by Luma Rose
“Good to see you,” he says.
I step over to Ryker and Asher, who are looking at me expectantly. I’ve seen both of them since my return, but I didn’t know then what I do now. Without warning, I raise my hand and slap Ryker across the face. His eyes widen and he holds his hand to his cheek.
Asher starts laughing, and I turn in his direction and do the same to him. He shuts up instantly.
My back is to Garrin, so I can’t see his reaction, but nonetheless I feel his energy and he’s primed to intervene if necessary.
“What the fuck was that about?” Asher growls.
“That is for going out and sleeping with me to win points for your stupid game.” I turn in Ryker’s direction. “And that is for taping me losing my virginity to Asher.”
Neither of them say a word, though they both look at Garrin accusingly over my shoulder. At least they have it in them to look chagrined.
“I’m sorry. It was a stupid thing to do,” Ryker says.
“It was,” I say with my hands on my hips. “Now as far as I’m concerned, this is the last time we’ll speak of it, and we’ll move on from here. Agreed?”
Ryker nods as does Asher, though a little more reluctantly.
“Good.” I inhale a calming breath.
Garrin appears at my side, holding up a bottle of red wine. “Found it. Why don’t you take it back up to my place and I’ll be there in a minute?”
“Sure.” I reach for the bottle and head toward the elevator. Garrin’s already given me a black card so I can get up to his place, and I’m more than happy to leave now that I’ve had my moment with his two friends.
I step back onto the elevator, smiling to myself. It feels good to take ownership over my life. I only wish I’d done it sooner.
32
Chapter Thirty-two
Garrin
“Something you wanna tell us, Stone?” Asher asks, his hand still on his cheek.
He seems almost sober tonight. Maybe hell is freezing over.
I bite back my laughter that Isla actually did that. “I told her about the game.”
I should’ve suspected something when Isla wanted to come with me to get the wine. She’s making me soft. In the end, she deserved the opportunity to face Ryker and Asher and have her say.
“Why the fuck would you do that?” Ryker asks, fists clenched at his sides.
“She deserves to know the truth.”
“I never thought I’d see the day Stone would be led around by the dick by some chick,” Asher says, still rubbing at his face like a pussy.
“Watch the way you talk about Isla.” I step toward him, my fist clenched, ready to haul off if he refers to her as a chick again.
“Everyone relax.” Lincoln comes in between the two of us, pushing at each of our chests. “He probably did it to earn her trust and work toward the end goal.”
He’s only partially right.
“There’s something else you guys should know.” I step back and Lincoln’s hand falls from my chest. “I’m the one who leaked the tape.”
All three of them start shooting expletives my way. I raise my hand to get them to shut the hell up.
“Isla knows. I told her last month.”
“What the fuck, man?” Ryker says, pushing a hand through his hair.
“I heard about what Asher did—obviously, since it was part of the game—and you left your phone behind in the locker room after track practice.” I sigh and put my hands on my hips. “I swiped it and sent it out.”
Lincoln actually looks pleased to hear this information. I’ve probably solved a decade-long mystery that’s bothered him. “I was able to tell the original video came from Ryker’s phone, but I couldn’t find anything beyond that.”
“Well, now you know.” I look in Asher’s direction. “I apologize, even though I know you didn’t give two shits that it came out.”
He chuckles, probably remembering how even more girls wanted to sleep with him after the video made its rounds.
Isn’t that how it always is, though? The guy gets a pat on the back and the girl gets branded a slut. This world is a special kind of fucked up, I swear.
They’re all quiet for a second.
“I guess this means things are going well with Isla?” Lincoln asks.
“You’d guess right.”
“Any word from Dick the Prick?” Asher asks.
I shake my head. “Nothing. He’s too quiet and I don’t like it.” I make a mental note to drop in on him tomorrow morning. “What about you, Linc? You find anything I can use?”
I know the answer before he opens his mouth. He always gets this look on his face when he can’t find what he’s looking for. I’m pretty sure it pisses him off to think that a hacker of his level isn’t able to get what he needs.
“Let me know if that changes. I’m out.”
I stalk over to the elevator, hearing the television come off pause and the show start up again.
The doors open up and I step inside, adjusting my dick in my pants. Watching Isla haul off on those two pricks was hot. I can’t wait to show her what I thought of it.
Early the next morning, I head out to my father’s estate. It’s near the area where Isla’s parents live and it’s also where I grew up. Unfortunately, I don’t feel a warm sensation in my chest at the prospect of returning to my childhood home. Just the sick nauseating feeling that accompanies the dread of stepping through those doors.
I opted to drive myself today, so I park my Lamborghini and head straight through the soaring double-door entry into the home and stalk down the main hallway.
Beatrice, who runs the estate for my father, appears from out of one of the rooms and steps into my path, halting my progress.
“Where is he?” I ask.
Her eyes look a little panicked. “Is he expecting you, sir?”
“No.” I move to step around her, but she tries to block my path.
“Let me make sure he’s able to see you, sir. It’s still very early.”
Precisely why I’m here. No one expects to catch someone at noon.
“I’ll find him.” This time I do manage to make it around Beatrice, but she follows behind me, trying to keep pace.
“Now is really not a good time, Garrin.”
“It’s never a good time to spend any time with a man like him,” I say over my shoulder.
Just before I reach the study doors, Beatrice falls back in defeat. Part of me feels badly because she’ll probably catch shit from my dad for letting me barge in. But the other part of me doesn’t care. She stood idle and watched on all those years while he was cruel to me, and she never once intervened. So fuck her.
I push both doors of the study open with force, and he’s exactly where I expected him to be—sitting behind his desk. What I didn’t expect was for one of the housekeepers to be on her knees in front of him, bobbing on the end of his dick. His head is leaning back against his chair and he peels one eye open at my intrusion.
The girl on the floor pulls away from him and tries to look over her shoulder at me, but he grips her hair.
“Don’t you dare stop.”
She goes back to work on him and I wait, keeping eye contact with him. I’m not the scared little boy he thought he could boss around. If he wants to have some pissing contest over how long I’ll wait for him to be sucked off, then I’ll win. His hips pump up off the chair, and a couple minutes later he holds her head on his dick and squeezes his eyes shut as he finishes.
Ha! I won, asshole. Shit, all I want to do is throw up in one of the potted plants.
“Now see yourself out.” He buckles up his pants, and the woman stands and wipes at her face, averting all eye contact as she brushes past me. “To what do I owe the pleasure, son?”
He leans back in his chair, relaxed and without a care, as if I didn’t just walk in on what I’m sure was him sexually exploiting his staff.
“I wanted to update you on my progress with Isla.” I fish for a reaction
as I sit in the chair across the desk from him.
“Oh?” He raises a skeptical eyebrow.
“Things are progressing well. I should be able to propose soon.”
“I’m glad to hear it, but what I’m really interested to know is whether you have control of her or not.”
My hands involuntarily clench in my lap. “What do you mean?”
He leans forward, narrowing his eyes. “I mean, will she do what you tell her without putting up a fuss?”
“Not yet, but I’m getting there,” I lie.
Isla will never be the type of woman who does what I say just because I say it. And I admire her for it. I’ve seen so many women over the years cower because their husbands held the purse strings and had all the power. Isla has her own power and it’s the most important kind of all—it’s inherent and it comes from within.
“Get there faster, son, or I might run out of patience.”
My gaze flicks to the reflection of his computer screen in the large mirror positioned behind his desk. I can’t tell what he’s working on. There’s a light-blue-and-yellow company header at the top of whatever it is that I don’t recognize. I quickly scan his desk for anything incriminating, but my father’s not an idiot. He didn’t get this far by leaving his secrets lying around for all to see.
Damn it.
I knew this would probably be a fruitless visit, but it was one I had to make. I don’t like how quiet he’s been. I expected him to be all over me to get the ring on Isla’s finger, but he’s been lying low, which is unlike him.
“I’ll get there when I get there,” I say, standing from the chair. I can’t stomach being in his presence any longer.
“Make it soon or you won’t like what happens.”
There’s the man I know. The menace and threat in his voice is a familiar companion.
I say nothing as I exit the room.
“If you see any of the other girls who work here, send her in,” he calls out after me. “I’m still not as relaxed as I like to be going into my day.”
I slam the doors shut behind me and stalk out of the house as fast as possible. He’s such a sick bastard. It’s difficult to think that we share DNA.
But we must, because I’m going to propose to Isla, and if she ever finds out the truth, it will crush her.
33
Chapter Thirty-three
Isla
“It seems like it’s getting serious with Garrin,” my mom says, blowing into her teacup.
I mimic her posture, and I don’t know if it’s because I’ve seen her do it all my life or if it’s some genetic thing she’s passed down to me, but I blow lightly on the smooth brown surface.
It’s impossible to hold back the smile from my face. “I guess you could say that. Things are going well.” She smiles over at me. “Did I tell you that I used to have a crush on him senior year of high school?”
Her smile dims at the mention of my senior year. “You didn’t. Seems that maybe this has all come full circle, then.”
She doesn’t even know the half of it. “I guess.”
There’s something I want to ask her about, but I feel selfish for even considering it.
“Isla, what is it, honey?”
I swallow my sip of tea. “What do you mean?”
She tilts her head. “I can see that there’s something on your mind. Now what is it?”
Setting my mug down on the table in front of me, I sigh. “Garrin mentioned wanting to get away this weekend. Maybe heading to Telluride to do some skiing. He has a home there.”
“That sounds fantastic. Why don’t you seem excited?” she asks.
I finger the handle of my mug, guilt and indecision weighing heavy in my gut. “Because of Papi. How can I go enjoy a weekend away knowing he’s here sick?”
My mom frowns, her forehead wrinkling. “Sweetheart, you don’t have to put your entire life on hold because of your dad’s illness. It’s enough that you up and left your life in Washington to be here to see him through it. Neither of us expects you to stop living.”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” I say fiercely.
“I know.” A sad smile graces her face.
I look a lot like my mom in the shape of my face and my features, but my coloring comes from my dad’s Hispanic background. When I was growing up, my parents always joked that I was the perfect blend of the two of them.
She reaches forward and grips my hand. “Something you need to understand is that a parent is always happiest when their child is happy. Your dad and I watched you struggle so much in the decade since your senior year. To finally see you happy and becoming the person we remember before the incident has been a joy to watch. Truly. You seem so much happier and more comfortable in your own skin since you’ve been with Garrin. Go away with him this weekend and enjoy yourself. Honey, life is too short not to grab the opportunities for happiness that it presents you. Grab onto yours and don’t let go. Nothing would make your dad happier, trust me.”
Tears glisten in my eyes, but I blink them back. I know in my gut she’s right—my dad does just want to see me happy.
“What if something happens and I’m away?” I whisper.
A crease forms between her brows. “You’re not leaving the country. You can fly right back here. But your dad is doing well, honey. The radiation is doing its job.”
We got an update from the doctor yesterday and he’s very pleased with the progress my dad is making. As he put it, he’s cautiously optimistic.
“I don’t know…”
She squeezes my hand, then lets it go. “Enjoy a weekend away with Garrin. You deserve it. You’ve been working so hard and then splitting your time between your dad and him. You could use the break.”
Even though I know she’s right, it’s hard to think about leaving my dad. But I know he has my mom here, who loves him as much as I do. Not to mention the medical staff who helps with his care. He’s in good hands.
Getting away with Garrin so it’s just the two of us in our own bubble sounds like my idea of heaven right now.
“Go, Isla. Nothing will make your dad happier than seeing you happy.”
I nod. “Okay, I’ll go.”
My mom’s smile spreads wide across her face. I don’t think I’ve seen her smile like that since before my dad’s diagnosis.
Maybe this is the right decision.
“Good. Now that that’s settled, I’m going to check on your dad before I head out to a charity meeting for the Children’s Resource Center. You have a great day, honey.” She stands from the table and comes around to my side, bending to give me a kiss on the cheek. “I love you.”
“You too.”
As soon as she’s left the room, I pick up my phone to text Garrin and let him know that I’ve decided a weekend away is exactly what I need. His response comes seconds later.
Garrin: You just brightened an otherwise shitty day. I’ll make all the arrangements. We leave Friday morning at 9 a.m. Don’t worry about Ford giving you hell, I’ll tell him.
I’m not used to having someone take care of things for me, but the idea of it causes a warm feeling to spread in my chest. A girl could get used to this treatment.
We arrive at Garrin’s Telluride home midmorning on Friday on his private jet. I grew up in Colorado, so I’m no stranger to hitting the slopes, and I find myself a little giddy at the fresh-fallen snow.
Garrin unlocks the oversized solid wood door and gestures for me to step in ahead of him. I do and walk into the most beautiful home I’ve ever seen. The floors are all wood, and the walls are either logs or stacked stone. Soaring ceilings with wood beams hover ahead.
“This is gorgeous.” I step further into the house and see a dining room that seats twelve with a large stone fireplace as the focal piece. I pass a sitting room and then walk into a massive open-concept family room with a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace and windows upon windows so that the mountain range in the distance becomes the center of attention. The entire home
feels cozy and soft and makes me want to hunker down and never leave.
“Wow. I’m impressed,” I say and turn to him behind me. “I can’t believe you don’t come here more often. It’s perfect.”
His eyes gleam as he steps toward me, then brushes my hair behind my ear. “You’re perfect.”
My cheeks heat and my gaze flickers down.
“I mean it.” He leans in and gives me a kiss that starts out sweet but soon develops into one that makes me hungry for more.
I push on his chest and back away. “If we start that, we’ll never make it out of this house.”
He gives me a lazy grin. “Would that be so bad?”
When he tries to reach out for me again, I chuckle and step back. “Probably not, but you promised me skiing.”
He huffs and puts his hands on his hips. “I promised you a good time. Do you want to head out now or would you like to eat first? I gave the staff the weekend off so that it’s just the two of us. Figured we could go out to eat or order in.”
“I can cook, you know. I’ve lived on my own for quite some time.” I give him a cheeky smile.
“All right, then, Paula Deen, which is it? Skiing or food?”
“Skiing, then food, then sex.”
He grins, steps forward and wraps me in his arms. “I can get behind that plan, although I’d like to reverse that list.”
“Thought you might.”
“I’ll bring our bags to our room and then we can leave. I’m curious to see what you’ve got out there on the slopes.” He waggles his eyebrows.
I smack his chest. “Don’t worry about me. I can hold my own.”
He raises a brow. “Care to place a wager on that?”
“What did you have in mind?” I grin, enjoying our little game.
“Last one to the bottom of the slope loses. Winner gets to call the shots in bed tonight.”