Second Lies (The Second Life Series) Read online

  “Do I now?” I raised a suspicious eyebrow, and Declan nodded at me frantically. He was so cute right now. I had to lighten up a little bit.

  The light bulb went on, and Craig finally caught onto what was happening around him. He laughed, “Okay, you guys have fun. Call me if you need anything.” He said to Declan, and then he winked at me. “And Adriana, you’re excused from your session tomorrow morning. We’ll set up something for the afternoon.”

  “Bye guys,” Taylor sang, yanking Craig out of the bar by his arm. For such a small girl, she definitely knew how to man-handle her boyfriend.

  Once they left, Declan turned all his attention to me. Normally, I’d feel extremely uncomfortable and wish I was anywhere else, but I had fun all night long so far and the earlier shots had brightened my mood further. He ran his knuckles up and down my arm. He said, “Please tell me you dance.” I bit my lip, trying to keep myself from laughing...if only he knew. I nodded my head. “Damn, I think you’re perfect. I’d marry you tonight if you wanted, but I’m willing to settle for a dance?”

  Tonight was too much fun to turn him down. I promised Gloria I wouldn’t fuck up the date, and so far, I was doing great. Declan deserved a fair chance. So what if he wasn’t W-…Shit, I was completely overthinking this. I nodded my head again and was whisked away to the dance floor.

  Declan spun me around, and I couldn’t help but laugh. He was surprisingly light on his feet for such a big guy. He grabbed me by my waist and started grinding against my behind, brushing his cheek against mine. I expertly moved my hips to the beat of the David Guetta and Nicki Minaj song, vaguely aware of his growing erection against my ass.

  “You’re gorgeous,” he breathed into my ear, his hands firm on my hips.

  He planted a light kiss on my neck. My skin tingled under the pressure of his lips. I continued to dance without looking at him, closing my eyes to the world and my inhibitions. It felt so good to not have a care in the world. For once, tonight would be all about me. Who knows? Maybe, I’d even have sex with this guy. Nothing should hold me back. There wasn’t a damn thing standing in my way. I was a single girl on a fun date. I deserved this.

  The song ended, and the beat slowed down to something so sexual. Fuck, was that Method Man? The song continued, picked up and exploded into a classic. Yes, and Christina Aguilera! This was possibly my favorite song ever. I loved dancing to it at Lux.

  I shouted, threw my hands in the air, and opened my eyes. I gasped and froze. The music seemed to fade away. Everything around me became instantly insignificant. Across the room, through the crowd of people, his eyes bore into mine. His face was twisted into pain and anger. His gorgeous, male form stood out above the rest. A slew of memories came to mind. I knew his scent. I knew his touch. I knew his kiss. I gulped. I knew what it was like to scream his name in bed. He narrowed his brow and stalked to the back of the bar. Just like that, he was gone…

  “Are you okay?” Declan shouted. His hands were still on my hips. I felt so dirty with them there. I tore myself out of his grasp with such force you would have thought his skin was burning fire against mine. It mine as well have. “Adriana, what’s wrong?”

  I shook my head, unable to find the words. Finally, I just started babbling like only I knew how, “Declan, I am so, so, so sorry. You’re great, but something just came up. I have to go. Do you know your way back?”

  I didn’t wait for an answer. I took off, leaving him by himself in a crowd of dancing, drunk people in a strange city. There was a service door that led to the back. I ignored a bartender’s protest and raced through it.

  “Where is he?” I mumbled. I know I saw him. I knew that with everything in me.

  “Hey, what are you doing back here?” A bouncer charged towards me. “Can’t you read? Employees only.” He grabbed my arm, gripping it a little harder than necessary.

  I shoved him with my free hand, determined to break free, and screamed, “Get the hell off of me!”

  “She’s fine, a personal guest here,” the bouncer turned around and immediately released my arm. He nodded his head and exited the backroom, leaving me alone…with Garrett. I rolled my eyes, tears threatening to fall. He was the wrong Holden.

  “What are you doing here?” I choked out. My jaw trembled. The sight of him was still fresh in my mind.

  “Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?” Garrett smirked, taking slow, careful steps towards me. My heart thumped in my chest. “I own this bar. It’s been newly acquired by Holden Industries. Do you like it?”

  “Where is he?” I screamed, utterly overcome by emotion. My head felt light. I started to wonder if I was going to pass out. “I know he’s here.”

  “My brother?” I nodded. “He left in a bit of a hurry for some reason.” Garrett pressed his lips together, watching my reaction. I was a pathetic mess, crumbling before his eyes. “He decided it was a little too crowded in here for him.” His words cut like a knife. “It was a surprise to see you here, Adriana…From the looks of it, you’re surprised to see me here, too.”

  I slumped into an empty seat, completely defeated. I answered, “I had no idea this was your bar. He-He never said anything about it to me, only that it was a thought for the future, but he never even picked a location as far as I knew. Believe me, if I had known, I wouldn’t have come here.”

  “Wes made the purchase shortly after the breakup. It was a good distraction for him and an excellent business decision for me. He’s poured everything into turning this struggling bar around. You should see the photographs from a couple months ago,” his voice felt so distant. I was lost in my thoughts, a thick, foggy mess of thoughts. He sensed that. “Who was that guy you were with?”

  I exhaled. Of course, Garrett saw too. Why did that bother me as well? “That was Declan. A friend asked me to go on a double date tonight. We were just dancing.”

  “Dancing?” He laughed, clearly unamused. “You guys looked like you were about to fuck out there.”

  “No, that was dancing. Believe me, if I wanted it to look like I was fucking him, I would certainly know how to do that,” I was standing now, wondering what my next move should be. Maybe, I should text him, explain myself. Explain myself? But I did nothing wrong. I’m a single girl. I’m allowed to be with whomever I want…but then, why did I feel so guilty?

  “You’re emotional right now. Come into my office, relax, and then we’ll figure out what your next move should be,” his statement stunned me into silence. Garrett always spoke like he could read my mind. He took my hand and led me down the hall to a small, cluttered office. There was a desk with a computer on it and two chairs on either side. Besides that, there wasn’t much else other than a lot of boxes and haphazard objects.

  I sat down in the empty chair. Garrett remained standing in front of me. He caressed my hair. His fingertips continued to run down the length of my jaw until he grabbed me by the chin to meet my eyes with his. For a moment, we just sat there, our breaths simultaneously quickening from the sparks created from when we touched.

  “Stand up,” he said. I don’t know why, but I listened. He angled me towards the desk and gave me a slight nudge, so I was now seated on top of it. “Did you read the newspaper this morning?”

  “Someone showed it to me,” I whispered. He moved himself in front of me, only separated from me by my closed legs.

  “And what did you think of it?” He pressed his body against my knees and ran his hands up and down the length of my thighs in a soothing, slow motion.

  “I think I’m not a socialite,” was the first thing I answered.

  “Do you want to know what I thought?” Garrett slipped his hands under my thighs and gently parted them, so he was standing between my legs now. He didn’t wait for my answer. He breathed against my lips. “I couldn’t stop thinking about how perfect you looked in my hands. I couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss in the lobby.” He froze in place as if it pained him to move. “I can’t help but think it’s fate that brought you here to
night, and maybe…maybe, I’m the one you’re supposed to be going crazy for.”

  Very slowly, he kissed my lips, almost like he was afraid I would run away again. His kisses came harder, his tongue moved into my mouth. He ran his hands up my thighs to my back where he pulled me ever so closer to him. I couldn’t help but release a gasp at the sudden movement. He didn’t stop.

  In that moment, all of my sadness melted away. Garrett had this way about him that made me forget and remember the ghosts in my mind, bringing out only the best parts to the surface, a pleasurable euphoric sensation like those pills from the photo shoot. His controlling nature made me give into his carnal desires, making me realize that maybe he knew what I wanted before I even knew myself.

  He leaned down on his knees, still forcing my thighs apart with his powerful hands. My head hung back as heated desire swarmed my brain. Instantly, I became wet and opened myself up to him even more. He kissed and nipped at the flesh of my inner thighs, slowly pulling me further off the desk and closer to his mouth.

  The anticipation was killing me. Once he reached my underwear, he paused for barely a second. Using his fingertips, he gently pushed the cloth aside and dragged his tongue at an excruciating pace up to my clit.

  “Shit,” I moaned as I dug my nails into the back of his neck. His sadistic laugh followed and he went back to work until I was splayed out on my back from a cosmic orgasm that left me writhing with him still sucking between my legs.

  Garrett lifted to his feet, lapping at his glistening lips. I remained panting on the wood surface of the desk, ready to receive whatever he wanted to give. He pulled off my underwear. I wriggled them off my feet, and he stuck them into his pocket. Keeping his eyes locked on mine the whole time, he started unbuckling his belt and reaching for his zipper.

  There was a knock at the door. His face burned red with awareness. His eyes tore away from mine. The knock came again. There was a man’s voice on the other side, “Garrett, are you in there?”

  He exhaled. His eyes darted from corner to corner. He was clearly having an internal argument with himself. Did he regret being with me? The knock came again, louder. Garrett barked, “What the hell is it?”

  “Phone call,” the voice answered back. “It’s your wife.”

  His eyes widened at the three little words that could absolutely, positively, instantly shut me down. Soundlessly, I stood to my feet and fixed my dress and hair. Garrett shouted back, “Tell her I’ll call her back shortly.”

  The person on the other side of the door didn’t say a thing. His steps retreated down the hall. Neither of us spoke until we were sure we were alone. “I think I should be going.” I leaned for the door, but Garrett stood in my way, fixing himself and buckling his pants back up. “Garrett, this was a mistake.”

  “It’s complicated,” he took my face in both of his hands and pressed his forehead against mine. “Don’t leave. Stay here with me. I don’t want you to go.”

  I pulled away sensing a new found realization. Behind the lies and the cover ups, behind the money and the good looks, there lies one, brilliant truth that burns as bright as the sun: You could not trust the Holdens.

  Just like before, I uttered, “Goodnight,” and I was gone.

  Chapter 8

  My phone was ringing for the third time in a row. It was Craig, and I was determined to ignore his phone calls for the day. After eating a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream, smoking a shit load of weed, and calming myself down, I realized I was such an asshole for leaving Declan last night. I just wasn’t ready to apologize. I was still loathing myself, drained in self-pity. I couldn’t believe I saw him last night. I couldn’t believe I hooked up with a married man…and not just any married man but Garrett fucking Holden. All of that and a perfectly nice guy was left on the dance floor who in no way deserved that. Great job, Adriana.

  The intercom went off, and I buzzed Gloria up. After a series of pathetic text messages I’d sent her, she decided to skip her class and check up on me instead. Within minutes, she was barging into my apartment. She came into the bedroom and found me tucked away under the comforters.

  “What happened?” She dropped her things to the floor and climbed into bed with me. She wrapped her arms around my waist and leaned her head against the back of my shoulder. “Honey, why are you so sad? Was your date that bad?”

  “Declan was great,” I sniffed. “We were having a blast, but then I saw him there, standing over the crowd, watching us dance.”

  “Shut the fuck up. Do you mean-?” Gloria knew better than to mention his name out loud. We had established that rule months ago. “What the fuck was he doing there?”

  “He bought the bar with Garrett after we broke up. He probably thinks I knew it was his bar and that I did it all on purpose,” I grabbed a tissue and dabbed at my eyes. “He probably thinks I’m the biggest bitch in the world.”

  “It was an accident. That was completely out of your control.”

  “There’s more,” I exhaled, preparing myself for the extreme, judgmental reaction of Gloria Colon. She had already freaked out once when I told her about the kiss in the lobby. “Garrett was there, too….and we did some things.”

  “Things?” Gloria shrieked. “What kind of things did you do?”

  I couldn’t face her. I knew she was totally disapproving of me having anything to do with Garrett. She thought I was just transferring my emotions for one brother to another. “Um, we just did some things. Can we leave it at that? I promise we didn’t have sex.”

  “Adriana, you need to use your brain,” she tightened her squeeze around me the way she did whenever she was about to lecture me. She knew I had a tendency for leaving the room whenever she started up. “Garrett’s using you. He sees that you’re hurting, so he’s swooping in for the easy fuck. You don’t want to be that girl.”

  “It’s not like that. When I’m around Garrett, it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. We’re like magnets, completely drawn together. Nothing else matters except that moment. I’ve never felt such a raw, sexual attraction to anyone else like that,” I was such a poet whenever I was depressed, but it was true and it was out there now. Garrett could so easily control me if I let my guard down. His power over me was completely undeniable.

  “Never before? Not even with…?” Her voice trailed off.

  I nodded my head. “Not even with him.”

  “I think you’re just confused because you’re vulnerable, and even if you’re not, too fucking bad. He has a daughter and a pregnant wife. You don’t want to be the ‘other woman.’ You don’t want to ruin a family. Promise me you won’t see him again, Adriana,” there was the Gloria Colon judgment session. Fuck, she was always right though.

  “Seeing him is never my intention,” I replied. “He just keeps popping up, but I can’t say I’m too surprised. He’s friends with a lot of Darth’s friends. It’s bound to happen again at some point,” she eyed me disapprovingly, “but I promise not to seek him out myself. I’m never going to that bar again.”

  “I guess I can accept that as an answer,” Gloria sat up in my bed and grabbed a magazine that was on the end table. She started flipping through it.

  Clearly, we were done with my pity party. Gloria never let me mope around her for too long, which was good in a way. It forced me to break out of my slump even though I wanted to continue crying into the pillow. I asked, “How was last night?”

  She shrugged, dramatically flipping the next page, “It was okay. The movie was great, but we got into a fight over dinner.”

  “About what?” I got out of bed and stretched. My body felt exhausted.

  “Vicki found out about the photo shoot,” my eyes grew with shock. I gulped. “No, no, not the one you and I did.” Thank God, Gloria never told Vicki she once had feelings for me. She said it wasn’t her business, and she didn’t want to cause any friction between us. Besides, I was straight, so there was nothing to worry about. “Charlie had me do another photo shoot for the site i
n this sexy Santa costume. She went online, saw the pictures, and freaked out.”

  When I told Gloria I had purchased all of the pictures, I thought she’d be mad at me, but surprisingly, she was relieved. I guess neither of us wanted to be reminded of that day or that dark time in our friendship. Besides, without me, she got to model by herself for the homepage of Lux’s website. It was better all around.

  “She knows you’re a dancer. This is your job,” I said while brushing out the tangles in my hair.

  “At first she didn’t care, but now, she’s more possessive. I mean, yeah, I get it. She’s my girlfriend, and I wouldn’t want anyone to be looking at her like that,” she shrugged her shoulders, “but this is how I make my money. I thought my job wouldn’t get in the way of my relationship, but now feelings are involved and everything’s intensified.”

  “Now, you know what I was going through,” I started changing into some tights, a sweater and Uggs.

  “Yeah, it’s hard balancing everything. I just hope Vicki doesn’t lose her shit when I tell her about the calendar,” my eyes widened with surprise. “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. Charlie’s doing a calendar and giving it away during the New Year’s party. Guess who’s gracing the cover?” She posed, and I laughed. “I can’t turn it down. He’s paying us a lot of money to do it, and tuition is crazy high right now.”

  “Well if it means anything, I will be the very first person begging you to autograph my naughty Lux calendar,” I picked up my grandmother’s ring out of the jewelry box and pulled it on my finger. Seeing that thing always made me smile. “I feel like I need to go apologize to Craig for last night.”

  “You definitely should,” Gloria climbed out of my bed and slipped her sneakers back on, “and there’s no time like the present. Besides, I have tons and tons of studying to catch up on tonight.”

  Gloria and I walked out together but went our separate ways once we were out on the streets. It was a quick ten minute walk until I was at the gym. When I came inside, Craig was training with a client. He spotted me almost immediately and after giving an instruction to the guy who had absolutely no rhythm on the bag, he met me by the door.