NICOLE
I’d only been in Chicago for a week, and I hadn’t even had time to fully unpack most of my things. Thankfully, it didn’t matter that I still had boxes everywhere because my Uncle Jonas’ penthouse was enormous. Plus, it was just me here so my things were in no one’s way but my own. That had been proven earlier when I had stubbed my toe on one of them. I still had no idea what all I had packed when back in Los Angeles. It was done before my trip to Costa Rica, and with other things in my life, I was having trouble focusing on anything.
“ You need to get your head in the game, Nicole. Jonas is going out of his way to make this happen for you ,” my father stated before I flew to Chicago from our home in Los Angeles.
He was right, but knowing what my mother was going through made it difficult. In fact, I was pretty sure it was her current medical condition that finally had him allowing me to come out east. My father, his brother, and multiple generations of Courtlands all attended Stanford and I had for the first three years myself. Carrying on their legacy had been important to them, but as the years passed, it became less important to me. I’d only been begging my father and uncle to let me come to Chicago for almost a year. Now that I’d finally worn them down, I was struggling to be happy about it.
I needed to be in Los Angeles with my mother. She’d always been my everything, and the very thought that I might lose her was making me crazy. I’d been an emotional wreck ever since I left California. Cancer was such a scary word, and I had seen first hand what it could do to someone. I’d known many who had gone from being healthy one day to dying the next.
“ I don’t want you to die, Mama ,” I’d told her when she’d sat me and Nicolai down to tell us about her diagnosis. Evidently, she’d known of it for a few weeks, and her and our father just hadn’t told us.
“ Everyone dies one day ,” she told me.
“ I know, but —”
“ There’s no buts about it. You’re to go to Costa Rica where you’ll have the most fabulous summer vacation. Then when you get back, you’re going to move to Chicago where I know you’ll do great things .”
“ I don’t think any of that is important in light of—”
“ It’s important to me for you to go and live your life. I won’t be around forever, and neither will you. I’ve lived the fullest life possible, and I want you to promise me that you’ll do the same with yours.”
“ I promise ,” I’d told her before leaving both times.
Now, I was second guessing myself once again. My father told me that my mother was fighting hard to beat this disease, and I knew if anyone was strong enough to do so, that it would be her. I just wanted to help. Both of my parents told me the best thing I could do for either of them was to work on my own future which included finishing my degree. It was surprising to hear my father plead for me to go because he’d always been the one most against it. Even Jonas had eventually relented.
“ You have to let her follow her dreams, Logan .”
I’d almost done a double take at my uncle being the voice of reason. I suppose he’d changed a lot from how he was when I was younger, and Kenzie was a huge part of that. The two were so happy together and if he could find someone to settle down with and love, I supposed there was still hope for me one day, too.
“Instead of following my dreams, I am sitting around feeling sorry for myself.” I said out loud and maybe it was actually hearing the words, but I got up off of my ass and walked into the bedroom.
It was almost worse than the living room. I not only had boxes of shoes scattered about everywhere, but I also had multiple garment bags that I had yet to hang up in the massive closet. Jonas had spared no expense when he’d bought this place, but that wasn’t surprising. He was a Titan in Manhattan, just as my father was one in Los Angeles. They lived a life of luxury. I’d love to say that I didn’t care about expensive stuff, but being born into this world, I knew nothing else so I couldn’t be sure.
It didn’t matter. I wasn’t here in Chicago for the long haul. I was simply here to finish my last year of school, then I’d apply at the Courtland Hospitality Group where I would hopefully get to manage one of his resorts. He had so many across the world. My jaw had dropped to the floor when the true extent of his portfolio was realized a few years back, and I hadn’t fully lifted it yet. He had resorts in urban areas like Seattle and New York City, but he also had them in tropical places around the globe.
Costa Rica. I let out a sigh as I thought about being back there again. I’d gone to paradise for ten days and after my friends had left a week into the trip, I ventured out alone and ended up having the most amazing time. A lot of that was thanks to Callum. I didn’t know much about him, but it didn’t really matter. He went to school here in Chicago, but the city was a very large place. I’d always have the memories.
I sat down on the bed, then fell back as they all came rushing back to me, especially those we made in the pool. He’d swept me off of my feet. I’d never gone so many rounds with a guy, especially in one night, so it was no surprise that I was sore the next day. I’d relished every ache that man had given me on the flight, but even that small respite in time disappeared once I got home and realized how much sicker my mother had become. She was going through chemotherapy and it was obvious why she wanted me and my brother to leave for a while. I’d chosen to go to Costa Rica with friends, while Nicolai had gone to Cabo with his.
Upon our return, Nicolai returned to Stanford where he’d begin classes tomorrow. I would’ve, had I stayed in California. Now, I had to begin mine at the University of Chicago. As I thought about having to start over at a place where I knew no one, it scared me. And probably more than I’d like to actually admit. It was likely the reason I lacked any motivation to get fully settled in. I needed to kick this forlorn feeling though because I hadn’t even picked out clothes for my first day. This would be the first time I wouldn’t have my mother taking silly pictures of me to commemorate the occasion.
“I suppose there’s an upside to being here alone,” I murmured.
I knew that even though she couldn’t be here in person, she’d be in spirit. In fact, I’d be completely shocked if she didn’t call and ask me to send her a picture she would have developed and put into a photo album. There’d been so many photos in it that I would’ve rather she lost it altogether, but she never would. Isabella Courtland treasured things like that, and one day I would as well.
I got up and walked to the massive walk-in closet to look at the clothing I’d managed to hang up. Most of my things had arrived a day later than expected which also put me behind the eight ball when it came to finishing this before classes began. I definitely knew what I would be doing this weekend, and attending a back-to-school party would not be one of them. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the stacks of boxes and realized it might take me until Christmas to finish unpacking all of this. If so, there would be nothing more than studying and unpacking to fill my long, lonely days. I let out a sigh, then turned back to the clothes hanging up on the rack.
I flipped through the hangers and finally chose a pair of jeans and a silk tank top. The weather in Chicago was great this time of the year. From what Jonas told me, it would be a lot different once December rolled around. I was actually excited about getting snow. In Los Angeles, there was really no break in seasons. Some months were warmer than others, but not by a lot so the weeks and months just blurred together. I’d not only get snow here at some point, but I would also get those huge thunderstorms and even possibly a tornado or two. I was truly excited about everything when it came to living here, and as long as I remembered those things, it would make these first few weeks a lot easier to get through.
“Now to find some shoes,” I said as I draped the pants and shirt over my arm, walked back into the disaster zone, and deposited them onto the bed. I then began looking at the various shoe boxes. “Valentino... Valentino... Valen...”
As soon as I located the box which had my dark, rockstud leather sandals, I grabbed them. They were the same shade of navy as my shirt, so I at least knew what I was going to wear. I placed them on the high back chair in the corner, then draped the jeans and shirt over the back of it. I decided while I was at it to find some accessories. The last thing I wanted to do was wake up in the morning and panic over everything. I believed in making a good first impression, and without anyone here knowing my lineage, that was a must. In Los Angeles, everyone knew who I was. Here, I was a virtual stranger in the sea of other ones, and I was looking forward to anonymity.
Once I had found a necklace, earrings, and wristwatch, I went into the bathroom. This room was a piece of art, literally. The walls, floors, and counters were all marble I was sure Jonas had imported from Europe. It reeked of money and was as beautiful as it was expensive. I walked over to the large soaking tub and turned the water to hot. Once it was the perfect temperature, I put the stopper in the drain, then went in search of a bath bomb. I located one in a box labeled bathroom that was still in the kitchen, and I shook my head. I had my work cut out for me.
That would be for another day because tonight, I just wanted to soak in the tub, then lay across the bed and look at the spectacular views of Lake Michigan from my windows. It didn’t take long to fill up the tub, and within minutes, I was fully submerged except for my head and toes, the latter of which were resting on the edge of the tub.
In Los Angeles, I’d loved relaxing with a bubble bath, often adding romanticism to the scene with candles and wine. I was just now old enough to drink legally, but my parents had never been really strict about that law as long as I was at home when I drank.
I had no candles or merlot at the moment, so I closed my eyes and tried to let the warmth of the water seep into my tired bones. It had almost succeeded until every muscle in my body tensed at the rasp of a male voice invaded my peace.
“Callum.” His name left my lips as a whisper, and I was immediately transported back to Costa Rica. He’d been as insatiable as he was relentless, and my modesty was no match for his prowess. The things that man had done to my body over the course of those few hours, and the things he said...
A sharp pang pierced my core and I found myself rubbing my thighs together to ease it. Callum had taken me in so many different ways, twisting and contorting my body into so many different positions. I’d felt every inch of him no matter which way he took me. And it wasn’t just his cock either. As I imagined his mouth on mine, my hands moved to my breasts and I tried to squeeze them the same way that he did, but failed miserably.
It didn’t matter, though. I pinched and rolled my taut buds while reliving the almost desperate way he fucked me. There’d been some driving force behind the speed and intensity, and no toy I owned or could buy would ever be able to replicate it. I’d had a few sexual partners in the past, but even they didn’t have me reminiscing this long afterward. Had this man possibly ruined me for all others?
The ache between my legs intensified and when my eyes flew open, I noticed the handheld shower head. I’d never tried this trick before, but after turning the water back on, I tried a few different positions before finally settling on one. I draped one leg over the side and held the shower wand in one hand while spreading my lips apart. It provided direct stimulation to my clit which sort of reminded me of the jets in the pool that night, but this was so much better.
“Callum,” I moaned as my entire body grew taut.
I was like a live wire about to explode. I could feel the impending orgasm, but I needed something more to tip me over. I began to grind my hips and it brought me closer, but not close enough. I was about to groan out in frustration until I heard his voice once more.
“ God, I need to be inside of you.”
“Yes,” I cried out, then remembered how he’d led me out of the pool and into his bedroom. He’d brought me to another orgasm with his mouth, then later his cock. The memories were coming fast and furiously now, so I stayed in that moment, and between them and the pressure of the water, I finally came.
My orgasm was so sharp and while anticipated, the intensity was not quite what I’d expected. The wand eventually fell from my hand and I fully submerged myself back under the layer of bubbles. I closed my eyes and savored it for a few minutes before getting out of the tub. I quickly dried off and once I got settled into bed, I pulled the silk comforter over me and drifted off to sleep.