Setting my cup down, I pull out the phone and stare at the screen. It feels a little bit like I’m betraying the guys, sneaking around, and taking Sullivan’s phone while he wasn’t looking, but just like they are not trying to hurt me, I’m not trying to hurt them.
I type my father’s name into the search bar and watch as Google pulls up multiple pages, the first one being my father’s company. I look through it until I find my father’s office number and dial it. A high-pitched female voice answers my call on the second ring.
“Lockwood Real Estate, how may I direct your call?”
“Mhm, hi… this is Harlow Lockwood. I was wondering if you could connect me to my dad?” The line goes silent for so long that I pull the phone away from my ear, worrying that the call got disconnected. “Hello?”
“Ah, yes. Could you hold, please?” the woman on the other end asks, sounding a bit frazzled.
“Sure.” I’m immediately put on hold, classical music filtering through the line. I don’t have to wait long before my father picks up.
“Harlow?” His deep voice fills my ear a second later.
“Yes, it’s me.”
“Christ, Harlow. Where are you? Tell me, right now,” he demands as if I would tell him.
“I’m fine, thanks for asking,” I answer sarcastically. “I will not tell you where I am, and I definitely do not need you to pick me up. I’m just calling to ask you one thing…”
“I already told you if you want to know about Phoebe, you need to meet me.”
“I already know who Phoebe was… and that I’m her daughter.” Even though I’ve known for a few weeks now, the words are still foreign in my mouth.
“Who told you?”
“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you’ve been lying to me my whole life. But that’s not why I’m calling. I just want to know one thing, and then you can go back to your perfect little life. Did you know? Did you know that it was Shelby who tried to kill me?” I hold my breath, the seconds ticking by as I await his answer.
“She wouldn’t…” He finally says. “Who told you it was her? Did the Bishops tell you that? I swear, I will end them for good this time.” Contempt drips from his words.
“No one told me. I remembered. She drove through the intersection right as I was crossing the street. She tried to kill me.”
“No… it-it must have been an accident.” My father sounds a bit flabbergasted, and for a moment, I try to figure out if he is really surprised or faking it. Then, as if he gathers his thoughts, he says with a stronger voice, “I don’t believe you. You either saw it wrong, or it simply was an accident.”
Now it’s my turn to be flabbergasted, I can’t believe him. “Are you serious, right now?” My voice rises with each word, my anger simmering, threatening to boil over. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you would defend her, not when she’s spreading her legs for you.”
“What proof do you have?” My jaw aches as I grind my teeth together.
“Proof? What proof do I need? I saw it with my own eyes. She drove through the stop sign… she sped up! She hit me with her fucking car. I know she saw me, how couldn’t she?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure, and if you see her, let her know the police are looking for her. I can’t even go back to classes because I’m worried she’s going to hurt me, or worse.”
Silence lingers between us, making the space heavy.
“I… I believe you, and I’m sorry. Your mother and I have been worried sick about you. Will you please just come home?”
“No, and that woman you married is not my mother. My mother was Phoebe, who you refuse to tell me anything about. But that’s okay…” I can feel the smile curving at the corner of my lips, “I went to Mr. Bishop and got all the information I need.”
“Harlow,” the desperation in his voice makes me pause. “I… I can’t do this over the phone. We need to meet in person, and I’ll tell you everything. I don’t know what George told you, but I’m positive that not all of it is true.”
“There is nothing left to say, and I’m not sure I would believe anything you have to say now anyway.” The only reason he wants to see me in person is so he can drag me back home and lock me in my room. Does he think I’m stupid?
“I know where Shelby is,” he blurts out, shocking me once again. “Would you forgive me if I tell the police where she is?”
Forgive him? I have to suppress a laugh. “How about you tell the police where she is because it’s the right thing to do?”
“I’ll do it, but know that I’m doing this for you. Everything I’ve done is for you. You’re my daughter, the only thing I have left of your mother, and I can’t lose you.”
I wish I could believe him. I wish I could love my dad like a daughter should love her father, but too much has happened, and I don’t think we can ever repair our broken relationship.
There are too many lies, too many secrets. I can’t trust that he’ll protect me, that he’ll take care of me. The thought brings tears to my eyes. My emotions are all over the place, and talking to him isn’t helping things.
“Goodbye, Dad,” I say before hanging up the phone.
36
A few days have passed since the phone call with my father… a phone call that the guys still don’t know about. I feel bad about hiding it, but I don’t want to disappoint them or hurt their feelings either. I know they just want to protect me, but I had to talk to him.
With all of that, I find myself getting cabin fever, the same four walls of this rental house close in on me a little more every day. Crawling out of bed, I strip out of Banks’ shirt and walk into the bathroom connected to the bedroom. I’ve been bed hopping since we got here, each brother getting their own time with me. Last night, I fell asleep on the couch and woke up in bed with Oliver, all while wearing his brother’s shirt. Strange, but normal for us.
Turning the shower on, I let the bathroom start to steam up before I step under the hot spray of water, letting it massage my neck and shoulders. A moan escapes my lips as my muscles relax under the spray.
“I like that sound very much, but I’d prefer you making it while I’m in there with you,” Oliver murmurs, chuckling as he does. Before I know it, he’s stripping out of his clothes and joining me in the extra-large shower stall. I’m not surprised to see his cock already hard, pointing at me angrily. The veins popping out, throbbing and begging to be touched.
“That looks… painful,” I say quietly.
“It is. I’m so hard it hurts. It’s what you do to me, Harlow. Always. Every time I’m in your presence, my cock is hard.”
“Maybe I can do something about it?” I try my most seductive voice, and judging by the growl coming from Oliver’s chest, I’m doing pretty good.
“Fuck yeah,” he groans as I wrap my fingers around his length. Giving him a hard squeeze, I revel in the way his eyes squeeze shut, and his hands curl into fists.
“I never thought it would be possible for me to want all three of you, but I do. Each of you do something to me that I can’t explain.”
Oliver’s eyes open then, the brown in them almost black, leaving only a small ring of brown behind, “You make us whole.” He hisses out, his muscular chest rising and falling as he inhales. There is nothing like the power I hold over these three men. The way they fall to their knees for me. Stroking him faster, I swirl my thumb over the head of his cock and down his slit. Pre-cum beads the tip, and I smear in over his length, my eyes mesmerized with the motion.
“I need to fuck you, Harlow,” Oliver’s voice is raw with emotions and reaches down inside of me, sinking its claws deep into my core.
“I want you so bad…” I murmur, as I release his cock, and take a step back. His eyes smolder as he stalks toward me, lifting me in one fluid motion. In seconds, I’m in his arms, my back pressed against the tile wall of the shower, my legs wrapped around his middle. His swollen cock bumps against my clit and I suck a labored breath
in through my teeth. Oliver stares down at me, watching me, knowing that he holds power over my body and my heart.
“Every night….” His cock brushes against my soaked entrance, and I sink my nails into his shoulder, urging him on. “I think about stealing you from my brothers’ beds to have my way with you.”
Feeling as if I might die if he doesn’t start fucking me, I grin and say, “You should.”
That must set him off because he pulls back and slams into me, making the air in my lungs still, and my entire body shake with tremors of pleasure.
“Fuck, there is nothing like sinking into you. So tight, so warm, so fucking perfect,” he pants, pistoning his hips, sinking deeper inside of me. His fingers dig into my flesh hard enough to leave bruises, and I want him to. I want him to mark me. Everything around me fades away as Oliver fucks me into oblivion. My nails rake down his chest, and he hisses at the pain.
Then he starts to swivel his hips between thrusts, the head of his dick brushing against what I now know is my g-spot.
“Ahhh, Oliver…” I mewl. Strands of wet hair stick to my face, but I couldn’t care less how I look in this moment. All I can do is hold on for dear life as Oliver takes from me, fucking me to the brink of insanity. The orgasm I’ve been chasing for the last couple of minutes stirs deep in my core and slithers up my spine.
“I’m going to come…” I whimper, staring into Oliver’s eyes. He’s looking at me with a determination I’ve never seen, a wicked grin on his handsome face.
“Fuck yeah, you are, all over my cock…” His dirty words only add to the pleasure, and within seconds I’m going off, launching into space like a rocket. My pussy clenches around his length, and just from the grunts and pants that he’s making, I know he’s close, and strangely, I want his come like I’ve never wanted it before. I want it inside of me, marking me, claiming me.
“Fill me with your come, Oliver, fill me…” I plead through the sound of blood swooshing in my ears. With a steel grip and a growl, I’m pretty sure his brothers can hear, he comes, his thighs shaking, his head tipped back, exposing his throat. Acting on impulse, I nip at that unmarred skin and smile when I feel his cock jump inside of me.
Sucking the pain of my bite away, I wait for him to come floating back down to me. Seconds later, he’s staring down at me and gently placing me back down on my feet, and with the loss of his cock inside of me, I feel like I’ve lost a piece of my soul.
“I love you, Harlow, and I’d love you even if you didn’t fuck me like you love me back. You’re it for me.” He peppers kisses against my face, and I start to giggle.
“You’re welcome, and the feeling is mutual, you definitely know how to make a girl feel good.”
Oliver grins. “All for you, baby, all for you.” He gives me one more kiss, a kiss that makes me want to climb him like a tree, and not shower at all. But then we wouldn’t get anything done, and as much as I love being here with them, I really want to get back to living a normal life. So instead of begging him to take me again, I focus on washing my body and hair, and less on the pulsing between my legs.
Once we’ve finished showering and are dressed, we make our way out to the living room. Sullivan and Banks are already lounging on the couch, both with shit-eating grins on their faces.
They heard us, or at least Oliver.
“Have a nice shower?” Sullivan asks, chuckling.
“Yeah, did you get all clean?” Banks chimes in, “It sounded like you did.”
“Yes, don’t worry. I was thorough… made sure I got every spot clean.” At Oliver’s words, my face turns about five shades redder.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” Sullivan tells me, rubbing my back when I take the seat next to him.
“Can’t help it,” I say, even more embarrassed. While I’ve become more outspoken sexually, it’s still a lot for me. After all the bullying and hate I’ve gotten about being with all three of them, it’s hard for me to handle any type of teasing without feeling like caving in on myself.
Oliver opens his mouth, and it looks as if he is about to say something when his phone starts ringing. He takes it out of his pocket and looks at the screen with his eyebrows drawn together. “It’s the detective.”
Before anyone can say anything, he answers the phone, placing it on speaker for all of us to hear. “Hello…”
“Good morning, Mr. Bishop. How are you doing today?”
“Very good,” Oliver answers, grinning at me while he does.
“Good, good… Is Miss. Lockwood still with you?”
“Yes, I’m here,” I say before anyone else can answer.
“Great. Hello, Harlow. I hope you are doing well. I know you’ve been through a lot, so I wanted to call you right away to let you know that we arrested Shelby a few hours ago.”
“Finally,” Banks mutters under his breath.
I know I should say something. I know I should probably be happy and relieved that I’m safe now, but for some reason, I feel neither. All I feel is the need for answers.
“Did she say why she did it? Why she wants me dead?” Not knowing has been eating me up. I thought she was my best friend before all of this, so why did she want me dead?
“No, I’m sorry. She didn’t give us a real reason as to why, but she did confess to wanting to hurt you.”
“You put her in jail, right?” Oliver asks impatiently. “And she won’t be getting out any time soon?”
“Actually…” The detective pauses, and I feel the air in my lungs still, “She’s not in jail, we had to bring her into a closed psychiatric ward after what happened.”
“What? Why? What happened?” I mean, I know she had some mental issues given what she did to me, but still. A psychiatric ward seems to be a little too much.
“Harlow, do you know that it was your father who called her location in?”
Almost absentmindedly I nod, before realizing he can’t see me. “Yes,” I say, after a moment. “I talked to him about Shelby and…” I trail off, not wanting to say the words out loud. Shelby and my father. I’m still so disgusted by the thought, and now I’m even more embarrassed… embarrassed about what kind of man my father is.
“When we arrested her, and she realized that your father was the one who had called us, she had a complete mental breakdown. She was yelling and screaming, saying that she’s in love with him and that she needs to kill you to have him for herself. Then she tried to hurt herself, we had no choice but to send her in to have her mental state evaluated.”
“So, she’ll be there for a while or what?” Banks interjects.
“They’re going to do a full evaluation on her, and then make a decision, but as of right now, that’s where she will be staying. If I have any further updates, I’ll be sure to give you a call and let you know.”
“Thank you, detective,” I can’t explain the pressure that’s been lifted from my chest at knowing that she’s somewhere far away, somewhere that she won’t be able to escape from, and that my father was the one who helped put her there.
A small piece of my heart beats for the man that gave me life because, in the end, he did choose me over her, but it took all of these bad things happening to me for him to do it.
“No problem, have a good day.” The line goes dead, leaving me with nothing more than my thoughts and the three men that own my heart. When I look up, I find all three of them staring at me. Each carrying their own confused expression.
“I was going to tell you,” I start, a pang of guilt hitting me.
“If you wanted to call your father, all you had to do was ask. You didn’t have to sneak around behind our backs.” Oliver says, and the tone of his voice makes me shiver. I know without even looking at him that he’s disappointed in me. Hell, I’m disappointed in me too.
“What Oliver means to say is that we want to protect you, and we can’t protect you when you’re doing stuff behind our backs. We’re supposed to be a team,” Sullivan’s voice is soft and nurturing, and for some stupid reaso
n, I want to cry. I don’t understand why, but I do. When I look up from my hands again, there are tears in my eyes, and no matter how much I try and blink them away, they continue to fall.
“Fuck,” Oliver mutters under his breath and comes to stand in front of me. He wraps his arms around me, and I breathe him in. My body lights up at his touch. This is what he does to me, what they all do to me.
“I’m… I’m sorry. I wasn’t hiding it. I just wanted to know if he knew that Shelby was the one to hurt me. I know I should’ve come to you guys, but…”
“Shhh, no. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you.” Oliver soothes, his hand moving up and down my back. It feels good, too good, and I let my eyes drift closed for a second.
“I don’t want to disappoint you guys,” I sob into his shirt.
“Shhh, baby, you’re not a disappointment. You’re as far from a disappointment as it gets.” Banks’ strong voice pierces my ears, and I feel him along my back, his hard body brushing against mine. He brushes the hair from my neck away and presses hot kisses to my shoulder and neck, sucking on the tender flesh along my collarbone. Instantly, I melt into a pile of mush, the tears stopping all at once.
“Can’t cry when my lips are on you?” He teases, and I can feel my insides turning to molten lava. That connection I have to each of them burning hotter and hotter.
“No,” I whisper hoarsely. I’m only vaguely aware of Oliver releasing me, and turning me to face Banks.
“I’m sorry my brothers are assholes. I’ll make it up to you.” Banks’ pink tongue flicks out over his bottom lip, his blue eyes blazing with unbridled need beneath the amusing glint. I want to give in to him. I want to let all three of them have a chance at me all over again… but…
Out of nowhere, a wave of dizziness hits me, and I’m overcome with nausea. Bile rises up my throat, and I know what’s going to happen next. Without even thinking, I shove against Banks and make it to the kitchen sink just in time to vomit up all my breakfast. My stomach twists and I continue to puke until there is nothing but green bile coming up.
The Bayshore Rivals: The Entier Series Page 34
