My Stepbrother's Rules: The Complete Series (Steamy Stepbrother Romance) by Lila Moore Page A

again. Angie groaned. Apparently, my fidgeting wasn’t the only thing that irritated her.
    Suddenly, the woods opened up, revealing a huge house. I leaned forward and wrenched my neck to get a good look at it. It was lit like a Christmas tree. Tall windows revealed people inside, talking and drinking.
    It didn’t look like a sex party. Everyone was dressed like they were going to the Oscars. It was a bit odd in its formality. I’d expected to walk into a scandalous event. This looked pretty tame. Of course, I wasn’t inside yet.
    The bodyguard pulled up to the house. “You girls have my number?” he asked.
    “Yeah,” Angie replied.
    “Wait, what? I don’t have your number. Why would I need it?”
    “It’s just a precaution. If things get too rough, one of the guys disrespects you, you call me and I’ll come and take care of him.”
    He handed me a business card with his number and the name ‘Mickey,’ written on it. I swallowed hard. My editor was right: this was a dangerous situation.
    “Hey, don’t worry,” Mickey said. “You’ll be fine. We just like to stay extra safe around here, right?”
    Angie made a sound that could have meant she agreed or disagreed. It was impossible to tell.
    “Call me when you’re ready to be picked up,” he said.
    A man opened my door and offered his hand. This was it. I could still leave with Mickey. It wasn’t too late.
    I took the man’s hand and stepped out. I had to get a story. This was my big chance. It may never come around again. Besides, I was dying to find out what went on inside the party. What if Alex was inside? Was he with another girl? I hadn’t heard from him since our last encounter at The Red Room.
    I took his silence as a bad sign. Of course, I’d made no move to contact him either. Every time I picked up the phone my mind went blank. How could I explain to him what I felt? When we were together, he made me feel like I was the only girl in the world. My body reacted to him explosively. When we were apart trouble started.
    I imagined him with other girls, whipping and fucking them. I shouldn’t have cared. Alex and I weren’t a couple. We could never be together: he was my stepbrother. But I’d be lying, if I said I wasn’t hopeful. Hopeful for what was the question. There was no future for us. At least that’s what I kept telling myself. It made what I was about to do a little easier.
    Angie rushed ahead of me as if she couldn’t wait to put distance between us. I was on my own inside the mansion.
    Stepping into the house took my breath away. It was covered in a mixture of modern and classic artwork; a huge library to my right was full of three levels of antique furniture and books. What was it like to live like this? My family was rich, but nowhere near close to being this wealthy.
    People talked and sipped from champagne glasses. I caught pieces of conversations as I drifted among them.
    “Can you believe she showed up with him?”
    “Well, her husband is out of town…”
    “No one knows where the money is.”
    “Did you talk to-”
    “Yes. He knows nothing.”
    Talk of money caught my attention. I looked at the two men, but didn’t recognize them. My editor had me memorize the faces of many of our city and state’s elected officials, plus their staffs. I’d spent hours poring over flashcards.
    As I looked around the room now, I was met with the faces of strangers. It was disappointing, but I’d only just walked into the party and the house was crawling with people. I was confident I’d find my story eventually; I just had to keep looking.
    “See something you like?” one of the men discussing money asked me. He said it flirtatiously, but it came across rude.
    “I, uh-”
    I wasn’t sure how to respond. The man was older with beady eyes and a jowly face. He looked like a bulldog. I remembered what the girls at the club said about how not every guy was Prince Charming with a whip.
    “I mistook you for someone else,” I