Grounded (Up in the Air #3)(96)

I didn’t take long in the restroom, but I heard some sort of commotion outside of my stall right before I re-emerged.

Blake was standing so close to another woman that I didn’t even recognize her at first. I noticed that the bathroom attendant was absent before I caught enough of a glimpse of the woman to make out who it was.

“Jules,” I said coldly when I saw her. “Blake, you can let her loose. I’m prepared this time, and she didn’t bring her partner in crime.”

Jules was decked out in a black, one-shoulder sheath. She looked polished and beautiful, but looks meant nothing if your insides were spoiled rotten.

Jules was smiling, a sharp malice in her eyes, when I saw her fully. Knowing her, that meant trouble. “I just wanted a word, Bianca. It’s really kind of pathetic that you’re so scared of me that you need a bodyguard now.”

Blake had stepped out of the way, but she was braced to pounce on the other woman.

I smiled at Jules. It was an unpleasant smile. It felt unpleasant. But I was done putting up with her crazy little scenes.

“Congratulations on the engagement. You must realize that it’ll never last with James. He’ll tire of you before the ink is dry, but good luck with that.”

“That’s what you wanted to say? What a waste of both of our time.”

“No. That was a side note, actually,” Jules replied, looking noticeably more agitated at my response. “What I came here to say to you is that I was the one that released that sex tape. I stole it from Jolene years ago, afraid she would do something crazy with it. She told me about it one night when she was hopped up on opiates, and so I knew she had a loose tongue. At the time, I wanted to save his reputation, as I couldn’t let my future husband be seen in such a light. I just wanted you to know that it was me that put that out there. If he’s going to go out of his way to be seen slumming it with you, then his reputation is already shit, so I wanted to make it shit.”

I was so disgusted with her that I felt my mouth moving into a sneer. I hadn’t even known I had it in me. “You’re pathetic, you know that? He was never even your boyfriend, let alone your future husband.” I held up my left hand, showing her my engagement ring. “James isn’t subtle. He would have made himself plain either way, if he had any intention of marrying you. What did you even have to gain with any of this?”

She shrugged. “I wasted a lot of my prime years—“

“On a delusion,” I interrupted her, unable to stop myself.

She looked ready to spit. “Revenge. I did it for revenge. It was that simple. And it felt good.”

She was so smug when she said it, as though she’d accomplished something great, that I just snapped. “Well, it didn’t work. He’s still standing. Now get a f**king life.” I was moving to her as I spoke. She and Jolene had caught me off guard when they’d cornered me before, and gotten the better of me in a physical altercation, but I’d been through hell and back, and I had no doubt in my mind that I could take the spoiled bitch.

I grabbed her by the hair before she saw my intent, and she barely even struggled as I dragged her across the room and into a stall. I dunked her head into the toilet while she pulled at my wrist, being very careful not to get my own hand wet. I held her there for one, two, three, four, five seconds before pulling her up and yanking her back out of the stall. I pushed her away from me, still only touching her hair.

She turned to me, looking shocked and scared and furious. “What the f**k is wrong with you?”

I smiled at her, showing a lot of teeth. “Revenge. I did it for revenge. It was that simple, and it felt good,” I said, quoting her own ridiculous words back to her.

“I’ll have you arrested! I’ll-I’ll sue you!” she sputtered.

I laughed. The bitch was an amateur. “You got rid of your only witness so that you could have it out with me. There’s not a mark on you, and do you really think that my bodyguard is going to act as an eyewitness against me? I’d suggest you leave as quickly and quietly as you can, so that I’m not tempted to do it again. This was a waste of your time and mine. So go, and get yourself a f**king life.”

She gave me one more hate-filled glare before she ran out of there like the place was on fire.

I glanced at Blake. She was smirking. It made me laugh again. “You think she’ll leave me alone now?” I asked her, wanting her professional opinion.

She nodded. “Walking through that ball looking like that is probably the most humiliating thing that princess has ever had to go through, so I’m going to say yeah, she’s most likely out of your hair now.”

I nodded. “Good deal. That was the point. Enjoying myself was just a bonus.”

Blake stifled a laugh.

I was still washing my hands, wanting to get all of the Jules off, when Lana and a frantic James burst through the door. I just raised a brow at them.

“Are you okay? What happened?” James asked, so obviously worried.

“We saw Jules tearing through the hallway, her hair wet, and her makeup a mess,” Lana added, studying me carefully.

I shrugged. “She stole that video from Jolene, and put it on the internet. She came here to tell me that. I didn’t take it well.”

James shot Blake a questioning glance, approaching me. “What happened?”

“I dunked her face in the toilet. She left. I don’t think she’ll bother me again.”