Really, when did I ever pay attention to them? Never. I didn’t care growing up, despite him trying to explain what he did. I still don’t care. The moment I could get away from my father, I fled as fast as I could.
Though I am rather curious when it comes to Tony and his family, and what they mean to my father. Why all the hate for them? I don’t understand.
“Lauri told me,” he says. The second the words leave him, his lips tighten, and I see something in his gaze. Something that tells me he probably shouldn’t have revealed that.
“You two are very friendly.” Now I feel like I have something on him.
“She’s friends with Misti,” he says as his answer, which isn’t a good enough reason for me.
“How are you two so close, when you’re supposed to be away at Harvard?” I ask, my tone one of pure innocence.
“I—ah—ran into a little trouble last summer, so I’m home for the semester.” He stands up straighter. “I’ll go back in the spring.”
“What a shame.” These men who are all bluster and swagger, but beneath it all, it’s bullshit. I am so over being played.
Maybe this is why I’m drawn to Tony. He didn’t lie. Oh, he could’ve. He could’ve made up some bullshit about how he attends Stanford or USC. He could’ve said he was a famous athlete, or brilliant beyond measure and poised to be the next Steve Jobs. They all say this sort of thing, when it’s so unnecessary.
I like honesty in a man.
I also like forbidden things I’m not supposed to touch.
Like Tony Sorrento.
Seven
Tony
I slept in way too late. By the time I get out of bed, it’s past ten and the house is eerily quiet. Considering there are twin toddlers in this place, you’d think I’d hear them screaming and babbling in the halls.
Climbing out of bed, I shuffle into the connecting bathroom and take a piss. Wash my hands. Splash cold water on my face to wake myself up. My hair is sticking straight up, and I try to smooth it down with my damp hands, but it’s no use. I’m clad in only my black boxer briefs, and the water is icy enough to make my skin break out in goosebumps. The last time I saw goosebumps was on Hayden. Last night when we stood on the jungle gym, her hands loosening her dress, exposing gooseflesh dotted skin.
With her devilish smile and taunting words. The flirty skirt of her dress flapping in the breeze, dancing around her slender thighs. Her panties still crumpled in a lacy wad, left in the front pocket of my discarded trousers that lie crumpled on the floor where I abandoned them last night.
After everything that happened, how surreal the entire moment was, I could almost believe last night wasn’t real. Though I know it was.
Her panties in my possession are my evidence.
I walk out of the bathroom at the exact same moment my bedroom door swings open, and there stands Helena in the doorway, clad in a thin white silk nightgown with a matching robe that’s open. Her eyes go wide when she sees me. “Oh! I didn’t think you were awake.”
“You didn’t even knock.” I scratch at my chest, vaguely irritated my new stepmom barged into my room when I’m practically naked.
It’s like she walked in on purpose.
“Sorry.” She rests a hand on her chest, drawing my attention to her tits. They are plumped up nicely, the low neckline of her nightgown offering a delectable view. Though I’m not interested. “I was checking in on you to see if you wanted breakfast.”
“You’re going to make me breakfast?” I ask.
She laughs, and it’s a pleasant tinkling sound. Flirtatious. She’s far more flirty than she was last night. “No, silly. We have a cook for that.”
“Where’s my father?”
Her expression falls. Guess I wasn’t supposed to mention him. “Holed up in his office.”
“And my sisters?”
“Taking a nap. You slept in late.” She steps farther into my room, shutting the door behind her. “Did you sleep comfortably last night?”
What is this woman about? “Sure.”
“Good.” She stops right in front of me, and I can see there’s a lot of skin on display, though I’m showing more. She’s studying me with interest, and usually when an attractive woman checks me out, I feel a stir.
Nothing is stirring. Not at all. Thank fucking God for that.
“I just wanted to let you know it makes your father very happy that you’re here. That everyone he loves is under one roof,” she says, her voice low, her eyes glowing as she watches me.
“I’m sure he’s thrilled.” That’s all I say. What else is there to say? He just wants to control me. That’s the sense I got last night.
“I should warn you though,” she starts, then clamps her lips shut, her gaze unsure.
“Warn me about what?”
“Your father wasn’t happy when you left.” She tilts her head to the side, her dark hair spilling over her shoulder. “We didn’t know where you were.”
“I had to leave. That country club shit is stifling,” I say honestly.
“Who did you leave with?”
I remain quiet.
“Because I saw you get into a car with a certain blonde,” she continues.
Fucking hell. “It was nothing.”
“Sneaking off with Hayden Channing is a big deal to your father, Tony. He won’t be pleased.”
“I’m not here to please him.”
“You should be. He’s worth a fortune, and he wants to retire soon,” she says. “And he wants to leave everything to you.”
Alarm races through me. “What do you mean, everything?”
“The entire business. He wants you to take over soon. You have to know this.”
“He’s never mentioned it to me before.”
“I suppose it’s an unspoken expectation. Your father has lots of those.” She crosses her arms, plumping up her breasts. “He’s allowing you to go to college, so you can get it out of your system, as he says.”
“Get what out of my system?”
“Partying. Football. Whatever else you do. Once you graduate, you’re expected to come work for him.” She steps even closer to me, her robe brushing against my bare legs, and rests her hand right at the center of my chest. “Your skin is so hot.”
I take a step back and her hand drops. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Nothing.” She blinks at me, her baby blues wide. “Just trying to help you understand what’s going on here, and what’s expected of you.”
“It looks like you’re trying to get with me,” I say, sneering.
She throws her head back and laughs. “Why would I need to do that, when I have your father in my bed every night? You’re just a baby.”
“I’m closer in age to you than he is,” I remind her.
Her lips form into a tight line, ignoring what I said. “Just—be smart, Tony. Align yourself with the right people.”
“Or what?” I ask.
“Or you’ll find yourself on the wrong side of your father, and you don’t want that,” she says.
“What happens if I don’t want to take over the business?” I don’t know why I asked her that, but she’s closer to my father than I am. I haven’t figured him out yet. I never really have. And it’s not like he’s talking business with me right now. It’s all happy reunion and let’s have a good time vibes coming from him.
Guess he was going to hit me with the heavy business stuff later.
“Then he’ll sell it to someone else, I suppose. Which is the wrong move, if you ask me. He has no desire to let me help. Claims I wouldn’t understand. And the girls are too young. Even if they were older, he wouldn’t leave it to them. He says what he does isn’t women’s work.” Her voice is filled with disgust.
Charming. My father is a sexist asshole. “I don’t want it.”
“You’d be a fucking fool to give it up. Don’t be stupid. You could make the business grow. Make it bigger.” She smiles, and it’s this cunning curl of her lips. I would
n’t be surprised if her tongue snuck out and she licked them right now. “I could help you.”
“I need to take a shower.” I took one last night, but she doesn’t know that. “You should leave.”
She doesn’t move. Just stares at me for a moment, contemplative. “Do you need assistance?” she finally asks.
As if she’s offering her own personal services…
What am I even thinking? Of course, she’s offering herself up as “help”.
“I thought I was too young for you.”
“I could teach you a few things,” she offers.
“No.” I tip my head toward the door. “You should leave.”
She turns away, her robe fanning out like a cape. “You don’t know what you’re missing,” she says as she makes her way for the door. “Just think about what I said, Tony. And know that your stepmother will always be here for you. Whenever you need me.”
The door quietly shuts, the soft click ringing loud in the room, and I rush toward it, not subtly when I turn the lock as loud as possible. I don’t need that bitch coming back in here.
I return to the bed, yanking the covers up before I grab my phone. What the fuck is going on here? I feel like I’m trapped in some sort of mystery movie, where everyone is making a move on each other, and nothing is what it seems.
It fucking sucks.
Once I get my shit together, I leave my dad’s house without a goodbye to any of them. Just a quick text to my father, thanking him for letting me stay for the weekend. I make it back to Fresno in record time, and I’ve never been more relieved to pull into my condo parking lot as I am right now. I grab my overnight bag and head for my place, grateful to find my friends doing the usual in the living room. The blinds are drawn and the room is dim, save for the flashing of the giant TV mounted on the wall. There are old, empty pizza boxes on top of the coffee table, and cans of soda and beer scattered everywhere.
Home sweet home.
“Tony! Bro! How was it?” This is from Caleb, who’s slouched in a gaming chair, controller in hand, gaze fixed on the TV.
“Sucked,” I say cheerfully as I let my bag drop on the floor. I go to the couch and sit on it, popping open the pizza boxes to see if there’s any leftover slices inside.
I’m out of luck.
“How’s dear old dad?” asks Diego. I’m surprised he’s here. He’s usually with Jocelyn all the time now.
“Bossy as fuck.” I send him a look. “What are you doing here?”
“Jocelyn is hanging out with her friends at her apartment. I had to get out of there,” he explains. “Was kind of sad you were gone for the weekend.”
I rest my hand over my heart. “Aw, did you miss me?”
He reaches for the paper plate next to him, grabbing a leftover pizza crust and threatening to throw it at me. “No,” he says with a laugh.
“How was your stepmom?” Caleb asks. He looked her up on Google when I told them where I was going this weekend, and he deemed her fuckable.
He deems every woman with a decent face and nice tits fuckable, so this wasn’t exactly news.
“I think she wants to fuck me,” I tell him. I probably would’ve said this even if it wasn’t true just to see his reaction, but…
It is true.
Caleb turns his chair around, forgetting all about the game as he studies me. Meanwhile, he dies a glorious, gruesome death on screen. “What the actual fuck? Are you serious?”
I nod, ignoring my growling stomach. “She came into my room this morning in nothing but a sexy nightgown.”
I don’t mention the robe. Figured that would detract from the point I’m trying to make.
“No way,” Caleb breathes, his eyes wide. This is the stuff of fantasies for him. “Did you take her up on her offer?”
“Hell no.” I shake my head. “I don’t trust her.”
“You don’t have to trust someone to fuck them,” Caleb says solemnly. Always full of good advice, this guy. “You can just bang her and be done with it.”
“She’s married to my father, Caleb. That would make things really awkward,” I remind him.
“You never see that guy much anyway. What’s the big deal?” He shrugs.
I grab an empty beer can and hurl it at him. He bats it away with his hand at the last second, laughing. “No thanks. I don’t need the trouble.”
“Is she hot at least?” Diego asks.
“She’s attractive.” I keep my tone neutral. Helena is a beautiful woman. She carries herself well. As if she was born to be a rich man’s wife. I’m sure her propositioning me is not the first time she’s engaged in a discreet affair my father doesn’t know about. I’m also fairly certain he’s cheated on her too. He did the same thing to my mother.
Mom couldn’t handle it though. She’d call him out every single time, and after a while, he got so obvious with it all, I wondered if he wanted to get caught. Just to get the marriage over with. But they held onto each other a lot longer than I thought they would. Probably because of money.
As in, my dad didn’t want to give her any.
“What an opportunity. I’d fuck that so fast. At the very least, I’d let her give me a blowie,” Caleb says with a grin.
“You’re an idiot,” I tell him.
“So what? Sometimes you’ve gotta do it for the stories, you know? Hashtag no regrets.”
“I have no regrets,” I tell him.
“Liar. You regret all kinds of things.”
“Like what?”
“Like Sophie.”
“I don’t regret her.” My response is immediate.
She is the last person I want to talk about.
“You regret letting her go without a fight. Don’t bother denying it. You told me that right after she left,” Caleb says.
The look on Diego’s face is full of sympathy. There’s a guy full of regrets. But he took a chance and went after what he wanted. Who he loved. In the end, he came out on top.
At the time of my breakup with Sophie, I thought I regretted letting her go. Not like she gave me a choice. She came to me, ready to end things, her decision already made. She didn’t give me a chance to fight for her. Her mind was made up.
“It’s hard to keep hold of someone who doesn’t want you.” I think of my father. And my mom too. I could go full-blown woe is me right now, and sink into a deep depression over the fact that no one wants me. No one cares enough to stick around.
But I don’t. Instead, I think of Hayden. And how glad I am I left the country club with her and went to that church. The view was stunning. The girl showing me the view even more so.
I contemplate telling Caleb about her, but in the end, I remain quiet, and I talk shit with them for the rest of the night as we play Call of Duty. Eventually, Diego leaves to go back home to his girls. Caleb gets a booty call. I’m left alone.
There was no point in telling them about Hayden anyway. Caleb would want the dirty details and if he found out she went to Fresno State, he’d immediately go in search of her. Not to snag her from me, but only because he’s curious. That’s how he is. Like an overeager puppy, he doesn’t know when to stop.
No, it’s best I keep her to myself. For now, Hayden is my secret.
Eight
Hayden
I’m in the library on campus because it’s the only place I can study without anyone disturbing me. After freshman year, Gracie and I moved in together, along with two other girls, into a two-bedroom apartment off campus. We stayed in the same apartment but with two different girls the beginning of this fall semester, and while I could probably convince my father to pay my rent for an apartment all by myself, then I would miss the full college experience, as I call it.
Besides, I enjoy living with Gracie. She’s fun. Sometimes, though, she’s too much fun, like today. I need peace and quiet, and she wants to talk to me about the latest guy she’s been going out with. She’s the type who’ll describe his dick size and tell me all the dirty things he says to her—or the
lack of dirty things he’s not saying to her. I’m sure she’ll fall madly in love with this one.
Gracie is in love with the idea of being in love, which is the complete opposite of my feelings. I think romantic love is a crock of shit we’ve been groomed to believe in since coming out of the womb. Gracie respects my feelings. I respect hers. Meaning, we are the perfect balance as roommates and friends.
And while I’m always down to offer up my best friend advice about her latest guy, I really need to concentrate on this paper I have to write for my American Classics in Literature class. It’s due in two days, and I think I have about two sentences written so far. That’s it.
FML.
I’m tucked away into a corner of the library not many people use, sitting at a small table and tapping away on my laptop when I swear I feel someone watching me. I lift my head and look around, but see no one.
Probably just my overly vivid imagination.
One thing I can’t stop thinking about is Tony Sorrento and what happened between us Saturday night. I’m still not exactly sure what gave me the courage to act so boldly, and I sort of regret it. Coming on to him like that, offering him a blow job when I really don’t know him at all? What the hell was I thinking?
But my instincts were correct. He refused my offer. He’s a good guy, despite what my father thinks. And now, Tony Sorrento probably thinks I’m crazy. Worse? A tease. Why would he want to hang out with me and be my friend when I told him sex would never be part of the deal?
Not that he’s only looking for sex, but come on. An attractive guy like him probably doesn’t need any more friends who are female. I’m sure women throw themselves at his feet. I practically did, in jest.
Sort of.
If he’d been more persuasive, more of a player, I would’ve melted at his words. Given in at his first kiss. I like a confident man with major moves. I also adore a confident man who respects women. Tony is firmly in the second category.
Proving my point, yet again, that he’s one of the good guys.
The Freshman Page 7