I'd been raised in that same world as Alyssa, with familial expectations I hadn't adhered to. I'd bucked convention after my father died and my mother expected me to take a position in the family's legal consulting firm
working with my uncle.
Instead, I'd chosen to make my own way and go into real estate as an investor and a broker. Cassandra Kane had been
mortified, pissed even that I wasn't upholding the family tradition, but now
That I was a partner at Manhattan Prestige Realty and owned a multitude of properties and buildings, and was undoubtedly even richer than my uncle, my mother had finally, begrudgingly, accepted my choice of career.
A mother who wasn't here tonight to celebrate Raven's birthday because Raven had cut Cassandra out of her life when she'd chosen her psychotic son—my fucking twin brother—over her adopted daughter. It was difficult for me to even maintain a civil relationship with my mother, but I did it for
Owen, because he deserved to have both sets of grandparents in his life.
Sitting by one of the firepits by myself and sipping my last bourbon of the night, I considered the woman who consumed too much of my thoughts.
Maybe if so much of my life wasn't in upheaval, I would have asked Stevie
out on a date. But I had an ex-wife just waiting for the chance to skew anything to her advantage during our ongoing custody battle for Owen.
And then there was my mother, who commiserated and sided with Alyssa and
tried to make me feel guilty for divorcing her. But I had zero regrets about ending our marriage, and no matter how much Alyssa wanted a reconciliation—and was using custody of Owen to persuade me to give her
another chance—it wasn't going to happen.
On top of all that emotional turmoil, I was still dealing with the fact that Lance, my shitty deranged twin, was serving a very long sentence in prison for his assault on Raven, violating parole, and racking up federal charges for calling in a bomb threat.
Some days it felt like I was just trying to pick
put the pieces of my life back together and keep them glued together.
My sole focus right now was Owen and keeping Alyssa from finding a way to gain full custody. That in itself was a challenge, considering I knew she'd grasp any opportunity to make that happen, just to spite me for divorcing her, even if my reasons for doing so had been legitimate.
Dealing with her was exhausting, but all I cared about was making sure my son had
Some kind of stability in his life, and he didn't feel torn between two parents, even if Alyssa didn't give a damn about any of that.
Stevie's unfettered laughter drew my attention back to her, the sound calming and distracting me, in a good way. I shoved all those troubling personal thoughts to the back of my mind and watched as she danced with friends and had a good time.
Sitting off on my own, I allowed myself to
appreciate the bounce of her breasts as she shimmied her shoulders and the provocative way she shook her ass to the beat of the music.
Every once in a while, she glanced my way, and I couldn't help but wonder if she was deliberately teasing and tempting me.
I was most definitely tempted, because those initial thoughts drifted to much dirtier territory as I imagined Stevie completely naked, straddling my hips as we fucked, those full, firm tits jiggling as she bounced
enthusiastically on my cock.
It wasn't the first time she'd starred in my illicit fantasies, and my neglected dick was completely on board with the idea, thickening in my slacks as another forbidden vision played through my mind, of pounding
into her from behind, her silky hair wrapped tight around my fist.
My fingers twitched as I envisioned pulling her head back and holding her in
place as I drove deep into her pussy, her soft ass cushioning my driving thrusts as she moaned my name…
"Tell me you're having a good time." The sound of Raven's voice over the music jolted me out of my depraved thoughts like a scratch on a vinyl record. My heart slammed hard in my chest.
Jesus Christ.
I hadn't even seen her approach or leave the
dance floor, but then again, my gaze, my entire attention, had been riveted on Stevie, and my brain had been in the fucking gutter.
I cleared my throat as Raven plopped down onto the chair next to where I was sitting, the skirt of her champagne-colored dress settling over her legs.
I tried to put the pieces of what she'd just said to me together, and failed. I didn't have a fucking clue what she'd asked me.
"What was that?" I asked in a casual tone. "I was distracted and didn't hear you."
"Clearly," she said with a little smirk on her lips, which made me wonder if she'd seen me ogling Stevie.
"I said, tell me you're having a good
time at my party."
"I'm having a good time at your party," I parroted. She rolled her eyes, not amused. "And mean it, I do mean it," I said more genuinely, and finished off the bourbon in
My glass.
Skepticism etched her pretty features and flickered in her green eyes. "You'd have a better time if you did something enjoyable for yourself for a change."
I arched a brow. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, even though I had a fair idea of where this conversation was heading.
"It means you focus on everything else to the exclusion of your own life, like work and Owen. Me, even."
I set my glass on the table beside me and smiled at her. "Those things are my life."
Her lips pursed, showing me that determined side to her personality.
"And I'm here to tell you, from personal experience, it's not enough."