoever the fuck you are, I’m supposed to be on Sebastian Thorne’s jet, not this one. There’s no way in hell I’m flying anywhere with this man.”

  Fuck, she’s turning me on.

  “Sorry, miss, I’ve got to get back up front. I’ll need you to go ahead and take a seat. If there’s a problem, then maybe you should take that up with him,” he says, pointing in my direction.

  “Hmph! Him? I’m not speaking to him!”

  “Oh, is that a promise?” I reply, unable to keep the humor out of my voice.

  “Shut the fuck up, asshole! I know you did this, so don’t you fucking dare speak to me!”

  “Oh, relax. This is supposed to be a vacation, you know?”

  “Vacation?” she shrieks. “This is a wedding, Nik. A wedding for my best friend and your cousin, I might add. If it were up to me, you wouldn’t be any part of this, but, for some unknown reason, they want you there. I don’t want to be around you any more than you do me, so do us both a fucking favor and leave me the hell alone!”

  All right, I deserve that. Smiling to myself, I look over to see the hot attendant stepping on board. Yep, it’s definitely time to make Kylie Reynold’s steam a bit.

  KYLIE

  What the hell was I thinking when I agreed to this?

  Looking over at Nikolas flirting with the flight attendant makes me want to inflict severe bodily harm on Sebastian Thorne. As a matter of fact, Skylar may be an honorary widow before she’s a bride. What the fuck was he thinking when he put us on this plane together? When he told me I’d be flying out of Austin, I assumed it would be with him and Skylar, not on Nik’s jet. I swear I’m going to fucking kill him when I see him.

  For four goddamn hours, I’ve watched Nik eye fuck and fondle the girl with a vengeance. Regardless of whether or not he’s doing it on purpose, he’s a fucking dick to do it in the first place. If I ever meant a damn thing to him, he should cool it with the sexual theatrics. Go in the bedroom and fuck, for all I care. Okay… so I do care. But seeing him do this? Well, it makes me want to castrate him, grab a parachute, and jump from this plane. Yeah, I might have some slight anger and jealousy issues that I need to work on.

  Once the plane lands, I barrel off into the airport and make my way through customs. I will rent my own fucking car and get there myself. There’s no way I’m going anywhere else with him. Like always, my passport gets lost in the abyss known as my purse. Frantically, I dig around for it while I walk through the line. When I hit a wall of solid muscle, I shriek.

  “Shit! I’m so sorry,” I apologize. When my eyes land on the gorgeous man in front of me, I know my mouth hits the floor. Sweet Lord!

  “It’s no problem, beautiful,” he says as his eyes roam down my body. “I’m Derrick.” He gently takes my hand into his and kisses it. Warm flutters fill me up and my face heats with a blush. It’s been so damn long since anyone has touched me like this.

  “Nice to meet you, Derrick. I’m Kylie.” The two of us casually talk while we wait for the line to move. One thing’s for sure, this guy sure likes to touch. And if I’d been the Kylie Reynolds I was a year ago, I’d follow him wherever he wants to go and have a little island fun. But, let’s face it, I’m not that girl anymore. Still, it doesn’t mean I don’t like to flirt. I guess you can say that’s just part of my personality.

  Out of nowhere, a furious Nik comes up behind me and yanks me against his body. He’s rudely pushed past all the other travelers in line to get to me.

  “Let’s go. The car’s waiting. I’ve already got us approved through customs.”

  “Get your damn hands off me, you son of a bitch! I’m not going anywhere with you!”

  When Derrick sees the frown on my face, he immediately challenges things.

  “Look dude, I don’t want to make a scene here in the middle of the airport, but I will if I have to. The girl wants you to go, so maybe you should.”

  “Fuck off! Kylie, stop being a bitch and come on. You and I both know you’re just pissed over Tori being on that flight.”

  “Oh, so Tori’s her name. Thanks for the tidbit, but newsflash, I don’t give a fuck what you and Tori do!”

  “Let’s go, Kylie.” He grabs my arm angrily, but I jerk away.

  “NO! I’ll get my own car, thank you.”

  “I’ll drop you off wherever you want,” Derrick chimes in while putting his arm possessively around me. Nik clenches his jaw and then looks back to me.

  “I’m not letting you leave with this guy. You don’t even know him, Kylie!”

  “So? Maybe I want to get to know him,” I reply, stroking Derrick’s arm.

  “Sounds good to me.” Derrick grins down at me. Shit!

  Disgusted,
Nik throws his hands up into the air.

  “You know what? Fine,” he says and extends his hand to shake. “Derrick, is it? Well, it’s nice to meet you. I know we just met and all, but let me give you a tiny piece of advice. I’ve driven this one, so be extra careful. She packs one hell of a punch. Besides, I much prefer the upgraded version,” he says, turning his head to check out a young girl in a short skirt walking by us.

  My mouth drops open at his audacity to say such a cruel thing. Once again, we’re back to the same game. It’s like some sort of competition to see who can hurt the other more. So far, he’s winning by a landslide.

  Trying to remain unaffected, I allow Derrick to lead me through the airport and out to the car he’s rented. I know I shouldn’t go anywhere with a man I hardly know, but it sure as hell beats riding in Nik’s car. Right now, I can’t stand being on the same island as him, let alone in the same car. Looking at my phone, I give him the directions to the place I’m heading. The resort is just a short drive from the airport, so thankfully, I don’t have to keep up our conversation for very long. All I want to do is get to the place I’m staying, bury my head in a pillow, and cry. Unfortunately, at this moment, I have to put on a brave face. The same face I’m tired of wearing.

  “Here we are,” Derrick says as we pull up to the front entrance of the luxurious private resort. A fuming Nik pulls in right behind us. He left way before we did, so there’s no way we could have beat him here. It’s obvious he waited around and followed us.

  “So, what are you doing tomorrow afternoon?” I ask loud enough for Nik to hear me.

  “Hopefully you,” he says with a sly smile. Honestly, he’s an egotistical dick, but it never hurts to have a little leverage to piss Nik off some more.

  “How about lunch tomorrow, say, around noon?” I have the perfect plan to get Nik back.

  “Sounds like a date.” He leans in and kisses me on the side of the mouth. I watch Nik slam his door shut and grab his bag out of the back. Yep, he saw that. Good.

  “You are such an ass, Nik! Really?”

  “That guy had his hands all over you.”

  “And? What the fuck do you care? You’ve flirted with everything with a vagina since we left the fucking airport!”

  “What? Are you jealous that I didn’t flirt with your vagina?”

  “Fuck off, Nik!”

  “That’s what it is, isn’t it? Well, sweetheart, if you want to ride this cowboy, all you got to do is ask.”

  “Lick it!” I scream as I flip him off.

  “Mmm. Anytime, baby. You know where to find me. I’ll be right next door to you.”

  I have to get the hell away from him before I blow a gasket. How dare he? Sebastian and Skylar are the last people I want to overhear this. How was I to know they were standing right around the corner? Great! I’m sure they’d heard all of this. As if I can’t be any more humiliated than I already am.

  “Ugh! I swear to fuck, I’m gonna kill him, Sebastian!”

  Skylar giggles at my frustration. Annoyed, I narrow my eyes at my best friend.

  “What are you laughing at bitch? You know that I’m only here for you. I’d never be within bomb’s distance of this prick if I didn’t love you,” I say, throwing my arms around my best friend. Her bump has grown quite a bit now and it’s absolutely adorable.

  “Oh, my God! Look at that belly!” It’s so precious. Smiling, I have to have a little smart ass moment or it just wouldn’t be me. Bending down, I place my hand on her stomach and speak. “With these two as your parents? Don’t worry, kid, I got your back.”

  Skylar slaps me and we all have a good laugh. Thankfully, Sophie joins us and we’re able to surprise Skylar on why we’re all here in the first place. I don’t know how I’m going to get through the next couple of days with Nik here, but I’m a big girl. I’ll survive. I’d walk to the ends of the earth to make sure the wedding tomorrow goes off without a hitch. I can always fall apart afterwards when no one is looking. Come hell or high water, tomorrow will be an epic day for my friends.

  The tequila is making me brave tonight, that’s for damn sure. The thing is, I have Nik’s full attention at the bar, and I need to take advantage of that. Spotting a hot guy across from us, I decide to make him my target for my game of “Hundred ways to piss off Nik Thorne.” I’m pretty sure I’ll pass one hundred with this one.

  “You can’t seriously be considering that guy, Kylie. The only reason you’re doing this is to make Nik jealous. You want him just as bad as he wants you. Seriously, chick, you’re going to fuck everything up if you do this. Stop hurting each other and just go talk to him. Look at him! He’s miserable,” Skylar pleads with me.

  She’s always been my voice of reason and tonight’s no different. But the more I see Nik being manhandled by that bitch at the bar, the less that voice of reason works. Not to mention, the less I feel sorry for him. After about my sixth shot of tequila, she is put on mute. Throwing caution to the wind, I slam down my glass and wave her off. I’m gonna make Nik believe that I’m over him, even though I’m obviously not.

  “Hey, wanna get out of here?” I purr at the hot guy across the bar.

  “You got it,” he replies, giving me a grin.

  Within seconds, he’s high-fiving his friends and wrapping his arm around my waist. Ugh! I hate it when men throw their testosterone around. When we walk past where Nik and Sebastian are standing, Nik’s eyes follow us. Grabbing the girl beside him, he slams her up against the bar and kisses her. The bar cheers, but I see the look in Sebastian’s eyes as he glances at me. Swallowing the bile in my throat, I hurry out the door with this guy.

  The minute we’re out the door, I’m slammed up against the side of the building. This drunk guy’s tongue is down my throat faster than I can blink. I push him back, but he grabs me and pulls me into him.

  “Come on, baby. You know you want it.”

  I know I led him on, but when a girl says no, that’s exactly what it means.

  “Get off me,” I warn but he keeps on. Oh, hell no! When I say no, it means get the fuck off me now! Bringing my foot down on his sandaled toe, I watch him bend in pain. I use that moment to bring my knee up into his crotch.

  “Ow! You bitch!” he snarls, falling to his knees.

  “Damn right, I’m a bitch,” I reply, walking away and leaving him in pain.

  The crashing waves draw me closer. I walk out into the water until I feel it at my waist. Looking around, everything is so quiet and peaceful. I don’t understand how I’ve let my life get so out of hand. I’m standing in paradise, yet I’m miserable and broken. Sitting down on the sand, I allow the water to rush beneath me. I can’t keep doing this. It’s not fair to myself or anyone else. I’m done with games. I’m done with Nikolas Thorne. It’s the only way to find the part of me that I’ve lost. I need that girl back, and fast!

  I guess I’ve been staring at the waves for hours, but I know I’ve got to get back if I’m going to get up early tomorrow. As I make my short walk back to my bungalow, I give myself a pep talk and promise to be a better me for me. Shutting the door behind me, I step out of my wet dress and drop it to the floor. Turning up the music I’d left playing, the beat flows through my body, and within seconds, I feel better. I’m still young. I have my whole life ahead of me. It’s time the sassy, seductive Kylie returns to the world.

  When Beyonce’s “Partition” begins playing, I smile. The living room chair becomes my prey as I move my hips to the seductive tempo. Spinning around the room, I give it my all.

  Yep, I still got it!

  NIKOLAS

  Blame it on my high tolerance to alcohol, but it doesn’t take long for the booze from tonight to wear off. Laying here looking up at the bamboo ceiling, I focus on the spinning fan above me. I’ve timed the amount of spins it takes in a minute. I’ve noted how it tilts slightly to the right. Analyzing a fan. That’s what she’s pushed me to do. It’s the only thing that keeps me from going fucking insane at the moment. Throwing back
the covers, I ease out of the bed to get some water out of the fridge.

  As I turn up the bottle, my eyes are drawn outside. I look up in just enough time to see her figure walk past the window of her bungalow across from mine. She’s dancing, it looks like. Very sexily, I might add. Anger fills me and I squeeze the plastic bottle so damn hard that the rest of the water squirts out the top. The woman I love is less than a hundred feet from my front door and she’s dancing for that guy she’d brought home from the bar.

  I don’t fucking think so!

  Tossing the bottle to the kitchen floor, I slip my shoes on, stagger out to the front porch, and grab the railing for support. I may be sobering up, but the world is still spinning a bit too much for my liking. As I stop and listen to the music flowing through the night, I recognize the song as Beyonce’s “Partition.” Watching her figure move seductively from side to side is driving me crazy. I’m gonna kill the fucker. She’s mine, not his. There’s no way in hell I’m going to let her do this in front of my face.

  After the first few steps in the sand, I trip over my feet. When I fall on my ass, I land right on her front steps. I must have made a lot of noise with my fall because the next thing I know, the door flies open and I’m staring at the most fucking gorgeous pair of legs God ever created. Her toes are painted a bright coral color. The same sexy color that I’d always picked out when she took me with her for a pedicure.

  “Nik? What the fuck are you doing? That’s your place over there,” she says angrily as she points behind me.

  Blinking out of my daze, I draw my eyes up, but the light pink, lace underwear and matching bra she’s wearing takes my breath away.

  And those tits! Goddamn, I want to squeeze them.

  Frustrated, she puts her hands on her hips. Like some delicious dream, her long hair cascades down around her shoulders. Holy fucking shit! This woman can easily put any swimsuit model to shame. Ever since I met her, she’s constantly complained about her curvy figure. Christ! She has no idea how stunning she is.