“You done with her brother?”
I blink, and for some reason betrayal cuts deep into the tender tissue of my heart hearing Oliver’s voice. He’s with two girls. He was in a hurry to get away from me to be with them.
“Yeah, you done with that, Sullivan?” One of them snickers. Tears glisten in my eyes. I couldn’t stop them from forming even if I wanted to. There’s a sick feeling that coats my insides at being caught out here, letting him feel me up like some cheap whore.
Something that looks an awful lot like shame flickers in Sullivan blue depths but before I can read him completely a mask falls into place, overtaking his true emotions. He takes a step back, the street lamp above emitting a soft glow over his features.
“Of course, I’m done. Thanks for the fun, Harlow.” The cruelness in his eyes leaves me cold, and I barely keep it together as he gives me one last once over before walking away with his brother and their groupies. Squeezing my eyes shut I tell myself that I won’t cry, that I don’t care what those girls think of me or how the brothers are using my attraction towards them to make things worse.
After that, I care about nothing, not the paper I need to finish, not the rumors or the betrayal I’m feeling. The boys don’t own me, and I don’t own them, but it feels like something has changed and I don’t know how to deal with all the feelings I’m having.
They’re bullies, and I’m the victim of their torment, so why do I feel like falling to my knees for them? Why does seeing them with someone else feel like my heart is being ripped out of my chest?
6
Banks returns to Harlow duty after the embarrassment of the other night. He doesn’t mention our kiss, and I hate to admit it but after what happened with Sullivan and Oliver I kind of missed him.
“Why the sad face?” he asks.
I shrug, “Aren’t you supposed to be making my life hell? Not asking me why I’m sad? That kind of defeats the entire purpose, doesn’t it?”
“Maybe I want to be the one making you sad.”
“Don’t worry, you and your brothers are the main cause of my misery, so rest assured, you are doing your job. Three golden stars for the assholes that follow me around like they have nothing better to do with their time.” It’s harder today to hide the disdain I feel for them. Especially since there’s a giant hickey on the side of my neck.
I tried everything I could to cover it up, but nothing seems to conceal the purple and red splotch on my pale skin.
“Feisty. Maybe you just need to relax a little, then again from the hickey on your neck maybe you’re doing a little too much relaxing?” My face deadpans, I’m so close to losing it and punching him, that it’s scary.
“Stop following me,” I snap and pick up my pace, my shoes smacking against the concrete. The world wouldn’t be turning if he couldn’t annoyingly keep up with me, and for a second I think about breaking out into a full on sprint. Then again with Banks’ long legs and fitness level, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ran circles around me.
He blatantly ignores my attitude and continues talking like I haven't said anything at all.
“Oh, I know the perfect thing. How about a party? You could learn to live a little. All you do is go to your classes, and back to your dorm.”
Blinking slowly, I have half a mind to say, I wonder why, but I don’t because I don’t want to engage in any more of a verbal sparring match than I have to.
“That’s a hard pass. Thanks for asking,” I murmur sarcastically. There is no way in Hell I’m going to a party with him or his brothers. That’s practically begging for something bad to happen.
“Suit yourself. But don’t whine and cry later on claiming you never get to do anything.” Seriously, he sounds like a mixture between my dad and a prison warden.
“I wouldn’t give you the pleasure of seeing me cry,” I sneer, trying not to notice him, or his toned body. My first mistake was kissing them, my second was enjoying it, because now that I’ve kissed them, and touched them, my body calls for more, a low warmth simmering deep in my belly every time they’re near.
It’s annoying, but it also makes me curious.
“Have a totally lame night, Harlow,” Banks snorts, as we arrive at my dorm and he shoves his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. Don’t look at him. Don’t let his good looks mess with your head. He’s a bully, the enemy, an asshole with a nice face, that’s it.
Rolling my eyes I grab my keys and unlock the door.
“Go away, and don’t come back.” I growl. As soon as I enter the room Shelby jumps up from her bed and runs over to me. I slam the door closed in Banks’ face and feel a tiny sliver of power ripple through me.
“Surprise!” She squeals.
“Hey, I thought you’d be gone all night?” I greet and give her a quick hug.
“I know, but then the art show got moved to next week and I wanted to come and surprise my best friend because I miss her, and I’m not the only surprise,” her smile widens. “I got us invited to a boat party!” Her eyes light up, and she’s beaming like it’s the most exciting thing she’s ever heard. “A boat party, Harlow! I’m not going to take no for an answer, so don’t even waste your time saying it, and if you’re worried about the Bishop boys, I’ll help you ditch them.”
I can’t stop the sigh that passes my lips. I don’t want to go to a party but I really don’t want to disappoint Shelby either. The guys will be there, there’s no doubt about it, and if I show up they’ll most likely follow me around. On the other hand, I can’t keep hiding out in my dorm doing nothing every weekend because of them.
If I stay home, they win. Plus, parties are part of college life, right? I should enjoy this time of my life to the fullest.
Shelby crosses her arms over her chest and gives me the look. What look you ask? The one that shows her annoyance and precedes an hour-long lecture about how I won’t always be young, and able to make dumb choices. Her mouth pops open as if she’s about to start talking but I cut her off.
“Okay, I’ll go,” I say and watch her face turn from stern to surprised, and then to excited.
“Holy shit, I was prepared to do some major sweet talking, and a whole lot of persuasion to get you to go, but this thing where you agree so easily is much better. If only you could be this easy all the time.”
“If I was that easily convinced then it would be no fun.”
“True, and since you didn’t take up all my time with talking, we now have more time to pick out dresses,” she giggles and runs to the closet. As She starts dragging one dress after the other out of the closet and creating a line up on her bed, I take a seat on the edge of mine.
Crossing my legs, I wait for her to give me my choice for tonight. My phone starts to buzz in my pocket. I dread even looking at it, somehow the guys got my phone number and when they are not busy walking me across campus, they send me text messages or call me. They’re the worst.
“I can hear the phone vibrating from over here,” Shelby says over her shoulder, “who is it? One of your Romeos?”
“Romeos? Not you too. You know I’m not actually with any of them, right? They are just stalking me to get on my nerves and under my skin.”
“Sure, they are.”
My brows furrow together in a frown. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She whirls around, a mini skirt in her hands. “Why do you let them stalk you? Did you even try to talk to campus security or the dean’s office, or even the police? I mean, they are legit stalking you, but you don’t do anything about it, so maybe you don’t want to be with them, but it’s not like you’re stopping them either.”
Because I deserve it. I think to myself, but the words won’t actually leave my mouth, I’m too ashamed to admit how I feel. Instead, I tell her the other reason I haven't said anything yet. “You know how it is, Shelby. They have tons of money, do you really think they haven't thought about this? Haven't made a sizable donation to the school to make sure that they can do no wrong? Plus, the se
cond I say something they’ll retaliate by doing something even worse.”
“What could be worse than what they’ve already done? It’s not like they would physically harm you. They’re a bunch of ankle biting dogs.”
“Says the one not being followed by them everywhere she goes.”
“Do you want me to say something to them?”
Scrubbing a hand down the front of my face, I mutter, “God, no. Let them do their thing. They only win if I let them. Once they see that I won’t react, they’ll just give up and move on. I mean, how fun can it be following a girl around all day? Surely they’ll get bored of this soon enough?”
She laughs, “No idea. Now put this on, I need to make sure we have enough time for me to do your makeup. If the Bishop Brothers are going to be following you around all night the least I can do is make them want you more than they already do.”
“They don’t want me. They want to ruin my life. There’s a difference.”
She tosses a sundress at me, “Don’t you remember back in school when they said boys only pick on girls that they like?”
“This isn’t elementary school.”
“No, you’re right, we’re adults, so the stakes are higher. They want you, Harlow, and I think you are playing into that.”
Before I can think too much about what she is saying, my phone buzzes again in my pocket, too annoyed to let it go on, I finally take it out to see who is calling. I swear to god, if they don’t stop tormenting me I’ll be forced to do something drastic.
When I see my father’s number lighting up the screen I almost gasp out loud. What the hell is he calling me for? Not once has he tried to talk to me since I left. Not once and now he’s blowing up my phone?
“Which one of the three musketeers is it this time?” Shelby asks, while applying her foundation with a large makeup brush.
“Neither, it’s my dad,” I say.
She lifts a curious brow, “Wow, what could he possibly want?”
“Don’t know, don’t care.” If there is one person I would enjoy talking to less than the Bishops, it’s my dad. Pushing the decline button, I stare at the screen before powering it off. Whatever it is he has to say, I don’t want to hear it.
Despite my better judgment, I let Shelby talk me into a short dress, at least it’s not a mini skirt. I know I shouldn't play with fire, but after our conversation earlier the wheels in my head started to turn. Maybe if I made them as uncomfortable as they make me, they would back off a little? Then again, I don't know. Blurring the lines further doesn't seem like a good idea.
I pull at the bottom of the tight material as I sit down in Shelby’s car, making sure I’m covered in all the important spots.
I’m not sure if the guys know that I left or that I'm headed to a party. They seem to keep tabs on me pretty well. Sometimes I even wonder if they planted a tracker on me. They're that good at knowing where I am and when.
“I’m so excited. Aren’t you excited?” Shelby asks, and I swear she must have drunk two energy drinks and ate a pound of sugar before we left because there is no logical reason for her to be bouncing around in her seat with the smile she's wearing.
“A little, I guess.” I shrug. I'm more nervous than anything. Mostly because I haven't been to another party since the night the brothers confronted me. I know it’s going to be even worse tonight after all the rumors that have been spread about me.
“We’ll have fun. Just don’t let them get to you. Just like you said earlier, don’t let them bother you. In fact, maybe you should find another guy, explore your options.” I know she’s right, but I can’t help it. My track record with parties is horrendous. Every time I go somewhere it ends up being a disaster. The police get called, or I get pulled into dark rooms by brooding brothers.
The list goes on.
We get to the port a few minutes later to find the parking lot leading to the pier is already filling up. We quickly find a spot and get out of the car. The first thing I notice is that most cars on the lot have a Bayshore University permanent parking sticker on the back windshield. I was really hoping that there would be more people from out of town instead of the entire college.
The knot in my stomach grows, the pressure mounting when I see the girl from my building who called me out the other night.
This is a bad start to the night.
Seemingly unaware of my darkening mood, Shelby takes my hand and walks me down to the pier where the yacht is docked. Music is blaring from inside and lights are strung on the outside, illuminating the darkness. The yacht’s already packed with people, their chatter meeting my ears.
“Oh my gosh, this is so pretty,” Shelby gasps, her excitement infectious. I smile while we are crossing the little metal bridge onto the boat. My best friend’s enthusiasm finally catches up with me and some of the tension starts to dissipate.
Stepping onto the shiny deck my wedges hardly make a sound. Shelby drags me across the deck following a string of lights leading to the party.
“What do you want to do first?” She inquires.
“Drink?” It’s probably best to get some liquid courage in me before the brothers find out I’m here. Shelby tosses her blonde hair over her shoulder and starts to tug me in the direction of what looks like a bar, the entire thing lined with bottles, and cups.
“I thought you weren’t going to come?” My body tenses at the gravelly voice behind me. With my hand still connected to Shelby’s I spin around to face Banks. I’m about to spit out a snarky remark but whatever it was I was going to say gets stuck in my throat when I see him standing there. He looks like he’s just stepped off a movie set.
My mouth waters, and the muscles in my belly tighten. He looks at me with the same heated gaze that I’m looking at him with, and I swear it’s a good thing we’re on the water because this entire thing might light on fire with these heated glares.
I drink him in. He’s wearing a black button up shirt with the top button undone and tailored gray slacks. With one hand in his pocket, he looks like a fashion model striking a pose, and even worse it takes no effort at all. He’s flawless looking without a single imperfection, and while I don’t look bad either, I don’t look like the other girls here.
“No, no,” Shelby raises her finger towards Banks, “she is here with me, not you, so carry on and find someone else to harass.”
“We’ll see who I feel like harassing later on, for now, you are free to go,” he says dismissively as if he has actual control over me. It takes everything inside me not to lash out, and make a scene. There’s never been a time in my life where I’ve been in control. I thought college would be my chance, but it seems I lucked out, once again.
“Get lost, loverboy,” she narrows her eyes, and snaps back pulling me towards the party. I don’t even look back at him as we walk away, instead I let Shelby drag me through the crowd and straight to the bar. She pours two glasses of champagne and hands me one.
“Just forget about him,” she says, as we clink our glasses together.
“Cheers,” is all I say before downing the entire glass. I’m not much of a drinker but right now getting a little tipsy doesn’t sound so bad. Maybe it’ll help me stop thinking about men I have no business thinking about.
“Now we're getting somewhere,” she smirks, filling my glass up once again. I don’t chug this one but even just sipping on it, it’s not going to last five minutes.
Shelby snatches a bottle from the bar, and we find a spot in the corner of the room. I’ve been on a yacht a time or two with my parents, but it was never like this. With so many people, and copious amounts of alcohol.
Looking into the crowd, I feel like every one of these people are having the time of their lives, all except me. I stop at one of those smiling faces, recognizing it. She sees me a moment after I spot her. Caroline's smile widens even more as she waves at me. I give her a half-hearted wave back, before I return my attention back to my drink.
Like a good friend, Shelby keeps refil
ling my glass every time it gets empty.
“I wonder how far out we are? We’ve been on the water for a while,” Shelby questions. I just shrug. I don’t care how far out we are, or what’s going on around me. All I want is to enjoy the night and continue drinking my champagne in peace. The bubbly liquid makes the ache in my chest go away and replaces it with a fuzzy feeling.
“Speaking of water, I gotta go pee. Wanna come?”
“Nah, I’m good. I’d rather keep drinking.”
“Okay, don’t move, I’ll be right back.” I nod and watch her walk away, disappearing deeper into the yacht.
“Hey,” a male voice calls out, followed by a light touch to my bare shoulder. I turn around a little too fast, losing my balance in the process, and end up landing in the guy’s arms, well more like face planting into his chest, but it’s the same thing I suppose.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I apologize holding onto his forearms to steady myself. “I’m such a clutz.” I blink up at the blond haired, blue eyed hunk holding onto me.
“It’s okay,” he laughs, and I notice the twinkle of amusement in his eyes, “I was going to ask you if you wanted to dance, but this is nice too.”
The mystery boy smells like expensive cologne, and while he isn’t one of the Bishop Brothers, he’s handsome, nonetheless.
A nervous giggle escapes me and for a moment I forget why I didn’t want to come here. This is fun, the drinking, mingling, and the quietness of the ocean around us.
“Dancing would be nice too,” I try to say in a flirty voice, an actual smile pulling at my lips. The words come out slurred and I decide maybe it’s time to lay off the champagne for a while.
“Thanks man, I got her from here,” a familiar voice cuts in, accompanied by an arm being draped around my shoulders. I look sideways and glance up at Sullivan who is pulling me close to his side, away from the nice guy I’m talking to. His touch seems protective, but even I know better than to assume that’s his motive.
The Bayshore Rivals: The Entier Series Page 6