Page 56 of Wicked Player
Chapter Nineteen
Why did I let myself fall for him? My chest is heavy, and I’m losing control. I can’t stop it. My throat aches, it burns. The fabulous home full of stunning women is a blur. I take refuge in the coat room, and when I realize it’s empty, I exhale a breath of relief. I sit on the bench, and I bury my face in my hands and let the tears fall. I try to be quiet. If I can only cry for just a minute, maybe I’ll be fine. But I don’t have that luxury. I’m sure the bus is taking off soon.
Sure enough, Sarah pops her head in. “Clara… the bus…” She realizes what state I’m in. “Oh, sweetie… what’s wrong?” she asks as she takes a seat next to me on the bench. She pats my back lightly. “I know you were the chosen one last time, but it’s the way Colton is. He never picks the same woman twice.”
“I’m so stupid,” I cry. “I actually thought I meant something.”
Her laugh is a whisper. “We all did,” she tells me. “It’s how he makes us all feel at first. And then we realize we’re nothing special at all. Believe me, you’re not the first one to cry on that bench.”
I stare at my stupid shoes. They’re going straight to Goodwill, and the dress too.
“Colton Rossi is a typical grandiose narcissist,” she goes on, clearly a woman scorned. I have a feeling that he’s deeply hurt her too. “He needs a constant source of supply, of admirers. He fancies himself better than anyone, but yet he needs the constant reassurance. It’s the reason he throws these parties. He loves to be adored.”
“Yes, I guess he needs his harem,” I say, in full agreement.
“When he plays us songs on the piano,” she continues, “and the guitar, and we all swoon over him… he lives for that. He probably gets off on the pain tracing our features when we realize we’re discarded at the end of the night. He makes the chosen one feel very special, and then he comes on her tits, and completely disregards her the next day.”
Fuck.
He didn’t come on my tits. We didn’t even do anything. He got no action at all. I wonder if he’s come on her tits. I bet he has because she seems very bitter.
“He’s also a sadist,” she goes on. “He’s a mysoginist. I think he enjoys women’s suffering. First, he pleases you. Then he destroys you.”
She really hates him. “Why are you here then?” I ask, confused. “If you hate him so much?”
“I’m addicted,” she admits. “I can’t get enough of him. I want to fuck him again. As much as I know he keeps hurting me, I just can’t help myself. He’s completely destroyed me.”
Suddenly, I feel nauseated and very loopy.
“But enough about Colton Rossi.” She grabs my hand. “Let’s get going, girly. Don’t forget your jacket.”
As soon as we’re out of the house, the cool air wakes me, and I suddenly feel a lot better, more alert. “So you live in town too?” I ask, having come to the conclusion because we’re both on the town bus.
“Yep, I live in town.”
“Oh, nice. I live on Windy Bay, just off of the lake,” I tell her.
“Really?” she says. “So lucky… I’d love to live on the water. I guess you’re not far from here at all.”
“Not at all… I could walk,” I say. “It would be a long walk but—”
“I doubt you could do it in those shoes.” She laughs. “Those are fabulous by the way.”
I shrug. My heart hurts a little every time I look at my feet.
We climb onto the bus.
“You gals had a good time tonight?” the driver asks.
“A blast, as usual,” Sarah tells him. “We ready to go?”
“I just need the go-ahead from Mr Rossi first,” he tells her. “I’m sure we’ll be good to go any minute.”
All the excitement of the evening, the cheer, the giddiness, is gone. Long sad tired faces all around. A bus full of beauty queens, and oddly enough, they don’t seem so pretty anymore. I’m sure I’m nothing to look at either. Sarah and I sit next to each other.
Suddenly, eyes widen and faces perk up. I turn to see what the fuss is about, and I see Cassie climb onto the bus. Her expression gives nothing away. She shoots me a small grin, and takes a seat next to Carlie, a pretty girl with silky black hair.
The bus goes dead quiet when Colton follows her in. All the women morph into statues, myself included. What the hell is he doing here? My heart is in overdrive and it practically bursts out of my chest when he stops in front of me. “And where exactly do you think you’re going, Miss Scott?” he asks, all smiles.
