Page 105 of Voracious

“Fuck them both. You’re a handsome guy, rich and you have a big cock. You can get whoever you want.” He swoops the cigarette from between my lips and tosses it out the window. “Spark that joint – I threw the other one away to be dramatic.”

My friend is a dick, but he has his own way of being caring. Maybe, ifLuciellaever gets her head out of her ass, he’d make a good, loyal replacement for the brother I thought I had.

Base starts the car, and it vibrates around me. We drive to his family’s American estate and wait to be transferred to their private hangar. The entire flight home, Base drinks straight vodka and sleeps, and I scroll through pictures and videos, skimming social media.

My heart begins to race as I click onTylar’s account and find a sixteen-second clip of her recording Stacey while they’re at a fairground withTylar’s niece and nephew. My ex is giggling as she chews on some candy floss, holding the little girl’s hand. She presses her palm to the camera when her friend zooms in.

I watch it far too many times.

My eyes burn yet again, so I distract myself by staring out the window at the darkness and chewing a gash into my lip.

The need to talk to her is fucking pissing me off. I spoke to Stacey every single day for a year. I had her. I loved her and thought she loved me, but it was all a lie.

Our relationship was a fucking lie.

“Can you do me afavour?” Base asks as we descend the jet steps onto the tarmac. His family has a car waiting for us, and one of the drivers opens the door with a greeting toSebastian.

“Sure,” I say.

“Don’t tellLuciellaI took all those drugs. She keeps getting at me about doing coke, but she’d lose it if she knew I took ecstasy and acid.”

“So you want me to lie to my sister?”

“Pretty much. In turn, I won’t tell her you did them too.”

Prick. “You do know that you two aren’t together? You can do whatever the fuck you want.”

“Would you want the girl you loved to know how much of a fuck-up you are?”

I stay silent.

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Blin,izvini.”

We get into the car and I arch a brow at his Russian.

He switches back to English.“Sorry. Forget I said anything. I’ll have the driver swing by and drop you off at your place.”

“Fine. I won’t tellLuciella. Your dirty secrets are safe with me.”

“Maybe don’t mention all the sex either. I think my dick was sucked dry.”

“Now you’re pushing it.”

He laughs deeply and smiles out the window. “Just living up to life’s expectations for me. I am the family screw-up after all.”

The car moves, and it takes an hour to reach our town. It’s small, but all the houses are huge and spaced apart.

When we pass the studio, an idiotic, impulsive part of me speaks. “Let me off here. I can walk the rest.”

Base looks confused. “You don’t live near here?”

I raise a shoulder. “It’s fine. I could use the breather.”

Base instructs his driver, and they pull in a few streets from the studio. I grab my suitcase and lean down to the window. “You’re not the family screw-up,” I say. “Don’t talk down to yourself.”

He nods – I can see how much he doesn’t believe me. “Shoot me a text once you get in.”

I tap the top of the car. “Right.”

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