Scandalous Series

HALEY

“I’ve waited five long months for this?” Aaron grumbled, his body heavy on mine. “You’re not even wet, Haley!”

I sucked in a sharp breath, my cheeks burning with embarrassment. “I… I’m sorry. I’m just nervous,” I managed to say.

Aaron tried to stimulate my dry clit, but to his dismay, I was completely dry and tightly closed. He couldn’t even get his pinky finger inside me, let alone his dick.

This night was supposed to be special. Aaron had been promoted to Head of IT earlier that day and we’d decided that tonight would be the night.

But here I was, a 25-year-old virgin who didn’t have a clue what she was doing.

Aaron had started off patient, but I was taken aback at how quickly he transformed into someone else. His adoring gaze had turned cold and distant in no time.

Even the candles I had lit couldn’t warm the chilly atmosphere in the room.

“Damn it!” He slammed his fist against the headboard.

I flinched beneath him, unsure of what to do, my mind racing. “Calm down, we can try next time,” I tried to reassure him, my hand gently touching his cheek.

“Nope.” He laughed harshly, lifting himself off me and pulling up his jeans. “I can’t be with someone who’s a terrible fuck, Hale.”

“What?” I sat up, stunned.

“Look, babe, we had a good thing going but I didn’t realize you weren’t experienced.”

“I… I am experienced, I told you it’s been a long time!” I lied, trying to salvage what was left of my dignity.

“Haley, I’m sorry. You’re too, like, stiff and stuff.” Aaron pulled on his T-shirt and sat on the edge of my bed while I fought back the tears threatening to spill. “Goodbye, Haley.” He kissed the top of my head and left my tiny apartment within minutes.

What the hell just happened?

I curled my naked body into the blanket and cried into the night, feeling alone, ashamed, and utterly humiliated.

I couldn’t believe I thought that jerk was a good guy. I was going to give him my virginity. He didn’t even want it. How could I have been so naive? All this time I thought he was serious about me.

Now I would have to see Aaron at work tomorrow and act like nothing happened. He’d insisted we keep our relationship a secret because of the ‘no dating your coworkers’ policy.

The next morning, I mustered all my courage and stepped out of the car outside my office building. I took a deep breath before walking through the entrance and taking the elevator to the third floor.

My mind was still a mess. I should have stayed home today. But I was one of those crazy people who loved her job. Numbers were my thing and that’s why I was the top accountant at this huge finance firm.

I smoothed my shaking hands down my pencil skirt and hurried toward the office kitchen for a cup of coffee, but a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Where’s the proof you fucked her?” Jim from IT asked.

My heart dropped as I froze outside the kitchen.

“Please, like I need proof.” Aaron boasted.

“Stop lying,” Regina, the busty receptionist, teased. “Haley Waitson did not fuck you, she hardly looks at you.” She laughed.

“You jealous, babe?” Aaron drawled.

“You weren’t all that when we slept together last week,” Regina shot back.

Laughter filled the room. I stood outside, fiddling with my purse as my eyes filled with tears. I felt like a complete fool.

“Alright, alright!” Aaron tried to quiet the laughter. “If you want the truth, Haley Waitson is a frigid virgin.”

The room went silent and I choked back a sob.

“I tried to fuck her last night, but her pussy was dry as hell.”

“Aaron.” Regina’s voice held a warning. “That’s messed up, even for you.”

I heard her move toward the door but I was rooted to the spot. Her blue eyes met my hazel ones when she came through the door, then widened, taking in the tears in mine.

“Oh crap. Sorry, hon.” She gave me a sympathetic smile, shaking her head as she walked past me.

Humiliated, I took a deep breath and tried to stand tall, but instead of walking into the kitchen, I headed to my office and shut the door behind me. I collapsed into my chair and sobbed onto my desk.

God, I am pathetic! I should have seen this coming. I should have known. And all those jerks in the office kitchen, not one of them stood up for me.

Screw Aaron. Screw him!

I didn’t need him; I didn’t need anybody. Frigid. What the hell did frigid even mean?

I’d done everything he asked me to last night. It wasn’t my fault that I’d closed up. Did I need to see someone about this? I never touched myself. Maybe there was something wrong with me.

I was so inexperienced at sex and had no one to talk to because, like the pathetic fool I was, I lied. I told my friends that I had sex, a lot! I would giggle and nod at sex jokes and listen to the sex stories they would tell me. But in my head, I didn’t have a clue what they were talking about.

I switched on my computer, wiping angry tears from my face. My phone pinged as I typed in my password. I saw my brother’s name flash up on the screen.

I wished I could call him right now, tell him everything. I needed my big brother but there were just some things I couldn’t discuss with him.

Leon was the epitome of a big brother: protective, nurturing, and a total softie when it came to his little sister. He was the high school heartthrob, the guy every other guy wanted to be and every girl wanted to be with. I was just the shadow cast by his spotlight. But Leon always held a special place in his heart for me.

I wiped away another tear as I read his text.

I sniffed, clearing the last of my tears, and started to ponder what I should whip up for dinner if Leon was coming over. I wondered what he wanted to discuss. Leon wasn’t much of a talker; his jet-setting lifestyle did all the talking for him. He was a renowned photographer, often invited to participate in global projects.

He loved to travel, always on the hunt for his next assignment. His work was breathtaking. I had a photo he took of a giraffe during one of his many African adventures hanging on my wall. He knew how much I adored giraffes and gifted me that photo for my birthday.

I tried to push aside the disaster of last night and focus on Leon’s impending visit. Thankfully, I managed to dodge Aaron all day.

***

I parked outside my apartment and welcomed the brisk winter air as I stepped out of the car. I adored winter, the crisp air, and the scent of bonfires. By the time I had showered, slipped into some sweats and a hoodie, I realized I hadn’t even started on dinner.

The doorbell rang and I dashed down the stairs. When I swung the door open, there he was, my big brother. He flashed me his charming, toothy grin and pulled me into a bear hug.

I closed my eyes, fighting back tears. Don’t let him see you’re hurting. “Hey, big bro.” I hugged him a little too tightly. I missed him; he still smelled like our childhood. His dark hair had grown out a bit since I last saw him, and his beard was longer too.

“How’s it going, Haley bear?”

“Good,” I nodded. Totally not battling embarrassment. Leon shrugged off his leather jacket and headed into my kitchen. “What brings you here?” I asked nonchalantly, grabbing a beer from the fridge.

“What, can’t I visit my baby sister?” He flashed that toothy grin again.

I squinted at him and crossed my arms over my chest. “Leon?” I asked, suspicion lacing my voice.

“Alright, okay,” he said calmly, taking the beer from my hand. “I need a favor.”

“Ah ha! I knew it!” I pointed an accusing finger at him.

He chuckled and settled down on the couch in the lounge. “So, I need you to talk to mom for me.”

“Why?”

“Because, my beautiful baby sister, she’s trying to set me up with her friend’s daughter.”

“Oh my God! Which one now?” I laughed.

“I don’t know, some real estate agent.” He took another swig of his beer.

“Wow, she never quits, does she?” I shook my head. “What do you want me to tell her? She never listens to me; you’re the golden child, remember?”

Growing up, Leon could do no wrong, while I could barely sneeze without getting a lecture about manners. Our mom came from a wealthy family, but our dad—God rest his soul—was poor as shit. She had secretly married my dad, who was her chauffeur at the time.

Yes, it was quite the scandal. Her family disowned her, but she managed to keep her trust fund, a gift from her great-grandmother.

Now she resided in the Upper East Side of New York City, hosting tea parties and charity dinners.

“She wants me to meet this Fiona chick next week at the fundraiser.”

“Of course she does,” I smirked. “What if this Fiona turns out to be hot?” I winked, earning a groan from Leon.

“Hale, I’m serious. Mom won’t stop calling me, asking when I’m free. I just don’t need this right now.”

“Okay, okay, I get it.” I raised my hands in mock surrender.

Leon could never say no to our mom; she was his Achilles' heel. When our dad passed away, Leon stepped up and took care of us. He never wanted to see us unhappy.

“Leon, you need to be honest with her. Tell her you aren’t ready to date yet.”

“No. The last time I mentioned I wasn’t ready to date, she told me it was okay if I was gay.” He smirked at the memory. “And then she gave me the number of her nurse’s son, who is also gay, by the way.”

I couldn’t help myself, I burst out laughing and watched him shake his head at me. My brother was so endearing; he was so worried about hurting my mom’s feelings. “God, you’re so dramatic, big bro!” I moved closer to him. “Lee, be honest. I’m sure Fiona will understand if you told her.”

“Yeah, I guess so. But if she’s like the rest of them, she’s probably already planned our wedding and the names of our future kids.” He sighed. “Mom sure knows how to pick ’em. You’re lucky she got off your back. Aren’t you seeing someone at work?” he asked.

I jumped up as if I’d been electrocuted and nodded a bit too quickly. “Mm hm.” Leon frowned at my sudden strange behavior. “What’s up, Hale?”

“I… we… kind of broke up last night.” I sighed. “Just didn’t work out.”

Leon studied me for a moment, as if trying to read between the lines on my face. “Sorry to hear that. Need me to kick his ass?” He grinned, and I smiled back.

“No, it just wasn’t meant to be. But I’m okay,” I lied.

“Alright, well, I’m ordering pizza,” Leon announced, stretching as he walked over to the telephone stand where I kept all my takeaway menus.

I was grateful when he let the topic of Aaron slide—I wasn’t ready to dive into that conversation with him.

“Hale?”

Leon’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

“I never liked that jerk anyway.”

***

A week flew by and I had become a pro at dodging the office kitchen. The last thing I wanted was to bump into Aaron or even hear his name. Maybe I should have let Leon give him a good beating, but Aaron wasn’t even worth the effort.

I needed to put men, sex, and dating out of my mind. I just couldn’t handle it all at the moment. After Aaron, I doubted I would ever consider having sex again.

No way. Not in this lifetime.

I left work early on Friday to prepare for the fundraiser my mom was hosting for the local children’s hospital. I slipped into a form-fitting black dress and paired it with nude heels. I let my hair down from its high bun and brushed my golden brown curls into full waves. A touch of mascara and tinted lip gloss later, I was ready.

The taxi ride to the extravagant hotel venue in the Upper East Side, which my mom had booked for the event, took exactly 35 minutes. I could already hear my mom’s voice in my head: “You came alone?” I knew I had to tell her about Aaron sooner or later, and tonight seemed like the right time. She’d just have to deal with it.

As soon as I walked in, I spotted Leon. He was towering over everyone else, busy taking photographs with his massive DSLR camera. I snuck up behind him and gave him a hug.

“Damn! You scared me!” He clutched his chest.

“Did you mistake me for Fiona?” I teased.

“Maybe.” He glanced around nervously.

“Leon, there you are!” My mom’s voice rang out over the jazz band.

“Hey, Mom!” I hugged her as she approached us, a stunning blonde woman by her side.

Leon’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he turned to face the blue-eyed beauty. “Hi.” He flashed her a smile.

“This is Fiona Harris, Maggie’s daughter,” my mom introduced with a hint of pride.

Fiona returned Leon’s smile confidently and flicked her glossy hair to the side. Judging by the look on Leon’s face, he was more than pleased.

Ten minutes later, Leon was still grinning from ear to ear as he chatted with Fiona. I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes at his antics. But even I had to admit, she was stunning. Her glittering floor-length dress accentuated her petite and slender figure perfectly.

“Fiona dear, this is my daughter, Haley.” My mom finally gestured towards me. I gave an awkward smile and wave. Fiona smiled back. She seemed nice—I liked her. I bet she had a lot of sex and wasn’t as dry as a prune down there. I blushed and hid behind my champagne glass.

Leaving Leon and Fiona to their conversation, I wandered around the beautiful venue alone. I found myself in the gardens where it was quieter. In front of me was a breathtaking water fountain. It was a statue of a woman with open hands, from which water flowed into a small pool. I sighed at its beauty but then noticed something floating on the surface.

A cigarette. It was still lit at the tip and I watched as it slowly fizzled out.

Who would litter here?

I heard someone clear their throat and then noticed a man standing across the fountain from me. He was tall—really fucking tall—and dressed entirely in black: his suit, his shirt. His dark, almost jet-black hair was tousled. Upon closer inspection, I noticed his lip was bleeding.

His dark obsidian eyes met mine—they were captivating, hypnotic. He reached into his pocket and pulled out another cigarette. “What the fuck are you looking at?” he grumbled with the cigarette between his lips.

“Oh. Sorry!” Embarrassed, I turned and ran. My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to regain my composure.

What the hell was that?

I found Leon and his new blonde friend seated at one of the tables, so I joined them. Fiona was laughing at something Leon had said as I sat down next to them.

“Hey, Hales.” He squeezed my shoulder but continued his conversation with Fiona.

I looked around, desperately hoping that the mysterious man hadn’t followed me.

Those eyes, those beautiful yet terrifying eyes.

I downed the entire flute of champagne.

“Easy there,” Leon chuckled.

“So, Haley, Leon tells me you’re an accountant,” Fiona said, flashing me a bright smile.

“Yep, I’m all about the numbers.”

She giggled and then looked at Leon who was staring at her with a longing expression. I think I did roll my eyes this time.

“So what do you do?” I asked Fiona, attempting to make small talk.

“I’m a model, mostly lingerie.” She took a graceful sip of her wine.

Wow. Wow. Wow. If only I had a fraction of her confidence. “That’s great!” I exclaimed a bit too loudly, but Fiona just smiled, tucked her hair behind her ear, and gave Leon a look that could only be described as sex eyes.

After dinner, and nearly losing my meal watching my brother flirt, I sat alone, watching the dancing couples. “Haley May Waitson. Why on earth are you sitting here alone?”

Damn it!

“Hey, Mom, how’s it going?”

“Don’t get cheeky with me, young lady.”

I sighed. “Aaron and I broke up, Mom.”

I stared ahead and watched Fiona pull Leon onto the dance floor. He looked happy—I hadn’t seen him smile like that in a long time.

I braced myself for the lecture, for my mom to express her disappointment, to tell me I was too picky, that I needed to settle down. But it never came.

Instead, she put her arm around my shoulder. “My beautiful Haley, the man who ends up with you”—she stroked my cheek—“he will be special.”

I felt tears well up in my eyes; this was the first time she had ever spoken to me like this. I didn’t know what brought it on, but in that moment, I thought of my dad—mom always said I was the apple of his eye. God, I wish I could have known him better, I wish he hadn’t been taken from us when I was so young.

“Thanks, Mom,” I murmured, resting my head on her shoulder.

The night was winding down and I was beat. I was counting the seconds until I could get home, slip into my Scooby Doo pajamas, and binge-watch the latest Netflix series.

I scanned the crowd for Leon, but he was nowhere in sight. I didn’t want to bother him if he was having a good time. After all, he’d found his model, and I was sure he didn’t need his little sister cramping his style. I smiled to myself as I headed for the taxi stand, the misty night sky sprinkled with stars.

“Hello again.”

I jumped at the sound of the deep, velvety voice and spun around to find its source. He was a few feet away, leaning against the side of the building. His lip was still swollen and red. I frowned as he stepped out from the shadows.

“Do you smoke?” he asked, a small smirk on his lips as he held out a cigarette.

“No,” I responded, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Of course you don’t.” He lit the cigarette between his lips and my gaze was immediately drawn there. He was striking in a dark, mysterious way. He made me feel uneasy, but something inside me stirred when he looked at me with those intense, dark eyes.

“You’re hurt,” I blurted out. “You might need stitches.” I pointed at his lip.

“Are you a nurse?” he asked, blowing a puff of smoke in my direction.

I coughed a little and waved the smoke away. “No, but it could get infected.”

Why did I even care? I didn’t know this man.

“Why don’t you nurse it better for me?” he suggested, his voice as smooth as silk.

I felt my cheeks burn. I realized he had moved closer; his large frame was now looming over me. I had to tilt my head back to look at him.

“I need to go,” I declared, turning to flag down a taxi. I heard him chuckle to himself as he watched me.

“Haley!” Leon’s voice sliced through the air. He rushed over and positioned himself in front of me like a human shield. His body was rigid and tall. “What the hell are you doing out here alone?”

“We were getting acquainted,” the mysterious man in black replied.

“You stay the fuck away from her!” Leon bellowed.

But if the man was scared, he didn’t show it. He didn’t even flinch. “Chill, Leon,” he taunted, “I wasn’t planning on fucking her, I just thought she might enjoy sucking my cock.”

Everything after that was a blur. Leon lunged at the man and they both tumbled to the ground, fists flying. I screamed and called for help. Hotel security rushed out and pulled them apart. Leon’s hair was tousled, but he didn’t look too hurt, just furious.

The other man’s lip was bleeding again. He licked the wound and bit his bottom lip, all while keeping his eyes on me. I felt like the innocent girl being hunted by the big bad wolf.

My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest. My body was betraying me, making me feel things for this man that I couldn’t understand. I watched in silence as the valet parked his matte black Lamborghini in front of the hotel.

The man chuckled under his breath as he climbed into his car and drove off, but not before rolling down his window. “See you around, nurse,” he called out, his voice rough as he disappeared into the night.

I stood there, stunned, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Then I shook it off and turned to Leon, who was glaring at the spot where the car had been.

“Leon, what the fuck was that?” I demanded.

“Haley, you stay the fuck away from that guy. You understand?” Leon was dead serious. I’d never seen him so serious in my life. I nodded quietly. It wasn’t like the mysterious man and I moved in the same circles.

But I knew two things for sure.

One: I’d just met my brother’s archenemy.

And two: My panties were soaked.

Fuck!