Hyde and Seek

by Layla Frost

  I turned to look at Rachel and her friend who were both overly made up and showing near indecent amounts of skin. It was only two in the afternoon but they looked like they’d already been partying hard.

  Like the karma gods were in on it, I held up my hand at the same time Voodoo's door opened. Sunlight streamed through and hit my engagement ring at the perfect angle to make it sparkle brightly.

  “I’m going to be Mrs. Jake’s Innocent Little Bitch Hyde. Boy, that’s a mouthful. I’m thinking I’ll just go by Mrs. Hyde.”

  “That’s not what Chloe said,” her side bitch said, looking to Rachel.

  “Shut the fuck up, Chrissy,” Rachel hissed, elbowing Chrissy hard in the ribs.

  Chrissy continued on as if nothing happened, giving no indication she felt what had to have been a painful jab. “I’m confused. Chloe said she was with Jake and this chick was gone. Why would he give her a ring if they broke up? I don’t get it.” Even with the distance separating us, I could see that her eyes were glazed over. As she talked, her hand kept darting up to rub her nose.

  “Holy shit, that bitch is high,” I whispered to Ray.

  “As a fuckin’ kite. I already texted Edge, and he and security are on their way. Rachel’s been banned for a while. I don’t know how she got in, but I’m guessing it had to do with the both of them on their knees. I’m also betting whoever is working the entrance is about to lose their job.”

  “Chrissy, I said shut up,” Rachel hissed again, her face contorting in anger.

  “But Chloe said now that she’s back with Jake, she’s gonna get you unbanned from all the good places. Then you’re gonna get one of the guys, and hook me up with one. I thought I was getting a man,” Chrissy whined.

  Pretty sure my boys would rather cut their own dicks off than dip it into noxious snatch.

  “Chrissy, I swear to fuck, I’m gonna beat your ass!” Rachel screeched, stepping to her just as security showed up.

  “Chloe said she sends him naked pictures all the time. She said that he has always wanted her back.”

  Holy fuck.

  Jake had kept his promise and told me when Chloe started texting again. However, he hadn’t said a word about pictures.

  “Chloe’s a lying, scheming whore. Don’t trust a word outta that bitch’s mouth,” Ray said to Chrissy.

  But I knew she was also talking to me.

  “She sent Rachel a screenshot of a text from Jake. Show them.”

  “I’m really sorry, but she’s right,” Rachel said with fake sympathy as she reached into her bag. She touched her phone a few times before turning it to face Ray and me.

  Jake: Fuck, that picture has me so hard. I can’t wait to fuck you again. I have to figure out how to get all of her shit out of my shop and house. Then we won’t have to sneak around. I’m going to come over later, get another taste of you to tide me over. I tried to make myself move on but there is no one else for me. You know what I like without me having to teach you every damn thing.

  My stomach lurched and my face heated. The restaurant seemed to fall silent as the blood roared in my ears.

  Looking around, I saw that Ray was saying something to me. Edge was screaming at Rachel as security forced her out, but all I heard was Jake’s voice from that morning.

  “But you’re so fuckin’ naive!”

  Was I?

  “I have to go,” I mumbled as I woodenly stood. I knew Ray and Edge were talking, I saw their mouths moving, but I didn’t hear a word they were saying.

  Grabbing my bag, I ran to my car and drove to Hyde.

  I pulled up to the garage and saw that Jake was already outside waiting for me. When my phone rang, I almost ignored it until I saw Rhys’ name.

  After what he’d heard at the police station, he’d started calling or texting more often to check on me. I didn’t want to leave him hanging.

  “Hey, hon, now’s not a great time. Can I call you later?”

  “Yeah. I just wanted to double check with you about cancelling the cake with Green. I wouldn’t blame you. That dude is a half-ass voice with a full-scale ego. But you seemed so determined.”

  I shook my head as if he could see me. “I’m not cancelling.” Looking out the window, I watched Jake pace as his hand rubbed the back of his neck.

  “And that’s why I was calling to see. Jake texted that you decided not to do the cake. He offered to pay someone else to take over on such short notice.”

  “I have to go. The cake is still a go. Sorry about the confusion.”

  “Cut him some slack, yeah? He’s used to making the decisions. It comes with owning a business,” he explained, knowing it wasn’t a misunderstanding that caused Jake to text. “You know he’s protective of you. This is all new to him.”

  “Maybe not as new as everyone thinks. Bye, Rhys.” I hung up on him talking.

  I’ll feel bad later, but right now I’m pissed.

  Beyond pissed.

  Furious.

  I was barely out of my car when Jake started talking. “I talked to Ray. And Edge. I have no clue what the fuck that message was. I haven’t sent shit to Chloe.”

  “Does she send you naked pictures?”

  “She could. I delete anythin’ from her without lookin’. I swear to you, I haven’t seen or texted her.”

  “Did you cancel my cake order?”

  Guilt flashed across his face as he reached for me.

  On clumsy feet, I took a few steps back. If he touched me, I’d give in.

  I always did.

  No wonder he thinks he can just do what he wants.

  “Piper.” His voice was rough as he looked at my feet. “I kept thinkin’ about what Green said to you, all the shit about the trash I fucked. How you fuckin’ me made you trash. Then Z told me about some shit he overheard him sayin’. We got enough with the fuckin’ sicko out there. You don’t need to be puttin’ yourself through that.”

  “You don’t always get to tell me what to do!” I screamed, stomping my foot. “I’m an adult.”

  Minus the foot stomp.

  “You need to trust me to know when it’s too much. And it isn’t. I can ignore him. I don’t know where you’re getting all your information from, but he barely says shit to me. He’s a joke. What’s not a joke is you promising to trust me, and then going behind my back to do what you want.”

  “Piper, just—” Jake said softly as he reached for me again.

  And again, I backed away. It was unmistakable, such was the distance I put between us.

  Pain followed by anger shrouded his face.

  “I’m supposed to trust that the screenshot I saw, with your name,” I said, pointing at him, “from your number, isn’t you. You expect me to believe you, but you won’t do the same for me.”

  “But—”

  “I’m not some trashy skank looking to bed hop. Why would anything he says make me change that? What’s the point of being together if you think that little of me? I told you, I’ve got a handle on it. I’m fine!”

  Jake raised an eyebrow. “Are you fine, Piper?” His voice was low, his tone misleadingly soft. “How fine? You so set on doin’ this cake ‘cause you like spendin’ time with Green? Hearin’ all the things he wants to do to you? I know you email with Jet and the guys all the time, sendin’ shit to them wherever they are.”

  I threw my hands up in frustration. “Yeah, ‘cause we’re friends.”

  “Maybe you really are just a fuckin’ act. No one’s this naive.”

  “I’m not—”

  As he prowled towards me, I backed away until my body hit the side of the building. Not in fear.

  In heartache.

  “Slummin’ it with a fuckin’ mechanic gettin’ old for you? Does it turn you on to have famous rock stars hard for you? Knowin’ they jack off thinkin’ about you? Make you wanna go all groupie on their rocker dicks?” Jake’s voice was malicious as he fired off his questions in rapid succession, each one hitting like a physical blow.

  “Whoa,
too far, man,” Xavier barked before I could say anything.

  “Step back, dude,” Kase warned, wedging himself between Jake and I.

  After all we’ve been through, this is what he thinks of me? What he thinks of us?

  Ducking to the side, I stumbled as I moved away.

  Jake shifted to steady me, but Kase blocked him.

  Though I wished I sounded fierce, my voice was small and shaking. “Fuck you, Jake.” Tears blurred my vision as I turned and ran to my car as fast as my wobbly legs and heels would carry me.

  My fingers shook as I tried to fit the key into the ignition. Involuntarily, my eyes focused out the window to see Kase toe-to-toe with Jake as he got in his face.

  I started the car and put it into reverse. Every instinct I had screamed at me to slam the car back into park, but I ignored them.

  We needed a break.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Killer Insecurities

  “I’m sorry, Jake. I just think it would be best if we ended this now,” I said through the crack in the door.

  He’d tried to gently push it open to get to me, but that wasn’t happening.

  It was too late.

  “What the fuck are you talkin’ about, Piper?” Jake asked, his brows drawn down.

  Even Kase looked stunned. Though he was giving us space, he was still there to have his boy’s back. He must’ve given Jake a ride since we’d taken my car that morning.

  Has it really been less than an hour since I left him?

  “Things just aren’t going to work between us. Here.” Wiggling my engagement ring off my finger, I held it out to him.

  Adding a head tilt to the lowered brows, Jake glanced blankly at it and then back at me, like he didn’t comprehend my words or action. He made no move to take it.

  My sweat slickened fingers shook so badly that I lost my hold on it. It fell between us, hitting the ground with a ping.

  Neither of us looked to see where it landed.

  “But you’re mine.”

  “I’m not.”

  “You are. You swore you wouldn’t take your sweetness from me.”

  His words made me regret the promises I often gave him. “Things change.”

  “You got my name tattooed on you. Your name is fuckin’ inked permanently on me.” His hand shook as he touched his chest, reminding me of the night he’d first shown it to me.

  I looked at him with a bored expression. “Tattoos can be covered. Just blend it in with your other ink.”

  “Are you fuckin’ serious?”

  I wished I was joking, but I knew there was no going back. I had no other choice. “It wouldn’t have worked, Jake. I… I need to be with someone more my level. Like James. Or Blake. You were right. I need better than a mechanic.”

  “I fucked up. That was fuckin’ stupid today. When you asked what the point of us bein’ together was, I just lost it. I’m sorry.” His words were sincere and I knew he’d put the effort in to never act like that again.

  It was just too late.

  “Don’t apologize. You were right because I do like that stuff. That’s how I know things aren’t going to work between us. Goodbye, Jacoby. Bye, Kase.” I tried again to close the door.

  “Sweets… Fuck, Piper. Please, just talk to me,” Jake pleaded, the tortured strain in his voice painful to hear. “I’m sorry I said all that shit. I’ll never say anythin’ like that again. But you can’t leave me, Piper. You promised.” His eyes went bright with unshed tears. Tears I’d never thought I’d see from him, let alone be the one putting there. “You can’t do this. You can’t give me all that’s you, make me so fuckin’ happy for the first time in my life, and then walk away like it meant nothin’.”

  I’ve gotta get him out of here. This is too fuckin’ much.

  “It was nothing, Jake.” My voice was cold and firm so he’d get the point. “I’m too young to settle down. I thought we were just having fun but then things kinda spiraled out of control. I should’ve put a stop to it earlier. It was fun, and you taught me a bunch, but there’s nothing else to get from this.”

  “I’ve taught you a bunch?”

  I shrugged. “Even you had to get your experience from somewhere.”

  Jake threw his arms out. “Are you seriously fuckin’ tellin’ me you’re gonna suck and ride some other man’s dick the way I taught you I liked it?”

  “Well, yeah.” The implied ‘duh’ went unsaid. “It’s not like I’m never going to have sex with anyone again.”

  “It was supposed to be me. Only me.” He thumped his chest for emphasis. “You fuckin’ said it!”

  Balling my fists at my side, I leaned forward. “And I fuckin’ lied!”

  His voice was hoarse as he shook his head. “Piper—”

  “I’ve gotta go.”

  “Wait.” Leaning heavily on the doorframe, a single tear started down his stubbled cheek.

  I shut the door in his face.

  *******

  Jake

  “I don’t fuckin’ get it, man. I’ve gotta go back. She’s gotta talk to me.” I was ramblin’ but I couldn’t help it.

  “Dude, just give her time. This is Pipe we’re talking about,” Kase said, trying to calm me, but it wasn’t workin’.

  “Exactly. Piper doesn’t play games. She wouldn’t say that shit to me unless she was sure.” My gut felt painfully empty and my head was poundin’. “I love her. Fuck, I’ve never loved anyone but her. She’s everythin’ I’ve been tryin’ to find but so much fuckin’ better. I had that sweetness, and now she just wants to take it away? I have her fuckin’ name tattooed on my chest.” I rubbed the spot where I knew her name was. I smiled every day when I saw it there.

  I smile every fuckin’ day ‘cause of her.

  “I was supposed to give her my name. She was supposed to be my wife. Mine. I know I fucked up, but I’ve done it before. She calls me out on my bullshit and we move on.”

  “You gotta relax. The shit you said? That was seriously fucked up, brother. Just give her time. She’ll come around. Piper isn’t like this. She’ll call you, and shit will get straightened out,” Eli put in.

  Eli didn’t know. He hadn’t seen her face when she’d told me that we were a mistake. Or when she’d handed me back my ring and just let it drop between us like it meant nothin’.

  After Piper shredded me, Kase had to drag me away. I kept hopin’ she’d throw open the door and laugh as she explained it was all just a really fuckin’ bad joke.

  I believed her every time she’d told me she loved me. That she needed me. That she’d never leave me.

  I could tell, from a fuckin’ mile away, which women were connivin’ and tryin’ to blind me with biker bitch snatch like I was fuckin’ dumb. They wanted to use me for my money, my name, my dick.

  But that wasn’t Piper.

  She’d never been an act. She wanted and loved me for me.

  Didn’t she?

  Fuck.

  “Dude, you gotta chill. All the pacing is making me dizzy.” Kase pulled out a bottle of scotch and some glasses from the bottom drawer of my desk.

  I kept it in there for bad days.

  And since Piper came into your life, how many days have you had to dip into it? How many nights have you worked yourself to exhaustion and then drank yourself to oblivion before crashin’ on the couch in the break room?

  Yeah, that’s what you have to look forward to again.

  I stared at the dark amber liquid in the heavy tumbler. Liftin’ it, I side armed it at the wall and watched the light reflect off it as it exploded into worthlessness.

  As incredibly expensive scotch dripped down the wall and soaked into the carpet, I knew I had to go.

  “I gotta get the fuck outta here,” I growled, reaching for the door as Kase blocked it.

  “Give it time. Nothing good will come from you going over there when emotions are so high.”

  “It’s not that. Okay, it’s not just that. I’ve gotta get outta here.” The whole pl
ace smelled like her. Her fuckin’ pictures were coverin’ the wall. All I could think about was the shit we’d done on the desk, what she’d done under it… “I can’t fuckin’ breathe. I won’t go to her. I just gotta get out of here.”

  Kase moved, allowin’ me to throw the door open.

  I started for the garage when I turned towards the break room.

  No, Piper’s kitchen.

  I’d often make any excuse to come back here and watch silently from the doorway while she baked, shakin’ her ass and singin’ louder than she realized. Sometimes she’d be curled up on the couch with her legs tucked under her as she sketched a design. Her focus was so intense that she didn’t notice me starin’, astonished all over again that she was mine.

  Or so she’d said.

  A roar left me as I stalked into the break room. Grabbin’ anythin’ I could, I threw it, breakin’ it like she broke me. I reached out to snatch up the next thing, only to come up empty-handed.

  As I stood in the middle of the destruction, I saw my life without Piper.

  An empty fuckin’ mess.

  “Uh, sorry to interrupt.”

  I glanced to the doorway and saw Rachel.

  “Hey. I just…” She looked around, her lips tipping up slightly. “Have you seen Chloe? She isn’t returning any of my texts or calls. I thought maybe you might know.”

  “I’ve got no fuckin’ clue.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’ve got no fuckin’ clue,” I repeated.

  “You wanna go somewhere private to talk?” She tentatively approached, like I was a wild animal that might attack.

  She’s right.

  We’d fucked once years ago. It wasn’t meaningful, but it’d been semi-effective.

  I looked down at her again, this time actually seein’ her. She was pushin’ her fake tits out and there was a hungry look in her eyes. I knew talkin’ wasn’t what she was offerin’.

  “C’mon, sweetie, let’s get outta here.”

  I let her grab my arm and pull me from the room.

  *******

  Piper

  I fucked up. Shit, did I fuck up.