The Roommate Arrangement Read online

  Instead she covered my thighs with a towel. Damn near gave me a boner. Took a Herculean effort to keep my dick down, the way she kept looking at it.

  My groan fills the shower as I grip the base of my cock and squeeze. I picture her with me in the bathroom, arms wrapped around my neck and tits flush on my chest. I’d crush her against the wall, slide that bikini aside, and thrust.

  Everything about Saffie screams down to fuck, from her playful grin to her choice of clothing. She’s bound to turn heads in a house full of seven horny bachelors. The question is, will I take her for myself or let someone else have her?

  Pleasure tightens like a coiled spring as I imagine sinking into her pussy. The head of my cock bursts from my fist as I jack it to Henry’s sister. Getting closer—I can almost taste—

  The spray cuts off before I come.

  Fucking bastard must have shut off the water.

  It trickles down my screaming erection. I grab the towel hanging on the glass and pat myself down. My skin glows bright red as I leave the shower and head to my room. My brain buzzes with the filthy things I want to do to her.

  Then I walk past a set of windows and see her crawling through the lawn, gathering as much of that shit as she can, and guilt fills my stomach. I should be the one cleaning, not her. Henry must be out of his mind if he thinks she'll clean the whole place on her fucking own.

  I dress once I get to my bedroom, pulling on a pair of board shorts and white muscle T-shirt. I leave and head for the kitchen to grab two water bottles. When I return to the foyer, Chris and Titus look through the window, laughing as Saffie cleans up the lawn.

  Chris gapes at her. "That’s his sister? What the hell is she doing?"

  "She’s cleaning up Grayson’s mess." Titus glowers at me as I approach. "Dude, this is not cool."

  I know. And I’m irritated he pointed it out. "I didn’t tell Saffie to do that. Her worthless brother did."

  They walk away as I yank the door open. Goddamn, it’s hot. Sunlight bleaches the concrete of the driveway. My feet sting as I tread barefooted to the lawn where Saffie diligently works. A rosy color glows through her skin, the afternoon sun burning above us. The heat bakes my brain. She looks like a boy’s teenage fantasy, the sheen of moisture sprinkled over her tits in an absurd daydream. She covered her bikini bottoms with a pair of Daisy Dukes. If her goal was to appear less seductive, she failed miserably. Her tight ass peeks from under the shorts, begging for a squeeze. I imagine how they’d feel in my hand, and then my gaze drags up to the rest of her.

  Where Henry’s light, she’s dark. Raven-black hair flows down her creamy-white back, putting her at odds with ninety percent of the female population in Santa Barbara. Her lips are slicked a bright red, and for a second my mind is consumed with the image of her mouth around my cock.

  What a sight that’d be. Henry’s sexy sister kneeling at my feet. I imagine the despair crumpling his face, how walking in on us would shatter him, but I know better. If he never thought to mention her before two days ago, he doesn’t give a shit about her. I want her on the kitchen table. I want to fuck her until she drains the hate from my body.

  She clutches the plastic garbage bag and hauls it a foot across the yard. "Grayson," she says in a surprised tone. "Hey."

  "I thought you could use some water." I toss a bottle, and she catches it.

  Saffie’s head tips as she guzzles the drink, her rosebud lips shining when the drink pops from her mouth. "Thanks a ton. This is taking a lot longer than I expected."

  "Let me help you with that."

  Her mocha eyes narrow. "No," she says, biceps straining against the weight. "I’ve got it."

  As cute as it is to watch this pint-sized beauty struggle, I take the bag from her. "It’s my mess anyway."

  She frowns as I swing it over my shoulder.

  I grimace at the state of the yard. It looks like shit, and the bras I hung on the gate to “welcome” Henry’s sister no longer seem hilarious. I dump the trash in the can and follow Saffie as she opens a fresh bag and throws items inside.

  She grimaces through the harsh sunlight. "Maybe next time you should ask your filthy guests to pick up after themselves."

  The girls I invited over had other priorities. "You’d think the giant dumpster at the side of my house would be a dead giveaway for where to put things."

  She gestures toward the miles of garbage. "Why do you do this? Is it a weird cry for help, or are you that desperate to relive your college days?"

  "Neither. I throw ridiculous parties because it drives your brother insane."

  She snorts.

  It’s juvenile as fuck but still better than venting my feelings with a punch to his mouth. "Swear to God; I was going to take care of it."

  Saffie gives me a look. "Yeah, well, maybe next time you’ll think of the wildlife before you trash the place. Birds were attacking the food when I drove here."

  "So I gave them free breakfast."

  She plants her hands on her hips. "No, you’re giving them things like diabetes and high blood pressure. Crows aren’t supposed to gorge on sweets."

  "I’ll never do it again." I grab the napkin at her feet and stuff it in the bag. "Cross my heart, hope to die."

  "I thought by now you guys would’ve grown out of the frat-house mentality."

  "That’s where you’re wrong," I say as we walk to the villa. "Every week there’s debauchery."

  "Topless Thursdays? I’ve heard." Saffie pushes a strand of hair clinging to her mouth, giving me another tentative look.

  "What?"

  She presses her lips together, shrugging. "Nothing."

  "Come on. If we'll be outside forever, you might as well speak what's on your mind."

  "Fine," she says in a curt voice. "It’s just—I feel sorry for you."

  My laughter booms across the yard. "Never heard that one before."

  "You have the emotional maturity of a teaspoon." Her eyes stab me. "You’re way too old to be acting out, so I wonder what the hell you went through to make you like this."

  "The real reason I invite people is to heal my tortured soul from the solitude." She frowns. "Look, Sigmund Freud. I might be immature, but there’s a purpose behind these stupid parties."

  "You have a problem with my brother, so you enrage with Topless Thursday or Twat Tuesday or whatever colorful event you can think of."

  My chest shakes with laughter. "You’re wrong, sweetheart. Go ahead and keep guessing, we have all day for you to figure me out."

  "Waste of time," she says with a glare.

  We’ve barely cleared a quarter of the lawn, and the sun beats on my head. Saffie works at a frenzied, frankly alarming pace. I expected her to call it quits a while ago, but she’s still going like the goddamn Energizer Bunny.

  I glance at her red, steaming face. "How come you need a place to stay?"

  She gives me a curious look. "I told you. I was evicted."

  Henry’s family has it made—how can she be destitute if the Pardinis are loaded? "Huh. Thought you guys were rich."

  "He is. I’m not. Dad cut me off when I was eighteen." She ends the sentence in a finality that warns me to stop probing.

  So, of course, I pry. "Wow. What did you do?"

  "Nothing," she says, all bitterness. "Mom died, and Dad blames me for it."

  The air, thick with heat, suddenly turns cold. Goosebumps prick my skin as I watch her work, my head exploding with questions for answers I shouldn’t care about.

  My insides twist with guilt. "I’m sorry. I didn’t want to open a can of worms."

  She sighs. "It’s okay. I’m kind of over it."

  Doesn’t sound that way. "I thought it’d be something crazy. Like you rolled ecstasy and racked up tens of thousands on a credit card."

  A smile curves her lips. "Nope. Dad would’ve kicked us out if we did drugs, and anyway, I’m too chicken-shit."

  I test the garbage bag. "It’s full. Let’s call it a day."

  "What? No! Look a
t how much more we have to do."

  I glance at her gleaming, red skin. "Spend any more time in the sun, and you’ll fry."

  Saffie looks at her legs, wincing. "All right. I’ll go inside, but just for a little bit."

  "We're done. I’m not picking up trash outside. This isn’t a chain gang."

  "You have no choice!" she snaps. "You’re the one who did this."

  "The perks of being rich mean I don’t have to clean up after myself. I’ll hire a team to do it for us, and it’ll only take three hours."

  "I promised Henry I’d do it."

  "What is he, your slaver?" I laugh, gazing at the acre of lawn and forest. "You’ll pass out from the heat before you finish half the yard. Don’t be stupid."

  "Fine, damn it." She throws the bag as though it’s a personal failure.

  Then she marches toward the side of the house with the garbage cans. I follow her as she walks across the field in her flip-flops. She holds the bin open while I lift the trash inside.

  Her eyes flutter when she lets the lid fall. "God, I’m tired. This has been the longest day."

  "There’s a sandwich with your name on it. Come on."

  "Hey!" a voice shouts from the front doors. "Grizzlies meeting!"

  Oh, Lord. Not again. "Tell him I’m not coming!"

  A nasal tone snaps, "It’s mandatory."

  Saffie grins at the exchange. "You have meetings?"

  "Your brother loves his fucking powwows. Cleaning. Team building exercises. They’re weekly and bore everyone to tears."

  She laughs, and it’s like chimes on the wind. "That’s cute. I didn’t know you guys were so organized."

  "Trust me; it won't be fun."

  Grayson’s ginger beard trembles as we approach. "Hurry."

  I glower at him, but Saffie beams. "Is it all right if I sit in on the meeting?"

  "Yeah," he says, waving us inside. "There’s animal crackers and cheese wedges for everyone."

  What are we, five? "Oh, joy."

  We follow him into the house, the door making a hollow sound as it slams shut. The men group around Henry in the living room. A weathered, blue rug spreads underneath the rustic coffee table and the white L-shaped couch. The plate of food is picked clean. A flatscreen blares with someone’s video game that Henry promptly shuts off.

  He tosses the remote onto the couch and gestures toward a giant whiteboard with black scribbling. He loves to use it for writing plays, but lately, he’s been making bullet-pointed lists we all ignore. Great, more time-wasting bullshit.

  Upon my approach, he adds another thick line with the black marker underneath a phrase: INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR.

  For the love of God.

  Saffie leaves my side to take a seat at the end of the L-shaped couch. I stand behind her, gripping the cushions.

  Henry smiles and nods. "Thanks for joining us. I wanted you all here today—"

  "I need twenty-four hours’ notice for a meeting." All the heads in the room turn to me. "Or I’ll be a no-show."

  A tic grows in his jaw. "Why?"

  "Because I’ve got shit I’d rather do."

  "Like what?" he says in that arrogant twang I hate. "Sitting on your ass and playing Battlefield? Are you planning another party? No, it’s a charity event—Save Our Tacos."

  "That’s clever. I’ll take it under advisement."

  Across the coffee table, Titus’ grin flashes at me.

  Henry steps into the circle, annoyed. "I called you here to tell announce that my sister will be staying with us for a while. Stand up, Saffie."

  She rises from the couch, pink in the face. "Hi, everyone!"

  Vince and Greg make faces as though the fun got sucked from the room. Henry steamrolls ahead, ignoring them. "We need to discuss inappropriate behavior that has to stop while Saffie is here, which brings me to my first point. No nudity." He scrawls the words in thick, black ink, giving me a pointed glare I ignore.

  "No girls on the couches—pools—anywhere that isn’t your bedroom."

  "So now you’re dictating where we can fuck?" My voice booms over his. "That’s overstepping."

  His fingers whiten around the marker. "I call it simple human decency."

  I burst into laughter at the irony of Henry Pardini lecturing me about manners. Yeah, I think I’ll take lessons from someone else.

  "Henry," Saffie interjects. "I don’t want—this is their vacation. They shouldn’t have to change because I’m here."

  "Yes, they do." He points at them with the marker. "No more lying out by the pool in the nude, leaving condoms on the toilet seat, or walking around shirtless."

  Voices erupt from the group, complaining. "Come on, man."

  He shakes his head in violent jerks. "It’s non-negotiable."

  "Okay," Saffie says, facing everyone. "Please ignore everything my brother just said. You can walk this ranch without shirts, in the nude, wearing assless chaps for all I care. This is your place. I’m a guest. End of story."

  "No," Henry snaps. "I’m lodging complaints with the league if anybody fucks around. This is serious, guys."

  I watch as they exchange annoyed glances and peer at Saffie through narrowed eyes. He’ll make her the target of their resentment.

  Saffie looks on, horrified. "Why are you doing this?"

  "This is the best way to avoid tension in this house."

  What an asshole.

  "I’m not planning to cause drama."

  "Look, it’ll be awkward enough having you here, because some people feel the need to create an uncomfortable environment."

  "Like you are right now," I say as everyone laughs.

  A flush burns his cheeks. "You're making everyone’s summer hell with the strip-poker tournaments and the beer-pong games."

  "I don’t mind any of that," Saffie says, louder than ever.

  Henry glares at her. "I do."

  "Sounds like you are the only one with a problem." I fold my arms. "Maybe that’s because you’re married and we’re not."

  "Yeah, I am worried about our public image. We all should be."

  Titus stands up. "We make every guest sign NDAs. I don’t see what the issue—"

  "No more Topless Fucking Thursdays," Henry growls. "It only takes one leak to the press to destroy someone’s reputation. Think with your brain instead of your dicks for two seconds and decide whether that’s worth it to you."

  It’s not a big deal. Planning the parties was becoming a pain, anyway.

  Henry stabs the page again. "Last rule—don’t touch my sister."

  Silence fills the living room, broken only by her shocked gasp. "You are ridiculous."

  "You want to stay here? These are my rules."

  "This is humiliating." Saffie blinks rapidly as she marches across the room, Titus frowning at her.

  I don’t like it either. Thought I couldn’t hate the bastard enough, but the way he treats his sister makes me sick. Her hurried footsteps echo down the hall.

  I walk to Henry’s stupid whiteboard and wrestle the pen from his hands, and then I draw a giant cock on the paper. The guys shriek with laughter as I finish, handing the marker to a fuming Henry.

  "There’s my amendment to your rules. Suck my dick."

  "Nice," he says, cheeks flaming. "Real mature."

  I let the raucous voices fade to an echo as I follow Saffie’s path. She’s upset, and I don’t like the thought of her stewing somewhere alone. I peek my head into rooms until I find a balled-up figure in the library.

  It’s covered wall to wall with brand-new books that have never been cracked open. When we bought the place, Henry wanted to use a room as a goddamn library. He spent thousands packing the shelves with hardbacks he won't read. Since college, I’ve never seen him hold a novel.

  Saffie sits on the shag rug, a hardback in front of her. She flips through the pages. A frown knits her eyebrows together, and her lips sag down. The air in my lungs catches as she smooths her shining hair, which cascades over her bare back. I picture my
self sliding behind her, untying that white knot, and palming her tits as they fall out of that string bikini. I’ll break every stupid fucking rule, starting with her.

  She glances at me, her dark pools windows into her sadness. Makes me feel things I don’t want to experience. I’m supposed to get what I want and ditch her like a bad habit, but something tells me one night wouldn’t satisfy me. Saffie’s the opposite of her brother in every way—selfless and kind, with enough grit to stand up for herself.

  I join her on the carpet. My gaze follows the thin strip of white gliding down her tanned shoulder to her crossed legs. Her skin is glossy with a lotion that smells vaguely of pineapple. "Book any good?"

  She snaps it shut. Framed with her midnight hair, she's like a fucking goddess, and her eyes keep lingering on my mouth. I feel the warmth of her body inches from mine.

  "No idea," she says. "I’m trying to forget what happened."

  "Don’t bother with reading. I’m a better distraction." I take it from her and set it aside. "Our team meetings aren’t usually like that."

  "Good to know." She smiles wryly.

  "Last week was about chores. Henry brought in a spinning wheel to dole out responsibilities."

  "Really?"

  "No. He gave pieces of paper in a hat, though. The guys made a solid effort for a few days."

  Saffie snorts. "Typical."

  "They won’t behave like total slobs with you around."

  She picks another book at random, flipping open the cover. "Sorry, did you need something? I’m not in the mood for a chat."

  "You looked upset. That’s why I followed you in here."

  "Well, thanks, but I’m fine." She looks as though she almost believes that. "And I’d appreciate it if you left me alone from now on."

  "I would if you meant that."

  "Henry’s my brother." She abandons her pretense at reading. "Like it or not, I have to do what he says."

  I laugh at her. "How old are you, seven?"

  "I’m twenty-nine, and I don’t want to get into whatever drama there is between you, so I'm not sure what else there is to say."