Forbidden Attraction (Forbidden Trilogy)

by S. R. Watson

  WEDNESDAY’S CLASS IS somewhat better in that I get my lustful thoughts under control. Grayson still ignites my stomach butterflies, but at least I feel less transparent. He, on the other hand, doesn’t seem affected at all. I’m just another student in his class. He lets class out fifteen minutes early so I call Jordan to see if she wants to eat out tonight.

  “Hey, what are your dinner plans for this evening?”

  “I am glad you called. Trevor’s frat is having a keg party tonight,” she replies. “But first, I thought maybe we could get our bits waxed this afternoon. I normally get a bikini wax, but I think I am ready to get the full Brazilian.”

  “Jordan, you are crazy if you think I’m going to willingly put myself through that kind of torture,” I squeal. “I’ve heard stories.”

  “Come on, Shiv. You were just complaining this past weekend how embarrassed you were over your Grayson seeing your womanscape. Do this and you’ll be ready for Friday, not to mention the reported increased sensitivity.”

  “I’ll go with you, but I am not sold on the idea,” I huff. “I’ll have to think about it.”

  Needless to say I give in to Jordan’s persistence. I couldn’t have prepared for the pain if I tried. Things women do for the sake of beauty. After having our girly bits waxed to perfection, we head home to get ready for tonight’s party.

  Jordan rummages through her closet and pulls out the perfect dress for me. The sleeveless champagne colored bandage dress accentuates every curve while the V-dipped neckline brings my girls to the forefront. I pair the dress with nude pumps. Jordan’s body-con dress is equally sexy. I let my hair air dry into waist length waves, letting her do my makeup. She goes with a subtle look and smoky eyes to contrast the in-your-face sex appeal my dress screams.

  “I thought this was a keg party,” I question. “Why are we getting so dolled up?”

  “One: most of the girls will go for the slutty look to get attention, we are exuding sexy and classy. Two: I want to look hot for Trevor and I want my bestie to be just as hot,” she responds in a matter-of-fact manner. “We are going to be the talk of the party.”

  “Great,” I groan. Jordan knows I don’t like a lot of attention focused on me. This is not my crowd. I’m going as Jordan’s wing-woman.

  We arrive at the Alpha Epsilon Psi house a little after nine. Just like Jordan predicted, all eyes are on us. The guys are beside themselves to get our attention. We are directed to the kitchen where mixed drinks are being served in red Solo cups. I don’t ask what’s in the mix as I’m sure the guy making the drinks is no mixologist. After a couple drinks, Jordan asks if I’d be okay if she went to find Trevor.

  I assure her that I’d be fine and that people watching will keep me entertained. I lean against the doorway of the kitchen and look at the people dancing in the living room. I immediately spot Liam dirty dancing with Heather. He is kissing and grinding against her like they are alone—a precursor for what’s to come. Knowledge of them being sexually involved and seeing them together like this are two different things. My heart aches and I quickly look away. I need more alcohol to numb the pain. Patron has been a proven source of liquid desensitization. I am in luck when I see these frat guys have splurged on the good stuff. The designated bartender for tonight is quick to line up three shots at my request. I take each shot without a break in-between. I am thankful that Jordan and I took a cab here so neither of us would have be the designated driver.

  Jordan is yet to return and I’m now hiding out in the kitchen. The alcohol courses through my bloodstream at a blazing pace and I feel myself start to relax. Some time passes and Jordan comes by to check on me. She encourages me to mingle and I choose not to tell her about Liam because I don’t want to ruin her night. The song Fascination by District 78 blares through the speakers from the living room and my mind falls on Grayson.

  Images of him from this week make me tingle with anticipation for Friday. I pull my phone out of my clutch purse and decide to give him a call. My trusty friend Patron is making me bold and I just want to hear his voice. As his phone rings a guys slithers up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. At that exact moment Grayson picks up.

  “Hello ... Shiv?”

  “Hi handsome,” I slur.

  The guy behind me decides then to make his presence known. “Hey baby. Why don’t you get your sexy ass off the phone and come dance with me,” he says while pulling me closer to him.

  “Siobhan who the hell is that and where are you?” Grayson spits angrily.

  “I am at a frat party and that is ... wait ... ” I don’t know this guy’s name. “Hey my fuck buddy wants to know your name,” I say to him.

  The guy snickers at my drunkenness. “The name’s Nico and I’d be more than willing to be your new buddy for tonight.”

  “Fuck!” I hear Grayson swear. He’s not amused. “Goddammit Siobhan, where are you?” Yep ... he’s definitely pissed.

  “I told you I’m at a frat party. I forget which one. I just wanted to hear your voice ... I’ll see you Friday.”

  “Don’t you dare hang up!”

  “Bye Grayson. I’m sorry I called.”

  I end the call and turn in Nico’s arms to get a better look at him.

  Not bad. He’s attractive, not Grayson hot, but still eye candy. I pull myself from his grasp and he smiles at my perusal.

  “I hope I didn’t get you in any trouble.”

  He looks so worried—not. I stumble slightly and grab a hold of his hand. He is attractive enough for my just-thought-of scheme: make Liam jealous. I pull him to the dance floor, inching my way over where Liam is now seated with Heather. We dance to several upbeat songs before Bruno Mars’ Locked Out of Heaven comes on. Liam is all eyes and his anger is apparent. I’m careful not to allow any erection-encouraging grinding. It’s not that type of scheme. I use Nico to stay upright since the faster beat and my tipsiness do not go hand in hand.

  “Your sex could take me to paradise baby,” he whispers as he nibbles my ear.

  I slap his chest to show my frustration. “Shut up and play along.”

  “What are we playing?” he asks, confused.

  “I am trying to make someone jealous,” I reply honestly. Damn who knew Mr. Patron also doubled as truth serum?

  “I can help with that,” he says excitedly as he begins to drag me toward some stairs all the while I am stumbling to keep up.

  “I don’t think so,” a new male voice laced with hostility says. I’m snatched away from Nico and put over his shoulder, fireman style. I grab the hem of my already short dress to keep from adding to the show the partygoers are already getting.

  “Put me down you ass canoe.” Okay so my cursing is not the most creative.

  This guy places me on my feet after we go outside and I’m now staring into the eyes of Matt from Bailey’s party. He’s visibly upset, but he doesn’t say two words to me. Instead he begins pulling me toward a tinted Bentley Muslanne. Jordan’s father has this same car.

  “Where the hell are you taking me? I can’t leave Jordan.” He refuses to answer me and instead opens the back door. I think he is about to throw me in, but then I see who is waiting for me in the back seat. It’s Grayson. Oh Shit.

  “Get in, Siobhan,” he says too calmly.

  “I can’t leave Jordan,” I express.

  Grayson turns to look at Matt before instructing him to find Jordan and let her know I’m leaving. “Do you prefer Matt to stay with her because there’s no way in hell I’m letting you go back to that party,” he replies just as calmly.

  “I don’t think her guy friend Trevor would be too fond of that idea,” I snicker before hiccupping.

  “You think this is funny?” His smooth exterior is slipping now and he is past irate. “You put yourself in danger, pull me away from an engagement, and you laugh at the situation?”

  My smile falters and I regret that I caused so much trouble. “Sorry,” I murmur.

  Grayson ignores my apology and speaks wi
th Matt instead. “Let Jordan know Siobhan is leaving. I can send a car service for her when she is ready to leave if she doesn’t have a ride home. Give her my number.”

  Matt closes the door, finalizing Grayson’s decision. I lean back in the butternut colored seats stunned by the opulence of this car. Grayson gives the driver my address and we pull off. “A professor with his own driver has to be unheard of. Why do you teach if you have an obscene amount of money at your disposal?” I wait for his reply, but he stares out of the window instead. Is he ignoring me? Okay so he’s upset, but I didn’t ask for him to come get me. I notice now that he’s even more dressed up than usual in a three-piece suit. “What engagement are you coming from?” I try again. Still nothing. He glares at me instead, and his annoyance is evident. Fine, I give up trying to talk to him.

  We arrive at my condo and Grayson gets out and comes around to my side, but I’m already out of the car. I stomp all the way to my unit for maximum effect, and he still says nothing. Once I am inside, I expect him to follow, but instead he stops in the doorway.

  “Some things are not about money,” he says. And with that he turns and leaves. I slam the door behind him before I let the tears fall. I cry for the show Liam put on tonight with Heather and for possibly losing this arrangement with Grayson before it even begins. Simply put: tonight sucks. I am so embarrassed. It’s not as if I normally do this kind of thing. Grayson is probably going to think I’m a slut. I can’t believe that I’ve probably lost him before I even got him. Shit.

  LAST NIGHT WAS a brutal reality check. Seeing Liam with Heather hurt somewhat, but more than anything it pissed me off that he could be so inconsiderate of my feelings after the amount of time we were together. The outercourse (intercourse with clothes on) they were displaying on the dance floor showed a total lack of respect. He knew I was watching. He wants me to get the picture he has moved on. I freaking get it. He doesn’t have to beat me over the head with a visual. Jordan walks in carrying Earl Grey tea in both hands.

  “Morning sunshine. How was your night with Grayson?” She gets in my bed and crosses her legs ready to get the dish.

  “He left after seeing me to the door. He was upset with me for being drunk.” I cautiously take a sip of the hot tea, careful not to let it spill since Jordan just plopped on my bed.

  “You weren’t going to be driving. What was his deal?”

  “I sort of drunk dialed him and he heard some guy trying to hit on me. He sent Matt in to get me since he couldn’t be seen. It didn’t help that Matt witnessed this guy trying to drag me upstairs.” I sigh. How am I going to fix this? He’s probably changed his mind about messing with someone so reckless.

  “Shiv, it sounds like he was more concerned than anything. He didn’t want some douche trying to take advantage of your drunken state,” Jordan replies. “He sent Matt to offer me a ride, but I told him I was staying the night at Trevor’s. I think it was sweet for him to not only look out for your well-being, but your friend’s too.”

  “Yeah, but now our weekend arrangement is probably null and void. Apparently he left some swanky event to come save my drunk ass.”

  Jordan giggles at my use of the word ass. “Shiv, he will come around. Just give him some time; he will cool off. Have you seen you? He won’t be able to stay away for long.”

  I ignore her assessment of me. “I hope you’re right.”

  “Oh, I forgot to mention that I ran into Liam. He was with Heather, but he was asking if you were dating anyone.” Jordan smirks at the idea. “Apparently he saw Matt carry you out and thought he was a jealous boyfriend. Serves him right really.”

  I snicker at the insaneness of that idea. At least something good came out of the horrible night. My head feels like a sledgehammer and reminds me why I said I wouldn’t allow myself to get wasted again.

  “I’m flying home for the weekend, but I’ll be back Sunday night,” Jordan says sadly. “I didn’t ask if you wanted to go because you were supposed to be starting your crazy ass arrangement with Professor Hottie this weekend.”

  “It’s okay. If he cancels on me, I’ll find something to do.” The probability is more than likely since he had barely spoken to me last night, but I keep this to myself. “You want to have a Nikita marathon and gorge out on pizza all day?”

  “I promised Trevor I’d meet him for brunch since I’m leaving early tomorrow morning, but I’ll be free after that since he’s working late.”

  “Perfect! Let’s plan to start our marathon at three o’clock.”

  BY THE AFTERNOON, Bailey and Meghan have joined us for our impromptu Nikita marathon on Netflix. We order pizza and pour the pinot grigio that the girls brought with them. Between episodes, I find time to text Grayson. I’m sorry I got drunk and he had to rescue me from the party. I’m sorry my self-esteem led me to care about the show Liam was putting on. I don’t tell him all these things though so I text the only thing I can.

  Me: I am sorry.

  I wait in vain for a reply, but there is none. Several hours have passed and we’re ready to call it a night. Meghan gathers her purse and keys to leave, but Bailey decides to crash on our sofa. I make my way to my room and pull out a tank top and boy shorts before getting in the shower. I lay my head against the cool travertine and let my tears blend with the streaming hot water. It has been a month since my breakup with Liam and I’m still allowing him to ruin my life, and my self-esteem. He still has the ability to get under my skin. It’s like I didn’t know him at all. This is not who I fell in love with. Grayson never responded to my text so I can assume that ship has sailed. Liam wins again. I finish my shower and head to bed. Tomorrow is a new day and with it comes an opportunity to pull myself up by my bootstraps and get on with life. Liam and I are over; it’s time to realize that and decide what my next step is. Step one: focus on school ... fuck love!

  I wake up to Bailey hopping in my bed. “Get up lazy bones. Are you trying to sleep the day away?” she asks. “I’ve already dropped Jordan off at the airport and you’re still in the bed.”

  I grab my phone; it’s only nine. I also notice I have no missed messages. Grayson never responded. “I’m sleeping in. I don’t have anywhere I need to be.”

  “Great, then you can come condo hunting with me. Jordan was going with me, but she can’t now. It’ll be fun. We can make a day of it. We’ll grab lunch and tonight we’ll hit that karaoke bar you like,” she rambles.

  “You mean you want to leave your parents’ kingdom? They would have to pry me away with a stick,” I joke.

  “Nah. I want my own place and my mother has agreed to pay for it as long as I’m in school.”

  “Must be nice. Okay, let me get dress.” Maybe hanging out with Bailey is just what I need to forget about Liam and Grayson. Jordan is out of town and I need the distraction. Since we are condo hunting and going out for lunch I don’t want to look like a slob next to her. I choose a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a white London top, and dress it up with black pumps, a grey scarf, and shades. I normally wear my thick hair in a messy bun, but today I leave it wild and untamed in a mess of thick red waves. Bailey nods her approval when she sees me.

  “You look hot,” she whistles. “Come on, I need to pick up the realtor info from Vanessa and change too.”

  I flinch at the mention of Vanessa’s name, but quickly recover. She is not my competition if Grayson doesn’t want me. I grab my purse and we head to Bailey’s Range Rover.

  “So what’s the story between your brother and Vanessa?” I try to sound as though I’m asking out of mere curiosity.

  “They’ve been on and off for quite some time. It’s hard to explain their relationship. They both seem to enjoy doing their own thing now, but they remain friends. I know our parents would like to see them end up together.” She eyes me suspiciously. “Why? Are you interested in my brother?”

  “Oh no. Don’t be silly. He’s sexy enough, but he’s not my type,” I lie. “Besides, I just got out of a relationship. I only asked becau
se I saw him with Meredith at the club when I thought he was with Vanessa.”

  “I hate to say it, but my brother is a major playboy. He doesn’t do long term, but he is always honest with the women up front.”

  Hmm. So it would appear he might have had an arrangement with Vanessa too at one point. I wonder what the extent of their relationship is now. I don’t bother digging further. Bailey would definitely know something is up.

  We arrive at the Penthouses at Palazzao and Bailey convinces me to come up with her. “You can’t sit in the car and wait. Besides I’m going to park in the garage ... Vanessa doesn’t bite.”

  “I just don’t know her. I didn’t want to intrude.” My excuse is lame, but it beats the truth that I envy the fact that she has had Grayson. “Since you insist, I’ll come up.”

  The building lends a Mediterranean feel with burnt orange hues that pop against its scenic background. The wrought iron gates ensure privacy while adding to the overall architecture. I’m in awe as we travel through the resort type grounds. We arrive at Vanessa’s unit and knock. The door opens and we are met with a half naked Vanessa wearing only a T-shirt and panties. She welcomes us in, but looks surprised to see us.

  “I wasn’t expecting you until a little later, but let me get that contact info for the realtor,” she tells Bailey. “Aileen can also help you if you decide to buy rather than lease. I found a nice two bedroom plus den condo a few miles from here called The Carlyle Residences. I’ll be closing on it in a couple of weeks.”

  Vanessa heads in the direction I’m guessing is her bedroom. I’m so busy taking in the gorgeous hardwood floors and contemporary furnishings of this place that I miss the masculine presence when he arrives into the room.

  “Oh hey Grayson ... you remember my friend Shiv.” I’m afraid to turn around and even more afraid to see his reaction to me being here. This is why he never responded to my text. He’s back with Vanessa. I face him anyway only to find him with a fake smile. We both say hello at the same time—both determined to maintain the façade of unfamiliarity. “This is Grayson’s penthouse. Vanessa is staying here with him while she waits for her condo to be ready,” she continues.