by Holly Renee
I was a Clermont, and I was fucking the girl they all wanted, and they fucking worshipped me for it.
I closed the door behind me, and Cami dropped to her knees. There was no build-up. No pretending this wasn’t exactly what it was.
She opened the button of my jeans and pulled down my zipper with deft hands. Cami knew what she was doing, and I buried my hand in her hair as I watched her pull me into her mouth.
I was so fucking hard, and I couldn’t control myself as I tightened my hands and slammed into the back of her throat. Her mouth felt so good, her lips wrapped perfectly around my cock, and she stared up at me in a way that used to fuel me.
But now all I could think about were those brown eyes of Josie’s. I imagined what she would look like beneath me, how her hair would feel grasped in my hands. I slammed into her mouth over and over, and I didn’t stop when her hands dug into my thighs or I felt the back of her throat spasm as she gagged.
I was already too far gone, and all I could see was her. Cami was the farthest thing from my mind, and I knew that should have made me feel guilty. But I had no room for guilt.
I was too overtaken with the urge to fuck Josie out of my mind. I wanted to destroy her and her family, and her daddy’s perfect reputation. I wanted to make him feel what it was like to have someone else ruin something that belonged to you.
I wanted to tarnish her and mark her in a way that she would never forget.
She had just been a beautiful girl that I had found on the beach less than an hour ago, but she wasn’t any of that now.
She was the girl I would ruin.
She had tasted so damn sweet out on that beach, but I knew it was all a lie. The taste of her, the feel of her under my fingers, the way she looked up at me like she had been craving my kiss as much as I had wanted hers.
She was nothing more than my revenge, and I came in Cami’s mouth with her name on my lips.
Chapter Three
Josie
It had been a week since I first arrived in Clermont Bay.
A week since my run-in with Beck.
That was what I was calling it. A run-in. I wouldn’t give it any more power than that. Even though I had thought about it every single day.
Lucas huffed, and I looked over at him as he drove down the road that wound along the beach.
“What’s wrong?” I had no idea why I asked because I already knew the answer. He was driving me to my first day at my new job, and he was one hundred percent against it.
Lucas and I had been spending time together over the past week, and I knew his feelings on the job.
“Nothing.” He shook his head as the country club came into view.
I knew that he felt the same way my dad did about my job. Neither of them thought I needed to work, but I did.
I wasn’t like Lucas.
I couldn’t rely on my father.
Due to being my guardian and me being only seventeen, he held my mom’s life insurance policy and our house until the day I turned eighteen, and as much as I wanted to allow myself to, I didn’t trust him to take care of me. He didn’t when I needed him before, and I knew I couldn’t trust him to do so now.
And my father was a man who wielded his power like a weapon. I knew that from experience, and I couldn’t imagine what he could do with the things that belonged to me.
I didn’t want to be here forever. I wanted to leave this town and go back to Utah. I wanted to smell the warm vanilla of my mother’s house, and stare at the bright yellow walls I didn’t appreciate until now.
My heart ached just thinking about the house sitting there with no sounds of laughter echoing off the walls and none of the smells of my mother’s chaotic cooking.
“I really wish you wouldn’t work there.” Lucas’s hands tightened around the steering wheel. I knew that me getting a job at Clermont Bay Country Club really bothered him.
I wanted to ask him again what the problem was with him and Beck, but he had already told me before. I just couldn’t imagine that the two of them hated each other that much over past conquests and competition in baseball.
That was what Lucas had told me, and I had no reason to question him.
But their hate was too strong, and I didn’t understand it.
He hated Beck as if he had done something to ruin his life. He hated him as if he was his enemy.
But the country club was the only place that I put an application in that called me back, and trust me when I tell you that I put in a lot of applications.
I didn’t want to work anywhere that was associated with Beck or his last name. But rich boys like him didn’t hang around their daddies’ businesses. He would be off doing things the same way Lucas was. Without a single thought of the future.
That was the thing about growing up with money. They didn’t fear what was to come. They didn’t fear what the future held for them. They had no reason to fear.
But I did.
I hadn’t relied on my father’s money my entire life.
And I wasn’t going to start now.
“It’s just a job, Lucas.” I rolled my eyes. “I think I’ll be fine.”
“But you’ll still be working for them.”
I pushed my hair out of my face and fidgeted in my seat. Lucas drove a car that was a thousand times nicer than anything I had ever been in. Anything other than my father’s. It only made the vast difference between us feel larger. “And I’m going to be a server. They won’t even know I’m there.”
No one would even look twice at me.
“I don’t think you understand how badly Beck hates me.”
“I will avoid Beck at all costs. Will that make you feel better?”
“Yes.” He nodded his head, but his eyes darkened and I knew he wanted to say something more. There was something on the tip of his tongue, but I knew he was holding himself back. Whatever happened between him and Beck had affected him. “Just tell me if he bothers you again.”
Technically, he hadn’t bothered me the first time. Not until he found out who I was.
And if I did see him again, when I saw him again, I would meet him with a cold indifference.
I had let myself get carried away on that damn beach when the world had felt too heavy, but I wouldn’t make that mistake again. Beck had made sure of that.
Whatever his intentions were, he had made sure to put me in my place. He had let me know exactly where I stood with him, and I wouldn’t soon forget it.
I would never forget the way his hate for me had taken over every part of him. It was as if the boy in front of me had morphed into someone else completely, and I didn’t like the one I saw.
The true Beck Clermont wasn’t a guy I wanted anything to do with.
I would never allow him to touch me again. I didn’t need Lucas or my father’s warnings about him.
He had made sure I knew who he was himself.
He had made sure that I regretted every moment of that night.
And I did. I regretted every look, every touch, every damn way he had made me feel.
“He’s not going to bother me.” I had a feeling I would never hear from him again. “And if he does, I’ll tell him to go to hell.”
Even if the very idea of seeing him again made my pulse race and my stomach tighten in anticipation.
I didn’t even know this guy, and he had me feeling like a mess.
I wouldn’t subject myself to any more of him.
Even if he intrigued me.
Even if he was the most gorgeous guy I had ever laid eyes on.
He was an asshole, and I would rather never see him again.
“But if he does, you’ll tell me.” It wasn’t a question. It was a demand. Lucas didn’t want me anywhere near Beck, and I couldn’t blame him.
“I promise.”
We pulled into the country club, and I tried to take everything in.
The massive building was made of stone that was far older than I was, and for some reason, it reminded me of a ca
stle. I had no doubt that the men inside ruled over it as if it were.
As if they were kings.
From the limited research I had been able to do about the club, I knew that it was exclusive. So exclusive that finding out any information about it on the internet was practically impossible.
And I had tried.
Lucas had been about as knowledgeable as old Google and as tight-lipped. The only helpful information he gave me was that our father was a member, and Beck’s father owned the place.
Neither of those facts helped me.
I wasn’t prepared for this.
I had never had a job like this before. Back home, I had been working at a local cafe to help my mom with the bills, but it was nothing of this caliber. I worked long, hard days, but my boss was nice, and the customers were familiar.
This place was anything but.
“I don’t see his car.” I brought my attention back to Lucas as he pulled his car in front of the building.
“Beck’s?” I looked around, but I had no idea what he drove. I knew nothing about him outside of the fact that he tasted like wintergreen and he hated me.
“Yeah.” Lucas’s fingers tapped against the steering wheel. “He’s not here.”
“Okay.” I nodded, and I felt a small amount of relief at his words. Running into Beck today would be my biggest fear. I needed this job and the security the money I could make here would provide, and I couldn’t let some asshole take that away from me.
Climbing out of Lucas’s car, I ran my hands down my mom’s old black dress pants and tried to calm my racing heart.
These people were no better than I was.
“Good luck.” Lucas sounded insincere, but I smiled at him before waving goodbye.
Regardless of what he and my father wanted, I was going to do this.
I had to.
I walked inside, the loud hustle and bustle of a kitchen hitting me the moment I passed through the door, and it calmed me somehow. I shifted out of the way as a server carrying a tray of clean glasses passed me, and I wondered where I was supposed to go. I peeked into the kitchen, the staff clearly setting up for the day, before I wandered farther to find the dining room.
Two men stood at the bar, looking over some paperwork, and I prayed that one of them was the Jack Smelcer I was supposed to be meeting.
That was the name human resources had given me.
Neither of them looked up as I approached, clearly wrapped up in whatever they were discussing, and I hated interrupting them. “Excuse me.”
Both sets of eyes jumped to where I stood, and I felt a little relief when the much older one smiled at me. He had kind eyes, a mixture of brown and green and outlined with age, and even though I didn’t know a single thing about him, I hoped this man was going to be my boss.
“Can we help you?” the other man spoke, and I looked over to him.
“I’m Josie. I’m supposed to meet with Jack Smelcer this morning for my first day.”
“That would be me.” He flicked his pen in the air, and I suddenly felt disappointed. “Give me just a minute.”
I nodded and took a step back, but the other gentleman stuck his hand out in my direction.
I gripped his hand in mine just as he spoke. “I’m Mr. Clermont. It’s nice to meet you, Josie.”
Shit. This was Beck’s dad. “It’s nice to meet you too. I didn’t mean to interrupt you all.”
“You’re not interrupting.” He sounded so sincere. “I was actually looking forward to meeting you. Your father called me a few moments ago to let me know you’d be working with us.”
I bit down on the inside of my bottom lip to stop myself from screaming. Of course he had. “I’m sorry. He shouldn’t have bothered you.”
He cocked his head to the side slightly, studying me with a warm smile on his face. “It’s no bother. I’m glad I could be here to meet you when you arrived.”
I shifted on my feet, nervous because I had no idea what I was supposed to say. I doubted it was customary for the owner to come out to meet the new server. The kings rarely came out to greet the help. “I appreciate it.”
“Your father said he didn’t want you to get a job, but you’re stubborn.”
“He has no room to talk.” If my father screwed this up for me, I would be pissed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No.” He chuckled as he shook his head. “He certainly doesn’t. He also tried to talk me out of giving you this job.”
I went stock-still because I knew what would happen next. If I hadn’t already wanted to kill my father, I certainly did now.
“But I told him he could kick rocks.”
I couldn’t stop the small snort that left me. I doubt anyone typically talked to my father in that sort of way.
“So, I get to keep the job?” I asked hesitantly as I looked between them.
“Of course, you do. Your dad is an old friend, but he doesn’t get to tell me who I can and can’t hire.”
I could have sworn there was a small shift in his eyes when he called my father a friend, but the people here didn’t feel the same for my father as I did.
They worshipped him and used his friendship to their advantage.
“Thank you.” I was sincere. My father held the power over everything in my life, and I didn’t know what would happen if he was to use that power against me. My chest felt like it would collapse when I thought of him having my mother’s house, but I would survive. It was just a house. Just things.
None of it really mattered.
Not when she was already gone.
“If you need anything, let me know.” He patted my shoulder as he walked by me, and he smelled like old leather and warmth.
He smelled like a man who had worked very hard for the things he had.
“I will. Thank you.”
I looked back to Jack, and he looked annoyed. He probably thought I was some spoiled little princess who needed her daddy to get me a job, and I hated that my father had given him that impression of me.
“This way.” He nodded his head toward the kitchen, and I followed him silently. We made our way into the serving area where everyone seemed to be waiting on him.
Jack started going over the chef specials for the day, reading them from a fancy menu in his hand, and I tried to memorize everything he was saying.
He pointed to the girl about my age who stood across from me with her long blonde hair in a ponytail. “This is Allie. Allie, this is Josie.”
She smiled at me, and I smiled back even though I could feel everyone else’s eyes on me.
“You’ll be training with Allie this week. She’s one of the best servers we have.”
Allie smiled brighter, and if anyone else cared about what he said they didn’t show it. Instead, they all looked bored and ready to get this small meeting over with.
I tried to pay attention as Jack droned on and on about the happenings of that day, but it was difficult. I was too busy trying to take in every detail about the people around me. They weren’t exactly what I had expected.
They didn’t seem like the pretentious assholes I thought they’d be.
Like the people at that party.
Well, except for Jack.
He finished talking, and I shifted on my feet. Allie waved at me with a smile that was the most genuine thing I’d seen since I arrived in this town. She leaned against the drink station as soon as Jack walked away. “Jack is kind of a douchebag.”
I snorted out a laugh. “He always like that?” I looked over my shoulder to make sure he was long gone.
“Yeah. Or worse. Don’t worry, the rest of us are cool.”
She pulled two aprons off a shelf and handed me one. “Come on. Let me show you where to put your bag.”
I followed behind her and listened as everyone said their hellos. Allie was clearly liked, and I wondered how long she had worked here. She couldn’t be much older than me.
“How long have you worked here?” I f
inally asked her as I helped her prep for lunch.
She handed me a knife, and I set it at the place setting like she had shown me.
“Since I was fifteen.” She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “I work a lot more during the summer. Not so much once school starts. Clermont High isn’t too bad though. I still have time to study and work.” She laughed and I winced. “What?” She looked at me curiously.
“I’m going to Clermont Bay Prep.”
“By choice?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the look on her face. “No. My dad is making me.”
“I’m sorry.” She seemed sincere, and that only served to jack up my anxiety about the school year. “It’s not that bad.”
I made a face showing just how little I believed her, and she laughed.
“There are a few cool people, but most of them are…” She looked like she was searching for the right word, so I helped her.
“Rich assholes?”
“Exactly.” She snapped her fingers. “We already have to wait on them hand and foot here. I couldn’t imagine having to go to school with them too.”
“I’m not looking forward to it.” I followed her as we carried the silverware to the next table. At least I would have Lucas. Even if I knew no one else there, I would have him.
“There are some really hot guys though.” She fanned herself. “A lot of them are members here. You’ll see.”
All I could think about was Beck.
I followed her through the rest of the setup, and I couldn’t stop the anxiety from rising as I thought about school. It was only a few weeks away, and I was supposed to be having the most fun year of my life. Instead, I would be spending my senior year with people who meant nothing to me.
With people who hated me for nothing.
Not that the people back home had meant much to me either. I had shut them all out once Mom got sick, and I barely knew any of them anymore.
And they certainly didn’t know me.
Not the real me.
I barely knew who the real me was anymore.
I didn’t know who I was without my mom.
I followed Allie’s every move as patrons started rolling in. It was mostly men who were there to discuss business or who were there to talk shit while they golfed. They mostly talked business, sometimes about their wives, others about their mistresses. While I was shocked by it all, Allie seemed completely unfazed.
