"The young bride, the beautiful and talented Sian Saunders nee Claiborne herself, hails from another prominent business family of notable mention, the Claibornes of Claiborne Inc.""With these two coming together in wedded bliss, I for one am more than excited to see what this new generation has in store for us. Stay tuned later for an exclusive interview with the bride and groom..."I turned off the TV and flung the remote across the bedroom, slamming it into the wall. My pulse raced and my breathing escalated as fury swept through the blood in my veins."That was supposed to be me." The phone rang again and I don't know why I rushed to answer as tears started rolling down my face. "What?""Did you watch? What happened to you and Jace getting back together?""You bitch Kelly you'd better never let me see your face again." Her laugh grated on my nerves and made me feel small, something I haven't felt since I learned how to look out for myself."You don't scare me, I'm not L
I felt just a little spark of interest. This was the most taboo thing I've ever done after all, so how could I not? But the day was tainted and not as fun as I'd always dreamed it would be.Still, I spread my legs a little wider and plastered a fake smile on my face as he played his fingers along my thigh."Well?" I hated the leering smile on his face. Only because I didn't feel like I was in control. It felt more, like I was being led by someone else's machinations and I hated it.As much as I'd been looking forward to this moment. To stealing my mother's happiness, it was lacking something because I was feeling too unsettled.So that is why when he indicated with just the movement of his eyes that I should give him head, I slid down off his desk grudgingly. For the first time since I learned to use sex as a weapon, I hated it.Not the act itself, but the fact that in this one instance, I wasn't entirely in control. Though I'll have him in the palm of my hand after we cross
"Sian, the plane can carry up to twenty pieces of luggage in the outside compartment and a few more inside. Where pray tell are you planning to put those rugs?" She'd fallen in love with two things in Istanbul, the blue pottery from Izmir, and the damn Persian rugs."But Jace they're so pretty, can't we add them to your...I mean, our bedroom?" She batted her damn lashes at me like she's been doing for the last few hours since we woke up and left the hotel.Little did she know that it wasn't her damn eye shit that was making me fold, but the fact that it was the mother of my child asking these things of me.On second thought, her not telling me she was pregnant was kinda good for me. Once those words leave her mouth, she's got me. There won't be anything I can deny her under the sky.What's the difference jackass? She hasn't told you, but because you went snooping and you know you're bound by the same creed. "Well fuck!" "What's wrong with you? I won't get the rugs if it's go
They dragged ass back there and I closed the door behind them. Now it was just us guys."Jace, you went to the Caymans lately?" Track was on his laptop with a worried look on his face."Yep! I beat you to it huh.""What did you do with it?""Let's just say there're three kids back in L.A. with some nice starter funds and one in the bedroom back there.""What're you guys talking about?" Shane looked from me to Track and back again. "When did you go to the Cayman Islands? And you didn't take me? That sucks bro."Track and I shared a smile. I don't know if this is how things will work in the future, but in this one thing, I wasn't sharing any information until it was done. All the way done.I couldn't help thinking how people get themselves in shit that they can't see their way out of. She had a good thing going. I would've left her alone. Save Cassie's family and let her carry on with her shit. It had nothing to do with me after all.But she had to cross the fucking line
"Thanks guys. Now here's the deal. I'm trying to time this throwing up thing. I was able to sneak into the hotel bathroom earlier and now again on the plane.""It just started so I don't know how it's gonna go tomorrow. I might need you guys early in the morning. I don't know what excuse I'm gonna come up with, but...""Walking on the beach. If we get caught we'll just say we were going for a walk on the beach to see the sunrise. It's a private island, I don't think they'll be as anal as they were in Turkey."I snorted. "Have you met Jace?" She has no idea. He's already lectured me about going in the water without him there. When I asked what happened to the lifeguards he'd hired he said they were for everyone else, I was his responsibility.I sometimes wonder how long that would last. That attentiveness. But then all I have to do is look at his parents or mine, to know that it could last a lifetime. But with a new baby so soon.... No, I'm not going to worry about it any longer
It was hell keeping my libido in check all night, in fact all day as well. It's as if as soon as the words I now pronounce you man and wife left the priest's lips, I was ready to jump her. And the only reason I was able to control myself, is because of her.She's mine! Mine to cherish in every way. And one of those ways was waiting until she was ready. All throughout the spectacular dinner on the beach, with the light show and live band playing off to the side, she'd shown me in little ways that she was ready. I would've given her more time if her mind hadn't started going south. She thought I didn't want her.The thing is, she didn't even have to tell me that, I know her well enough that I read that shit coming off of her in waves. And that I could not have. So I decided that once everyone else had gone to bed, or wherever they went off to, that I would show her how wrong she was.I looked down at her beautiful face in the moonlight and my heart was so full, I couldn't resist th
"You don't have to be nervous around me you know. I'm never going to touch you until you're much older." I watched her face for her reaction to my words and was pleased with what I saw.Her eyes were wide and she bit into her lip nervously before trying to evade my gaze. I kept going as if it was the most natural conversation in the world."I'll hold your hand, I'll even kiss your cheek, but you can relax for at least another year. Do you want to watch a movie or something?" My change of topic threw her for a second but she was quick to regroup."Uh, sure, I guess." I walked over to the eighty inch screen with the cabinet beneath that if I remember correctly, housed all the movies and music. It's been a while since Jace dragged us all here, but I have to say, this time was by far the best. Because she was here."What kind of movies do you like?""It doesn't matter, you choose something.""Cass." I called out to her without looking at her."Yeah?""Don't do that.""Do
When did holding hands become such a big deal? Since when did something this innocent make my heart and pulse race and my breath get trapped in my lungs?"By the way, I saw you that day Mandy got expelled and I deduced that she had something to do with why you'd been so sad for so long. Am I right?" She scrunched up her shoulders in that cute way of hers."I don't know if I should say.""Doesn't matter, she's never going to mess with you again." She gave me a questioning look but I distracted her with the movie. Yeah, I'm pretty sure she won't be fucking with the people I love in the future.*** TAMMY***Is it supposed to take this long to come back down to earth? To get your feet back on the ground again? I feel like I've been floating on air for the past few days, ever since my dad told me that Shane had come to him and asked for my hand in marriage.At first I thought it was a trick. That my dad was trying to find out if we'd had sex in a roundabout way, but when h