Sloane
Cassandra’s face is flushed and her chest is rising and falling in heavy pants from the exertion of our fucking. I right the seat of her panties and pull her skirt down before snapping the condom off my dick and discarding it.
She’s too self-absorbed to realize I didn’t come but she got what she wanted from me—attention and an orgasm. She was on the verge of unhinging when faced with Macie and Echo.
Sighing and tucking my dick away, I grab my vodka again. I want to pretend I’m relieved that Georgiana is a no-show, going so far as to remind myself she’s fucking trouble. But that’s it in a nutshell. She’s trouble. She’s in trouble.
I’m a shallow, superficial bastard. It was her beauty that first got my attention. My brain was processing how young she appeared, too, but it was her face. I’ve met and fucked so many beautiful women, I’ve lost count. Yet, Georgie’s features are rampant in my mind. The reason is slightly less shallow, but still dangerous.
Perhaps, she feigned illness tonight in order to get her fix. While her father is wherever and her mother has usurped Georgie’s place at the concert, Georgie is what? Od’ing?
Fuck. I have to banish her from my head. Though I didn’t enjoy fucking Cassandra, I’m happy I did. If only to dispel Georgie’s hold on me. No fucking way can I fuck her and her mother.
I can’t fuck her at all…
If I could, I wouldn’t have stuck my dick in Cassandra a second time.
Shit like this is unforgivable. Thank fuck! What I did with Cassandra tonight solidifies the knowledge that Georgie is out of my reach.
Who the fuck am I kidding?
Even the prospect of jail time hasn’t flipped the out-of-reach switch on in my brain.
“Come to the house with me,” Cassandra offers, scraping her nails across my chest. Her interruption of my internal debate irritates the fuck out of me. “It’ll be just you and I, and we’ll have a wonderful party.”
I regard her for a moment, urging myself to fuck her until daybreak. What girl, sixteen or sixty, would want a man who slept with her mother? This is the perfect way to distance myself from Georgie. If only I could. Why can’t I?
“Won’t you have to care for Georgie?” I ask, failing to hide my sarcasm. I don’t believe for a minute she’s sick.
Cassandra shrugs. “The hospital is caring for her.”
That catches my attention. “What do you mean?”
Guilt pulls her brows down and the shadow of a blush brightens her face. “Georgie has pneumonia and inflammation of the chest wall. She’s in ICU.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I’m incredulous at her nonchalance. If my father wasn’t so fucked up, I might be speechless at this woman’s behavior.
“I told you she was sick.”
I scrub a hand over my face. “Shouldn’t you be there with her?”
“I couldn’t do anything to help her. I called Parnell and told him. He didn’t drop everything to see about her. Why should I change my plans?”
“What fucking plans? The invitation to the concert was for Georgiana.”
Hurt creeps into Cassandra’s eyes and I scowl at her, unease sliding into me. The thought that I’ve misjudged what type of attention she needs niggles at me. Most women seek me out to brag that they’ve been in my bed, especially if I make a clear choice between her and one or two other girls as I did with Cassandra.
The ruthlessness of my dick isn’t this beautiful woman’s fault, so I try honesty, deciding not to blame her for her lack of motherly instinct. It was going on long before I ran into Georgie and it’ll continue long after I walk away. “I made an unforgivable mistake. I shouldn’t have touched you when Kiln left with those girls. It wasn’t a wise thing to do.”
“You already fucked me,” she says, bewildered. “And we’re fucking again Monday.”
Though she phrases it as statement, her uncertainty is plain. Not backing out seems a sort of betrayal to Georgie. The idea disgusts me, so I nod.
“So tonight…?”
“Go to the hospital and spend time with Georgie,” I say softly. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. No matter how I try, I can’t escape her.
“If you aren’t coming with me, I need my beauty sleep to get myself together for your visit Monday.”
Anger surges through me at her continued disregard for her daughter. “Act like a woman with a daughter and think about her instead of yourself.”
Her jaw clenches and the last of her hurt turns into an ugly glare. “Are you accepting my invitation for tonight or not?”
“Not,” I snap. “In case you’ve forgotten, I have other entertainment awaiting me at the hotel. You’re still welcome to join in.”
“Thanks but no thanks.” She turns on her heels and stalks out of the dressing room.
I’m happy to see the back of her. I tell myself this is the end of my association with the McCalls.
Heading to the shower, Cassandra’s petulance floats away as if it never existed. If only I could be so lucky and forget Georgie’s loneliness.
Chapter Five