Tackled by the King: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (49 page)

Being back here always made me crave cigarettes, and though I’d quit smoking five years ago, I always felt like I needed nicotine or alcohol to be able to stand being around my father. I exhaled the smoke and closed my eyes for a little while. “Got another one?” A voice said, and my eyes flew open to reveal a young woman standing before me. She had short black hair and she was wearing jeans and a brown leather jacket. “Um… sure,” I said, offering her the pack; she took one and pulled a lighter out of her own pocket, and after she’d lit up, she spoke with the cigarette between her teeth, “Thanks. Am I at Simon Garrett’s place?” I nodded and looked at the trolley bag and backpack she had brought with her and comprehension dawned as I said, “You must be Paige.” She smiled as she blew out smoke and said, “That’s me, and you are?” I stood up and held out my hand and said, “I’m Lucas,” she shook my hand and looked me up and down with an impressed look on her face. She was stunning, in a young schoolgirl kind of way, but she had the air of someone who wanted desperately to look older than she was. “So tell me, Lucas- why are you out here and not inside enjoying the extravagant dinner party my mother has probably thrown?” I laughed and said, “I just stepped out for a smoke, would you like to go inside?”

She looked at me and twirled a strand of her hair as she said, “I’m not really dressed for a dinner party right now, and I don’t think my mother expected me here until morning. So, I’d much rather stay out here with you,” she bit her lip seductively and I felt very strange- she was my future step-sister, and she barely looked older than eighteen. I remembered my dad telling me she was at UCLA, so she was probably older than eighteen, but she was still so young. I wasn’t sure if she knew who I was, or if she would be flirting with me like this if she was aware of the fact that I was about to be her brother. I was still thinking of what I would say to her in reply when a waiter emerged and said, “Mr. Lucas- Mr. Garrett would like all the guests to have dessert now, so if you could please come back inside for a minute-” I nodded and stood up. The waiter looked at Paige, and said, “Um, miss, will you be joining us?” Paige threw her cigarette on the ground and stubbed it out under her sneaker and frowned before she said, “Yeah, might as well.” Paige bent to pick up her bag, and the waiter rushed forward to take it from her. I led her into the house, down the same hallway where I had walked with Rachel about an hour ago, and into the ballroom. We had just walked in when there was a loud shriek and in a cloud of hair and perfume, Sophia had come rushing at us and enveloped Paige in a bone-crushing hug. “Paige! Oh my God, Paige- what’re you doing here?” Paige pulled away and grinned at her mother as she said, “There was a mistake in my itinerary, and I arrived a lot earlier than I was supposed to- so I thought I’d crash your dinner.”

I felt someone touch my arm and I turned to find Rachel looking at me strangely, “Hey,” I whispered, and she whispered back, “Your father doesn’t suspect anything, if you were worried about that.” I snorted quietly, “I wasn’t.” She pursed her lips and nodded shortly as she said, “Well, alright, just thought I’d tell you.” She turned to walk away from me but I held her arm and pulled her back, “What do you say I show you the bedrooms now that you’ve seen the bathroom.” She turned bright red and stuttered, “N-No, I should be heading out now.” I shrugged and turned away, but a second later she was back, “Lucas?” I turned to face her again, and saw the most curious expression on her face, somewhere between flirtation and indecisiveness as she said, “Can I have your number?” I smiled apologetically and said, “Sorry, I don’t have a phone right now, but why don’t you give me yours and I’ll call you when I get one?” Rachel blinked silently at me for a second and then recovered quickly and said, “Um, that’s fine- I’ll just see you at the wedding, I guess. Goodbye, Lucas.” She hurried away, her heels making clicking across the marble mosaic floor. I watched her ass ripple beneath that gorgeous green fabric and smiled to myself. I turned around to find Paige inches away from me, looking at Rachel walking away with a frown. “Paige,” I said in a friendly tone, “What’s up?” She readjusted her features into a smile and said, “Was that your girlfriend?” I didn’t really answer her question as I said, “That’s the wedding planner.”

Chapter Ten: Rachel

I entered my apartment and flung myself on my bed without changing or taking off my makeup. I wished Alison was here. I desperately needed someone to talk to. I picked up my phone to call Sarah when I remembered what Lucas had said about his phone. Was I really supposed to believe that he didn’t have a cell phone? In 2015? I shook my head. How could I have been so stupid? I was right this morning when I thought of swearing off guys for good; he may have rescued me from a creep, but he was the same. When I refused to go up to the bedroom with him, he just didn’t want anything to do with me. And if I had gone up with him, what then? He probably would have moved on to the next party guest. I could feel a sob rising up in the back of my throat and I buried my face in my pillow. I would stay away from him at the wedding- I just had to. But kissing him made my whole body feel like it was on fire, I admitted to myself. It would be incredibly difficult to stay away from him. I groaned out loud and got up to wash my face and change my clothes. The whole thing was so strange, I thought, as I splashed cold water onto my face. I ran into the same guy three times in one day, and each time I was undeniably attracted to him but he was so unpredictable. The first time, he ignored me completely; the second time, he rescued me from unwanted advances and then left; the third time, he offered to take me up to his room, then he kissed me fiercely, then offered again, and then refused to give me his number.

What was I getting myself into? I knew he broke up with Monique, and that he had a reputation for being a playboy- I remembered suddenly what Felix had told me over the phone about getting involved with Lucas. I thought back to when Simon Garrett had called me into his study during the dinner party. We had spoken almost exclusively about the wedding, but just as I was leaving, he had said, “Oh, Rachel, I was thinking- leave an extra seat at the family table for Monique just in case. Who knows, they may have patched things up by then. Lucas and Monique are meant to be- and they can’t stay apart for too long.” I had kept my face passive and nodded but his words had pierced right through my chest. And now, as I thought back, I realized that I was an idiot. Of course, Lucas wasn’t going to give me his number. He was on a break from his girlfriend and just wanted to fuck around. I didn’t have time for casual. I wanted romance. I sighed and slouched out of the bathroom; as I passed by Alison’s empty room on the way to mine, I realized how utterly lonely I felt. I decided to go to the kitchen instead. I couldn’t remember having eaten much all day, but there had definitely been a lot of alcohol. I pulled open the fridge and looked disappointedly inside, finding nothing more than a half-empty milk carton and some bruised apples. I promised myself I’d get my life in order- but I’d start from tomorrow. I pulled open the freezer door and found some ice-cream- that’ll do, I thought to myself, as I carried the tub to my room.

I felt guilty about having lost control in the bathroom with Lucas, why couldn’t I have said no? Well, I knew the answer to that- I didn’t want to. I wanted him to kiss me, to tear my clothes off, to fuck me. I continued to sadly shovel spoonfuls of ice cream into my mouth as I berated myself for always falling for the wrong guys. But he had seemed so perfect, a voice inside my head begged, he was handsome and successful and well-off. I sighed and realized I had finished off the ice cream already. I threw the bucket into the waste basket in the corner of my room, but I missed the basket by an inch and the melted remains of the ice cream splashed over the wall and onto the floor. Kill me now. I dragged myself back to the kitchen to grab a washcloth and I hurried over to scrub away the sticky ice cream before it attracted ants. I thought of how I must look, crouching on the floor in my oversized t-shirt holding a dirty washcloth and wiping the stains off my wall. Monique was probably an upper-class beauty with a firm body and an arsenal of servants to do these things for her. She would probably never eat ice cream for dinner and she would be too ladylike to fling the empty tub across her room. I sighed deeply and leaned my back against the wall I had just wiped. Lucas Garrett, son of Simon Garrett, who had grown up in that palatial house and now lived in Paris- what would he want with a girl like me? His family had hired me; they were paying me for a service I could provide. I was a chubby thirty-year-old with very little money and no influence or power. All I was good for was a quick fuck during his father’s dinner party.

I checked the clock on my bedside table; it was 2 a.m. Where the hell had the time gone? I knew I’d been home before midnight, so had I really been moping around after Lucas for two hours? I had to go into work tomorrow and start organizing everything for the wedding. It was no longer the easy job I had imagined it would be. Sophia had added tons of amendments to the plans and Simon had added a few himself. The guest list seemed to be this expansive thing that kept on getting longer and longer, and now Sophia was thinking of changing the venue. Thankfully, the deposit had been paid, and Simon was much more sensible in terms of money than Sophia was. I turned off the lights and sank into my comfortable bed, on the verge of drifting asleep when my phone suddenly began to ring. It was probably Alison; she would want to know how the dinner went and if the outfit was right. I picked up my phone but the number on screen was one I didn’t recognize. “Hello?” I said blearily, and the voice on the other end said, “I told you I’d call you when I had a phone.” I sat up quickly and almost gasped, but was able to contain it just before it came out. “Lucas? How did you get my number?” He laughed softly and I felt my pulse quicken, “It’s very rare for me not to be able to get what I want, Rachel.” I bit my lip and said, “Um, okay. So why are you calling me at 2 in the morning?” I could almost hear the smile in his voice as he said, “I’m taking you out to breakfast tomorrow morning.”

“Excuse me?” I blurted out, and he laughed again, as he repeated, “I’m taking you out to breakfast.” I was thinking of something to say in reply when he said, “Great, I’ll pick you up at 9.” I opened and closed my mouth wordlessly and then sputtered, “I- I have work- in the m-morning.” There was a pause and then Lucas said, “Well, I’m your client’s son, so meeting with me counts as work. I’ll see you at 9.” I let out a nervous chuckle and then said, “But you don’t know where I-” I stopped halfway through my sentence as I realized that he got my number and he was probably able to get my address too. I sighed and said, “Alright, guess I’ll see you then.” He hung up without saying goodbye, or anything at all, and I shook my head. Why had I just agreed to that? I sighed again and lay back down- was this really happening? I set my alarm for seven, but I couldn’t sleep, so I pulled my laptop towards me and looked up Lucas Garrett. Pictures of him popped up on my screen, from business magazines, social pages, and gossip columns. He was something of a celebrity, and apparently, so was Monique, I could see the beautiful blonde girl in a few pictures, leaning on Lucas’s arm or smiling at him. She was always dressed to perfection and she looked like she belonged on a runway somewhere.

I slammed the laptop shut and groaned out loud. What had I gotten myself into? I wasn’t one of them- the people whose faces were splashed all over magazines and the Internet. No one outside my friends and family knew my name. I was a nobody in a world of somebodies, and Lucas was definitely a somebody. Did it matter though? I hadn’t lied to him about who I was, or what I did. Surely he must know I wasn’t very well off, but he didn’t seem to care, so why should I? I had no reason to be embarrassed about my apartment or my job or my family. I turned over and thought of the way he had looked at Sarah’s friends this afternoon. That was the kind of crowd I moved around in, and dinners at my family’s house meant sweaters and casseroles, not bow ties and five-course meals. Was I making a mistake? But who said I had to marry the guy? Couldn’t I just have some fun with him? I deserved that, didn’t I? I closed my eyes, and still thinking of mansions and indoor swimming pools, I drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Eleven: Lucas

The next morning, I was humming to myself as I shaved my face. Somehow, I was a lot happier than I had been in a long time, and it didn’t make any sense. I was going to have to see my dad again later today; I had to stay away from the office for a week and had nothing else to do. I was all alone in my hotel room- I should be miserable. Instead, I woke up feeling excited about the day ahead and hopped into the shower bright and early. I finished shaving and as I patted on aftershave, I realized that it was my date with Rachel that was keeping me so excited. I grinned at my reflection. It was because I had let go of Monique and I was back in the game. I loved the thrill of the chase, and it made me ridiculously excited when I had a fresh piece of ass to focus on. I thought about Rachel, up on the bathroom counter last night, with her legs wrapped tightly around me, throwing back her neck and moaning softly as I kissed her jawline, her neck, her cleavage. I could almost taste her skin and smell her scent and suddenly, I noticed I was very hard under the towel wrapped around my waist. I reached down and held my dick, hard. I started to stroke it but then I let go, thinking I should save some for Rachel. Grinning, I left the bathroom and started getting dressed.

Once I was done, I called room service and said, “Hello, yes, I’m stepping out for a bit but I’ll have a visitor later. So, please make sure housekeeping tidies up my room.” I looked in the mirror and thought that if I were Rachel, I’d fuck me in an instant. I checked my watch- it was 8:15; just enough time for me to go downstairs, set everything up for later, and then leave to pick her up. I had finally arranged for my own car and driver, so I wouldn’t have to rely on Freddy anymore. He was a great guy, but he was very loyal to my father, and I didn’t need Simon Garrett to know my every move. I got in and told my new driver, Barry, to take me to Rachel’s apartment, I gave the address and we started driving. I looked out the window and thought about the dinner last night. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked her up to the bedroom, but I had wanted her and I thought she should know. The one thing I never did was lie about my intentions. I told women they were nothing but pawns in my sex games and yet, they never refused the chance to sleep with me. I ran my fingers through my hair and thought about kissing Rachel again. There was something magnetic about her- the way she spoke, her hair, her body, the way her legs had tightened around me. I smirked and settled back into my seat.