Chapter Nine
Serena
“Are you ready to meet the gang?” Carter asked me, giving me a tilt of that gorgeously defined chin.
“Yeah, do I look okay?” I asked him.
“Better than okay.” He seemed to drink me in, casting his eyes over my tight black dress that came to just above my knee. I’d curled my hair, and it hung in loose waves.
“Come in then and I’ll get you a drink.” He said.
Carter’s home was only about three houses away from the Dream. It was literally a few minutes walk. With the view over the ocean there was no wonder he loved the surf. He stared at the ocean every day. All four of them lived on here just houses apart. What a place to grow up. It was a shame the busy Pacific Coast Highway ran at the rear although it was a reminder that I hadn’t died and gone to heaven.
Carter’s home was all white concrete facade and tall glass windows. There was a front patio with fire pits where people were milling around with drinks. Right next to his house was his own tennis court. The hotel was basically an extension of his home; I could see that, could see the community of Billionaire’s Beach now I’d made my way inside one of the properties.
“Feel free to have a look around.” He said. “As I have lots of guests needs to satisfy. Are you okay if I catch up with you later?”
“Sure, go be a host. I’ll see what I can steal.” I winked.
“Well, I have security, so only do that if you want to be caught, cuffed, and at my mercy.” He winked back and walked toward some other guests.
I took a drink from a passing waiter with a tray and began to look around. The lounge area was vast with bookshelves and plenty of seating. Adjacent was a huge dining area where chefs were busy preparing food for guests. Trays of canapes were being brought out as well as champagne. There was an open plan staircase, and I followed it up to the second floor, taken aback by the sheer size of the rooms. The bedrooms were vast, making the beds seem like a workout to reach. There was a huge office to the rear of the building and I wondered how it was so quiet given the highway.
“Can I help you?” A terse voice asked, and I startled, pivoting and finding myself confronted by Jayden Bryant.
“Hey. Carter said I could come nosy. I’m Serena from the Malibu Dream.” I held out a hand to him.
“Oh, okay." His stance relaxed a little. "Well, I know this place like the back of my hand, so fancy a tour?”
“Sure? And you are?” I asked.
“Yeah, okay, you know Carter then you know who I am, but for the sake of your bad memory it’s Jayden.”
I laughed. I found his candor refreshing and could see there would be no bullshitting this one.
“So by the look of the decor I’m guessing parents floor?”
“Yes, Carter’s rooms are on the floor above. Shall we?” He gestured back toward the stairs. I followed him, making sure I trailed behind. I’d rather I had the perfect view of his peachy ass, than he mine at this point. He led me into a room that took my breath away. From higher up, the view of the ocean just got better, and I followed Jayden out onto a patio area with a glass screen. We watched as the waves buffeted against rocks, the sound soothing to my ears. How could you ever take this view for granted?
“Wow.” I turned back around at Carter’s bedroom. “I guess he has this view for his living space too?”
Jayden nodded, “and his dining room, kitchen and bathroom.”
“He has all those things on this floor, even though there’s a kitchen downstairs?”
Jayden shrugs. “It’s self-contained for when his parents are here. He has everything.”
And he did.
His cinema room was to the rear of the property. “Why can’t I hear the traffic?” I asked Jayden.
“Double walls to the rear. Architects know how to get around sound.”
“These homes are unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
“Where are you from?”
“I moved here from a house share in New York.” It was one thing I didn’t need to lie about. “This is something else. It’s difficult to get my head around, but that’s kind of the point of me coming here, to expand my horizons and see something completely different to New York.”
“Well, the Bu is definitely that. You finished looking now?”
“Yeah. I’m ready for another drink after all this walking.” I smiled.
We walked back downstairs, and as we went back through to the patio, I realized that just like I’d been staring at the furnishings, people were now staring at me. Staring at the woman wearing DKNY when everyone else was in Chanel and Prada. Fuck, what would their faces be like if I’d worn Topshop?
An extremely tall woman, thin to the point of emaciation walked over to us, her long cherry-red hair swinging as she did so. “Jay.” She exclaimed, air kissing his cheeks. “So glad to see you again.”
“Yeah, it's been like what, two days? Plus, it's Jayden to you.”
She ignored him, looking at me. “I don’t think we’ve met before? I’m Cynthia Delaware.”
I recognized the name. She was the heiress of a property magnate. Made sense she’d be around the Billionaire’s Beach.
“Serena Ripley.”
“I’d guessed you weren’t from around here.” She clearly looked me up and down as she spoke. “New York, right? Upper East side?”
What a bitch.
“I’m from Brooklyn.” I lied, playing to her assumptions.
“So, what brings you to the Bu?”
And how long until you leave again, was the underlying statement.
“I’m the new Events and Conference manager at the Malibu Dream.”
“Ah.” She said nodding. “I understand now. You came here for work. Are you arranging parties outside of the Dream now because I’m looking to throw the bash of the year?”
“She’s a guest, Cynthia, just like you.” Carter walked over and handed me a glass of champagne, a glass I’d been ready to drink since I'd walked down the staircase, and now desperately wanted to drain. “The only difference is I actually like her.”
“Hahahahaha, you’re so funny, Carter. Honestly, that’s not what you said when we were fucking last year. Well, excuse me, I must go say hi to Treena, who’s just arrived.”
“Sorry about that.” Carter said. “Should have known she’d try to cause trouble.”
“Oh don’t worry. I’m used to people like her.” I said. Rest assured while I was here I’d dig up some dirt on Cynthia Delaware and I’d make her pay for what she did to me. Karma might be a bitch, but it had nothing on me. Her humiliation would be larger than mine by far, spread all over the magazine, not relegated to a house on Carbon Beach.
“Yeah, I bet there are people coming into the hotel who treat you like that all the time, huh?”
I nodded at Carter.
“Sorry, I’m late. I’ve been finishing up at the hotel. Oh, hi, Serena.”
“Hey, Flynn.”
He looked energized, his vivid blue eyes sparkling rather than piercing through me. “Are you around Monday?” He asked me.
“Sure, I can be. I’ll look at my schedule when I’m home and shoot you an email.”
“Yes, stop talking business to her, we’re here for leisure.” Carter admonished him.
“Here for pleasure. Who’s here for pleasure? Surely not Miss Serena Ripley.” Oh God, here he came. Smith Henderson and his smart ass mouth.
“Not for yours.” I snipped.
“But maybe for the others. Oooh you little raver you.”
I scowled.
He elbowed me. “You know you love me, everyone loves me. Would you like another drink, Serena? I see you’re standing with an empty glass which is completely unacceptable. Unless you're me and avoiding alcohol. Your suitors want firing. He whisked a glass as a waiter and tray passed him. “There you go. Now, Carter. Do you have anything for me, or do I have to go to the faucet?”
“There’s soda in the refrigerator.”
“Thanks.” He flagged down a waiter. “Soda, please.”
“You couldn’t walk to the refrigerator? It’s only there.” I pointed.
“No, because then I would have had to leave your side and I’m not going to do that.”
“Is he always this annoying?” I asked the others.
“Yes.” They all said in unison.
Smith looked offended, and I laughed.
While they chatted, I watched the four of them. Half the time they didn’t even finish their sentences. They were so in tune, all four of them. Totally like close siblings. I envied their friendship. I’d never been part of any clique, never had a large group of friends. You could see they had each other’s backs, something very rare for a place full of money, power, lies, and deceit. But for all of their conversations, they kept including me. There would always be one of them talking to me. I don’t even think they noticed. I felt wanted.
Then someone jumped in the pool and it broke up their conversation. “Whoop, I’m going in. Anyone joining me?” Smith was off, and Jayden followed.
“The party boys.” Carter said.
“Are you not going in?”
“No. I prefer the sea.”
Carter and Flynn introduced me to some other residents of Carbon Beach. Some were friendly, others barely gave me a cursory glance. I didn't care, I had no interest in most of them either. They left me talking to a couple who were celebrity Interior Designers who seemed nice.
As it got later, and the sky darkened, the house was illuminated with so many different lights, and the mood changed. Anyone who wasn’t a party-type left, with the exception of Flynn, who took a seat on a couch and sat nursing a beer. Heavy drinking occurred. I would hazard a guess that if I went to one of the other rooms, there’d be lines being inhaled. Clothes came off and people were jumping naked into the pool.
I walked over to Flynn.
“Do you want me to take you home?” he said.
“No. I’m fine. I’m not ready to leave yet anyway.”
“Seriously? I’m only here to make sure Smith and Jayden don’t do anything they’ll regret.”
“Are you always the father figure?” I asked him. “Because you’re not their father. Maybe you should let them fuck up. It might help them grow up.”
“Yeah. I did that once. Didn’t end well.” Flynn’s face darkened. “I’m going to get another drink. You want one?”
“No.” I replied. “I want two.”
Later while Flynn was waylaid by two women asking how much he charged for his photography, I decided to do a little reconnaissance and slipped back upstairs. Sure enough there were people doing lines in the office, and one of them was Cynthia. I snuck my cell phone from my purse and snapped a few pictures for when I was no longer undercover. They were all too high to notice.
Then I walked over to a bedroom, the door of which was now closed, with just a couple of inches of space.
I placed my face at the edge and peeked inside. What I saw made me gasp but the naked people inside, currently writhing on the bed didn’t notice. They were far too busy.
A brunette was on all fours on the bed with Jayden’s cock in her mouth while Smith pounded into her from behind. I wanted to look away, to walk away. I hadn’t expected this here tonight. Flynn was supposed to be watching them, right? But Flynn had got distracted by the people asking him about his photography.
I realized I had to stay. To stay and watch—and take pictures. I took my cell back out of my purse only to note that the battery had died. Fuck! Rookie mistake to not have brought my portable charger.
As a journalist, I’d trained myself to miss nothing and so I stood in the doorway, my senses being attacked in overdrive. There was no reticence here, all three of them were lost in the moment, loud groans and moans escaping them. I focused on Jayden first. He was more stocky than the others. Pure beef. His pectorals glistened with sweat and the eight-pack of his abdomen undulated as he thrust into the woman’s eager mouth. Drool ran down from her lips. It would appear her mouth was certainly full.
“Let’s swap.”
Jayden popped his dick from down her throat and I saw just how impressive his cock was. Dark and erect, it must have been a good ten inches. No wonder she’d drooled.
Then my gaze turned to Smith whose cock had vacated the woman’s pussy. His looked even larger. Jesus! What did they feed them in Malibu?
“Let’s DP. I’m ready.” Smith ordered.
They pulled the woman up onto her knees and turned her toward Jayden. Then Smith whispered something in Jayden’s ear that I couldn’t make out.
“Are you ready for us, Madelyn?” Jayden asked.
“Yes.” She gasped. “So, so, ready.”
Smith nodded at Jayden and he grabbed hold of his dick and pushed inside her heat, making her legs tremble.
“Oh my fucking God, yes!”
I felt my own panties dampen. This may be my investigation, but boy could these guys put on a show. I needed to get home to get myself off.
Smith ran his hands through Madelyn’s wetness and rubbed her juices around her asshole. She moaned throughout. Then lining himself up he pushed slowly inside her tight hole. Bringing a hand around to her breast he said, “Relax, Madelyn. Enjoy. Feel all the sensations of ecstasy as they come together.”
And she did. Smith pushed further inside her and both the men’s thrusts built as they held the woman between them and fucked her senseless.
I could tell she was close, her pants were coming in shorter gasps and she started begging, “Fuck me, fuck me. Oh yes.”
And then something happened that took my brain too long to compute. They both lifted her hair, leaned to either side of her neck and bit down.
The woman came so hard I could see the tremors from where I stood and her shrieks were nothing but pleasure. No indication of pain. My mind burned with confused thoughts because it looked like she’d just been attacked, blood trickled down either side of her neck, but how? A love bite didn’t do that.
Then Jayden tipped his head back, and I saw his descended canines, his tongue swept around his teeth. They licked up the woman’s neck. “Oh my God, I’ve never come so hard in my life. But what did you do?”
Jayden stared directly into her eyes. “When you wake you’ll not remember the bite. You’ll remember all the glorious sex, but not the bite. Sleep now.” The woman closed her eyes, and they laid her back on the bed. I tried to peer closer. It seemed they’d licked any blood from her neck. What the hell was going on? Some kind of sexual homage to vampires with fake teeth and fake blood? Hypnotism?
Things had sure just gotten a whole lot more interesting.
“Hmmm, didn’t have you down as the voyeur type. Just shows you can’t go on first impressions.” Flynn’s voice came from behind me. “So, what did my friends do while I wasn’t looking?”