CHAPTER SIX - CARTER
I took an Uber back to my family's home to get my car. After that blowout with Vanessa, the last thing I wanted was to be trapped in a car with her. On my drive back to my place though, I noticed that there was a black car following me. Part of me thought I was just being paranoid, but no matter which way I turned, it was always back there.
An ominous feeling crept over me as I watched it in the rearview mirror – watched as it turned down the same streets I did, keeping close to me. When I pulled down my private street on the bay, that ominous feeling intensified when it turned down with me. Parking my car in the secure garage, I waited for the gate to close and let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't follow me down there, which meant I'd lost the guy. But I knew he was still outside the complex, watching me. The question was – who was he and why was he there?
I thought about it, puzzled it over, and came to the one inescapable conclusion – Vanessa. My stepsister was many things, but stupid wasn't one of them. If she wasn't willing to be with me all day, every day, she'd hire someone else to do it. Someone who could report on my location at all hours of the day or night and let her know if I've been naughty or nice.
Great. Just what I wanted, a fucking babysitter. It was fine when it was going to be Vanessa. Given our history, it could have even been a lot of fun. But some asshole following me around, reporting on every little thing I did – that was some serious bullshit.
I considered calling her up and laying into her. Part of me wanted to roast her for hiring a PI to follow me around; one who couldn't even keep himself hidden. Or maybe, as I gave it a little more thought, he wasn't even trying to hide himself. Maybe being obvious and not very discrete about following me was the point. Maybe Vanessa wanted me to know I was being followed, being watched, hoping it would keep me from doing something stupid.
It showed how little she actually thought of me, since I wasn't stupid either. I wasn't in the mood or inclined to play her little games. So when Joel called and wanted to hang out at Liquid Lounge again, I told him I'd be right there. The PI wasn't going to stop me from living my life and having a good time in whatever fucking manner I saw fit.
I changed into different clothes and put on a hoodie that obscured my face as much as possible. After getting dressed and ready, I slipped out of my penthouse, taking the elevator down to the private entrance in the rear of the building – the one that was mostly used for discreet encounters the wealthy folk in the building enjoyed having. I'd seen some of these corporate bigwigs sneaking mistresses in and out of that entrance more often than I changed my underwear.
I'd have to leave my car there, but I was a clever man and there were plenty of ways I could work around that. I requested an Uber and walked toward the street on the other side of the building, celebrating my victory once I was seated inside the back of the Uber.
I looked out the back window and smiled. No black car following us, I was in the clear.
Removing my hoodie, I felt rather pleased with myself for evading Vanessa's PI. And I was almost giddy that it had been so damn simple. When we pulled up to the club, I was still in a good, self-congratulatory mood and grabbed a drink from the bar before I went searching for Joel.
If anyone remembered me from the other night – which I'm sure they did – they didn't say a word.. Considering who I was, I knew I'd never be barred from a club – not because of some stupid shit like that. In fact, I'd probably brought the club some PR thanks to the news stories about what happened.
I turned and looked out at the crowd, searching for Joel's face among them, when my eyes fell on the door and I felt my heart stop in my chest. Vanessa's familiar, pretty face was looking out at the crowd, obviously, searching for me.
Fuck, how did she find me?
I skirted along the edge of the club, sticking close to the walls and among the thick crowd, keeping an eye on Vanessa as I made my way over to the private VIP rooms. When I got there, I looked at the guy on the door, who knew me and nodded.
“Is there one open?” I asked.
He nodded and I handed him a wad of cash from my pocket as I slipped inside the empty room. Pulling out my phone, I keyed in a quick text to Joel, letting him know where I was at when the door suddenly swung open. I looked up from my phone and found myself staring directly into the eyes of my stepsister. She stood there, her arms crossed in front of her chest, a dark look of anger on her face.
She wasn't wearing her typical modest clothing. I was surprised to see that she was actually dressed more appropriately for the club, in a short black skirt, a tight pink top, and heels. Her hair was down and extra wavy, and she was wearing more makeup than usual, her eyes looking large and sexy as hell.
“Think you're smooth, don't you?” she said.
I took a long pull from my drink and sat back in the seat, smirking at her. “How'd you find me? I obviously lost your PI guy. He's not very good at his job, by the way” I teased.
“You lost one of them,” she said with a knowing smile. “The one you were supposed to see. The one you didn't see actually tailed you here. How do you think I got here and found you so quickly, idiot?”
“Damn, you're good. You got me there. Kudos to you, sis,” I said, holding my glass up as if to toast her. “So, you found me – what now? Am I going to get a time out? Sent to bed without dessert? Maybe even grounded?”
“Stop being such an asshole. I'm going to keep an eye on you,” she said. “We're going to hang out, and I'm going to make sure you get home safely and without getting yourself in trouble. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?”
“Oh yeah, totally. I can't think of a better way to spend my evening. Because who doesn't love their uptight, morally rigid stepsister watching their every move at a poppin' club like this,” I said, rolling my eyes.
I smiled though, because I knew I was just pushing her buttons and winding her up; it's what I did best.
But instead of getting angry, she surprised me and laughed. “Uptight, huh?” she asked, arching an eyebrow at me.
“Putting on a short skirt and makeup isn't going to change who you are, Vanessa,” I said. “It's like putting on a Halloween mask, you can wear it, but it doesn't change who you are underneath.”
I stood up and moved closer to her. We were alone in the room, but I swear, the minute she stepped inside, the temperature shot up to about a hundred degrees. The closer I got to her, the more I expected her to step away, but she surprised me – she didn't budge. She stared up at me and batted those thick eyelashes at me, almost like she was trying to come on to me.
Well, my dear stepsister was apparently full of surprises. Unless this was all some game she was playing with me.
“Okay, maybe you're right about that. Clothes and makeup can't change a person on the inside. But have you considered the idea that maybe you actually don't know me anymore, Carter?” she said. “Because believe it or not, I actually do know how to let my hair down and have a good time.”
“Do you now?”
I set my drink down at the table beside us. I wondered if she knew that she was tempting fate by following me into a private room dressed like that. I wondered if, deep down, she even cared.
“I do,” she said.
Putting my hands on either side of her, pushing her up against the wall, I stared into her eyes. This was dangerous, and I knew it. And I had to believe that she knew it. Once we went down that road, there was no going back. And if tomorrow, Vanessa was filled with regret and remorse – and decided to go back to being daddy's good, uptight little servant again, I was the one who was going to pay the price. I was the one who'd be left picking up the pieces of my heart. Again.
If this was just some wild hair or she was acting on a whim, I wanted to know. Because if that was the case, we needed to end things right then and there. I could be fuckbuddies with women – in fact, that's what most women were to me. But not with Vanessa. With her, things were far more complicated.
“I don't get you, Vanessa,” I said. “One minute, you're pushing me away, and the next you come in here like this. What's up?”
“Come in here like what?” She looked up at me with her wide, innocent eyes. “And I'll still push you away, Carter. It's the right thing to do.”
Before she finished, I kissed her. I didn't want to hear what she had to say, I just needed to feel her lips against mine. I forced my tongue into her mouth, and her hands were balled up on my chest. I waited for her to push me off, to tell me we can't do this, but she didn't. She kissed me back with as much fire and passion as I was kissing her, and it felt so fucking good. I felt myself growing hard instantly and I stepped forward, my hands down on her hips, my cock pressing into her stomach.
Still, I waited and waited, knowing we likely weren't going to get very far. She always shut it down sooner or later, but I figured that I might as well have fun while it lasted – as goddamn frustrating as it would be when she did back off again. Holding her face in my hands, I kissed down the length of her neck, the tip of my tongue trailing down to her collarbone. Her breathing was ragged and rushed in my ear as I moved lower and lower – and yet, she still didn't stop me.
Her hands pulled at my hair as I continued to kiss her, yanking my head back and away from her neck. I looked down at her, the fire and lust for her blazing hot in me. I wanted her. Needed her. But I knew as I looked down into her eyes, that she was going to put an end to it. She'd had her fun teasing me, getting me rock hard for her, and now she was going to shut it down. I felt my ego deflate as I looked into her beautiful baby blue eyes, though the fires of need and desire in me burned just as bright and just as hot.
“Carter, we – ” she started to say, but then stopped herself.
As I looked into her eyes, I saw something change. It was like something inside of her opened up, or maybe she'd just shut something else away. I knew, looking into her face, that she wanted this, whether she was ready to admit it or not.
I kissed her again, shutting her up before she could tell me to stop.
“I need you, Vanessa. Fuck, I need you,” I whispered as my hands explored the curves of her body. “Please don't tell me no again, you want this, I know you do.”
Her voice caught in her throat as I teased her nipple through her shirt with my fingertips. There was so much raw passion and desire in those sweet eyes of hers
“It's wrong,” she whispered, but her voice lacked conviction and she still didn't push me away.
“It doesn't have to be. It shouldn't be, goddammit,” I said. “We were together before our folks even knew each other's names. We were an item long before they were. They were the ones in the wrong.”
She laughed, a throaty sound tinged with pleasure as I continued dotting kisses along her neck. Her hands were in my hair, intertwining her fingers, pulling it.
I slid a hand up her skirt and I felt how hot and wet she was for me through her panties. I gave her a sultry little grin, knowing how horny she was for me. Slipping a finger underneath her panties, I slid it inside of her. Vanessa sucked in a deep breath as her body stiffened up when I slid my finger deep. She grabbed hold of my shirt, her eyes wide as I penetrated her with just a finger.
“So wet and warm,” I mutter. “You want this, Vanessa, come on, admit it. It's okay, you can admit it. You want this now every bit as much as you did back then. You can tell me.”
“Yes,” she groaned, finally letting her control slip.
“You want my cock buried inside of you, don't you?” I asked, nibbling her ear. “We're alone here, it's a private room. No one will see us and no one will disturb us – in fact, no one will ever have to know. This can be our little secret. Our little slice of heaven.”
“Oh God, I can't believe I'm saying this,” she said, her voice cracking as I moved my finger inside of her.
“Say it, baby. I know you want to. You know you want to,” I said.
I was growing more and more desperate to be inside of her as the minutes ticked by. “Yes, Carter,” she murmured, biting her lip as I slipped my fingers into the depths of her tight little pussy. “Yes, please, fuck me. Just like old times.”