Blasphemous (26 page)

“She’s somewhere. Do you need a refill, Brody? I can get one for you,” Amber offered, smiling at him.

“I’m good. This one’s my second and I need to slow down if I want to last for tonight.” He declined her offer with a shrug.

My eyes shot-out at a passing waiter with lemon drop shots. I hastily grabbed two and took them, one after the other without hesitation.

I needed to calm the fuck down. Bass gave me palpitations. He looked like he’d been working out more. His hot body used to make my undies wet, but now, I came in them. Yeah, his arms and chest were bigger and I wanted to feel them badly. That was until
Nik
called. From then on, I just wanted to murder him.

“Emma, slow down.” Carter pulled me to the side, whispering into my ear, “Want to go somewhere quiet and chill for a little bit?”

Looking from the commotion inside the house, I would bet my soul that Bass just arrived. Bass with Nikki in his arms was the last thing I needed to see. “I’d love that.”

Carter excused us from Brody and Amber as he pulled me close, directing us towards a dark corner, reaching the side of the house that led to a gazebo. The music could still be heard from here, but it was more of a background ambiance.

Even if I was extremely nervous with Bass around, I felt somewhat good now. Thanks to alcohol and Lindsey.

Carter gathered me in his arms, kissing my forehead, before he planted one on my nose, and then a soft one on my lips. “Feeling okay, baby? Anything I can help to make you less…
tense?
”

Without a word, I kissed him. Knowing how much Carter wanted me, he didn’t even protest as his lips practically ate me. One of his hands was on my breast and I guided it between my thighs. “Make me feel good, please.”

Yes
, I thought as I moaned, eyes closed and focused on the sensations my body was feeling. 

We were gone for over an hour. I came so much that my underwear was disposed of in the garbage bin. I felt bad that Carter didn’t even get a release, but he made me promise that once we got back home I was going to make him come—one way or the other.

I was glad that this was working out fine, that he was more than okay to satisfy me orally without penetration. It was a win-win without risking anything on my part.

“Emma! Where the hell have you been? We were looking all over for you,”
Trista almost yelled at me when she spotted me walking towards the pool area with Carter holding my hips.

“God,
Trista! Will you take a chill pill? She was obviously busy with Carter. Maybe you should get busy. A nice glow like Emma’s would do you good right about now,” Amber suggested before she popped an olive in her mouth.

Trista
pulled me inside the house, away from the others, looking stressed out. “Don’t tell me you disappeared to have an orgasm while I’m freaking out in here because we’re out of ice!”

Someone cleared his throat and we both blanched when we saw
Dimitris, Bass and Taylor standing nearby.

Holy shit cakes! Fuck.

Taylor came by, hugging Trista from behind. “Will you stop chiding her? It’s only a party. I love you, but you’re becoming such a terrorizer. How about we get you a drink to calm you down? Or do we need to go for more drastic measures here?”

Trista
gave a shaky nod. “Both, I think I need both. A good drink and a good monster.”

He merely laughed before kissing her cheek. “Let’s get you attended to then.” Taylor and
Trista disappeared quickly, while I stared after them, feeling a little off.

They were in love and I couldn’t be any
more glad that Trista had a man like Taylor to love her.

I was jealous, though, because I had a man once who had treated me like that. One who
was staring holes at me. Without even glancing his way, I knew he was about to crack.

My sex life wasn’t his business. He made it plainly simple so what’s with the angry stares then?

Biting my lip, I suddenly didn’t feel too well. The inkling to cry was so strong, I had to bite the insides of my mouth until I tasted blood, just to stop me from shedding a tear.

“Emma?”

Dimitris.

“I’m fine,” I called out without giving the men a glance before I almost ran out of there. When I finally spotted Carter, it only took one look to know that I was about to lose my shit.

“Let’s go.” He pulled me against him, grateful for his strength as he weaved us out of there.

Chapter 25

“I could not tell you if I loved you the first moment I saw you, or if it was the second or third or fourth. But I remember the first moment I looked at you walking toward me and realized that somehow the rest of the world seemed to vanish when I was with you.”

- Cassandra Clare

Bass

“Looks like that was the man who gave her orgasms,” Dimitris murmured as we both watched Emma and Carter leave. He had his hand on her hip, possessively, letting everyone know that she was clearly taken.

The raging inferno in my body was getting out of hand. Each time Emma was around, I become undone, but seeing her with the guy who broke us apart made me want to wring her neck.

I wondered what kind of a relationship they had since it was just this morning that Emma said she was single. However, the way those two looked, it was obvious they were together. An open relationship, maybe?

“You’re in love with her, but now, you’re just loving her from afar. Is that what you want?” the Greek was speaking his opinions out loud.

I usually didn’t mind it, but right now, it really was a sore subject to dwell on.

“I don’t know,” I replied curtly.

“You don’t know if you’re in love or if you want her back?”

He kept on reminding me of the
shitstorm Emma left me with. “I don’t know, Kosta. Maybe you should speak to your estranged wife who’s wrapped in someone’s arms on the dance floor, maybe that could help enlighten me somehow.”

Dimitris
spat out a string of Greek before he emptied his glass and strode out, looking like he was about to explode. 

This night was a disaster
, I thought, getting up and leaving Taylor’s house. The party was great, but seeing Emma with Carter fucked with me. Since Taylor was already occupied with Trista in his room, it was safe to leave.

I ducked when I saw Taylor’s brother and mother coming out of a hired car. His mother, Eloise, was
old friends with my folks. Anything that directly related to them, I avoided like a plague.

On my way home, I ran through three red lights, past caring if the cops were around or not.

Now, I was out on the patio as I stared into the night.  My thoughts played out Emma and Carter fucking their brains out.

Sleep, I did not.

~B~

“
Alriiight. Ready? Those fit you superbly!” The stylist skimmed through my form, fixing whatever she thought needed it.

I was about to thank her when out of nowhere my spine started to feel funny and the arms on my hair stood out. My hands immediately rubbed my arms, soothing the hair back down.

The reason behind this sudden electrifying attention just stepped into my orbit. There was only one person in this world who my body saluted its attention to like it was being summoned by its mate. It was a perfervid feeling in its primal form.

It seems, that Emma was here somewhere.

And she was. The golden goddess strode out after a minute looking foxy. Dressed in a fitted scarlet dress, lipstick and heels. “Bass,” she said, barely glancing my way as she continued walking towards the shoot area, ready to pounce on the camera.

Five minutes in the shoot, I sure was ready to pounce on delectable treat that was enticing me to take a sample.

“Hold on, guys,” the photographer directed us before he turned his attention to someone from the back. “Get me more lighting here!” I could hear him bark out orders while the two of us quietly kept still.

The urge to taste her was making it difficult for me. I was contemplating whether I should or shouldn’t when she released a soft sigh. My thoughts drained and the tip of my tongue snuck out and sampled her earlobe. It was swift and quick, but that definitely earned her immediate attention.

“Stop that!” she hissed.

The playful, evil side of me wanted to tease her into oblivion, but I knew better. Emma wasn’t to be trifled with because, when it came to her, I was at the losing end.

How I wished then that I was in love with another woman. I loved being in love and I wanted to experience it with someone who felt as much as I did. My fate it seemed, though, was already set-up for me to endure loving someone who had an indecisive heart.

When it was time to shoot with
Dimitris, Emma never once glanced my way.

Her hatred was felt.

It should’ve mattered, but I was relieved that she was at least feeling something.

Indifference was much worse than hate.

~B~

Three days later…

I was the last one to arrive at the private airport in Van Nuys. Both Emma and Dimitris were already seated and buckled and both had sunglasses on, not talking to each other.

“Good morning, grumpy folks!” I greeted and they both ignored me.

Great, now I was stuck with them until we landed in Athens. It was going to be a long flight.

The European tour was scheduled to kick off in Athens first, then Barcelona, Rome, Munich, Paris and London.

I decided to situate myself on the other side of the cabin, but still had a clear view of Emma. For hours, I just stared at her, barely doing anything else.

With only five hours to go until we landed, I decided to wash up and brush my teeth in the bathroom. I decided that I needed a shave when I saw the stubble that had grown overnight.

With only my jeans on, I strode out of the bathroom towards the cabin to look for my shaving kit. Emma gasped loudly, eyes glued on my chest.

Huh. I still affected her somehow. Knowing that made me happy, despite thoughts of her with Carter never ceasing to go away.

“Something wrong with my chest? You can’t seem to stop checking it out.”

She looked away, cheeks blushing as she bit her lip.

I was just about to blurt out how beautiful she looked before I caught myself.

Nodding, I did what I had to before leaving back to the bathroom. Emma wanted to be impersonal and indifferent. Why was it so hard for me to do the same? Why did I have this need to reach out and talk to her?

She moved on, as I requested. However, it didn’t change the fact that I was hurting, still. Loving Emma from afar was difficult enough, but loving her this close—seeing her on a daily basis—was raw and twisting. How long would it take for me to fold and beg her to take me back?

Chapter 26

Munich

“We were not making love, we did not even kiss, but the inexplicable intimacy we shared left us wordlessly and hopelessly locked into each other's gaze.”

- Jasmine Dubroff

Emma

I strode, zigzagging across the hall, counting down the gold-plated numbers on the cream doors as I went along. “Finally!” I exclaimed as I slid my purse off my shoulder. Opening it, I rummaged through all the paraphernalia for my keycard. After a minute of drunken frustration, my keycard was not in there. “For the love of God, can
this
night get any better?” Sighing, I closed my eyes and started to thump my forehead against my door.

I stopped after a few successions when I heard a high-pitched laugh down the carpeted hall. Someone was coming and I took a peek at the incoming intruders. My mouth parted slightly, but no sound came. It was Bass with two women and three men. His room was just across mine, too.
Hell truly was laughing at my expense this evening. I was sure of it.

“Emma?” The man of the century finally spotted me.

“Heeey… forgot my keycard. I’m going to the lobby to get one.” I started to make a move, but Bass stopped me.

“I’ll go with you downstairs. Give me a minute,” Bass spoke in one of the women’s ear as she nodded in understanding. I saw him from the corner of my eye as he pulled out his keycard and let them inside his room. “Make yourselves comfortable. I’ll be right back,” he added.

“Bass, you don’t have to. I’m fine. I can go downstairs on my own, thank you.” He wasn’t paying attention, though. Thoughts of him with that brunette were killing me inside. I didn’t know how that was possible since I was almost sure there was nothing left to be killed in me, but hey, there it was, killing me softly.

“Ready, Emma?”

“Uhmm,” I nonchalantly responded. I might be dying from humiliation and heartbreak, but I was going to pretend I was strong—at least if I could muster up the courage to do so. 

We strode with awkward silence, cautious not to touch each other. When we got to the elevator, I almost sighed my relief out loud when it dinged almost immediately after Bass pressed the call button. The ride to the lobby was still uncomfortable and I dared not chance a glance at him.