Dirty Little Liars

by Missy Lynn Ryan

  Juliette downed half a pint of Cherry Garcia ice cream and moved on to picking at a day-old batch of chocolate chip cookies. Neither of the sweets successfully chased away the guilt.

  Ty came to apologize and she threw his confession back in his face. Again.

  She stared down at her purse and debated whether or not to pull out her phone and call him, but Jean intervened. He scooped an arm around her shoulders and practically dragged her into the family room to watch Fight Club.

  “Come on, you love Brad Pitt and Edward Norton.”

  She did.

  An hour later Juliette made a beeline for the bathroom, scooping her purse up as she went. Once the door was closed she pulled out the cell phone and began to text Ty. She was too scared to call him; she really didn’t know what to say. Plus she knew Jean and Mimi were watching her like hawks. They would hear her talking on the phone and she didn’t want the extra ears.

  She texted three words:

  Juliette: Sorry about earlier.

  She set the phone down on the counter and waited. She hoped he’d have his phone on him, that he would respond immediately and not miss her message altogether.

  Thirty seconds later the phone vibrated against the bathroom vanity.

  She picked it up.

  Tyler: Come outside.

  She read the message again. It didn’t make any sense. Was he still outside in the woods where she had left him? She was pretty certain his car wasn’t in the driveway.

  Juliette: What? Why?

  Her phone buzzed again.

  Tyler: No more questions. Just come outside, now.

  Juliette: I can’t get out, without being spotted.

  Tyler: Jules…

  Juliette: O.K!!! Coming.

  She slipped the phone into her back pocket and noisily exited the bathroom. “I’m a little tired from everything that happened today,” she called down to Jean and Mimi. “I think I’m going to call it a night. Maybe read for a few minutes and go to bed early.”

  Her godfather frowned at her but Mimi blew her a kiss. “Sleep tight, dear.”

  Juliette turned and headed for the stairs. Once she was inside her bedroom she shut and locked the door. Then she ran through the Jack and Jill bathroom, shutting and locking the door to the second bedroom. The guest room was directly over the kitchen and the window overlooked the roof of the breakfast nook. She used to sneak out at night to look at the stars. And as she got older, she snuck out to flirt with older boys. Still it had been years since she had done this, and she had been quite a bit smaller at sixteen.

  What kind of con man didn’t have a good escape route planned out? She was one story up, for Pete’s sake. She should be able to do this in her sleep.

  Juliette slipped open the window and glanced out at the roof. She grabbed onto the top ledge of the window and pulled herself up. Once seated on the sill she kicked both legs onto the roof then she slipped outside into the night sky. There was no moon, and the night was dark even with the soft glow coming from the downstairs lights. She felt her way along the rooftop, crawling slowly on her hands and knees, wishing the shingles didn’t scratch at the palms of her hands like raw sandpaper.

  When she reached the edge she rolled onto her stomach and grabbed onto the gutter. Light as a feather, she thought before she lowered her legs into the open air. Inch by inch she drifted lower, until she was fully extended over the edge and hanging from both hands. Her arms were burning. She should definitely make a trip to the gym if she wanted to pull this move again.

  She let go.

  Her stomach dropped as she fell to the ground. She attempted to brace her fall with some fancy twist or roll, but barely managed in an awkward crouch. Her legs tingled at the pressure but after a moment it faded and she pulled herself up.

  Now she was outside. What the hell was she supposed to do?

  Her butt vibrated. She nearly squealed.

  Tyler: Follow the driveway out to the main road.

  Juliette put the phone down and started her trek. She shivered in the wind and debated how much longer she’d be wandering around in the dark. Why didn’t you think to swipe an old sweater from the bedroom closet?

  A pair of headlights flashed on and off in the distance. She recognized the black SUV from the campaign and ran toward it. Ty rolled down the window. “Get in.”

  The locks clicked open and Juliette ran to the passenger side to climb in. Once she did, Ty pulled off into the darkness ahead.

  “Where are we going?” she asked him.

  “Somewhere we can talk.”

  “We already talked.”

  “No. You talked. Or rather you yelled. I never got my turn.”

  “What? I did not—” He cut her off with a hand.

  “It’s my turn,” he said again. His voice had a touch of anger in it that left her a bit unsettled. She sank back into her seat and waited.

  But when they turned onto the main road she couldn’t help herself.

  “Can you at least give me a hint?”

  “A hint about what? Where we are going? Or what I have to say?”

  “Both.”

  “Well, we are going to a place you have been before, and I am showing you something you’ve seen before, but not before I say something you have yet to hear.”

  “Okay.” She sat back in the seat and pondered his clue. It was more like a riddle that she needed to decode. She spent summers in Virginia for years. Nothing about it was unfamiliar, so of course she had been there. That didn’t narrow down the list of where they were going at all. The second part of his clue, show her something, well that covered a lot of ground too. If she had already seen it, what was the point of showing her again?

  Just when she thought Tyler was going to turn and pull onto the freeway he turned onto a private dirt road. She was less familiar with this area. As they continued along she spotted a glimpse of the river between the trees and the long wooden marina that housed a small silver and navy double-decker boat. It wasn’t one of those mammoth yachts that needed a small crew to operate. It was small and unassuming. Ty parked the SUV and ordered her to follow. She scrambled out behind him, still drinking in her surroundings.

  “I’ve never been here before,” she said.

  “Sure you have. I remember meeting you.”

  Juliette froze. “What?”

  “It was Fourth of July weekend. My father brought me and my brother here to escape the city. He promised we were going to have some quality time together. It turned out he had just run a job, was trying to lie low. I suspect he needed a few thousand dollars worth of jewels fenced.”

  “And he came to Mimi and Jean,” she finished.

  “Yep. He was so pleased at their work that he invited the whole family over for drinks.”

  “Yes, I remember now. Your mother was still alive then.”

  He nodded.

  How could she have forgotten this? She had been obsessing over Dean for years; how could she not have remembered that he had sons? Or that she had met them?

  “I remember you got sea sick. Your godparents left early when you threw up on the main deck.”

  “That’s right. And you took the blame for me. I thought your father was going to kill you.”

  “I’m pretty certain the thought crossed his mind.”

  “How could I not have remembered this?”

  “It was a long time ago. You were very young. Maybe five or six.”

  “Still.”

  “Your parents were still alive then.” He took her hand. “They are the ones who got him the jewelry. Including this piece.” Tyler pulled out his phone and opened a photo album.

  Juliette stared at the large diamond brooch. It was the same brooch that had been on the dress she wore to the black and white charity ball.

  Tyler clutched her hand.

  “I think my father had something to do with your parents’ death.”

  “Because he sent me a diamond brooch that my parents stole and my godparents fenced
?”

  “Because he went through the trouble of finding that brooch, buying it back and then secretly sending it to you. That’s an awful lot of trouble to go through without an ulterior motive.”

  “He’s mocking me.”

  “Yes, Juliette. But listen to me. I promise I will do everything I can to help you find the truth. My father has a lot of dirty secrets. One of them is bound to unravel sooner or later. If not the truth about your parents, then Senator Reis.”

  “Or your brother?” she said without thinking.

  He let go of her hand, pulling the cell phone away from her.

  “He didn’t have anything to do with my brother’s death.”

  Juliette nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I just…” She shut up.

  Tyler clearly didn’t want to talk about his older brother and Juliette wasn’t in the mood to push him on the subject. There had already been too many secret revelations to last her a lifetime.

  “Come with me,” Tyler said and led her onto the wooden dock. Their heavy footsteps echoed in the stillness of the night. When they neared the boat she remembered how large it had appeared to her as a child.

  Ty stretched out a leg and stepped onto the boat before extending a hand and helping her on as well.

  “I still don’t understand what we’re doing here. So you father is a lying, cheating scumbag. I already knew that. And yes, I met you once before, when we were kids. That doesn’t change our situation now. You are a U.S. Senator. You are engaged to the daughter of the governor of Virginia. And you are in the middle of a shit-storm of controversy surrounding your true identity the minute the press finds enough evidence to avoid being sued for libel.”

  “I’m not engaged.”

  “What?” Juliette froze.

  “I just thought that while you were keeping track of all the reasons why the two of us should not be a couple, you should have your facts straight. I’m not engaged.”

  “You called it off.”

  “I didn’t have to. Courtney was using me as much as I was using her. My father’s arrest meant we might not win the election next week, thus she dropped me like a hot potato.”

  “A hot potato? Do people still say that anymore?”

  “Shut up. It’s endearing. And it’s not the point.”

  “Then what is?”

  “I am now a very single man. But I don’t intend to stay that way for long.”

  Tyler turned and opened the door to the main cabin. He flicked the light switch and then stepped aside, waiting for her to enter.

  Juliette crossed over the threshold. The small space was glittering with twinkling lights that covered the tables, the ledges, and the low hanging ceiling above her head. The only things outnumbering the lights were the red rose petals littering the counters, tables, and floor all the way to what she guessed was a private bedroom.

  Chapter 38: Bad Intentions

  “Go ahead,” Ty breathed into her ear. “Make yourself comfortable.” Her heart flipped in anticipation. Ty’s hands on her waist seemed to be holding her up as she stepped farther into the room.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Her voice quivered at the mention of good.

  “No.” Tyler gently steered her in the direction of the bedroom. “It’s a very, very bad idea. Completely and totally naughty.”

  Juliette’s breathing quickened.

  “But I have a feeling,” he continued, “that you are going to want to do it over, and over, and over again.”

  On the third “over” she spun around in his arms so that her body was facing his. She leaned into him, desperate to feel his touch, yearning for his kiss once more.

  She rose on her toes, her lips searching for his. When they met, it was as if the whole boat had been launched across the universe. She was drowning in his warm, masculine pleasure and she couldn’t get enough. His hands trickled across her spine, pushing her forward, claiming her body as his own.

  She staggered backward into the countertop. The dishes rattled inside. Something made of glass crashed to the floor. But neither one of them bothered to look. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he lifted her onto the counter and bent over to kiss her neck. She yanked her sweatshirt over her head, revealing the red lace bra.

  “Mmm, I like it,” he muttered before dipping his head lower to kiss the creamy, untouched skin of her breast. Her head swirled with each soft pluck of his lips as Tyler moved from one mound to the other and back again.

  She let out a soft moan when he reached behind her to unclasp her bra. In less than a second she was completely exposed, the cool night air biting at her nipples. He rubbed his hands over her breasts, pausing at each brown nub with a flick and pull. The shock of pain sent a shiver through her stomach.

  She reached for the button on his jeans and undid it with a snap. She fumbled slightly with the zipper, only because she was too distracted by Ty’s tongue tracing across her shoulders to open her eyes and see what she was doing. She could feel the bulge in his pants straining against the fabric and was delighted. That stiffness was hers. She was solely responsible for his erection.

  The zipper came free and she jerked his pants down with one hand. He was wearing a pair of cotton boxer briefs with an elastic waistband that proved useful when she tugged him toward her.

  Suddenly she could feel him pressing against her inner thigh. Heat radiated from his groin. She tilted her hips up slightly. The tip of his penis nudged through the fly of his boxers and grazed her skin.

  “I want you so bad,” he muttered before reaching for her panties beneath the long denim skirt now shoved up to her waist. He stepped back long enough to slide the red panties down her bare legs, his hands caressing her hips, calves, ankles, and feet. With them off, Juliette was free to move as she pleased, completely unrestrained.

  Ty didn’t bother removing his pants. He simply jerked the boxers down to his knees and stepped between her parted legs.

  The distance between them disappeared.

  Juliette dug her fingers into his back before fingering the bottom hem of his shirt. He lifted his arms and let her pull the shirt away from his smooth chest. She tossed it to the side; it landed in the small sink. Before she could ponder if the shirt was wet, Tyler was kissing her again. His tongue massaged hers, his kiss so deep she thought he might be trying to consume her. And this time when the head of his penis brushed against her wetness she felt herself open up to him.

  He hesitated only for a second. Pulling back to look down at her, those deep blue eyes drinking her in.

  “Fuck me,” she said and then he was inside her, one long deep thrust and she felt as if she might explode. It was better than she remembered, having him like this, with no secrets, no restraints. Her body tightened against him as he pulled backward, teasing her. She didn’t want him to stop, didn’t want him to pull out. She moved her hips higher in protest.

  It didn’t matter though, he withdrew until only the tip of him was inside her and waited, watching her, teasing her. “I don’t want to rush this,” he said.

  “No. Now.” She breathed. “Don’t tease.”

  He pushed himself inside her again, moving deeper along her channel. The width of him filled her completely.

  “Harder, or faster?” he crooned.

  “Both.”

  Tyler pushed himself inside her once more. With each thrust he began to pick up speed, grinding and pumping into her until the two of them were banging against each other like jackhammers. More dishes fell to the floor. Her hands dug into the counter edge as she struggled to keep her balance. He slammed against her—each thrust like another declaration of his love. She cried out in a mixture of pain and pleasure as the scent of their sex filled the air. Her insides coiled tighter, ready to burst at any moment. When he exploded inside her she came undone. Her own release as epic as his.

  They clung to each other, bodies drenched in sweat, their remaining clothes completely askew.

  “Damn,” he muttered. “It’s
like it gets better every time.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” Juliette whispered back as he pulled out of her.

  “You better, because I intend to keep doing this all night long.” He set her back against the counter as he stepped fully out of his boxers and jeans. Then, standing naked in front of her, bent over to kiss her again. She felt herself rising to meet him. Greedily, ready for more.

  Chapter 39: The Hail Mary

  They had sex a half dozen times over the course of the evening. They did it everywhere inside the small cabin, including the tiny shower and the cabin deck. Now they lay naked and spent on the large king bed in the lower level bedroom.

  “What do we do now?” Ty played with a strand of her brown hair, twisting it around a finger and then letting it fall loose again.

  “You go back to D.C. and I go back to my godparents.”

  “I’ve got a better idea. How about we both go back to your godparents?”

  “No way. Jean clearly hates you, and when he finds out I snuck out of the house to be with you, he is going to hate you even more.”

  “Fine, then let’s not go back at all. Why not just hitch this beauty to the SUV and drop it off at the nearest ocean port? We can sail south until we see palm trees and sandy beaches.”

  Juliette rolled on her side. “Is that what you want?”

  “I want to be with you. I don’t really care where we go.”

  “What about the campaign? Your career. Your father.”

  Ty grew silent.

  “The whole campaign was a long shot. Winston and I thought we’d be able to find evidence of foul play on Senator Reis and connect that evidence to my father long before I’d have to run in an actual election.”

  “So you don’t want to continue being a senator?”

  “Hell no. I mean, it was fun—for a while. I thought I might actually be good at it too, but that was before I met you.”

  “Hey, having an affair with another woman is like a rite of passage in politics. Everyone cheats.”