by Scott, Lucy
My step had had it at that point. But he didn’t have to take it out on me.
“I didn’t ask for your help back there,” I said.
“No, but you forced the issue because of your less-than-ideal choices.”
I clawed at his smooth, expensive sheets to try to gain some traction. It was no use, my wrist felt like it was fractured, even if it wasn’t, and my neck wasn’t much better. But I could still give him a piece of my mind. “You really think you’re better than me now? Just because you made a bunch of money, you think you’re somehow above me?”
I knew looked and sounded pathetic, ranting and raving even though I could barely move without flinching from the pain. But that didn’t stop me from carrying on. “I got a news flash for you, Dylan. People aren’t going to give two fucks about the money you made or how many houses you owned when they’re listening to your eulogy echoing through a vacant church.”
“Are you done?” he said simply.
I pouted like a small child. “I don’t know.”
“I don’t like having to defend myself…” His voice trailed off as he backed away from me and moved towards one of the massive windows in his luxury pad. Despite being physically incapacitated, my eyes were still able to catch a glimpse of the bottom of his black leather shoes as he paused to look out the window.
“People do a lot of stupid shit. And stripping is one of them. What the hell were you thinking, sis?”
My heart melted every time he called me his sis. But I wasn’t ready to let him know that.
“Not everybody’s like you, Dylan. Not everybody can make millions of dollars blogging about athletes and hookers.”
Before I could say another word, he was kneeling down before me so that our eyes were now locked together. His gaze looked hot, almost like he was getting more and more turned on the more we fought.
“You’re right, sis. Nobody’s like me. But you’re wrong about two things, it’s not millions-it’s billions. And their not hookers, they’re models.”
I knew he was right. I tried to downplay what he did, even to myself. The fact of the matter was, he was an exceptionally big deal in the entertainment world. Anyone who was anyone, not just in sports and fashion, but even actors, pop stars, and sometimes the occasional politician who wasn’t afraid to show his face in Dylan’s world, wanted a spot on his Menster site. He’d gotten so big, being a guest on his site had become a standard tour stop for anyone trying to promote their latest whatever.
I had to face it, Dylan was huge. And his company was a monster. At first it was local to Boston, and I could fool myself that his new life wasn’t anything to write home about. But then it spread to every major city in the U.S. And I watched his company explode every step of the way, not that I wanted him to know that.
“Whatever, that’s not the point and you know it. My point is…”
He cut me off sharply. “Enough. I’m not going to say it again. That place was dangerous, obviously. And you’re never going back there again.”
“Thanks to you,” I said, referring to the fact that he actually had the balls to pay off my boss so that he would fire me right there on the spot.
His lips formed a cocky smile, as he once again seemed to be getting off on my frustration. “You’re so welcome, sis.”
I sighed and then tried to lean my head back onto his pillow, but my neck had stiffened even more, making it painfully obvious that I wasn’t even capable of turning my own head.
Dylan stormed off suddenly, most definitely pissed off at me for some reason or another. As his footsteps grew more distant, I tried to retrace everything I’d just said.
I gazed up at the beautiful tray ceiling, a welcomed distraction form the self-abuse I was inflicting. I couldn’t help as I marveled at all he’d accomplished for such a young man, it really was pretty amazing, especially given where he had come from.
He was back before I could see my daydream through the end, and he sat right down next to me on his bed. Relief washed over my heart. “Here, this should help,” he said. I couldn’t help myself from moaning as he slid a hot, damp towel beneath and around my neck. It had to be the softest material I’d ever felt in my entire life, and it provided a much need feeling of instant relief to my throbbing muscles.
Dylan massaged the back of my neck with his strong hands, through the heated towel.
I let out a long exhale. “I forgot how good you were at this. Thank you…” I said, the last two words barely audible.
He leaned in close, so close I could feel his breath on my ear. “No you didn’t, but you’re welcome.”
The heat from his mouth tantalized all of my senses. Goosebumps sprung up like a patch of dandelions along the skin of my neck and back.
His lips were so close to my ear now. I knew it was wrong, but I was too injured to move, at least that’s how I chose to rationalize the fact that I wanted nothing more than for Dylan to kiss the side of my neck.
He walked around to the other side of the bed, then he curled up along the side of my body. I was underneath his comforter, wearing only the bikini that I’d worn at the club and a t-shirt of his that he must have slipped over my body when I was unconscious. He was almost a foot taller me, so my body fit easily into the shape of his long frame as he spooned my backside.
“Do you trust me?” he said. I didn’t know what he was talking about, so I chose not to say anything at first. Then he slid his body in closer to my mine. Even through the thick comforter, I could feel his cock. It felt hard, but I had to be mistaking something, right?
And yet for some reason, unbeknownst even to myself, I didn’t move.
“Yes,” I whispered.
What was I thinking?
He pressed his hardness into my backside, through the comforter. I let out the world’s quietest moan. What the hell was he doing? What the hell was I doing? I should be screaming at the top of my lungs, dialing 911, kicking him in the balls, anything but just lying here, inviting him in further.
Finally, I did scream, loud, as Dylan pressed his fingers into multiple trigger points on my aching neck. The pain was so sharp it literally took my breath away. “I know sis, I know it hurts. Give me a deep breath.”
“I can’t. It’s too much.”
“No, you can Scarlett. Breathe for me,” he said.
I took one last breath in as he pushed into my neck muscles even harder with his strong hands. “Ok fuck, Dylan,” I moaned out.
Then he released the pressure. Instant relief set in as I began to wiggle my head around and rotate my neck. “You fixed it,” I said.
Dylan moved away, his work now finished, and more importantly his body no longer up against mine. I sat up in his bed, still shocked at his handy work, but still longing for his body to be next to mine again. I ran my fingers through my hair, clearing my eyes to take a good look at him. It would be the first that I’d actually really seen him, besides on the news or on the Internet, in some decent light.
It was worse than I’d expected, and I literally gasped when I saw him. Okay, maybe worse isn’t the right adjective.
His lips curled slightly, and I knew that he knew that I was taken aback by his smoldering good looks.
Any one feature of his would have been enough to leave me breathless, but nope, not Dylan. With Dylan, it was his entire package that nearly knocked the wind out of me.
He had matured, a lot, since I’d last seen him in real life. Where could a girl like me begin to describe? For starters, it was the way his clear, sky blue eyes called out to me and pulled me towards him, like I could just fall into them and everything would be more than okay. Or maybe it was his chiseled jaw. Or his broad chin? It could’ve even been his blemish-free skin that made it impossible for me not to stare.
Damn.
As much as I hated to admit this, he was perfect in every way, the kind of man that even made other men stare in awe, although they’d never want to admit to it either.
“You look all cured,” he
said.
“I am. Thank you.”
“It was my pleasure, Scarlett.”
I shivered when he said my name in that way, like I wasn’t just his step. Like I was an actual woman, just like the women he used to sneak into his room after Walter and mom passed out. Then he’d do things to them that caused the walls in my room to shake, things that made me wet despite how shameful I felt at the time.
“And thank you again for doing what you did for me earlier. Whatever you did…”
“It was nothing,” he interrupted, somehow as if to stop me from having to conjure up yet another image of that man’s hand on my throat as he choked the life out of me like I was just some cheap disposable whore. “You’re lucky I was there.”
I lowered my head. Thanking him was one thing, admitting that he was right in every other way was another thing completely.
The back of his hand grazed the side of my cheek, causing the entire side of my face to flush bright red. “You’re not embarrassed about what happened in that VIP room, are you?”
I looked directly at my stepbrother and pretended to be annoyed. “No! Why would I be? It was an accident, that’s all.”
“Was it?” he asked, his voice suddenly huskier.
I trembled as I pulled the comforter up and over my chest. The strangest thing was, what I really craved was for him to rip the stupid blanket off my body and tear apart what little clothes I had on. “Yes, obviously. Right?”
Dylan shook his head and looked away as he talked. “At first, you walked into that room and I couldn’t see much.”
I sat up straighter as he spoke, homing in on every word that rolled off the tip of his tongue.
He went on, “Then you got closer, and…”
“And what?” I whispered.
He looked directly at me and stared into my eyes. “And then I heard your voice, but by then it was too late.”
My heart began to race. I wanted to rewind and play back the tape of everything he just said. I noticed moisture start to build down below, in a very particular place where I shouldn’t be feeling anything all, at least not because of my own stepbrother. But I had to press on as I said in a rather meek voice, “Too late for what?”
He flashed a wicked grin as he slid the comforter off my thighs. I clenched my thighs together as he glanced quickly at the tiny pink bikini bottom that covered my lower half. Then he looked back up at me, and his eyes were all business. “Too late to turn back.”
END OF BOOK ONE
Look for Book Two, coming soon!