Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 67510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t speak.
I was frozen in the place I sat.
Glued to the floor beneath me.
I didn’t have to dwell on it long before my cell phone rang and endless text messages dinged.
“Oh god…” I finally whispered to myself, anticipating the ceiling falling down on me next.
What else can go wrong?
I think I waited for the other shoe to drop, and it came in the form of Aires slamming the front door shut. I closed my eyes, anticipating the wrath about to be unleashed.
And I wasn’t referring to him.
His feet pounded against the floors. “Bay?!” he shouted, looking for me.
“Yeah,” was all I could reply.
From the moment he stepped into the room, he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of me.
“Are you okay?” he immediately let out.
“I’m not entirely sure.”
“Thomas has never let me down, and he’s already working on getting whatever other bullshit evidence they managed to get their hands on.”
“Can it get any worse than what they’ve already found?”
“Bailey—”
I abruptly stood. “Shit!” I grabbed a pillow off the couch, chucking it across the room. “Shit! I’m so fucked!”
“Bay—”
“My family… oh my God! My parents are going to flip!”
“Bay—”
My body whipped around, connecting with his concerned stare at me. “My dad is a recovering addict, so is my uncle Austin… this is bad, Aires. This is so bad. They’re going to be so disappointed in me.”
“Bay, I—”
“The world is going to think I’m a whore. Did you see the video they have of us on the roof deck? We’re basically screwing with clothes on.”
“Bay—”
“And they shared the proof of you taking the fall for me. Thank God they didn’t have audio, but anyone who can read lips is going to know what we were saying.” I shook my head, overwhelmed and confused.
“Bay, no one is going to think that. I made sure of it.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What do you mean?”
“I have something to tell you. I—”
Aires was cut off by the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway. We both instantly followed the echo that felt like it was impending doom. Seconds later, Robert stomped his way into the living room with us, and the expression on his face was enough for me to know he wasn’t happy.
Not that I expected him to be.
Before I could even say a word, Robert didn’t waste any time and spit fire at Aires, “You sure as shit know how to make yourself right at home when you’re not welcome, don’t you?”
“Get used to seeing me. I’m not going anywhere.”
Robert’s intense glare snapped to me. “You lied to me.”
“I’m sorr—”
“How long?”
“I’ve only done it a couple times.”
“Aires begs to differ.”
I glanced at Aires. “We’ve only done it once together.”
He folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the archway that separated the living room from the dining area.
The animosity between Robert and Aires was palpable, and I was finding it hard to breathe again.
“How many times, Bailey?”
“Robert, I just told you. Maybe three or four times max. That’s it.”
“Aires says it’s been going on for years.”
I gasped, glaring at Aires. “It has not been happening for years. What are you talking about?”
Aires arched an eyebrow, cocking his head to the side as if he was taking in what I was saying.
“Bailey,” Robert warned with a hard edge in his tone. “I don’t have time to play this ring around the rosy with you. I’m here to find out the truth, so we can figure out how to spin this. So, I’m going to ask you again, how long has it been going on?”
I huffed. “What part of three or four times do you not understand?”
“Really?” he mocked, nodding to Aires.
“Yeah. Robert, I swear to you I don’t do drugs often. It was a par—”
“Oh, we will get to the drugs, Bailey… but first I want to start with the truth…”
I shook my head, utterly confused. “The truth about what?”
For what felt like the hundredth time that morning, Robert rendered me speechless and almost knocked me on my ass when he roared…
“How long have you been fucking him because he just told the press that it’s been going on for years?!”
chapter twenty
Bailey
I questioned, “What the hell are you talking about?”
This was the moment Aires decided to make his voice heard. He pushed off the frame and walked over to us.
Once he was standing in between us, he only looked at me while he said, “Come on, gorgeous… we don’t need to lie about our relationship anymore. It’s out in the open now.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
Aires grinned, grabbing my hand to kiss it.
“Is he lying? Have you not been in love with each other since The Kids Club?”
I sucked in a breath. “How do you know that?”
“Your boyfriend just told the world that. Now get real, Bailey. When are you going to open your eyes and see him for what he really is? He’s bad for you. You’re too good for him, and I’m fully convinced he’s using you too.”