Sweetest Sin: Bad Boy Bundle (19 page)

"Oh, hi Nate! I didn't see you there!" squeaked Trisha. If this was her way of playing it cool then it sure wasn't working.

"Hi Trisha. Jeff. No, you definitely didn't see me," I said. Jeff gave me a look.

"And you definitely didn't see us, right buddy? No one needs to know?" he said, which roughly translated to 'don't tell Ruby!'

I could have just agreed and walked away from the situation, but I was feeling slightly devious. I wanted to play with them just a bit. I only wished that Ruby was around to help me.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, "I said to Jeff, before turning to Trisha, "So how long have you two been banging each other?"

Trisha looked like she might burst into floods of tears at any moment, but I really didn't give a fuck. Jeff just looked sleazy as ever. I couldn't understand how he had managed to get any woman ever.

"Nate, please please don't tell Ruby! Jeff and I didn't mean to fall in love, it just happened lately.

Everything's so messy right now and you know poor Ruby's been through so much. I really don't want to upset her!" pleaded Trisha. I pretended to think about what she was saying.

"Ruby won't be upset, because she has me," I said, and I could see Trisha's eyes narrowing. She obviously didn't approve of my relationship with her cousin but I didn't care. I knew that Ruby still did a little bit though, even though she was trying her best not to care.

"And you don't have a problem with her being with me, do you Trisha?"

Trisha paused thoughtfully before shaking her head.

"No, not at all. I'm sure you'll make her very happy."

"Good. So I won't tell her that you're sleeping with this jack off," I turned to Jeff," No offense buddy. I won't tell her if you keep your nose out of our business and don't make her feel bad for being with me. Is that a deal?"

Trisha and Jeff both nodded. The guy was so pathetic that he didn't even challenge me for calling him a jack off. I said goodbye to the two of them and went to pay for my pasta, feeling proud of myself. If I had to be a little bit devious to protect Ruby's honor sometimes then so be it. I couldn't say that I didn't enjoy it.

Ruby

Nate told me all about Trisha's romance with Jeff. I was so over him by this stage that it didn't matter to me at all. The two of us laughed and laughed at how silly they were to be so secretive but I promised Nate that I wouldn't tell Trisha that I knew. I kept my word of course, but it didn't matter anyway. Trisha's own blabbermouth got the best of her when I came to visit her at her new place.

"Your curtains are really nice, where did you get them?" I asked. Trisha began to vibrate as if she was having a seizure, before she finally exploded.

"I'm sleeping with Jeff!" she yelled, tears spurting down her cheeks, "I'm so sorry Ruby! You have to forgive me!"

I didn't care one bit, but that didn't mean that I couldn't let her beg and plead just a little bit. It was fun being the one with the power for once. I managed to make her promise that she would loan me

her rose gold bracelet, bake me a chocolate fudge cake, clear her schedule so she was completely open for cat-sitting as well as promise to never ever bother me about Nate again.

Nate and I talked on the phone a lot during the week after my interview. He even took me to the drive-in again, though this time it was on their rom-com night so I didn't have to hind behind any seats. We still ended up having sex through both of the movies, but that was inevitable. We still had fun.

Every time I spoke to him about the job he was weirdly cagey, assuring me that he would let me know as soon as he received any news on the matter.

"But you're the boss," I whined at the drive-in, "Aren't you in charge?" He smirked at me.

"You're right, I am the boss. That means you have to do what I say so I demand that you take your panties off right now and show me that pretty pussy of yours," he said. It wasn't unlike talking to a brick wall, but the sex was so good that it didn't matter. The after sex was even better. There was no tears or drama on my part. Just some cuddling before we started the second or third round of crazy sex. What could I say, it worked for us somehow.

Trisha kept to her word. The fudge cake was delicious and my mom wasn't informed about my new relationship. I would tell her someday, someday soon. It was just important that she heard it from me and not from Trisha or anyone else. I even finished a few commissions and made some money for once. Life was good.

I was still in bed at eight O' clock on a Monday morning when a rock hit my bedroom window. At first I thought it was a fluke but then there was a second, and a third. Who on earth could that be? I ran over to the window, ready to shout every obscenity I knew at whatever fucker thought it was funny to try and smash my windows in. I shouldn't have been so surprised to see Nate grinning up at me, his motorcycle parked right at the front of the building.

"Get down here!" he yelled, a huge smile on his face, "We have somewhere to be!"

I wasn't sure what he was talking about but I thought it would be better to argue with him when I got downstairs than from a few stories up. I got dressed into something pretty but smart and hurtled down the stairs. I guess I was slightly nervous that Nate wouldn't be there when I got outside. He was still there when I stepped out, sitting on his bike with that smile still on his face.

"Wow, you look great. You're gonna make a good first impression anyways," he said, looking me up and down, "Very sexy, but it's a kind of 'don't fuck with me' sexy. I like it."

"Thanks," I said, giving him a little twirl, "So what's all the fuss about? Where are we going that I need to make a first impression?"

I had a vague notion but I needed him to confirm it before I could let myself get too excited.

"Where are we going?" He asked, handing me his second helmet, "Work of course!"

I gave a small shriek and did a victory dance that made Nate laugh before hoping on to the back of the bike.

"Let's go!" I said, and we did.

<<<< THE END >>>>

Table of Contents

Off Limits

Fling

Improper

Old School

Dane

What
the fuck?
This thought roams through my head over and over again.

By the time the police let me go, I’m not sure what day it is. Dried tears cake my cheeks. I grab my phone and dial.

“Come on, come on, come on… pick up, pick up, pick up.” I whisper to the ringing tone.

No answer.

Voicemail.

The words catch in my throat, forming a lump of new tears and I can’t speak.

I hang up the phone and stare at the rain hitting my windshield. Seems fitting, somehow, that the sky would be weeping today.

Of all days.

It takes me a few minutes to bring my tears back under control. Flashes of that nightmare run before my eyes.

I jump at the lightning.

And nearly lose my shit at the thunder.

I dial another number.

“Hello?”

“Hi,” I fight back the tears to seek out the word.

“Oh my God. Kirsten. Were you in class today?”

I try to answer her. To say yes. To tell her of everything that I saw. Everything that happened. But all I want right now is a ride home. A hot shower. And a hug.

Just something to wipe away the nightmare.

“Shit, Kirsten. Did you get the story?”

Her words shock my tears into stopping their flow. Did she really just ask me that? My anger wells up in my stomach.

Then she moans.

She’s not talking to me anymore. She’s talking to someone else. I hold my breath.

A man. Moaning.

Oh my
God
.

Their voices sound distant, like she dropped the phone. I hang up and toss my phone over into the passenger seat.

My palm stings as it slams against the steering wheel.
Where the hell can I go now?

It dawns on me that John isn’t home. If I can get to our apartment before he returns, I can leave and never have to see him. “Come on, Kirsten, get it together and get there. You can always figure out where to go next after that.”

The rains follow me all the way home. I always hate making the drive from the school to the apartment. It’s the main reason why I stay at the dorms two or three nights out of the week.

The
lights are off at my apartment. I slip my key into the lock and dart inside.

No one home.

I grab a suitcase and a duffle bag and start throwing anything I can into both of them. Bathroom products. Clothes. Stockings. Notebooks. Cameras.

Everything.

With no idea how much time I have until John returns, I am darting back and forth across the apartment like a hot mess. Tears continue to blur my vision.

At some point, I completely break down. I don’t know how much time I lost to my own struggles. I sit in the middle of the hallway and cry into my hands. I’m just not sure how I’m going to ever be okay again.

The doorknob jiggles.

Fuck. Out of time
.

I bolt through the apartment again, slamming the suitcase shut and fighting to pull the zipper around the corners.

“Kirsten?” John calls my name as he steps through the door. “Kirsten, are you here?”

His footsteps pad lightly across the carpet down the hallway to the bedroom. “Hey,” he whispers at the bedroom door. “I wasn’t expecting you to be home tonight.”

“I have to go,” I manage to spit the words out. “I have to go, now. And when I get back, I don’t want you to be here anymore.”

“What are you…what are you talking about? What does that even mean? You don’t want me here anymore.”

“What? What do you think it means? How many different ways can you take that? I’m leaving. I am exiting the apartment and I am not sure when I’ll be back. When I do come back, I expect you and your shit to be gone. Not in my apartment anymore. Living somewhere else. Is that more clear?”

I should just throw him out. I keep telling myself to throw something at him. But I know what will happen if I do that. He’ll laugh. It won’t hurt him. Not the way I hurt.

“Kirsten, this is ridiculous. If I did something wrong just tell me and we can work it out.”

I shake my head and glance around the apartment. I reach around and grab my camera and toss it into my duffle bag and throw it over my shoulder. “Out. John. I mean it.”

Before he could mutter another word, I storm out the door and let it slam behind me.

Of
course, slamming the door to my apartment and my relationship with John doesn’t exactly help me figure out what I’m going to do. Unseasonal rains are still pelting everything.

“I live in the fucking desert. Why the fuck is it raining?” I ask out loud. Sheets of water stick my hair to my scalp and soak through my clothing. I throw everything into my car and turn the ignition.

Nothing.

A couple of whining groans and the engine shuts back off.

“Oh, fuck. Not now, not now.” I say as I turn the key again. For nothing.

“No!”

I wrap my fist around my cellphone and think.
I can’t stay here. Not after making such a scene. Well, I could just go in and say I changed my mind and he has to leave. No, that’s stupid. But isn’t that how the saying goes? Women are entitled to change their mind at any time? That’s why it’s stupid. Fuck.

In a last ditch effort, I turn the key again and hold my breath. The windshield wipers swing into life and I release a weak laugh and shake my head. My wipers can barely keep up with the downpour of rain. I can’t drive very fast, which works in my favor since right now I’m not entirely sure where I’m going to go.

A red light signals for me to stop. My mind dwells on early memories with thunderstorms, curled up with my mom reading a book and listening to the rhythm of the rain. I take in a deep breath, wishing I could enjoy the sounds around me when the rain is interrupted by squealing tires behind me.

I glance up into the rearview mirror to see a set of headlights swerving behind me.

“Oh fuck. Are you kidding me?”

The headlights swing to the other lane, then swerve back. Faster.

I glance at the traffic light then back to the rearview mirror. “Stop! Stop! Stop!” I scream, not even caring that the driver behind me can’t hear me.

The light in front of me finally flips to green, and I stomp on the gas. The headlight behind me twirl to a stop. As their reflection grows smaller, I shake my head and try to catch my breath. “I need a break,” I say to the rain. “I need to just get away from here. And take a break.”

A few minutes later, I find myself turning down the high way and toward the airport.
It’s the only way to help make sure that you actually get a break. That no one will show up unannounced and ruin it. Take a vacation, you deserve it.

I park in the long term parking lot and grab my bags. Trying to remember what I packed. Do I have everything I would need?
Need for what? Where am I going?

I stare at the flight board behind the ticket line. So many wonderful choices, some of which I placed onto my bucket list when I first started at my job.

The small group in front of me are snickering. They look young, fresh out of high school maybe.

“I can’t believe you talked me into this.”

“Oh, come on, Jenny. You’re going to love Thailand. Tropical beaches. Dancing. The prettiest sunsets in the world. You. In a bikini. You’re going to love it.”

“You keep saying that, but I still wish we could have gone skiing instead. It’s a family tradition. Every Christmas we head up to the mountains. Skiing, fireplaces, hot chocolate. Snuggles. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

“Sure, if we were some old couple looking to retire. Or somewhere to bring the kids. Come on, it’s Winter break. Let’s go to paradise.”

She moans and leans up into him to lick his lips.

Bitch,
I think to myself.
You have a boyfriend taking you to a paradise and you’re complaining about it?

I bite my lip and stare back at the board again. The lady behind the counter calls them up ahead of me and exchanges his credit card for a pair of tickets. A few minutes later, the two were practically skipping through the gate. I wait for the lady to call me up to the counter, and place my credit card up.

“How much is a ticket to Thailand?”

“Okay, do you want to go to the main land or do you want to fly to one of the islands?”

“Um, an island, please.”

“Okay, well we have a flight leaving in a few minutes on Cathaway Pacific. There’s a scheduled layover in Hong Kong. For $1,332.”

“Sorry. Did you say 1332 as in one thousand, three hundred and thirty two dollars?”

Her smile starts to fade as she nods her head.

I stare down at my credit card. The shared account John and I set up over a year ago.
John’s going to kill me
.

“Oh well, sure, let’s go. I’ll take it.” I say as I slide the card over the counter.

“Great!” the lady’s smile returns in all its bubbly glory as she swipes the card through the computer.

Where the hell am I going to sleep when I get there? Who cares. You can figure it out. Hop online and book a hotel room while you’re waiting for the plane to board.
I take a deep breath, biting my tongue and hoping the lady behind the counter hurries up and finishes taking the money before I lose my nerve and change my mind.

I wonder how long it will take John to realize that he just paid for my ticket to Thailand?