by Mj Fields
“Yeah, that.” She pushes down on the door handle then pushes open the door and slides in.
“Jesus,” Baker grumbles.
“It’ll be fine,” Alexa says on a hiccup.
“Fuck it will,” Abhi huffs.
“Back off,” James, the laidback, shaggy-haired stoner one of the group, grumbles, surprising us all.
Brisa walks back into the room as quickly as she walked out. “Found one. Should be good to go.”
When they all look at her, she asks, “What?”
Baker sighs. “Nothing.” Then he looks at his watch. “We have an hour.”
“What is this? Motel 8?” I ask, plopping down on the couch that is much more comfortable than it appears.
They all look at me with disgust.
“Oh my God.” I laugh. “You’re all too much.”
Alexa sits next to me. “Have you actually stayed at a Motel 8?”
Brisa sits on the other side of me and gives me a very quick, pleading look that I’m sure no one else caught.
The truth is no … “I wouldn’t be opposed to staying at a motel.”
“Girl.” Alexa laughs. “Two words—Bed. Bugs.”
“More than two words—that’s so freaking gross.” I laugh, and Brisa does, too.
The guys sit across from us on the other sofa, looking much more relaxed now. Thank God.
“So,” I say, looking around.
“So …” Brisa sighs, leaning into me.
“Let’s play three lies and a truth.” Alexa grins.
I hold back correcting her by mentioning that it’s normally two truths and a lie … for now.
“Really?” Abhi quirks a brow.
Alexa defends, “What? It’s a good way to get to know people.”
Baker sighs. “It’s lame.”
I don’t want to point out that we—all six of us—are actually, in fact, pretty lame at this moment. Buzzed or not, I’m not about to put that out for them to chew on, because I am pretty sure, when I go to school Monday, I will do so knowing at least these three aren’t judging me, Brisa doesn’t count, she’s Crew. Crew doesn’t judge… publicly.
“I’ll go first,” Brisa pipes in, clearly helping Alexa off the hot seat.
I hold up two fingers reminding her it’s two truths and she begins, “My parents encourage masturbation”—the guys laugh, and Alexa giggles—“my younger sister had a boyfriend before me, and I loved my old school.”
“Number one was a lie.” Baker laughs, and everyone agrees.
“That’s definitely a truth.” I raise my near-empty drink.
“Shut up!” Alexa gasps.
“Sunday dinner with the Steel family is always interesting,” I say then take a drink.
“Why would your dad—”
“They want us to know the difference between physical and emotional,” Brisa cuts Alexa off.
“I don’t understand.”
“It means an orgasm can trick a young, impressionable mind into thinking the boy, or girl, caused it when in fact, it’s the body’s natural reaction to pleasurable touch.”
“Fuck …” Abhi sighs.
When I look at him and see he and Baker both staring at Brisa, I glance over at her to see she has a smirk playing on her face.
My cousin is certainly a natural flirt and, in a way, I envy that. When I try to flirt, I’m a million percent sure I look more crazy than cute.
“I get that,” James speaks for the second time this entire evening. “But if two people are into each other on a spiritual level, that orgasm can be way more intense.”
I notice his eyes shift, albeit briefly, in Alexa’s direction. I also notice that she doesn’t notice at all.
“My turn.” Alexa grins.
“Two truths and a lie,” I whisper.
She nods. “My mom made me get a nose job last summer, I’m going to fat camp for the third year in a row, and my dad isn’t really my real—”
“I call bull on fat camp,” James interrupts.
“No, those are all true. I haven’t said my lie yet.” She smiles. It’s that same plastic smile that I see every day at school that all the girls exchange with one another. The kind of smile that is so disingenuous that I can’t wrap my mind around, or fathom why, they bother offering a smile when there is no truth behind it.
My heart literally aches for her truths, and I immediately want to take them away.
“You’re not fat; you have big boobs and—”
“Curvy hips,” James interrupts me. “Hips that a real man, and a woman, want, not jealous, delusional people feeding into an unrealistic social norm set by wannabe waifs.”
Alexa’s face starts to turn red as she looks down at her hands. “That your lie?”
He narrows his eyes as he looks at her. “No, that’s the truth.”
Brisa and I glance at each other, both thinking the same thing.
Aw …
Regardless of the incredible sweetness James just tossed to Alexa, I know what it feels like to see yourself through others’ eyes, and I won’t let her be alone in it.
“My turn.” I hold up one finger. “My brother shot six inches vertical overnight, while my ass did the same thing horizontally.” I hold up a second finger. “My ass is the reason I stopped dancing at my old dance school.” And finally, a third finger. “I don’t care.”
“All truths, too?”
I shake my head. “I do care.”
Alexa looks up at me. “But you killed it on stage. Held nothing back.”
“Working on accepting my wagon.” I smirk.
“God, you two are insane,” Brisa groans loudly. “People pay big money to have juicy asses like you’re sporting. Matter of fact, if mine doesn’t go horizontal soon, I’m gonna start a savings fund.”
I nudge Brisa. “You leave your booty alone.”
“I’d rather have yours,” she sighs and flops back with true Brisa, dramatic flair.
“How did I not notice the nose?” Baker asks before taking a drink.
Alexa looks at him, and they both start laughing.
“And what the hell is fat camp?” Baker shakes his head. “You’re not fat, for fuck’s sake.”
“Agreed.” Abhi holds up his drink. “But why are we focusing on bullshit and not the fact that she just told us her dad’s not her dad?”
Alexa holds up her hand, stopping them, and clears her throat before she begins, “Mother said that I am genetically disposed to have weight issues, so she thinks it’s best I learn healthy eating habits. And although we do have a cook, Mother’s not around summers to ensure the housekeeper and I stick to her menu.”
“Control issues.” Baker nods once.
“But what about—”
She holds her hand up and stops Abhi. “No one in my family has weight issues. So, obviously, my father isn’t my real father.”
“That’s seriously all you have for evidence?” Brisa asks.
Alexa looks at her confused.
“Babe, you’re not fat, either.”
She scratches her head then smiles. “Then that was my lie.”
We all bust up laughing. Bless her heart. She’s a sweet girl, but wow, just … wow.
“One of you guys are up now,” Brisa tells them.
They all look at each other.
Baker is the first to speak. “I’ll go for all three of us.” Before we have a chance to object, he begins. “One, we’re all spoiled fucking rotten, entitled pricks who really haven’t a clue about the real world. Two, all our parents should be divorced, but money and partnerships come before love. And three, none of us want to have sex with any of you.”
Silence.
I look at the other guys, who should be a bit offended, but they’re not. Then I swing my gaze to Brisa and Alexa, who are both wide-eyed. Then I look back at Baker.
“Well, then,” I say.
No male has ever said they wanted to have sex with me. They wouldn’t dare. Can’t say I dislike it, but obvi
ously, the whole “any of you” part seems kind of desperate and is off putting.
“Offend you?” Abhi asks.
“Have you met my family?” I joke.
Abhi shakes his head. “We’ve gone to the same school since when?”
“November, right after Thanksgiving,” Alexa answers.
Abhi nods. “You walk in together, you congregate between classes, and sit together at lunch. So, basically, we know that your brother, Justice, and cousin, Tricks, get a lot of ass and do so without the girls becoming all clingy or angry, and you Steel girls, with the exception of Katherine, have your virtue protected like the US Mint protects its gold bars. Any guy looks at you, and they’re met with laser beam intensity from the guys and knows damn well you wouldn’t give them a second thought.”
“Wish I had an older brother or cousin that actually liked me,” Alexa mumbles.
James stands up quickly and walks to the cooler, grabbing a bottle of water then cracking it open.
“You good, man?” Baker asks.
“Anyone need a drink?” he deflects.
“Truth does,” Brisa answers for me.
“No, but Truth does need a bathroom.” I stand up and look around.
“To your left,” Abhi says.
Inside the bathroom, I look around. “Sterile, just like the rest of this place,” I mumble as I shimmy my yoga pants and panties down. “Clean-looking or not, Alexa called this place the pounding palace.” I hover over the toilet and sigh as I pee. “Virgin with an STI? No, thank you. Big Daddy Cyrus would never buy that, truth or not.”
After the longest and most satisfying pee in the history of pees, I wipe, flush, and walk to the sink. I turn the handle, and water starts shooting out of the faucet like a freaking fire hose, splashing all over.
“Holy water pressure, batman!” I shriek as I try to turn it off as quickly as possible and succeed, but not before a massive mess is made. Looking in the mirror, water dripping down it, I see that everything within a three-foot radius, including me, is soaked.
Chapter Three
Idiom
Don’t cry over spilt milk.
Truth
Cry. Milk spoils and smells nasty.
Towel over my head, I run a hand back and forth in an attempt to stop it from drying too curly as I use my other hand to fling open the door. “I need more towels before the head horseman keeps the security deposit, stat!”
“Truth,” Brisa says in a hushed, quivering voice, which is very unlike her.
I pull the towel off my head to see we are no longer alone, immediately noticing them standing in some sort of formation.
“Shit,” I whisper. But then, I can’t help the bubble of laughter from popping out of my mouth.
I notice the corner of Harrison’s mouth curve up, but only momentarily. However, his light brown eyes are still dancing with amusement.
Consciously not wanting to stare at the boy who I once thought would be my perfect match at Seashore, I look at Kai Hatt, who looks completely unamused. His dark hair and eyes match the disdain that’s directed at me. Then I look at Miles Jameson, also dark, but not as dark as Kai. Finally, my eyes land on Tobias Easton.
Even though I’ve seen his IG and pass him daily at Suckshore Academy, I never really noticed the color of his eyes. They are blue, brilliantly blue, almost like a blue-eyed Persian cat. And like a cat who’s decided his belly has been rubbed enough, his ears seemingly lay back, and he looks as if he is ready to stretch out his claws and take a swat at me. Which is why I have always been a dog person.
“So, about those towels.” I smile.
“Get the fuck out,” he grumbles in a deep voice.
I watch Abhi, Baker, Alexa, James and even Brisa nearly jump out of their skins.
“Oh, hell no,” pops out of my mouth, as I look at Brisa. “We don’t jump when someone says jump.”
I then look at Baker. “I thought you said we had an hour left.”
He looks at his watch. “Time’s up.” He looks at Tobias Easton. “Sorry about this. It won’t happen again.”
“You’re damn right it won’t,” Tobias sneers at him hatefully.
Even a bit buzzed, I seem to be quick on the draw. “How is he to blame for my mess caused by your faucet and exorbitant amount of water … pressure?” Baker and Abhi were really excited about being allowed to rent this place. And even though I think it’s lame as hell, I like them and do not like these assholes.
“She just used a fifty dollar SAT word?” Miles asks, quirking an eyebrow at Harrison.
“Get her the hell out of here,” Tobias sneers through his teeth.
“I’ll pay for the place to be cleaned,” Abhi says.
“You’re damn right you will.” Tobias steps toward him.
I step between them. “Wait a minute now. It’s my mess, and it’s just water, not piss, for God’s sake.”
“Truth,” Brisa whispers, and I look at her.
“Nope, no way. Fuck them.” I throw my thumb over my shoulder. “This is wrong, and we all know it.”
I not only turn around and glare at Tobias fucking Easton, I step to him and poke him in the chest. He growls, but I don’t give a damn. “Pfft, you don’t scare me one bit. My Grandmother is more intimidating than you. Now get me some damn towels, and then we’ll be out of your way.”
His Persian blue eyes are now wild and, for some reason, it just riles me up more.
I hear Brisa behind me, now sounding a bit panicked. “She’s drunk. She hardly ever drinks, and—”
A loud clapping distracts me, and I look to where the sound is coming from.
Harrison Reeves is smirking, slowly clapping. “Bravo.”
“Reeves,” Tobias sneers.
“She’s a little actress, Easton. It’s in my blood to applaud when I see a worthy performance.”
“This isn’t a performance, Reeves,” I snap.
“Oh, Miss Steel, you’re remind me of a little chihuahua with a pit bull attitude—feisty. I really like feisty.”
“Thanks,” I huff. “Now, how about you get me some damn towels and let us be on our merry way?”
I hear the door shut and look around. They left us here … with them.
“Truth,” Brisa whispers as she steps to my side.
“Easton, get the girl some towels”—Harrison smiles menacingly then looks away from me—“before she pisses herself or starts crying.”
“As if,” I huff.
I hear a door slam and have to stop myself from jumping.
Harrison looks back at me, smiling a little playfully now. A little too playfully.
“What is your aversion to being nice?”
He leans in, and I stay standing tall. Well, as tall as I can. Then he whispers, “You weren’t on the guest list. And neither was your cousin. Easton doesn’t appreciate rule breakers. Me, on the other hand, find it fascinating.”
“My bad, we didn’t RSVP. We weren’t even going to come. It was a last-minute decision. It’s not Baker or Abhi’s fault.”
“I’m very glad you”—he pauses—“came.”
Tobias walks past me and hands Harrison the towels. “Get them the fuck out of my house.” Then he turns and walks back the way he came from, and a door slams loudly. Again, I almost jump.
I take a towel and hand it to Brisa, not because I expect her to help, but because I’m not letting her be more than two feet away from me.
Once far enough away from them, I hear them begin chatting amongst themselves.
I smile at her reassuringly. “We’re fine.”
“I’m sorry. I should have been more badass. God, I suck.”
“No, you don’t,” I assure her.
“You were so freaking bada—”
“Not really. I didn’t want them to get in trouble thinking we’d made new friends, and then they bailed on us, and then that deplorable ass Tobias … well, he pissed me off.”
“In their defense, Alexa turned green, and I’m pretty sure
she was about to throw up. They had to get her out of here.”
“Fine. Forgiven.”
We make quick work of wiping off the mirror and the countertop.
“Do we need window cleaner?”
“Fuck that,” I snip as I get down on my hands and knees and begin wiping up the floor.
“You missed a spot,” comes from behind me.
“We aren’t done, Reeves,” I say flippantly.
“Streaks on the glass are gonna piss him off,” Miles taunts.
I shrug. “Seems he’s pissed off most of the time anyway, so it won’t matter much.”
When I hear them chuckling, I look back. Miles and Kai are scowling, and Harrison’s eyes are smiling, but he’s not.
“I’d offer to help, but my staff isn’t here,” he says.
Arrogant asshole.
“Great, then piss off.”
“But this view …” He glances down at my ass.
I turn away and swipe the floor one more time. “It’s an ass. What are you? Twelve?”
“It’s a spectacular ass.”
I glare back at him.
He places his hand on his chest and mock gasps. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t think it would offend someone who’s clearly worked so hard to condition her body. You’re strong. It shows on stage and while you’re”—he pauses and smirks—“on your knees.”
“Ball busting isn’t his kink,” Miles says without any expression whatsoever as he continues to look down at his phone.
“The quicker you three leave us alone, the quicker this will be done.” I turn around.
“Missed a spot,” Kai says.
I stand up. “Yeah, sure I did.”
I toss my towel in the hamper with the two hand towels I used then take Brisa’s and do the same. I nod to her. “Let’s go.”
We step toward the door, but they don’t move.
I glare up at them. “If you think my ass looks strong, might want to think about what carries it around and how hard I could kick you in the—”
“Oh, Miss Steel, don’t threaten me with a good time. But if you ever come at me with the intent of kicking me in the balls, please do it in pointe shoes,” Harrison says playfully.
My heart begins beating and not in a this-was-the-guy-who-a-few-months-back-I-was-sure-would-be-perfect-for-me-and-likes-my-ass kind of way.
