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One year earlier
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Kiara
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“Something smells good in here,” my mother’s voice speaks behind me, causing me to turn around, and a smile immediately makes its way onto my face. I turn down the stove and walk up to her to hug her.
“Morning, mom,” I whisper in the hug, and she pulls back with a smile of her own.
“Good morning, you up early,” she says before asking if I slept well. I tell her I did and the reason for my early rise. I’m expecting a very important call today. I’m a late sleeper. I’ve always been since I was a child, so I’m always the last one to wake up. That’s why she’s surprised to see me up at 7 am. She, on the other hand, is an early riser. She’s been like that since her doctor days. My mother is a doctor by profession, but she doesn’t practice anymore. She became a stay-at-home mom after the birth of my younger brother, Asa. My father was also a doctor, but he and mother built their own hospitals, and even though they still practiced when needed, they held other positions in their company.
The business has grown, and mother has told me repeatedly that I could go work there since I’m struggling to get a job. Uncle Chris has also told me he could create a position for me in one of the other companies, but that’s not what I want. I have no interest in the fields they offer, and I don’t want to accept their handouts. I want to be my own woman and make a name for myself without their influence. That’s why I even stopped telling them about my struggles. I don’t want them pulling strings.
Three weeks ago, I auditioned in an upcoming film for a part that will change my life if I get it, and I’m almost sure I got it. I know the director, and he knowingly or unknowingly hinted that I got the part. I tell mother that, and she’s surprised since I didn’t tell her about the audition. Nevertheless, she’s happy for me and crosses her fingers that I get it too. It’s about time my career took off. The rejections haven’t been easy to swallow.
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I lead her to the dining area and sit her down. I’ve already set the table. I tell her breakfast is almost ready, and I ask her if uncle Chris is still sleeping, and she says he’s in the shower. He and my brother Cameron have just returned from their morning jog. I head to the kitchen to get the breakfast done, and she offers to help me, but I tell her I’m fine.
After placing everything on the table, I sit down, and we help ourselves, and just then, uncle Chris and the guys enter, and they join us. Everyone is surprised that I made breakfast; it's a rare sight. We dig into our food, catching up some more with what each of us has been up to, and it feels really good to be home. If it weren’t for this job I’m expecting to get, I would stay awhile before returning to the states.
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“Thank you,” I thank my sister, Merlot, as she helps me clean up after breakfast, and just then, my phone rings. I place down the glass I had in my hand, and she takes over, making uncle Chris’s kale smoothy while I take out my phone and walk away from her. I look at the caller ID, and it’s Kylie, my agent, and my heartbeat speeds up, knowing why she’s calling. Please, God, don’t disappoint me this time. I take a deep breath and answer.
Her voice comes cheery on the other side like it always does, and it does nothing to help me. That’s one thing I don’t like about Kylie. You never get any warnings from her. Her voice is always the same, whether she’s about to take you to cloud nine with good news or about to crush your soul with bad news. I skip the pleasantries and ask her if I got the part or not, and she says no. She tells me that Arya, the person I lost my fiancé to, got the feature, and tears immediately prick my eyes as my heart hits rock bottom, and I don’t even hear anything she says after that. I cut the call and turn around to find Cameron looking at me with a sad look, but I walk away just as he opens his mouth to speak, feeling like I will scream if I hear sorry.
I’m sick of being told sorry. I don’t want anyone to be sorry. I want God to give me a break. I want the universe to give me a break. I run to the front and grab my car keys before running out of the door, and I hear Cameron calling after me as I slide inside my car, but I ignore him. I take off at high speed and look at the rear-view mirror as I make it out of the estate to find no one behind me, and I’m glad. I head to the place I was planning to go to after breakfast and make it in record time.
I get out of the car and run down to my dad’s grave, and the tears I’ve been holding back fall as my knees touch the ground, and I break down and cry.
Everything I touch turns to dust, and no matter how much I pray for a break, it’s like God’s not listening to me.
“I wish you were here,” I whisper, running my fingers over my dad’s name while my tears continue to drip onto the marble. He’d know how to make me feel better if he were here. He always did. I hate Aiden for taking my father away from me.
I sit upright again and tell him about the part I didn’t get and who got it.
Arya Senekal is the woman that ended my engagement after falling pregnant with my fiancé, Kylo. Kylo and I went to the same high school together, and we also attended the same university. We both majored in drama and started dating in our third year. We got engaged in December last of last year and planned to get married in June last year, but three months later, I found him in bed with my best friend.
He was doing a shoot in Paris, and I had finished early from mine that was in LA and decided to surprise him since it was his birthday, but I ended up being the one who was surprised. He apologized, telling me he didn’t mean to hurt me and that it was a mistake, but I couldn’t forgive him. I couldn’t get past what they did, so I broke off our engagement, and I’m glad I did because Arya gave birth to their child five months later. They eloped in January this year.
Arya was also my best friend. She and I were friends long before I met Kylo. We were friends since we were ten, and I loved her and thought she loved me too, but I was wrong. I trusted her with my life and told her everything. She knew how much I loved him and how insecure I was about not sleeping with him, and she reassured me. She told me he loved me and praised me, saying she wished she had also waited for the right guy while knowing she was sleeping with him behind my back. She broke my heart. They both did.
They made a fool out of me, and now, as if that’s not enough, she keeps showing up at every audition and interview I go to, and she keeps finishing ahead of me and getting everything. Their careers are flourishing, and they are living their best lives while I’m out here feeling like I’m moving backward. My life is stuck, and I’m miserable. Everywhere I go, every time I open a magazine, I’m greeted by their faces, smiling while I’m getting bitter and bitter. I have been trying to move on from what happened, to stop loving him, and stop being so angry, but I can’t, and it’s killing me inside.
“I’m so sad, dad,” I confess, and just then, I feel arms being wrapped around me, and I look behind me to find Cameron looking at me with teary eyes. He pulls me against his chest, and I don’t even resist. I bury myself in my brother's arms and start crying all over again, defeated.
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Alaric
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“Mmm!" Taylor moans, weaving her fingers in my hair as our tongues fight for dominance, but just then, a voice speaks, causing us to break the kiss.
“Mr. Vásquez is on the line, Sir,” the flight attendant says, causing Taylor, who was on my lap, to get off of me and sit in her chair. I pick up the line and speak to my father. He tells me he and my mother are heading to the penthouse, and I tell him I should also land in an hour or so. I end the call when we are done and look at Tylor to find her looking at me with a mischievous smile, causing my eyes to trail down to her hand to find her fingers slowly trailing up her inner thighs before slipping inside her p***y.
“f**k!” I cuss, getting up, but her high heels connect with my chest, stopping me in my movement. I swallow hard, leaning back on the chair as she keeps it in place, and I watch her pleasure herself, moaning before trying to get up again.
“Uh-uh,” she whispers seductively before getting up and walking over to me, and I groan when she grabs my d**k after spreading my legs. She crashes her lips against mine, and my tongue immediately dominates hers as I pull her onto my lap, but she pushes me back, causing me to lean back on the seat again. She gets on her knees and looks me in the eye while seductively trailing her fingers up my thighs, and I suck in a breath when she starts rubbing her hands over my pulsating d**k.
“You like that?” she whispers, and I say a husky yes, as she starts to undo my pants, but I groan, leaning my head back against the headrest when she takes my d**k into her hands and starts rubbing circles on the head. She lets me go, and I look down at her to find her still looking at me as she spits in her hand before stroking me.
“Mm… f**k!” I groan as she picks up the pace, and I grab onto the armrests when she suddenly slips me into her mouth. She starts bobbing her head up and down, sucking me deeper with each movement, and I eventually grab a fist full of her hair and start guiding her up and down my shaft, feeling myself about to explode.
“f**k! Baby!” I cuss out with ragged breaths, feeling my muscles contract as I hit the back of her throat, and that seems to motivate her. She moves her head with new vigor, and my grip on her hair tightens before my body goes rigid. I release inside her mouth, and she takes it all before getting up and crashing her lips against mine. I try to kick off my jeans, and she breaks the kiss, drops back down to her knees again, and pulls them off while I grab a condom and slip it on. She stands upright again, and I grab her hand and pull her against me, causing me to squeal before crashing her lips against mine.
I devour her lips as she settles onto my lap, straddling my legs, and I push her dress up while she impatiently works on the buttons of my shirt. I remove the clothing, and she does the same before tilting her head to the side as I latch onto her neck, sucking her sweet spot.
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“Ahh!” she moans, grabbing my shoulders as she lowers herself onto me, and I groan, taking her right n****e in my mouth, causing her to arch her back while starting to move. My hands move to her ass, guiding her while my lips pay attention to her breasts, and soon the cabin fills with our moans and groans as I ram into her harder with each thrust. It’s not long before I feel her body tremble, letting me know she’s about to c*m, and I lift her up, taking my d**k out, causing her to moan. I don’t want her to c*m yet.
I silence her with my tongue while getting to my feet before placing her on the seat and spreading her legs. I get to my knees and her legs in place before sucking her clit, causing her to throw her head back, gripping onto the soft leather.
“Baby! Ahh!” her moans become louder as I lick and suck her out of her senses before she screams as an orgasm rips through her body, leaving her a panting mess, but I’m not done, and we only have a few minutes before the plane touches down. I pull her up to her feet and connect our lips into a fiery kiss before turning her around and bending her over the table.
“Ahh!” she cries out, grabbing onto the table as I bury my throbbing d**k inside her, and I place my hand on her back, laying her flat on the table before ramming into her hard and fast. It’s not long before she screams my name as another orgasm knocks the air out of her lungs, but I continue pumping in and out of her at a pace. I eventually feel my muscles contract, and I throw my head back, my hand keeping her waist in place as I, too, come undone, and just then, the pilot speaks, telling us we are about to land.
I pull out and turn her around before connecting our lips in a passionate but brief kiss, and we head back to our seats. I strap her before sitting down and strapping myself as the plane starts to land.
Once we are safely on the ground, we get dressed, and I head back to the cabin to wash my face and fix myself before heading to the front again.
“Are you sure you’re not going to join us later?” Taylor asks, coming from doing the same at the back, and I tell her, I’m sure. One of my friends’ clubs is opening tonight, but I’m tired, and my parents are in town. I haven’t seen them in a month, and I’ve missed them. We are going to make dinner, and I’m going to hang out with them after.
“Ruiz is going to take you, and I will call you,” I tell her, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her against me. We share a quick kiss and make our way off the plane. We descend and find two cars waiting for us. I requested that Ruiz come with someone because Taylor and I stay in separate parts of town, and I didn’t want to have to start by dropping her off first and keep my parents waiting.
“Enjoy yourself tonight,” I tell her as she’s directed to her car, and she looks back and smiles.
“Thank you. I will. Enjoy your parents too,” she says, and I reply with a smile before making my way to my transport. I get inside, and Ruiz starts the drive. I ask him if my parents are in the penthouse already, and he says he’s not sure. He was busy running some errands for Zach. I ask him to stop at a florist on the way so I can get some flowers for mom. He pulls into one after a short drive, and we use the drive-through option since I already know what I’m looking for.
After getting the flowers, he starts the drive again, and we make our way home. Thankfully, the traffic is not heavy, and we make it home sooner than I expected. But my brows furrow into question as we stop in front of the gate.
“What is going on here?” I ask, seeing a lot of cars in front of the penthouse, and Ruiz says he doesn’t know. My dad didn’t say anything about bringing people over. The car stops, and I exit the vehicle, taking the flowers with me while Ruiz gets my bag from the boot. I grab it and sling it over my shoulder, and we share a quick side hug, bidding each other good night. He slides inside the car and pulls away, and I head inside, wondering what is going on. I punch in the code and push the door open, but my eyes widen, and the bag slips off my shoulder and hits the floor as I abruptly stop just after entering. My place is full of women and guys, and some are naked. Some are f*****g, some making out, and they are everywhere; on the counters, couches, and floor. And the music is pumping.
“Landon! What the hell?!” I yell, spotting my brother on the couch, and someone turns the music off. “What the f**k, man?!” I repeat, shocked by the scene in front of me, and they all quickly get to their feet and make their way out, some of them coming from the pool area.
“Logan! What is this?!" I ask as Logan appears too, also naked, but just then, there’s a scream behind me, and my brothers quickly cover themselves with their hands as I turn around to find my mom and dad standing behind me, wide-eyed.
“What in the world, Alaric?!”