Bet Me (Finding My Way) (11 page)

“Maybe you didn’t do it right?” he asks

“Are you implying I’m a bad kisser?” I ask a little offended but after thinking it through, maybe that’s why I didn’t get turned on. Maybe that’s why Tucker didn’t want to kiss me and boyfriends never stay around long enough for me to decide whether or not I want to have sex with them. I put my face in my hands and groan “Oh god I
am
a bad kisser”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying, I’ve kissed you remember, so I would know” he reassures me but I don’t quite believe him.

“What
are
you saying then?” I ask still not convinced.

“I’m saying that maybe you just aren’t attracted to Lucy” he says “Sorry Luce” he apologizes down to her with a wince.

“No that’s not it, I’m just not attracted to anyone with breasts” I admit. “I’ve already solved my problem anyway, so I don’t need your help anymore” I inform him.

“And what conclusion did you come to?” he asks cocking his head to the side and regarding me curiously.

“To buy a new vibrator. But enough about my sex life, how’s yours?” I ask taking the attention on from me.

“Mine’s mighty fine” he says grinning and then winks at a group of women.

“Oh” I say putting disappointment into my voice.

“Why what did you have in mind?” he asks turning back to face me.

“Only that if you were lonely I could …lend you a video” I wink at him

“What video?”

I put my mic down on the bar and walk over to him and whisper up in his ear “You’re brother lent me a video … of someone … in the bath … singing … and … shaving his legs” as soon as I have said the last word I take a few steps back laughing as he shouts “I’ll kill him” he takes a step towards me

“Where is it Brooke?” he says threateningly.

“What’s it worth?” I tease.

“What do you want?”

“Now there a loaded question” I smirk

“Have you watched it?” he asks 

“Of course. I like the soundtrack” I try to say but not sure it comes out through my laughing. I try to stop laughing so much, I really do but it’s not happening. My chest starts hurting and I’m finding it hard to breathe. I sit down and start hyperventilating. Lucy starts rubbing my back and once I’m calm enough she passes me a glass of water. While I’ve been having a laughing fit, Andrew has been over to DJ and handed him his phone. I look up amazed as all the screens in the club turn to a drunken me dressed up as a police woman. I shrink slightly into the bar as the drunken me on video starts talking.

“Come on, lets go find someone I can put under arrest” I beg to the camera.

“You do know you’re not a real police officer, right?” Andrew asks laughing and Mel and Jess are laughing in the background.

“Are you really going to argue with me when I have this?” I say threateningly and pull out a water gun on him.

“What are you going to do when you find someone to arrest?” he asks me clearly amused.

“Uh... handcuff them” I say slowly as if he’s stupid.

“Right, do you have any handcuffs on you?” he asks just as slowly.

I rummage around in my outfit and my purse; I even check my bra “Shit I think I left them on my headboard” I pout.

“And why are they on your headboard?” he asks laughing.

I seem to be thinking this over and then all of a sudden my face drops and I look horrified, I start stumbling/running away from the camera down the road.

He runs after me laughing “What’s wrong Brooke? What did you do?”

“I left Lewis handcuffed to my bed! Shit I can get arrested for this!”

The TV goes back to music videos and everyone is laughing, even the DJ. I cringe as I remember Lewis, my then boyfriend, we had only been going out for a month and he left me after I un-cuffed him, understandably since we were going out fancy dress for his birthday. 

“And I have plenty more videos like that, if you want to play that game with me Brooke?” he says walking up to me still laughing.

“I can think of a different kind of game I’d like to play with you” I grumble as I walk away from him and join the band.

“How’s it going Officer Brooke? Have we been bad boys?” Cam teases as I sit on the bar stool next in between him and Derek.

“I thought you were my friend” I complain to him.

“We are, its just too funny not to” Derek says ruffling my hair.

“I don’t think I’ve met Lewis have I?” Jamie asks grinning.

“No I was going out with him for a month, that night we were all going out as fancy dress for his birthday and I hand cuffed him to my bed messing about and kind of forgot about him, I got home, un-cuffed him and he left. I haven’t seen him since”

“Nice” Cam says chucking.

“I hate that everyone can make fun of my embarrassing moments. I’m taking a stand!” I announce moving from the table.

After making arrangements with the DJ I climb up onto the bar with my mic ready and waiting, as soon as the crowd has turned their attention back to me I wave at them all and smile widely at Andrew.

“Now I apologize in advance but I’m going to sing … a few of you will remember the first time I lost a bet and had to sing for you all but now I’m going to sing for just one special person. For those of you who haven’t heard me sing before I just hope you’re drunk enough to block it out” I nod at the DJ and watch Andrews face fall as the first few notes of Christina Aguilera’s Fighter come on.

This is the song he was singing in the bath on that video and only he and I know it. “This one’s for you baby” I wink at him and start singing and dancing. The crowd clap along and a dance among themselves. Lucy is cheering for me along with the band. “I laugh through the chorus and have to turn my eyes away from Andrew’s scowl or I’ll never finish the song.  Pull Lucy up on the bar and start singing at her as we dance together.

The whole club join in with the last chorus and cheer and clap as the song ends. I take an exaggerated bow and laugh when I see Andrew charging towards me. I jump down off the bar before he reaches it and run around him to join the bands table again hoping for safety.

“I didn’t know you could sing Brooke” Cam says as I sit next to him. I shrug and take a drink of my beer.

“If we ever get fed up of Tucker we’ll come find you” he winks at me.

“At least someone appreciates me” I poke my tongue out at Tucker who just rolls his eyes at me.

“A word Brooke?” Andrew asks standing behind my chair.

“Umm actually I’m a bit busy right now” I say not looking at him.

“Okay then I guess I’ll just have to have another video put on the screens, how about the one with the bottle?” He asks too sweetly.

“You wouldn’t!” I gasp spinning around to look at him.

“Oh, I would trust me” He nods at me.

“What happened with the bottle?” Derek asks.

“Well it involves Brooke, a beer bottle and a condom”

“Fine” I snap getting up and following him through the club as the guys shout after us asking more about the video.

“Brooke…” he starts when we enter the storeroom.

“Look Andrew, I was just kidding, I don’t actually have the video your brother does. We were over his watching films one night and that video of you got put in on accident. I wouldn’t show anyone it. I’m not that cruel” I cut him off with my explanation before he lectured me.

“That’s not what I wanted a word with you about” he shakes his head at me and his expression is serious, I then notice that he’s hold a CD.

“What’s that?” I ask pointing to it.

“Someone gave it to Lucy behind the bar with a message for your boyfriend to play it, when she asked who your boyfriend was, they said the guy you’re always making bets with”

“Why didn’t you play it?” I ask confused now.

He silently hands me the CD and I look at the label.
Brooke gets busy in the office.
Is written in neat handwriting across the disk. I frown and put it in the player we have in the storeroom nothing happens so I try the DVD player I wince as I watch Tucker enter the office behind me. The video is taken from behind the sofa and it looks like camera phone quality. I shut it off as Tucker places his hands above my head on the door and turn to Andrew.

“Can you ask Tucker to come down here please?” I ask him softly “And thanks … for giving it to me first” I watch as he nods and leaves. I have the strangest feeling that I’m being watched but I pass it off as seeing the video, clearly someone was watching us that night but I’m not sure what they thought to gain from videoing it and then hoping to show it to the club.

“Andrew said you needed me?” Tucker asks closing the door behind him.

“Someone left this is at the bar with Lucy to pass on to my boyfriend” I say walking towards the TV.

“Boyfriend?” he asks confused.

“Andrew, they wanted him to give it to the DJ to play on the club screens” I explain as I press play and we fill the screen. We both watch as Tucker leans down and kisses me, the kiss quickly turns from slow and soft to fast and desperate, as soon as we start removing each others clothes I reach to turn the TV off but Tuckers hand on my arm stops me.

I look up to see he’s watching the screen intently he pulls me in front of him so my back is pressed up against him. I feel the definite outline of his erection against my backside, I turn my head up to look into his face, he doesn’t move his eyes away from the screen but I can see the heat in them. I turn back around to watch as I’m pushed up against the door and lifted at the same time. 

I gasp as on screen Tucker slides inside me while the real Tucker stood behind me slips his hand up my dress and into my underwear he starts rubbing my clit with his fingers as he watches us on the screen. My moans both from me and the TV surround us and I feel Tucker slide my underwear down along with my dress leaving me naked from the ankles up then the sound of his zipper going down. He bends me over the table and slides into me, I rest my forehead on the table but he leans over my and lifts my chin so I’m watching the screen. As I watch the passion between us on screen I feel my orgasm start to build. Tucker isn’t taking it slow with me, he is matching the same rhythm as the one we are watching it is so intimate and well hot that soon I find myself crying out at the same time I do on the TV, a minute later Tucker is following me with a grunt and stills inside me.

We both catch our breath as the TV screen goes blank.

“Shit…” Tucker sighs as he pulls out of me making me wince slightly “I think I’m going to keep that tape” he grins at me doing up his trousers.

I try my best to look angry and offended whilst pulling up my underwear and dress at the same time but I don’t think it has the desired effect.

“Are you not bothered at all that someone videoed that and then tried to show it to the whole club?” I demand.

“Well shit Brooke of course I am but … what can I do about it?”

I stare at him speechless. I know there is nothing he can do about it and we don’t have cameras in the office so I can’t check to see who’s been in there but surely he should be a bit more affected by this. I take the disk out of the player and hand it him.

“You’re welcome to it but what are you going to do with it?” I ask him curiously.

He raises an eyebrow at my question. “I’m sure you can use your imagination”

“Yeah that’s what I thought. You do realize this probably isn’t the only copy and whoever took the video probably uses it for the same thing. It could end up on the internet. It could already be on the internet”

“Christ and I didn’t even last that long” he complains making me roll my eyes.

“Sorry to break it to you but you didn’t even last that long just now and there’s a camera in here so you can have that video too, if you put them both together you might actually last longer than ten minutes
stud
” I smirk at him as I walk out of the storeroom leaving him muttering to himself.

“You did not take that bet again” Lucy laughs noticing my lack of a shirt as she joins me behind the bar.

“Don’t ask” I grumble pouring another shot, these seem to be a favourite tonight, I must have poured about eighty so far and I’ve only been here two hours.

“Hey Andrew” I glare at her as she calls Andrew over; he of course is looking smug. “What did she bet?”

“She didn’t make a bet with me, Tucker bet her that if she asked ten guys for a condom she would get at least seven. She didn’t believe him and so took the bet. She collected nine all together” he laughs.

I glare over at Tucker who is on the stage with the band and as he catches sight of my expression he laughs through a few lyrics so I flip him the bird.

“I’ll get it back” I declare to myself more than anyone else.

I spot a group of girls arguing so I throw my shirt back on before I head into the crowd to calm them down and split it up if necessary. I’m halfway across the dance floor when someone grabs my arm and is dragging me into a corner. I look back but all I can see is the back of whoever is pulling me so I look for a familiar face, I lock eyes with Cam and watch as he takes in the situation and walks up to Tucker and discreetly gestures to me, Tuckers eyes are immediately on me then he looks to the bar alerting Andrew or someone I hope.

Once we have reached the dark corner of the club my captor turns to me, still gripping my arm.

As soon as I recognize him I try to remove his hand from my arm but he doesn’t budge.

“We meet again Brooke” he sneers down at me.

“Let me go George” I stare pointedly at my arm but he just tightens his grip. “Someone is going to come and see where I am any minute now” I try to force my tone to stay firm but it wavers.

“Then we better make it hard for them to find you because we need to talk” he says pushing the fire exit behind him open and pulling me outside. I can only hope either Cam or Tucker saw us leave.

“What do you want?” I ask trying to get this over with.

“Why don’t you ever talk to me anymore Brooke?”

Because you’re a psycho, I say in my mind but keep that to myself. “I do talk to you George I just haven’t seen you much lately and when I have seen you I’ve been rushed off my feet”

“No you’re more interested in your
boyfriend
” he shouts the last word making me jump.

“I  don … I don’t have a boyfriend” I say hating that I’m stuttering.

“Have you had sex with him too?” he demands

“Who are you talking about?” I ask nervously.

“That boy you are always laughing with on the bar”

“Umm .. no we’re just friends … please let my arm go George you’re hurting me” I plead.

“No, you hurt me every time I see you and you ignore me. Why Brooke?”

“Why what?” I have no idea how I am still talking to him as if this is a normal situation, My mind is more focused on why someone hasn’t come out here yet.

“I’ve seen them you know. It’s OKAY. You can talk to me. I have some too” he says the sympathy in his voice makes me turn all my attention back to him.

“You’ve seen what?” I ask confused, all the worry gone now.

“Your scars, I saw them when you were in the store room with that singer” I am in shock, or at least I think I am, that’s why I don’t move when he rips my shirt open with one hand sending buttons flying everywhere and that’s the reason I don’t move when he lets my arm go to rip open my bikini top to look at my scars. “Mine” he reads aloud running his finger over my scars.

His gentle touch brings me out of my stupor and I push his hand away “I’m nobody’s!” I yell and run past him to the entrance of the club holding my shirt closed as best I can.

“She’s here” someone shouts I ignore it and push my way through to the bar.

“Don’t let anyone in but Tucker” I call to Lucy and Zack as I walk into the office.

I crawl onto the floor behind the desk and try to control my breathing to calm down so I won’t cry. A few minutes later the door opens.

“Brooke?” Tucker calls

“Are you alone?” I ask my voice shaking.

“No Andrew and Cam are here is it okay if they come in too, they want to make sure you’re okay” he asks softly.

“Umm ... I love them for that but I have no top on
at all
” I call back quietly. I hear him say something too low for me to hear and then the door closes.

“Are you okay?” Tucker asks cautiously still from the other side of the room. He knows from experience that after something bad happens to me I can freak out at any moment if someone comes to close. That has never been the case for him though.

“I think so?” I say but it comes out as a question

“Brooke, I’m going to have to make sure he didn’t hurt you” his voice is pleading and I struggle to hold back the tears over his concern.

“It’s fine, come on over, he didn’t hurt me” As I say it I look down at my arm and wince at the redness of it, that’s going to bruise but I can deal with that. He might not though.

Anger flashes through his eyes as he takes in my ripped clothing and I watch the muscles ticking in his jaw letting me know he’s clenching his teeth. He’s definitely pissed. “What did he do” he asks tightly.

“Nothing, well he was watching us in the storeroom and saw my scars, he touched them” I explain avoiding his eyes because I have never shown him the scars and every time I thought he might come close to touching them I have moved his hand. I have no idea how I have kept them from him for so long but I have.

“What scars?” he asks confused but I know that won’t last long, anger will be back.

“If I said it doesn’t Matter, would you listen to me and forget I ever mentioned them?” I ask hopefully making my voice playful. He doesn’t fall for it just stares at me expectantly. “It’s not a big deal OKAY” I say as I move my top and ruined bikini top out of the way so the side of my right breast is visible. The scars are small so he has to move close to be able to see them, and read them.

“How don’t I know about these? Why don’t I remember them?” he asks not taking his eyes from them.

“Because since you’ve been back I’ve distracted you every time you’ve come close to finding them and well, I didn’t have them when I saw you before I left”

“I don’t understand” he admits looking at me now.

“When I left that day, after I packed my bags I went to my moms house to say goodbye to Phin … Sam was there and it was the first time I’d seen him since the graveyard and he thought you were my boyfriend … he held me down with one of his friends and ... branded me. They didn’t do anything. This is all” I say pointing to the small circular burns that spell out
Mine.

“This is my fault?” he asks horrified.

“No!” I grab his hand and squeeze it “It’s not your fault. If it wasn’t for you he would have killed me that night and if it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have gone there before that and attacked him and he would have raped me. That’s what he told me he was going to do. Remember that night in JD’s when he came and you pulled me away from him to dance, well that night he drugged me, that’s how I got drunk so fast, he was going to rape me. You saved me more than once from him. This is not your fault” I tell him firmly.

“I’m so sorry” he murmurs as he leans down and kisses every one of the burns then pulls me into his chest in a bear hug.

“Don’t  ... I can’t …” I struggle to get out of his hold because I know it could be what breaks my control.

“I know, but I need to … I need to know you’re okay” His voice shakes so I pull back and as I look into his eyes that are now glistening my heart breaks.

“Hey” I say gently as his hold loosens and I move my hands up to cup his cheeks then place my lips on his and kiss him tenderly “I’m okay, because of you” I kiss him again.

“We should get back out there before they come in here looking for you” he declares unhappily.

“Ummm” I look down at my top.

“Here, let me” he ties a haphazard knot in my bikini top and removed his shirt, he’s wearing a tight black tee under it and it distracts me for a moment but I’m brought back when he shrugs his shirt over my shoulders I stand and do a few buttons up then tie the bottom into a knot over my stomach.          

“I’m ready” I nod at him and we make our way to the door. “Can you not tell anyone about the …” I trail off as we reach the door.

“Of course. I would never” he promises with a chaste kiss and tucks me under his shoulder.

He doesn’t leave my side for the rest of the night, he answers questions for me when anyone asks what happened by playing it off as someone who had drank too much and got a bit grabby. He pours drinks with me when I get multiple orders and laughs with me as I teach him how to make cocktails. He helps me clean up when the club has closed and everyone has gone home. He locks up for me and follows me home in his car. We don’t talk as we make our way straight up to the bedroom and climb into bed together.

“Trust me?” He asks as he climbs over me, I nod my acceptance and he undresses us both slowly, I watch amazed, as he trails soft slow kisses over my body as he removes my clothing once piece at a time. Every time we have been together it has always been frantic, filled with passion and a ferocious need to be connected on a more physical basis. He takes his time with me kissing and licking his way up from my legs to my face. He kisses my eyelids last before moving onto my mouth. The kiss is powerful and I immediately know this is his way of apologizing for what I won’t let him apologize for aloud. It’s his way of saying sorry for what happened to me as a result of his actions. Sorry for making me go back there, sorry for hurting me enough to go  back there and sorry for not being there to stop him from hurting me.

For the first time ever I let him spend the time he needs on my body, I relax into and get sucked into the pleasure as he caresses my breast, teases my nipples, kisses and licks every scar, as he sucks and licks my swollen clit and then slowly but passionately makes love to me. Deep down I know that no matter how rough and wild we normally are with each other when we are together it is never meaningless or cheap it is always more.

He tucks me under his arm so my head is on his chest and I’m reminded of the first time we spent the night together a few years ago after we admitted we had feelingsfor each other. I snuggle closer as he runs his fingers through my hair softly.

“I will never let anyone hurt you ever again, and I want you to know that you can talk to me, no matter what. Even the bad stuff okay?” he asks nudging me gently with his shoulder.

“Okay” I whisper and squeeze him tightly in answer.

“I love you Brooke, I think I have since the moment you woke up and found me in your room looking for coffee” he chuckles at the memory “you looked so cute rumpled from sleep and confused yet amused at seeing me first thing in the morning.”

“I never stopped loving you. I knew when you told me how you’d worked out my disguise; it got me thinking and I just knew. That’s why there hasn’t been anyone else; I couldn’t if it wasn’t you”  

“I’m still the only person you’ve been with?” he asks surprised.

“Well there was one person when I first moved here, I thought it would help me forget you, when it didn’t I never tried again” I tell him honestly.