Believe in Me Read online

  I kept Lexie close to my side. Her waist was tiny in my hand but she had nice hips. I usually held onto them when she bounced up and down on my dick.

  “Conrad tells me you’re a sex psychologist,” Dad said with a straight face. “That’s interesting.”

  “It is.” She didn’t seem embarrassed talking about her line of work to my father. “I study sexual behavior in animals and humans. It’s the key to healthy romantic relationships.”

  “I know that too well,” Dad whispered to Mom.

  I cringed. “Anyway…”

  Lexie chuckled. “I can tell that you two are very happy together just by watching you. Conrad is lucky he grew up in a loving home.”

  “Loving?” I said. “I wouldn’t get carried away.”

  “Well, look at her,” Dad said to Mom. “Still as foxy as the day I married her.”

  “Mike…” Mom hit his shoulder playfully.

  “What?” he said. “It’s true.”

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered to her, totally embarrassed.

  “It’s cute,” she said.

  “If you say so.” I pulled her into my side and tried to drag her away. “Let’s go find the others.”

  My parents didn’t notice our departure because they were having an intense conversation that involved a lot of kissing.

  Skye and Cayson were standing at the edge of the dance floor. She wore a dark blue dress and I noticed how sculpted her shoulders were. Cayson stood beside her in a tux, sipping a glass of wine.

  “Hey,” I said when I approached. “Skye, you look awesome. Have you lost weight?”

  She beamed like the sun on the first day of summer. “Thank you. And yes, I have.”

  “Your arms looked tone,” I said.

  “Cayson showed me how to lift weights,” Skye gave him an affectionate nudge.

  “Well, it shows,” I said.

  “Wow, this night is pretty fun,” Skye said.

  “Guys, this is Lexie.” I guided her forward slightly. “My friend and date for the evening.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Skye said as she shook her hand.

  Cayson moved in next. “Pleasure.”

  “These guys are soul mates,” I explained.

  “We are.” Cayson moved his arm around Skye.

  I rolled my eyes. “Don’t get all lovey-dovey like my parents. It’s enough to make anyone barf.”

  “I think it’s cute,” Lexie said.

  “Shh,” I said. “They’ll hear you.”

  “How do you guys know each other?” Skye asked.

  I shared a look with Lexie, knowing I could never tell them the truth. “Coffee shop. I walked in and saw her, and then we were friends.”

  “Friends?” Skye asked incredulously.

  “Friends with benefits,” I said. “If you want to get technical. But we aren’t dating and she’s not my girlfriend.” I glared at both of them, daring them to say otherwise.

  “Got it.” Skye put her hands in the air in innocence.

  “So, where are the others?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

  “Well, Trinity and Slade are…” Skye stopped when she spotted them a few feet away. They were making out like they only had a few hours left on earth. It looked like they were about to hump on the floor. “Are busy.”

  I stared at them with a disgusted look on my face. “They can’t wait until they get home?”

  Lexie shot me a look.

  “Well, we have more control than that,” I said in response to her unspoken words.

  “They’re just going through a lot right now,” Skye said. “They’re just emotional.”

  “Now they look like they have a very healthy sexual relationship,” Lexie noted.

  “I don’t know if it’s healthy since they’re doing it every hour of the day,” I said.

  “I would say so.” She turned to me. “I wouldn’t mind doing it every hour of the day.”

  “You want to have a go right now?” I demanded. “Because I’ll do it. Our sex life is way better than theirs.”

  She chuckled. “Defensive, huh?”

  “You know we can hear you, right?” Cayson asked.

  “Like I haven’t heard things I didn’t want to hear from the two of you,” I said.

  Cayson turned to me. “So, I heard through the grapevine you got a new ride.”

  I pulled Lexie close to me. “Don’t refer to her like that.”

  Cayson rolled his eyes. “I meant your car.”

  “Oh yeah,” I said. “It’s a Tesla. And she’s sleek.”

  “Sweet,” Cayson said. “You need to take me for a drive.”

  “I will, “ I said. “I’ll drive it to Slade’s bachelor party.”

  “Where are you guys going?” Skye asked.

  “Surfing at the beach,” Cayson said. “It’s what Slade wanted to do. No strippers.”

  “Good,” Skye said. “You don’t need strippers anyway.”

  “But you can give me a private show later, right?” he asked.

  “Dude, keep the PDA to a minimum,” I said. “Skye is my cousin.”

  “Then I suggest you mingle with someone else,” he said as he rubbed his nose against hers.

  “Let’s go before we vomit all over our shoes.” I took her by the hand and guided her to our table. After I got her in her seat, I moved to the chair beside her.

  “Your family is really awesome,” she blurted.

  “By awesome do you mean annoying?”

  “No.” She had an amused look on her face. “I’ve never seen so many couples genuinely love each other.”

  “And you can just tell by looking at them?” I asked incredulously.

  “Totally.” She crossed her legs then sipped her wine.

  I moved my hand to her thigh and squeezed the muscle. “Have you ever been pounded in the backseat of a Tesla?”

  “I can’t say that I have.”

  “Would you like to?”

  “You know what they always say, go for the new experience.”

  “Exactly,” I said. “So we should do anal.”

  “Well, that wouldn’t be a new experience.”

  A grin stretched my lips. “I knew I liked you, Lexie.”

  She chuckled then looked away.

  I grabbed her chin and forced her look on me. Then I kissed her, tasting the wine on her lips. I resisted the urge to pull her into my lap and deepen the embrace. Her small tongue came into my mouth and made my dick come to life.

  “Eh-hem,” Dad cleared his throat as he sat down.

  I kept kissing Lexie just to be spiteful.

  She was the one who pulled away. “To be continued.”

  Cayson took the seat beside me and Skye sat on the other side.

  “Where’s the other two?” Dad asked, looking around.

  “They’ll make it over here eventually,” Skye said vaguely.

  Slade and Trinity were still going at it like a meteor was about to hit the earth.

  Dad looked uncomfortable and tried to pretend they didn’t exist.

  “I’ll get them,” I said with a sigh, not wanting to be anywhere near my sister when she was playing tonsil hockey with Slade. I marched over to them but didn’t get too close. “Hey, asshole. We’re waiting for you at the table.”

  Trinity came up for air first. “Slade, we have to go.”

  “Home?” he asked in excitement.

  “No,” she said. “We need to have dinner.”

  “Will you sit in my lap?” he asked seriously.

  “In front of my father?” she asked incredulously.

  “I don’t give a damn,” Slade said. “I’m marrying you so I can do whatever I want.”

  “You guys should have just screwed before you came here,” I said in an irritated voice.

  “We did,” they said at the same time.

  Okay, I was officially done with this. I walked back to my place beside Lexie.

  Slade and Trinity arrived a moment later. They took
their seats like everything was normal, but their lips were both swollen like they’d been stung by a swarm of bees. No one paid them much attention.

  Dinner was served and we ate quietly. Everyone made small talk about work, and of course, Trinity’s wedding was the main topic. I couldn’t wait until the damn thing was over with. It seemed to be running our lives.

  I picked a raspberry off my plate then placed it on Lexie’s tongue. After she swallowed it, I kissed her and noticed the sweetness on her lips.

  “Hypocrite,” Trinity mumbled.

  I ignored her and placed my arm around Lexie’s shoulders. My fingers reached her arm and I trailed gentle caresses up and down. She was definitely the most beautiful woman in the room. Her hair perfectly framed her face, and the light make up she wore highlighted all her features. Her sexy body was noticeable in the tight gown she wore. Knowing she wore no panties made me have a hard-on on and off for the entire night. “You’re beautiful,” I whispered.

  She turned to me and kept her voice low. “You’re sexy.”

  “Then I think we’re a perfect match.”

  “You might be right about that.”

  I kissed the corner of her mouth and didn’t care if my family saw. And I was glad Lexie didn’t care either. She possessed a strong confidence and didn’t seem to care what other people thought of her. It was refreshing.

  “Uh, Conrad.” Dad cleared his throat.

  “Yeah?” I turned to him.

  He was looking past my shoulder, like he spotted something across the room. “There’s someone here that you probably don’t want to see…I’m just giving you a heads up.”

  Everyone turned his or her gaze behind me.

  When Skye’s eyes widened, and Trinity released a small gasp, I knew it was someone important. “Who?” I couldn’t think of who it might be.

  Cayson was closest to me so he whispered, “Beatrice.”

  “Oh…” This was a problem I hadn’t foreseen. It wasn’t surprising that her father was here but I didn’t expect her to come along. I figured she was too busy with law school to take a night off. Resentment and anger washed through me. I remembered how I did everything for that woman and nothing was ever good enough. I tensed noticeably, wanting to flip the table over. Beatrice brought out a side of me that I wished didn’t exist.

  Lexie moved her hand to my thigh. “Don’t worry about her. I’ll just chase her off if she tries to talk to you.”

  I smiled at her. “That won’t be necessary. She won’t talk to me.”

  “You think?” she asked.

  “I know, actually.” I returned to eating and tried to forget about Beatrice entirely. She probably spotted me earlier so she knew I was with Lexie. She definitely wouldn’t talk to me then.

  “You okay?” Dad asked tentatively.

  “I’m fine,” I said immediately. “And this chicken is amazing.”

  Everyone cast me doubtful looks.

  ***

  “Dance with me.” I pulled Lexie onto the dance floor without waiting for her response. A slow orchestra song played in the background, and it was a song I actually liked. I heard it so many times from coming to these events.

  “How could I say no to such a handsome man?”

  I spun her into me then pulled her close to me. Then I took one hand and placed my forehead against hers. She and I moved together like we’d already danced together a million times. It was like making love, but publicly appropriate.

  I looked into her eyes and saw them sparkle. “I love your eyes.”

  “They’re blue, just like everyone else’s.”

  “No, they are beautiful, not like everyone else’s.” I spun her around then pulled her back to me. My hand wrapped around her waist and I pulled her as close to me as possible.

  “I want to leave.”

  “Why? This party is too boring for you?” I glanced at her lips and wished I were kissing them.

  “No. Because I wish you were inside me.”

  I moaned quietly. “Believe me, I wish I was too. But we can leave soon. Just keep those thighs together for a little longer.”

  “You owe me a pounding in the backseat. Remember?”

  “I’ll gladly oblige. I’ll pull over on a busy street just to make it interesting.”

  “Ooh…I like that.”

  I smiled while I looked down at her. “How did you get so cool?”

  She shrugged. “I’m just born with it.”

  “Too bad most girls aren’t born with it.”

  “You’re pretty cool too, Con.”

  “What’s so cool about me?” I asked. “I’m your typical asshole playboy. I like fancy cars, beautiful women, and I’m untamable. I have nothing to offer anyone.”

  “You have a weird self-image of yourself,” she said with calculating eyes.

  “Then what do you see?”

  “You’re a sweet, caring, and compassionate man. If you really were a jerk, you wouldn’t open every door for me, pay for my every meal, or tell me I’m beautiful at the most unsuspecting times. You wouldn’t kiss me gently, slightly in the corner of my mouth, and you wouldn’t walk me home after dark. You’re so much more than you give yourself credit for.”

  “Well, that still doesn’t make me cool.”

  “I like spending time with you even when we aren’t fucking,” she said. “And that’s extremely rare. So yes, you are very cool.”

  “Man, when you flatter me like that I want to be inside you so bad.”

  “Just a little longer, Con.”

  I growled into her ear and grabbed her ass at the same time.

  She chuckled. “Control yourself.”

  “How can I when I have a hot number in my arms?”

  “Let’s not be Slade and Trinity 2.0.” She glanced to her left.

  They were dancing together and making out like before.

  I rolled my eyes. “Man, they are gross.”

  “They’re in love. It’s cute.”

  “They can be in love in private, not here.” I looked around and noticed that the night had slowed down. Some people had left and the auction was finished. “How about we get out of here? We stayed for all the important stuff.”

  “Fine by me. Just let me use the bathroom first.”

  “Okay. I’ll meet you by our table.”

  “Okay.” She kissed my cheek before she walked away.

  I stared at her ass as it moved in her dress. Then I walked back to the table and sat down. I pulled out my phone so I had something to do but I was really thinking about how I would take Lexie in the back of my car. Should I take her doggy style or missionary? I guess I could do both. I wanted to stare at her ass while I fucked her but I also wanted to kiss her. It was so hard to decide.

  “Hey…”

  I looked up at the sound of the female voice.

  Beatrice stood next to my chair, wearing a black gown with her long hair over one shoulder. It was much longer than I remembered it. Heavy make up was on her face, and she looked just as beautiful as I remembered. “Hi.” I stared at her and couldn’t think of anything else to say. I was hoping she wouldn’t talk to me. The fact she was here told me she’d been waiting for me to be alone. Now I felt stupid for letting Lexie walk away. “How are you?”

  “Well, you?” Her voice was strong but she fidgeted slightly like she was nervous.

  “Good. I’m not a big fan of these events but I didn’t have much of a choice.”

  “Neither did I,” she said quietly.

  This was tense. “I’m glad you and your father made up.”

  She nodded. “We’re taking it day by day. It’ll never be the same but it doesn’t mean we can’t try.”

  At least she finally got off her high horse. “How’s school?”

  “Busy. I’m in my last year so I’m actually going to courtrooms. That’s really interesting.”

  “Cool.” I didn’t know what else to say. Honestly, I didn’t care about her schooling. I hardly thought about Beatrice
anymore, and when I did, it was usually in a bad way. I remembered the way she hurt me and pulled me around like a mule. “Well, it was nice seeing you.” I wanted to end this conversation because it was uncomfortable. If it was uncomfortable for me, it must be uncomfortable for her.

  “Yeah…” But she didn’t walk away.

  Lexie would be back any moment. She wasn’t my girlfriend and she had no reason to be jealous but I still didn’t want them close to each other. That would just be more awkward.

  “You like working for the company?” she asked.

  Seriously, why was she still talking to me? “It’s okay.” I didn’t ask her any questions in return so she would take the hint and walk away. Why were we talking at all? When she had me she didn’t want me. So why was she trying to force something.

  “We should get coffee tomorrow.”

  Did I hear her right? Coffee? Was that her bad idea of a joke? “Sorry?”

  “You know, so we can catch up…” She fidgeted with her hands.

  “Beatrice, I have a girlfriend. I doubt she would appreciate me spending time with my ex.” That was a lie but I’d say anything to get rid of her.

  “Yeah, I saw her…she’s pretty.”

  “She’s beautiful, actually. And she treats me right and makes me happy.” That was over-the-top but I couldn’t control my moving lips. “We were never friends so we shouldn’t try to be friends now. You need to walk away.”

  Her eyes slightly coated with tears.

  Fuck, why was I an asshole? “I’m sorry…I guess I’m still pretty pissed off over what you did to me.”

  She blinked her eyes rapidly. “I know. I understand. Maybe we could talk about it.”

  “What’s there to talk about?” I asked.

  “I just…I’m different now, Conrad. If we tried again…we could make it.”

  She still wanted me back? Even a year later? I couldn’t believe that. “Beatrice, I’m with someone else now. I’m sorry.”

  “And what if you weren’t?”

  I’d never seen Beatrice act this bold. She never would have said something like that when we were together. I had a girlfriend and she was still trying to get with me. It went against everything she believed in. She respected relationships and hated cheaters. “But I am,” I said. “And if I weren’t, I still wouldn’t want you.”