“Not much. I just assumed you were younger. What are you cooking?” I leaned over and looked in the pot that was sitting on the stove.
“Pasta with a homemade palomino sauce.”
“It smells delicious. Adam told me you are quite the cook.”
“Would you like some?” she asked with a smile.
Placing my hand in my pocket, I politely told her no.
“I have a dinner date that I need to get ready for. So if you’ll excuse me.”
“Oh, sure. Have fun.”
I turned away and began walking out of the kitchen. Stopping, I turned around and looked at her one last time before heading upstairs. “Thank you.”
Fuck oh fuck. Adam’s sister was beautiful, extremely beautiful. Her brown hair with blonde highlights that she wore in a ponytail complemented her tanned skin and ocean blue eyes. From what I could see, her body was perfect. She was fit, lean, and toned in all the right places, and the tank top she was wearing clung tightly to her large, round breasts. I shook my head and successfully stopped my cock from getting hard. I was a man, after all, in the presence of a beautiful young woman, and it couldn’t be helped. As I stood in the shower, I kept thinking about my cock’s reaction to her. Normally, I don’t get hard just by looking at a woman like that. I see beautiful women every day and this had never happened before. What the hell was going on?
Chapter 3
Emerson
Alex’s pictures didn’t do him justice. That man was just as delicious-looking in person as he was online. He stood a little over six feet tall with short, sandy-brown hair and brown eyes. His chiseled cheekbones and strong jaw made him very handsome, not to mention the five o’clock shadow that he sported gave way to perfection. Shit. And yes, I did look down to his man area to see if he was perhaps sporting anything big. It was too hard to tell in his black suit pants. I’d have to see him in a pair of jeans or maybe a pair of khaki shorts.
As I put my pasta on a plate, and before I stepped onto the patio, I heard the front door open and then shut. That smell. I caught a whiff of man scent that drifted into the kitchen. I knew that smell. He had put on Dolce & Gabbana, my favorite man scent of all time. I sighed, grabbed my plate, and took it outside on the patio. It was a beautiful night. The sun had set and the stars were coming out. The warm breeze that swept across my face made me remember how much I used to love living in California. As I was eating, my phone rang. It was Adam.
“Hello.”
“Just making sure you arrived safely. How are things going?”
“Fine so far. You didn’t tell me that Alex Parker was the Alex Parker.”
“To be honest, I didn’t think about it. Does it matter?”
“No. But his house is like a mansion.”
“Yeah. It’s pretty cool, isn’t it? Hey, are you okay being there? I mean, back in California?”
Oh, now he asks.
“No. Not really, and to be honest, I’m really pissed at you for making me come back here.”
“You need to put the past behind you, Em. I know it’s hard, but you have to move on with your life.”
“I have moved on, Adam! I just chose not to move on here. This conversation goes the same way every time. I have to go.” Click.
I was getting tired, so I cleaned up and headed to my bedroom. After changing into my pajamas, I opened the French doors to let the breeze blow into the room. Climbing into bed, I pulled the sheet over me and stared out into the night, listening to the waves as they crashed against the shore.
****
I had always been an early riser. As far as I was concerned, there wasn’t one minute of the day to be wasted. Climbing out of bed, I slipped into my crème-colored, short silk robe and stepped outside on the patio off my room, breathing in the fresh morning air and looking out into the ocean. A smile crossed my face when I saw two dolphins in the water.
I went into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. I jumped when my phone started to ring. Who the hell would be calling me this early? Oh. It was Billy. Shit. I answered it and put it on speaker as I took the eggs from the refrigerator.
“Hello.”
“Where the hell are you, Em? I went to your place last night and you were gone. I tried calling your phone, but it went straight to voicemail.”
“I’m in California and I turned my phone off last night.”
“California! What the hell are you doing there and why didn’t you tell me you were going?”
“I had to come here for my brother and I forgot to mention it.”
“Baby, please don’t lie to me. I’m sorry for the other night. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t upset me and I’m not lying.”
I cracked the eggs in the pan, put a piece of bread in the toaster, and began to slice up some avocados.
“Baby, when are you coming home? We need to sit down and have a serious talk.”
Alex walked into the kitchen and looked at my phone and then at me.
“I’m not coming back to Texas, Billy.”
“What the fuck do you mean you’re not coming back to Texas?!” he yelled.
“Do you not understand English?”
I saw Alex smirk.
“It’s over between us, Billy. I’m over Texas. I told you to begin with that I probably wasn’t staying very long.”
“But, Em, what about us? We had plans, damn it!”
“You had plans, Billy. Plans that you were making without talking to me first. You were just assuming a whole lot of things.”
“So you’re just going to walk away from our relationship? Do you have any idea how bad I’m hurting right now, baby?”
“For god sakes, stop calling me ‘baby’ and I’m sorry if I hurt you. I’m moving on, Billy, and I suggest you do the same.”
“But, Em, I love you. Please don’t do this to us. What can I do to make things right?”
“Billy, it’s too early for this and I haven’t even had my coffee yet. There’s nothing you can do. I’m not coming back and it’s over. You deserve better than me. I have to go. I’m sorry.” Click.
“Coffee?” I asked Alex, who was leaning up against the counter.
“Yes. Coffee would be nice. You’re quite the little heartbreaker. I was feeling sorry for Billy.” He smirked.
I rolled my eyes as I handed him his coffee cup. “Billy will be just fine. Eggs?” I asked.
“No. I don’t have time. I have a meeting. Have a nice day, Miss James.”
“Enough with the formalities, Alex. Call me Emerson, Em, Emmie—whatever you want. Just not ‘Miss James.’”
He cocked his head and smiled. “I think I’ll call you ‘heartbreaker.’”
“Ugh.” I put my head down on the counter and I heard him chuckle as he walked out.
****
Alex
I guess I didn’t need to make any rules since Emerson was a grown adult. A beautiful, grown adult, which ultimately could lead to trouble for me if I wasn’t careful. Damn Adam for not telling me how hot she was. Hot or not, she was my friend’s sister and I couldn’t cross that line. Plus, she wasn’t my type. She wasn’t... how could I put this nicely? She wasn’t upscale enough. The women I dated and fucked were of high society. They were classy, something Emerson seemed to lack. I had standards and, unfortunately, she didn’t meet them. Which was a good thing. I couldn’t help but wonder, though, why she left Texas the way she did. Listening to her conversation with Billy was quite entertaining and the way she just blew him off was ballsy. The women I’d known weren’t like that. They were the Billys of the relationship. Begging and pleading me to stay and always trying to change themselves for me. There was a story behind Emerson James and I couldn’t help but wonder just what her story was. Was I going to find out? No. It was none of my business. She was here for three months and three months only. As long as she stayed out of my way and life, I would stay out of hers.
Chapter 4
Emerson
Jenna
walked into the kitchen as I was cleaning up.
“Good morning, Emerson. How was your first night here?”
“Good morning. It was great. I slept like a baby in that bed.”
She laughed. “Good. Any problems with Mr. Parker?”
I twisted my face at her. “No. Why?”
“Just wondering. He can sometimes be a little, how do I say this, rude and insensitive.”
“Oh. So far, he seems okay.”
“Good. Have a nice day, Emerson.” She smiled as she left the kitchen.
Now that I was back in California, it was time to reconnect with some old friends. Friends I hadn’t seen in over eight years, but I kept in contact with here and there over Facebook. Best friends I deserted when I left and never looked back. I went to my room and opened up my laptop, pulling up the page of Christine Howl, my best friend back in high school. She was married now with a kid and living her life as a stay-at-home mom.
“Hi, Christine. I’m back in California for a while and I was hoping we could meet for lunch and catch up.”
It was a matter of minutes before she replied back.
“OH MY GOD! I can’t believe you’re back. Yes! Can you meet for lunch today? I’ll call Bayli and see if she’s available. I know she’d love to see you.”
“Today will be great. How about we meet at one o’clock at the Polo Lounge? We used to love that place.”
“Sounds great. I can’t wait to see you.”
“I can’t wait to see you too.”
Now I was going to have to call a cab. Walking into the kitchen, I saw a man talking to Jenna.
“Emerson, this is Phillip, Mr. Parker’s personal driver.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Emerson. I actually came here to introduce myself to you. Mr. Parker told me that I’m to drive you wherever you may need to go.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. Just as long as he doesn’t need me.”
“You have perfect timing, Phillip, because I need to be at the Polo Lounge at one o’clock to meet a friend for lunch.”
“All right, the Polo Lounge it is.” He smiled. “We should leave around noon, so I’ll be back to pick you up.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
He gave a nod and left. He was a handsome-looking gentleman with his dark brown hair, green eyes, and a light beard. I pegged him to be in his late forties, maybe at the most, fifty. I couldn’t believe that Alex had asked him to drive me around. Maybe Alex Parker wasn’t such a bad guy after all.
I hopped in the shower, got dressed, and waited for Phillip to pick me up. When he arrived, he opened the door to the Bentley and I slid inside.
“So how long have you been driving for Alex?” I asked.
“About three years.” He smiled. “What brings you to California?”
“My brother, Adam. I really didn’t have a choice but to come back for a while.”
“Come back? Have you lived here previously?”
“Yeah. I grew up in LA.”
“Why did you leave?” he asked as he looked at me through his rearview mirror.
“It’s a long and boring story.”
We finally made it to the Polo Lounge and, as I climbed out of the car, Phillip handed me his phone number.
“Put my number in your phone and either call me or text me when you need to go somewhere. The latest I can pick you up is four o’clock.”
“That’s fine. If I’m going to be later, I’ll just catch a cab back.”
“Have a nice lunch with your friends, Emerson.”
“Thanks, Phillip.”
Before I reached the doors to the restaurant, I heard my name being called from the patio area. When I looked over, I saw Christine and Bayli waving me over to their table.
“Look at you,” Christine said as she hugged me. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks. So do you.”
“Long time no see, friend.” Bayli smiled as we hugged. It was like we were the Three Musketeers all over again.
As we were catching up, I glanced over and saw Alex being seated at a table across from us. He was with a beautiful, tall woman. He looked over, and when he saw me, an expression of shock overtook his face. I gave a small smile and continued my conversation with Christine and Bayli. After my second glass of wine, I excused myself to the restroom. When I came out, Alex was standing there waiting for me.
“Umm. Hi. Why are you waiting here in the hallway?”
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
I raised my eyebrow. “Having lunch with my friends.”
“What are you doing here?”
“The same thing you are.”
This was weird and it was making me uncomfortable.
“I didn’t know you had friends in LA.”
“Well, now you do. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get back to them.”
He glared at me for a moment. “Enjoy the rest of your lunch.”
“You too.” I patted his rock-hard chest.
Not too long after I got back to the table, Alex returned to his and continued his conversation with the tall, beautiful woman. I wondered if that was his girlfriend. As the two of them got up from their table to leave, Alex glanced over at me one last time. I pretended not to notice.
****
Alex
When I arrived home later that night around eleven o’clock, I saw Emerson in the pool. I stepped out on the patio and waited for her to finish her laps.
“Going for a late-night swim?” I asked.
“Yeah. It’s a beautiful night out.”
As she climbed out of the pool, I couldn’t help but notice her amazing body in her black bikini. Fuck. I grabbed the towel from the chair and handed it to her.
“Are you going to bed anytime soon?” I asked.
“Why? Do you want to join me?”
“Excuse me?” I spoke in shock.
“Relax, Alex. I was kidding.” She laughed. “You should have seen your face.”
“Very funny, Emerson. Sleep well.”
“I intend to. You do the same.”
“I will.”
“Good.” She smiled.
Chapter 5
Emerson
I was thrashing around in my bed. Calling out for help. I couldn’t breathe and my skin was heated. Before I knew it, someone was calling my name and shaking me.
“Emerson, wake up. You’re having a bad dream.”
I opened my eyes and froze when I saw Alex standing over me. I couldn’t catch my breath.
“I’m fine.” I sat up.
“You don’t look fine. You were having a nightmare. I could hear you screaming all the way upstairs.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
He sat down on the edge of the bed and the only thing I could focus on was his six-pack, or was it an eight-pack? I couldn’t tell because my eyes were still trying to focus on reality.
“Don’t worry about that. What was your nightmare about?”
“I don’t remember,” I lied. “I’m okay now. Please just go back to bed. This is awkward for you to be in here in nothing but your pajama pants and me in my nightshirt.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I promise you I’m fine.”
He got up from the bed and I gulped as I watched his lean, muscular body walk towards the door. “Sleep well.”
“I will. Thank you.”
He walked out and shut the door. I reached over and turned off the light, climbing back under the covers. This was the first time I had that nightmare in almost eight years.
The next morning, I got up before the sun rose and went for a run along the beach. The cool morning air awoke my senses and I was feeling good, despite last night’s nightmare. As I ran along the beach, I watched the sun rise and thanked God for another beautiful day. When I got back to the house, Alex was in the kitchen, sitting at the island and drinking his coffee. He looked at me in shock as I walked through the d
oor wall.
“I thought you were still asleep.”
“Nah. I decided to go for a run and watch the sun rise.”
“Oh, well, there’s coffee over there if you want some.”
I reached in the cupboard and took out a cup. Suddenly, a man walked in the kitchen and went into the refrigerator. I arched my brow as I looked at him and then at Alex.
“Robert, I would like you to meet Emerson James. She’s my houseguest for the next three months. Emerson, meet Robert, my chef.”
He extended his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Emerson.”
“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you too.”
“I’ll be making omelets today. Would you like one?” he asked.
“No thanks. I can make my own.” I winked.
Looking over at Alex, he narrowed his eyes at me.
“Robert doesn’t like anyone in his kitchen.”
“Really? I thought this was your kitchen. And if I recall, I made dinner for me the other night and breakfast yesterday morning. In this kitchen. Your kitchen.” I pointed my finger at him.
He studied me, giving me a look that my brother always gave me when he was debating whether or not to say something.
“You will wait until Robert is done making breakfast before starting yours. You are not to be in his way. Do you understand, heartbreaker?”
How dare him. I strutted over to him and whispered in his ear, “Yes, I understand. Call me ‘heartbreaker’ again and it’s your heart I won’t be breaking. It’ll be your balls. Do you understand?” I walked away and went to my room.
****
Alex
Who the hell did she think she was talking to me like that? I got up from the island and followed her into her bedroom.
“Excuse me, Emerson. How dare you speak to me that way. Do you know who you’re talking to?”
“Yes. I’m talking to you, Alex Parker. A regular guy with the same shit going on in his head like any other ordinary guy. Just because you have mega millions, it doesn’t give you the right to order people around like that.”
Now she really had me mad. “And you have no right speaking to me that way.”
“And you have no right calling me ‘heartbreaker.’”