It did come to my attention that I compared both guys often, but I felt almost compelled to. They were so different. Each the complete opposite of the other and I found myself admiring one for how he differed from the other. How much more complicated could things get for me?
I found Dakota sitting on the edge of the bed, staring forward again. It was hard to say for sure whether he was sad or just angry because his expression gave little away. Maybe he was reacting the exact opposite of me. Instead of getting angry, he was numb inside, and that was his way of dealing with the shock of what he’d seen.
Sighing heavily, I shut the door with the back of my foot and ambled toward the bed where I placed the hydrogen peroxide and the first aid kit on the bed next to him. Opening the first aid kit, I took out a pair of gauze pads. Uncapping the hydrogen peroxide bottle, I dabbed the gauze with it, and proceeded to gently pad Dakota’s lower lip with it. He winced a little but otherwise did not react.
“Does it hurt?” I asked, trying to get him to open up. To be honest, I just wanted him to say something. Anything. His silenced bothered me a lot more than I wanted it to.
“Not nearly as much as my hand,” he supplied, lifting his right hand for me to see the swollen knuckles.
“Yeah, I think you need to put some ice on that.” I glanced down at his shirt and noticed a spot of blood on it. “And your shirt needs to be washed before the stain sets in.” I had a feeling most of the blood was Kirk’s since his lips was barely split open.
He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.” Before I could say something else, he rose and sauntered to the other end of the room, put one hand on the wall, and tilted his head forward so that his chin rested on his chest.
For the first time in my short life I had no idea what to say. Although he was quiet and distant, I could tell he was hurting. And that made me feel like a piece of crap.
Technically, I had not been the one that hurt him. But it was my fault he found out. Then again, he would have found out eventually—or so I wanted to believe.
“What did you mean when you said that as of yesterday Kirk was your boyfriend?” he asked, sending my heart into a race.
Even when he was not even looking at me, I still squirmed in discomfort. Up to this point, I had every intention of lying my butt off. But then Dakota spoke, and I realized lying would only complicate matters more. He obviously knew something was up. I mean, it was pretty apparent.
I’d offered to drive him home, wanting to know if he had a girlfriend, and minutes later he witnesses his cheating girlfriend kissing my ex? It wasn’t coincidental and we both knew it. He’d put two and two together rather quickly, and I knew that I had to tell him the truth. It was the least I could do.
Setting the bloodied gauze on top of the first aid kit, I squared my shoulders and said, “Well, I refuse to keep dating the two-timing bastard after catching him in the act.”
Dakota slowly turned to face me, his ebony eyes glaring at me. “What do you mean? You knew he was cheating on you with Margaret?”
I swallowed hard. “No. Not exactly. I suspected he was sneaking around on me, but I found out for sure he was cheating last night. I lied and said I was going out of town for the weekend, but showed up at his place a couple of hours later. And I caught him red handed.” Such a bad term to use! What was I thinking?
Dakota lifted his chin. “Margaret was with him?”
I nodded.
His eyebrows arched. “Alone? In his place?”
I winced. Although I knew what he really wanted to ask, I still did not want to answer with the truth, but I knew I had to. “Yeah, they were…well, having sex.”
Dakota’s eyes rounded. “I can’t believe this.” He started to pace the length of the room, something closely resembling rage visible on his face. “So, is that what you wanted to talk to me about?”
I froze. “I—”
He turned to look at me. “You knew about Margaret and—”
“To be honest, I had no idea Margaret had a boyfriend. I didn’t even know who she was until today,” I added quickly. “I found out about you two this evening.”
He was angry and growing angrier by the second.
“Is that why you were hanging out in the food court? You wanted to tell me, didn’t you?” he shouted. “I saw you out there. I mean, I’m not stupid. It would be too much of a coincidence, don’t you think.”
What was I supposed to say to that? “Look, I—”
“You planned this, didn’t you? This whole thing was just a ruse to get me at the right place at the right time!” His dark eyes were practically throwing daggers at me.
Pissed over the fact that he was angry at me, as if it was my fault that his girlfriend was a cheating bimbo, I stormed toward the door, but stopped short of opening it.
“Would you have believed me if I told you that bitch was screwing my boyfriend? Maybe I did plan all this, but I wanted you to see for yourself what she was up to,” I shouted back. “I don’t even know why you’re angry at me anyway. If you ask me, I did you a fucking favor.”
I reached for the knob, turned it, and swung the door open.
“I’m not mad at you.” Dakota’s voice stopped me short of storming out of the room. “I’m angry, but not at you.”
I stopped, with my back to him; as I listened to him speak.
“I’m sorry if I’m taking out my frustration on you,” he said, making me feel even worse about the whole situation. “This just comes as a big shock to me.”
Slowly, hesitantly, I turned to face him again.
“Yeah, well, imagine my surprise when I walked into Kirk’s apartment last night.” I stepped back inside the room. “I was so pissed. No. Scratch that. Pissed doesn’t come close to describing what I felt.”
Dakota nodded slowly, as if it was too much of an effort. “I guess it was best for you to find them like that and not me.”
I snickered. “Where do you think he got that busted nose from?”
He actually snorted. “No way. You?”
I nodded. “I’m pretty sure I shoved at least one of his balls up to his throat too.”
Dakota chuckled softly as he shook his head. “I hope it hurt too.”
“Considering he was whimpering like a little girl afterwards, I’m pretty sure it did.”
He looked at me directly. “You two had been going out for a while, right?”
I shrugged. “Three years too many if you ask me.”
Dakota dipped his head, glancing down at his feet as he added, “Margaret and I had been dating for five years.”
My eyes widened. “Five years? How old are you?”
“Twenty-four. Why?” He glanced up to look at me.
“Five years is a long time for someone so young. I thought you might have been older. Not many guys your age commit to someone for that long.”
He sure reflected the maturity of someone older. Maybe it was the way he was handling such devastating news what made me think that. He was upset, but far from freaking out over the whole thing. Then again, he had committed five years of his life to Margaret and that could have had something to do with my perception of him. He obviously loved the girl. Why else would he wasted five long years on her? Especially at that age where most men loved to experiment with so many different women?
Dakota shook his head. “Five years is a long time, but I loved…” he stopped short of actually finishing that sentence. “It’s over now.”
“I know how you feel.” Was I actually sympathizing with him? Leave it to me to sympathize with my victim. Shaking my head, I tossed my chestnut colored hair over my shoulder—much like Delilah always did—and said, “Do you have any plans for the tonight?”
“Not anymore,” he mumbled.
“I’m headed over to a private party; you want to come with me?”
He looked at me as if he could not believe I was asking him to tag along.
“Where is this party?” he asked uncertainly.
“At
a friend’s house,” I replied. “It’s invitation only, but you’re my date for the night so she won’t mind.”
Gazing at the wall in front of him, he said nothing for a moment. It seemed to me as if he was debating what to do. After an awkward silence that filled the room for several uncomfortable seconds, he finally spoke up. “Sure, I could use the distraction.”
I grinned. “Great. Go get ready. I’ll wait right here.” I sat on the edge of the bed and crossed my legs. The skirt I wore hiked up my thighs a bit and he openly stared for a moment before turning to the closet behind him. Satisfied with his reaction, I folded my arms over my chest and watched as he removed several items from the closet. With a clean outfit draped over one arm, and a pair of boots held by his other hand, he rushed to the bedroom door.
“I’ll be right back,” he tossed over his shoulder before exiting the room.
Moments later, I heard the sound of the showerhead coming on in the bathroom.
Chapter Six
Michaela Jameson was known for throwing the best parties around. But she was very picky over whom she invited to these blow outs and unless she had called you up and invited you personally, there was no chance in hell you were getting in her house. Thankfully, she was also a good friend of mine and the biggest gossip in town. Me showing up with Dakota, instead of with Kirk, was sure to start getting around soon enough, which suited me just fine.
As I drove to Michaela’s house a few miles down the road of Dakota’s place, we chatted a bit and I quickly realized that he was not the party type. He barely, if ever, attended one. And he was very apprehensive about going to a stranger’s house, but I was quick to assure him Michaela would not mind because he was with me.
I wanted him to be as comfortable around me as possible, but that probably wasn’t very easy for him. Being in a stranger’s place with another stranger as a companion wasn’t what I would call an ideal situation.
Soon after we arrived, we exited the car and I took Dakota’s hand, towing him behind me as we made our way toward the front porch where several college acquaintances were standing, chatting amiably and drinking beer. I smiled as I hurried passed them and into the house. Though I noticed how they stared at us, I pretended not to and continued on. They were probably surprised to see me walking hand in hand with someone other than Kirk. Their reaction was exactly what I was going for.
Being seen in public with Dakota was just the first step in this wicked plan of mine.
Swaying provocatively through the front door, I glanced around, noting that although the party was invitation only, there were at least fifty people crowding the place. About ninety percent of them were acquaintances and only a few new faces popped out here and there, which led me to assume that like Dakota, they, too, were accompanying someone Michaela had invited.
The music was pumping, the beer was flowing, and the atmosphere was cheerful. Even I was getting in the mood to party. Heartbreak was not nearly enough to stop me from having fun.
“Well, there you are.” A female voice carried over toward us. I turned to my left and spotted a grinning Michaela prancing in our direction. “I thought you wouldn’t show.”
Standing as close to Dakota as possible without making him uncomfortable, I smiled back. “And miss out on this fun. No way,” I said.
Michaela took a moment to inspect Dakota. Her eyes casually ran over him, taking in his appearance. When she was done ogling him, she looked at me and smiled. That simple gesture was like her stamp of approval.
“And who is this you’ve brought along with you?” She grinned.
“This is Dakota.” I gestured toward Michaela with my free hand as I said, “Dakota, this is my good friend, Michaela.”
Looking every bit as nervous as I knew he was, Dakota extended his hand for Michaela, which she took.
“It’s nice to meet you.” She shook his hand briefly before releasing it. “Where’s Kirk?” she asked me. I knew the question was more out of curiosity than anything else. Like Delilah, Michaela could not stand Kirk either.
Dakota tensed a bit at Michaela’s question, but recovered swiftly.
“Kirk and I are history,” I informed her, raising my chin up bit, keeping my gaze locked on her. “I’m here with my friend, Dakota.”
At my response Michaela squealed excitedly. “Really? You finally got rid of that loser?”
I nodded.
“Thank goodness. It was about time you realized he was no good for you.” She clapped her hands enthusiastically. “I’m happy for you.”
“I’m happy too.” I smiled.
“Do you want anything to drink?” She looked first at me then at Dakota.
“Beer,” Dakota and I replied simultaneously.
Smiling, Michaela turned and started walking toward the kitchen. “Follow me.”
Tugging on Dakota’s hand, I started after Michaela. “Try to have fun.”
He looked at me and shrugged. “I’m here because I need the distraction. It was not my intention to have fun.”
I rolled my eyes. “Then why come at all?”
“Because it seemed like a good idea at the time.”
I stopped halfway to the kitchen. “You want to leave already?”
Dakota ran one hand over his long black hair, which he had left untied and sighed heavily. “No. I don’t want to leave,” he replied at last.
Beaming, I started forward again, towing him behind me as I push my way through the heavy traffic of humans. Within moments we were in the kitchen where Michaela was busy grabbing a pair of beers from the fridge.
“Here you go.” She handed one to me and another to Dakota. “Have you seen Delilah? She promised to be here but she’s not.”
Releasing Dakota’s hand, I uncapped my beer, and took one short sip before answering, “She’ll be here. She probably got stuck in traffic or something. You know she never misses a party.”
“Where could she be?” Michaela glanced over my shoulder. “There’s something important I need to talk to her about.”
“Still trying to get with her brother?” I asked.
She bobbed her head up and down. “Guilty.”
We both laughed.
Taking a step forward, she leaned in closer, and whispered, “Kudos on the hottie. He’s cute,” she said. “Where did you find him?”
Turning to my left, I noted Dakota drinking quietly, his gaze intently watching the crowd of dancers moving around in the living room. Unsure of whether or not he’d heard, I turned my attention back to Michaela and said, “We’re just friends. And he’s from campus.”
Her eyebrows arched. “Really? I don’t remember ever seeing him.”
“Well, it’s a big school.” And he probably avoided the crowd of people my friends and I usually hung out with.
She laughed. “I don’t know him, but I already like him more than I ever did Kirk.”
So far, at least one of my friends already approved of Dakota. Though he was nothing to me, not even a friend, I did feel comfortable around him. However, I had to remind myself that I wasn’t befriending him because I liked him but because, unknowingly or not, he was going to help me get back at my cheating ex-boyfriend.
“I do too,” I said.
Winking at me, Michaela straightened and said, “Well, I have to go mingle for a little bit.” And by that, I knew she meant that she was going to wait for Delilah near the front door. Knowing Delilah, she had probably gone home to change before making an appearance, so it could be a while before she showed up.
“There’s plenty of beer to go around. So please, make yourselves at home.” She gestured to the fridge. “I’ll be back in a little bit.”
Waving, Michaela sashayed away toward the living room where she disappeared amongst the sea of people.
“She’s interesting,” Dakota finally said.
“You have no idea.” I turned to my left, looking at him as I added, “But she’s a hoot.”
He nodded. “I bet she is.” He took a l
ong swig of beer before setting it on the counter to his right. “I want another.”
“Beer?” I asked, my eyes widening as I realized he’d finished his while I’d barely put a dent on mine.
“Yeah.” There was a look in his eyes that I could not quite read.
“Are you sure you should be drinking at all? I don’t know why, but I have a feeling you’re not much of a drinker.”
He actually laughed. “I’m not. I never drink. But I think I’m going to make an exception tonight.”
And just like that, I recognized the emotion hidden behind his gaze. It was despair. He was finally feeling the full effect of being betrayed. He wanted to get drunk. He wanted to drink his sorrows away. He wanted to forget, if only momentarily, the pain triggered by his girlfriend’s actions.
I handed over my beer to him and he took it. Instead of drinking it though, he just stood there and stared at me. I have no idea what went through his mind at that exact moment, but for the first time in my life I desperately wanted to read someone else’s mind. Know what they were thinking.
Shaking his head as if to clear it of unpleasant thoughts, Dakota gulped down the remainder of my beer. I watched as some of the liquid dribbled down his chin and though I would deny it to end if anyone asked me, I felt the sudden itch to reach up and lick the golden liquid off of his skin with my tongue. I so desperately wanted to know what his skin tasted like and the powerful urge was strong enough to force my insides to grow heated just thinking about it.
Whoa! What the hell? What am I thinking? It’s the lack of a sex life. Yeah, that has to explain my perverted thoughts.
My cheeks burning, I opted for distracting myself by looking away before I ended up embarrassing us both. Having inappropriate thoughts about my companion wasn’t going to help either or us. Sure, he was attractive in his own way. He was tall and well-built. His face was perfectly sculpted with high cheek bones, a pair of full lips, and hawk like nose, which only added to his allure. Regardless whether he was my type or not, at that moment, I found him more than just a little interesting.
Payback is Sweet Page 5