Play You: A Second Chance/Single Dad Romance (Rebel Ink Book 4)

by Tracy Lorraine

  After thanking the driver, I stalk toward her building, grateful that I don't have to buzz and alert her to my arrival. I pull her keys from the pocket of her bag and let myself in.

  For the first time, I make use of the lift instead of hauling my arse up the stairs. The second I step inside, I understand why Piper doesn't use it. It smells faintly of piss.

  My lip curls but I stick with it. I don’t really have the energy for much else.

  Thinking better of letting myself into her flat, I put her keys away and instead knock on her door.

  "Who is it?" a female voice that doesn't belong to Piper asks after a few seconds.

  "Dawson."

  "Fuck off."

  "How about we wait for Piper to tell me that."

  I swear I hear a growl before the lock clicks and the door is pulled open.

  "Good to see that you look like shit," is the first thing that falls from Lisa's lips the second she locks eyes on me.

  "Is she here?" I ask, taking a step toward her.

  "What do you want?"

  "To talk to her."

  "Not happening. Thanks for coming by, but we're good without you." She attempts to swing the door closed on me, but I'm quicker and reach out, wincing in pain when it shoots from my shoulder and down my spine.

  "I'm not leaving until I've spoken to her."

  Our eyes hold, a silent battle of wills ensuing until I hear a voice that makes every single muscle in my body relax.

  "Is that dinner?"

  "No. Unless you ordered a scumbag."

  "Shit, is it—"

  "Piper, please. I just want to explain."

  "I'm not interested. I thought I made that clear."

  Desperate to see her, I push the door wider despite my shoulder’s disapproval. My breath catches the second my eyes land on her. She's got her hair piled on top of her head, and she's wearing a white vest with a pair of grey joggers and nothing else. She looks beautiful.

  "Please, baby girl. I need you."

  "You should have thought about that before you lied to me." Her eyes narrow, daring me to say anything else.

  "I never lied about how I feel about you, Piper. It really has always been you."

  "Whatever, Dawson. I don't believe you."

  My lips part to respond, but I can't find any words.

  "That's your cue to leave," Lisa adds.

  "Bullshit." I barge past her, much to her irritation, and step right up to Piper. "Piper, I love you," I say, reaching for her hands. "I love you so fucking much."

  Tears pool in her eyes, but she doesn't allow them to drop.

  "I'm sorry, Dawson. This," she rips her hands from mine and gestures between us, "is over. Lisa is right, you need to leave."

  "But—"

  "There's nothing left to say." She turns away from me and it splits my heart in two, but I refuse to stand here bleeding out in front of her friend. If she were alone, I might stoop to lower levels.

  "I brought your bag. Thought you might need it." I place it on the side and walk backward toward the door. Piper's shoulders tense, but she shows no other sign that she hears me. "I'll give you some time, Piper. But you're wrong. This isn't over. Not by a long shot." With my words hanging in the air, I spin around and march out of her flat.

  Lisa slams the door behind me, but she's not quick enough. I hear the sob that rips from Piper before the lock clicks into place.

  30

  Piper

  I can't say I'm surprised that the first person I see the next morning, aside from Lisa and the other girls in reception, is Emmie.

  "I fucking hate him," she huffs, falling down into the seat and crossing her arms across her chest.

  "Emmie," I sigh.

  "No,” she snaps. “Don't tell me how to feel. I hate him for hurting you."

  "Things between your father and I have always been complicated."

  "I know that, and I also know that relationships are always complicated," she says in a tone that I assume mimics a grownup. "But this fucking blows."

  Can't really argue with her there.

  After Dawson did as he was told on Saturday night and left, Lisa and I got blind drunk in my need to wash him out of my system. Turning my back on him like that damn near killed me, but I couldn't see any other option. No matter how much my heart wanted him and my body craved him, I was not going to walk straight back into his arms after that.

  I was not that girl, no matter how much my heart wanted me to be. My head is stronger.

  "I know, Em. I'm so sorry you were dragged into this."

  "That's just it, though. I was. If this was fake, he never would have let me get close to you."

  "It's my job."

  "That's bullshit, and you know it. You were meant to spend the weekend with us. He wouldn't have let you anywhere near me if he wasn't serious."

  "You really need to stop overanalysing this. Your dad did what he did. No matter his intentions at the end, at the beginning he knew exactly what he was doing."

  "You know what he wanted the money for?"

  I shake my head, although I have my suspicions.

  "He wanted it for me. For here," she says, gesturing to our surroundings. "He could have found any old woman years ago to claim it if he wanted the cash. We both know that most women would trip over themselves to have a chance to nail him down. But he never did."

  "So it was just luck that he found me first?"

  "Fate, Piper. It was fate."

  I want to believe her and think that it was the universe bringing us together once more and making right what went very, very wrong all those years ago, but it's just wishful thinking. I never believed in all that crap before, so why should I start now?

  Thankfully, the bell rings and Emmie doesn't have much choice but to head to class, leaving me alone once more with my head spinning.

  "Trust me, I hate him as much as you do right now. But you're both hurting. Please, just hear him out."

  "I'll think about it," is all I can manage around the giant lump that's formed in my throat.

  A part of me wanted to follow Emmie's suggestion and hear what Dawson had to say, but sadly—or maybe not—a bigger part of me was too stubborn to even consider letting him attempt to break down my walls once more. It was bad enough I allowed him to scale them the first time.

  As each day passed, I told myself that maybe I'd reach out the next day. But those days soon turned into a week, and that week turned into two.

  If I wasn’t at school getting harassed by Emmie or out getting drunk with Lisa, then I was at home, curled up on my sofa and still crying over that arsehole.

  I wanted to be able to put him behind me and move on with my life. I figured that I should be able to do it again.

  A month has passed since that fateful night. Barely a minute goes by where I don't think about Dawson and what happened, but I know that I'm doing the right thing.

  Despite what it feels like, maybe the two of us weren't meant to be.

  Rolling over in bed, I pull the covers up to my cheek, sighing in relief that today is the start of the school holidays. It's time without worrying about other people and having to plaster a fake smile on my lips every other second to try to convince others that I’m okay. Thankfully, everyone aside from Lisa and Henry are fooled by it. All I have to do is avoid them, and Emmie, and I can almost pretend that none of it happened.

  My buzzer goes off, ruining my peaceful lie in. I groan, rolling onto my back, and then climb out of bed and pull my robe on.

  Pressing the button on my intercom, I find Lisa staring back up at me.

  "It's too early for this," I moan into the speaker.

  "Just let me up and stop bitching. I've got a surprise for you."

  "Oh?"

  "You won't get it if you allow me to freeze my tits off out here." Laughing at her, I press the button to allow her into the building and then open my front door before heading to the bathroom to freshen up.

  "Pack an overnight bag," sh
e calls through to where I'm brushing my teeth.

  "What?" I ask, thinking I misheard her.

  "Pack an overnight bag," she repeats.

  "That's what I thought you said."

  "You need a bikini, something nice for tonight, and something casual for tomorrow. Plus your usual shit."

  I narrow my eyes at her. "What have you done?"

  "I figured that we deserved to spoil ourselves for once, so that's what we're doing. You've got ten minutes. There's a car downstairs waiting for us."

  My chin drops. "Right, okay."

  I race around my bedroom, packing everything I might need, and, after getting outfit approval from Lisa, she grabs my bag from the bed and all but drags me from my flat.

  "I've not even had coffee," I moan as we descend the stairs.

  "I've got you covered, don't worry," she calls over her shoulder.

  "Lisa, tell me you haven't," I gasp as I walk out of the building and take one look at the vehicle with the engine running before me.

  "I told you we were treating ourselves."

  She nods at the driver, who climbs out and opens the back door for us.

  "It's a freaking limo, Lis."

  "I know," she squeals excitedly, poking her head out of the door. "Come on, I picked us up a Starbucks. There are pastries, too."

  I have no idea why I'm standing in the middle of the car park arguing about this. My best friend has organised us a limo. This is pretty fucking awesome.

  I settle myself on a seat and reach for the coffee waiting for me.

  "Where are we going?"

  "Surprise." She winks. "Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride."

  Immediately, I do as I'm told.

  "Wow, I could totally get used to this."

  "I know, right? All we need are a couple of billionaire boyfriends and we'd be laughing. Talking of boyfriends. Any word from—"

  "I thought we were treating ourselves?"

  "We are."

  "Then can we please agree not to talk about him? You only asked me yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that. And my answer is the same. No, I haven’t heard a peep."

  "That's so weird. I could have sworn..." She trails off when I shoot her a pointed look.

  "Okay, sorry. So... any other plans for the break?"

  I sigh. I have zero plans. Literally none. I considered booking a last-minute break and just getting out of the city. It was actually what I was going to do as soon as I got up this morning, but Lisa seems to have put pay to that.

  "Nope, free and... single." I wince at myself. "You?"

  "Not yet, although I'm hoping I might be able to find someone to entertain me for a few nights."

  "What happened to Henry? Bored of him already?"

  She considers my question for a few moments. "Yes and no. I don't know. He's coming on a little strong."

  "By that, you mean he didn't instantly vanish from your life the second you'd come?"

  "Something like that."

  "Kinda what happens when you dip your nib in the office ink."

  "Hey, he was the one doing all the dipping, I'll have you know."

  I bark out a laugh, and after weeks of drowning in my own misery, it feels so damn good.

  I'm surprised when the limo pulls into a gravel driveway and comes to a stop. The journey was shorter than I was expecting. Leaning over, I look out of the window for the first time.

  "Whoa," I breathe, staring up at the impressive manor house before me. "What is this place?”

  “It's a hotel with an award-winning spa."

  The spa isn't a shock—I kinda guessed it might be something along those lines when she made me pack a bikini—but I wasn't expecting something quite this fancy.

  "Come on, we're all booked in for an afternoon of ultimate pampering."

  Excitement explodes in my belly, and I realise that it's the first time I've felt it in a very long time. My life has been a dull mix of grey for weeks, so it's nice to finally have a little colour.

  Lisa scoots toward the door as the driver pulls it open.

  "Thank you," she says to the driver before waiting for me to join her.

  "How much did this cost you?" I ask, staring up at the huge building.

  "Not as much as you'd imagine, actually."

  "Well, let me know my half and I'll ping it over to you."

  She nods at me and we make our way to reception to check-in.

  Lisa had organised for us to have an early check-in, so we're immediately handed our room keys and directed to the fifth floor of the building.

  "The fifth floor is the top floor," I mutter, hitting the button in the lift. Lisa smiles at me, and my stomach flips. "Tell me you haven't."

  "I might have." She winks at me, and I squeal in excitement.

  "This is the best start to the holiday ever."

  "It was worth it to see you smile, Piper."

  Said smile drops slightly at her reminder of why it's been missing for weeks, but I don't dwell on it; I'm too excited to see our room.

  "This is by far the nicest place I've ever stayed," I say, spinning on the spot in our suite’s living room.

  "We're going to get so drunk today," she says, plucking the cooled bottle of champagne from the bucket beside the sofa.

  "You can't start that yet," I shriek, but it's too late; she's already shot the cork across the room.

  "You only live once, Piper. Might as well make the most of it." She pours it into glasses and hands one over. "To making the most of it." She lifts her glass and clinks mine.

  "Thank you so much," I say before lifting the glass to my lips and allowing the bubbles to explode on my tongue. "Mmm, that's so good," I say, taking another sip.

  "Okay, unpack and don your bikini. The spa is calling."

  With our hotel-supplied white fluffy robes on and our bottle of champagne, we head down to the spa. Lisa confirms our bookings for the afternoon before we're pointed in the direction of the dressing room and pool and relaxation area.

  We find ourselves a couple of loungers and drop down. Soft music plays out around us and blends with the trickling waterfall at the other end of the pool.

  I sigh, tipping my refilled glass to my lips. "Why don't we do this every weekend?"

  "I literally have no idea," Lisa says, resting back and closing her eyes.

  As the afternoon passes, we’re scrubbed, waxed, polished, buffed, and massaged. I feel like a new woman. It's just a shame none of the treatments magically fix a broken heart.

  "I'm not sure I've got the energy to get dressed up and eat," I admit when we stumble back to our suite later that evening.

  "Uh-uh, you are not getting out of it. Go shower and shimmy your arse into the little dress you brought. If we're lucky, we might snag those billionaires we're after."

  My stomach twists, but I find myself agreeing with her and walking to my room.

  I don't mean to do it, but when I get to the end of the bed, I reach inside my bag and pull my phone out. My heart sinks when I see no messages.

  I don't know why I keep torturing myself, expecting that he'll have reached out. It's been a month. It's obvious his warning about us not being over was as fake as our brief relationship.

  Throwing it back inside my bag, I march toward the attached bathroom and turn the shower on.

  "Wow," Lisa says when I join her in the living room a little over an hour later. "If I were a guy, I'd totally be hard for you right now."

  "Because that's not creepy."

  "What? I'm just saying. You look hot."

  "You could have just said that," I mutter, pulling at the short hem of my dress, feeling a little exposed for a meal in a fancy restaurant.

  "Stop it," she chastises, slapping my hands away. "Let's go. I'm starving."

  The wine and the food are out of this world, and by the time we're heading back for our suite over three hours later, I've got a nice buzz going on and everything feels a little easier with a stomach full of five-sta
r food and exquisite French wine.

  "Go get into something more comfortable. I've got another bottle heading this way."

  "You're joking, right?"

  "Do I look like I'm joking? We're living, remember?"

  "Or dying of alcohol poisoning," I mutter as I make my way to my room.

  I make quick work of getting out of my dress and pulling on something more comfortable. I tell myself not to check my phone, but because I'm weak, I do it anyway. The second I see there's nothing, my need for the wine Lisa mentioned increases tenfold. Is it possible to drink a person out of your system?

  31

  Dawson

  It took two weeks until I almost felt normal again, but I fear my shoulder is never going to be right. I went back to work last week, desperate to do something other than mope around the house and go out drinking with the guys—something I really shouldn't have done on top of the painkillers. I needed something—anything—to help me numb the pain of walking away from her that day.

  I had no idea how much time I was going to give her, but I figured I’d know when enough was enough.

  Emmie is still barely talking to me. The most I got out of her was at parents’ evening, where she was forced to talk with me and her teachers. I was thrilled to hear that her teachers thought she'd settled in well and was working hard. As far as I knew, she'd had no more fighting incidents since that hockey match, and I was relieved that her teachers didn't have anything to add. It was a great night, aside from the constant death stares I received from Henry. At no point was he brave enough to actually talk to me, though. He just stood there with hard eyes and a smug as fuck grin on his face.

  I pull my hood up over my head and drop back into the shadows. Now I'm a little more able to move without wincing in pain, I figure it's time to give my little brother a well overdue visit.

  I have no idea if he just thinks I've forgotten about what he did to Piper. He's even stupider than I thought, if he was. He should know I won't let that shit lie.

  Mum's checked in on me a couple of times since she patched me up. She came by a few days after to take my stitches out, but I haven’t seen her since. I get it. Her loyalty is to my father, just like almost everyone in my life. I roll my eyes at myself. I might have walked away all those years ago, but really, I'll never escape. I might be even more estranged from them now than I was before, but it seems my father still has control of my strings where some of the people I care about are concerned.