Chapter 5
5
R AIN
At Rain’s home, chatting with Eve on the patio.
“You’ve kissed one of the Kings?” Eve asks, her cheeks crimson, the color matching her painted nails as her hands pile up on top of her mouth.
Her eyes glint with sheer astonishment.
The early afternoon threads a warm golden light through her hair, the glow hugging her face and dripping from her lashes.
I put my hot chocolate on the table and grab an almond cookie from the plate in front of us.
“It was more like a goodbye kiss,” I say, my voice soft, tinged with emotion.
“I can’t fucking believe it. You touched his lips... With your lips?” she asks, bewildered.
I chuckle because she’s funny, yet her words bring back the memory of that moment, making me shift my focus away from our conversation.
James’ image flashes in front of my eyes, awakening that sweet yearning that’s been building inside my body for some time.
Mesmerized, she looks at me, her eyes filled with curiosity, pure innocence, and irrepressible excitement.
We’ve been waiting for this moment for so long.
She’s glaringly more impatient than me, although I won’t lie… I’ve been thinking about it for a while.
You can call it an accident if you want, but the whole men and sex thing had taken a significant detour when it came to us.
We may be chock full of knowledge, but the actual experience of being with someone has just evaded us.
It’s not as if we’ve purposely postponed it.
For the most part, we didn’t think about losing our V-cards, and we kind of felt good about how we were.
I guess we weren’t ready, or maybe we didn’t meet the right men, as she has said many times.
Eve tried to be in a relationship, and some of her hookups lasted more than the others, but most guys weren’t interested in sexless dates, and despite being so eager to get it over with, she couldn’t do it with any random guy.
“Yes, I touched his lips. But I couldn’t tell if he was one of them. I couldn’t spot their bikes anywhere. And because they ambushed me in front of Red’s, I couldn’t figure out what kind of car they drove either.”
“I don’t know any other men who look like that. Not in this town, anyway,” she says, drawing her own conclusion while dismissing every other alternate theory.
A sound originating in the house rips through the air.
She glances at me.
“Is the evil one at home?” she asks quietly.
“No, no. Don’t worry. She’s not here.”
“So what was she doing at the club, anyway?” she asks.
I tilt my head to the side, smiling suggestively.
She laughs, entertained.
“Never mind. Why would I ask something so stupid? Of course, she was there. The woman is relentless when it comes to men.”
She pushes her black horn-rim glasses up her nose, tucks her hair behind her ears, and leans forward, her eyes glinting with mischief.
“So, did they say anything interesting to you?” she asks.
“Nope.”
“Nothing about their mysterious house or the urban legend making the rounds?”
I laugh softly.
“Why would they bring that up? And no. Of course, I didn’t ask them. What a great piece of conversation that would be. ‘Hey, so and so, my friend and I would like to know if you organize orgies at your place.’”
I pause, and we giggle.
“What do they look like?” she asks, leaning back in her seat.
I fluff up a pillow, tuck it behind me, and sink back.
“They look like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
I give her a detailed description of their faces and the color of their hair and eyes before briefly describing their personalities as much as I have grasped them.
“So they look like the fucking Kings,” she says, wide-eyed.
“They do, but the story is a fabrication. There’s no way they keep women at their house and have their way with them when the club is packed with beautiful female guests. Plus, they walked into that club as if they owned the place.”
Her lips curve into a smile.
“You liked it,” she says, living vicariously through me.
“Yes... I did,” I murmur.
A moment of silence zips away.
“What if…” I start, thinking out loud.
Her eyes sparkle.
“Yes?”
“What if we’re paying them a visit?”
She looks at me, intrigued.
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah… Not quite paying them a visit, and more like checking their place and seeing what’s all about...”
“As in trespassing?”
Her eyes twinkle with mischief as her mind spins with possibilities.
“Yeah. Like a spying mission,” I say, terrified and thrilled at the same time.
“You’re crazy. What if they catch us? We could end up in jail...” she says, not believing half of it.
“We could, but we wouldn’t. Did they strike you as someone with the cops on speed dial?”
She purses her lips.
“Exactly,” I say.
“It may be worse if they’re doing their own justice,” she suggests, smiling.
“Doing their own justice… how?” I ask, playing her game.
“They can chop us up and feed us to the fish,” she jokes, and laughter falls from my chest. “Or worse,” she says, a naughty smile glinting in her eyes.
“What’s worse?” I ask, pretending I don't know what she’s talking about.
“They could… You know… Have their way with us,” she says under her breath, as if we’re already at their mercy in their home.
I wag my finger at her.
“You have quite the imagination.”
“Oh, wait...”
She presses her manicured fingers against her lips.
“That was the plan all along,” she says, feigning surprise, and our crystalline laughter rips into the silence, prompting a flock of ducks to take off from the nearby lake, fueling our giggling even more.
“If that’s the case, sign me up...” she says, flashing a playful grin. “That’s not what I had in mind,” she murmurs dramatically and comically at the same time. “It’s just that… I can no longer wait. My looks are already fading...” she adds, fanning her face, and we snicker uncontrollably, missing out on the sound of the main door opening and closing.
Suddenly, she has the smile wiped off her face, her chin flicking up repeatedly like a broken gadget, pointing to someone behind me.
My sister’s angry voice booms in my ears.
“Can I talk to you for a second?”
I toss a glance over my shoulder, barely suppressing a retort.
Hands clutched onto her hips, she shoots Eve a death stare that makes her leap out of her chair and dash promptly to the exit door.
“I’ll talk to you later,” she says to me, sneaking behind Daria’s back while twirling her forefinger next to her right temple, pointing to my sister at the same time.
My eyes follow her, my expression blank as I push back an amused smile.
“What do you want?” I ask dryly, shifting my focus to Daria.
“Inside, please,” she barks, stepping to the side and inviting me to vacate the patio.
“What’s your problem, sis?”
She motions to the door.
“I’m not in the mood,” she snaps. “Get inside.”
I extract myself from the chair, stroll past her, and head to the kitchen. Her shoes rap annoyingly against the marble slabs as she follows me with suffocating indignation.
Daria and her fucking moods.
I pour myself a glass of water and take a gulp before setting it on the table and hurling a glance at her.
“Who exactly were you with last night?” she asks, fury simmering in her voice.
I lean back, and bracing my hands on the cold kitchen counter, I stare at her in silence.
She responds with a venomous look.
I press my lips into a tight line before giving her an answer.
“Nobody.”
“ He’s not nobody,” she snaps, her words punching me in the stomach.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“This is serious, Rain.”
I shoot her a glare.
“I bet it is, so enlighten me. What exactly is so serious? Me asking for help, or you fucking someone in Red’s basement?”
Her eyes go wide, filled with anger and disbelief, her face white as paper.
I continue.
“How many were there? One? Two? Three? More? You’d spent some time down there. And why did you ask me to pick you up when you knew you were busy?”
“I didn’t know that when I talked to you.”
“Oh... So you were busy.”
“It’s not your damn business.”
“I could say the same thing.”
Her eyebrows pinch into a frown, her pointed stare scorching me.
“I know how to take care of myself, Rain. You, on the other hand, have no idea. This is not about me being mean. I’m truly concerned about you.”
“Oh, are you now? That’s new to me,” I retort, irony threading through my voice.
“I’m not joking. Someone saw you inside the club last night.”
My lips dip into a knowing smile.
“Hmm... Let me guess. Was it the pharaonic goddess who took drink orders at my table by any chance?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Blinking fast, she averts her eyes.
“It was her, wasn’t it? Who is she? One of your friends? Classmates? She’s older than me, but her face looked familiar––”
“I told you it doesn’t matter.”
“Did she tell you I had to wait until the man you’d spread your legs for pulled his dick out of you?”
Her chin trembles, her lips bloodless, her face livid.
“Fucking bitch...” she growls, not even an ounce of sisterly concern left in her.
Her words shoot out as fast as the slap landing on my face.
My head jerks to the side.
“Are you fucking crazy?” I shout. Shocked, I bring my hand to my face and rub my cheek. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“I’m trying to protect you, Rain,” she says.
“Protect me? You just hit me, crazy bitch.”
I twirl away from her and dash to my room, her heels moving with a high cadence right behind me.
I push the door open and dart to the walk-in closet.
“Where are you going?”
“Away from you.”
“Where are you going?” she barks, sounding crazy.
I look at her as if she’s lost her mind, which is not entirely out of the question.
“Eve’s,” I say, hoping to see her calm down and move away from me.
“Do you know who those men are?” she insists with maniacal fury.
I toss an embroidered peasant gauze tunic on me and tie it loosely at the neck.
“Is that what you’re going to wear?”
Her eyes hover over me, taking inventory of my shorts and see-through top.
“Are you telling me what to wear now? You’ve lost your fucking mind, dear sister. I’m going next door, not strolling downtown. And by the way, don’t call me to pick you up. I’ll ride my bicycle over there.”
I snatch my phone and house keys and head to the door.
Taking a sidestep, she fills the doorway, blocking my way out.
“I asked you something,” she growls through clenched teeth, her voice vile.
Anger soars through me.
“No. I have no fucking idea who they are, but since you know every cock in town, I expect you do. So why the hell are you bothering me with your stupid questions?”
I shove her to the side and stride down the corridor.
“The man you kissed last night is James Sexton,” she shouts behind me.
I stop short as if I hit a wall and slowly turn around to face her.
A stern expression lines her face, making her look older than she is.
“I have no idea who James Sexton is,” I say.
“The man at the club, the one you were with last night. He’s the owner of Red’s. He also owns most of the land surrounding this town and the notorious Dark House, not to mention he calls home one of the most expensive estates in Aspen. If not the most expensive one.”
My eyes go wide. Not so much because of what she just said, but because, for the first time ever, she talks about something other than her shoes.
“Isn’t he too young to own that much…?” I ask, processing the information.
“He inherited the family estate when his father passed away last year. And he’s owned the club since he was eighteen, and he’s basically been in business with his father since he was a teen.”
Restlessness grows in me as she talks about this man.
She’s never kept track of other people’s affairs.
There must be a reason she’s so knowledgeable about him.
“How come you know all that? Did you hook up with him or something?”
“No,” she says, looking straight into my eyes.
She’s not lying, and that’s a first.
And then it hits me.
Oh, oh...
Wait a minute.
I know what this is.
And it makes so much sense now––her anger and morbid jealousy.
Of course, it does.
A slow smile creases my lips, driving her crazy.
“Oh, I’m sorry…” I say, feigning concern for her. “How could I be so blind? You’d like to fuck him.”
Her eyes go dark while a devilish laugh falls from my lips.
“Stupid me. For a moment there, I thought you’d cared for me,” I say, thoroughly amused.
“He’s a dangerous man, Rain.”
“He must be,” I sneer. “Why else would he not fuck you? But that aside, there’s something else I don’t understand,” I say facetiously. “Why would you want him if you’re getting married in a few short months?”
Her cheeks are flushed while sickening frustration darkens her eyes.
I nod slowly.
“Oh... Wait. I know why... It’s his money, isn’t it? He’s rich, and he has way more money than Nathan. What am I saying? There’s no comparison, really. Is that what this is?” I ask rhetorically before pulling away from her.
It’s a miracle she stays quiet.
“Thanks for warning me, though,” I hurl over my shoulder. “Although you shouldn’t have bothered. James Sexton and I live on different planets. There’s no need to lose your sleep over me. I’m nothing to him. Keep chasing new ideas, Daria. Tomorrow is another day, and maybe you’ll get lucky.”