UNPLUGGED: a standalone novel

by LK Collins

  “Probably my dad. He’s been trying to drive a wedge between us since he left the company.”

  “Why would your dad do that?”

  “You don’t know my father. He needs to control everything; he was pissed at me when he found out I bought them.”

  Merritt takes another swig, and I place my hand over his, wanting to look at his face. Holding on to the towel, he lets go, but looks down at me and even in this crazy ass moment, it seems I’m all that matters.

  Gently, I lift the towel, but his face is still bleeding, split wide open. “How’s it look?”

  “Not too bad,” I lie and press the towel back against his face. As I hold a little pressure, he winces. Staring into my eyes, he reaches up and runs his thumb over my bottom lip. My insides heat from the touch, the effect he has over me is unreal. I’m not sure what to do. My mind is telling me one thing, but my heart, my poor damaged heart, is telling me another.

  However, before I can battle with the decision any longer, we are interrupted by Kami as she brings in ice and a first aid kit. “How’s it look?” she asks, and I stupidly respond, still in a daze, “Good.”

  I pull the towel away. The bleeding has slowed, and Merritt looks in the mirror at his face. “You think this looks good?” he complains.

  “I meant it looks better.” I open the first aid kit and find a few butterflies to place over the cut. “It might need stitches,” Kami adds, and he brushes her off, taking another swig of liquor. I’m tempted to take the bottle from him, he’s been drinking all day, and now with this, he might end up fighting with Ari again.

  “Or not…let me know if you guys need anything else. We’re ordering pizza for dinner. Any requests?”

  “A veggie one, please.”

  “Merritt?”

  “Nah, I’ll probably be leaving soon.”

  Kami leaves, and Merritt is giving me that look again, making my heart race a million miles a minute. “Leaving, why?”

  “I don’t know anyone here, and I’m not about to deal with Ari and his shit when I was just trying to help.”

  “But, you know me.”

  “That doesn’t help right now. I shouldn’t have come. I have a ton of work to do.”

  “Merritt, I get that you want to go, but Ari is your best friend, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then talk to him before you leave. Trust me—you don’t want to run from your problems.” Hearing the words myself makes me feel like that is what I’m doing, pushing aside the pain of my breakup this week. But maybe that is what I need to be doing, in order to get past what I’ve been through. I’ve gotta let it go, the same way Merritt needs to let the drama with Ari go too.

  He studies me as I look at the cut on his face. “Are you sure you don’t want to have a doctor look at this?” I ask him.

  “Yeah, it’ll be fine.”

  “Okay. But, before you make your mind up and leave, I want you to know, I’m sorry about accusing you of not being a good guy,” I tell him, feeling bad for insinuating such a thing earlier. Cleary he is a nice guy—look what he did for Ari.

  “It’s all good. You just went through a breakup, so your heart is guarded, I get that.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Of course. So I guess I’ll go and see if I can hash this shit out with Ari.”

  “Yeah? You want me to come?”

  “No, Mom, we’ll be good, I promise.”

  “Mom?” I respond back to him, my mouth gaping open.

  He winks and kisses my cheek—his lips on me again are a surprise but have me wanting more. I don’t know what it is about him that makes my insides a flustered mess. I’ve never had a man make me feel like this, ever.

  Chapter 8

  Merritt

  “So we good, man?” I ask Ari after I explain everything and we finally get to the bottom of the shit my dad tried to pull.

  “Yeah, sorry I jumped to conclusions.”

  “It’s all right. You know I’m always gonna look out for you.”

  “And I appreciate that.”

  “Of course, brother.”

  “You know your old man is fucked up, though, right?”

  “You don’t have to tell me. I deal with it on the daily and only because soon the company will be mine.”

  “Damn straight it will.”

  We exchange a hand slap and then go downstairs. The group is all seated around the dining room table, and Quinn smiles when she sees us together. The doorbell rings, and Ari and I grab the abundance of pizzas that were ordered. “Jesus, how many pizzas did you think we needed?” Ari asks Willow.

  “What?” she replies, acting like it’s no big deal.

  As we set the pizza down in the kitchen, Quinn comes over to us and says, “So, are you guys good?”

  “Of course, thanks for pushing me to talk to him,” I tell her.

  “Anytime.”

  “So in order to keep the peace going, I’m declaring tonight pizza and water night,” Willow announces.

  “What?” The room erupts in chaos at her crazy ass remark. But I’ve learned that when it comes to Willow, she’s a bit controlling, and you just don’t argue.

  “I’m serious, Ari, you had way too much to drink today, and the rest of you were hitting the flasks all day.”

  “Come on, Willow,” Kami pleads.

  “Nope! It’s gonna be an early night. We have ice fishing in the morning, and after skiing all day, we could use a chill night and some rest.”

  Ari walks over to the fridge and grabs a beer, twisting the top off and dropping the cap to the floor. Willow is stunned as he slams half the beer and says. “How about pizza and beer night, nothing hard?” She rolls her eyes as everyone cheers like a bunch of kids who just got their way with their parents. I glance at Quinn, and she smiles back at me, both of us knowing our bottle of tequila is still in our bathroom.

  I grab a beer from the fridge then take one out for Quinn too. As I pass it to her, she smiles, the most adorable expression on her face. “Did they get your veggie one right?”

  “Uh huh, it’s kinda hard to mess up, though.”

  “I wouldn’t know; I don’t eat veggie anything.”

  I open one of the boxes and pull out a piece of pepperoni. As I eat it, Quinn says to me, “What do you say we go take a few shots?”

  I wipe my hands clean, loving the idea. The rest of the room is engulfed in conversation making it easy for us to slip away. I lock the bathroom door, so we aren’t interrupted again, and Quinn hops up on the countertop. “So, is Willow always so controlling?” I ask her as she unscrews the bottle.

  “Yup, but she’s always been that way, and we’ve all learned to accept her because she really does have the best intentions.” She knocks back a swig then passes me the bottle.

  “It can be annoying though.”

  She nods and the room is filled with an awkward silence, and I’m not sure what to do. I take a second drink, the alcohol burns, but I love it, and then give her the bottle again. “So ice fishing tomorrow, you ever been?” I ask her, things…still awkward, and she grins.

  “Every year, you?”

  “When I was younger. I used to fish all the time, but never ice fishing. Now with work, I don’t do much of anything else.”

  “So…if your work is so crazy, how come you came on this trip?”

  “Ari has asked me for the last three years straight, and I turned him down. This time, I was gonna do the same, but the truth is, I needed the break. My dad and I are at each other’s throats.”

  “Why do you work with him? He sounds really terrible.”

  “Oh, he is. He has that dumb old school mentality and thinks everyone has to do what he says ‘cause he’s ‘the boss.’ My opinion doesn’t always matter; it’s just about closing deals and making money.”

  “Can’t you go elsewhere?”

  “I could, but he’s set to retire soon, and then the company is mine. I’ve worked so hard, and it’s right at my fingertips.�
��

  “Wow, that’ll be awesome.”

  “It will be. I turned down a full-ride basketball scholarship to Duke, so I could work for my dad. So I’ve gotta make sure this pays off.”

  “You play basketball?”

  “I did. I always wanted to join the NBA, but it was such a gamble and working for my father wasn’t. It was a sure thing, the safe thing, you know? Enough about me, what about you?”

  “Oh, there’s not much to me,” she gets shy, and I’m not sure why.

  I snatch the bottle back from her, and she laughs at me.

  “Don’t be stupid. I told you, now you tell me,” I nudge.

  “Umm, let’s see, I graduated from CU Boulder in Colorado with a Master’s degree in finance and got hired at the first firm I applied to. That was three years ago. Now, I’m an investment advisor with them. I was recently promoted after signing the biggest client they had in the Denver office this year.”

  “No shit, that’s fucking awesome.”

  “Yup! Not my proudest moment, though, considering the client was my ex. But the job is sweet, and even though things with him ended badly, as least I got something out of the deal.”

  “That’s kinda funny.”

  “No, it’s not!” She glares at me and snatches back the bottle, her sexy blue eyes glimmering in the bright light of the bathroom.

  “What else?”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “You have siblings?” I ask her.

  “No, you?”

  “No. What about your parents?” I ask.

  “They live in Denver in the house I grew up in. I go to dinner at their house once a week.”

  “Lucky! I wish I had that. The last meal I ate with both my parents was when I was a kid.” I’m not even sure why I told her that. It makes me sound like a bitch, but all the alcohol has me spinning.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Not a big deal, my dad was always busy working, so he was gone, now I’ve joined him.” Stepping to her, standing between her dangling legs, I lean in, not even thinking as I brace my weight on the countertop and blurt out, “I want to kiss you again.”

  “Quinn?” Willow calls out before she can answer, knocking on the bathroom door.

  Hanging my head down, the moment—yet again—ruined. I look into her eyes and she responds, “I’ll be right out.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yup.”

  “Have you seen Merritt?”

  She looks at me with wide eyes and I holler out to her. “I’m here; Quinn was just checking my face.”

  Willow rattles the doorknob and I hide the bottle under the sink, then unlock the door and ask Willow as I open it, “Do you think we should replace the butterflies yet?” The question distracts her. She studies the cut on my face as I stand really close to her and then she says, “No, it looks good.”

  “Cool, thanks for cleaning it.” I walk off leaving the girls like nothing was going on with Quinn and wink at her, looking back at her still sitting on the counter, in the exact spot where I left her. My cock wants her and is pissed at me for leaving her. But before the night is over…I’ll have her.

  Chapter 9

  Quinn

  “What were you guys really doing up here?” Willow asks me.

  “Nothing,” I lie and know it doesn’t suit me as all the blood rushes to my cheeks.

  “Don’t lie to me.”

  “I’m not, we were just talking.”

  “In the bathroom?”

  “What’s that matter?”

  “Seems a little strange.”

  “I came to take my contacts out, and he asked me to look at his cheek, then we got to talking.”

  I start to take my contacts out, my reflection blurring from so much liquor and she says to me, “You like him, don’t you?”

  “I don’t like him; I don’t even know him.”

  “Listen, you’re a big girl and can do whatever you want, but Ari has told me stories about shit they get up to, so I’d watch yourself.”

  “Stories?” I question her.

  “Yeah, some shady shit went down in Vegas with them one time, like Hangover style.”

  I laugh out loud at Willow, sliding my glasses on my face, and turn around. “Do you not remember college? You slept with half of the football team, and now you’re giving me advice?”

  “You bitch! That was forever ago. You weren’t innocent yourself, Miss Cocksucker.”

  “No, I wasn’t, no one is. Plus, nothing with Merritt has happened or will happen. He’s a sweet guy, end of story.”

  My best friend hugs me, always trying to look out for me. “Shall we share a beer, Mrs. Controlling?”

  “Don’t call me that.”

  “Okay, how about, ‘Mrs. Water And Pizza Night’?”

  She hits my arm, and we head downstairs. Everyone is putting on their coats and boots, and I’m not sure why. “Where you guys going?” I ask.

  “Fire pit,” Kami tells me. Ted is already outside, lighting all the heaters that line the deck. The gas fire in the center is blazing, and I grab my coat, sliding my boots on at the same time. We all flood outside and Merritt hands me a cup. “Here’s a fresh beer for ya.” I look in at the liquid and know right away that it’s not beer.

  “Thanks.”

  The air is cold as it whips around us. I take a seat on one of the benches that surround the pit and sip on the strong ass drink I’m holding. “It’s not that bad out here,” Willow says.

  “Did you bring s’more stuff?” Kami asks.

  “Dammit, I knew I was forgetting something.”

  “Damn, Mrs. Perfect forgot something,” Ari teases her.

  Willow glares at him and I suggest, “We could play Truth or Dare?”

  “No way,” Ted says, “Last time that happened, I froze my balls off.”

  “What happened?” Merritt asks him.

  “I had to do a naked snow angel.”

  “Oh shit.”

  “Yeah, not fun.”

  “I’ll play, if everyone throws in a hundred,” Ari says.

  “Why does it always have to be about money?” Willow asks him.

  “Uh, because it makes it so much more fun.”

  “I’m down,” Merritt adds and then the rest of the group agrees.

  “Sweet, that’s a seven-hundred-dollar pot,” Jacob exclaims.

  “What are the rules?” Willow asks. Of course she needs to know the rules.

  “Rules? We don’t need rules, sis. If you won’t do a dare, then you’re out, last person gets the money.”

  “Whoa,” Ted chimes in, “What if we don’t agree with something?”

  “Then don’t do it, Ted,” Ari says to him like he’s a moron, and Merritt and I calmly sit back sipping on our drinks. “Quinn, why don’t you start? It was your idea.”

  “Okay.” I wrack my brain to think of a question and decide to ask Merritt.

  “Truth or Dare?”

  “Truth.”

  “Oh, come on, man,” Ari gripes, and I ignore him, continuing on with my question.

  “Have you ever had a threesome?”

  He smiles and responds, “No.”

  The play moves to my right, and for some reason, I believe him. Then Merritt asks me, “Truth or Dare?”

  “Truth.”

  “Do you spit or swallow?”

  “Swallow,” I tell him and take a big gulp of liquid. Swallowing it, the sexual tension between us is off the charts.

  Ari is next and asks me, “Truth or Dare?” I roll my eyes, and he says, “What? You wanted to play this game.

  “Fine, Truth.”

  “Do you like it rough or slow?”

  “Ari!” I shout at him, and he waits for me to answer.

  “Come on, seven hundred dollars is on the line,” he challenges me to answer.

  “Fine…slow.”

  Merritt is watching me, the same way he did the first time he walked in on me shirtless, eating me up, and I cross m
y legs to stop my clit from twitching.

  Willow is next and says, “Quinn, Truth or Dare?”

  “What the fuck, you guys?”

  “You wanted to play,” she reminds me, and I blurt out, “Dare.”

  “Oh…I didn’t expect you to say that.” We all laugh at her dumb remark. “I’ve got a good one. Give a lap dance to anyone for a minute.”

  “Oh…that’s so original,” I tell her, and she sticks her tongue out to me. I sense Merritt lean back, thinking he’s got this in the bag, and I get up bending down in his ear as I bravely whisper, “Maybe later.” Then walk off and straddle Willow. She is shocked as I hold on to her neck and begin riding her body. Everyone cheers me on, and she just covers her face, completely embarrassed.

  After my minute is up, I tell her, “Maybe you shouldn’t pick on me.”

  Ted gives me a break and asks Willow, who is still beet red, “Truth or Dare?”

  “Truth,” she’s quick to answer.

  “What’s your favorite type of porn?”

  “Ted,” she scolds him, and I find it funny how a bunch of adults turn what is usually an innocent child’s game into something so inappropriate.

  “Anal,” she whispers, and we all bust out laughing. Who knew our innocent controlling Willow was into anal?

  Next is Jacob and he asks Ari the question. “Dare,” he responds.

  “Give me a blowjob.”

  “Baby!” Kami scolds him

  “What the fuck? No way, man.”

  “Guess you’re out! Remember the rules?”

  “Fuck you!” He flips him off, and Kami asks me, “Truth or Dare?”

  I roll my eyes, finishing my cup of liquor. “Truth,” I respond scared that she will pull what Jacob did.

  “Does size matter?”

  “Hell yeah, it does,” I blurt out, and everyone is quiet. I maybe could’ve answered that one a little differently.

  It’s my turn, and for some reason, the money isn’t coming into play at all. I just want to ask Merritt. “Truth or Dare?”

  “Truth,” he responds, and I’m surprised.

  “What is your best sexual experience?” He licks his lips and then asks me, “You want me to be honest?”

  “Of course.”