Drawn to You — Volume Two

by Vanessa Booke

  FOURTEEN

  TRISTAN

  MY COCK SWELLS at the sight of Emily’s curious gaze. She watches with amazement as Selena and Sebastian leave my studio. I force myself to stop imagining taking her on the red velvet couch Selena was just on. Seeing Emily at my front door was a pleasant surprise, but I honestly wasn’t sure how she would react to my painting. Part of me wanted to give it to her myself, but I couldn’t bring myself to. Now, she’s here, and all I want to do is create another piece with her naked skin as my canvas.

  “So he’s paying you to paint her?” Emily turns, her cheeks still glittered with warmth. I can only guess what’s going through her mind right now. I can’t help but want it to be just as dirty as what’s going through mine. Fuck. There I go again.

  I smile. “Yes. Several of my clients are into BDSM.”

  “Oh.”

  “So, you said you wanted to talk to me,” I say.

  “Uh, yeah. I did,” she says, pushing back a stray blonde hair as she clears her throat. “I mean I do.”

  Emily walks over to the other side of the room where her purse lays. I watch her pull a canvas from the other side of the wall and flip it over. It’s the art piece I painted for her, but why is it here? She picks it up and walks it toward me. My eyes wash over her in search for a clue of what she’s about to say next.

  “I came here to give this back to you.”

  I hear her words, but the anger that pulsates through my veins wrecks me.

  “It was a gift,” I say, angrily.

  “I know, but if you think this makes up for… it doesn’t.”

  So that’s why she’s here? I shouldn’t be surprised. I deserve it, but I foolishly thought that I could change things. That somehow I could get her to forgive me for leaving. It pains me to say that she’s right. I’ve avoided Emily for the past four years all the while keeping in touch with Nicholas. I knew how it would seem to her, but I needed her to believe I didn’t want her. Now, I’m not sure what I want her to believe. As much as I care for Emily, having feelings for her isn’t easy. I can’t just mess with my best friend’s little sister because I’m losing more than just her if it doesn’t work out.

  “You can leave it here. I’ll take care of it,” I say, offering no other explanation.

  Emily’s voice cuts me as I turn to walk away. I can’t take the pain of having her hate me. It was easier when I didn’t see her.

  “So that’s it?”

  “What?” I ask.

  “You’re just going to walk away.”

  I look up to find Emily’s eyes watering with tears.

  “You’re perfectly fine if I hate you?” she asks.

  “Is that what you came here for? To see if I cared?”

  “Yes.”

  I cared enough to leave her alone. Any other asshole would’ve taken advantage of her and ruined her for all other men. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t do that to her. I told myself that she’d get over me. That I would get over her.

  “Caring has never been the problem.”

  “Then why the hell did you leave?”

  She steps toward me, and I feel my control slowly slipping through my fingers like grains of sand. I could lose myself in those eyes. I could forget every shitty thing I’ve done and that her family’s done to me, but I won’t.

  “Go.”

  “What?”

  Her bright eyes widen in shock.

  “Go home, Lily Pad. Go home and forget about me. Go back to your nice boyfriend who worships the ground you walk on. I’m sure he makes soft, slow love to you instead of fucking you raw.”

  “He is nice and the complete opposite of you!”

  I laugh despite the pain that overwhelms me.

  “If you think I’m going to be your knight in shining armor, sweetheart, think again. I’m not your prince charming. Far from it. Now, go.”

  As soon as the words leave me, I instantly regret them. The look on Emily’s face is enough to shatter even the coldest bastard.

  “You’re right,” she says as her voice breaks. “You’re not the Tristan I once knew.”

  It takes all of my strength not to pull her into my arms and tell her that I’m a coward. That I’m lying through my teeth. The scent of her lavender shampoo fills my senses as she pushes past me. I close my eyes, refusing to watch her leave. She storms out of my studio in tears. I take the painting I made for her and break the canvas over my knee. The wood tears through the canvas, but it isn’t enough. I take a box cutter and shred the rest throwing it in a nearby trashcan.

  I am so sorry, Emily.

  FIFTEEN

  EMILY

  HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

  Except today doesn’t feel happy. Not one bit. I promised myself that I wouldn’t cry today, and if it weren’t for the frozen margarita that my roommate Augie just made, I probably would be. It’s been exactly two weeks since I spoke to Tristan at his studio. I know I shouldn’t be expecting any apology from him. He made it quite clear he didn’t want me near him, but the thought of having to live with the way our conversation ended eats away at me. I saw a different side of him that night.

  “Hey, are you still moping about you know who?” Augie asks, pouring himself a glass of the strawberry drink.

  I look up to find his inquisitive gaze glued on me. He rounds the corner of the breakfast bar to face me.

  “You asked me to make margaritas at ten o’clock in the morning. Of course, I’m going to be worried about you.”

  “I’m fine.”

  I grab my margarita and head for the couch. I think I’ll spend my birthday drinking fruity drinks and watching Girls on HBO. Then maybe I’ll order a pizza to eat all by myself. Yup, that actually sounds pretty great. To top it all off, I’ll make myself a chocolate cookie with some ice cream. The best thing invented by man ever.

  “Do we need to have a friend-tervention?” Augie calls from the kitchen.

  “No, I’m not telling Ceci about this.”

  “Why would you assume I meant Ceci?”

  I roll my eyes as I click on the television for another distraction.

  “Because you two are like peanut butter and jelly.”

  “We’re nutty and sweet?”

  “Mostly nutty,” I say, taking another gulp of my drink.

  Augie takes a seat beside me and leans his head on my shoulder. I know he’s going to either ask me for a favor or tell me bad news. He is never the touchy-feely type, except in those two cases.

  “So… I sort of did something bad.”

  “Don’t tell me you spent our rent money on strippers again.”

  Now it’s Augie’s turn to laugh.

  “No, I’m saving myself for Harvey, remember?”

  “Are you guys talking?”

  “This is not about me,” Augie says.

  “Right. So what did you do?”

  “Um, well, I sort of told your brother that you wanted to go to the beach for your birthday weekend.”

  I glare at Augie with the best I’m-going-to-roast-your-ass on a spit look. Why the hell would he tell Nick that? And when did he even talk to him? I swear I can’t trust anyone these days.

  “Okay, well I think I’m just going to spend my birthday here.”

  Augie looks around the room at our pathetically sad apartment. Despite the pricey rent we spend each month, our apartment isn’t the most happening spot in New York. We traded a gorgeous cityscape, parties every night, and gorgeous men from GQ just outside of our doorstep for free rent. My father was more than happy to help although I’m starting to learn that money always comes with a price. My brother is the perfect example. Nicholas is destined to be my father’s puppet.

  “So, is there anything else you told him that I should know?”

  “No…” he says with a nervous look.

  “What did you do?”

  “I might’ve mentioned that you wanted Tristan to come, too.”

  Fuck.

  “I could strangle you right now
.”

  “No,” Augie laughs.

  “I could and no one would know about it for at least two weeks.”

  “Ceci would know.”

  “What are you talking about? She would be right along with you.”

  “You love us too much to get rid of us. Admit it.”

  Augie scoots over on the couch and wraps his arms around my shoulder. I squeal as he lays the most over the top kiss on my cheek. The feeling of excitement that exudes from him is contagious. Maybe a weekend away from the city is exactly what I need. It’s been too long since we’ve been to the family beach house. With Ceci and Augie with me, this weekend couldn’t go wrong. Could it?

  “There’s only one problem,” Augie says.

  “What?”

  “Doesn’t he still think I’m your boyfriend?”

  I don’t even try to stifle the laugh that rips through me. It’s better that Tristan thinks I have a boyfriend. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  SIXTEEN

  TRISTAN

  I’M NOT SURE what possessed me to tell Nicholas that I would come this weekend to their South Hampton beach house, but I agreed nevertheless. It actually might be nice to hang out with Nick and go fishing, maybe even take out one of the boats I know his dad owns.

  The sound of a whistle and a familiar voice calls out to me as I exit out the front of my apartment. I spot a familiar sleek white BMW as it slides into view. The window slides down as Nicholas’s face pops into view. He’s still wearing one of his signature suits. I noticed from the paparazzi photos that he started wearing them more often after Alex died.

  “Hey, you look like a familiar asshole that I know.”

  I chuckle. “I’m glad to see you too, Nick.”

  “Your apartment isn’t the easiest thing to find.”

  “I know. That’s why I picked it. Is that why you took so long?”

  “Sorry, I got caught up with something.”

  A satisfied smile crosses Nicholas face as he unlocks the passenger door and I slide in. At a closer look, I can see Nicholas’s tie is askew.

  “From the looks of your tie, it looks like you got caught up in someone,” I laugh.

  “Very funny,” he smirks.

  “So what are your plans for today?”

  “My plan is to whisk you away for Emily’s birthday weekend. Everything else is up in the air.”

  A sinking feeling fills my chest. Emily’s birthday weekend? I should’ve known that today would involve her. Her birthday was on Thursday, but I couldn’t reach out to her after the way I left things when she came to my apartment.

  “Are you sure it’s a good idea that I come, Nick?”

  “Why not?”

  I shrug off his questioning gaze.

  “She’s twenty-two. She probably doesn’t want her brother and his friend pestering her.”

  “It will be fine. She loves having me around.”

  The problem is I’m not so sure she loves having me around.

  SEVENTEEN

  EMILY

  BLUE FOAMY WAVES crash down on the sand in front of our beach towels sending a spray of water at Ceci, Augie, and me. I soak in the sunshine as I lay back on my towel and stare at all the hundreds of New Yorkers who’ve also come here to escape city life for the weekend. Augie laughs as each time I pull my sunglasses down, my eyes are assaulted by the sight of naked elderly men. Over the past four years, I’ve heard this side of the beach has become more liberal, but I wasn’t expecting to find a colony of nudists intermixed with the rest of the beach goers.

  “There’s a lot of eye candy at this beach,” Ceci says. “If you’re into older guys. Much older.”

  “You mean saggy balls don’t turn you on?” Augie asks.

  I stifle a laugh as a disgusted look crosses Ceci’s face. She came here thinking there would be tons of hot guys on the beach. I almost feel sorry for her. Almost.

  “Are we ever going to get in the water?” Augie asks.

  I’d love to be swimming right now, but instead, I’m sitting on the beach with a towel wrapped around me as I have a mini freak out. It’s hard to relax knowing Tristan will be here soon. I brought the sexiest outfits I could find in my drawer and now I’m feeling stupid. Tristan doesn’t want me. I shouldn’t want him, and on top of that, he thinks Augie’s my boyfriend.

  “I think we should all just follow in that guy’s footsteps and get naked,” Augie says.

  Without thinking, my attention is pulled to the one hot looking guy standing within a few feet. I try my best to keep my eyes trained on his face, but his abs are far too tempting not to let my gaze linger. The three of us stare at the sexy specimen, taking in all of his wonderful glory.

  “I don’t mind getting naked,” Ceci says, untying the top of her bikini.

  “Ceci, no,” I argue.

  “Tristan and Nicholas are coming.” Augie laughs.

  “Even better.”

  My heart beats in a chaotic rhythm as I spot Nicholas’s white BMW parking just outside of our beach house. This weekend was supposed to be a relaxing getaway from the shitty reunion I had several days ago. Damn Augie for telling Nick to invite the one person I really don’t want to see right now and damn Ceci for getting naked. In a matter of minutes, I’ll be forced to come face to face with Tristan yet again. It doesn’t seem fortuitous to be meeting like this.

  My nerves are showing as they exit the car and immediately head our way. I spot a large ice cooler in Nick’s hands. He probably brought beer. I turn back to my friends and catch Ceci lying back on her towel with her top off. She scoffs as I grab my towel and throw it on her chest. Augie laughs in the background obviously amused with the scene in front of him.

  “Hey, sis,” Nick says, sitting down between Ceci and me. “Are you enjoying your birthday weekend so far?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  I’m almost thankful that Nicholas sitting next to me forces Tristan on the other side of us. That is until I realize he’s sitting next to Ceci. Tristan’s gaze briefly catches mine before he begins a quiet conversation with my best friend. I can’t help but feel a slight tinge of jealousy as the two laugh together. The private smiles they share fill me with frustration.

  “I’m going to go swimming.”

  Eyes fall on me as I get up and unwrap my towel from me.

  “Yes, finally!” Augie says.

  The black bikini I brought hugs my body tightly as I walk towards the water. Augie doesn’t wait for me to get in the water; he simply pulls me in with him. Cold saltwater hits me, and I cough as some of it gets in my mouth. The water is cold, but our bodies quickly get used to the temperature as we tread through the water.

  “Yuck, this is so gross,” I say, avoiding the dead seaweed that floats by me.

  “He’s staring at you,” Augie says, nodding to Tristan back on the beach.

  I look to the beach and spot Tristan standing next to Ceci and Nicholas. To my surprise, Ceci’s top is back on. For a brief moment, Tristan’s gaze lingers over toward us in the water.

  “He’s too busy flirting with Ceci.”

  “Oooh, do I detect some jealousy?”

  “Fuck you,” I laugh, splashing Augie.

  Augie pulls me into his arms and pushes me underwater. When I rise back up, my eyes search for Tristan. This time, I see him standing close to the water and Ceci’s with him. I turn to Augie trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach at the sight of them together. Augie looks down at me with a sympathetic smile.

  “It’s okay to let yourself like him.”

  “I don’t.”

  “That’s why you lied and said I was your boyfriend?”

  I swim away from Augie toward the beach, but he quietly follows behind me. Sadness fills my heart as I watch Tristan walking along the beach laughing with Ceci about something. I wish I could be that carefree around the person who took my virginity. Took is the wrong word. I freely gave it to him. It’s my body that betrayed me. I shiver, but I’m n
ot sure if it’s at the memory or the temperature of the water.

  I turn back to Augie as a volcano of emotions threatens to explode.

  “I lied because Tristan was the guy who ruined me for all other guys. I don’t think I ever loved anyone as much as him. He was the first guy I had sex with. It was so brief, I’m not even sure you could call it sex. Then he left after my brother died. He kept in touch with Nicholas, but he completely removed himself from my life.”

  The surprised look on Augie’s face makes me want to both laugh and cry. He pulls me into his arms and gives me a tight squeeze.

  “I have a feeling that you’re most upset about him leaving than the actual sex part.”

  “Maybe,” I admit.

  “I know it’s hard putting yourself out there sometimes.”

  “Not for you.”

  Augie laughs and rolls his eyes. “Speaking of, would you hate me if I left tonight?”

  “No… Why?”

  “I got a text from Harvey. He wants to go out tomorrow night.”

  I smile. “That’s great!”

  “It is. I should probably go get my stuff together.”

  “I’ll help you pack,” I say, grateful for the distraction.

  As we head back to shore toward the beach house, I see two bimbos with giant tits hanging around Nicholas and Tristan. I thought my bikini was tight, but theirs look like they were taped on. Don’t look at Tristan. Don’t look. It’s better if I just ignore my feelings for him. My self-control works for a while, but at the last minute, I look back. Fuck. A sting of jealousy hits me as I spot Ceci pressing herself against Tristan they walk the beach.

  * * * * *

  I stare blankly into the kitchen taking in the words of my conversation with Augie earlier today. The house is quiet despite the party atmosphere that lingered earlier. I step out into the living room to find Ceci sprawled across the white suede couch still passed out from swimming earlier. My brother is nowhere in sight, but I can only assume he went home with one of the models Tristan and he ended up talking to. I grab a spare blanket and cover Ceci as she shivers in her sleep. It’s already late in the evening, but I still can’t sleep.