Chapter 13
Sawyer
“You should come up to the campus. There’s tons of parties and they’re all co-ed.” There’s enough background noise, it’s hard to hear Scotty over it.
“I think I’m gonna go up to Hilltop.” I don’t know why I haven’t told him I’m working there.
Maybe Val told him already?
“What? Why? That place is so lame. Did I mention that the girls here are all our age and hot?” His long groan emphasizes the last word.
“I thought you had a girlfriend?” I mumble.
Putting him on speaker, I let my phone fall on the bed while I pull on a clean shirt.
I made a point of showering plenty of time before work.
“Nah. Her and I decided to take a break.” His laugh sounds fake as shit.
“Oh geez, man. I’m sorry.” I bet she dumped him hard.
“It’s all good, plenty of fish and all. So you coming up?” The begging lilt makes me pause.
On one hand it’d be fun to hang with my buddy. I just don’t feel like going up to his campus to try and meet anyone over a keg.
The crappy part is that the only woman I’m interested in flirting with calls me “kid”.
Maybe she’ll take me seriously someday?
“Damn, dude. I woulda if I knew ahead of time. I’m supposed to keep an eye on Sophia.” Well, I’m not.
In fact, she’ll probably be irritated to even see me there.
But she’s also the only person who knows I’ve been going up there to help out sometimes. I just don’t think she realizes it’s a regular thing.
“Man. I should come your way. At least your sister is fine. Bratty, but I could think of something that would shut—”
“Later, man.” Clicking off the call, it falls back into my mess of blankets. I know Sophia would never tolerate him in a million years.
He’s tried. Many times.
It’s almost hilarious how often she’s shot him down.
A rapid knock hits my door milliseconds before it flies open.
“Fuck, Soph. I got no pants on! Shit.” Scrambling, I grab my jeans from the edge of my mattress and hold them up in front of my boxer-briefs.
“Whatever. I couldn’t see anything if I tried.” She rolls her eyes and keeps coming in with a giant foam cowboy hat. “I need your help fixing this strap. It’s an emergency!”
“How?” I snap, tugging on one leg of my Wranglers. “Want me to just shit out a hot glue gun?”
“You’d be a lot handier if you could.” Her tone drips with sarcasm. “Don’t you have something from all those model kits you still have stuffed in your closet? Or did you huff it all?
“Only to try and forget we’re related,” I mutter, finally buttoning my jeans.
But I stick my head into the dark storage and dig out an old bottle.
When she flops her butt onto my bed, my phone slips off the edge and clatters onto the floor.
“Seriously?” I pick it up, then sit next to her.
Her snort makes her sound like a pig. “What, like anyone’s going to call?” She pries the gap in the costume hat so I can dab in the glue.
“Scotty wants to know if you’re single. Hold it tight.” I watch her nose wrinkle as I bead droplets along the sides.
“I thought he had a girlfriend?” She pinches the pieces together after I finish.
I just shrug and set the bottle on the nightstand.
“Ah. Well, that’s too bad. Holy shit, it worked! You’re the best!” She flashes me a wide smile and stands.
Freaking psycho.
“Are you going to the Halloween party at Hilltop?” Her expression is conspicuously neutral.
“Yea, Val said she could use some help.” I squint at her, glancing towards the hall. “It’s a nice change of pace, ya know? But I don’t think Dad knows.”
The blues of her eyes roll again. “Dad has a master’s in keeping secrets. I’m fine with having at least one on him.”
That makes me snicker. “Yea, he really did one over on you with Lori.”
Damn, Sophia was pissed.
I didn’t know how she couldn’t see that Dad and Lori were a thing that summer.
Well, she was pretty fucked up with a broken leg. I’ll give her that.
“Right?” she exclaims. “He won’t hear it from me.” She feigns pulling a zipper across her mouth.
“I need to take a picture of that. The only time in history you swear to be quiet about something.” I’m still chuckling as I shoo her out the door.
“Just when I was starting to like you!” she yells behind her with a laugh.
Maybe it’s the glue making my heart race on the way up to the bar.
It has to be. Or an exhaust leak in my old Toyota?
That’s why I feel like ants are crawling under my skin.
Not because I might get to have Val look at me again like she did last weekend.
Like she was hungry. Starving. And she was going to tear my shirt off.
I’m earlier than usual so I can help with the last minute decorations.
But when I walk in and the bell chimes, as soon as she sees me, her eyes narrow.
“Sawyer? Where’s your costume?” Val’s voice carries from the back where I can just see her eyes peering at me over the doors to the kitchen. What’s that black thing on her head?
Shit.
“I’m a truck driver!” I grin at her and adjust my baseball hat so it sits up a little higher as I walk closer.
She rolls her green eyes and waves her hand at me. “I got this, I need beer and liquor restocked, stat!”
“Got it.” Turning on my heel, I veer down the hall and double hop the stairs down.
I didn’t ask which brand, so I just grab three different cases to start.
Just in that few minutes, more people have filtered in.
Blue and Libby are setting up in the far corner and wave at me when they see me.
Gosh, Libby looks like she’s ready to explode.
Am I allowed to say that? I bet that’s rude.
But I know she’s due soon?
That makes me sigh. More diapers. At least I won’t have to change them.
As I restock, I take a quick tally of the other stuff I have to grab. Crap, it’s a lot.
By my second trip, Blue’s playing music and a ton more people are showing up.
It’s weird seeing it this busy.
The tequila and whiskey are full, but it looks like I need a case of vodka next.
Another round trip and I can barely weave through the crowd moving with the music.
Wade and his girl come through the entry just as I’m dodging some guys in slasher masks. It makes me bash the side of the box against his elbow.
“Sorry, Wade,” I mumble, making a hard right.
I have half the bottles unloaded when I catch a glimpse of bare legs in black stilettos under the kitchen entry.
“Sawyer? Come here.” Val’s finger appears above the gap, beckoning me to her.
Setting down the rest of the case, I push through, then freeze.
Every joint in my body is seized as the blood rushes out of my brain.
“You need a costume and this is all I could find.” She stands with her hip cocked and a pair of white wings dangling from her long nails.
But it’s what she’s wearing that has me panting.
She’s the sluttiest looking nun I’ve ever seen. Her full breasts push up with a tightly laced black corset that brings startling attention to the pale skin.
And her thigh-high stockings are fastened with tiny buckles to the smallest form-fitting body suit that exists.
I want to see if I can undo the latches with my teeth.
The thought that other men out there will set their eyes on her makes my stomach tighten.
Her full red lips turn up into a sultry smile. “Like what you see?”
Fuck. I’ve been standing here like a damn idiot.
Clearing my throat, all I can do is nod.
Her husky laugh shakes me from my stupor.
No.
Don’t do that, stupid.
“Uh, what did you need?” I have an insane urge to cover my crotch before she catches a glimpse of the effect she has on me.
Then she steps closer, a single finger reaching out and touching fire to the center of the chest.
It makes me jump as if I’ve been burned.
“Take off your shirt.” Her voice is low, but it drowns out every other noise.
“Huh?” I’ve forgotten what words are.
The pink triangle of her tongue pushes between her lips and leaves a glistening line.
“Sawyer.” She steps closer, raising onto her toes to bring her sweet breath near my ear.
“You need a costume. Take.” She pinches the thin fabric of my t-shirt between her black painted nails.
“This.” She tugs it away from my body with a rush of cool air.
“Off.” Letting it go, it tickles over my belly making my cock leap into my zipper.
“Yes, ma’am,” I exhale around the knot in my throat and rip the hem in my hurry to take off my top.
Her heel taps against the tiles and she tilts her head, brazenly lowering her verdant gaze over my bare torso.
“Now get down where I can reach you.” She fucking snaps her fingers and points to the floor.
Like a puppet on her string, my knees give out to crack against the ground.
The shock of pain doesn’t even begin to touch the ache in my nuts that her standing over me gives.
I want her to reach out and claw me. Grab my face and sink her tongue into my mouth.
But she lifts the straps to the angel wings and circles behind me.
“Raise your arms.” Her hot command scalds my jaw.
Was that her lips brushing the lobe of my ear?
Every limb feels electrified as I lift my hands out to the sides.
She threads the first nylon strap over my fingers, trailing it up the sensitive skin until it snugs around my pit.
I’m so glad I showered and scrubbed before tonight.
Shit, I need another. Sweat prickles my body as her fingers lead the other clasp, her thumb brushing against my chest until she reaches around me from behind.
Both hands flatten at my collarbone over my pounding heart as she presses her breasts—
Oh fuck. Her body is touching me.
There isn’t enough oxygen in this room. Stars float in my focus as the taut seam of her corset rubs along my spine while she latches the final snap.
“Good boy,” she croons before pulling the heat of her body away from me.
A raw current runs through me to scorch into my cheeks when I realize just how close I am to making a mess in my pants just from her simple praise.
With a last adjustment of the stiff wires hidden under the plastic feathers, she moves in front of me.
I want to be the finger that she taps against her pursed lips.
“You’re a perfect angel.” Playfully, she reaches out and tugs my hat off my head and flips it backwards. “There.” Her smile could melt a cargo ship. “Now you’re as hot as the devil himself.”
One last wink of her emerald eye, then she pushes out into the chaos of the bar.
Leaving me on my knees next to the pizza prep station.
When I stand up, I’m so light headed I might pass out.
But I can’t. There’s still another few cases to bring upstairs.
I’d rather die than not do my job.
Even if I did, I’d drag my ass back from hell to get another touch from her.