Chapter 2

Not this again.

Lucas exhaustedly massaged the crease of his brows with a sigh. He blinked up at his receptionist, he waved at her. “Allow her, I will handle it from here.”

The receptionist gave a nod and then spared a furious glare at the scarcely dressed woman. “Yes sir.”

As soon as the door was shut behind them, the woman who Lucas loved to refer to as another one of his many flings made her way to him. Swaying her huge hips from side to side as she walked. She dragged his chair away from his mahogany desk and rested herself on his laps. “I missed you so much,” she said in a sultry voice, tugging on his expensive black tie.

This is the part where Lucas detested, having to put extra efforts into discarding a clingy fling. “Can you get up from my legs?” he asked dryly, without waiting for a reply, he grabbed her by the waist and pushed her off his legs. “As you can see, I am very busy with work.”

A frown furrowed her perfectly arched eyebrows as she staggered to gain balance on her long-pointed heels. “But I want to talk to you.”

“Whatever it is you want to talk about can surely wait, don’t you think so?” Lucas asked, leaning back on his ergonomic chair.

“I wouldn’t have come here if you had at least picked my calls,” she twisted her cherry lips as she complained. “I feel like you’re avoiding me.”

“Avoid?” Lucas scoffed. “I sent you money and told you our one-week fling had ended, didn’t I?

 “Fling?” she asked with a stunned look. Lucas was stunned with her reaction as much as she was stunned by the word. “Was it just a fling?”

“Was it something more?” Lucas erected himself, placing his hard muscled elbow on his desk.

“We made love, Lucas,” her sultry voice announced. “We kissed and cuddled…”

“For one week.”

“What?”

“For one week,” Lucas repeated. “And I was not making love, I was just fucking.”

She crossed her arms now; it was quite evident anger was brewing in her. “You were using me?”

Lucas hissed; he was starting to find her as irritating as he felt with over half of his other flings. They all had one thing in common; misunderstanding his intentions, even though he made sure to be clear on his terms before engaging with any of them.

Once, one had even lied that she was pregnant. A daring grave mistake on her part that cost him lots of money and time. He hissed again as he recalled how hard his sister worked to control the media. “Look… Anna,”

“Alice!”

“Yes, Alice,” he snapped his finger. “I did not use you. We had sex and I paid you for it.”

She scoffed, her hurt obvious in her sparkling eyes. “You didn’t even know my name,” she took two steps backward. “You paid me? Do you think I am a prostitute?”

Lucas was starting to get choked up with the drama, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves. “I never called you a prostitute, Anita.”

“Alice!” she yelled. “My name is Alice and you’re such a bastard,” she threw her hands over her face, sobbing.

Was she expecting to be comforted or change his mind? It did not matter to Lucas though, he had more important things to do with his time. He uttered the last words that he was certain would break the camel’s back. “If you’re done crying, please,” he gestured towards the door. “Leave my office.”

“I hate you,” she fumed, removing her hand from her face. Her makeup was smeared already. “I hope you burn in the deepest pit in hell,” she stormed off, banging the door with so much strength that the artwork on the spotless white wall shivered.

Lucas returned to his desktop as his unwanted visitor left. As if nothing had happened.

The door opened.

“You really should leave,” he said without bothering to look up.

“I see you’ve not grown up a bit, little brother.”

Lucas flung his head up as he heard his sister Luna Levi’s angelic voice and she was there, standing in front of him. Her light brown eyes were gleeful and so were her lips. She was wearing a white Tee and a slightly oversized blue jean beneath. On her legs, she was wearing a six-inch white pair of heels. Her short ravenous hair fell on her shoulder. Lucas was certain no woman could compete with his sister when it came to aweing him. Perhaps, that was another reason he could not get himself to develop feelings for them.

“Luna!” he exclaimed excitedly, heightening his six-feet-four self from his chair. “When did you return?”

“Just this afternoon,” she answered and walked to Lucas who opened his arms to her. They warmly embraced each other.

“I was not expecting you back so soon, Luna. Only a week has passed,” he withdrew himself from her embrace. “New York sure bestowed a charm on you, you’re looking good.”

Luna wheeled around at her brother’s compliment. “Am I?”

“Absolutely,” he kissed her hand before falling back to his chair. “Why did you return so quickly?”

“Not before you tell me why I came back to a lady crying her way out of your office,” Luna said, helping herself to the chair at the opposite end of his desk.

Lucas heaved a sigh. “It’s nothing, just one of those girls.”

She shook her head. “Yes, it is so typical of you to have one of those girls,” she teased him, flickering four fingers up and down.

“So,” Lucas cleared his throat. “Tell me why you shortened your vacation.”

“It’s that day, tomorrow, Lucas,” Luna’s amusement had completely disappeared, only a soft smile lingered on her lips. “You know I cannot miss it for the world.”

Luna always had a way of bringing back Lucas’ greatest pain to him. The pain he had buried in the most hidden part of his consciousness. She was wavering it over his face, causing his heart to sink with pain. Pain that he could not even show because he did not want her sad. She was all he had and he would do anything to not let her get a hint of his own anguish.

“So, that is why you cut short your vacation?”

“Mum and dad would be waiting,” Luna sniffled. “I could not bear to disappoint them, if we do not show up, they’ll be heartbroken.”

Lucas wanted to yell, he wanted to tell her she should have stayed back in New York and had the best of her vacation because…because mum and dad would not be waiting, they did not have a heart that could be broken. But he made his way to her, knelt before her with one of his knees and held her hand instead. It was cold. “Luna,” he squeezed them. “We will go see them tomorrow, we won’t disappoint them. Okay?”

Luna nodded. “Sure,” she retreated her hand to caress his face. “They’ll be so happy to see us,” she said with a smile that sent a sharp pain to Lucas’ soul.

“They will.”

A brief silence fell between them. As if they were both holding themselves back from saying the wrong things that would push them off the edge of their mutual agony.

Lucas raised himself to the top of his desk. “Luna, will you mind if I drop you off at home? You look tired.”

“No, I am fine,” Luna waved at him. “I will work a little before…”

Lucas caught her hand and inspected her nails. “You’re chewing again, you promised me you wouldn’t,” he said with great alarm.

“I-I wasn’t,” she wriggled her hand away from him, avoiding Lucas’ gaze. “It’s just…”

“You don’t need to explain,” Lucas cut in. His sister had not been the same since the accident happened fourteen years ago, yet she tried her best to care for him as much as she could. He was just twelve and she was only twenty-one. Nevertheless, she had devoted all her time to him and the company. It was time for him to do the same for her. “I know it’s nothing, even I chew on my own nails sometimes,” he grinned.

“Lucas,” Luna called to him, dusting away invisible particles of dust from his black shirt. “You have to wear your best suit tomorrow. They have to see how well you’ve been doing, okay?”

“Why don’t you pick the best one for me,” he suggested. When he was younger, she had loved to pick out every outfit. He started rebelling when he turned sixteen though as he thought it inappropriate but now that he was older, he recalled how happy she used to be, picking out his daily clothes, he wanted to return that happiness to her.

“Will you let me pick out a suit for you?” she beamed. “Really?”

“Yes, I will wear whatever you pick out for tomorrow.”

She gave him a soft pinch on the cheek. “I will be sure to pick a perfect one,” she lifted herself from the chair. “I will return home now.”

“But you said you wanted to work a little,” Lucas jumped down from the desk.

“I did,” she rolled her eyes. “But work can wait, I have to pick out my brother’s outfit, that is more important,” she said and started leaving the office.

“Are you sure you don’t need me to drop you off at home?” he yelled to her.

“No,” she yelled back over her shoulders. “There’s a reason why I have a driver.”

As soon as she departed the office, Lucas heaved a relieving sign. He could not gather the strength to see his parents, not without having a few good drinks to keep himself less sober the following day.

He despised the memories that came with visiting their graves.

***

“Bastard.”

“Ava?” Derick’s eyes widened as his gaze met Ava’s.

 “Ava?” Isabella repeated after him, following the source that was catching his attention. “Ava!” she flinched, pushing Derick away from her.

“Surprise,” Ava let out a short maniac laughter as she peered at Derick. “Happy anniversary, baby. I guess you gave yourself a wonderful gift already,” she shifted her full focus to Isabella who was struggling with a blanket over her naked body. “I shouldn’t have bothered getting one for you.”

“Ava, it’s not what you…”

“Really? Isa?” Ava clenched her fists, still holding a stunned smile. “You want to feed me that fucking lie, bitch?”

“Listen, Ava, I can explain,” Derick said, breathing nervously. “Just give me a chance to…”

“Oh, shut up you fucking cheat,” Ava roared. Her whole twenty-six years of life, she had never roared at anyone. “You want to explain, okay, let me hear it,” she folded her arms, tapping her feet in anticipation. “Go ahead, explain.”

Derick dropped his head in a bow. Quiet, like a fool.

“I am waiting for your explanation, Derick.”

“Ava, you must calm down,” Isabella climbed down from the bed. “It is a mistake I swear.”

“What type of mistake is it, Isa?” Ava’s heart was tearing into a thousand aching pieces. “You lied to me, I even gave you my car to go see your mum and here you are...” Shit! Her eyes began to sting. “Here you are, with my boyfriend, on my anniversary, fucking him.”

“Why? Why is it wrong if I sleep with him?”

Ava trembled backward, startled. “What?”

“Why is it wrong for me to share what you have?” tears were freely flowing down Isabella’s eyes. “You have everything, because of that you always looked down on me.”

There is no word that could have described the shock that struck Ava’s heart. She found herself pacing the room, as if she was losing her sanity. “I looked down on you?” she stared into the white ceiling searching for the right reaction. “I shared everything I had with you.”

“While looking down on me,” Isabella retorted. “I always despised you, the way you bragged about the things your daddy bought for you. The way you shared everything with me like I was a pauper.”

Unbelievable. Truly, Ava’s heart was speeding her off to great fury. “It is not my fault you grew up poor, Isa. I took you like my sister and all along…” she gasped. “All along you despise me for being kind to you?”

“Kind?” Isabella let out a chortle. “Kind you say? I know people like you. You were just using me to protect your feebleness, you were going to discard me one day and I hated you dearly for it.”

A gentle breeze carrying the must nerve shrieking anguish blew on Ava. Dryness ceased in her throat and no matter how many times she swallowed; she could not get rid herself of it. She stopped pacing and fixed her glance at Isabella. “Is this what you meant, when you said I would find out soon enough?” she edged her former best friend who was now a stranger and enemy. “I have learned now,” she glanced at Derick then back to Isabella. “You always argued how horrid loving was, I never agreed with you. Still, you’ve managed to convince me otherwise tonight.”

Isabella wrapped her arms around herself, shaking her head. “Ava, I am sorry.”

“You don’t need to be,” she held her breath, desperate to not cry or show weakness in front of either of them. “I never want to see you again, Isa,” she swiveled to Derick. “And you too.”

Without saying another word, she turned her back on Isabella who had collapsed onto the floor wailing, reminding herself to hold back her own tears.

“Ava,” Derick called out to her as he followed her. “Ava, wait,” he held her hand as she reached her car and swirled her to himself. “Ava, I am sorry.”

“You are not sorry Derick, no. You are such a loser,” she pulled herself away from him, mopping beneath her eyes. “it’s over between us, do not ever show up before me again.”

“Bitch, it’s your fault this is happening. Don’t you know it?”

“What?”

“You heard me, first you wear pink around like a six-year-old kid. You don’t even let me touch you, claiming you want to keep your virginity till you’re married?” he bent towards her. “You’re just a child in a grown woman’s body.”

She pushed him away by the chest. “I didn’t know my clothes upset you that much,” it was her turn to bend towards him. “Don’t forget I was dressed in pink the evening you went on your knees three years ago, begging me to date you. And more than anything, I am glad I did not let you touch me with your disgusting self.”

Derick stood speechless, just like she wanted him to. She threw the cufflink pack to the passenger seat as she entered her car, rolled down the glasses. “Move away or I might hit you off the road,” without further warning she drove out, forcing Derick to shift away.

It was only when she drove away from his apartment building she packed in a corner of the road, allowing her tears to fall. She screamed in anguish, hitting the hard steering of her car, hoping the pain in her hands would ease the one lurking in her heart.

She was right, it’s of no use waiting, keeping myself for a prince charming. She was right.

Ava ignited her car and drove off. Only halting when she saw the bright colorful sign board of the most popular club in Las Vegas.

She nervously walked into the room of disco lights, loud music, nude women and scavenging male eyes. Her eyes were as hungry as theirs, like a tiger edging its prey in a stream. And the very moment her sight fell on the giant-built man, with broad shoulders and sexy chiseled jaws, dressed in all black, a wave fluttered through her.

He was dashing in every sense, a flock of strippers gathered around him, he did not seem to notice her until…until he peered at her, intensely. Circling his fingers round his glass of whiskey and when he dipped it into the drink, she felt an odd sense of attraction to him. Right there and then, she knew it.

He would be the one to devour her.

Tonight.