"I was a fucking idiot," she mumbled to herself.Her fingertips brushed over the incomplete sculpture that is meant for Elijah and Elizabeth.She started working on it a few days after she had lunch with Elijah. The sooner she starts with it the faster she finishes and they'll be out of her life for good.Josephine was angered and embarrassed at how Elijah offered her lunch and bailed on her. With the look he gave her before he walked out of the café she could sense from a mile away that he regretted going out on lunch with her.But the question is, did she regret agreeing?She scrunched her button nose while she studied the sculpture making sure that there was no flaw.She already started with the measurement and building the skull. Every day for the past two weeks she's been in her studio working on the sculpture.So far she likes how it's turning out.It would take about two months and two weeks to finish it if there are no distractions.Josephine decided to play music as she worke
She wishes she spoke the way she painted. Ceaselessly.Obsessively.She would paint to the point of suffocation. She would paint herself into nervous breakdowns.Canvases scattered all over like an art gallery filled with abandoned paintings, each of them having a significant meaning to it, dark or beautiful. Josephine sat in silence as she inhaled the gray stench. Intoxicating her lungs as it set her mind at ease. There was something euphoric in her eyes as she took each drag, if she perversely lured on that morbid end to punish those who had caused her pain and endless suffering. The mother who herself had abused her, had suffered so much pushing and fighting throughout her abusive days and the father whose brain was ill and poisoned addled by corporal punishment and lack of affection towards his daughter...Every single demon she fights on a daily basis has been put to sleep, her mind calm as deep rivers in the night. She was at peace. The illegal substance (weed) that she t
She kissed her without warning. Without permission. Without even deciding to do it but simply because she couldn't have done anything else.Her vanilla scent, the taste of her lips, the feeling of her skin seemed to get inside of Josephine. Josephine, snaked her hands around Zariah's waist and pulled her closer. She kissed Zariah with all the desires she's kept away. She kissed her without resistance and hesitation. Josephine craved Zariah's touch but secretly she craved his too. She wanted to feel something. Hoping that it will distract her mind from the man she's been battling to forget for ages. Josephine kissed Zariah from her soft lips to her sweet neck then slowly traveled down to her collar bone.Josephine slipped her hand under her mini dress. She reached in her lace panties into her wet slit. She gently rubbed her lower lips while kissing her. "I'm all yours Josephine." She whispered, her soft voice trembling.She pushed me in my apartment, shutting the door as her back
Josephine studied Zariah's features as she slept peacefully beside her. The morning sun kissing her golden face. Her long lashes resting on her flesh, her lips parted as she took slow calm breaths. Josephine did not get enough sleep yesterday. After they had sex they watched a little bit of tv and fell asleep on the soft mat, with a blanket they got from the couch. Her mind has been playing games with her. Thinking about him and all the things she wants him to do with her body. She craved him so much that even a little kiss would put her mind at ease. It was scary for her because never in her life has she been so attracted to someone then Elijah. Was it because he was taken, or was it because he seemed so mysterious which made her curious about him? What was it that made her feel this way towards this man and why him? Josephine reached out her hand and touched Zariah's soft skin. A small moan escaped her lips which made Josephine pull back her hand.Zariah fluttered her eyes op
Elijah was nervous.His heart was racing, palms sweating and stomach twisting. He has not had this particular feeling in a long time. His teenage hormones always kicked in whenever he saw Josephine or even heard her voice over the call. "Mr. Cohen surprised you by dropping by." Josephine said, a nervous smile stretching across her face. Elijah gritted his teeth by the way she addressed him. 'Mr. Cohen.' He specifically told her not to call him that, multiple times so why is she still doing it. Is it to tick him off because if that was the reason?Then it's definitely working. "I was hoping we can talk somewhere more..." He trailed off as his gaze shifted to black woman standing next to her. Probably one of her customers. "Private." He blurted out. Josephine exchanged looks with the woman and threw her hands up in the air like she's been caught doing something illegal. "Think about what I said Josephine." she said, the woman had a very sweet voice. She was beautiful but her voi
Josephine ran after Zariah, she pushed the doors open leading her outside the studio finding Zariah on her phone."Zariah?" Josephine called out. "No, Josephine." she spat bitterly, tears stinging her eyes. Josephine felt guilty she did not mean for Zariah to catch them, nor did she intend to almost kiss him. It just happened. The warm wind tickled her face, surprisingly the city air was fresh this morning, almost sweet and floral. "What are you doing?" Josephine questioned eagerly as she stood awkwardly on the sidewalk watching as the people and cars passed by. "Zariah?" She called out. "I'm going back to my hotel Josephine, certainly I'm not that important to you seeing that your attention is on something else." she flashed out, dramatically throwing her arms up in the air. She did that whenever she was nervous or upset. Josephine scrunched her nose, her brows pulled together as she was in disbelief of what she heard. "Please don't tell me you are upset?" Josephine blurted o
"I do not think this is necessary." Josephine blurted out as she judged Elijah the way he soothed the sides of the sculpture. Elijah rolled his eyes and dropped the knife. "How the fuck do you do this?" he complained and Josephine grinned. His eyes darkened as he glared at Josephine. "You find this funny Josephine?" he asked, annoyance lingering in his low voice. Josephine shrugged. "I do not find it funny, I find it entertaining." she stated. Josephine reached over for her phone and smiled when she saw the time it read 13:45. She looked up meeting those gray eyes. "I have to go, It was really nice of you to help even though you didn't do much." Josephine blushed. Elijah tilted his head. "Where are you off too?" he asked. Josephine pulled her brows together. "Home, I'm tired, I'll be back later so that I can start looking for employees." She said as she walked over to the sink, Elijah followed behind her. "Can I tag along?" Elijah paused the sound of running water was the only s
She winced at the sharp needle piercing through her sensitive flesh. The man chuckled as he continued to draw on her. "First time?" he questions teasingly. Josephine bit down on her tank top. "No but the pain is not bad, but definitely not what I expected." she replied. "How could you, if you got a butterfly tattooed permanently on your ass cheek," he said. Josephine rested her head on the leather like bed. "Do you always judge your clients?" she asked strictly. "No, just curious." he stated. "Well, stay curious."The tattoo artist chuckled and Josephine grinned. Josephine has been less grumpy these past few days. It was strange but she knew the answer to her change of behavior. Two days ago she took Zariah's advice and announced that she is looking for workers. Already she found two people that applied which was surprising since it hasn't been a full day since the announcement. The first one is a guy named Matt, he's in his early twenties and very good with painting, charcoal a
I’m so done for.The way I feel about Adam, after knowing him for such a short amountof time, can’t be good for me. I mean, it feels good, but it’s definitely dangerous.We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks now, and I’m smitten, totally smitten. I’m a smitten kitten. And clearly a massive geek.We’re at the beach. It’s early morning, and I have to be at work in a few hours. But we’re all here this morning, surfing at the beach just outside Adam’s house. Max is out there with Grady, Base, Tad, and Paige. Adam and I quit surfing a while ago. We’re sitting up on my rock, and I’m sketching a picture of them all surfing.Adam is here, with me. He’s wrapped around me from behind, his chin resting on my shoulder, while he watches me draw.His lips skim over my shoulder, and his teeth graze my skin, making me shiver. His fingers trace over the skin on my stomach where they’ve made their way under the hem of my tank top.We haven’t done anything more than kiss.He knows I’m a virgin.
Pulling my black, skin-tight, off-the-shoulder dress out of mycloset, I bit my lip. It was sexy yet elegant, even with the thigh slit, and I loved it. But I’d never worn anything like this before in front of Dane, my boss. It would feel weird.My gaze flicked to the more formal dress further along the closet rail, but then I remembered what Dane had said to me yesterday before I left o-Verve ...Don’t dress as my PA. Wear what you’d wear to go on a date, not what you’d wear to go to a business dinner.I looked back at the black dress I was holding and gave it a firm nod. Yes, this would do. I’d throw on a light layer of makeup, add some jewelry, maybe curl the ends of my hair and leave it down. First, I needed to shower.Blowing out a breath, I put a hand to my fluttering stomach. First dates were always nerve-wracking. But this wasn’t a real date, so I technically had no need to feel nervous. There was no pressure to impress, no worry that this might end up being a waste of my time,
Later that day, I parked in the lot outside my apartment buildingand switched off the engine. It wasn’t a very well-lit parking area, so I was glad that dusk hadn’t yet completely fallen. There were many times I’d needed to stay late at the office to help Dane with one thing or another, so I often didn’t make it home until it was super dark.Slipping out of my car, I locked it with the remote fob and then dug the can of pepper spray out of my bag. It was only a short walk to my building, but a girl could never be too careful.Crossing the crack-ridden pavement, I glanced around. There was no one hovering about. All I could hear were my heels clacking on the ground and the sounds of street traffic.Reaching the footpath that led to the main entrance, I neatly sidestepped the cans, wrappers, and crinkled flyers that littered the ground near the overflowing trash can.I could afford to live in a nicer neighborhood, I just preferred being near my family. Especially my father, Simon.Insi
Stopping at my desk, Hanna regarded me warily. “Uh-oh, youreyelid’s twitching. What’s wrong? Did someone mistake you for the model on the Syphilis Awareness billboard again?”I narrowed my eyes at my friend and coworker. “No. And I don’t look anything like her.” We’d had this conversation already. But Hanna liked to poke at me in that way that only one of your closest friends would.“You have the same pale blue eyes and high cheekbones. Her hair isn’t exactly the same platinum blonde shade as yours, but it’s close.”People always assumed my hair color came straight out of a bottle. In truth, I’d inherited it from my half-Swedish grandmother.“But she doesn’t have your blunt bangs or Jessica Alba-mouth,” Hanna went on because, yeah, she was a pain in my ass when bored.“Can we not talk about the model who looks nothing like me, please?”“Of course.”“Great. If you’ve come to speak to Dane, he’s not yet back from his lunch meeting, but he shouldn’t be much longer.”“I came to check on
Entering the water, I paddle out on my board, pushing through the waves. Paddling out farther, I need big waves.I need to surf Evie out of my head.I need the peace that only being out here can give me.It’s been five days since our talk. I haven’t spoken to her since. I havecaught glimpses of her on my way back in and out of the hotel as I pass by the coffee shop, but I’ve avoided going in there.I’ve had to go to Starbucks. So, now, I’ve lost my decent fucking coffee as well.I’ve been staying away from her for many reasons, and it’s not just the fact that she broke my heart. Seeing her again has screwed me up so much.I knew I wasn’t over her—I’d have to be stupid to ever think I was—but I didn’t realize how badly I’d want her again. The urge to touch her and taste her was overwhelming. Just breathing the same air as her was fucking killing me.Standing there, staring at her, I was eighteen all over again.From the moment I’d seen Evie sitting up on that rock eleven years ago, I’
My alarm is going off with an annoying insistence. On a groan, I reach over and slam my hand on it, turning it off.Time for work.Ugh.Summer has only just begun, and I’ve worked the last seven daysstraight as a favor for Grady. I can’t wait for tomorrow when I can sleep in. I’m only doing the overtime because Grady is the best boss ever—a retired pro surfer, and the Shack is his life—and he asked me because we’reshort-staffed at the moment. I’m also doing it because I need the money. Paige, who works part-time in the shop with Base and me, has been on vacation. And Tad, who does the surf lessons with Grady, has been out sick with the flu. So, Grady has been pulling Base out of the shop to help with the surf lessons. So, I’ve been manning the shop alone. But Tad and Paigewill be back tomorrow, so I’ll get the day off. Yay!For tomorrow, I was thinking, once I drag my ass out of bed, that I mightactually spend the day at the beach and lie out in the sun, read a book, swim, and may
My hands are shaking. They’ve been shaking pretty much all day. Every time I think about Adam, the shakes start. How I haven’t managed to break a cup, I’m not sure.He looks the same yet different. He looks hardened to the world. The light that used to live in his eyes has dulled. But he’s still as handsome as ever, if not even more so with age.Adam never looked like a boy. He was always very much a man, even at eighteen. But now, he’s reached his full potential. He seems even bigger somehow.Or maybe it was just his anger that made him seem bigger, more imposing.All that anger, and it was reserved solely for me.The guy I left behind all those years ago was not the man I saw today.I have to wonder if I’m to blame for that.I glance at the clock. Five minutes until the end of my shift. Fiveminutes until Adam is here, and he wants his answers.Answers I can’t give him.So, I’m going to have to lie, something I never wanted to do.I thought there was a slim possibility that I might
She’s here again—rock girl. She’s sitting up on that same big rock, a hundred yards away from my beach house, where she sits every day. Hence, the nickname, Rock Girl.God, I’m lame.With her sketchpad resting against her bent knees, her eyes are fixed on the paper like her life depends on it while her hand freely moves the pencil over the paper, drawing...I have no clue.I wish I did.I mean, I could take a wild guess and say she’s drawing the scenery—the pier, beach, sand, sky. There’s plenty of shit like that here in Malibu. But still, I want to know exactly what she’s drawing that has her so enraptured.Like, I really want to know.I’ve been watching Rock Girl for a week now.I saw her on the first day when Max and I arrived at the beach house,which will be my home for the next year. This will be my year of freedom before I have to go to Harvard, and then once I graduate, it is on to work for my father to learn the family business.Can’t wait. I have to stop myself from rolling m
Half an hour later, I’m showered and dressed for work in a suit and tie. I hate ties, but as the head of Gunner Entertainment, I have to look the part.I head into the living room of the bungalow I call home five days a week. There’s no sign of the blonde, except for the lingering strong scent of perfume.Thank God.I live in a rented bungalow at The Beverly Hills Hotel. I could get an apartment, but I can’t bring myself to put down roots here. Even though I grew up in Beverly Hills, it’s never felt like home. Home is in Malibu where my beach house is. It’s the house that Max and I rented for our year off before we headed to college. It’s the place where I met Evie and where I spent the best year of my life with her—before she left me, and my world came crashing down.The minute I graduated from Harvard and started working for my father, I was granted access to my trust fund. The first thing I did with that money was go straight to Malibu, and I offered a stupid amount of money to th