When We're Alone

Chapter three

STONE

Whatthefuckwas that? She doesn’t even notice me as she storms back up to her car, looking a lot more alive than I thought she was going to end up when she disappeared into the black depths of the ocean. She gets into the car, still soaking wet, and drives past without even glancing up. That’s the second time I’ve seen her and she’s not seen me. The second time I’ve been entranced by her but she’s disappeared before I can speak to her. Shaking my head to break my gaze from the road she’s left on, I climb back into my own car and carry on to the ball.

These fucking balls are the bane of my life, especially since Lewis is going to be at this one. I try to avoid my snivelling creep of a big brother whenever I can, but seeing as his future wife is going to be there, so is he. Two people I’d rather avoid—I can’t stand people who marry for money, and I can’t believe after everything we’ve been through that Lewis is going to be one of them. I shouldn’t be surprised. He’s always been a lot more similar to my mother than I have. It’s no better than prostitution in my eyes, and whatever bimbo bride he’s managed to bag is not someone I want to spend any time with. But Dad’s asked me to be there, and he’s probably the only person I would’ve agreed to going for, so I guess I’m showing up to this hideous thing to meet her. Honestly, I don’t think my dad approves either, but he’s big on letting us make our own decisions, and seeing as Lewis is doing everything he can to prove himself as a hotshot businessman without actually being any good at business, marrying into it is his strategy. I pull up and tip the valet, the shock evident on his face showing that no other bastard has tipped him yet. I hate rich people. Yes, hypocritical, seeing as I’m one of those rich people, but I hate myself most of the time too. I go straight to the bar hoping to avoid Lewis for as long as possible, but as soon as I place my order, he’s there, and he is not in a good mood.

“Take your fucking time, Stone.”

“Can you wait to be an insufferable twat until I’ve had my drink? Shouldn’t you be occupied with your escort anyway?”

“She’s not turned up.” Ah, so that’s why he’s angry. The fact that he doesn’t defend his future wife from my insult tells you everything you need to know about big brother.

“Maybe she did turn up but saw your face and left.” Lewis and I have different mothers and, unfortunately for him, he looks like his while I look like Dad, something he’s very touchy about.

“Funny.” Dad comes over then and my shoulders relax slightly. “Lewis, school your features. There are important people watching. Stone, nice of you to join us.”

“Well, I’m only here to meet my future sister-in-law, but apparently she’s MIA. Can I leave?”

Dad sighs, knowing that’s true but also likely resigned to the fact he has to stay. I have no desire to stay and meet the prissy stuck-up girls who come to these things searching for the richest guy they can bag, or socialise with the men who’d rather pay to keep some arm candy than work for it. This may as well be a cattle market. The bartender drops my drink on the bar top and I down it. “Was that your only one?” he checks before excusing me.

“Yep. See you later.”

I head back out and the valet grabs my car before I head over to Mason’s, where he and Reid are having a chilled smoke.

“Hey, dude, how did you escape?” Mason asks as I join them in the basement, set up like his own personal apartment.

“Lewis got stood up.” They both chuckle, knowing how lechy and smug he is. Lewis is the definition of slimy salesman. His ethics are questionable, to say the least, and he’s always been a grade A wanker. Everything’s a competition, and he’s the biggest suck up to Dad, still not managing to realise I couldn’t give a shit about beating him at anything. Not that I have to try very hard. Maybe that’s his issue.

“Joining us at Stuart’s, then?” I nod, throwing off my suit jacket and rolling up my sleeves. There’s an Oakview University party on most Fridays of the year, and as part of the Elite, it’s customary that we attend them all. Not that I mind most of the time—it’s the perfect place to smoke, drink, and fuck without worrying about clean up or parents.

“I’m not driving, though. Get one of the others to pick us up,” I say as I grab the spliff from him. That won’t be too hard. This is an OU party; everyone there would kill to arrive with us. Really, it’s me they want to be seen with. Neither Reid’s nor Mason’s families have enough money or influence for them to have earned their place in the Elite of Oakview U, but one of the ways I rebel against the role I play is by choosing my own fucking friends. Now they’re part of the hierarchy with me, whether their parents’ money dictates it or not. Not that they’re poor—far from it—but you have to be another level of rich to make it into Oakview’s Elite. My family has enough money and influence for all three of us. Dad’s ensured I’m at the top by working his fucking ass off, and it’s only right I respect his efforts and success by playing my part, whether I would’ve chosen this life for myself or not.

An hour later and I’m pleasantly buzzed, sitting on a sofa beside Mason while we get lap dances. Caitlin is practically dry-humping me, and some girl has her tongue down Mason’s throat while his hand is up her skirt. Mason prefers to use the honey method to get girls and goes through them like he’s in a race. Fewer girls are brave enough to approach me, thanks to a mix of my unapproachable attitude and Winnie and Caitlin guarding me like fucking Dobermans, but I don’t care. Any hole to stick my dick in works. Whether it’s the same two or a different one every night doesn’t make a difference to me. Girls are even less likely to approach Reid because he’s so hard to read, but he couldn’t care less. He keeps his business even closer to his chest than we do.

I down my drink, and another appears in my hand as Caitlin straddles my lap again. Now this is much better than someone who’s trying not to misplace a hair or smudge their lipstick like anyone you’d find at that fucking ball. Suddenly, the image of the girl from earlier comes back to me. She wouldn’t have looked out of place there with her perfect hair and disgusting dress. Until she strode into the ocean, that is. I’d noticed her car first—it was a beauty—but as I looked further and saw her down on the beach, she seemed familiar, like I recognised her aura before I saw her face. Parking a little further away, I watched as she kicked off her shoes and stood back upright in the moonlight. She drew me in then, just like she did as she danced under the strobe lights like she was the only person in the room. Although the girl from the club and the girl before me earlier tonight were like two sides of a coin.

I’d jumped from my car to save her, not that I’d have had a chance in hell if the water had taken her, but I hadn’t gotten close enough before she was back out again. Her dress was soaked, showing a much better figure than when it was dry and reminding me of the soft curves I’d had my hands on at the club. As if I needed the reminder. On the beach she seemed older somehow, and she must’ve been high or something, because her gaze was blank and she didn’t even notice me standing there. I took the chance to watch her again, just like I’d done at the club before I’d made my way over to her. Her dark hair that was pulled back into a bun now had dripping wet tendrils falling out of it, and thick makeup ran down her face. She looked much more comfortable in her skin at the club than she did at the beach, even before her late-night swim, but she could still easily be the most stunning girl I’ve seen in my life. I fall into the memory of her at the club, her ass pushed back into me, swaying those sinful hips.

Caitlin grinding into my lap brings my attention back to the party, and she licks her lips as she feels me getting hard. Definitely not her doing, but oh well. She stands, holding her hand out in invitation. I down the full drink in my hand and stand so she can lead me to the bathroom off the main room. She throws a look at Winnie as we pass, and Winnie smiles. They don’t care who I’m sleeping with as long as it’s one of them, the two girls of the Elite. Fucking weird if you ask me. I don’t know if it’s because I’m new to this life—“new money,” or whatever those rich fucks want to call it—but the way these people think doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.

Caitlin sits up on the counter and I close the door behind me, stepping between her legs and letting her kiss me. Caitlin, Winnie, or any other girl from Oakview—they’re all means to an end. They don’t know there’s no way in hell I’d settle for a rich girl looking for her next meal ticket. Luckily for Caitlin right now, after remembering the club last night, I need the end to come soon. I get bored of her sucking at my mouth and pull her off the edge, spinning her away from me.

“I thought we could kiss while we make love this time?” she whines. Make love. Don’t make me puke. These are always quick fucks, and she knows it. I swear, her and Winnie have some master plan to make me actually like them, but it’s not working. Actually, they probably don’t care if I like them, as long as they manage to get me to “settle down.” Even as Caitlin whines, she’s stepping out of her underwear.

“You thought wrong,” I say as I slide a condom on and lift the hem of her dress. In one brutal thrust I’m inside of her, and she starts moaning like a porn star. So over the fucking top. You can tell not one sound is genuine, because I’m making no effort to make this good for her, but also because each noise is so practised it could be coming from a recording. She leans back and tries to wrap her arm around my neck, turning her face to seek out my lips, but I already fucking told her that wasn’t happening. I lean away and tug the front of her dress down, revealing fake tits that barely move as I pound into her. Fuck. This isn’t working. Maybe she needs to take the dress off? It’s black and strapless, and suddenly, an image of the girl from the beach comes to me. But not from the beach—from the club, when she was wearing a very similar dress to this. Pushing Caitlin’s head down so she’s lent over the counter and I don’t have to look at her face in the mirror, I picture the mysterious dark-haired girl instead. I don’t know what colour her eyes are—I haven’t seen her face up close enough in light—so I picture her how she was when I danced with her. Eyes closed, head thrown back onto my shoulder.

A knock on the door pulls me out of my imagination. Caitlin tries to stand but I keep her held down, not slowing my pace. If I see her fucking face I’ll be back at square one.

“Stone, hurry it up. They’re here.” For fucks sake. I close my eyes, picturing her loose, raven-dark hair spilled over my chest as my hand traced up her soft, smooth thigh, heading exactly where we both wanted it, and just like that I’m jerking inside of Caitlin, filling the condom with my release as I grunt in time with the last thrusts. Fuck, that was easy. I pull out, dropping the condom in the trash as Caitlin mutters about being the best sex of her life. She didn’t even fucking come. I pull open the door and stalk out before she even has her underwear back on.

“Do you think there’ll be a party where I somehow don’t hear you get off?” Reid mumbles, and I shrug. Probably not. I walk with him to the patio, taking our time like we have no cares in the world, because we really don’t. They try this shit all the fucking time. It’s getting boring.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

“We were invited,” Dane says with a smug expression, standing at the front of a group of around ten guys and girls from Highland University. I don’t recognise them all, but it’s a safe bet they’re all Highland trash. The universities normally keep to themselves. It’s only Dane who likes to mix things up. I really fucking hate this guy. He takes the schools’ rivalry to a whole new level and seems to think the way to prove his superiority is to force or coerce as many of the Oakview University girls as possible underneath him. At least when I use them to get off, they’re willing, and I don’t need to use Daddy’s influence to make it so. I scoff at his answer.

“Like fuck you were,” Mason replies, boredom lacing his tone, but Dane’s face is far too smug.

“Tell him, Neil.” All heads swivel to Neil, a quiet guy from Oakview further back in the crowd, and he pales.

“You wouldn’t invite Highland to an Oakview party, would you, Neil?” Reid asks menacingly. It’s pretty clear to everyone here that he has. Neil swallows and looks at a girl next to Dane, who looks like the cat that got the fucking cream. Reid follows his gaze and sighs dramatically. “You sold your whole school out for pussy? She’s not even hot.”

She’s alright, but any chance to belittle Highland scum is a good one. We might not go for sexual dominance like Dane and his guys do, but we hate them as much as they hate us. The girl narrows her eyes at Reid, but is thankfully clever enough not to retaliate with words.

“See?” Dane continues, bringing the attention back to him, of course. “We’re guests of Oakview. Now, who’s getting me a drink?”

“Absolutely fucking no one,” I tell him, putting ice in my tone. “As of right now, Neil Patton is banished and no longer under our protection at Oakview. It’s open season.” Neil’s mouth falls open, knowing full well I’m not joking as I turn to him. “You can leave along with this lot, and if you turn up on Monday, you’ll regret it.” He looks over at Stuart, who is throwing the party and is supposed to be a close friend, but he takes a clear step towards us. No one is going to choose exile over us. “Did I fucking stutter? You can all leave.”

Dane scoffs again, and I think he might argue but he turns and walks away, Neil and the rest of them traipsing out after him.

“Show’s over,” Reid calls, and everyone moves away to resume the party. The mood has well and truly left me, having already come and my buzz wearing off, but I stay anyway. I sit on the sofa while girls dance in front of me, trying to get my attention, but I don’t really see any of them. I’m killing time until I can get out of here.