Page 71 of Let the Game Begin
“Mia is completely unlike what those reporters write about her in the tabloids.” She flapped the cloth she was holding in the air in annoyance, and I smiled at this funny, unconscious gesture. “She’s such a loving woman. She loves her family, and she loves her work, just like Dr. Anderson.”
There was a lot I could have said on that topic, but I let it go and just kept listening, smiling and nodding as she brought up positive qualities and things she liked about each member of the family.
“Chloe is a sensitive girl; she’s just in her rebellious stage. She adores her brothers, but she’s also very possessive of them.” She gave me a look that confirmed suspicions that the baby of the family was notably more standoffish with me probably out of discomfort with my friendship with Logan and my…whatever with Neil.
“And Logan? I’ve spent a lot of time with him since I got here, and I was surprised at the rapport we’ve developed. I wouldn’t have thought it was possible.” I got up from my stool and washed the dirty glass in the sink. I was uncomfortable treating Anna like a servant—she wasn’t really one for me—so I tried to do my share whenever I could.
“Logan is a true golden boy. There aren’t many kids who are as level-headed and intelligent as he is,” she said, a deep admiration in her voice. It was the same sort of admiration I had for Logan, who was always kind to everyone, always there with a comforting word in times of need.
But Logan wasn’t my goal; my goal was to learn more about…
“And Neil?” I cleared my throat and cautiously drew closer to her. “I don’t get to talk to him much.” I looked her in the eye. Anna had to have seen the questions that were hovering in the back of my mind. But then, she must have also seen the hard determination that meant I was going to figure that human disaster out no matter what it took.
“Neil is a unique young man.” She sighed and looked down, turning the cloth over and over in her hands. A melancholy look stole over her careworn face. “He needs time before he can trust people. He’s not a bad person. He loves his family deeply, especially his siblings. He would do anything for them, but…” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and hesitated, as if carefully choosing her next words. “You have to respect his emotional distance. Pay attention to his body language; look for the underlying meaning in the things he says… Neil is mostly going to give you nonverbal signals, but if you learn how to read them, then you’ll be able to communicate with him,” she concluded in a firm yet benevolent tone of voice.
She smiled at me, and then excused herself to finish her household tasks before going home to her own kids. She hadn’t told me much that I didn’t already know, but she had confirmed that Neil’s distrust and difficulty talking about himself were behavioral characteristics, not a result of things I was doing wrong. I just needed to be patient and earn his trust.
I couldn’t explain it, but I felt connected to him. I had never believed in that kind of bone-deep understanding that “clicks” between two people. But the totally irrational draw that existed between the two of us had me reevaluating my beliefs.
I shook my head and walked over to the glass doors to look at the now-dark sky, the bright stars, the indistinct colors, the peace and silence of the world. Then, I spotted a dim light shining out from a room in the pool house next to the outdoor pool.
I pushed the doors open and walked out into the garden, wrapping my arms around my chest when the biting air hit my skin. I was only wearing a thin sweater, not enough to really keep out the cold.
I’d thought that there was no one at home except for me and Anna, but I was wrong. My investigative instinct overwhelmed my common sense, soI kept walking toward the small, still mysterious outbuilding. I walked past the swimming pool and approached one of the windows.
Beyond the glass, there was a small but modern and functional kitchen. An open bottle of Jack Daniels and some used glasses sat on the counter. I frowned and moved to the second window, which gave me a view into a bedroom. The curtains inside were pulled open, so I could see the shadows of some figures moving on the wooden floor. I crouched down to one side of the window, trying to hide.
I watched as a girl climbed onto the king-sized bed positioned in the middle of the room, sitting up on her knees. She was completely naked. Her long blond hair fell to the base of her spine, her pale skin and the lush, curving shape of her was completely exposed. She displayed herself proudly with a sly look on her face.
When she turned to address someone behind her, I squinted to see if I could get a better look at her face. And then there, in the silence, I could actually hear the crash of my heart hitting the ground, shattering into a thousand pieces.
It was Jennifer.
I could have walked away at that point. Simply taken a step back and not subjected myself to the pain, but I knew that, if I did, I would spend my life regretting that I didn’t know what actually happened in that room. So, with my hand pressed to my heart, I turned my eyes back to the window.
A few moments later, a man approached her and also climbed onto the bed. Neil was wearing just his black boxers, but those would soon join the rest of his clothes, scattered who knows where. And he was so beautiful, with that sinful face and that goddamned smile. I wasn’t able to admire his golden eyes because his face was turned away from me, but I did get a good look at his wild hair and his powerful back muscles. It was then that the clicking of anxiety and the low buzz of anger joined the thumping of my heart.
He whispered something into Jennifer’s ear and then kissed her neck, making her head fall back in pleasure. They were both on their knees, facing each other. They were gorgeous, like two divinities. Sexuality incarnate.
Apparently, I really wanted to make myself suffer, because I continuedwatching as, moments later, a second female figure joined them on the bed. She positioned herself behind Neil, who was now sandwiched between the two women. Though I could only see her profile, I recognized the blue hair hanging down over her breasts and knew immediately that it was the other girl from the Krew. Alexia was her name, I recalled.
She was naked as well; her body lean yet soft and offered up to the mercy of this devil who was about to feast on both of them. I couldn’t breathe, and I felt a painful pressure in the middle of my chest, like someone was crushing me. Of course, someonewascrushing me; he was just a few feet away.
Neil started kissing Jennifer and touching her with devastating erotic languor. Meanwhile, Alexia rubbed his shoulders and down to his flexed biceps. She circled him slowly, moving from his powerful back to his marble chest then down to his tense abdominal muscles and slim hips.
She hooked a finger under the elastic of his boxers and started pulling them down. Neil helped her take them off, all without ceasing to make out with the other girl. It looked like this wasn’t the first time he’d had to manage two women at the same time.
Alexia grinned, eager to get in on the action. She began kissing his back and licking the skin, hungry to possess him. Neil’s muscles contracted with her every touch, and soon his massive erection rose up, nearly touching his belly button. Jennifer stared right at it and bit her lip in satisfaction.
But Neil wasn’t wasting any more time. He grabbed Jennifer by the back of the neck and bent her forcibly against his pubic area. Then he turned and murmured something to Alexia, she nodded and got off the bed, walking over to a bedside table and opening the drawer. Instinctively, I stiffened up and tried to conceal myself more effectively from her.
When she went back to him, she had a little silver packet in her hands. I leaned back over to get a better look. Neil tore the packet and removed the condom while Jennifer continued to theatrically suck his dick.
Then, like two devout supplicants worshipping their god, they began licking him in tandem. Jennifer focused on the swollen tip of his penis while Alexia devoted herself to his testicles. Both of them fixed their lustful stares on his honey-colored eyes. I, however, was struggling to recognize him there.
Neil watched them with no emotion on his face. He was cold, remote,calculating, and unmoved. It looked like sex was a disturbance for him—a wild impulse that could not be ignored but involved no virtue or honesty or any genuine feelings of emotional transport. His body was there, but it seemed that the real him was somewhere else, unreachable in the exact same way he had been when he folded me over my desk.
Pretty soon, he was going to give a sublime and intense, yet disturbing, sort of pleasure to both of them. Part of me wanted to stay and examine him to see if even a flicker of genuine enjoyment would pass over that cruel and beautiful face, but I knew that I wasn’t going to make it much longer. My stomach was already in knots.
