Deceitfully (Sinfully Series) (6 page)

“Being an accountant isn’t bad. At least you’re at a stable point in your life, and hey, you have your own house, which I guarantee half the other people don’t have. You may not be playing ball, but you have a good thing going for you. We all do. Now, we have four hours to catch up on today’s college games. Y’all can stay or go, but I’m not planning on leaving the couch until it’s time to get ready.” Settling back in the chair, I realized I was fucking starving and revised my statement. “I’ll only leave the couch to answer the door when the pizza guy comes. Other than that, I’m spending the day relaxing and having some downtime.”

Without argument, that was exactly how we spent the afternoon. It was the calm before the storm. Little did we know, everything would change that night and our lives would be forever transformed.

I INSTANTLY RECOGNIZED A handful of old friends the moment I stepped into the banquet room. Cheesy decorations and a huge
Class of ‘05
sign hung from the walls around the recently renovated room. Matt, Trevor, and their respective dates were already inside, never wanting to be late for anything.

“The guy with the least amount napkins at the end of the night buys a round. Only single, divorced, and separated women count. If you bang ‘em before the night is over, triple points. Got it?” Graham informed and questioned us. This game used to be fun. Cylas always lost but always ended up with a three-pointer somehow. Graham always brought in the most napkins but he was less picky than Cylas and I were.

“Look. That’s not what I came here for. More power to both of you if you want to play. I’m out.” Just as I started to walk away, the taunting started.

“You know you’re going to lose,” Graham teased. I kept walking but once I realized that Cylas hadn’t followed suit, I turned to see what was going on.

“Leave him alone. Maybe he’s got someone we don’t know about yet.” Cylas put his hand on Graham’s chest, motioning him to calm down.

“Or maybe, just maybe, he only wants one girl. He had her back then and lost her. Could that be the real reason?” Graham badgered.

I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about her a little. Where she lived, if she was seeing anyone, had she settled down with some other guy? I’d tried searching for Sophia online, but the girl was a ghost. It was like she didn’t know social media existed.

“Shut up, Graham. I just figured that after ten years, we’d have grown out of that high school bullshit. You do your thing, and I’ll do mine.” I tugged on my shirt and walked away, already pissed, and the night hadn’t started yet. People were huddled around tables, chatting and laughing about who knows what.

I made my way around, saying ‘hello’ and ‘how are you’ to anyone who stopped me. It was weird, seeing people who knew you when you were an adolescent, still trying to find their place in the world. So many people who were in a specific clique back then were now regular adults with mundane jobs. Everyone seemed so much more mellow and realistic. We were always told, ‘you can be anything you want as long as you put your mind to it,’ but in reality, most stayed in the same city, went to college like they were supposed to, and went on to work some typical job.

I could see Matt’s table from where I was standing, but Coach Weinman had stopped to ask what happened to my dreams of playing in the NFL. “Sometimes, it’s just not in the cards. I had a good run with the game, but it was time for me step aside. I love my job as a personal trainer and seeing my clients happy with their results means a lot to me. You taught us well, sir.” I kept my voice even and made sure to look him in the eyes, something he used to tell us to do so that we were taken seriously.

“As long as you’re happy, boy. You were always one of the good kids. Sounds like you’ve impacted quite a few folks. I’m proud of ya.” Patting my shoulder, he smiled and walked away. I couldn’t believe he was still teaching. He was reaching retirement age back when I was in school but still seemed to be doing what he loved.

As I made my way to Matt, I took note of who all was there and how everyone had changed. It astonished me how much people could change in ten years. A few of the girls there were clearly pregnant and others seemed like they had been ridden hard and hung up wet. Clearly, there were a few people who should be in an alcoholic support group, but overall, most of our class seemed pretty put together.

I was just about to sit at our table when I saw her. Sophia Fletcher. She’d been mine for only a few short weeks during my junior year before I caught her cheating on me with the running back of the football team. Our connection was intense, but the breakup was worse. I had actually let myself believe that she wanted to be with me and only me. Turned out, she just wanted to move up the social ladder.

I hadn’t talked to her since the beginning of senior year but seeing her now didn’t affect me like I thought it would. I had this idea in my head that this could be our second chance. I was curious about her, but if I’d seen her at the grocery store, I doubt I’d even stop to say hello. Time really did change things. If I didn’t go over there, I’d always wonder about her.

Matt saw me first, giving me a nod. I walked to his side of the table first, greeting his fiancée who was way too pretty for him. He’d hit the jackpot with her. Giving Matt a firm handshake, I looked around at the table and realized that I wasn’t ready for this. After being introduced to Hilary, Matt’s fiancée, Matt made the introductions and when it got to Sophia, he emphasized her relationship with Dylan, who was holding her affectionately to her side. He’d been an art nerd in school, but he seemed rather successful now. His suit was top notch and the watch he was wearing was at least three-hundred bucks. He had sophisticated glasses and his hair was pulled back with way too much product. The dude had ‘dick’ written all over him.

She eyed me like she wanted to fuck me but held on to his arm firmly. I gave her a wink, knowing how she used to comment on how panty-dropping it was and she blushed a crimson red. I smiled, realizing I still had at least some effect on her. While I didn't want anything to do with her long term, the flirty banter between us was still fun. She was wearing a silky black dress with her deep brown hair pulled into a bun. Draped in a diamond necklace and matching earrings, I could tell he was staking his claim.

Next to Dylan was Sophia’s sister. They were identical twins but couldn’t be more different from each other. Stella always seemed to be in the background of her sister’s success. Sophia was the straight-A, all-star athlete while, from what I knew, her sister was the introvert no one acknowledged. Stella wore a pale pink, floor-length dress that was classically conservative, all the while showing off her nice curves. She clasped her hands together on the table, and she tilted her head down slightly. She didn’t want to be here. I wondered if Sophia made her come?

“It’s been a while. Sophia, Dylan. Hilary, you look gorgeous. Matt is one lucky man.” I’d never taken the time to talk to her sister. “Sophia, what a pleasant surprise for you to bring your sister. How’s the night been for you guys?”

“As well as a high school reunion can be,” Dylan replied with indifference in his tone. Sophia elaborated and maintained some sort of body contact with Dylan at all times. Her body was stiff while she let Dylan discuss his job and how he had made partner so young. He was the lawyer and had gone on to become an elementary school teacher. I stopped listening after his first joke about connections and getting the job done. Something didn’t seem natural between the two of them.

My focus was on the deep brown eyes that were forbidden but just within reach. How had I never noticed her sister before? Stella caught me staring, but I wasn’t going to be ashamed. Her breasts rose and fell as her breathing started to deepen and all that mattered at that moment was her reaction to me.

The problem was that Sophia was watching me watch Stella. Why was she staring so intensely with him right next to her? She was obviously happy with the douche-nugget. She had upgraded from the athlete to the moneymaker who, if I had to guess, was oblivious to how she looked with her lips wrapped around her stir stick. Who was I kidding? Girls like her were with men like him for one reason and one reason alone. I had no fucking chance against him, and they were probably better suited for each other anyways. He was decent looking, but his stats on paper were premium.

It wasn’t long until the guys and Trevor’s wife made it to the table. Alcohol was flowing and I started to loosen up. Trevor’s wife, Cecelia, was a spitfire, and she was successfully able to keep my attention off the woman across the table. Cylas and Graham kept casually escaping to talk to random women, probably trying to get more napkins. They were here for a good time and had no real connections besides our group. This was just another night out but with repeats and second chances for them.

After an hour of nonstop chatting amongst the group, I excused myself to grab another beer. If the weather weren’t so wicked, I would have thrown in the towel and left by now. The roaring hail and gusting wind was enough to make me take cover and hunker down for another hour or two. As long as I had my beer and a bed, I was good for the night if needed.

From the looks of it, everyone else had the same idea. More and more people arrived, but no one was leaving. The weather and different ways to wait it out was the hot conversation topic throughout the banquet room and most were in agreement with me. This was the worst it had been in a while.

I hadn’t even made it five feet before a soft hand touched my hand, making me still and wonder if it could be? I prayed it wasn’t Sophia. Not everyone knew about our relationship, but everyone at our table was definitely in the know.

Turning slowly, I let out a sigh when I saw Stella. The one who paled in comparison to her sister during high school—but now? She had grown into a confident, beautiful woman who intrigued me. “Need a drink, too? I can grab you one?” I pointed at the bar, wondering if she was in need of more liquid encouragement to get through the night.

“She’s not worth it. They belong together, but you? You could do so much better,” Stella chimed in, arms crossed over her chest in a defensive move, even though it only highlighted her ample chest. She was a dainty thing, but she had an attitude, or a stick up her ass, from what I can tell.

“I know this; she’s the one who cheated on me.” I gave a small smile that caused her to relax. Was she trying to protect me or her sister?

“She was young and dumb. From the outside, it looks like she moved on. I saw how she was behind closed doors. All I’m saying is to be careful.” Her eyes pleaded before she lowered her head again and turned back to the table. I felt a loss as I watched her walk away, but she had no idea.

Did Stella really have no idea that she was the one I kept staring at, not her sister? Sophia and I hadn’t vocalized much between the two of us, letting Dylan do the talking for us instead. The man was so egotistical, he had no idea his girl was eye-fucking a guy three feet away from him. She really was ballsy.

Sophia did seem content with him, though. I didn’t know how long they’d been together, but maybe her sister was right. I made my way to the bar, thinking about how my life had changed from high school. I was the guy who nailed her for a month when we were seventeen and was tossed aside when an upgrade came along. I should have learned eleven years ago that we weren’t meant to be. I seriously needed to get away from that bunch.

Just as I started to head back to the table to say my goodbyes, six quick
zings
rushed behind me and the screams were deafening. Smoke was beginning to fill the room and just as I looked back, more bullets rushed through the air. What was happening and where was the smoke coming from? I didn’t smell or see a fire, but with how quickly it was filling the room, we were all in trouble. People screamed, both from being shot and out of sheer panic. The disarray was everywhere.

People were on the floor, under tables, and running for the exits. They were stepping on each other, fending for themselves, as I cowered, trying to figure out what to do. Instincts told me to run with everyone else, but I couldn’t. My friends were in the middle of the pandemonium and leaving them behind wasn’t an option. I couldn’t be the man who got out while others fought helplessly for their lives. The saying about it was what you did for others that was remembered when you were dead and gone. Something like that.

Breathing hurt like a bitch as I made my way toward what I thought was the right direction. At that moment, I looked down and saw Rachel’s body on the ground, lifeless and bloodied. Gunshot wound to the head was a sight I’d never get out of my head. I started to bend down to say goodbye, to hold her one last time, but I knew I couldn’t. I needed to help those who could still be saved. A mix of fear and adrenaline coursed through me as I made my way to familiar faces. I couldn’t hear well due to the ringing in my ears, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. That damn smoke wasn’t only making it hard to see, but there was a chemical in it. I didn’t know what, but it was doing some kind of damage to everyone in the room.