Wild Beast_A Mountain Man Romance

by Katie Ford

  Suddenly, I heard a soft knock on the wall of my cube and Walter poked his head over the side.

  “Stacey,” he said, his eyes immediately taking in the tears and the footage on my screen. “Let’s go into my office, we’ll have more privacy,” he said quietly.

  I got up and followed him into his corner office. Goddamn, but he had glass walls and the crew could see us, my tears, my slumped shoulders as I sat, defeated, in a chair.

  “Wal- Walter,” I said, choking, “I’m not sure how they got this. How? Does the Enquirer have spies?”

  Walter, a kindly middle-aged man, handed me a tissue.

  “I’ve done some asking around, on the down-low of course,” he said. “It turns out that someone offered to sell a tape to the Enquirer. Someone planted a camera in your hotel room and videotaped you.”

  “I see that,” I mumbled. “But how? How did they get a camera into my room? How is this possible?”

  Walter only shook his head slowly, his eyes pitying.

  “Stacey, we’re not sure yet but I’m doing everything I can to find out. You know I’ve been in this business a long time, we’ll figure it out,” he promised.

  “But how could the Enquirer have bought it?” I asked, the tears coming on even stronger now, my voice choked and garbled. “How could they go public with something like this? I’m a private citizen, my privacy has obviously been invaded, this isn’t right,” I shook my head. “How could they?” I asked, my shoulders heaving now, a hand covering my face. I wanted to disappear altogether, shrink into nothingness.

  “I don’t know,” said Walter, coming around his desk to put a hand on my shoulder. “There’s been a ton of litigation about stuff like this recently, remember the Hulk Hogan sex tape scandal? Gawker put up a vid of the Hulk having sex with his best friend’s wife on their site without his knowledge.”

  “I know you feel like this is the end of the world but it’s not,” he continued. “We’ll figure this out, I’ve already talked to the station’s lawyers. They’ll get the clip taken down asap,” he promised. “I’m sure not many people have seen it,” he added soothingly.

  I wanted to believe him, but knew it wasn’t true. I’d seen the stats and over two million people had viewed the video already, with more than five thousand thumbs up. I hated modern technology all of a sudden, hated how with a single upload, my privacy was destroyed, my naked body for the world to see. I felt destroyed myself, limp, tired all of sudden, my limbs heavy and dead.

  “I have to go,” I said listlessly.

  “Take the day off,” soothed my manager. “Take a few days off actually,” he said. “We’ll call you with any updates.”

  And like a zombie I got up, ignoring the stares of my colleagues, the pitying looks. Because life was over as I knew it.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Pax

  Practice had been brutal as usual, sprints, tackles, blocks followed by two hours of weight-lifting. Exhausted, I walked into the locker room to the sound of loud laughter and hoots. That was nothing new. Our teammates were rough around the edges, a bunch of apes.

  “Check it!” laughed Bulger, aka Big Studly. “Check it, check it!” he whooped, his eyes glued to the screen of his laptop.

  Jermaine, a tight-end with magnetic hands, peered over his shoulder, eyes wide, practically drooling.

  “Man, she’s hot, isn’t she? Man, oh man,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ve never liked blondes, but this one? Maybe I’ll change my mind.”

  And that we had to see. Jermaine is one of those guys who has a type, and that type was ebony beauties, girls with the air of an African queen, graceful with elegance and dignity. So to hear him rave about a blonde, maybe even switch sides, was something.

  Standing over Bulger’s shoulder, we narrowed our eyes, squinting at the grainy video. And I cocked my head to the side, disbelieving. Because it was our stepsister Ana, or Stacey as she’s known now.

  We lost touch with our sister after graduation, unsurprisingly. We’d left Ana in the forest after taking her virginity, and admittedly, it wasn’t one of our best moments. Peyton and I had sworn never to take a virgin, it was just too much responsibility, too much weight on our shoulders, the endless crying, the need for reassurance, the midnight calls for so-called “emergencies.”

  So Peyton and I stuck with girls who were experienced, who’d been around the block a couple times. After all, practice makes perfect and the more you do something, the better you get at it, so wouldn’t you want a girl who’s slept with a couple guys before? They understand their bodies better, know what turns them on, and best of all, can handle two massive dongs … most of the time.

  But we’d taken a wrong turn with Ana. Secretly lusting after her had clouded our judgment or maybe we’d just been flat out wrong. I can admit it. Maybe her ability to take two in her mouth the first time had convinced us that she couldn’t be a virgin, no way. But never judge a book by its cover, it’s always the most demure girls who turn out to be wanton, ready to let it all go.

  So why hadn’t I followed my own advice? Goddammit. Ana had been able to take two in her mouth, but so what? It didn’t mean she was practiced down there, it just meant that she had good oral skills. At the very least, we shouldn’t have left her in the woods again, we should have picked her up, put her together, stroked her and petted her, given her some good after-loving. But it was too late now, we’d beat feet like assholes, complete dicks.

  But she’d come out okay, at least from what we see on TV. Because little Ana is now gorgeous Stacey Light, the hottest new sportscaster to hit the national scene. In some weird twist of events, she’s become the preferred reporter for the NFL and we see her on the sidelines at games, interviewing our teammates, joshing with producers, all the guys trying to get a piece of her, flirt with the pretty blonde.

  Although when it comes to the Jones twins, somehow she always manages to avoid Peyton and me. There’s always a co-worker ready to take over, someone else to hold the reins, so she’s been able to escape a one-on-one with us … so far.

  But the video was unexpected to say the least. We watched, scandalized and hungry, as the girl humped a dildo in the shower, her face a mask of ecstasy, little shrieks of pleasure and gasps of delight emanating even with another dildo in her mouth, her body convulsing, long, blonde hair plastered to her back, droplets streaming off that beautiful female form.

  She’d filled out, oh yeah. Skinny Ana was now voluptuous Stacey and the camera missed nothing, zooming in on those bouncing breasts, the luscious ass, the wide hips wriggling right and left, up and down, enjoying inch after inch of pounding delight from her wall-mounted friend.

  And you know what? This was the best porn we’d ever seen, every guy in the locker room was now watching the vid, most of us with our dicks in our hands as we watched the little girl take two monsters. And was it my imagination, but did I hear her softly moan “Pax, Peyton,” beneath the drum of the water, her lips forming our names, chanting an unspoken melody?

  Shaking my head, I shot a look at my twin, our eyes meeting in agreement. Time to get back in touch with our stepsister pronto.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Peyton

  “Where is she?” I asked our agent, Jim.

  It was the only way to get a hold of Stacey. We’d thought about going through our mom and dad, but that was unlikely. Ever since graduation, Stacey had gone out of her way to avoid us, never showing up for family events, finding excuses to miss Thanksgiving and Christmas, heck, the one time we’d thought we’d bump in to her for sure, she’d been “sick.”

  “Really?” I’d asked my dad. “Really, Ana’s sick?” I’d asked, disbelieving.

  “I guess so,” shrugged Gordon, looking around the Hilton ballroom.

  Our parents were throwing a party to celebrate Ana’s twenty-first birthday, and the girl wasn’t coming. Pax and I were astounded. It’s one thing to not return phone calls, to never be available, but it’s another to skip out on a p
arty in your honor.

  “What about all this?” gestured my brother, indicating the tables stocked with food, the band, the guests already arriving. Our parents had gone to considerable expense judging from heaps of food and luxurious decorations. You’d think the girl would make an appearance at least, show her face for five minutes no matter how sick she was.

  But I guess not.

  “The guests will just have to live with it,” shrugged my dad. “I heard it’s female problems,” he said, disinterested. “I’m glad I don’t have daughters, sons are so much easier.”

  I just grunted in reply. If Gordon knew how many girls we’d banged in our high school days, how many we banged even now, he’d be singing another song. Because Pax and I are in the NFL and the groupies roll in waves. Each tide brings another crop of chicks, short skirts, giggling, twirling their hair, smelling like bubble gum. Every stop, every away game, they’re at the hotel, outside the stadium, throwing themselves at us, pushing out their boobs so that you can’t help but see.

  And sure, Pax and I indulge occasionally, but it’s nothing because we have our sights set on something greater ... a Championship. All this is pure distraction until that ring is on our finger.

  In the meantime though, we needed to reconnect with our stepsister after that disastrous video, so we’d called our agent to set it up.

  “What’s this for?” Jim said, oozing sleaze. “You want to do an exclusive with Stacey Light? Or is this about that video, play off her notoriety?” he cackled.

  Trust Jim to be a douchebag, to use someone else’s misfortune to his advantage. But Pax and I ignored his remarks.

  “Naw, just some chitchat in private,” my bro grunted.

  “Oh really?” asked Jim. Now his curiosity was really piqued. “And what about? Her boobs, her ass, her humping skills? That girl was good on camera,” he snickered again, “she should look into getting into porn.”

  Now he’d crossed the line and I literally growled, my hackles raised, eyeing him like a fucking pig that I’d happily tear apart with my bare hands.

  But Pax stepped in, his face cool.

  “Naw Jim,” he drawled. “We just want to talk about a potential collaboration, professional of course.”

  Jim’s eyebrows shot up, but he nodded.

  “Then I should be there too,” he snapped. “I’m your agent after all.”

  “No Jim-boy,” I growled. “Not necessary,” I said, my brows lowered.

  Our agent was just about to open his mouth again and say something stupid, but when he caught a glimpse of my fists opening and closing, his mouth snapped shut audibly, teeth clacking together.

  “Sure, I’ll reach out to her agent,” he sneered. “I think it’s Carolyn over at Wilkes and George, I’ll see if she’s available.”

  I sat back, finally appeased, my muscles relaxing, shooting glares still.

  “Thanks,” said Pax smoothly. “Schedule it asap.”

  And so here we were now in the Four Seasons lounge, waiting for our girl to show up. The room was deserted except for us, a plate of fancy little cookies and tea on the coffee table, curtain swags perfectly hung, soothing music piped in through invisible speakers.

  “Where is she?” I ground out, looking at my watch. “It’s ten past.” My eyes were fixed on the double doors, I was so hungry to see her again, to see that curvy figure sway in our direction.

  My bro was just as desperate, but masking it better.

  “Give her some time,” he remarked casually. “Her agent confirmed the meeting, she’ll be here.”

  But the clock ticked to fifteen, twenty, and finally the minute hand hit thirty. What the fuck? Was our girl standing us up?

  I was shit-ton angry and disappointed, already whipping out my phone to give Jim the third degree when finally the door creaked open.

  Finally. Finally, Ana was here after five years of absence, five long years of wondering how she was, following her career from a distance, discreetly asking our parents for updates on our long lost girl.

  And she was just as gorgeous as before. More so because Ana had put on weight, no longer a skinny adolescent, gawky and gangly. Now voluptuous was the name of the game, a triple threat with boobs, hips and ass, everything perfectly proportioned, perfectly placed, defying gravity.

  But there were circles under her eyes and her hair was limp, the energy sapped out of those blonde strands so that they looked washed-out, grayish even.

  “Hello Pax, hello Peyton,” she intoned dully, her eyes meeting ours across the room. And despite the monotone, prickles began running up and down my spine, my male instinct called to arms. Because the girl’s voice was exactly like it sounded on TV. Low, sensuous, melodious, a medium alto uncommon for a woman, still able to make me shoot on an instant’s notice.

  “Hey,” I growled, my eyes devouring her.

  “Hello,” ground out Pax, his eyes boring into her, eating her up.

  The girl wandered over to a settee, hips swaying before dropping gracefully into the chair, crossing her legs modestly. How amazing it was to finally be in the same room with her, her aura surrounding us, that feminine presence magnetic and irresistible.

  “What can I do for you?” she asked quietly, looking down at her hands.

  I’d expected this. All business, no small talk necessary, no need to re-hash the past, that was all done and might as well leave it there.

  But I couldn’t just pretend like nothing had happened.

  “Sister,” I said, my voice choppy around the edges. “About graduation, that night in the woods, I wanted to say …”

  But she cut me off with a sharp movement of her hand.

  “No need to apologize,” she said, her voice detached, looking around the room with a blank stare. “I’ve forgotten it already. What are we here for, really?” she asked, meeting my eyes directly.

  I sputtered. Years upon years of having women fawn over us had made me arrogant, I admit, and I wasn’t used to having women taking control, cutting me off when they felt like it.

  “How do you know we were going to apologize?” I growled, my hands curling into fists. Of course we’d been about to but still, I wasn’t used to having someone else behind the steering wheel.

  But this was the new Stacey. She fixed me with an icy stare and said, “You weren’t?” much too politely, her voice low.

  And suddenly, I knew we’d met our equal. Our sister was now a mature woman, someone with a big-time career, someone who was intelligent, thinking, a woman with a soul, a brain, not to be toyed with lightly.

  “Ana,” interrupted my brother smoothly. “Of course we don’t have to talk about the past. We’re not here to re-hash stuff, we’re here to live in the present.”

  That drew a swift look from the girl, her eyes appraising.

  “I guess you must be referring to the video,” she said woodenly. “My so-called sex tape.”

  “Yes,” he replied, saying no more.

  “And why?” she spat, suddenly angry, eyes flashing with light. “Why would you care now, of all times? Why? I haven’t talked to you in years.”

  That was a good question.

  “Stacey,” I said slowly. “Back then, we were idiots. I know you don’t want to get into the past, but you have to believe us when we say we care about you.”

  She grew quiet suddenly.

  “Sure you care,” she said woodenly, looking away. “I can tell.”

  “No you have to listen to us,” I said insistently. “We care. We really care, and we fucked up and there’s nothing we wouldn’t do to change what happened. You see …”

  She cut me off again.

  “No need for explanations Peyton,” she said quietly. “I get it.”

  “No, you don’t get it,” I said forcefully, ready to leap out of my chair and grab her shoulders, give her a good shake. “We were cowards back then, we shouldn’t have done what we did, I’d give anything to do it all over.”

  This time, I got her attention.
>
  “Then why?” she asked swiftly, turning to fix us with her big blue eyes. “Why did you leave me there to clean myself up? Especially after,” and here, her voice broke a little, “you’d just taken my virginity?”

  I hung my head, my big shoulders sagging, the ultimate gesture of shame from an alpha male.

  “We’d sworn never to take a virgin,” answered Pax, “so it was a surprise.”

  “What, you didn’t think an eighteen year-old girl would be a virgin?” she cried. “What version of Earth are you living on? That was high school, I don’t care how many sluts you banged, I wasn’t one,” she said emphatically.

  “Of course not,” my brother soothed. “It’s just that … well, after you were able to fit us both in your mouth, we didn’t think there was any way you were untouched down below,” he said. “Not many girls can do what you did. Practice makes perfect, you know?”

  “Well, how do you know I hadn’t practiced with cucumbers?” she shot back hotly. “Or dildos, now that everyone’s seen my video?” she cried, her eyes filling with tears.

  That made us nod, our expressions somber.