What You Deserve : A Gem Stone Book

by Mary Martel

  “I’m going to use the restroom real quick,” I lied.

  “Okay.”

  Sucker. He had no idea what I was capable of.

  I picked my phone up off the desk and tossed it into my bag before shoving my arm through the strap and pulling it up to rest on my shoulder. The dude didn’t even have my phone number so he could call and check on me.

  I wasted zero time getting the fuck out of there and didn’t even glance at the door to the ladies’ room as I strolled right on past it. I kept going down the hallway toward where the music was coming from, like it was a siren calling my name.

  With wide eyes and a happy smile on my face, I strolled right out into the main room where the stage was and walked right up to it. I pulled up a chair from a table close by and parked my ass right in it.

  The dancers from last time were nowhere to be seen, but that was okay, the girls on the stage weren’t anything short of stunning. The blonde in a sparkling green bra and thong was my favorite. She was covered in tattoos and her fire engine red lipstick screamed vixen.

  Her.

  She was perfect and she’d been eyeing me up from the moment my ass hit the chair.

  Fantastic.

  I had no idea how this worked, but I figured flashing some green might be the thing that got me everything I wanted. I pulled a wad of hundreds out of my bag and waved the bills in her direction.

  Her eyes lit up, and she came running like I was Santa Claus and she couldn’t wait to sit her round, greased up ass on my lap so she could read me her Christmas wish list. I couldn’t freaking wait.

  I felt no guilt for this because if my guys wanted to have a greased up man dance for them, then I’d be happy to pull up a chair and watch right along with them.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chance standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest shaking his head. What an asshole, he was here to ruin my fun.

  Tattooed Barbie didn’t see him and completely missed the memo that my lap was a no-go zone for her boss as she threw her leg over my lap and straddled me.

  Someone tapped me on the shoulder, and assuming they were part of the waitstaff, I answered without bothering to look up. I was focused and busy stuffing a hundred-dollar bill into the waistband of the stripper’s tiny panties. “I’ll have a Grey Goose on the rocks, thanks. And charge it to Chance Ryder’s account, please. I came here with him, the least he can do is pay for my drinks.”

  Goddamn me to hell and back, I should have known better.

  Lips brushed against my ear, and I knew I was in trouble. Big trouble. “Are you out of your fucking mind?”

  Busted.

  Why did Franklin always have to show up at the worst time? No wonder that beefcake had looked so smug while shaking his head at me.

  Placing my hands on the stripper’s hips, I turned my head and brushed my lips across Franklin’s cheek. “Why don’t you pull up a chair? I’ve got plenty of bills for the both of us. We can celebrate the fact you murdered your father.”

  Shit.

  That just slipped right out of my mouth, and I hadn’t meant to say that. It had been festering in my mind since Chance had so casually let the cat out of the bag.

  “Time to go home,” he spat out viciously, as he grabbed my bicep and dragged me up out of the chair. The poor stripper hadn’t been prepared for his rude behavior and toppled over. She went tits over ass with her blonde hair extensions flying every which way.

  I felt bad for her, but I had myself to worry about. She could fend for her own damn self, and I felt like I’d been ripped off. I gave her a hundred bucks for that?

  “Hey, asshole!” she shouted at Franklin. “You’re gonna pay for that. Nobody fucks with me and gets away with it.”

  Her thick, southern accent surprised me so much I started laughing hysterically.

  She crawled up awkwardly on her incredibly high and, it must be said, cheap shoes, and flung her hair back behind her shoulders. She. Was. Pissed.

  I threw another hundred-dollar bill at her, hoping it might settle her ass down a bit. The paper hit her boob and stayed glued there because she was just that greased up. She looked down at the bill and then back up at me. Rage filled her eyes, and I knew I’d made a big mistake.

  Fuck it.

  I threw the rest of my money at her. It stuck to her body in various places as Franklin picked my bag up off the floor. He tossed my bag at me, and I caught it one-handed. I dug my phone out and quickly snapped a picture of the angry stripper before dropping my phone back in my bag. If I planned on using social media more, I actually needed something to post on it.

  #TheTittyBar

  The strippers on stage jumped down and swarmed her. Immediately, they began plucking bills off of her and stuffing them in their own bras. That got her attention off of Franks and me, and she turned on her stripper sisters. She swatted hands away and hair was pulled.

  It was splendidly glorious.

  I laughed loudly as Franklin dragged me toward Riley where he stood beside Chance as they watched the chaos I had created unfold.

  “Jesus Christ, Gems,” Franklin muttered in defeat. He completely ignored what was going on around us. “I didn’t tell you about my dad because I didn’t want you to know. I hate that you know that side of me even exists. I worry one day you’ll realize how big of a monster I really am and you’ll leave me because of it.”

  I stopped walking and yanked my arm out of his hold. I reached up and cupped his face in my hands. “I’m not ever gonna leave you, Franks. No matter what. You’re my best friend and now you give me good dick too. Just so long as you’re a monster to the people who aren’t ours and not us then I don’t give a fuck.”

  “Christ,” he whispered. “You know I love you, right? You fucking better, because you mean everything to me. I even put up with all your bullshit. First your pet and now the stripper. What the fuck is next?”

  I had a feeling he wasn’t going to like the answer to that particular question, so I did the smart thing and kept my mouth shut.

  “Let’s go home.”

  I grabbed Riley’s hand when we walked by and dragged him along with us.

  I didn’t think Chance was sad to see me go, but he could go fuck himself for all I cared.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Dead Girls Couldn’t Feel Anything

  Gem

  I should have felt bad about this, but I absolutely didn’t. Maybe I’d been spending so much time with Franklin that I was starting to turn a little psycho myself.

  It was easy to get Belinda’s phone number out of Riley’s cellphone. I found it in his blocked numbers. I sent her a text at the same time I texted Jason, Finn, and Colby, inviting them all over to my house for a party and a bonfire on the beach. I promised them free booze and a good time.

  The boys responded back immediately that they’d be there and that they’d bring their friends with them. I wanted to be happy because it seemed like I was making friends for once in my life and it actually came easily to me.

  I wasn’t happy, though, because Bitchface Barbie had actually texted me back. It made me sick to see her name light up on my phone and to read her words about how much she had been heartbroken over the fact she hadn’t been able to reach out to me, and she blamed Riley for everything. The bitch.

  The hardest part was avoiding the guys while I got shit done. Thankfully, Franks had something to do at his dad’s house, and weirdly enough he took Riley with him. And, get this, they left Chance with me yet again.

  He had most definitely learned his lesson with me and didn’t take his eyes off me once. He also didn’t comment about all the shit I did. Instead, he watched quietly while messing around on his phone. Probably texting Franklin to tattle on me.

  Couldn’t he find someone else to babysit? The whole thing seemed absurd to me, but I didn’t argue about it. Franklin put up with my damage after my sister died, so I could do the same for him.

  I dyed my hair back to my natural colo
r while running around getting shit done. The gate was left wide open for all the people coming and going.

  A company came in to set up for the party. Apparently a lot of shit went into pulling off a party for underage teens. There was food all set out on a table outside. There were kegs ready to be tapped and surrounded with bottles of every kind of liquor you could desire. They’d even strung up lights down the stairs that led down to the beach.

  Jason showed up on time with a bunch of jocks in tow. He took one look at me, paled, and about pissed himself. Oddly enough, he made no comment on my appearance.

  But he definitely looked like he’d seen a ghost. I got some sick pleasure out of it and immediately felt bad because he’d been nothing but nice to me.

  I let them in and showed them to the backyard where they instantly made themselves at home, much to my pleasure. Mostly I think it had a lot to do with Jason trying to get as far away from me as he could and the way I looked, but whatever, I’d take it.

  The whole time Chance stayed at my side like a silent bodyguard, watching everything and everyone. I knew he was judging my behavior and wondering where I was going with this, but he never asked. He was a lot smarter than I had originally thought, and I knew he memorized every single thing so that he could share it with Franklin later. I didn’t waste my energy resenting him for it and just took it as Franks looking out for me.

  When Colby and Finn showed up with a bunch of girls, they took one look at me and had a similar reaction to Jason’s. The only difference was they were far more vocal about it.

  “Jesus Christ,” Colby breathed out reverently.

  “I feel like we’re being punked here,” Finn whispered.

  “Not punked,” I assured them. “This is my natural look, and I thought it was time for a change. We were twins, identical ones, this is who I am. Either get over it or get out of my house.”

  Finn surprised me by moving right into me and wrapping his arms around me in a giant bear hug. “Sorry, Gem. It was just shocking at first. We’ll get used to it. Thank you for inviting me over, pretty girl. We’re going to be the best of friends.”

  He dropped me back down to my feet, let me go, and kissed me on the cheek. All the while I stood there stupidly, blinking in shock.

  He walked away with Colby following him, grinning broadly at me while he leaned in and kissed my opposite cheek on his way past.

  The girls all smiled at me shyly, quietly thanking me for inviting them over. I smiled sweetly back at them and didn’t once mention that I hadn’t invited them over. The guys asked if they could bring some girls with them and I’d agreed. But I kept my smile firmly in place and the fake going strong. Being a bitch wasn’t the way to make friends, and I had to go to school with these girls for the next year.

  “Your boys are not going to like this shit,” Chance murmured quietly from beside me. “You might want to tell those guys to keep their hands and their lips to themselves.”

  Wise advice I should probably take to heart. Chance really did know Franklin it seemed.

  I shrugged his warning off and went back to mingling with my guests, moving from group to group and introducing myself to some people. They were all drinking already, and they’d dove right into the food. A couple of brave girls were even in the pool.

  It was all good and well, but I didn’t get too involved with anyone because I was waiting for one guest in particular to arrive. This night was all for her.

  I knew it the moment she arrived because the air all around us became wired and people began to look nervous. They were all looking toward the house, and I faded back into the shadows so I could simply watch. Of course Chance faded back with me.

  “Well, well, well,” he murmured. “It looks like the guest of honor has arrived. Who is she to you?”

  See what I mean? Way smarter than I’d originally given him credit for. I hadn’t told him a word about what was going to go down tonight, and he still got the gist on his own.

  “I hate her guts,” I told him honestly. “I think I’m going to drown her in the lake.” Also more honesty.

  “Cold blooded. I like it. You’re more suited for Franklin Nines than any other bitch I’ve met before.”

  I noticed immediately that he hadn’t added Riley’s name in there, because clearly he was an asshole.

  Belinda was uncomfortable and obviously ostracized like a leper. I did not feel bad for her one bit.

  In fact, I got off on watching her trying to talk to people and having their backs turned on her. At one point, it looked like someone was going to push her in the pool, but Colby grabbed hold of the girl’s arm and dragged her away. Hmm… He was a sweet one, but I didn’t want to see Belinda shown even an ounce of kindness.

  It took all of ten minutes for her tears to appear, and she ran for the stairs that went down to the beach. Stupid, stupid. If it had been me, I’d have gone back through the house and gotten the hell out of here. And then I’d switch schools and possibly move to a different state.

  “Now’s your chance to drown her in the lake,” Chance muttered under his breath, sounding amused. It was almost like he hadn’t taken me seriously.

  What a fool.

  I passed him my drink like he was a waiter and followed Belinda down the stairs. Jason picked that moment to go running toward the pool and jump in. He cannonballed into the water with a huge splash, and the people around the pool shrieked and laughed.

  It was the perfect distraction for me to slip down the stairs without being noticed by the rest of my guests.

  Chance, for once, didn’t follow after me. Hmm… I wondered if maybe I drowned in the lake myself if Franklin would murder him. I didn’t want to die, though, so we wouldn’t be finding out.

  I found her on her knees in the sand with her head in her hands, sobbing like her heart was breaking, and maybe it actually was. There wasn’t any part of me that felt sorry for her. I had my sister’s words from her books running through my brain nonstop, and the things I’d read about this girl and how she’d treated Gin weren’t something I could just let go and walk away from.

  Gin would have been able to be the bigger person, but I wasn’t wired that way. She’d been the best of the both of us, and that goodness had died with her.

  I sat down in the sand beside her and ran my hand gently up and down her back soothingly. She jumped and her head whipped around my way. Her mouth dropped open in a silent scream, and she scrambled back in an attempt to get away from me.

  She looked terrified as she raised a shaking hand and pointed her finger at me. “What the fuck are you doing, Gin? Is this a joke? Why are you here?”

  I smiled serenely at her as I got to my knees and crawled toward her. She kept backing up until she was at the water’s edge and stopped moving.

  I hovered over her and reached out to run the backs of my knuckles down her cheek. She grabbed my hand and violently shoved it away from her.

  “You’re not Gin,” she sobbed hysterically. “I know you’re not. You’re the evil twin. Why are you doing this to me? If your sister could see you now, she’d hate you.”

  That last jab struck a chord, and I sat back and snarled at her. “If my sister could see me now? Really, bitch? You want to go there? You’re the reason she’s fucking dead! You couldn’t keep your legs closed and you forced her into the closet like your dirty little secret. Do you know she saw you and Jason the night before she died? She saw him with his dick stuck inside your toxic pussy and it broke her. You killed my fucking sister!”

  I ended up shrieking at her, and now it was me who shook uncontrollably. Though mine was rage induced and hers had been because she was terrified.

  Lightning lit up the sky over the lake, and she screamed as she jumped. I tipped my head back and laughed at her. I sounded like a crazy person, but I didn’t care, it matched my mood. Maybe I really was crazy?

  The skies opened up and rain poured down on us just as another bolt of lightning flashed through the sky.

 
Belinda scooped up a handful of sand and tossed it in my face. “You fucking sick bitch! Gin died because she was weak and couldn’t handle her own goddamn feelings.”

  I cried out in shock as the sand hit me square in the face and directly in my eyes. My eyes burned horribly, and I crawled blindly toward the lake so I could wash them out. The rain helped, but it wasn’t enough.

  I crawled into the water and cupped my hands together and scooped some out to splash my face. Over and over, again I rinsed off my face until all the sand was gone.

  That fucking bitch threw sand in my face!

  “You’re sick,” she croaked out from behind me, and before I could turn around to face her, hands clawed at the back of my head and grabbed hold of my hair. My face was shoved into the water. It was so shallow here that my nose slammed painfully into the sand, and sand filled my open mouth.

  I choked on water and sand as I attempted to kick back at her. Perhaps I really shouldn’t have made all those jokes in my head about drowning, because it was starting to look like I just might.

  I put my hands in the sand and shoved myself backwards. I came out of the water sputtering and spitting out sand and water. The grip on my hair tightened, and her nails bit into my scalp painfully, likely drawing blood.

  She’d pay for that.

  I threw my body backwards into Belinda, and I put all my weight into it. She fell backwards and her grip in my hair loosened enough for me to jerk out of her hold.

  I spun around and jumped her. My body slammed into hers, and she fell backwards straight into the water with a splash.

  The rain picked up and waves came crashing in, slamming us both into the sand under the water.

  I crawled on top of her and wrapped my hands around her neck. The waves kept pounding into my back and jolting me forward, but my hands on her neck never loosened.

  She clawed at my hands, frantically trying to remove them from her throat. I refused to let go.

  I couldn’t tell if I was crying or not because of the rain, but I felt like I should be. This moment was going to change my life forever, and I couldn’t bring myself to care.