Britney — Tell the truth
"It's me, good old Mace. I'm on your side, remember?" said Macy, still trying to curry favor with me with that pitiable, pleading look on her face.
Macy Keller, like any good friend, stood by me when I took the fall for what was to be Britney's latest scandal. The trouble was, the three of us had grown up together. To this day, Macy and Britney worked together. Macy was my best friend, but she was Britney's too, thus making it impossible for her to take sides when it really came down to it.
My thoughts must have been written all over my face, because Macy's campaign to gain my trust continued.
"Come on, I risked my job to be here to help you. Truth is, no one has a clue where Britney is. She's been a no show since that night. When I found out about this deal being offered to Britney, I knew it was only a matter of time before Merida found out where you were. So I—"
"Tricked Olivia Hunter into believing that you were Britney's agent, so that she would bring you here instead of Merida," I concluded, putting the pieces together.
"That's right," said Macy, approaching me once more with a hopeful smile. "I came here to keep Merida away from you. If she found out that you were here in Brat's place—"
I backed away with a frown, still unconvinced.
"Well that's convenient, isn't it? First, you get me to come here with some bullshit story about how I need a vay-cay, and now it just so happens that you're the only one that can save me. And sign a huge deal for Star Agency, pretty much guaranteeing your promotion, of course."
"Are you kidding me right now?" Macy asked, trading in the remorseful look for one of bewilderment. "Look, I get that this has blown up in our faces, but I would never—"
"Ask a brand new lawyer to commit fraud? Oh wait, that's right, I'm doing that right now just by being here."
Suddenly feeling backed into a corner, I made my way back to the door and yanked it open.
"Don't follow me." I hissed over my shoulder, before I took off, right past the Hunters and out the other door.
Macy called out Britney's name once or twice before I was lost in the crowd of drunk people still dancing the night away.
Once I finally made it off the roof, I tried to hide out at a beach party, figuring that this crowd would be just as drunk as the one I left behind. Alas, this party had the one thing the last one didn't have: a fiercely illuminating bonfire.
Twenty minutes in, a man walked up to the fire, microphone in hand. No, I did not miss the stares directed at me or the whispers about me, but at least no one was approaching me. To get away from Olivia and Macy for a while, this was a price I was willing to pay. What followed however, I was less willing to endure.
"Alright all you single boys and girls, let's get to speed dating," said the man with the microphone in hand.
"Well this is happening. Fuck. My. Ass," I muttered under my breath.
Being Britney O'Prey was a bitch. And while I wasn't her, unfortunately for me, I had her face. There was no getting away from that. The stares and whispers around me increased, with men and women alike eyeing me up and down as they took their places across from each other at a nearby beach bar. A little group formed around me, all of them talking at me and ushering me along.
"You'd think famous, rich people wouldn't be such groupies," I muttered, trying to slip away.
That was when it happened and I knew that I had had enough. Someone slapped my ass in passing and I lost it.
"Fuck Britney, how much of a slut are you?" I screamed, bringing everything to a standstill.
Even the music died down. Had I just slut shamed Britney for being harassed? No doubt, it was her reputation that had earned me the pat on my butt, but still. I needed to get away from these drunk fuckers.
"I wouldn't mind finding out," said the man with the microphone, throwing me a dirty grin and a wink to boot.
This sent everyone into a fit of laughter. Nothing could have stopped me from fleeing then. The next time a drunk guy bumped into me, I kneed him straight in the balls and made a run for it. Perhaps an overreaction, but I wasn't taking any chances.
"You'll pay for that, bitch. Do you have any idea who I am?"
I actually had no clue and I was fine keeping it that way. In the end, I wound up back at the last place I ever thought I would return to.
"Just as well, I suppose. I need to fix this, starting by telling the truth," I said to myself, squaring my shoulders as I entered the pin for Will's private elevator.
When the doors opened, I entered, sat myself down and felt my shoulders relax as I got comfortable for the first time that night since… well since the last time I was alone with Will.
"Everybody on this island is absolutely bonkers, myself included," I said with a sigh, soon finding myself nodding off.
I didn't know how much time passed that way before I felt a hand on my shoulder, gently nudging me awake.
"Just when I thought I was starting to figure you out. You're a real troublemaker, you know that?" said Will, as I opened my eyes to his beautiful face.
"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to get up.
He chuckled and sat down across from me, indicating for me to stay seated as he shook his head.
"I don't recall extending an open invitation for my private elevator to you," he said with a raised eyebrow.
"Maybe you should've guarded your pin better then," I said with a smile, charmed by the warmth in his face.
He got back up, pushed a button and the elevator started moving.
"I'm not here for your seduction tactics, I'm here to tell you, well, everything. Star Agency, me, Britney, this whole stupid mess I've made."
"In for a penny, in for a pound. These doors open up to a whole fancy suite, you know," he said, returning my grin.
Once the doors of the elevator opened up to his suite, I tried to stand again, but the night's activities were starting to take their toll on me.
"Maybe I'm the one that should be worried about getting seduced," he said, lifting my body up off the floor and into his arms. "Just so you know, I'm not into violence in the bedroom," he continued, tightening his grip on me.
For a moment, he just stood there, frozen in time with me. Everything he did since the moment I met him challenged every rumor I ever heard of his playboy ways. Or maybe they confirmed it and he simply liked his women defiant. No, that wasn't right either.
"Stop being so…nice," I said, struggling to find the words. "You're confusing me."
Eyes still on me, he stepped into his suite and said, "Ditto" before he set me down onto my feet.
I couldn't deny my disappointment as he walked away from me, taking the warmth of his body with him.
"Please, make yourself comfortable," he said, before disappearing momentarily.
When he returned, it was with a bottle of water. He handed it to me and gestured for us to take a seat, which we did.
"Well then, Miss O'Prey, I'm all yours for the night. Let's hear it. Tell me all your dirty, dark secrets," he said with a triumphant, smug smile.
My mouth went dry. I remembered what he said to me about the Ryan Summers situation, the cold way in which he said it's been handled and suddenly I was spiraling. What did he mean by that? My mind went to dark places. Would he understand or was I about to become another Ryan Summers?