by Colet Abedi
“You’d have to have a heart for that.” Tony narrows his eyes at me. “And you and I both know you’re AI.”
“You don’t think I bleed?” I try to sound as if my feelings are hurt, but it’s hard.
“Black robotic liquid.” He narrows his eyes. “Like tar.”
“Children.” Wylder saunters toward us, interrupting our friendly skirmish.
I check out my friend. She is definitely sauntering. The girl is clearly getting so much sex she’s practically flying through the sky. She just exudes satisfied.
If I didn’t love her so much, I’d hate her.
“Don’t squabble.” Wylder sits on the table and crosses her legs. She is super hot with her long blond hair and golden eyes. The way they glow kind of reminds me of the light in Trouble’s eyes, but his eyes are definitely more feral.
“Do you want to grab sushi for lunch?” I change the subject without batting an eye. “I wouldn’t mind doing a few sake bombs, considering I might have to wait for the human drug factory to read the script all night tonight.”
“Oh, no.” Wyld looks devastated for me. “You were given the Ashton Frank script run?”
“Yes. I freaking hate that ex-boyfriend of yours.”
Wylder looks as disgusted as I feel. “If you love me, you will never call him that again.”
For a hot second she dated Henry, the biggest douche assistant at the studio. Don’t know what she saw in him, but at least her moment of insanity is gone and she’s on to bigger and better. Way better. Times one thousand. Jamie Donovan is one of a kind, a diamond in the rough…a hard man to come by.
Trouble is like that. Both rough and dazzling at the same time.
Crap. I really want to see him again. Tonight.
“Henry is definitely a giant d-bag,” Tony says, then he gives me an amused grin. “Your run tonight…I find it so funny how karma tends to always work its magic in the most incredible ways.”
“I wonder what your karma will be for letting a married woman go down on you.” My smile is innocent. “Isn’t there something in the Bible about not coveting thy neighbor’s wife?”
His face floods with color.
“It’s amazing how quickly you turn that shade of red,” I observe. “It’s almost like a bright orange mixed in with a swirl of cherry. Never seen anything like it. Hermés should do a handbag in that color.”
“Poor Tony.” Wylder sounds sympathetic. “Be easy on him, Kerri. I’ve never seen him so sensitive.”
“Sensitive?” Tony’s now incensed, and it’s even more hysterical. “You two are Satan’s soldiers of doom.”
Wylder and I laugh in his face, totally unbothered.
“Sushi?” I ask my best friend.
“I’m in.” She hops off the table. “Let me just grab my bag.”
****
“What’s going on with you lately?” Wyld asks when we’re settled into our booth at Ajaisai, our favorite sushi restaurant in West Hollywood.
I pour myself a shot of sake and take the cup down like a pro. “What do you mean?”
Her astute gaze studies me. “I don’t know.” She shrugs. “You’ve just been acting different lately. For a while now.”
Interesting. I wonder what I was like before I met Trouble. What did the guy do to me? I mean, seriously. He must be some type of magician. “Like how different?”
“You’re just…” She searches for the word. “Lighter?”
“Skinnier?” I laugh, even though I know that’s not what she means.
“No, you idiot.” She shakes her head. “If you were any thinner, you’d disappear. You know what I mean.”
“I do.” I run a hand through my hair. “I don’t know what to tell you because I’m sure as hell not having all of the fabulous sex you seem to be.”
Wyld smiles like a cat with a saucer of cream.
No shit. She has pounds of it.
Maybe a ton.
“I am having a lot of really great sex. I’m addicted.”
“I can tell,” I say as the waitress brings our first dish. “Do I need to organize an intervention?”
“Absolutely not.” She sounds adamant. “I happen to be enjoying every freaking second of it.”
I take a piece of albacore sushi and pop it in my mouth.
“But I’m serious,” she says with a wave. “This look or glow, whatever it is, it suits you.”
“Thanks.” I feel suddenly shy. “But I don’t know what to tell you. I’m just going through the motions. Nothing really has changed. It’s not like I’ve met anyone.”
That’s not entirely true, but Wyld doesn’t need to know about Trouble.
Not just yet.
“I would ask you how lover boy is, but from the way you look, I take it things are really great right now?” I drawl.
“Jamie is kind of amazing,” Wyld says.
“Kind of?”
“Really amazing.”
“That’s what I thought.” I give her a knowing grin. “I just hate that I don’t get to see you. You’re never home anymore, and it’s starting to annoy the shit out of me.”
I sound like a whiny biotch, but I can’t help it. Wyld is my best friend, and I love hanging out with her. We laugh and laugh, even with Tony—or at him, depending on the situation.
“I mean, honestly, how much sex can one person have?”
Wyld’s pretty face says it all. “A whole lot.”
I roll my eyes and pour myself another cup of sake. “But there’s so much we need to be talking about.”
“Like?” Wyld picks up a baked crab hand roll.
“Tony and Patricia.”
“OMG, I know!” Wyld practically squeals. “It’s kind of crazy, right?”
“Dare I say Tony is acting like a man who might be falling in love?” I can’t keep the disbelief out of my voice because it is kind of crazy. Patricia is at least twenty years older and has had some major work done. Like the obvious kind.
Cat lady style.
But she clearly knows what to do to please him.
“I can’t even go there.” Wyld shakes her head. “It’s just really hard to picture.”
We both pause, taking a moment to imagine it.
“Eww,” we say in unison.
“I’m afraid her husband will ruin his life and future in the business if he finds out,” Wyld says, “but who am I to judge, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“Look who I’m dating.”
“Apples and oranges,” I say, though I do agree with her assessment of Tony’s situation. “Tony’s future in the business is for sure in jeopardy, but that might be part of the fun for him as well.”
“The danger, you mean?” Wyld asks.
I nod, thinking of Trouble again. He’s danger. My body heats up.
“And the forbidden, for sure,” she says, and it’s like she’s suddenly talking about me. “It’s hard to stay away when it excites you so much. Trust me, I know. It’s like trying to deny yourself water. You just crave it more than anything, and you realize you have to have it at all costs.”
A picture of Trouble’s rock-hard body floods my mind. My mouth goes dry and I have to pour myself another shot of sake. I realize he might be something I have to have at any cost.
Wyld continues, seemingly having no idea how her words are affecting me. “And you kind of feel like you’ll just die if you don’t get to taste it.”
Our eyes lock, and I feel my face burn. I should never have made fun of Tony. Here it is, karma smacking me right in the face.
“I can see you know exactly what I’m talking about,” she says knowingly.
“I do,” I admit.
Wyld pours herself a shot of sake and holds it up.
“Then here’s to trouble.”
Chapter Five
Trouble
Kerri stays away for so long, I wonder if I scared the hell out of her and if she’ll ever come back. The month or so I haven’t seen her at the club has b
een…interesting to say the least.
Ever since our encounter, all I’ve done is obsess about her. She is my first thought in the morning and the last one I have before I fall the fuck to sleep at night, and that’s after I’ve had to throw down many glasses of whiskey to even manage some rest.
I hate myself for it.
I recognize she could become a weakness for me. Quite frankly, she already is. I try to convince myself this obsession is driven by my need to avenge my sister, but I can’t lie to myself. I know it’s more than that.
I want to fuck Kerri.
I need to fuck her.
It’s the only way I’ll get her out of my blood. Once I have her, the fascination will end, and I’ll be able to focus on my revenge.
Only my revenge.
Not the way her skin glows. Or how good she’s going to feel when she’s under me and I’m pounding into her sweet pussy. Not about how I’m going to make her scream so loud when she comes or how those beautiful breasts of hers will fill my palm perfectly. I know they will.
I even tried to fuck her out of my mind again.
The women I slept with did nothing to quench my desire. In fact, they seemed to make it worse, like I was denying myself a prize and settling for second best.
“You look like you’re about to murder that steak.”
Trevor Garnett, my best friend from childhood, sounds more than amused. We’re catching up on business over steak and wine in San Francisco—my hometown, where I grew up. I shrug, annoyed that I was caught thinking about the princess. Wondering what she thinks of the gift I sent her.
Picturing what she’ll look like in it.
Fuck.
“It’s dry,” I say and take a long swallow of my wine.
Trevor and I have known each other since I was seven. He lived next door to us before my parents died and we had to move. After the accident, we were sent to live with a distant cousin in Walnut Creek, who agreed to house us, but that was all she did. She sure as hell never showed us any emotion while we were there and the idea of even spending a dollar on two orphans for proper food and clothing was something she was completely incapable of. Luckily, Trevor’s family filled that void for Tanya and me. Still, I know we could have had worse. I’ve heard many horror stories. I’m grateful that all my cousin/aunt did was ignore and practically starve us.
“Something is up with you,” Trevor says, shaking his head. “You’re definitely off.”
“I’ve got a lot on my mind.” He doesn’t need to know it’s Kerri Harrington who’s filled my every waking thought.
Our attractive waitress comes back to refill our glasses. She gives me a wide, inviting smile, and I’m disappointed it does nothing for my libido.
Fuck.
If Kerri doesn’t come back to the club soon wearing my gift, I’m going to have to find another way to get to her because I can’t take much more of this.
When the waitress leaves, Trevor shakes his head in amusement.
“What is that look for?” I know I sound defensive.
“Something is definitely up,” he says. “The Ian I know would be all over that hot piece in a second—”
“She’s not my type.”
“Since when are tall, leggy blondes not your type?”
“If you like her so much, you go for her,” I reply, irritated.
“I’ve got a gorgeous wife and child waiting at home for me, my friend.” Trevor shakes his head. “I am more than satisfied.”
I know he is. He’s been in love with her since they were sixteen, been together and inseparable since. And they still act like teenagers when they’re around each other. They broke up only one time and that was when they were practically kids, right before they got married, and were trying to deal with Trevor’s newfound fame.
I cross my arms and stare him down. “Not all of us can get so lucky.”
“You could get lucky if you actually dated someone with a brain,” Trevor replies with a grin. “But all you seem to want is meaningless, no-strings-attached sex.”
“And is something wrong with that?”
“It gets old. Fast.” Trevor nods pointedly at me. “Just like you, bro. You’re getting old.”
I have to laugh.
“Fast.” Trevor pounds his fist on the table to make his point.
“Who knew thirty-six was so ancient?”
I try to sound offended, but I’m not. Trevor could say anything to me. I’d do anything for him, and I know the feeling is mutual. He’s proven his loyalty time and time again. He’s the only person in my life I completely trust.
Trevor and his family helped Tanya and I grapple with our grief. Growing up, we had spent a lot of time with his warm, inviting family. They embraced my sister and me and treated us like their own. Trevor and his sister, Miyako, were close to Tanya and loved my sister. They mourned with me when she took her own life, helping me through the hardest and darkest period I’ve ever known. I don’t know what I would have done without them, especially Trevor.
He knows me well.
But then, I still keep some secrets from him. Like my plan for revenge against Jon Harrington by using his daughter as my ultimate weapon. I know without a doubt that Trevor would never approve.
“You’re starting to get mighty close to the line, bro,” he says, nodding at a middle-aged man at the bar. “That point of no return. Do you want to be that creepy old guy at the bar over there, hitting on all the young things?”
“Could be worse.”
Trevor raises a brow and shakes his head in disbelief. “You gotta start looking for a woman to settle down with. Look, you’ve already made a shit-ton of money. You don’t need to work anymore—”
I stare him down.
“Don’t give me that look. You’re continuing to make a shit-ton.” Trevor holds up his hands in defense. “And that’s without you even doing anything. All the investments in those start-up companies…you’re a fucking genius. Look at what you’ve amassed. You’ve got the touch, man, and your bank account just keeps growing. And for what? What’s it all for? You can’t take it all with you. When’s it gonna be enough?”
“When is it ever enough?” I ask nonchalantly.
“That answer scares me.”
I shrug. “I’m going to leave it all to good causes.”
“And that’s admirable, but what about now?” Trevor asks. “I want you to enjoy it. Take a year off, travel the fucking world. You deserve it. This is what it’s all for—every sacrifice you made. Enjoy your life.”
“What gives you the impression I don’t?” I ask.
Now he stares me down. “You think I don’t know you like the back of my hand? Come on, man. Give me more credit than that.”
“None of it means anything without Tanya.”
“Brother.” Trevor looks sad. “I loved her too. She was part of my family too. We considered her to be a second daughter. We mourned with you, right by your side. But she’s gone now. You don’t think she wants you to be happy?”
“I am.” I give him a half smile. “And I do enjoy…things.”
“Things? You’re half alive.” He’s practically pleading with me. “Half dead. You live in that fucked-up past, with that fucked-up man Tanya had the misfortune of falling in love with. Don’t think I don’t know you obsess about the motherfucker. Shit, sometimes I do too, but you gotta let it go. Don’t let him destroy you like he destroyed her.”
I signal the waitress for the check.
“Oh, I see how it is.” Trevor shakes his head.
“How’s that?” I ask lightly.
“Dinner’s over because I said something you don’t like.” Trevor raises a brow, chastising me.
This fucking guy. If I didn’t love him so much…
“Dinner is over because I’m going to the club.” I pull out my wallet and cash.
“And that’s the only reason why it’s over?”
“Since you’re asking,” I reply with a sarcastic smile, “it’s al
so over because you sound like a nagging mother, and it’s starting to annoy the shit out of me.”
“Someone has to take on the role when Lianna or my mom and sister aren’t around,” he says with a cocky smile.
“Lucky me.”
“I can’t believe you’re going to fly to LA tonight.” Trevor looks at his watch. “It’s nine p.m.”
“I have a plane.”
“‘I have a plane,’” he says, mimicking me. “You sound like a pretentious tool.”
“Well, this dinner has sure done wonders for my self-esteem.” My voice is dry. “Any other parting insults you’d like to throw my way?”
“Like you have a problem with self-esteem.” My best friend leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. “Like you’re going to go home and cry yourself to sleep.”
I smile. “I might.”
“All our lives I’ve watched women fall over themselves to get to you,” he says. “To jump in bed with you or get you to at least take them out to eat—”
“If you hadn’t been so wrapped up in Lianna since puberty, you would have enjoyed the same attention.”
“Maybe. But I’m in love. And it’s a much happier and less lonely place to be.”
“Jesus,” I mutter. “Are you kidding me right now? You sound like Lianna’s got your balls locked away in some safe.”
He puts his hand on his heart. “Don’t knock a guy because he’s in touch with his feelings.”
“I don’t even know what you want me to say to that.” I didn’t realize my best friend had turned into such a complete and utter softie.
“I can’t wait for you to be punched in the gut by a woman who makes you finally feel something.” Trevor puts his palms together and looks up as if he’s praying to whoever is listening above.
“You’re wasting your time,” I say.
“I don’t think so, man. You know it’s going to happen one day. And it might be soon. Some woman is going to kick your motherfucking ass, and it ain’t gonna be pretty.”
Unfortunately, Kerri’s gorgeous face flashes before my eyes. Now why the hell did I think of her? “Doubtful, but I’m glad you still have some hope for me. I guess I should have someone praying for my soul.”