Page 54 of The Enemy

My strokes came faster, and when I came, I wasn’t at all satisfied.

Rubbing one out didn’t help when, as soon as I walked out of the room, the place smelled like Lou. Her perfume was in the air, and my cock jumped to attention.

Lou, however, was nowhere to be seen.

“Lou…Lourdes?”

No answer.

Her stuff was still in the suite, so I knew she hadn’t taken the front desk up on their offer to stay somewhere else. I had gone years without letting myself know anything about her life. It waseasier that way, and now I felt this desperation to go and find her.

As soon as I was changed, I did just that.

I cursed the place for being huge. I knew she wouldn’t be in the theater, nor the members’ lounge. If I had to guess, she was probably outside near the beach. When I saw the bar, a fond smile grazed my lips.

I should have known.

There she was, sitting down on a stool as she chatted up the bartender. He said something that made her throw her head back in laughter.

God, she was beautiful.

And seeing her right now, I felt like a piece of shit. I wanted a part of Lou, but I had never done anything to deserve it. I couldn’t even recall a single time I made her laugh.

I should turn around and let this all be about the business. I almost did just that but then she leaned forward, and she made the bartender laugh. I could see it in his face that even though he knew she was way out of his fucking league, he wanted her, and that made me see red.

She was mine.

She had always been mine.

The first time I noticed Lou at school, I had been mesmerized by her. She was different from everyone else. She walked by the halls, and she didn’t care about what people thought. She didn’t pay attention to their petty squabbles or none of that nonsense.

In a way, she was just like me. Someone who didn’t fit into the mold just trying to forge their own. When I found out she was a freshman, disappointment coursed through me. She had looked more mature, but she was still just a child, and I was on the cusp of eighteen. Whatever notions I had of approaching her disappeared instantly.

So, when I found her in that hallway, I knew I should have left, but she looked so damn sad, and I figured if I just sat by her, it wouldn’t be wrong. It wasn’t like I was leading her on or asking her out. I was just there to lend a shoulder to lean on. That’s all I did. I walked away and didn’t look at her again.

After high school, it was easy to forget about her. I had my own shit and problems to deal with.

Then my mother told me she was dating someone, and I was angry and hurt. But I pushed that down and pretended it didn’t faze me. Instead, I carried on with my studies, buried my head in the sand, and focused on my goals.

When it was time to meet Mother’s new beau, I couldn’t remember why his last name sounded familiar other than him being a Riviere.

Then I saw her coming down the stairs looking more radiant and beautiful than she had in school. I mentally started doing the math, trying to work out how old she was now, but then quickly dismissed the notion because Lourdes Riviere could never be mine. Not when she was set to become my new stepsister. I almost laughed at the unfairness of it all, but at that point, why was I even surprised? Nothing in my life ever worked out. So, in that instant, I dismissed her. Lourdes Riviere was supposed to be dead to me, but instead she became my stepsister, and I hated everything about it.

As if finally feeling my presence, Lou turned her head, and her gaze landed on mine. It was enough to snap me out of it, and instead of trying to be noble and turn back around, I decided that being selfish and calculating had served me well these past few years, so I might as well see where it would take me now.

But before I could approach her, Mr. Park found me.

“Neo, son, how are you doing?” He clasped his hand on my shoulder.

“Good, sir, and you?”

He looked around and offered me a smile. Tatum favored his mother, which was easier to handle when I first started this deal.

“Amazing. I brought the missus with me. All the company stuff bores her, but I figured we might as well get a preview of what’s to come with our new memberships.”

“Make the most of it while you can,” I replied honestly.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Lou said, not sounding sorry at all.

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