Present
WE WALKED INTO A LARGE, WHITE HOUSE on the outskirts of the city, all four guys ahead with me trailing behind. They didn’t worry about whether or not I would run off.
I’d gotten in the car, after all.
When I’d made it back to my apartment after the confrontation, I’d seethed for about two minutes, a million fears running through my head. They liked toying around and playing games, and tonight, for some reason, I was the mouse hanging by its tail. Why?
As the minutes on the clock in my apartment ticked away, I couldn’t calm down. They were coming for me, and who knew when they’d stop? I’d never wanted to see them again. Ever.
But it was obvious they were after something. They pushed people. That’s what they did. And they’d keep pushing me until I started holding my ground and quit backing away.
What else you got?
What else did I have? I was taught to be brave from my father. Dip your toe in every ocean and try everything and anything. Learn, explore, take the world on…
And from my mom, I learned self-sufficiency. Of course, she’d taught me by default, but watching her showed me exactly who I didn’t want to be.
And from Michael—as well as Damon, Will, and Kai—I learned to breathe fire. I learned to walk as if the path were carved for me and me alone, and to treat the world as if it should know I was coming.
Did I practice any of it? Of course not. I was a mouse, and that was why I got on my bikini and got in the damn car. I wanted to be different.
I wasn’t tapping out this time.
The drive was quiet, and I spent the whole time focused out the window, happy that they’d turned up the music and killed any possibility of conversation.
After valets took the cars, they led the way into the house, and I followed in my black leather flip-flops, suddenly relaxing at the sight of so many people.
I wouldn’t feel unsafe here.
The architecture of the mansion was modern—lots of windows and glass, as well as sharp edges and white everywhere. There were serval levels with balconies, each jutting out of the house at varying lengths and widths, and as we strolled in, I could tell immediately that this was a Storm party.
Michael’s basketball team.
There was sports paraphernalia sitting around, and serval of the guests, including the ones I’d just arrived with, towered over everyone else.
A moment of alarm hit me when I saw all the guys in suits without ties, but then I calmed down again, seeing the women, some in club wear and others in swim wear like me.
“Jake.” Michael shook hands with a guy a few inches taller than him and then turned to me. “Erika, this is Jake Owen. A teammate. This is his house.”
I offered a half-smile, shaking his hand.
“Nice to meet you,” he said, his eyes gentle. “You’re very beautiful.” And then he looked to Michael. “You sure you want the rest of the team to see her before you get a ring on her finger?”
Michael hooded his eyes, shaking his head as he brushed off his friend’s joke.
“I dated his brother, actually,” I told him. “We grew up together.”
“Really?” He straightened, looking at me with more interest. “Well, I’d love to hear some basketball stories from his youth. Michael, as I’m sure you know, isn’t much for sharing.”
I grinned, knowing exactly what he was talking about. But then something caught my eye, and I looked over, seeing Alex. Will was pulling her up the stairs, a grin plastered on his face.
Alex was here? And why was she going off with Will?
I then saw Kai and Damon take their drinks and head out to the patio.
I turned back to Jake, blinking and remembering myself. “I…” I stammered, “I’m afraid there’s not much I could tell you. I didn’t watch his games in school. I’m sorry.”
Michael’s eyes narrowed just a sliver.
Yeah, I’d been to every basketball game he played in high school. No, I couldn’t tell you a single play or what teams they beat. I wasn’t paying attention to that.
Backing away with a small smile, I excused myself and left them alone. I was sure Michael didn’t intend for me to hang on him all night, and I needed some space.
And maybe a drink, too.
I SPENT THE NEXT HALF HOUR or so wandering around the downstairs, acting like I cared about the artwork and the sculptures, before finally hitting the bar for a drink.
Thankfully the guys had left me alone and I hadn’t seen them since we arrived. Taking my rum and Coke outside and feeling the alcohol slowly warm my blood, I noticed all of the people in the enormous pool. No one was swimming, but it was plenty spacious for lounging and enjoying the last bit of balmy summer air.
On the far end of the pool were rock cliffs and a waterfall display, and I cocked my head, peering over to notice what looked like a secret cave behind the falls.
Looking around, I noticed that the guys were still AWOL, so I quickly slid my shirt down my arms and my shorts off. Laying my clothes and sandals on a lawn chair, I grabbed my drink and slid into the pool.
The water reached my waist, and I fluffed my hair, bringing it over my left shoulder as I hung around the edge of the pool, sipping my drink.
Closing my eyes, I tilted my head back and finally felt the tension leave my face.
Finally.
“Hey,” a voice greeted.
I popped my eyes open and looked up to see Alex, a bottle of Patron and a couple of shot glasses in her hands. She wore a red bikini with several long, thin gold necklaces around her neck and big hoop earrings in her ears.
“You look a little happier than the last time I saw you,” she observed.
I nodded, tipping my glass up to her. “This helps.”
“Psh,” she scoffed, setting down her things and hopping into the pool. “That’s not a drink.”
And she poured two quick glasses of the tequila, taking one for herself and handing me the other.
I fought not to turn up my nose, because hard liquor—not mixed with anything else—was agony for me.
However, I wanted to relax—for once—and I didn’t fear the guys or any advantage they would take if I got buzzed. Between the four of them, they wouldn’t need alcohol to subdue me, so if that’s what they were after, I was as good as dead drunk or sober anyway.
I downed the shot, the liquid scorching my throat, and I squeezed my eyes shut, swallowing again and again as I tried to get rid of the taste my mouth. I didn’t think she’d brought lemons, unfortunately.
God, I was a girl.
Blowing out a breath and getting over the pungent taste, I set the glass down, seeing her refill them.
“So I have to ask,” I started, still forcing down the taste in my mouth. “What’s with the ‘I see lots of men’ line?”
The corner of her mouth turned up in a smirk, and she turned around handing me the shot glass, now full again.
“And I know Will took you upstairs before, and it was Michael the other night?” I went on, giving her a playful look.
She shrugged, looking guilty. “I know lots of men. As in, I get paid to know lots of men.”
Paid? She got paid to know men and spend time with them?
And then my eyes widened, realization hitting. “Ohhh. Right.”
She smiled, blushing as she took her shot.
She was an escort. A prostitute. Wow.
I followed her lead, taking the shot and trying anything to help me wrap my head around that one. Michael had been with her that night. He’d hired her?
“You can’t tell anyone, though.” She pointed at me, her voice thick with the burn of the alcohol. “My clients are mostly wealthy and well-known.”
I set the glass down, stepping out a few inches away from the edge and brushing the surface of the water with my hands.
She had sex with men—and women, now remembering what she said in the elevator—and she got paid for it. And she lived in my building.
I wasn’t sure if that was better than when I thought she was Michael’s girlfriend.
I’d always been a little jealous when Michael had girls around growing up. Even when I was little. I wanted him.
But over time, Michael’s routine was something that never faltered. He took, he enjoyed, and at times, he dated. But no one ever became permanent.
But knowing she was just sex kind of pissed me off, too. She was only floors away at any given time, and he could call her up when whenever he felt the need.
“Don’t worry. I haven’t slept with Michael,” she spoke up as if reading my mind.
I pressed my lips together, shrugging. “Why would I care?”
She snorted. “By the way you were all tongue-tied with him the other night in your pajamas, I gathered you did.”
I dropped my eyes, feeling the water pass between my fingers.
I could ask her why she hadn’t been with him, when I’d seen her go up to his apartment, but I didn’t want to care. It felt weird with her in the building and so close, but Michael wasn’t mine, so it wasn’t my business.
“And I haven’t slept with Kai, either,” she added, tipping back another shot.
“So Will and Damon then?” I broached. “No offense, but I’ve never known them to have to pay for sex.”
“Men who hire escorts aren’t paying for the sex,” she corrected. “They’re paying us to leave when it’s done.”
Nice. I looked away, feeling bad for her.
“Some people aren’t interested in forming attachments or having obligations, Rika,” she explained. “I’m just a professional who’ll show you a good time and then not expect anything afterward.”
I nodded, not really believing her. You may be the good time, but you’re also the dirty secret they hide.
She must’ve seen the judgment in my eyes, because she rushed to explain.
“It pays for school and pays for my apartment, and—no—I don’t want to do this for any longer than I have to, but I made my choice. I wish I didn’t always have to do it, but I don’t regret it. And sometimes,” she flashed me a playful smile, “it’s fun.”
I understood what she was saying, and I hadn’t meant to look like I was judging her. She made her choices, and she owned them. In a way, I envied her confidence.
But I suddenly realized how happy I was to be born a Fane with all the securities that entailed.
Over the next twenty minutes, she took another shot while I finished my drink, and I noticed everyone slowly relaxing as their alcohol took effect. Suit jackets came off, more people got into the pool, and Alex and I were lost in the music and laughing.
The tequila had coursed through my body, warming my stomach and chest, and it felt so good to smile and lose control a little. My skin hummed as my head began to float, and she and I moved our hips to Pray to God, barely noticing the couple making out next to us.
“I’m going to hit the bathroom,” she yelled over the loud music, shoving the bottle of tequila in my hand. “Drink more. I’ll be back in a minute.”
I shook my head, laughing her off.
I watched her hop out of the pool and disappear into the house, but then I spotted Michael, Will, and Kai on the other side of the pool, watching me, and my smile fell.
How long had they been there?
They stood in a semi-circle, drinks in their hands, and I wondered if they’d been watching Alex and me the whole time.
Cocking an eyebrow, I shot them a defiant look and turned around, setting down the bottle and making my way down the edge of the pool.
I headed toward the cave behind the waterfall, partly to escape their prying eyes and partly because I was curious.
The water cascaded down the rocks, splashing my arms and chest as I waded through the pool to the far right side. I spotted a sliver of darkness behind the falls and moved around the rushing water, slipping through without getting drenched.
As soon as I stepped past the falls, though, butterflies hit my stomach and I smiled.
It was huge.
A secret pool hid behind the falls, and the water glowed with neon blue light, much like the light in Michael’s penthouse. Off to the right lay a bank, of sorts, where you could lie down, sit, or people who weren’t swimming could walk in, stand, and see the beauty inside without getting wet.
The whole place was exactly like a cave. The rock walls and ceiling glittered with little white lights, probably to look like stars, and I couldn’t help the little groan that escaped as I tensed my thighs. I was turned on.
I wasn’t sure if it was just the place, the drinks, or Michael. My senses had been overwhelmed today.
I waded further in, enjoying the solace and the darkness, but then I saw Damon enter the cave and I stopped.
He’d walked straight through the falls, coming from the other side and was drenched. He pushed his wet, black hair over the top of his head, the wall of his chest, shoulders, and arms glistening with water. He must’ve either brought swim shorts with him or borrowed some, but I immediately took a step back, seeing that he was coming straight for me.
“I wish I could say I wasn’t used to that reaction from women,” he mused, noticing my retreat.
My hands fisted, and I licked my dry lips. “No, you don’t,” I contended. “I think you like it.”
His lips curled, and I fought not to back away again. He wanted me to be scared. He counted on it.
“I’m not scared of you.” I cocked my head, my heart racing despite my steel resolve.
The music blared outside, and between that and the waterfall, I doubt anyone would hear me if I screamed.
He stopped just in front of me, an inch between us. “Yeah, you are.”
And then he wrapped his arms around my waist like a steel band and lifted me off the ground.
I grunted, planting my hands on his shoulders and pushing away. “Damon.”
“I could tear you limb from limb,” he threatened, his breath falling across my face. “And I wouldn’t even break a sweat.”
I pressed my hands into him, pushing harder and twisting my body left and then right. “Knock it off. Let me go.”
“You know what I thought about in prison?” He took hold of my hair at the back of my scalp, and I gasped as he pulled my neck back, holding me tight and still with his lips only an inch from mine. “You…and our last night together,” he finished.
He kissed me, soft but possessive, dragging my bottom lip out with his teeth. I jerked away, digging my nails into his upper arms as my heart hammered in my chest.
“Damon, fuck off,” I bit out.
But he tightened his fist in my hair, brushing my lips with his. “Every time I was alone, I stroked my cock, seeing you in my head and taking it like a good girl.”
I darted out my hand and took his neck in my fingers, squeezing as hard as I could and trying to push him away from my mouth.
He laughed as if he didn’t notice. “You never told Michael what happened that night, did you?”
“How do you know I haven’t?” I growled, baring my teeth.
He pushed his head in closer. “Because he would’ve killed me already.”
I clenched my fingers around his neck, digging in my nails. “Then maybe I will tell him,” I threatened. “Now take your hands off me, Asshole.”
“Enough.”
Michael.
I sucked in a breath, and Damon shot his eyes up over my head at the deep command.
I breathed hard, watching him sneer as he probably debated whether or not to challenge his friend.
I couldn’t keep up. Two hours ago they seemed on the same page, and now Michael was reeling him in.
Damon finally released me, pushing me away, and I caught sight of the half-moon marks I’d made on his neck. He was bleeding, and I couldn’t help the feeling of satisfaction that coursed through my chest.
Good. Maybe it wouldn’t deter him, and maybe it would even turn him on, but he now knew I’d fight back. That was worth the risk of inciting him.
He left the cave, and I turned around, not even having to force myself to relax. I felt stronger already.
“You like all that attention, don’t you?” Michael pinned me with a hard stare. “How badly are you begging for it, Rika? Does it even matter who gives it to you?”
I laughed to myself, climbing the small steps up to the spacious stone bank. “Ask Trevor,” I taunted, pulling my hair up into a ponytail and very aware of how his eyes scaled down my wet body. “Even he couldn’t keep up with how much I needed it. All the time. God, I love to fuck.”
He tipped his chin down, a sick grin spreading across his face. Walking over to me, he backed me up into the cave wall, his gaze never leaving mine.
“Open your mouth,” he commanded, lifting his rocks glass.
I hesitated for only a moment. I wouldn’t let him see me falter. Little scared, timid Rika who couldn’t manage to take a step without permission? She was gone.
I tipped my head back, opening my mouth.
Michael poured a drab of his brown drink into my waiting mouth, and I swallowed it, careful to hide the pain of the burn as it coursed down my throat.
“Tell me more,” he urged, a challenge in his eyes.
I held his stare, diving in as I leaned against the wall, eyeing him. “I’d suck him off in the morning,” I told him, keeping my voice low and steady, “taking him down my throat and getting him so hard, so I could ride his dick before school.”
“Yeah?” Michael egged me on, a fire starting to burn in his eyes as he lifted the glass again. “Keep going.”
I leaned my head back again, opening my mouth for the sip.
Swallowing it, I continued, softening my voice, “He’d make me come so good,” I cooed. “His hands were all over my body, squeezing my tits as he bent me over the couch while your mother was in the next room.” I hooded my eyes, seeing his gaze drop to my mouth as I licked my lips. “He had to put his hand over my mouth when I came, because it was so fucking hot I couldn’t stop screaming.”
“Mmm…” He responded, tipping up the glass again to feed me more and then setting it down.
“And his dick is built for my ass,” I went on, curling the corner of my lips and playing with him. “When he slides it in, he owns me.”
“Is that right?” Michael asked lightly, thinning his eyelids and wrapping one arm around my waist, holding my face with the other. “Tell me more.” His breath fell across my lips. “I want to know everything my brother doesn’t do to you, you little liar.”
My chest shook with having him so close. I could almost taste his mouth. I parted my lips, feeling him hover, feeling him about to take his bite, and I fucking craved it.
Michael.
“After he comes,” he whispered, “and after he leaves you, leaves you wanting more and wanting everything you know only I can give you”—he snatched up my bottom lip between his teeth and let go—“is it my cock you think of when you slide those fingers in your pussy?”
I groaned, a rush of warmth hitting between my thighs, and my clit throbbed so hard, I had to be wet.
“Sometimes,” I admitted in a whisper, forcing myself to hold his eyes.
He cocked his head. “Sometimes?”
I nodded.
His glare hardened, and I knew he felt challenged.
My heart raced, beating faster and faster, and I didn’t know if my gamble was a huge mistake.
I only ever thought of him. Every fantasy, every orgasm…
Every time I was alone and touched myself, I only ever pictured him, his gorgeous eyes and body pinning me to a bed.
Or to a couch, a table, or the floor. It was always Michael.
But he had gotten my attention for far too long, and it was time for him to get jerked around. He wanted to play? I could play.
“Why did you lie to Jake?” he asked, suddenly changing the subject. “You watched the games in high school. You were at every one of my games.”
I tensed. “You knew that?”
I couldn’t believe he knew I attended every game. Even when he was in high school and I was still in junior high, I tagged along with Mrs. Crist, never missing a game until he went off to college.
“Why did you lie?”
I opened my mouth, searching for words. “I didn’t,” I finally forced out. “I said I never watched the games, and that was true. I just…” I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked back up at him, dropping my voice to a whisper. “I just watched you.”
He held my eyes, his expression hardening. His breathing sped up, and his rich scent flooded my head as I closed my eyes.
“Rika,” he whispered, sounding desperate as he grazed my bottom lip with the tip of his tongue.
Tingles spread over my face, and I felt higher than I ever had.
“When you think about me…‘sometimes,’” he added with amusement in his tone—he knew I was lying—“show me what you do to yourself.”
I blinked my eyes open, looking at the heat in his eyes. My nervous heart pounded harder, but I fought to restrain my excitement, too.
I’d never done that in front of anyone, and I hesitated, worrying about all the other women he’d had. How experienced they were, and if he’d snicker and laugh at what I had…
And then I heard Michael in my head from what seemed like ages ago, in a dark room, the first time he got close…
Own it. Don’t apologize for who you are. Own it. You can’t win if you don’t show up, right?
I held his eyes, intense and not blinking, as I slid my hand down into my bikini, and between my thighs.
Michael ran a hand over the left side of my neck, and I faltered, not used to having anyone touch me there.
But he didn’t seem to notice anything. He continued, threading it under my hair, holding me as his eyes dropped and he watched me move my fingers inside my black swimsuit.
His chest rose and fell quicker, and his hard gaze stayed trained on my hand as I circled my clit with two fingers.
My pussy started throbbing harder, and I whimpered, my insides flooding with heat as he watched me play.
“Take them off,” he breathed out, eyes never leaving my hand.
I shook my head.
“Do it.” He shook me, and I gasped.
Jesus. A rush hit my stomach, and the pulse in my fucking clit pounded harder.
I groaned.
“Please, Rika,” he begged, kissing my lips and drawing them out with his as he pulled back. “I need to see.”
I licked my lips and slipped my fingers under the straps at my hips and pushed the bottoms down, stepping out of them.
I caught his sudden intake of breath, and, without hesitation, I slid my hand back down between my thighs. I moved my fingers in and out, swirling the wetness up and over my clit as I leaned back against the wall, closing my eyes.
I arched my back and lifted my leg up, letting Michael grab it under the knee and hold it at his waist.
Much better now.
Rolling my hips in small movements, feeling his cock grow hard as I brushed against it inside his pants, I continued fingering and playing, hearing his breathing grow labored. He must’ve liked what he was seeing.
“Is this what you wanted?” I whispered, sliding two fingers inside myself.
“Yes,” he choked out.
I smiled. Whether or not I thought I was sexy or just a stupid kid was irrelevant. Michael Crist was losing his grip.
“Sometimes I do other things,” I taunted.
He snapped his eyes up to me, narrowing them. “What else?”
“I can’t tell you.” I licked my lip. “Maybe I’ll show you sometime. Or maybe I’ll do it tonight when I take off my clothes and crawl into my bed alone”—and I leaned in, whispering across his lips–“naked, hot, wet, and alone.”
He exhaled, his lungs emptying. “Fuck.”
And before I knew what was happening, he dropped to his knees, hooked my leg over his shoulder, and took my bare pussy in his mouth, assaulting me fast and hard with his tongue and teeth.
I cried out. “Michael!” Oh, God.
He sucked my clit into his mouth and then released it, rubbing his tongue over the sensitive skin again and again. I squeezed my eyes shut.
“Oh, shit,” I choked out. “Fuck.”
He dived in between my legs, eating me like he was starved.
I fisted the top of his hair, arching my neck as he nibbled, sucked, and licked, going around in circles and circles and then diving back in to claim me hard.
“Fuck, you’ve got a nice pussy,” he whispered against my skin, looking up at me as he flicked my clit with his tongue. “You’re a pretty girl, Rika. So soft and tight.”
I sucked in air through my teeth and pressed myself into his mouth, watching him lick the length of me as he stared into eyes.
And then he dived down and slide his tongue inside of me, and I groaned louder.
“Oh, God!” I moaned. “Michael, I need more.”
“You want my cock?” he asked, dragging my clit through his teeth, an ache building deep and hard.
I nodded frantically.
“My cock or someone else’s?”
“Yours!” I cried.
“You mean the only one you think about when you finger-fuck yourself, right?” he argued, sliding his two fingers inside me as he continued to circle my clit with his tongue.
“Yes,” I moaned, feeling my orgasm build and gather deep in my belly.
“So you’re a fucking liar then, huh?” he growled, rubbing my nub harder and harder with his tongue as his fingers plunged in and out.
“Yes!” I fisted his hair tighter.
My muscles tingled and weakened, and I breathed faster and faster, feeling it coming.
I opened my eyes, staring at the ceiling as he ate me out, but then my head snapped to the left, seeing Kai.
My eyes widened, and my heart jumped into my chest. “Wha—!” I gasped, my orgasm building and building, and my head feeling dizzy.
He leaned his shoulder against the rock wall with his arms crossed over his chest, watching us with impassive eyes. He may as well have been watching the news.
I shook my head, wanting to tell him to get out, but then I groaned, tightening every muscle in my fucking body as the orgasm exploded inside me.
“Oh, God!” I cried, my body taking over as I rode it out and ground my pussy against Michael’s tongue. “Oh, fuck!”
My clit beat like a drum, and I could feel the heat of my cum between my legs.
I heaved, trying to catch my breath as the bursts of pleasure inside my stomach and between my thighs pulsed and spread and slowly dissipated.
My chest shook with aftershocks, and Michael’s mouth slowed, licking me soft and slow.
He then kissed my clit nice and soft and looked up at me with a gloating curl to his lips.
“Does she taste as good as she looks?” I heard Kai ask, and I snapped my head up, remembering he’d been watching.
“Better,” Michael answered calmly, staring up at me as if he’d known Kai was there the whole time.
I glared at Michael and then pushed him away, taking my leg down. Grabbing my bikini bottoms, I hurried back into them and made for the exit.
Back and forth, back and forth…Michael challenged me, and I met him, pushing back the whole time.
But in the heat of the moment, he got to me. He knew he was the only fantasy in my head, the only one I wanted.
And worse, Kai was challenging me, too. Their games had changed, and I was thinking faster, but not fast enough.
I brushed past Kai, and he turned his head over his shoulder, following me with his eyes.
“Run all you want, Little Monster,” he said, sounding like a threat. “We’re faster.”
