Jaxon revved his car’s engine and pulled slowly into the parking lot and he cruised into a spot.
He climbed out, turning to shut the door and then lean his ass on the side of his car with his arms folded over his chest. He crossed his ankles and watched me from about a hundred feet away.
He might as well have been a few inches away with his hands touching me wherever his gaze did, I could feel his presence that intensely.
I stared back. He wasn’t going to intimidate me. Plus, how would he know I wasn’t afraid of him, if all I did was avoid him? Yeah, that was going to be my story. I didn’t want him to think I was scared, so I’d keep putting myself in his path and make sure he knew I was there.
We were both in a shitty position because of the lies we’d told about the other person.
Maybe later I’d let Jaxon know about my theory on how to gain our integrity back. If we didn’t want to lie, then we would have to follow through with what we said we’d done. If he wanted me to change my side of the story, he better make sure he didn’t suck in bed.
My soft smile turned into a full-on grin as I thought about it. Jaxon tilted his head my direction from where he stood, as if inviting me to join him.
I could, too. I would, if I hadn’t already made plans with Stephanie. My grin turned apologetic as she pulled up beside me. Without looking back, I climbed into the car and shut the door.
He could wonder where I was going and what I was doing for a little bit before I took him up on his offer.
The guy was delicious, but that didn’t mean he needed to know he was irresistible. He didn’t need to have all the power.
“Ready to rock?” Stephanie winked at me, her carefree expression hiding the pain she had to have inside. She was considering adoption, but wasn’t ready to make that decision just yet. One way or the other, she was having the baby and that meant I had a built-in designated driver.
Maybe for the first time, I’d let myself have a little fun.
Chapter 12
Braddox
If Olivia was going to be the catalyst between Jaxon and I getting to the root of our problem and fighting our shit out, then she was proving to be worth more than even I’d valued her at.
I wanted her, sure. I found her hot as hell and smarter than most other people. There was something alive about her that no other girl could replicate. When she’d finally given over to me Friday night and kissed me with the passion I knew was in her, I felt the click.
We belonged together. I could feel it. She was supposed to be with me. Jaxon was just there to distract her, confuse her. The only way I could get him out of the way was to make sure she chose me.
How could I do that, if she wouldn’t even talk to me? How could I get her to choose me, if she was closer to Jaxon and easier for him to access? What if they’d slept together? Was that something I could accept? Move past?
I wasn’t sure why Jaxon had fixated himself on her. She was my match, not his. Maybe he thought because we were twins, he had to have everything I did. Hadn’t he learned that he would never get the same things as me? He wasn’t my caliber. Never had been.
The only way I could get Olivia out of Jaxon’s grasp was to make sure she was no longer easy access for him.
While my plan seemed to be working, I couldn’t rush it along or it wouldn’t stick. I needed it to stick. Olivia needed it to stick. She just didn’t know it yet.
I stood at the window beside the conservatory my father had built for my mother before she’d cheated on him and left. Staring out at the water as it reflected back a darker version of the blue skies above it, I stood with my hands tucked in my pockets. Contemplating the changes I’d endured over the last few years, I found it hard to accept that I’d lost my brother. My mother hadn’t wanted either of us, but she’d wanted to hurt Dad so she’d made him choose which one would stay with him and which would stay with her.
Dad hadn’t wanted to choose. He’d made Jaxon and I figure things out.
I would never forget the pain in my brother’s eyes when I told him he wasn’t good enough to stay with Dad. He wasn’t strong enough.
The truth was… I wasn’t. I wasn’t strong enough to change the way I lived. I preferred the conveniences that money afforded and I wasn’t a strong enough person to deal with change the way Jaxon could.
Plus… to my ever-dying shame, I couldn’t forgive my mother. I couldn’t forgive her for ruining our family, for turning her back on everything that was good in my life, for tearing apart a bond that my brother and I had.
She didn’t deserve both of us. The only one of us that could stand to forgive anyone for anything was Jaxon.
I’d counted on that when I’d made him go with her. I’d planned on him forgiving me and us moving on with our lives, visiting each other and doing sleepovers and whatever else we would do in a separated family.
Except…
I blinked back tears that I refused to shed. Forget it. I had to forget the way he’d run to Dad’s office, begging to let him stay, begging for a second chance. I had to forget how sad he’d been, an eleven-year-old with a broken heart. I could almost feel the same pain he’d been riddled with.
He was my twin; my best friend, and I’d tossed him away. I’d sacrificed him to my own selfishness and there was no going back from that.
He didn’t know I was the reason Mom was addicted to the drugs. He didn’t know that another kid at school had snuck pills into my backpack and that Mom had found them when she’d looked for a permission slip.
Who could have known that she’d try them because she was sad and lonely while my dad worked all the time?
She’d sobbed the entire story to me when she’d begged me to find out who had given me the pills and where she could get more.
Rather than tell my dad and get Mom help, I’d done what she’d asked.
I’d never been able to say no to her. Living with her wasn’t an option for me. My guilt would destroy us both.
My phone buzzed. I blinked again, allowing myself to snap from my memories and return to the present. Maybe the caller was Olivia. When I saw the caller ID I set my jaw. When I got a call from my private security detail, it wasn’t a good thing.
“Go.” I turned from the window and moved into the house. Rather than head toward the kitchen to order my meal, I crossed to the front door. The chef would wait until well past eleven o’clock for any orders my dad or I made. I wasn’t even interested in eating.
“She’s on the move. About to cross into California.” Benedict’s somber, raspy voice matched the dark glasses, black pants, and shirt he wore as he drove a nondescript sedan to follow Olivia. I’d hired him to protect her but to also get me the information on her whereabouts at all times.
I knew she’d left the school before she even knew what she was doing. She’d gone home, before her mom had left the place. Then she’d stayed at the apartment all day.
Now she was on the move?
“What is she driving?” I crossed the hardwood flooring of the living room and retrieved the keys to my car. If she was with Jaxon, I’d chase them both down and mangle some flesh, family or not.
“She’s in a BMW. She’s not driving. The car belongs to a Miss Stephanie Vassar.” The sounds of an engine in the background suggested he still followed her.
“Stay with her. When they stop, text me the address. I’m heading that way.” I hung up. If Jaxon wasn’t involved, this was going to be an opportunity to feel her out – or up – whichever chance I had, I’d take.
I climbed into the Nova and tore out of the driveway.
As I drove down the highway along the edge of the ocean, I couldn’t help wishing Olivia would just fall into line, do what she was expected. My life would be so much easier.
And yet, she wouldn’t be Olivia and I probably wouldn’t want her as much as I did.
Another half-hour past while I enjoyed the spring breeze blowing through my window before Benedict’s text came in.
Miss Kitty’s Play Box
Furrowing my brow, I copied the name and address into my GPS and started the route. Fifteen more minutes. They hadn’t gone far past the state line.
I closed the distance and pulled into a gravel-parking lot just north of Smith. Miss Kitty’s Play Box could have been classy once with its columned wraparound porch and three levels climbing into the sky surrounded by thick foliaged trees and a well-maintained lawn.
A neon sign with a cat holding a cigarette and the name of the establishment tarnished the country-style feel to the building. Chipped paint caught the light, casting shadows up the siding and making them appear bigger than they were.
There was handicap access on the far side, and raucous music poured from the left open front door.
I parked beside one of many BMWs in the lot, amused that Cadillacs, Mercedes, a couple Porsches, and a limousine defined the clientele of the rundown business.
They would more than likely demand a legal age. I reached into my glovebox and pulled out my fake ID that aged me at twenty-two instead of so close to eighteen I could count the days on a monthly calendar.
But eighteen wouldn’t be enough in this situation.
I climbed out of the car, looking for Benedict’s car. He slowly pulled alongside the rear of my vehicle and rolled down his window. I moved close, staring at the house while waiting for his report.
“The two girls went inside a few minutes ago. Maybe three. They sat in the car for about twenty before doing anything. They’re inside now.”
I nodded curtly, tapping his car three times to excuse him. He didn’t say anything more as he pulled away, the crunch of gravel on gravel louder than his car engine.
Olivia had gone inside. Things were getting more and more interesting.
I palmed my ID and a twenty dollar bill as I strode from the lot to the front doors.
The steps creaked as I climbed them, barely audible over the pulsating music coming from inside.
A woman tastefully dressed in a black sheath dress with black heels and her hair modestly plaited in a braid down her back stood inside the foyer beside a walk-in closet and a benched seat. She motioned toward the bench when she saw me and held out her hand. “I need ID, please. You can remove your shoes here.”
I slid my license and the cash into her palm and she didn’t bat an eye. I nodded toward the shoes and met her gaze. “I’m leaving the shoes on.” I peeled off another twenty, slipping it into her fingers as I leaned closer and reclaimed my ID after she inspected it. “What’s going on tonight that a couple of girls are interested in being here?”
“It’s amateur night. There’s a cash prize of ten grand to first place, five grand for second, and fifteen hundred for third. Any tips they earn, they keep, whether they win or not. There’s a good turnout tonight. I’m sure we could easily convince one of our seasoned dancers to do a private showing.” She batted her eyes at me and I smiled back.
“Thanks, doll. Let me get the lay of the land. I’ll be back.” I reached out and caressed her shoulder, letting my hand trail down her bicep. If she were a cat, she would’ve purred. There’s no guarantee she didn’t either.
I stepped over the threshold, vowing to keep my shoes no matter what. Taking someone’s shoes seemed emasculating and I wasn’t there to get my balls cut off.
I pushed through the crowd of men and women gathered around the stage that was set up in the center of the lower level. Where the establishment looked like a house on the outside, it had been remodeled and repurposed on the inside to resemble a disco hall. All of the rooms had been gutted and left open to expand the viewing capabilities of the floor. In the center was a large stage set up with ten poles that could have also doubled as support beams for the upper levels. The poles glimmered in the light, reflecting the various colors as they shone brightly on the brushed stainless steel.
A table on the far side held a panel of judges and a sign-up sheet with a banner across the wall behind the six men. The banner read, “Amateur night! Take it off! Get paid for your talent.”
I caught sight of Stephanie Vassar standing in line. She bounced on her toes and then reached to her side and pulled Olivia closer, pointing emphatically at the clipboard.
Olivia’s hesitation was clear. She wasn’t the type to show her body to everyone. She wouldn’t want to dance provocatively.
Stephanie reached out as a waitress passed by with a tray of shots and grabbed two. She shoved the full glasses at Olivia who took them with a spark of nerves in her eyes.
Olivia didn’t drink.
As I watched her shoot both ounces of alcohol, I had to give it to her. She might not have drank before, but right then she could have been a pro.
She handed the empty glasses back to Stephanie and nodded when asked something. Stephanie put the shot glasses on the table when they got to the front, bending down to write her name on the next line and tugging Olivia into place beside her.
I’d be damned before I’d let Olivia dance for that group of bawdy men and women. No one was going to see her assets but me.
She slowly wrote her information down and then smiled at her friend as they skipped away from the table.
No matter how much I wanted to watch Olivia take that dress off, I couldn’t allow it to happen in that room.
Maybe she was doing it to win the money. Maybe she was doing it to experience something new. Or maybe she was losing it since her mom had lost everything with her father’s death.
I waited until Olivia was out of sight before approaching the table and judges. I pointed at Olivia’s name on the board and leaned in to the men who didn’t know me but would recognize my power when I dropped my green. “I want a private dance with this one. I’ll pay her the ten grand and I’ll cover your prize money for tonight’s festivities, if I get the room and catering for the night.” I arched an eyebrow as I focused on the obvious owner of the business. His eyes lit up with greed and I knew I had him. The opportunity to save that kind of money was too intriguing.
He glanced at the other guys sitting at the table and nodded without waiting for their answer. “Sounds good.” He snapped his fingers at a bouncer and motioned toward me. “Set him up in the Silver Suite. Tell Beau he’s got a VIP and to make sure he’s taken care of. Grab…” He checked the clipboard and underlined Olivia’s name with his finger. “Contestant thirty-two and tell her she has an audition. I’ll fill her in at the door.” He nodded at me and I followed the bouncer with his anonymous muscles and stiff movements. He was there for security and do what he was told, not to think.
The bouncer led the way up the stairs and I followed into a room decorated in silver. Three sides of the room were lined with well-cushioned seats and small tables placed strategically to hold food and beverages. In the center of the floor a pole came down from the ceiling, centered on a floor that was made entirely of one solid circle mirror. I walked around the framed in staging area, interested in seeing what Olivia looked like as she moved around the glass.
Taking a seat on the cushions, square in the center of the wall, I lounged back, accessing the light controls on the dashboard beside me. I dimmed the perimeter lights, namely so I wasn’t easy to see and left the warm bright lights centered on the pole.
Did I want her to know who I was? Not yet. It would hurt, if she thought I was Jaxon, but at the same time, I could at least find out just how far she was willing to go with my little brother.
If she thought it was me, then what would she do with me? What she’d promised? What she’d teased?
Would the Olivia I knew months ago come back with her timid innocent inexperience or would she have altered since her life had become rougher, more demanding?
I silenced my phone. I didn’t need any texts from Jaxon or Donnie or even Benedict when I was ensconced in that room with only Olivia.
I was paying good money to see just how far she was willing to take things tonight.
A huge part of me worried she wanted it to be Jaxon. An eve
n bigger part of me had the sinking sensation she wasn’t sure which one of us brothers she had a thing for. What if she wanted us both?
That wasn’t going to work for me. I didn’t share well with others, least of all my identical twin.
And why should I?
The door opened and Olivia stepped into the Silver Suite with her eyes wide as she took in the pole and the exterior seating. She covered her eyes with her flat hand, sending her green eyes into shade. “Hello?”
I didn’t move, waiting instead for her eyes to adjust. When she finally saw me, she pressed her hand to her chest and inhaled sharply. “You.”
But which you did she mean? And just how much of that corral sundress was I going to see on the floor?
I refused to speak. If anything, Olivia was going to have to work for it.
I needed her to work for it.
Defining it was what was going to get me in trouble.
Chapter 13
Olivia
The alcohol was definitely humming inside me, but my arms and legs felt fuzzy. When I moved my hand, or thought I was moving my hand gently, I ended up hitting something with it pretty hard. I think it hurt? But I wasn’t sure. It probably should have hurt, but everything was too fuzzy and yet stark at the same time.
Some guy in a tight black shirt stretched over muscles that had to be drug-grown showed me to a room with a silvery haze over it. After my eyes adjusted, I realized it wasn’t a haze, the room was actually silver.
The seating was empty except for one lone man sitting in the center at the crux of the U-style setup.
The bouncer shut the door and I blinked, nervous as hell and not sure what I was expected to do. The judge had told me I was being paid ten grand to dance privately. What exactly did that mean? I wasn’t even sure how to dance in a room full of people, let alone a single guy who was willing to pay that kind of money. What exactly would he want me to do to earn it?
Forsaken: A bully romance (An Academy Twin Rivalry Series Book 1) Page 11