A Summer To Remember (Seasons of Love & Lust Book 1) (3 page)

Chapter Three

“Let the party get started because Talia is in the house!” a deep, husky voice with a slight Boston accent said loudly.

I stood from my lounger and ran over to hug my best friend.

“It’s been so long! Have I told you how much I miss your ass now that you have abandoned me and moved to the city of dirty angels?”

“No, actually you haven’t, but the longer I am there in that cesspit, the more I want to leave and try it out here on the East Coast. I am so sick of fake and phony people and their stupid goddamn pretensions. Ugh! I actually can feel the filth of that place burying itself in my pores.”

If I was pretty in that perfect white-girl way, then Talia was stunning in that “she’s ethnic but beautiful” way. She had one of those flawless olive toned complexions which threw people off and started the guessing game of what her ethnicity was although really, she was just Italian and something else. What that something else was remained a mystery because her mother never discussed her past and the Italian was from her father’s side.

Talia’s stepfather was Anglo but he’d treated her like his own daughter and for that, she had been grateful beyond belief.

Besides her olive skin, she had long dark brown hair with a slight wave to it that ended at mid-back. Her eyelashes were so impossibly full and long, they looked fake. Her nose was classically Northern Italian, while she possessed cheekbones most women would kill for, full sensual lips, and pale green eyes which were so expressive, you always knew how she was feeling in any given situation.

“How the hell did you get here?” I asked as I grabbed her vanity case.

She towered over me in a pair of four-inch Christian Louboutin sandals which showed off perfect feet that obviously were subjected to pedicures on a regular basis. She looked stunning in a pair of dressy indigo jeans which fit her like a second skin and a short sleeved white peasant blouse that gave off the perfect bohemian chic look.

“Jude,” she said. “I was going to rent a car at La Guardia and drive up but he texted me to tell me he would be happy to pick me up at the airport and we could drive out here to Southampton together. You know me—when have I have ever turned down a free ride? Plus, it’s more money in
my
pocket. Where’s Savannah and Autumn?”

“They haven’t arrived yet but they should both be here soon. I think Autumn had to work today so we probably won’t see her until tomorrow at breakfast or maybe even lunch.”

Autumn was a buyer for wealthy people at an exclusive boutique in Stamford. She was very much in demand and was damn good at what she did. Everyone liked her because she was tall, lithe, and blonde—a natural one, unlike me, though she did add highlights to make her already flaxen blonde hair platinum.

She also earned mucho dollars which came before anything else in life. The woman had grown up with money but Autumn had goals, and one was to be a multi-millionaire before she turned thirty. At the pace she was going, she would more likely than not succeed at that goal. Her other goal in life was to land a handsome, wealthy young man to marry. If he was famous, that was a definite bonus.

“And Savannah, what’s her excuse? Doesn’t she live in Manhattan too?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean we see a lot of one another. She is busy with her collections, not to mention she’s in demand since the First Lady wore her gown to that event when the British Prime Minister and his wife attended that famous White House black-tie event. Savannah Becker is a hot name indeed and she can barely keep up with orders. She promised she would leave early but knowing her, if she waited till rush hour then she won’t make it here before tonight.”

Arriving at the ostentatious suite where Talia would stay, I threw open the double doors. “Voila!”

Talia smiled. “You see? That’s why I came here early…not to mention I did get to ogle your brother’s ass for a while. That man is so hot. Why hasn’t he found anyone yet?”

I didn’t have the least bit of interest in Jude’s personal life. “I have no clue. Maybe he’s just ultra-picky and hasn’t found the right woman yet. Who knows?”

Talia closed the double doors behind us and ushered me to the bed where I collapsed and laid down. My head spun a bit but only because I’d had several of my Belvedere and Perrier beverage concoctions but I had yet to eat anything.

“I couldn’t help but notice how much you were eyeing Paul downstairs. What’s going on between you two? Doesn’t he have a girlfriend?”

I tried to go with the feeling of being perfectly drunk. It was satisfying and exhilarating at the same time. Yet something inside me told me this was no way to live. I was ruining myself and my chances at finding someone because I couldn’t manage to keep my panties on for longer than an hour around a hot, available guy.

Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t a nympho by any stretch of the imagination, and I didn’t
need
to have sex, but if I could fill that hole so deep inside me for just a few hours then I was cool. Furthermore, I could forget about what Kevin’s deception had cost me two years ago.

Talia’s face became serious and stone-cold sober. She wasn’t having any of my bullshit.

“Yes, I was flirting with Paul. And yes, he has a perfect girlfriend. Seriously, though, nothing would have happened between the two of us, you know that. I think that is the precise reason why Jude brought you up here. To make sure our relationship stays perfectly proper.”

“That’s not the only reason.” Talia looked toward the floor length mirror next to an immaculate and expensive wood vanity table. “Jude suffers from double standards. He doesn’t want you boning his friends but he doesn’t mind doing it to yours.”

“I thought you already took Jude for a test drive,” I said guardedly.

“I did but he certainly wouldn’t mind a repeat performance and that just can’t happen.” She studied her perfect eyebrows. “He went above and beyond the call of duty. Not only did he talk to my boss but he got me moved here for the summer. He said something about you two having an extra spare room at the loft? Apparently, he doesn’t think you should be left alone, and along with all my work gigs, I’m stuck babysitting you.”

I desperately needed another Belvedere and Perrier concoction. “Bastard.”

“Yeah. He told me about what happened between you and his actor friend. He can’t deal with you doing that again and the last thing he needs is you hanging off Paul like a cheap suit.”

“Looks like this will be a summer to remember after all.” I stood, swaying slightly on my feet.

Talia walked over and held me by the waist. “Whoa, there, honey! Let’s get some food into you and then we can go to the beach.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

***

The last label anyone could put on Monique was lazy or inept. Before she and the cleaning crew had cleared out, she had stocked the fridge and Paul happened to be a terrific, albeit limited, cook. He made a quiche for the four of us and we all sat around eating, drinking alcoholic beverages and talking in the formal dining room. The sun was beginning to set and although there were no parties planned that night, we decided to hang out by the pool for a while then take a walk along the beach.

I wore a long, filmy cover-up which matched my bikini. Paul had chosen a pair of blue board shorts and a faded black Deftones t-shirt. Jude looked casual as usual in a white Scarlet Fever concert t-shirt and a pair of black, slightly baggy jeans that showed off his best assets, while Talia glowed in what she’d worn from the airport.

She didn’t look like she’d endured a flight across the country. She looked fresh and clean, yet beautifully put together. I was jealous at how quickly she could clean up so effortlessly, as if she hadn’t spent much time on herself at all.

“So, inquiring minds are dying to know,” Talia said, swallowing the remnants of her quiche and washing it down with a swig of Beck’s. “What’s Ashley like and when do we get to meet her?”

This was a purposeful dig at me, her way of letting me know that Paul was off the market and I should know better than shoplifting cock that didn’t belong to me.

Paul smiled, one of those dreamy grins men got when they were thinking of the fantastic sex and the early days of a relationship that seemed so perfect. I would know, I had seen it on Kevin’s face for the whole first year we’d been a couple.

“She’s really great, you know? I understand how you would think she is stuck up and full of herself but she isn’t.” His crystal blue eyes darted my way. I set the fork down and managed to swallow a deep sip of Belvedere and Perrier. “Her parents do charity events and she is a lovely human being who genuinely cares about people and causes that affect the less fortunate in our society. Ashley would have loved to be here but she is busy with all her work in the city so you’ll probably meet her at the next social event we all have together.”

Jude looked my way with cold blue eyes. “I’m sure she’ll manage to make an appearance this summer.” He turned toward Paul. “Aren’t you going back to the city, bro?”

“Yeah, on Sunday. I just needed to get away. The stress of the job and the pressure…I am not as cutthroat as you are and it is starting to piss me off because I know I can do what is required of me but I feel so damned guilty sometimes. Ashley says I’m too sensitive.”

I finished my drink and suddenly stood from the table, knocking my chair over. Everyone looked at me but I didn’t care, I just had to get out of there.

It didn’t take too long before I’d reached the beach through our private entrance and I walked along the sand, barefoot. There were a few revelers about but not many since it was a Thursday night. A lot of them were locals and the only reason why they were still on “our” side of the beach was because there weren’t enough summer guests in residence to call the police.

A warm hand brushed my arm and I was tugged back and in the arms of Paul of all people.

“What the hell are you doing out here, Paul? Can’t you just let me sulk in peace? I’m acting like a spoiled brat and we both know it so let me just walk this out of my fucking system, please?”

“I know what the problem is.” He held my arm and I could feel the warmth of his hand through my flimsy cover-up. “I can go on and on about Ashley but she isn’t you and I want you to know if there was anything I could have done to convince   Jude—”

“It’s not that!” I exclaimed in an angry voice and wanted to snatch my arm from his grip but I was afraid I might tear the fragile material. “It just takes me back to college and Kevin. He once felt that way about me too until…well, everything went to hell in a hand basket. Don’t feel bad about loving your girlfriend. That is what you’re supposed to do. Just let me know when the wedding invitations are printed so I won’t be there to receive mine. I don’t think I could go through the whole ceremony without doing something stupid and embarrassing my family, you…and your bride-to-be.”

Paul’s crystal blue eyes stared into mine deeply and he shouldn’t have done that. My heart beat so fast, I could feel moisture gather in my most intimate areas and my sex was literally on fire. Everything about him turned me on but it wasn’t something I wanted because I was lonely. I wanted
him
and the situation didn’t seem right or fair we both couldn’t have what we craved and desired with such an overwhelming need.

Then again, I didn’t know if he wanted
me
. Was he just saying this stuff to make me feel better and smooth over any unnecessary tension? He’d been a family friend for as long as I could remember and maybe he just thought of me as a “little sister” he had to protect as much as Jude.

“Um, who ever said anything about
marriage
? Ashley is a great woman but I don’t know if I am cut out to be the marrying type. I like my freedom way too much and although she is perfect, I don’t think she is for me.”

“Then why are you still with her?”

“Because you’re unavailable,” he responded. “I’m not talking about what Jude and I have discussed about you or how he doesn't want me being with you because I am like a brother to him. I mean,
emotionally
, you’re not ready to handle anything and if I knew what Kevin did to you, I would murder him myself. It’s been two years and you have been a completely different person. You sleep with men you don’t give a shit about and you act like love and life don’t mean anything to you. Are you going to stand there and tell me this all goes back to what happened to you at Vassar?”

“It may not be pretty or politically correct but it’s the truth.” I took a step back from him and he naturally let go of my arm.

“Then open up to me and tell me what happened, please?”

I felt the hotness of tears which hadn’t yet fallen. “I can’t, Paul. God, I wish I could tell you but what happened at Vassar is a bit like goin’ to Vegas. It stays there. If I open all that shit up and let it spew from my lips, I don’t think I will ever recover and whether you realize it or not, I am barely holding on at the moment.”

He stepped forward before he took me in his arms and my own snaked their way around his neck. I needed a hard body against me, if only to settle me and make me feel like everything was going to be okay. I buried my face in his chest and cried until there was nothing left. Afterwards, my body felt relaxed but my mind was still as clouded and confused as ever.