Reckless (4 page)

She stilled when she put on her glasses and saw him sitting on the sofa with a plate waiting. He stood and walked over to her, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the sofa. He then sat down and pulled her into his lap. He smoothed her hair back and kissed her nose before he reached for the plate of scrambled eggs, fruit, and toast. He wasn’t much of a cook, but he wanted to feed her himself.

He forked up a piece of fruit and coaxed her to open her mouth. He repeated the motion until she ate almost every last bite of food. Then he ate the little bit that was left. She suddenly looked exhausted, but he wouldn’t let her out of his lap. They needed to talk.

“You have the whole week off from school, correct?” he asked. When she nodded he went on. “You’re spending it here with me. Kels is in Mexico, your friend Jon is busy with his band, and you look like you need a friend.”

“But you’re not-“

He put a finger to her lips, effectively cutting her off. “I kind of like you, Brianna. I want you to stay with me. The end.” He waited for her to argue. He wanted to slap her cute little ass for even attempting it, but she didn’t. Instead, she nodded and he grinned. “Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“After spring break is over, I think you need to move Kelsey in here with you for a while.” She blurted.

He frowned and stared at her. “Why?”

She fidgeted and shifted on his lap. He maneuvered her so that she was straddling him and had nowhere to go, and then he repeated his question. This time in a more demanding way.

“My ex-boyfriend is out of prison. I don’t know how he found me, but he did. He didn’t even call my cell, he called the landline Kelsey has at the house.” She said the words in a panic and his blood started to boil.

His sister was in danger because of this woman and that wasn’t something that he could normally get past. But Kelsey was in Mexico with her friends and a couple of undercover bodyguards he’d hired for her. His concern right now was for the beautiful woman sitting in his lap.

“I’ll make sure she’s taken care of upon her return. For now, let’s worry about you.” He said. He leaned in and kissed her again, making sure that she knew that she could trust him. “Tell me everything.” He demanded.

And she shut down on him. He cursed.

Nine

              They’d been coming to lunch here every day for the last three months. Louis was slowly gathering up the nerve to ask the waitress out to dinner and Lucian was his wing man. It almost surprised them both that she barely gave Lucian a second glance and it seemed like she was waiting patiently for Lou to gather up his nerves.

              Lou was looking for a wife and Lucian couldn’t understand it. His friend was looking for someone special. Someone he could spoil. He wanted a hard working woman who knew the value of a dollar and wouldn’t waste a dime of his hard earned money because he had no intentions of getting a prenup. He wanted to share everything with his bride, no holding back.

              “Just ask her already, Lou. Before I do.” He snorted around his cup of coffee.

              His friend shot him a glare and sighed.

              He and Louis Hamilton had known each other since high school. How Lou managed to get into one of the most elite private schools in the country he’d never said, but he was a scholarship kid at Yale and he’d made his first million before graduation. Lou was determined not to go back to the trailer park he’d started from.

              Enough was enough. Lucian put his hand in the air, waving the waitress over to their table. She and Louis were polar opposites. Where Karen was short, brown skinned, and really pretty, Louis was tall, pale, a bit overweight, and average. The only things that set him apart from normal people were his clothes and the amount of money he carried in his wallet. Lou was a bit of a showoff now that he had something to show.

              “Hey, sweetheart,” he said, pasting on his most killer smile. “Will you please, please, put my friend out of his misery already and go out on a date with him?”

              Lou turned red and Karen gave a shy smile. “If he ever asks me, I’d be happy to.” She said before she sauntered off.

              “What the fuck was that?” Louis whispered harshly across the table.

              “Just trying to hook a nice guy up with a nice girl.” He shrugged.

              “What do you know about nice girls?” Lou half joked.

              “Not much.” He shrugged again.

              His thoughts drifted to Brianna. Was she a nice girl? He had no idea. He knew that she was going to be trouble for him because he couldn’t make himself let go. He’d had his taste, but now he wanted more. But did she want all of him like he wanted all of her?

              He shook his head. He was going to have more of her and then he’d go from there. More time in the bedroom along with more quality time. He wanted to know what she was about. What she was hiding. What made her start working in a strip club of all places instead of fast food or even retail. And it wasn’t just for satisfying his curiosity. He wanted to be sure Kelsey was safe as well. Ever since their father died and their mother turned into a high priced call girl, he felt like he had to take care of his only sister.

              “There’s someone I want you to meet.” He said, suddenly. “She’s….. Well, she’s….new in my life.”

              Lou’s eyebrow cocked up. “In your life?” he said slowly.

              “She’s a friend of my sisters and we’re getting to know each other. He shrugged.

              “I’ve never known you to go so young.” Lou leaned forward in his seat, suddenly interested. “So, what’s her name? What’s she majoring in? Is she good in the sack?”

              “Her name is Brianna, and you’ll meet her in a few days. We’ll double. Now, go ask Karen.” He said, throwing money on the table as he stood to leave.

              Louis gave the waitress one last nervous glance before something hard crossed his face. Determination. Lou stood and walked over to Karen. Lucian walked out of the diner and climbed into his waiting car. He had to get back to work, but he decided that he’d rather get back home to Brianna. They had a lot of unfinished business between them.

Ten

              As soon as she hit the send button on the computer, her stomach folded up in knots. Lucian’s words echoed in her head for almost a week. Why was she still working in the club when most people in her class were working on getting internships and preparing for the future? The more she thought about it, the more she found herself holding herself back. The club was safe, and she’d been working there illegally since she was fourteen.

              This was it. She’d officially put in an application to work for a big media company in New York. She had one more year left of college and she needed to get her prospects in order just like everyone else, or she’d be forever stuck waitressing. Or worse. She’d end up on the pole. She shuddered at the thought and closed her laptop.

              Lucian walked in looking as delicious as ever. He dropped his briefcase by the door, kicked off his shoes, and started loosening his tie. She licked her lips, wanting to help him strip completely out of his clothes but decided not to. As a matter of fact, she had hers packed and was just waiting for him to get home so that she could thank him for his hospitality and tell him face to face that she was leaving.

              He saw her sitting on the couch and gave a sexy, lopsided grin. His dark hair was disheveled and his sapphire blue eyes were locked on her. He took a step forward and nearly tripped on her bag. He let out a hefty curse and then glared at the piece of luggage before his eyes came to rest on her again.

              “Going somewhere?” he asked.

              “I’m going back to my apartment.” She announced. She stood and started gathering up her laptop and iPod.

              “Why?” he asked, still staring at her.

              “Because I have things to do. Kelsey isn’t there, so you don’t have to worry about me scaring her.” She said. “I just need some time alone to think.”

              “You’ve had all day to be alone.” He snorted.

              She smirked. “It’s only a quarter to one.” She informed him.

              He glanced at his watch and snorted again. “I don’t want you to leave.” He said. “How about we make a deal?”

              “What kind of deal?” she asked shoving her laptop into her backpack.

              “You’re on spring break from school. I called in to your job and told them that you were sick and wouldn’t be in for the week.” She opened her mouth to yell at him, but he clamped a hand over her mouth and continued. “I will compensate you for your days off, but you have to be my date for the week. I have various events that are happening and I need someone hot on my arm.”

              “This isn’t Pretty Woman, Lucian. I’m not the prostitute you can pay for a week of ‘services’.” She said, making sure to hold up her hands and do the air quotes around “Services”.

              “I didn’t call you a prostitute.” He interjected. “I’m just changing your job description for a week. Instead of being a waitress, you’re an….. Assistant of sorts.”

              She pursed her lips and stared at him. He was really pissing her off with the thought that he could just buy her for a week and use her as inexpensive arm candy. But if he really wanted her that bad, she was going to make him really pay for it. She was worth more than just the covered expenses of lost tips.

              “You already promised to stay with me for the week while you’re on spring break. I’m just asking you to do me a favor while you’re here.” He said.

              “Twenty five thousand dollars and I’m yours for the week.” She told him. She continued gathering her things, knowing that he was never, ever, going to pay her that much money just to be his date at a few business functions. Yes, she’d said she’d stay with him, but she changed her mind.

              She grabbed the handle for her suitcase and threw her purse strap over her shoulder. She was halfway to the door when his words stopped her and made her drop her bags to the floor.

              “Done.” Was all he said, but the look in his eye told her that he planned to get every single penny’s worth of his money.

              She shivered with nervous anticipation.

Eleven

              Her knees were still shaking when he helped her out of the shower. They’d been doing that a lot the past twenty four hours. His lip were never far from her body except when he was at work. He said he couldn’t get enough of her taste. When she was eating food, he was eating her. When she was reading a book, his lips were on her. Things were getting hot very quickly between them and she knew that she was going to have to put distance between them as soon as the week was over. She prayed that she got the summer job in New York. She was going to need it after her time with Lucian.

              Tonight, they were going to dinner with one of his friends. Louis was the name he’d told her. She wondered if this was what he was talking about when he’d first propositioned her. He’d promised her that he would introduce her to a lot of important people in the business world if she’d sleep with him. She’d said no at first, but now that she’d agreed for a hefty price, she really hoped that she could take the opportunity to get her foot in the door.

              “Wear this.” Lucian commanded, handing her a black garment bag.

              Unzipping it, she gasped at the gorgeous pink dress. It was something you’d see only in an expensive boutique. It was also something that you’d only see on a desperate young starlet or pop star, as it showed a lot of skin. A lot. Her back would be completely exposed and she was extremely blessed that she was endowed enough that her breasts would fit in the little pieces of cloth that were meant for covering them.

              “I really am your whore this week, aren’t I?” she snorted as she tossed the dress onto the bed. “I hope you have another dress somewhere, because I’m not wearing that.”

              “It’s a gift.” He insisted.

              “I don’t want it.” She said.

              He shoved his hands into his pockets and leveled her with a smoldering glare. “I’m paying you twenty five thousand dollars.”

              “To be your date.” She countered.

              “What’s your problem?” he asked.

              “That is not something you ask a date to wear to dinner. It’s something that I see almost every night at the club.” She said. “It’s beautiful, expensive, and trashy.”

              He groaned and stared at her. “I’m taking you to dinner to meet a very good friend of mine. My best friend, actually.”

              “And you want to impress him with your newest piece of arm candy?” she cocked an eyebrow at him.

              “You know what?” he was finally at his breaking point. “Wear whatever you want. Just be ready in twenty minutes.”

              He didn’t have to tell her twice. If he wanted to play games with her, she could play games. She marched to the closet and tore through her suitcase until she found what she wanted to wear. She did her hair, applied a little makeup, and got dressed.