Cocky F*ck: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Rejects Paradise Book 2)

by Sheridan Anne

  My gut instantly sinks.

  Laurelle Carrington and her two bitchy twin daughters, Cora and Casey with bags upon bags of luggage.

  Just fucking great.

  “I… uhh.” Shit. What the hell am I supposed to say? ‘Welcome home, bitches?’ No. I don't see that going down well.

  “Ugh,” twin one says, looking me up and down as her face scrunches in distaste. “You’re still here.”

  “Who’s still here?” Laurelle asks, stepping forward and looking me over in a similar way that her daughter had, yet unlike her daughter, something has me stepping back. This woman is batshit crazy. It was only two weeks ago that she stormed into her ex-husband’s funeral and lit his ass on fire while wearing six-inch stiletto heels. This is the real MVP of revenge, not someone who should be messed with.

  The other twin lets out a sickening laugh. “This is the girl we were telling you about. The one who let all those gangsters into father’s wake and assaulted us. She works here.”

  Laurelle’s eyes snap to mine. “You work here?”

  I swallow back, unsure why the hell I feel so terrified of her.

  This shit hasn’t happened before. I make a fucking point not to be scared off by over-privileged bitches like this. “Where the hell is your uniform?”

  “I, uhhh … I don’t wear one.”

  “Unacceptable,” she spits. “From now on, you show respect to your hosts by wearing your appointed uniform. Is that clear?”

  “Umm … Colton hasn’t requested that I wear a uniform and Charles never asked me to.”

  Laurelle’s eyes flame with rage. “Do I look like Charles? I am the lady of this house and I have requested that you wear a uniform. If you cannot respect my rules, then you will be asked to leave. Is that clear?”

  The twins grin as they watch their mother roast me and I shamefully nod my head, wishing to be anywhere but here. “Yes, that is clear.”

  “Good and while we’re at it, you do not address my son by his given name. He is Mr. Carrington to you, nothing more and nothing less.”

  I raise a brow and decide that if I allow her to walk all over me now that I’ll be setting a standard that I simply won’t accept, and God fucking knows that Colton isn’t going to accept it either. I suck up my pussy attitude and raise my chin. “That’s more than fine,” I say with a sickly-sweet smile before taking a step toward them and watching as the three of them grow wary, the twins clearly remembering exactly what I’m made of. “And what shall I call him when we’re fucking? Cause he kinda likes it when I scream his name.”

  Laurelle sucks in an appalled gasp as the twins mimic her shocked tone. “Oh, shit,” I say with a cringe, sarcastically placing my hand over my mouth and sucking in a gasp of my own. “I think I cracked my halo.”

  Laurelle steps into me and I watch as her hands begin to shake with rage. “You better start packing your things, missy. I’m going to have you out of here so damn fast.”

  The twins snicker behind her as my lips pull up into a wicked grin. Maybe the twins weren’t quite forthcoming enough when recapping their stories to their mother. I don’t take kindly to threats. “You see, that’s just the thing,” I tell her. “I may be ‘the help’ but I’m also your son’s girlfriend and seeing as though he owns this property, I guess that kinda makes me the lady of this house. So I guess you’re the one who's going to have to watch herself.”

  “You don’t want to start a war with me, young lady.”

  “Oh, you see. I think I really do. You’re a crazy bitch who lit her ex-husband on fire and you’re also the bitch who walked out of her son’s life. You didn’t even stay for him after his father died,” I look over her shoulder at her daughters. “None of you did. You all stuck around long enough to see what you could get your hands on. You’re all greedy bitches and the only reason you’re here now is to try and sink your nails into Colton, but guess what? It won’t work.”

  Laurelle grins at me, her white stiletto heels making her tower over me. “Oh, really?” she says. “Have you ever met a man who wouldn’t move heaven and earth for his mother? Colton is hurting. He’s still emotional from losing his father and what he needs right now is his mother and trust me when I say, it will only take a click of my fingers to convince him to be through with you. My son is a Carrington. He will not stain the family reputation by being with someone as lowly as you. This is a phase and he will be moving on. Carrington’s don’t associate themselves with trash.”

  With that, she steps away and heads for the grand staircase as the twins continue to stare at me. “Now,” she says, looking back over her shoulder and indicating to the massive pile of suitcases. “Be a darling and deliver our belongings to our rooms. I expect dinner at seven and a glass of Moet from Charles' personal cellar.”

  She disappears up the stairs and I feel the rage beginning to burn through my veins but bitch one and bitch two aren’t quite finished yet. “Listen here,” the braver of the two says, making me think it must be Cora, considering our past run-ins. “Things are going to change around here. You’re not the fucking princess of the mansion anymore. Bellevue Springs is our town and as of now, we’re taking it back.”

  “Mom’s right,” the other says, stepping into me. “You’re done. Especially after the bullshit you pulled at father’s party. We’re taking the mansion, we’re taking the girls, and we’re taking the fucking school. We’re going to make your life a living hell and only once you think you can’t possibly take it any longer, we’re going to destroy you.”

  “You can forget about Colton and you can forget about Bellevue Springs,” the bitchier of the two states. “You’re going back to where you came from, slumming it with the other trash. Now, if you don’t mind,” she continues, slapping on a fake smile. “We have to go and tell our beloved big brother how excited we are to be home.”

  They run off, skipping up the stairs two at a time with their laughter flowing behind. “Be a darling,” one calls, mimicking their mother. “Fetch our belongings.”

  What. The. Actual. Fuck?

  What just happened right now? His bitch mother and bratty twin sisters are back. For good and desperate to make my life a living hell.

  Fuck my life. I won’t stand for this. I’m going to run these bitches out of here so damn fast. They won’t take him away from me and if they’re serious about wanting to be in his life for the right reasons, then they’re going to have to get used to the fact that we’re together because I’m not going anywhere.

  As for their fucking luggage … they can deal with it themselves. I’m not their personal slave. Fuck them. They got the bags up the first sixty-six steps, I’m sure they can manage the last grand staircase by themselves. Just think how accomplished they’d feel achieving that all by themselves.

  I go to walk away when it hits me—how is this going to look to Colton? I want him to see his mother and sisters for the bitches that they are, not me. If he thinks I’m making matters worse, he might just push me away. After all, I can guarantee that his mother is going to be in his ear about finding an appropriate girl to be with and not staining their precious reputation.

  Fuck. I don’t want to lose him. I can’t. Things only just got good between us. I don’t want to risk losing him because his mother wants to play mind tricks and take everything from him. I can’t even go and complain to him because his sisters are just moments away from offering to suck his dick for attention and I have no doubt that they’re already telling him about the beyond awful experience they just had with the help.

  I look back at their stupid luggage.

  I have no choice.

  Heaviness sinks into my stomach and I find myself dragging my feet as I move toward their bags. I’ll just deliver their stupid bags and get the queen bitch her wine, and then I can go and find Colton and explain that I was being a perfect angel. Sounds like a solid plan to me. If anything, I can consider this my yearly dose of exercise.

  With that, I curl my fingers under the handle
of the first bag and get my ass moving.

  By the time I’ve delivered the final bag and have dropped down on the final step, my calves are aching, but it’s not over yet. I still need to get Laurelle her stupid glass of … wait. What did she want? Actually, I don’t give a shit. She'll get what I give her and should hope that I don’t accidentally trip and ruin her white blouse with red wine in the process.

  I make my way back into the staff quarters and after quickly glancing around and not finding Mom anywhere, I pull out my phone and give her a quick call. “What’s up?” she answers almost immediately.

  “Do you know where Charles’ personal wine cellar is?”

  “Huh?” she grunts as I hear the buzz from the vacuum cleaner in the background. “Why do you need his personal stash?”

  “Haven’t you heard? Laurelle and the twins are back, and she’s insisting that I fetch her wine from his personal cellar. Either he keeps the good shit down there or it’s just another way she can make him roll in his grave.”

  Mom lets out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, I noticed they were here. Laurelle has already had a quiet word with me about my misbehaved daughter. She would have had to say something good to get a reaction out of you that warrants a mother to mother conversation.”

  “She was … very pleasant.”

  “Oh, honey. Please don’t cause any issues. I’m sure she’ll only be here for a while before they move on again.”

  “Hope so,” I grumble.

  Mom lets out a sigh and I listen as she turns off the vacuum cleaner. “Do you want to call it a day and I’ll grab the bottle of wine?”

  “No, it’s alright. You have enough on your plate already, and besides, I have a feeling that if I don’t jump to her every command, she’s going to figure out a way to make me regret it.”

  “I hate that I think you’re right,” she mutters. “Just remember to smile and be polite and then we can bitch about that witch behind closed doors.”

  “Alright, but I’m not making any promises.”

  I can practically hear Mom roll her eyes before she lets out a little huff at having to deal with her delinquent daughter. “The cellar is down past the back staircase. There’s a small door that leads down into it. You can’t miss it. Just be careful. The stairs leading down into it are very narrow. I don’t want you to fall.”

  “Kay, thanks. I’ll be careful.”

  Mom ends the call and I get to it, letting out a frustrated groan in the process and I just happen to be on the complete other side of the massive house. Hell, maybe she didn’t request I go to this wine cellar to fuck with Charles, maybe she was fucking with me.

  I find the door exactly where Mom had explained and as I push it open and look down into the darkness below, I can’t help but feel like this is some kind of creepy dungeon.

  Not able to find the light switch, I step down into the wine cellar and within a second, the room floods with light. I shake my head as I continue down the narrow steps. Of course, Charles would have motion sensor lights in here. Only the best for his personal wine cellar. I wouldn’t be surprised if this room was also temperature controlled.

  I get down into the main part of the cellar and glance around. It's kind of beautiful in here. I’m not going to pretend that I know a damn thing about wine, but I can tell that this shit is freaking old. Half of it is in locked, glass cases or up on fancy stands with spotlights showcasing it. It’s kind of ridiculous but clearly these are his prized possessions.

  I walk around. There must be at least two thousand bottles down here and the thought of ruining his collection to satisfy his ex-wife starts to irk on my nerves. Colton told me that Charles used to hit her and I totally understand her wanting to fuck with him, but using me to do it? Charles was a douche, but this isn’t exactly a position I want to be in.

  I wonder if Laurelle would notice if I grabbed a bottle from the main cellar and left this alone. She can get her revenge on her ex herself. I don’t want anything to do with it. Besides, I don’t need to give her more ammunition to use in her grand plan of getting me away from Colton. She can get her own hands dirty. I’m not going to be her little errand girl.

  I start heading back toward the stairs when a soft rattle grabs my attention and I spin around, nearly knocking over a prized bottle in the process.

  What the hell was that?

  I search through the room before giving up and shrugging it off. It’s got to be my mind playing tricks on me.

  I start for the stairs again when I hear the same noise, only this time it wasn’t so soft and I’m damn sure that shit wasn’t my imagination. Shivers run down my spine and I find myself creeping through the wine cellar.

  Please be a rat, please be a rat.

  “Hello?” I call. “Is someone down here?”

  I get no response and find myself curling my fingers around the closest bottle of wine, gripping it tightly and preparing to use it if I have to.

  My mind instantly takes me to the DeCarlo family. It’s only been a little under two weeks since they stormed through here. What are the chances that one of them has been hiding out down here, waiting for the right moment to strike? Colton declared that he will get them back so I don’t doubt that they’re on edge. He's that powerful that he could destroy their whole legacy with just the click of his fingers.

  I instantly shrug that thought off. I doubt someone is going to wait down here that long. It has to be something else.

  I turn a corner and come to a standstill as I find a big metal door that looks like the kind of door that banks would use to guard their safe. This door means fucking business. This door means secrets.

  What has Charles been hiding down here?

  I should be walking away. I should take the stupid bottle of wine and run yet something has me walking toward it. I need to know what's on the other side, I need to know what Charles has been hiding.

  My hand curls around the big metal lock and I give it a hard pull while hearing the rattle louder on the other side. The lock slips out of place with a loud bang and my heart races.

  I let out a shaky breath and grab the handle while readying myself to run. The door is heavy and I give it a hard yank, trying to prepare myself for what’s on the other side.

  The room is in darkness but as the door slowly swings open, the light from the wine cellar seeps in and lights it up.

  A loud gasp travels up my throat and my hand tightens around the wine bottle as a grinning, malnourished, and beat Jude Carter stares back at me.

  “Well, well,” Jude says, yanking on the thick chains that keep him locked in the room. His eyes travel up and down my body as he licks his lips. “I guess Colton finally decided to deliver me a little gift after all. Why don’t you come over here and let me finish you off?”

  His voice sends chills sweeping over my body, reminding me of the way he touched me, the way he violated and raped me, and I can’t allow that to go unpunished.

  I have to do something.

  A darkness seeps into my soul, a darkness I wasn't aware that I possessed and for a brief moment, I feel for Nic as I finally begin to understand him, understand the bloodlust, and the need to take justice into my own hands.

  It’s been three weeks since he raped me and three weeks of people desperately searching for him. If I was to let him go, I risk him coming back and I risk him telling people where he’s been. I can’t allow that to happen. I can always go to the authorities but just like the poor girl that came before me, she was called a liar and he got away with it without even a slap on the wrist. I’d rather die than let that happen.

  There’s only one thing for me to do—I have to kill him. I have to end this.

  I raise my chin and step into the secret room, realizing that this isn’t Charles’ dirty little secret at all, it’s Colton’s. He’s kept him chained down here for three weeks, lying every time someone asked him if he knew what had happened, lying when he told me that he had no idea where he was, lying, lying, lying. Just like Nic. Ju
st like Sebastian, Kairo, and Elijah.

  I’m done listening to the men in my life decide what truths they want me to know. I’m done being the pathetic girl who lets a man walk all over her. I’m done waiting for revenge and I’m done having these men dictate my life.

  My time is now.

  I make my decisions.

  My hand curls tighter around the neck of the wine bottle and I slam it against the metal door, listening to the sweet sound of the glass breaking and leaving me with nothing but jagged, sharp edges, the perfect weapon to slice across his neck, the same way Nic had done with those men in his clubhouse.

  My eyes meet Jude’s through the darkened room and I don’t care how much Colton has beaten and tortured him over the past three weeks, it will never be enough. I have to do this, not only for me, but for the other girl he hurt.

  All sense of right and wrong leave me and as I take another step deeper into the secret room, a sick, twisted smile spreads wide over my face and I watch as Jude realizes just how far I'll go to protect my sanity.

  “Time to say your prayers, fucker. Your time is up.”

  Rejects Paradise Series Playlist

  Game of Survival - Ruelle

  I’m Gonna Show You Crazy - Bebe Rexha

  Nightmare - Halsey

  Never Tear Us Apart - Bishop Briggs

  Bird Set Free - Sia

  Helium - Sia

  Dusk Till Dawn - Zayn feat Sia

  Heaven - Julia Michaels

  Graveyard - Halsey

  Bad Bitch - Bebe Rexha

  Love Drug - G-Easy feat Halsey

  Hurricane - Tommee Profitt

  Unloveable - Delacey

  Power - Isak Danielson

  Cruel Intentions - Delacey feat G-Easy

  Not Afraid Anymore - Halsey

  Unstoppable - Sia

  Monsters - Tommee Profitt

  Can’t Help Falling In Love - Tommee Profitt

  Angel Cry - G-Easy feat Devon Baldwin

  Bad At Love - Halsey

  Creep - G-Easy feat Ashley Benson

  In The End - Tommee Profitt