Lightning Bay (Love's Battlefield): Episode 6

One Stupid Bet

Walking into the Lightning Bay Cinema, I freeze when I see Kia in her business skirt and jacket, nervously fidgeting with the strap of her backpack. The familiar action takes me back to the first time we met. Nathan Kilkenny saw her in line on her first day of high school and started mouthing off, giving her a hard time. I felt compelled to act, to protect the girl who looked terrified.

I ignore my conscience. I warned Saskia about what would happen if she took this job. She knows I intend to make her life hell. Yet here she is, standing on the bottom level of the cinema outside the meeting room, ready to start our first day of training.

"I can't believe she actually came," Brooklyn says, sliding her hand into mine. "Stupid bitch."

Years of defending Saskia mean that my first impulse is to come to her defence and tell Brooklyn to shut it. But after the part Saskia played in the death of my sister and mother, I can't take her side.

That night, she chose her family. After that night, I chose mine. Now we're enemies.

It doesn't matter that her absence in my life has left me with a giant gaping hole in my chest. And it doesn't matter that memories of our years as friends do their best to haunt me at regular intervals. It doesn't matter that I miss her like crazy. My family has asked for my loyalty, and now I willingly give it. Her arrival only makes me miss her all the more, and I hate that.

"We'll get rid of her by any means necessary," Brooklyn says.

"I can handle it, Brooke."

Her smile is broad, and her dark eyes sparkle with promise and mischief when I glance at my girlfriend. Dressed in her work uniform – a silver and black skirt, black tights and a black vest that shows off her cleavage to perfection – she looks hot. Then again, she always looks hot. She's every man's fantasy, and I can't deny the past six months have been fun. Lately, though, she's been dropping hints she wants more. Something I have no interest in after witnessing the tragic end of my parent's relationship.

"I know you can handle it, but I want to help you. We all do. We have your back."

"Thanks, but I don't need the help. This is personal," I remind Brooklyn. "I'm the one who deserves the honour."

Hopefully, the grin I attempt looks cruel enough to cover up the doubts I felt about my ability to deliver on the threats I made.

"She knows we're going to be gunning for her," Brooklyn says. "She'll expect it. I don't know who she thinks she is, coming in here and pretending like she has the right to be here."

"Just leave it, Brooke. Leave it to me. I'll handle it."

She pouts those lips at me in typical Brooklyn fashion. "I'm just trying to help, babe."

"I know." I wrap my arms around her. "That's why you're my girl, but I can do this on my own. I want to do this on my own."

Typically, I'd be moved by her cute pout, but I'm not backing down on this. Saskia might be my enemy, but she doesn't need to be on anyone else's hit-list. The people in this town have a way of taking things too far.

My gut clenches as I remember the look on Kia's face after Wayne – Brooklyn's cousin – threw a jellyfish at her. Pelting her with that thing may have been funny to him, but the fact she'd been physically hurt by that idiot hadn't been funny to me. It took every bit of my willpower to keep smirking and pretend I didn't care that someone had taken a shot at her and dropped her to her knees.

And not berating Wayne for being a giant tool had taken even more willpower. Brooklyn asked me to take him under my wing after he moved to town, but I'm struggling with that since he has no redeeming qualities. And now he has a job working with me in the Diamond section, thanks to Brooklyn. He's going to fuck up, and then she'll insist I cover for him.

"Cam. Brooklyn."

I turn around to see Wayne walking up behind us. Great. Think of Brooklyn's moronic cousin, and he appears.

Wayne puts an arm around both of our shoulders, inserting himself between us. "What's happening, kids?"

Brooklyn nods in Kia's direction. "Just debating how to get rid of the enemy."

As though she heard us, Kia turns and looks right at us. When her gaze collides with mine, I see the sadness and pain in her eyes – recognise it as the same mix of emotions I keep squashed deep down inside of me, locked up and hidden away. But after a second she stands straighter and glares back at me without blinking.

It's a decent attempt at convincing me I don't scare her, but I know better.

Wayne follows our vision line and looks at Kia, his eyes sweeping up and down her slender frame. "Don't give it a second thought. I'll take care of this one."

My gut twists itself into a knot. Addie and Brooklyn both have been in his ear, drilling into him that Kia is the enemy. They've encouraged him to get involved, but his involvement is the last thing I want.

I shrug off his arm. "I told Brooke I want to do this by myself."

"No way, man," Wayne says. "You don't need to go near her. I'll have her quit before we've even finished training."

Brooklyn raises her brow. "And just how will you manage that?"

Wayne's wink makes me want to punch him in the face. "You know I have a way with the ladies, Lyn. The classic fuck 'em and dump 'em should do the trick."

My hands curl into fists, ready to be thrown. It's official. Wayne is the biggest piece of shit I've ever met.

I expect to see Brooklyn look delighted, and I'm working out how the hell I'm going to stop this train wreck from happening when Brooklyn comes to my rescue.

"Sorry, cuz, but you have no chance in hell of making that happen."

"Why not? I'm irresistible."

Wayne Bishop is more arrogant than he has any right to be. He isn't an ugly son of a bitch, but he's also not the chick magnet he makes himself out to be.

"Because Saskia has been hung up on Cam ever since, well, forever," Brooklyn says with a smug smirk in my direction.

I roll my eyes. "Not this again, Brooke.

How many times have I told her Kia was never hung up on me? It's got to be close to a hundred times. Kia and I might not be friends anymore, but at one stage we told each other everything. If she'd had a thing for me, she would have said something because honesty was so important to each of us.

"If that was the case, Cam would have screwed her when they were friends, right Cam?" Wayne asks.

"Not a chance in hell."

Brooklyn puts her arms around my waist and looks up at me. "Cam was never interested, right?"

I let Brooklyn believe that, and in part, it's the truth. Really, I was never interested in putting my friendship with Kia at risk when she meant so much to me. There were plenty of girls that wanted to get naked with me, but only one Kia. That said, I didn't exactly miss how beautiful my best friend was. It's the number one reason why Brooklyn targeted her in high school. Brooklyn's mean to anyone she perceives to be a threat to her crown as Lightning Bay's reigning queen.

"I'll bet you a thousand bucks that Saskia is still a virgin," Brooklyn wages, her smirk growing. "I'll bet you she's held onto it for Cam in the hopes he'll forgive her and deflower her."

I shake her off me. "You're ridiculous, Brooke."

The idea that Kia has a thing for me is so damn absurd, especially after everything that's happened, including the way I've treated her of late. But the idea she would hold onto her virginity for me – that is…unfathomable.

Looking at Saskia now, I can't believe she's untouched. My eyes track over her hips, breasts and thighs – curves that are more developed than they had been two years ago. She was so skinny back in high school, but she's filled out now. I always liked her long bleached-blonde hair, but the short light brown hair cut in waves around her attractive face suit her and made her look sophisticated and sexy. She's blessed with naturally full pink lips that don't need lipstick for enhancement, and her hazel eyes are magnetic. If she really is a virgin…

Heat sweeps through me at the thought, heat that settles low in my belly and pulses thickly – heat I have no right to feel. I grab the front of my shirt and pull it away from my chest, desperate to cool down. Goosebumps break out all over my body, but the heat is still there as I imagine myself between her thighs, easing myself inside her. She'd be so tight it would be hell trying to go slow, but-

What the fuck are you thinking?

I shut my eyes and mentally shove the picture of us together out of my head as quickly as I can. Still, I'm uncomfortably hard, and there's a chance – considering where we are – that anyone can see, including my girlfriend. Quickly, I drop my hand to the front of my trousers in an attempt to hide my erection, then I try thinking of people and things that will kill my mood.

The conversation I had with Addie a day ago does the trick.

“You have to make her leave, Cam. I can’t bear to see the bitch who killed my family every time I want to go to the movies.”

“I’m working on it, but she’ll be in the Diamond section. You don’t have to go up there.”

“So what? I’m supposed to…to avoid going up there because of her! How can you say that? She doesn’t belong here, and she never did. The entire Berry family - they’re trash. And you brought them into our lives and contaminated everything. If you’d never been friends with her, Mum never would have-”

“Don’t go there, Addie. We don’t know that.”

“You’re defending her! She’s to blame, don’t you see? Dad’s back to drinking a bottle a night again and it’s all because she came back. Please, I’m begging you, make it stop.”

Since the accident, any mention of Kia triggers my sister. The day Kia and my sister come face to face again, I have concerns things may turn physical. And that might happen sooner than later if I can't get Kia to quit. Addie also made a good point about Dad. It's why I applied for the job at Lightning Bay Cinema. For those times when my dad is on a bender, I need to be able to get to my father faster than I can from Patterson's Cross.

This is why Kia is my enemy.

And why I can't indulge in ridiculous sexual fantasies about my ex-best-friend.

"You have yourself a bet," Wayne says, shaking Brooke's hand. "I'll be able to tell you soon enough whether she's a virgin or not."

Before he pushes past us, I grab his shoulder, digging my fingers in more than I need to. When Wayne looks at me, I shake my head.

"I want to be the one to make her leave."

"Chill out, man," Wayne says, reaching up and prying my fingers from his shoulder. "You can still have your fun getting rid of her, but Brooke and I have a bet now. I have to find out if that girl is a virgin."

Before I know it, he's pushed his way between us and is now walking towards her. Well, this is a shit-storm and a half. I guessed Wayne would want to fuck with Kia, but I never imagined he'd literally try to fuck her.

I hate Wayne for putting me in this position. The last thing I want to do is step in because I'm supposed to hate Saskia Berry. Tolerating her presence will put my father in danger of losing the plot completely, and my sister in danger of returning to her self-destructive ways. But there are some things I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, and being subject of a bet like this is definitely one of them. Forcing Kia out of a job is one thing. Having sex with her to win one thousand dollars is another.

"Wayne," I call out through gritted teeth, ready to tackle him to the floor.

"I have to get to work," Brooklyn says, throwing her arms around my neck and kissing me hard on the lips, forcing me to either shut up or shake her off again.

"Forget Saskia and Wayne," she whispers when she pulls away to look at me, running her hand through my hair. "I have better things for you to think about – like the special something I have planned for you tonight."

A few minutes ago that might have sounded like heaven, but right now I'm too worried about what Wayne will say to Kia to care about getting lucky tonight.

"You have to get to work, and I have to start training," I say, looking over the top of her head at Saskia.

Clearly put out by my dismissal, Brooklyn unwinds her hands from around my neck and huffs. Undoubtedly, she wants me to apologise and smooth her ruffled feathers. Still, I'm too busy watching Wayne interact with Kia to respond. When Wayne holds out a hand, Kia looks down at it and studies it. For a second, I don't think she's going to shake it. Then Wayne says something that makes her look over at me, and as our gazes lock, my breath gets caught. Does she think I sent Wayne over there? I hope so. The easiest way to make sure Wayne never touches her is to let Kia believe I'm using him to get to her.

Some of the tension leaves my shoulders at the thought, but then Wayne puts his arm around Kia's shoulders and whispers something in her ear. Kia looks from Wayne to me, a frown on her face, and she may as well have ploughed a fist into my gut. There's no way I can rely on her wariness of me to protect her, meaning I'm going to have to warn her.

Fuck.

---

Photo from Pexels

"The Diamond section is where people come to have an alternative movie-going experience. We expect employees to deliver exceptional customer service, and every step should be taken to make our customers feel like the closest thing to royalty."

The induction video drags on and on. My knee hasn't stopped bouncing since I sat down, and Jeremy keeps frowning over at me. My gaze flits around the large oval table we're sitting at, myself and the nine other trainees. When my eyes stop on Kia and then Wayne, Brooklyn's cousin shoots me a smug look. Kia, on the other hand, is doing a damn good job of ignoring my stare.

I need to approach her, but I can't until this infernal video about quality service and the importance of good posture quit bloating the darkened meeting room. I don't even realise I'm drumming my pen on the table until Jeremy walks over to me and plucks the pen from my fingers, staring down at me with a pinched expression. It's like being back in class again, and he's the teacher who's upset with me for disrupting the course. Except that the guy doesn't even look old enough to be a teacher.

Word on the street is that Jeremy Rawson acquired this job through his girlfriend's father. I guess that explains why he's so young—nepotism at its best.

"Okay," Rawson says once the video finally ends. "We're going to do a roleplay. You can work with the person seated next to you."

Wayne's gleeful look makes me want to flip the table between us knock him out.

"I'll give each pair a scenario to learn and act out. You'll have twenty minutes to learn the script, and then you'll perform your act in front of the group. I'll be asking you to fill in a questionnaire for each script to see how much information you retained from the induction video. Do you have any questions?"

My hand shoots up. Yep, this is definitely like being back in school.

Rawson looks at me. "Anderson?"

"Shouldn't we get the chance to mingle? Pick someone we're not sitting next to?"

Rawson looks uncertain for a moment but then nods. "Okay, I guess that's a good idea."

When I look back at Kia, she's glaring at me. She isn't the only one, either. If looks could kill, Wayne would have just sent me six feet under. I shrug back at him. I told him I wanted to be the one to get rid of Kia.

"Everyone, please stand up and pick someone you're not sitting next to. Once everyone is partnered, I'll hand out the scripts."

The moment Kia stands up, I jump out of my chair. Before Wayne has the chance to talk her into being his partner, I grab her by the arm and pull her towards the back of the room.

"Cameron!" she hisses once I let her go. "What are you doing?"

I glare down at her. "We're going to be partners this morning."

She lets out a short laugh. "Like hell, we are. Do you think I'd make things that easy for you? You're trying to get me fired for Pete's sake."

"Not right this second, I'm not. Besides, making you look bad is only going to make me look bad if we're partners, don't you think? Let's get the script from Jeremy and then we can talk."

She glares at me. "You don't want to talk to me, and I don't want to talk to you. No way are we going to be partners."

"Fine," I whisper-hiss at her. "Suit yourself. Work with someone else. Whatever. I just wanted to save you from being Bishop's partner."

"Bishop?"

"That's Brooklyn's cousin," I whisper, nodding towards Wayne. "He's the one who threw the jellyfish at you."

I wait for that information to sink in.

"He's had my sister and his cousin in his ear about you, telling him all your good qualities."

Her eyes widen, and then she looks back at Wayne.

"I'm not telling you to avoid him," I tell her. "Just…just be careful, Kia."

She crosses her arms and looks back at me. "You're warning me?"

Her raised voice is attracting the attention of those around us.

I keep my voice low and hard. "I wouldn't be if I thought you could handle yourself around that dick, but you don't know what he's capable of."

"I never knew what you were capable of either," she says.

Her words sound bitter and angry, but underneath I catch the hurt. I see a glimpse of it too before she wrenches her hazel eyes from mine. When her gaze returns to mine, I see the same resolve I saw earlier. Her eyes are icy as she steps away, putting some distance between us.

The emotions I witness in her every time I see her always affect me. Usually, I work past the grief and guilt I feel by reminding myself of the pain my family will experience if they think I'm taking Kia's side. And I'm usually so busy pushing her away from me that she never gets close enough to make me drop my shield. Today, however, I'm having a little more trouble than usual holding onto the suit of hatred, resentment and loyalty I thought I'd mastered.

She shakes her head. "Thanks, but I can take care of myself."

I grab her shoulder before she can walk away from me, pulling her in close so I can talk to her without anyone hearing me. So close, in fact, that I hear her breath hitch. My eyes hold hers for a second, her hazel depths filled with something I've never seen – something I have no idea how to interpret. She's breathing hard, drawing my gaze is down to where her breasts are nearly touching my chest. They look full enough to fill my palms. What would they look like? What would they taste like?

I release her abruptly and step back. While Kia and I were friends, I was on guard against my hormonal brain. And then after the accident, my feelings toward her revolved around anger and hatred as I worked hard to make sure my family didn't break down entirely. But today my guard has slipped, and my resulting thoughts and reactions are…unacceptable.

"Brooke and Wayne have a bet going," I tell her, my voice hoarser than it should be. "One thousand bucks you're a virgin."

She gasps. "That's just…Brooklyn has always been cruel, but I never thought she'd resort to this to make me leave."

"It's Wayne too, and he was the one who instigated it."

Her brows draw together, and her mouth tilts down. "Why are you warning me?"

I look at Wayne before I look back at her. "Some people I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy."

"Brooklyn is your girlfriend. Why aren't you standing back and rooting for her to win?"

If Brooklyn is right, then that means Kia does have a thing for me. I can't handle the thought. It messes with my head, and as soon as this conversation is over, I'm going to avoid the topic like the plague.

"The bet was Wayne's idea, not Brooke's," I say. "But it's a dumb-arse bet to begin with."

She glares at me. "Something we can agree on."

"Are you two okay over here?" Rawson asks, walking towards us, script in hand. "Kia?"

The concern in Rawson's expression as he studies her makes me want to drop him. It also doesn't escape my attention that he called her Kia rather than Saskia. He's her boss, so he shouldn't act so familiar with her. No matter how young the dude is, he's not her friend.

"I'm fine," Kia says, giving Rawson a soft and reassuring smile that makes me plain dislike the guy. "We were just discussing the need for different partners."

I want a different partner as much as she does. Looking around the room, however, I see that everyone is already paired up, including Wayne, who is glaring daggers at me.

"Sorry, Kia. You and Anderson are the last pair. Here's your script," Rawson says, passing Kia a piece of paper as he shoots me a look filled with warning. "You've got fifteen minutes to learn it. Be ready."

Kia throws her hands up in the air as Rawson walks away. "Great, now we're stuck with each other."

"Looks that way. Trust me, I don't like it any more than you do. Let's just get through it and then we can steer clear of each other."

"You mean, then you can stick to trying to get rid of me?" she asks.

I shrug, doing my best to hide the guilt twisting through me. "I warned you, Saskia."

"You know, you could have just let Wayne screw me and gotten it over and done with."

Her voice is so thick with emotion that it wraps itself around my heart and squeezes.

"Maybe," I say, "but I couldn't. You're expecting me to try and tear you down. You're not expecting it from him. It wouldn't have been fair."

"You don't care about fair when it comes to me, Cameron. Not since that night. So don't start pretending to care about me now."

I deserve that, but her words still slice through the armour I'm trying so damn hard to hold onto.

See, this is precisely why I can't work with her. She slips under my guard too quickly when I'm not trying to push her away from me with acidic and hateful words.

"You're right," I say. "I should have kept my mouth shut. You're the enemy."

The cut look she gives me twists my insides further.

"Just so you know, Cameron. You're my enemy, too."

I nod despite the sharp prick to the heart her words cause me. Once upon a time, I would have done anything for this girl, and she would look at me as if I was her knight in shining armour. Even though this new dynamic must be permanent, hearing her tell me I'm her enemy, makes me feel like I can't breathe properly. She can't stay. If she does, she might tear down my defences. And then my family will fall apart all over again.

I look at the script in her hands. "Glad to hear it. Now, let's get this over with."

She slips her guard into place once more, her eyes growing cool and her demeanour icy. I watch her scan the script while I do my best to put my guard in place. Then I scan the paper, too. With us both on guard, it will be better, safer. I can't afford to let my guard down with her again.

And I won't.