Based: A Stepbrother Romance (Extreme Sports Alphas) (9 page)

I clenched my jaw, getting annoyed. It was bad enough that he was forcing me into the film, or reality show or documentary or whatever the fuck he was calling it, but I didn’t want to give him any help in shaping the damn thing. As far as I was concerned, it was his project, and I wanted as little to do with it as possible.

“So far it’s just a bunch of shots of me grunting and sweating and some interviews about my life. Can’t imagine anyone will find it interesting.”

Cliff laughed. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”

“So why keep doing this shit?”

“Trust in me and Jess. We know what we’re doing.”

“You asked for my opinion, and my opinion is that this whole thing is a waste of time.”

He smiled. “Okay. Noted.”

“That all you wanted?”

“Have you been seeing much of Aubrie?”

I paused, taken off guard. I hadn’t expected him to ask me about her.

“Not really. We live in the same house, so as much as you’d expect.”

“That’s good. She seems okay?”

“I don’t know, ask her.”

“You know kids her age,” he said, shaking his head. “She doesn’t want to talk much to her dad.”

Probably because you’re an asshole,
I thought. Out loud, I said, “She’s not exactly opening up to me, either.”

“I want you to do me a favor, Lincoln.”

“More favors?”

He laughed. “Just a small one. Don’t get close with Aubrie.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What?”

“I know you guys are stepsiblings, but do me a favor and keep your distance from her.”

“Why the fuck are you saying this to me?”

He sighed. “Please, you’re a smart person. Don’t take this personally.”

“How am I supposed to not take that personally?”

“Look,” he said, taking off his sunglasses. “Aubrie has a lot going on. I didn’t know she was coming home, or else I would have made other arrangements for you.” He paused and locked eyes with me. “You have a certain reputation. You can’t deny that. I know you’re a decent kid, but it’s the truth.”

“And you don’t want me to taint your perfect angel?”

“Basically, yes.”

“Asshole.”

“I know. It’s hard not to take personally. But appearances and reputations matter, regardless of how true they are. I know you’re not a bad guy, but the world doesn’t. Aubrie has an incredibly bright future ahead of her, but I’m worried being associated with someone of your reputation might damage her chances of landing her dream job.”

“Jesus, Cliff. This is like a shitty movie. This is the plot of
Dirty Dancing
.”

He laughed. “Except you two are related.”

“Yeah, which makes it weirder.”

I realized that my fists were clenched, and I wanted to punch his smug face until he bled.

“I get it. I’m sure you think I’m being a huge asshole. But regardless of what I know about you and who you really are, how people see you is more important than anything else. I don’t want to jeopardize Aubrie’s future because she’s associated with Based Carter. Even if Lincoln Carter is a good guy.”

I nodded, my hands gripping the chair, my whole body tense with rage. The piece of shit had the audacity to show up out of the blue and to ask me to stay away from his perfect little daughter, as if I were some piece of fucking trash. And yet he was perfectly fine working with me and raking in the cash together.

Fucking hypocrite. Any regrets I was feeling over telling Brie about her dad blackmailing me into the film were completely dissolving.

“Whatever you say, Cliff,” I managed to say through clenched teeth.

“Thanks, Lincoln. I’m not saying you guys can’t be friendly. Or even friends. Just keep it away from the cameras and the press. Keep it private.”

“I hear you. We done?”

“We’re done. I hope you’re not going to let his affect our professional relationship.”

I struggled to my feet as the range of responses played through my mind. I wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, break every contract I’d ever signed with his companies, but I knew that I couldn’t. I knew I couldn’t go back to jail. I knew I needed him to get through my PT, to get my fucking legs back, to get back into the air.

One day, you fuck, when I’m healed and away from you, I’ll make you pay for this
, I vowed to myself.

“I won’t let my reputation get in the way of her future.”

“Thanks. That means a lot, you saying that.” He paused and smiled, his fake fucking L.A. sleazy smile. “Good luck with your PT.”

I turned and gimped away, wishing I could move faster. The fuck’s eyes were burning a hole into my back.

As if my life weren’t complicated enough.

––––––––

D
ip down and repeat. Dip down and repeat. Tracey pushed up against me, sweat and camera lights, repeat. Tracey encouraging. Jess trying to get a better shot. Dip down and repeat.

My legs were on fucking fire, but it didn’t matter, I had to dip down and repeat until Tracey said stop. Everything in me wanted to quit, wanted to walk away and stop, but the memory of flying through the sky kept me down on the ground. Kept me working harder than I had ever worked before. I dipped down and repeated. Dipped and repeated.

That’s how my day went. Pain and hard work, sweat and more work and more pain and more sweat, and cameras all over the place, and Aubrie. And the thought of my cock pressing deep inside her and the gasp she’d make. Fucking her until she came on my hard dick.

After the reps and the pain and the frustration, I limped away, the cameras broken down and stashed for the night. Tracey had left an hour ago, and I had spent that hour in front of Jess answering mindless question after question about my rehab.

I was finally rid of them. I limped out down the hallway, past the kitchen, and headed into what I called the game room. It was about as big as the kitchen and was dominated by a pool table in the center with vintage pinball machines lining the walls around it.

I always ignored the pool table. I was there for one thing and one thing alone: an old 90s Batman pinball machine. It was my nemesis. I had set high scores on every other machine, but for some reason I was having trouble with the Dark Knight. I grunted as I leaned up against its cabinet and hit the button to drop a new ball and start a new game. Fortunately, Cliff had made the machines free.

That was my routine. After PT, no matter how exhausted, I’d go into the game room and play a few balls. At first, Jess wheeled me in there and left me parked in front of a machine, barely able to see down into the cabinet. As time went by, though, I was able to play on my own strength.

I worked the flippers and the ball zoomed all over the place. Lights and sounds flashed as I worked the machine. I lost myself in the game.

And just as I really started getting deep into the flow, I heard a cough behind me. The ball plunked off a flipper, bounced back toward me, and zoomed in between the flippers.

Game over.

I turned around. Aubrie was leaning against the pool table, smiling at me. I stared at her body and mentally cursed. It was like she was trying to get me hard. She wore a sheer white tank top with a red bathing suit top underneath it, her tits practically spilling out of the thing, and those sexy cotton shorts that I loved. Her hair was slightly damp but drying, and I figured she had been swimming.

“What’s up, Brie baby?” I asked.

“Didn’t expect to find you in here.”

“I like to play after PT is done.”

“I would have guessed you’d use the pool table before Batman pinball.”

“Looks can be deceiving. Pinball is the true game of skill.”

She laughed. “I find that hard to believe. Are you any good?”

“I’m a pinball master, set all the high scores. I’m great with my hands.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“Seriously. The ladies always compliment me on my finger skills.”

She gave me a look. “I mean the high scores.”

I grinned. “Yeah. Except this bastard.” I nudged the case with my hip.

She laughed again. “Look at you. Good at piano and pinball. Weird combination.”

“I’m a man of many talents.”

She looked away, probably sensing the double meaning behind my words. “Good one. I have a quick question for you,” she said, changing the subject.

I crossed my arms. “What’s up?”

“What are you doing two weeks from now?”

I laughed. “Nothing. I play piano and pinball because I can’t exactly do much else.”

“Feel like going to a charity thing?”

I cocked my head at her. That was interesting. Why was she inviting me out somewhere?

“Depends on what it is.”

“It’s your mom’s thing. I found a venue for her, got everything scheduled.”

“You work fast.”

“Yeah, well, Jules has been pretty intense about it. Got me pretty motivated.”

I laughed. “She can be a taskmaster.”

“Yeah, seriously. A little scary, actually.”

“So why do you want me to go?”

“I don’t know. I mean, none of my friends are home for the summer, and I need someone to go with. I figured . . .” she trailed off.

“Are you asking me to be your date?”

She gaped at me for a second. “No! I mean, no, it’s not like that.”

“Seems like it is, Brie baby.”

“Come on, asshole.”

I should’ve said no. I should’ve walked away as fast as my broken legs would take me. Especially after Cliff had just told me to stay away from her. And especially since Cliff could easily have me sent off to jail.

“So you’re asking for a favor?”

“Yeah. This is my favor.”

I should’ve said no.

“Well, then my hands are tied. I said I’d do anything.”

“This isn’t a date. Just as friends.”

“I’ll do whatever you want, Brie.”

She bit her lip and I felt my cock stir. I wanted to push her down on that pool table and taste her perfect little pussy. I wanted to feel every inch of her skin. And I wanted to get the fuck out of there before I did something completely idiotic.

“Okay. Cool. I’ll let you know more about it later.”

“Sounds good.”

She paused and looked like she wanted to say something else. I raised an eyebrow at her, not trying to hide the fact that I was taking in her body. If I was going to fuck myself over, I was at least going to get a good view out of it.

“Thanks, Lincoln. See you later.”

“No problem, Brie baby.”

She pushed off the pool table and walked fast out of the room. I watched her go, savoring the movement of her sweet ass.

“Fuck,” I said to myself out loud.

I turned back to Batman and began to play again, but my heart wasn’t in it.

All I could think about was how badly I wanted Brie, and how impossible that was. And yet there she was, asking me to be her date to a charity event. My mom’s event, but still.

I was capable of going as her friend. We were stepsiblings, after all.

Maybe if I lied to myself, I’d start to believe it.

Charity Event #1

I
stood stationed near the front door about a half hour before the start of the event with a clipboard in my hands and a walkie-talkie earpiece shoved down my ear canal. I felt like an idiot talking into it, like I was a crazy bag lady or something, but I kept reminding myself that I was doing a favor for Jules. Apparently there was going to be some talk by a popular environmental activist later in the evening, which was the big headlining reason for people to show up.

Tickets were 200 bucks a pop. Proceeds went to nature preserves all across Colorado. Without a doubt, I was the poorest person in attendance, if you didn’t count the other staff. Maybe even if you did, since I didn’t exactly have any of my own money. Going to school full time didn’t leave much room for anything else.

I was supposed to be greeting everyone as they entered and pointing out the coat check, but I was a little preoccupied. My conversation with Lincoln kept playing over and over in my head, and although it felt like he had been avoiding me in the days leading up to the event, he had promised he would show. He was already a half hour late, but I didn’t exactly expect him to be prompt. Still, a phone call or even a text would have been great.

“Everything going okay, Brie?” Jules’s voice chirped in through the earpiece.

I cringed. “Yep. We’re all good up front. Need me to do anything?”

“No, dear, not at all. This is going fantastic. Thank you so much.”

Her walkie clicked out and I smiled to myself. I had to admit, for a last minute rush job, I had managed to find a pretty decent place. It was an old firehouse that had been bought and converted into event space a year or two earlier, and they luckily had a cancelation last minute. Some wedding that was called off or something.

Oh well. That couple’s tragedy worked out pretty well in my favor. It was probably for the best that they didn’t get married. Better they figured it out before the wedding than after it.

I spaced out for a few minutes as the sea of guests began to increase. Not too much longer until show time, I realized. As I was about to turn away and check on Jules, a familiar voice cut through the din of the other chatting guests.