BITTER PRINCE | A DARK COLLEGE BULLY ROMANCE: HEIRS OF HAVOC

by Winters, Vanessa

  Lila faded back, sitting on the windowsill.

  Mother pierced me with a blank stare. “What has Dr. Pearce said?”

  I shrugged. “I’m healing. I can start getting out of bed and walking next week if all goes well.”

  She crooked an eyebrow. “And the wedding?”

  “I… didn’t ask.”

  I hadn’t even thought about it. To be honest, Margeaux hadn’t even crossed my mind except for when her name popped up on my phone or Brooklyn’s.

  She sniffed. “Irresponsible. We need to know if you will be able to walk well and look good in a tux by June. Otherwise, we will have to postpone. I can’t use the photos in my campaign if you look sickly. And photos last forever, you know.”

  “Yeah, because the whole point of a wedding is the photo op,” Lila grumbled from behind her.

  Mother shot her an icy look, and Lila shut her mouth, turning to look out the window.

  I swallowed hard. “I’ll ask him when he comes back on Monday.”

  “Fine.” She turned to leave. “And the girl?”

  I paused. “The girl?”

  “Yes, the girl. The one I hired to care for you while you convalesce. Is she performing well? Managing your health appropriately?”

  “Oh. Yes. She’s taking very good care of me.” I kept my tone neutral.

  “Good. Let Ann or Janey know if you have trouble with her. And have her dust in here,” she said, striding from the room.

  The temperature seemed to warm up by fifteen degrees once she was gone.

  “Ugh.” Lila came back to the bed. “So, really, what are you guys going to do?”

  I shook my head. “I have no idea. You know what Margeaux said. You know what Mom would say if I tried to back out. I guess I could string my injuries along to try and delay the wedding, but that’s it.”

  She took my hand, smoothing her thumb across my skin softly. “I’m in your camp now. We’ll think of something.”

  And even though I knew that it was not only unlikely but near impossible, I did feel a little better hearing her say it.

  25

  Brooklyn

  Lila’s room was a lot neater than normal. I had a feeling she knew what was going on between Jude and me and was trying to be helpful. But even with her attempts to clean, the room still needed a lot of work. I stripped the bed and put on clean sheets, emptied her trash, and gave her toilet and shower a good scrub. I cleaned the makeup residue off her bathroom counter and windexed all of her mirrors. I say ‘all’ because the girl probably had ten around her room and ensuite.

  I was leaving her room with an armful of dirty linens when she breezed back in, her voice as kind as she could manage. “Hey, Brooklyn. Mom said you need to dust Jude’s room. I know he won’t tell you, but she’ll have someone check. And fair warning, Margeaux’s coming over tonight.”

  She went into her massive closet, the one that was bigger than my entire apartment, and closed the door behind her. And I watched with my own two eyes as I stood there with the words she’d just spoken to me rattling around in my head.

  Is she… trying to help?

  I shook my head and left to dump the linens in the laundry room. In a weird way, that was the nicest Lila had ever been to me. Yeah, it wasn’t mushy or even really friendly, but she was looking out for us. And that was something. Especially she was such good friends with Margeaux.

  It could be a trap.

  I shook the thought from my head as I left the room. But, the second I stepped out into the hallway, I heard the dinging of my texts. I groaned, knowing it would be Margeaux. She was pretty much the only person texting me lately.

  But, I wasn’t prepared for the text she sent me after I dumped the linens and checked my phone.

  Margeaux:

  I need you to have a few things ready for me tonight. I want to create a date atmosphere, so prepare the tray to look nice. You’ll have to set the table for me to sit there. I will not eat slouching over a bed. Here are some other points:

  Have the chef make something special. I’m thinking Italian-inspired.

  Candles and flowers

  Champagne

  We need music playing. Prepare a nice playlist for his speakers

  I stopped scrolling. The list continued on and on and on, but I didn’t have the stomach to look at it. Everything Margeaux wanted to have a romantic evening with her injured fiancé was there in that list, and it made me sick to look at. For the first time, I felt a little stab of jealousy. I should’ve been the one enjoying an evening like this with Jude. It should’ve been me experiencing this with him. Not her.

  I shook my head at myself. I mean, he didn’t even like her. This wouldn’t mean a thing for myself a Jude.

  Pull yourself together, girl!

  I poked my head into Jude’s room, my mind spinning a million miles a second. “Margeaux has me putting together a date night for you two, so our next movie is going to have to wait.”

  He looked up, disgusted. “A date night? What exactly does that mean?”

  I walked into his room and handed him my phone with the list and watched his eyes widen as he scrolled. “No.”

  I blinked. “What do you mean, no?”

  “You can’t put this together for us. It’s… it’s sick. That’s not fair to you. I’ll make something up, get out of it. We’re not doing this.”

  “It’s fine, Jude, honestly. Don’t worry about it. You can’t cancel because you can’t make her suspicious. We both have to just suck it up.”

  He rubbed a hand across his face. “I really don’t like this.”

  I kissed the top of his head. “Me neither. But, we’ll find a way through it”

  I never got tired of the feeling of his silky hair. He had the kind of hair that a million girls would die for. And I’d peeped his toiletries—all he used was the rich dude equivalent of Head and Shoulders. Lucky bastard.

  Before I left the room, I had to ask. “What movie had you decided on for us?”

  He grinned. “Toilet Paper Terminator. And yes, it’s about exactly what you think it’s about.”

  I laughed out loud and headed downstairs. The chef wasn’t going to be happy about this new dinner plan. It seemed Margeaux was going to make all of us miserable just to keep up her own dreamworld appearance. Then again, I should’ve have expected anything less from a spoiled rich little snake.

  Oh well, time to suck it up.

  And by the time I got down to the kitchen, I had stuffed all of my emotions into a small box in the corner of my mind.

  Preparing myself for the insanity of tonight.

  * * *

  It was seven o’clock, and Margeaux was due here any minute. I’d completed everything on her list, including forcing Jude into a sports coat and gelling his hair. Which he had not been pleased about. His room looked pretty nice, actually. Candles flickered, the light was low, half of a table was set, and jazz played softly through his wall-mounted speakers. Jude, however, was a different story.

  “I hate this,” he said. “I don’t like you wearing that thing.”

  I was back in my maid’s uniform, per Margeaux’s request. “It’s not a big deal.”

  “It is.” He huffed, tugging at his collar. “And this shirt is making me crazy. I can’t wear clothes like this in bed. It’s ridiculous.”

  “Quit complaining. You said Lila agreed to break it up halfway through and pull Margeaux away. It won’t be that long.”

  He grumbled something I couldn’t make out. I heard steps on the stairs.

  “She’s on her way,” I said softly.

  Margeaux was stunning in a nude bandage dress that almost made her seem naked, and gold gladiator sandals. All topped off with her carrying a pink mink coat, which I was pretty sure she hadn’t even put on. She had it draped over her arm like some sort of accessory, which covered the Coach clutch she carried, complete with authentic pearls studding the top. It took all I had not to roll my eyes at the opulence of it all.

&nb
sp; But, I didn’t forget my roll in all of this.

  “Welcome, ma’am,” I said. “Let me take your coat.”

  She eyed me hotly. “Is everything ready?”

  “Yes, ma’am. All prepared to your specifications.” The poor girl managing her wedding planning must be exhausted if this was all the thought that went into one dinner with her fiancé.

  She tossed me the mink coat. “What’s the menu?”

  I plastered on a smile. “Seared scallops to start and a citrus risotto with dark chocolate truffle and homemade ice cream for dessert.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Rather uninspired, but fine.”

  “After you.” I gestured her ahead of me.

  Jude looked miserable when he saw her, and my heart ached for him.

  “Baby!” she squealed, running up and planting a kiss on his mouth.

  I felt a tiny shard of hurt prick my heart, the first of what I knew to be many to come this evening. It’s all a sham, I reminded myself sternly.

  “Hi, babe,” he said, avoiding my eyes.

  We’d discussed it briefly earlier in the day and had decided he would have to pretend I wasn’t there. He couldn’t be sneaking me little glances all evening. Margeaux was not an idiot.

  “Tell me everything. How are you feeling? Are you being well taken care of?” She snapped a finger at me. “We’re ready to be served.”

  I served the dishes, one after the next, tuning out the chatter. It actually wasn’t as bad as I had feared. Margeaux was mostly talking about herself, Jude was giving short responses, and they weren’t even sitting that close to each other, considering she was on a wholly separate piece of furniture. As I served dessert, my heart lifted. Almost done. Maybe we’d have time for our movie tonight, after all.

  I was clearing the dishes when Margeaux snapped again. “What are you, deaf? I’ve been trying to get your attention for five minutes.”

  “Sorry, ma’am. I was trying not to eavesdrop on your private conversation.”

  She scoffed. “Like we give a shit what you think about what we say. Anyway, I said, get out. We’re ready for some alone time now.” She smiled sweetly at Jude. “Aren’t we, baby?”

  My heart sank, and I couldn’t help but shoot a look at Jude.

  So, he tried his best. “Uh, babe, it’s really not a good idea. I need to get some sleep. It’s time for my evening meds, isn’t it?”

  “Oh, an hour more won’t make a difference,” she said, kicking off her sandals and climbing onto his bed. She placed a hand on his chest and put her lips close to his ear. “Plus, I know one kind of medication that will be very helpful to you,” she purred.

  The sight of her curled possessively on top of him, completely comfortable and in her element, made me feel sick.

  I tried my best. “I think the doctor said the timing was very important, ma’am,.”

  She shot me an icy glare. “No one cares what you think, girl. Get out.”

  I looked desperately once more at Jude. I couldn’t leave him alone with her. And then, as if God finally decided to have mercy on me, the door flew open.

  “Margeaux! Thank God you’re here!”

  It was Lila. She had come. I felt weak with relief. I had forgotten all about her offer to whisk Margeaux away.

  “Hey, Lil,” Margeaux said, twirling a hand through one of Jude’s curls. “You’re… kind of interrupting us here.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t want to interrupt, but I really need my best friend. I’ve got major drama, and there’s no one like you to talk me through it. Can we go out? I’ll buy,” Lila said.

  I could have kissed her in that moment.

  Still, Margeaux didn’t bite. “No, thanks.”

  “No, thanks?” Lila furrowed her brow. “Excuse me?”

  Margeaux sat up with a long, suffering sigh. “Lil, I love you. You know I do. But your brother and I have had no time together lately. I’m about to be a married woman, you know. I can’t always rush away with you at the drop of a hat. Your brother and I are going to be husband and wife. That means that each other’s number-one priority has to be the other person. I’ve had some extra time lately, so I’ve been taking marriage classes,” she finished proudly.

  Jude looked like someone had slapped him, and Lila’s face was a mirror expression. It had never been more obvious that the two of them were twins.

  Margeaux noticed me standing at the door still and frowned. “What are you still doing here? I thought I told you to get out? Go already. I’ll handle Jude for the rest of the night.” And I knew I wasn’t imaging the extra inflection she put on the word ‘handle.’

  I nodded and backed out. I walked in a daze to my room and sat cross-legged at the end of the bed. I heard Lila leave a few seconds after me, leaving Jude and Margeaux alone in his room. The room that I had spent all day making romantic. I screwed my eyes shut. This was a total nightmare.

  The minutes ticked by in agonizing slowness. All was quiet, until—

  “Oh, Jude.” A moan came from next door.

  With trembling hands, I lifted myself from the bed and crept to the door, pressing my ear against it to listen. There was nothing. It was completely silent.

  Were they seriously across the hall screwing? Could he actually be sleeping with her right now, knowing that I was only two walls away and likely to hear everything? I gulped when an even worse thought occurred to me. It would be me cleaning those sheets afterward, removing the evidence of their lovemaking. Taking out the trash with the used condom in it.

  What had I done?

  26

  Jude

  Margeaux was impossible to get rid of. First Brooklyn and I had tried, and then Lila had given it her best effort. And that little speech Margeaux had given about us being each other’s number-one priority? What the fuck was that about?

  After Lila left, looking gobsmacked, I turned to Margeaux. “You’re taking a marriage class?”

  “Of course, pumpkin,” she said brightly. “I want to be all ready for our wedding.” She snuggled close to me, tickling my chest with long, manicured fingers.

  “That’s a little weird, don’t you think?”

  “Don’t try and get me all riled up tonight because it’s not going to work.” She punctuated each of these last few words with a sharp poke in my chest. “I need you, baby, and I’m going to have you.”

  She swung one leg over the top of my body and straddled me, her weight on my stomach, making me suck in a breath from the pain in my ribs.

  “Margeaux,” I said tightly.

  “Yeah, you like that, baby?” She lowered herself down and bit my lip. “Oh, Jude.” She moaned so loud I knew Brooklyn would hear.

  “Margeaux!” I snapped. “You have to get off me. You’re going to fuck up my ribs.”

  She withdrew with a pout. “Come on, baby, it’s been so long.”

  She reached a hand over the top of my groin, stroking and petting.

  I growled. “I can’t, Margeaux. The doctor told me not to.”

  “Since when do you care what anyone says?” She unzipped my fly and pushed her hands through, grabbing me tightly. “You and I aren’t people who can wait this long, you know that. We need sex. We have to have it. That’s what makes us such a good pair.”

  I closed my eyes for half a second, bewitched by the familiar feel of her hand.

  She giggled. “You know you want me.”

  I opened my eyes quickly. No, I really didn’t. I grabbed her wrist gently and pulled it away. There was one method that I was sure would work, my last hope to get her out.

  “I’m really sorry, but the doctor said I couldn’t. He said if I move too quickly, we’ll have to postpone the wedding.”

  Her eyes widened. Bingo.

  So, I continued. “I know, and I don’t want that either. I want us to be able to get married on time. So, let’s just play it safe, okay? I’d love to, but, for the wedding, let’s be careful.”

  Margeaux sat up straight, adjusting the stupid
dress she was wearing that looked like a massive ace bandage or something. Gross.

  “You are so right, baby. But, why didn’t that Brooklyn tell me the doctor had said that? I told her to tell me everything. I wouldn’t have come out tonight if….” She trailed off, glancing at me.

  Great, so this was the second visit of the day, where one of the most important people in my life reiterated the fact that I was only around to fulfill a certain role. Fan-fucking-tastic.

  “Well, she doesn’t know that,” I said instead. “Why would she need to know anything about my sex life?”

  Margeaux nodded. “I guess I had better go then.” She took her coat from the closet and grabbed her purse.

  I decided not to remind her that she had promised to give me my medicine tonight and help me get ready for bed. I was more than ready to see the back of her. I just hoped Brooklyn would still come in after everything she might have heard.

  And as soon as Margeaux was gone, I grabbed my phone and texted Brooklyn.

  Me:

  She’s gone. Come over.

  I waited with bated breath, nervous she wouldn’t come. But almost immediately, my door opened.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “Nothing happened,” I said. “She tried, but I finally got her off me. I just wanted you to know right away.”

  Her shoulders lifted a little. “Really? Because I heard….”

  “I know. And I’m sorry. I hated for you to have to worry. But I promise you, nothing happened. I don’t want her. I want you.”

  She drifted closer. “I want you, too. But tonight…. She’s taking a marriage class. You’re going to be married to her in just a few months. What are we doing?”

  “Six months,” I corrected automatically.

  She gave me a face.

  “Sorry.”

  Her shoulders slumped again. “Seriously, what exactly are we doing?”

  “This.”

  I grabbed her hand and pulled her to the bed. After a little mew of protest, she softened against me. I was desperate to have her. Seeing Margeaux for the past few hours, jaded, self-serving Margeaux with her ridiculous outfit for sitting in my room and a list of demands that only served her, the kind of girl who brought champagne into the sick room of her fiancé recovering from a drink-driving crash, had made me feel like shit. All I wanted to do was bury myself into Brooklyn’s sweet-smelling hair, kiss her all over, and make her mine and mine alone.