Beware of Bad Boy

by Brookshire, April

Dante grinned, nodding his chin at Jared. “You want to put in a good word for me with your sister?”

  “Are you sure, Dante?” I teased him. “That girl talks up a storm.”

  “Again, I say, that’s my sister! Just stop all conversation having to do with her!” We ignored him.

  “She’s a good kisser,” Taye put in.

  “When the fuck did you kiss my sister, Taye? Never mind, just don’t do it again. And shut the fuck up about her, all of you!” Jared yelled. This was too much fun, irritating Jared.

  The fun stopped when over Jared’s shoulder I recognized some of the guys on the football team coming out to the parking lot. Josh wasn’t amongst them. “Hey guys, football practice is over. Josh should be coming out soon. Let’s go wait by his truck.”

  They followed me to the truck and a few minutes later Josh showed up with Seth. Seth looked confused, but by the expression on Josh’s face, he knew exactly what was up.

  Seth spoke first, asking, “What’s going on, Caleb?”

  “You can take off, Seth. We just need to speak with Josh,” I told him.

  “You had to bring backup, Caleb?” Josh taunted me.

  “I’ve already kicked your punk-ass twice, Josh, all on my own. I think it’s been established backup isn’t required,” I belittled him. “Obviously you aren’t getting the message, so I brought a few friends of Gianna’s and mine to help get it through your brain to leave her alone.”

  Seth tried to play mediator. “Okay, I think Josh gets the point.”

  I turned my attention to Seth, wanting him to just go away. “That’s the problem. He’s not getting the point. He attacked Gianna again yesterday.” By this time a few more guys from the team had gathered around.

  Seth spun on Josh in disbelief. “You attacked her again?”

  Josh narrowed his eyes at Seth. “What do you mean again? How’d you hear about any first time? Not that there was a first time,” he quickly and unconvincingly added.

  “Uh, I didn’t,” Seth evaded. If Seth wanted to be a wimp and hide the fact he took his friend’s ex-girlfriend out on a date, then fine. I could’ve cared less.

  “Yeah, the first time he tried to force himself on her. The second time, he decided to slam her against a wall. And the third time, which was yesterday during second period, he managed to knock her unconscious in the process.” My voice was loud enough for all the guys from his team to hear. Any decent guy would have a problem with violence committed on women and I figured most of them would be appalled by Josh’s actions.

  “Enough talk,” Jared said. “You already got a piece of him, Caleb, now it’s my turn.” Jared stepped towards Josh, who turned on his heel and started running.

  Dante busted out laughing. “What a bitch! He’s running away!” We took off after him. What seemed like half the football team followed us but I didn’t know if they planned on helping him out. After all, they did just hear how terribly he treated females. Maybe, like most teenage boys, they just liked to watch a good ass-kicking.

  We respected Jared’s call on getting a shot at him first, so when we caught up to Josh we let Jared do his thing. Jared first grabbed him from behind in a headlock and grunted at Josh, “You’d be smart to stay far away from Gianna. We aren’t the only guys that look out for her. There are lots more where we came from and next time you fuck with her, they’re all invited.”

  By the time Jared was finished, Josh was pretty messed up, not that Josh didn’t get a few jabs in. Josh was in good shape, but Jared had a street edge when he fought, like me, that these suburban boys just didn’t possess. Some things, you had to go out into the real world to learn.

  Josh went unconscious for less than a minute when Dante hollered in his face, “You got knocked the fuck out, man!” Guess what Dante’s favorite movie was? He quoted that line at every available opportunity. To him the joke never got old.

  Before we left, Taye punched Josh and Dante kicked him in the stomach while he was down. I figured they came all this way so they deserved at least one or two good hits each. I pulled back my arm like I was going to punch Josh, then I turned it into a bitch slap at the last minute.

  After smacking him, I told Josh, “I suggest you listen this time.”

  Driving away, I could see in my rearview mirror some of the guys from the football team helping Josh up and into his truck. I respected them for not interfering. They understood that Josh needed the violent lesson.

  When I pulled up in front of the house, Gianna was sitting on the front porch. She hopped up and met me as I opened my door. Her tight hug was unexpected. “Were you worried?” I teased her.

  “Of course I was! What if you got hurt?” Her arms were still tight around my waist.

  “You had no reason to be worried. But I’ll take the hug and anything else you want to give me.”

  “In front of the whole neighborhood? Come inside before one of the neighbors tells my mom we were making out in the front yard,” she said, dragging me up the walkway.

  “You shouldn’t have to worry about Josh again. He’d have to be suicidal to try anything now.”

  Her face went pale. “What if this only makes him worse?”

  “Then we call the cops, no matter the consequences.” If things got any worse, I didn’t give a damn whether or not her mom found out. “And oh yeah, do you think you could put a good word in for Dante the next time you talk to Cece?”

  Her smile was full of feminine delight. “Dante likes Cece?”

  “Yep.”

  Her smile grew wider. “If they get together, then we could double date!”

  I thought to myself, crap.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “I do not see any beauty in self-restraint.”

  -Mary MacLane

  GIANNA

  It was so fun teasing Caleb about double-dating with Cece and Dante. The last double-dating experience was enough for me. I wouldn’t want to do that again, even with friends.

  Josh hadn’t bothered me since the guys had a talk with him. Although, he did show up pretty banged up the next day at school. I almost felt guilty.

  Thursday afternoon I went up to my room to do some math homework. Caleb plopped down on my bed. “What are you doing?”

  “What does it look like I’m doing? Homework. You should try it,” I joked.

  “I already did mine,” he informed me smugly.

  I was surprised. “You did? When?”

  “Study hall.”

  “I have study hall too, but I can’t finish it that quickly,” I told him. “I bet you get horrible grades rushing like that.”

  “You shouldn’t assume things.” He looked slightly annoyed with me. “I’ve never gotten anything below a ‘B’ in my life.”

  “So, you’re a juvenile delinquent, who got expelled from two different high schools, but you’re also an honor student?”

  “Yep.”

  His palm running down my back and over my bottom almost distracted me. “Do you also work as a janitor and solve impossible math problems in your spare time?”

  “Ha, ha, ha,” he faked humor. “I saw that movie, Miss Bring It On.”

  I gave him a dirty look. “I’m not a cheerleader anymore, remember? Plus, I like that movie.”

  “You would,” he teased.

  “Can you go find something else to do? Isn’t there a shed somewhere you need to burn down for fun?”

  His palm landed hard on my behind. “Fine, since my girlfriend isn’t going to give me any attention, I’m out of here. I’ll be in my room. You can find me there when you start to miss me.” He got off the bed and I couldn’t help but watch him leave until the door closed behind him.

  I forced myself to stay in my room and finish my homework. Since I started it in study hall, I was done only thirty minutes later. Taking my time, I checked my email and sat on my bed playing with my phone. I was not going to rush over to Caleb’s room like some sort of lovesick girl. But, dammit, I did miss him. I waited a whole ten more m
inutes before knocking on his door.

  “Come in!” Caleb yelled. He shut a notebook and shoved it under his pillow.

  “What was that?” I asked, intrigued.

  “Nothing. Miss me already?”

  “Nope,” I denied, locking his door.

  He raised one pierced eyebrow. “Why are you locking the door? Are you here to molest me?”

  “Shut up,” I said, pushing him onto his back so I could lie on top of him. Hungry for him, I initiated the kiss. Not that he seemed to mind in the least bit. Wanting to see more of him, I started to yank off his shirt when there was a knock on the door.

  “Caleb, I can’t find Gianna! Did she come home yet?” Oh shit, my mom was home early from work!

  Seeing the panic on my face, Caleb’s chest rumbled from the laughter he held back. “Um, no, Julie! She was going over a friend’s house.”

  “Okay, Caleb. Dinner will be ready in an hour, so make sure to wash up!” my mom called through the door. He made a face at that. My mom must’ve thought he was one dirty boy.

  “I have everything I’m hungry for right here,” Caleb growled in a sexy voice while squeezing my butt.

  “Nice line,” I said sarcastically. “But what if I hadn’t locked the door and my mom had walked in?”

  “Then we would’ve had to politely ask her to leave so we could finish,” he kidded, thrusting against me.

  “You are so bad.” I lifted up the front of his shirt to suck on both of his pierced nipples. He groaned, grinding his hips into mine. Reaching down between our bodies, I grabbed his crotch through his pants.

  He jumped at the contact. “Now who’s bad? With your mother downstairs, Gianna? Shame on you!”

  “So spank me.” I suggested. Before I could react, he maneuvered us so he sat at the edge of the bed with me draped facedown over his lap. “I was kidding, Caleb!”

  “It’s too late to take it back now. I’ve already accepted your offer. So take your punishment like a big girl.”

  He smacked my ass. I started laughing so hard I had to hold a hand over my mouth to muffle it. I didn’t want to try explaining this to my mom, especially the part about it kinda turning me on.

  After a few hits, Caleb propped me upright on the bed next to him. “Now, if you didn’t learn your lesson, I’ll be more than happy to punish you again.”

  I straddled him on the bed and we began making out again. This time I took his shirt all the way off so I could run my hands up and down his chest and abs. He removed my shirt and I started unbuttoning his pants.

  “What are you doing?” he mumbled against my skin.

  “Getting in your pants,” I told him. I was dying to see if he really did have a tattoo somewhere under there. If he did, I planned to lick it. Maybe I was the bad one, but my guy was so freaking hot. After I unzipped his pants, he put his hands over mine to stop me.

  “What?” I huffed, frustrated.

  “I am not fucking you with your mom downstairs.”

  “Oh, baby, you say the sweetest things,” I crooned sarcastically. “Seriously, Caleb, you need to watch a few chick flicks to learn what not to say to girls.”

  “My apologies, Gianna darling. I do not wish to make love to you with your mother downstairs. How was that?”

  That was a smart-ass.

  “Whatever!” I announced while climbing off him. “You’re lame and boring. I was planning something involving my tongue down there, but if you’re too scared. . . .” I trailed off with a shrug. Putting my shirt back on, I left.

  CALEB

  What a tease she was. She wasn’t serious about that, was she? Damn!

  After dinner, Gianna and I pretended we were going to the library to study. My dad gave me a hard, knowing look while Julie asked us what time we’d be home. That woman was dense, lost in her la-la land of hanging curtains and pie-making.

  We went for a drive to a nearby park. Going for a walk, we found a bench and sat down. Gianna leaned her head against my shoulder. How weird it was to just be with a girl like this.

  “So, do you want to spend the weekend at my mom’s place with me?” I asked, trying to remember what my mom said she had going on this weekend.

  She squeezed my hand, cuddling closer. “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  She brought her head up at my abrupt tone. “I’m going camping up in the mountains.”

  “When were you going to tell me this?”

  “Before I left tomorrow,” she explained, looking as guilty as she should.

  What the hell was going on? “Who are you going with?”

  “The crew,” she said slowly.

  I was beginning to see where this was going. “Does that include Jared?”

  “Of course it does, he’s part of the crew.” When she tried burrowing into me again, I inched away.

  “So, you’re telling me that my girlfriend is going to be alone for a whole weekend with some dude who has the hots for her?” I tried to keep my voice down so the guys playing a game of basketball close by wouldn’t hear.

  She looked even guiltier. “Well, when you put it that way, I guess it sounds kind of bad.”

  “It sounds really bad to my ears,” I said. “That’s okay. I’ll just go out partying with Dante.”

  “Are you trying to make me jealous?” she asked, sitting up straighter.

  “No, but since my girlfriend will be busy on a camping trip with a bunch of other dudes, I feel like I’m entitled to a night with my best friend.”

  “Cece will be there too,” she pointed out.

  “Oh, so sorry, my bad. You each only have a few guys to yourselves,” I said sarcastically.

  “You know it’s not like that!” she yelled. “You could come, you know.”

  “Yeah, you invite me as an afterthought. No, that’s okay, I’ll pass.”

  Gianna moved closer. “No really, I want you to come. And you can bring Dante, since Cece will be there!”

  “I’ll think about it,” I told her, upset that she’d been planning on ditching me to hang out with Jared and the crew. She could keep her damn charity invite.

  Since the mood was ruined, I grabbed her by the hand and took her home.

  Should I go with her? It seemed like a sort of bitch move, to tag along with my girlfriend and her friends. Of course, Taye would be there and I was friends with him. Also, if I brought Dante, I could just call it doing a favor for a friend, since Cece would be there and he wanted to get to know her better.

  Who was I kidding? If I went, it’d be to keep Jared away my girlfriend.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  “. . . Beauty is jealous, and illy bears the presence of a rival.”

  -Thomas Jefferson

  GIANNA

  At school on Friday I was feeling guilty about the whole camping thing. I’d never felt the need to explain myself when I was with Josh. He didn’t even know Jared, Cece and the rest of the crew. I was with Josh for a long time but he never got to know the real me like Caleb had. It was almost as if Josh had only been a boyfriend in name and Caleb was the real thing.

  We’d had this camping trip planned for weeks now. We wanted to go before the weather turned cold. For the past few weekends we’d had club appearances and battles scheduled. This weekend was the perfect opportunity to finally go. With how unpredictable weather was in Colorado, maybe even our last opportunity until late next spring.

  I hadn’t thought it’d bother Caleb I was going camping with the crew, since he knew they were my friends. But I guess I could see his point when it came to Jared. I wouldn’t have wanted him going on a trip with a girl who wanted him as more than a friend. When I realized it bothered him, I did the right thing and I invited him along. Shouldn’t that have counted for something? Cece and I told the guys they couldn’t bring girls so it would be me breaking the rule.

  And what did Caleb say to my invitation? That he’d think about it. I could tell he was still upset with me. He’d been moody all day at school. I actuall
y did want him to come camping with us now. I didn’t want to seem like the clingy girlfriend and tell him, though. I actually thought it’d be nice to cuddle next to him in front of a campfire.

  Still barely talking to me on the ride home from school, Caleb hadn’t given me his answer yet. Sitting in his car outside my house, I asked, “So are you coming with us?”

  He looked thoughtful for a moment then turned his head to tell me, “No.”

  I was actually surprised. I’d thought he’d say yes but was making me suffer. “Oh, okay. What do you plan to do all weekend?”

  “I’m sure I can find something to occupy my time, Gianna. I did manage to have a life before you came along,” he said sarcastically.

  Ouch.

  Oh, I saw how it was. He was going to play games and pay me back for hurting his feelings and probably bruising his massive ego in the process. He was pissed about me going on a trip with my friends so he was lashing out.

  Opening the door and holding my backpack, I jumped out of his car. “Well, have fun having a life this weekend. I know I will.” I slammed the car door as hard as I could, wishing it would damage his precious Camaro.

  Running into the house and up to my room, I grabbed the bag I’d packed last night. Downstairs in the garage was my own precious vehicle. I’d missed driving my Jeep. I got in and started it, waiting for the garage door to open.

  Caleb knocked on the window. I pushed the button and asked rudely as it rolled down, “What?”

  “Don’t I get a kiss goodbye?” He stood there arrogantly but my feelings were hurt now also.

  “No, you don’t.”

  “What are you being so bitchy about?” he asked, gripping the open window.

  Oh hell no. He did not just call me bitchy. “I don’t like your attitude, Caleb.”

  “Too bad. And, Gianna?”

  “Yeah?” I asked, matching his arrogance.

  “Don’t worry. I won’t be doing anything this weekend you aren’t doing.” With that parting remark, he turned around and walked back into the house.

  What the fuck was that supposed to mean?