Vicky West
I woke up to the incessant ringing of my doorbell. I groaned obnoxiously, and turned over to read the time on my alarm clock. It was only ten AM. It pissed me off to no end that someone would wake me up this early on my day off. I lay there for a minute, debating on whether to actually answer the door or just pretend I wasn't here; it had to be important for someone to be ringing my doorbell for ten minutes straight.
I got out of my bed, begrudgingly, and got halfway to my front door before I realized I was naked. I turned around, stomping my way back to my room to put something on, muttering profanities under my breath when visions of Harry and I last night took over my thoughts.
I grasped a blouse that was lying over my chair, and slipped into some slippers. Before I opened the front door I glanced in the mirror, my hair was a nest on the top of my head, my face looked dry and flushed and I could smell a hint of sweat mixed with Harry's cologne. I hoped the person on the other side of the door wasn't expecting something special, cause this is all they were going to fucking get.
I pulled the door open, coming face-to-face with my best friend, who was wearing the same expression and appearance as I was.
"Hello sunshine," I greeted Red, smiling like a lunatic.
"Don't call me sunshine, I look like a cat's asshole," She sneered.
Red wandered past me into the house, and I locked the door. She walked straight over to the couch, and plopped herself on it with a sigh. I walked straight passed her, into the kitchen, shooting her a quick, "coffee?" To which she smiled.
"Please," She huffed, but continued to lay there in silence. I decided that I would have to be the one to get the ball rolling if I wanted to figure out what had her panties in a knot.
"I guess I'm missing something," I cleared up. I made some coffee for both of us, and set the mugs on the countertop, inviting her to join me in the kitchen. "You look absolutely wrecked, Red. Seriously, why are you still wearing a pair of sunglasses when we are inside?"
"I did something really fucking stupid," Red confessed, and I was befuddled by her honesty. "I'm wearing sunglasses because I have a black eye."
"You fucking what?!" I screeched.
"I got into a fight," She scratched the back of her neck while staring at the ground in shame. "It happened when I was strolling back home and found that slut Carmen making out with a pathetic blockhead. I was pissed that she had ruined my chances with Zayn, but she seemed to really like him. Anyway, I called her out for being the hoe-bag she is and we got into a fight.''
"Did she end up with a black eye too?"
"No, not at all." Red chuckled. "I ripped some of her extensions out though, and I think her nose is broken."
"That's cruel, Red!" I scolded. "On the contrary, I understand why you did it." I slid her untouched coffee closer to her. Red finally took her sunglasses off, and was surprised that her eye wasn't all that alarming. "It doesn't look that bad," I said truthfully.
"It hurts like a bitch though, I was going to put some concealer over it but I can't even touch it." She pointed out, her fingers brushing lightly over the bruised skin and she winced. "I'm so glad the show isn't for another three days, otherwise I'd have to see her now and I wouldn't be able to stop myself from a round two." Red said. She started to gulp the coffee, and I noticed her calming down with the caffeine in her system.
"So it was kind of upsetting to see Zayn with Carmen?"
It made my blood boil when I thought of how Zayn treated Red, yet he really didn't do anything wrong because they weren't actually dating. They were both single. On the other hand, he had to know that Red was becoming attached to him, and they hadn't set any parameters for their 'relationship' so it was pretty obvious that this would end badly.
I expected Red to get mad, or upset, when I asked her about Zayn and Carmen, but she didn't even flinch. Her body remained relaxed, and her expression remained un-phased and neutral.
"It wasn't Zayn, Vicky."
"But I thought she said she was seeing Zayn?"
"Yes," Red assured me. "But that isn't who she was with last night. She was with a different guy, you and I both know him though."
"Who?" I questioned. Harry was with me, so it couldn't have been him.
"William," Red breathed out. "Harry's old-time BFF, and partner in crime. Makes sense if you think about it, they're both disgusting.''
"Yeah, I know who he is," I huffed. "It doesn't surprise me those two are together."
"What's on your mind?" Red questioned me. "You look like you're conflicted."
"It makes sense now," I spoke. "Everything makes sense now." I placed my coffee on the table, and raced over to my phone. Red kept questioning gaze on me, but I just ignored her because I had to figure this out.
As I paced back and forth through my living room, Red was sipping from her coffee. She knew I would eventually tell her what was going on, so she didn't waste her breath asking.
"Vicky, hi," Harry breathed into the receiver.
"Hey, Harry." I greeted him. Red nearly spit her coffee back into the mug when I spoke his name. "Are you busy?" I asked lightly.
"No, not at all. I just got home. Why are you calling me?" His rude words caught me off guard, but he said them in a way that seemed like he wasn't expecting me to.
"I think you should come by for a few minutes, I need to talk to you."
"Are you okay? Is something wrong?" He panicked.
"No, yes, I- I'm not sure. Can you be here in 10 minutes?" I pleaded.
"Yeah, I can. I'll be there soon, bab- uhh, Vicky." I heard him mutter 'shit!' before the line went dead.
I giggled lightly before turning to face Red. She looked slightly amused at my phone call with Harry, like she knew something more. "I'm not getting this right now," she told me. "You were supposed to be keeping your distance.'' I didn't answer. "You had sex!" She screamed accusatorily.
"What?! No, I- is it that obvious?" I panicked.
"Wow, you did? I was just joking!" Red was baffled, so was I. "Hold on," She raised her hand, signing me to be quiet while she pieced things together. "After everything he's done, you still have feelings for him?"
"I'm not talking about this right now, Red. It's too freaking early.'' I rubbed into my eyes. "So okay we had sex last night? I'm a grown woman, and I can do as I please."
"It was good, wasn't it? All that anger and sexual tension - whoa! I'm surprised you two weren't still going at it when I got here."
"Jesus, Red. Shut up will you?"
"I need details, Vicky! I'm living vicariously through you, and what is the point of having a best friend if you can't tell me all your dirty little secrets?"
"Can we please skip this talk right now? I should shower, Harry will be here soon."
"Okay, okay. I will bring this up again, and you will be forthcoming when I do!" She told me and I ambled to the hallway to get to the bathroom. "I want details!" She screamed loud enough for me to hear.
...
Being alone in the shower gave me time to think about all that had happened. The thought of being with Harry last night was bittersweet. It was great, and I knew that he had no regrets whatsoever, but I couldn't help but think about what had happened to our relationship. The path to where we are now was so tumultuous, and I needed to decide if I could allow myself to have a physical relationship with him, and not allow myself to get attached the way I had before.
I had planned to keep this from Red for as long as possible. She was my best friend, but she could be judgemental and I really didn't need to be lectured right now. As always, she saw through me in seconds, but she didn't seen too upset and hadn't said anything condescending about it.
I had no fears about regretting last night; it was undeniable how amazing it was. Harry consumed my body and soul, but that's just the way he was. He had an aura of grace and envy, girls want to be with him and guys want to be him.
These past few months, weeks, days have been nothing short of an uphill battle. We were avoiding one another, trying to fight against our feelings. We were inevitable, and the sooner I accepted that the happier I would be.
"Vicky, you have a visitor!" Red squealed.
Damn, I lost track of time! I shut the water off, and reached for the towel I had hung on the rack. I dried my body quickly, dressed in a pair of leggings and an old sweater. I dropped the towel to the floor, swishing it around with my foot to mop up the excess water. I always forget to clean it up, and Red always slips on it.
I closed the door to the bathroom behind me, and made my way to the living room. I could see him standing at the window when I entered the room, his back was facing me as he stared out onto the non-existent view. I remembered glancing out the window to see him standing there in the rain; it seemed a lifetime ago.
"Hey," I said, getting his attention when he didn't hear me enter the room.
"Hey, Vicky." He turned around to face me.
"Hey Red," Red smirked from the couch, making fun of our monosyllabic greetings.
"Thanks for coming," I said. "Do you want something to drink?"
"Coffee would be nice," Harry informed me with a nervous smile. The corners of my mouth turned up at his reaction; seeing Harry nervous didn't happen very often so it was cute when it did. I giggled a little on my way to the kitchen, stopping quickly when I realized I was acting like a hormonal twelve year old. I stood in the kitchen preparing Harry's coffee - black, just the way he liked it - and he sat down on the couch beside a sprawled out Red.
"I never see you without a suit," Red said to Harry, giving him a weird look.
"That's because you only see me at work, Red." Harry informed her. "What happened to your eye?"
"I'm thinking of going to cosmetology school, I'm trying out my horror makeup. It looks great, doesn't it?'' Red said, in the most 'obviously-not-you-fucking-idiot' tone. She was obviously trying to make Harry uncomfortable, and his silence proved that it was working.
"She got into a fight," I cleared up. I handed Harry his coffee, and he thanked me faintly. "We need to talk for a few minutes," I said to Harry, and he nodded solemnly. "Alone. Red." I turned to glare at her when she remained oblivious on the couch. She huffed as she got up, moping her way to the kitchen.
"Can I take a bag of chips with me? I'm hungry." She whined. I gestured to the cabinet where I kept the chips, and she quickly grabbed three bags before leaving the room.
Being with him, completely sober, after last night felt uncomfortable. I didn't know where we stood and the primal need to jump on him and rip his clothes off was trying to surface. I sank back into the chair, my hands folded in my lap before lifting my eyes to Harry.
"I never thought you would call me," Harry whispered, hesitance clear in his raspy voice. "I was expecting you to just act like last night never happened."
"Uhh yeah," I started, unsure of how to bring up the real reason I called him. "Red told me something interesting that I think you should know."
Harry furrowed his eyebrows, "What happened? It must be important if you thought you needed to tell me."
"A bit," I confessed. "A few weeks ago Red met this guy named Zayn Malik. Have you ever heard of him?"
"Yes, I know who he is. A while back he approached me about the club, wanted to partner it with a casino he was starting up. I told him no, didn't want the club being involved with any type of gambling facility, that was never my grandfather's intentions with it, and it's certainly not mine."
"Okay, wait," I stopped Harry. "So Red started seeing Zayn, on a friends with benefits only basis. I guess Carmen was sleeping with Zayn to get back at Red for whatever reason, and they got into a argument at one of our costume fittings." I explained shortly. "She came over to tell me that her and Carmen got into a fight last night when she seen her with some guy. I initially thought that she had seen her with Zayn, and that's why the fought, but Carmen was with William."
"William Purdy?" Harry was in shock.
"Yes," I affirmed. "Red said that Carmen seemed infatuated with this guy, she seemed to really like him. Red was furious seeing Carmen with another guy, it was obvious Carmen was just using Zayn to toy with Red. Taking Zayn out of the equation entirely, it all makes sense." Harry was listening intently to what I had to say. "William and Carmen are together, and planned the whole scenario to break us up."
"William must have seen an opportunity to get back at me for ending our previous habits," Harry sighed, and he rubbed his eyes in frustration. It was clear that he was overwhelmed, and disappointed that he hadn't realized it himself. "He knew how depressed I was because I thought I had to end things with you, and he brought Carmen in to occupy me and hurt you. I should've known, he never gave two fucks about me before and suddenly he was worried about my mental state."
"Carmen had to have known Red was seeing Zayn on a constant basis. I guess she thought she could get dirt on Red from Zayn, and turn Red against me by accusing me of telling her Red's secrets. She knew that we'd figure out her and William's plan, and she had to have something to get back at me."
"They had it all planned out," Harry said while shaking his head in failure.
"We were just too blind to notice." I finished.
"We have to do something about the two of them," Harry summoned, trying to convince me to be part of whatever was about to happen. I nodded my head in absolute agreement. "I won't fire her, that's too obvious."
"We can play their dirty little game, we just have to play it better." I told him.
"We could use some back up, you know they had Kent on their side." Harry confessed, and I nodded quickly. "Who?"
I stood up, and excused myself for a few seconds. As I ran to my bedroom I saw Red lying on my bed, crumbs scattering the duvet all around her.
"Finally," She groaned.
"Red, can you call Marcel and tell him he needs to come here right now. Wait until he tells you he's here, and then come to the living room. There's a few things we need to discuss."
"Okay," Red agreed. She licked her fingers, and dialled Marcel's number.
...
"I had to cancel my one o'clock seaweed wrap, this better be worth it!" Marcel told me strictly when he entered the living room.
"Lovely to see you too, Marcel." I greeted him sarcastically. We hugged one another, and I handed him a glass of wine that he demanded be ready when he arrived. It was obvious that Red had told Marcel of Harry's attendance because he didn't seem taken aback by his presence at all.
"Harry, what a pleasure." He nodded towards Harry, who was seated on the couch.
"Marcel,"
"So sugar, what's up? Red said it was urgent for me to come by."
"Take a seat, both of you.'' I told Red and Marcel. They did. "Red, first of all, I'm sorry but I told Harry a short summary of what happened between you and Zayn."
"Fantastic," I could feel the sarcasm seeping from her pores. She must have realized my intentions because she continued, "It's fine Vicks, he wouldn't have understood if you didn't." She tried to flash me a smile small.
"Yes," I immediately said. "When you told me about your fight with Carmen I-"
"You got into a fight with Carmen?!" Marcel gasped. "That would have been epic! I miss everything! First, Vicky slaying Harry's man-whore ass, and now this!"
"Marcel!" I snapped at him, he really had no filter and seemed to forget that Harry was in attendance.
"He knows what happened between us?" Harry looked confused.
"I know everything, Harry." Marcel opened up.
"I know everything, too." Red raised her hand too.
"Vicky," Harry looked ashamed, and reluctant to be sitting in a room with people who knew deeply about his betrayal.
"I'm not going to jump into a different story," I protested, setting this conversation aside for a better time - like how about never. "Listen guys, without interrupting, please." All of them sat straight and watched me. "Like I previously mentioned, Red fought with Carmen. I guess Carmen was with William that night, and it was clear that they've been together for a while."
"To sum it all up, William and Carmen are behind the whole Herpes scenario. When William saw the opportunity to put Carmen between us, he encouraged her. They're behind this entire thing."
"Told you she was a slut," Red said between coughs.
"Thanks for informing me. William thought that Harry had quit his old habits because of me, and assumed that breaking us up would change Harry's mind."
"Do they know about my intentions from the pa-"
"Yes we do," Marcel and Red answered in sync.
Harry groaned in annoyance.
"Let's not get into that right now. Does he know about what happened between us at your party?"
"Yeah, when Vicky slayed your sorry ass!" Red piped up, but quickly shut up when I shot her a glare from hell.
"He doesn't," Harry replied begrudgingly, irritated with my best friends' condescending behaviour. "I haven't seen him since he left for Australia."
"Do you know what he is doing there at the moment?" Red asked Harry.
"Business," Harry shrugged. "He does most of his business in other countries, the entrepreneurs here know of his personal escapades and want nothing to do with him. He doesn't return for another four days."
"Could you meet him when he gets back?" Marcel spoke.
"Depends on how late I get back from Florida. I've been contracted to be an advisor at a club there, I'll be staying there for three days." Harry informed us all. I leaned back in my chair, annoyed that he was leaving town for three days, but that was something I had no say in anymore. "I can talk to him when I get back."
"You should," Red encouraged him. Our attention snapped to her. "I think I have a great idea, guys." She confessed, and we could see her working through it in her head before speaking. "What if we threw a masked ball at the club? It's have to be some sort of special celebration."
"I can throw an early birthday party?" Harry suggested.
"Perfect!" Marcel told Harry. "I think Red's really onto something. There has to be a ton of people, and the dancers have to be there. William and Vicky need to make contact at the ball."
"That's not going to happen," Harry immediately shot the idea down. He knew it was a good plan, but it was obvious he didn't want me anywhere near William.
"I can do that," I stated. Harry focused on me with worry in his eyes; I tried to push down the need to agree with him to make him feel better, this wasn't just about him. "We can't hire someone, it has to be me. Marcel can make me look like someone completely different, we'll have to go shopping."
"Andrea can make you something to wear," Harry quickly spoke. "The more expensive it looks, the better. If there's anything William likes, it's money and women; combining that will drive him crazy." He stared at me while he spoke these words, his eyes still showing concern. I wished I could look at Harry and feel nothing, that the familiar pull of my heartstrings were no longer connected to his, but I couldn't help the draw of his jade eyes, I couldn't help but love him.
"Great idea!" Marcel cheered, snapping us out of our daze. "When Harry is on this business trip we can arrange some things, like making invitations and such. A guest list would be perfect, it has to be classy." I nodded approvingly.
"What does this have to do with taking down William and Carmen?" Harry asked.
"She needs to see that William has no feelings for her, that he's using her love for him to get what he wants out of her. She'll lose it." Red spoke.
"Agreed," I told her. "We need to destroy William and Carmen."
"All we have to do is get Carmen to realize that the man she loves is using her, she'll do the rest on her own."
...
(IM SO FÚCKING EXCITED FOR THIS OKAY
so yeah vote and comment?
question: What is your favourite part of Lush Seduction and Lush Corruption?
xo Lay)