Snow Job by Tara Wyatt (best large ereader .txt) 📗

from his pocket, ripping him from his filthy fantasies about Kayla. He blew out a breath when he saw his brother’s name on the screen.

“Hey, Theo. What’s up?”

“Whatever the fuck it is you’re doing to Kayla, you need to stop. Now.”

He froze. “How…what?”

“In case you forgot, she’s close with Lauren. I’ve been hearing all about your immature little pranks. What the hell, man?”

“In case you forgot, she’s responsible for getting me fired.” Even though it was his first line of defense, he realized that he didn’t actually believe that. Not anymore. But she’d crossed a line when she’d gone to Patrick and insinuated he shouldn’t be working here, either.

Theo laughed. The asshole actually laughed. “No, she’s not. That’s on you and your trainwreck of a life. So just leave her alone, man. She’s really upset.”

“She is?” Sebastian scrubbed a hand over his face, suddenly feeling like crap. He’d wanted to piss her off. He’d wanted to get her in shit with Stammler. Not…not hurt her.

“Yeah. So grow the fuck up, man. Enough.” Theo sighed and Sebastian could picture him shoving a hand through his hair. “You know, if you’d just stop and think about what you’re doing for like two fucking minutes before plunging ahead, you’d probably avoid a lot of trouble.”

“I know. Shit. I know.” Guilt sat like a rock on his chest and right then, it dawned on him. It wasn’t that she’d gotten him fired. It was that he felt betrayed. She’d always been one of his favorite people at work, and he’d always tried to treat her well. Granted, his performance at work hadn’t been stellar, but instead of coming to him for help when she was in over her head, she’d gone behind his back. He thought he’d deserved better than that, but she’d shown him otherwise. She’d shown him that even the people he liked didn’t like him. That he wasn’t worth the simple courtesy and respect he would’ve given her if the tables had been turned. And hearing her talk to Patrick had dredged up those feelings of betrayal all over again.

He wasn’t over it, if the ache blossoming across his chest was any indication.

He’d liked her. Cared about her. Most definitely had a crush on her and some very unprofessional feelings for her. And she’d stabbed him in the back, like he was nothing. Because he was nothing to her.

Which, given the asshole that he was and the colossal mess he’d managed to make of his life, was fair. Shitty, but fair.

“You need to just let this go, man. Find a better way to work through whatever it is that you’re working through.” Theo’s voice dropped a little lower. “You’re doing so well, Bastian. I’m proud of you. Don’t let this derail you, okay?”

Sebastian blew out a breath. “Okay. Yeah. You’re right. You’re right. I got caught up, and…Okay. I’ll leave her alone.”

“Good. Lauren will be happy to hear it, and when Lauren’s happy, I’m happy. Take care of yourself, okay? Talk soon?”

“Yeah. Take care, man.”

He slipped his phone back in his pocket and turned to Bodhi, who was holding a neon blue vibrating cock ring. “Change of plans. We’re not doing this.”

“We’re not?” Bodhi scratched his head. “But I thought you wanted to mess with her for ruining your life?”

“Yeah, well. I changed my mind. Two wrongs don’t make a right, or whatever.” He handed Bodhi one of the nearly empty sex shop bags. “Start putting the stuff back in here.”

Bodhi took the bag and then tilted his head. “Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what we need to know.”

“Wow. That’s deep, man.”

“It’s Pema Chodron.”

“What’s Pema Chodron?” asked Sebastian, scooping up a handful of strawberry cheesecake flavored lube samples and dumping them back into his bag.

Bodhi grinned. “Not what. Who. She’s this super cool Buddhist nun. She’s got all kinds of insight about kindness, facing your fears, getting through tough times. It’s good shit. You should read her books.”

“Cool. Maybe I will.” He slipped a vibrator disguised as a lipstick back in the bag, turning Bodhi’s—or rather Pema Chodron’s—words over in his mind. Maybe Kayla was back in his life for a reason. Maybe this was a chance for him to actually learn and grow.

Fuck. As usual, he’d been focused on all the wrong things. He’d gotten caught up in stupid antics so easily that it scared him a little. He still didn’t have the best handle on his impulses, apparently.

But he wanted to do better. To be better. And more than that, he wanted Kayla to see him differently. He’d wanted so desperately for her to just see him, period, but what did he want her to see?

He didn’t know. Because the old Sebastian was a fucked-up asshole, so he didn’t want her to see him. He was trying to be someone new. Someone better, but he didn’t know who that was yet. He was still figuring it out.

All he knew was that he wanted her to see him. He didn’t know why, but it felt like the first thing that had mattered—truly mattered—in a long time.

8

“Kayla!

The sound of her name being shouted in an aggravated tone brought her up short as she crossed from one side of the dining room to the other. The dinner was underway, and Stammler was happy now that everyone had seen his video. She’d made a copy of it and put it on a USB stick that she’d kept with her all day just to make sure a certain infuriating Prescott couldn’t get his stupidly sexy mitts on it and do something to it. Knowing his level of maturity, he’d likely broadcast some kind of gross porn to the entire resort or something. Hopefully Theo had gotten through to him.

She turned, looking for whoever had called her name when Davis came striding up to her, impatience written all over his face. “Don’t you know that I’m allergic to eggs?”

“Um…” She pulled her tablet out and quickly navigated to the dietary