She wasn’t technically available, and what I was doing was fucked up, but Devin Michaels deserved it. I never thought I would see the day when he gave a damn about a woman, but once I saw the lovestruck look in his eyes, I knew it was time to pounce. And so, years after high school, I was finally getting my revenge.
It didn’t matter how much time had passed; the hurt of walking into my girlfriend’s bedroom and seeing her being fucked into oblivion still burned in my chest. I was stupid in love, and I let the devastation of seeing Devin fuck my girl ruin everything I had worked for.
One of my biggest regrets was that I didn’t go in and beat the life from him, but it was as if the moment had sucked all my fight and energy away from me. The dizzying, blinding pain I felt from the heartbreak was crippling, so instead of fighting, I left them alone without even interrupting them.
I shut her bedroom door as her screams of ecstasy echoed through my mind and took the stairs one at a time to the first floor. Even after I was in my car and on the way back to my house, I could still hear the sounds of them fucking—his body slamming into hers—and the filthy words he was saying to her were etched so deeply in my memory it made my brain ache.
Devin and I weren’t friends then. Hell, we didn’t even go to the same school, but he had unknowingly destroyed my life, and it was time I got payback. Just thinking of the football career I threw away and the deep depression I fell into was enough to take away the guilt of fucking him over.
I hadn’t meant to become his friend over the years. I only got close to him so I could seek out my revenge. Still, friends or not, I needed to do this for my sanity—to even the playing field—and to remind myself never to fall for a woman ever again.
“You smell good,” I whispered in Lilly’s ear.
It wasn’t a lie.
She did smell amazing—sugary and delicious—ripe and ready for the picking.
“Thank you,” she replied.
“Vanilla and cherries, that’s what you smell like.” I moved closer, running my lips across the shell of her ear.
I smiled when I felt her shiver in my arms, and my smile grew exponentially when I noticed Devin standing across the room watching us.
I’d seen the way he looked at her. I knew what a man in love looked like. Just the thought of my ex had made me look that way before she fucked me over.
Hurt flashed through his expression, and even though I knew it was wrong, satisfaction struck me deep. So deep I almost purred with pleasure.
How does it feel, motherfucker?
I pulled Lilly closer, her soft and full body moving with mine as we danced in a room full of overprivileged pricks and pampered princesses. People with money never bothered me because they were my peers. My family had more money than God, and I was just another rich boy gone bad with my family’s money to keep me afloat and my family name to keep me out of jail.
It wasn’t long until I felt Devin at my back. Tension flowed from him in waves, making my spine stiffen and my smile grow so wide my face began to hurt.
The song we were dancing to was coming to an end, and when the last ripples of the melody floated through the space around us, I turned and beamed at Devin’s angry expression.
His eyes were bloodshot with fury. His hands gripped tightly in fists at his sides as if he was aching for a fight. His cheeks flushed red with the hate of heartbreak and devastation. A feeling I remembered like yesterday.
Good.
Let him feel exactly what I once felt.
He pulled me by my collar, and I continued to smile. He was doing exactly what I had hoped he would, which was make a scene. I wiped at my cheek and chuckled when he practically hissed in my face.
“What the hell, Matt?” His eyes darkened as the fury inside him festered and boiled.
The shit was about to hit the fan. He was playing right into my game, and I was loving every second.
I pulled away and plastered an even bigger grin on my face.
“Dev! What’s up, bro?” I asked cheerfully, playing the friend card right to the end.
His eyes moved from mine to Lilly’s. Again, devastation swam across his expression.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” he asked, tugging on my arm, his vise grip digging into my muscle.
I pulled my arm from his grasp and turned back toward Lilly. Discomfort stiffened her expression, but I didn’t care. I was a selfish prick, and this entire situation was for me.
Lifting her hand, I pressed a soft kiss to her fingers and grinned at her. “I’ll be right back, sweetheart.” I threw in for extra measure.
A pretty blush covered her cheeks, and the heat of Devin’s stare baked the side of my face.
I chuckled carelessly while he dragged me across the room away from where Lilly could hear us.
“You’d better start talking,” he growled.
He knew that I knew they were together. I first saw them together at a gas station and ended up talking them into going to a party with me. He didn’t know it then, but I fed her strong drinks all night, and when she needed a ride home, I was more than happy to give her one.
It was that night when I saw his love for her, and at that moment, my plan for revenge had been hatched.
I pulled my arm from his grasp. If he kept grabbing me, he would have hell to pay. I would only take so much before I snapped on him because I had years of rage on my side. Meanwhile, he only had a few minutes.
“What the hell’s your problem, Devin?” I asked.
I knew exactly what his problem was, but I was having too much fun watching him sweat.
“Why are you here with Lilly? Better yet, why are you even here at all?” he asked.
“I was invited,” I answered honestly. “I’m her date.”
His face turned so red it looked purple, and I knew I’d struck a nerve.
Finally.
“The hell you are!” he roared. “You stay away from her. I’m serious, Matt. You stay the hell away from her.”
His yelling drew the attention of the entire room our way. I leaned in close, ready to rip his heart out the way he ripped mine out years ago. I had all but rehearsed the words I would say to strike the final blow, and the excitement at finally being able to say them was making me giddy.
“Look, man, you blew it. Get over it. Just stand back and watch the master work.”
His jaw clenched, and I knew I had him. I wanted him to hit me. I wanted him to make a scene and show his ass. I knew women, and I knew that by exploding in front of everyone she knew, he would push Lilly right into my arms.
I didn’t want to keep her, but I wouldn’t rest until I’d fucked her senseless.
His nostrils flared with his heated breath as he tried to control his rage.
“You need to go,” he said calmly. “You need to leave now.”
It was hilarious watching him try to control his wrath. Everyone who knew Devin knew he had a mean streak a mile wide, but I wasn’t scared of him. I had never been. If anything, I was trying to use his anger against him. I wanted him to snap. I wanted the people around us to see how unhinged he was.