by J. L. Beck
Spotting Remington and Jules in the far corner of the open space, I decide to go and hang out with them. At least Ava knows Jules, and they seem to like each other. I would hang with Clark, but lately he’s been MIA.
“Vance,” Remington greets me with a broad grin and a chin nod. Ava pulls away and greets Jules with a hug. The girls break out into conversation about classes and some new books that just released.
“I’m guessing you fell hard for the pain in the ass stepsister?”
“You have no idea. I’ll never be able to forgive myself for the things I did.” For some strange reason, the words just come out. Remington doesn’t have the first clue what I put Ava through, so he couldn’t possibly understand.
“Yeah, I put Jules through some bad shit too. I’ve had to learn to let go of the pain, the hate I feel for myself for doing so. I do everything I can for her now, and eventually I’ll marry her, whenever she lets me.” He chuckles. “There was a time when I was the bully and she was my punching bag though, and I’ll never truly forget that.”
Okay, so maybe I was wrong. Maybe Remington Miller did know what it felt like. My lips part and I’m about to respond when Sarah and her gang of hyenas strut up to us. Jules and Ava stop talking when Sarah stops right in front of Ava.
“Look, girls, trailer trash is here, make sure you hold on to your purses. You never know with this one,”
Sarah snickers. She had better be counting her lucky stars today that she is a girl, ‘cause if she wasn’t, my fist would be flying through the air right now.
“Get lost, Sarah, you’re just jealous of Ava,” I snap.
“Oh hey, Vance. I haven’t seen you in a while,” she greets me, ignoring my statement. A pout forms on her red painted lips.
Tugging Ava into my side, I make it clear to Sarah that I’m with her.
“I’ve been busy spending time with people who matter, you know…with my girlfriend.”
Sarah’s hyenas laugh like I said something funny. Sarah cuts them off with the wave of her hand, her nose wrinkling in disgust. “She’s trailer trash and your stepsister. Isn’t that like incest or something,” she sneers.
“Stepsister. We aren’t related, but I wouldn’t expect you to understand that since the only thing you’re good at is spreading your legs,” I grit out.
“You didn’t seem to mind much…” Sarah snickers and I snap.
“Don’t be full of yourself. I never fucked you and I never would. Why would I want you when I have someone like Ava?”
Sarah tosses her hair over her shoulder. “Whatever, Clark still lets me ride his dick.”
Is that supposed to hurt my feelings or something? Because it doesn’t. I’d much rather have Ava than ever allow Sarah to touch me again.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ava’s cheeks growing red with embarrassment. Then I lift my head and notice we’ve caught most of the attention in the room.
“What the fuck are you all staring at?” I growl into the crowd and most everyone goes back to what they were doing a moment before this little spat took place.
“Have fun with that,” Sarah says, her top lip curling in disgust before skipping off into the crowd.
Ava slaps a hand to my chest. “You brought me here to have a sparring match with her?”
“No, baby, I brought you here so everyone knows you’re mine.”
“They’re more like us than we thought,” Jules says to Remington who grins down at her like a fool.
“Another goal for team hate to love,” Remington snickers.
“What the hell?” I nudge Rem in the side, getting his attention.
“What?” he asks.
“What the hell do you mean another goal for team hate to love?”
“Oh, Jules and I had a little bet going. She wasn’t so sure you would fall for the meddling stepsister, but I knew better.”
“Bets get you in trouble I’ve heard.” I wink, which causes Remington to expel another huff of laughter.
“That they do, that they do.”
My cell phone starts to ring in my pocket, and I fish the thing out gazing down at the screen.
Clark.
I answer immediately. “Hey, what’s up? I haven’t heard from you in a while.”
“Uhh yeah, sorry. I’ve been busy. Do you have time to help me? I’m moving and I need help with this sectional. It’s a bitch to move.”
Moving? “What the fuck, Clark, what’s going on?” I ask.
Sighing, he says, “Look, I’ll explain when you get here.”
Ava having heard the entire conversation nods her head, telling me she’s okay with leaving this shit show.
“Yeah, we’ll be there. Message me your new address.”
“Got it, see you soon,” Clark says, hanging up the phone. I shove my phone back into my pocket and turn to Rem and Jules.
“Sorry, but we’re blowing this Popsicle stand.”
Ava gives Jules a quick hug and I give Rem a chin nod before taking my girl by the hand and guiding her out of the party. Once we make it outside and away from the loud noise of the party, Ava asks, “What’s going on? Why did Clark move?”
“I don’t know, but we’re about to find out.”
Just then, my phone chimes with an incoming text. I wait to check it until we reach the car. Then I fish the thing out and read the text Clark sent me. I know the address, the place he’s living is in a condo near the country club, but why the fuck is he moving into his own place?
Shoving the thoughts away, I start the car and take Ava’s hand into mine as I drive us toward Clark’s place. It doesn’t take long before we’ve arrived.
“Clark’s going to live in one of these places by himself?” Ava asks astonished.
“Yeah, I don’t really believe it either.”
We walk up the stone walkway and to the condo that Clark told me. When we reach the door, I sigh, lifting my hand to knock. I don’t get a chance though because a moment later the door comes flying open. Clark’s shameful face before me.
“Hey guys,” Clark says, gesturing for us to come in. The place is huge and my mouth pops open when I notice the girl standing in the middle of the kitchen, her face filled with anxious anxiety.
“What the fuck’s going on?” I ask, confused. Ava blinks, and then a slow smile forms on her lips.
Running a hand through his russet brown hair, Clark says, “Ava, Vance. Meet Emerson, my girlfriend.”
Girlfriend? What. The. Fuck?
“Girlfriend?” I stutter.
“Yup. Girlfriend,” Clark grits out through his teeth, his eyes begging me to understand but I don’t. I just don’t understand. Clark doesn’t do girlfriends, I mean he does other people’s girlfriends, but he doesn’t stake claim. He nails ‘em to the bed and leaves ‘em before the condom hits the garbage can.
“Emerson, this is Vance, my best friend, and Ava, my second best friend.”
“Hi,” she squeaks out timidly. Holy shit, she’s Clark’s opposite, shy, nervous, obviously innocent. Her blue eyes shimmer with secrets and I know whatever is going on here has something to do with her.
“Explain,” I order, but Clark shakes his head.
“I will…later.”
The End
Next in this Series…
Secrets… they can make or break you.
I would know. I’m hiding the biggest secret of all. My scars are so much more than skin deep. They consume me, control me and every part of my life.
Then I meet him, Clark Jefferson. Six foot two inches of Greek god hotness with a smile that’ll make your panties disappear. He is everything I should avoid, everything I should fear, and yet all I want is to be near him. For some reason I don’t understand, he makes me feel safe.
He makes me want to break free of the suffocating fear that claims my heart and that’s one of the reasons why I agree to be his fake girlfriend.
But secrets can’t remain secrets forever and as I grow closer to Clark my feelings for him
grow too. Soon the line between fake and real blurs and when the past I’ve been running from finally catches up with me I’ll have to confess to Clark the truth or let go of a love that was only ever supposed to be fake.
The Secret
Other books by the Authors
Each book is in Kindle Unlimited
Their Captive (Dark Reverse Harem Romance)
Convict Me
Protect Me
Keep Me
Guard Me
Tame Me
Keep reading for a sneak peek of When Rivals Fall, a reverse harem bully romance …
When Rivals Fall
When Rivals Lose
Chapter One
Harlow
Bayshore University is not one of the most prestigious colleges in the country, which I thought I would be attending right now. My whole life I thought I would end up going to some Ivy League school like Yale or Harvard like the other rich kids from my high school. Instead, I chose to attend this place. A nice but lowkey University located on the west coast, hundreds of miles away from my hometown North Woods. Most kids wouldn’t choose to be miles away from their parents but I wasn’t most. I chose this college because it’s as far away from my family as I can get.
As soon as I turned eighteen and I got my hands on my trust fund, I was out of my parent's house. There was no way I was going to stay another minute longer. I wanted to disappear, forget about my last name, and what it meant.
After finding out about the things my father had been up to, I didn’t want a single thing to do with the family business.
“This is college, and you’re acting as someone sentenced you to ten years hard labor.” Shelby laughs. My nose wrinkles as I look up at the fortress before me. Of course, the place would look more like a medieval castle set in the Scottish Highlands than a university. Ropes of thick green ivy climb the walls like they’re trying to escape its high walls.
“Maybe not ten years, but at least four right?” I grin.
“College isn’t a dick Harlow. Stop making it so hard.”
“Nice anthology. Where did you pull that one out of?”
“My ass.” She rolls her eyes and slams her hips into mine. I roll my eyes like I’m annoyed with her when in reality I’m grateful she is here. She really had to talk her parents into letting her go here and I think the only reason her dad agreed is because he had a bad year at his law firm and the tuition here was cheaper than Stanford where Shelby was supposed to go originally. She doesn’t seem to care though.
Student’s rush past us in a flurry to get into their dorm rooms, while Shelby and I take our sweet time. We had most of our things shipped to the college, all except our personal belongings so there’s no rush for us. We spend most of our time taking in the surroundings. The university itself is beautiful, with huge oak trees, and sprawling areas of lush green grass, that I can picture myself sitting in with a blanket and a good book.
We make it to the crowded dorm and up the stairs to our room without incident. Once inside I exhale all the air from my lungs and sag down onto my small twin size bed. The dorms are small and leave very little room for privacy but that’s okay. The place is close to the ocean and has a view that only most would dream of.
“Okay, so I was invited to a party by a couple of guys I met over at Starbucks,” Shelby says, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder.
“We’ve been here less than twenty-four hours and you want to go to a party already?” I knew parties were going to happen, by some miracle I had avoided all the ones I could in high school but there was no way I was getting out of any college ones.
“It’s a past time set forth by our ancestors, when you arrive at college you must party.”
“Sounds like it’s set forth by Shelby.” I roll my eyes.
Shelby juts out her bottom lip into a firm pout, “Oh come on Harlow, you didn’t but go to a handful of parties when we were in high school and now you don’t want to enjoy college. Your parents are out of the picture, you can basically do anything you want.”
She has no idea how wrong she was. Yes, I’ve managed to escape my father’s clutches for now, but I’m going to be able to hide from him and my mother forever.
“If I go will you at least wait a whole month before inviting me to another one?”
Amusement twinkles in Shelby’s hazel eyes, “Mmm, two weeks tops.”
“Seriously.” I cringe.
“It’s college Harlow, and I’m your certified fun helper.”
Shaking my head I say, “You’re not a fun helper, you’re a get into trouble helper.”
She taps at her chin with her finger, “Trouble. Fun. All sounds the same to me. Now, what are you wearing? Better be something sexy. We’ve got to grab the boys attention right off the bat. You know college boys, all ADHD squirrel like.”
“I’m not catching anything, and especially not any boys attention.”
I’ve gathered enough attention from the Bishop brothers back home. After what I did to Sullivan I was surprised he could walk past me without murdering me. Let’s just say it made social gatherings a little tense.
“Your parents aren't here. You don’t have anything to worry about. You’re free.” Shelby gets up from the bed and put her arms out like a bird, flapping them until she reaches the bed, slamming herself down onto it, causing me to bounce and a bubble of laughter to escape my throat.
“I’m not worried about them,” I lie. I’m worried about them just as much as I’m worried about the Bishops.
Actually, I’m not worried. I’m terrified. For years I’ve helped my father spread rumors about the Bishops. I’ve helped ruin their lives and for what? Nothing, it was all for nothing. I didn’t know how horrible my father really was. He didn’t just want their business, he wanted them gone.
At one point my hate for the Bishops started to diminish, and in its place resentment towards my father bloomed. I didn’t want anything to do with my old life, the drama, the hate, the revenge I wanted to forget that part of my life and that it ever existed.
“Good, because it wouldn’t matter if you were. Now, up. Let me see what I have to work with and then what clothing you’ve brought with you.”
“Do we really have to go?” I asked batting my long eyelashes knowing damn well it wasn’t going to work. I can’t make myself look as innocent and sweet as Shelby can. Plus I kind of owe it to her to at least go out once. She did, after all, move hundreds of miles away from her family to be a supportive friend.
“Yes.” She smiles and I should’ve known that smile was going to be the death of me.
◆◆◆
I pull on the bottom of the miniskirt that Shelby shoved me into. I’m exactly skinny, curvy is more like it, and even though I don’t have any real self-confidence issues, this thing was so short every single guy here is going to get a flash of my crotch by the end of the night.
If and that’s a pretty big if I go out with Shelby again, she will not be dressing me.
Brushing a few strands of my silky blonde hair behind my ear I survey the crowded room. The frat house is filled to max occupancy with women and men of all ages. There’s dancing, singing, and drinking games. People chilling on the couch in the living room smoking what I’m pretty sure isn’t cigarettes based on the sweet aroma that permeated the air.
This is what it’s about.
“We made it.” Shelby huffs a wide grin on her blood red lips. She acts like she just aced a test that she’s been studying all semester. We stand together, side by side, watching as people move around the room, chatting, and having the time of their lives. The longer we stand there in the middle of the room the more attention we bring to ourselves.
I can feel eyes on me, gliding over my bare legs, and my shirt that hangs off of one shoulder. Yeah, I don’t like this. Being the center of attention. Feeling shy I hide behind the curtain of blonde hair and turn to Shelby.
“See we came, we saw, we had fun, can we go now?” I whine, tugging on he
r arm. I haven’t been to a party since that night. That night. A shiver runs down my spine at the memory, at the anger, at the simmering rage that reflected back at me from all three of the Bishop brothers.
“We’ll make you pay for this, Harlow. One day you won’t have your parents protection, and then what will you do?”
Shrugging I say, “I’m not scared of you. You’re weak, pathetic, just like your parents.”
Oliver entered my bubble of space, forcing me to take a step back or be chest to chest with him, “One day… one day, well get even with you. We’ll break you. Wish you were never born.”
“You’ll be waiting a long time…” I sneer, feeling the fear slither up my spine and around my throat like a snake.
Wiggling my shoulders I shake off the unpleasant emotions coming with the memory.
“Nope.” Shelby pops the p, and grabs onto my hand, tugging us deeper into the house. The place is huge, similar to the mansion I lived in my entire life. There are priceless paintings on the walls, crown molding, and chandeliers that cost more than most people's cars. It reminds me so much of my old life, that I have to shake away the creepy feeling slithering up my back. I did my research when selecting a college and I made certain this one wouldn’t have any billionaire co-eds.
As far as I know, Shelby and I are the only two people attending this university with parents that make more than a million a year. Which leaves me to wonder who’s house this? Is it another student who owns this? His or her parents? Why do you care Harlow?
Paranoid. I’m being paranoid. Ever since leaving I’ve wondered when my past would come back to haunt me. All the things I did, said… The guilt eats away at me every single day. I let my father lead me blindly into the dark. I let him feed me lie after lie. I thought I was doing the right thing but I wasn’t.
When we enter the kitchen I notice the black marble counters and stainless steel appliances. Off the kitchen is a pair of patio doors that open up to a backyard that butts up to the beach. It’s beautiful really, minus all the college coeds that are liquored up.