Indulge (6 page)

My first bite was the hardest to swallow. The spice she’d
used was one I didn’t recognize and the egg was overcooked, but with my glass
of juice it was edible enough.

“I have something to tell you,” she started, sitting
across from me. She took a bite from her plate and made a face she quickly
tried to cover when my brows shot up in amusement. Yeah, she’d be eating her
surprise breakfast as well.

She took a drink and I waited, giving her the go-ahead
expression.

“It’s official: I’m moving to Harmony next summer, and
I’ve even gotten a job there.”

I took another drink from my glass, then set it down
slowly.

She hurried with her words before I could speak. “It’s
minimum wage, but it’s in a little boutique on Main Street, not far from the
dorms.”

“How did you find a job?”

“I, um, I went there. Mom said I could.”

“I see. You did that this week?”

“Yesterday.”

“Mmm hmm.” I set my fork down and pushed my plate
forward, not willing to suffer through her breakfast anymore. “And how will you
pay for your classes, books, dorm?”

“I applied for student loans.”

I slid my chair back and stood, carrying my full plate to
the sink and dropping it in. What was she thinking? Loans? She didn’t have to
go that route. I pulled a yogurt from the fridge and a spoon from the silverware
drawer, grabbing a banana from the counter as I walked back over.

“Here you go.” I opened the yogurt and handed it to Oliver,
having noticed him moving his French toast around his plate, also not continuing
to eat after his first bite. His gloomy face lit up as he took it.

“So then it sounds like you have everything figured out,”
I added, peeling the banana and placing it beside Oliver.

“Mom offered to help if I needed it.”

That sent my temper churning further. Of
course
she’d need help!
“Mom doesn’t have the money to help you. She lives on
savings, Julia.”

She rolled her eyes. “Mom took me out for a twenty-dollar
sandwich yesterday, Logan, with her Chanel handbag and matching gloves. She has
money.”

“Fine, do what you want. But our mother has nice things
because Lawrence and I take care of her.”

“And Dad. He does too.”

That wasn’t a lie. Even divorced, he’d give my mother the
moon if she asked, but she never would. He’d even had to trick her into keeping
the house she lived in when they split. She asked for nothing and was as
stubborn as my sister, so I should’ve known then that I’d lost.

“Bring Oliver in to me when you leave.”

My sister was moving to Harmony, and it was about time I
went to see what the little town was about. I left the kitchen and made a call.

Caleb answered on the first ring. “Hey, it’s early.”

“I’m picking you up Friday night at six. Make sure we
have something of interest to do in that hometown of yours.”

“Hell yeah! I’ll set it up.” The call ended, and I headed
to my studio.

Chapter 5

Angelic

W
here the hell was I going? The interstate exit
had led to a long country road with nothing except bare trees and a ratty fence
that became more dilapidated the farther I drove. This was where Julia wanted
to live? Perhaps a drug test was in order.

Just the thought of my sister set my nerves on edge. Now
that she had our mother’s support and a meaningless job lined up, she thought
she was set. But she’d be calling for my help after a month in this new place.

“The town’s still a few miles ahead,” Caleb explained
from the passenger seat, glancing up from his phone. He’d been texting on it
for most of the drive.

I turned down the radio, the chatter of the DJ poking at
my aggravation. Or maybe it was the nagging sense that I was going to be sorely
disappointed with my night.

Caleb finally tucked his phone in his coat pocket.

“Any luck?” I asked.

“Yeah, we’re gonna meet at my buddy Josh’s diner. He
promised to provide a night to remember.”

“Right,” I grumbled. I couldn’t help the annoyance eating
at me. Aside from Julia and the traffic from the city, there was also the
little fact Caleb had failed to mention until we were halfway there: Harmony
was without a local bar.

How was that possible? It was truly an oddity to me. I’d
planned on drinking my weight in liquor and burying myself in some local darling.
I didn’t want memorable—I wanted pleasurable—and if that didn’t happen after
driving all the way to the fucking boondocks, I was going to kick this Josh
guy’s ass.

“Ah, come on. Forget about your sister and everything
else. It’s not so bad out here.” He rolled down his window, allowing the cold
air to blow in. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes.

I shook my head, focusing back on the empty road.

“Fresh country air—you have to appreciate that. There’s only
one thing better, and Josh has promised not to disappoint. Said he’s put word
out to all the guys to make sure their girls bring plenty of friends.”

That relieved some of my sulking, as did the ‘Welcome to
Harmony’ sign that finally greeted us.

“Take a right on Main Street, and the diner’s…well,
you’ll see it.” He snickered.

“Right.”

It was seven o’clock on a Friday night, and the town was practically
dead. There were only a couple pedestrians on the sidewalk, and had to be fewer
than a dozen cars on the road. The two people on the sidewalk actually waved as
I drove past, even though there was no way they could see us through the dark window
tint. Harmony seemed unlike any town I’d visited, which was saying something
considering how much I’d traveled on business. It wasn’t a place for
tourists—more of a place you came from, not went to.

I found it eerily peculiar, yet strangely comforting.

“The high school’s on the other side of town,” Caleb said,
interrupting my bewilderment. “Everyone’s probably at the game.”

“Game?”

“Football!” he shouted, pumping his fists in the air in
an exaggerated show of mock excitement.

I glanced over to watch his sarcasm mold into something
dark.

“It’s what most small towns live for. Harmony’s no
different.”

“I take it that’s why you’re not a sports fan.”

“Up ahead. Park in the side lot,” he directed, his tone
passive, avoiding the implied question.

I didn’t pry. I never did. He could count on that from
me.

W
e stood in the center of what was ludicrously
called The Diner, though it was housed in an old brick building and had nothing
in common with how I pictured an actual diner. It was more along the lines of a
midcentury brothel, but with no women and a rancid odor of wet mold. The
blistering deep-red paint on the walls provided a backdrop for old black-and-white
photos of the building’s glory days.

“Are you fucking kidding me? How is this place not
condemned?” I asked Caleb, my voice hushed but not enough. I ignored the gasps
and penetrating stares from the table next to us.

“He’s joking,” Caleb laughed, apologizing for me. He
turned back, slugging me in the gut.

“Sorry.” I shrugged. I couldn’t help it—the place was an
eyesore, and held not a single patron under sixty.

We headed toward the cash register, maneuvering among
scattered tables of every shape, size, and color, their unmatched upholstered
chairs frayed and soiled.

“This place has been around forever,” Caleb said, looking
around with admiration.

Were we seeing the same things?

“Josh! Hey!” Caleb called to the guy who stepped out from
the back.

I dropped my head to hide the snicker fighting to escape.
The guy appeared our age, despite the letterman jacket and baggy jeans that
gave him an awkward gait.

“Caleb! Finally, man. I still can’t believe it.” Josh dumped
the empty tray in his hands onto a table and rushed over, pulling Caleb in for
a one-armed hug.

I couldn’t picture the Caleb I’d gotten to know over the
past couple years growing up there. He never talked about the town other than
having shared a few scarce memories about him and his younger brother. Looking
at him now with his so-called high-school buddy, he looked just as out of place
as I did.

“Yeah, it’s been too long. This is Logan,” Caleb said,
and they both pivoted to look at me. “He’s a friend.”

I extended my hand and Josh shook it with an overeager,
loose grip. “So this is your place?” I shot my gaze once around the room again.
Josh nodded with a smile.

“Nice,” I replied, pulling on the friendliest expression
I could muster.

I wasn’t sure whether I should hate him for serving those
poor people anything out of that kitchen or admire his persistence to keep the
place going. Either way, he wasn’t the smartest guy businesswise—that much was
clear. And the whole ‘Any friend of Caleb’s is a friend of mine’ had never
applied to us. I reminded myself I was there to have a good time, but it didn’t
set in.

His cheerfulness wavered as he gauged the sincerity of my
compliment.

“How’s the profit in this place?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.
If it was the only restaurant in town, it could be worth something.

Caleb’s hand slammed down on my shoulder. “Don’t mind
Logan. He’s all work until you give him a reason to play. I explained you were
setting everything up tonight. Tell me you called in some of the girls I
remember from around here.”

He shook his head, throwing me a wary sidelong glance. “Nah,
most of the girls from high school either left town, got married, or got fat,
but…”

“Better be a damn good ‘but,’” Caleb panned.

“I think you’ll be pretty happy. We got some fresh young
girls at the college to keep us entertained.”

The scowl I failed to hide deepened. Julia would be one
of those girls soon, but luckily she wouldn’t be that senseless. “College
girls, huh?” I threw out, unimpressed.

“Young and looking to have fun. They’re always out
prowling for older men, and tonight they’ll be at the poker game.” He grabbed two
menus from behind the counter. “But first, let’s get you fed—on the house.”

Caleb caught the hard, irritated look I shot him. I
wasn’t eating a thing at that place.

“Thanks, but we’re good. Ate during the drive,” Caleb
told him with a shrug, feigning disappointment. “Next time.”

Josh glanced at me skeptically, then put the menus away. “All
right, well then why don’t you come to the back and say a quick hello to some
of the guys in the kitchen, and then we can head out?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Caleb replied and began following
him to the back. “You coming?”

“No, I’ll be out here. Take your time.”

He nodded and disappeared through the kitchen door. I used
the opportunity to get a better look at the town.

Standing at the massive front window, surrounded by
dinner specials, I gazed out at the place I was born—the place I had no memory
of. There was a fleeting moment in which I wondered if my parents ever ate at
that place before it turned into a waste receptacle. I’d make a point to ask my
dad about it the next time we got together.

The buildings down Main Street appeared about a century
old and were mostly rundown, but they all still looked to be housing
operational businesses. It made sense, considering the nearest town was a bit
of a drive. Residents had no real choice but to support local commerce.

Lost in my musings about the type of profit one could
realistically expect with so few consumers, my attention was soon caught by a
petite blonde racing across the street toward the diner.

A tiny, frail-looking older woman trailed behind at a slower
pace, clutching her purse and yelling something I couldn’t make out through the
glass.

It wasn’t until the blonde was in front of me, the window
our only divider, that I noticed what she was chasing. Her foot smashed down on
a thin piece of fabric, preventing the next gust of wind from carrying it away.

I stared, captivated, when she bent down to retrieve it.
Her coat slid up and her jeans dipped down, revealing the fine lace of a white
thong. My mouth opened, my tongue skimming my lips at the fairness of her skin.

After she stood and adjusted her coat, she handed the
gauzy fabric to the older woman, whose concerned brow relaxed with her grateful
smile as she placed it over her head and knotted it at her chin.

They stood there talking a moment. The blonde’s long wavy
hair was rich and full, sweeping about her delicate frame. I couldn’t see her
face, but even through the bulky trench coat, I could appreciate her firm ass
and shapely thighs. She worked out—she had to. No one had a body like that
naturally.

My cock jerked to life. I tilted my head to the side in
hopes of getting a peek at her face, but she turned suddenly, her hair
shielding any chance I had as she headed straight for the door. I stepped back,
suddenly realizing she was coming in to eat. The thought of fucking anyone who
could stomach the smell in the place, let alone the actual food, left me
unsettled.

The bell rang as the door opened and the old woman
entered, alone.

What?
I moved back to the window and found the
blonde standing just outside, pulling out her phone to make a call. Was she
waiting for someone? When she brushed her hair to the side, I finally got the
glimpse I was craving.

Her radiant pink cheeks highlighted her delicately carved
features and full, bright lips. Her eyes were soft and gentle, and when she
spoke into the phone they glistened, a smile curving those luscious lips and
jolting my cock to a full salute.

I readjusted myself, not caring who saw. She couldn’t
have been older than early to mid-twenties, and had an air of sweetness to her.
She was sexy yet demure…beautiful, but in a subtle, relaxed way. She fit into
the town well.

She was an angel hidden in the middle of nowhere—a
sweetheart I needed to press against me, drive myself into, and suckle until
she was writhing in pleasure and begging for more. I’d give her my entire night,
leaving satisfied with the knowledge that I’d had the finest piece of ass that
shit town had to offer.

She moved away and then right past the window, completely
oblivious to me. My head turned, fully enthralled, filled with lust as her
perfect figure walked away.

I had to stop her. I needed to have her, taste her, fuck
her, and then send her back out to enchant the next guy. I was making for the
door when Josh appeared and let out a chuckle.

“Ah shit, dude, don’t bother.” He slapped his hand on my
back, and I trained my eye toward it. He let it fall away, muttering an apology.

“Why?” I asked, baffled. What did he know about her?

Then it hit me: It was a small town—she’d probably
already been passed around a few times. It was hard to believe, judging by the
innocence she held in a single expression, but I couldn’t comprehend how any
man could see her and not pounce.

“You don’t want her. Trust me.” He shoved a piece of gum
into his mouth, then held the package out to me.

I shook my head once. “Who is she?” The urge to push him
aside and chase her down, certain I could seduce her into taking me back to her
place, was stronger than I’d felt in a while.

“A man-hater.” He snickered. “Seriously, she’s not
looking for your type.”

My brows pinched together. “A lesbian?” I could work with
that. I’d had a few in my bed before.

He snorted. “No!” But then he thought it over a moment.
“Actually, who knows? After the way Mark treated her, it’s hard to say. A shame,
really—she’s a nice-enough girl—but from what I’ve heard, a bust in bed. So,
like I said, don’t bother.” He moved away. “Caleb’s in the lot, ready to go. He
sent me to get you.”

I’d already started toward the door when he called, “We
can go out the back. It connects to the parking lot.”