“Not a chance in hell.” He growls at the poor dude.
“What’s my next dare?” My tongue runs across my top teeth.
“I dare you to take your shorts off, then I want you on your knees with your hands behind your back.” I swallow thickly. Hayden ripped my thong off earlier.
“What if I don’t have panties on?” I ask, and glance around the basement at the crowd who are watching the performance ahead of them. I feel my throat constrict at the thought of them seeing my bare ass and pussy.
Ryder must notice my discomfort, and turns to face the crowd, “Everybody out. Party’s over. Go home!” He shouts,putting an end to the party. “You too, Hayden.” He grins at Ryder as if he knows something.What’s that about?A few disappointed grumbles come from a few of the party-goers, but they all shuffle up the stairs quickly. It takes a while for them all to clear out. Hayden was the last one out.
Ryder faces me once again, “Off. Now.”
Rocking back on my heels, I slide my shorts down my legs and over my knees, losing balance when I pull them over my heels. Then I drop to my knees, propping my ass on my heels, and intertwine my fingers, holding them behind my back. The position pushes my breasts out.
Out of curiosity, I glance down at Ryder’s jeans and lick my lips when I see the outline of his hard length through his weathered black jeans. He has me on full display right now, like a prized trophy, or maybe this is his way of humiliating me. What he’s doing is only turning me on more, and I think he’s learning that.
He circles me like a shark stalking its dinner. That’s exactly what he looks like, too. A predator. His black, weathered jeans paired with a white button-up shirt and rolled cuffs. He’s wearing black leather boots and has his dark hair swept up out of his face. He’s taking his time. I can tell he’s memorizing every detail of my curvy body. Although I still have my bra and stilettos on, I feel completely bare under his intimidating gaze.
“Take a picture. It’ll last longer.” I remark.
“Well, since you offered.” I hear the click of a picture being taken from behind me. I guess I can’t be mad,because even though I was just being a bitch I did tell him to do it. Hopefully, he caught me at my good angle. I laugh, dropping my head forward. I’m going to crash soon from the vodka. Everything is a blurr, and I can’t keep my eyes open.
8
RYDER
Kelsey starts to sway from all the alcohol, her eyes fluttering open and closed, so I decide it’s time to end this game. I stand close to her, where she’s perched on the table, worried she’s going to fall over. I don’t want her to get hurt. We already had one drunken injury tonight, and we don’t need another. I can’t bring myself to tell her to get down, because she’s so fucking beautiful. Her sexy curves and her plump, juicy ass perched perfectly on her heels.
Watching her in the pool on Hayden’s shoulders had my body vibrating with rage. The way she looks at him with those same lust-filled eyes. I hate it.
Hayden is my childhood best friend, who has grown to be like a brother to me. His parents and little sister were killed when he was young, and I took him under my wing. Our parents were never present. That’s how it always was; I didn’t know any better to have questioned it. They left uswith nannies until I was deemed old enough to raise my sister myself. They provided money for whatever we needed or wanted. I’ve taken care of my sister, Hayden, and myself for as long as I can remember, making sure none of us go without and setting them both up with a dependable future.
“Alright, get down. We need to get you home.” She doesn’t protest that plan, so I offer my hand to help her down. Her heel catches the edge of the table, and she falls forward, squealing. Thankfully, I have her arm, and I catch her by the waist to steady her back onto her feet. She needs to get these heels off, but as I look around at the disgusting floor, I realize it’s best she keeps them on. Spilled drinks and other mystery liquids puddle on the floor. I’ll have to tip our cleaning service heavily after this night.
“You absolutely won’t be driving yourself,” I state firmly. She’s too intoxicated to get more than a few mumbled words out. Holding her upper arm with my other hand on her hip, I guide her over to a folding chair and make her sit. I keep my hands out around her, in case she topples over. When I trust she will be okay for a minute, I turn to grab her clothes off the floor and begin to dress her.
She can’t keep her eyes open, much less walk up two flights of stairs, so I hook my arms behind her knees and carry her up. She nuzzles into my chest, and I hear the faintest snore. It’s cute as fuck I won’t even lie.
I wonder where my sister is. She left with the rest of the crowd when I ordered them to leave. When I dared Kelseyto remove her shorts, her eyes darted around the room, and I could feel her unease as it poured from her body. I’m an asshole, but I’m not that big of one. Besides, I like the thought of keeping her all to myself.
Cradling her soft, warm body in my arms has me fighting from pressing a kiss to her temple. Something about her feels…Right, but I know I can’t keep her. It’s for her own good. I’m going to hate what I have to do to get her to leave.
Permanently.
I lay her on the couch, so I can still see her from the kitchen. She rolls onto her back, facing me, and her arm lies limp over her chest. She’s out.
“Hayden!” I whisper-shout. “We need to figure out how to get her home.”
“I can take her home if I need to,” he offers. “I only had a couple of drinks earlier, and that’s worn off already,” he adds.
I glance at Kelsey, while she snores faintly on the couch. Part of me doesn’t want Hayden to take her. I don’t want any man close to her besides me. Unfortunately, that can’t be our reality. She’s not safe with us. She’d be better off graduating and making a life of her own. A life I could never give her.
Once I figure out who she came with, I’ll make it clear they can’t bring her back. It’s far too dangerous for her, especially if word spreads that she was with me. She’s an easy target. Not to mention, there were well over twohundred people here; it would be nearly impossible to pinpoint the leak.
“Did you ever figure out who she came with?” I ask, completely ignoring his offer.
“She seemed to cling to Jessie most of the time. That’s who she was with at the pool.” He looks away before smiling widely. My teeth grind at the mention of that. Not only did I notice Kelsey’s reaction to Hayden tonight, but I saw Hayden’s too. Which is why I made sure Kelsey saw me with Lexie. I’d never sleep with her again, especially now that all I can think about is bright green eyes and long brunette hair, but I knew she would be just the thing to get Kelsey’s attention.
“Alright. Keep an eye on her while I go hunt down Jessie.” If she came with Jessie, then getting Kelsey gone permanently will be harder than I thought. My sister is very strong-willed and headstrong. Getting anything through to her is nearly impossible. Don’t get me wrong, she’s incredibly intelligent. Without her, my whole operation wouldn’t exist. Literally, I organized this because of her—for her, and she is crucial in running it.
