The Prince and the Pawn

by Reid, B. B.

  When I came soon after, I could have sworn I saw the bursting stars behind my eyelids align.

  Soulmate.

  Sweating, out of breath, and legs feeling like they’d collapse any moment, I strutted off the stage the next night and headed for the locker room. The doctor had cleared me to return to work, much to Vaughn’s displeasure. I’d snuck out a few hours ago to avoid another argument like the one we had after we returned to the beach house. It was as if our time in the car had never happened. Luckily, we’d been smart enough to do it outside where River couldn’t hear his parents screaming at each other.

  “Why do you even need to go back there?”

  “Because I need money! Have you even thought about how much River’s hospital bill will be? Insurance will only cover so much.”

  Storming over to the minivan, he removed an envelope from the glove compartment before damn near shoving it in my hands. I took my time opening it to piss him off before staring at what was clearly the bill for River’s stay in NICU. The number was even higher than I thought it would be but even more shocking was the zero-dollar balance and the word PAID highlighted in green. It almost seemed like a taunt rather than a miracle.

  “You paid it?”

  “Of fucking course, I did. Did you really think I wouldn’t?”

  “I-I’ll pay you back my half.” It was the only thing I could think to say. I was that stunned. The amount on that bill hadn’t been small. “You’ve just got to give me some time.”

  “I didn’t ask for your money, did I? I’ve got plenty of it.”

  “That doesn’t matter. It’s my fault he was even in there in the first place. I—” A sob kept the rest of the words from coming. “I need to make it right.”

  “You are. Right now. By being his mother.”

  My shoulders slumped because I couldn’t hide the huge burden Vaughn had lifted from them. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Don’t go back.”

  Guilt and frustration bubbled up inside of me as I stood there saying nothing. After what Vaughn had done for me, I hated to say no. “I have to,” I finally told him. “I still need to pay for school. My dad will use his retirement savings if I don’t find a way. He’ll take a huge hit in penalties alone. I can’t let that happen.”

  “What if I paid for it?”

  I took a step back. “Why would you do that? How would you do that?” I had to imagine he’d used up most of his money paying River’s hospital bill unless…his father left him money. I wasn’t sure I wanted to take anything from that man.

  “Because it’s not even close to what my father owes me. Or you,” he said, confirming my suspicions.

  “Thanks, but no thanks. Even if I could, I wouldn’t want to take anything he owned.”

  “It never belonged to him,” Vaughn retorted. “Franklin Rees doesn’t exist. Edward Ridge died a long time ago. The house, the bank accounts, the assets, all of it have been in my name the whole time. I thought I was at his mercy, under his thumb, but this entire time he’d been under mine.”

  “That’s great news, but Vaughn, I can’t…I’m sorry.” Even as I felt his cum drying on my thighs, I added, “I’ll only feel guilty taking your money, knowing it won’t change anything between us. I’m not your responsibility.”

  Vaughn stared at me for a long while before turning on his heel and silently walking away.

  The locker room was empty when I stepped inside. Since it was a Saturday, all the girls were out there working, knowing they wouldn’t see money like this all week. The weekends were the real cash cow, and even I, with all my reservations, was eager to get back out there. My toes were barking in the acrylic heels as I made my way to the locker in the far back corner. It was silent as a mouse, which was why I was surprised to see that I wasn’t alone after all. I forgot how to breathe long before the girl leaning against my locker and wearing a pink wig cut into a bob looked up. She was the last person I ever expected to see.

  “Selena?”

  “Hey, little sis.” Looking none the worse for wear, she smiled, and I hated her even more for looking exactly like me. “I missed you.”

  “I can’t say the same, and I’m not even sorry. What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I was just about to ask you that very question.” I could see the amusement written all over her as she crossed her arms. “What happened to Harvard?”

  “Nothing. I’m going back in the fall.” Warmth bloomed in my chest because it felt like the truth. I told myself that this was just like high school when I was determined to get straight As. “A girl’s just doing what she has to.”

  “My, my, how far we’ve come. I’m proud of you. You’re not so naïve anymore, are you, little sis?”

  No. I wasn’t. I’d tried so hard to hold on to Selena because of the blood we shared and all along she’d been out for mine. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply to calm the bitter emotions roiling in my gut. Family hadn’t mattered to her as much as it had to me. Nothing she said or did would make me forget that. Slowly, my eyes opened as I felt my shoulders square.

  “You have no idea, and if you don’t get the hell out of my sight, you’re going to.”

  The laugh Selena released was condescending. “Little Ty-ty, don’t tell me you’re still upset about that whole Vaughn thing. He was just a fling for both of us. What’s the big deal?”

  “Except he wasn’t just a fling. I loved him, and he loved me.” And despite the betrayal twisting my gut seeing Selena standing here, I knew in my heart that he still did. Vaughn risked his life, taking out his father when bowing down would have been simpler. Safer.

  “Is that what he told you?” Selena mocked. “Well, if he did, why did he fool around with me?” When I didn’t respond, her smugness grew. “If it’s any consolation, I did you a favor. Besides, we’ll never stop being family. Meanwhile, Vaughn is old news. Let’s just put him behind us and be sisters again. I hear I’m an auntie now.”

  I allowed my gaze to soften and the tension to leave my body. Seeing this, Selena stepped forward, ready to hug me. Quicker than I’d ever moved before, I grabbed Selena by her hideous pink wig and used my hold to slam the side of her head into the locker. “Stay away from me, stay away from Vaughn, and if you even think about going near my son, I’ll fucking kill you.”

  Letting her go, Selena crumpled to the floor. Ripping open my locker, I paid her no mind as she crawled away. Only when I heard the outer door slam did I rest my head against the shelf inside my locker. She was probably off to tell Neil what I’d done, which meant I’d be fired before the end of the night. Neil had made his rule about fighting clear.

  The regret I should have felt never came.

  Hurting Selena had been worth it, but my lack of remorse was mostly because I no longer cared if I lost this job. I couldn’t stop replaying the sheer devastation in Vaughn’s eyes when he walked away last night.

  FOR MOST OF THE NIGHT, I kept Tyra in my sights, following her around the floor as she offered lap dance after lap dance. The entire time, I sat there watching her like a chump. One punch and I would have ended them all and her employment here, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. A part of me welcomed this torture, felt like I deserved it, and the other knew there was nothing I could do. I could haul her ass out of there, but she’d only be back the next night. So instead, I made sure I was present for each shift. My friends were racking up all the favors I owed them for giving up their nights to babysit, but I didn’t give a shit about that. I couldn’t leave Tyra unprotected. I didn’t trust the jerkoffs that worked here anymore than the patrons. Neil’s treatment of Tyra that night a week ago had proved my paranoia. So here I sat, using the hours I spent torturing myself to think of a way to gain Tyra’s trust. I already knew I had her heart.

  I’d just finished waving off another hopeful dancer when I caught sight of a familiar face. Not familiar in the sense of the similar features the sisters shared, but familiar because that face literally haunted my fuck
ing dreams. I’d hoped she had gone back to wherever she’d come from, but her threat to stick around hadn’t been a bluff, after all.

  “Fancy seeing you here,” Selena greeted as she took a seat next to me uninvited. She then wasted no time pushing out her chest. There was nothing more annoying than a girl who assumed being hot made her irresistible. I had x-ray fucking vision and could see right through that coquettish smile, right down to her black heart.

  “What the fuck are you still doing in my town? I thought I made myself clear.”

  “Technically, this isn’t your town,” she retorted with a bash of her lashes. “And I have more right to be in The Suite of Dreams than you do.” It was then I noticed that she had little to nothing on, just heels, a thong, and some pasties. I didn’t allow myself to get too caught up in the details.

  Selena worked here? Why hadn’t Tyra told me?

  To be fair, we’d barely spoken two words since the night she rode me in the back seat of her car. It was safe to say that she fucked me versus the other way around. It was partly the reason I was sitting here crying into the whiskey I’d conned out of a waitress.

  “I’m guessing my little sister didn’t tell you.”

  “No.”

  “I’m not surprised. She wasn’t exactly happy to see me, either.” Turning her head, Selena allowed me to see the small bruise on her forehead that hadn’t completely faded.

  Nicely done, pip.

  “So, what’s the deal with you and my sister?”

  “None of your business. Leave.” My gaze frantically traveled the club, hoping Tyra hadn’t reappeared yet. She’d gone to the back fifteen minutes ago for what I was assuming was her break.

  “Relax,” Selena cooed as she laid her hand on my chest. “She’ll be out in a moment. Besides, you’re going to want to hear what I have to say first.”

  “And what’s that?” I forced myself to ask.

  “You were right about me.”

  I simply stared at her, well aware of her hand moving in slow, soothing motions across my chest. It was having the opposite effect of what she intended, but I’d be damned if I touched her long enough to remove her hand. Look where the fuck it had gotten me.

  “I came to Blackwood Keep to ruin my sister’s life. Unfortunately, she didn’t have much of one. I’ve got to say, you were the most interesting thing about her. The jock falling for the nerd.” Selena rolled her eyes. “How poetic.”

  “Get to the point.”

  “The point is that all my life, I hated my sister for being born. Because of Tyra, our mom died, and I got stuck with my spineless father. Once I didn’t need him anymore, I decided to come here and pay my dear little sister back for ruining my life.” Selena shrugged as if her reasons were simple or sane. “Is that so wrong?”

  Was that a serious question? “Do you honestly believe that Tyra is to blame for your mom dying?”

  “Yeah, I do. Why else would I be here? Haven’t you ever heard that fair exchange is no robbery?”

  Crazy bitch. “I have, but usually, only sane people utter those words.”

  “Regardless of what you think of me, I’d like you to return the favor.”

  “What favor?”

  “To use you like you used me.” I simply stared at her, refusing to give anything away. “Come on,” she said, laughing as she swayed into me. “You begged me for a blow job, but then you could barely stay hard when I’ve been deep throating guys since I was sixteen. Not to mention the perfect timing of Tyra catching us. I barely got your pants unzipped before she was walking in on us. Tyra may be blind, but I’m not. You wanted her to break up with you.”

  I sighed with impatience, but judging by the gleam in Selena’s eyes, she mistook it for defeat. Especially when I asked, “What do you want, Selena?”

  “I want you to do the same thing again, but for good.”

  “That’s going to be pretty hard to do since we’re not together.”

  “But you have a kid together. You’re living together, too.”

  I didn’t even want to know how she knew that. All that mattered was that Selena had to go. “What exactly do you expect me to do?”

  “Walk away from them. Go play football, become a star, and forget they ever existed. I want my sister to suffer.”

  “You clearly don’t know your sister if you think I’m what’s keeping her together. She was strong before me, and she’ll be strong without me.”

  “Oh, yeah? Then why did she lose her scholarship? Could it have been because of a broken heart?” Thankfully, she explained without me having to ask. “There’s no such thing as a secret around here. Charlie told me everything once I told her I was Tyra’s sister. She’s a chatterbox that one.”

  “It doesn’t matter because it’s not going to happen. You’re a sick, lonely, bitter bitch, and you’re going to rot from the inside out.”

  “Maybe, but not before I take my sister with me.”

  Shaking my head, I started to rise when she laid her hand on my thigh. It was a flirtatious move, one I knew was meant for an audience. I started to search the club again when Selena gripped my chin, forcing my attention back on her.

  “You’re going to get up and leave with me, and you’re going to make it look damn good. I might even want to continue what we started in that van and at the beach house.”

  “Or what?”

  “Or I’ll send this video of Tyra to the Dean of Harvard.” She showed me her phone.

  I swore when I saw the clear footage of Tyra removing her clothes on stage, and I wondered how Selena got it when recording and taking pictures weren’t allowed in here. My next thought was how Tyra had shed all of her basic principles to achieve her dreams. How it had almost been ripped away from her and how it was happening again, only this time for good. I couldn’t let that happen.

  “As soon as we’re outside, delete that fucking video,” I warned her.

  Her lips spread, bright and victorious. It was about how one would imagine a snake smiling. I shuddered. “Let’s just see how the night goes.”

  She stood, and even as scantily dressed as she was, she started for the exit. My feet were heavy as I followed her, and I didn’t allow myself to look to the stage where I knew Tyra now stood, watching us go.

  That night, I could have cut the tension with a knife when I returned home. Incidentally, I’d also slept with one eye open just in case Tyra cut me with a knife. The next morning, I found her and most of River’s stuff gone. She’d up and left me in the wee hours of the morning and took my kid with her without a single word. How fucking cold was that?

  I didn’t call her. I didn’t go after her, either. At least, not yet. I knew there would be no getting through to her.

  So I waited.

  Impatiently, but I bid my time until the right moment. Three days later, that moment had come. I sat alone at a table by the window in Macchicino’s, watching the door when she finally walked through it. She had sunglasses on, but I could tell she was pissed long before she removed them and stormed over to the table.

  “Thank you for coming.”

  “You said you wanted to discuss River,” she replied, making the only reason she’d come clear. I should have been ashamed for using my son under false pretenses, but I didn’t know how else to fight for them. My family. “You’ve got two minutes.”

  My eyebrows rose, but I swallowed my retort and said instead, “To start, I wanted you to know that I’m keeping the minivan.”

  “What for? Minivans are for large families not—” Her lips pressed together when she remembered that she hated me. “I mean, why did you bring me down here to tell me that?”

  “I didn’t. I brought you down here to tell you that you’re wrong.”

  “Wrong about what?”

  “I didn’t touch your sister, pip.”

  She cocked her head to the side, her gaze colder than I’d ever seen it. “The first time or the second?”

  I wished at that moment that I could say both
. “I know you saw me leave with her at the club.”

  “Yeah, so? You’re single.” Looking away, she absently fingered the sugar packets waiting on the table as she whispered her next lie. “You can do whatever you want.”

  “Then why did you take my kid and leave?”

  She shrugged. “Because we didn’t belong there anyway.”

  “Bullshit. It’s exactly where you belonged, pip-squeak.”

  “Well then, how about because I didn’t want to be there when you eventually brought her home with you.”

  “I’d never do that.”

  “There’s a lot of things I thought you’d never do, but you surprised me at every turn. What’s next?”

  “Marrying you? Having lots of babies to fill that ugly ass van one day?”

  She leaned forward, a challenge in her eyes. “Never.”

  “Then why were you begging for me to come inside you not even two weeks ago?” A throat clearing had us both looking at the table next to us and the reproachful gaze of the older man sitting there. When Tyra looked at me, I was sure she was going to kill me.

  “Let me take a wild guess and say that you didn’t call me down here to talk about River?”

  “Other than the fact that I want him and you back under my roof, not really.”

  She started to stand, but I quickly caught her hand. “I promise you, Tyra. I didn’t sleep with Selena. She tried, but…”

  “But what?”

  “I couldn’t make the same mistake again.”

  I exhaled when Tyra relaxed in her chair with a frown, so I let her hand go. “What are you talking about?”

  “Selena had a video of you dancing at the club. She was going to send it to the Dean, and God knows who else if I didn’t sleep with her and walk away from you.”

  “So if you’re telling me you didn’t, then that means—”

  I shook my head before she could finish. “I took care of it.”