I turn around to see Angelica walking toward us. I remember her from when we were younger—back before the divorce—and she has always been a bitch. Angelica has her bleach blond hair up in a tight bun. She wears a skintight black skirt that reaches her bony knees and a white silk blouse tucked into the high waist with a black blazer. A string of pearls rests along her thin neck. She looks every bit of the powerhouse woman she is. A self-made billionaire. Becky looks identical to her. She has Becky’s height, but I’m pretty sure she weighs less than Demi. I don’t think the woman ever eats. The buzz going around town was she used to be addicted to diet pills back when we were in middle school. My mother chatted about it for months because she was jealous of Mrs. Holt. I think because she wasn’t afraid to go after what she wanted. She wanted to be skinny, and she was willing to do whatever it took to achieve that. My mother wouldn’t know commitment if it bit her in her silicone ass.
She comes to a stop and frowns. “Becky, isn’t that Demi’s dress?”
Becky smiles but rolls her eyes. “Yes, but it’s not like she’s ever gonna wear it.”
Her mother sighs. I know Becky is her favorite because she never hid that from anyone. Becky was her mini-me in every way. Demi may look like them, but she never had that desire. She was forced. But that doesn’t stop her from wanting Demi to give in to their ways.
“Just be careful with it.” She places her hands on her nonexistent hips. “And put it back where you found it afterward.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
BECKY
HE TOOK ME to Austin Stonelake. I’ve never been here before, but I’ve heard of it. It’s just as fancy as they say. Dim lighting with white tablecloths and folded black napkins. There’s a vase at every table with a single rose in it. It immediately reminded me of our dinner at his sister’s house that night. It must be a good omen.
We’ve already had our appetizers and are currently finishing our main course. It’s been awkward. We’ve been quiet, but I’m not sure what to say. And I don’t think he has much to talk about.
I lick my lips and take a deep breath. “I was in Collins last weekend.”
“Oh, yeah?” he asks, not bothering to take his eyes off his plate.
“I saw your father.” That gets his attention.
He drops his fork and looks up at me. Slowly, he lifts his black napkin and rubs the corners of his mouth. “And?” His voice has gone cold.
I knew it would. His father is the last thing I want to talk about, but if it gets his attention … “He misses you.”
He snorts at that. “Doubtful.”
I lower my eyes to my plate. “He said he’s been calling you.”
“And I’ve been ignoring him.”
“Why?”
He takes a drink of his water and sets it down. “Since when do you care about my father? You never have before.”
Honestly? I hate that man. He always tried to use Deke. He had Deke’s life mapped out for him from the moment he was born, but Deke didn’t care. That was the problem Langston had. His only son wanted nothing to do with him or his plans to take over the world. Deke always had that ability on his own. Deke and Langston both know it.
I shrug. “I don’t. I just thought you should know.”
“Thanks,” he says dryly before picking up his fork and getting back to his meal.
The rest of dinner went by slow and silently. We didn’t speak, and I hated it.
Things aren’t going how I wanted them to. He was supposed to see me in my dress, take it off, and make love to me. I can work with that, but this? I don’t know what to do. Things used to run smoothly between us, but now nothing but secrets and lies hang in the air, choking us with every breath.
We pull up to my house, and I pause when he brings the car to a stop. I haven’t asked him why he’s driving Austin’s Range Rover. I’ll ask her tomorrow. She won’t lie to me. Not like Deke will. I lick my lips nervously, trying to think of an excuse to get him to come inside, but he turns the car off.
We make our way inside silently. All the lights are off, and I know my mother is already in bed. She goes to sleep early because she starts her day before the sun ever rises. I make my way up the stairs slowly, and he’s right on my ass.
We enter my room, and I flip the light on. He makes his way to the end of my four-post bed and sits down on the peach satin comforter. I watch him unbutton his cuff links and roll up his sleeves. He wore a black button-down and black slacks, making him look so much older than I know he is. This moment feels as if we’re a married couple coming home from an anniversary dinner. Our kids at the sitter. And an endless night of me and him rolling around in our bed.
My mouth goes dry at the thought of him touching me. It’s been too long. Deke has always had this hold on me. No matter how many lies I told him, I loved him. And I know he loves me just as much. It’s just going to take a little push on my end.
“Would you like anything to—”
“No,” he interrupts me, standing.
I swallow the knot that forms in my throat when he reaches up and undoes the first button on his button-down.
Why am I so nervous? Maybe because he knows the real me. No matter what I tell him now, he’ll see right through me. And that’s terrifying.
“Stop,” he orders.
“What?” I blink.
He comes to stand in front of me. His hands go to the hem of my dress. He grips it in his fingers and slowly pulls it up my thighs. “Thinking.”
“Deke.”
“Shh,” he whispers, bringing the dress up and over my hips to expose the black lace thong that I wore just for him. He used to love it when I wore lace. It’s a pair from my mother’s line.
“Undo my pants,” he commands.
My hands go to his black belt, and I undo it quickly. I pop the button on his slacks and then the zipper. His right hand slides into my hair, and I whimper when he tilts my head back. I stiffen, afraid he may rip my throat open with his teeth. Just because I want him to love me again doesn’t mean I trust him.
“Tell me,” he whispers before peppering my neck with feather-like kisses.
“I miss you,” I say, knowing exactly what he wants to hear. It’s the same thing he told me the night he kissed me in Cole’s kitchen before we went to Silence.
“How much?” His left hand slides between my legs, and he rubs my pussy over the thin material. I’m already wet. Have been all night.
“So much,” I pant.
“Tell me to fuck you.”
My heart beats quicker at his words. He knows I don’t like the word fuck when used in reference to us. I know Deke has a dark side, but he can be the gentlest lover. He can make you feel loved and not used, but clearly, tonight is about him. I should have suspected it would go down this way. He’s still mad at me, and he’s going to make me grovel before he gives me what I want.
“Fuck me.” I choke on the words, but I feel him smile against my neck.
He’s going to win this round because I need him to think he has me right where he wants me. Enjoy it, Deke. It won’t stay this way for long.
DEMI
I pull up to my mother’s house and get out of my car. I frown when I spot Austin’s Range Rover parked in the driveway. What is she doing here this early? It’s a little after eight a.m. Doesn’t she have to take Lilly to school? Maybe she’s already dropped her off and came over here to pick up Becky to hang out for the day.
I enter the house, not caring about going unnoticed. My mother is already at work, and by the five texts she has sent me, she knows I didn’t come home last night and that I’m running late to school. I just haven’t cared to open them up to read them. I make my way up the right staircase but slow my pace when I hear Becky’s door creak open. What’s she doing up this early anyway? She stays up late and sleeps in, which makes me question why Austin is here even more.
I get my answer the very next second. She leans up against the doorframe, and Deke stands in front of her, his
massive size filling the doorway. He has his right hand on her hip and his left in her hair. She smiles up at him like a fucking schoolgirl. I reach the landing and quit walking completely, but I don’t release the railing. I grip it so tight my knuckles are white.
“I had a great time,” she purrs.
He smirks down at her. His black dress shirt is unbuttoned and untucked. It’s wrinkled so I know it spent all night on her floor. She wears an oversized T-shirt, and that’s it. It barely covers her pussy.
He doesn’t say anything to her. Instead, he tells her how much fun he had by placing his lips on hers. He wraps both arms around her and pulls her away from the door. He spins her in a half circle, placing her back to me. Letting go of her waist, he places both of his hands on her face. She moans, and I stand watching like a deer in headlights.
What the hell is he doing? Does she truly believe he wants her? He hates her. I saw it in his eyes when he spoke of her in his room. When he compared me to her. This must be some kind of joke.
He pulls his lips from hers, tilts her head to the side, and lowers his lips to her exposed neck. He opens his eyes, and they land right on me, across the balcony. He knew I was here. “Fuck, Becky!”
My heart pounds at the way he moans her name while he stares at me, but it makes total sense. Why he’s here. Me. He wants to fuck with me. He’s making it very clear that no matter what kind of lying whore she is, she’s better than I am, and I’ll never live up to her. He doesn’t have to say the words. I can read it in his cold crystal blue eyes. And the fact he’s not the least bit surprised to see me.
“Deke,” she pants, falling for his shit.
His eyes remain on mine as he licks his way up her neck to the shell of her ear.
I want to run over and rip her off him. I want kiss him, to show her that he was touching me the same way just two nights ago, but I can’t. I’ve become immobile at the sight of him taunting me. Playing with me as if I’m some fucking amateur.
He pulls away, and the smirk on his face tells me all I need to know.
Fuck you, Demi!
He finally looks away from me and leans down, giving her a peck on the cheek. “I’ll call you later.” Without another word, he walks down the staircase and exits the house.
I look at my sister, and I watch a smile grace her face. It’s that Becky Holt smile she hides from everyone but herself. The I-fucked-you-over smile.
They’re both playing their own games on one another. But why?
As if she just realizes that he’s gone and no longer has to pretend, the smile drops off her face. Taking a step back into her room, she slams her door shut.
I stand there still trying to wrap my head around what I just saw and why I’m so pissed off about it when her door opens, and she tosses a wad of clothes into the hall by her door, then shuts it again. I notice a dark blue dress that looks familiar and find myself walking over to it. Our housekeeper hates when Becky does this, but she doesn’t care.
I pick up the blue dress and clench it in my hand. She wore my dress. Not that I would, but I hate the idea of her being in my room and snooping through my shit. This is exactly why I make sure to have Austin’s journal on me at all times. I turn the dress over and frown when I see a white spot that looks like a dried substance. I run my thumb over it, and it hits me. It’s come. She wore my dress last night while he fucked her. And didn’t even bother to remove it.
Motherfucker!
I enter my room. Plopping down on the end of my bed, I pull out my phone and send a text to Seth. My fingers moving so quickly, my mind can’t keep up with them.
Me: Party at my house Halloween. Spread the word.
Seth: You sure you wanna do that?
Me: Yes.
Seth: What about your sister?
Me: She won’t be here. She’s going back to Collins for the weekend to spend it with my dad.
I smile as I lean back onto my bed and stare up at my ceiling. I have a plan already. One that will knock them off their game. They won’t know what hit them.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
DEKE
I’M IN ENGLISH Lit. Cole sits to my right, holding his pencil like a fucking weapon. He’s still on edge. Austin’s been able to calm him down in the evenings, but he’s still on high alert most of the time. It’s been five days since we went to the cabin, and three since I fucked Becky.
Nothing has happened.
No new messages or threats.
I can’t decide if that’s a good or bad thing. Bennett and Shane went back to Collins last night. They had missed enough classes and decided that since nothing was happening, it was time for them to return. I couldn’t agree more. Bennett was always texting away on his phone, and Shane was constantly looking at Austin as though he was plotting her murder, and Cole noticed. It was hard for us all not to see it.
I haven’t heard from Becky. She put the ball in my court on purpose after our night together. I told her I’d call, and I haven’t. At this point, I have nothing to say to her. She played her part. And I played mine.
“Tell me to fuck you,” I whisper.
“Fuck me.” She chokes on the word, and I refrain from smiling. She knows what I want, and although she doesn’t want to give it up, she’s going to take one for the team.
She’s so fucking transparent.
I reach down and push her underwear down her long legs, and she steps out of them. Then I grab her hips and pick her up. She gasps, wrapping her legs around my waist. I toss her onto her bed and run my finger over her pussy. She’s not soaked, but she’s also not dry. It’ll work. I’m not in the mood for foreplay, and she never was one who liked it. She may be a slut, but she’s not up for playing around. She normally spreads her legs and lies there like a fucking doll, but that won’t be the case tonight.
I lift up and flip her over. Spreading her legs with mine, I grip her hair in one hand while I push inside her in one quick motion. She cries out, but I don’t slow down. I fuck her hard and rough. My hand maintains a hold of her hair while my other hand shoves her chest into the comforter, making her back arch at an uncomfortable angle. And once I’m done, I pull out and come all over her dress that I didn’t remove on purpose. I left it bunched up around her waist. And I’m leaving Demi a little surprise that I hope she’ll find. It’s her dress, after all, and I know if Becky gets the chance, she’ll throw it in Demi’s face. Literally.
“Hey, man?”
I look over at Seth as he’s putting away his books.
“What are you guys doing for Halloween this weekend?” he asks.
“We’re taking Lilly trick-or-treating,” I answer.
“We’re having a party on Saturday.” The day after Halloween. “You guys should come.”
“Who is?” Cole asks, Seth getting his attention.
“Demi is. At her parents’.”
I smile. “Really?”
He nods. “Her parents are gonna be away for business, and Becky will be in Collins. She’s gonna have the house to herself.” He smiles, leaning back in his seat. “Thought I’d let you guys know. You’re more than welcome to come, and you don’t have to dress up if you don’t want to.”
I turn to look at Cole, and he nods to Seth. “We’ll be there.”
“Awesome.” He grabs his books. “I’m guessing you don’t need the address?”
“Nope,” I answer, and he laughs, getting up and walking out of the classroom.
Cole looks at me. “Think that’s what she’s waiting for? A party at her house?”
“No.” I shake my head. That’s not how Demi would do it, if it’s her. “She wouldn’t do anything in front of a crowd. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have sent us to some old cabin to read a fucking letter.”
He snorts in agreement.
We make our way out of the classroom, and I see Seth leaning up against the wall talking to a brunette. She looks up at him with big brown eyes, totally transfixed by his words. I knock my arm into Cole’s to get his attention.
We come to a stop and watch them openly. She nods a few times, and he smiles down at her with what could only be described as love. I recognize it because I’ve looked at Becky that way before.
“Interesting,” Cole mumbles next to me, seeing the look on Seth’s face.
They’re unfaithful. Just as Becky was to David. No wonder Demi allowed me to touch her so easily and begged me to prove she was better than her sister.
They’re exactly the fucking same.
It pisses me off. Not sure why. I’ve known that Demi is with Seth. Every time I touched her, every dream I’ve had of her, I’ve known she’s taken. But when has that ever stopped me before? Why would it now?
She leans up on her tiptoes and gives him a soft kiss on the cheek, then turns and walks off. He pulls his ringing cell out of his pocket and puts it to his ear. “Hey, babe.” He greets who I can only guess is Demi. Or hell, maybe he’s got more on the side. “Yeah, I’ll come over after you’re done with class.” He smiles to himself. “Wear the black one,” he says and then turns and walks off.
We stay standing, my mind wondering what black one he’s referring to. And wishing I could see it as well.
DEMI
Sophomore year
I take Eli’s hand, and he helps me sit down beside him on the cliff. My legs dangle off the ledge, and I take another drink. My body shakes, and my breathing is labored. Why do girls do things they don’t like to impress a boy? I’m not sure anyone will ever be able to answer that question.
“Hey.” I jump when Eli places his arm around me and pulls to his side. “I got you.”
I look over at his brown eyes and soft smile playing on his pretty face. “Why are we here?” I ask.
The smile drops off his face, and he looks out over the dark ocean. The moonlight shines down on it, making it look beautiful but deadly. “I come here a lot with Cole and Deke.” He swallows. “After Betty died, there were times he wouldn’t answer our phone calls or texts. He’d miss school and swim practice. We always worried about him.” He sighs. “But one day, Deke convinced me to skip school and go look for him. We found him here, sitting at his mother’s grave.”
If You Dare (Dare Series Book 3) Page 17
