The Bet: A Bully Romance(6)

“Shut up, Rem!” He rolls his eyes, taking a chug from his glass. I chuckle and write the first three girls’ names down that came up and talked to me, then I toss them into the hat. Kia, Thomas, Cole, and Alan do the same, and soon the hat is full of unsuspecting partygoers names. Names of women that won’t even realize how much their lives are going to be changing in the next six weeks.

“So remember, if she’s a virgin, you get more points. Anything other than sex isn’t fulfilling the bet. Winner takes bragging rights and doesn’t have to do any house party cleaning for the next six months. At the six week point, you have to break it off with her and let her know it was nothing more than a bet. If you can’t do it, or you fail to do it, then you forfeit your bet and lose.”

“Thank you for explaining the rules, Captain Obvious.” Though a refresher on said rules never hurt anyone.

Alan gives the hat a good shake, almost losing some pieces of paper in the process. A nervous kind of energy runs through me. Why the fuck do I feel so nervous? I have no reason to be...I’ve done this many times. Plus, it’s just fucking. Completely harmless, all fun.

One by one we each pluck a single piece of paper from the hat. I unfold mine in my hands, not caring for any dramatic splendors and stare at the name.

Fuck no! Not even fuck no. No way in hell. That can’t be right. She’s not even here, is she? I look up and around the group, thinking this must be a joke, but no one in this room knows about my connection to her so there is no way one of these assholes did this to be a dick. No, this is fate, karma kicking me in the balls.

I look back down at the paper, my hand shaking, hoping that maybe the name has magically changed in the last few seconds, but even after I blink, I see it hasn’t.

Jules Peterson is still the name scribbled in blue ink. I feel sick to my stomach. Not only did she ruin me once before, but now she’s reappeared back in my life to do it again. The muscles in my jaw jump as I try to figure out what the fuck I’m going to do.

“Who did you get, Rem?” Cole asks, frowning at me.

Apparently, he didn't get the girl he wanted either.

I turn the paper around and hold it up so he can read it.

“Shit! That’s who I wanted,” he whines. Who he wanted? For a moment, I think about what I saw this afternoon. Them walking together, her smiling up at him, seemingly happy. I should’ve realized what was happening then. It was obvious Cole was chasing tail, claiming her as his next conquest.

“Here, you can have her.” I flick the piece of paper at him and snatch the piece he’s holding in his hand.

“Fuck yeah!” He almost jumps from excitement. “This is going to be so fucking great. She won’t even know what hit her,” he snickers. “She’s already given me her number, getting inside those virgin panties shouldn’t be too hard now.”

A lump forms in my throat at his words. Virgin. No fucking way is Jules still a virgin. She might act innocent and even come off as pure, but there’s no way her cherry is still dangling between her legs. No. I can’t think about Jules and sex in the same sentence. Let him break her heart. She deserves it.

Frustrated, I stomp out of the room without even hearing what names the other guys drew. I’m fed up already, and she’s only been here one fucking day. Thrusting my fingers through my hair in frustration, I clomp down the steps, stopping when I reach the bottom of the staircase. I tip my beer back, emptying its contents into my throat before scanning the crowd.

Weak. She makes me weak. My eyes immediately seek her out, like she’s a magnet that I’m drawn to or something. It doesn’t take me long. Three seconds tops to find her golden blonde curls calling out to me like a beacon in the room. She’s wearing makeup, not much, but enough to make her eyes pop, and the same pair of skinny jeans from earlier, the ones that show off her perfect ass.

An ass I’d love to sink my teeth into…

Fuck, why does she have to be beautiful, and perfect, and… No! She’s nothing to me. Trash, garbage, scum beneath my feet, that’s what she is. I take a couple calming breaths reminding myself that she’s the reason we’re here. She’s the fucking reason I’m the way I am. Shaking my head, I read the new name in my hand.

Cally Brice. I try to rack my brain, connecting the name to a face. Redhead, I think. I look around the room once more until I spot the girl I think is Cally.

She’s standing in the opposite corner of the room, away from Jules. Thank God, I need to be as far away from her as I can get. Cally spots me as I start to walk over to her, her eyes light up. She’s pretty enough, big green eyes, looking at me all googly eyed. This is going to be a cakewalk...I’ll have the bet won by tonight.

“Hey, Cally, right?”

She blinks at me like she can’t believe I just said her name. “Umm, yes,” she stutters, and I grin.

“You look beautiful tonight.” I lay it on thick, knowing just what to say to charm her panties off. I’m so good at it, the boys once told me I could charm the panties off a nun if I tried. I didn’t, in case you were wondering.

She tucks a strand of red hair behind her ear. “Thank you...it’s nothing really, just a little makeup, and…” Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Cole walking up to Jules. She’s smiling, and laughing, still having not seen me yet.

I warned her, told her I’d ruin her if she didn’t leave me alone, stay out of my way, and still, she found her way to my house, to my party, into the lion’s den. She’s got a brain inside that head of hers and if she was smart, she would’ve tucked tail and ran the other way by now.