Chapter 30
Bad Bitch Scorned
? Be A Bitch - Maren Morris
Liam
Ruby curls up beside me on the sofa in the music room with a glass of wine in hand and her head resting against my chest. She’s wearing one of my shirts and a pair of knee-high socks with her hair thrown up into a haphazard bun that looks effortlessly sexy.
“So, what do we do now?” I ask.
She takes a deep breath and releases it, gesturing toward the notebook perched on the piano bench. “Now… I speak my piece.”
Ruby downs the rest of her wine and places the glass on the coffee table, sinking to the floor and grabbing the notepad and pen. She writes something but quickly scribbles it out. This repeats several times until she rips off the sheet of paper, scrunches it up, and tosses it across the room.
“You really need to stop throwing things when you’re pissed off.”
She raises a middle finger and pins me with a sardonic glare.
“Ok… what’s wrong?”
She throws her head back and groans. “I’m not sure how to say what I want to say without being a bitch.”
“So… be a bitch.”
“I can’t do that.”
I slide over to the center of the couch, caging her between my legs, and massage her back and neck.
She melts into my touch, moaning as I work out the tension in her shoulders.
“I’m gonna talk and you’re gonna listen.”
“Mmm. You can talk as long as you want if you keep touching me like that.”
I laugh and kiss the top of her head. “You fought like hell against the label that controlled you for years because they were stifling your voice. Why would you want to do that to yourself now?”
“I can’t just tell the world to fuck off, Liam.”
“Actually, you can. You can say whatever the fuck you want. Let the world see your hurt and frustration. Be the fierce, badass woman I’ve always known. Set aside the ‘Country Music Darling’ and show them the ‘Country Music Queen.’”
She glances back over her shoulder, chewing on the inside of her cheek. I rarely see her confidence waver, but her eyes betray her. “What if they don’t like the real me? What if I put out this big statement and it lights my entire career on fire?”
“Then we’ll stand in the ashes and watch it burn until we can build it back up the way it should’ve been all along. For what it’s worth, I think the people who truly matter saw the real Ruby the whole time. The authentic version of you underneath all the sparkle.”
I take her hand in mine and kiss her palm.
“I didn’t fall in love with the Ruby Lynn Hayes.
It was never the spotlight or the glamor.
I fell in love with the girl who skinny dips in the creek and snores in her sleep.
The girl who cries at happy endings and takes care of a little boy who never knew love from his own mother.
The girl I never should’ve wanted but took anyway because I couldn’t imagine my life without her in it.
People like Scarlet and her family, and the girl in the grocery store with your writing tattooed on her arm—they know your heart, Ruby. Let everyone else see it, too.”
She scrunches up her face as tears gather along her lashes. “I love you.”
“Never get tired of hearing it.” I press my lips to hers, pouring every ounce of my affection into the kiss. “Start writing. Don’t second-guess yourself. You can edit it later.”
She turns back to the notepad and sighs. “Ok. Let’s do this.”
The past week has thrown me into a tailspin. I’ve been trying to gather my thoughts into something that doesn’t sound trite or artificial, but the truth is, I don’t owe anyone an apology or an explanation.
You’ll get one anyway.
What you saw was an intimate moment between me and the man I have loved for a decade. It was recorded without our consent and released for no other reason than to satisfy the petty vendetta of a deranged woman.
I have been hurt and violated, but it’s so much more than that.
I’m furious.
I have been called a slut and a whore. I have been accused of leaking the footage myself as a publicity stunt. My reputation has been called into question, and I have been accused of sleeping my way through the music industry to get where I am today.
I was used and abused throughout my career so predatory men could exploit my talent to line their pockets. I won’t do it anymore. I never claimed to be above reproach, but I refuse to have my hard work discredited and debased in the name of moral superiority.
Had it been a man in the video with the woman he loves, he would have been lauded as some kind of hero. But when the world sees a woman taking control of her pleasure, she’s shamed and degraded.
You can try to tear me down, but I will not be reduced to a sex object to be used for men’s pleasure. My talent speaks for itself. I got where I am today because I worked my ass off to get here. How I choose to spend my time outside of the spotlight is my business.
Our intimate moment on a private beach behind our home was never meant for public consumption, but it’s out there, so I will leave you with one final thought.
Where I choose to take my pleasure is also none of your business, but sex on the beach isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Do with that information what you will.
Sincerely,
Ruby xo
Ruby puts out the statement on her social media, and less than an hour later, it’s headline news.
The reaction is mixed, with some news outlets doubling down on their earlier accusations.
The fan response, however, is overwhelmingly in Ruby’s favor, with millions of people speaking out in her defense.
Ruby doesn’t want to see any of it. She even kicks me out of the music room so she can write, and I go willingly.
I’d give her the goddamn ocean if she asked me to bottle it for her.
If all she needs is time, she’ll have it.
I’m not going anywhere. Ruby is my endgame now, and we’ll fight this battle together.
Ruby
With Liam’s encouragement, I was able to set aside my need to please everybody and say what I needed to say without guilt.
It’s incredibly cathartic, and it created a genuine spark of inspiration for my next album.
I’ve been waiting for one last song to round out the track list, and I think I finally have it.
I pull out my phone, hit record, and place it on the coffee table in front of me.
The feminine rage flows through me, and I let the lyrics take center stage.
Verse 1
You expect queens but you only build cages
Fed me lies to keep me in your good graces
Wanted pretty ‘til she’s pretty fuckin’ mad
Should’ve known I’d be the best you ever had
Chorus
They built me up
Just to tear me down. (down)
Called me queen
Just to steal my crown. (crown)
Put me on a pedestal
Baby, just to watch me fall.
But I won’t go quietly.
There’s nothing like a bad bitch scorned.
Verse 2
Thought I’d come crawling back, but I brought you to your knees
Stole my kingdom, now I’m taking back the keys
Your pretty lies are tasting bitter on your tongue
Had me in your sights but I’ve got the smoking gun.
Bridge
Now I’m under your skin,
And I’ll never let you win.
Strike the match just to watch it all burn.
Standing in the ashes
While the camera flashes
And you never saw it coming.
There’s nothing like a bad bitch scorned. (x2)
Chorus
They built me up
Just to tear me down. (down)
Called me queen
Just to steal my crown. (crown)
Put me on a pedestal
Baby, just to watch me fall.
But I won’t go quietly.
There’s nothing like a bad bitch scorned.
There’s nothing like a bad bitch scorned. (repeat 3x)
It’s not much with just me and my guitar, but I’m confident we can turn it into something truly special once we’re in the studio. When the last chord fades out, I stop the recording and send it to Abby. She’s my sounding board for everything, and if it’s terrible, she won’t hesitate to tell me.
Minutes later, my phone rings, and an absolutely feral version of my best friend comes over the line. “This has to be the next single! It’s amazing, Ruby. You sound like a fucking badass!”
“You think?”
“Your fans are going to eat this shit up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! From a PR perspective, now is the perfect time to release it. How soon can you get it recorded?”
“Whoa. Slow down. You really think I should release music in the middle of a scandal? Don't you think it’ll make it look like I orchestrated the whole thing?”
“Or it’ll look like a pissed off woman fighting back.”
A nervous flutter starts low in my belly.
I’ve never done this on my own. When I signed my first contract, I was a small-town nobody playing in downtown dive bars, auditioning for the occasional reality TV show until I got a lucky break.
In hindsight, maybe it wasn’t luck. Maybe the label executive who showed up to open mic night saw a naive girl who could be easily manipulated.
I lean forward and pinch the bridge of my nose. “Is it worth the risk?”
“Only one way to find out,” Abby says, clearly amused by my dilemma.
She’s always been my voice of reason. If she thinks we should do it, I’ll trust her judgment. “I have to go back to Nashville.”
“Yep. Time for your comeback, babe.”
I follow the well-worn path down the front steps to find Liam exactly where I expected him to be. My mind travels back to ten years ago, when he sat beside me on the tailgate with my battered guitar, writing the song that set all of these events into motion.
He almost kissed me that night. I wish he had. Maybe we wouldn’t have wasted ten years.
“I have to go back,” I murmur.
“I know.” He wraps his jacket around my shoulders and tugs me closer.
His warmth envelopes me as the cool air whispers across my cheeks. Quiet moments like this make it so much harder to leave.
I lean my head on his shoulder and inhale his woodsy scent. “I wish we could stay like this forever,” I whisper. “Maybe stop time for a little while.”
He turns his head and kisses my hair. “The world needs Ruby Lynn Hayes. I can wait. Even if it might actually kill me.”
I let out a humorless laugh, but inside, part of me is breaking.
I’m torn between the people I love and the career that fulfills me.
“Long distance isn’t the worst thing in the world.
People do it all the time.” The words are hollow at best. Everything feels meaningless when I can’t have my cake and eat it too.
Liam winces. “Being without you when I’m on shift is fucking agony. Longer than that and I might not survive.”
“I’ll only be an hour away. You can drive down for a visit whenever you want. Bring Aiden. I know some great places for kids.”
“And what about when you’re on tour?”
I shift until I’m straddling his lap. He leans back on his hands and gazes up at me.
“Just imagine all the fun we could have.” I smirk and trail my palm down his abs. “You on one side of the country, me on the other. Just our words and our hands. Almost like that first time.”
I infuse my voice with a sensual undertone, and his cock stiffens beneath my ass. I can almost see his mind replaying memories from the day he walked in on me pleasuring myself. It was one of the single hottest experiences of my life.
“If you don’t want me to fuck you right now, I suggest you stop talking,” he says gruffly.
I rock my hips against him.
“Ruby…” My name is a warning, but I take it as a challenge and do it again.
He palms my ass and flips our positions faster than I can register the movement.
“You know better than to tempt me when we’re outside where anybody can see us.” He hovers above me, his lips barely a breath away from mine. “I’m starting to think you like getting caught.”
I reach a hand between us and palm his erection. “Maybe I do.”
“Fuck, baby. We can’t.”
He sits up and pulls me with him. “I’m gonna miss the hell out of you, you know that?”
I cradle his jaw between my palms. “Me too. But we’ve done this before. Maybe we weren’t together then, but it still felt like I was missing a part of myself.”
“I wish I’d known you felt that way. Fuck. How many years have we wasted?”
“Too many. But we have plenty of time to make up for them.”
“I love you,” he whispers the words against my lips and brushes his nose against mine.
“I love you, too.”
Now that we’ve finally said it aloud, we’ve taken every opportunity we can to repeat it. It still feels like a dream every time.
“Take me inside,” I say. “Make love to me over and over again until the sun comes up. That way, while we’re apart, I can still remember how it feels to be completely consumed by you.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice.”