Exposed: An Anthology

by Brooke Cumberland

  “Okay, let’s get you into bed.”

  “You want me in your bed like all the other girls, don’t you?” I winked at him.

  “No, I don’t.” Zane shook his head, and I felt a wash of disappointment run through me. Even now, when all my inhibitions were gone, Zane Beaumont didn’t want me.

  “I wouldn’t sleep with you anyway.”

  “Oh, yeah?” He looked at me with a twinkle in his eyes. “Why’s that?”

  “’Cos Braydon likes me and he could be my last boyfriend.”

  “Your last boyfriend?” Zane looked confused.

  “The guy I’m going to marry, duh.” I fell onto the bed.

  “You’re going to marry Braydon?”

  “I don’t know.” I yawned. “But it’s a possibility. So that’s why I can’t sleep with you.”

  “Okay, that makes sense,” he drawled. He stood there awkwardly next to the bed, and I grabbed his arm and pulled him down next to me.

  “You are so handsome but you always look so serious.” I stared at him. “But you are also so nice. You’re one of my favorite customers, you know. And you fixed my car. But you’re a real asshole as well.”

  “You sum me up so perfectly.” He grinned and pushed me over. “If I’m going to lie on your bed with you I need a bit more space.”

  “No fair. You made my head hurt,” I groaned.

  “Let me make it better.” He kissed my forehead and brought me close to him. “How does that feel?”

  “Hmm.” I closed my eyes and pushed my head against his chest. “So nice and cool.” I felt his arms around me and I snuggled into him. “You are so warm and yummy.”

  “Oh, Lucky,” he sighed.

  “Yes, Zane?” I purred against him.

  “You’re going to be the undoing of me,” he whispered and held me tightly.

  “I’m the best server you’ve ever had.”

  “Yes, you are.” He laughed and I felt his hands rubbing my back as I drifted to sleep.

  Chapter 7

  My head was killing me when I woke up. I tried to stretch, but my arms hit a solid wall. I opened my eyes slowly and yawned widely as I was still feeling tired.

  “Oh,” I exclaimed, as I awoke to Zane’s gaze. He was staring directly into my eyes and he had a bemused expression on his face. “What are you doing here?”

  “I think your first words should be ‘thank you,’” he said with a deadpan expression.

  “Thank you?” I frowned, trying to remember what had happened the night before. And then it all came crashing down. “Thank you? Are you joking? You frigging embarrassed me last night. Poor Braydon. What must he be thinking right now?”

  “I hope he’s thinking that he better not bother you anymore,” Zane growled.

  “What?” I squinted at him. “He better not be thinking that. I hope he doesn’t think that we’re hooking up,” I groaned. “Man, you may have just ruined everything.”

  “Ruined what?” He made a weird expression. “You don’t seriously think you’re going to marry him? I thought that was the alcohol speaking.”

  “I never said I was going to marry him,” I sighed. “I just said that, perhaps he could be my last boyfriend.”

  “You confuse me, Lucky.” He sighed. I studied his face and wondered how he could look so handsome first thing in the morning.

  “I confuse you? Is that a joke?”

  “I don’t understand you.” He frowned and ran his hands through his hair.

  “What’s to understand?”

  “Everything.” He turned away from me and looked at my walls. “I like your room. You have nice style.”

  “You mean for a poor person?” I laughed, thinking about his lavishly furnished house.

  “No, for any type of person.” He pointed at some posters on my wall. “I love Monet.”

  “Me, too.” I smiled. “I thought about studying Art History for a while.”

  “But you decided on British History?”

  “British History?”

  “You know so much about King Henry VIII.”

  “Oh, yes. I forgot about that conversation. I changed my focus from the reformation to the Civil Rights Era.”

  “Oh, yeah. My civil rights expert.” He grinned. “You’re one smart cookie.”

  “Not really, but I guess I am compared to the other girls you date.” Oh no, why had I said date? We weren’t dating. We weren’t even friends. He was my boss now. And he was in my bed. I wanted to groan out loud. What was going on here?

  “Well, you know. I have to change it up.” I felt his arms around my waist and he pulled me towards him. “Let’s see if you’re a better kisser as well.”

  “Wait, what?” My eyes widened as I felt his hands on my ass. “Um, what’s going on here?”

  “I’m going to see if you’re better than my other girls in every way.”

  “Zane,” I spoke his name quietly, my lips were mere inches away from his, and I was aching to feel them on mine.

  “Yes, Lucky?”

  “Why were you waiting there for me last night?” I frowned. “It’s kind of creepy, you know. Just waiting outside my house.”

  “Are you saying you think I’m a creep?”

  “No.” I paused. “Well, you know.” I stared into his eyes, looking for some answers. I didn’t understand Zane Beaumont and I really needed to. My heart was thumping and my skin was tingling. My stomach was jumping at being so close to him, and all I wanted was to make love to him. Maybe it was because I was still slightly hung over. Or maybe it was because we were both lying down in my bed. All I knew was that I wanted to have sex with Zane Beaumont. It was almost inevitable. I had felt this way from the first moment I had met him. When I was with him, I forgot about my rules. About the plan to wait for one special guy. I just needed to be with him. To feel him. I wanted him. It was as simple as that. I was willing to deal with the heartache. What was one last heartache? I’d been through it before. I survived.

  “Kiss me,” I whispered. I didn’t want to think any more. All I wanted was to feel his lips against mine. I wanted to feel his hands on my skin.

  Zane grinned and leaned towards me. I felt his lips press against mine, hard and rough. His hands went behind my head and he brought me closer to him. I felt his tongue creep into my mouth, and I kissed him back hard. He tasted too sweet for the morning. I was enveloped in his taste and our tongues tangled together passionately. I gasped in his mouth as I felt his hand on my ass, pushing me into him. Our bodies were pressed together and I felt his manhood against me, aroused and shifting. I moved my body so I could feel him better and he chuckled, rolling me over onto my back, so that he was on top of me. His lips never left mine and he shifted himself in between my legs, his erection struggling against the confines of his pants. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled his body down, closer to mine. His chest crushed into mine and my breasts were delighted at the close contact. I wanted to feel his naked skin against mine and I pulled up his T-shirt, trying to pull it off.

  Zane pulled away from me slightly and kissed down my chin to my neck. I felt his right hand creep up to caress my breast and I moaned as he squeezed it. All of my nerves were on edge and I wanted to feel his hands on my naked skin. I wriggled below him and finally got his shirt off. I ran my hands over his back, delighted by the feel of his skin. He was warm to the touch and he groaned as I rolled him onto his back and sat on him. I looked down at him panting and bent down to kiss his chest, running my hands across his nipples as I kissed down his happy trail.

  “Oh, Lucky,” he moaned and I felt his hands in my hair.

  “Hmmm.” I kissed back up his chest to his lips and started grinding on top of him. I smiled at the feel of his hardness beneath me and rocked back and forth as he kissed me. He wrapped his hands around my waist and dropped them to my ass until he was cupping my butt cheeks and pushing me down into him further. I reached down to his belt buckle, wanting to release his dragon, but Zane stopped me.
r />   “No.” Zane rolled me back over and lay next to me, kissing my nose. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

  “What?” I sighed and leaned over to him. “Why not?”

  “You’re not that type of girl.”

  “What type of girl?”

  “The type of girl that has casual sex without getting feelings.”

  “What?” My cheeks flamed at his words.

  “I’m not the guy for you, Lucky.” His eyes looked bleak. “I’m not looking for a happily ever after. I never want to get married.”

  “You just want casual weekly sex?” I rolled away from him.

  “No.” He sighed. “But I also don’t want a serious relationship.”

  “Who says that is what I want?”

  “I knew from the very first time that I saw you at Lou’s that you’re not the type of girl for a casual anything.” There was mirth in his voice. “Don’t be mad at me, Lucky.”

  “I’m not mad.” I jumped up. “It’s … whatever. I don’t need you to have sex with me.”

  “It’s not that I don’t find you attractive, Lucky. You’re hot.” He sighed. “Shit. You just felt how much I want you.”

  “Whatever.” I blushed.

  “Wait.” He jumped off the bed and pushed me against the wall. He then grabbed my hand and pulled it to his manhood. “You feel that?”

  I nodded mutely, slightly angry, but totally turned on.

  “I want to make love to you until you cry out my name, Lucky,” he whispered in my ear as my hand closed in on him through his pants. “I want you to take me in your hands and in your mouth. I want to feel myself in you. I want to make you blush as you come for me.”

  My eyes widened at his words and then I felt his tongue in my ear and I felt even more turned on than I had been before. My hand dropped from his crotch and I ran my hands through his hair. I closed my eyes and reveled in the feelings he was awakening in my body. It had been too long since I had made love. I was feeling horny and my panties were starting to feel uncomfortable between my legs.

  Zane pulled away from me and stared into my eyes. “You’re a special girl, Lucky, but I’m not the guy for you. I’m not going to take anything from you that I shouldn’t.”

  “I’m not a virgin,” I whispered, wanting him to take me.

  “Go and take a shower, Lucky.” Zane sighed and backed away from me. “We have a lot to do today.”

  I looked at his face, embarrassment coloring mine. “Yeah. I need to let Maria and Shayla know I’m going to L.A. for a bit.”

  “Lucky, if you don’t want to take this job, well, you can back out.”

  “Do you want me to back out?” I questioned, holding my breath.

  “No.” His eyes bore into me and I felt a secret thrill.

  “So then I’m coming.”

  “Did you withdraw from your classes?”

  “I’m going to do it online today.” I tried to keep my breathing normalized. I was starting to feel slightly panicked. Didn’t he want me to come anymore? I didn’t want to think about how much that hurt me. I didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that I was really starting to fall for him.

  “Have you told your roommates?”

  “Oh, I forgot.” I slapped my hand against my mouth.

  “Oh, Lucky.” He smiled. “We can tell them when you come out of the shower.”

  “Oh.” I bit my lip and stared at him. He looked so hot without his shirt on, but I knew I had to think about something else. “They’re going to think you stayed the night.”

  “I did stay the night.”

  “But they’re going to think we had sex.” I mouthed the last part.

  “Are you scared to say sex, Lucky?” He moved in closer to me and winked. “We did very nearly have sex. Is that so bad?”

  “You don’t understand.” I sighed. “I haven’t had sex in a while.”

  He looked surprised at my statement and I continued. “I’ve been saving myself for a guy who I think will be worth it.” I flushed, hoping he didn’t draw any conclusions about my feelings for him from my statement.

  “So you haven’t had sex in a while?” He smiled softly, and I blushed. “But you were going to have sex with me?”

  “No.” I turned around quickly. “I’m going in the shower.”

  “No … what?”

  “Just drop it, Zane.”

  “I’ll never understand you, Lucky.” Zane shook his head and sighed. “You’re the most complicated girl I’ve ever met.”

  “And that’s saying a lot.” I grinned and stuck my tongue out at him. He responded with a swift slap to my butt, and I ran out the door laughing, wondering, once again, what I was getting myself into.

  Chapter 8

  “Would you like something to drink, madam?” the flight attendant asked me with a huge smile.

  “Some water, please.” I smiled at her from the luxury of my first-class seat.

  “And you, sir?”

  “I’ll have a rum and Coke, please.”

  I looked at Zane aghast. “You’re drinking?”

  “Why shouldn’t I be?” He grinned at me and sat back.

  “Weren’t you the one telling me about alcohol just this morning?”

  “I told you it’s not smart to drink around shady guys.”

  “Here’s your water, ma’am. Are you sure you don’t want anything else?”

  “I’ll have a glass of champagne, please,” I looked at her uncertainly. Did they even have champagne on planes?

  “Of course.”

  “Alcohol?” Zane raised an eyebrow at me.

  “I can hold my own around shady guys.” I smiled sweetly and turned to look out the window. I heard him chuckle and grinned to myself. “So where am I going to stay in L.A. and how much am I going to be making?”

  “I’m surprised you haven’t asked before now.” Zane shook his head. “You’re way too trusting, Lucky.”

  “Are you telling me I shouldn’t trust you?”

  “I’m telling you that you shouldn’t trust anyone else too easily.”

  “But trusting you is fine, right?”

  “I’m looking after your best interests.”

  “Why?” I questioned him.

  “I feel like we’ve developed a friendship these last few months.”

  “Really?” I laughed. “Was this before or after I presented you with your entrees?”

  “It was somewhere between soup and salad.”

  “Aw, now I know why you always gave me big tips. You were making sure your friend made a good wage.”

  “Well, you know. That’s what friends are for.” He laughed. “But in all seriousness, you’ll be staying with me at my condo.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  “I hope that’s okay. I’ll be able to make sure you stay out of trouble.”

  “I’m not a kid, Zane,” I sighed. “I don’t need another dad.”

  “You’re my responsibility, Lucky. Humor me, it will make me feel better. Okay?”

  “I guess. But I’ll have you know, I’m twenty-two, not twelve.”

  “A twenty-two-year-old who makes bad mistakes.”

  I rolled my eyes and turned away from him. Zane obviously had some sort of protector complex. I doubted I would be able to talk him out of it. “Does Noah live there in the condo as well?”

  “No.” He frowned and put his earphones on.

  Well, okay then, I thought to myself. I guess I still wasn’t going to find out about Noah. I didn’t understand what the big deal was, but I knew I didn’t want to push the issue. I hoped Zane would tell me himself when he was ready. I put my earphones on and flicked through the channels. I couldn’t quite believe that I was on a plane to Los Angeles. The day had seemed to fly by. After my shower, Zane and I had told my roommates that I was leaving and then we had dropped by Lou’s Burger Joint. Shayla’s and Maria’s jaws had dropped when I walked in with Zane. I still didn’t think they believed me when I had told them we weren’t going on s
ome sex-fuelled vacation. I laughed, thinking about Shayla’s expression when I told her I was withdrawing from my classes and going to L.A. She had taken me to the side and told me that I could come back to Lou’s whenever I wanted. I had given her a big hug while holding back a sob. Shayla was like my family. I was going to miss her and Mike a lot.

  I felt Zane tap me on the shoulder and I turned to look at him with a questioning expression. “How did your parents die?” he asked me softly.

  “I— what?”

  “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want.” He smiled at me gently. “My mother left my brother and me when we were young.” He scratched his ear. “It’s still hard to talk about.”

  “Your mother left you?” I pulled my earphones out and turned to him.

  “Well, she left my father, she wanted to spite him. My brother and I were just the dregs at the bottom of the barrel.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” I reached out to touch his hand. “That must have been tough.”

  “It made Noah and me closer.” He paused. “We were young. I was six and Noah was four.”

  “Oh, wow.” I felt tears welling up in my eyes at the thought of Zane being abandoned as a child.

  “I still remember her.” He stared into my eyes. “She had blonde hair that was almost white. You wouldn’t know if you looked at me. But Noah, he had the same white-blonde hair. It made my father hate him even more. All because he reminded him of her. We both have her eyes.”

  “She must have been beautiful.”

  “She was.” He avoided eye contact with me. “Too beautiful for my dad, really. She was young when she married him. Got caught up in the lifestyle.”

  “Did she marry him for money?” I asked softly.

  “No.” He laughed at my surprised expression. “You would have thought so, right? What woman leaves her husband and two young children if she loved them?”

  “Why did she leave?”

  “I don’t really know.” He paused and finished his drink. “My dad never said and she never contacted us.”

  “Do you know where she is now?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “Noah and I used to say that while the sun shines and the moon glows, we don’t need anyone else in our lives.”