CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“America’s Sweetheart”

Quinn

“No, Mom, now isn’t a good time for a chat.”

“Knock-knock!” I heard Alex-Ann call out from downstairs. Crap! She and Gretchen were here early.

“Upstairs!” I shouted down to them.

After my thing with Evan last night—followed by no sleep, because I was worrying about my thing with Evan—I was in a rotten mood. I couldn’t shut off my brain. I’d tried to tell him, but then he started talking about lying and how he could never forgive Mandy for her gazillion transgressions, and I couldn’t think straight.

Alex-Ann’s face appeared in my doorway. I beckoned for both she and Gretchen to come in as I continued to listen to my mother blather about how I didn’t have time for her anymore. I wasn’t the one who’d left.

“My mother,” I mouthed when Alex-Ann made a face at the phone.

“Because I have a houseful of guests right now and don’t want to be rude,” I answered, to her question as to why I couldn’t talk. “Look, Alex and Gretchen just arrived. We’re going to soak up some rays. I’ll call you this weekend.” Before she had the chance to lay into me, I said, “Love you, Mama,” and disconnected the call.

“Poor Mama K,” Alex-Ann uttered.

Olivia appeared at my door. Smiling at the three of us, she asked, “Who’s Mama K?”

“Quinn’s mom,” Gretchen told her.

“Do you think she’s having second thoughts about leaving?” Alex-Ann asked.

“No. I think she loves it there but is feeling guilty for how she left things with me. I’m just letting her stew in it for a bit.”

A wicked grin appeared on Gretchen’s face. “Yeah, but if she hadn’t of left, you wouldn’t have Mr. Hot as Hail rock star living with you.” I couldn’t help but scowl. Rock Star was in the dog house. He’d called me insecure; the exact same word he’d used to describe his lying, cheating hussy of a—I couldn’t exactly call her his wife, now could I?

Zeroing in on my frown, Alex-Ann asked, “What’s wrong?” I wanted to tell her what happened, but I didn’t want to hear her gloat, so I opted to evade the question altogether. Plus, I didn’t dare say anything in front of Olivia for fear she would say something to Chaz.

“Nothing’s wrong. At least, nothing that a float in the pool won’t cure. I made some iced tea for us. Alex-Ann, can you grab the cups?” Surprisingly, she dropped the subject and did as I asked.

“Chaz and I were up kind of late last night. Do you mind if I skip the swim and take a nap?” Olivia asked. The three of us smiled knowingly at her and she laughed.

While Jake Owen sang about his girl named Sheila who went batshit on Tequila, we floated in the pool.

“Any news on crazy bitch?” Alex-Ann asked. I shot her a shut-the-hell-up-in-front-of-Gretchen-look and she rolled her eyes.

“I’m with Alex-Ann. I don’t think you should tell Evan you know Amanda. In the end, it will only complicate things,” Gretchen commented. My eyes shot to Alex-Ann, who was staring at Gretchen as if she was a glitter sprinkled unicorn. I glared at my now ex-best friend. Wow, talk about not being able to trust someone.

Catching my glare, Alex exclaimed, “What? I didn’t tell her!”

Gretchen let out a snort. “Here’s a little secret for you, ladies. If you act like you don’t have a brain, people treat you like you don’t have a brain. They’re also more likely to say shit in front of you.”

As I contemplated this new side of Gretchen, Alex-Ann asked, “What else do you know that you’re not supposed to?”

“I know I want in that man’s pants,” she murmured low enough for only us to hear. We followed her gaze to the top of the steps to where Tut stood. “Right there is a chocolate fudge Sunday and I want to be his cherry on top,” she continued, and then in a much louder voice, called out, “Hey, sexy! Come swim!” He gave a wave that he’d heard us before disappearing back inside.

A few minutes later, he was back with Bobby.

“Yee-fucking-haw,” Gretchen commented when she saw them heading down the steps in their swim trunks.

They hit the pool deck and Bobby immediately started bitching about the music. Tut cannonballed into the pool, making the three of us squeal in outrage. He resurfaced, only to let out a deep rumble of laughter on confirming that he’d soaked us.

I wanted to ask about their visit to the clerk’s office, but wasn’t sure it was my place. This was just one of the many things I found so frustrating. Evan and I had all of the trappings of a relationship, but without the main ingredients. I really needed ingredients.

As Gretchen flirted with Tut and Alex-Ann shamelessly crawled all over Bobby, I floated on my bright green pool float—all alone, while thinking about how nice Evan’s ingredients were.

Everything was going along just dandy until “Islands in The Stream” came on the radio.

“That’s it. I’m changing it,” Bobby announced as he hefted himself out of the water.

“I’ll come with you. I have to pee,” Alex-Ann said.

“Can you make more tea while you’re up there?” I asked.

“Sure. Where are the tea bags again and how long do I do that thingamajiggy?” she questioned.

“Never mind. I’ll do it.”

“Put on something good,” Tut told Bobby.

“Hey, don’t das on Dolly,” Gretchen said, toeing his float.

“It’s dis,” he told her, and she busted into giggles. I had to give it to her, Gretchen had this dumber than dirt thing down pat.

On the way to the house, I thought about Chaz and Evan’s secret errand. Knowing Chaz, it could be anything.

Leaving Bobby and Alex-Ann to deal with the music, I worked on the tea. When I was done and ready to head back to the pool, they were nowhere to be found. I didn’t call out for fear of waking Olivia. After a few minutes of waiting, I decided to leave without them. Knowing Alex-Ann, they were probably already down there.

Bobby and Alex-Ann weren’t at the pool. From the looks of it, neither were Tut and Gretchen.

“Well, shit,” I muttered as I stepped inside the gate. Just as I’d set the pitcher down on the table, I heard a noise. At first, I thought it was the filtration system, but then I heard it again. It sounded like it was coming from inside the pool house. So that’s where they were.

As I neared the sliding doors, I noticed they were partially open. Then I heard Gretchen say, “Harder, baby.” At least, I thought it was Gretchen.

Don’t do it! My brain screamed, but did I listen? Heck no. I crept right up to the slider and peered inside. Tut was a sexy mountain of a man, but Tut with his naked backside on display with his muscles flexed as he nailed Gretchen to the pool house wall, was something to see. Tingles danced up and down my spine and a deep ache set up residence in my lower abdomen as I watched him pump in and out of her. Gretchen was no small woman, yet with one giant man hand on her ass and the other tangled in her hair, Tut made her seem like flipping Twiggy.

“I’ve been wanting this pussy for days now,” he said in a low, guttural sex voice, and I literally felt my insides spasm. Goosebumps sprang up all over my body as I tried to wrangle in my out of control hormones. Where was the Chaz on my shoulder when I needed him?

I started to pull away when Gretchen let out a moan, followed by, “I want you behind me.” Before I knew what was happening, Tut pulled out and lowered her to her feet. Holy shmoly. He. Pulled. Out. He was huge. He was bigger than huge. He was a freaking megadick, a hosscock...a stallion. The man was hung like a damn horse.

They moved to shift positions and I quickly stepped out of view. With my back pressed to the side of the pool house, I tried to catch my breath, but couldn’t. My body was on fire and it was all Evan Walker’s fault. The man had me hornier than a three peckered billy goat.

Gretchen let out a long, drawn out groan and I squeezed my eyes shut. Devil take me, but I needed relief from this unbearable ache. No one’s here. They’ll never know, I thought as I slid my hand under the waistband of my bikini bottoms. A part of me was ashamed that it had come to this. The other didn’t care. I needed release and I needed it now. It didn’t take long. Just a few finger strokes and a few quiet moans and I was there. Gods above, I. Was. There.

A shush of relief escaped from my lips as I opened my eyes and retracted my hand from my suit bottoms. There, all better now. Before making a move to leave, I scanned my surroundings, and there he stood, watching me with those sexy green eyes. My face flamed with mortification at the realization that he’d just watched me do...that.

Bobby and Alex-Ann walked through the gate at the same time that Tut and Gretchen stepped out of the pool house.

I didn’t know what to say...what to do, so I asked, “Does anyone want some tea?”

“I’ll take some,” Alex-Ann replied.

I moved to pour it for her and heard Evan say, “Do you have news?” Bobby answered him, but I was too far away to hear his response. The next thing I knew, Evan, Tut, and Bobby were walking toward the gate.

“Where are they going?” Gretchen asked.

“Bobby has news,” Alex-Ann replied. As much as I wanted to hear that news, I wasn’t about to go after them. Not after what had just happened.

“I just had the most amazing sex,” Gretchen said once they were out of earshot.

“Same here,” Alex-Ann gushed.

“I just got busted giving myself the business,” I confessed out loud, and then burst into tears.