Betting on Bailey

19

In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.

Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Bailey:

Lying in bed after Sebastian dropped me off, I contemplated quitting the pool team. Then I’d grown angry at myself for thinking about running away. Why should I? I’m not the one who is in the wrong here. That’s definitely Daniel.

Sebastian isn’t much better. Seriously, I want to roll my eyes when I think about Juliette confronting me in the bathroom on Wednesday and telling me to stay away from him. So much drama. It’s like I’m in high school all over again, and she’s warning me to stay away from the cute boy that she likes.

The whole thing is ridiculous. I have work to do. I’ve had to spend all of Saturday at school, catching up on grading and my own research. I don’t have time for a moody billionaire and a brilliant chef.

* * *

Sunday morning, I wake up early. I’ve been putting off getting the rest of my stuff from Trevor’s place, and I’m determined to get it done today. It’s not like Trevor can say anything to ruin my mood — Daniel already did that pretty thoroughly Friday night.

I’ve texted Trevor to let him know I’ll be by to grab my things, but because I’m in a spiteful mood, I make it a point to use my key to let myself into his apartment. This won’t be a long visit - I just have my Kitchen Aid mixer, a few clothes and some jewelry to pack.

When I walk in, Trevor’s in the living room eating a bowl of cereal in his boxers and nothing else. He almost drops his spoon in surprise when he sees me. “You can’t just waltz in here, Bailey,” he says angrily. “You should have knocked.”

“Is that what you think?” I’m spoiling for a fight; I’ve been spoiling for one since Friday night. “I’m pretty sure that charging me for rent for the next ninety days means that I still live here.” I smile pleasantly at him. “That’s how my lawyer interpreted it for me. Perhaps you need to have a chat with your own attorney?”

I’d called Wendy on my way over to confirm the legality of what I was doing. She’d sighed over the phone and she’d tried to dissuade me from being petty, but in the end, she’d given up and told me that yes, I could indeed just walk in. I can see Wendy’s point - I should just let this go. However, I’m still furious that Trevor charged me rent. The slimy dirt bag. It would be one thing if he needed the money, but Trevor is rich enough to easily cover the cost of the apartment. He wants to mess with me? Bring it on. The new Bailey, the one who won a game of pool on Wednesday night, isn’t going to roll over and play dead.

Trevor splutters angrily. I ignore him and go to the spare bedroom, where I store all my clothes. They are still there, untouched. Good. I pull out my two battered suitcases from their spot at the bottom of the closet. I took these suitcases on my one year trip to Siberia. I know that everything I own will fit in them.

Trevor stands in the doorway, watching me pack. “Do you want some coffee?” he asks finally.

“Sure.” I follow him, since I need to go to the kitchen anyway for my stand mixer. My anger is dying down. As much as I like this newfound righteous indignation of mine, it’s tiring to be annoyed all the time. I’m not tempestuous enough. Gabby’s better at being fiery.

In the kitchen, he leans against the counter and surveys me with a sly smirk on his face while I unplug the mixer from the power strip. “How’ve you been?” he asks. I’m a little puzzled about his grin, until it dawns on me that he expects me to be attracted to his almost nakedness.

Oh. Oh.

Poor Trevor. He doesn’t know that Daniel and Sebastian fill my thoughts and haunt my dreams. I only have to close my eyes, and I can feel the scratch of the pool table fabric against my buttocks. The rasp of Sebastian’s stubble against my inner thighs. The feeling of Daniel’s fingers in my most forbidden hole.

Damn it. I’m some kind of sex-crazed fiend. Worse than that, though I don’t really like either of them very much right at the moment, if they told me to spread my legs, I would be seriously tempted. I’d probably obey.

“I’ve been fine,” I answer shortly. “I joined a pool league.”