I heard Caleb’s grandfather had left a huge chunk of cash to Caleb when he died. That was probably how he could afford this huge place. Wish I had a rich, dead old gramps too who’d leave me everything.
It was fucking unfair.
“What’s your code, dude?”
He mumbled again, but I couldn’t understand a word he was saying.
I stared at him, debating whether to push him off me. Maybe he’d hit his head against the wall and break his neck. Maybe he’d die. I could always tell the police he was so drunk that—
The door was pulled open, and a hot girl stood on the other side, looking shocked.
“Caleb!” she exclaimed.
“What the fuck?” I asked.
I grunted when Caleb’s full weight fell on me. The fucker had passed out. She looked at him with concern. I knew this girl.
“You’re the girl from the club that night.” I eyed her from the top of her hair to her cheap hoodie and yoga pants. She looked very uncomfortable but really hot. The kind of ass I preferred, unlike those boring blonds that Caleb seemed to like. Which brought me to What the fuck was she doing here?
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I demanded.
Caleb never let a girl stay at his place. From what I knew, he usually booted them out after sex.
“Why don’t you mind your own fucking business?” She glared at me and then grabbed Caleb’s other arm as we muscled him inside and to his bedroom.
She seemed to know the way to his bedroom. Who the hell was she?
Red. Caleb was talking about Red. It was probably a girl, if not a dog, but this chick didn’t have red hair.
“I’m going to call the police if you don’t tell me what the hell you’re doing in Caleb’s apartment,” I threatened.
“Go ahead. You’ll only look like an idiot.”
We dumped Caleb on the bed. He moaned and turned on his side. “Red,” he mumbled.
I turned to her and narrowed my eyes. “Will I?” I stepped closer than was normally polite.
She backed away, panic on her face. I saw her eyes dart around the room and fix on the lamp. I smirked. Was she going to hit me with it?
What a hellcat. She’d be really great in bed, I bet. Once Caleb was done with her, I’d come to the rescue. I would enjoy this one more than the others.
“Get away from me, asshole,” she spat out, her dark eyes filling with fire.
Feisty. I liked them aggressive.
I smirked. “He’s never had girls stay over at his place before.” I leaned back against the bedpost, crossed my arms over my chest so she’d notice my big arms—if she hadn’t already—and took a good long look at his crib.
It was fucking amazing, with a king-size bed covered in white sheets and gray pillows. In front of his bed was a giant window that showed the entire city. Prime view. Only the best for dear Caleb.
He even had a small living room in here with a sleek flat-screen TV and the latest Xbox model. I thought about my beat-up Xbox 360 and my tiny TV that wasn’t even a flat screen, and it made me so fucking angry that Caleb had all these sleek new toys he probably didn’t even have time to use, while I had to work my ass off for everything I got.
There was a door that I knew led to a big-ass bathroom and another door that led to his walk-in closet, where I really wanted to go.
I’d been in his apartment once before when Caleb invited us for drinks, and I’d snuck in his room out of curiosity. I’d even nicked a Piaget watch from his closet as a souvenir. He never noticed it went missing. He had a box full of expensive watches, and I really wanted to borrow that sweet Rolex I’d seen last time. Too bad this bitch was around now.
“You’re not one of his stalkers, are you?” I asked. “Did you sneak in here while he was away?”
“I’m going to call security if you don’t leave.”
Not a stalker, then. Maybe Caleb had hooked up with her since the night at the club, and now they were together.
Quite a feat for you, Caleb, I thought.
“You’re not his usual type.”
I eyed her again. Despite the hoodie and yoga pants, her body was clearly rocking in all the right places. She shuddered, disgust on her face.
Gritting my teeth, I pushed away from the bedpost. This girl made me angry for some reason. The way she looked at me made me feel like a bug she wanted to squash with her foot.
What, did she think I wasn’t good enough for her? She was just one of Caleb’s lays. Who the hell did she think she was? She wasn’t special.
He’d throw her out on her pretty ass soon, and then she’d come crawling to me. I’d give this bitch a good time and wipe that snobby look off her face.
“I know my way out, so don’t bother. I guess I’ll see you around.” I paused by the door, turned, and looked at her. “Red, isn’t it?”
She paled but didn’t say anything.
“I heard he was dating some brunette at school. Or was it another blond? Didn’t know it was you. Or maybe you’re just one of them.” I paused, waited for her reaction. Nothing. “I guess I’ll see you at school then, sweetheart.” I winked and left Caleb’s bedroom.
I didn’t leave the apartment yet, though. Caleb had a lot of expensive things I wanted. One day…I swore I’d get those too. One of the reasons I’d brought him home was to drive his sweet-ass ride. He wouldn’t let me drive it if he wasn’t drunk out of his mind.
I was still hung up about that Rolex. That gem probably cost twenty grand easy. It wasn’t stealing if you were filching it from someone who didn’t need it, as far as I was concerned.
All good. I knew he left some of his stuff in the guest bedroom. I’d just slip in there and take a look around while the bitch was busy taking care of him.
What the fuck? I thought as I quietly opened the door to the guest bedroom. There were girl things everywhere. The room even smelled like a girl, like freaking strawberries.
Was she living here with him?
What the hell?
Looked like Caleb Lockhart had let someone in…for the first time. This girl must be really great in bed if Caleb was keeping her.
This was very interesting. I knew several of Caleb’s exes who were still hung up on him and would totally enjoy having some good ole fun with this girl. Those girls could cause a lot of trouble for little Red, particularly one blond I knew. The faster Red left Caleb, the faster she’d be in my bed.
When I left her room, I almost cried out in glee when I spotted gold cuff links carelessly thrown on a table in the hallway. They were almost hidden by a porcelain vase. Before someone could see me, I pocketed them.
I passed Caleb’s room again and stopped when I heard her talking. “Caleb, what were you thinking?”
“I miss you, Red.”
Whoa. This guy sure knew how to make girls fall in love with him, even when he was drunk.
I was going to leave when I heard her say, “I miss you too.”
Sounded like she was already in love with him. Typical.
“Lie down with me, Red?”
Seemed like she meant something to Caleb too. He sure sounded pussy whipped. Good. It would hurt more than his pride to see her with me. Even better.
Damn. This was going to be fun.
Chapter Twenty-six
Veronica
“You’re such a big baby when you’re hungover,” I teased Caleb. He was in his bed, wrapped in a heavy white duvet with a fat gray pillow on top of his face, groaning and moaning in pain.
I’d woken up this morning in his bed, wrapped in his arms. That was the second time I’d slept beside him, and I realized that it felt…good. Really good.
The feel of his warm, hard body behind mine was getting familiar.
Caleb loved to spoon, I thought with a smile as I sat beside him gently. He groaned as my
weight disturbed the bed.
“You stink, Caleb.”
He made a noncommittal sound.
“Please sit up so you can take this aspirin.”
“Why are you screaming at me, Red?” he moaned, his voice muffled by the pillow. He didn’t move.
“I’m not screaming.” I couldn’t help smiling. After the awkwardness of yesterday, it felt really good to be back to normal. “Do you know the cure for a hangover?”
He grunted.
“Stay drunk,” I answered.
This time, he moved the pillow so that one green eye looked at me with amusement. “Did you just make a joke?” He sounded like he was laughing at me.
I felt myself blushing. The only time I’d made a joke, and he had to make me self-conscious about it. He could have faked a laugh. I never told jokes, and this was why. This was so embarrassing!
He started laughing silently. Not at my joke, but at me.
“Ah! You’re being a jerk.” I pushed the pillow into his face and stood, making sure that the bed shook a lot.
“Ow. Ow. Ow. Why you so mean to me, Red?”
I smirked. He deserved that! When his moans subsided, he just lay there like the dead. Not moving, not talking.
Oh no. I shouldn’t have done that. But he was teasing me…and I had just reacted. I felt bad.
“I got you orange juice,” I said. Nothing. “I’m going to work. Make sure you take the aspirin.” He didn’t respond. “Caleb?”
Still nothing. He must have fallen back asleep. His arm was covering his eyes, the pillow having fallen away from his face. The light must have been bothering him, so I closed the drapes silently. I didn’t want to wake him up.
I hadn’t really been in his room before. It had pretty much the same layout as my room, only bigger. And messier—not dirty, just messy. An oversize chair he’d been using as a catchall for his clothes and little knickknacks sat nearby. Textbooks were thrown haphazardly on the floor, as if he’d opened them and decided they weren’t worth his attention. He had a bad habit of leaving a trail of clothes on the floor, but I noticed that his DVDs and CDs were stacked neatly on his computer table.
We hadn’t watched a movie together yet. That was on his list, I thought, smiling like a lunatic. Our list.
He was already snoring, so I mustered the courage to lean down and place a kiss on his cheek.
What is he doing to me?
“Feel better, Caleb. I’ll see you later,” I whispered.
I was about to leave when my eye caught something on his desk. It was a small black box with the lid slightly open and a neon-green Post-it Note hanging off it. I probably shouldn’t have snooped, but I wondered if it was…
I turned around to check if he was awake. He was still snoring softly. I opened the box silently, and my heart jumped when I saw a stack of the Post-it Notes I had stuck to the fridge for him.
Warmth traveled from my heart to my toes.
He’d kept them all, even the ones from the first day.
Oh, Caleb.
I put everything back in its place, gave him one last glance, and left for work.
As I boarded the bus, I wondered whether I should tell Caleb about his friend from last night. The creep said he’d see me at school. I’d rather eat scorpions and tarantulas than see him again. The hair on my arms had actually stood on end while I was talking to him, as he was eyeing me like I was a piece of meat.
The college was huge. He wouldn’t find me. Plus, I had a knack for hiding from people.
He might have driven Caleb home, and he might’ve had the face of an angel—with his dirty blond hair, blue eyes, and boyish looks—but I didn’t trust him. Looks could be deceiving, and his definitely were.
I wondered what assumptions he’d made when he saw me at Caleb’s last night. I didn’t want everyone on campus to find out that I was living with Caleb.
Poor people might not have money, but they have their reputation to take pride in. A good, clean reputation. And morals. You can’t buy that with money. Remember that, Veronica.
That was what my mom had said. What would she say, I wondered, if she were still alive and found out I was living with a guy? She’d skin me alive.
But I was desperate when I met Caleb. Living at his place had seemed like the best choice at the time. And now everything had fallen into place. Somehow it just felt right to be with him.
It wasn’t like we were having sex.
I closed my eyes and suddenly felt hot as a memory shot into my head. When he was licking my skin, kissing, tasting.
Oh God. Stop. I must not think about it. Must not think about it.
Kara had taken today off to help Beth shop for a dress for her graduation, so I opened shop by myself when I arrived. It was busier than normal since it was Saturday and I was alone, which was perfect. Didn’t give me time to think much about Caleb.
When the office phone rang and the caller ID showed Beth’s name, I grinned as I answered it.
“When are you going to get a phone, homie?” she greeted me.
“I have one. It’s just for emergencies. How’s shopping?”
“I’d rather have a root canal.”
“That bad?”
“Kar’s dragged me to every freaking consignment shop in the city. Listen, Ver, you know I was born smart. Very, very smart. School made me dumb. Ya feel me?”
I laughed. “What happened?”
“There’s a sale going on. Anyway, it says seventy percent off, right?”
“Uh-huh.” I glanced at the clock. Half an hour more until closing time. I’d better start cleaning up, I thought as I shuffled papers and started filing.
“You know when stores add another red sticker on top that says take an additional percentage off?”
“Uh-huh.”
“This one says take an additional thirty percent off. Am I dumb, or doesn’t that make it free? Seventy percent plus thirty percent is one hundred percent! Free!”
I laughed, reaching for the stapler. “No. Let’s say the original price is one hundred dollars. Take seventy percent off, and you’ll end up paying thirty dollars. Then if there’s another additional thirty percent off on top of the seventy percent off…” I bit my lip, crunching numbers in my head. “Thirty percent of thirty dollars is nine dollars. You subtract nine dollars from thirty dollars. Total price is twenty-one dollars. Got it?”
There was silence on the other end of the line.
“Beth?”
She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, Ver. I think my brain just exploded.”
I rolled my eyes, laughing while I stapled receipts. I was sure she was joking. “Check with Kar. She knows this. Or an employee there. They’ll tell you.”
“There’s only one here, and she hates me. I was only trying to be friendly and asked how many months pregnant she was.”
“Okay?”
“Well, she wasn’t. How the hell would I know? Her stomach was pretty round. Like pregnant round.”
I shouldn’t have laughed.
“Try this one on! Is that Ver on the phone?” I heard Kara say. “Gimme.”
I heard clothes rustling and a door slamming shut and assumed that Kara had locked Beth in the dressing room.
“Hey, Ver. Hold on. I’m going to try on a dress.” She was trying on a dress? I thought this was a shopping day for Beth. I chuckled, knowing that Kara couldn’t help herself. She loved shopping. “I’ll take a picture and send it to you—”
“You can’t. My phone isn’t high tech enough to view your pictures. Besides, that probably costs a dollar.”
“Seriously, get a damn smart phone! You can definitely afford it now.” A clicking noise indicated she was taking a photo. “Why do I look beautiful in the mirror but ugly in pictures today? Seriously! Dammit!” I heard her sipping loudly from a stra
w.
“You’re drinking a milk shake, aren’t you?”
“You know me so well. Damn, I look fab.”
“Yes, you do,” I said.
“I love you, even though you have no idea what I look like right now.” She sucked on her milk shake. “Anyway, how’d your holiday go yesterday?”
When I didn’t respond, she gasped dramatically. “Did you let him pop the cherry?”
Silence.
“Ver, did you offer him the nectar of the gods?”
I choked. “No.”
Silence.
“Huh,” she grunted. “BJ?”
I face-palmed. “No!”
“Oh-kay.” I heard her clucking her tongue. “Ate you ou—?”
I groaned. “Stop!”
“Blue balls then.”
Silence. How the hell did she know these things?
“Yes,” I admitted sheepishly.
She chuckled. “Aw, Ver, you cock blocker. Aww…poor Caleb.”
“What kind of best friend are you? I just saw a customer come in. I have to go. Talk to you later?”
“All right. I have fat-ass emergency foods at home for occasions like these. Come on over tonight or tomorrow. We can fat-ass with Beth all night, k? Talk about that wonderful, wonderful man you seem to enjoy torturing.” We said our goodbyes and hung up.
Wonderful, wonderful man. Caleb was that, I thought, smiling as I served the customer.
I knew that sex came easy for him before he met me, and he was being very considerate and understanding about us.
Yes, but until when?
There go my doubts again, I thought darkly. As the customer left, I sat back down on my chair.
Would he cheat on me eventually if I didn’t have sex with him? Was there a rule for this? Like a three-month rule or something stupid like that? Because I wasn’t all for it. Not at all.
What was I waiting for? What more did I want from him for me to believe and trust him?
I was filing with my back to the entrance when the bell above the door jingled.
“Hey, Red.”
Surprised and delighted, I turned around with a huge smile on my face.
Chasing Red Series, Book 1 Page 22
