***
I awoke about two hours later, sweating and delirious. I felt disoriented in the big bed, and jumped out and walked around the room. I wanted to go home. I wanted to be in my own space and look at the photos of my parents. I wiped my head and cleared my dry throat and decided to go down to the kitchen to get a glass of water. I knew that I couldn’t go back to bed right away. Not with the images of my parents so fresh in my mind. I walked lightly, hoping not to make any noise and I looked around the house in awe. It was beautiful and large, in a non-ostentatious way. This must be what Scarlett O’Hara must have felt every day at Tara, I thought as I floated down the stairs imagining myself to be the lady of the manor. What would it feel like to live in a palatial home like this? I looked at the statues in the foyer, lit up by the moonlight shining through the window. I was a bit surprised at the décor of the house. It seemed to be a bit sophisticated for someone Zane’s age, but what did I really know? I jumped from the staircase to the ground, and the marble floor beneath my feet was cold enough to make me cry out slightly. I paused, and looked up the staircase to make sure that I hadn’t disturbed Zane.
I walked quickly through the hallway and into the kitchen, trying to be as quiet as possible. I walked into the kitchen and looked around in amazement—it was beautiful. I was just about to open the doublewide, stainless steel fridge when I felt something on my back.
“Argh!” I screamed and turned around quickly, my heart beating rapidly.
“Hey sorry.” Zane’s voice was calm and slow, and he looked at me with a twinkle in his eyes. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I was just coming to get some water.” I muttered, unable to stop myself from looking at his naked chest. Zane looked even more handsome and muscular than I had imagined, and I was slightly overwhelmed by the urge to run my hands across his chest. “I was feeling sexy—I mean, thirsty.” I quickly corrected myself, blushing furiously.
“I don’t see why you can’t have been feeling both ways.” He laughed and opened a drawer. “I think I’ll join you in a glass.”
“Did I wake you up?” I watched his biceps flex as he took the glasses out, and I swallowed hard.
“No, I couldn’t sleep.”
“Oh.” I wanted to ask him why, but I didn’t want him to think I was being nosey.
“I was about to go in the hot tub.”
“Oh.” I looked down and realized he was wearing a pair of swimming trunks. I stared at his muscular thighs and wondered if he played soccer. I had always had a thing for guys who played soccer.
“You are welcome to join me if you like.”
“I don’t have a swimsuit.” Please don’t tell me you have one for me to borrow, I thought to myself. I couldn’t stand to think of myself wearing one of his skanky girlfriend’s outfits.
“We can skinny dip.” He winked, and laughed at my mortified expression. “I’m joking, Lucky.”
“I knew that.” I swallowed the water quickly, trying to ignore the telltale feelings in my stomach. “I should just go to bed.”
“Or we can just talk?” He smiled. “If that would help.”
“You don’t want to talk.”
“How little you trust me, Lucky.” He cocked his head and smiled. “But actually yes, I would love to talk.”
I bit my lip and giggled. “I didn’t mean that you wanted anything else or anything, just that maybe you wanted to relax and not feel the need to entertain me.”
“Thanks for clarifying that.” He grinned and opened a cupboard. “Want some cookies?”
“What cookies do you have?” I paused. “And do you have hot chocolate as well?”
“You are not going to eat cookies and drink hot chocolate as well?” Zane looked at me with a shocked expression.
“There’s a reason I’m not a size 0.” I laughed, suddenly feeling a lightness between us. I wasn’t sure what had changed between us, and it was almost imperceptible, but I could sense a change in the way Zane was smiling at me.
“Will you make us both a hot chocolate if I can find the ingredients?” Zane pulled out a jar of Cadbury’s drinking chocolate, and I opened the fridge to look for some milk.
“Of course.”
“Will you dunk your legs into the hot tub at least?” He smiled at me. “As we drink our hot chocolate.”
“I guess I could do that.” I laughed.
“Okay, I have Lorna Doone shortbread and Oreos. Which one do you want?”
“Both.” I laughed and grabbed an Oreo. “My parents used to call me the real cookie monster.”
“Oh yeah?” He made a face. “I used to be called Tickle Me Elmo.”
“Really? Why?”
“Because I love to tickle.” He reached under my arms and started tickling me. I shrieked and pulled away from him.
“Oh stop.” I laughed hysterically. “I’m too ticklish.”
“Beg me to stop.” He looked down at me, and I realized that he had me backed up to the counter. I felt his bare chest pushing against me, and I couldn’t stop my body from reverberating into his as he tickled me.
“Zane, please.” I gulped as I stared into his blue devilish eyes.
“Beg me,” he purred down at me silkily.
“I’m begging you, Zane.” I put my hand on his forearm and we stood there still for a few moments, just gazing into each other’s eyes.
“You have pretty hair.” He said, distractedly.
“Thank you.”
“How old are you, Lucky?”
“I’m 22.” I licked my lips nervously and studied the cleft in his chin. “What about you?”
“25.” He stared into my eyes, unblinking.
“So many more playboy years ahead for you then, huh?” I heard the words coming out of my lips, and I wasn’t sure why I had said them.
“You could say that.” His eyes crinkled, and he stepped back from me. I wanted to groan, because my body missed the warmth of his so close to mine, but instead, I turned around to spoon out some sugar into the cups. “So you don’t have a boyfriend, huh?” I heard his voice whisper into my ear, and I nearly jumped out of my skin at how close to me he was. I could feel his chest against my back, and his breath was tickling my ear.
“No, not right now.”
“That’s a pity.”
“It is?”
“Yeah, a beautiful girl like you needs a man to …”
“I don’t need a man for anything.” I frowned, annoyed at his words.
“You obviously need a man to take care of you.” He laughed and grabbed a cookie. “That’s not a bad thing.”
“I don’t need anyone to take care of me,” my voice rose, and I could feel my blood pressure rising.
“Every girl I know needs a man.”
“I’m not every girl you know.” I narrowed my eyes and pushed past him. “I think I’m going to skip the cookies and go to bed.”
“Wait, Lucky.” He grabbed my shoulder and sighed. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I’m sure.” I rolled my eyes at him, and I paused as I saw his eyes crinkle and look away from me.
“You're not like other girls are you, Lucky?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Shall we go and talk in the hot tub?”
“No thanks.” I twirled around. “I think I want to go to bed now.”
“You think I’m a jerk, huh?”
“I think you are an egotistical ass, yes.” I spat out, my harsh words belying the calmness in my face.
“That’s heavy.” He frowned.
“You date a different girl every week and tell me I need a man. I think anyone would agree with me. You are an ass.”
“I don’t date a different girl every week. Just because I take a girl out for dinner, doesn’t mean it’s a date.”
“I don’t even care.” I sighed. “I have other things to worry about.”
“I told you, I will help you with your car.”
“I don’t need your help.”
/> “I need your help though.” His voice was low. “Can we go and talk please?”
I looked at him suspiciously. What help could he possibly need from me?
“Can’t it wait?” I yawned, all excitement and adrenaline having left my body.
“It can wait.” He smiled at me sweetly and stretched. I watched as his muscles flexed and I found my eyes on his sexy chest again. He had a light spattering of hair across his pecks, and I wanted to reach over and caress it. I wanted my fingers to confirm that his hair was as silky soft as it looked. I wanted to feel his arms around me, holding me close. I wanted my head pressed against his heart, listening to his heartbeat. Zane Beaumont was the guy I had been fantasizing about for months, and now here he was in front of me, in all his glory. I held in a groan. I was mad at myself for wanting to be with this man, in all the wrong ways.
“I’m going to bed.” I turned around and ran up the stairs quickly.
“I don’t bite, Lucky.” He shouted up at me from the bottom of the stairs with a laugh, and I ran quickly to my room. I jumped into the bed and stared at the ceiling, breathing heavily. All I could picture was Zane’s face. I sighed and rolled over and tried to think about something else, but I couldn’t get him out of my mind. As I drifted to sleep, images of Zane, on top of me and kissing me all over, flooded my mind.
Chapter 4
“Lucky, are you awake?”
“No.” I groaned from the bed with my eyes still closed.
“Can I come in?” Zane’s voice sounded too sexy for this hour of the day. “No.” I groaned and rolled over in the bed.
I heard the door creak slightly as it opened and Zane walked up to my bed. “Good morning, Lucky.”
“Not really.” I rolled over and peeked at him from under the covers. I was slightly disappointed when I saw him wearing a grey t-shirt, and tried to ignore the urge to reach up and pull him down to me.
“Sorry for waking you up, but I figured we should go and get your car before it gets towed by the police.”
“Oh shit.” I jumped up out of the bed quickly. “I didn’t think about that.” I stumbled slightly as I hit the ground and Zane grabbed me around the waist.
“Careful. We can’t afford to have you hurting yourself as well.”
“I’m fine.” I pulled away from him reluctantly.
“Good.” He ran his hand through his hair, and I watched as he rubbed the stubble around his mouth. “So, I have a proposition for you.”
“Oh yeah?” I looked at him in surprise, wondering what he was going to say.
“I think it’s something that will work for both of us. You need money and I—” he continued, with a silky voice.
“I’m not going to be your paid escort,” I blurted out. “I may need the money, but I don’t need it that bad.”
“Lucky, I was just going—”
“I know you think I’m a mess, and I need a man. But I don’t. I can look after myself. I don’t need your money, and I don’t need you in my bed.”
“Who said anything about bed?” He smirked.
“I don’t want to be your sub.”
“My sub?” He frowned. “Like my sandwich?”
“No.” I whispered slowly. “I’m not a sexual deviant.”
“And I am?” His eyes twinkled. “Lucky, how did you know I was going to ask you to be my sub in exchange for paying for your car repairs?”
“Wait, what?” I frowned up at him and groaned. “Sorry just ignore everything I have just said. I think I’m still half asleep.”
“Were you dreaming about being my sub?”
“No, of course not.”
“So just normal sex then.”
“Yeah.” I muttered and flushed. “I mean no. I wasn’t dreaming about you at all. I don’t even believe in casual sex. Well, not anymore.”
“Oh?” Zane sat down on the bed and grinned at me.
“I need to go and shower.” I turned away, flustered. “You made me confused waking me up out of my sleep like that.”
“Don’t you want to hear my idea first?”
“What idea?” I frowned, looking back at him.
“Sit.” He patted the spot next to him on the bed. “Sit, take a deep breath and listen.”
I sat on the bed next to him and looked at him curiously. “You’re really bossy, you know that?”
“I know.” He grinned. “I also know you’re not the quiet sweet girl you seemed to be at Lou’s.”
“Disappointed?” I laughed, self-consciously running my hand through my dark brown hair.
“Not at all.” He turned towards me and reached over and rubbed something by my eye. “Sorry, you had some sleep in your eye.”
“Thanks.” I felt breathless as his finger traced down my cheek.
“You’re beautiful.” His words were slow, and he spoke as if in a trance. “You’re really beautiful.”
“Thanks.” I bit my lip, unsure of how to answer him. “I’m not really sure what to say.”
“Can I kiss you?” He leaned towards me, and I shook my head.
“No.” I held my breath, hoping he would kiss me anyway.
“I love that.” He shook his head, and laughed as he pulled away from me.
“Sure you do.”
“You’ve got a smart mouth, huh?”
“Are you going to tell me your idea before my car gets towed, Zane?” I tried to pretend that I wasn’t completely and utterly dazzled by him. “I don’t have all day.”
“I’m looking for someone to be my part-time assistant.” He paused. “And I like and trust you, and I know from seeing you at Lou’s that you have a strong work ethic.”
“You what?” I looked at him like he was crazy. That was the last thing I had expected to hear. “You want me to work for you?”
“I know that’s not as exciting as being my sub, but I need a girl Friday so to speak and you need money, so I thought that perhaps we could make something work.”
“I don’t know.” I frowned. “Between school and the diner, I don’t have much time.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to find someone else.” He jumped up off of the bed and walked towards the door, pausing and looking back at me just before he walked out. “Do you have any other suggestions for your car?”
“I, wait, what?” I jumped up and shook my head. “I didn’t say no, I just said I don’t know.”
“Lucky.” He frowned at me. “I don’t have time to mess around.”
“What?” I walked towards him. “You have barely even given me a second to think about this.”
He sighed and looked away from me. “Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Maybe you wouldn’t be such a—”
“I accept the position.” My voice was firm and loud. I was angry at how dismissive he was being. “I accept the position, and I would like us to go and get my car now.”
“Okay.” He grinned. “Meet me downstairs in five minutes.”
“Wait, aren’t we going to discuss this further?”
“We can talk later.” He exited the room and called back. “Downstairs in five minutes.”
I rushed to the en suite bathroom and quickly washed my face. I wasn’t sure what I had just accepted, but I felt really excited. Excited and scared at the same time. Zane Beaumont was not the sort of guy I should be getting involved with deeper. I knew it in my soul, but something was drawing me closer and closer to him.
“I’m going downstairs now, Lucky.” I heard Zane’s voice, and I quickly rushed back into the room and pulled on my clothes.
“I’m coming.” I ran down the stairs puffing, and I saw Zane laughing at me as I joined him in the foyer.
“You could have been a few minutes late.” He laughed and grabbed his car keys, and I scowled at him. “Most girls are.”
“I’m not most girls.” I followed him out of the front door and ran my fingers through my hair to get the knots out. I got into the passenger side of the car, and Zane pulled out of the driveway wordlessly. “So what�
��s the plan?” I asked impatiently.
“The plan?” He looked at me sideways and raised his eyebrows.
“What am I going to be doing as your assistant?”
“Catering to my every whim.” He smirked and whipped out his phone. “Hey Gus, I’m towing a friends car to your garage. Work on it, fix it, and bill me, okay?”
I looked at him wide-eyed as he spoke to someone on the phone and I frowned. How dare he just take control over what was going to happen to my car?
“I’m not sure what happened, but it broke down last night. Yeah, on the highway. She’s lucky I was there.” He hung up, and I leaned over to him.
“You didn’t even ask if I wanted my car towed to your friend’s.”
“He’s not my friend. He’s my mechanic, and he’s one of the best in Miami. It seemed to me that you didn’t have anywhere else that you wanted it to go.”
“That’s not the point.” I sighed. “You can’t just make a decision like that for me. I already have a quote. I have no idea how much this guy is going to charge.”
“Let me worry about that.”
“I don’t want to let you worry about that, if that’s okay with you,” I said sarcastically.
“Do you have something against men, Lucky?”
“Do you have something against women?” I shook my head. “You’re insufferable, Zane Beaumont.”
“I think I’m being a pretty nice guy.” He shot a grin at me, and I turned away from him. I heard his phone ringing and rolled my eyes as I heard his voice purr into the phone.
“Morning deary.” I felt jealous as he spoke into the phone and quickly took out my phone to see if I had any messages. I felt a warm thrill shoot through me as I saw I had a text from Braydon, asking if I had gotten home okay. I text him back quickly, trying to ignore Zane sweet-talking some girl on the phone.
“Maybe we can go for dinner?” He purred. “I’m not available for lunch today.”
“Don’t decline because of me,” I hissed towards him, and I saw him frown as he pulled up behind my car, still talking into the phone.
“Angelique, can I call you back later?” He stopped the car, and I jumped out, not wanting to hear him sweet talk the leggy blonde I had met the night before. “Lucky, get back in the car.” Zane got out of his car and shouted at me as I walked to my car. “It’s too dangerous for you to be standing on the side of the road.”
The Last Boyfriend Page 5