Rough to Ride (5 page)

Changing His Game

Chapter One

My car has become my only companion the last three days. The drive from South Haven, Michigan, to Los Angeles is a long one. My GPS estimates it as a thirty-two hour drive, but with stopping for food, gas, and sleeping at random motels, I've been driving for three days.

I'm on Sunset Boulevard looking for the next street to turn on. Tawny told me she lived in Los Angeles, but the GPS tells me her address is in Beverly Hills. I have no clue if Beverly Hills and Los Angeles are the same place or two different towns.  I've never been to California before. Hell, I only left the state of Michigan once, and that was to attend my aunt's funeral in Indiana.

My friend Tawny moved out to California two years ago. She left with dreams to be an actress and star alongside actors like Robert Pattinson and Chris Hemsworth. So many people in our small town gave her crap for leaving. They told her she'd never make it. I envied her. She had the guts to leave the small town life, while I was planning to get married and build a life there.

I'd been dating Brock Richardson since my freshman year of high school. I know what you're thinking; Brock is such a pretentious name. I hated his name and almost everything about him, but our parents were friends and in their eyes, we were destined to be together.

I first started dating Brock out of obligation to my parents, but I soon started to enjoy it. People paid attention to me because I was with him and I became sort of popular by association. After a while I started to really fall for Brock, too. He could be really romantic and do some of the sweetest things. It never crossed my mind to leave him, and he never left me.

After four years of high school I went on to Michigan State University to get a degree in teaching, and Brock stayed in South Haven to learn the family business. His dad was the biggest contractor in the area. The plan was that when Brock and I got married, Brock was to take over the business.

MSU is only two hours away from South Haven so I saw Brock every chance I got. By my junior year of college, I was engaged and Tawny had moved to California. We kept in touch through social media and she seemed to be doing well. She told me she was getting jobs here and there, but she hadn't gotten her big break yet.

Three months ago she sent me her address, telling me I should come visit her over the summer. I never planned on taking her up on the offer, that is, until three days ago.

I had finished my finals last week and was officially a graduate, but I wasn't set to walk for my degree until this Sunday. My family, Brock, and Brock's family were all going to come up to MSU and watch the ceremony. I was getting antsy and had no desire to stay on campus for another week, so I packed my bags and decided to drive home and surprise Brock, maybe spend a few days with him before heading back to MSU for my graduation ceremony. When I got to his apartment complex I went straight into his apartment. I had a key and I wanted it to be a surprise, and it was a surprise all right. Just not for him.

I got the surprise of a lifetime when I walked into his bedroom and caught him fucking Lexi Sanders. Lexi was a year younger than us in school and I knew she had always had a crush on Brock, but I never thought I had to worry about her. He was devoted to me. When his eyes landed on me in the doorway, he got up and tried to explain, but I wouldn't let him. I didn’t even wait to hear his excuse. I stormed out of his apartment, climbed into my Toyota Yaris, and started to drive.

I didn't know where to go at first, but I knew I didn't want to go home. I didn't want to have to explain everything to my parents and sister. I also didn’t want to risk the possibility of my parents defending Brock to me.

I didn't really understand what I was doing, but one minute I was so upset I thought I should pull over, and the next minute I picked up my phone and logged into Facebook. I got Tawny's address from our private messages and plugged her address into my GPS. I started to drive and never looked back.

My phone was going crazy with missed calls and texts, but I ignored them all. I finally checked my phone that evening when I checked in to a motel in Iowa. I called my little sister and let her know I was okay. I didn't tell her where I was or when I'd be home. I just told her I'd call her in a few days.

Now I'm in California, looking for the next street I'm supposed to turn onto. A few minutes later my GPS leads me to a gated community.

"This must be some mistake," I whisper to myself. "There is no way Tawny can afford to live here."

There is a security tower to my left and an older man walks over and knocks on my window. I roll it down, preparing to let him know I'm lost.

"Name?" The security officer asks. I'm caught off guard.

"Um... My name is Autumn, Autumn Adams."

He looks down on his clipboard and back up to me.

"I don't see an Autumn Adams on the list."

"That's okay, sir. I actually just think I'm lost," I pull my GPS off my dashboard and hand it to the security guard. "My friend Tawny lives in this neighborhood. I'm having a hard time finding the street."

He looks down at the address and hands me back my GPS.

"You're at the right spot, honey. You're looking for Jared Reynolds' place. I'll open the gates. Just drive up the hill and turn at the first street on the right. His house is at the very end of the block. You can't miss it with the party he's throwing tonight, and the houses being so far apart."

I want to question him and ask who Jared is, but he's already left me and opened the gate. I drive in and follow his directions. The homes in this subdivision are enormous. Something I've only seen in a movie.

How can Tawny afford to live here?

I make a right at the top of the hill and pull up to the last house on the block. I cut the engine and stare up at the house in front of me. I'm hit with floor to ceiling windows on every floor. It looks to be about three stories tall and the U-shape driveway leads to a six-car garage. A few minutes go by before I realize I'm just staring.

I get out of my vehicle and stretch my legs; they're aching from three days of limited mobility. I pull out my duffle bag from the backseat of my car. That's one of the benefits of my impromptu road trip; I still had my bags in the car from when I left MSU. I leave the rest of my luggage in the Yaris.

I head up to the house and reach a set of dark wooden doors. I find the doorbell and ring it, anxious to see my friend. I'm looking around the outside of the property as I'm waiting for someone to answer the door. The landscaping is impeccable. Every bush is perfectly trimmed, the lawn is cut to perfection, and the flowers are in full bloom. After a minute with no answer I ring the doorbell a few times in a row. It's probably obnoxious, but I need to get someone's attention over the loud music coming from inside the house. There is still no answer and I'm about to just walk in, when a woman in her late twenties opens the door while lighting her cigarette.

"Hi," she slurs as she trips over the threshold.

"Hi... um... is Tawny home?"

She looks over at me questioningly, "And you are?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, how incredibly rude. I'm Autumn, Autumn Adams, and I'm a friend of Tawny's," I reach my hand out to shake hers and when she doesn’t return the gesture I feel like I should explain a little more. "She said I could come visit her whenever I want. She even offered to help me find work if I wanted to move out here."

After the words leave my mouth the stranger's face lights up.

"I'm Kelly, Jared's assistant," she pauses to take a drag of her cigarette. "Tawny's not here, but you can crash in her room. Go to the second floor and make a left, her room is the first door on the left. Drop your bag off and come party with us. Jared's parties are legendary around here."

Kelly is no longer slurring her words, but her eyes are bloodshot. I thank her and head inside. The music instantly assaults my ears. It's definitely not something I would willingly choose to listen to. Techno music isn't my thing.

I look around the open space, hoping to find the stairwell somewhere in the sea of people. The women surrounding me are scantily dressed and almost all of them are surgically enhanced. Two women are up on tables in just thongs and tassels to cover their breasts, while they dance provocatively. I try to avoid making eye contact with anyone and I finally spot the stairs at the other end of the large room.

I squeeze my way past the crowd, being pulled into a hard chest or two by some eager hands. Luckily, I am able to keep walking. I pass the kitchen on my left while I make my way to the stairs and see a group of people doing shots. I also see two women cutting what I assume is coke, before snorting it up their noses.

I reach the bottom of the spiral staircase and make my way up to the second floor. When I reach the top I look down to the open area, hoping that my friend is here somewhere. I know Kelly said she wasn't, but Kelly was also drunk off her ass and possibly high.

As my eyes take in the scene below, my heart feels like it stops. In the corner of the open space is possibly the sexiest man I have ever seen. I watch him as he moves to the beat of the pounding rhythm. There is a woman in front of him dressed in a short mini skirt, and what looks like a bra three sizes smaller than what she should be wearing. Her bleach blonde hair is down past her shoulders, and she is grinding against his leg while kissing his neck. The brunette behind him is wearing a pair of bootie shorts and is topless. She is rubbing her silicone breasts against the guy's back.

I've never seen anything like this before. I'm not completely naive, I've seen a few drunken threesomes in my college days, but these women are throwing themselves at him in public, and they're practically naked. I should look away, but I can't. The blonde in front of him removes her lips from his neck and pulls his t-shirt over his head.

Sweet mother of...

His body is a masterpiece. His arms are perfectly sculpted and his abs perfectly chiseled. He's not too bulky; I'd compare his body type to Ryan Gosling. Every inch of flesh on his chest, back, and arms is covered in tattoos. I have an impulsive urge to lick him.

Get it together, Autumn. Those girls beat you to it.

The blonde in front reattaches her lips to the man's neck as she continues to dry hump his thigh. The woman behind him is now rubbing her breasts up and down his back while kissing between his shoulder blades. I watch as her hands reach around his body and dip into the front of his jeans.

Okay, I've seen enough.

I'm about to look away when the guy's eyes meet mine. I'm too embarrassed to move. He's caught me watching the show the two girls are putting on. I should walk away and find Tawny's room, but I can't. It's like his eyes have captured mine and I need him to give me permission to be released. The blonde’s mouth moves to his and he opens for her, but his eyes never leave mine. He's turned on from me watching.

I'm turned on by me watching. I can feel my panties getting wet and my hard nub looking for some attention.

I'm frozen in place and don’t know what to do. Thankfully he breaks eye contact first. The brunette’s hands start to unbutton his jeans and he looks down to see what she is doing. This breaks the invisible hold he has on me, and I run down the hallway to Tawny's bedroom before I accidentally look at him again.

I walk in and shut the door behind me, locking it so no one comes in.

I shouldn’t have come here. I've been in the house for ten minutes and I've already seen more than I've ever seen before. It was like watching a live action adult film downstairs, or at least I assume that's what an adult film consists of. I've never seen one.

I turn on the bedroom light and look around the room. I see pictures of people I recognize from back home with Tawny and a picture of the two of us together. My hair is shorter in the picture, and colored red for Halloween because I was Lindsay Lohan that year. I smile at the memory of that Halloween. It was the only Halloween I wasn’t forced into a couple's costume with Brock.

I plop down on her bed and bring the duffle bag with me. I'm so tired from the long drive, and it's finally catching up to me. All I want to do is go to bed.

Well, that's not all I want to do. A part of me wants to go back downstairs and look for that hot guy. Something about him is so appealing and it might feel good to hook up with someone after what Brock did to me. I mean I've only ever been with Brock. I could be missing out on something spectacular.

No. No, I need to be clearheaded and reasonable.

I change into a pair of white cheer shorts and a tank top. There is a connecting bathroom to Tawny's room so I quickly wash my face and brush my teeth before coming back into her bedroom. I turn the light out and lay down in bed. The noise from the party would usually keep me up, but I'm so tired it doesn't bother me and I fall asleep within a few minutes, dreaming of the mystery man downstairs.

★★★

I wake up to the bright sun coming through the floor to ceiling windows in Tawny's room. It takes me a second to remember where I am and why I'm here. I stretch out my arms and legs and look around the large bedroom. I'm a little shocked Tawny's not here. I figured she would have come in late last night.

I pick my duffle bag up off the floor and quickly brush through my long dirty blonde hair. I'm nervous to leave the room and find Jared. That's the name Kelly told me, right? I wasn't sure if Kelly told him I was here or if he was going to kick me out, so I want to make sure I don't have bed head when I meet him.

I'm not a knock out in the looks department, but I'm not unlucky either. I have long, wavy, dirty blonde hair that goes down past my shoulder blades. My green eyes have a tint of yellow and blue in them. I'm average height, one hundred thirty pounds, and my legs are muscular from cheerleading and soccer. I have full C-cup breasts and I also have a nice booty, but luckily it isn't too big.

Guys seem to like the way I look and I was hit on all the time in college, but I always ignored it because I was with Brock. Now I’m going to have to see what kind of guys my looks will attract.