6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Sage

I hand Sire a champagne glass, and he looks between me and the glass, raising a questioning brow.

"Apple juice," I whisper before showing him mine with the same liquid, and he laughs before taking the glass.

"Thanks, Sage." He smiles down at me, and I pull him in for a side hug.

"You sure you're fine with everyone drinking?" I keep my voice hushed as I look up at him. "Because I'll get rid of the bottles and–"

"It's okay." He kisses the top of my head, and I nod to myself before deciding to trust him.

Sire is a few months away from making a year sober from alcohol. He's been sober from narcotics for a while, but he's been having a hard time with this goal the last few years; it's really important to our family that he makes it.

Most of the girls have a glass of wine or champagne since I'm hosting a small watch party of Hollywood's It Girl. They're announcing the winner of our contest, so all of my friends came over today to watch.

The vote is open to everyone around the world. While we could have asked Florence who won, it's more fun to sit around the TV and have it announced to us. We could also use the break after the past few weeks of stress.

"You need to try this." August pushes his burger into my field of vision, blocking me from the screen. I quickly turn my face away, using a hand to get him to back up.

"No, thank you." I glance down at his plate, stacked with all the food we ordered. I looked at the menu before they ordered, and everything on his plate had an insane amount of calories. I have no clue how August is unbelievably fit. My stomach grumbles quietly as I look between his onion rings and cheese fries, but I had a big breakfast, and I'm certainly not going to eat any of this greasy food if it means gaining a single pound.

"No, trust me, it's so good." He holds his plate out to me, but I take a small step back.

"Eat some for me, I'm not hungry." I smile up at him and a crease grows in his brows.

"Are you okay?" He keeps his voice soft as his green eyes look between my identical ones in concern, and I hate this twin telepathy thing sometimes.

"Yeah." I force a smile, and Royal grabs me before he can question me, but I still feel his worried eyes on me.

"It's starting!" Royal yells to the room as she pulls me onto the couch with everyone, and we all quiet down as we zone in on the TV. They show all of our pictures and videos, and the girl's reactions to each other's projects are the best part of this.

"Well, I fucking lost." Macey sinks in her seat as they show Stel's pictures.

"We can't all be winners." She taps her leg. "Better luck next time." They tease each other on my couch, and I laugh before turning back to the TV.

"Holy shit, Sage!" Royal praises as my video plays, and I'm genuinely shocked everything came out as good as it did, considering the amount of hiccups and changes. I look over at my group of baby models, and they record themselves proudly on TV before quietly squealing with each other. I bite back a laugh and snag a picture of their excitement. I invited everyone who was a part of my photo shoot, and some of the boys were able to make it, but Jordan, Moon, and Liam were busy, which kind of sucks since they helped the most, but I don't let it disappoint me too much.

When they show Quinn's section, everyone gasps before clapping for her. All of her models were other girls who have vitiligo and they all look gorgeous. "Quinn, this is beautiful!" I turn to look at her, and she wipes her tears away as she smiles over at me.

"You have no idea how hard that was." Her voice slightly breaks, and I, along with the rest of The Core Eight, get up to hug her.

"Talk about the biggest fuck you to your ex," Coral exclaims before she hugs her best friend again, and we all let out a laugh.

" Like always, let's start from least voted to most!"

Everyone is holding their breath as they start eliminating each of us. I wish they'd just share who the top two were rather than showing who essentially got last place, but whatever.

Macey, Helena, Coral, Royal, and Quinn get knocked out in that order, and while most of them are bummed, Quinn is ecstatic that she placed top five.

" In third, we have… Stellamae!"

The room cheers for her, although she sinks in her seat.

"We can't all be winners." Macey taps her leg. "Better luck–"

" Mace ." She warns as she shoves her hand away, and Coral and Quinn laugh at them before sharing a look. We think they're hooking up, but we're waiting for them to come out to us.

" In second, we have… Sage Loana! "

I shoot up from my seat with a scream before pulling Nin to her feet. "OMG! YAY! YOU WON!" I shake her arm, and she pulls me in for a hug as they announce her as the winner.

Everyone congratulates her, and while she'd normally hate the attention, her empty wine glass is to thank for her boldness tonight. She struts to the TV and bows with a pretty smile. "Thank you, thank you." She flips her hair a few times before pretending to blush as we applaud her, and as she makes it back to the couch, I pull her in for another hug.

"Congrats, babe," I whisper before kissing her cheek. "I still can't get over how perfectly you were able to imitate the moonlight."

Everyone's piece was great, but I'm so happy Nin won. She added handmade traditional Thai outfits, and with her lake setting, she looked ethereal.

Everyone stays, and the night turns into more of a celebration for Nin. After a while, Jordan and Moon text me with their congratulations. I'm not sure why, but a part of me waits for Liam's message. A few other friends text me with their congrats, and after every message I check my phone, and a ting of disappointment seeps in every time it's not him. As the night ticks away, I think he isn't going to text me, and a part of me is bummed I won't be seeing him anymore. It was fun bugging him with the lighting and trying to make him laugh the last few weeks.

When my phone rings again, I pick it up lazily, and a smile quickly grows on my face when I realize it's him.

Liam

All that work and you only get second? That shit is rigged. You owe me a month of my life back.

I let out a laugh as I type out a quick response.

It's not rigged! I'm happy with second.

I can't give you back a month but I can give you a night?

As his bubbles appear, I shake my head at how bad that sounds, but he beats me to it.

Are you flirting with me??!!!

I throw my head back with another laugh and I can only imagine all the extra punctuation was to emphasize my voice.

I asked a simple question…

Seriously though, come to LA this weekend! It's Trey's birthday but we're also celebrating our hard work. Everyone from the shoot and a few of my friends will be there.

I don't even know Trey.

You know me! Plus, I kinda want to see you again

Just kinda?

I take a minute to respond, trying to decipher if he's actually flirting this time.

Less than kinda.

It's a sin to lie, pretty girl.

His nickname brings a wave of heat to my face, and I bite back my smile as I respond.

I would never lie.

You better come to the bar this weekend. You didn't come to my party today I just mean if they saw your tattoos, they'd agree that sleeves are hotter," she says matter-of-factly, her usual nervousness gone.

I simply nod in response. "I have a few more tattoos."

"How can you possibly have more? Your arms and neck are completely covered." She looks back down at both of my sleeves, studying each design. "When did you get your first one?" She leans against the bar.

"When I was sixteen."

Her jaw drops. "Why so young–" She shakes her head and waves her hand as if she were waving away her words. "Wait, how'd you get it that young? You have to be eighteen to get tatted."

I lean past her for a chair and bring it closer so she can sit. "I knew someone who did tattoos, so my age didn't matter."

She nods in understanding as her attention shifts back to my arms. "Which one was it?" She goes to touch my arm but stops. When she looks up at me, I give her a nod, and she runs her hand along my sleeve.

"I covered it up. He did a horrible job, and my dumb ass picked a stupid design."

She asks me what it was, but I only shake my head.

"That bad, huh?" She throws her head back, laughing loudly, and I only watch her pretty dimples. From the corner of my eye, I can see a few heads turn our way, but I honestly can't blame them. She's hot, and her laugh is perfect. My eyes travel down her body, and I mentally scold myself before refocusing my attention on an equally appealing part of her, that damn smile.

"You couldn't torture me to show you that shit," I mumble. My eyes meet hers, and she laughs harder.

"Well, now I need to see it."

"No," I say dryly, and she only smiles at me. "Do you–"

The bartender cuts me off as he sets a drink in front of her. "I think you've gotten the most drinks yet are somehow the most sober one in here."

She laughs softly in return, but not like before. She seems uncomfortable now as she looks over her shoulder. I glance around the room with her, and my eyes land on a group of guys down the counter who are already smiling at her. I look between the drink and her, and her smile is clearly forced.

"Thank you," she says sweetly to the bartender then smiles at the group of guys, but it doesn't reach her eyes, she just looks more uncomfortable.

I look over at the bartender before he can walk away. "Don't bring her any more drinks."

"I'm just–"

"I don't care."

He looks offended, but I, again, don't care.

"If someone else buys her a drink, tell them she's not thirsty—better yet, I'll tell them myself. Which one of them sent this one?"

"Hey," Sage cuts in before he can answer.

I look back over at her, and the bartender quickly takes the opportunity to escape.

" What is your problem?"

I pull in a deep breath and force myself to get my short temper in order.

"I don't have one. Do you want them to continue to send you drinks?"

"Well, no, but–"

"And it's making you uncomfortable, right?"

"Well, yes, but–"

"Okay, now neither of us has a problem since they won't be sending you any more drinks or making you uncomfortable. Right?"

She lets out a scoff and shakes her head with a smile. "Don't take offense to this, but you're kind of an asshole."

I turn her chair so she's facing me with her legs between mine. I glance back at the group of guys, and they can't even see the side of her face anymore, which earns me a few eye rolls.

"No offense taken." I look back over at her. "Do you have any tattoos?"

She studies me for a second before answering. No one else sends her any more drinks, and she doesn't look uncomfortable anymore. She asks what each tattoo means, and only one has a special meaning to it, but I just tell her I thought they'd look good, and she agrees that they do.

"In case you think I forgot," I start, and immediately, a guilty look covers her face. "You still owe me one for taking all those hot pictures of you since you never helped me with my coach."

She shakes her head with a small smile before her eyes narrow on me. "Hot pictures?" She turns her head to the side before holding her heart. "You just admitted I'm hot. You're flirting again."

I shrug, taking a sip of my water. "You said it first," I remind her. "And maybe I am flirting."

She watches me, and I bite back a smile at how her words are suddenly lost.

"How about this?" I pull the bottom of her chair, closing the distance between us. "Forget about my coach. I honestly couldn't care less about him."

"But you said–"

"I know what I said, pretty girl." I study her face, and when my eyes cast down her frame, I think, fuck it. "How about you help me get you out of my damn head instead?"

She blinks twice. "You've been thinking about me?"

"More than I'd like to admit."

She tilts her head back with a laugh, and a few heads turn to watch her again. When she gets herself together, I rise to my feet and nod to the door. She glances over her shoulder before looking back at me, and a smirk pulls at my lips as she shamelessly checks me out. She nods once before giving in.

She takes a few short steps to her friend to whisper something in his ear, and they both look over at me.

Her friend gives me a once-over, then gives her a knowing grin. "He's hot." He winks at me before turning back around and taking a shot that, I'm pretty sure, just solidified his blackout.

She tells her other friends she's leaving with me and cautions them to watch the birthday boy before turning back around. On our way out, everyone who was watching her was now watching us, and I didn't miss the glares of jealousy I got.

I almost go over and very politely ask them if they have an issue or if there's just a stick up their ass, but then she looks over her shoulder at me, and as my eyes meet hers, my feet seem to have a mind of their own as they keep me close behind her.

As soon as the door to the bar closes, the lack of noise brings us out into a different world. It's cooler out here with the lack of people, but the LA heat is still present, even with the sun being set.

"My car is this way." I gesture to the right.

She hesitates as she looks where I pointed, down the dark street. "You're not going to, like, murder me or anything, right?" There's only a bit of light out here so I can just barely see the gentle smile on her face.

"I guess you have to just find out."

A smile grows on her face as she makes her way to me. "Well, just a heads up, I can definitely take you."

I give her a once over. She's in heels that wrap up her calves. Even if she can fight, I don't think she'd get far in those shoes. Then again, she won Best Walk in Nine-inch Heels, so maybe she can.

Plus, she isn't tiny. With these heels, I can kiss her forehead perfectly; she probably sits at 5'10 without them on.

"You think you can take me?" I turn my head as we round the corner, and she nods, her head up tall.

"One hundred percent, yes." She looks forward. When my car is in sight, I unlock it, and she makes her way over after seeing the lights flash.

I open the back seat and nod for her to get in. I slip in after her, and she watches the roof of my car, the starlight ceiling rivaling her eyes. "Don't you think the Wraith is better?" She glances around my car before looking over at me.

"There isn't this much space in the back seat of a Wraith." I take her hand, guiding her onto my lap, but she pauses and looks down at my lap, sort of laughing.

"I'm going to crush you."

I falter for a beat. I can't tell if she's insulting me again or herself. I glance down at her thick thighs, but instead of replying, I pull her onto my lap.

My hands find her hips as she straddles me, and I spread my legs more, leaning back. "Perfect," I tell her, and she feels tense, but I lean into her neck for a soft kiss, and she relaxes.

"Is that really what you took into consideration when buying a half-a-million-dollar car?"

"Absolutely; think about how unfortunate it would've been to spend all that money on a car, and we couldn't even do this." My lips crash with hers, and I don't come up for air, but I don't need air; I have her.

The month of torture finally pays off as my tongue explores her mouth. The minute she lets out a soft moan against my lips, all bets on playing nice are off. Her tongue slides against mine, and my hand finds her ass. The blood rushes to my cock as she slowly grinds against me. I bring a hand up her inner thigh slowly, fondling almost as I realize how soft her skin really is. She slows the kiss as I slip my hand into her underwear, and if I wasn't fully hard before feeling how wet she already is, I sure am now.

She lets out another soft moan as I slide my fingers in and out, but that doesn't last more than a minute.

"More," she whispers, and her hands find my belt, working it off. Her lips meet my neck in a rush. Her needy kisses beg for more as she memorizes my skin. I work my pants down for her, and she quickly rewards me as her mouth lands on mine.

I lean forward and grab a condom from the pocket behind the front seat before slipping it on. Bringing my hands back to her hips, I adjust her to slide onto me, but she pulls away and looks between us, although it's too dark in here for her to see what she's looking for.

"Do you—"

"Yeah." I kiss my way from her jaw to her lips as she slides her hand down my length to check.

"You did that fast."

"Practice makes perfect, pretty girl." With my hands on her waist, I bring her down on me, and the minute I'm in, I let out a sigh. Something deep in my core awakens being in her like this. "You feel really fucking good."

She lets out a quiet, pretty moan as her head falls on my shoulder, her long braids curtaining around her face. "Thank you." Her voice is breathless as she moves against me, and I shake my head at her politeness.

I wait for her to do more, to do something , but she keeps her slow, soft pace as she makes every sweet sound under the sun. I groan and try to go harder, but I really can't in this position.

"You fuck just how you look."

"How's that?" She asks quietly before I pull her away from me.

"Innocent." In a quick move, I flip us and lay her on her back. She lets out a surprised huff, but before she can say anything, I'm pounding into her. She fills the car with her moans, louder with each stroke. "There we go." I keep one hand on her waist and the other on the door above her to steady myself.

Leaning in, she puts her hand on my chest before our lips meet. "That hurts."

I slightly flinch at the pain in her voice and kiss her cheek twice before pulling out softly. She moans in my ear, and a chill runs down my spine. How can she sound so good? She runs a hand through my hair, burying her face in my neck.

"I thought you said you could take me?" I feel her smile against me, and I kiss the side of her face again. "Take it for me."

She makes more perfect sounds as I return to fucking her, and fuck does she feel good, but she takes it better. I let my eyes fall shut as I listen to the sounds she makes, and when she calls out my name, I lose it. She finishes close behind, and I bring my mouth to hers, swallowing the last of her moans.

As I collect myself in the space between her neck and shoulder, she runs her fingers through my hair. After maybe a minute, I pull out, and I don't miss the soft sigh that escapes past her lips. When I lean away, it's still too dark to see much, but I make out her frame as she adjusts her dress.

I slip the condom off before fixing my pants. Grabbing a napkin from the middle console, I hand it to her before kissing her cheek. "You took it so well."

A shy smile grows on her face as she avoids my eyes and cleans herself. I smirk down at her before stealing a longer kiss.

Taking the napkin from her when she's done, I turn to open the door, but she stops me. "Please do not tell me you're about to toss that condom on the side of the street."

"That's disgusting." I step out of the car, but she's still watching me.

"Is it broken?!" She sort of whisper-shouts, although I'm not sure why since no one is around.

"It's not, you're just really wet."

Her jaw opens a bit, and she turns away as if she's shy again. I shake my head at her, biting back a smile, and walk to the garbage at the corner to dispose of the napkin and condom, but double check and it's not broken.

When I walk back, she's stepping out of my car and fixing her dress. I lean in my car for a napkin, and when I turn to her, she's still standing there. She glances at me, then turns to something behind her.

"Yes?" I wait for her to say whatever she's clearly waiting for.

"You–" She shakes her head, and I think she rolls her damn eyes. "Nothing, get home safe." She turns on her heels and walks off.

"What–" I cut myself off since she's still walking away from me.

I walk around and slide into the driver's seat. I do a U-turn just as she rounds the corner. I look between the road and her as she continues walking. It looks like the guy in front of her is saying something, but she only gives him a small smile.

I slow down as she stops for something, and someone honks behind me, but when I don't move, they drive around me. It's only when I see her walk back into the bar that I speed off.