SOB
A Stepbrother Romance
USA Today Bestselling Author
J.C. VALENTINE
Books by
J.C. VALENTINE
Night Calls
Stranded
That First Kiss
Surrender to Love
Trust
Wayward Fighters
Knockout
Tapout
unDefeated
Blue Collar
Sweetest Temptations
Forbidden Trilogy
Dance for Me
Lie to You
Fall for Him
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Levi Black is an s.o.b.
Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he’s a pretentious, obnoxious, womanizing jacka** who thinks the world revolves around him.
He wouldn’t be wrong.
A famous soccer player, his skills on and off the field have won him medals, trophies, women, and the cover of every heartthrob magazine in the country. He’s broken nearly every bone in his body and a few hearts along the way, including mine—his stepsister—and lived to tell about it.
One night changed everything, and I’ve avoided him like the plague ever since. Just long enough to finish college, to bury the hurt, and to outrun the memories. But now that’s all changed. I’m back, and there’s no more running.
My hands are supposed to be my livelihood, but now they’re my curse. Levi’s reckless ways have landed him in a sticky situation, and his father has given me an offer I can’t refuse. One month and all I have to do is put my hands on his body. Easier said than done. The problem is, even though I know it’s bound to bite me in the a**, I can’t bring myself to say no to the s.o.b.
DISCLAIMER
This book contains mature content, including graphic sex and language. If you are under the age of 18 or this type of content is disturbing to you, please do not continue reading.
NOTE: All characters in this book are 18+ years of age, non-blood related, and all sexual acts are consensual.
1
Murphy’s Law: anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
That thought runs through my head as the wide-eyed panicked girl stares back at me through the polished steel doors. I hardly recognize myself, so pale, so fragile. But that’s what happens when the elevator you’re riding on screeches to a stop somewhere in between the eighty-ninth floor and certain death.
Because that’s what I’ll be—dead—if this metal box decides to crap out completely and plummet back to earth.
After a long flight and sharing a ride with a man—who mumbled to himself and spent the duration of the trip from the airport to a shady looking hotel—that had me reaching in my purse for my stun gun, all I want is a hot shower and my pajamas. Instead, I’m seconds away from having a total meltdown and the couple across from me keeps slanting worried looks my way to the point where I feel like screaming.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t think you’re going to vomit, do you?”
Of course, I want to throw up! I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to do anything more. The woman looks like a demon underneath the glow of the red emergency lighting, adding another level of horror to my night, and even though I know she’s just trying to be nice, I consider telling her if I do, I’ll be sure to do it on her Manolos. But I hold my tongue. Instead, I smile faintly and glance up at the blank numbered panel, praying like hell for the lights to come back on.
“Is everyone still doing alright in there?”
The ethereal voice emanates from the speaker in the wall and the minute I hear it, a wave of renewed hope surges in my chest. “Jake! Where the hell have you been? You have to get me out of here. I’m freaking the fuck out!”
The couple standing across from me frowns at my language, but we’ve been stuck in here for over an hour and I’m all out of give-a-fucks. Jake—checking in the last hour to make sure we’re still breathing and that we haven’t resorted to cannibalizing each other while we wait for the power to come back on—is all that’s keeping me from climbing the walls.
It’s a citywide blackout, perfectly timed for my arrival. Still, one would think the sheer lavishness of this place would ward against such things. Next time, I’m taking the stairs.
“Hang in there, Miss Marquis. I’m sure the li—”
There’s a buzzing noise, and then the elevator floods with light as the power kicks back on and we jerk into motion.
“Yes!” I jump up, throwing a fist into the air in celebration. I’ve never felt so alive, especially now that I know I actually will be. “Jake, I could kiss you!” I shout up at the speaker.
His rough chuckle fills the small space and I laugh with him as we resume our ascent. He sticks with me long enough for the couple to disembark on their floor and for me to reach mine—all the way at the top. The penthouse.
“Thank you for keeping me sane, Jake,” I tell him as I gather my luggage.
“It was my pleasure, Miss Marquis.”
“Please, I feel like we’re old friends now. Call me Vista.”
“Enjoy your evening, Vista.”
I step out onto gleaming black marble and breathe in the soft scent of gardenias as I approach the only door on the floor. It’s tall, heavy, and paneled, surrounded by massive vases stuffed with fragrant flowers. Pretentious, just like its owner. One would think that having a rich man for a stepfather would have jaded me to this kind of wealth, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
I pull the key that was waiting for me at the desk from my pocket. It’s gold and completely ordinary, but I know whatever is waiting for me behind that door is going to be anything but.
Letting myself in, I see that everything is dark and breathe a sigh of relief. Levi isn’t home. I hadn’t realized how wound up I was until just now. Knowing I’m alone? The tension bleeds right out of me.
Fishing around for a light switch, I rub my hand over the wall to my immediate right, nearly knocking something big and heavy over in the process. Once I can see again, I roll my eyes.
The thing that I almost knocked over? It’s a giant bust of a naked woman. She’s missing her head and arms, but the enormous set of boobs is right where it’s supposed to be. It always amazes me what some people consider art.
Taking a look around, I’m not at all surprised by what I find. The place is cavernous, modern to a fault. What little furniture there is, is sleek and expensive, but neutral so that it takes a backseat to the decorations. Which are numerable and racy as all get out.
Wheeling my luggage across the stark white marble floors behind me, I’m drawn to the massive floor-to-ceiling windows that take up the entire eastern wall affording what I know will be a breathtaking view of the city leading out to Lake Michigan. As I approach, however, I am distracted by a burst of color and veer off to the right, finding myself standing before a wall-sized mural of geometric shapes forming a...yep, that’s an orgy.
I can’t believe I agreed to this. Money isn’t everything. But it is when you don’t have any, a voice in my head whispers. Unlike Levi, I’ve had to work for everything I have. Nothing came easy, and also unlike him, I know what it’s like to pinch a penny. When my mother married his father, a wealthy divorcee who made his fortune on Wall Street, I was already on my way out the door. So Levi and I? We come from two totally different worlds.