Not So Casual: Part 3

by Harper, Kelly

  “What are we supposed to wear?” Bre asked, suddenly nervous about the fact that she hadn’t really brought that much in the way of clothing.

  Aimee motioned towards a dress hanging inside the hutch.

  “That was waiting for me when I got back here… Did the staff leave something in your room?”

  And that explained the green dress she’d found hanging next to her luggage.

  “This place has everything.” Bre said.

  “It’s creepy, isn’t it?”

  “You can say that again.”

  Creepy or not, Bre wasn’t going to let it bring her down. She was going to look extra hot for that dinner so Collin could see exactly what he was missing out on. He was going to regret acting like a complete idiot and running away from her. She’d have him crawling back and begging forgiveness before this was over.

  And, if she was lucky, maybe she’d even get to have that magical tongue of his one more time…

  Chapter Three

  Bre didn’t have much time, but she’d be damned if she didn’t at least clean herself up before dinner. She took a quick shower and was, once again, thankful she kept her hair so short. She didn’t even bother wrapping it in a towel while she pulled on the green dress; a few minutes with a blow dryer did the trick.

  Afterwards, she checked herself out in the mirror and was very pleased with what she saw. The dress hugged her few curves in all the right places and the coral necklace was the perfect accessory. She looked hot and she knew it. By the end of dinner she’d have Collin eating out of the palm of her hand.

  The mansion was surprisingly empty when Bre made her way to the dinner hall. She didn’t see a single member of the house staff. Thankfully, after she and Collin had spent Saturday roaming around the place, she had a pretty good idea of where she was going. She discovered where everyone was hiding as soon as she arrived at the dinner hall.

  The hall itself was enormous. Two rows of round tables were arranged haphazardly along the length of the hall. Members of the staff filled most of them, while other staff were busy preparing the dinner.

  A tall, slender figure greeted Bre with a welcoming smile when she arrived. Gervas was in charge of the house staff and appeared to be Logan’s right-hand-man around the mansion. He’d been the first to greet them when they arrived on Friday night, and it was obvious he took a lot of pride in overseeing everything that happened at the mansion.

  Gervas showed her to a table at the back where Logan, Collin, and some dude she’d never met were sitting. Their conversation fell silent when they saw her approach. They all stood to greet her.

  “And the first of them arrives,” Logan said, flashing her a warm smile. “Bre Sullivan, I’d like to introduce you to Lucas Copeland. He’s a friend who has decided to join us for the weekend.”

  Lucas Copeland wasn’t as tall as Logan, but he had a bulky frame that more than hinted about how much time he spent lifting weights. He had such a deep tan that it was obvious he spent as much time at a salon as he did in the gym. But still, the smile he flashed Bre had more than a little charm to it.

  Lucas held his hand out to her and, when she placed hers in it, he pressed a gentle kiss into the back of her palm.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said. “I take it you’re friends with Aimee?”

  “Most days,” Bre said, returning the smile.

  Aimee had been right about him—he was unexpectedly attractive. If things didn’t work out with Collin, she knew who she might start spending more time with.

  “It’s a pleasure,” he said. “Now, if you all will please excuse me, I need to make a quick call before we eat.”

  Logan chimed in immediately with, “And I’m going to go see if I can’t find our other guests.” He smiled, broadly. “Hopefully they didn’t get lost.”

  He was probably referring to Aimee, who had complained more than once about not being able to find her way around the confusing mansion. Bre had a feeling she knew exactly what was going on—they were probably going to try to hookup one more time before dinner.

  Neither Bre nor Collin said anything as they watched the two men walk off. When they were gone, Collin flashed her an awkward smile before pulling out the seat next to him. Bre gave him her best scowl before sitting. He took his seat and they promptly began playing The Quiet Game to see who could hold out the longest. Bre would rather die than be the first to speak.

  “I’m sorry for running off,” Collin said, finally. “It was childish and I shouldn’t have acted like that.”

  “No, you shouldn’t have.”

  He gave her a hard look; whatever goodwill he’d been feeling didn’t last long.

  “You only see yourself in this.”

  “You won’t tell me what’s going on! Hell, you won’t even talk to me at all! What am I supposed to see?”

  The hardness in his stare gave way as he gave a nervous glance around the room.

  “It’s really isn’t the best time to get into this.”

  “You see? That’s exactly what I’m talking about!”

  “What do you expect of me? My boss and his business partner are going to be back any second… I can’t be getting into an argument with you right now.”

  “I want to know what you meant when you said you made the rules because of me?”

  He let out a frustrated sigh.

  “Look, I’m sorry about lying to you.” The apology felt surprisingly nice. Bre nodded for him to continue. “The truth is, I haven’t really dated very much. I’ve had some bad experiences, and they left me very… cautious.”

  “Tell me about them.” Collin hesitated for a moment too long and Bre’s temper got the better of her. “Don’t pull any of that rules bullshit on me. We’re past that.”

  “It’s not that.” He gave another quick glance around the room. “I just don’t want to get into it here. Can we please talk about this later?”

  Her eyes narrowed, making it obvious that she didn’t like being put off even longer. But there was at least a small part of her that understood his situation and she finally gave in.

  “Fine. But tell me why you said the rules were meant to protect you.”

  He gave her a serious look and, for the first time, wasn’t distracted by all the movement around them.

  “Because I know you’re the kind of woman I could fall hard for.” Bre’s breath caught, unexpectedly. A million questions went through her head at the same time. “Now, can we please talk about this when we’re not in front of my boss?”

  She didn’t want to put it off any longer. She wanted to know more about what he was thinking—what he was feeling—but she’d already agreed.

  “Fine,” she said, trying to sound more in control than she felt. “But don’t think you’re getting off the hook…”

  Collin grinned at her.

  “I’ll tell you whatever you want. Just as soon as we’re somewhere a little more discreet.”

  Lucas returned to the table a few minutes later, and Logan joined them a few minutes after that—still by himself. Bre struggled to keep the scowl off her face. She blamed it on Aimee being so late, leaving her in a weird situation with a bunch of people she didn’t know.

  Bre focused all of her attention on being grumpy with Aimee. She was worried if she didn’t she’d start thinking about what Collin had told her. And having a scowl on her face was much more acceptable than a stupid grin…

  Chapter Four

  Bre kept to herself while the men talked business; she preferred it that way. The nemesis of the weekend—Mara—showed up eventually and a few minutes later, Aimee finally made an appearance. By then, food had been served and they were already eating. Aimee had a look on her face that let Bre know they needed to talk—soon.

  The two ladies excused themselves to the restroom. When they were finally alone, Aimee revealed that Logan had fucked her in a pantry, somewhere. And then after he’d left, Mara had shown up and offered her two million dollars if she would just g
o away.

  To Bre, it sounded like the best possible outcome. She got to have some great sex for a weekend and then got a seven figure payday to forget all about it. Who could possibly turn that down? Sure, the sex with Collin was good, but with all of the unpredictable emotional crap going on, she’d rather have the sure thing.

  But Aimee was still determined to act like an insane person. She said she needed to think about it before she made a decision. Bre didn’t understand how in the world she could afford to pass up an opportunity like this one.

  The rest of the dinner was uneventful. If she was being honest, Bre had a hard time thinking about anything other than what Collin had told her. Was she really the type of woman he could fall hard for? What did that even mean? Was he trying to say he wanted to see her after they left the Hamptons?

  God! Men could be so difficult. Life would be a lot easier if they could just be straightforward.

  Aimee snuck out while Logan made a big deal out of publicly acknowledging the house staff for doing their job. Bre wondered how difficult it really as to live in the lap of luxury while catering to a man who was probably never around. These guys didn’t have it so bad, did they?

  Bre chided herself for being so cynical. Logan seemed like a good guy—she didn’t have to hate him just because he was the man in charge. That was just a reflection from an earlier time in her life.

  When the festivities were finished, she made her escape. Collin got held up, but promised that he would meet her in his room as soon as he could get away. He said it wouldn’t take long but, after everything that had already happened, Bre doubted almost everything that came out of his mouth.

  She was nervous about returning to the scene of the crime from two nights ago—when she’d orgasmed all over his bed. Just thinking about the way Collin’s tongue had worked her that night got her hot. As expected, the entire room had been cleaned and all of the linens had been replaced—even the extra set in the hutch.

  She laid out on the bed and eased into its soft sheets. The memory of that night crashed back to her. Without thinking about it, Bre’s hand found its way between her legs. She rubbed her pussy through the soft fabric of the dress before her hand disappeared beneath it. Her fingers slid along the inside of her thigh—her core was already wet and ready for her. She slid her panties to the side while her other hand clutched for her breast.

  She dipped a single finger into her wetness, sending a wave of ecstasy coursing through her. Bre moaned, loudly, unable to control herself. Her fingers touched all the right parts, but it was the memory of what Collin had done to her that took it to a new level.

  She thought of his head between her legs and her nipples hardened so much it was almost painful. He’d been so good. No guy had ever made her come like that—and she’d auditioned plenty of them.

  A vision of his beautiful, blue eyes hovering over her soaked folds was enough to tip her over the edge. An orgasm blossomed and spread throughout her body, making her legs convulse and shudder before clamping shut around her fingers.

  She breathed hard, trying to recover from the unexpected orgasm. Masturbating was certainly a nice way to pass the time while Collin was off doing who-knows-what. If he took much longer she might have to give it another go…

  Chapter Five

  Collin didn’t keep her waiting much longer. There was a knock on the door a few minutes later. It opened and he peeked inside. A smile spread across his face when he saw her. She was still laid out on the bed, as comfortable as ever.

  “Sorry, that took longer than expected,” he said, stepping into the room.

  “I didn’t even notice,” she said.

  He shut the door behind him and gave her a sideways look.

  “Why do I get the feeling that you were having fun in here without me?”

  “Because I was.”

  She wasn’t embarrassed. She didn’t have anything to hide.

  “I should have gotten here faster.”

  Bre shrugged, indifferently.

  “Don’t worry, I still had fun without you.”

  Collin chuckled as he took a seat on the bed next to her.

  “You really are this independent, aren’t you? It’s not just an act…”

  “Why would you think it’s an act?”

  “Most women aren’t like you,” he said. “The women I’ve known don’t really want casual flings—they just say they do. I think it’s their way of taking control of the fact that they’re single.”

  “I’m sorry that I don’t conform to your expectations of all women. I happen to enjoy being my own person.”

  Collin actually blushed.

  “I didn’t mean it that way…”

  She flicked her hand, dismissively.

  “Save it, I’m not mad at you. Tell me why you were making such a big deal out of those rules…”

  “I already told you… It was to protect me from you. You’re the kind of woman that I could get in trouble with.”

  “What’s so wrong with me that you had to turn into a complete asshole to push me away?”

  His brow knitted together and he gave her a confused look.

  “It’s not like that. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you.”

  “Nothing?”

  Collin hesitated before responding.

  “Well, one thing…” he confessed.

  The hair on the back of Bre’s neck stood on end. She’d meant it as a joke; she didn’t think he’d really answer.

  “What is it?”

  “The fact that you’re only looking for a casual fling.”

  There it was again. The thought of things being anything more than casual between them made her chest tighten. She might not want casual, but she didn’t really want serious, either. She was a mess and she knew it.

  It was all Collin’s fault. If he wasn’t so incredible in bed this wouldn’t be such an issue.

  “You mentioned getting hurt, before… what happened?”

  Collin shook his head, somewhat disbelievingly. But at least he didn’t dismiss the question altogether.

  “Are you sure you want to know?” he asked.

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “It’s definitely not the kind of intimate detail you share with a casual fling.”

  Bre gave him a flat look. If he was going to give her shit about it, then she was going to give it right back.

  “You’re the only one that’s been putting up roadblocks this weekend…”

  “Fair enough,” Collin said. She wondered if she’d feel differently about him if he hadn’t been keeping his guard up all weekend—would she still be interested? “I dated a woman a few years ago. At the time I thought she was the best thing that had ever happened to me, but it turned out she was slowly ruining my life.”

  “In my experience, that’s how all relationships go…”

  “I thought you said you haven’t had any serious relationships?”

  She gave him a coy smirk.

  “Because I’m too smart to fall for those traps.”

  “Right. How could I forget?”

  She shrugged, innocently.

  “So when did you realize how bad things were?”

  “All the pieces fell into place as soon as she dumped me.”

  Bre’s eyes widened, dramatically.

  “The great Collin Hayes got dumped? Who in their right mind would give up that tongue of yours?”

  “It’s shocking, right?” he agreed. They shared a small laugh. “The best part was that she said we weren’t connecting sexually.”

  “Well, that’s just ridiculous.”

  “I thought so, too,” he laughed. “But it wasn’t all fun and games. The sex was nowhere near as good as it is with you—”

  “You’re welcome,” she interjected.

  He grinned at her.

  “She had this way of nitpicking every little thing I did. It was subtle. She’d make little comments like, I don’t like that, or, wouldn’t you rather do thi
s, or any other little thing. It wasn’t a big deal at first but, over time, it made me doubt that I could do anything right.”

  His story made Bre’s stomach curdle. She knew exactly how that felt. She’d been in that kind of relationship before, too; even if it hadn’t been with a romantic partner.

  “That’s a horrible feeling,” she said.

  “Halfway through the relationship I started having this little… problem.” His tone got serious and Bre suspected she knew what he was referring to: the unexpected thing that happened in the theater. “When we would have sex I wasn’t able to keep it… you know… motivated.” He looked insecure, but managed to push through it. “I thought there was something wrong with me. I talked to doctors—more than a few of them—but none found any physical reason for the… issue.”

  “You obviously got it figured out…”

  Bre hoped it sounded encouraging, despite what had happened between them.

  “Turned out, the insecurity she made me feel had followed us into the bedroom. Once she was out of the picture, everything started working again.”

  Bre got a sinking feeling in her belly.

  “This morning… was it something I did?”

  Collin flashed her a nervous smile and shook his head.

  “I can’t believe I told you all of that. I’ve never actually told anyone else what really happened between her and I.”

  “I’m glad you did.”

  “I’m glad you pushed me to tell you,” he admitted.

  “I like hearing stories like that.”

  “So you can have reminders of why you don’t want to be in a serious relationship?”

  She cracked a grin.

  “Of course. Why make my own mistakes when I can learn from others?”

  They shared a laugh before Collin blew out a loud sigh.

  “This morning I was just letting this whole situation get to my head. I’ve been trying to keep all of my feelings out of it but I just couldn’t bottle them up anymore.”

  “Your feelings?” she prompted.