I bite my lip, hating the fact that Mom’s already gotten her hopes up.
“Why not?” Jane sounds as miserable as I feel.
“I already promised Mom I’d be home for Christmas.” I say it so low, I’m surprised Jane can even hear me.
“You always do what your mom says. You always do everything for everyone else, Mariah, but what about you?”
I sigh, knowing she’s right, but what can I do? If I back out now, Mom will never forgive me.
“Are you ever going to care about your own needs?” For the first time in my many years of knowing her, Jane actually sounds angry. Pissed. “Well, if you’re not, then I will.”
She takes a moment, taking a breath. “Come with me.” Her voice is gentler now. “Go skiing. Get some fresh air. Make memories with your bestie.” The way her words get at me, it’s like she has her big soft mouth pressed sexily to the speaker. “Come on, Mariah. It’ll be fun.” Another pause. “Please?”
Heat flashes up my cheeks. She practically porn-star-moaned that word at me.
Suddenly, I’m not worrying about schoolwork. Suddenly, my mind is in fantasyland. Imagining the two of us enjoying the snow. The miles of pine trees and mountain landscapes. Being warm and cozy in front of a fire, and talking about things we never have time to talk about. Boys. Sex.
And then, with my mind swirling with images of all the fun I could be having with her, I do something I never thought I would do: I say “Yes.”
“What?” Jane’s been listing other reasons why I should go with her, and my sudden answer has surprised her.
“I’ll go.” I don’t even try to hide the smile from my face or my voice. “I’ll come with you to the resort!”
Jane celebrates. I can hear her on the other end of the phone. “Whoo-hoo!” More squealing. “That’s my girl!”
I smile, basking in her joy. Mine.
I have no idea what I’m going to tell Mom, but I don’t care. I’ll figure that out when the time comes.
Chapter 4 – Paul
After the bar, my brother and Jordan convince me to mix bubbly with other bubbles. Namely those from Jacuzzi jets.
So here we are: in a large communal hot tub/Jacuzzi thing, which itself is a part of a greater spa and swimming area. We’ve also got drinks. I’ve ditched the tequila for some draft beer, lest I get too drunk and make a fucking fool out of myself. My brother’s gotten himself a whiskey on the rocks, and Jordan’s traded out his normal rum and coke for the brave choice of a white Russian.
I don’t know what it is, but beer and hot tubs go together. Maybe it’s the temperature play of hot and cold; maybe it’s how relaxed, how much fucking better I get to feel for a short period of time. I should always remember to get away from my normal life and spend my time in some fresh powder. I certainly have enough money to do it, so I can’t use that as an excuse not to.
My brother and his friend are talking. Joking about something, but I don’t care too much to listen. I just nod every once in a while so they think I’m listening, but I’m just relaxing and enjoying the beer and bubbles.
Until I see the blonde, skinny apple-bottomed bitch of my nightmares. My ex. She’s here. She’s just Barbie-dolled her way in here: ass jiggling, hips swishing. And she’s with her new boy toy. Some young guy in a pair of board shorts I thought I’d only see on the California coast — gang-style graffiti art covers them. He looks like he’s definitely the type to do whatever she says, whenever. Pure putty in her hands.
Which he proceeds to validate for me as he allows himself to be pulled over and shoved into a nearby chair. Once there, she leans over and slams him with a wet, suffocating kiss. But not before making subtle eye contact with me, and wiggling her ass at me from under her string bikini.
“She’s here.” The seethe in my words gets lost under the bubble of the Jacuzzi. The froth of the water. Though I don’t mean to, I’ve sunk a bit in my seat. Snapping out of it, I sit up straighter, putting on a fighting stance. “What the fuck is she doing here?” I take a swig of my beer. One of two that will finish it off.
“You really enjoy killing everything I’m starting to enjoy, don’t you?” I whisper, making a big deal about getting out of the Jacuzzi. I even try to splash her a bit, though I know it’s childish. I finish off my beer, and set it on the ground. “Well, I’m done here.” I fight to keep my eyes off my ex and her boyfriend. They’re kissing again, and this time they’re making more noise. “Classy, this place.”
With that, I storm out of the swimming area, quickly wrapping a towel around myself.
As I leave, I hear Alex say, “Paul, where are you going?” When I don’t answer, I hear him splash out of the hot tub, and after that, I hear the sound of his footsteps trailing me. I can even hear drops from the water running off him and onto the tile floor. “What happened, man?”
Jordan answers him, also springing out of the hot tub. “Oh shit,” he whispers, definitely loosened by alcohol. His wet, sloppy foot fall follows us, but I don’t turn around. I make a beeline for the room we’ve checked into for the weekend. “That’s his ex.” He laughs a little, though I know he knows it’s not funny. “It’s his ex, Alex! She’s here with us, yo.” I keep walking, hoping I can shut the door on them and all of this.
I reach our room. But before I can tell them to fuck off, they follow me in as I activate the key card. “Great. Just fucking great,” I say, flopping on an overstuffed leather couch. “Just what I needed.” I bring my hands up in mock surprise. “Surprise! On Christmas and my birthday, too!”
Alex is the first to sit down next to me. “Forget about her, bro.”
I growl.
“I’m serious, bro. So, she’s here. So what?” Alex lays a hand on my still-damp back. “The point of being here is to move on. To forget about her. What better way to show her she means nothing to you than to ignore all of that…?” My brother grapples with what words to use next. His hands uncomfortably gesture out “skinny,” but it’s more like “way too skinny.”
Then Alex braces himself. Gets serious. “You can do better than that cheater.”
Cheater. Yeah. She’s good at that, and I wish they hadn’t reminded me.
Again, Jordan’s the one to chime in. “For sure!” An awkward, sloppy pause. “Is it just me, or does your ex look skinnier than she did when she was with you?” He burps, but it sounds like he’s thrown up a little too. “I’m surprised the guy she’s with can get off to all that bone showing.” He snickers. “But then again, a boner’s a boner, right?” Weakly, he pantomimes like he’s the boyfriend fucking my ex.
My brother and I ignore him promptly. “She is skinnier, and it makes me sick to see it,” I say. It’s more to myself and to anyone else.
“Hey,” says Jordan, when he realizes we’re not laughing. “I was just trying to make light of it, man. Just trying to get your mind off it.”
“Whatever.” I fold my hands together, trying to keep from punching something. “She can do what she wants. I’m here to do what I want.” Briefly, my mind wanders to the girl my brother and his friend are supposed to help me find. My perfect girl, if she exists. “I need a girl with meat on her. Some substance, you know? Not fat, but so I’m grabbing something more than skin and bones.”
“I know what you mean.” My brother gives me a playful nudge on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll find the perfect one for you.”
“Yeah, man.” Jordan takes a seat on my other side, but only after turning on the TV and the gaming system I’ve just now noticed we have as part of our room. That’s fucking sweet, and I know I have to get my mind off Darla so I can enjoy all the amenities that money has to offer. Jordan, Alex and I are all in finance. We work hard enough and make enough money that we should be able to enjoy ourselves on a fucking ski trip rather than spend time collectively dwelling on my ex. “All you have to do is hang out by the restaurant or buffet or whatever, and see which snow bunny enjoys a few good bites of steak, and you’ll have your lady.”
Jordan’s got two controllers in his hand. Keeping one for himself and handing one to me, he says, “No big deal.” Deftly, he taps into the console’s menus and starts up a game. A racing one. Something with all the latest cars and motorcycles. “Sorry, Alex. You’ll have to wait for your turn to play me. Heartbroken bachelors first.”
“I’m all for it,” Alex says, getting up and apparently deciding to search the mini fridge for something to drink. He cracks the tab on what I hope is a can of soda, because he’s already pretty fucking drunk. “Whatever’ll keep me from hearing any more of your half-baked romance advice.”
We share a laugh, before diving into a digital paradise of racetracks and fast cars. Just what I need to get my mind off Darla and her rotating-door pussy.
Click here to continue reading!
It's my first time. And he'll pay a million dollars to own it.
My best friend invites me on a ski trip to a fancy resort in Aspen.
We find out there's an exclusive club where billionaires can buy anything they want.
Including a woman's innocence.
It turns out that one will pay a lot for mine.
We hit it off right away- a match that only money could arrange.
He says he likes my curves, my eyes and my smile.
I like his tattoos, his muscles and his dirty mouth.
I never thought I'd give my virginity to a stranger.
But now, I'm calling out his name while he's got me tied up and helpless.
I'm begging him not to stop, and hoping winter vacation never has to.
What if we both like this arrangement a little more than we bargained for?
* Sold at the Auction in Aspen features a complete collection of standalone but connected romances featuring dominant alpha males and curvy heroines. Linked characters reappear as the collection continues, so you can continue to catch up with your favorite couples.
The titles included in this set are: 1) Sold on Christmas Eve; 2) Sold at the Ski Resort; 3) Sold as a Domme on Valentine's Day; and 4) a bonus novella exclusive to this box set, Sold in Aspen, which ties all the characters and their stories together and shows you where each couple ends up in the future. These romances have no cheating and no cliffhangers. They do have very happy ever afters and plenty of steam certain to heat up the rest of your winter and your reading device!
Click here to read Sold at the Auction in Aspen!
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