For the last six months, the team had worked together, prepping for this job. They knew the house would be mostly empty all summer except for the daughter, Taylor. Their research had shown that she’d just graduated from high school and would be moving to the East Coast for college. She was valedictorian of her class and was active in several clubs. Other than that, they had no idea how much she’d be around the house or what kind of interference she could cause. Levi dismissed the kid, not worried about her presence one bit.
He reached the laundry room door and entered, wiping his feet on the mat. Pinned to the corkboard next to the sink was Levi’s list of duties for the day. Curtis informed him that the list was made by other members of the staff and, when they were around, the Hudson family. He read over the list and the attached grounds map, then grabbed his newly appointed toolbox and headed outside.
The first thing on the list was a broken sprinkler head. Levi hummed a beat that matched his footsteps as he followed the diagram and set his tools down in the grass.
“This sucks, get to the good stuff,” Kyle said, yawning in his ear.
“It might help solidify my position as a maintenance man if I actually maintain some shit first.”
“Yeah, the Boss will be pissed if we screw this up before finding that safe. Carry on.”
* * *
Now that high school was over, Taylor Hudson knew that she’d never again be a big fish in a small pond. She was okay with that. There was something refreshing about starting over, being a no one, anonymous.
The graduation party had been the same old scene with the same old people. Taylor felt no love for those lemmings who, for the past four years, desperately tried to befriend her because of money and status. She wasn’t stupid, she knew that her status meant nothing out in the real world, but her money meant everything. It was a tedious job running that school, and she was more than happy to pass the ruling torch down to the next rich brat in line.
Taylor heard a snore and looked over to find Beau Upton on the other side of her enormous bed. Her eyes became slits as she stared at his sleeping form tucked beneath her down comforter. Among all the white fluff, the only thing exposed was one of his tan arms draped over a pillow. Beau let out another snore and Taylor rolled her eyes. He knew better than to sleep here. It was a self-imposed rule to keep him from smothering her. Also, Taylor’s father would kill them both if he ever discovered that she was sleeping with the enemy.
Rolling out of bed, she trudged to the bathroom, passing her discarded cardinal red cap and gown on the way. She entered the shower and scrubbed away all the sweat, sex, and alcohol from the night before. As Taylor wrapped the soft cotton towel around her body and inhaled the steam into her lungs, she searched deep down for the transformation she’d been expecting since middle school. She always assumed that graduation meant she’d spin a cocoon between her and all immature, girlish things and emerge the next morning as a woman.
Taylor swiped the condensation from the bathroom mirror to study her reflection. She turned her head left and then right, lifted her chin and dropped it to her chest, but there was no physical difference. She didn’t feel different at all, still the same rich girl in the same empty house with the same absent parents.
Throwing her blond hair up into a messy bun, she pulled on some yoga pants and a tank and stepped back into her room. She crawled into bed with Beau and checked her phone. Thirty-seven text messages, nine voice mails, and fourteen missed calls waited for her. She huffed and tossed the phone away, not wanting to deal with any of it.
“Mmmmmm.” The moan came from the other side of her bed, a low growling sound from beneath the covers.
“Beau! Get up!”
He raised his head to glare at her, a patch of bed head and two deep blue eyes appearing over a mound of pillows.
“You’re such a bitch in the morning,” he growled, throwing a pillow at her head.
“Correction, I’m a bitch all the time. Now get going before Suzanne finds you. I swear I can’t tolerate her I’m-disappointed-in-you look one more time.”
“Aww, Suzy loves me. She just needs to get laid or something and she might lighten up.”
Taylor crawled across the bed and straddled his naked body. Beau still had a round childlike face, but everything else about him was muscled and hard. He was the all-American, soccer-playing wealthy boy next door. He was intelligent—salutatorian of their class, just behind Taylor—and owned a smile that could outshine even Prince Charming. He was everything any girl could ever want. Any girl but Taylor.
“Can we not talk about Suzanne’s sex life?” she asked while raking her nails lightly down his bare chest.
“Whatever you say. I’m much more interested in your sex life anyway,” he answered, lifting his hips to show her just how interested he was.
“Beau, you are my sex life,” Taylor said simply. He smiled and rolled her over, pinning her beneath his warm body.
“Yeah, until you leave me in August.” He placed feather-light kisses on her neck as she opened her thighs and wrapped her legs around his hips.
“I’m leaving for college. Not everything is about you.”
Beau straightened his arms and held his body above hers.
“Lies! Lies!” he yelled.
“Shhhh!”
Beau laughed and rolled them back over so that Taylor was stretched out on top of him. The way his arms held her, the way he looked at her, told Taylor that he was in this far deeper than she was. But the selfish side of her just couldn’t let go. Even though she didn’t love him, she couldn’t deny how amazing it was to feel wanted by someone who truly knew her.
He peeled her clothes off piece by piece, kissing each new bit of flesh until she was a wanton mess. Over the next hour, they consumed each other lazily. When her third orgasm hit, Taylor felt drugged and euphoric. Beau fell beside her, his heaving breaths painting her shoulder with warmth. When the feeling in her legs returned, she untangled herself from the sheets and cleaned up in the bathroom. She threw on some new clothes and returned to find him still lounging in bed.
“Henry would flip if he found you here,” Taylor said.
“Your dad can’t really expect us to stop seeing each other just because of a business deal gone bad.”
Beau pulled his jeans on and buttoned the fly while watching Taylor closely.
“We’re not seeing each other.”
“I see you now,” Beau insisted, his voice a bit too wistful for Taylor’s liking.
She had never developed feelings for the boy. They had been friends since they were toddlers. He was just a familiar place to find comfort and satisfaction. Beau was one of the few people she trusted. These things, along with the fact that he was forbidden fruit, made him all the more appealing.
“You’ve really got to go,” Taylor insisted.
He frowned at her, but she dismissed him with a wave of her hand. It was the same routine every time. She pretended not to see the hurt in his eyes and he pretended that it didn’t bother him, each of them perfecting the lie. For some torturous reason, he always came back for more.
When the door closed behind him, Taylor stepped out onto her balcony overlooking the pool and back lawn. The sun was shining and there was not one cloud dotting the Southern California sky. She smiled and lit a joint, knowing that it was going to be a good day. Of course, any day that began with three orgasms was promising.
Taylor settled into a chair and pulled the smoke into her lungs, letting it burn for a while before releasing it. It was punishment for her behavior toward Beau, something she both relished and loathed.
Summer had officially arrived, and while most of her classmates would head off to other countries before college, Taylor was stuck at home. Her mother, Virginia, wanted them to tour Europe together, but the thought made Taylor want to gouge her eyes out. There was nothing desirable about flitting from country to country with her drunk mother who tried to seduce men in every language. So she lied and said she wa
nted to stay home this summer to plan her first semester at Harvard.
Even with her absentee parents, Taylor didn’t complain. They paid her credit card bills and kept her well equipped to live the lifestyle to which she’d grown accustomed. From the outside looking in, they seemed perfect, a loving little unit.
It had been this way as long as Taylor could remember. Her parents had never reprimanded or disciplined, hugged or congratulated their daughter. Her entire life had been run like a business account, an investment of sorts. She was constantly told to be the brightest, look the prettiest, pay attention, and do better. It wasn’t because they wanted what was best for her; it was all about appearances.
Taylor crushed the last bit of her joint into the ashtray and blew out a lungful of smoke. The door to her bedroom flew open, and she turned to see Suzanne come barreling in. The tiny woman ran around Taylor’s room, mumbling to herself while picking up clothes and stuffing them into a basket she carried. She tore the sheets from the bed and threw those on top of the clothes before stepping onto the balcony.
Suzanne stood, with her hands on her hips and hit Taylor with the Look. It held all her disappointment and worry for the girl. Although it was fierce, Taylor had seen it far too many times for it to be effective.
“What on earth are you wearing?” Taylor asked, containing a giggle.
Suzanne looked down and pulled the hem of her oversize top away from her. Its bright mosaic pattern made Taylor dizzy.
“What? You don’t like it?”
“It’s tragic, Suzanne. And three sizes too big.”
“Well, I don’t like my clothes to touch me.”
Taylor let out a laugh and leaned back in her chair. “What does that even mean?”
Suzanne shrugged and propped herself against the balcony railing. A few tendrils of hair escaped from her bun and whipped around in the breeze.
“Thanks for attending my graduation ceremony,” Taylor said. “And for clapping and whistling when my name was called like you were at a Justin Bieber concert.”
“Don’t be silly, I would never go to a Justin Bieber concert. You know I wouldn’t have missed it for anything, sweetheart.” Taylor nodded and looked up at the sky. “I’m sorry your parents couldn’t make it. I’m sure they’re very proud of you, Taylor.”
“At least they’re consistent, right? Why should they start taking an interest in me now? It doesn’t matter anyway,” she answered, shrugging. Suzanne ran her fingers through Taylor’s hair and placed a kiss on her forehead. It did matter, but she tried to convince herself otherwise.
“That boy was here again.”
“His name is Beau,” Taylor replied, chewing on her thumbnail.
“I don’t care if his name is George freakin’ Clooney. Well, I might care a little. You know how I feel about that salt-and-pepper-biscuit of a man. But that’s not the point, you know Beau can’t be here.”
Taylor looked up at her, feeling a tiny bit guilty. “Suzanne, Henry is never home. He leaves before sunrise and that’s if he even comes home at all.” She sighed and sank back into her chair. “Work keeps him tied up, and so does his sassy little personal assistant. So unless you’re going to report to my father who I’ve been sleeping with, I think we’re safe.”
“And what about Virginia? You think your mother would approve?”
“I think my mother doesn’t care much about anything other than her next procedure. Honestly, Suzy, you were hired to look after me when I was still in the woman’s womb. Even then she knew how inadequate she’d be as a parent.”
The exasperated woman threw her hands up and stomped back into the room.
“Maybe next time Beau leaves he could bring down your sheets with him. Save me the trip,” Suzanne called out.
“And miss the chance to see your beautiful face? I don’t think so.”
Taylor stood and watched as a man dressed in the Hudson green uniform strolled across the back lawn. She couldn’t see much with his hat pulled down low over his eyes, but his wide shoulders and confident walk certainly got her attention. He stopped at a spot, knelt down, and opened a toolbox. Taylor eyed the half tattoo sleeve peeking out from his uniform shirt on his right arm.
“I thought the maintenance guy quit?” she yelled to Suzanne, who was busy in Taylor’s closet.
“Zach didn’t quit. He retired.”
“So who’s that in the yard?” Taylor asked.
Suzanne made her way to the balcony and stood at the railing. At four eleven, Suzanne didn’t have the same vantage point as Taylor. She strained her neck to look.
“I can’t remember his name. Calvin? No, that’s not right. Jean? I don’t know. It’s some kind of clothing. I didn’t realize he’d be starting so soon. Anyway, that’s the new guy.”
Taylor’s eyes slid over him. While the hideous uniform did little to show off his body, she couldn’t help but wonder what that tattoo led to under there.
Suzanne pursed her lips and cut Taylor a suspicious look. “Taylor, why the sudden interest in the maintenance man?”
“I always take an interest in the goings-on of the house,” she said without looking away. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Suzanne rolled her eyes and returned to Taylor’s room. There was no response, and a few seconds later her bedroom door slammed shut. The sound echoed through the room and across the lawn. New guy whipped his head toward the bang and caught her watching, then returned to his work.
Taylor leaned over the railing, putting her chest on display while pulling her hair down and dragging her fingers through it. She kept her eyes on him, willing him to look her way again. Minutes went by while her stare burned into his skin. Finally, he closed his toolbox and stood, dusting off his knees. Taylor tipped over a bit more and wet her lips, anticipating his attention.
He walked toward the garage, crossing the lawn in front of her. Just when she thought he was going to ignore her completely, he looked up. Taylor held her breath as his shadowed eyes connected with hers. There was an instant pulsing tension in her body when one side of his mouth lifted up into a lazy smile. He shook his head and released her from his gaze.
Taylor flopped into the lounge chair thinking maybe this summer might not be a total loss after all.
3. the new guy and introductions
“This is boring,” Kyle said through the earpiece.
Levi set down the boxes containing new lights to line the front walk and scratched his chin. “Would you shut up?” he said. “You’re sitting at your house, probably in your underwear, watching me work. Yes, it sounds so painful for you to endure.”
“You know me so well.”
“I know you like long walks on the beach, romantic comedies, and the soulful sounds of Kenny G,” Levi answered.
Kyle was a tech geek. If it was electronics, he knew it inside and out—computers, gadgets, devices, anything he could get his hands on. He never talked about his home life, only his Internet girlfriends and latest downloads. He was intelligent to the point of being socially awkward and easily became the brains of the operation.
“Shut it, you two,” Crystal chimed in. “I’ve hacked into the Hudsons’ video surveillance system. I’m rerouting the outgoing feed to come to me before going to the security company. It was too easy. There are cameras everywhere but in the bedrooms and bathrooms. So watch yourself. We need a heads-up before you do recon.”
Crystal was a tall, fiery redhead who had been labeled as the Bully Whisperer in school, saving geeks from beatings on a daily basis. Her sweet face often misled people, and they weren’t prepared for her sharp wit and quick thinking. She was a no-bullshit kind of girl who had the ability to insult you in a way that had you thanking her for doing so. Inside she was a sensitive introvert who loved rap music and reading the articles in Playboy. She served as the heart of the heist.
Levi was the inside man. He was supposed to go in and lull everyone into a false sense of security before pulling the $15 million rug from
under them. He had been working since he was sixteen years old, holding various jobs from mechanic to salesman, each one contributing to his experience for the position here. The Boss trusted him to get the intel needed to make this heist a success.
“All our prepping comes down to this,” Levi said into the mic.
“Who are you talking to?” a female voice asked from behind him.
Levi spun to find a gorgeous girl staring at him. She was pretty, but in a money kind of way. Wild, curly hair framed large brown eyes and a pouty mouth that frowned at him. Barely there shorts and high heels made her legs look endless. His eyes took in every inch of her flawless cocoa skin.
“Uh. Myself. I said I’ve got to take a piss,” he answered, though it sounded more like a question.
“Nice,” she said, raising one perfectly arched eyebrow. The girl made her way past him and entered the front door without knocking.
“Who was that?” he asked Kyle.
“I’ll find out and get back to you. We don’t need any surprises. But, damn, this place is like Hot Babe Wonderland.”
“How eloquent, Kyle. Any other observations you’d like to share?” Levi asked.
“Bite me, Reference Desk.”
Chuckling, Levi got to work installing the solar-powered lights along the edge of the front walk. As the sun climbed higher in the sky, it started to warm up. He used a red rag from his back pocket to wipe the sweat from his neck and forehead before tucking it back in place. This rag wasn’t issued as part of his uniform. It had belonged to his father many years ago. Levi’s earliest memories of the man consisted of him bent over the hood of their crap car in the driveway with a red rag hanging from his shirt pocket like a mechanic’s boutonniere.
“Okay, Levi. Beyoncé’s mini-me is Reese Sutherland. She graduated with Taylor Hudson. Apparently, they are BFFs,” Kyle said, imitating a girl’s voice.
“How the hell do you know that?”
“I have their yearbook. She was voted Most Likely to Be Famous, was active in the Gay Straight Alliance, and was captain of the dance team.”
Perfect Betrayal Page 2