Pyke’s body goes rigid. His eyes suddenly widen and his handsome face turns white. His hand was squeezing my waist stronger that his fingers might leave a mark on my skin.
“Well, look at you now, Pykie.” A voluptuous brunette of around mid-thirties walks closer to us. She’s a few inches taller than me, has a sun-kissed skin or she’s probably from southern California. She’s wearing a white dress that hugs her curves perfectly. Her hair is curled in large waves, but what catches my attention is her icy sapphire blue eyes staring at me with an angry glare that could slice me in two.
“Who’s this girl?” she asks, emphasizing the word girl with disdain, but Pyke is still shocked to respond.
I grab his sweaty hand, squeezing it, then I take a deep breath and smile sweetly at whoever is this bitch in front of us, perhaps, she’s Pyke’s ex-fuck buddy.
“Oh, hi, I’m Camila King.” I offer my hand for a handshake. I silently pray that she won’t touch me with her filthy hand and infect me with her bitchy attitude.
My brows slight arch when I realize how I introduce myself. What if this woman knows the King? She can laugh and insult me of a gold-digger whore and say I’m insane. As expected, my hand hangs in the air. “Pyke’s girlfriend,” I add, pulling my hand back.
She crosses her arms over her chest tapping slightly her perfectly manicured nails against her arm. Now, her stare can burn me into char.
“Really, since when?” she asks, mocking me. Her perfectly painted cranberry red lips spread into a devilish smile.
“Since a month ago,” I answer proudly.
Pyke clears his throat, then whispers, “Let’s get out of here, Camila.”
“It’s okay, Love. Let’s go to the VIP room,” I say and look up at him. I can see the beads of sweat on his forehead and his posture still rigid.
Who is this woman that affects Pyke so much?
“Pykie, why don’t you introduce me to your so-called girlfriend?” She rakes Pyke with her unrelenting stares, devouring him from head to toe with its intensity, then bite her lip seductively.
Anger radiates in my body that I want to poke my fingers into her eyes to the way she looks at Pyke.
“Stay away from me,” Pyke rushes his words, dragging me away.
I can feel Pyke’s sweaty hand gripping my hand back.
“Really, Pykie? Do you still cower like before? Do you still remember how we fucked? Does she even know how you screamed my name every time I made you come? Or how you ate me like you can’t get enough of me?”
Pyke stops at mid-stride. “Enough, Athena!”
I don’t realize my own gasp and how my hand instantly covers my mouth. I stand still to my feet as if I turn into a statue-an ice statue under the sun.
Oh, my God!
Is this the woman who used Pyke against his dad?
“Oh, Pykie, are you still afraid of your daddy dear?” she mocks.
“I’m not afraid of anyone. You can tell my dad yourself, for all I care. Just stay away from me. And don’t you ever mention the terrible mistake I did that I wished I didn’t do. I regretted it every-fucking-day!” His deep voice is controlled, trying not to create a scene, but his arms are shaking with anger.
I’ve never seen Pyke getting angrier over any woman before, but now I can feel his anger in each word he throws to the Athena woman in front of me.
“Regret? Now, you regretted it? I bet no woman would ever teach you how to fuck like the way I did, Pykie. This woman you are with right now doesn’t even look she can make you hard. I taught you everything. You should at least thank me, because of me you learned how to fuck, instead of feeling ashamed of me,” she chuckles when she notices Pyke is affected with her words.
Clearly, this woman has no shamed left in her system.
“And you used me, did you forget that?”
“Oh, Pykie, but you learned a lot. You know, you can always come to me if you feel bored of her, I have new tricks,” she says, shooting me a disgusting glance.
“Excuse me, Athena. Your time is long over. He’s done with you before I even exist in Pyke’s life. Now, he is mine and will never be yours again. He may have learned something from you, and thanks to that, but Pyke never fucks an old woman anymore.” I eye her in disgust-mocking her moves. “He has a taste, you know, and he prefers young, fresh pussies, and firm tits without an enhancement.” I point at her half-covered breast. “Now, back off, or else I will slap you with this clutch on my hand.” I raise my clutch bag and show her the silver buckle that I used once to hit Pyke.
She looks taken aback by what I said. If she thinks I will allow her to insult Pyke, then she underestimates me.
“He will throw you when he’s done, my dear. You may be younger than me, but I bet you don’t know anything-”
I wave my hand to dismiss her. “Oh, sweetheart, don’t judge me by my tiny body because I suck cock like a pro. I ride like a rodeo, and I can definitely tell you how much Pyke loves to take me from behind while he spanks my ass to raw.” I smirk and a wink. Oh god, where did those ideas come from?
Her eyes widen in shock like she can’t believe that I can talk dirty. Well, dirty is my middle name and not Leigh.
“He can throw me like trash once he’s done with me, but I bet my McLaren that he will never come back to you, so don’t dream too high, dear because once he’s done, he never fucks the same woman again.”
“What’s your name again?” she asks as she manages to get back her composure.
“Camila King,” I answer proudly.
“The Camila!” She claps her hands. Her face lights up like she just hits the jackpot.
“Stop it, Athena,” Pyke interrupts.
“Why, Pykie? Doesn’t she know me yet?”
“I said enough! Enough that you destroy my life, I can’t let you do that to her, too.”
“After what I’ve done, I’m still the wicked bitch to you, huh?” She laughs evilly.
“Who are you?” I ask her as my curiosity kicks in. Undoubtedly, this woman knows how to get into Pyke’s nerves.
“You don’t wanna know, Camila.” Her eyes gleam with deviltry.
“Trust me, I’m dying to know who you are.” I also wanted to punch your nose for ruining our lunch date.
“I’m Athena Gray, sweetheart,” she says with pride in her voice.
A sudden coldness hits my core as soon as the word Gray sinks into my brain. My knees weaken, making me almost lost my balance. Pyke grabs my waist before I completely stumble to the floor.
“Look what you’ve done, bitch!” Pyke thunders.
“I know who you are the moment I saw you earlier, dear. You’re Pyke’s fuck buddy who worked at my little brother’s shop. You awakened me from my long sleep, darlin’. There’s a thing about you that I’m sure you don’t know yet, Camila Mendèz. My brother told me that he marked your neck with his fingers, and I bet in your pussy as well,” she says with satisfaction.
I try to fight back the inevitable tears that I feel welling in my eyes as I listen to her. How did I forget those eyes? Now, I can see the female version of that devil as I look at her through my teary eyes.
“Just leave us alone, Athena. You did enough damage. Please, don’t break her, too,” Pyke pleas with a shaky voice.
I squeeze my eyes shut, shutting off the thoughts swirling in my brain as the tears that I’ve been holding back start to fall and sobs into my own hands.
“Sure, I’ll call you later, Pykie. Bye, Camila.”
My chest constricts, making me hard to breathe as I put two and two together. Why did Pyke let me work there if he had a past with Aaron’s sister? Why didn’t he tell me that Athena is that psychopath’s sister?
I manage to stand straight after trying to calm myself. I face Pyke after wiping my tears away. I know I look like crap right now, but it doesn’t matter anymore.
“I’m so sorry, Babe,” he whispers. He looks shattered as he shakes his head repeatedly.
“Are you, Pyke? Because I’m not sure if I can trust your words anymore.” I look at him directly in his eyes filled with guilt and despair.
“Babe, please hear me out-”
“That’s the second time. Why did you not tell me her name was Athena? Why did you not tell me that she’s Aaron’s sister?” My voice rises.
I realize that we are already catching everyone’s attention since then, but nobody comes to interfere with us. Perhaps one of the perks of being a Hughes.
Pyke opens his mouth then closes again. I take a deep breath and take the courage to stride away from him before I totally lose my mind. He manages to grab my hand before I can walk far.
“Let. Go. Of. Me!” I hiss and twist my hand from his grip and walk away for good.
“Not a chance, Babe. Just let me explain, please?” His voice cracks and demanding, but I’m not going to let that affect me. Again.
I know he has no plan on telling me if we didn’t meet that woman. He has so many secrets than I ever imagined. His family has so many secrets, too, that one had just unveiled yesterday. I’m not even halfway to the road of recovery then this thing happens again. My world just turns upside down since I met Pyke. I wonder what else I’m going to find out if we stay together.
I stop when I feel the chilly weather hugs my skin. I wrap my arms around my body as I start to shiver. I even forget my coat from the restaurant and just run away to prevent myself from being more embarrassed than I already had.
“Babe, wait!”
“I’m not gonna listen to you again, Pyke.”
“I know I made a mistake to let you work there, but I thought Aaron won’t keep grudges about what my father had done to his sister since he didn’t even care about her. I never thought I will ever see her again, Camila. Believe me, because she’s in Greece and never comes here.”
“Yeah, like what you thought of Aaron never came to New York. I don’t know what more lies I’m gonna find out from you. Look what she did to me? She humiliated me in front of many people. All I faced were troubles since I met you, Pyke. We are not good together. Let’s part ways and never see each other again.”
“No way, Camila!” He snorts with laughter. “I will never let you go, now, Babe, not when I know how good we are together.” He tries to reach for my hands, but I take a step back.
“Let’s not mention how we’re amazing in bed, Babe. Don’t give up on me now, please?” he pleads in a shaky voice. “I told you my deepest darkest secret that nobody knows, yet you never judge me. I’d rather die than to lose you, Camila.” Pyke grabs a fistful of his hair in desperation and bites his lower lip as it starts to tremble.
I shake my head. “Goodbye, Pyke.” I run toward the car that’s waiting for me and get inside faster before he can stop me again. I slam the door shut and lock it so that he can’t get inside. I might give in and give him a chance if I will allow him to talk to me again.
“Please, drive away fast.”
There is no going back now, and it’s not the right time to feel sorry for myself. Though it’s hard to look at him in pain as we drive away, I have to face it and endure my own pain before I will completely fall for him.