Royal Prick (A Stepbrother Romance)

by J. L. Beck

  “You mean you’re not mad?” I narrowed my eyes at him, feeling as if he was playing some type of game with me. He’s lectured me since I got here about fighting, grades, and maintaining a positive attitude. There was no reason why he wouldn’t set in on the lecturing now, for calling Viviana out for being the bitch she truly was.

  He smiled, and it was the real kind with actual teeth showing. It made me want to smile, and I didn’t fucking smile. Ever. Not unless Noelle got me to crack one and that was rare as well.

  “Viviana is just a temporary wife. She wasn’t who or what I thought she was when we married. Her entire life seems to have been a lie, and the lies she makes up as well as the way she treats Noelle makes me sick, but what can I do…” He sipped at his drink. “She’s not really my child.”

  Confusion started to sink in, where was any of this coming from? I was just about to ask him what the hell he was talking about but he stopped me with a halt of his hand as if to say one moment. He stared at the confusion written plainly on my face, and started to speak.

  “I know you’re confused as to how your mother and I ended things and then suddenly I was remarried with another child. Believe me it all seemed to happen rather fast.” The amber liquid shined in the light as his eyes swung from my face and down to it. He stared at it swishing around in the glass.

  “I loved your mother, in case you were wondering, I guess I still kind of do. There will always be a piece of me that belongs to her, after all you can’t just have a child with someone and then it seem as if you never cared for them.” His eyes shot up to mine. I wondered about it, only a million and one fucking times.

  “Things became messy when I left on a business trip. I was just starting out and trying to get my feet wet in the industry. I was at a dinner party and ended up getting hammered.” A bark of laughter left his lips as if he was reliving the memory in his own mind. I couldn’t even ask questions; I was too eager for the answers that I’ve been wanting for years and he was finally offering them to me.

  “Anyway, I went to this party, networked, socialized trying to make the right connections with the right people so I could go somewhere; become successful for the family I had at home,” he said with a shrug of his shoulder as if it made complete since.

  “Somehow I apparently ended up drinking too much. The next morning, I woke up in bed with another woman. As you realize now, that woman was Viviana. I couldn’t believe that I cheated on your mother. It wasn’t like me, not after all we had been through; not with how much I loved her.” I could tell it hurt him just thinking about it, and I hoped it did because it hurt me more watching my mom have to suffer from the very moment I was a young child.

  “You did though, didn’t you?” I had to ask, the question was right on the tip of my tongue, burning a hole in my head.

  “That’s just it.” His eyes shot down to the papers on his desk. “I didn’t. I had no idea at the time that I didn’t, but I’m not lying when I say that I never cheated on your mother. I loved her…” He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “Hell I still do, I think about her almost every night as I get into bed next to Viviana.”

  “Then what happened?” I slouched back in the chair, my belly filling with tightness. I wanted the pain of all of it to go away.

  “Viviana lied to me. She told me that we slept together, and with the amount of liquor I apparently had to drink and waking up undressed in bed with her with no memory, I had no real reason to doubt her. Then a few weeks later after I had told your mother what happened, she came to me telling me that she was pregnant with my baby and that was the last straw for your mom. She asked me to leave that day and after everything I put her through I couldn’t deny her request by asking to stay.” There was a pause, and I wasn’t sure what to think of what he was saying. Could I have been wrong about him all along? Was Viviana really to blame? The web of tangled lies seemed to grow tenfold.

  “I didn’t know what to think about Viviana being pregnant. On one hand I was elated. Even though I lost your mother’s trust, I still vowed to try and be an active part of your life… Your mother couldn’t handle the pain, though, so she cut herself off from me. When Noelle was born I knew she wasn’t mine. I could just tell. By this time Viviana and I had already gotten married, and things were looking up. You have to understand Viv was a different person back then; she put on a good act.” My eyes locked on his as I waited for the rest of the story to be spoken.

  “Noelle isn’t yours though right?” I asked without hesitation. I had to make sure she wasn’t. He shook his head, a smile lingering on his lips.

  “God no. Not that I wouldn’t mind having her as a blood daughter, but she isn’t. Viviana trapped me, telling me Noelle was mine when she wasn’t. We were already married and divorcing would give her access to everything I worked hard for and accomplished over that one year of time. There was nothing else I could do but move on from what happened, putting the past behind us and moving forward.” Sadness radiated from him. I could tell that he was hurt and filled with regret by the events that had taken place.

  “She tricked you! That bitch ruined my life with one single fucking lie?” I swear fire was shooting out of ears. I was so angry hearing what he said. I no longer felt anything but placid anger toward Viviana. She was a monster, and I wanted her fucking gone from our lives.

  “It was my fault too for believing someone I had just met when I should have believed and trusted in myself. I didn’t trust myself, though. What she said seemed so real, so damn true. I woke up naked for god sake in bed with another woman.” I could see defeat and humiliation in those somber eyes of his. It was as if he finally realized that he failed my mother and me.

  “You wouldn’t have believed anything if the bitch never targeted you. If she was never a part of your life. If she never walked through that fucking door… If she never lied, then you wouldn’t be here right?” I stood from the plush chair I was sitting in, ready to give that whore a piece of my mind. She was a homewrecker no matter which way you looked at it. She took everything from the people I loved most.

  “Royal, the past is where it needs to stay, in the past. You can’t go around fighting for the past when the future is right here within your grasp. You just learn to let go and adapt to the changes that come with it. Attacking her for something that happened seventeen years ago will do no good. We can’t change the past no matter how badly any of us might want to.” Was he trying to cover this up, now that he finally told me the truth? The words were already said. There was no taking back the things that happened.

  “Listen here, Mark.” I slammed my fist down on his desk, the rational part of my brain shutting down. Nothing about what I was about to say was rational.

  “I listened to my mother cry almost every day for a year. I’ve watched her slip in and out of depression since before I was even old enough to know what the fucking word meant. The past is very much still a part of my life. Maybe you have been able to move on from it, but I haven’t, not when the repercussions of her lies destroyed my life.” Everything inside of me told me to go downstairs find Viviana and tell her just how I felt about her. To rip her heart out, and make her endure the pain that my mother and I had; to tarnish her perfect image. To rip away every single thing she loved in her life.

  “If I could go back and change things I would, damnit would I ever, Royal.” I wanted to believe the look of guilt and sincerity in Mark’s eyes, but I couldn’t help but wonder why he was gone for so long if he knew it was all a lie from the start. Why didn’t he fight harder for my mother? Why didn’t he just come home and tell her the truth?

  “What happened between you and Mom then? Did you tell her it was a lie? Why didn’t you come back for us?” I questioned, a warning to my words. Let him lie to me. Let him, because then maybe it would be easier to look at Noelle every day and not hate the part she played in ruining my life. I knew how stupid it was to hate someone for something that they had no control over but still. If it
hadn’t been for her, my parents would still be married. I would still have a family and maybe I wouldn’t have been so angry all my life.

  Then you wouldn’t have her. A voice echoed loudly in my head.

  He sighed, “There was no point, son. I had already ruined everything with that lie I believed, and by the time she moved on from the hate and anger she had toward me it was too late. We couldn’t rekindle anything, when there was nothing there to rekindle. The trust had already been ruined and without trust you have nothing.”

  Tears pricked at me eyes, the fact that my very future was fucked up because of a woman like Viviana, because of someone like Noelle being brought into this world. My heart was being ripped open. Old wounds started to ooze blood, and I didn’t know if I could ever look at her the same way. If I could see her without hating her. If I could separate the two.

  If Noelle knew… If she knew I would never be able to forgive her, and any chance at a future we ever had would be gone.

  “I need to go.” I wiped at my eyes, not wanting to let Mark know how much the truth hurt me. I may be set free now that I know everything but going years upon years without an answer to anything killed me. Now I had my answer as to why things were this way.

  It was all merely a lie. A tangled web of lies that could never be forgotten.

  “I’m sorry, Royal.” I knew his apology was real, but I couldn’t accept it. He wasn’t sorry for what had happened, he was sorry that the truth was fine released.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  -Noelle

  One Tequila.

  Two Tequila.

  Three Tequila.

  Floor.

  That was my mantra as I downed shot after shot. I met Jordan at the Falls which was our usual spot. It was where we went to pregame or just to hang out and escape from the world around us. After a few shots were taken to unwind, we headed to the party. We didn’t know the guy that was having the party from school, but he let us in because he said it was hot as fuck that I put Sasha Master’s in her place.

  I should’ve been outraged, or even humiliated that something like that was being remembered and spoken about by my peers, but I wasn’t. I felt a sense of pride.

  I just laughed it off, heading straight for the bar that was lined with every color of liquor known to mankind. Which meant with the amount of alcohol that was already swimming in my veins that I didn’t move even an inch from this spot since we arrived. I was plastered. My body weighed down by the booze, but my mind was finally free from thoughts of Royal so it was a win win.

  “Bitch!” Jordan hollered at me over the roar of the music that was blasting out of the speakers and into our ears.

  “What the hell?” I questioned her. I didn’t even let my mom call me a bitch. I wasn’t sure how I felt about letting Jordan do it. Then again, I kind of was being a bitch today.

  “Fuckboy keeps texting me. He wants to make sure you’re going to be with me all night.” Jordan smiled with mischief in her eyes. I knew that look. It meant that she was up to something that was probably going to get us in a shit ton of trouble.

  In that case, Aye, Aye Captain.

  “Did you tell him to get fucked?” A giggle erupted from my throat. I covered it with more liquid courage, downing the other shot I had just poured before Jordan swayed over toward me.

  “No. I did bait him though. I asked him what he would do if you weren’t?” Such a tease Jordan was. I bet she had him climbing the walls of the house.

  “Well I’m an adult so I can do whatever the fuck I want… And guess what?” I leaned into her. “He’s not here so I really can do whatever I want.” There was way too much excitement bubbling inside of me.

  What could I possibly do in the time it took for him to find me? Probably nothing more than I was currently doing, since I haven’t even tried to get up and walk yet. That would be another struggle of my life.

  “That’s just it. Echo…” She looked around the room to see if anyone was watching us.

  “Texted me to let me know that there was a fight going down tonight between Warrior and Prince Royal.” Her eyebrow lifted up at me in question.

  “Prince Royal?” My brow furrowed.

  “Fuckboy is fighting tonight in the old industrial park on South Blvd. I thought he was supposed to stay out of trouble? Trouble which included fights?” Jordan, questioned me. My body hummed at the thought of him shirtless, sweat dripping down his rigid muscles, the tension in his body, and the feral look in his eyes.

  My vag clenched at the mere images floating around inside my mind.

  “Let’s go!” I jumped up from my chair, my legs severely wobbly, forcing me to reach out and grip the side of the table. Apparently walking was going to be a whole lot harder than I expected.

  “Woah, Chief…. Slow it down, I didn’t say we we’re going anywhere. I was just telling you what was going on. So chill the fuck out.” Jordan grabbed me by the arm as if she was trying to steady me. I stared her down. There was no way in hell she could come over here and say that kind of shit to me and not expect for me to not want to go.

  I might have wanted to leave that house and get away from Royal hours ago, but now I wanted nothing more than to be chest to chest with him. My lady bits were on fire as I thought about touching him and him touching me right back.

  “We’re going.” The drinks were going straight to my head. I knew they were, but who cared when you were ten sheets to the wind?

  “Last I checked you can’t even stand on your feet, let alone drive anywhere.” Jordan snickered under her breath. I was about to hand this girl her ass if she didn’t stop insulating me. Drunk or not, we were going and if she tried to stop me I would leave without her ass.

  “I hate you. You know that right?” I growled, letting the liquor even out in my bloodstream.

  “Hate’s a strong word. A word you should use when talking about Fuckboy. Not when you’re talking to your best friend.” She tried to pretend as if she was offended by my comment, but I could tell she really wasn’t. She knew I was too drunk to mean anything by it.

  “We’re going, Jordan. We can stay in the back and out of his sight, but I really want to go. Pretty please,” I pleaded, begged. Basically did everything I could to let her know we were going.

  “Whatever. We will go but if I get yelled at by him I am blaming you, and you’re taking the punishment.” She threw her hands up in the air in defeat. He wouldn’t even know we were there. We would go, watch him, and slip out the back before he even got a whiff of us being in the same area as him. All I wanted was to see him in action.

  The anticipation and desires that were filling my body were making me drunker. The effects alcohol had on emotions seemed to be high.

  “It will be our little secret, Jordan,” I whispered causing laughter to filter out of her throat. She helped me up and out of the house. Of course, everyone else was heading to the fight. Jordan and I had just got in the car, when a cute guy named Gabriel came up to the passenger side window. I had spoken to him in passing a couple times inside the house and seen him numerous times at school.

  “Are you guys going over to the Industrial Park?” Gabriel asked. His eyes were so beautiful, as if they were calling to me, that or the shots were really getting to me.

  “Yes, sir!” I answered before Jordan could.

  “Can we come with?” He gestured to someone behind him. I knew I should have said no, that it was wrong to let two guys we didn’t know go somewhere with us. But call me dumb because I didn’t care.

  Royal wasn’t here to keep me in line and my mother wasn’t around to lecture me about every single choice I made. This is what I wanted, the chance to make my own choices without having to listen to either of them. I didn’t want the lectures or disappointment that would come with it all.

  “Get in.” I unlocked the car doors, and Jordan looked at me deadpanned.

  Fucking Christ.

  “Not a good idea, Noelle,” she argued before they slipped into t
he back seat. I smiled at her, knowing that it wasn’t but that it wasn’t her choice. It was mine. I couldn’t wait to see Royal, and bringing the two guys in the back seat to see the same fight I wanted to see wasn’t going to change that.

  “Thanks for the ride, ladies.” Gabriel smiled at me from the backseat as I turned around to say you’re welcome. His friend was chugging on a bottle of beer in the back, clearly just as obliterated as I was.

  “Let me have a swig,” I ordered, reaching out for the bottle. He laughed handing me the bottle, the glass slipping into my hands with ease. Gabriel seemed pleased that his friend was sharing his beverage with me. Shit so was I.

  I smelt the beer before bringing the bottle up to my lips, allowing myself to take a long swig from the bottle. The harsh taste coated my throat with a burn as it made its way down to my belly.

  “Really, Noelle. You’re going to get me pulled over if you keep acting like a college sorority girl from the front seat.” Everything I was doing tonight was risky, but that was the thing about it. I’ve never taken a single damn risk in my life. I’ve never jumped without knowing what might be hiding in the dark. Fear was just a feeling that you got because of the unknown. Embracing the unknown made the fear disappear. I wanted the fear to disappear more than anything. I wanted to embrace life and live it to the fullest, even if only for tonight.

  I handed the beer bottle back to Gabriel’s friend and then grabbed for my iPod that was plugged into the dash. We needed some fucking music. I scrolled through the screen and then down to my Break Shit music list clicking on Always by Saliva. The beat of the music pounded through the speakers of the Jeep as I bobbed my head to the rhythm.

  My eyes drifted closed. The beat of the music coursing through my body, the song filtering into my mind, the lyrics relating to my relationship with Royal.

  “I wrap my head around your heart…” I screamed the lyrics out loud, beating my hands onto the dash. Jordan started singing, and happiness filled me. I’ve never been freer than in this entire moment.