Vicious Circles

by JL Paul

  “That’s simple,” he smirked. “We’ll all ride together and drive past and I’ll have one of the girls say she always wanted to go there and we’ll just pull in and park. I’ll charm Morgan into going if she makes a fuss.”

  I appraised him carefully. He was more of Morgan’s type – studious, handsome, charming. If anyone could do this, he could. I wasn’t one hundred percent comfortable with this plan but it was the best I had.

  He pulled a cell phone from his pocket. “Let me call my sister,” he said as he pressed buttons. “I’ll have her help. She’s only a year older than me and she likes to hang out with my friends. She’ll help me think of a place for our faux book club.”

  I nodded. The waitress brought our food while he was on the phone. He made two more phone calls while I pushed my fries around on my plate. When he finished, he smiled.

  “Okay, all set. My sister and her boyfriend are in on it as well as my friend, Cal, and his girlfriend.” He picked up his cheeseburger and bit off a huge chunk.

  “Where is this meeting of the minds going to take place?” I asked.

  He held up a finger as he chewed furiously. “At Cuppa’s. It’s a coffee shop not too far from the Tail Feather.”

  “Brilliant,” I said admirably.

  “Thanks,” he blushed. “But my sister came up with the place.” He shoved a bunch of fries in his mouth and tilted his head. “I’ll call you as we leave the coffee shop and let you know we’re on our way. Now, what’s your plan?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “I’m more than willing to help you get a nice girl away from a perverted asshole but I’m not too crazy about you being all alone with him in some room upstairs.”

  I was touched – honestly. “Don’t worry about me – I’ve handled worse.”

  “What about your boyfriend,” he asked, his eyes boring into mine. “What does he say about all this?”

  I shrugged. “He hates it.”

  “Is he going to be around to protect you?”

  I laughed as I narrowed my eyes at him. “I don’t need some white knight coming to my rescue and saving the day – I’m hardly a damsel in distress. I will be fine.”

  He nodded slowly. “That’s all fine and good, Bailey, but don’t think that me and my friends won’t be watching this idiot closely and don’t think that we’ll stand by and do nothing if we think you’re in trouble.”

  I cracked a grin. “That’s nice to know. Now, finish your food – I need to get home and prepare.”

  He nodded again but didn’t smile back as he picked up the remains of his cheeseburger and ate it in one gulp.

  After I left the diner and drove home, all the things that could possibly go wrong with this plan rolled through my head. I shivered but did not change my mind. I would do this for Morgan even if she hated me for the rest of her life.

  I owed it to her.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I was a total nervous wreck when I parked my car in front of the Tail Feather Club. I had to take long, deep breaths before I could even open the car door. I gathered my bearings, adjusted my top, and swept my hair over my shoulders as I stepped onto the gravel and made my way to the entrance.

  I dressed for the part, too. I wore a black leather mini, black stockings, and black heels. To add a little spice, I chose a blood red halter that didn’t leave much to the imagination. Yeah, I looked pretty trashy but Owen wouldn’t be able to resist.

  Scooter recognized me immediately and placed a beer in front of me before I could ask. I smiled at him but he shook his head, anger clouding his face.

  “Bailey, I don’t know why you bother with him,” he said. “He has a different girl on his arm every night.”

  “More reason to do this,” I said. “Maybe my best friend will see what a slime ball he is and leave him alone.”

  “Oh, no, not another one,” Scooter groaned, arousing my curiosity. “He didn’t get her pregnant, too, did he?”

  “No,” I said slowly. “Does he have a knocked up girlfriend somewhere?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know what he’s got and where he’s got it. I don’t even try to keep track. But I know a few months ago some girl was always in here crying and calling and I thought I overheard her say she was pregnant.”

  I wondered briefly if that girl was Tori. I shuddered as I imagined Morgan in that position.

  “Scooter, please, let me handle this, okay? I’m not naïve and I’m certainly not totally stupid. I intend to make sure my friend stays away from him.”

  “Don’t take things too far, Bailey,” Scooter warned. “He may seem harmless but he has a quick temper that is getting more and more out of control.”

  “So do I,” I grinned. I lifted the bottle to my lips and scanned the room. Owen was occupying his usual spot at the corner of the bar and hadn’t noticed me yet. I wouldn’t approach him – I’d wait for him to approach me.

  Sure enough, just as I was finishing my beer, he sauntered over to me. He placed a tentative hand on my shoulder and brushed my hair back so he could lean over and whisper in my ear.

  “Somebody’s looking like they want to get laid tonight,” he said.

  I knocked his hand away and turned to face him fully. “Well, if that were true, then I could find far better than you,” I snorted. “There’s a homeless guy out back digging in your dumpster.”

  Chuckling, he lightly touched the small of my back. “You weren’t saying that last weekend.”

  “Things change,” I said as I motioned to Scooter for another drink. He hurriedly fetched a fresh bottle, opened it, and set it before me. “Owen’s paying for this one, Scooter, thanks,” I said with a smile. “In fact, he said I’m drinking on the house all night so keep them coming.”

  Scooter winked and rushed off to help his other customers.

  Owen grinned and pressed into me, his lips close to my ear. “What’s with the cold shoulder tonight? Are you angry because I was with your friend last night?”

  I straightened the collar of his silk shirt and unbuttoned one of the buttons. “Let’s just say that I don’t like to be played with, okay? If you prefer Morgan over me then that’s your choice. But I’m not playing against her.”

  “Oh,” he said, eyes brightening. He really was a handsome man. “So, if I ditch Morgan I can have Bailey. Interesting.”

  “Who knows,” I said as I slid my nail from his throat down his chest. “Guess we never will.”

  “Why is that?” he asked as he wrapped an arm around my waist.

  “Because who would ever dump sweet little Morgan for the likes of me,” I said coyly.

  He kissed me softly – surprising me. “Only a man of taste.”

  It wouldn’t take much at all to get him upstairs now but unfortunately, it was way too early. I glanced at the clock over his shoulder and figured that, if all was going well, Craig was just now getting Morgan out of the coffee shop. He hadn’t called yet so I was going to have to stall some more.

  “And what happens if this man of taste decides he’d rather have me but shows up at another bar next weekend with Morgan?”

  He yanked me closer so that our bodies were flush. “Then that man of taste should be strung up by the balls.”

  “Interesting concept,” I said with an alluring smile to hide the pleasure I found in the image of Owen actually being strung up that way. “Let’s dance.”

  “Dance?” he asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

  I kissed his cheek and dragged my lips to his ear. “It turns me on – gets me all hot.”

  Owen took my hand and nearly pulled me out of my shoes in his effort to get me to the dance floor. The music was loud and the reverberating beat rattled my teeth but I quickly found a groove and danced as provocatively as possible. When my phone finally vibrated in my hip pocket, I breathed a silent sigh of relief. I waited until it went to voice mail then pulled it out and flipped it open. I held up a finger to Owen and slipped down the hall near the b
athrooms. Craig had told me that in order to avoid suspicion from Morgan, when they were on the way he would call my phone, let it go to voice mail, and just hang up without a word. If things weren’t going right, he’d leave me a detailed message.

  He didn’t leave a message. They were on the way.

  I found Owen again, standing near the bar, draining a glass of some kind of liquor. I grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the floor.

  “Come on, darling,” he wheedled when I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Aren’t you tired of dancing yet?”

  I smashed my breasts into his chest and yanked his head down so I could capture his lips. His hands tightened on my hips as he returned the kiss and a wave of nausea rolled through my stomach.

  “Very nice,” he said as he pulled back, a little breathless. “Very nice.”

  “It gets better,” I said as I rubbed my body over his. “Just wait.”

  “Don’t know how much longer I can wait,” he said as he kissed his way up my neck. I shifted him so I could watch the door and before long, Craig entered with a small group. Including Morgan.

  It was show time.

  Now I just had to get her to notice us without him noticing her. Craig had promised to help in that department, too, though I worried he’d be a bit too obvious.

  The staircase to the upper level rooms was located next to the hall to the bathrooms. The bar ran perpendicular to it so I had a tiny window of opportunity that I could get him to the stairs without him seeing Morgan. I had a feeling that once I got him halfway up the stairs that if he saw her, he wouldn’t much care - as long as he thought he was going to score. Knowing him and his big ego, he’d probably figure that he could just charm his way back into her good graces. And I prayed Morgan wasn’t that stupid.

  I wrapped a leg around his thigh and he gasped. I grinned at him as he ran a hand over the smooth stockings up toward my hip. I kissed him again. “I really want you, Owen,” I muttered, my mouth so close to his.

  Beaming, he dropped my leg. “Are you ready to go upstairs?”

  “Yes,” I said as I stood on my toes to kiss his neck. I glanced at Craig over Owen’s shoulder and he nodded. I laced my fingers with Owen’s and smiled seductively as I walked backwards toward the stairs. My eyes never left Owen’s and I had to put all my trust in Craig, hoping like hell he would get Morgan to notice us. I couldn’t take a chance at looking that way or she’d know it was all a ruse.

  I shook my hair away from my face as I approached the stairs, giving Morgan a clear, unobstructed view of who I was. I wrapped Owen’s arms around my waist and mounted the steps as he kissed my neck. I repressed a shudder and hoped fervently that Morgan was watching.

  Once we reached the landing, Owen took charge and steered me into a room. He flipped a switch then adjusted the light to make it dimmer. He shut and locked the door and crossed his arms over his chest as I inspected the room. It was bare except for a bed and a nightstand with a digital clock. The blankets were black and the pillowcases silk. I rolled my eyes.

  “Very romantic,” I said dryly.

  “It serves its purpose,” he said as his eyes followed me. “Want me to call down for a bottle of champagne? A dozen roses? Or do you just want to get down to business?”

  I plastered a seductive smile on my lips and lowered my lids. I sauntered toward him, watching as his face lit up in anticipation. He reached for me as I drew near and pulled me flush with his body.

  “I’ve been waiting for this since the first time I laid eyes on you.”

  “Is that so?” I purred as I trailed my hands up his chest and connected them behind his head. “Do you know what I’ve wanted to do since the first time I met you?”

  “What?” he asked in a throaty voice. He smirked knowingly and it only fueled my contempt.

  I reared back and spit in his face.

  He shoved me away with one hand while his other frantically wiped away my saliva. A low growl erupted from his throat and I took a cautious step back – all the while smiling triumphantly at him.

  “You bitch,” he said, his eyes narrowed. “You dick teasing bitch.”

  “Yeah, maybe so, but you need to keep your slimy hands off my friend,” I said.

  He inched toward me, dangerous glint in his eyes. “So, Bailey couldn’t stand that Morgan had someone interested in her, huh?”

  I snorted. “You weren’t interested in her – you used her to piss us off, didn’t you? You flaunted her in front of us knowing we’d be worried after what you did to Tori.”

  He barked out a mirthless laugh. “Yeah, whatever. Tori was nothing but a clingy, sniveling little girl. She thought from the get go that we’d be together forever.”

  I lifted a brow. “Isn’t that what you told her to get her to sleep with you?”

  “I don’t need to lie to get women in my bed,” he said.

  I lifted a shoulder. “Oh, so you just use drugs and alcohol, huh?”

  He pushed his sneering face into mine. “Whatever works, sweetheart.”

  “You disgust me,” I said, not backing away. “You’re nothing but filth.”

  “And you’re nothing but trash,” he said. “Pure trash. I was glad when you and Spencer split. He deserves far better than you.”

  “You were pretty anxious to get me in your bed,” I said.

  His eyes scanned my body. “I’m not picky. I don’t care how trashy as long as it looks good. Hell, I can throw two condoms on to protect myself.”

  I ignored his jib – he was lashing out in an effort to save face. I did the best I could not to let his words penetrate.

  “Do they make them that small, I wonder?” I said. Immature, but I couldn’t resist.

  “Want to see?” he asked as he stepped closer.

  “Not particularly.”

  “Let’s skip past the childish name calling, shall we, and get to what’s really going on here,” he said. “You got me up here, now what do you intend to do? Spit in my face again?”

  “No,” I chortled. “I’ll leave you here to your own devices.”

  I attempted to move past him but he grabbed my arm and hauled me back. “I don’t think so. Listen, bitch, you got me up here for a reason, tell me what it was. Unless you do want to go at it? Spencer’s a great guy and all but I bet he’s not much in the sack.”

  I smacked him as hard as I could and reveled when his head fell to the side with the blow. He recovered and grasped my shoulders, shoving me roughly into the wall. His face leered in mine and his eyes took on a crazy glint.

  “Don’t ever touch me again, you bitch,” he said, saliva spraying in my face. He yanked me to his chest and slammed me back again. “Do you hear me?”

  “Get off me you son of a bitch,” I said as I planted my hands on his chest and heaved.

  He laughed eerily and caught me way off guard. “I know your little secret, Bailey. Morgan told me.”

  I froze, my heart stopping in my chest. “What secret?”

  “You want Collin now, huh? Already lured him in your bed, didn’t you?”

  He took advantage of my shock to prowl closer to me. “Get real, sweetheart – he’ll sleep with you, sure, and maybe keep you around for awhile, but you’re not the sort of girl he takes home to Mama. You don’t have enough class. You’re the type of girl a guy likes to have on the side – the one you don’t take out in public but keep in the bedroom. You’re the type that would embarrass a man.” He grinned. “You’re not the type of girl a man falls in love with – especially good guys like Collin Newton.”

  “And you’re full of shit,” I said, my heart ready to explode. I tried to remind myself that they were just words, nothing else. But they were the same words that had run around my head over and over. Maybe I was just kidding myself.

  “What a worthless piece of trash you are, Bailey. You can’t even finish what you start! You drag me up here and don’t even follow through,” he taunted. “You are so worthless, you can’t even be a lousy whore.”


  “Go to hell,” I said as I shook off his words and lifted my chin.

  He grabbed my right arm and squeezed tight enough to draw tears to my eyes. “You put a lot of effort into getting me up here now you’re going to follow through.”

  I narrowed my eyes and made a fist with my left hand. “No way in hell.” I swung and connected weakly with his chin.

  He laughed in my face and backhanded me, drawing even more tears but riling up my anger. I wrested my arm out of his grip and pushed him away from me.

  “Don’t ever think of hitting me again,” I warned.

  Chuckling, he seized me by the shoulders to swing me away from the door. “Why? You going to beat me up?”

  “I can take you,” I said in a nonchalant tone, although my insides were quivering. This is what Collin and Spencer and the others had tried to warn me about, but I wasn’t going to back down. I wasn’t going to let him think that just because I was female that he was in control of the situation.

  His laughter bounced off the walls. “I should kick your skanky ass now and put you in your place. It would serve you right.”

  “Bring it, then,” I hissed. “Like I said, I can take you.”

  He lunged forward and grabbed a fistful of hair, yanking down hard. I punched him with as much strength as I could muster with my right hand and was satisfied when warm blood dripped over my knuckles. He let me go immediately.

  “Son of a bitch!” he shouted as his hands cupped his nose. “Shit!”

  “Get out of my way,” I said, my chest heaving. “I’m out of here.”

  He straightened, one hand still covering his nose, and blocked the doorway. “You’re going to pay for that.”

  “Like hell,” I said as I charged him and rammed my knee into his groin. He dropped to his knees and I shoved him aside. I disengaged the lock, gasping for air to chase away the sob climbing my throat, and ripped the door open.

  I stepped into the hall and heard my name.

  “Bailey!” It was Irelyn. I flew to her and buried my head in the crook of her neck as her comforting arms wrapped around me. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”