by Linde, K. A.
Jane snickered next to me. “You three are so fun.”
But the way she’d said it, it was the most Jane way ever. I had to fight from laughing at the quip that went over their heads.
“Penn and I are happy. That’s all that matters.”
“It is,” Isabel agreed easily.
“Though I heard Lewis is so miserable,” Sloane said.
“And his poor mother,” Fiona said.
Jane shrugged. “If you do bad business, there are consequences. No one is exempt. Not even a Warren.”
“Ugh,” Isabel groaned. “Let’s talk about something else. When I hear the word business, I start to break out. I’m going to marry someone and never have to think about it again.”
Fiona giggled. “Isn’t that everyone’s plan?”
Jane straightened. “I don’t think it is.”
“Yeah, but, like, owning a club isn’t a real job,” Sloane said slowly.
I placed my hand on Jane’s before she could go off on them. “Jane works really hard for her club. She’s amazing at it. And she enjoys it. Some of us don’t mind working. And some of us don’t want to. Either is fine,” I said evenly. Even though I couldn’t imagine never working again and letting Penn cover everything.
“Oh god,” Fiona grumbled. “Look who just showed his face.”
We all turned to see who had appeared.
“Don’t look. Don’t look!” she cried.
“You just told us to,” Isabel grumbled.
But it was too late anyway. We were all looking and found Camden Percy striding into Club 360. He’d be super-freaking hot in a gray three-piece suit if he wasn’t such an unbelievable dick. No amount of good looks could make up for the hideous personality lurking darkly underneath it all.
“Why are we looking at Camden?” I asked, turning back to the lackeys.
Isabel bit her lip and looked away. Sloane’s eyes widened as if in disbelief that I didn’t know. But it was Fiona who was the color of a ripe tomato.
“We had an affair,” she whispered.
Jane and I raised our eyebrows at the same time. This wasn’t the first time that I’d heard that Camden had cheated on Katherine. I remembered a particular night at Harmony’s party last year where he’d been high as fuck and looking for a good time. He would have been fine with me that night if Court hadn’t saved me from his clutches.
But this was the first time someone Katherine knew was admitting it.
“When?” Jane asked, leaning forward.
“Like…the last year.”
“Two,” Sloane said.
Fiona glared at her. “On and off forever.”
“And…it’s still going on?” I asked her.
She paused and then shook her head once. “He ended it after the wedding.”
I eyed her doubtfully. Why would Camden end an easy fuck-buddy relationship when he despised Katherine? He didn’t seem the type to give up something convenient.
“You want us to believe it’s really over?” Jane asked, on the same train of thought as me.
“Well, I saw him after he got back from his honeymoon, but he sent me home,” Fiona said. Embarrassment coated her voice.
“He threw her out,” Isabel clarified.
“Like…bodily,” Sloane added.
“Girls,” Fiona groaned.
“Huh,” I said in surprise. “Did Katherine know?”
Fiona’s eyes bulged. “Are you out of your mind? She would kill me.” She glanced sideways. “They’ve always been so….you know?”
I tilted my head because, clearly, I did not.
“In love,” Fiona said. She averted her gaze and frowned.
I laughed softly and then realized she was serious. Fiona thought Katherine and Camden were in love? I glanced around at the rest of her friends…even Jane. They all thought that Katherine and Camden were really together.
Oh god.
The realization hit me like a two-by-four. No one else knew that it was an arranged marriage. It was a crew secret. And I’d happened to be a part of the crew when it all came out. They’d thought I was a nobody when they first told me, and then it was too late. But to the rest of the world, this was real.
It was deeply disturbing. And an edge I hadn’t known that I had.
“They’re in love, and yet you slept with him for years?” I asked Fiona.
“He’s a man of carnal desire,” she whispered.
I nearly gagged and found my eyes dragged back toward Camden Percy. Well, Fiona wasn’t the only person who had slept with Camden since he’d gotten engaged to Katherine. And I doubted she would be the last either. He’d never seemed like the one-woman type, especially since I knew that his feelings for Katherine were a charade.
“Nat,” Jane whispered. She pointed back to the entrance.
It was my time to curse.
Katherine Van Pelt strode into Club 360.
Chapter 28
Natalie
Katherine wore a skintight red dress and mile-high heels. Her dark brown hair was down in waves, and even with her face partially in shadow, it was clear she had on heavy makeup. Her steely gaze swept the dance floor, owning it, and then she walked right into Camden’s arms like they had been waiting for her all along.
We all watched in various forms of shock as they started making out in public. Right there on the dance floor.
Sure, he owned the hotel. He could do whatever he wanted. But it had never seemed like Camden was one for public displays of affection.
And last I’d heard, Katherine actually despised him. Except that wasn’t quite true. Penn had mentioned that Katherine had seemed relieved to see Camden. That she might even…like him. My head spun with that knowledge.
I wanted her to be miserable. I wanted her to pay. And somehow, it had turned on its head. Just becoming this wasn’t enough. Not if she was happy with that bastard. Against all odds.
I rose to my feet. “Who cares if he’s here?” I said to Fiona. “You can get any guy you want. You don’t need to worry about one who’s already married.” I held my hand out to her, and she let me help her up. “Let’s dance.”
The rest of the girls jumped to their feet as the beat kicked in. We crushed together, letting loose, and seemingly getting rid of all our concerns. Just a group of beautiful women living the life.
Jane danced next to me with a sly smile on her lips. “Nice job.”
I threw an arm around her. “Fake it till you make it, right?”
“I think you’re already there.”
“Huh, I guess so. Who knew it was just an attitude change that could bring me all of this?”
“Me,” Jane said with a laugh, swaying her hips side to side.
Harmony appeared a minute later and swept into our dance circle. “Oh my god, did you see that Katherine is here?”
“We saw,” I told her.
“She’s going to kill us,” she said with a chuckle. “It’s going to be great.”
“There’s nothing she can do about it.”
Harmony gave me a dubious look. “She’s Katherine Van Pelt. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
I knew she was right. Katherine stayed two steps ahead. And though I’d been trying to figure out what her next move would be, I still had no idea. But there had to be something coming. Knowing her.
It took longer than I’d thought it would.
I hadn’t expected Katherine to be here at all. I purposely hadn’t invited her to our little soiree because I wasn’t ready for this showdown. I’d wanted it on my terms. Not here when I was trying to garner favor with her friends.
But it didn’t seem to matter what I’d wanted. She was here. This had been a long time coming anyway.
So, I waited as she strode toward the booth with venom on her tongue and death promised in her dark eyes.
“What the hell is going on?” Katherine demanded when she reached our booth.
She didn’t look at me. Her eyes were on Harmony. And then more
death glares for Fiona. Well, that answered that question. Katherine definitely knew about that.
“Hey, Katherine,” I said with a smile. “We’re having a girls’ night out.”
Her eyes dragged to me as if it was the last thing she wanted to do. “And who invited you to this thing?”
“Invited me?” I asked her. “I think you have it backward. I did the inviting.”
Katherine looked thrown for a second, glancing at her friends and lackeys in disbelief. But then recovered even though her anger seemed to have only intensified. “Well, I’m so sorry to have to ruin things then,” she said dryly.
“Oh, don’t worry. You can go back to your husband. It won’t ruin anything for us.” I stepped into her path before she could enter the booth. “We have this space reserved for the night, and we kind of wanted this to be exclusive. You understand, yeah?”
“This is my booth,” Katherine spat.
“Actually, it’s not,” Harmony said, coming up to my left. “We have the space, Katherine. Just because you normally party here doesn’t mean anything.”
Katherine glared at Harmony. “Cute, Harm. Would you like any of my other sloppy seconds? First, Penn, and now, you’ve even moved on to friendships.” She pointedly glanced at me. As if we’d ever really been friends.
“This has nothing to do with you. We’re just having some fun. You’re the one who always wants to ruin that,” Harmony snapped.
I pressed her backward. I didn’t want this to get ugly. And it would devolve quickly between Katherine and Harmony. Honestly, it had always been like that with me and Katherine, too, but I didn’t want to fall apart here. I needed to be strong. She couldn’t have what she wanted. And she would do anything to get it.
But I’d learned a lesson with Michael back in Charleston. If you backed down from your opponent, then they’d walk all over you. I had no intention of backing down.
“It’s fine, Harmony. Katherine was going to leave anyway. She knows when she’s not welcome,” I said crisply.
I could hear the whispers behind me. The girls who watched me stand up to Katherine Van Pelt. Maybe the first time they’d ever seen that.
“You have no idea what you’re doing,” she hissed at me.
“I think I do. Don’t make me call security,” I warned carefully.
“As if they’d do anything. My husband owns this whole place.”
“Then ask him to make us move, Katherine,” I dared her. “Camden at your beck and call. That’s how it works, right?”
She narrowed her eyes at me. We both knew that she didn’t have that kind of leverage with him. Maybe no one else right now knew, but we did. Our little secret. I watched her realize it. Watched her see that she’d lost. And I smiled.
But it was the smile that must have tipped her over.
“I’m really amazed at all you’ve accomplished, Natalie,” Katherine said with no hint of warmth in her voice. “But I’m surprised that you and Jane are still close.”
My eyes flickered to Jane’s. She hadn’t been at my side. In fact, she hadn’t said a thing the whole conversation. But I wouldn’t ask. Katherine wanted me to ask.
“Isn’t that right, Janie?” Katherine asked, crooking her finger at Jane. “You must not have told her that you were the one who outed her pen name to me.”
My body seized. No. Fuck. It couldn’t have been Jane. Why would Jane have told Katherine?
It made no sense. But at the same time, it somehow did. So few people had known about my pen name. And I knew that Lewis and Penn hadn’t told her. But Jane…Jane had known.
“Natalie,” Jane said. Her usual Jane calm evaporating. “I…I didn’t want to.”
I stared at her in disbelief. Could I fucking trust anyone in this community? I would have never trusted Jane from the beginning, but she had found out by total accident that I was Olivia Davies. But she promised she wouldn’t tell. I believed her. I’d been wrong. Again.
This was Katherine’s step ahead. But there was no way I could have anticipated Jane’s deceit. Penn had been right about her all along.
“Oh, you didn’t know?” Katherine crooned softly. “Sorry to break it to you.”
“You know,” I said icily, “I don’t think that you are. Now, you can get out of here and leave us be.”
“What? Not going to go run away and cry about it?”
I laughed at her. “No, I’m not.” Then I dismissively fluttered my fingers and turned my back on her. I wouldn’t give her what she wanted. I wouldn’t break down at this news. I wouldn’t run away. I wouldn’t let her have the booth just because she was evil as fuck.
Instead, I faced Jane, who looked stricken in the corner. “So, it’s true?”
She nodded solemnly. “I’m so sorry. I felt so awful.”
“Why? Why did you tell her?”
She just shook her head.
But I didn’t have time or energy for games. “For no reason then? What was in it for you, Jane?”
Because I knew my friend. Everything came with a price. And I supposed this one was the price of our friendship.
“Percy,” she whispered in despair.
Of course. “You sold me out to get money from the enemy. God, Jane, you disgust me.”
“Natalie, please, look at how much you’ve grown since then. You’re incredible! You’re killing it. No one cares anymore.”
“I care,” I said, low and dangerous. “I care. And you know perfectly well why I care, Jane. As you pretended to be my friend when it happened.”
“I am your friend,” she insisted.
“No, I don’t think you are. You should go,” I told her viciously. “We’re having a girls’ night. It’s not meant for backstabbers.”
I hated the words, even as they left my mouth.
Jane had been there for me when I came back to the city. We had developed a friendship over time. But if she was going to sell my secrets to Katherine, then I didn’t want her as a friend. And it was worse because she knew more of them. She knew the contact I’d gotten from her. What I’d wanted to do that day. But maybe she’d think twice before revealing it.
“Nat…”
“Go, Jane,” I growled. “Just go.”
She grabbed her purse from the couch, looking wide-eyed at the group of girls she’d just been hanging out with. But no one met her gaze. They were all looking at me or at the floor or off in the distance. No one said a word as Jane walked out of the booth, off the dance floor, and out of the club.
I didn’t know when Katherine had left, but she was gone when I turned back around. And I wanted to count it as a win. But in truth, I felt like I’d been hollowed out. I couldn’t show how upset I was. I couldn’t leave this girls’ night that I’d planned. I couldn’t be myself for even a second…or it might all fall apart, just like Katherine wanted.
I managed to be utterly alone in a sea of people. Was this how Katherine had always felt on her throne?
Chapter 29
Natalie
I crawled into Penn’s bed early the next morning. We’d been up until the wee hours of the morning, dancing and drinking. My head felt as heavy as a bowling ball, my throat was scratchy, and I was beyond drained. Who knew that being on could suck the life out of a person?
Penn’s arm tightened around my bare shoulder as I leaned my head against his chest. “Mmm, Nat.”
I kissed his neck. “I just got in,” I rasped.
“I like your voice like that. Sexy.”
I chuckled. “I sound like a smoker.”
“But a sexy smoker,” he said, dragging me tighter against him.
I sighed against him and stared off into the dark. Totle was curled up around his legs, and he nudged me with his wet nose. I reached down and petted him once. My head was still spinning from the alcohol though. Maybe lying down wasn’t such a great idea.
“I think I’m still drunk.”
“You smell like a bar,” Penn confirmed.
“What a compliment. Just w
hat every girl wants to hear.”
He slipped an eye open. “How much did you drink?”
“No idea.”
I’d lost count after Jane left.
“Did you have a good time?”
I swallowed. Felt the first pricks of tears at my eyes. The pain and loss hitting me now that I was sinking into the cushions and allowed to feel again. I pushed them down, down, down. I didn’t want to cry. I couldn’t cry. It was absurd.
And yet…my throat was tight when I responded, “Well…”
He opened both eyes at that. Worry creased his forehead. “What happened?”
I sank back on the pillow. “Katherine. Of course.”
“She was there? But you didn’t invite her.”
“No, I didn’t. She was there to see Camden. They, like, made out on the dance floor.”
Penn wrinkled his nose. “Percy? You’re sure?”
“A hundred percent. Fiona’s been fucking him for years. I think she’d know.”
“Oh yeah,” he muttered.
I met his gaze. “When were you going to tell me that you’d fucked all the lackeys?”
He snorted. “The lackeys? Is that what you’re calling them?”
“Isn’t that what they are?”
“Yes,” he agreed. “And…sorry. I mean, I didn’t know if you wanted to know who it was.”
“Was it all of them? All of the ones that you told me to invite?”
He shook his head. “Not…all of them.”
I groaned. “Just most of them.”
“Look, it’s not like I’m proud of it. They were the easiest way to piss off Katherine.”
“I know. I know. Aren’t I using them the same way?”
He arched an eyebrow. “I don’t know. Are you?”
“I don’t know them. And I need help and people to come to this charity event that I’m hosting. In some way, I’m using their connections to pull this off.”
“And to make Katherine mad?”
“It’s an added bonus,” I told him.
“And how did she feel about that? Pissed, like I’d guessed?”