Consumed

by Scarlet Wolfe

  “I’ve never seen him that wasted before. Hey, Noah Sanders called me. That Sadie chick. Noah wants a date with her, so you need to make it happen.”

  “Hell, no.”

  “Why not?”

  “She’s off limits. Oh, shit, I wonder if Victoria is in there. She already called me the other night wanting to kick my ass.”

  “For what?”

  “Uh, I sort of dicked Sadie over, and Victoria is her sister.”

  Zev rubs his forehead. “The cop?”

  “Yeah, Adrian’s Victoria.”

  “Fuck, then Noah doesn’t need to be messing with her, and neither do you,” he says. “She’s a stripper?” One of his eyebrows lift as if he finds this amusing.

  “No, she was trying it out, but she’s not stripper material.”

  “She looked pretty sexy to me.”

  “Don’t fucking go there.”

  “Ah, shit, you too?”

  The doors opens, and we stroll to Adrian’s.

  “What?” I ask.

  “You like her.”

  “Yeah, but I won’t let her around our bullshit.” The penthouse is unlocked when Zev tries to turn the knob, so we go inside. Hearing yelling from Theo, we charge down the hallway.

  Adrian is only in boxer briefs, stumbling around his room, which reeks of liquor. “Without Victoria, I’m nothing, Theo,” he says with slurred speech before spotting us. He holds a bottle of booze in the air. “What the hell are you two doing here?”

  “You won’t listen to me, so I called them.”

  Zev chuckles. “Holy shit, you’re really plastered.”

  “Give me the bottle, and get your ass in the shower before we all three put you there,” Theo orders.

  “Do what he tells you, Ace. None of us want to see your junk,” I add.

  “Juice Box doesn’t plan on it anymore, either,” he slurs.

  “Oh, man, you’re toast.”

  “Zev, that’s not helping,” Theo says, scowling at him.

  “If this is over a woman, I’m never letting him live this down.”

  “It is over a woman. She made me stupidly happy, but all this …” Adrian says, swinging his arms over his head, “took her away from me, so I don’t care about any of it anymore.”

  “Damn, Victoria left you?” I ask.

  “Someone else is undercover here,” Theo says, “and Adrian had to tell Victoria about the lounges. That is all I can get out of him that makes any sense.”

  “Holy fuck, are we getting busted?” Zev asks.

  “She won’t be the one to tell,” Adrian says. “That I believe, but I don’t care anymore.”

  Zev charges at Adrian, and grabbing him by the biceps, he shoves him up against the wall. “You better care. I’m not going to jail because you grew a fucking heart and fell in love.”

  Theo swipes the liquor bottle from Adrian’s hand while he has a chance.

  “I love her.”

  “Nope. Not allowed in this business.”

  “Theo has Karen,” Adrian whines to Zev. Fuck, this is a pathetic sight.

  “She was grandfathered in. There’s a difference. Recite the pussy rule. I want to hear it.”

  “No.”

  Releasing one of Adrian’s arms, Zev grabs his jaw instead. “Say it.”

  “Pussy is good for only three things. We stroke it, eat it or put our dick in it,” Adrian struggles to say.

  “Exactly, and if we can’t put our cock in it, then its owner is a cunt.”

  “Man, leave him alone. He’s drunk and had his heart stomped on,” I say.

  “Says another brother who is newly pussy-whipped.” Zev never looks my way. I swear he needs damn therapy. “Adrian, I’m going to say this once. Get in the fucking shower.”

  Adrian shoves Zev off of him. “I’m not too drunk to forget you can be a real asshole. I love Victoria, and I’d rather have loved her for only a little while than be the cold, heartless dick you’ve become.”

  “This cold, heartless dick is here trying to prevent his brother’s death from alcohol poisoning.”

  “Get out, philosopher Xavier. I don’t need your help,” Adrian says before he staggers into his master bathroom.

  “I’m outta here.”

  “Run off like you always do, Xavier, but one of these days, you’re going to have to face some things,” Theo says to him.

  “Whatever.”

  Theo stares at me with obvious disappointment, but for once, I don’t believe it’s directed at me. “Will you help me change his sheets?”

  Taking off my suit jacket, I lay it over a chair. Theo leaves the room to find a set of sheets, so I begin stripping off the old ones and think about what Adrian said to Zev.

  The heartache he’s feeling is exactly what I’m trying to avoid. If I had to guess, Victoria is hurting as badly if not worse.

  I don’t want to put a woman through that, especially not someone as special as Sadie, but I guarantee I already hurt her if she misses me even half as much as I miss her. She’s likely pissed, too.

  Sadie

  I’m in the university’s library studying when Noah pulls up a chair across from me. I gasp and look around to see if there would be witnesses if he attempted to harm me. Luckily, there are others nearby.

  “Good afternoon, Sadie.”

  “What do you want, and how did you find me?” He’s in a white polo shirt, and his blonde hair is spiked in a preppy style. His appearance doesn’t pair with the evilness lurking behind it.

  “Believe it or not, it’s coincidence. I attend this college.”

  I sit silently, staring him down. I had already decided I wasn’t letting him bully me if I saw him again.

  “I talked with Simon, and I wasn’t aware you two were dating.”

  “He said that? I mean, yeah, but he told you?”

  Noah’s eyes squint, and I don’t think he’s buying my cover-up. “Yeah, he did, but he’ll willingly hand you over to me soon enough. I have ways of getting what I want. It will be interesting to see how important you are to him.”

  He leans across the table, and I lean back.

  “One night, Sadie. It’s all I want.”

  “Go to hell.”

  He smiles. “When I’m told I can’t have something, it only makes me want it more. Keep running that dirty mouth of yours and see where it gets you.”

  “My sister is a cop, so you’re not wise to threaten me.”

  Noah throws his head back in laughter.

  “You have no concept of how funny that statement is. Oh, that made my day.”

  I glance around, and two people are glaring at us.

  “Please leave.”

  He rises, still wearing that sadistic smile.

  “Until we meet again.”

  Chills shoot through my body, and they’re not the exhilarating kind I recall experiencing from Simon’s touch. Simon Cassano. What the hell has he been saying about us? I think I will go ask him.

  Simon

  I’m in my office working after getting Adrian settled. I stuck around to help Theo get him back to bed. We removed all the alcohol from the penthouse, and Theo is going to stay the night to keep an eye on him, which is bullshit when he has a family at home, but Zev and I have to watch the clubs and lounges tonight.

  My phone vibrates, so I pull it from my pocket.

  Sadie: Your bartender here refuses to tell you I’m here, so could you please come out and speak to me?

  Oh, hell, she’s here. If I see her, I will cave.

  Me: Go home, Sadie. I’m sorry, but I can’t see you.

  Sadie: Fine, that guy from the strip club, Noah, wants some one-on-one time with me, anyway.

  What the fuck?!

  Me: DON’T LEAVE!

  I call my bartender and order him to send Sadie to my office. If Noah is with her, I will kick his ass on the spot. My foot taps the floor as I think of what to say to her. The knock on the door has me out of my chair in a split-second.

  So h
elp me, she’s gorgeous. She’s out of sorts, Sadie, with her hair pulled up and glasses on, all schoolgirl and shit. “Sadie, hi.” She shoves past me, so I shut the door and turn to face her.

  “What did you say to Noah?” she asks.

  “Why? What did he do? Did he hurt you?”

  She rolls her eyes. “Unbelievable. You’re the asshole who hurt me.”

  “I’m sorry, but seriously, is Noah harassing you?”

  “Yes, but I can handle him. I’ll get Victoria after him if I have to.”

  I shake my head no. “Sadie, he’s the Commissioner’s son. Your sister technically works under him.”

  “What? That explains why he found the threat so funny, but he’s an evil asswipe. How can that be his father?”

  “I couldn’t agree more, and he’s no one you should be hanging around.”

  “Is that why you told him we were together?”

  “Yes, and I’m sorry, but it was the only way I thought I could keep you safe.”

  “So, that’s the only reason. Not because you were jealous or anything?”

  “Of course not.”

  “It’s good to know you won’t mind me dating other people while we’re in this fake relationship. I’ll go now.”

  I step in front of her, blocking the door.

  “Jesus, you smell great,” I say.

  Her arms cross over her chest. “You aren’t allowed to smell me.”

  I snicker, unable to resist her cuteness.

  “You can’t stop me, doll. I got a whiff of you the second you walked through the door.”

  “Move so I can leave.”

  I stare at her perfect complexion and sad eyes. I want to make her laugh. Hell, I want her to make me laugh the way she’s capable of doing. I need to hold her in my arms again and talk to her about random shit. “No, I’m not ready to let you go.”

  Sadie

  He’s going to crush my heart all over again if I don’t get out of here. Reaching behind me, Simon takes hold of my ponytail holder. Slowly pulling, he releases my hair, taking my guard down with it.

  My eyes close from the fervid craving his are projecting. I feel my glasses come off, so I open my eyelids in time to see him set them on his desk.

  “You don’t like how I look. Is that it? I don’t dress slutty like one of your waitresses or have mammoth boobs.”

  He grins, and I want to smack him for being so damn attractive. “You mean the waitresses who wear our required uniforms over their fake breast meat?”

  “Simon,” I say, letting out a little giggle. “That sounds gross.”

  “They’re boring is what they are.” His hands palm my breasts through my light blue tank top, and I suck in a punctuated breath. “Your tits are the farthest from boring. They move with my hands and respond to my touch.”

  I close my eyes again, my breaths now shallow and brisk. “Yes, they do.”

  One of his hands slip into the back of my hair.

  “Sadie, I let your curls down because I want my fingertips against them. I removed your glasses, so I can get a better look at the eyes that are like a turquoise ocean, and so I can be that much closer to you when I kiss you.”

  His hand in my hair pushes my head forward until our mouths are colliding, his tongue forcing it open. He explores every crook of it, living in the moment the way Simon always does, but I have a feeling he doesn’t think about the consequences until after the fact.

  His thumb circles my nipple, and I can’t resist the urge to pull him against me. His erection is hard, his hands and mouth hungry, and I want him now more than ever.

  Pulling away, he presses our foreheads together. His breathing is harsh like mine. “I want to be selfish, Sadie, but my world isn’t safe enough for you.”

  “Noah said you would treat me like a cheap whore.”

  Simon grips my cheeks and leans back to stare into my eyes. “Fuck, Noah. I’m doing this because I don’t deserve you.”

  “If you felt like you did, would you be with me?”

  “You would be mine, sweetheart. All mine.”

  “I don’t care what you do with your job. I don’t care if you’re in the Mafia even as long as I don’t end up dead in Lake Mead.”

  His eyes urgently look back and forth between mine.

  “Sadie, that’s just it. I can’t guarantee someone like Noah wouldn’t dump you there if you get involved with me.” He picks up my glasses from his desk and sets them back on my nose.

  “Don’t come back here, and stay away from Noah, too. This life isn’t for you.”

  “Staying in a protective bubble isn’t feasible, and it’s not living. I want a man who is willing to brave the world with me. The good parts and the bad. I guess you’re not him.”

  Turning on my heels, I leave Simon with that.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Victoria

  “I’m calling for back up and busting down this door, Vic, if you don’t open it!” Reggie yells from outside my front door. “I know you’re in there because I hear your television.”

  I step from the couch and swing the door open.

  “What?”

  “Let me in, and stop being difficult. Tell me why you called in to work for two days and won’t answer my text messages or calls.”

  Stepping aside, Reg passes me. Fiddling with my hair, I attempt to make my messy bun not so disheveled before I stroll back and plop down onto the ass indention I’ve worn into my sofa.

  He surveys my coffee table, which is covered in miniature Reece Cup wrappers, potato chip bags and empty ice cream pints.

  “Talk about the munchies. Have you been smoking weed?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “PMS then?”

  “Fuck you.”

  His eyebrows lift. “I’m kidding, Vic. What happened? We’re friends, so tell me, and maybe I can help.”

  “I ended things with Adrian because our lives are too different. That’s all it is.”

  “Bullshit. It’s a whole lot more, but you don’t want to tell me.”

  “OK, you’re right, and you need to accept that I can’t tell you more than that.”

  “I guess ending things isn’t what you wanted.”

  “No, but staying with him wasn’t an option, either. Have I missed anything exciting at work?”

  “No, and I want off this damn administrative duty.”

  “Yeah, I’m not missing that.”

  Reg sits next to me on the sofa and pats the thigh area of my pajama pants. “You need to shower and eat some vegetables.”

  “Why bother?” My head is against the cushion as I turn it to look at him. “It hurts, Reggie. I finally let someone in, and he broke my heart.”

  “I’m sorry, and if there’s anything I can do, you tell me.”

  “Thank you. I can always count on you, and that means so much to me. I’m sorry I’ve been a pain in the ass as a partner. I know I can trust you, so I’ll try to do better.”

  Reggie’s eyes suddenly seem sad, and they remind me too much of Adrian’s, so I look away.

  “Vic, come back to work tomorrow. It isn’t good for you to lie around this place.” Reg picks at my t-shirt, so I look down.

  “Are you saving this to have as a snack later?” He lifts a piece of a barbecue potato chip from the fabric and smirks.

  “Way to go and crash my pity party. Ugh,” I say with a groan, “OK, I’ll get it together.”

  Adrian

  “Come in,” I say after I hear a knock on my office door.

  “Hey, bro, feeling better?” Simon asks.

  “I feel like total shit, but I sent Theo home this morning to be with Karen and the kids, so here I am. I need to stay busy, anyway.”

  “You had us all worried last night.”

  “I’m sorry you had to see me like that.” I lean back and swivel lightly in my chair.

  “I’m sorry about Victoria. I know you cared about her. It’s all the more reason I should remain single.”


  Abruptly, I sit up and lay my forearms on my desk.

  “Victoria told me you fucked Sadie and then disappeared. Once she called and bitched you out, I had to hear it.”

  Simon does his usual and drags a chair over to prop his feet on before taking a seat in another. “Bro, I understand why Victoria was pissed, but it’s not what you think. I wasn’t trying to have a one-night stand with her sister. I like Sadie. I like her a lot actually.”

  “Then why can’t you be with her?”

  “The difference between Sadie and Victoria is Sadie doesn’t seem to care about our shady dealings. She wants to be with me, but I’m trying to keep her away from the bad shit we’re involved in.”

  I think about my mother’s request. All she wants before she dies is to know her kids are going to find happiness. I also know firsthand how it feels to lose your chance at that happiness.

  “Simon, be with her. You’ve given up too much already for this cause. I’m telling you; you will regret it if you don’t.”

  “Says the one who is letting the woman get away.”

  “Victoria is a cop. Have you ever read an officer’s oath?”

  “No, but I would bet money that you would come before any of that shit, especially once she saw the big picture. Those Hart girls are passionate. Victoria would get it.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  Victoria

  Reggie is quieter the rest of the time he is over, but I’m down with that. It’s the cool part of having a guy friend. He doesn’t expect me to talk about my feelings in great length.

  We order pizza and laugh through the film Horrible Bosses. We also think up creative ways we could take out our own bosses. It’s the first time I have smiled in two days.

  After the movie, Reggie turns on a UFC fight, so I hop in the shower, feeling in better spirits. I finish combing out my damp hair and hear the knock on my front door. I’m throwing on a tank top and sweatpants in record time and hurry to the small living room.

  My eyes open wider as I see Reggie talking to Adrian at the door. “Let me in.” Shit, I didn’t expect him to show his face. Reggie turns to me.