“And before you ask, I keep giving her water to drink, and I’ve already given her something for the massive headache that she’s now suffering from,” Ash adds.
I groan in response and Drake sighs.
After a moment he looks between Ash and me in question. “How did she end up in your bedroom, Ash?”
“That’s a funny story, actually,” Ash replies before continuing. “I caught that one sneaking out of your room while you were sleeping. Being the awesome guy that I am, I escorted her to her room where we found Troy getting lucky with two lovely ladies in Scarlett’s bed.”
I groan again.
Ash chuckles lightly. “Anyway, this one got sick, so I helped her into my bathroom, and that’s where she’s been since. I figured that my bathroom is the best place for her to be since someone needed to keep their eyes on her.”
“He’s taken good care of me.” I chime in.
After a moment I sigh while rubbing my hands across Ash’s soft rug. It was unlike anything I had ever felt before. I didn’t know what kind of material it was made from, but I wanted an entire room carpeted with it.
“God, I love this rug.” I breathe out.
Again Ash laughs. “She’s been saying that for hours too.”
“I’m stealing it once I’m able to get up on my feet again.” I threaten.
“Nope, no one is stealing my rug,” Ash replies sternly. “That’s my favorite hangover rug.”
“Then you’re going to have to buy me a really big one since my bed is going in the trash,” I reply.
Ash continues to laugh as he nods his head. “Fine, I get you one, and I’ll even be nice and buy you a new bed and mattress. It’s our fault that Troy got drunk and naked after all.”
“I knew it…” I snort.
Drake sighs and then takes a step into the bathroom with me. He kneels down and then stares at me a few moments before rubbing his hand over his face.
“Are you alright?” He asks.
“I’m fine,” I answer simply.
“Good.” He replies while standing back up.
Drake exits the bathroom and then turns his full attention towards Ash. “I’m going to go out for a little while. Are you going to be alright handling things here for now?”
Ash grunts in response. “I’ll be good, and I’ll call the housekeepers to come and clean up the mess from the party.”
“Make sure you tip them good this time. Downstairs is pretty bad.” Drake replies.
“No worries, Drake. I’ll make sure to tip them very well.” Ash replies.
“Ash…” Drake scolds.
“I’ll keep him in line,” I reassure.
Drake barks out in laughter. “If you say so, Scarlett, but you really don’t know my brother. He doesn’t necessarily need a room to get into trouble, and by the looks of it you’re going to be on that floor for a while.”
“I’ll behave,” Ash promises while giving me a wink.
Shaking his head Drake sighs. “Just don’t get into any trouble.” He then points towards me and then Ash. “…Both of you, and stay out of the damned liquor cabinet. We already have too many bottles to replace before Dad comes home.”
“Alright, alright, we’ll both behave. Right, Scar?” Ash replies.
I groan in response, and Drake releases a heavy breath.
“Go, Brother. We’ll be fine without you for a few hours.” Ash pushes.
Drake nods once and then turns to walk to the door.
Once he’s gone Ash leaps up from his bed. “Thank god. I was beginning to think that he’d never go.”
He then looks at me with a smirk. “Are you ready to see what kind of trouble that we can get into while he’s gone?”
Instead of saying a word I respond with a groan.
“You’re no fun.” Ash pouts.
After a moment he claps his hands together. “Alright, you stay here, and I’ll get things in order downstairs. I’ll be back in like fifteen minutes.”
With that, he leaves the room.
I sigh and then lay my head back down on the rug before closing my eyes.
Seconds later I drift off into a deep sleep.
Chapter Eight
“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit…” Ash chants as he rushes into his room before placing his hands behind his head.
He turns to look at me now lying on his bed under his warm covers.
“Oh, shit…” He breathes out seconds before the door swings open.
I sit up abruptly as my mother marches inside.
“Scarlett…” She snarls.
“Shit…” I whisper.
This entire scene looked as bad as it could possibly get and if I climbed out from under the covers now it would only make things worse considering I had taken my jeans off since I had thrown up on them.
“What the hell is going on here?” She screeches.
“It’s not what it looks like.” Ash tries.
“You don’t need to cover for my daughter. I know how she is and how persuasive she can be. It’s not your fault that you fell into my daughter’s trap.” Mom replies.
“She’s a whore after all, isn’t that right, Scarlett?” She adds with a smug grin.
“Enough…” Ash snaps. “If you’d like to know why she’s in my room it’s because we had a party and a few people broke into her room. Scarlett and I are not involved in any way like that, and you have no worries about it ever happening.”
“As if I’d believe that…” Mom huffs out.
“Go look for yourself; you damned stupid woman,” Ash growls as he points towards the door.
Mom huffs again before walking out of the room.
As her footsteps move down the hallway, I jump out of bed. Ash’s eyes widen as he takes in my lack of clothing.
“Where are your pants?” He questions.
“I don’t know. I took them off because they were dirty.” I reply as I begin searching.
Ash sighs and then moves over to his dresser while I begin to panic. My jeans were nowhere to be seen, and I couldn’t even begin to remember where I had put them.
Before I become too panicked, Ash holds out a pair of pajama pants towards me.
“Take these. They should fit you and keep your mother from wondering why you were in my bed half naked.” Ash states softly.
I take the pants and quickly slip them on.
Seconds later my mother walks back into the room. “I guess you were right, Ash. I should thank you for allowing my daughter to sleep in your room where she was safe.”
Without another word, she leaves the room again.
“Would it kill her to apologize?” Ash snorts.
“It might.” I breathe out.
After a moment Ash sighs. “I can only imagine what kind of trouble we’re in. The cleaners barely had the chance to begin before they came home.”
“You admitted to having a party to my mother too, so…” I reply.
“Damn it.” Ash curses.
“Have you seen your father yet?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “No. I ran as soon as I saw the limo pull up.”
Before either of us can say another word, my mother returns to the room. She places her hand on her hip while glancing between Ash and me.
“Whose idea was it to have a party?” She questions.
Ash raises his hand. “It was my idea. We always have parties when Dad is gone on business.”
Mom nods once and then glances towards the door before turning her attention back to Ash. “I’m going to act as if this whole mess didn’t happen. I came home for just a short time because I had something to take care of regarding selling our old home. Your father stayed behind, so we can keep this little secret between us.”
She was sucking up big time.
“What’s the catch?” Ash asks.
I had to give him credit he was well aware of the games that my mother could play.
“All I ask is that you treat me with respect.” She replies.
<
br /> Ash snorts abruptly before becoming serious. “Alright, but don’t piss me off because it won’t matter to me if my father finds out about this party. I can deal with him, but I won’t be pushed around by you.”
“Fair enough…” Mom agrees.
She then turns her attention towards me while scrunching her nose in disgust. “What on earth are you wearing, Scarlett?”
Before I can even say a word, she waves her hand absently. “Never mind, I don’t want to know.”
A moment later she turns to exit the room. At the doorway, she stops and then glances back at me with another sigh.
“Make sure to toss out those sheets and blankets on your bed, Scarlett.” She states.
“I will,” I reply simply.
“Good, and make sure this house is spotless. Benjamin and I will be returning in a few days.” Mom replies before walking away.
Once her footsteps fade away down the hallway Ash and I look at each other.
He chuckles while glancing down at his pajama pants that I was wearing. “Those things are still too big on you, but damn you still look hot.”
I laugh and slap my hand against his chest. “Shut it.”
Without warning, he grabs my hand before reaching out with his other to grab my hip. He then pulls me closer as he becomes serious.
We stare deep into each other’s eyes for the longest time before I push away from him.
Instead of sticking around for another awkward moment I run from the room before going into mine which was now thankfully empty.
I run straight into the bathroom before stripping out of my clothes.
As soon as I’m bare, I climb into the shower and then turn on the water.
I gasp as the cold water hits my skin before slowly becoming warmer.
Closing my eyes, I place my hand against the cool tiles on the wall while inwardly cursing myself for getting too close to Ash. For a moment I had actually enjoyed the way that his hands were holding me.
If there was one thing that I couldn’t do it was getting too close to either Ash or Drake.
No matter what I needed to keep my distance.
And from this point on that was exactly what was going to happen. I would act as if this weekend hadn’t happened and I hadn’t heard everything that I had in Drake’s room.
****
The second I step into my room, I catch two strangers removing my mattresses from my bed. I squeal and then rush back into the bathroom while clutching my towel tightly against my chest.
I stay inside for a few moments before peeking around the corner.
Thankfully this time the men are nowhere to be seen.
Moving quickly I find the box with my clothes and dig through it until I find a suitable outfit along with panties and matching bra.
Once I have everything I need, I run back to the bathroom.
I shut the door seconds before the men return to the room.
“Is everything alright in there, Scarlett?” Drake questions loudly from the other side of the door. “The guys said they might have frightened you.”
“They didn’t scare me, but I’m sure they got to see more of me than they should have,” I reply before continuing. “A little warning would have been nice, you know.”
“Sorry. I didn’t think that you were finished with your shower yet.” Drake replies.
After a moment he speaks again. “Do you need me to get anything for you?”
“No. I managed to grab my clothes while the room was empty.” I answer.
He grunts in response before speaking again. “Okay, well if you need anything just yell. I’ll be just down the hall.”
With that he leaves, his footsteps shuffle across the wooden floor before fading away.
Sighing softly I begin drying my body off before I start slipping on my clothing.
Minutes later I exit the bathroom while brushing through my damp hair. I stop as Ash and Drake turn to look at me with grins playing on their lips.
“Do I even want to know why you’re both looking at me like that?” I ask.
My question is answered almost immediately when the men from before carry in an oddly shaped part of a bed.
“What is that?” I question as they place it down onto the floor.
Seconds later two more men walk in with another half.
It all becomes clear when they place the two pieces together side by side.
“You didn’t…” I whisper fiercely.
Drake and Ash remain quiet as one of the men quickly places a ruffled black bed skirt over the box springs.
Not a word is said as the men walk out of the room again.
The room continues to stay quiet as I glare at both Drake and Ash. Of all the things they could do, I never expected this.
I should have though.
After what feels like forever, the men return carrying a heart-shaped mattress that they’re forced to shove through the doorway with all their might.
As they lay it down over the box springs, I burst into laughter.
I continue to laugh uncontrollably as the men leave the room and Ash and Drake move closer to me.
“I think we may have broken her,” Ash states while raising his brow.
They continue to watch me as I move over to the bed and then fall back on it as I giggle.
Once I finally gain control, I sit up and laugh once more. “You know, I think I like it. My mother is going to lose her mind when she sees it.”
“That was the plan,” Drake replies with a light laugh of his own.
“But we didn’t exactly expect you to like it.” Ash chimes in.
“It’s growing on me.” I snort.
“Well, it gets even better because I made sure to get red sheets, blankets, and pillows to match. I may have gone a little overboard though, but honestly how many times can you say that you bought a heart-shaped bed.” Drake exclaims.
Without warning, Ash leaps onto the bed before bouncing on it a few times.
“This thing is actually pretty awesome.” He hoots.
I groan out dramatically before raising my arm above my head while closing my eyes.
“Come on, Ash. Let’s leave Scarlett alone for a little while. We have some things that we need to do anyway.” Drake pushes.
Not another word is said as Ash climbs off of the bed.
I peek out from under my arm to watch as Drake and Ash walk out of my room a moment later.
Sighing softly I close my eyes one more time as I get into a more comfortable position on the bed. Within seconds I drift off into a deep sleep.
Chapter Nine
Darkness shrouds my room as I use the moonlight to make my way around the boxes still holding my belongings. I quietly exit my room and then make my way down the hall.
Once I’m downstairs I go into the kitchen before moving towards the refrigerator.
The second I open the door the lights turn on.
“Are we really back to this again?” Drake questions as he hops down from his spot hiding on the counter.
I sigh. “It’s better this way, and you know it.”
He moves closer to me before walking around me in a circle. “If that’s the way you want it then that’s the way it will be.”
Without warning, he stops behind me before he grabs hold of my hips.
Drake’s warm minty breath fans across my neck as he pulls me back snuggly against his body.
My heart speeds up as I fight against my wild emotions.
Part of me just wanted to give in and turn around to kiss Drake, but the other part of me knew that I had to get away or else I would regret every moment.
Unfortunately, my body is unwilling to pull away from his grasp.
“Are you sure that we can’t make this situation a little more enjoyable for both of us?” Drake whispers into my ear before continuing. “I wouldn’t mind if you decide to pass your time here with my brother either.”
That thankfully kicks my body back into this reality.
Grinding my teeth together I pull away before I turn and bring my hand up to slap Drake. Before I get the chance, he grabs my wrist to stop me.
“That’s better.” He praises with a grin.
“I hate you.” I snap while yanking my arm from his grasp.
“Even better…” He hoots.
I turn to leave the kitchen, but I run right into Ash. He places his hands on my shoulders while glaring at his brother over my shoulder.
“What the hell, Drake?” He growls out.
Before Drake can respond, I step away from Ash and then push past him to leave the room.
Once I’m completely out of view, I stop to listen.
“What did you say to her, Drake?” Ash snaps.
“I didn’t say anything that I haven’t already said to her before,” Drake replies. “Hell, I bet you’ve said worse to her than what I did.”
“You need to stop,” Ash demands.
“Why, Ash, why should I when it’s what she wants? She’s sneaking around again just so she doesn’t have to run into us. She doesn’t give a damn about us, and we shouldn’t give a damn about her.” Drake replies sternly.
“It doesn’t matter; we should still look out for her,” Ash argues.
“She’s never going to care about you, Ash.” Drake bites out.
“I’m not an idiot, Drake,” Ash replies with a heavy sigh. “I know that she’ll never care, but she reminds me of Liz, and I can’t help but want to care about her.”
“She’s not Liz, Ash,” Drake replies gently. “Scarlett isn’t like that stupid girl at all.”
“How do you know?” Ash whispers. “What if we say or do something and she…”
He trails off as the room grows silent.
“That’s not going to happen, but that’s also why we should keep our distance, and the best way to make her stay away, is to make her despise us.” Drake pushes.
Having heard enough, I walk away.
I didn’t know who Liz was or what she had done, but I could guess that she had hurt Drake and Ash pretty badly.
It was just one more reason to add to the list of reasons why I had to stay away from them.
With any luck, my mother would screw things up with Benjamin soon and then we would be on our way to the next rich idiot who would fall head over heels for my mother’s tricks.
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