The Bad Boy Wants Me(65)

She reaches out her veined, waxy hand and covers mine with it. ‘You’re not just the hired help. Don’t you go around saying such stupid things. You’re not uneducated like me. You have a great future in front of you. Grab it all with both hands. He’s not better than you.’

I take my other hand and cover hers with it. ‘You don’t know, Cora. It’s not as simple as you think. I lied to Cash about something important. I’m going to try and make it right tonight, but I don’t know if I can. I don’t know how he will react. So tonight might even be my last night here.’

‘Don’t be so silly,’ she scolds. ‘I’ve known Cash since he was a wee boy and he has a heart of gold. Tell him the truth and I promise you it won’t be your last night here.’

I chew my bottom lip nervously. ‘It’s a really big thing though.’

‘Then the sooner you get it out of the way the better for both of you,’ she says firmly.

I force a smile. ‘I’m just so scared I’ll ruin everything.’

‘Think about it this way. What have you got if you have no trust?’

I nod. ‘You’re right. I’ll tell him tonight after the party.’

‘Good girl.’ She grins. ‘One more shot.’

I giggle. ‘I’m going to be drunk before the night starts.’

‘To deal with some of the people that hang around this family you need to be drunk,’ she says, rolling her eyes.

I laugh and we down two more jello shots.

‘Well, can’t hide here forever,’ I say slipping off the stool. ‘I guess I better go and see what Britney is up to. Wish me luck.’

‘Good luck, Tori.’

‘See you later,’ I say and slip out of the door into the corridor that seems to have filled up considerably in the half an hour I spent in the kitchen.

As I reach the stairs I see Octavia. She’s coming down dressed in a fabulous calf length black leather dress and white court shoes. I find myself frozen by the look in her eyes. It is vindictive and victorious. She comes down to the last step and stops in front of me.

‘Smile. It’s a party,’ she drawls, and I cannot help the shiver of unease that rises up my spine.

I don’t reply and she walks away towards the main room where music has started throbbing. As I stand there watching her figure walk away, a pair of hands envelops my body and all the tension in my body drains away. I relax into his hard body. He runs his palms over the curves of my hips and plants a kiss on my bare shoulder.

‘Your whole back is practically naked,’ he growls.

I turn around. In a black shirt and dark blue jeans he is 360% of pure gorgeousness. Everything in me is crying out for him. ‘It’s deliberate,’ I murmur. ‘I wanted to distract you. It’s wall to wall babes in here.’

He looks into my eyes. ‘You know me. I wouldn’t go anywhere pussy wasn’t running free, but lately all I’m craving is your sweet body.’ He pulls me close to his body so I can feel his erection. ‘Feel that? That’s you. I just can’t keep my hands off you. You’re so fucking hot.’

My breath catches even as I feel a kind of sick terror in the pit of my stomach. How will he react when I tell him the awful truth? Will he still want me? I lay my finger in his chin dimple. ‘You look pretty hot yourself, but you already know that, don’t you, darlin’?’

He laughs. ‘Class, ass, and a whole load of sass, that’s my girl.’

‘I like to leave a lasting impression,’ I say as nonchalantly as I can, but my words feel hollow as if I am pretending, and my heart sits like a stone in my chest.

‘Are you wearing panties?’ he whispers close to my ears.

I lean back. ‘I’m wearing a mini dress, Cash! Of course, I’m wearing panties.’

‘Shame. I love the idea of you walking around bare assed and any moment I could meet you in a dark corner and finger you.’

My heart thumps hard at the image he evokes. ‘Don’t. You’re making me wet.’

He grins. ‘Shall we nip up to your room for a quick one?’

God, how I’d love to say yes. To go upstairs and just for a while forget that I have this painful task ahead. ‘Don’t you want to see Britney first?’ I ask.

‘What do you want, babe? You want me to go see my sister, or you want me to take you upstairs and stick your wet pussy on the end of my cock?’

My breath starts coming in gasps. I shouldn’t be doing this. This is wrong. ‘Take me upstairs,’ I whisper.

He grabs my hand and pulls me up the stairs to my room. The place is so full by now we have to negotiate people sitting on the steps and those coming down. He shuts my bedroom door and locks it. Then he takes two steps towards me and drops to his knees. He lifts my flowing flirty dress and disappears into it.