Nic's Devotion: An Endless Series: Book One (33 page)

     “Hey, I heard something about Carrie calling Nic her
sun, when you start calling me your sun then maybe I’ll start spouting Chinese
philosophy. It goes two ways babe.”

     I pushed my head into Nic’s chest undecided on whether
to laugh or be concerned that they were arguing.

     “Anyway, we have something better than the sun and
moon. We’re like mint chocolate chip ice cream. You’re the ice cream and I’m
the chocolate chips, and I’m all over in you…everywhere.” Noah said
suggestively.

     There was another smack, but this time it came with a
laugh. “Noah!” Amanda cried out shockingly.

     I broke out laughing.   

Chapter
Twenty-eight

NIC

     I drove down the long-ass driveway leading to my
parent’s house. Dad had made a call to me two days ago demanding my presence at
the house this Saturday. His approach almost had me telling him to shove it,
but given that Carrie was working this morning and I had no practice as there
was another game on Sunday, at home this time, I acquiesced. He was lucky I was
in a great mood. Carrie said she had a surprise for me today and I was almost
hopping out of my pants to find out what it was…though I doubt it had any
correlation to me being out of my pants, but I was always optimistic.  

     Carrie and I were spending all our free time together
which wasn’t as much as I’d like. With her working and my lacrosse practice we
were squeezing in lunches here and there and then I would pick her up from work
and we’d get maybe two or three hours together. Half of those hours were spent
catching up on school work. One night we’d even done laundry together. The
other half of our time together was spent cuddling in either her room or mine
pretending to watch television when all we did is make-out.

     I’d been trying to keep the make out sessions light.
She’d missed out on her entire teenage years and I knew I couldn’t just rush
her into sex. So we did a lot of clothed heavy petting, and it was hell on my
balls. I had been relieving the tension on my own but my dick was never
satisfied. It didn’t want my hand, it wanted her.

     Shit, last night I’d gone and spilled in my pants
again. We’d been in her room making out on her bed and I’d finally gotten her
shirt off. The bra had stayed on but just the sight of her breasts in a plain
white bra had me ready to blow. She’d hidden a lot under all her loose clothing
and sports bras…thankfully this one wasn’t one of those…because her breasts
were substantial for her petite frame. A nice full C-cup.

     I’d basically dove in at the revealing; squeezing the
full mounds and then playing with her nipples that had had been standing
straight up in attention. My mouth hadn’t been far behind and I’d licked and
sucked until the white cloth had been transparent. The vision of those dark
nipples made visible had amped up my desire to indescribable proportions and
Carrie’s curious hands all over my naked chest hadn’t helped the situation. I
knew I wouldn’t be able to stop without getting us both off.

     So with both of us shirtless but still wearing pants
I’d pulled her atop me like before and sent us both into climactic bliss.
Carrie had bitten me again and for some reason when she did that it set me
right off. And even though I’d cum in my pants, and it was very uncomfortable
afterwards, it had been the best damn orgasm I’d ever had.  

     And now I was hard as steel again. There was no fucking
way I was going in to see my dad with a boner pressing against my jeans. Taking
deep breaths and thinking about that teammate tickling session Carrie had put
in my head days ago―
not the naked one
―I pulled around the
circular drive to the front door and was able to step out with absolutely no
worries.

     I hadn’t been back to the house since Christmas; my
visits generally coincided with the holidays. I never felt the need to make an
appearance otherwise. My parents kept busy; my dad was CEO of the Company and
was gone most of the time dealing with business, and mom had a variety of
social engagements. It had been that way my entire life. However, I was expected
to be home when called, and that was usually for family reunions. Those gatherings
were torture as they consisted mostly of self-entitled snobs trying to one up
one another.

     My father was the one that always seemed to win since
he was the CEO and the others were his underlings. A few family members did not
appreciate that fact and the buried hostility they walked around with became
not so veiled. It could get rather nasty and I knew my father got off on the
power he held over them. It was the same power he had been trying to inflict on
me my entire life, but I fought it tooth and nail.  

     I don’t know why some of them didn’t try and break off
on their own to do something else. They had the money, but they were either too
lazy or didn’t have a single original thought in their heads. One of my uncles,
Uncle Ryan, had done it several years ago; opened a couple restaurants around
town and they were doing well. Uncle Ryan, his wife, their son, and another
cousin from a different uncle were the few family members I actually got along
with.  

     It was quiet when I stepped through the front door. I
was about to press the intercom to see where my dad was holed up when Maggie
stepped into the foyer. Maggie was the all-day domestic help. The house was too
large for her to clean by herself so my parents also had outside help come in
once a week. Maggie was either cleaning or cooking, and she’d been at the job
for ten years. She was in her early fifties, widowed, with two older children
who had their own families.

     She smiled brightly at the sight of me. “Nic, it’s so
good to see you.”

     Even though I hardly came back anymore since starting
college I still had fond feelings for Maggie. She’d been around more than my
parents and had given me more attention than they ever had.

     I walked over and gave her a hug. “Hey, Maggie.
Everything going good with you?”

     She chuckled. “You know your parent’s don’t like it
when you hug me.” She returned the hug though.

     Maggie wasn’t what you would call classically
attractive, my mom would never have hired her if she was, but she had a warm
friendly countenance about her that had you overlooking it. Her big heart
reminded me of Carrie and that made Maggie just as pretty as Carrie was.

     I stepped back and gave her a mocking smile. “That’s only
because they can’t relate to the whole touching thing. How they conceived me is
a miracle.”

     Maggie frowned. “Hush, Nic. That’s your parent’s
personal life and you shouldn’t being speaking of it.”

     “It isn’t so private when my father’s affairs are so
public.” I returned.

     Maggie grimaced as though she couldn’t argue that
point…and she couldn’t. The entire family knew about my father’s extramarital
affairs. However, I couldn’t really blame him for having affairs because my
mother was a cold woman. Why he married her I never understood, but then my
father wasn’t all that affectionate a person either. I was sure he was only
with those other women for sexual release because he sure wasn’t getting it
from his wife.

     Maybe they identified the similarities in each other
and recognized that they would be a well-suited pair. From what I’d been able
to distinguish my mother had no problem with my father’s mistresses, just as
long as they didn’t encroach in her territory or social circle.

     “Your father is in his office.” Maggie gave my arm a
comforting squeeze knowing most of my sessions with him weren’t the average
father-son discussions.  

     I raised my brow at her. “Do you know what he wants to
talk to me about?”

     “Why would I know?” She huffed indignantly.

     “Because you hear things.” I whispered knowingly. She
was here all the time, how could she not.

     Dropping her indignant expression Maggie looked around
furtively. “Sorry, I haven’t heard anything.”

     “Oh well, thanks anyway.” Giving her a kiss on the
cheek I made my way down the hall. The house was a two story, twenty-thousand
square foot Tudor Revival. It had been way too much space for three people, and
now only two people resided here.

     My father was talking on the phone when I stepped in
the room. He waved me to the seat in front of his desk but I instead ambled
over to the leather couch by the windows. I wasn’t going to place myself in a
subservient position behind his desk like one of his underlings. The only sign
of his displeasure was a slight dent between his brows.

     James Stanford was a handsome man in his early fifties.
I took after him in looks; we each had the same blonde curly hair and green
eyes. My father wore his hair shorter and had some gray creeping in on the
sides but it was barely noticeable interwoven with the blonde. He also kept
himself in fairly good shape. Looking at him I could see what I’d look like in
thirty years I just didn’t want to be where he was; in a cold marriage and
working behind a desk.

     I relaxed back on the couch displaying outwardly patience.
I even picked up one of the magazines on the coffee table; I’d learned the
epitome of nonchalance from my nanny’s knee. Flipping through the pages I came across
an article about oceanic tides and reefs reminding me of Carrie. I was actually
getting into it when my father finished with his call and came over sitting
down in the chair next to me.

     “What are you reading? You seemed particularly
engrossed.” He leaned back in a casual manner swirling a glass of cognac. I
wanted to roll my eyes at the obvious display of idle disinterest. 

     I closed the magazine setting it back on the table. “It
was about marine life and how the tides are affecting the reefs.”

     He raised his brows. “Really, I didn’t know you were
interested in that.”

     Raising my brow similarly I smiled coolly. “You are
exceedingly ignorant of many of my interests.” His mouth tightened in
displeasure at my observation. I would have liked to shown my delight in
getting his goat but when talking to my father it was better to show no emotion
at all.  

     “Yes, well, I’m sure a lot of parents fall into that
category. Children go their own way when they reach adulthood and their
interests become less understandable.”

     I knew that was a dig at lacrosse. He didn’t comprehend
why I put so much effort into it since I couldn’t really make a career out of
it. If I continued after college I would only make around twenty-five thousand
a year. Like I’d told Carrie, lacrosse wasn’t big like football or baseball. I
played for the love of it, not to make money.

     However, dear old dad wanted me completely entrenched
in the family business, something I absolutely didn’t want. It was a never
ending argument between us.

     Keeping my face impassive I sighed with just the right
amount of boredom. “I hope you didn’t have me come all the way over here for
another discussion, in a long line of discussions, about my intolerable
lacrosse hobby.”

     He took a sip from his glass, but his gaze was fixed on
me. “I had something else I wanted to talk to you about. I received a call
three days ago from an unknown woman who seemed exceedingly concerned about
some girl you’ve been seen with. She informed me that the girl has a scandalous
past and that I should warn you about who you are being photographed with as it
could put an unfavorable light on you and the family.”

     My temperature instantly skyrocketed. I jolted forward…
screw
nonchalance
. “Some unknown woman, huh? Did she stay unknown or did you find
out who it was?” I asked tightly.

     My father’s eyes narrowed at my display. “No, I did not
find out who it was that called, nor do I particularly care. I do care about
the information she told me. The woman informed me of the girls name and I
looked into her background and it was quite disturbing. The girl killed her
father when she was fourteen and was put into a mental hospital. I called you
here so I could update you about what I found out if you didn’t already know.”
His eyes narrowed even further and I knew he didn’t like the idea that I might
have known and was still hanging out with her.

     “I already know about Carrie’s past and it’s not as cut
and dried as what’s presented for public scrutiny. Carrie was attacked by her
father in her bed when she was fourteen. She didn’t know it was her father
attacking her, suffocating her, when she protected herself by stabbing him in
the neck with a pencil. The reason she went to the hospital was at the realization
that she had kill her father. It was rather traumatic for her.” I said in irate
sarcasm.

     I was totally pissed off that someone had called my dad
to warn him about Carrie. She had warned me about the backlash, and even though
it was happening I didn’t care about myself. I
was
worried that it could
get back to her and cause her pain at the reemergence of her past.

     “While what you’ve told me does put a different spin on
the tale it doesn’t change the fact that the girls past is…unpleasant, and
would give you and this family negative publicity. It could also do great harm
to your lacrosse plans.” He smirked.

     Fuck, he didn’t a shit about my lacrosse plans, or bad
publicity. This was a power play on his part, in an effort in trying to control
me.

     I leaned toward him angrily. “Carrie has nothing to be
ashamed of. She was protecting herself from a sadistic individual. I’m not
ashamed to be seen with her and I don’t care what people say. She was actually
worried about the same thing, but I told her it would probably only enhance my
reputation.” I gave him a smirk of my own.