Tempting the Billionaire by J.A. Low
Audrey
My head hurts. Why does it hurt?
And why is it so hard to open my eyes?
Why am I sweating like a ham at a luau? Did Mom leave the heat on high last night again?
Ouch. There’s something digging into back.
Oh shit!
Everything stills inside of me as I look down and see a set of tanned, muscular arms wrapped around me. Large palms groping my breasts. Warm breath against my neck which sets my body alight with goosebumps. The T-shirt he gave me last night is bunched around my waist, exposing my G-string clad ass to him. A set of thick fingers dig into my exposed hip as his body is pressed hard against me.
Wow.
Um.
Eighteen-year-old me is hyperventilating in this moment. Twenty-four-year-old me is trying to play it cool. This is awkward and hot. So, freaking hot and I’m not talking because his body is like a nuclear reactor but because well damn, I’ve always wanted to know what it would be like to be wrapped up in Stirling’s arms in a non-sisterly embrace. He looks after himself. Not in a body builder way, in a normal healthy way. The perfect amount of muscle, that he feels like a bag of bricks. The right number to fill out a designer suit to dangerous levels. Enough muscles to make the women at the Davenport Group envious of the material covering his body. And I’m included in that. I can appreciate a good-looking man and that is Stirling Hartford in spades. Dark brown hair, green eyes, clean shaven. Unless it’s the weekends where he has the hottest amount of stubble growing along his square jaw.
I’ve had a crush on Stirling since I was old enough to realize what a crush was. Even if he is ten years older than me. I mean all the Hartford brothers are gorgeous, but Stirling did it for me. Growing up, I was nervous around him. I would get tongue tied and Rhys would tease me over it like big brothers do. Once I finally lost my virginity to Cruz Holloway, my first real high school boyfriend, my little crush on Stirling Hartford slowly dissipated. Until my eighteenth birthday where I thought finally, he’s going to see me as the adult that I am and he’s going to whisk me off my feet and declare he has found me attractive and that now I was legal he could do all the things he’s been wanting to do. I was wrong. So very wrong. And my birthday ended up being a disaster, especially with him telling me he only saw me like a sister. Yeah, that hurts hearing the guy you like tell you he’s not that into you. Humiliating really. So, after my birthday I threw myself into life at Columbia and forgot all about Stirling Hartford and his piercing green eyes. And deep timbred voice and thick, muscular arms.
None of this explains why I currently have them wrapped around me or why I am letting his dick knock against my naked ass.
“Shit,” Stirling curses and jumps away from me. “Audrey, I’m so sorry. I… I…” The normally composed Stirling Hartford is lost for words for a couple of moments. I roll over and I can see the flush on his cheeks as he’s mortified over letting his morning wood say hello to my ass.
“It’s all good,” I tell him, shrugging the awkwardness off. “It means nothing. We’re family remember?” Stirling stares at me for a few moments, a frown forming across his face before he comes back to me.
“I might go and grab a shower, okay?” He doesn’t give me time to answer his question before he’s up and out of the bed and into the en-suite, where he slams the door shut behind him. Right okay, that wasn’t a good start to the morning. I roll onto my back and stare up at the ceiling, my mind running away with itself. Wondering what it might be like to feel that morning wood between my thighs. That heated breathe against my skin further down my body. What am I doing? I’m letting myself get worked up for no reason. Even if he is currently naked in the shower right now. My phone buzzes pulling me away from my ridiculous thoughts. I’ve got a million and one messages I notice after grabbing the phone off of the floor. My stomach sinks as last night comes barreling back toward me. Guessing the video’s gone viral. I scroll through my notifications until I see I have some from Dior and David. Traitors.
David:This isn’t me babe. You have to believe me. There is no way in the world I would be with your friend. I would have to be stupid to do something like that. Please call me, babe. I love you, Audrey.
Is he serious right now?
Using for the first time I love you when you’ve been caught screwing your girlfriend’s best friend is low. Real low.
Dior:Audrey, babe. This video isn’t real. Please listen to me. It’s not real it’s been doctored. I would never do something like that to you ever. Please believe me.
Rainn:Call me now.
Nell:Call me.
I click onto Rainn and Nell’s numbers and group call them.
“Audrey. Are you okay? Where are you?” Rainn asks.
“Aud, your mom said you didn’t come home last night,” Nell adds. “Are you okay? Are you safe?” I love my girls. I can hear the worry in their voices as they wonder where the hell I am.
“I crashed at Stirling’s.” The line goes quiet.
“Stirling?” Rainn questions.
“Yeah. With Rhys being away he’s the next best thing,” I explain.
“Next best thing for what?” Rainn asks.
“Help,” I add.
“Did anything happen?” Nell asks.
“What no!” I exclaim. “I crashed in his bed and that’s it.”
“His bed?” Rainn’s voice raises.
“Yeah. I was sad. It’s not weird, is it?” I ask them because judging by their reactions it is.
“A little,” Nell adds. “Especially if nothing happened.”
“Of course, nothing would happen. You know he doesn’t see me as anything other than family,” I tell them.
“We’re so glad you’re okay. We were worried. We saw the video,” Rainn tells me. “It’s fucked up.”
“I spoke to Dior,” Nell tells us. The call goes silent waiting for Nell to press on. “She told me it’s true. I’m sorry, Aud. That she and David have been hooking up for a long time,” Nell explains to me. Each new revelation is like a sucker punch to my stomach. “She didn’t think you and David were serious.”
“She didn’t think we were serious?” My voice raises. “She was there the night he asked me to be his girlfriend. She popped champagne with us. That’s bullshit, Nell.” Is Nell team Dior? I can’t lose another friend over all this.
“I know it is, babe. I’m telling you what she told me. It’s not right what she has done. And I told her that,” Nell explains.
“Did you know about them?” I ask Nell straight up because she was the closest to Dior out of the three of us.
“No way.” Nell defends herself. “If I did, I would have told you, Audrey. I would have let you know before all this,” Nell exclaims sounding like she’s telling me the truth.
“Then why did she do it?” I ask her.
“All Dior told me was they have been a thing for a long time. That David told her you two had an agreement. That you were using each other to increase your followings.”
“He said what?” I yell down the phone. Is he serious right now? “I don’t need his shitty followers.”
“Fucking convenient excuse,” Rainn adds. “Dior knows better. She’s been with us when the two of them have been together.”
“I don’t know. It’s a shit situation.” Nell sighs. And she is kind of in the middle of it. She should be Team Audrey though because if Dior can do this to me than she sure as hell can do it to Nell.
“She’s always been jealous of Audrey,” Rainn states. “She hates the fact that Audrey and I are close to you, Nell.” Rainn drops that little bombshell.
“Wait. Me?” Nell questions.
“You and she were tight long before the four of us became friends. I think she got jealous. Especially when Audrey comes in and starts dating her booty call right in front of her. You know what Dior is like. She has to be the center of attention. You’ve seen the stunts she’s pulled before with us. David was a dumb ass for going along with it,” Rainn explains to Nell. Everything she’s said makes sense. “She’s even gloating about the sex tape online,” Rainn adds. She’s what? My stomach does somersaults. What a bitch.
“I’m done with her,” I tell Rainn and Nell sternly. “You girls can be friends with her, but I’m done.”
“I’m Team Audrey,” Rainn adds.
“I agree what Dior has done is messed up. I’m not sure if I can be friends with her either,” Nell tells us hesitantly. I understand this must be hard for Nell as she did generally have had a close relationship with her. I can’t blame Nell for any of this, like I can’t blame her for staying in touch with Dior. And David, well he can go fuck himself. Dating him was definitely not good for my career, total opposite really.
“Are the comments bad?” I ask the girls because I do not want to look at any of them myself.
“Most of them are Team Audrey,” Nell tells me.
“And of course, there is that one percent who are trolls,” Rainn adds. “But you know to ignore them,” Nell reassures me. I can only imagine what the trolls are saying.
“Why did they do this to me?” I ask my friends as tears begin to fall down my cheeks again. “Why hurt me like that? I’m a joke now.”
“Audrey, no. You are not a joke. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Nothing,” Rainn tries to reassure me.
“But it’s bad isn’t it? The entire thing has gone viral, hasn’t it?” I ask my friends; their silence is all the answer I need. “I can’t stay here in New York. I just can’t.”
“We can go upstate to my family’s farm or down to Florida,” Nell tells me.
“What about Bali? We can go to my family’s home there. Get massages. Zen out,” Rainn adds.
“They all sound great guys but I think I want to go to London and see my brother.” I kind of need a hug from him.
“Yes,” Nell squeals excitedly. “I’m in for London.”
“Me too,” Rainn adds.
“You girls sure?” I ask them. Because this would be rather epic if we did a girl’s trip to London.
“Yes.” They both say in unison.
“I can’t thank you both enough.” The tears begin to roll down my cheeks again.
“We’ve got you, babe,” Rainn tells me, before they both say their goodbyes and hang up.
“So, you’re going to London?” I jump at Stirling’s deep voice behind me. Slowly I turn around and see that he’s dressed in some grey sweatpants and a white T-shirt. Seriously is this man trying to kill me with his sexiness.
“Yeah. I don’t want to stick around here,” I explain to him.
“I was going to catch up with Rhys next week, but I could bring it forward, if you want to go sooner,” he tells me. “I’m sure your brother would be fine with us using the jet.” He gives me a smirk.
“You think so?” I question him.
“I say so, so yes. It’s fine.” His face breaks out into a bright white smile.
“Oh my God, thank you!” I scream as I jump up off the bed, wrapping my arms around him. He stiffens under my touch. “This isn’t weird. Just go with it, Stirling,” I tell him which makes him relax under my hug attack. “Thanks for everything,” I tell him as I let go of him. “And especially thanks for last night. I didn’t know what to do.” Stirling’s face softens at my thanks.
“Have you heard from David?” he asks.
“Just a pathetic text, explaining to me it wasn’t him. You know the male motto of deny till I die.”
“A boy’s motto. Not a man’s,” Stirling corrects me.
“Maybe that’s where I’m going wrong. I’m dating immature boys.” I sigh. “Who am I kidding? It’s going to be a long day in hell before I date again.”
“You’re young, Audrey. There’s plenty of guys out there that would only be too happy to date you,” Stirling compliments me.
“Maybe. I haven’t checked my DMs yet. I’m sure some creepers are already sliding into them.” Shaking my head I ask, “Anyway, do you mind if I grab a shower and freshen up before going home?”
“No, of course not. Go right ahead. I’ll order some breakfast for us and then I’ll drive you home,” Stirling tells me.
“Sounds like a plan.”