“It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
Brad looked at me sternly. “Tyler, if someone is breaking into your house and leaving notes like that, you need to report it to the police.”
I felt a sudden panic rise out of nowhere. “It’s fine, honestly. I’m taking care of it.” I smiled at Brad, but I didn’t think he was buying it.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a card. “I want you to take this and promise me you’ll call me if something like that ever happens again. Day or night, you can reach me. Okay?”
Taking the card, I nodded my head, but felt a little tingle at his concern for me. Suddenly, Brad looked even more irresistible than when we first met.
“I really appreciate you looking out for me. Thank you.”
Brad smiled and caressed my cheek. “I’m sorry I never stuck around long enough to hear you out. To be honest with you, I’ve been wondering for days what you meant.”
Before I could answer, I felt a tap on my shoulder. “Here you go, Tyler. A nice glass of bubbly, courtesy of the Great Gatsby.” Louisa winked and handed me the glass.
“The Great Gatsby?” Brad asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Tyler thought it up because we don’t have a clue who owns this place.”
“Who does own this place?” I looked at Brad, hoping he would be able to shed some light.
“I have no clue. I’m friends with John and he invited me. He said he’s been wanting to come for months, then an invitation turns up at his house.”
Louisa gasped. “Exactly the same as me.”
The only thing I could do was frown. “This seems weird. We’re not in a Saw movie where someone will pop out in a mask, asking everyone to hack each other’s legs off, are we?”
Both Louisa and Brad laughed. “It does sound a little strange,” he replied. “I suppose we’ll soon find out.”
Just as he said this, the sound of the door opening interrupted our conversation. Two men walked in. Again, both looked handsome, one more than the other, but I guess that was just my taste. The more appealing one had dark, spiky hair and sparkling blue eyes. He was extremely tall and muscular, with the most impressive five o’clock shadow I had ever seen. The instant I saw him, I gasped, thinking for a moment that my Dean was finally here to whisk me away.
He looked across the room and immediately spotted me, fixing me with an intense glare. It was so hypnotic, I didn’t even notice Brad had put his arm around me until he tugged me into him. I couldn’t help rolling my eyes.
Pretty soon, the intense glare was off me and he went on his way, the smaller, darker man trailing behind him. He completely passed me without a second glance and went to talk to the crowd of people in the corner of the room, including the two other girls. They practically jumped through the roof when he approached. I suppose it wasn’t my Dean after all.
“That was rude. Who was that?” I looked at Brad, John, and the others, but they all just shook their heads.
“I guess he’s just another guest,” John finally said.
“More like a pompous arse,” I huffed.
“Don’t worry about him.” Brad smiled and pulled me into him a little bit more. “We’ll keep you company.”
I smiled up at Brad as the man from earlier came in to announce that dinner was served. I had to admit, I was a little intrigued as to what we would find when we got there.
We were all ushered into a rather large room, an absolutely humungous table sitting regally in the centre. The plates, knives, forks, everything was placed neatly on the table. Bottles of champagne, white and red wine were resting neatly in the middle, as everyone took their seats. I made sure to sit next to Louisa, and Brad made sure he was sitting next to me. Pete reached out to grab the chair next to Louisa before anyone else could get the chance.
“Looks like you’ve scored,” I whispered to Louisa.
She blushed. “He is kind of cute, isn’t he? You better watch me tonight, Tyler. I may decide to get a little frisky with this one under the table.”
I chuckled. “And why not?”
Louisa nodded. “Why not, indeed.”
Chapter 8
Dean
Revenge is an act of passion; vengeance is an act of justice.
Samuel Johnson
I knew she wouldn’t fucking recognize me. It made me despise her even more. I had been watching her sucking up to that arsehole she picked up at the bar. Little did both of them know I set this whole thing up.
I shook my head, chuckling at the thought. She looked even more beautiful than I remembered. It almost made me regret planning to taint that beauty.
Almost.
I stared over when I saw Brad whispering something in her ear. She blushed a little and threw her head back in laughter. Seeing that had the visions flying through my head. Fuck, I wanted to sink my cock into her. I wanted to please her and punish her at the same time. I wanted to make it so I would give enough pleasure that she would be begging for more, but not enough that she would think I cared for her. I didn’t care for her. I wanted to see her suffer. I wanted to see her pain when she realized what she put me through. I wanted to see the fear and loathing in her eyes when she realized it was me all along. I couldn’t wait. I had been building up for that day. But, first, I still had some game playing to do. I had planned and built this up far too long to fuck up now. I had to stick with the plan and to hell with the consequences.