The Hunt for Summer (NSC Industries) (30 page)

“You are gonna fuck
that redhead out of your system, even if I have to find you a tart myself and
hold your dick for you” Brad grumbled at me as he pulled me into The Black
Panther.

I scanned the poles
quickly, checking for a red haired beauty. I didn’t think she was back working
here but I examined them just in case.

There was two poles
in use tonight and neither possessed Red and I let out a small breath, both
relief and disappointment flowing through me.

Brad was on a
mission to find me some pussy and work Red out of my system. It was the last
thing I wanted or even needed. What I did need was a stunning, intelligent,
smiling little pole dancer that smelled of strawberries and tasted like pure fucking
sin.

God damn, Lucas.
Move the fuck on!

Brad ordered our
beers as we stood at one end of the bar and my eyes perused the pussy
available. Each eye met mine as I swept them amongst the girls, all of them
hoping I would pick them.

A blonde smiled at
me, her perfect white teeth pulling in my attention and I returned her smile. I
thought she was new here, I’d definitely not seen her before anyway and maybe
that’s what I needed, fresh pussy.

She stood and swayed
over to me, palming my cheek as soon as she reached me and I skimmed my gaze
over her body.

She was definitely a
tight little thing. Her boobs were maybe a little too big, her hips were a bit
too slim for my liking and her stomach a tad too flat but as Brad always said
‘It’s not the bitch, it’s her cunt that matters’.

“Ya’ need
entertaining baby?” she purred as her own eyes scanned over me, her lips
twitching in delight when she realised her catch for tonight wasn’t going to be
an eighty year old fart with no teeth.

Laughter erupted
from the other end of the bar and I turned to look but I couldn’t see who it
was for the extra-large man that had positioned himself in the middle of the
bar and blocked my view.

The loud laughter
carried on and it was beginning to get on my nerves. It was taking too much of
my attention away from the tart that I currently needed to fuck Red out of my
system.

My dick hadn’t come
to life yet but that would come when I got her naked and under me. Surely.

“You fucking tart!”
a laugh resounded from the group and I closed my eyes in distress as I recognised
those beautiful tones and laughter.

I rolled my head
round, just as sumo moved and the same time as Blondie decided to suck on my
neck, Red swirled round, showing Mason and Ava a dance move or something and
her eyes came to a halt on me. Then they moved to Blondie.

I watched Red’s face
shut down as she swallowed harshly, her gaze never moving from Blondie and I
pulled my neck away “Back off, yeah?”

She frowned at me
and brought her hand up to my face again. “Ya’ need to fuck that temper out of
ya’ baby?”

Fuck yes! I fucking
did. More than fucking ever!

My anger at Red’s deceit
and false words suddenly spun through me like a tornado. Each of her loving
words jumbling in my frazzled mind.

“Make love to me
Lucas. Right here, by the window, in front of the world. Let humanity see how
much you love me and how much I love you.”

“I love you too,
Lucas Hunt.”

“I’ll protect you
from him Lucas, I can promise you that.”

Oh yeah Red, you did
a great job of protecting me from Diablo, he still fucking won in the end.

He still controls
your fucking heart.

Something finally
snapped inside me and I yanked at Blondie’s hair and pulled her across the room
towards the privates. William eyed me warily but Blondie put up her hand to
tell him she was okay as she stumbled behind me up the stairs.

“Baby, calm down
yeah? I’m here, ya’ can fuck me any which way you want but just lay off the
hair, yeah?” she whimpered, which just riled me more.

“Shut the fuck up
bitch” I raged as I pushed her into a room.

She stumbled forward
and turned to face me as I stood in the doorway, my anger and rage and fury all
surfacing at once as I glared at the whore who was ready and primed for me.

“Lucas…”

I closed my eyes as
her soft voice filtered across the corridor and I shook my head in
determination to rid her from my mind.

Rip her from my
heart.

Tear her from my
fucking soul.

She needed to be
exorcised and I would be damned if it wasn’t with Blondie here.

I fought with my
head and my heart, each of them pulling at the other.

I lifted my eyes at Blondie
again who was now starting to look a little concerned over my wrath and I
clenched my fists by my side, desperately trying to rein it in.

She would do Lucas.
Hell, she had tits and a pussy, she would do, damn it.

FUCK!!!!

“Lucas…”
It came again and I scrunched up my eyes, gulping
down huge, horrendous lungful’s of air.

“No!” I told no-one
in particular; just shouted it at the wall, shouted it at the door, shouted it
at the air and shouted it at the bitch waiting for her pussy to be filled by
any random.

“Go!” I barked at
her.

She narrowed her
eyes but pushed past me and fled down the passageway, back to the main bar.

I entered the room
and slammed the door shut before I dropped to my knees.

I was going crazy.

I had gone crazy.

I had already gone
crazy for a woman who would never offer me her complete heart.

It had never been
hers to give me.

It had been Ryan’s

It had been Diablo’s

It had never been
mine.

But I wanted it. I
wanted it all.

I wanted her smile,
her body, her soul, her spirit, her breath and above all, I wanted her pure
heart.

“Lucas.”

I heard her and I
knew she was there but I couldn’t look at her, desperate for her not to see me
like this.

Broken, so fucking
broken.

I squeezed my eyes
closed as I felt her kneel before me and I hadn’t realised I was crying until
she wiped at my cheeks with her soft fingers.

“Look at me, Lucas.”
She whispered and I shook my head.

“Please” she begged
softly and I swallowed harshly as I slowly opened my eyes.

My breath caught at
her beauty, her warm and gentle smile fluttered around inside my chest,
searching for my heart but I clamped it closed and held it back.

But God, she was so
utterly beautiful and I had to fight hard to keep her out.

“Breathe, baby.” She
urged as she took hold of my hand and held it tight in hers. “In…” she sucked
in air and gestured for me to follow her.

I tried but it just
stuck in my throat and made me gurgle.

“Again. In….” she
reiterated and I copied her, now desperately forcing air into my lungs as they
clenched tightly at the hollowness.

She smiled and
nodded “Out….”

I obeyed and let it
all back out before repeating and my head swam at the sudden rush. “Whoa” she
chuckled as she grabbed hold of my biceps to stop me falling over.

My eyes lowered to
her hands, her touch scorching my skin and inappropriately bringing my dick to
life.

Why now? After been
on the brink for over a week, why did it have to come to life now?

She dipped her face
so she could look at me and I swallowed as her eyes expressed her deep pain but
she smiled tenderly. “You okay now?”

I nodded as my mouth
refused to form words.

Seriousness fell
over her face and she diverted her gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry I hurt you
Lucas. I didn’t mean to, I… I…”

She hissed through
her teeth as though her words physically hurt her and I remained still and
silent. Waiting for her excuse and to tell me she still loved me.

“I don’t know what I
can do to stop the hurt, Lucas. But the only thing I could tell you that would
help, would be a lie. I don’t think you need a lie, you need the truth. It’s
about time we both faced that; we both
need
to face it. But you need to
be willing to listen Lucas. I can’t tell you until you listen.”

These weren’t the
words she should be saying to me. They should be ‘sorry’ and ‘I love you’ and
‘I never loved Diablo, it was a lie’.

But she didn’t say
them, she refused to say them.

Because they weren’t
true.

 “I…” I swallowed
the words back. They wouldn’t help right now; they would hurt us both even more
and neither of us needed that.

She nodded sadly and
leaned in; placing her soft lips on my cheek, lingering a little too long but I
relished it. My nostrils took in her scent; my skin absorbed her softness and
my soul, if only for a moment, fused with its mate.

She stood and ran
her hand across my head as she left.

My soul was still
fused with hers, and she took it with her. Ripped it right out of me and left
with it.

I was in hell, I was
sure. Someone had forced me down there without me knowing.

Trampled me under
the soil and weeds and earth and compelled me to a life without Red.

That was the only
explanation for it. 

Hell.

Chapter 35

Layla

Lucas didn’t come
into work for the next two weeks. Nate had informed me he had taken himself off
to some sunny island somewhere and my heart broke a little more. But I accepted
it, even though it hurt, and I understood.

His stand-in was an
arsehole; no other words really, just an utter arsehole, who loved to hear the
sound of his own voice and fancied himself as a high-flying playboy.

He was roughly 6ft
2”, slim, wayyyy too slim, Eugh; you could actually see his ribs through his
shirt.

Shudder.

His blonde hair was
swept to perfection; its slickness flawlessly styled and preened. His eyes were
too close together and his nose was huge. I mean sometimes noses can look a
little big, but his really was bloody ginormous. One of those you stared at
whilst he spoke to you and no matter how much you tell yourself ‘Don’t be
fucking rude, you’re staring’ you just can’t look away.

“Miss Summers” he
purred from his office and the twelfth shudder of the day worked its way
through my body.

I popped my head
around his door and smiled sweetly. “Be a doll and grab me some lunch would
you? Ham salad on white, double hazelnut latte and a caramel slice. Thanks,
sweetie.”

I know I had stabbed
a man to death before but this man deserved more, much more. A staple gun and
poker jumped into my mind and I sighed contently at the images I was creating.
“Of course, Mr Travis. No problem, Sir.”

I grabbed my bag and
went on the fourth lunch run of the week.

Just as the elevator
doors opened I stumbled backwards at the person who was already in it.

“Todd.”

His smile was
uncomfortable as he stepped out and we both stared at each other
apprehensively.

“I, uhh, can we
talk?”

“Oh. Sure, I was
just going on a sandwich run but we can grab a coffee while…”

He nodded and smiled
tightly.

The silence was really
awkward as we descended the lift and as we walked across the foyer, Mason
walked in.

He eyed Todd
considerably and then turned to me. “Xbox night Willow, tonight. Don’t eat,
Ava’s cooking.”

I nodded as he
looked at Todd again and narrowed his eyes. “You Ry’s brother?”

How the hell did he
know that?

Todd nodded and
swallowed heavily as Mason stepped in close. “You touch one more hair on her
head and I’ll laugh in your butt ugly face while you go down. You understand?”

Okay.

Todd nodded as I
stared at Mason.