by Ali Parker
"I am not. I've been in this business for a while now, Ian. People don't let the bad guys go for no reason. That Jeremy cat is still out there, and the only reason he's not dead is because they don't want him dead." Cole shrugged like we were talking about the weather.
I laughed deep in my chest and forced away the feeling of panic as it swirled in my stomach.
"Mitch Moore is a tree-hugging, pot-smoking hippy. He's not a mastermind with some major scandal that's going to rock the nation."
"You don't know that. It's the ones that look like they would never do anything that always end up with an empty pitcher of Kool-Aid and twenty dead bodies on the floor around them."
"You're watching too much TV. Get a divorce, find a good woman and get a life." I glanced down at my phone as it buzzed, the number unknown.
"I will as soon as you go find the girl and stop kidding yourself that you don't have feelings for her." He tilted his head to the side and gave me a knowing look.
"It was a week, bro. I'm not going after her. She's just some chick."
"Right. Keep telling yourself that shit." He glanced down at my phone. "Are you going to get that?"
"I wasn't, but if it will give me a few minutes peace from your fucking nagging, I'm all for it." I got off the barstool and picked up the phone before handing him my beer. "Drink that. It'll do you some good."
I turned and walked toward the open patio just beside the bar and pressed my phone to my ear.
"This is Ian."
"Hi Ian, this is Jessica. Chloe's friend?"
The mention of Chloe's name caused my stomach to tense up, my balls to tighten, my heart to race. Cole was right. The girl mattered far more than I was giving her credit for.
"Yeah, I think I remember us meeting out at the beach house. What's up? Chloe okay?" I sucked my bottom lip into my mouth and tried to slow my breathing just a little. Panting into the phone was too creepy, even for me.
"She's out of the hospital and doing good. She thinks that your number has been blocked from her phone, so she asked me to call you."
"I'm not surprised to hear that. I can't get through to her either. What's the message?"
"She's in Santa Barbara with her dad right now, but headed down tonight for one last night out before she goes on a trip with him. She said to tell you to meet us at Howl at the Moon in Ocean Beach around ten tonight. Be careful if you're coming. She's got a guard with her, and she's planning on losing him."
"Is she going back up the coast tonight or staying here?" I couldn't help but hope for a night buried balls deep in her. Every part of me woke up at the thought.
"I'm not sure. So we'll see you there?"
"Yeah. I'll be there." I dropped the call and pressed my hand to the front of my jeans as the monster woke up and begged for attention. "I wouldn't be anywhere else."
Chapter 6
Chloe
Daniel was tense in the seat next to me as we drove down the coastline to San Diego. He and Pauly had a long conversation while I packed up the car, and both of them decided that giving me my way was far better than upsetting me. It was almost comical. Two grown-ass men with biceps bigger than my waist, falling down to my every desire. Ian wouldn't have. He'd have forced me into compliance, regardless of how I felt about it.
"You do realize that you're going to feel like shit tomorrow morning after being up half the night and getting drunk, right?" Daniel gripped the steering wheel tightly and glanced over at me.
His regal features didn't seem to fit with the rest of his body. Big, bulky, intimidating.
"I don't really care. It's like trading one shitty feeling for another." I shrugged and leaned back in my seat before sliding my feet up onto the dash.
"Do you really need to do that?" He kept his eyes on the road.
"It's my car, so it's really none of your concern what I need to do, right?"
"I can't wait to find out why you have such a chip on your shoulder." He chuckled and reached to turn on the radio.
"I don't have a chip on my shoulder. I'm a grown woman and am being treated like a ten-year-old child. How would you feel if the tables were turned?" I didn't really care for the conversation, but after the last three hours of driving in awkward silence, anything was better than nothing. I was dying to call Jess and see if she'd found Ian, but it was too risky. I wanted the night to go off without a hitch, and part of that meant having the patience not to know anything until we were in the club and had lost Daniel.
"If you didn't act like a spoiled child, we wouldn't treat you like one."
"Cool. Noted." I grabbed my phone and dialed Lyndsay's number before transferring it to the car speaker.
"Hey," she answered on the second ring. "How the fuck are you?"
"Good. What are you up to tonight?" I tugged at my gum, creating a long string of it as I stretched my arm toward my feet, which still sat on the dashboard.
"Nothing really. I think Angie, Karen and Margaret wanted to go surfing or find a group of guys for an all-night fuck fest. You wanna come? Are you down here?"
I stifled a giggle as Daniel stiffened beside me. I popped my gum back in my mouth and pressed my finger to my lips to warn him to be quiet.
"Not really. I was thinking maybe you guys might want to meet up with me and Jessica around nine thirty at Winston's?"
"Ugh. You know we can't stand Jessica, Chloe. She's like the ugly duckling in the group. Why do you insist on always bringing her? Does she make you feel better about herself?"
Daniel chuckled as I turned to glare at him.
"She's my best friend, and you can suck a dick if you think I'm going to leave her behind."
"Sounds yummy." Lyndsay. "Where is that big bodyguard of yours? The one with the long floppy hair in front and all the tats? I'd suck his dick."
"He got fired, but I have a new one. I think he has a dick. You can check later if you want." He turned to give me a glare. "Anyways, you up for meeting up with us?"
"Yeah, shit. We'll go surfing another time. Are you all healed up? I read about you getting shot by some wild gunman a few weeks ago."
"I'm fine. All healed." I reached for the button to drop the call. "See you at nine thirty. Winston's in Ocean Beach."
"Later."
I dropped the call and pulled my legs into the seat with me before turning to watch the water lap up on the shore just outside of my window.
"Your friend sounds like a slut." Daniel's tone was light, almost conversational.
"Most rich girls are." I kept my eyes on the water. "It's a means to feel loved while everyone else focuses on their fame or success. Sex almost has the power to convince us that we are adored or loved, even by the man above us. You wouldn't understand."
Ian brushed by her mind and pressed her toward depravity. His actions in the bedroom had been demanding and almost rough, but the look in his eyes, the soft brush of his lips... they told a different story.
"Well, whatever the hell that all meant, you're not getting laid tonight. We don't have time for that shit." His tone was back to being hard and unyielding.
I laughed and turned my head a little toward him. "I'm getting fucked up at the bar tonight, and then I'm getting fucked. It's that simple. You're not my daddy, and I'm not wearing your ring. You can hang out in the other room and give yourself a hand job if you want."
He shook his head. "You have no class at all. You know that?"
"I don't care to." I turned back toward the window.
"You're not taking a man back to the beach house tonight. Period."
"Yes, I am. Conversation over," I barked loudly.
"Then expect me to stand over the top of you guys and watch to make sure he's not got a weapon."
"The only weapon he has is the one I want tucked between my thighs." I smiled at my reflection in the mirror as he choked on his spit.
"Fuck, Chloe. Really?"
"God, yes." My eyes closed, and I rested my forehead against the window, allowing myself to dive into th
e most wicked of daydreams about Ian’s weapon and all the places he could find to stick it.
*
"You're not wearing that. Go change." Daniel glanced up from the magazine he was reading as he sat at the kitchen table.
The tight black dress I had on covered everything it should and accented the parts I wanted uncovered. It was sexy and yet completely appropriate.
I laughed and picked up my keys. "Once again, you're in charge of guarding my body, not dressing it."
"And part of guarding it is keeping people away from it. Every guy on the fucking strand is gonna want near you." He shook his head. "Go change."
"Fuck off, Danny. It's not happening." A knock at the door saved me. I walked toward it, ignoring his grumbling as I tossed my hair over my shoulder.
Jess stood on the other side of the door, her hair bright pink and styled in a spiky fashion. Her short black skirt and pink tank top looked good on her. She would stick out a little, but she was used to it, as was I.
"Hey you." I pulled her into a warm hug and moved out onto the deck with her. "The other girls are joining us at nine thirty at Winston's. You look great."
"You do too. I hate those bitches." She groaned and turned toward Daniel as he walked out onto the patio. "Oh, hi. I'm Jessica, Chloe's best friend."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Daniel." He glanced over at me as if calling him Danny was a big no-no.
Excellent. Another tool for the 'piss off the bodyguard' arsenal.
"All right. Introductions are all done. Let's go. I don't want to be late." I reached out and slipped my arm into Jessica's as she ogled at Daniel. I moved us ahead of him so we could talk for a minute.
"He's hot." She turned and looked over her shoulder unabashed.
"He's an asshole. Did you get ahold of Ian?"
"Yes. Ten o'clock at Howl at the Moon. We just need to lose hottie back there." She smiled at me and pulled me closer with her hold on my arm. "You look great, by the way."
"You already said that." I bounced on my feet as we stopped by the car. Excitement and nervousness raced through me. Would Ian be receptive to me seducing him? Would he want me as well? I wasn't sure I could handle the pain of being rejected by him.
"What are you two talking about? Looks like you're up here plotting something." Daniel stopped beside us and opened the door to the back of my beamer.
"I was telling Jessica that you're looking for a girl to scream your name tonight. I'm not sure if she's the one, but if you're interested?" I paused and waited until he'd growled and walked around the car to laugh. "He's a dick. Ignore him."
"I'd moan his name if he let me." She crawled up into the car and I pushed at her butt.
"You're too good for him and half the idiots in this town." I got in and buckled up. "We’ll find you a good guy soon, but not tonight. Ocean Beach is only good for one thing."
"Liquor and losers." She lifted her hand and I gave her a high-five as we laughed. The scowl on Daniel's face only made me laugh harder. I needed a night off, and if Ian was part of it, all the better.
*
"What's the plan again?" Angie turned to face me in the girl's bathroom at Winston's and ran her fingers through my hair. The increased moisture in the ocean air left my curls flat and my hair a little more frizzy than usual.
"You guys all go to the bar when we leave here and surround Daniel. Try to get him to turn back to the bar. When he does, one of you text us to make a run for it. We will and in fifteen minutes, come find us at Howl at the Moon."
"Why does this sound easier than it's going to be? Surely this guy isn't going to let you slip away right under his nose. If he does, he deserves to get his ass fired." Jessica swatted at Angie's hands. "She looks great. Let's get this show on the road. It's almost ten and the club is still a five-minute walk down the beach."
"All right. You guys good?" I lifted my eyebrows and glanced around, making sure all my friends knew their places in the scam.
"Yep." A chorus of voices answered me.
"Good. See you at Howl at the Moon shortly." I turned back to the mirror and put on another coat of pink lipstick and smoothed my hair down a little more.
"Are you nervous?" Jess asked as everyone else filed out.
"Yes and no." I turned to face her as I slipped my lipstick back into the purse I'd brought. "My dad said that Ian just up and quit. I have a hard time believing that, but if he did, that shit hurts - a lot. I'm hoping that maybe we were both lied to."
"Are you going to ask him?"
"I don't know. Part of me just wants tonight to be about sex. Two horny people finding each other on the dance floor and giving in to the physical need to try each other out."
"Yeah, but you guys have already tried each other out."
"I'm aware, and it's a really, really good fit." I laughed and pulled out my phone as it beeped. "All right. We're on. Let's go."
"Oh fuck." She moved in behind me as we walked out of the bathroom and ducked behind a large group of girls that took up half the dance floor. "I'm scared."
I reached behind me and offered her my hand as I weaved my way to the back door of the club and paused.
"Why? This is called living. You should do it more often."
She rolled her eyes as I laughed and pushed the door open. Nothing was going to stop me from getting to Ian at least one more time.
One more night.
Chapter 7
Ian
"Wait, what? Come again?" Cole lifted his eyebrow and pressed his hands to his face. "You're just looking for trouble."
"Wait a minute. Weren't you the one that just fucking told me to go for it? Yeah, I'm pretty sure you did." I laughed and took my seat again. Chloe would be at Howl at the Moon later that night, and I wasn't missing the opportunity to see her.
"Yes, but I didn't mean in public. She's going to have several guards with her after everything that's happened, and Mitch has a restraining order on you, Ian. This isn't going to go well. Tell her no."
"Fuck you. I'm going. I wanna see her."
"You wanna fuck her." He reached out and grabbed my beer, finishing it before I could protest.
"Right. That too." I picked up another chip and flicked it at him. "It's going to be great. I have a kick-ass wingman going with me."
"What? Who?" He licked at his lips and put the empty bottle down. "You don't have friends, well, not ones that you trust."
"Sure I do. I have you." I laughed as his eyes widened and he lifted his hands, palms facing me.
"No fucking way. I'm not going. You know I got my business to think about, and Cindy."
"We hate Cindy, remember?"
"This is true." He ran his fingers through his hair again, causing it to stand up like he had a horrible case of bedhead.
I couldn't help but reach over and tug at the top of his hair. "Your brown roots are showing through. Dye the shit blond again or let it grow out."
"Let me add that to the never-ending list of shit I need to do. I'll put that right under filing for divorce from my wife." He swatted my hand away and got up, pulling out his wallet and tossing a few twenties on the table. The sarcastic ass wasn’t going to leave Cindy, which was a damn shame. "Come on. Let's get the hell out of here."
"Sounds good. I gotta get home and wash up good. Tonight's the night."
Cole groaned and turned to walk toward the front door. "Don't remind me. I don't even remember what it feels like to have a woman want me."
"Dude. Anyone in this city would fall over herself to get in your bed. You just ignore them everywhere we go." I moved up beside him and held the door open for him, hating like hell the underlying hint of pain. We'd been rejected by everybody our whole fucking lives. Cole deserved a woman that would welcome him into her heart and her body with an openness that would shock most. She'd be a lucky bitch too... my brother was the kind to take care of his own, no matter what that meant.
"I'm not cheating on Cindy. Never." He stopped by his bike and unstrapped his helmet. "
I need to sit down and have a heart to heart with her. If things aren't going to change-"
"They aren't, Cole. They haven't in the last seven years." I slipped my hands into my jeans pockets and tried not to give him the 'man-up' stare I wanted to. He had a lot of shit to wade through with Cindy, and it wasn't any of my business.
"Yeah, I know man. I'm just trying to decide if I stay with the evil I know, or end up with something way the fuck worse."
"Is there something worse than a loveless marriage?" I couldn't help it. He meant too much to me to sugarcoat the shit.
"No." He glanced down and a painful sigh came out of him. "Fuck me for marrying her in the first place."
"You didn't know, Cole." I moved back to my bike and got on it.
"Yeah, man, I did. I knew and I still did it. It's that sick thing inside of us Matthenson boys that just wants love no matter the cost. I hate myself for wanting it so badly. It keeps me trapped to her side." He shrugged. "Anyways, be safe tonight."
"You're not coming?" I smirked.
"Nope. You didn't expect me to anyway."
"True." I got on my bike and waited until he drove off to head home myself. I wasn't sure which was worse, Cole's loveless marriage or my cold bed. I hoped to remedy my own pain for at least the night. It was more than a bastard like me could hope for.
*
The music blared from the open doors of Howl at the Moon, and people milled about on the steps, dancing in the streets and clear down to the edge of the ocean. It was a cool night, and the breeze felt good. I'd find Chloe inside and bring her back to the water. Dancing sounded like good foreplay, but I knew what she was after.
There was no real hope for anything sustainable starting between us, and that was all right. Sex was more than enough for now. In the morning I would feel different, but for tonight? I could be her whore if she was after one. I cringed at the thought of her choosing anyone else.
"Hi baby. You look like a man who knows how to handle a woman." The pretty blond at the door extended her hand and gave me a sexy smile. Her perky tits were barely covered up by her shirt, but I doubted anyone would complain. I sure as fuck wasn't willing to.
