I wear my baseball cap low over my eyes, hoping I don’t get recognized as I make my way through the crowd to the bar. I don’t usually walk around with a bodyguard when I’m here in the States and I don’t want to have to start. I like my freedom and try to take advantage of it whenever I can. I signal for the bartender, order a Guinness, and scan the crowd while I wait for my drink. When I initially can’t spot Isla and Robert from the bar, I start walking around until I notice a group of men surrounding the pool table. I arrive over there just in time to see Isla lean over to take a shot, her breasts playing peekaboo out of her v-neck cut top. I watch as she narrows her eyes in concentration on the pocket she wants the ball to go into. She bites her lower lip as she quickly executes her shot and then celebrates her victory by hugging Robert. They walk over to their opponents to shake hands. One of their opponents holds her hand as he leans in to whisper something in her ear, his words making her laugh.
She’s one of the sexiest creatures I have ever seen.
She’s also undeniably drunk.
Her smile is looser and her eyes seem unfocused. She runs her hands through her hair, leaving it wild and untamed. She downs her glass of what looks to be some sort of beer, when another man hands her a refill. Robert is by her side, playing the dutiful wingman, but even he is getting loud and obnoxious from his alcohol consumption. I glance at my watch to see that it is only nine o’clock at night, making me wonder how long these two have been drinking to already be in this condition.
“Izzy, let’s do a shot! I say a buttery nipple would be the perfect shot to start with.” Robert laughs at his own innuendo from the events that transpired today while Izzy blushes and smacks him in the chest. Robert is the constant entertainer with his quick one liners. I know he is trustworthy with how much Jenna and Cal rely on him, but I don’t think he can handle all the testosterone that has lined up, eyeing their prey that is a drunk, beautiful girl alone with her gay friend. I think it is time to make my presence known.
“I think a shot of water might be a better idea for right now,” I announce as I maneuver myself to the front of their audience. I nod my head in acknowledgement to them and stand next to Isla.
“You invited him here?” Isla practically screams out at Robert in displeasure.
“I sure did and I bet he would love nothing more than to share your buttery nipple,” Robert winks at her with an evil grin, his eyes glinting with mischief. I shake my head at him with a chuckle. Cal and Jenna want me to stay far away from Isla, but Robert seems to encourage the opposite. I don’t know what is going through that sneaky brain of his, but if the plan includes Isla in my bed tonight, then I’m game. “You take care of her while I get those shots. These men are getting a little restless for her attention.” He makes his way through the crowd, leaving me alone with her. I wrap my arm around her waist, hoping the gesture sets the tone loud and clear that she is mine.
“I’m not your territory to mark, Sean.” She tries to remove my hand from her waist, but I haul her closer to my chest and grip her hip. My actions make her glare at me, but she stops fighting.
I reward her with a smile. “I’m just trying to keep you safe, Izzy.”
“Do not call me Izzy! I am Isla to you!” she vehemently says, her glowing emerald eyes heated with anger, making me wonder if they would glow like that when I make her come.
“Why can’t I call you, Izzy? You have always been Izzy to me.” I’m taken aback by how upset she is, not understanding why I, who have known her the longest, am not allowed to call her by her nickname anymore.
“When I hear you call me Izzy, it reminds me of when we were young and how terrible you were to me. Let me tell you something, Mister.” She pokes her index finger into my chest, making me wince from the surprising pain of it. “I am a grown woman who will not tolerate being treated like a child from you just because that’s all you remember me as. You have no idea who I am!”
“You’re right, I don’t know who you are anymore,” I agree as I lean in to whisper in her ear, hoping she understands my underlying tone. “But I want nothing more than to get to know this beautiful woman named Isla standing before me.” My gaze lingers on her lips and then travels back up to her eyes, which are wide in surprise. “I know, let’s start all over again.” I let go of her, turning around to give her my back for a few seconds before turning back around, my hand extended out for a hand shake.
“Hi, my name is Sean. I come from Ireland and am visiting this great city of Chicago. I like warm apple pie, furry puppies and long walks on the beach. I noticed your sexy smile and wanted to introduce myself. What’s your name?” I ask with all of the enthusiasm as a cheerleader, my eyes bright and my smile even bigger. I grab her hand without permission and squeeze, not letting go until I get a response.
She tries to keep a straight face, but can’t contain the burst of laughter that comes out and I realize that this is the first time I have heard her genuinely laugh in a very long time. It is light, whimsical and it makes my dick harden within seconds. She is about to say something back when the band starts back up again. Her eyes light up in recognition of the song.
“Ooh, I love this song! Let’s dance!” Before I can tell her I don’t dance, she slips away from me and heads straight for the dance floor. I slowly follow her, enjoying the view of her perfectly round ass swaying to the band playing Take On Me by A-Ha. I position myself at the back of her, but give her enough room to continue dancing. Because of the popularity of the song, the dance floor quickly becomes crowded and I am suddenly pushed from behind. My arm instinctively goes around her to prevent us from falling forward. Her hands grip my forearm and she looks at me over her shoulder, a wicked smile forming on her lips as she purposely grinds her backside against me. I grit my teeth in agony as my erection strains through my pants, wanting to come out and play. She moves her arms upward and wraps them around my neck, forcing my head closer to her. I lower my nose into the crook of her neck and inhale her vanilla citrus scent that tortures my senses. I place my hands on her hips, squeezing them hard while I steer her into place, making sure our hips are in sync together. She turns her head towards me, our lips only inches apart. Her breath smells sweet from the beer she was drinking. Our eyes lock, hers mirroring exactly what I am feeling:
Desire.
Want.
Need.
A small moan escapes her, drawing my attention back to her parted lips. Her tongue darts out to lick them and my brain is screaming at me to kiss her, to take that full bottom lip in between my teeth. I am about to claim those succulent lips when I feel something wet splash against my arm.
“Oops, sorry!” Robert says as he spills one of the shots on my arm. Isla removes her arms from around my neck and turns toward Robert as I let go of her hips to wipe off my arm, but she beats me to it as she brushes her index fingers against the wet spot on my bicep, sticks her finger in her mouth and sucks on it.
Nooo! I can hear my dick crying out in blue ball pain.
Isla grabs her shot and hands me mine.
“To friends… with benefits!” Robert cheers. We clink our shot glasses together and down them with one swift gulp. My eyes never waiver from Isla as I watch her throw her head back and drink. The movement causes her to lose her balance and step backwards, bumping into another patron.
“Hey! Watch where you are going, bitch!” The woman turns around in anger, only to have her voice die down as recognition lights her eyes when she sees me. “Oh, my God, you’re Sean Lindsey! Can I get a picture with you?”
I nod my head in agreement, hoping this will be the only person who recognizes me. But her friends start to squeal loudly, like a pack of hyenas and I know our time at O’Malley’s is done.
“Time to go, Robert,” I say ten minutes later as the flashes from the selfie pictures are starting to blur my vision.
“If you can manage to pull yourself away from your adoring fans, a little help with Isla would be nice.” Robert is holding Isla up, that
buttery nipple shot taking her into the land of inebriation. I apologize to the waiting fans who want a photo and stand next to Isla’s free side. I grab her arm and steer her and Robert to the entrance. As soon as we open the door, our vision is blinded by the flashing light bulbs of the paparazzi.
“Sean, over here!”
“Sean, who’s the girl? She looks just like Cora!”
“Sean, did you and Cora break up?”
The last question seems to snap Isla’s head up, her face showing her disgust at the mention of Cora’s name. She looks at me and all the lust has vacated her eyes.
Shit, how did they find out so quickly where I was?
“Fellas, a little space please so we can get in our cab?” They step back enough for me to walk toward a cab and open the door for Isla and Robert to get in. I give the paparazzi one more photo opportunity by waving at them before getting in the cab.
Robert gives the driver an address that I recognize as Jenna’s downtown condo that she still keeps for sentimental purposes since her grandmother gave it to her. Fortunately, it’s only a few blocks away as glancing at Isla, I doubt she is going to make it longer than that before she either passes out or pukes.
“Do you guys do this every Wednesday?” I ask, my curiosity peaked if Isla has gone home with anyone in the past during her night off escapades with Robert.
“Going to O’Malley’s? No. Most of the time we go to dinner, shopping or to the movies. We haven’t been to O’Malley’s in a long time.” His answer makes me feel better knowing that Isla hasn’t been with another man for at least as long as I have been in town and possibly longer.
“Does Jenna know that you use her condo on Wednesdays?”
“We don’t usually use it, but I didn’t think it was a good idea for Isla to return home in this kind of condition.” I nod my head in agreement as Jenna really would hate me if I brought back her nanny drunk.
We arrive at the entrance to Jenna’s condo five minutes later. I pay the cab driver and help Robert get Isla into the elevator. Robert unlocks the door with his spare key and Isla immediately runs to the closest bathroom, located in Avery’s old bedroom, that has now turned into a guest room.
“I will hold her hair back if you find her some clothes,” I suggest to Robert as I head into the bathroom to help Isla. She is hugging the toilet and moaning softly. I pull her hair to the side and start to rub her back.
“Alcohol is the devil,” she groans and I can’t help but chuckle at how pathetic she sounds. Robert comes back in with a t-shirt, glass of water and two aspirins. Isla cooperates, takes the aspirin and even brushes her teeth with the extra toothbrush that Robert found. She stumbles back into the bedroom and falls flat onto the bed. I start taking off her shoes and socks, studying her feet as I do. I am not surprised to find that even her feet are pretty. Once her feet are bare, I manage to roll her onto her back and reach for the button on her jeans to take them off so she can be more comfortable.
“I can handle it from here, Sean,” Robert says, placing his hand on my forearm to stop me.
“It’s quicker if both of us help.” I reach for the top of her pants when he stops me again.
“I think it’s inappropriate for you to undress her, Sean.”
“You think I would take advantage of her while she’s passed out? That’s insulting, Robert.” I stand up in disbelief that he thinks so low of me. “Interesting coming from someone who toasts to friends with benefits.” I walk out of the room and into the kitchen to get a glass of water, hoping the coldness of it will cool off my anger. He comes out of the bedroom two minutes later and closes the door.
“I was all for you two hooking up until the paparazzi reminded me that you’re still in love with the Wicked Witch of the East.” He pours himself a glass of water and downs it.
“I am not in love with Cora anymore,” I growl, tired of people telling me what my feelings are. He looks at me skeptically and I throw my hands up in frustration. “It’s hard to turn off years and years of feelings for someone, Robert. I am working on it.”
“I wish you luck, my friend, as you have your work cut out for you in convincing us otherwise.” He bids me good night and heads back into the room where Isla is sleeping.
I refill my glass of water and take it with me to the master bedroom. I ponder Robert’s words while brushing my teeth with a spare toothbrush when my phone beeps. I look down to see it is a text from none other than Cora herself.
Cora: “Looking forward to seeing you on Friday. XOXO”
I groan out in frustration as I spit the toothpaste out of my mouth and rinse. I don’t bother responding back, instead I delete the message.
As I head into bed, I realize that Robert might be right. I do have my work cut out for me and the first person who I need to convince is Isla.
6
Cora
I sip on my second glass of red wine and study the photos that are currently residing in my inbox. I tap my fingernails against the table, my mind racing at the scene unfolding.
Sean, Robert and Isla walking out of a bar together.
Sean and Robert holding onto Isla.
Sean helping Isla into the taxi cab.
Why is Sean going to a very public bar with Jenna’s assistant and nanny?
Sure, the nanny isn’t just anyone. It is that annoying little twit, Isla, whose childhood crush on Sean was so painfully obvious, it was quite pathetic. I used to tease him all the time about it whenever I would go home with him for the holidays. He always seemed indifferent. Now he’s hanging out with her?
Something doesn’t feel right about this.
I grab my secondary cell phone - the one I use to stay anonymous with an unknown number - and call my spy.
Danny Salari’s reputation for being an aggressive paparazzi is not exaggerated. He has aligned himself with people in every single occupation, ranging from garbage men to mailmen, in order to obtain stories on famous people that will create a scandal. A scandal big enough to make millions. I have been paying him for the past three years now to follow Jenna and Cal, more specifically, scaring Jenna into possibly leaving Cal. The man has orchestrated the delivery of graphic death threats of her and their daughter. He even hired someone to run her off the road while she was jogging one day when she lived downtown.
She was fine, unfortunately.
Now that Cal has moved them into a gated community in the suburbs, it has been harder for Danny to do his job. Not to mention his screw up of getting too aggressive with Jenna that resulted in a restraining order placed against him. Because of this, he pays other people to do his dirty work for me, which makes me very nervous. He assures me that my identity is kept confidential, but then again, how do I know he is trustworthy when he is a lying piece of scum who will do anything in order to get a story? I’ve paid that man close to a million dollars to make Jenna’s life a living hell and I am definitely NOT getting a return on my investment.
“Why is Sean out with the nanny and the assistant?” I bark out at him as soon as he picks up the phone. We are well past the stage of formalities in this business relationship, so I am beyond the point of being nice to him. I have plenty of dirt on Danny in case he ever decides to talk about our little arrangement.
“How the hell should I know? Isn’t he your lap dog?” He sneers and sometimes I wonder why I even bother putting up with him. “All I know is that Wednesday’s are the nanny’s night off and she hangs out with the assistant.”
“Is this the first time you have seen Sean out with Isla?” I inquire, wondering if I have missed any other outings between the two of them.
“Yes, it is.”
“I want you to start following Sean while he’s in Chicago. Since he doesn’t have a restraining order against you, I want you to personally be doing it.”
“It’s going to cost you for me to personally be watching him. There are much bigger stories than Sean Lindsey out there right now that I am trying to chase.” I had a feeling that my luc
k of not owing him more money was going to run out.
“How much, Danny?”
He is silent for a moment and I can hear the wheels turning as to how much he thinks he should charge me. “One hundred thousand dollars,” he finally responds back with.
“Are you mad? 100K for you to sit on your fat ass and take photos of him?” I scream, not even knowing if I even have that kind of money left in my bank account.
“You are asking me to give up going after bigger stories. My time is precious, Cora, and I have been wasting too much of it on your sick obsession. 100K or no following Sean Lindsey.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, contemplating what I should do. My cash flow is running out and since I don’t have any future movies locked down, I am hesitant to agree to this deal. I just received my last film paycheck and after I pay every single person who works for me, which goes from my agent all the way down to my housekeepers, that barely leaves anything left. Not to mention my mother and both of our lifestyles being ridiculously lavish.
But with my relationship with Cal being almost non-existent, I feel following Sean is one of the only options left in planning on how to win Cal back. He is the only person I still have access to in Cal’s inner circle.
“Fine!” I groan, hating the sound of his disgusting joker-like, victory laugh. My stomach actually starts to hurt knowing that this piece of shit has the upper hand right now.
“Half is due tomorrow. You have my bank information,” he reminds me and he will definitely not start unless he gets his money.
“I sure fucking do,” I mumble, grabbing my computer to log onto my bank account to set up a wire transfer to him.
“Why do you want him followed so badly anyway? Jealous of his new interest in your doppelgänger?” The reference of Isla and I looking alike has always made me livid. We look nothing alike. She may be pretty, but she is no competition for me.
“It’s none of your goddamn business why I want him followed.” The less information I can give Danny of my motives, the better if he ever decides to go rogue.
Edge of Desire: (Let Me In, Book 3) Page 5