AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cristo pauses, as if for emphasis.
My shoulders hunch forward.
Then, I motion with my hand to hurry him along. “Stop with the suspense already. Who is it?”
He places four small red-and-gold drinking glasses on the tabletop and unstops a matching glass decanter of?uica. He pours healthy doses of the strong plum brandy.
Holding up a glass in a toast, he gives me a shit-eating grin and replies, “Starlene.”
I blink.
My belly flip flops with tumultuous anticipation at the mention of her name.
Star? The geeky girl? But Star’s the kind of nerd-girl you jack off to in the shower, imagining her puffy red lips wrapped around your cock, her long blond hair wrapped around your fist, and her somber dark eyes staring up at you with that unforgettable mixture of fear and sadness.
There’s attraction, but I wish it were only that. Since high school, I’ve made a point to stay away from her precisely because everything in my core gravitates toward her. I’ve slipped here and there, but I eventually right myself and withdraw back to safety.
Star won’t like this plan, I know that much. Not after the way I’ve treated her over the years.
Then again, she won’t be given a choice.
At a loss for words, I declare, “She’s a nerd.”
Cristo’s eyes harden. “You’d be so lucky to snag a nerd, asshole.”
Touched a nerve, did I? For an old man over thirty, I see how he flitters around that strawberry blonde Lupu geek.
Excitement lights up inside me and I shove it down. Pulling the cuff at my wrist until the cuff links are lined up just right, I reply, “Alright, whatever. Star it is.”
Cristo narrows his eyes at me, scrutinizing me.
He stands up, rounds his desk until he’s facing me, and takes hold of my shoulder. I sigh internally as his grip pulls the sleeve of my jacket, messing with the alignment of the button and cuff links.
“Don’t you dare fuck her,” he threatens, locking eyes with me. “I’m serious. I have plans for her. With the recent Bratva threats, another Lupu-Popescu alliance would be helpful right about now. She’s Tatum’s sister, which makes her close to royalty. I’m thinking of matching her up with Simon.”
Simon? That pussy?
My stomach churns, but I hide it with a grunt. “Christ, I’ve got enough women to fuck, I don’t need to stoop that low.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Marku helpfully pipes in. “If he’d wanted to fuck her, he would’ve already done it.”
“You’re an asshole, you know that,” Cristo says to me, with a shake of his head and a fond chuckle.
He releases me and I tug on my sleeve.
“Yeah, that’s what makes me your favorite cousin.” I give him a wide grin. “What’s the point of being a Popescu if you’re not an asshole?”
CHAPTER2
STAR
“Igot in,” squeals Gabby as she waves the acceptance letter high above her head.
We celebrated days ago, when she saw she’d been accepted online to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, but there’s something special about holding an honest-to-God snail mail letter in one’s hand.
“Three more months and we graduate. Free to live our best lives. After everything we’ve been through these past four years, we’ll be done. Done! No more being lorded over by our parents and teachers. Next year is our year to shine.”
Dropping to my bed, I peer out the window at the bright sun hanging in the azure sky, and harrumph. Worry for Gabby dampened my initial excitement at her acceptance.
