Prologue
It's all started with a flirt.
It wasn't a surprise to me that he's a playboy—it's all written all over his pretty face. He's a kind of guy your mom warned you about, but your body craves.
It might be hard to accept, but I've been in a dry spell for a long time. So maybe he's the answer, but the charming, cocky, and brutally honest playboy made me feel like no men ever did. And pretty soon, I was in too deep.
It wasn't a part of my plan. In fact, I never have imagined my life to be with someone more than just to warm my bed, let alone a woman with a kid, but just a single look at her gorgeous blue eyes, I'm already confused—I've never been drawn to any women the way I was drawn to her.
Ho-ing Around
XANDRY
"Tell me again why, should I come with you?" I asked my cousin, Pyke, one more time as he pulled his car to a halt at the private airport and directly onto the tarmac. If he didn't barge into my apartment and pick me up by himself, I didn't have a plan on going with them. I was still far from ready to face Camila again. Besides, I sent him a message that I couldn't make it, but Pyke is Pyke—he didn't buy my excuse.
"Have you not apologized?" he asked back, grabbing my dark brown leather duffel bag from the backseat of his car while I ambled defeated at his back.
"I did, but—"
He stood up, closed the door a little bit with force, sighed, and gave me a sympathetic looked. "Xandry, she forgave you, and don't beat yourself up. Camila has the kindest heart on the planet, and whether you like it or not you're still coming with me. End of discussion." Pyke hastened to the jet waiting for us.
"I know, but they're not my family, and I'm not comfortable around them." Or maybe I am, but the guilt is overpowering me.
He stopped, turned to face me, and smirked. "Really? And where are you comfortable with?"
I smirked back. "In between women, tits, pussies, and asses. Should I go on?"
"Behave there, asshole. You will not stick your dick around anyone who has a hole. Don't put us in trouble again, Xandry. I mean it." He turned and climbed up the airstair of the jet with HugKingWill printed in red—it would be too long to write the Hughes, King, and Williams.
"Welcome aboard, Mr. Williams!" The flight attendant not older than I gestured her hand to the aisle. I'd traveled by this jet more than I could count since Williams merged its forty-five percent share to the Hughes and King industries two years ago. Dad had a restaurant business with Uncle Hawk as well.
Speaking of the attendant, she was cute with cat-like eyes, but I promised Pyke to behave and not create troubles, so I just gave a polite smile and muttered thank you.
I sauntered to the massive lounge area where everyone was already sitting in the long elegant cream leather seats on both sides. A muted flat-screen, flashing foreign exchange rates mounted on the glossy cherry wood veneer wall. A single red tulip on white porcelain slim vase and a laptop on top of the dark red glossy square table.
Camila was already sitting on Pyke's lap and kissing his head like they had not seen him for over a year. Kyland Wright, Pyke's bar manager, and his close friend were lying on the long comfort sofa.
Camila shifted her gaze in my direction, eyes glowing with warm fuzzies. "Oh, hey, Xandry! Thought you ran away," she said with a laugh, stood up, and walked toward me.
My brow slowly cocked when Camila grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the lounge. I forced myself to follow her to the two-row seats where we were going to settle throughout the flight.
"Guys, let's go to the seat and buckle up. We're taking off in a few minutes," Pyke announced.
The captain's voice echoed overhead simultaneously, announcing the jet would take off in thirty minutes.
"Thank you for coming, Xandry!" Camila smiled genuinely, taking a seat beside Pyke across mine.
"My pleasure." I extended my legs on the wide space between our seats.
"Really, if Pyke didn't drag your ass out of your apartment, will you still come with us?"
I shrugged and replied, "I sent him a message that I have to run some errands."
"Yeah, you were busy snoring in your bed when I came, and you mean an errand is stroking your little dick under your blanket," Pyke snorted.
"Pyke!" Camila scolded.
"You're forgiven, man!" Kyland yelled.
"Kill, he already apologized." She exhaled.
"Yeah, but he still bet on you." He frowned.
I scoffed at Kyland's remark.
The jet lifted off. The moment we were airborne it shook and shimmied.
"You should be thankful, I found Pyke because of him." Camila glared at her cousin. Kyland wanted to say something but shut his mouth up, instead, he groaned in annoyance.
I understood him for being protective of her. If someone did that to Saphoera, I'd gone ballistic and choked him to death with his own junk.
I noticed Kyland was watching with amusement to the two lovebirds in front of me. I felt something inside me that I couldn't quite put my finger on by how Kyland apologized to her and how Pyke and Camila's relationship ended well.
Jealousy?
I diverted my attention to the empty cream wall and swallowed the thickness forming in my throat. Throughout my teenage and adulthood, I never experienced a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. It was my choice. One time, I saw Saphoera crying because a guy she had a crush on asked her friend for a date instead of her— she cried all night. It turned out he was a total jerk.
I loved Saph more than anything, though she was nosy of my personal business and bitchy most of the time, I knew what she was doing was for my own good.
I was in searing agony when she ignored me for a month after she found out what I did to Camila and my best friend—the pain was excruciating, and it felt like I was bleeding inside.
I adjusted the seat when the seat belt sign was off and closed my eyes. The flight would not take more than two and a half hours to the hometown of Kyland's fiancee, Bianca. According to Pyke, Kyland's mom and Bianca arrived yesterday. I drew the shield down to block the sun. My plan was to sleep throughout the flight since I didn't have a woman with me to cuddle like Camila.
I knew I'd be bored to death for two days—no hot woman, no club noises, and only the neighing of horses or maybe a rooster crowing to wake me up in the morning—no warm thighs, perky tits, and soft skin were draping over me. That was how the countryside looked like, wasn't it?
A nudge on my shoulder woke up straight into the unfamiliar surrounding. The humming of the pressurized cabin pulled me back out of my silent reverie.
"We're landing in a few minutes. You might wanna freshen up." Camila settled back to her seat and looked like she had re-touched her makeup.
I shook my head and rubbed my sleepy eyes. "I'm good."
"So, are you still—"
"Ho-ing around?" My eyebrow perked.
She rolled her eyes. "I was about to say, sowing your wild oats. You haven't met your 'the one', Xandry. Just saw you know, I was glad that you made a bet with Pyke, not that I'm saying what you did was right, but I didn't have the courage to admit that I like him with or without knowing about the bet."
Here you go again, the confrontation that I always hated. I breathed deeply. "I'm glad. And feel guilty, thanks to you."
"And you lost your car." She laughed.
I scratched my scalp unknowingly. "Yeah, you know I love that car. It was Saph's birthday gift, and Pyke knew it."
Camila laughed again. "Sorry, Saph must be angry at you."
"You don't have any idea. She didn't talk to me for a month. Not because of the car though, but for what I did to you." I pursed my lips, holding my smile.
"I can't give it back to you, Xandry. I gave it already to my brother."
"I've no plan on taking it back, Cam. That was meant to be yours. I'll just buy a new one for me."
"You seem so close to your twin."
"I am. It's like we're connected, not only by blood, or we're twins but I can feel if she's happy or hurt. I know it sounds crazy, it's just… I love Saph so much and I don't think I'd survive if something would happen to her. And I will do everything for her." And I can't let her feel when I'm hurt because of my failing relationship that's why I avoided it at all costs.
"You're actually sweet and loving. How come you've never had a girlfriend? You're actually a perfect boyfriend material." Camila gestured her hand at me in disbelief.
I laughed. She's beautiful, I could see why Pyke fell in love with her so fast that even I had seen it coming. Her brown eyes flashed with love and enthusiasm.
"You just said I haven't met my the one, yet. Wherever she is, I hope it won't happen sooner because I'm not retiring from ho-ing around anytime soon."
"You're such a dick." Pyke slapped my back and sat back on his seat.
"Been told."
"You'll get STD, Xandry. I'm worried about your health." Pyke eyed me with concern.
"Don't be. I just got my result last week and I'm clean as a whistle."
"And you will continue until your dick falls off?" Camila asked in amusement and didn't care at the word dick even if Pyke was around. I grimaced at the thought of it falling off.
"We should arrange a date for him. What do you think, Love?" She grabbed Pyke's hand and kissed it.
Jesus, can't these two get enough of one another even in front of me?
Pyke shook his head. "He never runs out of date, Babe. That's the problem. He needs to stop dating."
"That's impossible," I retorted.
"Well, he needs a serious date."
"He doesn't do."
"What should we do?"
"We can't do anything. He'll stop whenever he wants or when the time it won't stand anymore," Pyke answered.
I rolled my eyes. "Seriously, stop talking about me like I'm not here in front of you. Actually, I didn't have a date for three weeks now."
"Why?" the two asked in unison, surprised.
"Is that why you slept all night?" Pyke asked again with a laugh. That's one of the reasons.
"I made a deal with Saph to stop fooling around for a month," I said truthfully, feeling ashamed which never happened for me even admitting the truth. What made me ashamed of now? I didn't know.
"I should give her a new Dior bag. Why you didn't tell me?" Pyke grinned.
"You never ask, asshole. And you seemed busy with your new family." I loved mine, but I'm kind of jealous of how Pyke managed to be with his and Camila's every weekend. I didn't see he had this thoughtful nature in himself, or maybe Camila was the reason for all of his changes?
Does a manwhore like me ever change?
