Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Jameson
MGK - I Think I’m Okay
I felt hollow watching Everleigh gather her clothes, even more so after she told me it would never happen again, not that I really expected it to, but hearing her say it made it that much more real. I knew it could never be anything more than a quick fuck. Not that it had been that quick, but still, it had the same effect. And if Ashton believed that I’d done it simply to hurt her, he’d probably get over it more easily, rather than looking at it like some kind of betrayal.
But the truth was, I wanted it. I’d wanted it for a long fucking time. Ashton could believe whatever he wanted, and I’d even pretend it hadn’t meant a single thing to me. It wasn’t like it would happen again. I meant it when I said it would be a one-time thing before we even started fucking. Everleigh hated me even more now, and that was probably for the best.
I’d help Ashton destroy her as promised, and then I’d finish college. I was majoring in fine arts to brush up on my skills, and I was getting my minor in chemistry. Kash was majoring in computer science—he’d always been somewhat of a nerd, so it didn’t surprise me, and he was minoring in graphic design.
I didn’t technically have to get a degree to be a tattoo artist, but I knew that experience helped tremendously in this kind of field, and I wanted people to trust me. People were usually more wary when they went to an artist who didn’t have a degree under his belt, and I didn’t want to give anyone a reason to doubt me. Not when it came to my artistic knowledge and ability to work a tattoo gun.
I sat up, leaning my back against the headboard. The sweat had cooled my body, causing goosebumps to prickle along my skin from the cool air. My eyes darted toward the center of my bed, a large wet spot seeping through the sheets where Everleigh had came. My cock throbbed painfully at the memory. It was one thing to feel her squirt all over my hand, but an entirely different thing to feel it all over my dick. Even with the condom acting as a barrier, it did little to prevent the moisture from making its way through it.
Fuck.
I wish she wouldn’t have said anything about a condom. I would have fucked her tight little pussy bare.
Sighing, I threw the sheets off my waist and picked up my boxers, slipping them on. It was obvious I wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight. I’d been close to crashing when she was in my arms, but Ashton had to ruin that, too. Now he was going to either post that picture in that stupid group of us, or he was going to use it to blackmail her, which might even be worse.
I had taken one with Kash’s hand up her dress, but I could never bring myself to post it. I’ve had countless opportunities to do just that. It had been a couple of weeks since I’d taken it, maybe even longer. Maybe I was the one going soft.
I pulled on my sweats next, not even bothering with a shirt. I stepped out into the hallway and descended the stairs, voices trickling through the air as my feet hit the wood at the bottom.
Kash and Ashton were in the kitchen, standing around the island while they drank a glass of whiskey. They glanced over at me when I made my presence known, and I knew what they were thinking. That I couldn’t control myself, that I crossed a line. My hair was disheveled as hell, I could feel it. There were also scratch marks on my arms, and my lips were probably swollen.
I crossed the kitchen and opened the liquor cabinet, pulling a half-empty bottle of whiskey from the top shelf.
Kash was the first to speak, doing his best to break the tension. “She’s a screamer, huh?” He smirked, though his jaw was feathered slightly, giving away that he wasn’t entirely okay with what had happened, either.
I grunted in response and retrieved a whiskey glass filling it halfway before returning the bottle to the cabinet.
When I didn’t respond past that, he continued. “I knew you were fucking someone . I just never expected that it would be Everleigh of all people. How’d that happen anyway?”
I blew out a frustrated breath, wishing I would have chosen to stay in my room instead. I took a drink, the whiskey sliding down my throat smoothly before I leaned against the counter and thought of what to say. I couldn’t exactly tell him the truth—that she had looked so vulnerable and attractive sitting there, and that all I could think about was what it would feel like to fuck her. Especially after feeling her lips on mine, after having my fingers in her cunt, and after tasting her. I still hadn’t brought myself to wash my hands or brush my teeth. My fingers were still damp from when they’d been in her and from when I peeled the condom off, allowing her juices to coat my hand. It was taking everything in me not to slip them in my mouth.
“I saw an opportunity and I took it.” I shrugged, lying through my teeth. Though, technically, that had been what happened, just not for the sake of revenge.
Ashton narrowed his eyes at me. “So, it wasn’t because you wanted to have sex with her?”
I knew that if I denied wanting to fuck her, he’d call me on my bullshit. It was no secret that I’d had feelings for her in the past. “I wanted to,” I admitted. “But I also used that to hurt her in the end. I have some restraint.”
“Restraint?” Kash laughed, not making matters any better. “You had sex with her. The fuck you mean, restraint?”
Anger flared up inside of me. But he was right. I had no self-control, and it just pissed me off even more.
“Kash is right,” Ashton added unhelpfully. “She ran right into your arms after catching me with Briley. That means, she felt safe going to you.”
I didn’t like where this conversation was going. My jaw tightened as my teeth scraped against each other and I lifted my drink to my lips again, swallowing a mouthful. Everleigh had always felt safe around me. We had a history. That didn’t just go away because some bad things had happened.
“Or…” I began, trailing off. “She would have rather put up with me than stay there and watch her sister suck your cock.”
Kash snorted, shaking his head. “Yeah. I can’t believe you did that. I thought we weren’t fucking around with Briley, just using her.”
Ashton shrugged like it didn’t matter. “I said that you didn’t have to screw around with her. I still have no intention of fucking her. But like Jameson, I saw an opportunity and took it.” He laughed as if he suddenly remembered something. “You should have seen Everleigh’s face when she walked in, too. She was so shocked.”
I couldn’t help but scoff. Of course he’d get off on some twisted shit like that. As the days went on, he was becoming less and less like the person I’d befriended in the first place. I had no issue parading other women around in front of her. Especially now that I knew she had feelings for me. She wouldn’t have fucked me otherwise. Everliegh didn’t do casual hookups, unless that had changed. But doing it in her mom’s bed—who had recently died—with her own sister, was crossing a line. A fucking big one. But I was coming to realize that with Ashton, there were no lines. He didn’t give a shit as long as he got what he wanted in the end.
Kash shifted uncomfortably, clearly not liking this either. We had our own reasons for wanting to hurt Everleigh, but neither of us would have taken it to that extent. And I knew that to Ash, this was child’s play. He was nowhere near done, and it would probably get worse and worse until she was completely broken.
“I was talking to Everleigh—” I started but was immediately cut off.
“Before or after you fucked her?” Ashton countered with a bite to his tone.
I glared at him. “After. Anyways, I asked her why she did what she did.”
This had Ash sobering up, his posture snapping straight. “And?” he demanded. For someone who claimed he didn’t give a shit about the reasoning behind it, he sure was eager for the information now that I mentioned it.
“She doesn’t remember it. She basically said that there were holes in her memory. That one moment, Dakota was offering her a drink, and then the next, he was on top of her, and she didn’t understand how it escalated that quickly.”
Kash straightened up too, a stitch forming between his brows. He seemed to be thinking the same thing I was. A single drink didn’t cause a blackout like that. And if she’d consumed more than that, she would have remembered having more than one before passing out. I’ve had enough blackouts to know that much. While everything else had been a blur and I lost count of how much I consumed, I definitely remembered drinking more than one beverage.
“And it never occurred to you that she could be lying?” Ashton demanded, more on edge than he had been during this entire ordeal. “Dakota’s a piece of shit, but he’s not a fucking rapist.”
Kash hesitated, like he wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure how to. “You know that’s not entirely true.”
There had been one incident back when we were fifteen. Dakota went out with us and joked about slipping something into one of the girl’s drinks. We thought that’s all it was—a joke. He was crude and said the most out of pocket things, but then he disappeared, and Ash had to call his parents to come pick us up. We never thought much of it, not until now. It felt like a puzzle was slowly starting to click in place. But there was no proof he had done what he joked about doing. He could have just gotten shit faced and passed out somewhere, or he could have gone home with a girl consensually. It did raise some red flags, though.
Ashton scoffed. “He joked about shit like that all of the fucking time. Everleigh knew it, too. She was playing you, Jameson. How do you assholes not see that?”
Once again, he had a point. “You’re right.” I sighed. “It doesn’t matter anyways. I doubt he would have done that to Everleigh of all people. He wasn’t into underage girls.” He’d made that comment a few times, too. He preferred them older if anything.
Kash nodded. “Yeah. Especially when he knew you were on the way to go see her.”
That would have been self-sabotage. Knowing Ashton was on the way home and drugged his girlfriend anyways just to have his way with her. Dakota was a bit of a wild card, but he wasn’t a rapist. At least, not to my knowledge. I guess I just wanted to believe so badly that she didn’t fuck him of her own volition, that I was willing to hang on to any excuse possible.
And if Dakota hadn’t done some shady shit like that, it only meant one of two things. Either Everleigh lied about how much she’d consumed, or she lied about remembering. Either way, she lied, and she wasn’t going to get away with that. All the softness I’d felt for her before disintegrated, morphing into that familiar rage I was all too familiar with.
She was a cheating whore. Even now, that hadn’t changed. It didn’t take much effort to fuck her even though she had a boyfriend. She was sneakier than the average slut. She knew exactly how to play people and get them to do what she wanted, and no one suspected a thing. Then she got to turn around and play the victim.
Fuck that. Fuck her .
I squinted at my phone, eyeing the photo Ash had sent to the group chat a few days ago. I was eager now more than ever to kick this shit into gear. The three of us decided collectively on a name for our new fraternity. It wasn’t often that colleges allowed you to pull one out of your ass but I was definitely going to be taking advantage of it.
The Serpents.
It wasn’t lost on me that the name was the same one given to a motorcycle gang around here, but it fit, and I liked it. Ashton wasn’t too sold on it, but me and Kash managed to talk him into it.
Now, we were standing in the ballroom of the college, all suited up with our own stack of flyers for an initiation party we still hadn’t pieced together. These weren’t the kinds of parties I was into. Everything had to be classy and elegant, when I’d rather do a keg stand and get my dick sucked.
Ashton didn’t seem that happy about it, either. If his persistent grumbling was anything to go by. He did look decent in a suit, though.
The one thing we had going for us was the fact that Ashton was a Banks. Everyone wanted to get on his good side for whatever reason. It wasn’t like he was going to give them their money. But apparently, being rich made you popular. But in this instance, I wasn’t complaining about it.
I internally groaned when my eyes settled on Crystal who was making her way toward us. Her blonde hair was curled around her shoulders, and she was dressed in a tight, light blue gown that trailed behind her and displayed a lot of cleavage.
“I didn’t expect to see you guys here.” She smiled, barely sparing me or Kash a glance before zeroing in on Ashton. Her gaze raked down his body and she not-so subtly bit her glossed lip.
I was about to insult her. It was on the tip of my tongue. But then, I thought of a better use for her. Gossip traveled fast, especially if you were paying attention. The former head of Kappa graduated, leaving the spot open. Unsurprisingly, it was given to Crystal. So, she was in charge of one of the girls’ sororities. We could use that to our advantage.
I leaned over the table between us, bracing my elbows against it. “Let’s make a deal.” I grinned.
Her eyes darted to me again, a look of surprise flashing across her features. The only time I ever spoke to her was to insult her, so it came as no surprise to me that she’d be skeptical. “What?” she asked in bewilderment, like she hadn’t heard me right.
“Let’s make a deal. Trust me. You’ll enjoy the end result as much as we will.”
She hesitated for a moment before raising an eyebrow. “And what kind of deal is that?” she pressed.
“It’s simple, really.” I shrugged, settling back in my seat now that I had her undivided attention. Ashton and Kash were looking at me like I’d grown a second head, but neither one of them cared to interrupt. “I want you to proposition Everleigh. I want her in your initiation.”
“What?” All three of them blurted out in unison.
“Think about it. If she’s in your initiation, you’re in control of her. You can make her do whatever you want her to do, and she can’t do shit about it.”
Crystal snorted at that, the sound annoying as fuck, but I hid my wince. “And what makes you think she’ll even want to do it?” she challenged. “I can’t force her to join, and frankly, I don’t want her there.”
Ashton furrowed his eyebrows, the wheels turning in his head as he started to catch on to what I was suggesting. “Make her a deal she can’t refuse. That could either be blackmail, a threat, even monetary gain—though, she doesn’t strike me as a desperate person. I think she’s too proud in that department.”
She was pretty desperate for my cock. But I decided to keep that to myself. My mood was soured from the chat we had the other night, and the last thing I wanted to do was bring her up regarding any of that. For a second, I’d let my guard down. I believed her. But that was short-lived when Ash reminded me exactly why we should hate her.
Crystal pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I don’t really have anything on her for blackmail,” she admitted. “And as for threats…” She trailed off, a stitch forming between her brows.
I would say she could threaten to make Briley’s life a living hell, but with all things considered, she probably wouldn’t give a shit about that anymore.
“Threaten Amber,” I offered. They were best friends, and they were close. If there was one person Evie genuinely gave a shit about, it was her.
Crystal nodded slowly. “It might work. But my mom is good friends with Amber’s. If this gets back to our parents, then I’m in deep shit.” She blew out a breath. “I’ll see what I can do, though, and I’ll let you know.”
We had plenty of blackmail on Everleigh. But I had a feeling that Ash wanted to keep that close to his chest for his own use, so I didn’t bother mentioning it. At least it was a thought. Maybe we could pull some more information out of Briley and come up with something for Crystal so that she wasn’t going on a blind witch hunt.
A few guys approached, eyeing our display with interest. Crystal stepped to the side to let them through.
“A new frat?” the one with light blonde hair asked.
I nodded. “Yep. We’ll be throwing a nude pool party next weekend to help sway you.” A smirk tugged at my lips. “Hire a few strippers.”
The guy grinned and his two friends perked up at that. “Hell yeah.” He grabbed a flyer for each of them. “We’ll be there.”
The thought of checking out naked chicks and getting drunk off my ass was appealing. It would easily help me forget all this bullshit going on. Especially since clothes weren’t optional. They either stripped down to nothing, or they could get the hell out.
When the guys walked away, Kash turned to me with raised eyebrows. “Strippers?”
We hadn’t talked about hiring strippers prior to this, but I saw an opening, and I took it. Plus, Ash was more than willing to provide.
I shrugged. “Why not? We can get a couple poles installed. It’s not like we don’t have the space.”
Kash nodded in agreement. “Fuck it. I’m in.”
The remainder of the event was smooth. We got rid of all our flyers and had a lot of interest in the upcoming party. The one thing I loved about college was that there was no shortage when it came to willing women and parties. But even as the thoughts were flickering through my mind about finding a girl to fuck, I couldn’t help but feel a little put off by it. Everleigh had just been in my bed and had confessed to having feelings for me at one point. But I couldn’t afford to think like that. That’s what got me ensnared by her in the first place.
Plus, I’d lied to Everleigh.
I did have a girlfriend. I’d asked Amber to be mine the day we studied for our chemistry project. She was hot, but that wasn’t why I asked her. It was just another attempt at getting under Evie’s skin. And it would work once she found out about it. Especially after her confession and hesitance about doing anything with me because she thought me and Amber were dating.
A smirk tugged at my lips as I made my way through the parking lot toward my motorcycle. It wasn’t the same one I’d had as a teenager. This one was in much better condition, and I’d paid for it myself through a few tattoo jobs I had done at my old college.
My father might have destroyed me. But slowly, I was piecing myself back together. He said I’d never be shit. But I was in my second year of college, wasn’t under his thumb any longer, and I was surviving. He was the one who would never be shit. Even when Mom was alive, he couldn’t hold down a job for long. He used her death as an excuse to be a lazy, abusive sack of shit.
And the icing on the cake? She had a will. The shit box he currently lived in belonged to me. I wasn’t sure if he was aware of that just yet, but he would be when he got tossed out on his ass with nowhere to go. He could join the other homeless fucks under the bridge for all I cared.
Revenge was fucking sweet.