Unattainable

by Schlosser, Jamie

  After all this time, she still had feelings for me.

  It wasn’t too late for us to pick up where we left off.

  Tonight she would come to my room. We would talk. Maybe do more.

  And by tomorrow, she would be mine.

  Just as I sat in my seat at the head of the table, I felt a hand on my left knee. I’d been so focused on Corrie, I didn’t even realize Twila was in the chair next to me.

  “I had a lot of fun today.” Beaming at me, she continued, “I can’t believe I almost won.” She squeezed my thigh.

  Oh, hell no.

  I gave her a tight smile before scooting away until the contact slipped off.

  “It was fun,” I agreed cordially. “You put up a good fight.”

  Another hand landed on my right knee.

  Seriously?

  Dawn was sitting on my other side now, and I was feeling a little caged in as she inserted herself into the conversation while caressing my skin with her thumb. “At least I got some answers right. Poor Chrissy.”

  “Uh huh.” I swung my legs back in the other direction but ended up bumping feet with Twila.

  Giggling, as if I’d started a game of footsie on purpose, she grazed my ankle with her toes.

  Aaaand I suppressed the urge to gag.

  I just wasn’t a fan of feet.

  Not mine, and not anyone else’s.

  It was the one body part that grossed me out. There were a lot of reasons for this, the two main ones being—they smelled, and they were funny-looking.

  And feeling me up with them was a hard pass.

  A whole lot of nope right there.

  Suddenly the music cut off, and I glanced over to see Corrie disconnecting her wires and speedily loading her equipment into her backpack. She didn’t look my way before leaving, and I got the very distinct feeling that she was pissed about Twila and Dawn’s unwelcomed friendliness.

  Corrie had always been the possessive sort—which, in all honesty, turned me the fuck on. She’d never been able to hide it from me in high school, and I liked that about her. Liked her transparency and her ability to own up to it.

  A specific memory surfaced: Corrie had seen a girl slip a note to me in the hallway by my locker. It wasn’t even anything romantic—it was a warning that there was a pop quiz in calculus. But Corrie was distant during rehearsal that evening, and I hated it when she was closed off. I’d refused to sing with her until she told me why she was acting so cold. After I issued a truth dare, she finally admitted she didn’t like the thought of me being with other girls, even if it was just an innocent note.

  We were just friends then, yet she felt she had some kind of claim on me. And I loved it. So much, in fact, I ended up spending the rest of the evening with one of the most persistent boners I’d ever suffered through.

  Right now was a really bad time to get a hard-on, because I couldn’t go after her. Not to mention, I was being filmed.

  Apparently my dick didn’t care about any of that because it perked up.

  Good thing I had a cowboy hat on hand. I grabbed it off the table and set it on my lap as I watched Corrie disappear into the resort. She didn’t pause or glance back.

  Ah, shit.

  My optimism took a nosedive. What if she didn’t show up for our date tonight?

  Well. I’d find her. It wasn’t like she could go far, and I wasn’t above bribing the concierge to tell me what room she was in.

  We had unfinished business, and I intended to finish it.

  A heavy palm settled on my bare shoulder.

  Good God.

  Why was everyone touching me?

  I was about to lose my shit when Theo began speaking behind me. “Sorry, ladies. Gotta vacate these spots. Since Stan was the winner, he gets to sit here.” Letting go of the grip he had on me, he patted my upper arm to let me know he had my back before pointing at Twila and motioning for her to get up.

  Pouting, she stood, and Theo paced to the other end of the table to pull out a chair for her.

  “If we’re going by highest points, shouldn’t I be on Aiden’s other side?” Dawn asked, staying put.

  “Yeah,” Twila agreed, eyebrows furrowed as she reluctantly lowered herself into her new seat. “Or me. Dawn and I tied. Let’s flip a coin for it.”

  Without missing a beat, Theo improvised, “That’s Hadley’s seat.”

  Hadley started to give him a confused look because she wasn’t supposed to have dinner with us. He gently nudged her with his elbow.

  “Yes.” She nodded, smiling a little too wide. “I’m sitting there.” She practically skipped over to me and gave me a half-hearted noogie. “Next to my favorite country star.”

  As Theo made up some bullshit seating arrangement, strategically placing all the women at the end of the table, I breathed a sigh of relief.

  My brother was the best.

  In less than a minute, salads were placed in front of us. A server came around to all the glasses, pouring the same kind of fruity beverage I’d had the night before, and a cart with plates of prime rib rolled up next to the table.

  As everyone indulged on the food and drinks, the tension from the game and the seating debacle seemed to be forgotten.

  Hadley, being the genius that she was, struck up a discussion about talent contests. Smart, since that was where she got her start with NTT and everyone else at the table could relate.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket and I dug it out.

  Theo: By the way, you owe me $100.

  I grinned. I owed him a lot more than that.

  THE ELEVATOR RIDE TO THE top floor seemed to take forever, and it gave me time to seriously consider reneging on this agreement. I could just go back to my room and hide under the covers. Very tempting.

  Confusion pushed me forward, though.

  All afternoon, Aiden looked at me like he used to. The heated glances and sexy smiles he kept sending my way had my insides all twisted up.

  It didn’t make any sense, and it kind of pissed me off.

  But my anger wasn’t directed toward Aiden. No, I was mad at myself.

  Because I liked it.

  I shouldn’t like it.

  If I wanted to make it through the next few weeks with my sanity intact, the flirting needed to stop.

  Aiden asked for an hour, but it shouldn’t take that long to tell him this.

  I was already prepared to cut things short; I’d just scarfed down two vanilla pudding cups, so I wouldn’t need to stick around for food. We could just get to the point, say what needed to be said, and I could be in and out of there in ten minutes, tops.

  Besides, I was sure Aiden wasn’t hungry either. He probably filled up on the feast I saw the servers bringing out when I fled the scene of the molestation by Twila-Dee and Tweedle-Dawn.

  God. I wasn’t usually this much of a bitch. They were probably nice girls, but I had a jealous streak a mile wide. It wasn’t something I was proud of but also a personality trait I couldn’t seem to shake.

  Just like my phobias.

  And my nail-biting habit.

  Giving into the urge, I trapped the tip of my middle finger between my teeth and lightly nibbled. Visions of girls giggling and rubbing Aiden anywhere and everywhere fueled my anxiety about tonight.

  I had no idea why I chose to wear my cutest outfit. The mauve floral romper was short, and the neckline dipped just enough to see some cleavage. The wraparound sash accentuated my narrow waist and the backside made my butt look really good, if I did say so myself.

  Definitely not the best deterrent for a guy who seemed determined to flirt.

  The momentum of my ascent slowed, and a quiet ding rang out through the small space as the elevator stopped on the tenth floor.

  Much to my shock, when the doors opened, Aiden was standing straight ahead.

  No. Wait.

  It was his brother leaning against the wall.

  Since they looked so much alike, a stranger could’ve easily mistaken them for the same person
. However, Theodore’s hair was longer on top. They were both tall—over six feet—but Aiden was slightly leaner. And Theodore didn’t have the right cheek dimple.

  Despite watching all episodes of Living with a Legend years ago—which hadn’t painted Theodore in a good light—he was still a bit of a mystery to me. He never came to see any of the concerts at the academy. Aside from recently, the only time I’d seen him in person was when he was wasted off his ass at his parents’ funeral.

  I hadn’t counted on running into anyone, especially the man who was pretty much my boss. How was I supposed to explain why I was in this area of the resort? And at this late hour?

  Heart beating a mile a minute, I tried to think up a plausible excuse. “I—uh—must have the wrong floor. Are you going down?”

  “Nope.” He pushed off the stucco-textured surface behind him.

  “Oh. Okay. Well. I guess I’ll just be on my way then.” I began frantically pushing buttons—any buttons that would take me somewhere else.

  The doors started to close, but a hand shot out to block them just in time. They retreated into the walls, leaving me face-to-face with one of the most important people at NTT.

  “Mr. Legend?” I swallowed hard. “Did you change your mind?”

  “None of that mister stuff,” he said, gesturing for me to come out. “You can just call me Theo.”

  “Sure. Theo.” Wide-eyed, I stepped forward onto the gleaming marble tiles.

  Man, they were living it up here on the top floor. All the other levels just had carpet. Large landscape paintings in shiny gold frames decorated the walls, and even the doors to the suites were fancier than our rooms. The dark wood was engraved with intricate palm tree designs.

  “You’re at the correct place.” Theo pointed to the end of the hall on my left. “Aiden’s room is there.”

  “Oh, right.” I let out an awkward chuckle. “Good to know. I—I just need to talk to him about the upcoming recording session.”

  Perfect.

  “Uh huh.” A smirk almost identical to Aiden’s pulled at his lips. “You’re a terrible liar. Plus, Aiden tells me almost everything, so I already knew you were coming. I was actually hoping to catch you because I need to talk to you about something.”

  Uh oh. Was this the moment I got canned? If I got sent packing on the second day, I was seriously going to cry. Just like Chrissy. Only there wouldn’t be anyone to play me an exit anthem. I’d be singing “Shake It Off” to myself as I took my ass to the curb.

  I gulped, steeling myself for the worst. “What is it?”

  “You know what happened to our parents?” Theo’s question was rhetorical. Everyone heard about it. I mean, everyone. It was national news.

  I gave him a nod. “I was actually with Aiden when he found out. It was…”

  Terrible. The worst night of my life.

  Tears pricked the back of my eyes when I remembered how at first, he’d thought it was a joke. I was straddling him in the hot tub when the chaperone came to tell him the news, interrupting our almost-kiss. Aiden’s hands had tightened on my waist when reality sank in. Then he pushed me away and climbed out.

  Following the trail of wet footprints, I joined the small crowd that had gathered outside Aiden’s room. Everyone was trying to talk to him, convince him to let them in. They all wanted to console him. I thought I would be the one exception, but he refused to unlock the door.

  Eventually, our peers dispersed and went to bed, but I wouldn’t leave Aiden alone. Slumping onto the floor with my back against the wall, silent tears dripped down my face as I helplessly listened to the broken sobs coming from inside his room.

  I’d gone to sleep curled up in the hallway, but when I woke the next morning, he was gone.

  “Cut Aiden some slack, okay?” Theo requested, bringing me back to the present. “I wasn’t the brother he needed at the time, and he went through a dark period for a while. Promise me you’ll give him another chance.”

  “A chance for what?” I feigned ignorance. “This is just a business meeting between old friends.”

  Clucking his tongue, he shook his head. “Terrible liar. Listen, I’m just gonna say it like it is—Aiden likes you.”

  “He doesn’t. Not anymore.”

  “He does.”

  “Doesn’t,” I insisted stubbornly. “If he still felt that way, he could’ve picked up a phone. He had plenty of time to do it.”

  “It’s more complicated than that.”

  I lowered my voice to a whisper. “This is bad timing for him to be having regrets. If I get involved with him, I could get fired.”

  “I know. Which is why I’m advising you to be discreet and giving you my word that I’ll cover for you whenever I can.” His face lit up as an idea came to him. “How about I give you a secret in exchange? Like a pinky promise, only you’ll have some dirt on me as collateral.”

  His tone was a bit patronizing, like he was offering candy to a child. I didn’t know it was possible to pull a muscle from holding back a violent eye roll trying to get out, but I was pretty sure I did.

  My eyelid twitched when I responded, “I’m willing to hear him out, but that’s all I can guarantee.”

  The last thing I wanted to do was piss off the guy who was in charge of my employment, but I also couldn’t agree to what he was asking.

  Theo sighed, seeming to accept that he wasn’t going to get his way. “Okay. If you crazy kids need me, I’ll be in the honeymoon suite.” Sauntering down to the opposite end of the hall, he added, “But seriously, don’t bother me unless it’s absolutely necessary. I haven’t gotten to kiss my wife in hours.”

  It took a second to register that he said honeymoon suite and wife. I guess that was the secret, because no one in the world knew about him getting married. The tabloids would’ve been all over the story if they caught wind of it.

  At least he was trusting me with classified information. It made me feel a little bit better about tip-toeing to Aiden’s door.

  Before I could chicken out, I knocked.

  THREE SOFT THUDS CAME FROM the other side of the door. Since I was pacing right in front of it, I was able to swing it open in less than two seconds.

  Mouth open and eyes wide, Corrie looked surprised by how quickly I answered the door, but I was too amped up to play it cool.

  She actually came.

  Her hair was styled into two little French braids and she’d changed clothes.

  The makeup she’d put on was lighter than earlier—more neutral, with pink and brown tones. Somehow the simplicity made her hazel eyes stand out more. They were goldish-brown around the iris, like the sand on the beach. The dark green flecks reminded me of the foliage in the jungle-like forests around the resort, and the gray ring around the outer part was the same color as the ocean at dusk.

  If someone could encapsulate this island, it would look just like the gorgeous orbs staring up at me.

  Unfortunately, the expression on her face was less than ecstatic. Her gaze darted to the side toward the elevators, and I got the feeling she was thinking about making a run for it.

  Before she could, I gestured for her to come inside and started rambling. “I raided the kitchen downstairs. I have no idea what they planned to do with the leftovers from lunch, but they’re ours now.” I walked past the kitchen to my right and glanced behind me to make sure Corrie was following. The door clicked shut behind her. “I hope sandwiches and hors d’oeuvres are okay. The crab cakes are awesome, and I snagged some bread pudding from dessert tonight. It was unbelievably good.”

  “Aiden,” she breathed out, her voice full of awe as I fussed with the silverware, making sure it was straight and perfectly spaced next to the plates.

  “I know, I know. It’s an impressive spread. I kind of went all out, but you used to be a picky eater and I wasn’t sure if that’d changed.”

  Shaking her head, she shuffled further into the suite. “It’s not the food. Your room. Or rooms, plural, I should say. I had no idea t
he suites were so different.”

  Without entering the bedroom, she peered inside, taking in the massive four-poster king-sized bed. It was piled high with a white comforter and pillows, and it was topped off with a flowy canopy overhead. Above it, a fan hung from the cathedral ceilings. The blades were made from woven palm tree leaves and the double doors leading out to my private patio were open to the night.

  A small gasp left Corrie’s pretty mouth before she pivoted away, backtracking to the kitchen.

  “Yeah, it’s pretty luxurious,” I commented, feeling like a spoiled prick because I was used to this. Corrie wasn’t.

  As if I were seeing it through her eyes, I studied my surroundings while she explored.

  The suite was an eclectic mix of modern and island-rustic—just enough technology to keep me comfortable, yet it embraced the tropical atmosphere to give the illusion of escape from the outside world.

  I had all the appliances I would need for a long-term stay. The resort staff had a laundry service, so I didn’t need a washer or dryer. However, the refrigerator and stove were top of the line; stainless steel and full-size.

  The floors and countertops were solid marble, luminous under the crystal chandelier over the dining space.

  Corrie ran a chewed-up fingernail over the smooth surface of the breakfast bar, and I found myself doing the same, wanting to experience it with her.

  As I trailed behind her, the familiar scent of lilacs lingered in the air, and it was both comfort and torture. I wanted to bottle it. Bathe in it. Taste it.

  She smelled like springtime. Like new beginnings. My salvation.

  White flip-flops slapped against Corrie’s heels with every step she took. I followed her into the living room, which was decked out with a large flat screen TV, leather couches, and festive island decorations, including a colorful tapestry on the wall.

  “The locals are known for their weaving,” I said, joining Corrie by the glass coffee table as she admired the beach scene created with thousands of woven strands. “And pottery, too. They made all the vases in this room. The owner of the resort enjoys the authenticity and likes to support the villages.”