Shit. Maybe I have been fooled. Have I been looking at this the wrong way?
I feel like such an idiot and the fact that it’s happening right in front of Colton just seems to make it so much worse.
Seeing the realization on my face, he laughs. “That’s what I thought,” he tells me. “So maybe now you’ll listen. Stay the fuck away from my friends.”
Not willing to back down despite knowing that I’ve already lost, I narrow my eyes at him. “Have you ever stopped to notice that your friends are the ones who are always coming at me, not the other way around? Maybe they’re the ones who you should be warning to back off.”
He laughs. “If they want to come at you for an easy fuck, that’s their business, but they’re smart enough to see through trash like you. You won’t be getting a fucking dime.”
Hurt seeps through my chest. I know at the very start he’d accused me of being just like all the other girls who hang around these guys, desperate for a payday, hoping maybe they can get themselves knocked up and claim a bucket load of cash. If he thinks I’m anything like that, he’s got me all wrong.
I raise my chin, hating that he can see the hurt in my eyes. “I think it’s time for you to fuck off now.”
He tsks me. “Is that any way to speak to your new boss?” he questions, reaching out and pulling the bandana out of my hair. He pinches it between two fingers as though it is drenched in filth. “This isn’t part of your uniform, trash,” Colton says, dropping the bandana into the dirty mop water. “I expect a higher standard from my help.”
With that, he walks away, tracking dirty footprints through my freshly mopped floor, making everything inside of me ache.
Chapter 25
After finishing off a few extra jobs for Maryne, I start making my way back to the staff quarters. The start of my shift was freaking awesome. I was actually enjoying myself. It was relaxing and knowing that this was the start of the rest of my life went a long way in making me forget that Colton was my boss and I was officially the help. I’m making my own cash now and one day, I’ll have enough to get me the hell out of here and away from Colton freaking Carrington.
His words though … fuck. They tore me apart and killed my vibe in a big way. I don’t know why I allowed him to get to me like that. They were just empty words. It’s always empty words with him, but for some damn reason, his opinion matters.
I hate that. I want to be stronger than that. I’ve grown up in a town where the horrible things people say are a million times worse, yet when it comes from Colton Carrington, it cuts me down.
I guess what he said wasn’t all that horrible compared to other things he’s said and done over the past few weeks, you know, except for suggesting that Charlie played me. I don’t understand why that doesn’t sit well with me. It’s not as though I was hoping for something more with Charlie. It was just a little fun to scratch an itch, we both knew that. There’s never been anything more than innocent flirting between us, but I guess I just assumed that Charlie was a little more honest, maybe even a bit of a gentleman. I didn’t peg him as the type to screw someone over and then brag about it to the world. I thought he was classier than that.
I bet Colton was waiting all freaking afternoon to get home and rub it in my face that the whole school thought that I was an easy, cheap whore. There are a few things that aren’t adding up and it’s been plaguing my mind all afternoon. Why did the boys all come to my rescue and save me from the mob and why did Colton punch Charlie if he didn’t care about defending my honor?
Colton claims that he doesn’t give a shit about me. He’s called me trash, the help, and now a whore so why punch his friend over me? What Charlie did was something I’m sure every guy does. Hell, I’m sure Colton is even the type to brag about the girls he fucks, so why is this any different? Truth be told, I don’t think Charlie was the one behind the students crowding me like that. He seems too honest, too sweet. That seems like something either Spencer or Jude would have orchestrated and seeing as though Spencer has half a brain, I’m going to guess it was Jude.
Though, could it have been Colton? He has the darkness within him to do it and he certainly has the will, but he seemed too surprised and was also the first to tell everyone to get away from me. Why does he keep saving me like this? Does he think I’m some kind of damsel who needs his saving? Yes, okay, so today’s situation wasn’t going to get any better by me throwing a tantrum. I was close to losing it and curling into the fetal position on the cafeteria floor. Milo couldn’t hold them all off on his own so Colton’s presence really was needed but the credit card thing, the way he’s always blocking me from his father’s scrutiny. I just don’t get it.
I put everything away and clean out all the things that I’ve been using during my shift just like I’ve seen mom do when she’s done for the day. I stop by the laundry room and scoop Nic’s red bandana out of the washing machine and start making my way back to the pool house.
I think a shower is in order and then I'll be more than happy to collapse into bed and stay there until the sun is streaming in through my bedroom window.
I walk out through the backdoor and go to cut across the pool area when I come up short. A pair of hardened hazel eyes stare back at me while a guilty pair of blue ones are practically screaming for forgiveness. Colton and Charlie sit out by the pool, both of them leaning forward onto their knees and looking as though they’d rather be anywhere but here.
Obviously, the two of them are sorting out whatever bullshit went down between them at school. Why else would they both look as though they’d rather be dipping their balls into a pool of acid?
Neither of them strikes me as the apologetic type, but then, neither of them struck me as the kind to let some weird bullshit with a girl get between them. To be serious, I still don’t understand how I got between them today, and judging by the confusion on Charlie’s face, he’s been struggling to figure it out too.
Why does Colton care that the guy was bragging about sleeping with me? It’s not as though he didn’t know it happened. He was sitting in the next room, listening to me scream Charlie’s name. I wonder if my moans got him hard. I know he liked it when he caught me that night in bed. Hell, there are a lot of things Colton Carrington has caught me doing that he insists has no effect on him, but the proof is always there by the heated desire in his eye and the rock hard cock that presses against the zipper of his jeans, begging to be freed.
I pick up my pace, desperate to get out of here. Colton already has my head messed up after his bullshit in the formal dining hall and after everything that went down at school, this is really the last thing I want to deal with.
They watch as I pass and I can’t help but feel the heaviness of their gazes on my back. Colton looks as though he’s trying to make me disappear out of thin air while Charlie looks as though he’s ready to say something.
I keep walking, hoping I can get out of this unscathed. Just a few more steps and I’ll be alright. Just a few more steps to freedom.
“Wait.”
Fuck.
“What do you want, Charlie?” I question, continuing to walk away only to have him get up and follow me while Colton lets out a frustrated groan from behind us.
“Can we talk?”
“Haven’t you done enough talking today?”
“Come on, babe. As if you didn’t tell Milo about it. Why am I being punished for something that you did too.”
I stop walking and spin around to glare at his pretty face that looks like freaking sunshine. “Are you serious right now?” I demand as I spy Colton over his shoulder watching us like a hawk and no doubt listening to every word that’s about to be said. “Yeah, I talked to Milo. I told him how fucking great it was. I bragged about how you gave me exactly what I asked for, how it was freaking incredible, but you know what I didn’t do? I didn’t make you out to be some kind of cheap whore, my actions didn’t lead to you being sexually harassed at school, and I didn’t make you feel humiliated for bein
g with me. Fuck you, Charlie.”
I turn and walk away when I hear Colton’s scoff behind me and I fly back around, already on too much of a roll to stop. “And fuck you too, Carrington. All four of you bastards are the worst kind of people. Arrogant assholes like you wouldn’t survive in the real world. I’d love to see where you would all be without Daddy’s money. Hell, I know Jude would probably be in jail.”
Colton steps forward, his eyes burning into mine. “What do you know about that?”
My brow shoots up. Did I just touch on something real? I’ve suggested something like this before but never got a response out of him. It was just an assumption, an educated guess at what Jude’s future will hold but Colton’s reaction is saying so much more. He doesn't need to know that though. My lips pull into a knowing smirk and I watch with satisfaction as his face begins to fall in horror. Hell, even Charlie looks fucking nervous.
I hold his glare and see true panic behind his eyes. Without a doubt, I'll be calling Nic and asking him to look into this. The way he keeps warning me away from these guys suggests that he might even know something. I wouldn’t be surprised. Nic is the type to do his homework, but if there really is something there that I should know, I can guarantee that I will find out. I want to know every last dirty secret about the people who I’m around. When it comes to Jude Carter, I have a feeling there's a lot to learn. Hell, the way Colton hasn’t stopped looking at me has me wondering if he’s involved in whatever shit is going on here. What I do know is that it’s bad.
I turn and keep walking back to the pool house, my senses on high alert. I can’t hear them following me and just as I let out a breath of relief, Charlie comes hurrying to catch up. “Wait. We didn’t actually solve anything.”
“Charlie,” I groan in frustration, thankful that Colton has stayed away. “There’s nothing to solve. You ran your mouth to the world and blew your shot.”
“Shot?” he questions with a raised brow. “I actually had a shot for something more with you?”
“I … no. That’s not what I meant.”
“Then explain.”
“I just … I don’t know. Maybe I would have done a few repeat performances until I got bored, but not anymore. Not after the bullshit that went down today.”
“Come on, babe,” he says, grabbing my hand. “You know I’m not like that. Sure, I like to fuck around but I swear, I only told Colton, Jude, and Spence and it’s mostly because they already caught the sound effects from the main event. I didn’t tell the whole fucking school like you think I did and I sure as hell didn’t get them to attack you like that.”
“Some kid during lunch said that you were boasting about it during health class, saying how fucking wild I was.”
“Babe,” he says with a soft sigh and an apology in his blue eyes. “I don’t take health on a Monday. He lied. Someone put him up to it.”
My brows furrow. That doesn’t make sense. “Who would do that?”
Charlie’s eyes harden and he glances back over his shoulder to find Colton already staring, still listening intently to our conversation. He nods to Charlie, having some kind of silent conversation, and just like that, they know exactly what happened today and who was behind this whole clusterfuck, and if I had to take one guess, I'd say it was Jude.
Charlie turns back to me with a promise shining behind his eyes. “We’ll handle it.”
I shake my head. “I can handle myself, Charlie. I’m not a damsel that needs your saving.”
“I don’t care. I’m going to handle it,” he says. “And trust me, I know you’re not some weak damsel who can’t take care of herself. You’re a fucking queen who deserves their respect, no matter what Colton likes to say.”
At the mention of his name, I can’t help but look back at him to find his glare hardening on his friend. He didn’t appreciate that comment but I sure as hell did. “You better not be trying to sweet-talk me back into bed, Charlie Bryant.”
A cheeky as fuck grin stretches wide over his face as his eyes sparkle with mischief. He sucks in a shocked gasp, feigning outrage. “I would never.”
“You’re an asshole, Charlie,” I tell him. “And just know that your chances of getting back between my legs are practically non-existent, but you’re charming as hell and because of that, I might just forgive you.”
His eyes narrow and he appears deep in thought. “Practically non-existent or non-existent? Because practically non-existent means that there’s maybe a sliver of hope for me.”
I roll my eyes and can’t help but smile. “Non-existent, Charlie,” I lie, knowing damn well that if he was to come at me again with that goofy as hell, charming smile that I'd be a goner. After all, I’m only human and have absolutely zero self-control. Except when it comes to Colton of course, with him, I’m all over the place. Sometimes I have the self-control of a saint and other times … well, other times, I grind my naked body all over him, silently begging him to make the move we both know we want to make.
Charlie steps into me. “Okay, I get it but just tell me that you don’t hate me. I fucked up, I shouldn’t have said anything to the boys but you were so damn good. I haven't been able to stop thinking about how damn addictive it felt sliding in between those sweet legs, but I swear, I’ll respect your privacy and keep my mouth shut from now on. Just tell me you’re not going to hold it against me for long because baby, not being able to do that again is a fucking tragedy.”
“I can’t make any promises,” I tell him, feeling as though what he did wasn’t really that bad considering I did the same thing with Milo. It’s not his fault that his so-called friend decided to take what he said and use it as a tool to try and destroy me. “I’ll think about it.”
His arm curls around my back and he pulls me in before pressing a kiss to my forehead. “I’m sorry, Ocean. You deserved better than that. What happened at school should never have happened. We’re going to make it right even if it means beating an apology out of every last fucker who put their hands on you.”
“You really have this whole knight in shining armor mentality about yourself, don’t you?”
He grins wide and releases my waist before walking backward toward Colton. “Can’t help it. When I see a pretty girl, I'm putty in her hands.”
I roll my eyes and turn back to the pool house. “Get lost, Charlie,” I call over my shoulder, feeling his flirty gaze on my ass. “Go be putty in someone else’s hands.”
His laughter flows through the yard and just as I push open the door of the pool house, I hear his voice murmur to Colton. “Dude, how the fuck have you resisted that? You see that ass, right? Fucking perfect.”
Colton’s muttered reply comes low and tortured and if I wasn’t listening so hard, I probably would have missed it. “Resisting Oceania Munroe is the hardest fucking thing I’ve ever done.”
Chapter 26
The week goes by way too fast and by Friday night as I stand on the familiar doorstep, I can’t help the wide grin that stretches across my face. I grab the door handle and give it a twist before shoving my hip into the wood, knowing how the door sticks.
With a hard shove, the door swings open and I find my boys lounged around Nic’s small apartment as though they’re part of the furniture. The suddenness of my arrival has each of them flying to their feet with their hands flinching for their guns, that is until they get a good look at who stands before them.
“Pretty girl,” Kairo cheers, racing forward with Sebastian by his side. Nic hovers in his kitchen, leaning back against the sink with a grin on his face as Eli awkwardly drops back down on the couch.
“What are you doing here?” Sebastian demands, scooping me into his arms just a split moment before Kai can. “Is something wrong? Did something happen?”
I laugh as I hold onto the turd with both hands, squeezing him tight. “What hasn’t happened?” I say with a low groan. “But no, I’m perfectly fine. I just wanted to visit my boys.”
“That’s more than alright with me,” h
e says, squeezing until I can’t breathe and lifting me off my feet.
“Put me down, moron,” I say, whacking his back. “You’re going to make me pass out if you squeeze any harder.”
“That’s the plan. If you pass out, you won’t be able to get back,” he laughs, giving me a wiggle as he looks up over my shoulder at Nic. “Does this place have a basement? We could keep her locked down there.”
“Sorry,” Nic grumbles. “The basement is being used as my sex dungeon, though I’m sure you’ll find plenty of handcuffs and ropes down there to keep her here. Actually, on second thought, go right ahead and put her in my dungeon. I’m sure I could find a few uses for her down there.”
I flip him the bird despite not being able to see his face, though I don't need to see it to know that there’s a mischievous sparkle lighting his dark eyes and a grin stretched wide across his face. I’ll get him back for that dig later, as for now, I have a few more boys to say hi to.
As if reading my thoughts, Kai grabs me and pulls me out of Sebastian’s hold, though thankfully allowing me to actually keep my feet firmly planted on the ground. He pulls me in hard and presses a warm, inviting kiss to my temple. “Missed you, pretty girl,” he murmurs. “Have they been treating you alright?”
I shrug my shoulders. “They’ve been treating me exactly how you’d expect arrogant billionaires to treat their staff.”
“Staff?” Nic questions from across the room. “Are you working there now?”
“Nothing in this world is free,” I remind him. “Charles lets me work afternoons and weekends as long as I’ve got my homework up to date. He keeps reminding me how important it is for me to graduate but I think it’s more about how it would look back on him if I were to fail after he made the effort to get me in.”
“With people like that, a reputation has the power to either make or break them,” Nic mutters, telling me something that I’ve already come to learn over the past few weeks of living in Bellevue Springs, but he can tell me it a million times if it means dropping the whole working there topic.
Tough Sh*t: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Rejects Paradise Book 1) Page 27