Sweet Billionaire Stepbrother ~ Part 1 (8 page)

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“O
h God, Layla, I’m so excited! Grayson has been so attentive all night. He’s sweeping me off my feet. I could fall in love with him.”

I watched her in the mirror as she reapplied her lipstick. The ladies room was full of women, and it was nearly as noisy in there as what it was on the dance floor.

“Oh yeah? You’re having a good time then?” I asked although it was obvious what her answer would be.

Sloane kept on swooning. “God, yes. His eyes . . . they’re so dreamy. And when he listens while I talk, it’s as if the whole world stands still and he’s just listening me. I’ve never had a guy treat me like that.”

I smiled at her, happy that she was having a good time. I mean, she was my best friend and it was just right to be supportive. Yet something in my gut twisted at the sparkle in her eyes. I knew exactly what she was talking about. Grayson was so easy on the eye and he had this way of making people feel as if he was one hundred percent invested in what they were saying regardless of what the topic of conversation was.

I’m jealous.

Oh shit.

I wasn’t liking the fact that Grayson bestowed his special brand of care that I
thought
he reserved especially for me on Sloane. Even if she was my best friend.

I wasn’t the jealous type. Honestly.

Yet the nauseating swirl in the pit of my stomach told another story.

“Fall in love? Jeez, Sloane, you don’t really know Grayson that well.”

Not like I do
. Every intonation of his voice, every crinkle around his eyes when he smiles, the way he rubs his chin when he’s deep in thought. Every little nuance that made him special.

“What do you mean? I’ve known him as long as you have. Ever since your Mum married her boss and you moved into their mansion.” She hesitated for a few seconds. “And to be honest, I’ve been crushing on him for a long time.”

She applied lip-gloss over the top of her lipstick. Her lips were luscious and pouty. Very kissable. I felt sick. She wanted Grayson to kiss her.

“Why haven’t you ever said anything about crushing on him?” Try as I might, it was near impossible to keep the anxiety from my voice. Of all the men in the whole wide world she had to choose Grayson? It sounded about bloody right; just my luck.

Strangers who coveted my stepbrother were a different matter—but my best friend? I wasn’t sure how to handle this.

Her eyes met mine in the mirror. “Um . . . because I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about it. It could be kinda weird because you and Grayson are so close. I mean, what if we end up having sex and I want to tell you every detail of what I’m sure would be a mind-blowing orgasm with Grayson. That’s sure to freak you the fuck out, yeah?”

Oh, if only you knew
. Freaking out was putting it mildly.

Just what was this gnawing feeling I’d been experiencing? It was foreign and I didn’t like it one bit. What would I do if Sloane really wanted Grayson? Would I be happy to step back and watch from the sidelines? Listen to her telling me intimate details about them . . . together.

No. I couldn’t stomach it and I didn’t have the slightest clue how I was going to manage it.

“Enough about me. How’s your date going? Seth looks super-hot tonight. If I didn’t have Grayson, I’d be drooling over him. You’re a real dark horse, honey, I never thought you’d go for the bad boys.” She gave me a shit-eating grin which was the usual Sloane mark of approval.

“Huh? Oh, Seth . . .  yeah, he’s okay,” I said, my date the furthest thing from my mind. For years throughout high school I’d wondered what it would be like to date Seth when other girls talked about him.

Funny that.

Turns out he wasn’t what I wanted at all. He was just too smooth; too slick. I couldn’t place my finger on it, but something about him irritated the shit out of me.

“Be careful what you wish for,” Daddy always said to me when I went on one of my
I wish
or
If only
sprees. “Make sure it’s what you really want, because when you get it, it may not be what you expected after all.” His words rang in my head, finally making sense. I missed my dad, tonight more than ever.

Sloane rummaged through her purse until she found her bottle of perfume. She sprayed between her cleavage and behind her ears.

“Gotta smell good,” she said, grinning.

“Absolutely,” I agreed, mustering only a half-smile.

I ran my fingers through my hair, still not used to the face that was staring back at me in the mirror. I looked great after Nico did his magic—even the freckles were invisible. But despite the efforts of Mario and his team, I could never measure up to Sloane as far as looks were concerned.

Born and bred on the Gold Coast, she had a natural tan all year round and the type of natural beach blonde hair that just couldn’t be faked or paid for in a salon. Add to that her fit physique, and Sloane was a knockout. She could wear a damn sack and still be gorgeous.

It had never bothered me before that guys always went for her first. She loved the attention and I was glad to skip it. Any man would be a fool not to trip over himself to get to her.

Including Grayson.

My life just went to shit.

I didn’t want to share Grayson with anyone, not even my best friend. But if Grayson, like every other man, chose Sloane over me, I was screwed.

Devastation hit me like a thunderbolt.

My heart squeezed, aching in a way it had only ever done when Daddy died.

I can’t lose Grayson
.

The thought startled me.

What the hell did it mean? Grayson wasn’t mine. Not in
that
way. Friends, yes. I’d even venture in saying we were extremely good friends. But now I wanted more and it scared the shit out of me. It was a path to heartache and I didn’t do the broken-heart drama.

“We better get back out there. The guys will be wondering why we’ve taken so long. And I can’t wait to dance with Grayson again. Getting up close to him does funny things to my lady parts,” Sloane said as she checked her perfect ass in the mirror and made her way to the door.

I followed closely behind, my heart thumping in my throat.

As we approached our table, Grayson pushed to his feet and stood waiting with an approving smile on his face. I had to tear my attention away from him as I nearly stumbled over my own feet. Damn these bloody heels. They were killing my feet already.

“Whatever you girls did in there worked. You smell lovely,” he said sniffing the air as he held the chair for Sloane. She blushed and fluttered her lashes at him as she sat down beside him and he pushed her chair in.

“Thanks,” Sloane cooed, clearly pleased that he’d noticed. Grayson gave her his megawatt smile and a light kiss on the forehead.

My world turned upside down. I didn’t want his lips on her.

And why couldn’t Seth have the same gentlemanly manners? Flustered, I scraped my chair closer to the table, wishing I’d develop some third world virus that would force me to go home early so I didn’t have to witness any more of Sloane and Grayson together.

Confused and uncertain, the night was turning into a damn nightmare. I’d rather be in my bedroom, chatting to my little sister and avoiding the way Grayson made me feel.

Seth leaned closer and whispered into my ear. “Can’t wait till we get to be alone, babe.”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “Anywhere but here.”

I couldn’t watch Sloane drape herself around Grayson any longer.

“Let’s get out of here then,” Seth rasped. “You ready?”

“Yeah. Works for me,” I said as I pushed myself to my feet. He grabbed hold of my hand and I followed him blindly, not really caring where he was taking me or what he had planned for us.

Anywhere but there simply had to be a better option.

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W
here the fuck had Matthews dragged Layla too? I was losing my fucking mind thinking about his filthy paws all over her. When I found the prick I was going to hang him by the balls. Layla deserved so much better. I had to find her before something happened that she’d regret for the rest of her life.

Frantic, my eyes darted around in the dark. All I could see in the few seconds of strobe flashes of colored light was a multitude of gyrating bodies and hordes of arms flung in the air as the music pumped at eardrum-bursting volume.

Certain that Layla wasn’t in the crowd, I directed my attention to the exit doors. Matthews must have taken her out through one of those. The question was, which one? Still trying to decipher the information I’d overheard, I forced myself to remain calm even though I wanted to scream her name at the top of my lungs.

Layla!

Where was she? He could have taken her to any number of places. The balcony. The empty offices. His car. Somewhere off campus. Fuck. Every second counted. Paralyzed by fear of making the wrong choice, I tried to put myself in his shoes. If I wanted to fuck a girl quick and fast to win a bet, I’d have to prove I’d done the deed. So where would I take my prey?

Somewhere that the most people would witness it.

Of course.

The unisex bathrooms. There were lines of people waiting to get inside. Witnesses. It was pretty obvious if a guy and girl went in together what was going to happen in there.

Christ.

I pushed through the crowd toward the line of bodies leaning against the wall. Couples in various states of making out blocked my way. I squinted as I tried to see better in the dimly lit passage. My gaze rested on a woman in a tight embrace wearing a dress the same color as Layla’s, and in the dim light I could just make out a man’s hands on her breasts and his tongue down her throat. Shit. Could Matthews not wait until he had her inside? I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him off her with a strength I didn’t know I possessed.

“What the fuck, man?” The angry eyes glaring at me weren’t those of Matthews. I didn’t know if I should be relieved or pissed that I hadn’t found them. The woman gave me a death stare before throwing her arms back around her man and pulling him to her.

I cursed under my breath as I pushed my way through more sweaty bodies. Where the fuck were they?

All I knew was that Seth Matthews was going to fuck Layla to win a damn bet. I’d heard his friends talk about it in the men’s room. I had to find them before that happened. Dread rose in my chest. What if I was too late?

A woman’s scream tore through me. The panic in her voice was undeniable.

Layla?
Please God, no.

I bolted toward the high pitched sound with my heart in my throat.

Fuck.

I’m going to kill a man tonight.

I was willing go against every oath I’d made to preserve life to protect her.

If he’s hurt one hair on her head . . .

Grunting, I exhaled a heavy breath as I reached the source of the screams. Without thinking, I kicked the door open with such force it hit the wall with a loud thud.

Bursting forward, I stopped in my tracks.

What. The. Fuck?

A man lay on the floor with his pants around his knees and froth spilling from the corners of his mouth. His eyes had rolled backwards into his head. A woman leaned against the wall, her dress pulled down to her waist with her tits fully exposed, shock and streaks of mascara littered her face.

“What’s going on?” I yelled at her. “Talk to me!”

Ignoring the state of the filthy floor, I fell to my knees and gripped the man’s chin, lifting his head backwards to open his airways.

“I . . . I don’t know. I was giving him head and then . . . he went limp and then . . . this.” Sobs raked her skinny body as she pointed to the guy on the floor while his body shuddered with convulsions.

“Pull up your dress,” I commanded as heads appeared in the doorway. She nodded and did as she was told.  Thank fuck. I didn’t need to deal with a half-naked woman whilst working on her date. In a softer tone, I said, “Calm down, sweetheart.” I gave her my best smile. “Take a few deep breaths. I’ve got this, okay?”

Returning my attention to the poor fucker on the floor, I loosened the tie around his neck before pulling his pants up to cover his dick. He was having an epileptic fit. This chick must’ve caused the wires in his brain to fuse and blow.

“A doctor . . .  we need a doctor,” she panted, her eyes still wide as reality slowly sunk in.

“I’m a doctor,” I told her calmly. She was about to completely lose her shit and I couldn’t deal with that right now. I needed to get the man to a safe position and then get out of there to find Layla. Every minute that passed was freaking me the fuck out.

“Thank God,” she said as new tears streamed down her face, adding to the mess she already was. I wanted to hug her to calm her and assure her that tomorrow they’d both laugh about it, but my mind was focused on another woman who needed me more.
My Lala.

“Call an ambulance,” I told a guy who’d stepped into the small room. He hesitated. “Now!” I demanded in a loud voice. Instead of responding, he stood still staring with a gaping mouth, first at the man on the floor then at the woman.

The guy’s seizure was lasting longer than a few minutes and I was trying hard not to show my concern. I turned him to his side to prevent saliva from blocking his airway and to help him breathe more easily. Fortunately he wasn’t too heavy.

“He . . . he’s not breathing!” the girl sobbed. “Help him, please!” She sank to the floor beside the man and stroked his hair while calling his name.

“Jack. Oh God, Jack, wake up!” she cried, her hand pressed to his cheek.

“Listen to me, sweetheart. He’s going to be fine.” I reached out and closed my hand over hers, squeezing hard to force her to look at me. “This happens when the chest muscles tighten during a phase of the seizure. As soon as it ends, the muscles will relax by themselves and his breathing will normalize.” 

“Are you sure?”

“I guarantee it.”

As soon as I had this man’s seizure under control, I’d hand him over to the medics and be gone. As frightening as it appeared there wasn’t much more I could do for him other than to ensure he was safe at that moment. “His doctor will have to treat him further.”