Reed took us to the main house to look around before swimming. My suit was an old ratty one-piece that I'd found at a thrift store. I know that seems trashy, but when you don't have money and the swimming suit cost two dollars, you get over the whole ick factor and wash it thoroughly before wearing. I didn't feel comfortable wearing it in front of Reed and just stayed in my shorts, but exchanged my sweaty t-shirt for a tank. I owned exactly two bras and one was deep in the dirty clothes basket, so I had to keep my sweaty one on.We followed Reed through his house. It was huge, much bigger than I thought. There was a workout room, game room complete with pool table, and a separate theater room with the biggest television I'd ever seen. Individual plush chairs faced the TV so you could watch and enjoy in luxurious comfort. An old-fashioned pushcart popcorn machine was against the back wall. It actually worked and had small paper bags so you could fill them and eat while watching a movie
He pulled me into the game room. "Hey, Jon, Bitsy, fresh chocolate chip cookies are in the kitchen. Maggie wants to meet you, so run in there and get a few. And bring some back for us if you don't mind."Bitsy laid her pool stick on the table. The stick was twice as long as she was tall. Jon went to pick it up, but Reed grabbed it. "I've got the cues, just follow the cookie smell and you'll find the kitchen."They left the room and Reed nodded to the foosball table in the corner. "Play me so I can kick your ass again."I rested my hip against the pool table. "Totally unfair advantage. You have foosball at your house and probably practice all the time. I hope it makes you feel good to beat little old me."Reed grabbed me after he pushed the sticks, err, cues across the table and lifted me before leaning me back so I rested against the top. My feet didn't touch the floor, so I circled my legs around his hips. His hands landed on either side of my head."Seeing you in my kitchen look
The rest of Reed's friends showed up. Alex was single like Mick. Once Bitsy got over her fear of Mick, she was his best friend. She followed him around and played her million-question quiz.Reed had his arm around me, keeping me pulled into his side while he spoke with Alex and Sal. I tried to wiggle away, but he stopped me. "What's up, baby?"Shit, that was his bedroom talk and he was now doing it in front of his friends. "I need to rescue Mick. Bitsy will get to the inappropriate questions next."Reed and his friends laughed."Mick has five sisters and if anyone can handle girls, he can. He's having a good time chatting with her, so let him be."Reed and his friends were evil. I'd saved Reed from Bitsy's question-fest and the least he could do was return the favor to his friend. Chi Chi walked up before I could give Reed a small piece of my mind."We're going to change into our suits. You wanna come with us, Jaycee?" She stood waiting with Dustin's wife, Clare. Dustin played ce
We entered the backyard and saw everyone else already in the pool. Bitsy and Jon had worn their swimsuits under their clothes. Jon's dark blue trunks could almost pass for black. Swimming was the only time Jon stepped out of his Goth persona. I teased him about being a vampire. Jon always gave as good as he got with comebacks and said he'd mastered the difficulty over light sensitivity. My brother had a mind of his own and I wouldn't change him for the world.The appreciative whistle from Mick announced our arrival.Chi Chi didn't let it pass. "Yeh, tall boy, see what you're missing playing that pansy court game. Baseball's all about hot mamas strutt'n their stuff."Male laughter sounded from the pool. I guessed this was an ongoing tease between them and it made me smile. Reed was in the pool with sunglasses on, so I couldn't see his eyes, but his head followed me as I walked around to the steps and sat down with my feet in the water feeling horribly exposed.It took Reed all of tw
"Move the chair over here and turn it around so the back faces me."My kinky Reed was back in full swing. I did exactly what he said."Straddle the chair," he all but groaned.I had no idea how that would work sexually, but I was past caring. Reed watched for a moment before standing up and taking the scarf from the nightstand. Once he covered my eyes, I wouldn't be able to see his incredible muscles, so I drank him in, burning each sinewy movement into my memory."You know you can tell me to stop any time," he whispered in my ear as he placed the scarf around my head, covering my eyes."Yes." My heart was ready to explode from my chest. I could feel moisture on the chair dripping from my pussy, but I wasn't embarrassed by it; I was too damn turned on.He lifted my hands and slowly pulled them behind me while wrapping the tape around my wrists. When my arms were secure, I felt the heat of his hands against my ass."Lift a little, baby, and slide forward."I widened my legs, lif
I woke up in Reed's arms an hour after we crawled into his bed. I was sticky and itchy from strawberries and it made me smile. His warm body pressed into mine. I had to get back to the loft and my room, so I wiggled out from his hold. He never woke up.A soft glow from a nightlight in his bathroom helped me locate my clothes after washing some of the sticky red trails from my body with a washcloth. I made it downstairs and noticed the security system. Reed had given me the code when he set it and thank goodness my mind wasn't so far gone with lust that I couldn't remember the six digits.I climbed the stairs to the loft and unlocked the front door. The soft glow and drone from the television let me know I wasn't sneaking back in without being seen.My brother waited with Don Gato curled on his lap."Hi. Couldn't sleep?" I asked in the most level tone I could manage."New bed. I guess I needed a lumpy couch, though this one doesn't pass the test. How about you? Couldn't sleep?"I
He took me to the kitchen and pulled out our chair. Yes, I knew the chair was ours. He took the one next to it, giving me an innocent look. The man was diabolically evil.I ignored the instant zing between my thighs and got to the point. "You are not buying school clothes for Bitsy."He barely let me finish. "Hear me out first, Jaycee." He took my hands. "You've been caring for Jon and Bitsy for years now and you will continue to care for them. They start a new school tomorrow and I live in a ritzy neighborhood with upper-class schools. I know that probably pisses you off, but that's the world we live in. They'll have enough problems without adding clothes to the mix."I shook off his hands and stood up, the chair sliding back six inches when I did. "And you didn't think to mention this before we moved in? The last thing either of them need is more problems, you jerk." I paced across the kitchen and didn't speak again until I turned and faced him. "What you don't understand is that
We both needed sleep, so I didn't visit Reed that night. I tossed and turned for more than an hour before my exhaustion won the battle.I worried to death when Reed left with Jon and Bitsy to take them to school the next morning. He'd streamlined everything to get them in the new school. He was so efficient at getting things his way I wondered why he needed help with his personal paperwork. After dropping them off, he would head to the stadium for whatever it is that ball players did the week before spring training. Maggie and I would be picking up my brother and sister from school because Reed would be gone the entire day. We were still in the planning stage for rides during the remainder of the week after I vetoed a private driver. I caught Reed childishly rolling his eyes and wondered if all grown men acted up whenever they didn't get their way.Maggie arrived shortly after the rest of them left. We sat at the kitchen table and went over the cleaning, yard maintenance, and other h
I hid in Italy for three weeks. Greg came with me and kicked my ass on the court. He actually made a great practice partner. I was back to clean eating and drinking only water. It surprised me when Greg brought a bottle of wine to my room one night."What's this for?" I asked when he gave me one of his golly-gee smiles. Greg was cute. And, married to a lovely woman who worshipped him."I've been your coach for three months now and I have no idea what makes you tick. It's time for a come to daddy talk. Or in your case, come to coach. I figured the alcohol might make it easier.""You'll need more than one bottle," I told him. He came back to my room ten minutes later with two more bottles in his hands. "Does your wife know you're getting drunk with a slutty tennis star tonight?" I smiled to take the sting out of calling myself a slut."She suggested it. We've had many long conversations about you.""How romantic."He poured our first glasses and tilted the edge of his glass against
I never returned to the hospital, which was entirely unfair of me. My anger at my father carried over to Brack. I was horrible. The man I loved hadn't fully recovered and I left him at the hospital alone. Okay, he had his parents and his team. But, bottom lineI was horrible and a coward. I ignored the calls from Brack and my father. Again- coward.I needed complete control of my life. It took me two weeks to come up with a plan. During those two weeks, I hired a new coach and trained until I could barely walk. I trained with a purpose. I'd had my own money. Not just from tennis but from my mother. I'd never used it. That was the way I punished her and myself. Now, for the first time, I paid for my own coach.I liked him. I could actually smile over the fact that my father paid for Jerry all those years while the two of them hated each other. Greg, my new coach, kicked my ass. I had no idea if I had a chance this season. But, winning the Grand Slam was in my peripheral vision and not
Two days later, the doctors discontinued the medication that kept Brack in a coma. My father showed up the morning after surgery and made me go home, shower, and change clothes. Brack's parents were staying in shifts. His mom promised she wouldn't leave his side until I returned. I hadn't really spoken to them. We stayed relatively quiet in Brack's room. I whispered encouragement and told him I was there. They gave us privacy, too. That's when I told him I loved him. Again and again, I whispered the words.My father and Senator Jacobs were cordial. Brack's mother treated my dad like a family friend. Apparently she'd been friends with my mom. I tried not to think about the ramifications of our two families tied together through me and Brack. It was too much to take right now.Brack still had the ventilator. The doctor reviewed best and worst case scenarios with us. I refused to listen to brain damage, paralysis, learning to walk and talk again, and so on. My focus was full recovery. I
Four hours later, I was passed out against Mack's shoulder when his cell rang. My brain registered the noise and I was pulled quickly from sleep."Yeah," he answered quietly. He listened for several minutes before responding. "I have her here with me. We'll be there in a minute." He slid his phone back in his pocket and looked at me. "He's in recovery. It was touch and go, but he pulled through. They have him in a sedated coma. He has a stent in his skull to relieve swelling. The doctor told his parents he came to before surgery and demanded to see you. His mom wants you up there if you think you can handle it."I was up and walking out of the emergency room before he finished, my heart pounding a hundred miles an hour. "What floor? I'm not waiting for you to waddle behind me."Snickers came from several of the guys. "I've got her," Molly said."Second floor."The elevator took so long I almost turned to the stairs. I'd do anything to get to him. Brack asked for me and I had to se
I ran toward Brack, who had fallen to the floor. There was so much blood and I tried wiping it off his face. My hands turned dark red."You did it, baby," he whispered before his body went completely limp.Sander and a woman who must be Molly ran into the enclosure with guns drawn. I could barely hear them. Echoed gunshots continued ringing in my ears."Call an ambulance and please someone check on my father. He's in the van," I said as I held Brack's head in my lap. Blood soaked my panties and covered my legs. Head wounds bleed, I kept saying to myself. Sander practically jumped over us and went straight to Ty's body. He turned back when he had assured himself Ty was no longer a threat."Where were you?" I asked softly. I didn't want Brack to hear me yelling at his team.Sander sat down next to me and took Brack's arm checking his pulse. "The bastard used some kind of scrambler. It took us a while to figure out the van didn't leave the premises. We recovered the phones. Brack had
Kids laughed. A mother scolded a young child for attempting to go under the bar and get closer to one of the cages. Brack and I stood in the center of the primate exhibit. My phone chirped. It didn't startle me this time; I was too numb. "Yes.""Walk over to the primate exhibit sign and you'll find another cell phone behind it. Exchange it for the one you're using. Have Mr. Jacobs leave his phone behind, too."Brack followed me to the sign and I did exactly as told. The phone was there. I picked it up and lay mine down. "He said to leave yours, too." Brack took his from his jeans pocket and placed it beside mine. Thankfully, no one paid attention to us. I had no idea what we needed to do next. The phone in my hand vibrated. This time I clicked the call button without saying a word."Go to your left and keep walking on the path. Did you bring my present?" I carried a bag with the dress inside so both of Brack's arms would be free. He carried a gun in a hidden leg holster."Yes, it's
The inside of my father's home was a crime scene. We sat on the couch in the front room away from the forensic team that arrived a few minutes before. The media camped at the gates added to the growing chaos.Even knowing Ty would eventually call, I jumped when my cell phone chirped. The display read "Unknown." My fingers trembled as I picked it up and answered, "Hello, Ty, or should I call you Leo?"His husky laugh sent goose bumps across my arms. "I told you not to call the police. You wouldn't listen and you'll pay for disobedience."My voice remained steady. "It wasn't me. You killed your mother, so what exactly did you expect? She worked for my dad for over thirty years. One plus one equals two, Leo." Fuller and Brack told me not to push him too hard. I had to make him believe I hadn't gone to the police, though."My mother had cancer and it was eating away at her. I did her a favor. She didn't walk in God's light. By making her repent and then killing her God may show mercy."
My heart stopped. Dread and terror filled me. Colors danced before my eyes making it hard to see. The whoosh of blood traveling into my head made it hard to hear. I had to get control of myself. I gulped in air. "You goddamn son of a bitch. If you hurt my father I'll kill you.""He that blasphemeth the name of the LORD shall be put to death and stoned. Remember that when you feel the pain of my hand, Olivia."Brack startled me by gathering me close and placing his head against mine so we both listened. "Where's my father?" I demanded."That's better. I have instructions for you, Olivia. You will follow them to the letter. Please bring that man with you. The one you've been with lately." His voice took on an eerie quality. "If a man commits adultery with another man's wife, both the man and the woman must be put to death." He breathed heavily and then gave a sadistic laugh. "You may choose your father or lover to pay for your sins. One shall die and the other walks away.""But-"He
I don't know what I expected love to be like. Violins playing, little cupids flying around with bow and arrows, hell maybe just cuddles in bed for hours. That wasn't what happened the following morning. Brack paced across the carpet of my living room with his cell to his ear listening to one of his men on the other end. He cast a glance or two my way. I could tell before the call ended that he would try his non-communication shit with me again.I was right."What's the news?" I asked the second he lowered the phone.He came over and sat beside me. "Nothing to worry about."I gave him my I'm-about-to-slam-you-with-a-tennis-racquet look. "Bullshit." I was beginning to notice his tells. The fingers traveling through his hair was a sign that he didn't want to enlighten me. I waited.He breathed out a slow and steady breath of air. "Mack didn't see his attacker, but he heard him before he lost consciousness."My heartbeat accelerated. "Okay. Spill it.""Mack told Herman that most of