by Kenya Wright
“His family left him?”
“Yeah. Right after he lost the house. Eventually he quit his job and moved to Las Vegas to be a professional poker player.” She lathered a chunk of pineapple in caramel and placed it on my lips. The warm liquid lathered my tongue as I trapped the fruit and one of her fingers into my mouth. She pulled it away. “What's the biggest amount you've ever lost?”
Fuck. Why is she always asking me hard to answer questions?
“I would rather talk more about your family,” I admitted.
“Don't care.” She wiped her finger along my bottom lip, gathered some scattered caramel, and licked it off her finger. “I want to hear about you, and since you are competing for my panties then I'm thinking that you better answer my questions.”
“You're bossy.”
“Did I mention that I have a bunch of brothers? When we grew up, Mom and Dad were always yelling things like, ‘Get your sister out of the oven.’ My brother's would reply, ‘But we didn't turn it on.’ Later it would be something like, ‘Don't do that to your sister. Don't swing her. Don't drop her.’ Whatever.” Dawn lifted a grape and popped it in her mouth. “As I got older, I started to realize that although my brothers were big and powerful, I held all the power. All I had to do was scream or cry and my parents would run to me and my brothers would get in trouble.”
“You were a devilish one.”
“Yes. I was, and that's how I started becoming bossy. I got them to do anything I asked.”
“Is it still that way?” I asked.
“At times, although I no longer use my bossy powers for evil. And the thing about brothers is that when they grow up into men, all they can think about is protecting their little sister instead of trusting that she can spread her wings.”
“Where are you from?”
“Charleston, South Carolina. That's where all of my family is at.”
“I bet they didn't want you to leave.”
“No, they didn’t. They think Miami is too dangerous. My dad tried to convince my oldest brother to move down here.” She hit my chest. “Now stop changing the subject. What's the largest amount of money you've lost?”
I grimaced.
“Goodness.” She twisted her lips. “It must be a lot.”
I gave her a half smile. “You might lose respect for me.”
“Don’t worry about that. You lost my respect when you said you and your brother broke women's hearts for fun.”
I cringed.
This game is much harder than usual. Freddy was right. We should’ve never told her the truth.
“Just tell me,” she said. “What would it matter?”
Why not? Who else would I tell?
“Two weeks ago, I lost two point five million dollars.”
“Shit.” She kept a strawberry in mid-air. “No way.”
“Definitely.”
“What did your dad say?”
“He doesn't know. No one does, not even Freddy. In fact, until my allowance comes in September I'm going to be broke.” I grabbed my sangria and took two large gulps. “You have twenty dollars I can borrow?”
“Sure, but you’ll have to work for it. So what are you going to do until then?”
“Just hang on the yacht and let Freddy take care of my stuff.”
She leaned her head to the side. “That doesn't bother you?”
“Of course it does.”
“And will you stop gambling now?”
I flicked my finger against my watch's latch. “No. I'll probably hit the tables the day my account fills.”
“Just to get that same feeling again?” Pity covered her face. “My uncle told me once that nothing compared to the sensation of him sitting at a full table and knowing that within seconds either he could win or lose it all. He called it an adrenaline rush.”
“It is.” My fingers shook at the thought. I walked off. “Yeah. Let's get off of this topic.”
Within seconds, she came up on my side and seized my shivering hand. “I know I'm just some chick that you're trying to have sex with, but if you ever need to talk to somebody then feel free to call me. Of the two, I despise you less.”
“How did you manage to soothe, compliment, and insult me all at once?”
“I'm just cool like that.” She squeezed my hand so hard it stopped shaking. “I just think it would be stupid for you to end up like my uncle. You're young, hot, and rich. You have all the resources at your command to get help. I bet if you desired it, you could have someone cure the problem. As you and Freddy keep saying, money provides endless possibilities.”
Good point.
I couldn't tell her that. It felt too weird to let this stranger know that they'd been the first person in many years to give me advice without gaining something in return. People in my life didn't work like that. They gave to take, provided because there would be a greater gain in the long run.
“Tell me something, Dawn. What do you get from giving me this advice?”
“What?” She laughed.
“Why are you doing this with my brother and me? What does Dawn get out of this situation?”
She spread her arms out to her sides. “I get to cruise around on an immaculate yacht as two hot brothers battle for my sex. That's several of my wet dreams combined into one. This is fun. That's why I'm doing it. When it gets to be too much, then I’ll stop.”
Too bad, we won’t let you stop. But you never figured on that part, did you?
I pulled her to me and was surprised she didn't edge away. “And will you ever let one of these hot brothers touch that soft place inside of your panties.”
“I've already let one.”
Freddy touched her.
I gritted my teeth and molded her body against mine. “Oh, really?”
I wasn't sure if I was pissed that Freddy got to touch her first or enraged that his fingers were even down there in the first place. I shared most of my luxury toys with my brother and he did too. When it came to women, we didn't even see them as luxury toys. Primal urges maybe. Sport and fun too. But this was the first time when jealousy crept up my spine and my mouth went dry at the thought of my own brother's fingers slipping in and out of Dawn.
“What else did you two do?” I slid my hand down her naked back and cupped her soft bottom. Again to my delight she didn't push me away.
“Don't worry. He didn't win. You're still in the running.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.” I bent down, placed my forehead on hers, and stared in her eyes. “What else did you two do?”
“I don't kiss and tell.” She inched away. I locked my arm. It kept her close to me.
“So you kissed him?” I rubbed the tip of my nose along hers. “Can I get a kiss too?”
“Maybe.” The word came out with a breathless sigh.
Maybe will have to be good enough.
I snared her lips, took them in my mouth, and devoured her. Groaning, she wrapped her arms around my shoulders and I couldn't help myself, I lifted her up until she was straddling my waist.
Damn she tastes so good. No wonder Freddy was pissed. How can you walk away from this and not make love? Did she kiss him like this? Did she make him crazy like she’s making me?
Pangs of envy beat in my core. But I never ceased with tasting her. Our tongues tangled. Our hands explored. It was nothing to get rid of that bikini top, just a few tugs there and pulls here. I could do it in seconds. With any other woman I would have, just tore it away. With Dawn, I had to be careful, give her the utmost respect, and take my time. She wouldn’t be tamed unless she desired it. Before I could land a path of kisses to her cleavage, she climbed out of my arms and attempted to get down.
“What?” I panted.
“I don't want to kiss anymore. Let me down.”
I made sure to have both of my hands on her ass cheeks. “Give me one more kiss.”
“Why?”
“Because I love having my lips on yours. It might be one of my favorite things right now
, and trust me. I don't have many.”
“How could you not have tons of favorite things? You have everything at your fingertips. You just have to go for it and stop doing the typical dumb male thing by partying your days away and sleeping with nameless faces.”
I squeezed her soft cushions. “And if I want you?”
I felt her body harden which told me that question had to affect her.
“You can’t have me,” she said, “but you can have anybody else out there. Let me down, please.”
I lifted her up higher, causing the tender space between her legs to greet my hard dick. “Just one more kiss. Nothing else. Come on. You know you want to.”
“One kiss?”
“One.”
She pressed her breasts against my chest. Her lips met mine. She explored my mouth with her tongue. It was odd, but my whole body tingled with excitement. That had never happened before, at least not with a kiss. It usually occurred right before I was about to come.
“Damn, Dawn.” I nibbled her bottom lip. “Maybe we can work out a deal, something that is outside of the game, just for today.”
“Sex? Just me and you, outside of the game, right?” She giggled.
My hard dick and I weren't happy about her amusement at all. “I'm serious.”
She got out of my hold, climbing down and standing right before me as she adjusted her bathing suit. “You and your brother like to use the same tricks.”
“What are you talking about?” I dug my nails into my palm. “Freddy, tried to have sex with you outside of the deal?”
“Yes, and now you too.”
“Trust me when I say this. I'm not interested in winning this game right now.” I advanced.
She took a large step back. A worried look hit her face.
“I would like to take you down to the bottom level where my bedroom is at and—”
“I'm not interested.”
“Why not?”
“You’re not going to win.”
I rubbed my face with one hand. “Dawn, how can I make you understand that I'm not trying to win right now.”
“Then what are you trying to do?”
“Be inside of you for the rest of the night.”
“That’s a win.” She inched back.
If she knew the lust-filled thoughts that played out in my head, she probably would've fled. All I could imagine was her spread eagle across my bed. That was how I wanted to begin. Later, I hoped to end with her on top of me while I watched those heavy mounds jiggle as she bounced up and down on my dick.
“I think we should end our lunch date right here.” She gazed at her bag. “I wanted to get some reading done anyway.”
“You won't be reading today.”
“Oh really? What will I be doing?”
“Let me show you.” I prowled her way and seized her waist, but she stopped my hands from doing anything further.
“No.” She shoved me away. “I'm serious. I'm ready to go.”
I had to back all the way up before I went crazy. How the hell could she not want to have sex right now? Lust pulsated from every pore of my body. All I could think about was her wet and naked.
“That’s not fair. We’ve barely had a whole date.”
“Sorry. I’m ready to go.”
“Because you’re horny?”
“Sure. Take that as an answer. Whatever makes you feel better about yourself. Are you going to tell the captain to turn around?” She went to get her bag.
I remained where I was standing because if I moved it would be to grab and bring her back to me. I could tell from her shove that she wasn't the type of woman to be wrangled or tossed around at my desire. I had to approach her gently and take my time.
And I would. I'd do all the things that needed to be done to get her. This was no longer about the game. This was about a yearning so volcanic hot it burned my insides and destroyed everything in its path. In just an hour of being around her, I learned more about myself than I'd ever known, she offered her friendship, and then kissed me like no other women ever could.
She slung her bag over her shoulder. “If you ask me, I think that you and Freddy should just give up with this game. I don’t plan on letting either of you win.”
“I think you're right.”
“What?” Shock edged around her eyes. “Finally you agree with me?”
“Yes. Now I know why Freddy was so pissed all day and would barely say a word. You've captured his interests and he has no means of getting you.”
“How do you know he can't get me?”
“Because you're mine.”
She rolled her eyes. “I'm no helpless human heroine, and you're no possessive vampire. I'm not yours. I own myself.”
With that, she turned around and walked to the exit that led to the lower deck.
“Dawn,” I called after her. “I'm going to end this game my brother and I are playing.”
That got her to stop.
“Why?” She kept her back to me.
“Because I'm serious about possessing you.”
“That's the problem, Max. You need to own me. I don't want a man to possess me. I'm just hoping to be loved and I don't think you can do that. This is getting too weird. I'm out of this game.”
“Wait. Hold on—”
“Bye, Max. Tell Freddy the game is over.”
Before the door could closed behind her, I called back, “The game isn’t over, Dawn. Actually, it’s just beginning.”
Chapter 7
Dawn
A week later, I’d managed to avoid and ignore them both. Not that it had been an easy task. Somehow they discovered where I lived. Every other day one of them or both knocked on my door. I’d been leaving through the back more and more.
In the library, my phone buzzed for the tenth time that day. It was Freddy or Max. I shut it off and returned to reading. I'd played a very dangerous game in those two days with those brothers. Even with my mind set on not letting them get in my heart, they still managed to wiggle their way inside. They were fun and spontaneous. And if I was straight with myself, the fact that they had money did make our dates more exciting. They spoiled and showed me a good time, but they'd done something else too.
They both got me hooked on them. Addicted. I not only wanted to be their lovers, I hoped to be their friends.
But they would never be my friends.
With their mistreatment to women it would be stupid to think that they could provide a deeper relationship than sex.
They would fuck me and move on.
In the library, I dropped my highlighter and lay my head down on the opened book, centering my attention back on real goals not ones that would lead to heart break. Several kids and their parents read books or held whispered conversations all around me. Others typed and played on the computers.
Sighing, I did my best to keep my eyes open, because every time I closed my eyes all I dreamed about was making love. Those hot dreams started after Freddy's date. Even though I'd insulted him, there was no denying he made me crazy hot. His story about his mother dying gave me a deeper look into the actual man and not his ego. Even his stories about the rich provided me with fun insights about him.
If he wasn't a pig, he would be awesome to date.
And then there was Max. His confession about his gambling addiction rubbed me raw inside. He looked like a man standing on a ledge with no one to help him in sight. He was scared. I could see it in his eyes and in the outline of his face. He knew he was going downhill, but wasn't sure of how to stop. Although Freddy had still been in my mind, I'd kissed Max because I felt bad for him.
But who would’ve guessed that Max was an excellent kisser?
He commanded my mouth. Owned it. Devoured me and made it so hard to break away. He was all-consuming, too much to deal with and too damn much to take. I knew that a heart break from him would rock my system into upheaval.
I had to get out of that situation as soon as I could.
Ridiculous
. Being around those two were a bad idea. I'm hornier than before hanging with them.
A black man walked up to me. “Ms. Dawn Hampton.”
“Yes?” I lifted my head.
“Mr. Knoll would like you to answer this.” He handed me a thin phone and walked off without getting a response.
Which brother is this, Max or Freddy? Which one do I want on the line? It doesn't matter. They both got under my skin.
I placed the phone next to my ear. “Hello?”
“I miss you.” Freddy's deep voice flowed over the line and shuddered through me.
“It's only been a week and we barely know each other,” I whispered.
“I wouldn't mind learning some more. What are you doing tonight?”
“I'm busy.” I looked around the library. “Are you in here? How did you know where to find me?”
“You’re busy? Who do you have plans with?”
“None of your business.”
“Trust me. It is.”
“Have a nice life, Freddy. I'm not interested in playing any more games.”
“The game is over.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Dawn. Trust me. Dinner tonight would be about you and I getting together and learning more about each other.”
“Why?”
“You intrigue me. You're intoxicating. If I don't consume you, I think I'll die.”
I cupped my hand over my face. “Is that a nice way of saying you want to fuck me?”
“I'll be doing more than fucking you tonight.”
My heartbeats increased. “I'm busy.”
“Cancel.”
“I'm not going to—”
He hung up. The dial tone sounded in my ear. Footsteps thumped on the carpet on my right. I looked and saw Freddy heading my way. He wore dark blue jeans and a white shirt that fit his muscles well and screamed designer. Those green eyes brightened as they focused on me while I concentrated on breathing and not passing out from shock.
This cannot happen. I have to get rid of him.
I got up. “What are you doing here?”
