Hooked on the Game

by C. M. Owens

  "That would be... weird, wouldn't it? Me at some ritzy function meant for people like you. I'll probably pass, but tell Mr. Colton thank you for me."

  I start to turn around, but he speaks before I can. "First of all, people like you? You mean people that don't wipe their asses with money? I can assure you my father prefers people like you, since he used to be one of you. Secondly, you'll fit in just fine, and I'll be there. It's not like you'll be in the trenches alone. Come on. Don't make me go deal with all the rich people kissing my father's ass by myself."

  It's almost comical to think the man who came from nothing is one of the most prominent men in Sterling Shore.

  "You sure?" I ask, probing for some sort of promise he wants me there.

  "Positive. I'll drive you back to the store to get a dress. You'll need something nice."

  "There're a ton of dresses in there, thanks to you tossing half the store on the counter."

  "Not good enough. You need something a little more flashy. It's one of those parties. If you feel like it, we'll go right now."

  I can't let his dad buy me another dress. It already feels wrong to have accepted as much as I have. Taking any more will just feel greedy.

  "Um... I don't care to wear one of the others. I'd rather wear one of the others, actually."

  A small grins slides over his lips and he comes to pull my hand in his again. "Either you come with me to find you a dress, or I'll go alone. Are you sure you want to let this fall in my hands?"

  I roll my eyes. He's not going to have it any other way. "I trust you," I say with a shrug, hoping I just called his bluff.

  I turn around and rush back up the steps, ignoring his enigmatic chuckles. He's bluffing. He doesn't even know my size. Those girls see hundreds of people a day. There's no way they'll remember.

  Chapter 7

  Blurring the Lines

  I can't believe he got me this dress. It's... ridiculous. I'm so not the kind of girl who can pull off a daring red dress with a split up the side that stops high on my thigh. The longer bottom trails me just barely, and the one-strap top draws the eye to my barely tasteful cleavage.

  My hair is pulled up on one side, and it drapes down the other in large, elegant curls. The side that is pulled up has a large, faux flower holding it in place. Ember was nice enough to come help me out with my hair, as a way of profusely apologizing for screwing some guy on my bed.

  Turns out, she's been after him for years. Her mom works as a maid in his house, but he hasn't ever even noticed Ember. After their drunken fun, he went back to not knowing her. It's a small reminder what money means, and Kade's family has a lot of money. I don't even have as much money as the help.

  "Kade, this isn't me," I gripe, talking loud enough to let my voice carry through the door and down the stairs, and distracting myself from thinking about the two very different worlds we live in.

  "Then you should have come with me," he taunts.

  I'll never accuse Kade Colton of bluffing again. I've learned my lesson. I've also learned that he has no qualms about rummaging through my closet to learn my size.

  This week has been confusing. He has either cooked, helped me cook, or gotten us takeout all week long. We've spent every meal together, and we've spent most nights on the couch, either studying or watching a movie. I even fell asleep on him twice, only to wake up in my room the next morning.

  I really wish he'd go back to the arrogant prick I loved hating.

  My door opens and I turn to face Kade, pushing forth my best glower. My angry fumes turn to lusty drool when I see him though. He's heaven in a designer suit. I've never seen a tux look that amazing on anyone. Damn him.

  His eyes widen, and he slowly licks his lips as he runs the length of my body with his perfect blues. My girly excitement tries to bubble up. I have to be reading him wrong. He can't possibly be looking at me like... that.

  "Damn," he drawls out, loosening his tie as he openly gawks at me the way I always gawk at him.

  I blush and bite back a grin, doing well not to become putty right now. My legs have the consistency of jelly. It's all I can do to stay upright.

  He shakes his head, and a small bit of blush creeps up to his cheeks as he tries to wipe away his grin with his hand. "So much for it not being you. It'll be hard to keep the eyes off you tonight."

  A bashful grin crawls over my face, and I look away when it becomes too hard to make eye contact.

  "Come on. Let's go make some jaws drop."

  He gives me a wink as I take his arm. Gah, he smells so damn good. A subtle cologne mixed with his own scent. It's too good. I'm officially melting.

  "You okay?" he asks when my legs actually try to falter.

  "Yeah," I grumble. "It's the heels."

  He accepts my lie, and then leads me out to the car. "You'll get to meet some of my family tonight. Be warned, my mother is... someone you have to warm up to. She'll grill you at first, but she'll back off once she sees you're genuine."

  That's disconcerting. I expected his mother to be just like his father - sweet and not judgmental.

  "Relax, Raya. You'll be fine. I'll be there with you."

  I nod, trying not to read too much into his words. I hate how sweet he's been acting. It just makes me want all the things I'll never have.

  I climb in his Range Rover instead of one of the cars, and he joins me quickly, taking the driver's seat.

  We sit in a comfortable silence for most of the trip. Every once and a while, I catch Kade's eyes on me. It almost makes me want to wear a dress like this daily.

  When we pull up to the iron gate that stands at least ten feet tall, my mouth tries to fall open. With barely a glance at the attendant in the big brick box, the gates start opening for Kade.

  The cobblestone driveway leads to a gallant house that stretches out like a mansion. Every intricate detail makes me wonder if Cinderella just threw up in my life. There's no way I'm actually here.

  Kade pulls up beside a massive fountain, and a valet rushes over to open his door, while another opens mine. It's the first time in my life a door has been opened for me by a valet.

  "Have a good evening, Mr. Colton," one of them says to Kade.

  He nods and then comes to offer me his arm as we reach the wide steps that lead to the ungodly home.

  "This... yeah... I wasn't expecting..."

  I give up. My brain and mouth aren't doing too well together right now.

  Kade chuckles as he guides me through the door being opened by a butler-type man. Amazing. I'm officially wowed.

  The inside is even more glorious than the outside. The chandelier dangles low from the high ceiling. It's a piece of artwork more than it is a light. Golden lighting decorates the home, making it all the more elegant.

  Two staircases start on either side of the foyer and lead up in opposite directions. It looks like a palace and I'm on the arm of the prince.

  "You lived here?" I whisper, worried my voice might shatter the illusion if I speak too loudly.

  "Yes," he whispers back, mocking me a little with his teasing snicker.

  I roll my eyes while holding onto his arm a little tighter. I thought Kade's house was big, but this house... this is a dream.

  I scan the scene, and a familiar smile catches my attention the moment we walk into a glamorous room made to be danced in. Mr. Colton excuses himself from the group of refined businessmen he's surrounded by, and he heads toward us, beaming.

  "Raya, I'm so glad Kade convinced you to come. And you look ravishing," he mutters softly, drawing my hand in his to kiss the back of it.

  "Thank you for inviting me."

  "Of course. I assume the two of you have been getting along a little better?" he asks, seeming to carry a bit of mischief in his eyes as he directs his attention toward Kade.

  Kade fights hard not to grin, though I'm not sure why. We really haven't fought since the day he threw me in the pool.

  "We're getting along," Kade murmurs, offering a shrug instead of
the restrained grin.

  Paul smiles a little longer at his son, but Kade seems to be ignoring him as another guy joins us. I almost swallow my tongue when I see it's Tagland Masters - A.K.A. Tag. The multi-millionaire playboy. Kade knows him? How?

  "It's about time you showed up, and thank God you brought something worth looking at," Tag says, smiling at me with a Cheshire cat grin.

  Paul laughs while slapping Tag on the back, and then he nods to me. "I need to make my rounds. Have a good time, Raya. Make sure Kade doesn't leave you next to the wolves without him."

  He looks pointedly at Tag who feigns offense. Then Paul heads into the crowd to go play the good host. I chuckle lightly until Kade's arm slides around my waist. Then I feel my face flood with heat as everything on me tingles.

  "Where's Star?" Kade asks, making Tag grin for some reason, as if they're sharing a silent conversation.

  "I decided not to bring her. Wren's fiancée doesn't get along with her too well. Besides, I don't really do the dating bit. Too much drama."

  The brief spurt of interest Tag showed me has vanished, as if I'm suddenly invisible. I glance in the long wall of mirrors, wondering if there's something on my face.

  "You feel like dancing?" Kade asks, breaking me out of my thoughts.

  I look up to see Tag has disappeared. I hope Kade doesn't notice whatever Tag did. I really don't want him running off.

  "Something wrong, Raya?" Kade asks as he pulls me onto the dance floor and starts moving me with the elegant music being played by a stringed-quartet.

  "Just... Is there something wrong with me that I can't see?"

  He tilts his head, seeming bemused. "Why do you say that?"

  I glance over to see Tag pulling a girl onto the dance floor, and her dreamy-eyed state reminds me of how I feel around Kade these days. Though I don't want Tag, I'd still like to know what flipped his switch.

  "Tag Masters... he acted like there was something wrong with me."

  He rolls his eyes as a teasing grin forms. "Don't tell me you're Tagged," he jokes.

  I've read that somewhere. The girls who fall over themselves for the rich player are called Tagged.

  "No, I just don't particularly like feeling as though there's toilet paper stuck to my shoe or something. I looked in the mirror, but I don't see anything standing out. So, I'm asking you."

  He glances down and stares directly into my eyes as he towers over me. "There's nothing at all wrong with you, Raya. Just dance. Lighten up. Then we'll grab some champagne. Tag doesn't have a very big attention span."

  "How do you know him?"

  "He's my cousin's best friend. My Aunt Melanie pretty much raised him, so he and Wren grew up like brothers."

  His jaw seems a little tense for no real reason. I'm starting to worry I've made him mad somehow.

  "How did I manage to piss you off?"

  Just like that, his anger flees and a smile brushes his lips. "You didn't. I just don't want you going after someone like Tag. He's like family to me, but he's not exactly the kind of guy who sticks around for longer than a night or two."

  I roll my eyes while biting back a grin. It's actually adorable he feels that protective. I suppose we've become friends after all.

  "Well, I wasn't trying to get in his bed. I was sincerely worried I had something wrong with me that I couldn't see."

  He seems to relax under my touch, and he pulls me closer just as the music changes. "You're very hard to read sometimes, Raya."

  I tilt my head while leaning back. "What does that mean? Is that what's wrong with me?"

  His harsh exhale is accompanied with a small chuckle. "No. Like I said; nothing's wrong with you. Ready to drink?"

  After meeting his cousins, Billy and Wren Price, I've decided the family tree is loaded with delicious apples. Though Billy is shorter than the rest, he's still striking, as is his older brother, Wren. Neither of them are as breathtaking as Kade, but it's still obvious this family has a rich gene pool.

  Tag and Wren seem closer than Billy and Wren, but I'm sure I don't know everything behind that. Kade surprised me with his interaction with his grandparents. He was a little... stiff.

  When he speaks about his grandfather, his eyes gleam with pride, but in the same room with him, he seems so formal and rigid. I was sure I'd get to see him connecting with someone. He's always so... closed off. And he says I'm hard to read.

  It's obvious there's a rift between him and his dad, though I can't understand why, since Mr. Colton is one of the nicest people at this party. He seems comfortable with Wren, Billy, and Tag, but I was hoping to see something deeper when he was in the room with the man he seems to adore.

  Mr. Grayson, Kade's grandfather, seems just as proper and stuffy with him. He barely offered me a cold acknowledgment. It's not what I expected.

  As the evening winds down, more and more people filter out. Soon, all that's left is the family... and me. His grandparents offer stilted farewells and shallow hugs, while Tag, Billy, Wren, and Kade's parents all flop down in the grand den.

  The fake fireplace sparks its faux flames - intended for ambience rather than heat, since it's warm outside.

  "I'm exhausted," Wren groans, stretching out on the couch.

  Tag is texting someone, probably a girl, and Billy is doing the same. Kade tugs me to be beside him on the small sofa next to the fake fireplace.

  Mr. Colton comes to take the largest chair in the room, while a sweet elderly lady comes in to pass out glasses of a dark amber liquid. I wave her off when she offers me one. The champagne is still kicking my ass.

  Kade accepts, just as all the other men do, and then Margaret, Kade's mother, walks in and grabs a glass from the tray on her way by.

  "Thank goodness it's over," she says, exasperated, and then she drops to her husband's lap, earning a deep chuckle from him as he wraps her in his arms.

  I smile involuntarily. She's not the stuffy prude in here that she was all night long in front of the socialites. I've barely spoken to her at all.

  "We still on for Aspen?" Tag asks, looking up from his phone and toward Paul and Margaret.

  "Of course. Is Melanie going to be there?"

  "Mom?" Wren asks, seeming distracted as he pulls out his vibrating phone. "Yeah, she's coming."

  This is getting annoying. I'm ready to take all their phones away. After spending so many nights getting comfortable around each other, I don't even think about it when I lean up against Kade and yawn.

  His arm comes down to rest over my shoulders, and his hand slides down to be on my arm as he tucks me against him. I could go to sleep right now.

  Tag smirks when he glances our way. "What about you, Raya? You coming with us?"

  I stiffen against Kade. I've been so relaxed with him in his house, that I didn't think about how misconstrued this situation might get. I'm curled into him, his arm is draped around me, and we almost look like a couple.

  "Um... no," I say with a quiet, but nervous laugh.

  "You going to your family's place?" Wren asks, putting his phone away.

  "No. My family does Christmas next weekend, actually."

  Kade tilts his head as I lean up and away from him. "So soon?" he asks, bemused.

  "Yeah. My stepbrother is a marine, so it's not easy for him to come back on holidays. Instead, we celebrate when we can. Mom plans it around his return."

  "Then what will you do for Christmas?" Margaret asks, making me feel all the more scrutinized.

  "I'll... I might go see a friend or something."

  Well, hell. I didn't think about the fact Kade might not want me in his house while he's away. He's mentioned Aspen a few times now, but it didn't ever really register that he might be hinting for me to make arrangements to be gone.

  "Nonsense," Paul says, swatting the air. "You can come with us. We have more than plenty of room. Tag has a beautiful home up there, and Margaret and I own one as well. It's always a good time."

  I squirm uncomfortably when everyone stares at
me. I want to look at Kade, gauge what he's thinking, but at the same time, I'm scared to know.

  "Come on, Raya. It'll be fun," Kade says, tugging me back to his body. "Lots of skiing and eggnog."

  I breathe out in relief when I hear the sincerity in his tone. He really is okay if I go. Do I want to go?

  "Talk her into, Kade," Paul says with a smile. "In the meantime, what about your family? They live in Utah, right?"

  I nod, unsure where he's going with this.

  "How are you getting there?"

  "Oh. I always take the bus. I'll leave Friday after my last class, and I'll get home Sunday night."

  Paul frowns, his brow furrows, and he glances over to a large plaque with numerous keys hanging from engraved perches. Each one is labeled, but it's too far away for me to see what they say. It's sad when you have to label your sets of keys because you have so many vehicles.

  "Take one of my cars. There's no sense in you riding the bus."

  Crap.

  "Thank you, that's sweet, but I can't. I'll be fine on the bus."

  "Don't be ridiculous, Raya," Kade interjects. "I'll drive you. I don't have anything going on next weekend."

  My heart flutters and crashes at once. I can't let the Colton Prince walk out of here and see my sad trailer. I'd be mortified.

  "Kade, I'm fine going on the bus. Shift the subject, please."

  Everyone chuckles lightly at my obvious discomfort, but they start talking about plans for Aspen. Kade seems intently focused on me, which is making me uncomfortable.

  "I've got somewhere to be," Tag says as he stands up. He glances over to Billy, who is still furiously pounding on his phone. "Forget it, Bity. Rene isn't going to Aspen with you."

  He chuckles as he walks to the doorway, and Billy glares at his back.

  "Bity?" I ask without meaning to. That's not a very cool nickname.

  "Don't get him started," Wren says while standing up and stretching, making Billy's glower to shift to him. "I need to get back to Erica. See you guys later."

  Wren and Tag walk out together, and Billy stands. "For the record, I was texting my friend, Ash. Not Rene. Some guy is giving her problems," Billy says to Kade, prompting a small snicker.