High Stakes (A Deal With The Devil)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Bella

He’s torn, I can see the conflict playing out in his eyes, and right as I think he’s about to stop, he lunges forward, groaning. I cry out in surprise. Aiden stills, gently rubbing his nose against mine, “It’s okay,” he reassures me, “You’re fine. Breathe.”

I take a shuddering breath as the pain continues burning between my legs. It’s done. I’m finally rid of my virginity. I don’t feel as elated as I thought I would. “You okay?” he whispers, placing kisses along my jaw. I swipe away the tears trickling down my cheeks and he stares at me with concern. “Bella?”

I nod, not trusting myself to speak. He kisses the tear trails, whispering words of encouragement. “I’m going to move again,” he warns me, and I immediately stiffen. He laughs a little, “Relax, Bella. It gets better, I promise.”

I take another calming breath and give a nod before turning my head to the side to avoid his kisses. This is a transaction, and I don’t want his nice words or his tender kisses.

He buries his face into the crook of my neck, and I close my eyes, resisting the urge to hold him. Instead, I stuff my hands under my backside, preventing me from touching any part of him as he moves faster. “You feel amazing,” he whispers. I swallow the bile in my throat. “I need to switch,” he adds, gripping me tighter and turning us so he’s lying on his back and I’m now sitting over him. I notice the blood on the sheets and wonder if he chose white on purpose. He grips my hips hard enough to bruise, and he guides me to move. I wince as more pain rips through me. I feel fuller this way and it’s uncomfortable. He takes my hands and places them against his clammy chest. But it gives me leverage to lift, like he’s shown me. I move more freely, and he releases his hold on my hips, sliding his hands to my breast instead, pinching my nipples .

There’s a warmth in the pit of my stomach. It whirls around until I feel the familiar buzz of an orgasm. I’m on the brink and Aiden notices, moving his thumb between my legs and pressing against my clit. I cry out, shaking uncontrollably. It feels different this way, more intense and out of control. Aiden slams up into me, chasing his own release as I come down from mine. He growls, his face contorting in pleasure, looking more beautiful than I’ve ever seen before. I hate that.

He stiffens, tugging me to lie against him as he empties into me. His chest rises and falls with exertion and we both still, reeling in our own thoughts.

I hear footsteps and Aiden shifts slightly. I glance back, and Drake has the decency to look uncomfortable. JP appears beside him but immediately covers his eyes, “Jesus, cover her up,” he snaps.

Aiden pulls a sheet over us, taking my face gently in his hand and turning me to look at him. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. If I didn’t already know why he was apologising, I’d be so confused by now. I almost feel sorry for the na?ve, unsuspecting me. Relieved I saved her in time. “Sign the paper’s Drake,” he snaps.

“Why are you sorry?” I whisper, wiping more tears. They escape, dripping from my face and onto his bare chest .

“I didn’t lock the door,” he whispers, wiping my cheek.

A sob leaves me, and I’m unable to hold back as I climb from him. He gently touches my back, “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” He sounds worried, which makes everything feel so much worse. I rush to my room, slamming the door and locking it.

I cry until my body aches and my heart is shattered. Aiden doesn’t try to come in and console me. Why would he? He’s got what he needs. I perch on the edge of the bed, still wrapped in the white sheet from Aiden’s bed. I feel humiliated and embarrassed. A part of me thought he’d confess, that he wouldn’t take it all the way. And when it became obvious, he wasn’t going to, I went along with it. Why did I do that? Why did I think it would feel better? Finally, being free? It doesn’t. It comes with shame and hurt. I groan, rubbing my hands over my tired face.

I’m not sure how long I sit there staring at the floor, but I’m interrupted when there’s a light tap on the door. “Bella, let me in. I’m worried.”

It’s a little late to start worrying now , I think, bitterly. I ignore him, and head to my shower. I need to wash him from me. I can smell his aftershave; it makes me feel sick.

Half an hour later, I dress slowly in jeans and an oversized jumper, feeling a mixture of nerves and emptiness. I unlock my door, surprised to see Aiden sat on the floor, leaning against the wall opposite my room. His head is in his hands. Good , I hope he feels like shit. He looks up, worry marring his perfect features. “Bella, are you okay?” he asks, scrambling to his feet. His eyes land on my bag and he frowns. I pass him, heading straight to his room to collect my clothes from the floor, stuffing them in with the rest of my stuff.

He lingers in the doorway, and I face him, making sure to look him in the eye. “When I first met Jake,” I begin, wincing at how raspy my voice sounds from all my tears. “I thought he was a bit of a twat.” I give a slight laugh, and he stares down at his feet. “He came in every day. Made crap jokes, ate a chocolate cupcake, just hung around. Aria thought he fancied me,” I smirk at the memory of her teasing me whenever he came in. “I warmed to him,” I admit. “In the end.”

“What’s this got to do with Jake?” he mutters.

“I forgot,” I say, sadly, “You don’t like to talk about your brother. But you should,” I tell him, “It keeps his memory alive. Remembering all his quirks, his pranks, and the places you hung out together,” I add. “I bet you have plenty of those, especially here.” He finally looks up, his eyes meeting mine. “I never thought Jake would turn out to be so scheming,” I mutter, with disappointment lacing my tone. I zip up my bag and lift it from the bed. “I should have trusted that first instinct. He was a twat.” Aiden briefly closes his eyes, and I imagine he’s feeling less smug over his conquest. “I know the truth,” I finally admit.

I shove past him and head into the living room. “God,” I cry, “All those times I told him about my fucking shitty dates,” I snap, angrily. “In exchange for tales of his escapades with his brother. With you!” I yell, stabbing a finger to his chest. “All along he was plotting, weighing me up, seeing if I could be the one to tame his slag of a brother. Every story, every line, it was just to reel me in so he could drag me into this childish game,” I scream.

Aiden holds his hands up in a defensive manor. “He was trying to make us both happy.”

“Great,” I cry, “How’s that working out for you because I don’t feel fucking happy right now,” I yell. He closes the gap between us, reaching for me but I shake my head, “Don’t fucking touch me.”

He steps back, pressing his lips together in a firm line. I’ve never seen him so quiet. It’s a nice change and if I didn’t already know the deceiving, lying prick, I’d think he looked like a nice guy .

I take a breath. “If you’d have just told me, Aiden. If you’d have just said you needed my help, I’d have given it to you. It was never that important to me.” He keeps his eyes trained to the floor, but I see the way my words hurt him in how he clenches his jaw. “I wanted to be friends with you, maybe more, but I would have been happy at friends.”

I head for the door. “Where will you go?” he asks.

I shrug. “I would rather sleep in a shop doorway than be around you for another second.” I place my door key on the small table and pull it open. “I hope it was worth it. This club is amazing, and I get the appeal. But when the lights go up, and the party stops, you’re just a sad, lonely man. And eventually, when the novelty wears off, you’ll look around and see the reality. No one cares about you, Aiden. Laurie is a married woman that won’t ever leave her husband, at least, not for you, because she left you to go to him. And your friends get their kicks by watching you make a shit show of your life. If they were good people, they’d have stopped all of this to tell you that what you could have with me, would be worth it.”

Aiden

She closes the door gently. A part of me wished she’d slam it, because anger is way better than disappointment. I rest my forehead against it and release a long breath. Of course she fucking knew. It makes sense now. The songs. The way she behaved at dinner. How didn’t I see it?

I growl angrily, slamming my fist into the drywall over and over. It breaks, and I shake my hand, wincing as pain radiates through my knuckles. “Are you happy, Jake?” I yell, looking up like he’ll magically appear. “Is this how it was supposed to end?”

I pace the apartment. I should be happy now, the club is mine, along with some of the other smaller businesses. But I feel like crap knowing I’ve hurt her.

After half an hour, I head downstairs, unable to resist the urge to drown my sorrows any longer. JP is behind the bar. He looks up when the elevator opens and I see his eyes are full of regret, just like mine. “Whiskey bottle,” I grate out, taking a seat.

He grabs it, placing it on the bar. “She knew, didn’t she?” he asks. “I saw it in her eyes.”

“Not now, JP,” I mutter, unscrewing the cap and gulping a few mouthfuls from the bottle.

“She couldn’t even look me in the eye,” he says sadly. “She marched out of here looking full of shame. We did that to her,” he snaps. “And by the looks of you, it doesn’t feel like you thought it would.”

I slam the bottle down. “Fuck you. ”

“I told Raff this was a bad idea, and we should call it off. How are we gonna carry on as if it didn’t happen?”

I snatch the bottle up and head for the office, I can’t deal with his shit right now. I just want to get wasted.

I lift my head up from the desk, blinking a few times to clear the fog. Fuck, how much did I drink? I lift the bottle, bringing it closer for inspection and noticing it’s empty. I smirk. That explains why my head is pounding and my mouth’s dry.

The office door swings open, and I make out a blurry figure, soon realising its Aria by the enraged screaming coming from her. I wince, holding up my hand while I sit straighter. She becomes clearer and I offer a smile. She doesn’t return it, instead glaring at me. “Well, get it over with,” I slur.

“You fucking piece of shit,” she yells, and her hand stings my face as it connects.

JP pulls her back, holding her arms by her sides. “Enough,” he warns.

“Why would you do that? What did she ever do to you?”

“Let her go,” I mutter. I deserve her anger .

JP releases her and she spins on him, shoving him back. “Did you know?” she asks. He stares down at the ground, placing his hands on his hips. She gasps, slamming her hands over her open mouth. “Oh my god, you did,” she whispers.

“I’m sorry-” he begins but she slaps him too, screaming in anger.

“Fuck you,” she yells. “You’re all pathetic.”

“We had no choice,” I mutter, already sick of her screeching. “Shouldn’t you be with her?”

She scoffs, “Yeah, I should, Aiden. But you know what, she’s so heart broken and ashamed, she won’t tell me where she is. She doesn’t want to see anyone, not even me.” My heart twists painfully. I hate that she’s on her own. “I can’t believe what you’ve done,” she whispers, “It’s so fucked up.”

“She’ll get over it,” I mutter. “No one suffers with a broken heart forever.”

Aria screams again, this time tipping over my drink’s cabinet. The contents crashes to the floor, smashing and spilling out. I stare at the mess, unable to find the strength to be pissed. “She’ll never trust a man again. You did that. I hope it keeps you awake at night. I hope you never find happiness again. You don’t deserve it.” She spins on her heel, and JP steps in front of her .

“Please, Ari, just hear me out.”

“I never want to see either of you again. Ever.” And she marches around him and leaves.

“That went well,” I mumble, lying my aching head back on the desk.