Holland let out a disgusted sound. Her shoulders pulled back, and her whole body stiffened like she was ready to stand up and march over there. “So I really do need to fight them.”
“No.” I reached for her arm and held on before she could actually move. “It’s fine, Holls. Seriously. I just didn’t expect to see them here. I’m not letting them ruin anything. I’m having a great time tonight.”
She looked at me for a moment, trying to judge if I was being honest or if I was just trying to avoid making a scene. Her eyes narrowed a little. “Fine. But if they do or say anything to you tonight, I’m going into protect-mode.”
I laughed and squeezed her arm once before reaching for another fry. “Thanks, Holls. You’re the best.”
I pushed open the door to the women’s bathroom with Holland at my side a little later that night. My hair was stuck to my neck, and I just wanted to freshen up a bit, fix my makeup, and go back to enjoying the night.
Holland was still talking about some guy who tried to buy her a drink when the door swung open again. I didn’t even have to turn around to know who it was, because I recognized their perfume. It was the same scent that had lingered on the bed in the filming room, and though it was a good, expensive scent, it wasn’t so nice with my knowledge of who wore that perfume.
Karlee and Kira walked in like they owned the room. They moved in short, restricted steps because their dresses wereso tight that even walking looked like hard work. They stopped behind us, their eyes locked on me first, then flicked to Holland, then back to me through the mirror.
We both turned around, and I felt Holland tense beside me. I reached out and lightly touched her arm, silently telling her not to jump in or start anything. We were classier than that.
“Oh,” Kira said, her mouth curling into a mean smirk. “Look who it is.”
Karlee stepped closer, wearing that same fake-sweet smile she always used when she was about to say something awful. “We were wondering when we’d run into you.”
I tried to keep my voice steady. “I’m trying to have a good night. So if you don’t mind, I’d like to keep it that way.”
Karlee laughed under her breath. “Right. A good night. Must be hard when you’ve been…exposed.”
My stomach dropped. I didn’t understand at first. Exposed? What did that even mean? I looked at her face, at the way her eyes gleamed like she was excited to hurt me.
Kira pulled out her phone.
“What are you doing?” Holland took a protective step forward, sticking to her promise to stand up for me in case they wanted to mess with me.
Karlee rolled her eyes at her. “We’re not talking to you, slut.”
“You’re calling me a slut?” Holland asked, her words laced with amusement. “How ironic.”
“Holls,” I pleaded, not wanting her to start a fight with someone like Karlee.
My eyes flicked back to Kira who was swiping and tapping on her screen, then she turned the phone and lifted it higher so we could both see.
As much as I didn’t want to look, my eyes still landed on the screen.
A video was playing, and it only took half a second for my brain to process what I was seeing. Callan and I on the couch, fucking, with my face visible and recognizable.
My heart slammed against my ribs so hard it hurt, and I stopped breathing.
Holland gasped. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Karlee shrugged like she’d been waiting for this moment. “It’s all over one of the porn sites,” she said. “Trending, actually. Callan’s fans are going insane. Thought you should know.”
My legs went weak. I grabbed the edge of the sink to steady myself, but the room was spinning too fast. That day on the couch with Callan, when Karlee walked in on us…it all started to connect now. There were no cameras in the living room, and he would’ve never filmed something like that without asking.
This was Karlee. She did this. She filmed us that day.
My voice shook. “Delete it.”
Kira tilted her head. “We didn’t upload it.”
“You’re lying!” I cried.
Kira was still unfazed. She rolled her eyes at me. “Calm down. Everyone saw it already anyway. It won’t make a difference if it gets taken down.”
