by Nina West
Yo. Is the Wolf in the house?
I was wondering how long before I heard from those two.
No. He’s at Lux.
Moments later, there’s pounding on the front door. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out who’s on the other side.
Henry will not like this, I recognize with a sigh. I wander over, torn between excitement for seeing my friends and unexpected anxiety over facing the two men I shared such an illicit afternoon with, one I don’t think I’ll ever forget, no matter how many orgasms Henry brings me to.
As soon as I open the door, as soon as I see Connor’s goofy smile and the cans of beer in their hands, all I remember is the comfort and care and friendship they provided me with during those many dark weeks, and how many times they made me smile and laugh. How desired they made me feel, when I believed that Henry no longer desired me at all.
“Red!” Connor exclaims.
“What are you two doing here?” I laugh, reaching for him.
His muscular arms immediately wrap around my body to hoist me in the air. He makes me feel like a child.
“Oh my God, did you get even bigger?” I squeeze his bulging biceps.
“Alaska” is all he says, as he grins down at me with that devilish smile.
Ronan hangs back, reserved and sly as usual. “Hey, Red.”
“Hey.” I reach for my dear friend. Of the two of them, Ronan is the one I share an inexplicable but special connection with, something I never expected when I first met the brooding tattooed guy with the buzz cut.
Ronan envelops me in his arms and pulls me against his hard chest. His smell is familiar. It brings me back to many nights, but mainly the night he curled up in my bunk with me and let me cry about Henry on his shoulder without saying a word. He’s the only one who seemed to have figured out what was really going on between Henry and me, way back when. “It’s good to see you again.” He’s always had a deep raspy voice, but now it’s tempered by softness.
It’s a few extra beats before I pull away from him, my emotions swirling unexpectedly. “How have things been?”
“Without you here? Boring as fuck.” Connor’s voice booms into the night. He gives me a knowing look. One that matches the look Ronan’s also giving me.
“That’s not what I’ve heard,” I counter, though I’m blushing furiously, wondering exactly what mental images are flashing through their minds right now. I’ve done a lot of things with Henry that I can’t believe, but that day? That was all my doing. “Fuck Club?”
“The first rule of Fuck Club is: you do not talk about Fuck Club!” Connor’s grin grows wide. “Damn, that was fun while it lasted. So?” He throws his arms in the air. “You went to see Autumn but not us when you got in?”
“I know. I’m sorry. I was at the spa for a few hours and then I ordered dinner.”
Connor’s gaze shifts from me to the open door behind me. “Damn, so this is what the penthouses look like. Good for you, Red.”
“It’s definitely an upgrade from the staff cabins.” I laugh, suddenly nervous. “I wish I could invite you guys in but you get it, right? With our history and all.” Henry may have relented on the idea of me staying away from Ronan and Connor, but there is no way he would be okay coming home to find my two “fuck buddies” on either side of the couch with me. I can’t blame him. If the situation was reversed, I might be uncomfortable too.
Connor’s brows pop with surprise. “Exactly how much does he know about that?”
I smile sheepishly. “There are no secrets between us.”
“Whoa.” He looks to Ronan and scrunches his face up. “Seriously. How the hell have we not been canned yet?”
“Because of her.” Ronan nods to me.
“Well, whatever. That’s fine. We don’t want to hang out in here anyway.” Connor exchanges a look with Ronan.
“Don’t, man,” Ronan starts.
Suddenly, strong hands are seizing my thighs and I’m lifted off the ground. I find myself dangling over Connor’s shoulder. He slaps my ass playfully.
“Oh my God! Connor!” I squeal.
“Dude, you are going to get us fired for this,” Ronan warned as Connor starts heading down the path.
“Why? Because Red wants to hang out with her friends?”
“Because you’re manhandling Wolf property, you jackass.”
“She’ll protect us, won’t you, Red?”
“Put me down!”
“Sure thing. As soon as we reach the staff lodge. There’s a lot of people who want to see you. We’ll have you back before he knows you’ve been gone. Plus I think you owe us some rounds of shots for being such a sly chick. Seriously. Banging the Wolf? Good on you. Never saw that one coming, did we, Ronan?”
“Nope. No idea.” I look up in time to catch Ronan’s wink.
~ ~ ~
“I might actually miss this place,” Rachel admits just before downing her shot of Fireball, her gaze drifting to the rafters and peaked ceiling of the staff lounge. “The money has been unreal.”
“Is that what you’re going to miss most? The money?” Katie grins as she rubs Rachel’s leg with her hand. All three of us are sitting on the couch near the roaring fire. The heat radiating from it is warming my left side to an almost uncomfortable level.
Rachel smiles as she meets her friend’s knowing gaze, her fingers playfully twirling through her bottle-blonde ponytail. “Definitely the friendships.”
“Don’t you mean the fuckships? Lord knows you’ve had enough of those,” Tillie murmurs in her southern croon, holding her flask to her lips. My guess is it’s filled with Jack Daniel’s, her alcohol of choice. And she’s clearly had plenty of it.
Rachel’s head falls back as she laughs, unaffected by our old cabinmate’s intended slight. “Especially those.”
Everyone starts chuckling. Everyone except Tillie, who studies her nails with a scowl.
I lean in to whisper to Katie, “Autumn told me she moved out of your cabin?”
“Oh, yeah. As ugly as things got between her and Lorraine when you were around, after that joke the guys played on her, they got ten times worse.”
I frown. “What joke?”
Katie’s eyes widen. “Oh, they didn’t tell you about their little fuck club?”
“I heard about it.”
“Well, Connor was egging Tillie on, saying that she didn’t have the nerve to let go like that, calling her a prude and all sorts of things. People started thinking they split because Tillie wasn’t any good.” Katie waggles her eyebrows. “So Tillie agreed. I guess she assumed she’d end up with either him or Ronan, or one of the other guys playing. She stripped down and waited on the bed, in the dark.” Katie pauses for effect. “They sent Lorraine in there.”
My eyes widen. “Wait. So Lorraine’s not straight?”
“She is, but that was the thing with this club. Whatever you walked into... was what you walked into.”
“Oh my God.”
“Lorraine must have assumed it was me or Rachel that she was with—”
“Wait, so you and Rachel were a part of this club?”
Katie shrugs, and offers me a sly smile. “Anyway, you weren’t allowed to say a word, that was a strict rule. But then Tillie came and, well, she sounds like Tillie.”
I think back to her in the shower. Yeah, there’s no mistaking that.
“So both of them flipped out. Tillie, especially. We thought we were going to wake up to Lorraine’s throat slit one morning.” Katie’s pretty blue eyes narrow as she regards Tillie. “That is one mean-ass redhead.”
I frown. “That was a bit of a jerk move by Connor and Ronan, though.” I never thought my friends would stoop to that.
“That’s the thing—they got bombed that night and forgot. Moe decided to take the lead and set it up. So, she’s pissed about that, and that we took Lorraine’s side in the first place, but come on! Tillie knew those two were together.” Katie’s pretty brow furrows. “It’s really too bad. We had some good
times in that cabin together. All this started because of a stupid guy.”
I think back to that first night, when I walked into a cabin full of laughter and budding friendships. It’s sad that it’s fallen apart, but with this many people in close proximity for this long, it was inevitable that someone would fall out of sorts. I hesitate. “What has she said about me being with Henry?”
Katie’s gives me a look. “Nothing worth repeating. She’s still bitter that Connor liked you a million times more as a friend than he did her when they were dating. The only reason she’s lingering now is because she’s hoping for some juicy gossip about Wolf.”
And she’s not going to get that.
“So?” Katie leans in to bump shoulders with me, her big blue eyes curious. “What’s it like? Does he have a huge dick?”
I burst out with a nervous giggle, even as my cheeks flame. Why is Henry always right? “I am not talking about that with you.”
“He must be huge. And I’ll bet it’s as amazing as we’ve all imagined.” She waggles his brow. “Is he into anything dirty?”
Probably not by your standards, Katie. I take a long sip of the beer Ronan supplied me with, and ignore the question.
“Oh come on! Tell us something about him!” she cries in mock anguish.
“Or don’t, seeing as you broke my heart by running off to him before I had my chance with you,” Connor announces as he rounds the couch with a platter of shots and lemon wedges.
“Oh please. Don’t act like you didn’t find a quick replacement.” Tillie nods toward another group sitting in the corner.
It doesn’t take long for me to pinpoint the girl she’s referring to. The striking willowy one with a messy bun of raven hair, who’s stealing frequent glances this way, her sharp almond-shaped eyes shifting between Connor and Ronan, who sits perched on the back of the couch next to me.
I catch Ronan’s eyes.
Really? You two and her? I try to convey with my look, my curiosity getting the better of me.
He merely shrugs. And then the corners of his mouth curve up in one of his signature dark smiles.
I shake my head. “You’ve been really busy.”
He hesitates and then leans down, using the couch behind my head to hold himself up. “None of them come close to being with you,” he whispers into my ear.
I chuckle, even as I blush. “Yeah. Okay. You tell that to every girl.” I’m not stupid.
“You know I don’t.” He pulls back enough to show me his eyes, and the sincerity framed within those thick, dark lashes. “You were special. You were different.”
My chest fills with an odd sense of adoration. “You were special to me, too. I’ve never had a friend like you. I’m guessing I never will again.” Unless I count Margo, but that friendship is unique on a whole different level.
His gaze slowly skates over my features as he takes a deep breath. “Does he make you happy?”
“Yes.”
His jaw tightens. “Does he satisfy you?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure? Because you were ready to—”
Katie’s sharp elbow against my arm pulls my attention away. That’s when I notice that it’s grown quiet in the lodge, the buzz of voices dying down to leave nothing but the sound of music through the speakers.
Henry stands ten feet away, staring at me. His face is unreadable but menacing all the same.
I hear a soft “fuck” slip from Ronan’s lips. Slowly he sits upright again, and sighs as if resigning himself for the shit storm to come.
Oh God. What did that look like?
A few more uncomfortable beats pass and then Henry holds up my phone that I left on the coffee table at the cabin. “You forgot this.” His tone is friendly enough.
I peel myself off the couch to weave through the bodies to him, feeling so many eyes boring into us. I wrap my arms around his waist. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was so late. I just swung by to say hello.”
“Swung? Or were carried...,” he murmurs low enough for only me to hear, his piercing gaze taking in the situation—the faces, the beer in my hand, the platter of tequila shots—with a lightning quick pass before stalling on Ronan. And narrowing.
Ronan doesn’t balk, meeting his glare.
“For old times’ sake?” Connor holds up a shot of tequila for Henry. There are no old times. These two have never drank together. If Connor is at all nervous—about the fact that Henry knows our history and could fire his ass on the spot if he wanted to, or give him a good run for his money in a fight—he doesn’t show it.
Henry settles that steely gaze on Connor for two... three... four beats before he accepts the shot. “I think Abbi needs one, too.”
“No, I’m good, thanks—” I start to say, but Henry smoothly plucks another from the tray and holds it out to me.
“Oh, no. You’re going to need it,” Henry warns softly. His smile is downright wicked as he throws back his shot without salt or a lemon wedge.
Despite the looming tension, my thighs clench with anticipation. He’s going to punish me for what he just saw, but in a way that I’ll enjoy.
I pour back the shot, wincing against the vile taste as I suck on the slice of lemon.
Henry lifts a hand and snaps at the bartender. “Next round’s on me.”
Everyone cheers.
“What are you doing?” I hiss.
He gazes down at me. “Getting to know your friends. Isn’t that what you want?”
~ ~ ~
I quickly scrub soap over my hands, intent on getting back to Henry as quickly as possible, before he’s mauled by one of the drunker female staff or Connor says something obnoxious that sends him over the edge. My body is buzzing from the alcohol after the four rounds Henry bought for everyone and insisted I partake in. I’m one shot away from stumbling home.
“Oh my God, Henry Wolf is so hot. How can you even handle having sex with him? I don’t know if I could do it! I’d be too nervous!” A girl—Tina, I think she said her name was—slurs as she fluffs her long brown hair in the restroom mirror next to me.
She’s not the first to say that to me tonight, even though I’ve been attached to Henry’s side until just now. But the combination of alcohol and Henry Wolf make most women brazen.
I simply smile at the girl, just like I’ve simply smiled at the others.
The farmost stall door creaks open and Tillie strolls out. “Abbi!” She offers me a wide smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “Your hair wasn’t that red when I saw you on the ferry earlier.”
“Yeah. I got Tris to do it again. She’s so good at it.” I subconsciously reach for my shiny red locks. I used to envy Tillie for her fiery red hair, back when I believed Mama was right and I couldn’t dye my hair for fear of it turning orange, or worse, green.
“My, haven’t things gone your way. Started out as a maid and end up in the boss’s bed.” She rubs soap all over her hands while watching me with her sharp eyes.
“It was definitely unexpected,” I admit with a polite smile.
Rinsing her hands, she quickly towel-dries them and then slides out a deep crimson lipstick. “I guess now we know why Wolf hired you.”
That’s definitely not an “I’m happy for you.” If what Autumn and Katie say is true, then I can only imagine the kinds of things a jealous Tillie has been saying about me behind my back. And to think that the first night here, Tillie and I walked arm in arm down the path, laughing and joking. I was ready to label her my new best friend. I was also blazing drunk, but that’s besides the point.
“I heard Wolf does have a thing for his assistants, though, so we shouldn’t be too surprised.” She smears the lipstick over her lips. “It’s too bad you’re not actually workin’ for Wolf anymore. The last one got a huge severance package out of it, didn’t she?”
So Tillie has somehow heard about Kiera. And she’s digging for more information. Something to gossip about.
Not that it matters, but it’s annoying.
“No idea what you’re talking about.” I turn to leave.
“I know you’re naïve, but are you actually stupid enough to think this is going to last? ’Cause I’m sorry to say, it won’t. Everyone knows it. Everyone’s sayin’ it. They’re all smiles to your face but you know they’ve got a pool goin’ to see how long before he dumps you and goes back to his supermodels.”
Her words spear me right where she intended—my confidence. “Who? Who’s betting in this pool?”
“Pretty much everyone.”
“Who?” I demand. Autumn? Katie? My stomach twists. Ronan?
She shrugs noncommittally. “I don’t squeal on things I might overhear.”
It dawns on me. So that’s what this bitterness toward me is about. She must have found out that it was me in the shower that night she and James had sex, and she obviously thinks I told Lorraine.
Now she’s just trying to get under my skin. God, Tillie’s so vindictive. And to think I once liked her.
“Hey Tillie, next time you spread your legs for a woman, maybe ask for her name first,” I murmur as airily as I can.
I leave Tillie in the bathroom with her mouth hanging open and her cheeks flushed, the moment of pettiness easing a bit of the sting. I head straight for where I left Henry, ready to go back to our penthouse, my mood soured.
He’s no longer there. “Did you see where Henry went to?” I ask Katie.
“I think he was heading for the door.”
“Thanks.” I don’t bother saying anything about the bet—there’s no point. I weave through the dwindling crowd and out the main door.
“...I should fire your ass right now. I should have fired you months ago,” I hear Henry snarl, squared off against Ronan.
Oh, shit. I’m instantly sober.
“If it makes you feel like a bigger man, go ahead. But I’m just looking out for Abbi,” Ronan retorts, not backing down, his face equally hard.
“You’re just looking to fuck Abbi.”
“How could I not want to? She’s fucking perfect.” Ronan grins wickedly. “And we like the same things. You know which kinds of things. Stuff a fucking asshole like you can’t give her. Won’t give her, because you’re too damn jealous and selfish and controlling.”
