“I’m gonna come, baby,” I tell her, and she’s pulling away from me. Her hands still on my cock, and when she spins, I can see her face. She pulls my cock from her mouth, my cum flowing from my tip, my release coating her tits, dripping from her nipples. Her desire takes over as she pulls me back in her mouth, sucking me again, my cum sliding down her throat as I finish.
I pull her to me then. “What the hell was that?” I ask, my cock still hard as hell.
“I want to make up for lost time, is all,” she says with a sultry smile.
“God, I just won the girlfriend lottery.”
She licks her lips. “I love it when you come in my mouth, it makes me ….” She rolls over on the bed, her finger against her clit. “Really, really horny.”
I move on top of her. “Good, because I’m not finished with you.” Watching her touch herself got me good and ready the way nothing else ever has. Her fingers move in tight circles and I ease myself inside her as her fingers keep up the good work.
“I’m so close,” she moans, and I know how to get her off even faster. When I fill her up hard and fast, she loses control in the best possible way. My cock enters her tightness, and she gasps, clawing at my back with her nails, her pleasure evident in the way she screams my name.
“Oh, Spence, oh, oh, I’m coming,” she whimpers, and I don’t need her to tell me to know it’s true. Her body shakes as she gets off, the enjoyment written on her face and I pull her to me as I come too. When we finish, we laugh, the morning going way better than I hoped.
“God,” I tell her, rolling to face her. “I need to get you away from school more often if that’s how you get when you really relax.”
She laughs. “I don’t know what came over me.”
I grin. “I’m pretty sure I came all over you.”
She giggles, tossing a pillow at me. “You are the naughtiest boy ever.”
I pin her to the bed, my cock so fucking greedy I could take her all over again, but my phone starts vibrating on the table beside the bed.
“You should get that,” she says, kissing my nose.
“I thought we were gearing up for round two?”
She wraps her legs around me playfully. “I really need to get back to campus and finish that paper.”
“You’re right,” I say as she moves to get out of the bed as I reach for my phone to see who the hell is interrupting some of the best sex of my life. I answer the call as Charlie starts getting dressed. “Hello?”
There’s no response for a moment, but when I hear the voice on the other end, my blood goes cold.
Ethan.
“I gave you the fucking money to keep your mouth shut. Don’t go having morals on me now. That chick was dead. There was nothing either of us could do. But I swear to God, that if I go down, you’ll go down with me.”
The same clip begins to repeat itself, and I realize it’s a recording.
My day started so fucking perfect … and only moments later it comes crashing to a halt. I feel sick and I sit on the edge of the bed, trying to concentrate, trying to keep from losing my shit.
“Spencer, what’s wrong?” Charlie is beside me, hand on my shoulders and I realize that I’ve sunk down on the floor, phone trembling against my ear as the recording starts for the third time.
I put it on speaker.
“Who is that?” Charlie asks, one palm on my cheek, worry in her eyes.
“Eth—” I choke on his name. “Ethan.”
“Your brother.”
All I can do is nod as his voice echoes through the phone. But it’s his words that fill me with dread.
I gave you the fucking money to keep your mouth shut. Don’t go having morals on me now. That chick was dead. There was nothing either of us could do. But I swear to God, that if I go down, you’ll go down with me.
What had he done?
“What does it mean?” Charlie asks, taking the phone from me and ending the torture. But I can see her hands shaking. The terror in her eyes. “Who would send this to you?”
“Someone who wants me to know what he did.”
“You think..?” She chews on her bottom lip, dread in her voice. “You think he killed someone?”
I drag my hands through my hair, tugging at it. “It sure as fuck sounded like that.” I think back to the last few months before he died. Ethan had always been hard to read, but my brother had become cold, isolated. Had it been guilt that had driven him to drugs and finally over that cliff?
“Jesus,” I breathe out. “What am I supposed to do with this?”
“I don’t know.”
I swallow hard. “I need to go to my parents. If someone is using this to blackmail me or them, then I need to let them know. They wouldn’t be the first person after the Beckett money.”
My phone pings with a new text.
It’s Charlie who reads it first and I see the color drain from her face. She hands me my phone, hands trembling. “I think they want more than just money.”
I read the text out loud, “The king already fell, and the prince will too. Last warning. Leave Cinderella alone.”
“What the hell?” Charlie rasps out. “Who?”
“I don’t know,” I say through clenched teeth, cupping her jaw, and wondering if this isn’t all tied together with the letters and threats Charlie received, the blog posts, the photographer at the library.
I’m shaking, my body feeling like ice.
“Hey.” Her arms are around me. “Whatever this is, we’ll figure it out. Maybe what he said was taken out of context. Maybe—”
“Maybe my brother didn’t try to bribe someone about a person’s death?” I sneer, not knowing how his words can be taken any other way. I know my family has secrets - but this? My brother being a killer? It’s too fucking much to take.
“I don’t know,” she says quietly. “But I think you’re right, you do need to tell your parents.”
I nod, knowing it’s true. My parents need to know. But after our tense conversations over the last week, I hate that this recording is what will bring us together.
* * *
Charlie offered to go with me to Washington, and while I knew it was selfish of me, I let her, needing her beside me as I face whatever the hell this is.
“You okay?” she asks as we walk up the steps of my parents’ house.
“No,” I admit, squeezing her hand. “But I’m glad you’re with me.”
She gives a tight smile. “You’ve been there for me plenty of times, it’s the least I can do.”
Except this isn’t like her mother’s illness, or untimely death. This is about my brother, a man who I idolized, committing a crime that he tried to cover up.
“Spencer?” It’s my mother who greets us in the foyer. As usual she’s done up like she’s about to go to some charity gala, even though it’s only early afternoon. And I can smell vermouth on her breath when she hugs me. “What are you doing here?”
I step back and place my arm around Charlie’s waist, needing her strength right now. “You haven’t met my girlfriend yet? Mom this is Charlotte Hayes.”
“Hi, Mrs. Beckett. It’s nice to finally meet you.” Charlie holds out her hand, but my mom just looks down at it like she’s offering her a cup of poison.
“Yes, I’ve heard a lot about you.” My mother’s smile is as fake as the blonde highlights that streak her hair.
“Is Dad here?” I ask, looking around the house. It’s quiet. Too quiet. And my news is going to stir so much up.
“He’s in his office on a call.”
“Can you get him? There’s something I need to talk to you both about.”
My mother looks between Charlie and me, color draining from her cheeks as she obviously comes to her own conclusion about why we’re here. Her hand comes to her chest, resting over her heart, and she calls out for one of the waitstaff before sitting down dramatically in one of the antique armchairs in the front parlor room.
Charlie and I follow her, and I whisper
in her ear, “I’m pretty sure she thinks you’re pregnant.”
“Oh my, god.” Her eyes go wide. “You have to tell her I’m not.”
I chuckle, feeling a small weight lift from me for the first time all day since I got the call. “Not yet.”
“You’re terrible.”
I shrug.
“Yes, ma’am?” A young maid, who must be new to the staff asks as she comes into the room.
“Tell Mr. Beckett that his son and...” My mother glances at Charlie, face ashen. “And his girlfriend are here, and his presence is needed.”
The girl nods and starts to leave.
“And bring me a Manhattan, dry...” my mom calls after her. “And make it a double.”
“Early in the day to be drinking,” I say, raising a brow at her.
She waves her hand at me in disapproval, then changes the subject. “Your father was talking to Carter Madison last night, he said he offered you an internship this summer. It’ll be so nice to have you closer to home. We can have more family dinners and—”
“I haven’t decided if I’ll take it.” I usher Charlie to sit in one of the chairs across from my mother but continue to stand myself. I’m feeling restless, and even though I sometimes enjoy watching my mom squirm, I also don’t want to cause her any more heartbreak than she’s already been through.
I start to doubt whether it was a good idea to invite her into the conversation. Maybe I should have just gone to my father.
“Spencer?” My mother says my name harshly. “I asked who else you were considering.”
I frown at her until I realize she’s talking about the internship. “Actually, I was thinking about taking the summer off.”
Mom’s eyes narrow at Charlie. “I suppose this was your idea?”
Charlie lifts her eyebrows. “No. It wasn’t. I don’t even know what I’m doing this summer.”
“Figured as much,” Mom says with disapproval. “Waiting to see what opportunities come your way, is that it?”
I clear my throat. “Mother, can we not do this?” Running a hand over my jaw, I add, “Charlie applied for a master’s program and is waiting to hear back.” I want my mother to know how accomplished my girlfriend is.
“You don’t need to explain things for me, Spence,” Charlie says. “I don’t need to justify anything to—”
My mom cuts her off. “Really darling,” she says condescendingly. “Defensive women are rarely attractive.”
Charlie’s lips curl up at the corners and I am so fucking proud of her iron will. She doesn’t need to lower herself to my mother’s level. And as soon as we tell my parents the reason we are here, I’m taking my girlfriend away from this hellhole.
“Actually, Mom, I applied for the doctorate program at Princeton. But really, that has nothing to do with why we are here.”
There goes her hand again, straight to her heart, and I swear she looks ready to pass out, like I just told her I was thinking about joining the Russian mafia.
When she starts into a lecture, I stop her, “That’s not why I came to see you. I have other matters to discuss, but maybe it’s best I just speak with Dad.”
“Whatever you need to tell him, you can say to me.” Tears are in her eyes now as she looks at Charlie with a mix of disgust and horror. “Please tell me you didn’t let that—”
“Careful, Mother,” I warn, but it’s already too late, the woman has gotten herself in hysterics.
I shouldn’t have brought Charlie here.
“How could you be so stupid?” my mother says. “All your life I warned you that there would be...girls like that who would try and trap you—”
“Charlie isn’t pregnant, mother.”
My father coughs from the entrance to the parlor. “Good to know,” he says blandly.
“But if you say another word against her, I’ll walk out that door—”
“No need for dramatics,” my father says, walking across the room and taking Charlie’s hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Ms. Hayes.”
Charlie gives him a small smile. “Thank you.”
My mom opens and shuts her mouth, but thankfully remains quiet.
“What’s all this fuss about?” he asks as he turns to face me.
I shove my hands in my pocket and start to pace. “I got a call this morning.”
“Would you like to elaborate,” my father says when I don’t continue.
“It was a recording of Ethan.” I catch the look my parents share, but I don’t know what it means. “He was confessing something to someone. Something about paying them off to stay silent. About a dead girl...”
I expect a reaction. Anything. Denial. Yelling. Tears. But I get nothing.
My father sits down heavily, and my mother looks even worse than when she thought Charlie might be pregnant.
And then it hits me.
“You guys know.”
My mom winces and my dad won’t meet my gaze.
“Shit.” It feels like the air has been punched from my lungs. “Whatever it is he did, you guys knew about it. For how long?”
“There’s nothing to know,” my father says, standing, already collecting himself, emotion void from his voice. “Give me your phone, son. Whoever sent you the recording will be dealt with.”
I shake my head. “Did he kill someone? Did you try and hide it? Jesus, how fucking corrupt is this family?”
“Watch your tone.” My father is in front of me, eyes blue steel and all business. “Your brother was a good man. There was an accident. That's all you need to know.”
“An accident that you helped him cover up.” I say the words, knowing they’re the truth.
“You need to be very careful with what you say right now, son.”
I know what he’s implying. He’s worried because Charlie is in the room. Worried about his reputation. Maybe more. Whatever this is, could be criminal.
“Do you know who would send this?” I ask, knowing there’s no chance in hell I’m giving him my phone. I don’t trust him not to try and sweep this under the hypothetical rug too. But this time, whoever is threatening my family is also threatening Charlie. “If you do you need to tell me. Now.”
My father places a hand on my shoulder, and I shrug it off. “I don’t. But I’ll have my men look into it. Was there anything else?”
I think about telling him about the text but stop myself. “We need to go.” I reach for Charlie’s hand and start out the door.
“Spencer.” My father stops us in the foyer. “You need to let this go. Let me take care of it.”
I grunt. “Is that what you said to Ethan?” My lip curls up in a sneer. “That you’d take care of it? And how did that work out? He drove his fucking car off a cliff, because you took care of it—”
The slap echoes through the two-story room, and my cheek is instantly on fire. It’s not the first time my father has hit me, but it will be the last. I hear Charlie’s sharp intake of breath, and it’s the only thing stopping me from striking back.
“Goodbye, Dad,” I say before turning and walking out the door with Charlie pressed against me.
I’m still shaking three hours later when we arrive back at Charlie’s dorm. Like the ride home, the walk up to her room is filled with tense silence.
I pull her to me when we’re in front of her door, and press my forehead to hers, breathing her in, and apologize again, “I’m sorry you had to hear all that.”
Her hands cup my jaw and she looks up at me, concern pulsing in her eyes. “I can handle your parents. I’m just worried about you.”
“Once I find out who’s behind this, I’ll be a lot better.”
Charlie opens her door, and Daphne is there with her purse in hand. “I thought I heard voices.” She smiles, but it seems fake. “Did you two have a nice weekend?”
Charlie nods. “There were some really great moments,” she says softly. “Some not as great.”
Daphne cocks her head to the side. “Okay...a little cryptic. C
are to elaborate?”
Charlie shakes her head, setting her duffel bag on her bed. “Not tonight. It’s been a long day and I have a paper to finish.”
“I’m headed to the dining hall. Want anything?” she asks, pretty much ignoring me.
“No thanks,” Charlie says, massaging her neck as Daphne leaves. At least her roommate recognizes that Charlie isn’t in the mood for conversation.
“You going to be okay tonight?” I ask, stepping closer. “You can always come to my place if you want.”
“Sounds nice, but if I go with you, I won’t get my work done.” She sighs, pressing her palms to my chest. “Do you ever wish we could just rewind? Stay in a happy moment, forever?”
I nod, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “What would your moment be?”
She lifts her chin, those hazel eyes meeting mine and sending a much-needed jolt of heat to my heart. “Last night when you asked me to be your girlfriend was pretty good.”
“Last night was perfect.”
She stands on her tiptoes and kisses me. “Thank you,” she says.
“For what? You’re the one who has been my rock all day.”
She kisses me again, quickly this time. “No, I mean, thank you for trusting me. For letting me into your heart.”
My hands cup her face. I kiss her nose. Her cheeks. “You’re not going anywhere, Charlie Hayes. We’re officially together now, that means something to me.”
“It means something to me too.” She smiles, her cheeks rosy and so damn cute I pinch them. “It means you need to walk me to my lecture tomorrow morning. Maybe write me little notes and pass them to me in between classes. Make me a playlist. Take me on a long drive so we can make out in the car. You know, boyfriend things.”
I chuckle. “Wow, a lot of responsibilities I didn’t know about. And what will you do for me?”
She wraps her arms around me. “Oh, don’t you worry, Princeton Charming. I take my girlfriend duties seriously,” she whispers in my ear. “I’m planning on kneeling before your throne. Maybe polishing your crown?”
Losing Princeton Charming Page 10