First Lies (The Second Life Series) Page 10

  “Yeah, well when you see your mother get killed in front of you, you can’t blame a person for always expecting the worst,” I shot back.

  “This is true,” he nodded his head.

  We both knew that’s what sparked Gloria’s worry wart tendencies. When she was eight or nine, someone broke into her house in the middle of the night. She was downstairs in the kitchen getting a drink when it happened. When she heard the door open, she hid in the pantry. Her mother and father came downstairs. The robber shot them both, killed her mom instantly with a bullet to the head. Her dad survived, but he was never the same. She barely spoke with him now. Shortly after that, she and her sisters moved in with their grandmother, nothing was ever the same.

  Charlie changed the subject. His tone was sharper now, “Who was that guy in the club screaming for a lawyer? Is that your new boyfriend?”

  “No, not yet,” I answered honestly. Charlie made it a point to stand directly in the way of my locker, so I couldn’t find some new clothes and run the hell out of here. “We just started dating. I didn’t know he was going to be here that night, and he didn’t know I work here. That’s the truth.”

  “Jersey, you’re good,” he said, nodding his head with approval. “You were the best one Gloria ever brought in here, but don’t think that means I won’t drop you.” I cocked my head to the side. “You know how I feel about boyfriends. They bring me nothing but bullshit. Do whatever you want outside of here, but I don’t want to see him in this club again. If he interferes with what I do in my own business, you’re out of here. I promise it’ll happen if you test me.”

  “Please, Charlie, we’re family. You’re making me feel all good inside with the way you’re talking to me,” I responded sarcastically. I shook my head in disbelief. Charlie always promised he was here to keep us happy, but that didn’t matter if it was at the cost of his own happiness. “Now, get the fuck out of my way, so I can go make some money.”

  Charlie moved slowly. He knew I wasn’t like a lot of the other girls. I didn’t want to go back to living off my parents, but I could. I could do that or get another job at any other club in the City. I didn’t need him or Lux. I had options. Whether it was him or Wes, no one was getting in the way of me making the money I needed.

  Chapter 10

  Wes and I had been dating each other happily for several weeks now. Our problems were seemingly forgotten in our past (sort of). Despite my many sleepovers, we still hadn’t had sex…which was hard. Wes had already been tested and provided me with a clean bill of health. It was just yesterday that I was able to see my gynecologist and get tested, myself. She told me I had to wait a couple of days to get the results back from the lab. This was an instant shock to me because I thought I’d be able to know right then and there. I was dying to have sex with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Well Endowed. Delicious memories of “almost-sex” from the past weeks tumbled into my brain. God, this was maddening.

  Gloria and I ran at an even pace through Fairmount Park. As we reached the end of our run, we slowed to a jog and then almost collapsed. My legs were killing me. We had never run this far before, but I had an urge for a strenuous workout. Tonight, I was sleeping at Wes’s place. I wanted to make sure I was good and tired before being alone in a bed with him, knowing I wasn’t going to have any sex.

  “Fuck, that hurt,” Gloria exhaled. She knocked back the rest of her water bottle after squirting some on her legs and arms. “We should walk a little bit after that one. Catch our breaths.”

  I nodded, unable to speak, and forced myself to stand up straight. We started walking, and even that was painful. Hopefully, this would be enough to keep me sane tonight. Somehow, I knew I’d still be driven crazy by that body.

  After about ten minutes, I started feeling good. I liked working out with Gloria. She knew how to push me. I said, “So you know how I went to Virginia a couple weeks ago?”

  “Yeah, I’m still irritated by that,” she joked. “I could’ve used the mini vacation.”

  I thought about the lavish hotel my dad was living in. It was heaven. “Next time, I go down there you should come with me. My dad gave me a suite and told me to visit whenever I wanted and to bring friends. You would love it there.”

  “My, oh, my Adriana, sometimes I forget that we come from two very different lives. Your dad owns a fucking hotel. How is that normal?” She laughed. “But in all seriousness, yes, I’ll run there if I have to. I saw all the pictures you posted online. It looks amazing.”

  “It was, but I’m thinking about setting up a different trip,” I started thinking about Boston a lot more recently. I knew I said I’d wait, but I was worried about Nick. “My dad and I were talking about my brother and how antisocial he’s being. I think I want to go up to Boston for a few days to check up on him. You should come with me. My dad’s been calling me more recently, asking if I’ve made time to see Nick yet.”

  “I don’t know,” she shook her head lightly. “I’m really struggling with my workload right now, and I need all the hours I can get at Lux. I’m hurting a little bit with only working two nights a week. Do you think you can wait until I go on break from school?”

  “No, I don’t think I can wait that long,” I sighed. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just being a baby. I’m scared once I get up there Nick’s going to see me and slam the door in my face. He’s pretty much disowned my entire family.”

  “Yeah, I think I’ve met everyone in your family but him. What’s his problem?” She asked.

  “He doesn’t want this life, or at least, he doesn’t want the people that this life is offering him,” yeah, that seemed to make sense. “It’s just that he’s my brother. I don’t get how he can turn his back on me after all these years. He’s always saying how much he hated my mom for doing that, but how is he any better?”

  “He’s in denial, and he’s a man. Men are stupid, illogical creatures,” Gloria answered simply. “For that reason, I think you should go. He needs you just as much as you need him. He’s just too dumb to realize it.”

  “Yeah, maybe I will,” what she said had made sense. Nick was going to realize he needed me even if I had to beat that into him. “I think I’m going to try getting a flight in a few weeks, spend a few days there if I can.”

  “Good idea,” Gloria stretched her arms into the air. “Now, let’s get out of here. I have class in a couple hours.

  I pulled the sleeves down on my Juicy Couture jacket as I drove, so it covered as much exposed skin as possible. I couldn’t believe the weather lately. It didn’t want to ever make up its mind. At least I’d be at Wes’s house soon. I had been looking forward to a night with him since we had originally planned it.

  When I pulled up at his house though, there was a pearl Escalade parked out front that I had never noticed there before. I parked behind it and walked up to the front door to see who else was at the Holden Residence.

  I rang the doorbell, and an Asian woman with sleek black hair and flawless, creamy skin answered the door. She was dressed in a dark blue, lace dress and black pumps, exposing her slender, glorious legs. There wasn’t a touch of makeup on her, yet she still looked gorgeous and desirable. Hell, she was glowing with beauty. I almost thought I rang the wrong doorbell until Wes showed up behind her, wearing his trademark boyish grin. As I looked back and forth between the two, I didn’t know what to say or think for that matter.

  “Hey, you didn’t tell me you were on your way,” Wes said, stepping in front of the woman and embracing me with a hug. I continued to stare passed him at her. A pang of jealousy ran through me. I wanted to know who she was and what she was doing here. Why was this disgustingly beautiful woman alone with him?

  Wes escorted me into the house, and the woman shut the door behind us. She stuck out her hand and smiled, “Hi, I’m Michelle. Wes was just telling us you would be coming tonight. It’s so wonderful to meet you.”

  “I’m Adriana,” I said shortly. I shook her hand lightly and raised an eyebrow. “Who qualifie
s as ‘us?’”

  The bathroom door pushed open, and another man entered the room. He was a few inches taller than Wes with the same piercing eyes and shape to his nose. From there, the resemblance stopped. This man had short, blonde hair, neatly cut around his head, and he was much paler in complexion. Judging from the way his t-shirt fit him, he was a big guy, built more like a sturdy football player than anything else. Although very different from Wes, he was still very good looking in his own right.

  “Wes Holden, look what you scored!” The man called from the opposite end of the room. I suddenly had my guard up. He was talking about me like I was a prize, the way someone would talk about Jersey. It wasn’t Jersey who was standing in front of him though. I was Adriana, and I hated that bullshit.

  “Garrett, mind your manners!” Michelle chastised. Oh, this must be Wes’s brother, Garrett. Yes, I recognized him from that picture on the fireplace. I looked back to Michelle. She was wearing a wedding ring. My jealousy subsided, and I started breathing easy again. “Don’t be rude.”

  “Shelly, a man can be proud of his little brother for meeting a lovely, young lady,” Garrett stared me dead in the eyes like he was an animal. I almost felt like punching him. How could he look at me that way with his wife standing next to him? Never removing his eyes from me, he breathed. “Good job, Wes.”

  “Are you done?” Wes responded with an air of annoyance. Garrett removed his gaze from me and turned to his brother. “Adriana, this is my brother, Garrett, and his wife, Michelle. They surprised me with a visit.”

  “Yes, we have some news, and since we were in the area I decided to wait to tell Wes in person,” Michelle beamed. “I was just about to tell him when I heard the door, so I ran to let you in because I couldn’t wait a second longer.” She grabbed Garrett’s hand and smiled with lightheartedness. She looked like she was going to start jumping up and down. She squealed. “I’m pregnant.”

  “Congratulations,” I cheered. Despite my unfamiliarity, I wrapped her into a brief hug to show my sincerity. I felt stupid for the spurt of jealousy a minute ago. This explained her angelic glow. “Is this your first child?”

  “No,” she pulled out her cell phone and clicked something. She handed it to me and a slideshow of an adorable toddler eating cake popped up on the screen. “That’s our daughter, Jade. She’s really excited about being a big sister.”

  Wes shook his brother’s hand and wrapped Michelle in a hug. He leaned down and patted her flat stomach which gave no hint to a pregnancy, “Hey, little guy. Do you know what I gave your big sister as a present the last time I was over your house? I gave her drums to make your mom and dad angry. Do you know what I’m giving you the moment you gain mobility? You’re getting drums, too.”

  “I’ll kill you if you give another one of my kids a set of drums,” Garrett threatened. “Do you know how long it took me to convince Jade that playing with dolls was more fun that banging on drums?”

  “She has rhythm,” Wes laughed. “I was trying to support her taste in the arts.”

  “Please, no more arts until we can sound proof the basement,” Michelle rolled her eyes. “Okay, Garrett, we need to be leaving. I don’t want to miss our reservation. Wes, are you sure you don’t mind watching Jade? You have company. We can take her with us. I have no problem with that.”

  “She’s my niece, and you’re only going to dinner. She’s sleeping. I promise we’ll both be okay,” he gestured towards me, but all I could do was nod. I knew next to nothing about kids. I was the youngest in my family, so I never experienced a new baby or a rambunctious toddler or anything before. From what I could tell, this should be a walk in the park though. After all, she was asleep.

  “Okay, Garrett, let’s go,” Michelle dragged her husband out of the house. I couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. I was grateful he was gone. Wes was charming and comforting. Garrett was creepy and pretty rude. He looked at me all wrong. He made me feel like he was totally okay with fucking me on the floor right in front of his brother and pregnant wife. How did they come from the same gene pool?

  “So that was Garrett,” Wesley laughed as if he was reading my mind. “Try not to take anything he says too personally. I like to think of it as a compliment.” I frowned. He wrapped his arms around me and grabbed two handfuls of my ass. “What? One thing you need to know about my brother is he’s brutally honest. If he seemed complimentary, it’s because I have one sexy girl.”

  Wes picked me up by my waist and started kissing me hard. My mind went completely blank. All that working out I did earlier had done absolutely nothing for me because I wanted him more than ever before. He walked to the couch and sat down, so I was still on top of him. I started moving in a grinding motion, feeling the pressure growing hard between his legs.

  I pulled myself off of him and nearly ripped off the buttons to his jeans. In mid tear, I stopped. I looked passed Wes and at the foot of the stairs was a little girl holding a doll. Her eyes were wide open with shock, and I couldn’t help but return the look of helplessness right back at her. Shit, within five seconds, I totally forgot he had his niece, the things this man could do to me.

  Wes turned his head around and pretty much threw me off of him to the other side of the couch, turning to the side to make sure his pants were concealing himself. He picked up the little girl and in a soothing voice said to her, “Jadey, what are you doing up? I thought Mommy put you to sleep.”

  “Wessy,” she cooed, burying her chubby cheeks into his shoulder. I felt absolutely mortified. Months of dancing naked in a club was nothing to me, but the moment a two year old sees me making out with her uncle, I all of a sudden feel the need to be more modest than a nun. “Wessy, I had a bad dream.”

  “Don’t you want to try going back to sleep?” Wes asked her.

  “No!” She screamed at him in response, shaking her head back and forth, making her little ponytail swing. “No, I’m scared.”

  Wes looked at me with concern. Shit, I wasn’t prepared for this. Finally, I stood up and walked towards the little girl in his arm. I stuck out my hand to her, “Hi, I’m Adriana.” Miraculously, they both looked at me like I was an idiot.

  “She’s two,” was the only response I got out of Wes. Jade continued to look at me like I was a moron. Were toddlers that smart at that age? Could they tell a childless dumbass was standing in front of them when they saw one? She continued to look at me baffled. Yes, I’m pretty sure they were that smart.

  I pulled back my hand and bit my lip, “Jade, do you want to watch TV with me and…Wessy?” I looked up at the man I used to consider masculine. “Is that who you are to her? Wessy?” He nodded, struggling to keep in his laughter. “We can watch cartoons.”

  “Ice cream,” she mumbled.

  “There’s an ice cream place at the shops,” Wes acknowledged. I raised a skeptical eyebrow. Was he really giving in to the immediate desires of a toddler? “We have to walk though. Do you want to go get ice cream?”

  “Yes,” she almost screamed. “Chocolate!”

  Wes’s townhouse was nestled behind a plethora of shops and restaurants. This was extremely convenient since we had absolutely no car seat, and Jade was determined to get ice cream. We walked together for a bit. Wes held Jade in one arm and held my hand with his free one. All of a sudden, things felt weird. He knew things I didn’t know. He knew how to take care of Jade and how to sternly tell her to behave herself when she started acting up. It made me feel useless. It was the first time he actually showed his age to me. It was the first time I actually felt like a kid in comparison to him.

  “Thank you,” Jade beamed as the girl behind the counter handed her a chocolate ice cream cone. She took a lick. “I like it!”

  Wes kissed her cheek and turned to me, “Adriana, you’ve been quiet. Get something. It’s my treat.”

  “Can I just get a cone of cookies and cream?” I asked the girl. I turned back to Wes still feeling slightly bothered. “Thank you.”

  Wes wa
s more than ten years my senior. Things were going great between us right now, but nothing was serious. We were in that marvelous beginning phase where we loved everything about one another. There were no fights, no problems to solve (well, besides me being a dancer and him fearing that I had a vagina so intimidating that even the CDC wouldn’t go near me), but there was a giant problem looming in our future…

  What if we did get serious? What if all of a sudden I was getting into my first real relationship? And then what if he wanted kids in a year…or marriage? I was nineteen. I couldn’t think that way, not right now anyway, and lacking experience in this specific area, I didn’t know what to expect.

  We all sat down at a table eating together. Most of his attention went to Jade, but that’s how it should be. He was so good with her, so caring. He put me to shame when it came to basic things like cleaning up after her or playing. Maybe, I’m just not the mothering type, but he clearly had the capacity to be a dad. Was it really fair to ignore what could potentially devastate us in the near future when I noticed it so early on?

  As the evening went on, I struggled to remain fun loving and carefree, but in the back of my head I kept thinking the same thing over and over. Wes was thirty years old. We were at different stages in our lives. There were a couple times that he seemed to pick up on something bugging me, but he never brought it up. At least he didn’t until Garrett and Michelle returned later that night.

  “How was dinner?” I asked as they came into the house.

  “It was great,” Garrett answered immediately. “I forgot what it was like to go out to eat without cutting up your kid’s meal first.”

  “Yes, and the food was perfect,” Michelle added. She spotted Jade back asleep on the couch and started laughing. “I guess she wasn’t as tired after our ride from Princeton as we thought. I see she made her way down here.”