She closes her eyes and lets out an exhausted sigh. “Whatever. Just get me out of this damn car.” She reaches for the handle as I click the unlock button. We both get out simultaneously, and I leave the car running.
Tossing the keys to Stan, the valet, I pick up my pace to catch up with her. “What’s the hurry? We have forever.” I hook an arm around her shoulder, but she brushes it off right away.
“I can’t get your jizz off my leg fast enough. That’s what the hurry is.”
“You are such a snarky little thing. You better knock that shit off or I’ll be shoving my other hand up your pussy later.”
Her eyes roll. “Fuck you, you sicko.”
Pulling her back over with my arm on her shoulder, I press my lips to her cheek. “Promise?”
“Never!”
When we walk inside, I drop my arm immediately. I don’t need anyone in this house getting the wrong idea.
“Porter!” Jameson slaps my back, “about time you show up to your own party.” His eyes skim up and down Marni, who is still at my side.
I lean and whisper in her ear, “Go upstairs and clean up. I’ll be up in a minute.” Once she’s gone, I turn back to Jameson. “I’ve been around. You seen Zed?”
His eyes skim the party. “Yeah, that fucker is around here somewhere. Probably dunking heads in the toilet.”
Sounds like something Zed would do. Only most people do it as a prank, he’d do it to attempt a drowning. “Alright, I’ll catch ya later.”
Layla and Cara did a stellar job of decorating this place. I’m pretty impressed. I slapped a few hundreds in their hands this morning and told them to throw together an epic Halloween party, and they delivered. Half of the guests are wearing costumes, half aren’t. I look around the front room for Zed, but spot Marni taking part in what looks like a very serious conversation with a couple of her girlfriends. I’m not surprised, of course she has friends here. We all live in the same small town. However, I’m not comfortable with her interacting with people, without me, this early in the game. It’s too risky.
“Let’s go.” I grab her hand and begin pulling her away from the three chicks she was talking to. I don’t even look back at their reaction, nor care what any of them thinks. “I told you to go upstairs. Why are you still down here?”
“Stop it. You’re embarrassing me.” She tries to slither from my reach, to no avail.
“You embarrass me when you don’t do what I tell you to do. Quit fighting me or I will drag your little ass up these steps. How much would that embarrass you?”
Once we reach the top, I drop her hand. “You know where the bathroom is, right?” I nod my head toward the end of the hall. “After all, that’s what got you into this mess.”
I watch her as she starts walking, but she stops and turns around. “Wait, how did you know that I was using the bathroom that night?”
Biting the corner of my lip, I look up at the camera directly above me, then back at her.
It satisfies her curiosity, so she continues on her way.
With my back pressed against the bathroom door, I wait. And wait. And wait. “What the hell are you doing in there?”
The sink faucet has been running for ten minutes. Granted, I haven’t busted a nut in a few weeks, but it couldn’t have been that much of a mess to clean up.
“I need a different pair of shorts,” she hollers from the other side of the door.
“What’s wrong with the ones you have on?”
The door slowly opens, causing me to straighten up. Her head pokes out of the crack. “Mine are all wet.”
“So dry them and hurry your ass up.”
“I can’t, Talon. I really soaked them. I can’t wear these downstairs.”
“Come on.” I grab her hand and walk her down to the other end of the hallway to the door to the next level. Cupping my hand around the keypad, I punch in the code then open the door.
“I’ve never been up here before,” she says, as we reach the top.
“No one has.”
This level is my space. No one comes up here. Aside from one time that Blakely came up to check on me because she thought I was on the verge of suicide—which I wasn’t—no one else has seen my lair. The boys, the ladies, the guests, they can have the rest. This is mine.
“Wow. This is nice,” she says, looking around. “I didn’t even know this part of the house existed.”
“Good. Because this is the first and last time you’ll see it.” I walk over to my dresser, open the drawer, and pull out a pair of boxer shorts, then toss them at her. “Put these on.”
She holds them up. “Umm, I’m not wearing your underwear.”
“They're clean. Quit bitching and put them on. You’re welcome.”
“You expect me to thank you.” She laughs sarcastically. “There is no way that I am putting these on and going back downstairs to a house full of people.” The boxers fly back at me.
“Guess you’ll be partying in your panties. That, or your cum-soaked shorts. Your choice.”
Steady steps lead her over to me as she grunts and groans in agitation with each movement. “Seriously, I’m so tired. Can I just go to bed?”
I drag my teeth over my bottom lip as she stands there with one hand on her hip in just a pair of underwear and the hoodie she’s been wearing all night. “Fine. You’re sleeping in my room tonight.” There are too many people here, and I don’t want anyone fucking with her. I don’t need to dispose of another body any time soon. “Don’t even think about trying to leave. The door will be locked, and the alarm will be set. I’ve kept people out of this part of the house for a year, I can keep you in it.” I bend down and grab the boxers then push them at her chest. “T-shirts are in the bottom drawer. I’ll have the housekeeper wash your dirty clothes, just put them in the basket.”
I give her one last glance before I leave. Shutting the door behind me, I walk down the stairs and step back into the main hallway, before setting the alarm.
“Where is she?” Zed comes stalking toward me. His boots heavy on the hardwood floor.
“She’s here. Don’t worry about it.” I push past him and start walking back toward the staircase when I see Tommy and Lars.
“Killer party, man.” Tommy holds his beer. He’s already three sheets to the wind, not surprising.
Zed joins us at the top of the stairs. “Why is she up there?” he asks. All too concerned about the way I’m handling the situation.
“She’s safe up there. She can’t leave and no one can touch her.”
“Including you.” Zed pokes a finger in my chest. “Or was that your plan all along? You think you’re gonna get her all to yourself?”
My hands meet his chest, shoving him forcefully backwards. “Fuck you.”
‘Woah, woah. Knock it off you two.” Lars steps in. “It’s only night one. You can’t start this shit already. We have a deal. No one touches her.” He looks between the two of us. “Got it?”
“No one is fucking touching her, including me. A deal is a deal.” I hold my fist out to Zed, who bumps it back.