BAD LUST: A Stepbrother Romance (A Step Over the Line Book Book 1) (7 page)

8.

(Jade)

I walk into
the dining room
and it looks like a goddamn circus. My father at the head of the table,
standing with a glass of scotch in his hand. Rebecca sitting to his left in a
beautiful yellow dress. Her hair pinned up with a yellow flower that matches
the dress. She looks elegant, but I can
’
t
be sure she
’
s happy.

When I look at Jake, my heart skips
a beat. I can
’
t help that
it happens. He
’
s in a black
t-shirt, his face scruffy, but his eyes dark and deadly as he looks at me. My
mind thinks about him at my bedroom door. Standing there, making comments about
my nipples. I had no clue he
’
d
be at the door so I hurried and just put on a shirt. The shirt rubbed against
my nipples and made them hard. And, plus, it was freaking Jake at the door. At
my bedroom door. Sending all my fantasies running wild.

He
’
s
bold enough to have his leather jacket hanging off the back of his chair.
Imagine this long dining room table oozing with fanciness
…
and here
’
s this rough looking bad boy at the table with a
leather jacket on his chair. He
’
s
a rebel and he
’
s so hot.

But that
’
s not it.

There
’
s
two chefs, standing with platters of food. There
’
s
two other people with cameras. And someone with a notebook. This is going to be
spun into a story. I can already see business magazines picking up the story.
How Thomas Werlem spent his finest years managing a multibillion dollar company
while raising a daughter on his own. Now he
’
s
married and looking to the future. The man who does it all. The man who can
have it all.

“
Please,
Jade, have a seat,
”
my
father says.

“
Jade,
you look beautiful,
”
Rebecca says.

I
’
m
not wearing anything fancy. But I am still wearing that white shirt Jake caught
me in.

I take a seat right between my father
and Jake.

I quickly feel Jake kick his foot
against mine. I try to save face and not make any kind of movement or sign that
he
’
s kicked me.

For the next hour we are
photographed as we talk, eat, and force smiles. My father brings up new
potential companies to invest in. He talks to me about perhaps working closely
with him with a couple of them, learning the ins and outs of becoming a venture
capitalist. He even looks at Jake, pretending to care about Jake
’
s hobbies. That
’
s when I learn that Jake likes
to build things. He
’
s not
just big and athletic - and a complete asshole - but he
’
s kind of smart. He likes to work on old cars and
build motorcycles. Definitely not the kind of person you
’
d see stalking around the campus of West
Wutherford.

I
’
m
almost in shock by the time he
’
s
done talking.

That
’
s
when the photographer snaps a few more shots and the reporter asks a few more
generic questions about my father
’
s
aspirations to run for office. The entire thing goes to plan, which makes my
father happy. He has another glass of scotch.

“
How
about a glass for me?
”
Jake
asks.

A bold question to my father. He
never shares his scotch unless there
’
s
money involved in some kind of deal.

“
Sure
thing, son,
”
my father
says.
“
Let
’
s get you a glass.
”

Jake takes a sip of scotch and
smacks his lips together.
“
Definitely
better than the shit I drink.
”

“
Jake,
the language,
”
his mother
growls.

“
Sorry,
”
Jake says. He holds up his
glass.
“
Definitely better
than the
fucking
shit I drink.
”

His mother shakes her head in
disgust.

“
So,
”
my father says.
“
I
’
m
a little confused.
”

“
Why?
”
I ask.

“
You
two are lying.
”

He points to me and Jake. The
scotch is working its magic on him. This is not his second glass, that
’
s for sure. Maybe his second
with dinner, but not total for the day.

“
What?
”
I ask.
“
What are you talking about?
”

“
Don
’
t give me lip,
”
he says to me.
“
You want to lie to me?
”

“
What
lie?
”
Jake asks.

My father puts a hand out.
“
Son, stay out of this. This is
between my daughter and myself.
”

My father slowly stands and takes a
few steps toward me. He
’
s
looking down at me.
“
Care
to tell me the truth?
”

“
About?
”
I whisper.

“
Why
did Jake hit someone?
”

My face turns white.
“
He
…”

“
Sir,
if I can explain,
”
Jake
says. He stands up.

“
Don
’
t get involved,
”
my father growls.

“
I
thought this was family time,
”
Jake says.
“
Don
’
t we all have a chance to speak?
”

“
You
speak when I want you to,
”
my father says.
“
That
’
s how this family is going to
work.
”

I
’
m
tense and my heart is pounding. My father is angry.

“
Where
were you that night?
”
he
asks.
“
It wasn
’
t at any of the normal
buildings.
”

I swallow hard.
“
I
…
you
…”

“
You
keep stuttering like that and I
’
ll
give you a reason to stutter.
”

He lifts his hand and it leaves me
flinching. I don
’
t really
remember if he
’
s ever hit
me before, but when he
’
s drinking
and speaks down at me like this, I
’
m
in fear. And I hate being in fear.

“
Did
you just threaten her?
”
Jake asks.

“
Son,
stay out of this.
”

Jake steps forward and actually
starts to put himself between me and my father.

“
Jake,
get away,
”
Rebecca says.
“
This isn
’
t your business. It
’
s
not our
…”

“
I
thought it was family,
”
Jake says.

I look up at him and he
’
s grinning. He
’
s not afraid of my father. It
’
s turning me the hell on.

“
I
’
m looking for some damn truth,
”
my father says.
“
When I call the university and
have them check the cameras, there
’
s
no footage of her being touched like you said, Jake. And there
’
s no video of you hitting
someone, Jake. So I want to know why your knuckles are messed up and why my
daughter is lying to me.
”

Holy shit
…
we
’
re so caught
…

“
Fine,
”
Jake says.
“
She
’
s lying. I
’
m
lying.
”

“
Jake,
”
I say.
“
What the hell are you doing?
”

My father grabs my arm. I start to
twist away, but Jake is there to save me. He grabs my father
’
s arm and squeezes. My father
instantly lets me go.

“
Son
…”

“
Listen
to me,
”
Jake says.
“
She was at the fucking music
hall. Okay?
”

“
Music?
”
my father asks.

“
She
’
s too afraid to tell you because
of your hatred of her talent.
”

My father steps back and swallows.
He looks at Rebecca and then adjusts his tie.
“
I
don
’
t hate
…
I don
’
t hate music. I don
’
t
look down at Jade
’
s amazing
musical capabilities. I just want something greater for her.
”

“
You
say that in front of a professional piano player,
”
I say.

“
Former
professional,
”
Jake says
with contempt.

“
So
this all happened at the music hall,
”
my father says.

“
Yes,
”
I whisper.
“
I was caught off guard and
somewhere different. I was playing piano. And I enjoyed it.
”
I stand from the table.
“
Now if you
’
ll excuse me, I
’
m embarrassed enough.
”

Jake puts a hand to my lower back.
I want to shake his touch away. It
’
s
the last thing I need
…
but
it
’
s the first thing I
want.

“
I
’
m just trying to ensure your
safety at the university,
”
my father says.

“
I
’
m fine,
”
I say.
“
I
’
m not a baby. I
’
m a grown woman.
”

The words have an effect on my father.
He
’
s taken back. He looks
at Rebecca. She obediently gets to her feet and walks to his side. From their
angle, they see me and Jake next to each other. We
’
re close, but it
’
s
no big deal, right?

Wrong.

His hand slips down and he touches
my ass. If I jump away, they
’
ll
know he did something. I don
’
t
need anymore awkward conversations right now. I just want to be left alone.

“
Well,
now that we have that settled,
”
my father says.
“
I have two
pieces of news for you both.
”

“
What
’
s that?
”
I ask.

“
First,
I am traveling to New York City for a conference. I
’
m leaving tomorrow morning. Rebecca will be by my
side. It
’
s for a tech
launch I
’
ve had in the
works for some time now. The company is going public. I
’
m very excited.
”

“
Are
we coming?
”
I ask.

“
No,
”
my father says.
“
There
’
s enough scrutiny as it is. I don
’
t need you two in New York.
Especially Jake. No offense, son.
”

“
None
taken,
”
Jake says. He takes
his hand off my ass and moves away. He folds his arms.
“
I
’
d
probably just be really high the entire time. And I
’
d definitely blow a ton of cash on strippers and
hookers.
”

Rebecca gasps. My father grits his
teeth.

“
You
know,
”
my father says,
“
if you were more mature, Jake,
you would have your trust fund back.
”

“
The
one you stole?
”
he asks.

“
I
did not
…”

“
It
doesn
’
t fucking matter,
”
Jake says.
“
At all.
”

“
What
’
s the other thing?
”
I ask, trying to keep tempers
calm.

“
Yes,
right,
”
my father says.
“
Rebecca and I will be gone for
the weekend. And then I
’
m
returning with a gift for you, Jade.
”

“
A
gift?
”

“
You
remember Hunter, correct?
”

Hunter.

The name makes me cringe. Geeky and
annoying Hunter. One of those friend of a friend of a friend kind of things. A
force friendship based on money. I haven
’
t
seen Hunter in five years, maybe more. The last time I saw him, he was gawking
at my chest because it was right after I had started to blossom into a woman.