Page 31 of Sexy Beginnings
Chapter Twenty
Lucy
I was nominated to make dinner tonight considering I cooked for these boys for the past four years. I swear I think I spoiled them. I hear footsteps come up behind me and when I turn around I see Viper.
He leans on the counter, resting his elbows on it. “So you the new girl?”
“Well, not really new. I’ve been here for a little more than three years.” I give him a smile.
“Well I ain’t seen you before so that makes ya new. Used to be I tried out all the new girls that came through, always got first dibs.” His eyes rake my body.
I’m suddenly uncomfortable. I find myself not wanting to make eye contact with him and trying to think of any reason to get the hell out of here. Every alarm in my head is blasting and letting me know something is up. I have been around the brothers for years and not one of them has made me feel on edge like Viper is.
“Shame he got to you first, huh?” He walks around the counter and stands in front of me.
He is a solid foot and a half taller than me. As I look up at him, I have never felt so intimidated in my life. I take a quick step back and walk out to the common area without a word.
I needed to get out of there. When I see Jordan, I contemplate going to him, but I don’t know what I would say. Viper didn’t do anything wrong, didn’t really say anything wrong either. He made me feel so uneasy. I don’t know the man well enough to know if his demeanor is always as menacing as he came across or if I was just reading into it wrong.
When I see Viper exit the kitchen, I know I can go back and cook but I really don’t want to do it alone. That’s when Boa walks by me, I grab her arm. “Hey want to help me with dinner?”
“Sure, Luce!” She smiles at me. Boa is always eager to please and to do anything she thinks might earn her points with the boys. I’m totally playing on that but I don’t want to leave myself open to another one of Viper’s advances.
Boa and I talk and laugh the rest of the night while we get everything ready. Thankfully it is just the two of us. “Thanks for helping me.”
“No problem, girl.” She smiles at me. “You’re cool, we all really like you. Except for Venus but I know you’re smart enough to figure that out. Just don’t let her get to you, she’s just jealous.”
“I figured. That’s what Tracie told me.” We grab the trays and start to carry them out to the table.
Everyone starts to take their seats at the picnic style tables and somehow I end up with the shitty luck of being stuck in-between Jordan and Viper. I tell my nerves to calm down and that I’m just being paranoid. There is nothing going on. I’m imagining it. It’s all in my head.
Tracie is sitting across from me, I keep trying to get her attention, but she seems so distracted. Viper is sitting so close to me that our thighs are touching. I can’t move over anymore or I would be in Jordan’s lap, I’m stuck.
When I feel a hand massaging my thigh I can’t help but smile. That boy is always trying to wind me up. His hand travels higher, one finger tracing up my pussy, he pushes down roughly and I wince. I look over at him ready to give him shit, that’s when I see Jordan’s hands clasped on the table. Oh my God.
I practically jump up from the table. Anger rushing through me. I want to scream at Viper. My eyes well with the fact that another man just had his hands on me without permission. Memories of Andrew flood through me, my chest tightens, and I rush to the bathroom. I don’t care what anyone thinks I need to get away from that damn table. I slam the bathroom door locking it behind me.
Disgust and nausea are overtaking my body and crippling me completely. Memories try to force their way into my mind but I push them down. I can’t go there. I can’t lose it right now.
How dare he put his hands on me! I lean against the cold tile resting my head against it. What the hell am I supposed to do? A bang on the door makes me jump.
“Lucy, it’s me.” I hear Tracie’s voice. “I’m alone. Open the door, Luce.”
I wait a second before shaking my head and twisting the lock. The door opens, Tracie comes in before shutting it and locking it once more. “Tell me.”
I don’t answer her. She couldn’t know what happened with Viper. Or that it was even anything to do with him. Could she? I look up at my friend and I can see pain in her eyes. They are full of unshed tears. What happened to her?
“This a two way street? If I say something you going to tell me what’s got you acting like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde today?” I try to throw in a Tracie like joke to test her mood. Nothing, not even the hint of a smile. Shit.
“Deal.” She sits cross-legged on the bathroom floor.
I join her. I tell her about the kitchen and then about the way he touched me at the table. Her eyes grow wide.
“You need to tell Jordan. You can’t fuck around with this douchebag, Lucy.” Her hands fidget in her lap. While her shaky voice tries to pretend to be strong. Viper is the VP and going up against him will not be easy. With him just coming home and everyone excited to see him, this news will not be well received.
“Your turn.” I grab her hands trying to give her the strength it seems like she needs.
Her teeth gnaw at her bottom lip. “The night before Viper got sent away the guys threw a huge party. I swear he was banging the whores all over this place. Everywhere I went I walked in on him with a different one of them. I guess in a sick way he was trying to stock up on as much pussy as he could before he got locked up.” She hangs her head, refusing to meet my gaze. “I thought everyone had gone home or to bed. I couldn’t sleep so I was cleaning up the common room. I usually did that before you came along. Viper came out of almost nowhere. He started talking to me and then came around the bar and tried to kiss me.”
She lets go of my hands hugging herself and slowly rocking back and forth in a rhythmic motion. “I tried to push him off but he took out his knife and threatened to slice my throat open, saying I was no one’s old lady and no one would miss me. He raped me behind the bar and then was sent to jail the next morning. I never told anyone because I guess I figured he was sent to jail, so it was almost like he was being punished for it. Plus I never had anyone like you to talk to.” A single tear trails down her cheek. “When he walked in the door today I felt like I was right back to that night all those years ago. I thought I could handle it. You need to tell Jordan what’s going on. You can’t underestimate him.”
I pull my friend into a hug, letting her cry the unshed tears she’s been holding in for so long. I can’t believe he did that to her, that none of the guys know this. I knew from the moment I saw him that there was something off about him.
I need to find Jordan.
