Chapter Eight — Oliver

The night for Larissa’s fortieth birthday party had arrived. She was a standout hostess and really came into her own when she organized a party. I'd come down a little earlier to help her with last minute arrangements, but everything had been taken care of by a stream of caterers and event stylists, so there wasn’t anything for me to do other than pour myself a drink and wait for the party to start.

Since it was a balmy evening and the party would be focused around the pool area, I'd dressed in lightweight beige chinos and a light blue button-down shirt. The sun was setting over the ocean and I took a moment to enjoy the peace and quiet before everyone arrived. Sipping on my beer, I admired the masses of garden lights that had been placed around the area, turning it into a tropical paradise.

I watched the band set up near a makeshift dance floor that had been laid down earlier. Larissa took turning forty seriously. I wasn’t a fan of fussy parties, but she had outdone herself and everything looked elegant yet festive.

Slowly people came filtering into the area. Some I knew from my earlier years living in the city, and others I introduced myself to if I bumped into them. Strangely almost everyone knew who I was, even though I sometimes didn’t have a clue who they were.

I was leaning against a low wall when two sexy beauties, dressed in barely-there shorts and skimpy tops with way too much make-up on, approached me.

“Hi Oliver, so glad to see you made it. Larissa said you might be here.” They introduced themselves as Mary-Jane and Sarah before sitting their asses into two nearby chairs. Sarah was already undressing me with her eyes, but mine kept wandering over the slow inflow of guests.

“Yeah, how can a good son miss his Mom’s birthday,” I said, giving them one of the charming smiles I reserved for girls who were hot but not quite my type. They kept chatting to me, one trying to outdo the other in the flirting department. They could’ve saved themselves the trouble. I had a hard time not looking over their heads to see if I could spot Maya. My gaze kept darting around until I couldn’t sit still a minute longer.

Surely Maya wouldn’t avoid her stepmother’s party. Mom and Alec had come outside and were chatting to a group of friends. I excused myself and walked over to greet my mother. She looked even blonder than usual and I was sure she’d spent a lot of time and money at Tony’s salon earlier.

“Hey Mom, you’re looking gorgeous tonight. Happy birthday!” I pulled a small Cartier box from my pocket and handed it to her. Luckily they’d wrapped it in the store because I sucked at anything even vaguely craft-like.

“Thanks Oliver, that’s so sweet.” She kissed my cheek before unwrapping her gift. With a huge smile on her face, she undid the ribbon, then removed the box’s lid. Her eyes lit up when she saw the watch.

“Oh, Oliver, it’s perfect.” She placed it on her wrist amidst her bracelets and smiled up at me.

“I'm glad you like it. It reminds me of you—dainty and pretty.”

She squeezed my arm, her eyes watery. “Thanks, my darling boy.”

I cleared my throat and gave her a hug. “It's also so that you aren’t late again when you visit me in LA and keep me waiting at Starbucks for an hour.”

She lightly swatted my arm and laughed. As punctual as I liked to be, so Mom was always late.

“Where’s Maya?” Alec asked, looking around for his daughter.  At least I wasn’t the only one wondering why she hadn’t made an appearance yet.

“Maybe she’s hiding in the kitchen like she often does when we have people over. Her friend Quinn came over this afternoon, so I know that they're around somewhere,” my mom said shrugging.

“Maybe she’s caught up with other kids her own age, honey. I'm sure she finds us quite old and boring.” Alec chuckled good-naturedly.

Larissa’s back stiffened—she definitely took offense to being called that, even if it was in a joking way. She was the kind of person who preferred me to call her by her first name in front of people.

“Is Bianca coming over tonight?” Larissa asked, changing the subject, as she dusted some invisible spec of dirt off my collar.

“She’ll be over a bit later. She has a friend’s twenty-first going on tonight too, so she has to hit both parties.” A sensation of relief flooded me as I let out a breath. It was strange but I really didn’t want Bianca by my side. I was far more occupied with wondering what Maya was up to.

“Oh, I hope she gets here safely.” Mom offered, being her perfect and polite self.

“I’ll ring her later to hear when she’s coming over,” I said, not really caring if she made it or not.

Getting restless after another half hour had passed and tired of making small talk, I made my way indoors. Besides, the few beers I’d consumed made a visit to the bathroom imminent. 

I was heading that way when I heard wolf whistles behind me. I turned to see a blond guy standing with a few other dudes, their gazes glued to the stairwell. Swinging around to see what they were looking at, my stomach dropped to my shoes.

Quinn was coming down the stairs, one by one, in ridiculously high heels. If she tripped and fell, she’d be badly injured. But that wasn’t what made my mouth go completely dry. Behind her, glowing like a fucking light-bulb, was Maya.

Wearing the shortest piece of fabric anyone was crazy enough to call a dress.

Her long bronzed legs went on forever, and although the heels she wore weren’t as outrageous as her friend’s, they were still hazardous.

I swallowed hard as I took it all in. The deep plunging neckline, the way the red lace complemented her hair and skin, the way she bit her bottom lip shyly even while her eyes were glistening.

And then BAM, her eyes met mine and she nearly stumbled on the second-to-last step. Before I could move, the blond guy had bolted forward and grabbed her around her waist. Her dress shifted up an inch and I swore I could see her panties. Christ, I was going to have a fucking aneurysm.

I could see the headlines: “Stepbrother dies of heart attack at twenty after seeing stepsister nearly naked in public.”

I hoped Alec would take one look and send her back to her bedroom to change. What the fuck was Maya thinking walking around in a dress like that? Every boy in the room was fucking her with his eyes, drool practically dripping from their gaping mouths. I bet every prick was hard. Mine sure was. And it wasn’t because I needed to take a piss.

Her friend breezed past me, glaring at me as if I’d done something wrong. I grabbed Quinn by the arm. “Take Maya upstairs right now and get her to change. She looks like a slut.”

Quinn lashed out. “Jealous much? Maya is gorgeous and you can't handle how the guys are tripping over their dicks to get to her.” She narrowed her eyes and lifted her chin. “My advice to you? If you want her, step up and do something about it. Or else shut the fuck up and mind your own damn business.”

Ouch. This little bitch was worse than Maya.

Grinding my teeth together, I dropped her arm and stalked away toward the bathroom. Now wasn’t the time to go crazy and draw attention to myself.

The asshole was still holding onto Maya and she was smiling at him as if he was the only guy in the universe. Rage unfurled in my stomach, burning through my veins.

Maya was going to pay. Yeah, she’d be sorry she was flaunting herself to all the boys, not to mention letting that blond prick put his hands all over her. I just hadn’t made up my mind how I was going to punish her yet.

After I’d taken a leak, I went upstairs to make a phone call to Bianca. I’d changed my mind about her coming over—I needed her to distract me before I did something really stupid. Like smash in a kid’s face.

After the phone rang out the first time, I dialed Bianca’s number again. She was so damn clingy most of the time and now that I needed her around, she wasn’t answering her phone.

Her voice slurred when she picked up the phone. “Ollie, hey baby,” she drawled. Suddenly her whiney voice irritated the shit out of me. But I still needed her there. Her lips around my dick were possibly the only way I was going to get rid of this nausea swirling around my gut.

“Bianca, are you about to come back here?” My head was pounding with a motherfucker of a headache. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples, waiting for her reply.

She sounded way out of it. “I’m sorry baby, but I’ve had too much to drink. I’m staying over at Melissa’s place tonight. It's a really good party, you should’ve come. Now you’re stuck at a boring old people’s party and I’m here alone.”

Damn. The only other option I had was to go there, but Mom would be upset if I left too early, especially before the toasting took place. At least that’s what I wanted to think, because there was also Maya and the red dress I needed to attend to.

Bianca giggled. Turning my attention back to the phone call, I heard other voices in the background. “What’s so funny?” I asked, pissed that everyone was apparently having fun but me.

“There’s this really cute guy hitting on me. See, you should’ve been here, baby. Who knows what I get up to?”

“Do whatever you want, Bianca. Screw him if you feel like it. I couldn’t care less.”

I ended the call. It wasn’t that I cared that Bianca might land up in another man’s bed. It was the exact opposite, and that baffled me. If she’s my girlfriend, I should care, right? I didn’t. Not in the slightest.

Bianca could bang another man all night long and it wouldn’t get a rise out of me. But Maya—

Fuck. If Maya even had another guy touch her—

Grinding my teeth together, my head wanted to explode with pain. I couldn’t tolerate my thoughts any longer. I definitely needed another drink. Something stronger this time. I made my way down the stairs toward the bar. Movement in the far corner of the passage to the library caught my attention.

It was Maya and that blond prick. He dragged her by the hand into the library. She giggled, swaying slightly. Has she been drinking?

Storming closer, I clenched my fists open and closed a few times. I’d had enough of this bullshit. Teenagers shouldn’t be wandering off into the library alone. I was going to grab that boy by the scruff and toss him the fuck out.

As I got to the doorway, I froze in my tracks. The little bastard had his tongue down her throat and his hand on her ass. My eyes widened as his other hand slipped below the fabric of her dress, cupping her breast.

My dick throbbed as I watched him kiss her, clumsily pawing her like she was his last meal. He ended the kiss and moved his lips down her chest, exposing her breast. I could see her hard pink nipple in the dim light. He sucked it into his mouth as his hand slid down between her legs.

Maya let out a long shuddering sigh of contentment. Little slut was enjoying it.

I completely lost my shit. Adrenaline spiked through my body and I wasn’t immobilized any longer. Clenching my fists, I stormed in like a raging bull.

“Take your filthy paws off her before I make you wish you were never born,” I bellowed. With brute force I pulled him off Maya and planted my knee into his crotch. His dick was so hard it bounced off my thigh as I connected with his balls.

Groaning like a wounded bear, he fell to the ground.

My gaze raked up and down Maya’s body, taking in her arousal. She’d let him paw her and was getting all worked up by a kid. With wide eyes she pulled her dress back over her naked breast and righted it around her thighs.

“Oliver,” she murmured on a shaky breath. I didn’t want to hear it. Didn’t want her defending the prick.

And the dress—it had to go before I lost my mind and ripped it off her.

“Go back to your room, slut. And burn that fucking dress—I never want to see you wear it again.”

Trembling with anger, I watched her kick off the fuck-me heels.  Leaving them at my feet, she ran out of the library, a raw sob ripping through her body.