Chapter 40
So You Want to Play
JESSICA
“Girl, you’re in so much trouble, mmhhmm,” Auntie taunts behind me as she freshens my hair. “I saw the way those two men looked at you. That Larson Alpha has some competition. Yes, he does.” A chorus of hmms and amens come from the other women in the room.
I roll my eyes at Auntie through the mirror. “Alpha Larson? Why him?”
“Girl, the chemistry radiating off the two of you last night was so obvious.”
A harsh laugh burst from my mouth. “Chemistry?! I fainted. We barely had an exchange.”
“Oh, no, girl. There was chemistry. He caught you before you hit the ground and then kissed you like he was waking you up from a cursed coma. Mmmm, I wished I was you. That hunk of a man can save me from a coma any day.”
Collective sighs emit from a few others. I shake my head.
“He kissed me? This isn’t a fairy tale.”
One of Auntie’s assistants lightly smacks her arm. “He kissed your temple, but it was so sweet. He was genuinely concerned about you.”
“It should have been on her lips. He is sex on a stick! Yummy!” Auntie exclaims.
Butterflies in my low belly flutter when I think about his body all over mine this morning. Stop it, I tell myself. I need to focus on this game.
“You’re blushing, baby girl. That means I’m right. You felt it, too. Don’t deny it.”
“I wasn’t in a coma,” I grumble. Auntie laughs and turns my chair to work on my makeup next.
“I have to say I kind of like the Oriental one. What’s his name? I liked how you were with him, too. I think he was holding back—that look in his eyes. Girl, he wanted to eat you up!”
“Owen. His name is Owen.”
“I’m rooting for the Rhineheart Alpha,” a woman on Auntie’s team chimes in. “He is so handsome, and you could see the hearts in his eyes when he looked at you.”
“Chemistry,” Auntie cheers.
“There was no chemistry. It was an awkward exchange.” I contort my face as she runs a brush over my cheeks.
“Yes, there was,” she sings. “I saw the way you looked at him, too. There’s something there.
I can feel it. Oh, and mmh, that judge is hot.
If you’re going to end up with one of those old biddies in that room over there,” she points to an empty space with the brush, “it’s him.
He can sentence me to a life of just staring at him. Mmm... mmm... mmm.”
I can’t help but laugh at her antics.
“My favorite part was when you punched that asshat, Terrell Beck, in the face.” Another woman joins in the conversation.
Auntie scrunches her face and groans. “Terrell Beck,” she spits.
I snort in response. “I almost felt bad for punching him and then kneeing him in the balls until I realized who he was.”
Raucous laughter fills the room.
“Thank you for that!” Sixes says from the doorway. “Been wanting to do that for a long time.” She closes the door behind her.
“You and a bunch of other women, I’m sure,” Auntie adds.
I remember Sixes telling me what he did to her. Are there more women?
“I’ll pay someone, anyone, to keep that bit in the show. He deserves it, that piece of shit!” one of the women exclaims as she slams a drawer shut.
I glance around the room, surprised at the animosity written all over their faces.
“Wait a minute.” I grab Auntie’s hand, stopping her from adding more makeup to my face.
Sixes stands there, spine straight, eyes reflecting anger and hurt.
“It wasn’t just you?” I ask, scanning the room, slowly this time.
The women avert their eyes, silent, unwilling to answer.
Are they ashamed? Sixes steps closer to the center of the room.
“I know what this will sound like, coming from someone whose brother is a notorious lover boy, but Charlie never played games or toyed with someone’s emotions.
Everyone knew, with him, it was only a one-night stand or a relationship that never lasted past a week.
While some hoped they could be the one, Charlie was always honest about his feelings, and he never pursued anyone.
But for Terrell Beck, it was always a game.
He uses women just to collect a notch under his belt,” Sixes announces.
One of the women puts away brushes and hair styling tools. By her face alone, I could tell she was a victim of Terrell Beck, too.
“Well, then what are we going to do about it?” I ask everyone. They all freeze and slowly turn their heads in my direction. “Will we let him get away with it or give him a taste of his own medicine?” I fix my gaze on Sixes. “I say we expose him for all the shit he did.”
Auntie whoops, and cheers break out around the room.
Sixes types on her phone. “I’m recruiting some of the guards to find some dirt on Terrell Beck. I’ll bet my right boob that he has a hidden motive for being here, and we’re going to use that to our advantage.”
“After we get the information we need to hang his ass by the balls, reach out to Christian. He’ll know how to set it all up without alerting the producers.
I want you all involved, too, and anyone else he hurt.
” I spin my chair around to face the team and hold eye contact with every single one of them.
“I think it’s time that the player meets his match.
” I waggle my brows. Sixes's grin widens.
Dressed, makeup and hair refreshed, I move to the next set for more introductions. Movement down the corridor catches my eye. Carmen talks to Christian and Shadow.
In my mind, I replay what Shadow told me last night. Tyler. You called me that once. I watch the three of them interact, stifling a scoff. Shadow looks ready to strangle Carmen. Christian elbows Shadow playfully.
My entire body responds when a deep, genuine laugh spills from Shadow’s lips.
I remember that laugh. I loved the way his face used to light up, the crinkles forming around his eyes. The robotic, plastic behavior melted away. Some part of me felt pride that I may have contributed to that, until it was gone because of what I did.