1
Serena
A few weeks had passed since the Sunday lunch where I’d declared my feelings for Smith, Jayden, Carter, and Flynn. We’d moved straight into the house Smith’s father had given us at Carbon Beach. Interior designers had been employed to help us remodel the house to suit our new life together and so at times the house could be noisy with busy workmen. I was still trying to get my head around having four vampire boyfriends; and my discovery that my mom was a succubus, therefore making me part-succubus. Add into the mix the human part of me being exhausted with all the sexy times with my lovers, and well, let's just say I could have used a rather large lie-in.
But it wasn’t happening today because instead this was the day that Leonie had finally agreed to meet with myself and Smith. When I’d first called her a couple days after the lunch at Flynn’s house, she had refused to meet with us, saying she’d come to Revealed magazine anonymously and that’s how she wanted it to stay. When the news broke about my relationship with the four of them she’d called me back, saying my explanation and theirs had better be good.
She was pissed, and I totally got why.
Leonie had approached the gossip magazine I previously worked for, having been humiliated by the four men known as the Filthy Rich and Playboys—The FRAP boys. It had been my job to travel from my home in New York to Carbon Beach in Malibu to expose the playboys in all their insufferable glory. But that hadn’t happened. Not only did the men have reasons for their actions, I’d fallen in love with them and the feeling had been mutual. Now the five of us had agreed to give things a go and move in together.
After past relationship difficulties, the men—who were more like brothers due to their upbringing—had decided to focus on finding one woman to satisfy them all, and that had turned out to be me. It had also transpired that my boss was actually Smith’s mother…
Now you could see why Leonie wasn’t wishing me her best.
I walked around to the garage underneath the house where Smith was waiting for me in his red Porsche.
“Do we really have to do this?” He pouted as I slipped into the passenger seat.
I wanted to say no and take him back in the house and to bed because he sat there, his white shirt partly undone revealing his golden tanned torso, like he was cookies and cream and I was starving. His platinum blond hair had been cut short to his head, inviting fingers to brush over it—my fingers. His gorgeous eyes were hidden behind his mirrored aviators and I felt that was the only thing stopping me from dragging him from the car. That and his vampire strength although it would appear he probably wouldn’t have protested much…
“Yes, we do have to do it. Your behavior was appalling toward her and mine hasn’t been any better. We both need to suck it up and apologize and then make reparation because two thousand dollars doesn’t cut it. She’s been working as a housekeeper in Bel Air. She needs a home, money, and love. You can provide the home and money and I’m going to find her someone who will genuinely love her. It’s my goal. That’s if she doesn’t throw drinks in our faces and tell us to go fuck ourselves.”
“Why do we have to do all that? Why can’t I just apologize and walk out of there?”
I sighed. “Look, Smith. Since I’ve worked at Revealed I’ve reveled in exposing people’s darkest dirtiest secrets and then you happened. You, Carter, Flynn, and Jayden. Now whose private life looks the dirtiest? And what with finding out I have supernatural blood in my veins, well, I’m feeling like I need to right a few wrongs. We both wronged Leonie—I didn’t get her the revenge she wanted, or even the feeling that you’d learned from your mistakes. Instead, after listening to the gossip out there, she must feel I double-crossed her. We’re lucky she’s agreed to meet with us and hasn’t gone to another gossip magazine.”
Smith placed his hands on the steering wheel. “Okay, so where are we meeting her then?”
He drove, eventually reaching our final destination of Chantilly Road; drawing up in front of a contemporary Mediterranean style property. The house had a broad frontage and was nestled against beautiful canyon views.
Smith lifted his glasses up and turned to me. “Nice looking home, small though.”
I rolled my eyes at him as he winked. “We can’t all have billionaire fathers and three-story homes on Billionaires Beach.”
“Carbon Beach.” He corrected me.
“Whatever.”
“You’re going to be punished for that mouth later, lover.” He said huskily and a frisson of excitement shot through me. I exited the car and walked up to the front entrance of the property, pushing the doorbell.
After a minute or so where I had to stop myself from hyperventilating through nerves, the door opened and Leonie stood at the other side. She looked the same as she had when I’d first met her a few weeks ago in Carbon Beach-nervous.
“Come in.” She gestured inside. I noted that she hadn’t glanced at Smith once but had kept her gaze firmly fastened on my own.
As we followed her through the double doors, Smith pinched my ass cheek. I shot him a warning look, but he just smirked and made an ‘I’m innocent’ face. The door led straight into a vast lounge with varnished floors. In the middle of the room were two cream leather couches and Leonie turned to me. “Take a seat on either couch. Would you like something to drink?”
“Could I have a water please?” I asked. “How about you, Smith?”
“A soda if you have it.” He replied, and that was the first time Leonie looked at him. She stared at him for a moment before adding. “Well, I’ll be back shortly.”
“Is it me or is this more painful than having a back, sack, and crack?” Smith raised an eyebrow.