She let out a choked laugh. “Believe me, I know.”
Anger built up like a volcano inside. “The hell? You were fucking someone in Italy? Who? Who’d you spread your legs for? Tell me now—”
She slapped me so hard my ears rang. Guess there was a first for everything, son of a bitch!
I yawned and stretched my jaw. “That hurt.”
“All you do is hurt!” She struggled against me. “And for your information, I didn’t spread for anyone in Italy! The only guy I’ve ever even been close to sleeping with kicked me out of his bed while screaming like it was my fault. So excuse me for slapping you, but most days I want to do more than slap you. You’re a bully. A jerk. An asshole with a silver spoon shoved so far up his ass that you can’t even see how your words affect the people around you. Don’t even get me started about your actions. Do yourself and everyone else who knows you a favor, Ash. Grow up.” My arms dangled at my sides as she finally shoved away from me, opening the pantry door to see Maksim standing there with a sloppy grin on his face as he sipped his wine.
“Oh, ladies first.” He moved out of the way as she stormed off, grinning the entire time. He waited until she was out of earshot and then. “That was brutal, my balls were tingling, and she wasn’t even talking about me.”
“Shut up.” I shoved at him. “How much did you hear?”
“Only the interesting parts.” He shrugged, his perfect golden blond locks falling across his forehead. Damn, I hated him sometimes. “I never thought I’d see the day when Little Miss Perfect lost her temper on you.”
“It’s new.”
“I wonder why you get under her skin…”
“Probably because she hates me.”
“Huh…” Maksim scratched his head. “Well then, good thing Tank has a hard-on for her, huh? Besides, she’s too good for you.”
“Can you leave now?”
“Nah, I’m good, bro. I’m good. By the way, you might want to take care of that before going back into the kitchen.” He pointed down.
“Wha—” I looked down, and sure enough, you’d think I’d been in the friggin pantry masturbating next to the Cheerios.
“No judgment, bro, you do you. If small dark places next to the rice make you horny, I’m all for it, but something tells me it’s a feisty little straight-A student that’s causing that reaction as much as you hate to admit—”
I gritted my teeth. “Leave.”
“Oh right, right, um, do you need like lotion or something? I think there’s some coconut oil in there. I heard great things—”
“Son of a bitch, Maksim. Do you ever shut up?”
He winked. “Never.”
“You slept with my sister.”
His smile immediately fell. “What’s that, Junior? Yup.” He cupped his ear. “Sorry, bro, gotta go.” He darted away from me so fast I had no hope of catching him, and of course, he did this at about the same time King arrived for the party. He took one look at me, then the pantry, then me as a slow smile curved his lips.
Without warning, he took out his phone and snapped a picture.
“KING!” I bellowed, fists at my sides.
“Shhhh, wouldn’t want your mom running in here worried for her poor little boy only to see he’s finally turned into a man, and Maksim’s right about the coconut oil, trust me, bro.”
I squeezed my eyes shut as he patted me lightly on the shoulder and strolled into the dining room.
I had a hell of a time walking back to the pool house.
And the minute I reached for myself, I had guilt.
So much fucking guilt.
Claire was my last.
Which meant the minute I touched someone else, had sex with someone else, she would be erased, or at least it felt that way.
So I lay there, uncomfortable as hell, and tried to let the sadness take away whatever the hell was wrong with my body.
Unfortunately, when I closed my eyes, all I saw was Annie’s face.
And my hate grew in that moment to epic proportions.
Fuck turning over a new leaf—this was all her fault.
And I was going to destroy her.
Starting with Tank.
Ending with me.
A cruel smile passed my lips as the anger left; suddenly, I had a plan, one that guaranteed revenge.
And for the first time in over a year, I exhaled a sigh of relief, a sigh of cruelty, a sigh of purpose.
After all, sometimes destroying someone is equal to fixing yourself, right?
This wouldn’t end in bloodshed after all—no, it would end with tears.
Hers.
And I’d finally have my revenge.
“Don’t worry, Claire… I’ll take care of her, the only way I know how.”
Chapter Six
I fall asleep in the full and certain hope that my slumber shall not be broken; And though I be all-forgetting, Yet shall I shall not be forgotten, But continue that life in the thoughts and deeds of those I loved. —Samuel Butler
Chase
“Come in.” I squeezed my eyes shut then rubbed them with my fingertips before the door to my office swung open.
Footsteps sounded.
Fourteen of them.
He was wearing boots, size twelve—no, thirteen.
His breathing was even, but there was a certain taste of agitation in the air like he didn’t want to be here but knew he had no other choice.
“Update me.” I crossed my bulky arms. I’d been hitting the gym more now. I had no other choice. Ash was bulking up, fuck he was a mini-me in every way that I hated.
I wouldn’t wish his pain on anyone.
And I knew firsthand what it was like to lose someone you loved, only to find out later that they weren’t who you thought they were.
Claire, in this instance at least, wasn’t a rat.
No, she’d been worse.
Weak.
“I can’t do it anymore.” She hung her head in her hands. The green chair she was sitting in may as well be a confessional as she laid down all her sins at my feet—the feet of her soon to be father-in-law. “I love him. I do, but this life? You have to help me convince him. Please!”
I weighed my words, took my time as I tapped my red pen against the black folder in front of me.
Annie Smith.
Smith, my ass.
How did Phoenix even survive with the weight of these secrets on his soul?
Sex?
Alcohol?
The man didn’t even seem to have a vice—and I was pretty sure I’d have multiple vices at this point; I was already side-eyeing the brandy on my liquor cart.
But I needed to be sober for this conversation, unfortunately.
Slowly, I stood to my feet, adjusted my patriotic as fuck red tie, and walked over to the empty green chair next to Claire’s.
I would need to be careful.
After all, when dealing with weak individuals, you weren’t allowed to come on too strong; no, you had to come from behind, pretend to be a friend even though they’d just shown all their cards as foe.
My son.
My fucking son deserved better than that.
Even if he loved her.
He deserved a Queen.
Not someone I could so easily use as a pawn.
I sat, crossed my legs, and put a hand on her thigh. “You realize that by coming to me, you’ve already lost?”