35. Grace
Grace
“To what do I owe this displeasure, Grant?” I asked, trying to sound indifferent, but I was anything but.
I knew Grant’s game, and it was a game. Everything was a game to him. He loved the thrill, the chase. Once upon a time, I thought I lived for a thrill too. Turns out, I just didn’t have better options.
“Oh, Grace, come on,” Grant taunted, licking his lips as I adjusted the stupid robe I’d thrown on. “Surely that’s not how you’re going to greet me after all this time. It’s been too long.”
“It hasn’t been long enough,” I countered, reaching for the latch on the door.
“Aren’t you going to invite one of your oldest friends in for a drink?” he baited, leaning against the doorframe, trying to act suave, but it took everything in me not to gag.
“And why would I do that?” I asked, hating the smug look on his face.
“Because I have photos of you that are pretty damning. Did you forget our convo? Did the small town give you amnesia or something?”
Oh I remember , I thought to myself.
I rolled my eyes and opened the door farther to permit his entrance. “You have five minutes. That’s it.”
“Oh, five minutes is all I need,” Grant said, pursing his lips at me, as I walked ahead of him.
I turned to him, and he was already pouring himself a drink from the mini bar.
“Want one?” he asked, pouring a second glass of bourbon before I could even answer.
I shook my head, only wanting my drinks from a blue-eyed man. “What do you want?” I repeated my question from earlier, wanting him to leave so I could call Caleb.
Grant narrowed his eyes and eyed me up and down. I tightened my robe and crossed my arms, giving him nothing to look at. Yet he was openly ogling me, like a piece of meat.
“You.” Grant took a sip of his drink before making his way over to me across the room. “We were so good together, Grace. Don’t you remember all the fun times we had?”
I shook my head and moved so he couldn’t corner me. “I don’t remember ever having fun. All we did was do drugs and accompany each other to boring events.”
“Oh, you know that’s not all we did,” he taunted, stalking toward me slowly, like I was his prey.
I scanned the room for my phone, but of course I’d left it in the bathroom.
I saw the hotel phone beside the window on the other side of the room and tried to walk toward it but was stopped when Grant grabbed my wrist. “I remember how you felt under me. So tight. So wet. They say you never forget your first.” His alcohol-laced breath fanned across my face.
I looked into his gray eyes and witnessed a dark and amused look take over his features.
“Let go of me.” I shoved him hard, causing his drink to spill all over his Armani suit.
“Fuck, come on, Grace,” he yelped, stepping back. “This is new.”
“Get out, Grant.” I groaned. “Leak the photos. At this point, I don’t even care.
” I just wanted him to leave. Out of my hotel room.
Out of my life. People would believe whatever they were going to believe.
All that mattered was Caleb knowing the truth.
They were old photos. He knew my heart. I was rash to leave, and he did say that he told Max to stop.
We would do our best to shield Noelle from any fallout.
“You know your bestie is better than you are in bed.” Grant cackled, going into the bathroom. He threw his trousers at me, changing into the extra bathrobe behind the door.
“Bring me a fresh suit,” he barked into his cell phone, before turning his attention back to me. Great, I was stuck with him until he got new clothes dropped off.
“My bestie?” I asked, my eyebrows furrowing, as I sat by the phone in case he tried any bullshit again.
“Yeah, dear sweet Cordelia,” Grant divulged as his eyes gleamed in delight. “We’ve been fucking since before Julia died. You know she hates you, right?”
“You’re lying. Cordelia hates you ,” I spat, convincing myself she wouldn’t do that. Would she?
Grant laughed maniacally. “Are you really that naive, Grace? Damn, what did the small-town prick do, fuck your brains out?” He pressed, making his way closer to me.
I lifted the phone off the receiver as a warning.
Grant held up his hands to feign innocence before grabbing my untouched glass, downing it in one go before he walked to the bar area to refill it.
I watched him pour more liquor out, waiting for him to say whatever he was going to say about Cordelia.
Instead, Grant reached into the pocket of his pants that were strewn on the floor and grabbed his phone. He pressed some buttons and scrolled before tossing it to me. I caught it and looked at the photo on the screen.
It was a poorly lit photo of Cordelia and Grant in what appeared to be a bed, only covered with a sheet. Grant was sticking his tongue out childishly and Cordelia looked dazed but happy.
I gulped and set the phone down before getting a drink of water. As I poured the sparkling water into a glass, I heard a knock at the door.
I ran to answer it, but before I could make it, Grant beat me to it and opened the door.
“Hello,” Grant practically purred, standing in the doorway with his arm blocking my view.
“Hi, I think I have the wrong room…” Caleb trailed off.
I couldn’t see his face, but he sounded different, a cross between sad and confused.
He got here in just under an hour after my arrival, so he must have driven after he picked up Noelle from school.
Taking the train would be at least an hour and a half, and that was if he caught the express.
“I don’t think so. Oh, Grace?” Grant singsonged, smirking. Bastard.
I walked around Grant, shoving him out of the way. The asshole chuckled and muttered, “You know I like it rough, Grace.”
“Caleb, wait!” I cried out as Caleb made his way back to the elevator.
“What the hell, Grace?” Caleb bellowed, widening his arms, incredulous. “Who the hell is he?”
“It’s not what it looks like.” I panicked, my voice quavering. This looked bad, but surely Caleb trusted me. I bit my lip and met his stare. “That’s Grant.”
You could hear a pin drop as Caleb pieced together everything I had told him about Grant. Then Caleb analyzed my face, searching for something. His eyes landed on my wet hair before darting behind me.
I spun to see Grant, leaning against the doorway, watching Caleb’s and my exchange.
“I regret to inform you, cowboy, but we fucked. It was so fucking sweet,” Grant taunted, licking his lips and then he brought his fingers to his nose and inhaled.
I closed my eyes, feeling a bad sense of déjà vu from the night Julia died.
“Grace?” Caleb questioned softly before grabbing my hand like he always did. This time, his movements were frantic, wild even. Gone was the level-headed man who trusted me unequivocally.
If he couldn’t handle seeing the tabloids about me, or his friends and colleagues seeing the tabloids, maybe he couldn’t handle me and my past after all.
Usually, I relished in the way Caleb looked at me. It would soothe any doubts I’d have about our differing worlds and the problems that lingered. But in this moment, he was looking at me like everyone else had looked at me prior. Like I was guilty.
“Did you sleep with him?” Caleb pressed, squeezing my hand, practically willing me to say the right thing.
I sucked on my teeth, closing my eyes to his intense stare. I took a moment before opening my eyes and I couldn’t help the tears that fell as I did. I mentally prepared myself for what I had to do.
“We did, man, and it was just like old times,” Grant called out behind me. I hated him. “You always remember your first.”
“Did you sleep with him?” Caleb demanded as he repeated his question, trying to ignore the asshole.
I nodded, a lump forming in the back of my throat. I figured I should take a minute before I ruined my future with this beautiful man in front of me.
“Yes. I slept with him.” I choked back the lie, but it came out along with smooth, hot tears streaming down my face. I longed for Caleb to see through my deception. For him to not believe me. I wouldn’t do that to us. But he thought I would.
And that was too much for me to bear. Caleb was like everybody else. He couldn’t see me .
“Wow,” Caleb breathed out, blinking back tears of his own as he dropped my hand from his grasp. Letting me go. Letting go of us.
“Caleb—” I called as he turned to the elevator. What the fuck am I doing?
Grant stalked beside me, slinging an arm around my shoulders. I pushed him away, so overwhelmed and disgusted, mainly with myself.
“What do you expect, man? She’s a slut. Might call Cordelia over later to only add to the party,” Grant yelled across the hall, so fucking smug.
Caleb spun around and pinned Grant against the wall. Grant might have been in good shape, but he was no match for muscular Caleb, who had at least three inches on him.
“Don’t fucking talk about her like that,” Caleb spat through gritted teeth, veins bulging from his neck. “Do it one more time. I fucking dare you.”
Grant had the audacity to laugh and say, “Do you know who my father is?”
“I don’t give a shit.” Caleb punched Grant in the jaw, knocking his head into the wall along with it.
“Do we have a problem here?” A security guard walked around me, removing Caleb from Grant. The guard helped Grant right himself before giving Caleb a dirty look.
“God, her pussy isn’t that good, cowboy,” Grant said, rubbing his jaw and cringing.
“I’m done.” Caleb threw his hands up and proceeded to press the elevator button, not even looking in my direction. I was too stunned by the turn of events to say anything. Nothing could help at this point.
Caleb shook his head and repeated, “I’m done,” as the doors to the elevator closed.