89. Thea
89
Thea
L andon looked as shocked as I felt, but I had to ask him.
“Did you know there was a camera in the room?”
“Of course not!” His face telegraphed his hurt that I’d even for a second thought he was responsible. “We need to get out of here right now. This is a disaster!”
Kyril grabbed my hand. Acidic bile burned the back of my throat as we pushed through all the gaping students, many of whom were now openly filming us, presumably to upload to their social media.
Landon snatched the stolen phone from my hand and dropped it in a bowl of punch. People stared as we passed, but I ignored them.
My father had to be behind this. He was the only person who stood to gain from a sex tape featuring Cassian Forsyth circulating in the media. Cassian was publicly engaged. At least he was before the sex tape.
I doubted the engagement was still on. From what I’d read in the press, Camilla’s father was no pushover and he seemed really fond of her. He wasn’t the sort of guy to stand for anyone making a mockery of his only daughter.
I wondered if Cassian knew about this, and then shook my head. Of course he did. He’d probably been tagged a million times already by friends and followers. The whole damned world had most likely seen me having sex on camera.
Including my father and Torrance. But I didn’t have time to worry about that now. The sooner I got away from this disaster of a party, the better.
“Thea!” Eden’s voice yelling my name caught my attention. When I looked to my left, she was running toward me, dragging Michael in her wake. “Are you OK?” she asked when she reached us.
“Not here, Eden,” Kyril growled, glaring at anyone who got too close. Most of them took a careful step back but one or two didn’t seem to care.
In the background, the musicians carried on playing, even though nobody was dancing anymore. Any minute now, I half expected the floor to tilt sideways, throwing me into a churning ocean. Yes, the whole ‘ music playing while my life went tits up ’ felt like a major Titanic moment.
“Whore!” Olivia’s predictable response to my sex tape shame barely made an impression. Her opinion of my life choices meant nothing.
“Google yourself, Liv, I guarantee there’s a video of you being ass fucked on YouPorn,” Landon snapped.
Eden didn’t seem surprised by that revelation, but Olivia’s cheeks flushed bright red.
We pushed past the people hovering around the doorway and into a side corridor.
“In here,” Landon said, kicking open a door. A light switched on, revealing a bland room containing several desks and filing cabinets. I guessed this was one of the administration offices.
“Any idea where Cass is?” Landon asked Kyril. He shook his head.
“I’m so sorry, babe,” Eden murmured to me, pulling me close for a hug.
“I’m fine,” I lied. Nothing I said or did would make any difference at this point. A sex tape wouldn’t hurt Landon’s rep, and although Cassian probably didn’t have a fiancée anymore, I suspected the only person who gave a fuck about that was his father.
The main person affected was me.
A sex tape may have boosted Kim Kardashian’s career, but it wouldn’t have the same positive impact on my life.
“It’s OK to not be OK,” Eden said softly, then she grinned. “Was it good?”
“Good?” I repeated.
“Yeah, good being railed by those two.” She fanned herself. “I mean, I know fuckboy there has a rep for being good in the sack, but Cassian has always been more discreet, if you know what I mean. So… is he…?” She put her hands together and gradually widened them.
Ignoring Landon’s smug look at Eden’s assessment of his sex skills, I stared at her.
“You’re seriously asking me if Cassian has a big dick less than 10 minutes after I discover there’s a sex tape of me splashed all over the internet?”
She smirked, utterly unrepentant, while Michael threw his hands in the air.
“Baby, I’m out of here. Text me when you’re done. I’ll be back in my room.” He left, but she barely gave him a second glance. My personal life was apparently way more interesting than her boyfriend.
“Damn right. I only watched a few seconds of the film out of respect for our friendship, so I missed the money shot, but I’m fully expecting you to spill the tea.”
Laughter bubbled up, taking me by surprise. Both guys stared in my direction like I’d lost the plot. Maybe I had?
“I can neither confirm nor deny Cassian Forsyth has a big—”
The door swung open, hitting the wall with a crash.
“I do,” the man himself barked. Then he looked at me, his face etched with concern.
“Me too,” Landon piped up. “In case you were wondering.”
Eden’s eyes rolled back in her head so far it was a wonder she didn’t fall over.
“Landon Rothmore, your dick has its own fan page, so I already knew that.”
“Really? Cool!”
“Can we move on from dicks, please,” Cassian snapped. “My father is on the warpath and is on his way here. Unfortunately for me, he wasn’t far enough away when the story broke, so he decided it was a great idea to come and tear me a new asshole in person. He also has his team viewing the hotel security footage to see if he can find out who planted the camera.”
He turned to face me. “Thea, it would be better if you stayed out of the way. He thinks this is all your fault.”
“What the actual fuck?” Landon yelled.
“Keep your voice down, dickhead! We don’t need people recording our conversations and posting it on Twat Tok!” He scrubbed his jaw, his face taut with stress, but when he looked at me, his gaze softened.
“I know none of this is your fault,” he said.
I cringed. He had no idea. If what I suspected was true, then it was all my fault. My father had tasked me with planting drugs, but I’d not done as he asked. The cameras must have been his Plan B, which he put into motion when the drugs raid failed to find anything incriminating.
“Where’s Milo?” Had he seen my sex tape?
“He’s gone back to our apartment to see if he can find a way to take the damn thing down, and also figure out who uploaded it. It’s a long shot, but he wanted to do something.”
Knowing how my father operated, there was zero chance of getting rid of this thing. He’d probably uploaded it all over the place as well as hidden the origin. I knew for a fact he had some dubious tech guys working for him. But I appreciated Milo’s willingness to help.
Another pang of sorrow ripped through me. I’d likely not see him again if he had locked himself away in his room. Tears burned my eyes, and I looked down at the horrible nylon carpet, not wanting anyone to see I was upset.
Eden took my hand and squeezed it to let me know I wasn’t alone.
She was someone else I’d miss. We hadn’t known each other that long, but I’d grown to love her zany ways and inability to keep her mouth shut. I just hoped that she forgave me when I left.
Silence fell over the room. I desperately wanted to go, but I had a feeling if I tried to leave, Landon would follow me like a cute but annoying puppy. There was no way I could risk him coming back to my room. I’d packed my bag already, and if he saw it, he’d guess something was up. Most people were leaving on Monday, and he would have assumed I was too.
In one of the many messages he’d sent over the last few days, he’d suggested I spend Christmas with him. In the family chalet somewhere in Switzerland.
I’d nearly caved and said yes, even though it was a ridiculous notion. For one thing, my father wouldn’t have let me go, and for another, I wanted to see Verity. But the thought of having a proper Christmas with someone who cared warmed my cold, dead heart.
“This looks cozy,” Dario commented. I looked up in surprise, not having heard the door open. The guys glared at him.
“Get lost, Dario,” Cassian growled, displaying none of his usual tact. “I’m not in the mood for your bullshit.”
“You looking to get your ass kicked again, mudak ?” Kyril’s shoulders tensed as he stepped forward.
“Calm your tits. I have something for you.” Something about the way Dar glanced at me and smirked made my blood run cold. He wasn’t only here to taunt me, I could sense there was something more going on.
“Unless it’s the identity of the despicable person who recorded a private moment, then fuck off.”
“Nope, it’s much better than that. Gather round, kids, you’re going to want to hear this.”
My head began to throb and I felt sick. Everyone else seemed oblivious to my discomfort, apart from Dar. He smirked again as he pulled out his phone.
I edged backward, but Landon’s hand around mine tightened. “It’ll be OK, wifey. I promise.”
“It won’t,” I whispered, but he wasn’t listening. All three guys and Eden leaned forward to listen. Dar pressed play and a disembodied voice floated out into the room.