Ruined (2 page)

“This is serious Hugo.” She snaps.

I shrug. “Sure. I do love pussy. Why the hell not?”

She rolls her eyes. “They will order you to attend therapy.”

That pulls me up short. “Like kumbaya circles and talking about feelings and shit?”

Her lips kick up in that shark like smile of hers. “Something like that.” I shudder. God, it’s enough to make me want to stab myself in the eye. “You may even have to do jail time otherwise.” She smiles wider. “Or community service.”

Community service, like dealing with the general public, and wearing a jump suit or some shit? “Oh, fuck no. Not happening. I’ll do the whole touchy feelings shit.”

She smiles and stands abruptly. “Good. Until then, you are free to go on bail.”

I get out of that place as fast as my legs can carry me. Shit, I’ve got no money on me, and my phone is dead.

I manage to borrow the police station phone to call Theo, my best friend. He picks up on the second ring.

“Ellis.” He snaps. Miserable prick.

“Hey, it’s me. I need a little help.”

His tone of voice changes instantly when he hears it’s me. “What have you done now?” He asks with amusement.

“I might have gotten myself arrested.”

He laughs. “Wait, wait, let me guess. Drunk and disorderly?”

“Nope. You suck.”

“Sex in public?”

“Maybe. Damn it.” Fucking arsehole.

He snorts. “You are so fucking predictable dude. Who was she?” He asks.

“How the fuck should I know?”

He laughs again. “Okay, what do you need?”

“I didn’t have any money on me when they took me in, and I need a lift.” I grumble. Typical that I would pop out for a quickie and leave my wallet and phone in my office. Theo will always help me out though, it’s fine.

“Okay. Shit, I have a meeting in ten minutes. I’ll call Lilly, she’ll come and get you.” I smile.

“Well, she will certainly make for a prettier sight than you this morning.” Lilly is Theo’s girl, well, his fiancé, god that creeps me the fuck out. I suppose if you were ever going to hand your balls on a silver platter to anyone, it would be that girl. She looks like a fucking porn star. Theo’s turned into a total pussy bitch since he met her though. That guy used to have his pick. He could walk into any room and have any woman in it. Hell, happily married women used to lose all their moral’s with one glance at that fucker. All that potential, all that pussy, just wasted. She must have a pussy of fucking gold.

He snorts. “She’s in a bad mood because she’s having to go dress shopping. Don’t piss her off. You know you will lose.” With those parting words, he hangs up.

CHAPTER TWO

MOLLY

I blanch as I look at the racks full of white and ivory dresses in lace and satin. How are you supposed to pick one?

I glance to my left, as my best friend Lilly stares into the sea of bridal hell. “I think I’m about to break out in hives.” She grumbles.

I laugh. I never thought I would see the day when my train wreck of a friend would be looking at wedding dresses. She’s not exactly the romantic type. Until recently, the longest standing relationship she’d ever had was exactly one weekend, at which point she waved him off, never to be seen again. That all changed the moment she met her match in the form of tall, dark, handsome
and
rich, Theo Ellis. He’s every woman’s dream man, but he only has eyes for my live wire friend. They’re perfect together. He gets her crazy, and he balances it out. Not an easy task. I should know, I’ve been doing it for years.

She pinches a piece of satin. “These are just so…much.”

“Lill’s, you’re getting married, it’s supposed to be ‘much’.” I roll my eyes.

She huffs a sigh, flicking her mane of red waves over her shoulder. “Okay, you pick one. Let’s get this shit over with.” Whatever the opposite of a romanticist is…that’s Lilly. She’d happily go to a registry office, but given who Theo is, she’s indulging him in a big wedding. I have a feeling heavy drinking may be involved.

Cat, Theo’s sister, and I have been doing most of the wedding planning. Yes, I’m that girl, the one who wants to marry Prince Charming and have babies. I love this stuff, and I secretly love that Lilly has no interest so I can go wild with her wedding. The no-budget factor also helps.

I scan the racks and pick out the simplest dress I can find. It’s strapless, and fitted all the way past the hips, with a subtle flair to the skirt. “Here, try this.”

The shop assistant hurries forward to take the dress from me. She’s been hovering since we came in here, keen to sell Lilly the most expensive dress she can find, no doubt. Hell, I would if I were her. One look at that rock on Lilly’s finger and she probably thinks she can hit her yearly bonus. She bustles away, beckoning Lilly to follow her into the back of the shop. This is one of those overly pretentious bridal shops. There are chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and soft classical music is playing in the background.

Ten minutes later and Lilly is wearing a scowl that has me laughing hard.

“I look so fucking…virginal.” She says. I cover my laugh as the shop assistant doesn’t know where to look. Lilly looks very prim, but she has a mouth like a sailor.

“Again, Lill’s, you’re supposed to. If it’s any consolation, you look beautiful.” She really does. Lilly has a figure that makes men forget all their faculties. She’s athletic and toned, but with curves in all the right places. Her hair is a mane of red waves that act like a warning beacon to her quick temper. I’ve known her since we were in nursery, and I’ve been talking her down from her temper tantrums and drinking benders for years.

Her phone rings in her handbag, and she manages to shuffle all that white satin over to retrieve it. Her face morphs into a small smile, which means its Theo.

“Hey.” She grins. There’s a pause. “Really? What did he do this time?” Another pause before she laughs. “Okay, I’ll go get him.” She rolls her eyes, a grin still pulling at her lips. “You owe me.” I can’t hear his response, but I can guess what he owes her. “Love you, too. Bye.” She hangs up.

“We have to go.” She says with a sly grin. She’s out of the dress and ready to leave in record time.

“You do realise that you are going to have to get a dress at some point, Lilly.” This is our third attempt at this. Lilly gets bored after two dresses and insists that she still has lots of time.

“I have loads of time.” She waves me up.

I swear I can feel my eye twitching. Why can’t she just be a normal girl? “Six months is not a long time!”

“Ugh. It will be fine.” She rolls her eyes and grabs my arm, dragging me out of the shop. “Come on Mole. We have to go help out the king douche.” She says leading me into the coffee shop next to the dress shop.

“That being?”

“Hugo of course.” She says as though that should be blindingly obvious.

Great. Here we go.

We grab coffee and walk the short distance to the car. The doors click open and I climb into the enormous Range Rover.

“Where are we going?” I ask as I settle into the leather seat. The aroma of coffee fills the car. I love the stuff, and Lilly…well, that girl should just be hooked up to a drip.

“The police station. He got arrested last night.” She says with amusement.

Hugo. Where to start? Hugo is Theo’s best friend. The first time I met Hugo, he was running in Hyde Park with Theo. He was topless and sweaty, sporting that sexy as sin smirk of his. I swear my underwear practically melted on the spot. Lilly and I ended up at a party in his apartment that night, and, yeah, I fucked him. You don’t have to tell me how cliché it is to fuck your best friends, boyfriend’s, friend. I know.

I’m not really a one night stand kind of girl, but well it’s Hugo. He just promises dirty, sheet clawing sex, with one look…and boy does he deliver. And so it began, my addiction to Hugo Harrison, the man whore to end all man whores. It was stupid, and unlike me, but at the time I figured it was just a bit of fun.

I’m usually looking for the next great romance. I’ll admit that I believe in ‘the one’, and am determined to find him. I don’t waste my time with men who I don’t believe I have a future with. Except him. There was never ever a future there, but for once I let go of the bigger picture and held onto the here and now.

What I did not bank on - was the fact that I would actually come to like the filthy prick. I found him…refreshing. He doesn’t adhere to anyone else’s standards, and in his own way, he made me feel special without ever even realising he was doing it. He made me feel free. He made me laugh, and I grew to like him.

Stupidly, I told him so. I didn’t even mean anything by it, it was a passing comment. I like you. Twenty four hours later and I was walking in on him with a hooker. So very predictably Hugo.

I guess I was a little stung by it at first. No girl wants to feel like she’s replaceable, but then, I always knew that I was. I chose to sleep with him regardless. I’m not quite sure what that makes me.

I walked away, sure in my mind that I would not be seeing Hugo Harrison for a long time.

A week later, and Lilly was in a car crash that nearly killed her. That put things in perspective. Lilly is like a sister to me, and the thought of losing her nearly broke me. Unexpectedly, Hugo was there. He was a good friend to me, and we developed a different kind of relationship. Under all his womanising bullshit, he’s actually a good guy. We became the most unlikely of friends.

So now, we’re friends I guess. Not good friends, we don’t like hang out and plait each other’s hair. A girl only has so much restraint. Hugo is hotter than hell, and has absolutely no moral compass. His brain is directly wired to his penis, and therefore cannot comprehend being in the presence of a vagina and not trying to fuck it. I have to be constantly on my guard, and ready to fight him and his ever present charms off.

So we hang out sometimes, but never alone. We’re always in social situations, normally with Lilly and Theo. It’s a bit unconventional, but it works.

Come to think of it, I haven’t seen him for a while.

“What did he get arrested for?” I ask.

She snorts. “Indecent exposure.”

“Fucking Hugo.” We both say at the same time.

We pull up outside the police station, where Hugo is leaning against a police car. He’s wearing a grey shirt, with the sleeves rolled up past his forearms, and a pair of jeans that fit him just so. He’s not massively built, but he’s muscular and tall. He has a certain presence. His dirty blonde hair is in its usual wild disarray, that makes him look as though a woman has been clawing at it, and nine times out of ten that is exactly the case. I watch as his lips purse around the cigarette in his hand, the end glowing as he draws on it. He eventually flicks the cigarette to the ground, and tilts his head back, exhaling a long stream of smoke. Every movement he makes is sexual, and yet, it’s completely unintentional. He pushes off the car and saunters towards us like he owns the world. He reminds me of a rock star. He’s infectious to be around, because he doesn’t give a fuck about anything.

Lilly presses the button for the passenger side window, lowering the tinted glass.

He smiles wide as he comes to a stop at the window, resting his forearms against the door.

“Ladies.” He winks at me.

“Get in the car.” Lilly sighs. He chuckles and opens the back door, sliding into the leather seat.

“How was your dress shit?” He asks, pulling a packet of cigarettes from his pocket. Hugo chain smokes when he’s pissed or horny. The former is rare, the latter is extremely common. Call it a distraction.

“No smoking in the car!” She snaps. Lilly hates smoking, particularly the smell. I don’t mind it, and weirdly it suits Hugo.

I glance over my shoulder to catch him rolling his eyes before he shoves his packet of cigarettes back in his pocket.

I feel him lean forward between the front seats, the warmth of his body touching my arm. “I haven’t seen you for a while, sweetness.” He says quietly, his breath touching my neck, and making my skin break out in goose bumps.

I’m always so hyper aware of him. I turn my head until my lips are only a few inches from his. I can smell his cologne, mixed with cigarette smoke, and it makes my head swim. We’re friends, but that doesn’t mean the man doesn’t affect me. He does. A lot. After all, I know what he is capable of. His blue eyes dance, always promising trouble of the best kind. My brain may have firmly friend zoned him, but my vagina, well, she’d quite like to dismiss that notion altogether.

“I’ve been busy.” I say with a smile.

A low throaty chuckle. “You shouldn’t look at me like that.” He cocks an eyebrow.

“Stop.” I smirk, as I push at his chest. Hugo flirts shamelessly. Apparently, his dick might disown him if he doesn’t crack onto anything with a pulse.

He leans even closer, so he can whisper in my ear. “It just makes me want to fuck you until you can’t walk straight.” His voice is a low purr, stroking over my senses.

“Will you stop that!” Lilly elbows him in the ribs, making him grin and jump back.

“You’re no fun.” He laughs. “But, Molly here has made me hard as a fucking rock with her ‘fuck me’ eyes.” I glare at him, and he flashes me a cocky smile. “I got arrested whilst I was getting blown last night, and the fucking cop would not let me finish! My balls feel like they’re going to explode.” He adds.

“Uh, TMI.” I mumble.

“And?” Lilly asks.

“I may need to stroke one out.” He says casually.

“Gross Hugo, I don’t need to know.” Lilly says.

I hear the sound of a zip being lowered and whip my head around. “Fucking hell Hugo, seriously, we’re like five minutes from your place. Just call one of your hookers and get them to meet you there.”

He laughs. “Or you could just come and play.”

I release an exasperated breath. “I’m good.”

“Molly is not one of your dirty fuck dolls Hugo, and if you get that fucking thing out in this car, I will fucking leave you here. You can walk!” I press my lips together, trying not to laugh.