Chapter 10

DEMI

I smiled when I felt the dip in the bed. Seconds later, his manly smell engulfed me. The heat from his body caressed my back. Draping his arm across my body, he pulled me closer to his naked chest. Smiling, I turned to stare into his cobalt blue eyes. My fingers streaked over the angles of his pretty face, traced his biceps. With a mischievous smile, he slipped off the thins straps of my night shirt and pulled it all the way down. Then he proceeded to cup my breasts. They weighed gloriously in his palms. A soft moan escaped my quivering lips when his tongue fastened on my hardened nipples, sucking. My body raged with unbridled passion.

"Ash" I moaned, shuddering with delight.

His nibbled my ear and nuzzled my pulsating throat. "SAY MY NAME."

'Ash."

His eyes were dark and feral when he looked at me. In a flash, he vaulted my hips, splayed my legs apart and positioned himself between my wet center. His lips brushed teasingly over my lips, fogging my brain.

"SAY MY FULL NAME."

Twining my arms around his neck, I stared into the gorgeous face of the man who was numbing my senses. 

"I…"

Why couldn't I recall? Which brother was on top of me right now?

A bright light suddenly washes into the dim room. I squint awake at the sound of hurried movement. Ashely is standing by the window, fiddling with the remote as he watches the curtains parting. His face is bland when he glances at me.

"What are you doing? It's barely 7am." Why is he in my room anyway?

"Ha. I'm impressed you know the time. Care to rejoin society?" He tosses the remote aside. I pull the duvet over my head and try to go back to sleep but suddenly, it is wrenched from my grasp. I stare wide-eyed at Ashely who also tosses the duvet to the floor and stands with hands in his pocket.

"Breakfast. Downstairs. Ten minutes," He reels out curtly.

I can't believe how rude he is being right now. He has barely comforted me since the whole spinsters in Danvarr have been trolling me online for two days now. I guess he is enjoying the attention he and Nicola have been getting. I throw a pillow at him and grit my teeth when I miss.

"Get out of my room Ashely."

He turns to me after catching the pillow. His outfit looks hurriedly put together and visibly lacks his usual 'extra' touch. How am I even noticing this while my head is steaming with anger over his blatant rudeness.

To my utter shock, he throws the pillow back at me.

"It's Ashton by the way."

My cheeks go red and I immediately cross my arms around my chest. Ashton sneers at my misplaced sense of dignity. I guess we are thinking the same thing right now. Why is it okay for Ashely to see me in my sheer nightdress when our marriage isn't even real? His guess is as good as mine. Yet, I continue to cover myself.

"Ten minutes, Branson. Don't keep the family waiting.". He strides off and shuts the door behind him. I bury my face in my hands and muffle a scream. Why the hell did he come to wake me?

In seven minutes, I am done freshening up and join the family in the dining room for breakfast. The brothers are all seated. As far as their fashion sense is concerned, they're as different as day and night. Asher seldom strays from his bespoke suit and tie. Ashton is in a long-term relationship with leather jackets and pants. Black seems to be the only color that appeals to him. With Ashely, even his casual wears have to be artfully styled. He can't help himself. Ashal pulls off all types of looks and if his facial features aren't constantly marred by a look of depression, I would have a hard time telling which brother he is.

I shuffle to the empty chair next to Ashely and sit down. Mr. Rollins barely spares me a glance when I say a greeting. Mrs. Rollins fixes my plate with motherly affection.

"Glad you could join us again, Demi." She says with a smile.

"Thank you, mother." The men at the table quirk a brow at my direction. Mother smiles and winks at me. Mr. Rollins let's his mouth curve in a petulant air.

"Demi, I believe you've had enough time wetting your pillow over the lousy comments made about you online. I'll have you know that such weakness is not expected of a member of this household and would not be tolerated in the future. In this family, we don't hide from our problems; we tackle them as best as we can."

I swallow hard. "I understand, Mr. Rollins."

His face remains set as a rock as he returns to his meal.

"Demi dear, you have nothing to worry about. It will all blow over soon and something else will take their attention off you. In the meantime, you're going to need a makeover. Ashely has everything sorted out."

Ashely gives a half shrug when I look at him. We continue breakfast. When I steal glances at the brothers, I can't help but sense some kind of tension between them. What did I miss? I wonder.

Ashal picks his food with a disinterested look on his face. Asher has an iPad in his face, watching the stock market reports while his food is mostly untouched. With deft strokes on his iPad, he pulls up accounts and studies them. Ashely eats at a normal pace, only that his phone endlessly vibrates. When he glances at the caller, he ignores it and sets it down on the table. I hate the quick tug of jealousy I feel just thinking Nicola is on the other end of the line. Is he refusing her call because I am right next to him?

My eyes meet Ashton's. He is one brother I suspect I will have a hard time figuring out. Little flicks of fear always twine my gut whenever I meet the cold pools of his eyes. His eyes, they usually look at me in a way that makes my skin tingle with fear and my thigh muscles sing with lust at the same time. I avert my gaze from Ashton only to find Mr. Rollins quietly watching me with a suspicious glint in his eyes. I dip my eyes to my omelet and try to focus on polishing off my plate.

After breakfast, I follow Ashely to his car.

"Is that what you're wearing to work?" He asks, giving my cropped white shirt, jeans and sneakers a onceover.

"What? Oh" I am glad he wants me to work with him but I don't think I am up for it anymore. "Right. I-I wanted to talk to you about that."

He scowls impatiently at me and takes off his amber tinted glasses. Silver winks along the shell of his ear as he inclines his head. "About what?"

I wring my hands nervously as I collect my thoughts. "I-I am incredibly grateful for your consideration but I don't think I can cope in the fashion business. I know next to nothing about fashion icons or styling. I think it will be a lot of pressure trying to measure up to the standard your company is known for."

Ashely's lips remained pursed. He slams his car door shut and comes around to the front steps where I am standing. We are toe to toe now. He removes his glasses and those powerful blue eyes make my insides go mush.

"Is this really about your competence or about the incident that happened days ago?

"Both?"

"Look Demi, I know I haven't said it enough but I am sorry you had to go through that. Being bashed online is almost a norm around here. We make the news for ugly reasons more often than good ones. My family has grown numb to online trolling. I was genuinely surprised you shut everyone out to deal with it yourself. I kept my distance to let you process things the way you saw fit. I am sorry if you mistook my reaction for indifference because we are from different economic brackets."

"You don't owe me any apologies."

He smiles softly. "Contract marriage or not, I believe I do. My fans had no right comparing you to my ex." He sighs. "Nicola and I are through. Our relationship is strictly professional now; I design clothes and she models for me."

You can hire any supermodel of your choice. Why does it have to be your ex? I query him in my mind but say nothing.

"Again, Ash, no apologies necessary." I turn to leave when he utters some shocking words.

"Say my name."

Faint images of my sexual dream cause a deep blush to seep into my cheeks.

"What?" I face him, ignoring a quick flare of heat between my thighs.

"Say my full name, Ashely. There are three other guys that go by Ash around here and you can't tell them apart. You wouldn't like the awkwardness of name clashes, trust me."

I inhale deeply. "Thank you, Ashely."

He replaces his glasses. "Better." I watch him head for his car. "I guess working with me is off the table. The wardrobe makeover is still on though. There's no getting out of that one." He jumps in, ignites the engine and zooms off.

It amazes me how the quads all drive cars that resonate with their personalities. Asher who exudes class and power rides a G-Wagon. Ashely is more fixated on the beauty of a car than it's features so he is prone to change his cars or their colors once he gets bored of them. Ashal rides a simple, white Mercedes. The car is slightly old but Ashal isn't interested in getting a new one anytime soon. Ashton only drives fast cars as can be deduced from his Bugatti Chiron, McLaren and Porsche collection. He is obsessed with speed. I sometimes wonder if it's just the way he is or because he runs the automobile subsidiary of the Rollins Group. He literally tests and sells cars for a living, especially fast cars.

Feeling sick of the mansion, I have a bodyguard take me to Soul Foods as recommended by mother. I text Anna to meet me there. It's only been a few days away from home as I know it but I feel really nostalgic. When she arrives, we hug tightly before making our orders.

"How are you feeling?"

"I still feel like crap. I mean, I thought I was tough but reading those hateful comments did a number on me."

"You're human after all." Anna sets her drink down. "How is life in the mansion? Are you under surveillance all the time? Does anyone suspect you?" Her eyes survey the restaurant as she leans forward conspiratorially. "Have you been in touch with Mr. S?"

My eyes flit across the room too. We can't afford to be heard. "We text mostly at night. He is rather impatient. He keeps forgetting I came up with this whole plan in the first place." I rub a hand over my eyes. "He's not my boss and doesn't get to call the shots."

"You haven't given him much to write about on Billion-Err. You can't let him think you can't be trusted." Anna whispers concernedly.

"Can't be trusted? This is MY revenge game for MY late parents. He's just some silly rival of the Rollins Group who wants to knock them off from the top. My life is riding on this and he dares suspect me?" I can't believe it. "I haven't even been in that house for up to a month. Does he expect me to go sniffing around for information despite the cameras in every damn corner?" I suck in a breath. "Mr. Rollins suspects me. Ashton and Asher too. If I am not careful in playing the 'innocent, weak and naïve' card, they could catch on pretty fast and everything will be over."

Anna reaches forward to squeeze my hand. "Take a deep breath. You've come this far all by dint of your hard work. If anyone can pull this off, it's you, Demi. Nobody ever suspects a face like yours."

We chuckle. I look adoringly at my best friend. "Thank you, Anna. I couldn't have done it without you. Blue Cove was a vital part of my plan. If you hadn't managed to sneak me in or spike one of the quads' drinks, I wouldn't be here."

I mean every word. Anna doesn't say it but she has money problems. Her mum and kid brother are dependent on her for their livelihood. The club is her major source of income but it rarely covers her family's expenses. It had taken a lot to convince her to risk her job by sneaking me into the club and getting me in the VVIP session where the quads loved to hang out.

On that fateful evening, one of the Rollins sons was having a low day. Anna had quickly informed me. I knew Iman was cheating on me every time my back was turned. That night, I called ahead to inform him I wouldn't be coming over just so he would invite his side pieces to his apartment. True to form, he did. I needed a reason to drink, or at least pretend to consume alcohol. The rest, as they say, is history.

I dig into my purse and pass Anna some money in an envelope. "I'll get you some more as time goes on." Her eyes go blurry with tears.

"You know I would do this for free if I wasn't neck-deep in debt."

"I know."

We share a warm smile as we dive back into our meals. Half-way through, my phone buzzes.

"Is it Mr. S?" Anna asks. Her smile wanes at the worry etched on my face. "Who is it, Demi?"

"Someone's been blackmailing me. They claim to know everything that transpired that night at the club."

"Impossible. How could they? No one saw us. I was extra careful."

"I don't know. This person knows I wasn't drunk that night. If they haven't spilled anything by now, I'm guessing they're doing this for money."

"What does the message say?" Anna asks worriedly. I pass my phone to her to read the text.

[You're not the first daughter-in-law of the Rollins family, I AM. Welcome to hell, Sis-O.D]