CHAPTER 8
Scarlett
I awoke early, slightly groggy. Raven and Lonette had ended up staying at my house. We figured there wasn’t much point in them going home, just to return the next day.
We’d ended up getting through quite a few bottles of champagne as we lounged around my dad’s mansion, spending time by the pool, Jacuzzi, and sauna while discussing the upcoming trip. I liked my luxuries and home comforts, but Lonette, and especially Raven, were on another level entirely. They had both called their respective homes’ housekeepers and had their suitcases delivered to my house. Even the small cases they’d brought for the two-day stay had been the size of what anyone else would have taken for a week-long vacation.
I rolled over twice to reach the edge of my bed, brushing my unkempt hair back so I could check the time. It was eleven o’clock. I sighed.
Guess I should probably get up soon, I thought tiredly.
I liked my sleep and had gotten too used to sleeping in since graduating college.
I rolled onto my back, my eyes roaming the engraved wood and embroidered curtains of my large four-poster bed. It was a beautiful bed, but looked out-of-place against all the other modern furniture of the mansion my dad had commissioned after finally accepting how wealthy he was.
I snuggled into the covers and closed my eyes again, my mind wandering and thinking about how there was probably enough room for two Travis Jameses in my bed…
I began to visualize the curtains being drawn back on each side of me as two huge, muscled figures climbed onto the bed.
I didn’t think I could handle two though. One would have been plenty enough…
I smiled to myself and adjusted the fantasy in my head, one of the imaginary Travises disappearing.
I imagined looking up at the figure kneeling on the bed beside me, skin taut over huge muscles, wearing nothing but boxers. His big hand reaching down to brush my hair from my face, then running down my chest to gently squeeze one of my breasts. I grabbed my left breast to accentuate the fantasy.
I shuddered at the thought, the fantasy deepening. In my mind, I leaned over, looking up at him, his handsome scarred face looking down at me.
I imagined slowly pulling his boxers down, and visualized what would be under them, large and stiff…
I ran my hand down my stomach, under my panties…
Until there was a loud knock at my door.
I sighed in frustration. Great timing.
“Come in!” I shouted, drawing back the curtain of my four-poster bed.
The door opened slowly, and Raven’s head poked in from behind it. “Wake up lazy!” she shouted, smiling.
Raven had always been an early riser, and bored easily. She had probably lost interest in attempting to wake Lonette, who could sleep through anything.
“I am awake. I was just dozing,” I said wearily. “What’s up?”
“I’m hungry. Where’s breakfast?” She approached the bed. “What’s got you so hot and bothered?” she asked, noticing my flushed cheeks. She hesitated suddenly, raising a hand to her mouth. “Oh, did I… interrupt something?” She poked me and started laughing.
“No!” I said, a little too indignantly. She’d probably already made up her own mind about what I’d been doing though, and no doubt would tell Lonette all about it later. “It’s just hot under these covers,” I lied. “What do you want to eat?” I asked, changing the subject. Raven loved food. Especially expensive food.
“Hmmm. Reckon your dad’s housekeeper will knock us up some pancakes and bacon?”
“Good idea. I could use some strong coffee as well. All this champagne is catching up to me. Meet you downstairs!” I shouted as she walked out.
* * *
A little while later, I walked into the large kitchen to find Raven at the breakfast bar devouring pancakes with bacon and maple syrup.
“Jeez, you couldn’t wait?” I said good-naturedly. “Morning, Shelly,” I said to my dad’s housekeeper, who served as a maid, chef, cleaner, and general helper around the house. She lived with us most of the time and had her own suite at the end of the mansion.
“Morning, love,” she replied in her strong British accent, turning to face me. “I’m afraid your hungry friend couldn’t wait for you to get down here. She said she was bloody starving, bless her.” Shelly gave a motherly smile. “Yours will be ready in two minutes, dear. There’s coffee in the machine.” She waved a finger absently at the coffee machine, turning back to finish cooking the fresh pancakes, which smelled delicious.
I grabbed a large cup of coffee, added lots of cream and sugar, and joined Raven at the bar. She had nearly finished her breakfast.
“Slow down!” I said, poking her in the ribs. “You’ll give yourself indigestion!” She grinned at me with a mouth full of bacon and pancakes. I laughed, thinking about how she probably wouldn’t eat like that once Travis was around. “All set for later?” I asked, taking a large sip of coffee. I closed my eyes at the rich taste of the strong brew Shelly had made.
“Yeah. We just need to get lazy bones out of bed,” Raven said, her breakfast finished. There was barely a speck of food left on her plate. “I’ll just tell her your bodyguard’s here wearing nothing but a thong. That’ll get her up in no time!”
Shelly laughed, turning her head to look over her shoulder at us. “Now, girls! He isn’t a piece of meat, remember,” she said, gesturing to Raven with a wooden spoon.
“Well, from what Scarlett tells us, that’s exactly what he is,” Raven said, beaming like a child at her own joke.
Shelly tutted, but there was a partial smile on her face. She came over to put a big plate of pancakes in front of me, with a bottle of maple syrup. She then placed the cutlery neatly on either side of the plate and handed me a folded white napkin.
“Thanks, Shelly,” I said, smiling. She had started working as a maid soon after my mother had passed away and had looked after me when my dad was at work when I was young. To this day, she still saw me and my friends as children and would stop at nothing to see our needs met.
“No problem, dear. Enjoy.”
Raven chatted absently while I ate, flicking through her phone. I wasn’t really listening to what she was saying, but knew it was something about what she wanted to do in Paris—more than likely spending her dad’s money on stuff she didn’t really need.
I finished my breakfast soon after, almost as quickly as Raven had devoured hers. “So, shall we go and wake the lazy-ass?” I said before draining the last of my coffee.
Raven jumped up excitedly and ran out of the kitchen. I followed quickly, chasing her up the stairs as she ran to the large bedroom she and Lonette had shared.
Raven opened the door, ran to Lonette’s bed, jumped on it without hesitation, and started shaking the other girl. I heard a muffled, “Get the fuck off of me!” coming from beneath the duvet.
Giggling, I jumped onto the bed too and pulled back the comforter. “Time to get up!” I said, poking Lonette in the face. “You need to make yourself look pretty for when our ride gets here!”
Lonette deftly pushed Raven, throwing her onto her back and slapping her in the face. “Bitch!” she said, sounding genuinely annoyed for a second. “I was dreaming about pancakes.”
Raven and I both burst out laughing.