Vesper blanched. There was no fucking way Cedar was jealous. All because her sister liked Vesper more? Fucking of course she would! She didn’t even know Cedar anymore. Vesper raised an eyebrow and stopped walking, leaning instead against the deep-red wall behind her and crossing her arms. She peered at Cedar curiously.
“You should be talking to her instead of me if you want her to like you more.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Cedar snapped, waving heroff. “I’m just—” She sighed and chewed on her bottom lip, tracing her fingers along the intricate gold swirls on the wallpaper.
“You need to be careful with her, V,” Cedar said, finally looking at Vesper. The sincerity in her eyes caught Vesper off guard. “I know she’s not a kid anymore, but she’s still my little sister, and well, to be honest, I’m worried. I don’t want her to get hurt.”
“Why do you think I’ve been protecting her all these years? She’s a good kid. You should know I won’t let anything happen to her.”
“You need to start treating her like an adult.” Cedar huffed. “You don’t even see it, do you?”
“See what?”
“Cypresslikesyou. For whatever reason I cannot fathom, she has a crush on you.” Cedar’s tone was snappish now, and Vesper rolled her eyes. What the fuck was she supposed to do about that? Cedar shook her head disbelievingly. “You still don’t get it.”
“Look. I’ve been taking care of her for nine years. I don’t think I’m suddenly gonna hurt her now, what, just because you’re back? You and I never liked each other that much.”
Cedar huffed again, crossing her arms over her chest and waiting while Meila slid past them, darting a brief, confused glance at Vesper before continuing on.
“You treat her like she’s still that same child you saved all those years back. It’s not good for her. Besides,” Cedar paused, waiting for Meila to round the corner, heading toward the hidden rooms where Bellamy was waiting for Vesper to come back. “I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about Bellamy.”
“Seriously? What does Bel have to do with this? She’s not gonna hurt Cypress. You know that.”
Cedar sucked her teeth. “You sure about that? You might not notice it, but you’re different around Bellamy. She means something to you, and it’s painfully obvious. How do you think I knew to use her against you?” Vesper opened her mouth to interrupt, but Cedar cut her off. “And I’d be willingto bet Cypress has never seen you around someone you care about. Not more than her, at least.”
“She won’t do anything,” Vesper promised, putting her hands up in surrender. As much as she hated to admit it, Cedar had a point.
“Can you be sure of that? Are you sure you can control Bellamy?”
“Excuse me?” Vesper hissed, her softened demeanor hardening in an instant as she pushed off the wall, invading Cedar’s space. “What the fuck do you?—”
Cedar cut her off before she could even get started, refusing to back down. “No, V. It’s a valid concern. Bellamy is the single most jealous, possessive, insane person I’ve ever fucking met. If anyone is capable of hitting Cypress where it hurts, it’s her. She might not physically hurt her, but you of all people know what she can do emotionally.”
Vesper gritted her teeth. She didn’t want to admit that Cedar was right, but she did make a good point. Bel had definitely known what she was doing when she’d told Cypress that Vesper and Cedar used to have sex. She could easily see her taking it further. She really didn’t want to think that Bellamy would do that, though. But, fuck, the idea couldn’t be discarded completely.
“Fine,” Vesper sighed. “I’ll make sure they’re not alone together. Now, do you mind? I wasn’t actually planning on leaving Bel this long, and I still need to discuss something with Mazz.”
Cedar rolled her eyes. “It better be a good punishment.”
Vesper knew she was just being a bitch, but she couldn’t help smile to herself—it was certainly going to be a good punishment.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
Bellamy
Fucking finally. It hadn’t been more than a few seconds, but any amount of time Vesper left her like this was too long. Worst fucking punishment ever. She hadn’t realized how much she’d pissed Ves off until the door slammed shut, leaving her alone on her knees—on the fucking hardwood floor. The ache was already settling in.
“I cannot believe you left me like this,” she seethed, not daring to move before she was released. The tie around her wrists was a smooth silk, thank fuck, or she’d already be chafed. Vesper had tied it tighter than usual. Or Bellamy had wriggled it tighter.
A brief huff of laughter sounded behind her, and Bellamy tensed. That wasn’t Vesper.
“Interesting,” Ari’s sickly voice crawled up Bellamy’s spine, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.Fuck. “You know, I’d heard about what she does. Never thought I’d get to see it for myself.”
Bellamy sat back on her heels, twisting around to look at Ari. There was no need to try and save face at this point, it was clear Ari had a much better idea than she should have about what was happening. Hopefully, Vesper would come back soon—preferably before Bellamy broke free and kicked her sister out herself.
Glancing over Ari’s ridiculous outfit—a near see-through lace bra is not a shirt for fuck’s sake—Bellamy then decided that Ari actually needed to leavebeforeVesper got back.
“What are you doing here?” she snapped. She glared at Ari, who slowly walked around the room, examining every inch.
