The Twin Dilemma

Chapter 3

AMBER

I walk beside Alec towards his car with his arm casually slung over my shoulder. I knew the minute he opened his mouth that he was a cocky bastard. Don’t even get me started on the way he looked at Isabelle like she was a piece of meat. There is just something about him that makes him ridiculously attractive and appealing to me. I have always had a type and for some reason a man with dark skin just turns me on. That must be all this is.

Alec unlocks the doors of a brand new matte black Toyota Supra and holds the door open for me. If I wasn’t turned on before, I definitely am now.

“That’s one sexy car.” I smirk at him before sitting in the passenger seat of his car.

Alec rounds the car and sits in the driver’s seat. “Wanna go for a ride?” He winks at me and starts the car.

I’d rather ride your face, I think to myself. “Should you be driving after all those drinks?” I ask.

“There was no alcohol in my drinks.” He offers no other explanation while he drives through the city in silence.

“So where are you taking me?”

“A little place called Hayes Street Beach. It’s quiet and I go there when I need to think.”

“Sounds perfect.” I smile and look out the window as we drive across the Harbour Bridge. It towers over us.

He stops the car ten minutes later and we file out of the car. The chilly air hitting my body instantly, I rub my hands up and down my upper arms to attempt to warm myself up.

“Are you cold?” Alec asks, concerned.

“Just a little.” I admit.

He walks to the back of his car and pulls out a blanket and pillow out of the boot. I throw my head back and laugh.

“Do you just keep that in your car in case a woman is cold or something?” I tease.

He smirks at me. “I could offer you my body heat instead, if you’d prefer. Come on.”

He throws his arm over my shoulder again as we walk down to the small beach. It is secluded and peaceful with only a few people lingering around. There is a wharf at one end of the beach and I can hear a ferry approaching in the distance. I stop to take off my heels before walking onto the sand. He leads me to the other end of the beach, away from the wharf and throws down the huge blanket and pillow. I sit down on top of it while Alec takes off his shoes and plonks down next to me. He lays down with his head on the plush pillow before pulling me down next to him. I have no choice but to lay my head on his shoulder while he positions the sides of the blanket over our bodies, cocooning us together.

“Mmm that’s much better.” I joke as we stare up at the stars twinkling in the sky.

He chuckles. “I’m glad to hear that Amber. You have such a beautiful name.” I love the way my names rolls off his tongue. He has such a sexy voice.

“Um, thanks.” My cheeks heating up with a blush. “Is Alec your real name or just a nickname?”

“My real name is Alexander but I never liked Alex so I ended up with Alec.”

“You don’t look like an Alex anyway.” I state as I turn my body onto the side to look at him.

“What exactly do I look like to you?” He asks.

I c**k my left eyebrow up at him then turn onto my back to look up at the stars again. “You look like mixture of Lucien Laviscount and Lewis Hamilton but better.”

Alec lets out the loudest belly laugh before saying, “I have absolutely no idea who that first guy is, but he sounds hot. Such a unique name.”

“Oh, he is definitely hot.” I agree. He manoeuvres my body to face him, our bodies pressing together.

“Besides that, what do you really see?” Alec asks me seriously.

“Honestly? Well, you seem like a strong, confident and cocky man who isn’t afraid to go after what he wants. You seem loyal, hardworking and you take care of the people you love.”

He smirks at my honesty. “You got all that from knowing me for five hours?”

“Yep.” I say, popping the P. “Your turn, what do you see when you look at me?” I ask, feeling nervous for some reason. It’s almost as if his opinion matters to me.

“I haven’t quite figured you out yet.”

We spend the next few hours talking about nothing at all, laughing our heads off before my eyelids start getting heavy and the darkness consumes me as we cling to each other trying to beat the cold.

I wake up with a jolt the next morning and see the sky looming above me. I look down towards my feet and see a flock of seagulls pecking at me. I scream loudly and flap my arms in the air to get them away from me. I suddenly realise that I am all alone. Where the f**k is Alec?

Grabbing my phone from my handbag, I see it is almost six in the morning and the sun is starting to poke up above the horizon. Anger rips through me as I realise he left me here, by myself. How dare he! Anything could have happened to me.

I order an Uber which takes over half an hour to arrive, because who the hell needs an Uber at six o’clock in the god damn morning! I leave the blanket and pillow on the beach because there’s no way I’m taking a sandy blanket into the Uber. Maybe some homeless person in need will find them.

I unlock my apartment door and walk inside. I see Avery swivel around on the stool, staring at me whilst taking a sip from her coffee mug. She has always been a morning person, another reason we are the total opposite.

“Look what the cat dragged in. Is this the walk of shame?” She snickers at me.

“Don’t f*****g start Avery!” I storm into my bedroom and slam the door behind me. I decide to send a text to Isabelle.

Me: Hey Belle, did you want to meet me at the self-defence class at eight?

I’m digging through my wardrobe for some workout gear when my phone pings on my bed.

Isabelle: Sure thing! See you soon xx

I take a quick shower to get all the sand out of every single crevice on my body then slip on my skin-tight red high wasted yoga pants and black crop top. I pile my damp curly brown hair on top of my head then slide on my black Brooks. I check out my reflection in the full-length mirror inside my wardrobe once I’m ready. My yoga pants fit me like a glove and I have dark circles under my eyes. I grab my Tiffany and Co sunglasses and throw them on before I run out the door.

“Going somewhere?” Avery asks. She is sitting on the lounge watching some lame TV show. She doesn’t even look in my direction.

“Yeah I’m heading to the gym with Belle. I’ll see you later.” I answer her, slamming the front door behind me.

I walk at a fast pace towards the gym, needing to work off the frustration burning throughout my body. If it was any other day, I would have loved the looks I am getting for all the men walking the streets of Sydney but today I am definitely not in the mood.

I arrive at the gym five minutes later and stand out the front of the class waiting for Isabelle. I pull my phone out of my pocket and open my i********:. A photo of my cat Mocha sleeping on Avery’s lap upside down fills my screen, his limbs stick out in every direction. I wish I could say this cheered me up but it didn’t. I pull up the search bar and before I can tell my brain to stop, my fingers are already typing in the name Alec Quinn. His account comes up immediately with the blue tick next to it. My curiosity gets the better of me and I open his page.

“Hey! Sorry, were you waiting long?” Isabelle appears next me and I jump with fright, my phone clattering loudly when it lands on the floor. I snatch it up quickly and lock my screen before she sees what I was searching.

After an hour of kicking, punching and trying to work off all my pent up frustration, I am still pissed off. I head home to have another shower, washing off all my sweat. I decide to take a nap and I swear I’m already asleep before my head hits my pillow.

A couple of hours later, I wake up when I feel Mocha head butting my back. I roll over onto my back and he climbs on top of me, making himself comfortable. I grab my phone from my bedside table. Unlocking it, i********: immediately pops back up onto Alec’s profile. I scroll through his photos; most of them are of him playing cricket in different coloured uniforms in various locations around the world. He is obviously some hotshot athlete. No wonder he is so cocky. I tap on his profile picture, which brings up his most recent story. The photo posted a few hours ago is of a coffee with a view of the Harbour Bridge in the background. The caption says ‘Good Morning Sydney’.

“Polla!” d**k, I say in Spanish. I growl loudly, throwing my phone on my bed in frustration and sit upright. Mocha hisses at me as he jumps off my bed.

“Oh be quiet you cranky old thing!” I say to him. “God I need a drink!”

I climb out of bed and walk over to my wardrobe. I get dressed in tight pale blue jeans with rips in the knees and a low cut white singlet top. I run my fingers through my curls that fall to the middle of my back and slip on my black Converse. Needing a break from technology, I leave my phone on my bed but grab my wallet before leaving my apartment.

I walk down the street until I find a bar. I roll my eyes at the security guard standing out the front when he asks for my ID. I’m twenty-six years old, not fifteen! I take a seat on a stool at the bar and look around as I wait for the bartender to take my order. One wall is covered in a stunning hand painted mural of Sydney Harbour while another wall is covered in photos of celebrities that have been to the bar. There are booths tucked away into the back of the bar and a large pool table sits in the centre of the room.

“What can I get for you?” The bartender asks me. I swivel around in my chair and see he is staring at my chest.

“Double shot of coffee Patron with ice, if you have it.” I order as I flutter my eyelashes at him.

“Coming right up.” He says.

“Isn’t it a bit early to be drinking that?” A voice comes from my right and I look over to see a good-looking man leaning against the bar. He is tall and lean with strong biceps, his light brown hair pushed back and the most beautiful honey coloured eyes I have ever seen. He is certainly not my usual type but I know a hot guy when I see one.

The bar tender places my drink on the bar and I hand him a twenty dollar note before winking at him. “Keep the change.” He nods in thanks then I turn my attention back to the man standing beside me. “It’s five o’clock somewhere, right?” I salute him with my glass then take a huge gulp.

He laughs. “I guess you’re right.” He repeats my gesture and takes a sip of the beer in his hand. “I’m Jensen, by the way.”

I think about making up a fake name but my mouth opens before I come up with anything. “Amber, nice to meet you.” I extend my arm and he shakes my hand.

“It’s nice to meet you too. So what brings a pretty girl like you to a bar in the middle of a Sunday?”

“Just drowning my sorrows.” I take another sip.

“Wanna talk about it?” He smirks at me.

I should say no but getting the attention of another male is exactly what I need right now; I haven’t had s*x in months. Maybe that is what I need to release all my frustration. “Sure, let me ask you a question Jensen. If you took a girl to the beach late at night then fell asleep with her in your arms, would you bail in the middle of the night and leave her there?”

Jensen’s eyes widen in shock. “f**k no! What kind of an i***t would do that to a woman?”

“Exactly, thank you!” I say loudly while slapping my hand on the bar. “I mean, what kind of stupid excuse could he have for leaving me stranded? I woke up this morning with seagulls trying to eat me alive!”

“If I was you, I would be demanding answers then kicking him in the nuts.”

I take another sip of my drink, the alcohol starting to make me feel warm inside. “I like the way you think Jensen.” I lower my voice and lean towards him. “This might sound a bit forward, but do you like having s*x?”

He finishes his beer before stepping closer to me. He orders a Whisky and a Patron from the bar tender then looks into my eyes. “I think this conversation requires something stronger, don’t you think?”

I nod at him before standing up. I down the rest of my drink then walk towards the empty booths in the back, my hips swaying a little more than usual. Perhaps the absence of food in my stomach is affecting my judgement here but a girl has needs. Jensen places our drinks on the table and slides into the booth across from me.

“Can I be straight forward Jensen?” He nods at me. “I like s*x and it certainly has been a long time for me. I am looking for someone to satisfy my needs in the bedroom and if you are interested, I have some rules I’d like to run by you.”

“I’m listening.” He says in a husky tone.

I can’t believe I am about to say this. I down half my drink for some liquid courage. “Rule one; we do this at my apartment in my bed and only when I want it, this isn’t your choice. Rule two; there will be no developing feelings for each other. I’m looking for a f**k buddy, not a boyfriend to date with sappy romance s**t. Rule three; we remain exclusive, which means no sleeping with anyone else. If at any time one of us decides to sleep with someone else, we immediately call this off, no hard feelings. Rule four; no sleep overs and no getting upset when I ask you to leave.”

His honey coloured eyes fill with lust. “I just have one question.”

“Yes?” I ask.

“When do we start?”