by Bella Jewel
Is he...holding her hand?
My heart clenches, and yet I can’t seem to make myself angry at him for it. He made it very clear how he feels about Selena and I; who am I to judge him for that? He could have been a lying bastard. Instead he’s given me the whole truth, and it’s now up to me if I put up with it. I turn away, feeling my cheeks burn with emotion. It still hurts.
Maybe I need a break. Perhaps I should go and spend some time with Autumn.
If I could get hold of her, that is.
I’ve tried four times today alone—nothing. She’s not answering messages or texts, and I’m trying very hard to push my panic aside. If something has happened to her, or she’s in trouble and I can’t help her it’s going to destroy me. But I just don’t know how to track her down. If she doesn’t want to be found, she won’t.
I pull my shades back over my eyes and lean back in the chair. Reign and Selena are walking up the steps into the resort now, and I can see the exact moment Reign’s eyes find me because he lets go of Selena’s hand. I pretend I don’t see him; it’s easier that way. I just keep my shades on and my body still, acting as though I’m sleeping.
I feel a warm hand on my shoulder a moment later, and I turn my head to the side to see Reign staring down at me. “Hey.”
“Oh,” I yawn. “Hey.”
“You feeling better?”
I nod. “Just enjoying this sun.”
I tilt my head back, stretching my neck and moaning with delight. I’m also doing it because I know from this angle Slutena can see the hickey hiding at the base of my neck. She sees it, too, because her mouth tightens and she glares at me. No one said I had to play fair.
“We’re going to the luncheon now. Did you want to come?”
I push myself up, letting my towel fall so I’m only in my bikini. Reign’s eyes drop to my pelvis and he grins. Slutena only glares at me until her eyes are tiny slits. Deal with it, ho. I lift my fingers and run them through my hair, and then I pull on my nice, white, summer halter dress. “Sure. Do you want me to change?”
“No,” Reign says and I don’t miss the huskiness in his tone. “That’s fine.”
I flash him a smile. “What are we waiting for then?”
He turns to Selena and smiles at her, and then we all walk towards the resort lobby. I can’t wipe the smile off my face, and when I feel Reign’s hand graze my ass, it only gets bigger. Maybe there is a chance for me—maybe he will see something in me he can’t find in her. If that’s the case, I might just get my happy ending.
Maybe.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
I walk down the long halls towards the bathroom, squirming because my bladder feels like it’s about to explode. I need to pee so badly. I’ve had too much orange juice and even a glass of the fine wine at lunch. I turn to my left, jumping from foot to foot as I put my hand on the door and go to push it open. I stop abruptly when I hear Slutena’s voice. I turn my head, listening. She must be in another room.
Fighting with my bladder and my curiosity, I let go of the handle and turn, walking down the hall some more until her voice becomes clear. She’s clearly talking on the phone, because hers is the only voice I can hear. I press my back against the wall, clenching my legs together because I’m too interested to hear what she’s saying. I can’t leave yet.
“She’s not making this easy for me,” she says to whoever she’s on the phone to. “He likes her; I can see it. He smiles at her and I know he’s fucking her. He keeps leaving me to go to her.”
I know she’s talking about me. I grin.
“That’s what I said,” she snorts. “She’s only after his money.”
I roll my eyes. That simple tramp. She can’t see past the dollar signs so she couldn’t possibly understand why I would want Reign just because he’s Reign.
“I’m going to have to try a new approach. He’s distracted; he needs to focus. I know I stuffed up, but that was years ago.”
Doesn’t make it any better, bimbo.
“We haven’t slept together, so I can’t even use the pregnant act. He’s far too focused with her. I even called him the other night, crying about our baby. He came running to me, but he wasn’t there. I knew where he’d been.”
Oh my God, I want to scratch her eyes out. I knew it; I knew she was using him.
“No, of course he doesn’t know, Kate,” she whispers, low and edgy. “He can never know.”
Know what? I lean in closer.
“If he ever found out I aborted that baby, all hope of rekindling this would crash.”
Aborted.
Aborted?
A breath gets stuck in my throat and I struggle to push it out. I press a hand over my mouth, horrified.
She got their baby aborted.
Rage fills me and before I can think, I’m storming around the corner. She squeals and spins around, her eyes wide. Yeah, that’s right, bitch, I busted you. She quickly ends her call and runs a hand over her dress. Her eyes are darting about and I can see her fingers trembling as she fumbles with a piece of lace.
“Ah, Tiani,” she says, looking up at me with a fake smile. “I didn’t hear you.”
“You lying, pathetic, horrible woman,” I bark.
Her eyes harden, her act slipping so quickly it’s actually concerning. “You were eavesdropping?”
I cross my arms, trying to control my panting. “You are lying to him. He actually thinks he loves you, and you’re nothing but a cold-hearted bitch.”
She takes a step forward, her eyes narrowing. “Don’t pretend you’re any better. Do you think I don’t know what you’re up to?”
“Up to?” I laugh bitterly. “What is it you think I’m up to?”
“Reign is a rich man; you’re a young, struggling woman. It’s not hard to figure out.”
I bark another laugh. “Oh you poor, naive woman. Reign hired me.”
She squints, trying to read my face. “Hired you?”
Tired of the act, tired of her bullshit and tired of the lies, I spill all. “Yes, you stupid, plastic tart. He hired me to make you suffer. He’s angry at you and he wanted to make you feel just a small amount of what he was feeling. But you were never going to feel anything. Why do you think he’s started spending time with me? The feelings he has for me are real; the feelings he has for you are based on a spiral of rotten lies.”
“You’re a conniving little bitch,” she spits. “I don’t know why you think you’re going to be the one he chooses. He’s always going to come back to me.”
“Funny that.” I laugh bitterly. “But I was sure you just admitted to your friend on the phone that he was distracted by me.”
She flinches. “Because you’re feeding his need. The moment you stop doing that, he’ll come running back to me. The moment Reign fucks me again, it’ll be over for you.”
I shake my head, disgusted. “I knew what you were the moment I met you. It’s only a shame that poor man actually cares about you, because he’s blinded.”
“Reign is mine, little girl,” she growls. “Throw away your fantasies of taking me out of the picture. It will never happen. My suggestion to you is to leave. Go home and quit your job. Leave the real men for the ladies. I’m sure there’s a nice young man at home who can deal with your immature self.”
“Jealous, Grandma? Afraid he finds my young pussy nicer than your old, washed-up one?” I fire at her.
High five, Tiani.
She flinches and her face forms into an ugly scowl. “I won’t ask you again; get out of his life.”
I shake my head, glaring at her. “I could walk right out there and tell him what I heard in here, and your perfect little world would come crashing down.”
She grins, so sure of herself, and that worries me. “Do you think he’d believe you?” She throws her head back and laughs. “You’re more simple than I first thought.”
“You killed his baby,” I breathe, my voice too angry to show itself. “You’re a murderer.”
She hisse
s and steps forward, clenching her fists. “It wasn’t a baby, it was a bundle of cells.”
That does it for me. I lift my fist and I hit her so hard her nose cracks and begins spurting blood. She screams so loudly I actually have to cover my ears. Jesus. Blood rolls down her face in thick rivulets as she clutches her nose, wailing and screaming. My fist aches as I take a step back, knowing that was probably not the best move to make. I hear footsteps behind me, and I turn to see Reign charging around the corner. He skids to a halt when he sees Selena, and his furious gaze turns to me. “What did you do?”
“She came in here and attacked me,” Selena wails. “She said I needed to leave, that she was sick of me being in her way, and that you belonged to her.”
My mouth drops open. “You lying bitch!” I screech. “She’s telling lies, Reign.”
He looks between the both of us, clearly torn.
“She aborted your baby. I overheard her saying it on the phone and I confronted her about it,” I say, my voice weaker than I’d like. “I wouldn’t lie to you.”
His face pales and he turns to her. She’s actually got tears running down her face. I give her a disgusted look, horrified that any person could be so . . . so cruel. Then she screams, “How dare you talk about my baby? You know nothing, you whore.”
Then she lunges at me. My back slams into the door behind me, and I scream in pain as the handle pushes into my back, hitting the bone and causing a sharp yet deep pain to shoot up my spine. Her hand makes contact with my face and a resounding slapping sound fills the room. My eyes burn from the pain and quickly fill with tears. Not because I want to cry, no; because it fucking hurts.
“You don’t ever speak about my baby,” she bellows. “If you want to tell lies, tell them about anything but that. It was our child. How dare you.”
Oh. My. God.
I’m speechless, just so completely shocked that she’s acting this out so well. Reign is glaring at me, actually glaring at me. I shove her chest, sending her backwards. I look to Reign and say in a trembling tone, “I heard her say it. I would never make something like that up. You know me, Reign.”
“You’ve known me ten years,” Slutena sobs. “You know how much I loved our baby. You’ve seen what I went through, how could you ever believe it wasn’t real?”
Reign’s eyes are still on me, and they seem to be filled with betrayal and a hint of confusion. He’s looking at me as if he’s trying to see if I really am the liar she claims. Then he turns to her and gives her the same look.
“Reign,” I whisper.
“Don’t listen to her,” Slutena pleads.
“You’re asking me to believe you,” he rasps, turning back to me after a moment, “when you’ve done nothing but tell me how much you hate Selena.”
And that’s all I need. He believes her. I shake my head sadly, emotion no doubt showing on my face as I back up towards the door. “You know what? Believe what you want. I won’t stand here and try to convince you of something you clearly won’t believe. Just know this,” I growl, turning to Selena, “you might have known him for ten years, and he might even love you, but the truth of the matter is I had something with him you’ll never have. A deep friendship.” Then I turn back to Reign. “At least, I thought that’s what we had.”
I turn and leave.
There really is nothing else to say.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
I’m packing my bags, mulling over my feelings when Reign comes in. He’s alone, and I’m thankful for that. I’m feeling an enormous mix of emotions right now. On one side, I want to be hurt and angry at him, but that makes no sense. He always told me where his feelings were strongest. On the other side, I want to fix this, because this job is important to me. I need it now more than ever, but above all that . . . Reign is my friend.
And that woman is a lying, cheating, manipulative whore.
If I walk away and don’t even try to make sure he doesn’t end up hurt, then I’m not a friend at all. So it really leaves me with only one choice: to keep fighting for the man I’ve grown to love, because above all else, he matters to me, and I’d be a weak and selfish person if I walked away and left him when I know he needs me around.
“You don’t need to be in here, Reign,” I say, zipping up my suitcase. “Believe it or not, I understand.”
He sighs and I look up to see him running his hand through his hair. “I’m not askin’ you to leave, Tia. I’m confused. I need time to go over this shit. I’ve got two women telling me two different things. You can’t begin to imagine how that feels.”
I meet his gaze, and our eyes lock. “I might not have known you long, Reign, but I’d never lie about something like that.”
Another sigh.
“You know, a big part of me wants to believe you, Tia. Then I’ve got Selena, saying the exact same thing you are – that you’re the liar. I have no idea who to believe, no idea how this is going to end for me. If I believe her, I’m going to lose you. If I believe you, I’m going to lose her. I can’t win.”
I feel for him; I actually do. I know who the liar is here, but I’m not in Reign’s shoes. He’s got a woman who is swearing black and blue that she isn’t in the wrong, and not only is she a woman he’s known for a long time, she’s a woman he loves. I might see her for the black-and-white whore she is, but he doesn’t see her that way.
“I understand,” I say again, because really, what else is there to say?
“I didn’t come here to talk about that. I came here to ask you not to leave. I don’t want you to quit your job, because the work you do for my business is better than anyone I’ve had, and you’re still my friend. I don’t want that to end, not over something like this. I need time, but I also need you to stay with me.”
My heart breaks a little more for him.
I’ve got three choices here: I can be an asshole, storm out and tell him I’m quitting. I can try to distance myself from him, pushing him out of my life completely and starting fresh or I can stay in the job, keep smiling and being his friend, and be the girl that a part of him, albeit small, was falling for.
I force a smile, though I’m sure my lip wobbles. “I’m not going to quit, Reign. You know me: push me down and I’ll get back up. Besides, I need this job. I was laid off from the other accounting firm so if I walk now, I’ve got nothing to fall back on.”
His eyes narrow. “You didn’t tell me you got laid off.
I shrug. “I didn’t think there was a need to.”
His expression softens and he takes a step forward, placing his hand on my cheek. “I know what this all looks like to you, Tia, but I haven’t made my choice. You know where I stand with Selena, but you also know where I stand with you. I don’t want you to walk away from me, because right now I honestly don’t know where the fuck I’m at. I don’t want to be angry at either of you, but I also don’t want to trust the wrong person.”
“I said I understand,” I whisper, staring at his golden, broken eyes. “I’m not going anywhere, Reign; what sort of person would that make me? I’m not going to lie and tell you this doesn’t hurt, because it does. It hurts more than you could possibly know, because I do care about you and I don’t want to see you in pain. I can take a step back, I can let you sort this out, but if you only take one thing from me, Reign, then take this: you need to step back from her, too. To make the right choices, to get your head around the right information, then you need to clear yourself of both of us until you can see through the mist again.”
He studies my face, and then he leans down to kiss my forehead. “You’re right. Thank you for being the better person about this.”
Oh, believe me, I don’t want to be. But what choice do I truly have? I can’t lose him; not when I know what he’s being left with.
I wave my hand and step back. “No problems.”
He purses his lips, but doesn’t say anymore about the subject. “You’re still going to leave, though. Aren’t you?”
I nod. “I have to. It
’s too fresh and too raw right now. It hasn’t been a successful week and I think it’s best if we give each other a few days.”
He nods. “I get that. Let me organize safe travel home for you.”
I smile and watch as he pulls his phone from his pocket to get that all under way. My heart aches for him, because I know how confused he must be right now. He’s literally torn between two worlds and that can’t be an easy place to be. I finish up with my luggage and roll it to the door before sighing and glancing around the room one more time.
By the time Reign gets back in town, I vow to be the person he hired and cared about again. But for now, I’m going home to sulk.
And I’m absolutely allowed to.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
One week later
Hiccup.
“Can I have another?”
Hiccup.
“You sure about that?”
Hiccup and a glare for the bartender. “Yes.”
I’m out in a strange bar, drowning my sorrows. I am going back to work tomorrow, going back to see Reign and pretend like none of this matters. The more I think about the entire situation, the more I realize it’s going to be fucking hard to pretend it doesn’t matter to me to be around him.
I think I made the wrong choice.
I should have stuck with getting angry and running away.
“Little wingman,” I hear a husky voice purr from behind me.
I turn to see Spike and a whole shitload of other bikers and women behind him. My eyes widen. Whoa.
“Biker.” I smirk. “What brings your fine ass to this bar?”
He lets his eyes run over me and he scrunches up his nose. “You showered in the last few days?”
I gape at him and swing around in my chair. “I beg your pardon, this look is very in right now.”
He raises a brow. “That so?”
“Yes,” I say, crossing my arms. “That’s so.”
Okay, so I didn’t take a great deal of care with my appearance. I wasn’t coming out to get laid or have fun, I was coming to get drunk. My denim short skirt is old, faded and ratty. My tank was once a dark, gorgeous blue. Now it, too, is faded. My hair has been messily brushed and thrown atop my head and I’m wearing only a pair of flip-flops.