May 15th, 2006
Violet
“I’ve never stopped loving you.
You’re the only love I’ve ever known
You’re my soul, my air, my everything…
And I need you back to live again.”
A guitar riff for the chorus plays through my headphones before it’s met again with a rich baritone voice that melts my panties. I’m listening to my favorite song “My Everything”, on repeat. It always makes me feel better, and worse, at the same time. I don’t know why I torture myself with listening to this man’s sweet voice. His lyrics send something straight to my soul and it’s like he’s singing to me—only to me.
“You went away, but in my heart, you're always here.
I close my eyes hoping you’ll come back to me
Because I can never stop loving you with everything I have”
I miss him.
My feet tap on the bed as the sexy, soothing voice continues to pipe into my ears. I’m starting to realize my life is not what I expected it to be at this point. I snort, knowing this is nothing like I had planned when I was seventeen. I graduated from Tucson University four days ago, earning my degree in business management. I’ve been searching for months for a job leading up to graduation, without much success. It’s disappointing because I thought it would be easy.
On top of being jobless, I’m now boyfriend-less. Last night I broke up with my boyfriend of six months, Darren. I don’t know why I ever put up with his arrogant ass. I caught him sleeping with someone else. I mean fine, I know I wasn’t putting out very much—because frankly, he sucked at it—but he could’ve broken up with me before he slept with someone else. It wouldn’t have been such a total loss.
“Say you still love me. That you’ll always be mine.
Because I miss the way you taste and the way your eyes used to shine.
My everlasting love, my number one, my everything.”
I was once his Ace.
Damn this song. Damn the emotions it gives me. Damn it all.
I throw the headphones out of my ears and they fall to the mattress. Softly, I hear the lyrics start again, and turn off my mp3 player. I need to stop torturing my poor soul.
I need to move on—past him.
My door crashes open and my roommates, Julie and Alexa, stumble into my room, giggling like loons. They have been my best friends and roommates for the last three years. The two crazies are already drunk. Julie flops onto my bed, beside me, making the both of us bounce.
“About time you dumped his ass,” she exclaims.
“Yeah, I caught him in bed with Teagan.” I shrug, not caring. Life is full of heartbreaks, this isn’t one of them.
“Are you okay?” Alexa sits next to me and squeezes my hand. Her green doe eyes look at me sympathetically.
“Yeah. I have no idea why I put up with him as long as I did. It’s done and dusted and I can now move on to the next dope,” I chuckle softly.
“That’s the spirit!”
“Whatcha listenin too?” Julie grabs my MP3 player from my lap and starts scrolling through it.
“Your future husband,” I tease.
“You bet he is.” Julie swoons and falls back flat on the bed. Her brown hair fans out everywhere, placing the player over her heart, lost in a daydream. I swear I see stars in her eyes.
The girl is nuts.
A pillow goes flying in front of me and hits Julie square in the face, waking her from her fantasy.
“Hey, me and my husband were about to jet ski off into the sunset.” Julie sits up, crossing her arms over her chest in a playful huff.
“Anyways…we have an idea.” Alexa rolls her eyes, ignoring the nut beside me. “The three of us. Vegas! My dad has some free room vouchers, and asked if I would like to use them.”
“Wait, your dad wants you to go to Vegas? Sin City?” I ask raising my eyebrows.
My dad would never want me to go to Vegas. He would think I’d end up gambling all my money away. Or think the bright lights of Vegas would turn me into a stripper.
Or I’d get married to some stranger on a whim.
“Okay, not really, but when I told him I wanted to go for an after-graduation celebration with my two best girls, he offered to pay.” Alexa shrugs. “He knows if I’m with you Vi, I won’t get into any trouble.” She smirks, and I smack her leg.
I have no clue how I got the goodie-two-shoes badge. There was a time some parents thought I was the cause of trouble.
“Well, gee thanks…I think.”
“Come on, we worked so hard these last four years. We studied our asses off, missed some great parties, and you graduated magna cum laude. I think we deserve it, don’t you?”
“Yeah, it could be fun…” I say, getting excited about the idea. Sun, swimming, liquor, gambling, and sleazy nightclubs. What else could be better than dancing in sin?
“WOO VEGAS!” Julie screams, doing a seated jig.
“Maybe we can find you Mister Right, Vi…” Alexa interjects, shoving my shoulder.
“ME?” I screech. “What about you two? You’re having the same luck in the love department as I am.”
Hell no, I’m not hooking up with anyone in Vegas. The only thing I want my lips on is the glass holding my Jose Cuervo.
“Maybe we’ll all get lucky. Now come on, I already broke open the wine and Tess and Uma will be here soon.” Alexa yanks my hand, pulling me off the bed.
Who knows, maybe Vegas is what I need to get out of this small slump I’m in. Have some fun, then face the real world head-on.
Vegas Baby
May 19th, 2006
I haven’t found the sin yet, but I have found the fun. The lights, the excitement, and all the noise and chatter of the city have really been good for my soul. The three of us arrived in Vegas early this morning and hit The Strip first thing. We did the zip line, were drunk by noon, and now we are at The Bellagio’s bar, drinking and dancing.
I’m wearing a royal blue, mini-dress with spaghetti straps, and a low V-neck showing off the perfect amount of cleavage. Alexa insisted I needed this dress when we spotted it this afternoon. Her words had been, “you’re not going to attract anything looking like a nun.” I personally saw nothing wrong with my long-sleeve, high neckline, black dress, but I do feel incredibly sexy now.
I’ve been feeling eyes on me all night, and men have been all over us as we dance. So far, no one has made an impression on me.
“Guys,” I yell over the pumping music, fanning myself, “I need another drink.”
“Me too,” Alexa yells back, and we grab Julie to head back to our table.
We all order waters and a round of tequila shots. I dance in my seat as “Don’t Cha” by the Pussycat Dolls plays, ready to get back on the floor.
There’s a sudden burst of commotion; surprised hollers and ‘oh my gods’ fill the bar. The three of us look around wondering what’s going on. There’s a mob of people flowing to the VIP area, but all I see are black suits, protecting whoever is between them.
“Wonder who the VIP is?” Julie muses, as our waitress returns with our drinks.
My skin prickles with familiarity. The air shifts as well, making it hard to breathe. There’s a magnetic pull, drawing me to the person who just broke away from his guards to stand at the bar. My heart hammers in my chest, not believing what I’m seeing. I rub my eyes twice to make sure he’s not an illusion.
It’s him. It’s really him.
“Oh, my god,” I whisper, my mind still in a state of disbelief. My whole body is trembling, I’m lightheaded by all the possibilities that could take place. This might be my only chance to talk to him again.
No matter what, I have to do this.
“Violet, you going to take your shot?” Julie asks, grabbing my shoulder.
“I’ll be right back,” I say, not turning my attention to her. I hear her asking me what’s up, but I ignore her, letting my heart lead the way to the opposite end of the bar.
With each step, my he
art thumps erratically. I swear it’s about to burst out of my chest. My hands are clammy and I’m worried he might disappear like a wisp of smoke.
Four years.
Four years since I’ve seen his chiseled face, and the single dimple in his right cheek. Four years since I’ve heard his husky laugh, or seen his blue eyes that shined into my soul and lit up my life. I’ve missed the way he made me feel complete.
He’s even more handsome since the last time I saw him, and even if I didn’t recognize his face, I would have recognized his firm ass in those dress slacks.
I get to the velvet ropes of the VIP lounge when one of the guys in a black suit stops me.
“Ma’am I can’t let you over here,” he tells me firmly and stands a tad taller.
“I just wanted to say hi—”
“I’m sure you did. That’s what they all say. Now please.” He points me to the other side of the bar, gesturing for me to get lost.
I shake my head at how quickly I’ve forgotten he’s a big, famous singer now; untouchable, surrounded by bodyguards and groupies. I sigh. It’s all he’s ever wanted to be. His dream came true while I faded away.
I need answers though. I need to know why he let me fade when he continued to shine brightly in my life.
“I know you get all kinds of people trying to talk to him, but we went to high school together.” I start to explain my heartbreaking tale to the uptight guy who I'm sure could use a drink—or eight. The man crosses his arms and looks away from me.
“I can’t blame you for not believing me, but could you just tell him Violet Spencer wants to say hi. I beg you. And if he tells me to get lost, I promise I won’t bother you anymore.”
He was my one true love.
“Violet Spencer,” he murmurs in awe. I don’t quite understand his reaction as he moves in to look at me more closely. Like really close, where I can taste the mint on his breath. He nods his head, and without saying another word he walks over to the bar, grabbing Cooper’s attention before whispering in his ear.
His head snaps in my direction, and our eyes lock as realization dawns all over his handsome features. He knocks over the barstool when he jumps to his feet, and strides over to me like a man on a mission. Before I can even process that after all this time he’s standing in front of me, his lips smash into mine.
Holy crap.
My mouth parts to let his tongue in and explore. My heart soars and my body heats up, tingles shooting through my skin. He moans, pressing himself into me, encouraging me to kiss him harder, and I tangle my hand in his hair.
He tastes and feels just like I remember. All the love we had before lingers in this heated, passionate kiss—it’s as if no time has passed at all.
Maybe the last four years had been a bad dream and when we break apart we'll still be on that picnic bench where we last saw each other.
He pulls away, resting his forehead on mine, and his dark blue eyes bore into my own, recapturing my soul again. “My Violet,” he whispers against my lips.
“Cooper,” I pant. He still takes my breath away after all these years.
“God, you’re more beautiful than the day you left.” He rubs my cheek with his thumb. “I lie, you’re fucking sexy. This dress…fuck.” His eyes roam over my body. My skin heats at his traveling eyes and now I’m really glad Alexa made me buy this dress.
“You’re not so bad yourself. And I’ve been hearing good things about you.” I grab the lapels on his jacket wanting to keep my hands on him.
“I’ve missed you…” he breathes, his eyes still exploring mine, I’m sure verifying that I’m real. “Why don’t me and you go to my room so we can talk without all these people listening?”
All these people.
The words bring me back to reality. My eyes dart around the crowded bar, suddenly feeling a million eyes on us.
“I think we have a lot to catch up on, Ace.”
My heart skips a beat and I’m trying not to surrender to the tears caused by the elation I’m feeling when he calls me by my old nickname. There’s nothing I want more in this world than to be his number one girl again.
“I would like that,” I croak out causing him to smirk.
I look back to the table where I left my friends. Friends who are now gawking at me and I'm sure have a million questions after witnessing the show of a lifetime. I’m never going to hear the end of it from them.
Vi, you got a lot of explaining to do.
I turn back to him, my heart expanding again at the sight of his sly grin. “I just need to tell my friends.”
“Hurry…” he urges, brushing his hand across my cheek. “I don't want to waste any more time.”
Words escape me and I nod. He places a kiss on my cheek before I walk back to my table in a daze.
I glance back at him, needing to make sure it hasn’t been a dream. He’s talking to his security guy and pointing to me. We smile at each other and he blows me a kiss with a wink. I giggle thinking the Rockstar moves have gotten to his head.
When I arrive back at my table, Alexa and Julie stare at me wide-eyed, with their jaws on the floor.
“Oh my God! What the hell just happened there? Why was Cooper Reid’s tongue down your throat?” Alexa shrieks. People around us spin their heads to look at us.
I wonder if this will be in every tabloid tomorrow.
I blush. “We used to date in high school, for a couple of years before I had to leave for Arizona.”
“And you didn’t think to share this information with us? The hottest singer in the whole world was your boyfriend?” she narrows her eyes at me, but her voice is still screeching. I’m having a hard time telling if she’s mad or still in shock.
I’m still in shock. The guy I loved was ripped away from me and I never thought I would get the chance to see him again.
“I know, I'm a terrible friend for not telling you about me and Cooper, but it was always so hard to think about how I lost the guy I thought I would be with forever,” I tell them sadly. “Seeing him in magazines and hearing him on the radio didn’t help because I still loved him. We never broke up, just kind of lost touch.”
Not a complete lie. Once the letters and phone calls stopped, I moved on.
That’s a lie too, I never really moved on.
“When you walked over there, the last thing I expected was that. I thought you were being nosey. Damn.”
“I’m sorry. Don’t be mad, please.”
Alexa gasps at me and shakes her head, pulling me into a hug. “Of course, I’m not mad. You just have to explain it all to me later.”
“I will, I promise.” I look back towards the VIP area, and Cooper is talking to one of the other bodyguards. “I just need to know what happened first, myself,” I mumble.
Turning my attention back to Julie, she hasn’t picked her jaw off the floor since I returned. I decide to close it for her. “You okay?”
“You…you…and him…you lucky bitch!” Julie always had the biggest crush on Cooper Reid. It sometimes got to the point I would wonder if Julie loved him more than I did.
Nah. Nobody could…
And the kiss we just shared proves he might share the same feelings for me.
A love that can never be forgotten.
“I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to break your heart.” I stick my tongue out at her, playfully.
“Holy fuck,” Julie whispers her jaw popping open again.
The hairs stick up on the back of my neck and there stands the only person who can cause that type of electricity in my body: Cooper Reid. His brother always used to say we were magnets; always stuck together at the hip and attached at the lips. I only wish the magnetic energy crossed state lines.
His muscular arm drapes around my waist, pulling me tightly to his side. The scent of cinnamon and rum tickle my nose and warms my belly. He smells fantastic, and I wish I could bottle it up to keep it with me always.
“You ready?” His voice is low and husky, and his
stormy, lustful eyes dampen my panties.
“Um yeah…Cooper these are my friends Alexa and Julie.”
“It’s nice to meet you both.” He shakes both of their hands.
Julie giggles like a schoolgirl and stares at her hand then back at him. I'm sure her everlasting fantasy of meeting her crush isn't going the way she planned, but she’s handling it pretty well. I was almost convinced I'd have to fight her for him.
“Would you guys mind if I went with Cooper? We kind of need to catch up…”
“I promise to have her back down in a little while. If you want, you guys are more than welcome to go over to the VIP section. Drinks are on me…” Cooper offers.
“Really?” Julie and Alexa chirp. Their eyes light up at the offer of free drinks.
“Yep. I already told them you might be coming over. Help yourself.” He gives them both his winning, dimpled smile then looks down at me. “Come Ace,” he tells me in that voice, the one that tells me I'm seconds away from being naked.
Yes, please.
Alexa and Julie hug me, double checking I'm going to be okay before running off to the bar. Free drinks make everything better, including to help them forget their best friend hid a famous boyfriend from them.
Cooper guides me to the elevator banks with his bodyguards in toe. They join us in the metal box and one of the big guys pushes the button for the 23rd floor. Cooper pulls me towards the back corner, his fingers caressing my ass from under my dress. Shivers skate down my back as he moves dangerously close to my heated core.
I peek over at the backs of the bodyguards, and my cheeks heat, knowing we have company, even though the guards appear stoic and uncaring.
“Is this what it’s like for you now? Always have people following you around? No privacy?” My arm crosses over his to grab a handful of his firm ass in return.
“Yeah, but it’s for my safety. Some of the fans get crazy.” His fingers travel under the small sliver of my thong.
I bite down on my lip, suppressing my moan, as his fingers run across my wet slit. It’s been so long since I’ve been touched like this. The last months with my ex were sexless, but even so, the only person who stood a chance against Cooper Reid’s magic touch was Cooper Reid.
I Found You Page 2