Page 42

Alex

“Look at him, he's freaking the fuck out,” Aiden chuckles from behind his sunglasses.

I glance over at Colson, lounging on the tufted white chaise next to mine, the breeze whipping his auburn hair over his eyes as it carries the spray off the ocean.

“I'm not freaking the fuck out,” Colson mutters.

“You are freaking the fuck out,” Aiden repeats.

To be fair, either statement could be true. Sometimes, Colson lashes out with unparalleled brutality. Other times, he’s quite literally a silent storm—just like his sister. It depends on the day. And today, he’s silent, as though he’s taking in his surroundings and letting his mind wander over the beaches of Tulum like the waves lapping at the pink sand.

“I don’t know, man,” Mason peers at Colson from his chair, “you kind of look like you’re freaking out.”

“I’m lying on a beach right now with you fools, why would I be freaking out?”

Aiden stretches out his arm, motioning to me. “Because this grown-ass man turned lethal weapon has your baby sister's face tattooed on his chest. And now she's exchanged marital vows with him. He owns her ass, in more ways than you care to admit.”

Colson swivels his head. “Are you trying to lose a limb today? Do you have too many?”

“He can get away with it because they wouldn’t let Col bring his bear rifle on the plane,” Mason laughs.

Colson turns to me. “I don’t suppose you brought yours? I’ll clean it for you afterward.”

I laugh to myself and turn back to the coastline.

If you only knew how dirty my gun is…

My eyes wander across the beach, catching sight of four women strolling along the water’s edge. They meander across the wet sand, stopping periodically to search for shells as they make their way toward us. I zero in on the one in the middle, dressed in a black lace bikini with her shiny black hair piled on top of her head. When they reach the veranda, Shelby, Maddie, and Carter break off with a wave and Dallas continues up the steps.

“Speak of the devil…” Aiden drawls as she crosses the stone tiles.

She scrunches up her nose and jeers at him as she passes, only to bend over and make a show of sticking her ass out at him as she crawls up my chair and into my lap. Ignoring everyone else, Dallas straddles my hips and wraps her arms around my neck as her lips melt into mine. The corners of my mouth curl as Colson lets out an irritated groan behind her.

As much as he bitched and moaned about me marrying his sister less than 24 hours ago, I see the relief in his eyes when he looks at her now.

And he should be, because now she’ll finally be safe.

“Bizarre, isn’t it?” Mason gulps down the rest of his drink. “Who thought Ole Dally would turn out to be such a smoke show?”

“What is my life if not a series of strange and bizarre events?” Colson muses.

“Could you be any more emo right now?” Dallas scoffs as she turns around and settles onto the chair between my legs.

I smooth the wide lace trim over her ribs, her top specially selected to cover the scar I gave her all those years ago. The last thing I needed was to brawl with Colson again at my own wedding.

“I could,” Colson nods. “I was thinking of serenading you with some My Chemical Romance or Simple Plan during my toast tonight . Maybe a rendition of Ohio is for Lovers, since I know how much you love Hawthorne Heights. What do you think? ”

Dallas gives an impish smile. “It would probably be the coolest thing you’ve ever done.”

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Colson opts for a more subdued tribute at the last dinner before Dallas and I are finally left alone on this secluded beach for a week. Meantime, she and I sit at the head of a table on the patio of the beachside restaurant filled with our family and friends, drinking champagne and eating gluttonous amounts of fresh seafood to the sound of the waves drifting off the dark beach. I haven’t thought about what lies beyond next week, because everything here is perfect and nothing can touch us—absolutely nothing.

“Given any more thought to my offer?” I ask Colson, tipping the bottle of champagne to the empty flute in front of him.

He gazes long and hard at the glass. “Yeah,” he finally replies, sliding it to the middle of the table. “I’m thinking about it.”

I leave it at that, because that’s what you have to do with Lutzes—convince them that what you want them to do was their idea to begin with. I pick up the champagne flute forfeited by Colson and set it down adjacent to me in front of Dallas, who’s been talking to Luca for the past 10 minutes. And based on her intense focus, it must be pretty riveting. But a moment later, I feel her squeeze my arm to get my attention.

“Alex?”

I lean over the corner of the table to hear her over the dull roar.

“No tengo calzones puestos,” she murmurs into my ear.

I long blink and then take a deep breath. She stares back at me with a glimmer in her stormy eyes.

“Who taught you that?”

She tries to tamp down the smile tugging at her lips. “Your brothers.”

I glance over her shoulder at Luca and Adrian, busy hollering back and forth to my cousins at the next table. But Luca catches my eye for a brief moment and winks before turning away again.

Slowly, I start to nod, scanning the crowd as I assess the situation. Everyone is otherwise occupied, especially when more staff descend on the table and start swapping out empty plates and bottles. Suddenly, Liam appears between Dallas and Luca to continue their animated conversation.

“Sit,” I say to Liam, motioning to Dallas’s chair.

Then I take her hand and nod to my lap. She rises from her chair and gathers the long, flowing skirt of her white maxi dress as she gingerly steps around the table and sinks onto my lap.

“I like this seat better, anyway,” she smiles, reaching for the champagne flute.

But as soon as she leans forward, I scoot with her and spread her legs wide, lodging her between the table and my body. She pauses, then slowly takes the glass and lifts it to her lips.

“Did I tell you I like your dress?” I ask, gently loosening the fabric from beneath her ass. “You look incredible, just like my wife should.”

Blushing, she glances over her shoulder as I smooth out the cascades of white, draping it over her legs to the floor. Then I slip my hand beneath her skirt and slowly trail my fingers up and down the inside of her thigh. Her muscles tense and she carefully sets the glass back down as I tease her hip crease. But on the second pass, I slide my fingers between her legs, right into her soaking wet pussy.

“Alex—” she hisses through her teeth.

“You weren’t lying,” I say as I start rubbing tight circles over her clit.

Adrian shouts something over Luca and Liam’s banter. Colson and Mason erupt in laughter. Liam begins telling a long, drawn-out story about some stupid thing we did as kids.

“He’s the best storyteller in our family,” I whisper in Dallas’s ear. “You can listen to him for hours and never get bored.”

Everyone’s attention turns to Liam, a true entertainer at heart. They’ll be blind to everything except him for a good 10 minutes.

“Raise up, Mama,” I command, giving Dallas’s leg a gentle pat.

She hesitates, and then slowly leans onto her elbows, lifting her ass off my lap. In subtle, fluid motions, I reach beneath her dress and into my pants to free my dick, painfully hard at this point. I grasp her waist and guide her back down, her breaths turning short and hectic when she feels me slip inside and start stretching her.

“Just breathe, Dal,” I smirk.

She braces herself on her elbows again, exhaling as she takes me to the hilt.

“Everyone came here to watch you become my wife,” I say over her shoulder, “and now they’re going to watch me fuck you like my wife, out in the open like the little hellion you are.”

To anyone else, it would appear I’m engaging in an intimate conversation with my bride, whispering sweet nothings in her ear by the glow of candlelight. But their attention is on the story, and no one seems to notice that my dick’s buried in her throbbing pussy while I slowly drive her mad.

I slip my fingers back under her dress, over her clit so her muscles tighten around me. She flinches when she hears her name, her eyes darting up to see Dean Lutz and his longtime girlfriend, Mary, suddenly appear behind Colson.

“We’re turning in, this was an amazing dinner!” Mary whispers to avoid interrupting the story. “Our flight’s not ‘til tomorrow afternoon, so we’ll see you for brunch tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yes!” Dallas gasps. “I mean, 10:00 I think?”

“Perfect!” Mary chirps.

“Alex,” Dean leans over Colson and extends his hand to me, “take care of my only daughter. We’ll see you in the morning.”

“Absolutely,” I reach up, giving his hand a firm shake as I sink in deeper.

Dallas flinches and sucks in a sharp breath, pretending to search the table for something while her legs tremble and my fingers work her clit. When your hands and face are moving, no one really pays attention to your lower body. Every movement of my head, every motion of my hand distracts from the subtle thrusts over and over.

Finally, Mary gives a wave and Dean follows her back through the restaurant, but not before he turns and approaches the corner of the table.

He leans down and kisses the top of Dallas’s head. “I love you, Dallas Bo Ballas.”

“I love you, too, Dad,” she replies in a voice that doesn’t exactly sound like her own.

And why should it? My fingers are vibrating the hell out of her clit right now and, as soon as they’re out of sight, I feel Dallas reach down and dig her nails into my thigh.

“Mmm—” she barely squeaks as she clenches my pants.

Her lower body trembles uncontrollably beneath the table, her legs hidden beneath her dress as she comes fast and hard around my dick. But she’s good, and no one looking at her gorgeous face would be the wiser. Her pussy contracts, the muscles pulsing so tight around me that it pushes me over the edge.

Exhaling, I knead her thighs and hips, pulling her close so there’s nowhere for my cum to go but deep inside her. And no one within a three-foot radius has a fucking clue. When it’s over, Dallas pulls my arms around her waist and leans back against my chest, her hips still fidgeting with aftershocks.

“That was dirty,” she mumbles, but makes no effort to move, my dick still firmly inside her.

I brush her hair behind her shoulder and lean in close, so only she can hear me.

“Remember, Angelína, I’ll play your games, but I’ll always win…because I’m your Daddy now.”

●● ●

When I wake up, Dallas is huddled against a pile of pillows with her phone in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other, drinking it through a straw as usual. I roll over, coming face to face with a fat, purple, plush blob with sparkly wings and antennae.

This apartment was chosen, furnished, and prepared just for Dallas, but it’s been months and, for some reason, I’m still caught off-guard when I walk into the bedroom and see those creepy little pillow creatures staring back at me. I’ll never say anything to her about it, though, even if I’m being flayed alive.

She’s editing a photo for the fans. Because that’s who we are now.

“I like that picture, baby,” I say as I kiss her shoulder.

“Yeah?” she asks hopefully, looking at me with that adorable smile of hers.

GhostW@ke and SilentStorm are still forces to be reckoned with online, but in order to survive, you have to evolve. AJ and Riley couldn’t remain masked characters under the neon lights. They had to be brought to life.

It's all about the persona— the story . And Dallas loves it. Except, now, she gets a lot more than gaming consoles and pocket change from her brother’s delusional friends. It's not difficult to take photos that look like you're in an airport or on a Venetian holiday. It's all about angles and filters, right? They like following her story, which now includes me.

I found out where Thatch assembled his entourage and what kind of offer he held for me if I was ever “interested.” Fandora’s Box is exactly what it sounds like—a dark, encrypted world where you can be whoever you want to be and all your illicit fantasies come true.

And people pay a lot of money to see it.

Once he found out how popular our streams were, he offered to facilitate our integration into his business venture. Some people transition from intel and cyber security to defense contracting or corporate IT; Thatch combined his love for Greek mythology, online gambling, and voyeurism into something more innovative.

Our fans wanted to see us dominate Call of Duty wearing masks and as little clothing as possible, but they were nothing short of ravenous to see our two worlds collide. Now, it’s pay to play and we’re Thatch’s biggest money maker. There’s a wait-list to be a spectator to our matches, where they throw down to play one of us while betting on whether we’ll last ‘til the end. And by last, I mean whether the featured player will make it to the end of their run before the opponent makes them come in front of everyone watching at home. And if that happens, the featured player gets nothing and everyone else gets paid.

Some might say we’re cheating or gaming the system, but we’re still AJ and Riley. We’re still the fantasy— the escape . When Dallas steps into frame, no one would ever know she was already here, drinking her sugary coffee drinks on our balcony while she shows me a cat video that made her laugh so hard that she couldn’t breathe.

There's no me without her, and there's no her without me. And if they want to see this perfection, let them pay for it.

I grab my backpack and keys while Dallas posts a curated overhead of her black leather Vivienne Westwood bag and passport with her Christian Louboutin ankle boots in the background on Riley Storm’s social media page. The caption will read: Wheels up in one hour! Where should I celebrate after I destroy @GhostW@ke? The promos will continue until this Saturday when the masks and cameras go on.

I didn’t disappoint April, either. Dallas turned out to be such a good intern that Wolfsson offered her a permanent position. Then again, it might’ve had something to do with her executing an emergency software patch on the fly before a high-level client was affected by a vendor data breach. But now I have lunch in her office every day in addition to seeing her on my rounds every morning and afternoon. That part was a modification one week after she started.

Imagine my surprise when I walked by her tiny cubicle in the far corner of the building to find Gavin posted up right in front of her desk.

“Hey, did you know Dallas cosplays?” he asks, barely looking at me when I appear in the doorway.

I knew exactly what he was thinking the minute Dallas walked into the command center to get her badge the first day of her internship, which is why his fun comes to an abrupt end as soon as I enter the cubicle.

“You don’t say,” I deadpan, stepping past him and rounding the desk.

Without a word, I squeeze the back of her hair and slowly tip her head back to give her a long, lingering kiss.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on the West side?” I ask as I straighten up again.

The deflated look on his face suggests that I’ve made my point. I wasn’t going to mention our relationship to anyone until after Tulum, but I also wasn’t going to tolerate Gavin’s insolence for that long. Which is why I make my intentions even clearer as I accompany him on the remainder of his rounds.

“This hallway is mine for the rest of the summer, and she is mine from now on.”

Three months and one wedding later, I’ve kept my promise.

“ Alex!” Dallas spins around with excitement as soon as I walk into her office today. “I have the best idea.”

“Oh?”

A grin plastered across her face, she rotates her monitor so I can see it. A networking profile is pulled up with the headshot of a woman with long, curly, strawberry blonde hair.

“This is her, ” Dallas whispers emphatically.

Brett Sorensen —the woman for whom Colson is dying of a broken heart and my wife has been stalking since last spring.

“OK, what about her?”

Dallas flashes her eyes. “Look where she works.”

Brett’s profile indicates that she’s been a contractor since graduating from college. I peer at the name of the company beneath hers, a local consulting group that specializes in medical device research. She has no shortage of skills; a degree in biology, experience with proposal writing, safety, compliance, budgeting, emergency management, regulations…

“ What if she came to work here? ” Dallas asks, practically overflowing with excitement.

“What makes you think she’d come here?”

She shoots me a knowing look. “Because she’s been a contractor for two years and no one wants to be a contractor with no benefits and no job security. I mean, hello? ”

She has a point.

“You want me to convince April to find something for her to do here?”

“You have to, Alex. This is it. If I can get her here, I can learn more about her, maybe even become her friend , and eventually show her that she belongs with Colson after all. If I can talk to her, maybe she’ll believe me , and then maybe I can bring him back. Maybe she can bring him back.”

It's actually not a bad idea.

“You’re going to manipulate her into giving Colson another chance?”

“Exactly.”

I glance back and forth between Dallas and Brett’s headshot.

“Let me think about it,” I nod.

Dallas beams as she rotates the monitor back around.

“You did mention you wanted a pet,” I wink at her as I head for the door.

Brett Sorensen— hunted by Colson Lutz and now his sister. That poor girl , I chuckle. But, in this case, my allegiance lies with the hunters and not the hunted. And Dallas is right. Patience and strategy are what pay off, and it’s the same reason I didn’t say no when she asked me to fuck her— Riley’s girlfriend —on camera for Bowen. You’ll do a lot of things when you can see the forest for the trees.

I’m nearly to the command center when I’m suddenly flanked on both sides by my boss, Eric, and Dave, the compliance manager.

“Garrett quit,” Eric blurts out with an irritated huff.

I arch my brow in surprise. “Why?” It’s unexpected, as I’m pretty sure Garrett’s worked here as part of the facility crew longer than I’ve been alive.

“Money,” Dave replies. “The raise he requested didn’t get approved.”

“You mean by you?”

Dave’s jaw tightens, ignoring my question. “And now there’s no one to monitor the safety protocols. Hazmat, safety walk-throughs, inspections—he took care of all that. And he never wrote anything down, it was all in his head.”

I slow to a halt. “No one knows how to do his job?”

Dave and Eric exchange looks.

You have got to be kidding me.

“He’s been here for 35 years,” Eric shrugs.

“35 years or not, we still have certifications to maintain and we can’t do that if no one knows what the hell he did,” Dave exclaims. “We’ll just have to redistribute his duties. Safety and security will have to pick up the slack.”

“My people aren’t qualified to do that,” Eric scoffs. “We’re stretched thin as it is. Find someone else.”

“It’s going to take time,” Dave replies. “Between posting the job, interviews, training—recreating the whole process!”

Safety, compliance, regulatory, emergency management…

Eric and Dave’s voices are a distant hum as I turn the idea over in my head.

“I can do it,” I interject, rendering them both silent.

“Do what?” Dave asks apprehensively.

“I’ll find someone to replace Garrett. And in the meantime, I’ll take over whatever the hell he did around here.”

Relief washes over Dave’s face and he agrees, scurrying off before I have a chance to change my mind. But I don’t mind, I don’t plan on having to do the job for long anyway. I turn the corner, taking a detour instead of continuing to the command center.

I pop my head through the doorway of the office at the top of the stairs. “April, are you busy?”

“Alex Barrera,” she glances up from her computer with a smirk, “to what do I owe the pleasure today?”

I take a seat in front of her desk. “I need to hire someone.”

“I know, I’m working on it,” she sighs.

“No, for a different position, and I already know who I want.”

“Another girlfriend?” she mutters with a coy smile.

“ April, ” I reply with feigned offense, “I’m a married man. And, besides, last I checked, my wife was such a good asset that you couldn’t hire her fast enough.”

“Alright,” she concedes, casting me a side-eye. “Who do you have for me, Alex?”