“This is Gina,” Chloe said, introducing the blonde. “And this is Stacey.” She pointed over to the redhead who nodded, but didn’t say a word.
“Hi, nice to meet you.” I gave a wave then felt dumb for doing so, and put my hand back down, hoping my cheeks weren’t as red as they felt. The sooner we escaped this area and went back down to the main club, the better. I didn’t feel comfortable cooped up in here with Chloe and her band of assassins.
“Come on, guys. Be nice. Ryley hasn’t done anything wrong. She’s one of us now. Just trying to survive in this crazy world our men have dragged us into.” Chloe stepped closer to me and rubbed my arm in solidarity.
“I don’t think you need any help from us though. You sound like a pretty tough cookie from what I’ve heard.”
“She’d have to be dating him,” Gina spat out.
“Excuse me? What’s that supposed to mean?” I don’t know why, but that comment got my back up. What did she know about Jackson that I didn’t?
“I mean, you’ll need to keep your wits about you. From what I hear from my girls, he’s a hard-faced, ruthless asshole with zero emotions. Do you like being his doormat?”
“Gina! Don’t be rude. Ryley obviously knows another side to Jackson, otherwise she wouldn’t be with him.” I couldn’t believe that Chloe hardly knew me, yet she was coming to both our defences, mine and Jackson’s.
“I do. He only shows the world what he wants them to see. He’s a very private man. And I am no doormat.” I don’t know why I felt the need to defend him, but I did. I straightened my stance as if to show how strong and forthright I could be.
“Of course you’re not. He wouldn’t have you in his life if you were.” Chloe smiled a genuine, heart-warming smile.
“Well, it’s a good job then,” Gina bit back. “Because he’d wipe himself all over you without a second thought.” Did she have history with Jackson? Was that why she was so bitter towards me?
“Oh stop it, Gee. Just because he turned down your business doesn’t mean he’s a monster. We all know Cillian has his particular tastes, maybe Jackson does too, and that is none of our business.”
“What business?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.
“Gina’s a madam. She runs an escort service. Not that you need to worry about that, because Jackson has already told her he doesn’t want or need her services,” Chloe said, looking self-satisfied.
Gina scowled at me, but softened slightly.
“It doesn’t bother me what he does. I’m just giving her a friendly warning.” She nodded my way.
“You could’ve been friendlier about it,” Chloe said with a knowing look. “Remember what it was like for me, when I first came into all this? Give the girl a break. Us girls need to stick together. We need all the friends we can get in this life.”
Gina nodded then smiled and poured me a glass of champagne.
“Welcome to the madness that is our world,” she said and handed the glass to me.
“Thanks.”
I took the glass and sipped; the deliciously cold bubbles helped to settle my nerves instantly. Gina’s guard was coming down. But the Stacey girl? She was still eyeing me like a python checking out its prey.
“I think I’m gonna head to the main dance floor. It’s a bit claustrophobic up here.” I motioned to my girls that I was headed out and they danced their way over to join me.
“I’ll come with you.” Chloe’s eyes sparkled at the mention of the main dance floor. “I need a decent dance. This space just isn’t cutting it for me tonight.”
The security guys tried to stop us, but I quickly learned that what Chloe wanted, she got. As we headed onto the dance floor, I saw one of the security guys talking into his earpiece, grassing us up no doubt. It wouldn’t be long before Dennis made another appearance and ushered us back to our holding pen. Well, he’d have a job on his hands. Chloe wouldn’t go back without putting up a fight, I could tell, and neither would I.
It didn’t take long, following our mini invasion of the dance floor, for the vultures to start circling us. Having Chloe along for the ride made the security presence heavier than anything I’d ever seen on a night out, but we managed to block them out quite well, all things considered. I think the alcohol helped. The random guys who tried to dance up against us though were way too persistent. Not surprisingly, they soon got shoved aside. That was until a familiar, leery smile danced over my way.
“Liam. Great. That’s all I need. To be fighting off his grabby hands for the rest of the night.” I nodded behind Daisy’s shoulder to where he was approaching.
“Oh, God. He’s not gonna take no for an answer, Rye. Not with Justin out of the picture for the night.”
Daisy was sweet and tried to shield me, but Liam was relentless. We all knew what he could be like. We’d all been on the receiving end of his unwanted attention at some time or another, but for some reason, he wouldn’t give up on me. He was fighting a losing battle. I had zero interest in him. He took sleazy to a whole new level.
“Ryles, fancy seeing you here.”
He looked me up and down and reached out to grab around my waist and pull me into him, grinding his hips into me as he did.
“She’s not interested, dude. Why don’t you just do one,” Maddie shouted over, but that wasn’t going to deter Liam and his mates. I saw Wade and Dean close behind him. They were all friends of Justin’s. Well, so-called friends. They’d go behind his back with me in a heartbeat if I gave them the green light, which I never would. I never understood why he hung out with them all. He wasn’t sleazy like them. My Justin was different.
“Where’s the main man tonight?” Liam shouted into my ear, making me wince, and spraying me with his alcohol breath as he spoke. I pulled my head back as I answered.
“He’s away at the moment. He’s getting help for his problems.”
“What, sex addicts anonymous?” Dean spat and then licked his lips as he pushed himself up against Daisy.
“Fuck off, Dean.” I wasn’t interested in spending another second of my night with these losers, so I pushed my way through the crowd to get to the bar.
“You don’t have to be so touchy, Ryles. Chill out, relax. We could have a lot of fun tonight, if you’re up for it?” Liam had followed me, and was taking his gross flirting techniques up a notch.
“I’d rather stick pins in my eyes than have the kind of ‘fun’ you’re thinking about. Thanks, but no thanks.” I turned to walk away, but he grabbed my arm quite forcefully, jerking me backwards and into his chest.
“Always so fucking high and mighty. You know your precious Justin isn’t as perfect as you think he is.”
He looked so pissed. He’d drunk way too much and was ready for a fight.
“I don’t care what you think, Liam. Your opinion means nothing to me.”
“Maybe so, but the facts speak for themselves.”
He reached behind into his back pocket and pulled out his mobile phone.
“What are you doing? Checking on eBay to see if they’ve got a life for sale? You seriously need to get one, you know.” I smirked and tried to move past him. He side stepped me though, pinning me into a corner by the bar.
“Oh, I’ve got something way better than that to show you.” His sleaze factor was seriously off the charts.
“Go on, shock me. Say something intelligent or thought-provoking,” I replied, sounding as bored by this whole exchange as I felt.
I stood on my tiptoes, desperately trying to find Daisy or one of the others over Liam’s shoulder to give me an escape. He was stuck to me like a leech and I couldn’t seem to shake him.
“Take a look at this-”
He handed his mobile to me, and like the fool I was, I took it. I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. I don’t think anything could’ve prepared me for that.
“Not so perfect now, hey.”
I couldn’t hear the video, but I didn’t need to. It was Justin, my Justin, clear as anything on the screen. H
is naked ass facing the camera as he fucked some brunette girl senseless on our bed, in our apartment, where he’d slept with me just days ago. Where we’d had sex, and he’d told me he loved me and couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with me.
I felt sick. How could he? How could he do that to me? He turned his face to the camera and laughed as he leant back, grabbing the girl’s ponytail as he thrust into her from behind, and appeared to be saying something to whoever was videoing; Liam, no doubt. I felt like I was gonna throw up, and the phone slid through my trembling, sweaty palms and onto the floor. It bounced on the carpet and Liam reached down to pick it up.
“There’s plenty more where that came from.”
The look in his eyes was pure evil. He was getting off on breaking my heart. He held up the phone again, showing me a video of Justin lying back on our bed, and a different brunette girl sucking him off. I couldn’t look, it was vile.
“What? You think he sat at home every night when you were away and pined for you? He’s fucked more women since being with you than the rest of us put together. What can I say? He’s the man.”
He smiled as if what he’d told me was something to be proud of.
“You’re disgusting. You’re all disgusting. Why did you show me this tonight?”
I couldn’t understand why, after keeping such a sick secret from me, he’d break his fucked up bro code, and show me now. I never thought Justin would do something like this to me, not in a million years.
“It’s about time you knew. I mean, I couldn’t let you go ahead with your ridiculous wedding idea, could I?”
I was trying so hard to keep the tears inside. I didn’t want to give Liam the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I couldn’t stop shaking though. I felt sick, numb, and desperately just wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole. Get me out of this nightmare I’d been unwittingly hurled into. I’d given everything to Justin; he had my whole heart. How could he be so reckless with it? Why wasn’t I enough?
“Aww, princess. Did you really think you were special? Maybe your inheritance was special to him, but you? You were convenient pussy, sex on tap. Decent sex judging by what he told us all, but nothing more than that, Ryles.”
I was gonna throw up. I thought I knew what hell was, but this was so much worse.
“I can make you feel special too, you know,” he jeered, giving me a dirty, salacious look.
I couldn’t stand to hear anymore. I had to get away. I pushed his chest with both of my hands to get some distance between us and stumbled my way through the crowds towards the exit.
“Woah! Hold up there, blondie.”
Cillian stopped me in my tracks, and seeing the tears that were now pouring down my cheeks, he grabbed my face in both of his hands.
“What the hell happened to you? Tell me.”
His whole body was rigid and he looked ready to take on the world for me if I asked him to.
“I’m so stupid.”
I wiped the tears, but it was useless. More dripped down in their place.
“He’s been cheating on me. He’s a dirty fucking cheat. I… I just can’t… please let me go.”
I tried to pull away, but Cillian wouldn’t let me. His eyes looked into mine with so much empathy it actually made me feel worse. He sighed and pulled me into him for a hug.
“I’m so sorry, Ryley.”
“Did you know?” I asked, pulling away from him and frowning, praying he’d answer in the negative.
“Shit, no, of course not. I’ve never trusted him though. I told you he wasn’t good enough for you. He’s a boy. You were going to marry a boy, and you… you need a man.”
“I don’t need anyone.” I gritted my teeth and yanked my face free of his clutches. “Leave me alone, all of you. I’m done with all of your shit.”
I saw Daisy coming towards me, with Lisa and Maddie in tow. But what really surprised me was seeing Chloe with them too. She had her arm linked through Daisy’s and looked ready to release hell.
“What’s going on, chick?” Daisy held her hand out to me, her face awash with genuine concern.
“Can we leave? I need to get out of here.”
“Sure. What’s happened though? Has Liam upset you? He’s an asshole, we all know that, but you can’t let him spoil your night. There’s puddles outside that are deeper and more meaningful than he is.”
“Please… just get me out of here. I’ll talk to you outside.”
“Look after her and wait there,” Cillian said to the others, but I wasn’t about to wait around for whatever or rather whoever Cillian was about to call on. It was embarrassing enough knowing my boyfriend had to look elsewhere to get his kicks, without the almighty Jackson Caine being in on the joke that was my love life.
“Let’s just go.” I strode forward with purpose. I needed to get some fresh air. How was I ever going to face Justin again after what I’d seen? What was I going to tell everyone? I felt so ashamed.
I stumbled out of the club onto the pavement and held on to the wall of the building. Bile rose up in my throat as I desperately tried to put the vile images I’d just seen out of my mind. It was no use, they were playing on a loop in my brain, like some fucked up, hellish porn film.
“I hate Liam fucking Grant. What’s he done now?” Lisa rolled her eyes.
“He’s shown me what a lying, cheating scumbag my ex-fiancé is.”
“What?” Daisy almost choked as she questioned me.
“He has videos, Dee. Disgusting, dirty videos of Justin with other girls. God, I’m so stupid.”
“Don’t you dare say that!” Daisy looked livid. “You are not stupid. What a fucking twat. How could he?”
“I don’t know?” I cried, wishing this whole nightmare would end. My chest felt like it could cave in at any minute.
“Who’s Justin?” I’d forgotten Chloe was there.
“Justin is… or rather was, her fiancé. He’s really special, if you know what I mean. He’s like a slinky; totally pointless, but you can’t help smiling when you see him tumbling down the stairs.”
Any other time I’d have called Lisa out on her description of him, but right then, I couldn’t give two shits.
“But I thought you were with Jackson?” Chloe scrunched her forehead in confusion.
“That’s different, it’s… oh fuck. My life is just one big fuck up.”
“Listen, I don’t know what’s going on here,” Chloe said. “To be honest, I’m totally confused. But you seem like a good person that’s having a really shitty time, and I know better than most what that feels like. If you need anything, anything at all, I’ll help you.” Chloe took my clutch from me and opened it, pulling out my phone and then smiled.
“You really need to get a lock on your phone screen, Ryley, but here… I’ve put my number into your contacts. Ring me if you need anything, okay?” She handed my bag back to me and glanced around, looking nervous. “I’d better head back in. I know Jackson will be having kittens knowing we’re all out here on the street, and I know Luca wouldn’t appreciate me lurking on street corners at two a.m.”
She flung her arms around me and gave me a warm hug.
“What the fuck is going on?” Jackson’s deep voice boomed from the club entrance. He wasn’t happy at all. In fact, he looked murderous.
“Chill out, Jackson,” Chloe said. “I’m going back in to the safety of your club. No need to bother Luca about any of this, is there?”
Jackson nodded, and Dennis appeared from behind him to walk her back in.
“What’s going on, Ryley?” His voice was softer now. It was obvious Cillian had filled him in on what he already knew. I wasn’t in the mood to pad the story out though.
“What’s going on is that I put all my trust in someone and they’ve fucked me over big time. But I guess I should get used to people being untrustworthy, shouldn’t I? Like you said, turn your back and someone’s always there, ready to stab you in it.”
He went to step forward to
wards me, but I took a step back.
“And you know what else? I’m done with being the pawn in your macho little games. I’m out.”
“I’m not playing any games,” he argued, but who was he kidding? He was the biggest game player of them all. Everything he did was to get back at Justin, or to make me suffer.
“Oh, yes you do, and I don’t want to be a part of whatever this is anymore. Daisy, can I stop at yours tonight?” I asked.
She nodded and Lisa flagged a passing cab down for us to take.
“I’ll be back in the morning to collect my stuff. I would say it’s been fun, but it really hasn’t.”
I turned my back on Jackson, Cillian, and the club, and climbed into the cab with my friends. Turned out my intuition had been right all along. My night was an epic one. An epic failure of devastating proportions.
I watched her cab pull away from the kerb and felt a strange pulling sensation deep down in my gut. That was it then, it was all over. Tomorrow, life would go back to what it’d been before, or some semblance of my old life. Whatever that would look like after she’d blown into my world and turned everything I truly believed on its head.
“What’s the plan now?” Cill came to stand next to me, his usual jokey persona absent. He sounded despondent.
“There is no plan. Not anymore. She’ll move out tomorrow and all this will be over.”
“No plan?” He huffed, annoyed at my response. “You’ve always got a fucking plan. Come on, what are you gonna do? And please don’t tell me you still want to fuck her over like you did to her brother, because the way I’m feeling right now, I’ll kick your ass myself.”
I gritted my teeth at his self-righteousness. He might be my best friend, but I would still kick his ass for being disrespectful.
“It’s finished. I’m done. She can go on and live her life. I won’t stand in her way when she leaves. It’s time I moved on.”
Cill stepped in front of me, no doubt ready to call bullshit, or try to get me to own up to some other fucked up scheme I’d cooked up since Ryley agreed to stay.
This Cruel Love (A Dark Hearts Stand-Alone Novel Book 2) Page 14