BLYSS (Blyss Trilogy #1) (29 page)

He chuckles, and I can feel him smiling into my neck. He knows he just affected me.
Dammit!
Why doesn’t he just lift his leg and pee on me, make it official? His assault on my neck stops and I hear his deep voice roll over me. He doesn’t sound like he’s in a good mood all of a sudden. “Travis, I need a word. Now.”

I can only presume he’s staring down Travis with a death glare, because Travis’ eyes are suddenly locked onto my neck in a heated gaze. I move my head to the side to find Nick shooting daggers at Travis. He lets me go and nods at Travis. Yes, he’s pissed.

“You think now is a good idea?” Travis nods his head toward me as if I’m a third wheel or a toddler who needs supervision.

“There’s no time like the present,” he says on a snarl. My hackles are suddenly rising. Who the hell pissed in his cornflakes? “Office, down the hall. Now.” Then Nick looks at me. “I’ll be right back, Princess. Don’t go anywhere.” The smug bastard winks. As if I could.

The curious spy in me surfaces. I want to know what’s going on, and I contemplate how I can follow them. I’d love to be a fly on the wall. I watch the men walk away, disappearing down the hallway. I stand there for a moment, not sure what to do. I would love nothing more than to run, and for a second, my heart races at the thought.

“Hey, I guess you’re the new girl?” Interrupted from my escape thoughts, I turn to see a girl about my age. She’s in a cocktail dress, and my brow furrows in question.

“Do you work here?”

She half-giggles. “No, darling, I’m just one of the girls. Just like you.” Her eyes drift over my body, taking stock of me like she wants to eat me for dinner.
Did she just say ‘a girl like me’?
Suddenly, I’m nervous, but curious.

“Don’t you want to...I don’t know...escape?” I ask in all seriousness.

She laughs at me, looking at me as if I’m a nut case. “Are you kidding me? Who wouldn’t want to live in this lifestyle?” she asks incredulously.

I’m appalled. “They are drugging you, and you’re okay with that?” I can’t believe what I’m hearing.

“It’s not a drug; it’s medicine,” she says, almost offended.
Well, excuse me!
“I’ve never felt better in my life; not to mention, I’m living in the lap of luxury. Most women would give their left arm to be in our shoes.”

I huff with growing annoyance. “You mean to tell me you’re perfectly fine with this arrangement? Are you crazy?” I shake my head at her. “No, thanks, I would choose to eat mac n’ cheese every day and have my freedom over living in this...” I wave my hand around searching for the right word.

She interrupts me while waggling her manicured finger at me. “You...you’re that rich bitch who Nick wants, aren’t you.” She’s not asking, though. She narrows her beady eyes at me and says, “You need to get one thing straight here, Ms. High and Mighty Princess. The majority of the women here have been given a life for the first time, one they would otherwise have been a miserable failure at.
 
But, of course, you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you? You’re a spoiled little rich bitch.”

No, she didn’t.
I feel a catfight coming on. I’m about to give her a piece of my mind when I get distracted by a movement off to the right of us. Another girl comes to this girl’s side, interlocking elbows with her. It dawns on me that I’m looking at Tweedledee and Tweedledum.
 

“Well, then, I guess you haven’t had Nick yet, have you?” Tweedledum pipes in. She has the audacity to wink at me, and then they both give me a knowing grin. “You’ll change your tune after you do, don’t worry.”
 

Tweedledee stares toward the ceiling for dramatic effect and says, “You’re so damn lucky. What I wouldn’t give to be able to lasso that cowboy in.”

Tweedledum turns to her friend, exclaiming, “I know, right! Isn’t he the most delicious?” Then the two girls start cackling as if they’re giving birth to a litter of hyenas and I cringe.
 

“Wait until he throws a threesome into the mix.”
What the hell?
“He likes to have two girls at the same time, but sometimes, he just likes to sit and watch the show.”
 
Ew! Oh, my God, they both are insane!

I feel bile rising up the back of my throat. I’m speechless. Someone needs to help me pick my jaw off the floor. Both Nick and Travis have left me surrounded by a pack of horny hyenas.

“Is everything all right here?” A strong, masculine voice sounds from behind, and I feel his hand touch the small of my back. I freeze, uncomfortable with everyone here and everything surrounding me. Why isn’t Travis back yet? I want to go back to my room. I’m surrounded by crazy people.

“Where’s the ladies room?” I croak out, scanning the room. I don’t even bother to see who it is standing behind me. I’m going into panic mode; I just want out of here, and away from everyone.
 

A finger appears over my shoulder and points. “Down that hall, to the left.” I don’t even say thank you. I take off like a bat out of Hell, taking the same path Travis and Nick took.

Passing a closed door, I hear raised voices, and my curiosity gets the better of me. Pausing in the hallway, I look around at my surroundings first, making sure the coast is clear before I eavesdrop. I press my ear to the door, trying to make heads or tails of what’s going on behind the closed door.
 

“Shit!” I hear Travis yell in anger. “What was I supposed to say? You know how women get, all emotional, clingy, and shit, especially when they’ve never done something like that before.” I hear something slam against a hard surface. “What was I supposed to do? She was a virgin, for fuck’s sake, just mercilessly plow through her? She was scared shitless! You tell me, Nick—do you want her broken or whole by the time she gets to you?”
 

“She’s fucking mine, Travis,” I hear Nick growl. “You don’t fucking touch her!”

“Then tell me why the hell I’m working with her again, if you can’t stand for anyone to touch her. What the hell was I supposed to do? You’ve never said anything about the way I trained these women before.”

“Because you’ve never touched these girls the way you touched her, Travis. The way you kissed her, it all looked too real, something I’ve never seen you do before. Seeing the both of you together like that...” Nick pauses, “Just...damnit, Travis, you weren’t supposed to get that intimate with her!” He sounds out in a blind rage. An object crashes loudly against a wall, and I jerk back, startled by the loud impact. It shatters, sounding like broken glass, and I listen as it scatters over the floor. My heart rate begins picking up, then Nick bellows out, “I go out of town for two damn days, and when I come back, I get to review the video footage that shows your fucking dick in her mouth?” I can feel the tension in the room seep out from underneath the door. “Care to share about that one?”
 

“I’m a grown man, Nick! I’m not a damn monk,” Travis yells. “I usually have these girls strapped down, so they don’t get the opportunity to touch me.” He pauses. “Shit, give me a break. We’ve doubled her dose; what did you expect? And I’m not going to stand here and lie either, the girl is beautiful. I swear to you, Nick—there is nothing there. I couldn’t care less about her. I can sure as hell promise you that. You’re reading way more into this than you need to. So what…she got my rocks off, big fucking deal.”

“I thought…”

“You thought what?” Travis scoffs, his voice laced with incredulity. “What are you getting at here, Nick? Did you think I was beginning to fall for her?” I’ve never heard Travis give such an evil laugh before, and it sends shivers down my spine. “I have five other girls to train at the moment, on top of having to run this facility and secure future deals. So, tell me, Nick—what the hell would I want with a full-time bitch?”

I hear heavy footsteps crossing the room. I can’t move; my feet are frozen to the floor. If they open the door, they will just have to see me. “Nick, I don’t have the time or the inclination to wipe that kid’s nose at every turn. In fact, I’m getting downright tired of it. She’s a time-consuming, spoiled, rich kid who’s a pain in my ass.”

Travis gives a sardonic chuckle and pure sincerity laces his voice. “I don’t know what the hell you even see in her to begin with, but hey, to each his own, right? I prefer real women, Nick, ones who know how to handle a man like me. Good luck with her. She’s incorrigible.” My heart sinks to the bottom of my stomach, and I want to puke.
 

“You know what, Travis?” Nick pauses. “I think I need to break her in myself. If she’s that incorrigible while taking double the dose, she’s going to need a firmer hand.”
 

My gut twists at the thought. I’ve heard enough. Forcing my feet to move, I shake like a leaf all the way down the hall to the bathroom. I’m barely able to contain the rising bile as it works its way up my esophagus, burning the back of my throat. As soon as I open the bathroom door, it’s all I can do to make it to the commode in time. I gag, trying to suppress the inevitable, but my nerves win out. Everything I ate earlier resurfaces with a vengeance.
Gah
, I hate throwing up. I’m such a mess. My hands and legs are shaking profusely from the aftermath. With my hand, I grasp the silver handicap bar beside me for stability. I slowly rise, thanking my lucky stars I decided to put my hair up today.
 

  
Looking around the private bathroom, I’m surprised to see a lock on the door. Seems like all I’ve ever wanted to do for the past week is escape from behind locked doors. Now, I just want the opposite. I take the couple steps to lock the door with shaky limbs.
 

   
Flushing the commode, I wash my hands and rinse out my mouth. I grab some towels, running cool water over them to pat over my clammy face and the back of my neck. I simply have no words; I’m too stunned to pick this apart and analyze it. I see tears in my reflection, welling in my eyes. What did I think this was, anyway, this thing between Travis and me?
 

I jump in surprise when an abrupt pounding sounds at the door. “Julianna! Are you in there?” My hand flies to my fluttering heart, and I shake my head. I can’t take much more of this. More pounding ensues, and the doors handle jiggles. “Julianna!” I recognize Nick’s voice.

I swallow hard, and then speak loudly and as calmly as possible, enough for Nick to hear me through the door. “I’m in here. I’ll be out in a minute.” I can’t have them know I was eavesdropping.
Shit, pull it together!
I will be damned if they see me cry again. Wouldn’t want to put anyone out by one of them having to wipe my nose, seeing as they’re the ones causing all the chaos in my life.

“I’ll be waiting right outside this door for you, Julianna.”

Turning back toward the mirror, I whisper to myself, “Great, just lovely.” As I finish cleaning up, I give myself a pep talk, making myself hold a smile the entire time, practicing a happy-go-lucky calmness I don’t have. If they have hidden cameras in here, it will look as if I belong in a psych ward right now. The thought makes me laugh; maybe if I go Norman Bates on them, they’ll let me go. Now I really have lost it.
 

I let out a sigh; time to get this show on the road. Swinging open the bathroom door, I start with a gasp. Nick stands inches from me as his head rests against the doorframe. My God, he’s so handsome he takes my breath away. A piece of his hair dances across his forehead, adding to his sexiness. He smiles at me, showcasing his perfect, white teeth. I reply with a shaky, timid, and forced smile.

“Are you all right, love?” he asks in a low and sinful baritone voice.
 

I nod my head and feebly respond, “I think I ate something this morning that disagreed with my stomach, but I’ll be all right.”
 

Eyeing me speculatively for a second, he then pushes himself off the doorframe, and suddenly, I find myself wrapped in his strong arms. It’s an odd embrace. He pulls me in tighter, as if I’m going to evaporate into thin air. There is no underlying sexual prowess to this embrace. It mimics more like a ‘sight for sore eyes’ type of cuddle.

“I’ve missed you, love,” he says softly over the top of my head. I can’t say I feel the same about him. I can do a lot of things, but reciprocating affection to somebody I don’t like isn’t one of them; I am an art major, not an actress. He’s the director and choreographer of this play, which just so happens to be my life. I despise him for all he’s done to me and all he still plans on doing to me.
 

He pulls back, scanning over my features. “Did you miss me?”
 

Is this man for real? He seems to be under the illusion we actually have a relationship! I close my eyes briefly and school my thoughts. I’m having one hell of a day, and I’m not in the mood for more conflict, not after what I just heard. “Nick, I don’t know you enough to miss you.” This is where I need to turn off the ignition to my motor mouth and keep it from running a crash course. In order to do so, I bite my bottom lip…hard.

Nick chuckles, and a lopsided grin appears. Using his thumb, he displaces my bottom lip from between my teeth. “Don’t be scared, love. I keep forgetting I’ve known you for over half a decade, and you’ve never met me before all this.” He then traces his finger along my eyebrows, smoothing out my worry lines. “Hey, don’t look so worried; I don’t bite.” I want to deride him and argue the case, but I’d only taunt him into a fight. He cocks his head to the side and gives me a reassuring smile. “Come, I have a nice birthday luncheon for you.” He puts his arm around me and guides me back through the hallway toward the gathering.