The Tangled Series Complete Digital Boxed Set (Bad Boy Rock Star, Millionaire, and MMA Fighter Bundle) (11 page)

Sinclair

“I’m
so
rry I took off the way I did, Sin,” said Jesse, arriving in my room with a flourish a couple of hours later. He held up the shopping bags. “Here are your new clothes, by the way.”

“Thanks. So how did everything go?” I asked.

Jesse sighed. “Well, he’s still pressuring me, but I did a lot of thinking on my way back and have decided to just end it with him.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Really? What about your job?”

“I’ll find another one. At least I still have the money coming in every month from my parents.”

“Yeah, lucky you.”

“So,” he sat down on the bed. “Any problems when I was gone?”

Knowing that he’d cause a scene if I told him about Sela, I decided not to confide in anyone about what I’d witnessed.  “No problems.”

“Cool. Look, I’m going to take a shower and change.”

“When does the party start?” I asked.

“Eight. Most of the guests won’t arrive until later.

“Okay.”

“Thanks again for helping me out, Sin,” he said, kissing the top of my head. “I owe you, big.”

I smiled. “Damn right you do.”

“Seriously, though… tonight should be quite the show. It’ll be fun.”

“Okay.”

As far as I was concerned, however, this night wouldn’t go by fast enough. I’d had quite enough of Huntington Beach.

***

Less than two hours later, Jesse walked back into my bedroom dressed in a long-sleeved white-collared Dior shirt and black dress pants. 

“Ready to tie one on before the party?” he asked, holding out two bottles of white wine. “I grabbed these two from the cellar; the old man will never even notice they’re missing.”

“I’ll have a glass,” I said, smoothing down my dress. “And go from there.”

He put the bottles down on the dresser and turned to me. “Looking glamorous, Sin.”

I smiled. “Thank you. You look pretty dashing yourself.”

He kissed my cheek. “Thanks.”

As he poured each of us a glass, I made one final inspection in the mirror. My hair was swept into a loose up-do, I’d applied extra makeup to my eyes, and the red dress fit like a glove. Personally, I didn’t think I’d looked this nice at my senior prom.

“Toast – to the sexiest couple at the party,” he said, raising his glass. “May we piss off the bitches and raise some cocks a few inches.”

I smiled as we clinked our glasses together, still secretly hoping that one in particular would be raised, even if it wasn’t mine to enjoy.

***

Reed

“Jesus, don’t start this now, woman,” I said to Sela, who was having a conniption because the heel of her right Jimmy Choo was somehow cracked. “You have four other pairs of shoes to choose from.”

“But
these
go with my dress,” she pouted. “None of the other pairs will work.”

“Look at this,” I said, pulling a pair of black high-heels from the bottom of her suitcase. “Why won’t these work?”

“You just don’t understand,” she said, snatching them from me. “My dress is the color of champagne and the black shoes would never look right.”

“So, what are you saying?” I asked.

Her lips curled under in disgust. “I’m just going to have to wear the blue and black dress now, I guess, which was supposed to be my
backup
.”

“I’m sure you’ll look gorgeous in either dress.”

“Shit, shit, shit! This night is already ruined,” she hollered, throwing the broken-heeled shoe across the room. 

“Calm down, Sela. It will be fine,” I said. “You’ll still look beautiful and nobody will care if your dress is gold, black, or even pea-green.”

“You just don’t understand,” she said. “I’ve worn the blue dress before. I’ve
never
worn the champagne one.”

I sighed. “Look, I’m going back to change into my suit. The one I
have
worn in the past and will definitely wear in the future, and frankly, my dear, I don’t give a fuck if anyone notices.”

She scowled at me, grabbed her blue dress, and slammed the bathroom door for the umpteenth time.

I shook my head. If this was how she acted in the beginning of a relationship, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like when the honeymoon was over. Thankfully, I wouldn’t be the unfortunate guy to find out.

Chapter Seventeen

Michael

The party was well on its way by the time I arrived. I handed over my keys to the valet, who must not have thought I could see his smirk as he got into the driver’s seat. But, I didn’t care because I knew that I
would be the one enjoying myself inside while he spent the rest of the evening, parking cars – ones he would never own. Not only that, but
I
would be leaving tonight with the most beautiful girl at the party. My cock was already twitching as I fantasized about all of the glorious things we would do together once she was in my bed.

No more waiting.

Half-hard, I stepped into the house and through the crowd. As I scanned the bodies of people, I was quite amazed at the turnout. Although the Eddingtons are older, most of the guests appeared to be in their twenties and thirties. Many even celebrities.

“Oh, excuse me,” I said to a tall, blonde woman with short spiky hair as my hand brushed against her cute little ass.

When she turned to look at me, she obviously believed it was an accident and flashed me one of her famous smiles. “No problem,” she said in a familiar, husky voice.

I thought back to her last movie and the scene where she was naked, in bed. Although she was quite lovely herself, she still didn’t hold a candle to my beautiful, sexy Sinclair.

Thinking of Sinclair, I quickly looked through the crowd for my lovely goddess, but she was nowhere to be found. As I finagled my way through the many guests, I noticed that most were already drinking booze or openly indulging in other forms of mood-enhancing paraphernalia. One young musician stared at me in horror as he tried to wipe away a dusting of white powder from his nose. I pretended not to notice and continued moving.

“Oh, there you are,” smiled Mimi, stepping away from a group of older ladies in the large formal dining room. “I was getting worried about you.”

“I’m terribly sorry,” I said. “Traffic was bad. There was some kind of accident and it took me much longer than anticipated.”

Mimi nodded. “Well, I’m glad you made it, back. Let me introduce you to all of my friends.” She then pulled me over to her group of cronies and smiled. “Ladies, let me introduce you to Pastor Richie.”

***

Sinclair

Jesse and I ended up playing cards in my bedroom and drinking a little more wine than what
I’d
originally planned. By the time it was eight-thirty, both of us were feeling slightly tipsy.

He held out his arm for me to take. “Ready, fairest princess?” he asked with a lopsided grin.

“Yes, fairest queen,” I said, trying to steady myself on the high heels.

He threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, we are going to be out of control tonight. I can just tell this is going to be fun.”

I put my hand on his arm and gave him a serious look. “Just remember to stick with me,” I said. “Don’t go sniffing after any hot guys and leaving me all on my own.”

“I’ll try but if I reach a breaking point, I’ll let you know.”

“You’d better behave or your parents might catch on. You can’t afford to lose that extra money, especially now.”

He sighed. “Very true. Well, let’s go crash this party and liven things up.”

***

Reed

“So, you’re really getting married?” pouted Sherry, a pretty redhead I’d dated a few times in my early twenties.

“Ah, yeah,” I said, trying to get out of the corner she’d backed me into. Thank goodness Sela was too busy schmoozing with some of the producers Jack had invited, in another area of the house. She was obviously still trying to get into the movies.

“Too bad,” she smiled, trailing a long red nail along my forearm. “I’m so damn horny tonight and my husband is out of town.”

“Well, I’m sure there are plenty of available men here would –”

It was then that I noticed
her
moving down the staircase.

Sinclair.

Jesus.

She was a vision of beauty in a red dress that hugged every curve of her voluptuous body. With every step she took, a flash of thigh peeked out from a slit in the gown, making it harder for me to breathe as I pictured my hand on that pale skin. When her sparkling green eyes finally met mine, she smiled and everyone else in the room ceased to exist.

“Reed?” said Sherry.

I cleared my throat. “Excuse me,” I answered, stepping away.

“Hey, Reed,” said Jesse as I met him at the bottom of the stairs. “Nice turnout, huh?”

“Definitely,” I said, still staring into Sinclair’s eyes. “Magnificent, better than I could have ever imagined.”

Sinclair’s cheeks turned pink and she lowered her eyelashes.

“So, where’s that shrew of yours?” asked Jesse.

It was a struggle not to openly gape at Sinclair’s cleavage. I turned to my brother instead. “Sela? She’s around.”

“Wonderful,” he replied dryly. “I’m thirsty. Sinclair, would you like another glass of wine?”

“No, I’m okay right now,” she said.

“Party pooper,” he said, giving her a pouty look. “You sure?”

“I’d better not,” she said. “You know how I get when I’ve had a little too much to drink.”

I raised an eyebrow. “How do you get, Sinclair?”

She smiled. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“I’ll tell you how she gets – rowdy, loud, and uninhibited,” said Jesse, a small smile playing on his lips.

“In that case,” I said. “Find us a couple of bottles.”

She shook her head and laughed.

“Listen, I’ll be right back. I’ll bring you back a wine cooler, in case you change your mind,” said Jesse, leaving Sinclair alone with me.

“Nice,” she said. “I told him not to abandon me and he does it right away.”

“Don’t worry, Sin,” I said, resisting the urge to pick her up and carry her away to my bedroom. “You’re in good hands with me.”

She opened her mouth to say something, but then changed her mind.

“What?” I asked, taking a sip of my beer.

“Nothing,” she said, shaking her head, although the sparkle in her eyes told me something otherwise. 

My eyes slid back down to her leg, which was peeking through the slit once again. I thought about both of those legs wrapped around my waist and took another swig of beer.

“Nice dress by the way,” I said, my voice sounding slightly hoarse.

“Thanks.”

“Jesse better keep a close eye on you in that or someone’s bound to throw you over their shoulder and head for the nearest cave.”

She laughed. “Oh, you think so?”

I smiled wickedly. “Are you kidding? A woman like you in a dress like that?”

She pushed me playfully. “You’re terrible.” 

“Now that’s one thing I’ve never been called.”

Her eyes raked quickly over my body and then she blushed. “So,” she asked, changing the subject. “Where are your parents?” 

I shrugged. “They’re around. Jack’s probably in a dark corner, groping some young starlet and mom, well, she’s probably in the kitchen gossiping with friends.”

She rubbed the corner of her eye and blinked. “Darn it.”

“What?”

“I, um… I have to use the ladies room. I knew this was going to happen when I started drinking.”

I stood up straighter. “Do you want me to follow you?”

She laughed. “No, I think I know where the nearest one is by now.”

I nodded. “Okay. I’ll be waiting right here with Jesse when you return.”

“Thanks.”

I watched as she walked away, her nicely rounded hips swaying as she left. I took another pull of my beer.

Chapter Eighteen

Sinclair

I walked away from Reed, relieved that he didn’t follow me. He looked so handsome in his dark wool suit and smelled absolutely… amazing. After two glasses of wine and catching his fiancée cheating, I knew there wouldn’t be any resistance left in me. If he as so much made any more sexual innuendos towards me, I’d more than likely pull him into the nearest closet and make him forget about the rest of the world.  But for now, I just wanted to check my makeup, not really having to pee. I had this feeling that my eyeliner had run and that I really needed to fix it. 

I moved through the crowd towards the bathroom, noticing that some of the faces were familiar – a couple of famous actors, a very infamous musician, and even a couple of models that were no longer in their prime but still beautiful.  As I was about to enter the bathroom, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

“Hey, gorgeous,” said a tall, blond musician type-of-guy covered in tats and piercings.

“Oh, hi,” I said, suddenly recognizing the hunky singer who I’d seen in concert as a teenager. “Look, I…”

“Where in the hell has Jack been hiding you?” he asked with a lazy grin, his eyes trailing over my dress. “Are you an actress?”

My cheeks turned pink. “No,” I beamed up at him, unable to help myself. He was just as sexy off-stage, as on.

He leaned closer. “Not an actress, that’s cool. Do you um… party?” he asked.

I bobbed my head up and down. “Yes, I mean I’ve had a couple of drinks, already. That’s why I’m headed towards the bathroom, actually.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “You’re too fucking cute.”

“Well, thanks. So are you,” I gushed.  “Listen, I…”

He grabbed my hand and started pulling me away from my original destination. “This way, you sexy little thing.”

Although I still wanted to check my makeup, I couldn’t help but be flattered that this famous singer wanted to have a drink with me. I knew the girls at
Tangled
were going to be so freakin’ amazed when I told them about it. As I pictured their shocked faces, we stopped abruptly.

“Going somewhere?” asked Reed, blocking our path.

“Oh, hey – Reed, isn’t it?” said the singer. “Yeah, man, we’re going to have ourselves a little one-on-one time. Can we use one of your bedrooms?”

Reed’s eyebrows shot up. 

“Bedroom?” I pulled my hand away and glared up at him. “You said
party.
I thought that meant an innocent little drink.”

The singer’s face darkened. “Looks like you have a little attitude. Glad I found out now before you busted my balls later.”

When he walked away, I turned to Reed, who looked rather pissed.

“What?” I asked.

“You have no idea what kind of party he was talking about, do you?”

“Apparently not.”

Reed looked around and then grabbed my elbow. “I see now that I can’t let you out of my sight. Let’s go.”

“I still have to use the bathroom,” I mumbled as we started moving through the crowded room. 

“Bathroom?” He swore under his breath and then changed our course towards the kitchen. “You can use the one near the pantry. It should be free.”

“Okay.”

We entered the kitchen, where it was
crazy
busy. Several people were preparing trays of hors d’oeuvres or pouring glasses of champagne, while the wait-staff bustled in and out, grabbing them on the fly.

“Excuse us,” said Reed as he maneuvered me out through the back entrance and then down a long corridor which must have led to the pantry. Thankfully the hallway was dark and quiet compared to the rest of the house.

Reed suddenly stopped and turned to face me, his eyes holding me with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine.

“Well, um thanks,” I murmured, trying to figure out why he still looked angry.

He stepped closer to me, his face strained. “What in the fuck are you doing to me?” he whispered, hoarsely.

Before I could ask what he meant, he slid one of his hands into the back of my hair and reeled me in.

***

Reed

The thought of her and the musician together unglued me. As far as I was concerned, if anyone was going to have some one-on-one time with Sinclair, it would be me
.

I pulled her into my arms and claimed her lips with a vengeance. When she didn’t protest and opened her mouth to mine, I groaned and pushed her back against the wall, wanting to devour her. Remembering how excited I’d gotten her earlier was making my cock throb with anticipation. I needed to be inside of her, right now.
Fuck the rest of the world.

***

Sinclair

His tongue was demanding as it moved into my mouth and I responded like a ravenous animal, devouring and encouraging him to give me more.

I slid my hands into the back of his hair, my fingers wrapping around the strands, pulling and tugging, trying to draw our hungry mouths closer.

I just couldn’t get enough of him.

One of his hands moved to my left breast, sliding into the deep neckline, claiming it with a rumbling groan in the back of his throat as he cupped it tightly.

I let out a soft moan as he pinched and rolled my nipple between his fingertips. It was as if an electric current was sending sexually-charged tingles to the junction between my legs, creating an ache so intense that I knew I was now totally at his mercy.

And loving every minute of it.

I was on fire as his lips moved to my neck while his other hand moved up the slit of the dress, to my leg. My breath caught in my throat as his hand began to stroke my inner thigh, slowly moving towards the place that I needed him the most. When his fingers brushed the side of my panties, I dug my nails into the back of his neck and closed my eyes, aching for his touch.

“Reed,” I whimpered in agony as he ran his finger very slowly over the outside of my panties. It had been so long since I’d had anyone touch me in that spot that my panties were already drenched.

Noticing this, he let out a strangled groan and pushed them over to the side, exposing my most intimate spot.

“Oh…” I shuddered, as he cupped my mound and slid one of his fingers inside of me. I closed my eyes and spread my legs wider as his hand began to move, creating a familiar pressure inside of my pelvis that needed to be released.

“Sinclair,” he whispered into my neck, as he made circular motions with the pad of his thumb on my sweet spot. “I need you…”

I closed my eyes. “Yes,” I whimpered as his fingers moved faster, making my legs shake. 

“Hold on,” he said, removing his hand. Before I knew what was happening, his jacket was off, he was on his knees, and his tongue was making a hot, wet trail up my inner thigh. 

Ohmygod…

My legs felt like jelly and my stomach muscles clenched up as his tongue continued its torment, moving closer and closer to its destination. 

“Reed,” I whispered, holding on to the back of the wall as he kissed and flicked his tongue along my inner thigh. I wanted to grab him by the hair and pull him into my heat – he was moving much too slow and I was aching for his tongue. “Please,” I begged again.

Our eyes met and he grinned wickedly. He knew
exactly
what he was doing to me.

Reed positioned my legs even farther apart and then his tongue moved to the edge of my panties, still taunting me. He pulled them over to the side with his finger again and I knew it would only take one or two slow, steady strokes in the center and I’d be pulling his hair and screaming out his name. As I waited for the firm, wet pressure from that glorious tongue of his, the echo of voices drew near, startling us both.

“Shit,” he growled, shooting up.

Trying to compose myself, I released a ragged breath and pulled my dress down.

“Bathroom,” he ordered, pushing me towards it. “Hurry.”

I shut the door behind me just as I heard Mimi addressing her oldest son.