Wicked Little Sins
Read Wicked Little Sins Online
Authors: Holly Hood
Tags: #bad boy romance, #romance about unrequited love, #dysfunctional behavior, #romance action suspense, #romance contemporary multiple partner
Wicked
Little
Sins
Holly Hood
Copyright © 2015 Holly Hood
All rights reserved.
DEDICATION
I dedicate this book to the woman who means so much to me. I love you and miss you terribly.
CONTENTS
Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I want to thank all the readers who take a chance on me. I want to thank Andrea Turner for being such a supporter of my work. And I want to thank my best friend Brandi for always being there for me and letting me talk book with her! And of course my lovely husband and kids. They really make me feel like an amazing person and support me 100%
“
I
will be on the first flight out, Dad,” Charley reassured her father. She balanced the phone on her shoulder the best she could, stuffing her clothes into her suitcase.
Her father was lost, no longer having a woman in the home. His wife had recently died and he needed his children. Charley was trying her best to rush back to Ohio to help him feel better.
It pained her to know she had to go home. She left five years ago and never looked back. Even though she was a city girl from birth, New
York
City was where
this
city girl was meant to be.
Charley had excelled in school and made her move to New York as soon as she was able. She loved her job and was the youngest editor at Empire Publishing Company. Living in New York had afforded her the ability to dabble in fashion and music. Little luxuries such as painting her toenails, soaking in a hot bubble bath, or coming home to the same man every night didn’t fit her plans at the moment. She was living the dream and loved every minute of her fast-paced life.
“I’ll see you around seven, Dad,” she said.
It was almost time to go. With one more survey of her condo, she was all set. She checked her watch one last time, and gave herself a good stare down in her antique mirror. Her long and perfectly groomed hair spilled over her shoulders. Perfect described Charley in a nutshell—perfect and simple, she thought, a serious expression on her beautiful face.
Charley didn’t realize just how alluring and wholesome she looked. Nor did she understand the hoots and hollers she often received from men as she walked down the streets, or the way men stumbled for words when they tried to speak to her. It made her uneasy at times. She thought of herself as nothing exceptional, just a small-town girl living in the big city. She had despised her large breasts and long legs since her preteen years. She’s even tried to not bring attention to her lovely full lips. A lot of people saw her as the epitome of a wholesome beauty, but Charley found their stares rude and she hated feeling like a piece of meat.
Charley squinted her brown eyes and slipped on her sunglasses as she made her way to the elevator. The sun was doing its best to hold on, but, the clouds were beginning to roll in. Rain was evident on the horizon and ready to fall down on all the new Yorkers hustling about to and fro.
New York was chaotic with its throng of traffic, blowing horns and a cacophony of sound. Charley wasn’t bothered by it. She found it actually eased her mind, putting her in a state of peace.
Charley gave a quick wave by the curb, stopping two taxis in an instant. She pulled her suitcase quickly behind her, making a beeline for the trunk. She was not one who ever admitted she needed or asked for help. The Taxi driver took a hint, getting back inside the cab as he observed Charley in all her self-sufficiency.
Sighing, she nestled herself into the seat of the airport-bound taxi, her mind on going home. She hadn’t been back in years and she feared it was going to invoke past anxieties. She’d made it her goal a long time ago to leave the stress at the door. As a result, she was a much happier person. Stress could simply eat at your mind, body, and soul.
“Business or pleasure?” the cab driver asked, looking at her in the rear-view mirror. He waited patiently for her reply.
“Business,” Charley spoke up, looking back to the window.
It had been three days since her mother’s brutal murder. Charley never imagined she wouldn’t be seeing her mother again, nor could she have dreamed she’d be part of such an unbearable crime. The knowledge was numbing and she didn’t know how to deal with the emotions it invoked. She simply didn’t know how to deal with the loss, but had made a silent deal with herself to stay strong—for her dad especially.
Quinn
tugged at the young man’s arm draped across her waist. She carefully grabbed her clothes one piece at a time moving very carefully to not make a sound. Crawling on all fours, she made her way off the large bed. It was time to leave, and she hated goodbyes.
Just as her feet touched the floor, he arose from what seemed a slumber, giving a quick smack to her rear. He let out a pleased chuckle, pulling her back down.
“Jordan, I thought you were asleep,” she said.
Jordan studied Quinn carefully. Turning on his side to face her, he caressed her hair as he gazed into her dark eyes.
“You were going to leave again without a goodbye,” he pointed out.
Quinn denied that he was right, sitting up in the bed. She was uninhibited and the idea of being nude in front of Jordan didn’t faze her in the least.
She knew she needed to leave and the longer she lingered, the harder it would be to go. Her sister, Charley, was nearing their hometown and was bound to be calling again to check in. Charley was the perfect sister with the perfect career and she never screwed up. For as long as Quinn remembered, all she had ever wanted to do was become an actress. No one believed in her dream, but she
knew
she was destined for Hollywood. In the meantime, however, her waitressing gig supported her.
“I would have said goodbye,” she assured Jordan. She slipped on her fancy underwear and pulled her t-shirt over her head. She knew Jordan saw right through her, but she didn’t care. She had other more important things on her mind, like getting back home for her mother’s funeral. The thought ate at her. She had considered shutting off her phone to try and avoid further anxiety.
“Quinn, you’re a great girl. But damn it, you’re twenty-one years old. It’s time to grow up. Can we just admit we have something together?” Jordan asked.
He was annoyed with this stubborn girl. He wanted commitment from Quinn, but she hadn’t been willing to commit. It’s not like she was interested in seeing other men—she didn’t want to see anyone. Funny thing was, Jordan wasn’t the type to see a girl exclusively. But there was an underlying
something
that had drawn him in. She had a killer smile and was fun to be with, but other times she seemed so lost. He wanted to be a part of her
every
thing.
Quinn ignored him and grabbed her purse as she headed out of Jordan’s apartment. She didn’t want to tell him her mother was dead and that her life was falling apart around her. She didn’t want him seeing past her façade of having it all together, leaving herself vulnerable and wide open to his judgment.
She ran as fast as she could down the staircase, avoiding the elevators altogether. After she had hit the main floor, she was out the door and once again on the streets of Los Angeles. She remembered when she’d first arrived in LA—she’d been nervous and scared. But, now she was in her glory. This is where you came to follow your dreams, and she was no different than any other dream seeker.
Finding her little red sports car in the apartment’s parking garage, she unlocked the doors, as her cell phone rang in her pocket. She knew it was Charley calling to make sure she was heading home.
“I’m on my way to the airport right now,” she said right away.
Quinn played with her hair while she looked in the visor mirror, listening to Charley freak out about her procrastination and how slow she was to get going on anything. Quinn was sure if Charley put the amount of effort into dating as she did into nagging her like she always did, she’d surely be married with no less than five kids by now. Older sister or not, Charley was a royal pain in the rear.
“I’ll see you tomorrow…love you,” Quinn said as she disconnected the call and tossed the phone on the seat. She sped out of the parking garage, barely avoiding the oncoming traffic.
Their mother, Sandy, was a great woman and she and Quinn had been extremely close. She was always the life of the party and the best at everything she did, and she’d raised her children to be the same. And even if they didn’t always live up to her expectations, she loved them anyway. Quinn would miss calling her every night, telling her about the day she’d had and sharing her hopes and dreams, no matter how ridiculous. .
Now, she was going home to say goodbye, and she was afraid she wasn’t going to know how. No matter what, though, she’d sworn to keep herself composed.
They might have to let their mother go, but her beauty, that each of her children held a piece of, would remain.
Quinn had her big goofy smile and her nearly-red lips. They all had her dark brown eyes. Quinn had her dark auburn hair and the same pale skin tone. When she smiled in a certain way, she even had her mother’s dimples.