by Chloe Walsh
His face reddened and I could tell he was losing his cool facade. “You stupid little shit. You know what your problem is? You're too goddamn proud to ask for help.”
I smirked relishing in the fact that I was annoying the crap out of him and he was showing his true colors. “Let’s just cut the crap here David, you’re pissed that your dear old daddy entrusted me with his empire and not you.” That was exactly what this little intervention was about.
He slammed his chair back and leaned over my desk. “You’re going to destroy everything he built,” he snarled. “You’re a fucking kid. You haven’t even graduated from college. You don’t know the first thing about running this place nor will you have the time once you go back to school. He was my father, this should have been mine.”
Ah finally, a little truth, I was wondering when he would admit it. I slipped my legs off the desk and leaned towards him. “It sucks when your father lets you down, doesn’t it dad?”
Chapter Two
Lee
I should have known coming here was a bad idea from the get-go. Parties were not my thing. This was my first one actually.
Leaving home and moving across the country was now most definitely coming back to bite me in the butt. The Hill was a million light years away from the world I left behind.
I was shy. I kept myself to myself. Cam was my polar opposite; vivacious and wildly spontaneous. This party had her name stamped all over it and I knew I didn’t have a hope of escaping. As it stood, the bedroom she’d allocated to me was occupied with a drunk couple. I should have locked my door. I would in future.
“Heads up Lee.”
I turned just in time to receive a beach ball in the face. I glared at the perpetrator whose face was newly familiar to me, Derek Porter. From the brief amount of time we had spoken this morning at the breakfast table, I gathered he was a joker. “Excuse me Derek,” I muttered as I moved past him. I needed some space.
Outside in the back garden was not much better, but at least I wasn’t in danger of beach ball attacks or food fights. Were these people really over twenty-one? I felt forty beside them.
“Will you lighten up and have some fun?” Cam approached me in all her partial naked glory. I took in the skimpy beige stretch dress she wore that barely covered her girly parts and cringed for her. The color of her dress complemented her sun kissed skin and long blonde hair. She was stunning to the eye. I could never wear anything so short and revealing, I hadn’t worn a dress since the second grade. I looked frumpy beside her still in my white shirt and black pants I’d worked in today.
I discreetly pulled my long dark hair from its ponytail. My curls, now a tangled mess flowed down my back. My sneakers were worn, but clean and they were staying securely on my feet. God knows what could be on the ground at a party like this with all these drunk people.
“I can’t help it. I’m not used to this Cam. I have to get some sleep.”
I was supposed to start work at seven in the morning. The hotel was uppity on the large scale, scattered with several bars and dining rooms on the ground floor. Thankfully, I was upstairs cleaning the rooms. There were sixty-one bedrooms, twelve on each floor and the penthouse suite on the eighth and top floor. Linda said the hotel was just one in a chain of twenty across the country and the pay at was great at eleven dollars an hour. I’d worked my first ten-hour shift today and it was good, the other staff seemed friendly especially one of the bartenders whom I had met on my break, I think his name was Mike. I knew I was damn lucky to have gotten the job. My only previous experience in the workforce was a cashier job at Moe’s Gas Station in Montgomery and my abrupt departure two months ago meant I couldn’t exactly call on Moe for a reference. I hadn’t seen my old boss or stepped foot inside the building since my father’s…Decision to have me quit.
The only downside to my new job was the uniform. Linda had called me into her office at the end of my shift and handed me a bundle of clothing covered in plastic wrapping and a nametag. I had taken it out of the packaging and gaped at the indecent length. For the first time in my life, I had thanked Jesus for being short. A fitted black pinafore dress was to be my uniform from tomorrow on. I predicted my pinafore would fall just above my knees, hopefully... I was definitely not the type of girl who could dress skimpily. I smoothed down my t-shirt at the back; the thought of showing too much skin made me self-conscious.
“Lee I know you’re not used to parties and crowds, but could you please try and enjoy yourself. This is for you.” Cam batted her big baby blues at me and I wanted to strangle her. This was so not for me. “Oh, come on dry balls, let’s have a shot,” she said when I made no attempt to answer her. Grabbing my shoulders, she led me back to the kitchen and poured some black liquor from a bottle into a pair of glasses. “To your fresh start,” she smiled at me and clicked her glass against mine.
“Cheers,” I muttered begrudgingly and tipped the foreign substance to my lips. I was not a drinker. My only experience had been when I was twelve and Cam had swiped a bottle of daddy’s whiskey. I had been so sick afterwards and when daddy caught us I was punished so badly I hadn’t touched a drop since. However the appeal of fitting in for once in my life swayed me and I swallowed it. The taste burned my throat and my eyes watered.
“Yeah, that’s it girl, chug it back,” Cam cheered, flicking her long blonde hair behind her shoulder. I sputtered holding my hand across my mouth. She filled another shot of the black stuff and this time I swallowed without choking.
Kyle
This was not the early night in I had planned. There were people all over the house and I felt unusually unsociable. Most of the time I enjoyed a good party, but after the last couple of days of bullshit I had put down I just wanted to crash.
I had been in New York all week and had stopped by the office on my way home tonight. It was just as well I had because my nosy fuck of a father was snooping around again. Christ, he was like a dog with a bone. It had been over eighteen months; he needed to accept my grandfather’s decision. Hell, I needed to accept my grandfather’s decision.
My roommate Cam had phoned me at the office earlier with some sob story about a friend of hers needing a dig out. I had a spare room at the house so I gave her the go-ahead. To be honest, I hadn’t paid much attention to the conversation. I’d been too busy dealing with dear old dad and Cam and her crazy assed drama had been the furthest thing from my mind.
I was, however, curious as to whom this Lee dude was. She had seemed really excited that the guy was moving in, but Cam you never knew what to expect. Cam knew her fair share of creepy bastards. She’d promised on the phone that Lee would pay rent like it was a deal breaker for me or something, but I couldn’t give two shits about rent, it wasn’t an issue for me.
I owned the house outright, had done without knowing since freshman year of college.
My grandfather had led me to believe I was leasing the place. Character building had been his intention I guessed. I hadn’t discovered the place my mine until his will reading. He’d bought it when I started at C.U. Cam and Derek lived here because they were friends, not because I needed extra cash. The old man had left me well cushioned. They had been my roommates from day one and their being here gave my life some semblance of normality. I could act my age around them and just be a normal twenty-two year old and not the owner and CEO of a fucking multi-million dollar corporation. I kept the house minimalistic in its appearance because of this fact. I wanted a normal damn life, the life I had before my grandfather went and fucking died on me, leaving me in the driving seat of his empire.
Scanning the room my eyes zoomed in on the tiny brunette standing next to Cam. Holy shit, she was something else.
Her small face was partially concealed by a dark head of curls. I focused on those curls and the way they hung over her tits, damn what a pair she had. Even in the boring white shirt she wore it was easy to tell she’d been blessed in the breast compartment. Her narrow waist cinched in the middle curving out to form
the sexiest pair of hips I had ever seen. Her pants were snug on her and I could only imagine what her body looked like, minus the clothes. Now those were the curves of a real woman. She wasn’t a matchstick like most of the girls’ I knew. She radiated healthiness.
My eyes slipped to her waist again. Fuck, I could think of nothing else but burying myself between those goddamn hips. I took a double look at her and my cock twitched. I had a fucking semi from just looking at her.
Derek, who was standing beside me, noticed who I was staring at and chuckled. “That’s her man, isn’t she something?”
I looked at him with narrowed eyes; I was feeling oddly possessive. Shit, looking back at her I was ready to beat my fists against my chest and stake a claim on this girl. “That’s who? Who is she?”
Derek pointed to where Cam and little miss titties were standing. “Our new roommate; Cam’s latest rescue baby.” I gaped at Derek and he burst into a fit of laughter. I was in shock. Damn she was beautiful.
“Lee is a she,” I pointed out. I knew right then that Rachel was going to flip out. I was under strict orders as to what and who I could do and hell, this girl was going to cause a few problems for me.
Derek grinned shaking his head. “And what a she, she is.”
Lee
This was not a good idea. Five shots in and I was a little worse for wear. At least the party wasn’t bothering me anymore. Nothing was bothering me now.
I felt a presence behind us. “Oh baby you softened the ice queen,” I heard Derek say.
“I resent that.” I managed to slur as I glared at him.
He had nicknamed me ice-queen after our first meeting this morning. I had obviously offended him, but he didn’t know a thing about me or why I was the way I was. I wasn’t a naturally cold person, but life had dealt me some crappy cards and experience had taught me to guard myself especially around men. After all, my father was the perfect role model for the type of man I needed to stay away from. Derek obviously didn’t care for my standoffishness.
Cam giggled and cooed when Derek wrapped his arms around her… And then they began to suck face. I flamed in embarrassment; this was not something I was used to seeing, ever.
“Get a room,” I grumbled leaning over the kitchen counter for support. This was all so new to me. I had never been allowed to date one boy, let alone live with two. My father had been strict in the extreme. The only place I was allowed to go besides school was my job. I had no friends and people tended to avoid me. Well everyone except Cam.
She had lived next door to me until I was twelve and even though she was over three years older than me, we had been inseparable as children. She had been my lifeline in a world of isolation. Our parents’ had been friends until my momma died and my daddy changed, but Cam had known my situation and had stayed friends with me anyway. That meant a lot to me, more than she would ever realize...
I felt someone behind me press closer and I tensed. Pushing closer to the counter to make room for them to pass, I urged my body to relax and I inhaled slowly. I was a nervous wreck after what happened back home and I tried so carefully every day since to stay in the background. I never wanted to be called a tease again…
Breath on the side of my neck made me jump. “You gonna share that?” A deep husky voice said as a male arm swooped around me and grabbed the bottle of whatever the hell it was in front of me.
“It’s all yours.” I turned to move out of his way and stopped in my tracks. Whoa, maybe it was the alcohol or maybe I was turning into a PG version of Cam, but damn, the guy in front of me was incredible. I took in his gray suit pants and half-buttoned white shirt. My god, he was well built. Arching my neck to see his face I gasped.
A head of dark, unruly hair framed his face. His eyes were a striking shade of deep ocean blue, seductive and entrancing with long dark eyelashes and perfect eyebrows. His eyes danced with humor and his full lips turned up into a half smile exposing the cutest dimple in his cheek. It was more than cute, it was…hot. I was drunk, but not drunk enough not to notice him. Good Lord, he was beautiful. Did boys like him really exist? I thought I might be imagining him.
He smiled crookedly and lifted the bottle up. “You wanna take a shot with me sweetheart?” The huskiness of his voice made me him sound dangerous, yet he was soft spoken…An enigma. His voice was spine tingling and very sexual. Not that I knew much about that, but a girl could guess.
“Uh,” was all I said, all I could say. No guys’ had ever asked me to do anything with them, well except for Perry Franklin who had asked me to senior prom. Sneaking out to go to prom was a decision I would regret the rest of my life…But what surprised me now though was the fact that I wasn’t afraid of the boy in front of me. Well, boy was the wrong choice of word to describe him; he was all man, one hundred percent.
He turned his head to the side, his eyes studied me. Frowning he asked, “Do you speak?”
Oh fantastic, he thought I was slow. “Yes,” I said, my voice coming out little more than a whisper. He smiled down at me and leaned closer. I arched back until I was flush against the counter behind me. My body burned with heat, good grief I was on fire, what was happening to me?
Smiling, he asked, “Yes to a drink with me, or yes you can speak?”
He was flirting with me. I knew enough to at least know that. However, this guy was way out of my league. He could eat me up for breakfast. I was not going to encourage him. I couldn’t handle him.
“Both,” I said. Wait, I shouldn’t have said that. I slapped my hand over my mouth in surprise and he chuckled, eyes twinkling, exposing that damn dimple again. Music was pumping from the stereo in our living room, but I swear I could hear my heart hammering above it. I wondered if he could too.
Pressing close enough to my body that I could count the abs beneath his shirt, he reached over my head and pulled two glasses from the cupboard. As he poured our drinks I concentrated on keeping my breathing even. This was the closest a man had been to me in a while and my body seemed to be awakening from eighteen years of hibernation.
Handing me a glass, he clunked it with his. “Cheers,” he drawled and tipped his glass back. My legs weakened as I watched his throat move as he swallowed. He looked at me expectantly and I cleared my throat and tipped my drink back, gulping it down sloppily.
He took my glass from me and I reached around to hold the counter for support. A drop of liquor trickled from my chin to my throat. I watched him watch me. His gaze flickered from my eyes to my neck. He smiled darkly, a low growl escaped his throat.
Oh, Sweet Jesus.
He bent his head to my neck and I felt something hot and wet sweep across my throat. Lifting his head, his piercing blue eyes locked on mine. “Hmm, sweetest fucking shot I ever tasted.”
I stood staring at him with my mouth hanging open. I didn’t know what to say.
Did he just lick me?
I could vaguely hear wolf whistles in the background, but my focus was completely on him. He poured me another shot and pressed it into my hand. “Drink.”
I held the glass with trembling hands and brought it to my mouth. I could barely concentrate he was pressed so close to me. I could feel something hard nudge my belly and I reddened with realization. He smirked noticing my train of thoughts and I tossed my drink back quickly, ignoring the burning in my throat. There was a far hotter fire, burning deep in my belly.
He moved quickly, one of his hands swooped around to clasp the back of my neck, the other clenched my hip. I opened my mouth in surprise and he lowered his head, crushing his lips against mine. He growled against my lips and I swear I nearly melted.
Holy Mary mother of God, I couldn’t breathe, I was drowning in him.
I should be afraid of this, of him, but the only emotion bubbling to the surface was desire.
My body betrayed my sensible nature and my arms wrapped around his neck, squeezing him closer to me. I strained my head up towards him. He was so much taller than me that it was a struggle to reach him.
His lips were soft, but demanding and when his tongue invaded my mouth I forgot where I was, I forgot who I was.
I stroked my tongue against his, not sure if I was doing it right. I guessed I was because he groaned and dug his fingers into my hip. My hands gripped his hair, pulling him any which way I didn’t know. I clung to him, my knees weakened and I sagged in his arms.
He sucked on my lip, running his tongue across my lip before probing deep inside my mouth. I bet he could touch my tonsils with that tongue of his. When he stroked the roof of my mouth, I cried out embarrassingly loud. His hand moved from my neck to clutch my throat and that move should have scared me, but instead, it was thrilling. My body responded to his touch, my breasts tightened and I pressed closer to him. The hard muscles in his broad shoulders tensed under my hands.
Somewhere in my mind I knew this was bad. This was everything I wanted to leave behind, but my body was in control and my body wanted him, more of him. I moaned into his mouth and he held me tighter. His hands moved to my waist, his lips never left mine as he hoisted me onto the counter. Mmm, this was much better. His pushed my legs apart and stepped between them. One of his hands curled under my shirt and I felt myself dampening down there as he used his other hand to drag me roughly towards him.
In the next moment, he wrenched away from me. I whimpered from the lack of contact, scrambling to clear my frantic mind.
“What the hell do you think are you doing?”
I opened my eyes to see very angry redhead standing between us. She looked at blue eyes with disgust and then turned to glare at me with a look of pure poison. He merely shrugged as he stared at me, wiping the corner of his mouth with his fingers. I blushed scarlet.
Reaching past me, he grabbed a bottle of beer and then leaned towards my ear. “Best fucking shot ever,” he whispered.