Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 60750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
“Because we didn’t do anything to change it,” Rhys snaps right back. “Because we pretty much just shrugged our shoulders and she didn’t think anything would be different—”
“Don’t, Rhys. Don’t try to bring us into your bullshit,” Van hastily interrupts him. “If you hadn’t ever hooked up with Geesha Riley in the first place, then Alyssa wouldn’t be gone—”
“How is it my fucking fault that Geesha turned out to be a fucking psycho?” Rhys shouts. “Do you think this is really what I wanted? You think I wanted Alyssa out of our lives? Alyssa Smith is the best thing to ever happen to me!”
“She’s the best thing to ever happen to all of us,” I suggest, purposely keeping my tone calm. “And we’re not going to get anywhere by turning on each other, unless you actually want the band to break up for good."
“...What do you think we should do, then?” Rhys turns toward me, his energy shifting from enraged to completely helpless. “How do we…how do I fucking fix it, Cameron?”
“I think you just need to beat Geesha at her own game,” Van answers on my behalf, with a serious look on his face. “If she’s willing to play dirty…then maybe we need to be willing to play dirty, too.”
“Okay, but how?” Rhys quirks an eyebrow. “She already put a narrative out there, and it looks like everybody’s just eating it up.”
“Sure, but you’ve got your own point of view on things, don’t you?” I press. “It’s not like she’s telling the whole truth, anyway.”
“So, what?” Rhys continues. “You want me to go out there and say that a woman I’ve hooked up with more than a few times is lying about something? Do you know how big of an asshole that’s going to make me out to be?”
“Yeah, Cameron, she’s already going with the wounded-girlfriend angle,” Van mumbles. “Trying to add anything to it is just going to be like throwing gasoline on the fire.”
“Then how about we go with the truth?” I ask as I look back and forth between Rhys and Van.
“…The truth?”
“Look, all you need to do is get Geesha to admit that she lied about everything,” I explain. “And once we have her on tape or video or whatever, we just release the footage. That way, Rhys doesn’t come off like an asshole, and Geesha won’t be able to try running any more of her mind games on the general public.”
“Right, but how are we going to leak something like that to the press without it coming right back to us—”
“Harrison,” Rhys says, his tone confident. “He’ll be so happy he’ll barely be able to stand it. He did say he wanted an exclusive about the band, so now let’s try and give it to him.”
“Perfect.” Van smirks. “Fuck, okay. I think this might really work. Now all we need to do is get Geesha to…come over to your place? I guess?”
“Don’t worry about that part.” Rhys sighs. “I know how to get Geesha Riley back in my life, even if the thought of inviting her over makes my fucking skin crawl.”
“There you are, babe.” Geesha greets Rhys with a wide smile as she steps into his apartment.
Van and I are cramped into one of the billion closets in Rhys’s oversized apartment, our eyes glued to a glowing screen situated between us. It’s a live camera feed of what’s happening in the living room. Setting it up was a last-minute stroke of genius on behalf of Van. He figured that if Rhys isn’t able to get Geesha to confess to anything, then maybe we’d at least be able to use the footage of her showing up at Rhys’s place, a clear sign that maybe she isn’t the picture-perfect image of a damsel in distress that she’s been claiming to be.
“Hey, baby,” Rhys replies, with a grin painted on his expression. “Did your flight get in okay?”
“Oh, like you give a shit, Rhys.” Geesha chuckles as she takes a step closer to him, her hands now resting on his chest. “I know you don’t care about the details. We haven’t been broken up that long.”
“Who says I don’t care about the details?” he asks. “Maybe I’m a changed man.”
“Fuck off!” Geesha chuckles even louder and lowers her hands to Rhys’s belt buckle. “Guys like you never change, Rhys Marshall, but that’s part of your charm, isn’t it? You’re always the same, no matter what—”
“You didn’t have to do any of that you know,” Rhys cuts her off, staring down at her face.
“Any of what?”
“Everything you did with Alyssa,” he clarifies. “That bullshit story you put out there, making it seem like I tricked you into promoting her music, like all I wanted was a new girl to fuck and had you acting like some scout.”
“Oh, babe.” Geesha pouts. “I’m sorry about all of that. I just needed her to back the fuck off. I really did see the two of you outside of that label party. I was still sitting in my car…and I don’t know. Something about watching those crocodile tears. It was obvious she was playing you, Rhys. Pretending to cry so you’d comfort her, preferably with your cock.”