Sticking to the Plan

Chapter 3 - Pictures Worth 1000 Words

Kaley left the lodge on the edge of town, aiming for the line of shops. Her nervous energy was making her jittery and as much as she could deny her head, something else inside her definitely hoped at the chance of a reunion.

But what would she say? What if for all intents and purposes he was under the impression that it would just be the one night of passion and nothing more? What if he rejected her?

Well the sting of rejection would only serve to steel her resolve to turn over her picturesque representations of his most private self to the world at large. She felt better at this prospect. She was protected in a way. Not that she would hold his images at ransom for his affection, but she at least would have an outlet to heal should her own affections be forsaken. But a tiny part of her knew that the pictures would not stay buried for long. It wasn't just her that was involved. Maybe she could sway Maggie and Mila into sidelining the plan. It was an endeavor unlikely to produce the results she desired; she could just image the scorn on Maggie and Mila's faces. Heather and Sarah would follow the contempt of the crowd as well if she ever admitted to even remotely liking or being attracted to any of these guys, not after all the time they spent insulting every last facet of who and what they were.

Sarah. Sarah was a possibly sway. Heather seemed to be a faltering prospect as well. Maggie and Mila were probably impenetrable. Considering Maggie's ire following such a rejection and Mila's allegiance, Matt was done for. There was no chance his pictures weren't going to be splashed all over every social media site that would have them. He would be a casualty. But all she had to do was not turn Bam's pictures over. It was as simple as that. And if she could convince Heather and Sarah to side with her, maybe she could swing the weight of the majority to her side and stem the damage.

If it were just Matt's pictures released, it would look as if it were just Mila being the petty, sociopath that she very well probably was. If there was no evidence that it was a group effort, maybe Bam would never be the wiser. She built and built the plan up in her mind, her cognitive effort dulling her other senses as she wasn't even aware of where she was going until she was stopped in her tracks then sent backwards upon impact.

The collision cleared her thoughts immediately as she looked up to five pairs of eyes looking down at her.

Oh fuck. She mumbled in her head. Of course it was all five of them looking down at her. Each one probably knew everything about last night. She afforded no uncertainty that their tryst wasn't a secret. Knowing the way men tend to brag about sexual exploits, she felt her cheeks redden at the thought of what they could possibly know about her already...and the things she was willing to do to an almost complete stranger.

"Well hello again." Bam's voice oozed bravado as his hand reached down to help her up.

"Oh...hey...sorry, didn't see you." her excuse was feeble as who else but a blind man wouldn't see a spread of five full grown men directly in their path.

"Where's....your friends?" Gabe asked, swallowing before amending his question. He was ideally looking for Heather as he glanced over Kaley's shoulder.

"Oh, they like to sleep in. Everyone's pretty beat." Great, Kaley, way to make a sex reference. But the comment garnered a few quiet snickers from the group, "I was just off for a jog. I saw a trail around the bay I was going to try."

It wasn't a absolute lie. She was planning on running while they were here. Running through forests and the wilderness might have been her favorite pastime and she happened to be wearing appropriate running clothing. Bear perked up at the idea of running, but as he was about to comment, Bam spoke up.

"That's pretty dangerous, going out there alone. Bears are getting awful close to town." His words were a little parental, but she was willing to overlook it, rolling her eyes playfully.