Torn Series: A Bundle Set 1 - 10

by Pamela Ann

  ~E~

  “Can you manage to get out of the car?” Bass asked me before opening his door. We were back at his house and parked right outside his four-car garage.

  I just groaned. “Sure,” I slurred. “I’m a pro. Just you watch.” Well, I haven’t been this drunk ever in my life, but sure? Why the hell not? It’s only walking, right?

  I opened the door and stepped out and then my head started to spin. Whoops! I leaned over the hood of his sports car and took off my shoes. The engine was hot on my butt and I just wanted to stay there awhile. I laid my body back on top of the hot-hood. It felt good, I sighed satisfyingly. I was drunk, tired, confused and so messed up. I smiled as I closed my eyes. Yes, this definitely felt better.

  I heard Bass’s footsteps as he stopped before me, somewhere close. He cleared his throat, “Em, you can’t sleep there. That’s not a bed.” Bass was clearly amused.

  Whatever, go away! “I don’t like you right now, Bass-boy, Bass-kill, Bass-hole, Bass-tard!” I mumbled, but cracked a small smile.

  Since my legs were slightly parted, Bass swiftly planted himself in between them while both of his hands caressed my legs. Ah, dammit! “I love this drunk you. It’s very entertaining.”

  Blah, whatever. Just stop touching my legs will you… not?

  I bucked when his hands went higher and his thumbs caressed the inner lining of my thong. Sweet… sweet mother of mercy…

  “Can I kiss you?” Bass whispered to me. That certainly made my eyes snap open.

  Oh. Hell. No.

  …Yes?

  Since I didn’t have the guts to look at him, I stared at the twinkling stars above me. Possibly asking for my mind back… or forgiveness? I wasn’t too sure. “Um, I thought you didn’t want to kiss me?”

  “Not those lips, Emma.”

  I lost my ability to breathe.

  Did he just ask me… if… he could go down on me?

  His thumb was now slowly lifting the side bands of my underwear. “Emma...” Hearing my name uttered from Bass’s lips with such raw intensity became my undoing. I let out a loud moan when both of his thumbs caressed my soaked mound.

  “God, your cunt is drowned in your hot juices,” Bass hissed as his thumb slid up and down my folds while the other thumb rubbed my nub.

  I bit my lip and whimpered. Imagine my shock when he completely took those sinful thumbs away. I sat up, dazed and confused. My world stopped spinning when I found his eyes. Bass gave me a devilish smile while he traced his thumb on his lips and licked it. I swallowed. Hell, could he be any sexier?

  “I want more of those succulent juices, Emma.”

  Speechless, I stared agog. I stuck out my tongue and licked my suddenly dry lips. I wanted to… God, I wanted to say yes, but I couldn’t. Carter.

  “You know I can’t, Bass.”

  He grazed his thumb on the tip of my bottom lip. “You’re such a sweet temptation. You have just enough mixture of sweetness and feistiness. I can’t help wanting you.”

  “I like you too much, Bass. I feel what you feel, but in a twisted way, my heart is with Carter.”

  “If Carter is the one that makes you happy, then I wish you all the luck, Emma.”

  Why did I have the urge to cry? It felt like someone was pressing down on my chest and I was having a hard time breathing.

  Out of the blue, Bass plucked me off the hood and carried me towards the house. I was grateful that he did because I didn’t have the energy to climb the stairs.

  Once we got to his bedroom, he slowly undressed me. “Bass, I don’t know about this.”

  “I won’t cop a feel, I promise. I just want you to be comfortable. Is that agreeable to you?” His eyes searched mine and I fought back the urge to capture his lips.

  When my dress was finally off me, I forgot to warn him that I didn’t have a bra on. The dress didn’t need me to wear one since it already had built-in support.

  Bass’s eyes became dilated and my nipples tightened at his scrutiny. “Bass? Can you hand me a shirt?”

  He snapped out of his funk and cleared his throat, mumbling an apology.

  Once I was safe in the confines of the large cotton shirt, I slid inside his bed. I was tired and all I wanted to do was sleep. After five minutes of not hearing any commotion, I sat up and found Bass sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed.

  Baffled, I got off the bed and moved towards him. “Hey, what’s upsetting you?”

  Bass shook his head. “I don’t think it’s wise to sleep next to you. I don’t trust myself not to touch you with what little you have on.” Well, I knew he wouldn’t have sex with me unless I chose him—and only him—so it was irrelevant if he slept in the same bed with me or not.

  I tried to pull him up, but didn’t succeed. He stood up, held me and we fell on the bed together. He immediately nuzzled my neck in a ticklish way and I started laughing like a little kid. That was all well and good, until his hand skimmed downwards, cupped my ass and squeezed it. I moaned when he softly bit my earlobe. HELL.

  “Bass… no…” His hands were drawing close inside my thighs. I wanted him to touch me so bad I felt like I was dying, but I knew it couldn’t happen. Not like that. So, I took charge and rolled on top of him. “Let’s go to sleep. Playtime’s over.”

  “The best and strongest attraction is unspoken…it’s that crazy chemistry where you don’t have to say a word.”

  ~Author Unknown

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Bass nodded and got off the bed. He shifted his pants and from what I could see, he was hard. “I’m going to get us some water. I’ll be back.”

  I sighed dramatically and fell back on the bed. If I thought my life was complicated before, then I had been mistaken. I looked over on the side table to check what time it was—four forty-five. I had to go see my parents before I went back to school.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  Bass strolled in with a glass of ice water and handed it to me. He looked mighty serious. I bet he was thinking that I was a major tease, or something along those lines. Or maybe he was thinking… nothing.

  “Thanks.” I downed half the glass before Bass took it and placed it on his bedside table. Without taking off his clothes, he laid next to me, pulling me to his chest. I heard him huff out a long sigh as he started to stroke my hair. Since I didn’t know what to say, I kept my mouth shut… as did he.

  After ten minutes or so, he shifted to lay on his side, facing my body. He gathered me in his arms and pulled me close to him again. I could feel his heartbeat vibrating against my chest. I kissed his neck and left my lips and nose there, nicely tucked.

  No words were spoken, but we knew what was going on. It was goodbye.

  We fell asleep like that, holding each other.

  No words were needed.

  ~E~

  I woke up an hour later from the uncomfortable position that I was in. When I tried to move away, Bass’s arms immediately released me. He was clearly in a deep coma-like rest. After the kind of night we had, I wasn’t surprised.

  I stared at his sleeping face and felt my heart lurch and constrict. I was one confused woman; loving one man and lusting and caring for another. I wanted to touch his face and caress it, I wanted to kiss those full lips of his and feel their soft warmth, but I didn’t. I didn’t need another reason to muddy my mind up more.

  Sliding off the mattress, I walked towards the foot of the bed where my thong and dress had been abandoned. The once soaked thong was now dry and I was thankful because it would’ve been uncomfortable to wear and I clearly didn’t need another reminder of what I’d been up to all night.

  With another lingering glance at Bass, I left his room. Sure enough, my keys were on the foyer table. I was surprised to see my clutch and shoes there, too. Hadn’t I left my purse and shoes outside, next to Bass’s car last night? He probably went to get them before he came back upstairs.

  Putting my shoes on, I silently left his house. I strode towards my waiting car and slid insi
de. I thanked my lucky stars that Bass had one of those automatic gates that had sensors which only opened for outgoing cars and joined the traffic on 101 Freeway. My thoughts were troubled. I had a long drive to my parents’ house and used that time to try and sort out my feelings.

  Two hours later, I arrived at my mom and dad’s house, sighing with relief when I turned on to my parent’s lemon tree-lined, winding driveway. I parked on the opposite side of the house because I didn’t plan to stay long. With my keys in hand, I strolled towards the Spanish-styled home. It was ten-thirtyish; my parents would be up and about already.

  I was greeted by the smell of pancakes and I followed the odor like a hypnotized person. My stomach growled, loudly.

  “Hi, Mom, Dad and Aunt Gem,” I greeted the trio who were about to eat by the looks of it.

  My parents looked at me oddly. What?

  “Where did you come from? Why are you all dolled up?” my mom asked with a worried expression on her face.

  Oh, that! I forgot I was dressed in my clothes from last night. “Yeah, about that, that’s what I came here to talk about.” I did wear this get-up to meet with Martin last night, so it was kind of connected.

  “You look stunning, darling.” Aunt Gemma came over and gave me a quick hug and then pulled me towards the table and made me sit.

  “Where’s baby Joey?” I asked as my parents joined Aunt Gemma and me at the table.

  “He’s in school, dear,” Aunt Gem responded before she took a bite of her pancakes.

  “Spill it now, Em. The suspense is killing us.” Mom pressed her lips together as she stared at me, waiting.

  “I got offered to star in a movie by Martin Lombardo.”

  “You’re going to be an actress, Emma?” Aunt Gemma asked with a big smile.

  After a few silent moments, both Mom and Dad cackled like it was the funniest thing they had ever heard. I looked at both of them, baffled. Okay… were they laughing at me? Did they think I was joking?

  When they both finished, Mom and Dad wiped their eyes. Laughing tears, great.

  Dad spoke first, “And here we were thinking you were going to tell us you were pregnant or something.” My dad pulled me close and kissed my head. “You’re going to do great, kiddo. How did you manage to nab this role? You didn’t mention you were planning to be an actress.”

  “Well, I wasn’t. The role was handed to me on a silver platter and I couldn’t pass it up. I really do think this is it for me. To be an actress, I mean.”

  Mom squeezed me tight. “I’m so proud of you, kiddo. Now, what’s the storyline about? A Lombardo film you said? I bet it will easily get an Oscar, don’t you think so, honey?” She looked towards my father and he gave her a great, big smile. It was clear that they were still in love.

  “It’s about a married woman who cheats on her husband. When the husband finds out, he beats his wife up. When her lover sees her bruised, cut-up body, he kills the husband. The lover straps the dead body on the hook of a speed boat and dumps him in the Atlantic Ocean where he’s fed to the sharks.

  It was much more than that, but I gave them a quick summary. “Wow, that’s a pretty gritty storyline,” Mom said as she took a quick sip of her coffee.

  “Yes, it is, but a bit on the erotic side, too.” That got their attention.

  “What’s your role?” Dad inquired with a frown. I felt sorry for him before I blurted out my answer.

  “I’m going to be Angela, the wife.”

  My dad got up and started to pace. “You mean, you’ll be naked? In a movie, where all of our friends and family can see you? The rest of the world will see my baby naked?”

  My dad was starting to turn red. Thank God my mom stepped in. “Sit your ass down, Seth. We have to discuss this as a family.” Mom composed herself and Dad went back to his seat and simmered like a little kid. “Emma, we understand that you want to become an actress. Ever since you were little, you always loved to act and would put on little plays for us with your Barbies. Don’t get me wrong, I think this is a great opportunity for you, but at the same time, do you want to risk your self-preservation and morality for a film that will possibly pay you a hundred grand or so? Think long and hard about this, once this is filmed, it will be out there forever. Your kids will see it. Your children’s children will see it. Do you want to be haunted by that?”

  “I do get your point, Mom. Trust me, I do, but this is what I want. For the past couple of years, I have been drifting along, not knowing what I wanted to do in life. I didn’t think acting was possible for me. I hadn’t even thought about it since I graduated high school, but now, since this has practically landed in my lap, I will not be discouraged from doing it. I want to do it. I already signed the contract last week and they’re not paying me a hundred grand, Mom. They’re paying me one million dollars.”

  “God, help me! My daughter becomes a movie star and I can’t even brag about it to my friends, let alone watch it,” my dad muttered under his breath. I really felt bad for my dad.

  I got up and hugged him from behind the chair. “I’m sorry, Dad, but you have to understand. I want this. I’m a big girl; I can handle it.”

  My mom leaned back and slightly shook her head like she was trying to digest everything I just spouted out at them. “Well, as much as we don’t want you to do this film, we’ll support you in any way we can. Wow! Our daughter’s a millionaire and she’s not even twenty-one.”

  My Aunt Gem got up and congratulated me, “You’re going to be a beautiful actress, Emma. You have a beautiful heart and a beautiful face. The world is going to love you! I just know it.”

  Although I doubted that the whole world would like my acting or that they would all love me, I thanked her all the same. What mattered was that she meant it.

  “When do you start filming?” Dad inquired as he started to eat.

  “May; and it’s going to be filmed in Greece.”

  “Good, then you still have time to prepare,” Mom murmured.

  “Yeah, enough time for my kiddo to think it through and back out of the movie,” my father added and he meant it, too. Not happening, Dad.

  Aunt Gem stepped in, “Oh, stop it. This is a great thing for our little, Emma. Stop ruining her mood.”

  When I glanced at the time and saw that it was about to hit noon, I decided to get moving.

  “I have to go. I have class later this afternoon. I’ll call you guys soon, okay? I want to see little Joey.” I grabbed my coffee and finished it in one gulp.

  Mom and Dad stood up and hugged me. “We’ll see you soon. Congratulations, baby!” Mom kissed me on the cheek while Dad kissed my forehead.

  “Drive carefully, will you? I think I’ve had enough shock to last me a lifetime,” Dad mumbled.

  “Always, Dad.” I gave a quick goodbye to my aunt and waved at them. “Love you lots,” I yelled before leaving the kitchen and going out the front door.

  Turning on the engine, my mood started to sink at the thought of seeing Carter. One down, one to go.

  “If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.”

  ~H.G. Wells

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The moment I parked my car, I fished out my phone and texted Carter.

  Me: Hey. I just got back in town. Can you come over?

  It beeped after a minute.

  Carter: Be there soon, babe.

  Fuck! I didn’t even know how to break it to him. We just got back together.

  I cared for Bass and the thought of the intimate moments that I shared with him, saddened me because I would never have those moments with him again. I supposed we really needed last night to get closure.

  Since Carter would be here any second, I got out of my car and went inside the dorm. Lindsey wasn’t home and I was relieved. I didn’t need a witness when Carter had a meltdown and lost his shit.

  In my room, I fought the urge to shower and instead, changed into my jean short-shorts and a loose, baby blue cotton shirt. I didn’t want to prolong any of thi
s and have Carter waiting on me. This confrontation needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. I couldn’t tiptoe around the subject. I made a choice and I had to stand by it.

  I looked up when I heard the door unlock.

  “Em?”

  “I’m in here,” I called out. I was on edge and a little jittery to boot.

  Here we go…

  Carter came through the door and immediately gave me a huge smile when he saw me. “I missed you!”

  “I need to tell you something important,” I started as I eyed him. Carter instantly tensed and his handsome face contorted.

  “What’s it about?” Carter whispered as he stared back at me, apprehensive.

  Shit. “Something happened with Bass last night...” I didn’t even get the chance to finish before Carter started pacing.

  “Define ‘happened’ Emma? You had sex with him, is that it?”

  “No. I stayed with him last night, nothing really happened except his hand lingering a bit longer on certain areas.” And how I really wanted to succumb to him and try to get him out of my system I thought to myself.

  Carter stopped pacing and sat back down again. His hurt face tugged at something inside me. “Bass didn’t fuck you?”

  Isn’t that what I just said? That’s what I got for being whorebag-ish. Nope, Bass and I didn’t have sex, but I was tempted. “No, it wasn’t like that,” I murmured, not meeting his eye.

  Carter ran both of his hands through his hair. “I’m hurt that you lied about going to sleep at your parents’ house, Em. How could you do this? We just barely got back together.”

  I didn’t know. I honestly didn’t know why I did the things I did with Bass. Another Emma emerged—frivolous, spontaneous, alive and uninhibited. With all my heart, I wanted so badly to say that I was sorry for doing it, but I would be lying to Carter if I apologized for something I didn’t regret doing. “Maybe it’s because we got back together too quickly? Maybe I didn’t see it coming and I’m still trying to place my feelings in order? I met Bass right after you. I got to spend time with him, Carter. Somehow, someway, he got through to me.”