Three Months and You're Mine (In Too Deep) Read online

  Meredith: "I want to use you for sex. I need some experience, and I want you to teach me a few things. Please don't worry about me getting attached. I'm asking for your services and that's all. No strings attached."

  Shit balls.

  I read the text three times, trying to decide how I should respond to it. Regardless of how I felt about having casual sex with Collin's hottie of a little sister, there was absolutely no way in hell I could agree to it.

  Me: "You shouldn't tempt me like that. There's no way that would work out."

  Meredith: "Please don't say no that quick. I really put a lot of thought into this before I brought it up, and it would break my heart if you said no without even thinking about it first."

  Me: "Exactly. See, hearts are already breaking."

  Meredith: "Haha. Okay, so bad choice of words maybe. I can promise you my heart won't get broken. Can't a girl just use a guy for sex nowadays?"

  Me: "Okay, I'll make a deal with you. If you've put so much thought into this, you probably won't mind waiting a while, so if you ask me again in six months, I'll think about it."

  Meredith: "Six months?! What about two?"

  I only made the offer for six months because I knew she'd change her mind by then.

  Me: "Four months, and even then, I'm just going to think about it."

  Meredith: "Is there nothing I can say to make you want to sleep with me now? Collin said you're more of a player than Ethan. I'm starting to get offended that you're making this so difficult."

  Me: "I am a playa, make no mistake about that. Don't be offended, because you're obviously hot, but little sisters are off limits. It's guy code."

  Meredith: "Thanks, I think. And screw guy code. Collin will never know unless you tell him. Three months. Please! I'm just using you for your body."

  Me: "Three months, and at that point I'm still just thinking about it."

  Meredith: "Deal."

  I was so relieved to get out of the conversation. I told myself not to worry about it. I figured she'd forget about it by the time three months had come and gone anyway.

  One of the first things you learn in playa school is that twenty-year-old girls do not keep secrets. She could say she'd keep her mouth shut all day long, but that just wasn't going to happen. Girls talk, and that's something I just couldn't chance with her. I hoped it wouldn't ever come up again, but I was satisfied knowing I'd bought myself three months. I didn't text her back. I'd wasted almost an hour on the phone already, and I was ready to get on my motorcycle.

  Before I left, I used my phone to look at a photo of Collin's little sister on Facebook. She was a little dime piece, but I never allowed myself to take a look at her like that. She was so much younger than us, and I'd always considered her a kid. I stared at her photo thinking she didn't look much like a kid anymore.

  She wore her hair in a short, messy style that stood on end and flipped in all sorts of directions. For some reason, I felt slightly intimidated by a girl with short hair. She was extremely feminine, so that wasn't the issue. It was just that shorthaired girls made me feel a little jumpy, like they were feistier than regular girls or something. Meredith's haircut looked natural on her. It almost made her look like she had elfin features. She had these blue-gray eyes, and as I looked at the photo, I started to daydream about taking her up on the offer. Realizing what I was doing, I shook my head as if it could clear her image from my memory, then got out of the Facebook app and slid the phone into my pocket.

  After my first few big endorsement checks, I bought myself a house. It wasn't elaborate, but it was in a good neighborhood, and I was comfortable. My house was only two miles from Ethan's, and since we'd moved to the neighborhood, it wasn't at all uncommon for me to stop by there unannounced. I decided to ride by Ethan's house. He had a bike, and was easy to talk into an impromptu ride.

  Their dog, Sal, was standing at the glass door when I arrived. He was some kind of mastiff, I thought, but I wasn't sure. He let out a couple excited barks, and his tail was wagging non-stop. I knew they wouldn't mind if I walked in, but I waited for someone besides Sal to answer the door.

  I was surprised to see Collin's wife, Rachel, come around the corner. She smiled brightly when she caught sight of me, and I returned the smile even though I was slightly confused. I looked around to make sure I was indeed at Ethan's house and hadn't accidently gone to Collin's by mistake.

  "Hey, what are you doing here?" she said as she opened the door.

  "I was just about to ask you the same thing," I said.

  She reached out for a hug as I crossed the threshold. "Collin and I stopped by to check out Ethan's new toy."

  "I know, isn't it cool?" I said.

  Ethan didn't have anywhere near the endorsements Collin or I had, but he had a few, and one of them was a company that made high-end massage chairs. Ethan was the proud owner of a ten thousand dollar, commercial grade massage chair. That thing felt almost as good as human hands.

  "I came by to see if Ethan wanted to take a ride," I said, answering her previous question. "What, like just go drive around?" Rachel asked with a cock of her head.

  I smiled, and dangled my keychain in front of her. It was a little silver helmet my stepbrother got me when I got the motorcycle.

  "Oh, I forgot you guys rode those things. Please don't ever talk Collin into getting one."

  I pretended to be really confused. "You mean you don't know Collin has a—" I cut myself off like I'd said too much.

  "Zachary, don't you even try it. I know your tricks."

  I smiled and shrugged. Collin had never expressed interest in owning a bike; I just liked to ruffle Rachel's feathers.

  I was petting Sal as we entered the main room at Ethan's. Collin was in the massage chair in the corner of the room, and Ethan and Emily were huddled around a laptop.

  "I'm making them watch a YouTube video," Rachel said. That also explained why she'd been the one to answer the door.

  When the video was over, Ethan and Emily closed the laptop and looked up at me. I told them I was there to see if Ethan wanted to ride, and he immediately got up and started getting ready. I promised Emily I wouldn't keep him out long. Emily wanted Collin and Rachel to hang out longer since Ethan was leaving, but they said they had to go.

  "Collin's little sister is moving up here and we have an appointment to go check out a room she's supposed to be renting," Rachel said.

  I hesitated, not knowing whether I should say I already knew she was moving up here. For some reason, I felt like I shouldn't let on that I knew. I acted surprised.

  "Oh, that's cool," I said.

  "Yeah," Collin said, sarcastically. "I just hope she doesn't come up here and start going crazy."

  "What makes you think she'll do that?" I asked.

  "I don't know. She's quitting school to come up here and try to get acting jobs. She has no experience in acting, and I just feel like she's biting off more than she can chew. Plus, she's been partying a lot. We share some of the same friends, and word gets around."

  "I told Collin she was old enough to make those kinds of decisions," Rachel said. "Deep down he knows he can't stop her from doing what she wants to do, but he worries about her."

  "I think she's gonna do fine," Emily said, taking up for Meredith. "She hasn't found something that really makes her happy, and I'm proud of her for trying something new."

  "Me too," Rachel said.

  Both she and Emily looked at Collin as if to say he should agree with them.

  "Okay, but if my little sister gets arrested, I'm gonna tell her to call you girls to bail her out." Collin didn't mean it. He was extremely protective of his little sister, and would never be so heartless. That didn't stop him from dreading the job of sister's keeper—especially when his little sister didn't want to be kept.

  All things considered, I wasn't about to add that she'd already contacted me soliciting sex.

  Chapter 3

  Meredith

  The texts to Zack didn't
go exactly as planned, but also weren't a total bust. He agreed to teach me the ways of a master seducer, but only after a waiting period, and maybe not even then. Dang, I guess it was a total bust. At least he left room for a little hope. I considered scrapping the whole idea, but for now I was planning on trying my luck with Zack, and waiting out the three months.

  I thought about telling Zack I was a virgin as incentive, but I honestly didn't know if he would consider it a positive or a negative. I felt like most guys would enjoy the idea of deflowering a girl, but since I told him it was casual, I didn't want to scare him off with the whole virgin thing.

  I was only six days into my three-month wait period when I moved to Los Angeles. My mom was furious with me for dropping out of school, furious about the tattoo, and furious about my decision to move to L.A. Just about the only thing she wasn't upset about was my job at Paradise Island. It was television's longest running soap opera, and my mom had been a fan for decades. In fact, when I first told her I had the job, she got really excited and uncharacteristically bubbly and friendly. The friendliness died down about one minute later when she found out that I would be starting out as a production assistant, but she turned it around again when I told her they wanted to use me as an extra and I'd have the chance to audition for a starring role in the show. Okay, so I stretched the truth a little. But that brief period when I thought she was proud of me felt so good that I just couldn't make myself stop the white lie.

  In spite of me already having a job and a place to live, my mom still thought I was destined for failure. The lady wasn't known for mincing words, and she told me that she gave me two months before I was on her doorstep, begging to move back home.

  Because I'd dropped out of school in the process, she and my father decided to teach me a lesson and cut me off completely. I had a car that was paid off, but they were no longer going to help me with insurance, cell phone, or any of my other monthly expenses.

  What they didn't know was that I had more than ten thousand dollars in cash that I'd saved over the years.

  My parent's paid for everything I needed or wanted, so I'd been tucking away birthday and Christmas money since I was twelve years old. A few times, I almost spent it, but boy was I glad I hadn't. Now I had a big chunk of cash that no one knew about. I knew the money I'd saved would be plenty to at least carry me through a few months, and if all went well, it would just be a building block for my new life in Los Angeles.

  My brother, Collin, and his wife Rachel had been with me all day. They came down to San Diego to help me move even though I probably could have squeezed everything I was taking with me in my car. The room I was renting came furnished, and I was only really bringing clothes, shoes, and makeup and hair stuff, but I was still glad to have Collin and Rachel's help. Collin drove his truck and it was nice to have the extra room so I didn't have to pack strategically.

  My parents completely ignored the fact that I was moving out. They treated me as if I was going on a trip, and I'd be back in a week or so. It stung when they didn't offer to help me move, but I expected as much, so I tried not to let it get to me.

  ****

  It was my first night in my new place, and Rachel was helping me get all my things organized. A few minutes earlier, Collin had walked downstairs to talk to my new landlords. They were also my neighbors since my apartment was attached to their home. The room I was renting from them was just that—a room. It was tiny, but it had a bathroom with a shower and a corner of the room was the designated kitchen area. It had a two-burner coil stove that would have mortified my mother. It was definitely only meant for one person, (maybe even better suited for a single guy) but it was clean, and would do fine.

  There was a set of stairs on the side of the house that led up to my door, and my brother was downstairs talking to the landlords about the motion light on my side of the house and why it wasn't coming on. I should have been embarrassed that my big brother was playing dad, but I sort of liked that he was so protective of me. Besides, the couple I was renting from was really nice, and they'd already said they were big fans of Collin's. Everyone was a fan of my brother. He was the most popular Olympic athlete last year, and people always got really excited to meet him. I was constantly dropping his name, and people got all gleamy-eyed and nostalgic when they found out he was my brother. It was like a golden ticket.

  Anyway, Collin would have no problems asking for a new bulb for my light. In fact, they'd probably apologize profusely for the inconvenience. They were a really cool couple that was friends with my new boss, and I felt entirely safe and secure at their house. I was terrible at guessing ages, but I assumed they were my parents' age since they had a daughter who was about my age.

  "Where do you want this?" Rachel asked. She held up a fabric box with a lid that contained my brushes and blow dryer.

  "If you can't find a spot in the bathroom, then it'll have to go in the closet, I guess."

  "I thought so, I just wanted to ask. There's not enough room in the bathroom, I already tried."

  "I know it's small," I said, almost apologetically, "but it's my first place, and I like it."

  A sweet expression flashed across Rachel's face. "Oh, I love it. I think it's perfect for you. I lived in a much smaller place when I was in college."

  "I'm just trying to be smart with my money, and I knew I'd be able to afford it with my job at the show. Hopefully, I'll get a job acting on the show and I won't have to worry about things like how much rent costs."

  Rachel laughed. "Everybody worries about how much rent costs, and I think you're smart for getting something small like this. The neighborhood's great, and that family seems really nice."

  "I know," I said. "I'm excited about everything."

  Rachel regarded me with a sincere expression. "I hope you know you can call on Collin and me to help you out if you ever need it, Mere. You know you only need to ask."

  "I know," I said, giving her a reassuring smile. "I really do know that. I think I can make it on the budget I'll have from the show, but I have a little cash put back just in case. Thanks for saying that though. It's nice to know my bubba's got my back."

  Rachel had a great job at some big advertising firm, and Collin hit it big with endorsements after the Olympics. They were freaking loaded, and I knew they wouldn't think twice about helping me out if I needed it.

  Maybe it was just to spite my mother, but I really wanted to make it on my own, and I was just the type of girl who was stubborn enough to do it.

  "Seriously, though, Mere," Rachel said. "I'm not just talking about money. If you ever need anything let us know. If you're sick and need soup, or just want to come over to say hi—we're right around the corner."

  I breathed an internal sigh of relief at the level of warm, fuzziness this girl somehow gave me. It was so comforting to know I wasn't alone in this town.

  The door opened, and Rachel and I looked up to see my brother standing there with a triumphant grin. "They're so nice," he said. "That makes me feel better."

  "You don't have to worry about me brother."

  "I don’t think there's anything you can say to keep him from worrying about you," Rachel said, "but we're really glad you're here. I know you'll do great."

  I smiled at my sister-in-law. She was just the sweetest thing.

  She was smiling back at me, but suddenly her expression changed, she looked slightly confused for a second before remembering something. "I can't believe you were about to let me walk out of this house without talking to Meredith about her birthday." She shoved playfully at Collin who gave her an innocent look.

  "How was I supposed to know what you two talked about?" He asked, shrugging.

  "I don't know, can't you read minds?" she asked smiling. She looked at me. "I just can't believe we were about to leave and I hadn't even talked to you about the party yet."

  "What party?"

  "Exactly," Rachel said. "We should have been discussing this long before now. You have a birthday coming up,
and we have to plan something. It's actually another one of our friend's birthday. You remember Zack, don't you?"

  I was slightly offended. I gave an expression that said as much. "Yeah, I remember Zack. I've been knowing him for years." I hesitated, but couldn't stop myself from continuing. "I've actually been in touch with Zack recently. You know, letting him know I was moving up here and everything."

  "Wait, who'd you talk to?" Collin asked. Obviously he hadn't been paying attention to what I was saying until he heard me say Zack's name.

  "Zack," I said.

  I left it at that.

  He narrowed his eyes at me, and cocked his head "Since when do you talk to Zack?" Collin asked.

  "I don't really talk to him, present tense. I just talked to him once. I'm just trying to make friends, Collin. You can't blame me for that."

  "No, but he's not the type of friend I want you making, Meredith."

  I huffed out a laugh. "Oh that's classic, Collin. You're friends with him, but you're telling me I can't be?"

  "Don't try to act like you don't know the difference between me being friends with Zack, and you being friends with Zack."

  "Rachel gets to be friends with Zack. Does she go around sucking his cock?"

  "You watch your mouth, young lady!" Collin's voice was so stern that I physically flinched.

  "God, Collin, you scared me. Chill out. I was just joking. I'm just saying it's ridiculous that I can't be friends with Zack. He's one of the few people I know who isn't married or engaged or otherwise preoccupied."

  "I vote for letting the pieces fall where they might," Rachel said.

  "Just so some pieces fall on me," I said. I grabbed my crotch with one hand and my head with the other and bumped and grinded for a few seconds like I was in the club. I only did it because it was so fun to watch Rachel try to keep the peace when my brother wanted to strangle me.

  It worked. My brother closed his eyes like he was praying for patience. He took a deep breath. "Meredith, you're making me extremely nervous here. I can't handle you moving up here and going all Miley Cyrus on me. Please tell me you're not gonna make me have to shoot one of my best friends, because I'm telling you right now, I will."