(AHVI'S POINT OF VIEW)Two weeks pass in a jiffy with no sign of Vance and there's this sickness in my stomach that has been persistent ever since; it makes me uncomfortable.I tried questioning David about it, but he constantly dismisses it with a shrug, claiming Vance is a full-grown man capable of caring for him, but what if he winds up dead somewhere no one can find?The thought causes me to shake my head, and for the nth time, I am staring down at my phone, debating whether to call or not. It isn't weird to call my stepbrother and ask about his whereabouts and health right? That I should be thus concerned is only natural—he is family. It's only weird that I haven't called him this long when I know he's sick.With a nod, I turn on my phone and dial Vance's number but at that moment, the door of my bed opens and my mom enters. She never comes into my room unless she wants me to do something, what does she want this time?She approaches the bed I am sitting on with my legs folded an

(AHVI'S POINT OF VIEW)There are a few times I wish David could stop straining so hard to keep the family glued together. Like not suggesting a family bonding time at the seaside and I wish Vance could have kept his mouth shut and not consented to what his father said and here we are; on the road, heading to the beach for the weekend.I sigh as I peek out the window of the moving car, making an effort not to feel Vance's presence beside me in the back seat and only watch the moving structures.“Do we really have to do this, David? There are multiple things I need to take care of for my project and going to a beach isn't going to get the work done faster,” Mom grumbles from the front seat beside David who has his hands on the wheels and attention on the road.“Come on, it's going to be fun. Our lives don't always have to pivot around work, Jade,” I realize it's the first time I've heard him use my mother's name. It sounds peculiar coming from him since he's one with pet names.“I know

(AHVI'S POINT OF VIEW)The beach is felicific. The feel of the sun on my skin is revitalizing, the tickly, grippy sand on my bare feet is something I don't know I missed till my feet are on them and the chilly water; waves crashing on the shore and the large ocean is just as intriguing.David is right, maybe having time to oneself is not a dire idea but then comes the bad part of my day as my mood turns disgruntled.Vance arrives at the dinner table David, Mom and I are seated with his friend, Genevieve.I don't feel my palms enclosing in tight fists till I feel my finger digging into my flesh. I loosen the grip but my rigid gaze on the unforeseen guest doesn't wobble.I thought this was supposed to be a family bonding time.She smiles at me as she poses on the chair beside Vance on the table. “I hope you don't mind I join you for dinner. My friends left because of an emergency and I don't enjoy eating alone,” she sends apologetic smiles across the table.“You are Vance's friend, we d

(AHVI'S POINT OF VIEW)I feel dirty.No matter how much I try to scrub my body clean under the shower, I still feel filthy and the more images of Vance between my legs, giving me an orgasm deluges my mind, the dirtier I feel.I can't feel the briny of my tears because of the running water over my head but they continue to spew down my face while thought after thought spirals round and round in my head, inundating me with the feeling of trepidation and solicitude. What have I done? Why did I let myself fall when I'd been holding on for so long? Why would he do that when he knew how wrong it was? Why did I let him? Why, why, why? Why my stepbrother?I don't know how long I remain under the shower till I feel my body gradually going torpid and my tears stop streaming while my body feels fatigued of liveliness and keenness but unhurriedly, I make my way out of the shower.I stand stripped in front of the bathroom mirror and there on my neck is a rubicund bruise that's slowly turning purp

(RAVEN'S POINT OF VIEW)I should have thought this through, should have backed out the moment his eyes sheen with an enigmatic intent but I didn't and now that I am here, following an unknown man to a hotel room all because of an unknown attraction, there's no backing out. I sit on the bed, watching with a smirk as Mr. Velasquez silently shuts the door behind him and when he turns, the view that blesses my eyes is stunning. This close, I can take his looks in without skipping a detail.His eyes are a forest green, his hair is a jet-black color that's brushed off his forehead. His nose and jawlines are sculpted and his lips look full and tantalizing, something I would love to bite. My smirk broadens as my eyes unhurriedly and deliberately jog on his muscular body covered in a fitting black suit that outlines his perfect body and then, I'm looking up to meet his eyes. “How old are you?” He grills in an inscrutable tone while stapling me with a rigid and preying stare that furors some