The NOVA Trilogy Boxed Set

by Jayce, Aven

  She steps back, lowers her hand, and looks up at me. “I don’t know your boyfriend, Soph. I’ve never seen or met Cove Everton. I know nothing about the guy except for what you’ve told me, which is very little.”

  “And what do you know about the men in this house? If you haven’t noticed, they have you locked inside and fucking them at the drop of a hat.”

  “I knew what I was getting into,” she replies, our voices louder. “It’s for protection that these doors are locked.”

  “Oh fuck that, you’re not that stupid, Mera. For your protection? You’re a prisoner, and now so am I.”

  “Paul will probably let you leave once he knows I’m not going with you. He can’t keep you here forever.”

  “He doesn’t trust me. I already mentioned I would go to the cops,” I shout.

  “Don’t yell at me, I helped you get past Trey so you could see the man of your dreams,” she pauses, looking around the room. “Where is he anyway?”

  “I don’t care where the fuck he is. I hate both him and my father,” I scream. “I want out of this house and away from all of you!” I raise my hands up to my face and begin to sob, as I drop to the floor. Mera’s immediately by my side with her arms wrapped around my body, holding me in an apologetic way.

  “Soph, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. I didn’t mean to do any of this to you, it just all happened so fast,” she says. She places her hand under my chin and lifts my head, wiping my tears off my cheeks with her fingers. “Your father came over that morning and was furious that you had left. He threw the dummy out of the bed and punched Trey, and then told me I needed to pack. He said I’d start at his company that day. I wasn’t sure what to do or say with two massive men standing in my apartment hovering over me. I tore my room apart and packed everything I could think that I might need, not knowing where we were going or for how long. Paul talked to me about things later that night in the hotel room and he did give me a choice between working in St. Louis, or in a more private setting. The offer to be here was too good to turn down. Just look at this place. It’s beautiful, especially out back. I can swim, or watch television, and listen to music. I get free beautiful clothes, and believe it or not, Dayne and your father are nice to me. They put on some weird tough guy attitude in bed, but it’s all a game.”

  I shake my head at her final word; game. I’ve heard it over and over again from Cove. I’m tired of this game.

  “Your father also pays me very well. It’s more than I made at the Pillsman Center, and I don’t even have to do anything.”

  I shake my head, and laugh. “Except get fucked in the ass. You have to do that. What ever happened to that college degree you earned? You just gonna forget about it?”

  “Excuse me?” she says, backing away. “This, from a nude model? What about that degree you got? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.”

  I give her a small smile as I rub my eyes. “Cove and I flew out to get you. My father left me a note that he took you and he won because he got what he wanted.”

  “Yup, that sounds like Paul,” she laughs. “His business is a competitive sport.”

  “Cove knew how upset I was that you were gone so he came up with a plan for my father to make a shitload of money in exchange for you.”

  “Really? You guys tried to cut a deal for me? But why would you do that if you didn’t even know what I wanted?”

  “My father made it sound like he kidnapped you and Cove thought it was all a set-up to get him to do something.”

  “And what did you think?”

  “Seriously?” I ask, and then hesitate for a few moments. “I thought you’d be happier to see me for one, and that we’d come and get you and the three of us would fly home together.”

  “And live happily ever after?”

  “Well… yeah, and live happily ever after,” I mumble. “I really thought I loved him,” I whimper, holding in my tears. “He tricked me, just like my father.”

  “What happened?”

  I close my eyes, exhale, and shake my head no. “It’s too hard to talk about right now. When I left my father’s office the last thing I said to the two of them was that I hope they kill one another.”

  She laughs, forcing me to smile a little more. “It’s not funny,” I say.

  “Then why are you smiling?”

  “Because you are, and I’m so angry I don’t know what else to do. I’m either about to have a nervous breakdown, or I need to get wasted and laugh it off.” Mera reaches up to the counter for my glass and I chug it down.

  “We need something stronger,” she says.

  I stand and pour us two shots of vodka, then bring the glasses and the bottle back down to the floor. “Bottoms up,” I say, throwing mine back. “So you fucked my dad?” I ask, pouring another shot and wiping the remaining tears off my face.

  “Soph… I….”

  “No, I already know the answer. No need to explain. I just needed to say it.”

  “He’s not what I expected. There’s no intimacy or foreplay with him like with the Rosens.”

  “I don’t think I can stomach hearing about my father in bed.”

  “I mean, I was terrified of him and Dayne that first morning in the room.”

  “Dayne was there too?”

  “Yeah, he was in the room when we arrived. I was with both of them.”

  “At the same time?” I ask.

  “Um… kind of. Dayne watched, then your father watched, then Dayne left and your father and I were alone.”

  “That’s totally fucked up,” I say, passing another shot to Mera.

  “It was scary, until I realized the two of them have some alpha male thing going on.”

  “I’ve heard that before.”

  “So they act like dicks in front of each other, but your dad was actually really nice to me after it was all over, and when Dayne and I are alone, it’s nice. He’s fun. He says stupid things and tries to act like a monster, but he really isn’t. I think I’m starting to…”

  “What the fuck are the two of you doing down there?” Dayne hollers, walking down the stairs. “I don’t want you on that floor, Mera, unless you’re on your knees ready to suck me off.”

  Mera turns and rolls her eyes with a smile.

  “Pour me a shot, house whore,” he demands, wearing only a pair of jeans, a Boston baseball hat, and a thin silver chain. He’s ripped for someone in his mid-forties and I blush as he catches me admiring his body. I turn away and shift my concentration to Mera.

  “Yeah, house whore,” I laugh. “Pour me a shot too.”

  She giggles and stands, getting Dayne a glass as she combs through the liquor cabinet. “Whiskey, my baron?”

  “Rum and coke.”

  “Coming up.”

  I stand and take the bottle of Vodka to one of the sofas.

  “Soph, you want your glass?” Mera asks.

  “Nope, just the body,” I say, sitting back with my legs stretched out on the coffee table.

  “Body, or bottle?”

  “Did I say body? I meant bottle. I think the liquor’s starting to hit.”

  Mera hands Dayne his glass and then approaches me, shirt open, with one soft breast out and bouncing as she moves. She sits across from me and places her feet next to mine. Our toes touch and we smile.

  “So, you’re really happy here?”

  “Who wouldn’t be? I get whatever I want from Paul, and all I have to do is give myself to him and the twins, which you know I would’ve done before all this happened anyway. Yeah, now that they’ve made me feel welcome and I understand their games in bed, it’s great. And you know you’d do the same.”

  “No, I wouldn’t.”

  “If you think back to before Cove, yeah you would’ve. What happened to you anyway? A few weeks ago you were a completely different person.”

  “I think I’m growing up, or setting higher standards for myself… or something.”

  “Well, don’t.”

  I laugh
and drink, watching her hands travel down her beautiful soft white legs as she stretches her back.

  “A few weeks ago, my father was a completely different person as well. Remember when he was angry about my fling at Giorgio’s? Today I could see in his eyes that he’s actually considering putting me on one of his sites.”

  “That’s your fault for crossing over,” Dayne says, as he hovers over us with drink in hand. “Paul doesn’t hand out second chances, not even to his daughter. I don’t blame him for wanting to make a little money off you and Star. Paul planned on making some money from him anyway, now he has an opportunity to double that.”

  “Triple, he can triple his profits, as Cove said,” I mumble.

  “Whoa, I missed a lot today,” Mera says, sitting back in the chair. “So your father has to choose between you and money?”

  “I don’t think it’s much of a choice anymore. It will be an easy decision for him.”

  Dayne laughs, and walks behind the sofa. He takes my hair in his hand and pulls my head slowly back. I look up into his brown eyes, unable to turn away. “Your father’s a brilliant businessman. You’re not of his genes if you didn’t see that what was coming was completely planned by the three of us.”

  “What?” I say, as he releases me and swaggers back in front of us. Cove thought this was a set up, but what he did to me makes him a part of it. “So my father really did plan on Cove and me getting together?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I think that’s shitty, if that’s what really happened. So he knew Cove would fall for me? And then what?”

  “Oh no,” he says slowly while shaking his head. “We all knew you’d fall for him. There’s a difference between the two.”

  I take another drink and try to think about what Dayne’s pointing out to me. Am I just too drunk, or too stupid to get it? “What is it?” I ask.

  “Our Star is tall, dark, and handsome, we all know that, but he’s too much of a pussy to be liked, let alone loved by any women. He’s overly sensitive.”

  “You did that to him. That’s not his fault,” I say, unable to grasp why I’d even defend him right now. “The three of you haven’t been the best role models and neither was this business. Thank God he has decent parents, otherwise he’d be just like all of you. I’m surprised he turned out as well as he did.”

  “Well, he’s been convinced since he entered our world that he would never give his heart to a woman, and to him that meant his dick, unless he loved her. I think his father ingrained that into him, that love was more meaningful and powerful than a fuck.”

  “Well isn’t it?”

  “Not to me,” he says. “And Star had plenty of opportunities after NOVA ended, but he’s a pussy, too sensitive for his own good and it’s gotten him nowhere. Then Paul had the genius idea to market his first fuck, but he wouldn’t do it.”

  “So, why didn’t you just leave him alone after that?”

  “We couldn’t. If you could see all the emails we still get about him it would blow your mind. He’s famous in this world, and we made him, yet he’s destroying us. People have fallen in love with the little shit. They want to know where he is, what he’s doing, how much they can pay to see him again. It was time for us to try another approach.”

  I hesitate and exhale, drunk and appalled by his words. “Me?”

  “Yeah, you. Plan B. We thought he’d be attracted to you, but we had no fucking idea the two of you would fall so hard for one another.”

  “You set up our relationship? Planned our love for one another?”

  “No,” he laughs. “As far as I could tell, that was all real, that’s what makes all of this better than anything we’ve ever done. People will see that passion, it’s different from our other work. The only thing that was set up was your proximity to one another. It couldn’t have worked out better than it did.”

  “Cove wasn’t aware of this?”

  “We know him well enough that he’d do what we wanted without having to communicate anything directly to him. He’s completely predictable.”

  “So you trapped him.”

  “We provided him with an opportunity that benefitted both parties. He got to experience something he’s held out for, and we’re able to service our company. It’s a big win for all.”

  “What about me? What do I get out of this? Or doesn’t it matter?”

  “You get whatever you want. That’s up to you. What is it that you want?”

  “So Cove was right? My father threw a fit in St. Louis and then put on a show at the expo for business? For his clients?”

  “Aha, now you’re starting to get it. I have to say, Paul was truly pissed about you in the parking garage, and the video Cove made in his loft. You both jumped the gun on us, putting yourselves out there before we had everything ready. It was stressful and we had to clean a lot up because of your mistakes. We didn’t want anyone to see either one of you before it was time.”

  “Cove put that video from his loft online to hurt my father.”

  “True. We knew that. We figured he was testing us. If your father hadn’t reacted, he would’ve known you were a plant, and it probably would’ve ended right there for him.”

  “I feel like I’m in a movie, or some weird fantasy world, what the fuck. You guys really screwed both of us. And Mera, too. You made her send those texts? What for, if you really didn’t want Cove and me to leave?”

  “For one, you’d know she wasn’t hurt or in danger, so you wouldn’t come rushing over here, or go to the police. And, it made Mera happy. She wanted to contact you. As far as I’m concerned, Mera’s the bonus prize in all of this.”

  “So why can’t we have our phones now?” I ask, as I watch Mera blush.

  “I’m not gonna answer that question,” he laughs.

  “Aren’t you worried about my father listening to us? Should you be telling me all of my father’s deep, dark secrets?”

  “He can’t listen and be in a meeting at the same time,” Dayne replies, as he looks at his phone. “Besides, I haven’t exposed much about your father. This last idea was mine and we’ll split the profit between the two of us.”

  “What about Doron?”

  “My brother has his own projects. This isn’t one of them. Paul has kept him away from Star since an incident occurred years ago, and I’m sure, given your boyfriend’s big mouth, you already know about it.”

  “The new NOVA? So that is a real thing?”

  “Your father’s very serious about it. We’re not, but we all have our jobs that we do and that we’re good at, that’s what keeps this company fresh and new. I think Paul was hoping Star was serious when he mentioned it. We didn’t know he already had the video of the two of you, we figured that would come while you guys were here. We had planned for the meeting this morning to be about NOVA, so when Paul had to watch his daughter getting fucked, it probably threw him for a loop. He doesn’t like surprises, even when they’re good ones.”

  “Can you please stop calling him by that name?”

  “Is douchebag better?”

  “Soph, I can’t believe how calm you are right now. Unnervingly calm. Slow, and still relaxing your legs on the table. You should be pacing and throwing things at this point,” Mera says.

  I squint my eyes and throw back another mouthful of vodka. “I’m drunk, losing focus, and at that point where my mind is flooded, dominated, and conquered.”

  “Well, if it makes you feel any better, he’s right. I did want to talk to you, and I am excited to see you,” Mera says. “And your question from earlier, no, we can’t get out. Not unless Dayne lets us out by the pool,” she says, looking up at him and batting her eyes.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Do you think I’m going to let my drunken house whore and Baby Jameson lounge shit-faced around the pool? You’d both probably pass out and drown. Then what?”

  “Then Cove will find you a new house whore,” I mock, rubbing against Mera’s feet. I take another sip
of the vodka and Mera holds up her glass to imitate a toast before she drinks. I look up at Dayne who’s still hovering. He makes me nervous. “Why don’t you sit down with us, Mark?”

  “Mark?” he questions.

  “Yeah, Cove was right, you look like Mark Wahlberg, or maybe Ben Affleck. I guess a cross between the two.”

  “Did that come up because of that fucking music your father was playing at the expo?”

  “Of course, it’s not like we were just sitting around one day discussing your good looks.”

  Dayne’s phone rings before he can respond to my drunken playfulness.

  “You’re so bad when you’re drunk,” Mera whispers.

  “I know,” I whisper back, taking another swig.

  “Yeah, I’m here,” Dayne says. “They’re together, getting shitfaced.”

  “If that’s my dad tell him to bring home a pizza and a gallon of ice cream so I can mask my sadness and disappointment with him and Cove in food.”

  Mera giggles. “You’re doing a good job of that already with the vodka.”

  “What? What the fuck Paul? I’m not locking up all the liquor. She’s your fucking daughter. You come deal with her. I’m not your babysitter.”

  “Oooooh,” I tease. “Trouble with your master, Dayne?”

  “Soph,” Mera sits up, shaking her head no. “Don’t piss him off. Maybe you really have had enough.”

  “I can do that.” Dayne says, as he stares at me with a huge grin. “I’ll make sure of it.” He hangs up and pours himself another glass of rum from the bar, then walks over to us and yanks the bottle out of my hand. “You need to use a glass in this house. I’m not gonna let you get plastered and spill that entire fucking thing on the floor.”

  He walks back to the bar and pours some vodka in a glass, then slams it down on the table in front of me. “I can’t believe after all these years you’re actually in this house, and as it turns out, you’re a total fucking bitch. No wonder your father has to ponder what he’s going to do with you. If you were actually sweet and respectful it’d be a lot easier, but here you are, a drunken, foul-mouthed, cunt who’s fucking that douchebag.”