Sinners & Saints (Sinners & Saints #1) (15 page)

           
His
eyes are cold. His body is hard. His heart is steel. I just want to break
through.

 
“Well, really what I was going to say is
that… if your mum did see you watching her before she jumped… then she
shouldn’t have jumped.”

The large bump in his throat and the
look on his face as if I stabbed him in the chest indicates that I have just
broke through.

 
“She shouldn’t have done that to you. I
don’t care if she still would’ve wanted to kill herself. She should have
rescheduled instead of letting her own son witness the most horrific thing that
would haunt him for the rest of his life. As a final favor to you, she should
have at least granted you that.”

           
His
right hand is trembling. His face is strained. He’s just a statue, but now the
cracks are beginning show.

           
“Excuse
me, sir.” The butler, Thomas, is at the doorway. “Your guests have arrived.”

           
Two
girls appear behind him. I laugh a little shaking my head. One is a red head
with a yellow sundress on and the other is a black girl with a white top and
jeans. Both very beautiful.

           
“Juliet
this is Kirsten Vaughn and Lindsey O’Connell,” Hugo introduces us. “Come in.”

           
They
both walk in, saying hi, smiling. I don’t judge, but my mild jealousy is
forcing me too. I can’t help but scream at them in my head, shouting,
Sluts! Whores! Hoes! Skanks!
What’s the
new one?
Thots!
I kind of like that
word.

           
The
red head stares up and down at me. “Will she be joining us?” she asks.

           
I’m
flattered and at the end of the day I can’t help but adore these girls. I adore
everyone at first.

           
I
look back at Hugo and that same mask appears. His eyes blank, a semi smirk,
back to challenging me. “Well, Juliet? It is a very spacious shower.”

           
“No,
I won’t be joining.” I wink at the girls and make one last request. “But do be
extra good to him girls, he’s had a rough day.”

10

SCARLETT

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my
mom and Rebecca coming here for the summer,” Patrick says staring at me through
the mirror. I’m combing through my wet hair, having just taken a shower after
getting back from the gym in the building. I needed to release some steam
through cardio and yoga.

           
“Its
fine,” I lie, smiling at him. A bright smile flashes across his face.

           
“So
was the girl’s sleepover fun last night?”

           
I
smile to myself remembering all the dirty things Hugo and I did last night.
“Yes, it was wonderful.” I can’t believe Patrick actually thinks I had a
sleepover with the girls.

           
“I
like em. They are very… out there, but they were okay enough. Hugo definitely
is a hard one.”

           
“Yeah,
he’s always been like that.”

           
“Was
his brother Gabriel like that?” I stop combing my hair.

           
“Gabriel
was more… charismatic. He could laugh and smile without a problem, but that’s
what made him a great liar too.”

           
“I
know you don’t like talking about him. I was just curious because when I saw
those family pictures, Hugo and Gabriel looked alike just… next to different
Scarlett’s, I suppose. It’s very obvious that Hugo sees you as more than a
friend too.”

           
“Oh?”
I slyly grin.

           
“Don’t
‘oh’ me. I know you know. You know everything.”

           
“Hugo
likes what he can’t have.”

           
“And
he’s never had you, right?” He sounds a little irritated.

           
I
turn my head looking at him. “What’s going on?”

           
He
closes his eyes and sighs. “Nothing.”

           
“Then
don’t be absurd, Patrick. When Hugo and I were both staying at Ms. Eleanor’s,
he was a kid. I did some pretty shitty things but not that. A lot of people
think we did, but no. I told you that. Gabriel was my first. He died. Then came
other guys.”

 
          
He
raises his hand up, wincing. “I know. I know. I don’t want to rehash the past
roster. I’m sorry.” Frustrated, he pulls his hair. “It’s work and my mom being
here now. I just… I’m taking it out on you.”

           
“Well,
I know your mom has fished for every truth pertaining to a rumor about me, but
what’s going on with work?”

           
He
looks at me with his hands on his hips, contemplating if he should tell me.
“There is a bidding for a very promising technology software.”

           
“What?”

           
“It’s
called NeoLock. It’s a new data protection system. Scarlett, this thing can do
it all when it comes to encryption, security, data loss prevention, anything
that has anything to do with protecting valuable and important information
virally.” He’s getting excited, speaking about this. “Remember that meeting I
had to go to last month? Well, that was to see this thing tested out. Babe, it
is the future. It can and it will drive data protections like CipherCloud to
the ground. This thing creates a whole other cloud. Already Wall Street firms,
banks in other countries, I even heard Google is looking towards buying this
thing. Could you imagine what this could do for Townsend?”

           
“Yes,
I do.” The possibility of being on top makes me wet. “So what’s the problem?”

           
His
smile faints a little. “NeoLock needs five investors. They already have two
locked down. One of them being the company that designed it. Now looking for
three more.”

           
“Who
designed it?”

           
“Harper
Industries.”

“Edward Harper? Self-made millionaire,
now with this he’ll be a billionaire. I know his daughter. She’s married to
  
”

           
“Jonathan
Mandrake, your friend Hugo’s father.”

           
I
can’t help but laugh. Of course, my Hugo’s family would be in the way of my
impending reign.

           
“Rumors
of Harper creating this newfound technology circulated three years ago.”

           
“I
know,” I smile remembering one of my lovers, a CEO of a software company
mentioning it to me. “No one took it serious though. Harper Industries doesn’t
normally focus on technology.”

           
“Yeah,
well the old man finally caught up.”

           
“It
explains Hugo’s dad’s interest in Kelly Harper at the time.”

           
Patrick
gapes at me. He’s so ignorant. “You think he deliberately married her so he
could get in with Harper?”

           
“Yeah,
why not? Patrick your company has always been one step above his along with the
already two companies lined up to invest, I am sure of it. Jonathan Mandrake
likes to be on top just like the rest of you men. He gets a hot wife and more
billions, two wins.”

           
“So
that’s what you think men want? Sexy wife, more money.”

           
“Most.
It’s the oldest trick in the trade. Woo the daughter to get the father. I’ve
seen it played many times and so have you. You just choose to see the best in
people.”

           
“I
saw the best in you.”

           
“You
did, which is why I love you.” I wrap my arms around his neck and he wraps his
around my waist.

           
“Well,
either way Mandrakes got this in the bag. The board members want me to offer
more money, but it’s too much of a risk with our other investments. I’m not
willing to lose my family’s company or myself over this. Hopefully, he’ll take
our offer and drop one of the others.” He kisses me on the forehead and heads
into the bathroom.

           
“Who
are the other companies?!” I call out asking, but I have an idea who. He peaks
his out.

           
“Uh,
Dole Capital is the one that’s locked down but the ones in the bid that will
probably get it are Rocket Co, Transcend Q, and Keegan.”

           
“As
in Tom Keegan?”

           
“Yep,
the son, right? You know him?” he asks as he runs the shower.

           
“Yes,
I do.” I grin. “He was a friend of my father’s.”

HUGO

“So what’s up with you, Mandrake?”
Kirsten asks me. She’s lying next to me while Lindsey is at the foot of the
bed. Both of them naked under my sheets.

           
“What
are you talking about?” I ask, rubbing my temples.

           
“You
seemed frustrated.”

           
“Yeah,”
Lindsey chimes in. “It seems we were participating more than you. You were
barely even watching.”

           
 
“A lot on my mind,” I admit, staring at
the ceiling. They’re right. The shower was great with them. Then when we took
the party to the bed, things changed. I sat in my chair, watching them kiss
—
watching two hot women kiss, I must
rephrase in detail… and all I could do was think about her. She was there. In
my twisted head, twisting more things.

           
“It
must be that new girl,” Kirsten sings. “You must like her.”

           
I
sit up and look at both of them. “You can go now.”

           
They
both giggle, not fazed by my rudeness. That’s what I like about them. Kirsten
and Lindsey have been best friends since the second grade and they share
everything. From clothes
—
hell, even
underwear
—
to men.

           
“You
know at some point you’re going to have to let someone in that disturbed mind
of yours,” Kirsten says to me after she puts on her shirt.
 

           
Fully
dressed, they skip and giggle to my door, arms linked. They open it and I am
surprised to see Cody outside my room. His face literally drops at the sight of
the two girls in front of him.

           
“Hey
Cody,” they say to him, smiling.

           
“Uh,
Kirsten, Lindsey… hey.”

           
They
brush past him, laughing as he continues gawking at them. I throw on my pants
and walk over to him, smirking. “Told you I wasn’t a racist.”

           
He
smacks his lips and rolls his eyes.

           
“What
do you want?” I ask. He rarely visits my room.

           
“I,”
he says nervously. “I might need your assistance.”

           
“My
assistance? With what?”

           
“There’s
this girl.”

           
I
nod in amusement. “Of course there is… you may enter.”

JULIET

“Hey Jordana, Poppy,” the red haired
girl greets them once they enter the foyer.

           
“Lindsey,
Kirsten,” Jordana says. “Making one last round, I see.”

           
They
both giggle, coming into the living room and helping themselves to the mini
bar.

           
“I’m
getting married and actually I do love him, so I might as well get it all out
of my system. He’s doing the same,” Lindsey says before taking a shot of vodka.

           
“It
still sucks.” Kirsten frowns. She looks my way. “Juliet, it was a pleasure
meeting you.”

           
“You
too,” I say back.

           
“Do
take care of our boy,” Lindsey says to me, smiling.
What did she mean by that?

           
Once
they’re gone, I point to the door and look at Jordana. “One’s getting married.”

           
“Yeah.
They’re both cool. Really nice; they’re just kinky. They share everything
including men.”

           
“And
women,” Poppy says, grinning at Jordana.

           
“Lindsey
is getting married to Andy Reffington,” Jordana says. “He’s related to the
Kennedys.”

           
“Does
he know about her relationship with the other girl?” I ask.

           
“Oh
yeah,” Jordana says. “But he’s cool with it. They have this whole don’t care
because we love each other thing. Besides, when they get married, he will be
the only one that sleeps with both of them. I view them as borderline lesbians
that need a dick, just not a fake one.”

           
I
almost choke on my wine, laughing hysterically at Jordana.

           
“I’m
very serious. I at least respect their choices. I find it highly rude that
girls that call themselves full on lesbians choose to use strap ons
occasionally.”

           
I
stop laughing and start to really think about it. “That is kind of confusing.”

           
“Yes!”
It’s clear that Jordana feels very passionate about this. “You give up dick for
clit, still you choose to strap a fake dick to that said clit. It’s highly
offensive to me. I wrote a whole article on it.
New York Times
of course wouldn’t publish it, but I posted it on
Tumblr. You’d be amazed at the debate it sparks. I’m hated by 64 percent of the
female gay community now, confirming that 64 percent of the female gay
community are actually closet bisexuals.”

           
“Well
at least you’re a freedom fighter,” I joke.

           
“You
mock me, but I know.”

           
“You’ve
never used a strap on?” I arch my brow at her.

           
She
keeps a straight face for a moment. Finally, rolling her eyes. “Okay, maybe I
finally wore one last year, but it’s still appalling.”

           
I
laugh my ass off.

HUGO