Truth or Dare (4 page)

Carson wouldn't let go of my hand. “Then, we're all going to the bar.” He flashed a smile at me. “I see I rubbed someone the wrong way and I've got some making up to do.”

Damien didn't wait for them to reply as he grabbed Kennedi's hand and pulled her. “Come on, ladies. Drinks are on me!”

S
o, Carson had redeemed himself and I was actually having a good time. Damien was keeping us entertained at the bar with his impressions of the hottest movie stars. This boy was good, and I definitely could see him on the big screen one day.

Shay had even been cool, laughing and cracking up at Damien's impressions. Finally, she glanced at her watch. “Hey, shouldn't Evian be back by now?”

I looked at my cell phone as well, since no one else seemed concerned. The guys were taking shots. And a couple of girls were hanging right along with them. I was the only one not really drinking. I wasn't a prude, but I couldn't stand the yucky way liquor made me feel so I stuck to my Shirley Temple. Besides, I never needed anything taking me off my A game. Everyone else, though, was getting hammered. Even Kennedi was giggling like some second-grader and Sheridan was asleep with her head on the bar, after only one drink.

“They've only been gone about an hour,” I said.

“Yeah, but . . .” Shay shook her head like she was seriously worried. I couldn't understand how she and Evian had gotten to be so close. They couldn't be more different. Shay was an around-the-way, new-money girl, and Evian was an old-money princess type.

“But nothing. Y'all are forgetting where you are,” Carson said, sliding back over to me. He was buzzed but nothing too bad. “You're in Cancun,” he continued. “It's all about a good time. I guarantee you ol' girl decided to hook up with that guy. They probably got to talkin' and now she's off doing her own thing and you guys are worried about where she is.”

“He was so not Evian's type,” Shay said.

I definitely wasn't stressing over Evian of all people, but that was a little strange that she would be gone that long with a random dude. I'd seen Marcus follow Evian, so I decided to go call him.

“Excuse me,” I said, standing up. “I need to make a call.”

“Who are you calling in Cancun?” Kennedi asked.

“Yeah, do you have any idea how much that's gonna cost?” Damien said, his voice slurred.

“Sweetie, when you're Maya Morgan you don't worry about roaming charges and long-distance charges.”

“That's what I'm talking about,” Carson said as I walked off.

I eased off to the side of the bar and punched in Marcus's number. His voice mail picked up. “Hey, Marcus,” I said, leaving a message. “Where are you? Call me and let me know what's up. Evian hasn't gotten back yet and I was just wondering where she went.”

I had just hung up the phone when I saw Marcus inside the hotel at the bar, flirting with someone.

I swung open the hotel door and marched over to him. “Marcus?”

“Oh hey, Maya, what's up?” He looked up with a big, cheesy grin across his face as he set his drink down on the bar. Some woman with her boobs hanging out of a teeny bikini was latched onto his arm.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

He motioned toward the woman, who did a little shimmy. “What does it look like I'm doing? I'm about to have a little fun in Cancun myself.”

“Excuse me, we're supposed to be working,” I said in a shushed tone so the woman wouldn't be all up in our business.

“Not around the clock. And correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you out there kickin' it with your friends? I'm entitled to a little fun, too.”

“Yeah, but you were supposed to be getting video of Evian and that guy.” I shook my head in frustration. My other cameraman, Quincy, would've never done this.

“And I did get video.”

“Okay, so where are they?” I asked.

“I don't know,” he said, the expression on his face wondering why I was even questioning him. “Look, you told me to get video of them. That's what I did. It was actually quite boring because they were just walking and talking, so I got some video and when they went in the hotel, I bounced.”

“What do you mean when they went in the hotel?”

“Just what I said. They went in the hotel.” He pointed toward the front door. “The one across the street. Probably to get their freak on.”

“Yeah, like we are trying to do,” the woman said, giggling as she leaned in to stick her nasty tongue in his ear.

Tramp.

Marcus licked his lips at her then turned back to me. “So, look here, I did what you needed me to do. I'm off the clock. If your girl hasn't returned, then chances are she's up in ol' boy's room doing what I'm trying to do.”

“Ugh!” I rolled my eyes and stomped off.

I couldn't be completely mad because Marcus had made it clear that he planned to enjoy himself while he was here. But that was still messed up for Marcus to just leave her like that.

“Where have you been?” Kennedi asked once I went back outside. No one knew that Marcus was an undercover cameraman, so I couldn't say anything, not even to my BFFs.

“I just went to go check on something.” I glanced around, hoping Evian had returned while I was gone. “So Evian still hasn't made it back?”

“No,” Shay said.

Sheridan finally raised her head. Her eyes were bloodshot, but she did manage to say, “I knew this game was stupid. You guys sending her off with some strange guy.”

“I didn't send her anywhere,” the girl who flashed her breasts said. “I don't even know that chick. Come on, Crystal.” She motioned for her friend and they got up and left.

“Would you girls chill?” Carson said. “It's not too far she could've gone. I guarantee you she's somewhere kickin' it and you guys are all up in her business.”

“Fine,” I said.

“It's your fault she went off anyway,” Shay said, appearing next to Carson.

“
My
fault? I didn't put a gun to her head and make her do anything,” I told Shay.

“Whatever.”

“Look, I'm tired of all of this bickering. We are supposed to be having fun,” Kennedi said. “All this fighting is blowing my buzz.”

“I think I'm gonna be sick,” Sheridan moaned, grabbing her stomach.

“Come on, I'll take you back to the room,” I told her. See, this was exactly why I didn't get drunk. Now, Sheridan was all sick and stuff. Who wanted that?

“I'm just gonna stay . . .” She leaned over the barstool and threw up everywhere.

“Uggh!” several people shouted as they jumped out of the way.

I was beyond disgusted, but I walked to one side to help her up. Kennedi went to the other. I almost dropped her because I jumped out the way as she got ready to throw up again.

Carson caught her before she hit the ground. “Come on. I got you. I'll help you back to your room.”

I was grateful because I didn't do vomit. Just as we were about to leave, Shay said, “So wait, you guys are just going to leave before Evian gets back?”

“Evian isn't our responsibility,” Kennedi said.

“That's foul. But foul needs to be your middle name,” Shay told me. “And I guess birds of a feather,” she added, turning her nose up at Sheridan and Kennedi.

“Whatever.” I turned to Carson. “Let's get her back to the room and in the bed.” We headed inside and left Shay and Princeton at the bar. She could sit there all night and wait on Evian for all I cared. My awesome night had ended in a bust.

I
knew I should've followed my gut and just stayed in the room when we put Sheridan to bed. But I'd let Carson convince me to take a walk with him on the beach. Kennedi had passed out right along with Sheridan. As the only one who wasn't drunk, I wasn't sleepy, so I hadn't been ready for bed. I think that's the only reason I gave in.

But we hadn't been walking for ten minutes before I started feeling like this had been a bad idea. Now, I knew without a doubt that it was. Carson had had way too much to drink. And everything I'd found charming about him just a few hours ago was getting on my last nerve.

“So, you know I'm feeling you,” he said, walking as he kept trying to put his arm around me. There were a few other couples walking along the beach and a few frolicking in the water, but other than that, the beach was deserted, which was kind of shocking since it was only around two in the morning.

I removed his arm for the fifteenth time. “You know, you don't know me well enough to know if you're feeling me or not.”

“But you're beautiful and . . .” He stepped back and looked me up and down like some kind of old creep. “. . . and fine as all get out.”

I don't know what I ever saw in him. Yes, he was cute. But that was it. They say liquor brings out the true person. I was glad that I had seen it in Carson so now I didn't have to waste any more of my trip with him.

“Well, I think I'm going to get on back,” I said.

“Why are you trippin'? You acting all stuck up and everything. It's just me and you. Your girls are out for the night.” Carson stepped closer to me. “We up under the Mexico moonlight and need to take advantage of it.” Then, this fool actually tried to lean in and suck on my neck. Disgusting!

“Ugh,” I said, stepping out of his way. “Personal space? You're all up in it!”

“Come on, lil mama. Let's go back to my room.”

I pushed him away. Harder this time. “First of all, I'm not a
lil mama
and second of all, I don't know you like that.”

“Well, you can get to know me,” he said, laughing as he tried to pull me into a bear hug. His breath stank from all the liquor he'd been drinking.

“Get up off of me!” I said, pushing him back.

“Oh, so now you gon' be some kind of stuck-up skank?”

“I got your stuck-up skank!” I snapped. I took a deep breath. I didn't need to be getting upset over this buster. “You know what, I'm going back to my room,” I said, pushing him out of my way. I couldn't stand thirsty guys, and Carson was acting like he was straight dehydrated.

He lost his smile and pointed a finger in my face. “Look, I don't like girls that try to be teases.”

His whole tone was out of order and I was so done. “Yeah, and on that note, I'm out,” I said. I turned and walked away. Enough of trying to be nice to him. He could fall out sloppy drunk for all I cared. I was done with him. Maya Morgan didn't do thirsty, and she dang sure didn't do sloppy drunk and rude.

“Come here, girl. This ain't over.” He reached out and grabbed my arm. “Do you know I coulda had any pick of the chicks out here?”

I looked at his hand on my arm, then up at him, then back at his hand. Then, I gently removed his hand. “Well, that's good to know. Now go pick up somebody else,” I said.

I turned and walked away again. This time, he grabbed my arm a lot harder. “I said, you ain't going nowhere.”

“Hey! Have you lost your mind?” I said, jerking away from him.

He snatched me toward him, then flung me to the ground. I felt sand creeping all up in my back. I screamed just as he jumped on top of me and covered my mouth.

“Lil uppity slut! I'm not playin' with you! You not gonna sit here and have me wasting all my time!”

“Get off of me,” I tried to scream as I hit at him. I didn't know what he was about to do, but I knew that whatever it was, he was going to have to kill me to get it done because although I wasn't a fighter, I was about to go straight Laila Ali on him. I hit him with everything I could, but it wasn't enough. His strength overpowered me, and it felt like I wasn't making any progress. In fact, it seemed like my fighting was only making him angrier. I was just about to try and knee him in his groin when I heard him scream as someone yanked him off of me.

“Get off of her!” the voice said. I looked up to see Bryce pulling Carson away. He flung Carson to the ground and then immediately jumped on him and started hitting him in the face. “You want to manhandle somebody? Manhandle me!” Bryce said as he pummeled Carson.

I scurried up, and it was then that I noticed Callie standing there in shock.

“Bryce, stop!” Callie screamed, reaching over and pulling at his arm. “Stop before you hurt him!”

Hurt
him?
I wanted to say. This fool was trying to rape me and she was worried about Bryce hurting him?

“Let me go,” Bryce said, jerking away from Callie. But it was enough of a distraction for Carson to jump up and take off running.

“Come back here, you punk!” Bryce yelled after him.

By that point, I had pulled myself off the ground and was struggling not to cry. I'd been accosted once before, by some deranged stalker in the mall, but I'd never come this close to being seriously attacked, especially by someone I was on a date with.

“Are you okay?” Bryce asked, coming to my side. He lifted my chin and studied my face.

“Yeah, yeah, I'm all right,” I said, trying to brush some of the sand off of me. “He was just drunk and completely trippin'.”

“Who is that?” Bryce asked.

“I don't know.” I shrugged. “Some guy from Atlanta that I was hanging out with.”

Bryce gave me a chastising look, and for a moment our eyes met. I know we had fallen out, but he looked—I don't know, scared for me. We stood eyeing each other until Callie cleared her throat.

“Okay, Superman,” she said. “You've saved the damsel in distress, so can we continue our romantic walk on the beach?”

I didn't even bother acknowledging her. She wasn't worth my eye space, so I simply told Bryce, “Thanks a lot. Who knows what that creep would've done.”

“Where's Mann?” he asked, referring to my part-time bodyguard.

“At home. I wasn't trying to go on my spring break trip with my bodyguard.”

He shook his head. “You know, with the show and all, you can't be running around with strange guys,” Bryce said. I didn't know if he was saying that out of jealousy or concern, but either way, it brought a smile to my face.

“I know, I shouldn't have been out here, but don't worry. I'm a big girl. I can handle myself.” Even as I said it, I thought about what could've happened if Bryce hadn't come along.

Again, Callie cleared her throat, not bothering to hide her attitude.

“So, where are you about to go?” Bryce asked.

“I'm trying to go back to my room.”

Bryce said, “Why are you by yourself anyway? Where's your crew?”

“They're back in the room asleep. I was just . . .” Suddenly, I felt so stupid. “You know what? I'm cool. I'm just gonna go back to my room”

“You can't walk out here by yourself,” he said.

I looked around the beach. Carson was gone, but who knew if he would come back. The few couples that were out were gone. “Yeah, I know.” Normally, I would've played it all big and bad, but Carson really had me scared and I didn't want to be out here alone.

“We'll walk you back,” Bryce announced.

Callie's head spun around like she was in a horror movie.

“We can't let her walk by herself,” Bryce protested. “What if that creep comes back?”

“Really, Bryce?” she said.

“No, it's cool. I'll be all right.” I wasn't in the mood for drama, and I was two seconds from telling Callie about herself.

“No,” Bryce said like it wasn't up for discussion. “I wouldn't let you walk by yourself, Callie, and I'm not going to let her walk by herself. We'll just make sure she gets back okay, and then we can come back.”

She kept her lips poked out and her arms folded, but I could tell by the determined look on Bryce's face that he didn't care. So, I couldn't help it. I leaned in, hugged Bryce, and said, “Thanks. You always come through for me.” Then I smiled as he began leading me down the beach.