“Are you saying you want to be exclusive?” she asks hesitantly, the smile dying instantly and her lips flattening out.
Well fuck… maybe I was reading her wrong. Maybe she can’t give up the gang bang or something.
“Well, if that’s not something you’re interested in—”
“Okay, let’s do it,” she blurts out.
“Be exclusive?” I ask, just so I make sure we’re on the same page. I know what it’s like to be on the very opposite page from where you think someone is.
“Yes,” is all she says.
“What about The Silo?” I cautiously ask.
“That was never really my thing,” she says sadly, and it makes my heart squeeze in pain that her asshole husband made her do that. “I only went back after he died because it was at least something I knew, and I didn’t feel so alone there.”
“Then it’s agreed… we take a break from The Silo,” I reassure her. Of course, I’d have to get with Bridger and explain to him that I was taking a hiatus. I’m only a part-time Fantasy Maker there, so I won’t even be missed. Plus, I know he won’t begrudge me this.
Whatever this is, but I’m rolling with it.
Cat stands up from the table and picks up both plates. I stand as well, quickly taking them from her hands. “You cooked so I clean.”
“Not going to argue there,” she says smugly and sits back down.
I intend on making quick work of the kitchen because now that I’ve disclosed my baggage with Tarryn—which admittedly pales in comparison to hers with her dead husband—I really, really want to get back to the business of sex with this gorgeous creature.
“Why does she call you now?” Cat asks, and it takes me a moment to realize she’s shifted back to Tarryn.
I don’t bother to turn to look at her, working at filling the sink with soapy water. “I have no clue, but it’s been a pattern since we broke up. She’ll get involved with someone, and then I won’t hear from her. Sometimes for months. When she’s single again, she calls me. Or sometimes, she shows up on my doorstep to talk, or she’ll ask me for a favor that is seemingly innocuous, but she tends to think if I help her out, I’ll want to get back together with her.”
“Maybe it’s because you’re not competing anymore, so now she thinks you’re more ideally suited at this point in your lives,” Cat points out.
I scrape the tiny bit of food left on Cat’s plate in the garbage and stick both plates in the suds before turning my attention to packaging up the leftovers. “Just because I’m not competing anymore doesn’t change who I am. She’s still the same person who gave up because things got too hard, and I just can’t respect that. What that really tells me is that no matter how hard I might have pushed her away, she wasn’t the right one for me anyway.”
“It’s fascinating to me that you’ve had this whole other life outside The Silo,” she says almost in awe. “You just never think about the people you come in contact with there outside of that building.”
“The Silo is about fantasy, not reality. It’s easy to leave your real life at the door.”
“Except that was my real life, inside The Silo. There was no fantasy for me,” she says, and my gut clenches hard.
I grab a towel, give my hands a quick dry, and turn to Cat. “That’s over with,” I tell her softly. “The day Samuel died is the day your real life started.”
I watch her carefully. The way her brown eyes look at me blankly a moment, as if the words bounce off, and then a small flare of hope sparks as she swallows hard. Finally, a small nod of her head while she murmurs in agreement with me, “Yes… my real life has just started.”
Good.
She understands.
Now I wonder what she’s going to make of it.
Chapter 10
Cat
“All right,” Rand says as he turns the ignition of his Suburban off and unlatches his seatbelt. He turns to look at me in the passenger seat beside him. “I’m going to go hang out with my buddy, Jake, while you do your thing. Just come find me there when you’re done.”
“It could be a while,” I remind him as I also take my seatbelt off.
He just gives me an amused smile before his left hand shoots out to grab me behind the neck. Pulling me across the expanse of the front cab, he presses a hard, swift kiss to my mouth before letting me go. I actually go dizzy from the unexpected move, but mostly from the display of affection he just laid upon me. I have to restrain my fingers from touching my lips, hoping to savor the tingling he left behind.
“It’s Teton Ski and Snowboarding,” Rand says as he releases me, and then points over my shoulder. “Two blocks down East Broadway. And take your time. I’ve got nothing else going on today.”
“Okay,” I murmur as I grab my large satchel purse from the floorboard. In addition to my wallet, lip gloss, my sunglasses case, and a handful of pens, it also now carries a copy of a resume Rand helped me type up this morning. It’s pathetic and small, and we couldn’t put all of my “work” experience on there, but I did do some waitressing in addition to dancing, and I served on the board of a charity in Vegas that Samuel asked me to do. I’m hoping my youth and eagerness to learn will make up for my pathetic work history.
One of my goals today is to walk the town square and see if anyone is hiring.
When Rand asked me last night just before we fell asleep what my plans were today, I told him I intended to find a job. He offered to drive me to the town center as he was taking his ski equipment into his buddy’s shop for a tune-up with ski season fast approaching, or at least that’s what he said was the reason. I suspect he just wanted to offer gallant services to me, and it warmed me so much that he wanted to do that, I graciously accepted. I hope to cover most of the businesses surrounding the town square with my resume. Maybe something will come through.
Before I committed to staying in Jackson, there was a moment last night when I thought about just heading back to Vegas, even though I didn’t have any money to get there. I knew I could get a job stripping pretty quickly. I’d have immediate cash by which to live, so it was a decent option if I could just make my way back home.
But then I took serious stock of where I was in that moment and realized I didn’t want to go to Vegas. I wanted to stay right there, in that bed with Rand, with his arms wrapped tight around me and his beard tickling my neck. I wasn’t ready to give up the security he was temporarily providing me, nor these new and delicious feelings blooming inside my chest whenever he looks at me. It was my very own Christmas every time he touched me or smiled at me. I was soaking it up like a greedy sponge.
We both exit his Suburban, me taking a bit longer as I carefully use the running board to step down in my Fendi heels. I look at the shoes that cost $750, wishing I had that cash in my pocket rather than the designer label on my feet. Hopefully, that won’t be an issue by the time I meet Rand over at the ski shop after I finish all my errands.
“Good luck,” he says with a smile at me over the hood of his vehicle. “Call me if you need anything. I’m just going to be hanging out.”
“Will do,” I say, hitching my purse up as Rand turns toward the rear of his Suburban where he has his skis stashed. Apparently, a tune-up is nothing more than getting the skis repaired of any damage from the season before, such as nicks and stuff, as well as getting them waxed. Again, I suspect this is not something that had to be done right now, but was rather his excuse to drive me to the center of town, which I find almost unbearably sweet because I don’t understand what I’ve done to deserve that consideration.
I step up onto the sidewalk that borders the town square, which is nothing more than a small park with large shade trees that are still full and green, a few benches, and a small walking path. I head in the opposite direction of Rand, with no intention of job hunting right away. Tucked inside my purse is all the jewelry Samuel bought me. Well, I actually bought it myself, but it was with his money. Even my engagement ring I picked out and bought, at his insis
tence and with him pushing his own personal credit card into my hand since my limit wasn’t enough to cover the three-carat rock.
Rand has no clue I’m doing this, and I suspect he’d try to discourage me from something so rash, especially since I have a roof over my head, food in my stomach, and his amazing cock fucking me every night. But the one thing Samuel taught me, and taught me well, is that no one is truly looking out for me but myself. I can’t rely on Rand to be there for me, and while I’m fairly confident he wouldn’t abuse the trust I’ve placed in him the way Samuel did, I still have to be ready to jet out of here at the first sign he’s something less than I hope him to be.
That means I need money.
I’ll sell my jewelry, or at the very least, I’ll pawn it. After that, I’m free, mobile, and I won’t be beholden to anyone.
I won’t be owned again.
Except… I have that nagging feeling like I want to be owned by Rand or something, but that’s just crazy. Samuel owned every part of me, and I hated it. There’s no way I could possibly want that from Rand.
Right?
I glance over my shoulder at Rand receding in the distance as I continue to walk away. He’s already got his skis pulled out and the door shut, standing at the corner waiting for a light to turn green so he can cross. He doesn’t look back at me as I turn right onto South King Street, which houses Libertine’s Jewelry just half a block down.
I decided to start with actual jewelry stores, independently owned and small. I figure they would be the most likely to buy from me. I actually purchased a piece here last summer, so I hope the owner remembers me.
With my gaze lowered to the sidewalk to make sure I don’t lodge my spiked heels in a crack or something, I’m almost knocked sideways by my shoulder colliding with someone.
“I’m sorry—” I start to say as I turn toward the person, but I come to a dead stop with my mouth hanging open and my blood turning to ice.
Kevin Vaughn stands there leering at me.
I can tell by the mixture of contempt and challenge in his eyes that he had seen me coming down the sidewalk and purposely ran into me. He’s not surprised to see me the way I am him.
“Hello, Catherine,” he says as he takes a step toward me.
My eyes take in his appearance. Samuel was old and practically withered with the slew of medical problems he had, but I could always see in his face that he had once been a good-looking man. His sons both have the same bone structure and look.
Kevin Vaughn keeps his blond hair perfectly cut, styled, and sprayed. Fake tan that is so well done it looks real. Thousands of dollars of veneers that make his teeth almost neon white. Dressed in designer labels. He loves money and he loves spending it. As the director of operations for Samuel’s hotel empire, he makes a lot of money.
He also has a small dick and a large problem with premature ejaculation, so I always think of that whenever I’m in his presence. Otherwise, he’d skeeve me out too bad just by the way he looks at me.
It tore me up to admit to Rand the other night that Samuel let Kevin have me. I’m not sure if the offer was ever made to Richard or not, but he and I never fucked. In fact, Richard was unfailingly polite but reserved around me. He was married to a nice woman, had two kids, and managed Samuel’s investments, seeming to enjoy a much quieter life than his plastic brother.
The first time with Kevin was my first Christmas with Samuel, which was just an ordinary day to me. Samuel and I ate breakfast together in almost total silence—the only sound interrupting us was the doorbell ringing.
I found Kevin there when I opened the door. He told me he was just dropping by to give a present to his father, but I knew it was a lie. I knew it because as he said those words to me, I could see him undressing me with his eyes. He was also empty handed.
Samuel wheeled himself into the foyer. The minute Kevin stepped in and I shut the door behind him, he made it clear that I was actually Kevin’s Christmas present.
“Catherine, darling,” Samuel said in that weak voice made so by congestive heart failure. “Be a good girl and wish Kevin a very Merry Christmas.”
I only spared a moment to stare at Samuel in completely stunned disgust, but I saw the resolve on his face. When I turned back to Kevin, he was already undoing his belt and breathing shallowly as if he hadn’t been laid in months. I suspect that was true because his wife looked a little uptight and they didn’t have any children, so something wasn’t working right.
“Get on your knees,” Kevin ordered me, pushing his pants and underwear down, that tiny little dick popping free. I almost laughed, but I didn’t because what I was getting ready to do wasn’t the least bit funny.
I shudder over the memory and take an involuntary step backward, my ankles wobbling just a bit.
“I’m surprised to see you still in Jackson,” Kevin says as he rubs a finger over his chin in a thoughtful manner. His voice is mildly polite, but I can sense an underlying vibe of distaste for me. While Kevin never had a problem fucking me, I knew he hated the fact his dad married me. Hated he had a stepmother younger than him and who would potentially carve into his inheritance one day. I know this because he would sometimes mutter that to me while he was banging me.
“Not sure why you’re surprised,” I tell him calmly. “You left me without a dime to my name when you had that attorney kick me out of my home and shut my credit cards off. Just how did you expect me to get out of town, Kevin?”
He shrugs dismissively. “Not my problem really. Figured you could fuck your way back to Vegas or something.”
I have to curl my fingers inward and press the nails deep into my palms to restrain myself. It’s almost impossible to hold myself back from kneeing him in his tiny nuts and following it with a right hook to his smug face.
But I decide to choose a different way to change his attitude. “I want a signed copy of the will, Kevin. Apparently, that attorney had only an unsigned copy. It seems a little suspect you’d have me evicted based on that alone.”
“You weren’t there for the actual reading in Vegas,” he says calmly, that smug smile still in place. “That’s where the signed copy is.”
“I figured as much,” I tell him with a pointed look. “That’s why I’m going to call Richard and ask him to send me a copy with the signatures, so I can have my own attorney look at it.”
And… there it is. That superior-than-thou attitude melts as his lips flatten into a grim line. He has no clue if I’m bluffing, and I’m totally bluffing. I can’t afford an attorney, but I am going to do whatever I can to see a copy of that signed will. I also have no intention of calling Richard because even though I think he’d be fair to me, I can’t be sure. It’s best not to trust either of Samuel’s sons at this point.
“Listen,” Kevin says in a conciliatory tone as he steps closer. His eyes are glittering with something I can’t quite put my finger on but which sets off all my internal alarms. His arm reaches out and he grasps me by my shoulder. “If you need a place to stay, you can come back to the house here. I’ll even give you some cash to help you out.”
Twisting my upper body to dislodge his hand, I laugh at him. “And let me guess… in return, you want me to fuck you?”
His eyes light up with the prospect. “I wouldn’t be averse to that.”
“Well, I would,” I sneer, surprising him by taking a step forward into his space. I poke a finger in his chest while molten rage fuels my words. “I wouldn’t let that needle dick you have anywhere near me. And if I find out you’re lying to me about the will, you’re going to regret the day you ever fucked with me.”
Kevin’s arm shoots up and he grabs my wrist, squeezing hard and pushing my hand from his chest down his stomach. “Come on, Catherine. You know you’re good for one thing only, and I’m offering you an easy ride. Jump on board, and I’ll keep you here at the Jackson house. You’ll be my little piece on the side.”
Just as my knuckles brush against the edge of his belt, I rip myself out of his g
rasp. “You’re a sick, fucking—”
He moves so swiftly that I don’t have time to react. His arm wraps around my waist and he pulls me in tight to his body. His other arm comes up so his hand can grip me at the back of my head. It looks like a lover’s embrace, even though I manage to get my hands to his chest in an attempt to push him away. But he’s stronger than I am and he holds me rigidly. Tourists are walking by, oblivious to what’s going on.
Kevin leans his head toward me, puts his lips near my ear, and in a low but deadly serious voice, he says, “You do not fuck around with me, Catherine. You can either walk away intact or in pieces. Your choice. But I seriously suggest you forget about that will.”
He pulls his head back so he can look down at me, his eyes flicking back and forth to see if what he’s said has sank in. I don’t respond, but I don’t break eye contact either, gritting my teeth together in anger and some fear.
“I can see you understand me,” he says confidently, releasing his hold. I take two stumbling steps back.
Kevin merely tucks his hands into the lightweight jacket he’s wearing and says, “I’ll make these two offers, and then I’m done with you. I’ll give you five thousand in cash and you move on with your life. Stay away from my brother and me. Or move back into the Jackson house—I’ll give you a monthly allowance and you’ll be at my beck and call when I come to visit.”
Straightening up to my full five-foot-seven—thank you, Fendi—I stiffen my spine and lock my knees in figurative battle. I forget about the fact that not only does Kevin disgust me, but he also slightly scares me too. But I don’t get caught up in that. Instead, I tell him with as much sarcasm as I can muster, “As tempting as those two offers are, I’m going to decline.”
Kevin’s eyes harden, his lids lowering until I see just tiny slits of brown irises peeking out at me. He inclines his head at me in acknowledgment of my position and says in what can only be taken as a clear threat, “So be it. But don’t say you weren’t warned.”
The Wicked Horse Boxed Set (The Wicked Horse Series) Page 56