I opened my mouth, but couldn’t speak.
“You got that?” he growled. “I’m not fucking around here. Answer me!”
I nodded vehemently.
He relaxed, his entire demeanor changed, and I wondered if he was psychotic.
“Good,” he said, grinning like the Cheshire cat. “Because I can also make things very good for you, too. You’re a beautiful girl, and as you witnessed earlier, I enjoy beautiful girls.”
Bile rose in the back of my throat as his eyes raked over my body.
“You’re not from around here, so I’m sure you have no idea how powerful I am. But,” he smiled smugly. “I’m a fucking king in these parts, so, having me as a friend is to your benefit. You need a favor – anything, you come to Jack. A small loan, some financial advice, a little company…”
“Never,” I whispered, hoarsely.
His face darkened. “Well, I can see that you need some time to understand the gravity of this situation. While you do that,” he said, standing up, “I’m going to go and mix myself another drink. Would you like one?”
I shook my head.
“Fine,” he said, swaying slightly. “Your loss.”
As he walked back towards the house, I looked down at my hands and noticed they were trembling. I stood up and went inside to my room, not wanting to be around when the sociopath returned.
Chapter Fifteen
Reed
When I located Mimi, she was still with Pastor Richie.
“Hello, mother. Jack said you needed me for something?”
She looked confused. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Huh, well, okay. Sorry for the interruption,” I said, turning to leave.
“Wait, Reed,” she said, patting the cushion next to her on the sofa. “Come and introduce yourself to Pastor Richie.”
“We met outside,” said Pastor Richie, smiling.
I nodded. “Yes, we did. So, I hear you’re going to be renewing your vows tonight, mother.”
“Yes. At exactly ten o’clock tonight, under the moonlight,” she sighed dreamily. “The same exact time we were married in Vegas.”
“Does Jack know he’s getting married again?” I asked. As far as I was concerned, he was unaware that he was married now.
“I mentioned it to him, yes,” she said.
“Well, I’m very happy for the both of you,” I said. “I’m sorry I can’t stay, I’ve got some things to do. Please excuse me.”
“Of course,” said Mimi.
“It was nice meeting you, Pastor,” I said. “I’m sure we’ll have a chance to talk later.”
“Indeed,” said the Pastor.
I left them and went back outside to find Sinclair, who, unfortunately, was no longer sitting by the pool. As I turned to go back into the house and find her, Jack stepped back outside, his glass refilled.
“Do you know where Sinclair is?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Not sure. Maybe she’s already preparing for tonight’s party?”
I stared at him, wondering if he’d somehow scared her off. “So, getting your vows renewed this evening, huh, Jack?”
He smiled. “Yes, I guess we are.”
“Hopefully you’ll honor them a little better, this time around.”
His face darkened. “What in the hell is that supposed to mean?”
I smiled, coldly. “I think you know very well what it means.”
“You don’t know shit,” he said. “You just wait until you’re married and then we’ll talk.”
“I may not be married yet, but I know that when you are, you keep your dick in your pants around other women.”
He stared at me for a minute and then sighed. “Do you honestly think that I’m the only one who has strayed?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Mimi,” he answered. “She’s had her share of flings over the years.”
“Right.”
“Listen, you can believe what you want, but let me tell you something, your mother isn’t a saint, either.”
“As far as I’m concerned, anyone who has put up with your shit all of these years, is a saint.”
He took a sip of his drink but didn’t respond.
Sighing, I left him on the deck and went back into the house to search for Sinclair.
***
Sinclair
I was pacing in my room, wondering if I should stay or call a cab, when there was a soft tap on my door. I opened it.
Reed.
“Can I come in?”
“Sure,” I said, stepping aside.
“You okay?” he asked, turning to face me.
“I’m fine,” I said, wondering what I was going to say to him now that Jack had basically threatened my future. I wasn’t sure if he really had that much power, but I decided quickly that it wasn’t worth finding out.
He sat down at the edge of my bed and grinned up at me. “So, now that you have me alone, what can I do for you?”
“I, um…”
His icy blue eyes slid down my body, giving me goose bumps. “What did you want to tell me?” he asked, softly.
I sighed. “It was nothing. I was concerned about Jesse, but now he’s on his way back. Everything’s fine.”
“Oh, okay, that’s good news.”
“It is.”
He stood up and moved towards me. “Question for you…”
“What?” I asked, looking up into his eyes.
He raised his fingers to my lips and gently lifted away a strand of my hair. “Christ,” he whispered, staring at my mouth.
“What?” I asked, hardly able to breathe.
He was so close I could feel the warmth of his breath on my cheek. His eyes darkened and for a second, I thought he was going to kiss me. Instead, he sighed and took a step backwards. “Did Jack make any moves on you?”
I cleared my throat. “No. Why do you ask?”
“Because he does shit like that. In fact, he’s hit on almost every woman I’ve brought home.”
“That’s despicable,” I said. As far as I was concerned, Jack was a parasite.
He nodded. “Yes. So, if he does anything to make you uncomfortable, make sure that you tell me.”
“Okay.”
“I’m serious, especially tonight. Once he’s had a few, you’ll want to avoid him.”
“I will,” I said.
“I suppose I should get back to Sela. I’m glad to hear that Jesse is doing better now. That’s a relief.”
“Yeah, it is. He should be back in a couple of hours.”
“Okay,” said Reed, walking towards the door. “If you need anything before Jesse gets home, come and find me.”
“Thanks, Reed.”
He stared at me for a few seconds longer, then turned and walked out of the bedroom.
Chapter Sixteen
Sinclair
“I’m sorry I took off the way I did, Sin,” said Jesse, arriving in my room with a flourish a couple of hours later. He held up the shopping bags. “Here are your new clothes, by the way.”
“Thanks. So how did everything go?” I asked.
Jesse sighed. “Well, he’s still pressuring me, but I did a lot of thinking on my way back and have decided to just end it with him.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Really? What about your job?”
“I’ll find another one. At least I still have the money coming in every month from my parents.”
“Yeah, lucky you.”
“So,” he sat down on the bed. “Any problems when I was gone?”
Knowing that he’d cause a scene if I told him about Sela, I decided not to confide in anyone about what I’d witnessed. “No problems.”
“Cool. Look, I’m going to take a shower and change.”
“When does the party start?” I asked.
“Eight. Most of the guests won’t arrive until later.
“Okay.”
“Thanks again for helping me out, Sin,” he said, kissing the top of my head.
“I owe you, big.”
I smiled. “Damn right you do.”
“Seriously, though… tonight should be quite the show. It’ll be fun.”
“Okay.”
As far as I was concerned, however, this night wouldn’t go by fast enough. I’d had quite enough of Huntington Beach.
***
Less than two hours later, Jesse walked back into my bedroom dressed in a long-sleeved white-collared Dior shirt and black dress pants.
“Ready to tie one on before the party?” he asked, holding out two bottles of white wine. “I grabbed these two from the cellar; the old man will never even notice they’re missing.”
“I’ll have a glass,” I said, smoothing down my dress. “And go from there.”
He put the bottles down on the dresser and turned to me. “Looking glamorous, Sin.”
I smiled. “Thank you. You look pretty dashing yourself.”
He kissed my cheek. “Thanks.”
As he poured each of us a glass, I made one final inspection in the mirror. My hair was swept into a loose up-do, I’d applied extra makeup to my eyes, and the red dress fit like a glove. Personally, I didn’t think I’d looked this nice at my senior prom.
“Toast – to the sexiest couple at the party,” he said, raising his glass. “May we piss off the bitches and raise some cocks a few inches.”
I smiled as we clinked our glasses together, still secretly hoping that one in particular would be raised, even if it wasn’t mine to enjoy.
***
Reed
“Jesus, don’t start this now, woman,” I said to Sela, who was having a conniption because the heel of her right Jimmy Choo was somehow cracked. “You have four other pairs of shoes to choose from.”
“But these go with my dress,” she pouted. “None of the other pairs will work.”
“Look at this,” I said, pulling a pair of black high-heels from the bottom of her suitcase. “Why won’t these work?”
“You just don’t understand,” she said, snatching them from me. “My dress is the color of champagne and the black shoes would never look right.”
“So, what are you saying?” I asked.
Her lips curled under in disgust. “I’m just going to have to wear the blue and black dress now, I guess, which was supposed to be my backup.”
“I’m sure you’ll look gorgeous in either dress.”
“Shit, shit, shit! This night is already ruined,” she hollered, throwing the broken-heeled shoe across the room.
“Calm down, Sela. It will be fine,” I said. “You’ll still look beautiful and nobody will care if your dress is gold, black, or even pea-green.”
“You just don’t understand,” she said. “I’ve worn the blue dress before. I’ve never worn the champagne one.”
I sighed. “Look, I’m going back to change into my suit. The one I have worn in the past and will definitely wear in the future, and frankly, my dear, I don’t give a fuck if anyone notices.”
She scowled at me, grabbed her blue dress, and slammed the bathroom door for the umpteenth time.
I shook my head. If this was how she acted in the beginning of a relationship, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like when the honeymoon was over. Thankfully, I wouldn’t be the unfortunate guy to find out.
Chapter Seventeen
Michael
The party was well on its way by the time I arrived. I handed over my keys to the valet, who must not have thought I could see his smirk as he got into the driver’s seat. But, I didn’t care because I knew that I would be the one enjoying myself inside while he spent the rest of the evening, parking cars – ones he would never own. Not only that, but I would be leaving tonight with the most beautiful girl at the party. My cock was already twitching as I fantasized about all of the glorious things we would do together once she was in my bed.
No more waiting.
Half-hard, I stepped into the house and through the crowd. As I scanned the bodies of people, I was quite amazed at the turnout. Although the Eddingtons are older, most of the guests appeared to be in their twenties and thirties. Many even celebrities.
“Oh, excuse me,” I said to a tall, blonde woman with short spiky hair as my hand brushed against her cute little ass.
When she turned to look at me, she obviously believed it was an accident and flashed me one of her famous smiles. “No problem,” she said in a familiar, husky voice.
I thought back to her last movie and the scene where she was naked, in bed. Although she was quite lovely herself, she still didn’t hold a candle to my beautiful, sexy Sinclair.
Thinking of Sinclair, I quickly looked through the crowd for my lovely goddess, but she was nowhere to be found. As I finagled my way through the many guests, I noticed that most were already drinking booze or openly indulging in other forms of mood-enhancing paraphernalia. One young musician stared at me in horror as he tried to wipe away a dusting of white powder from his nose. I pretended not to notice and continued moving.
“Oh, there you are,” smiled Mimi, stepping away from a group of older ladies in the large formal dining room. “I was getting worried about you.”
“I’m terribly sorry,” I said. “Traffic was bad. There was some kind of accident and it took me much longer than anticipated.”
Mimi nodded. “Well, I’m glad you made it, back. Let me introduce you to all of my friends.” She then pulled me over to her group of cronies and smiled. “Ladies, let me introduce you to Pastor Richie.”
***
Sinclair
Jesse and I ended up playing cards in my bedroom and drinking a little more wine than what I’d originally planned. By the time it was eight-thirty, both of us were feeling slightly tipsy.
He held out his arm for me to take. “Ready, fairest princess?” he asked with a lopsided grin.
“Yes, fairest queen,” I said, trying to steady myself on the high heels.
He threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, we are going to be out of control tonight. I can just tell this is going to be fun.”
I put my hand on his arm and gave him a serious look. “Just remember to stick with me,” I said. “Don’t go sniffing after any hot guys and leaving me all on my own.”
“I’ll try but if I reach a breaking point, I’ll let you know.”
“You’d better behave or your parents might catch on. You can’t afford to lose that extra money, especially now.”
He sighed. “Very true. Well, let’s go crash this party and liven things up.”
***
Reed
“So, you’re really getting married?” pouted Sherry, a pretty redhead I’d dated a few times in my early twenties.
“Ah, yeah,” I said, trying to get out of the corner she’d backed me into. Thank goodness Sela was too busy schmoozing with some of the producers Jack had invited, in another area of the house. She was obviously still trying to get into the movies.
“Too bad,” she smiled, trailing a long red nail along my forearm. “I’m so damn horny tonight and my husband is out of town.”
“Well, I’m sure there are plenty of available men here would –”
It was then that I noticed her moving down the staircase.
Sinclair.
Jesus.
She was a vision of beauty in a red dress that hugged every curve of her voluptuous body. With every step she took, a flash of thigh peeked out from a slit in the gown, making it harder for me to breathe as I pictured my hand on that pale skin. When her sparkling green eyes finally met mine, she smiled and everyone else in the room ceased to exist.
“Reed?” said Sherry.
I cleared my throat. “Excuse me,” I answered, stepping away.
“Hey, Reed,” said Jesse as I met him at the bottom of the stairs. “Nice turnout, huh?”
“Definitely,” I said, still staring into Sinclair’s eyes. “Magnificent, better than I could have ever imagined.”
Sinclair’s cheeks turned pink and she lowered her eyelashes.
<
br /> “So, where’s that shrew of yours?” asked Jesse.
It was a struggle not to openly gape at Sinclair’s cleavage. I turned to my brother instead. “Sela? She’s around.”
“Wonderful,” he replied dryly. “I’m thirsty. Sinclair, would you like another glass of wine?”
“No, I’m okay right now,” she said.
“Party pooper,” he said, giving her a pouty look. “You sure?”
“I’d better not,” she said. “You know how I get when I’ve had a little too much to drink.”
I raised an eyebrow. “How do you get, Sinclair?”
She smiled. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“I’ll tell you how she gets – rowdy, loud, and uninhibited,” said Jesse, a small smile playing on his lips.
“In that case,” I said. “Find us a couple of bottles.”
She shook her head and laughed.
“Listen, I’ll be right back. I’ll bring you back a wine cooler, in case you change your mind,” said Jesse, leaving Sinclair alone with me.
“Nice,” she said. “I told him not to abandon me and he does it right away.”
“Don’t worry, Sin,” I said, resisting the urge to pick her up and carry her away to my bedroom. “You’re in good hands with me.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but then changed her mind.
“What?” I asked, taking a sip of my beer.
“Nothing,” she said, shaking her head, although the sparkle in her eyes told me something otherwise.
My eyes slid back down to her leg, which was peeking through the slit once again. I thought about both of those legs wrapped around my waist and took another swig of beer.
“Nice dress by the way,” I said, my voice sounding slightly hoarse.
“Thanks.”
“Jesse better keep a close eye on you in that or someone’s bound to throw you over their shoulder and head for the nearest cave.”
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