Better than Sexy (The Sexy 3)

There was no excusing anything her brother had done that night, and she’d never tried to pretend otherwise. Vic might be her sibling, but that was a blood tie she didn’t want to acknowledge. And one she wished wouldn’t matter to Landon and his partners.

But it would.

God, she shouldn’t have let him talk her into saying yes to the summer residency. She’d been an idiot to agree. Every time they were together, they bonded in small but extremely meaningful ways, and he wouldn’t have opened up to her if he knew the truth.

She had to tell him and, regardless of her contract, be willing to walk away if he and the other men wanted her gone. But she didn’t have the guts to tell all three men together.

Tomorrow she’d text Landon and tell him they needed to talk. Meanwhile she planned to crawl into bed, pull the covers over her head, and pretend her life wasn’t a mess and she wasn’t about to lose things that mattered to her. A chance with Landon included.

* * *

“Hey, assholes. What are you doing here tonight? Don’t you have women to be with?” Landon strode over to the bar and glared at his friends.

Paul grimaced. “Sorry, boss. I dropped a glass.”

“Yeah. It’s fine.” Landon met Jason’s gaze first. “Faith kick you out?”

“Hey, just because Vivi ran out on you doesn’t mean you should be a jackass to me.”

His friend’s grin merely served to piss him off even more. “Fuck off, man.”

Tanner narrowed his gaze. “Okay, this is a lot more than a make-out session gone wrong. What gives?”

Landon slammed his hand on the counter. “Something’s freaking her out and I haven’t a fucking clue what it is.”

“Have you tried … oh, I don’t know, talking to her?” This from Jason.

Landon scowled at him. “Did you see her run out? I’m not going to go banging on her door when she’s upset. Not without a plan,” he muttered.

Tanner settled his ass on a barstool, leaning one elbow on the counter. “Let her settle down tonight, and tomorrow morning show up with food and the intent to talk.” He shrugged. “Not sure why I need to do all the thinking around here,” he said with a grin.

“Man’s got a good idea. Much as I hate to admit it.” Jason laughed. “A few months with a good woman and he’s smart around the opposite sex.” He walked over to Landon and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Go home, get some sleep, and deal with Vivi in the morning.”

Landon nodded. He could use the opportunity to process the time he’d spent with Vivi. Playing the piano? That had been akin to revealing his innermost pain. His friends obviously hadn’t heard the music or they’d have been a lot more curious about what had caused him to play and been way more somber than they’d been.

“I’m out of here,” Landon said.

“Hang in there,” Jason called out.

Without answering, Landon turned and walked out.

* * *

With a knot in her stomach, Vivi performed her morning routine, showering, washing her hair, and putting on makeup, well aware of what she had to do today. Tell Landon who she was related to. Blow up her world. And his.

She picked up her coffee cup at the same time her phone rang. Noticing her mother’s number, she answered immediately. “Hi, Mom.”

“Baby, put on the television,” her mother said in a panicked voice. “Your brother’s being interviewed on the Channel Seven morning show.”

“What? Why?” Vivi immediately rushed to find the remote and turn on the TV.

“The previews said they were doing a piece on the rise of deadly college hazing incidents and they were going to talk to someone who had firsthand experience. A unique perspective from the perpetrator, even if the incident was over a decade ago.”

Bile threatened to come up her throat. “Okay, I’ve got it on. Stay on with me.” She gripped the phone and lowered herself onto the sofa in front of the big-screen television.

Her mother’s worried breathing sounded on the other end of the phone. Finally the commercial ended and the interviewer came back on screen. Connie Lazarus, a familiar morning show staple, began to speak, and the screen flashed to the interview.

Vic sat in a prison uniform across from Connie, looking older than the last time she’d seen him, his frame big and bulky, his expression lacking any remorse. If anything, an amused smile lifted his lips, causing Vivi to shiver. She’d seen that look on his face before, and it had never boded well for anyone on the other end.

Connie crossed her legs and leaned in. “So, Mr. Clark, you’re in prison for numerous crimes, but we’re here to talk about hazing in particular.”

She went on to mention various schools conducting investigations now, fraternities being suspended, and students who had passed away. “I’d like to discuss your perspective. What was going through your mind at the time you were involved in the death of Levi Bennett over ten years ago? Our viewers are probably wondering why things got so out of hand.”