Imperfect Bastard (20 page)

Plucking the black and white eight ball from the felted table, I weighed it in my hand before mildly throwing it in the air then catching it.

“If you plan to attack me with that, I suggest you choose something sharper and pointy,” the familiar voice echoed in the background.

I choked on my breath, hating that my body immediately responded to his presence.
Don’t look at him, or he’ll see what you’re feeling.

Taking a sip of my strong drink, I placed the ball down as if it were poisoned. “I didn’t even realize you were here. Besides, I don’t need a weapon to hurt you.”

He was somewhere behind me. I could feel him, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. A part of me was afraid I might crumble and embarrass myself.

“So, this is your father’s home. You never mentioned him.” Yep, my mouth had its own mind. Damn it.

“I meant to when the time was right.”

Maybe he wasn’t comfortable sharing it. I would never know.

“She’s beautiful. The woman who was hanging off your arm earlier, I mean. Is it serious?”
God, what is wrong with me? I keep fucking digging my own grave.

He took forever to respond, and when he did, he wasn’t coy. “I am still deciding on it.”

He was deciding? That was a major change from exclaiming he wasn’t boyfriend material. He had changed his mind quickly.

“You’re not one to have girlfriends,” I heard myself say before drinking the rest of the offending liquor, hoping the fire it lit inside would calm my nerves.

“That was before. Things change.” He sounded so close yet so far away. Why was he even here? Where was Poppy?

If I were wiser, I would change the subject or, better yet, run as far as I could. Nevertheless, I didn’t do any of that, because I was quite stupid when it came to him.  I doubted that would change anytime soon.

Letting my forefinger graze the woodwork against the lacquered table, I braced myself for what was next. “What made you change your mind?”

“You.”

His response made me spin on my heels, facing his cool detachment as he eyed me incredulously.

“That’s a cruel joke!” I snapped. “You sent that text, telling me you were done with me. You said all those things. I—” Pausing as I tried to refrain myself from going full-on hysterical, I mistakenly gazed into his eyes, and just like that, I felt all the hurt and pain wash over me again and again. “How can you do this, knowing how much I love you?”

“Love.” He laughed darkly. “Don’t throw bullshit in the air, Chloe. You know nothing about love!” he viciously growled. “If that’s how you show how much you love me, by me catching you with your legs open while some guy fucks you, then I want nothing to do with it!” His face paled as he tried to reign in the anger he had quelled for so long.

How could he even question it?

“For days, I didn’t hear from you. I called, left you voicemails and messages, but I didn’t get anything back. Then Sunday came, and you sent me that message, saying you were done with me, with what we had at that time. You were gone, and for all I knew, you were sleeping with other women—”

“I came home to you every fucking night for six days straight. That was unprecedented even for me! All I wanted was you. Every damn minute, hour, you were all I could think about. It was terrifying. I left because having you around made it difficult to do anything else. I needed some time to think and figure out what to do. I came back that morning, wanting to fix things, to ask you for forgiveness after I sent that text, realizing I didn’t want to lose you—”

“Don’t say that! You’re lying just to make me feel more awful than I already do.” That wasn’t how it had happened. He was fabricating this.

He pulled back a little, as if my accusation had touched a raw nerve. “I was addicted to you, Chloe. I couldn’t stay away.” His voice became so hesitantly low I had to lean closer to hear him. “I wanted you so much I thought of nothing but you when I left your bed each morning.”

I couldn’t look at him, not after he had said that. How could I have known he had felt that way? Sex had always been sex to him, so when he had come home, seeking my body, I hadn’t thought any differently, because I had believed it was normal for him. But it hadn’t been, and I had royally screwed myself over. My inexperience and gullibility had taken major roles in my poor decision making skills.

“I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

“Well, now you do.”

There was a finality to his voice that brought the truth home to me.

“Is there any way you could give me another chance? This time—”

“No!” he spat out.

It was six days ago. His feelings couldn’t have changed that quickly, could they? He had said he was addicted to me, as I was to him. If he could find it inside of him to forgive me, we might have a chance to be together instead of living in regret.

“We can start over. I want you more than anything,” I softly pleaded, unintentionally touching his chest and gazing up at his face. “One more chance … please.” My fingers dug into his shirt, never wanting to let him go again.

His eyes went dark. “You fucked him, Chloe, in the bed you’d been sharing with me. You fucked him, and you loved every second of it! How can you moan his name then ask for my forgiveness?”

My insides cringed as I listened to him describe it in such a way. However, if this was my last shot with him, all bets were off. Consumed by it all, I didn’t know where I got the strength to pull him to me and kiss him with everything I had. But no matter how much my tongue tried to pry his mouth open, he wasn’t responding.

Losing my momentum, I parted from his lips, only to kiss his neck before I found my favorite spot around the base of his neck and inhaled his scent deeply. “God, I miss you. Every night, I go to your room just so I can smell you. Come home … Come home to me, please. I need you.”

While overwhelmed with emotions, Drew was as responsive as a block of ice. Whatever advancement I made, he rejected.

“Tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.” Cradling his face with my palms, my eyes probed into his, hoping he would change his mind, but I couldn’t find any warmth anywhere.

Discouraged, I loosened my hold on his face and bit the inside of my lip, trying not to cry.

“You have ten minutes to convince me,” he said in a scratchy voice.

My gaze flickered back to his, questioning. “Ten minutes? To do what?” Then it dawned on me. “Seduce you?” He knew I was inexperienced in that department. It had always been him who took the lead. If this was his way of trying to humiliate me, he was using all his cards brilliantly.

Hesitantly, I glanced toward the exit. It was now or never. “The door …”

“It’s secured.”

Why would he do that? Unless …

“You planned for this to happen?” I accused, unsure how to feel about that.

“Only a precaution,” he stated, unperturbed. “Ten minutes, Chloe. The clock is ticking.”

I would have laughed had he not seemed so intimidating. What surprised me more was that I somehow found myself kneeling before him, looking up at him as I pulled down his zipper.

Everything went into a blur as his cock sprung free, huge and already engorged. Up close, it was alarming to think that his girth could fit into my mouth. And the more I stroked him, the thicker it became.

With the use of my tongue, I gently licked the moisture that glistened on his mushroomed head, teasing the tiny slit.

“Look at me,” he grunted out, harsh and demanding.

When I gazed up at him, our eyes connected as I gradually took him in until I had to stop halfway because his cock had already hit the back of my throat. Tears formed in the backs of my eyes, but I never tore my gaze away from him while I resumed gliding my mouth back up, reaching the head before sliding down his shaft, lubricating it.

Upon reaching that same spot, I had to use a little determination and force as I pushed him farther into my throat so he could get the utmost pleasure. It took a few more tries to become accustomed to it. I gagged as I bobbed my head, sliding my lips off his hard member while I gently massaged his scrotum.

His eyes penetrated me before he roughly took hold of the back of my head, stopping me altogether. Then he lifted me off the floor and roughly carried me to the pool table. He shoved my body against it while scurrying the pool balls away.

Out of my mind with lust, I clung to him, heavily panting as I watched him hurriedly rip my thong off with one swift tug before parting my legs. He then took hold of my hips, pulled me toward him until his cock met my opening, and slammed into me, long and deep.

“I want to chase the memory of him away, but I fucking can’t,” he said savagely as he cupped my chin, not letting my eyes disconnect from his.

“Don’t say that.” How could he? Not like this. Why was he still tormented by Cori when he was inside me?

His eyes flickered toward my lips, as if drawn to them, and then he brought his lips to my ear, fucking me harder than before.

“Feel my cock, Chloe. Remember it, because this is the last time you’ll ever feel it deep inside of you.”

“No!” I cried out, burying my face into his neck, sobbing while my body was in ecstasy.

He fucked me so hard I knew my skin had burns from the felt rubbing against my bare skin.

“Chloe,” he hissed as he closed his eyes and came inside me. The act felt sacred, powerful. I was knocked out of air.

Glued to him, I could feel him throb deep within my womb as we tried to level our breathing. Not once had he tried to kiss me, not once.

“Please say you’re going to at least give it some thought.”

“I used to be addicted to what your body could do for me. You still feel amazing, but it’s not the same anymore,” he coldly stated into my ear. “I can’t even look at you. That defeats the purpose of everything.”

He kept stepping on me over and over again. There was little chance of resurrecting me.

“Are you going to fuck her tonight to chase my memories away, Drew?”

“Why ask something that will only hurt you?”

He didn’t want me, yet he’d had to have sex with me to prove a point that he could have me anytime. He had treated me like a slut, and I hated him for making me feel so small. I supposed warmth didn’t come from the hell he had busted out of.

“I need a car waiting for me upfront to take me back to the city. Tell Jackson I had somewhere to go or whatever excuse you can come up with. I don’t give a fuck at this point. Lastly, I’m going to use the bathroom, but I want you of here before I come out. That’s all.”

He pulled away before gazing at my unfortunate, haphazard state. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“No, I think you’ve done enough damage, Drew. You’ve obliterated me enough. Remember that I never gave up on you. But once I’m gone—really gone—only then will you notice my absence. And when the time comes and you begin to miss that girl who loved you so fucking much, don’t
ever
come crawling back, because there will be no one there to greet you.”

After my show of bravado, I slipped off the pool table and ran into the bathroom, only to emerge ten minutes later to an empty room and a car waiting for me, just as I had requested. There was no Drew in sight, and I hadn’t expected any less from him.

Chapter Twenty-One

It was my first day at work, and after filling out forms for almost an hour, I couldn’t hide my relief when I finally got to meet the intern I would be assisting with. Basically, I was the bottom of the bottom, but I didn’t mind because I could learn a lot by starting out this way.

I was being shown to my desk when Jackson called for the second time. It was on vibrate, but even still, it was annoying as hell. So when he rang a third time, I knew I had to answer his call.

Slipping into the nearest supply closet, I answered, “Jackson, if you’re calling to ask if I forgot to buy bacon, yes, I did. Now get over it! This is my first day at work, so I’d appreciate it if you don’t get me in trouble!”

“Mom and Grandma are arriving in four hours. Gear up, booger face; this weekend should be fun.” He laughed as though he was looking forward to it.

Did he say Mom and Grandma?

“What? Why?” I groaned.

Oh, God. My mother could never learn of this internship, or she would ship me back home and force me to mingle with her Club Snoozefest.

“I don’t know why, but I just got off the phone with Dad.”

“We’re screwed.” Grandma was fun. Our mother was … annoying.

Jackson perked up. “Not if you’re on top of the sugar coating. Each time they try to ask about school, answer it without hesitation, but in a vague and uninteresting enough way that they will take to the next subject to divert them.”

As simple plans went, this was a good one as long as I stuck with it.

“Okay, good. We’ll be fine.” Hanging up the phone, I went through a few boxes consisting of staplers, paperclips, and whatever else I could find and take back to my desk in order to not look suspicious for being in the supply closet.

The people I worked with were friendly enough, but I was told I hadn’t met Nola yet. They said she would change my mind quickly. So there was that to look forward to come Monday.

★

Of course, when Grandma and Mother arrived, they booked themselves a suite at the Waldorf because, not only did we not have space, but my mother needed room service since she was barely any use in the kitchen.

“Where’s my darling Drew?” It was the first thing Grandma asked when she hugged and kissed Jackson and me. She seemed confused as to why Drew, who was always with Jackson, wasn’t there to greet her, too.

“He’s with his father,” Jackson said as we entered their hotel room.

“Oh, dear. Is he all right?” our mother butted in, frowning.

Drew was the closest thing she had to a second son, so her concern was genuine—a novelty for her. She didn’t care much about other people. She was kind of cold in a way, but my father seemed to adore her.

Grandma shook her head, unimpressed by my brother’s explanation. “I’ve heard stories about him. Nothing impressive.”

Jackson then provided his father’s name along with the list of global companies Drew’s grandfather was known for all over the world.

“His family’s worth billions. You should be more impressed than that,” Mother gushed, as though money were the only thing she respected. My assumptions weren’t too far off.

“Honestly, Vicki, is there anything in your head other than air?” my grandmother chided, shaking her head as she set her purse on the nearest table. “I was looking forward to seeing all three of you. It saddens me that one is missing. Does he know I’m coming?”

“Don’t worry, Grams. He’s coming to join us for dinner tomorrow.” Jackson flung an arm around her, making Grandma grin at him. “He’s busy these days, but he’ll be there.”

“And what about you? Is there any special girl for me to meet? Drew, as well? I’m sure you two have plenty to choose from.”

“I’m not sure if Drew’s bringing Poppy. And as for me, I’m still single.”

Ugh, Poppy. That bitch was going to be the death of me.

Ignoring the stupid name, I frowned at my brother. “What happened to Yvonne?”

“Yvonne? Oh, do tell,” our mother chimed in.

He shrugged. “There’s nothing to tell. Anyway, are you guys up to eat out or what? What’s the plan?”

“Your mom and I had something on the flight.” My grandmother yawned at the thought of dining out. With their long flight and the traffic they’d had to deal with, who could blame her? “I’m too tired, so I’m turning in for the night. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

“Same here,” our mother said before gazing at us. “Good night, you two.”

We both bid her good night before we watched her disappear into her own designated suite.

Well, Jackson and I were starving, so we decided to stay put and order room service.

While we waited for our food, my mind wandered back to the same person as always, and this time, my brother had to give some answers.

“Poppy’s legit now, then?”

“Yep,” Jackson responded with a popping sound.

“He’s fast.” It hadn’t taken him long to decide on her, while with me, it had taken him forever to even see me. Oh, well, there was no need to be so bitter about it. He had moved on … and that was that. “How is she. I mean, overall?” Was she a decent person at least? I didn’t have a clue.

“She’s nice.”

That’s it? What did nice entail? All sorts of things, which didn’t tell me much.

“Aren’t they all in the beginning?” I muttered as I pictured them both together. As hard as I tried, my mind always reverted back to that time when he had taken me in the game room. For a brief moment, I had thought he had forgiven me, only to crush my hopes the second he’d had me where he wanted me.

“He’ll come around, Chloe,” Jackson said.

My brother was simply trying to ease the pain by giving me false comforts. But what he didn’t know was that I didn’t have any designs when it came to Drew, not anymore.

“I’m not holding my breath. He’s not the only one moving on.”

“With who?” Jackson frowned at me. “Wait, don’t tell me it’s that biker guy who caused all of this?”

“He didn’t cause anything. It’s all on me. And
he
has a name—Cori. And he’s good to me, Jacks. He makes me laugh, and right now, that’s all I need.”

“That’s good, or else he’ll have to answer to me.” He smiled sadly at me. “Having your heart broken isn’t the easiest thing to get over, little sis.”

Well, I had lived with it all my life. It was nothing new.

“What would you know about heartbreak, anyway? From what I can recall, you’re the one causing it.”

He shrugged. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”

Jackson became solemn, which made me want to pry into his business even more.

“Enough about Drew. So what happened to Yvonne?”

“She got too close.”

I rolled my eyes, hating the typical male answer. “If you’d just going to stop being such a fuckboy, Jacks, maybe you would find someone worthy to get close to.”

His eyes darkened. “I’m not a relationship kind of guy. I doubt that’s going to change soon.”

“That’s what they always say until it bites them in the ass.” Good luck with that, brother.

After dinner, Jacks went wherever he went, and instead of going straight to the house, I actually called to see if Cori was available … and he was.

I found myself hailing a cab on my way to his place located in the Meatpacking District for the first time. He had a wide studio with a sixty-inch TV and a guitar sitting right next to his couch. The place was all male and very him. I had expected no less. It was a great place, and I found myself getting comfortable on the sofa while I tried my hand at playing the guitar.

“Netflix and chill?” He laughed as he joined me on the couch before handing me a beer.

He spoke about San Diego and how he was actually considering moving out west permanently. Apparently, he had been living cross-country for the past year, and it was taking a toll on him. Besides, with the dunes out there, it would be the perfect location for him to start anew.

In the middle of his speech, he was sort of hinting that he might change his mind if something could make him stay, but as much as I liked having him around, making that kind of commitment wasn’t in the cards for me just yet and probably not anytime soon. Dating was one thing, but a real relationship involving hearts and all … I couldn’t do that, and it would be unfair if I gave him false hope. Therefore, I kept my mouth shut and pretended I hadn’t heard that bit.

It was inevitable that Cori would try to kiss me, and much to my dismay, I had to muster up the courage to kiss him back.

“Listen, can we do this slowly? I know it’s backward after we already had sex, but I need us to go slow, if that makes any sense at all.”

“We’ll rock it however you want it, Red,” he whispered against my lips. “Nice and slow sounds good.”

“Good.” Then we were on the same page.

Truth be told, I wasn’t ready for more than kissing, and if he was okay with that, then I couldn’t ask for more.