Bedroom Games
Page 57
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CHAPTER TWELVE
“Do I feel like a winner? Not if Kandis doesn’t forgive me.” – Brodie Short, Finale
The celebratory party went on for hours, and I did my best to make it seem like I was genuinely happy. I chatted with the other House Guests who’d been voted off, did my after-show interviews, and tried to keep upbeat. Over and over, I was asked, “Why did you vote for Brodie? Why’d you give him the money even after he screwed you?”
And over and over, I replied simply, “He played the best game.”
He had, after all. He’d had me fooled even in the eleventh hour. He knew just what to say to ensure my vote. I couldn’t even be mad. Soul-crushingly disappointed? Yes. But mad? Not really.
There was a stupid, stupid part of me that was in love with Brodie Short. It didn’t matter that he’d used me and booted me out of the game. I was in love with him, and as a result, I wanted him to win.
I held it together for hours, and I waited, hopeful that I’d turn around and see Brodie waiting to talk to me. But every time I looked for him, he was sitting, doing interviews, or talking to someone. He was always busy, always surrounded by people, and laughing and having a great time.
Why wouldn’t he be? He’d just won a million dollars.
But when Cassie showed up at my side just to catch me up on the next day’s plans, I cornered her. “Can I leave now?”
She looked surprised, gazing around at the glitzy after-party, full of happy people with drinks in their hands. “You want to leave?”
More than anything. “Yeah, I have a headache. Can we go back to the hotel?”
“Well…okay.” She still looked surprised but nodded. “I’ll drive you out.”
An hour later, I was in my bed at the hotel room, face washed, pajamas on. A phone was now in my room, and I picked it up and immediately called my mother despite the late hour.
“Hello?” My mother’s familiar voice was wonderful.
“Mama, it’s me.”
“Oh, Kandis!” She sobbed on the other end of the phone. “Sweetie, I’m so sorry.”
I could feel my own tears rising. “I tried to win, Mama. I really did. I—”
“I don’t care about that,” she said tearfully. I heard her sniff loudly. “I didn’t realize how upset you were until I saw you on TV talking about it with that awful man. Do you really think I have a problem? I just like playing the machines.”
She was actually asking me? She hadn’t noticed until now? Really? “Yes, you do have a problem, Mama. You spend all of your money there, and that’s not good,” I said wiping my eyes. “And I want to help you.”
“I’m going to change,” she promised me. “We’ll figure this out. Don’t you worry about your mama.”
I smiled through my tears. “I’m glad to hear that.”
We talked for a little longer, but I started to yawn, exhausted, and then we hung up.
I curled up in bed, hugging my pillow. It felt weird to have a bed all to myself after two months of sharing the sheets with Brodie. Of course, thinking about Brodie made fresh tears come to my eyes.
He hadn’t even tried to see me tonight. Did he really not care one bit?
I sniffed. Then, my sniffles became tears, and I cried myself to sleep.
~~ * ~~
POUND POUND POUND.
I jerked upright in the darkness, rubbing my face. My nerves were on high alert, and I shivered. Had one of the ghosts decided to make themselves known after all?
Then, I realized I was no longer at The Magnolias. I wasn’t on the show. I was in a hotel room. I glanced over at the clock.
3:37 a.m.
POUND. POUND. POUND. “Kandis! I know you’re in there!”
That was Brodie’s voice. Scrubbing my face with one hand, I slid out of bed and headed to the hotel door. I peered out of the peephole. Sure enough, there was Brodie in his dark gray suit, collar loose. He was in the hallway, alone. As I watched, he reached out to pound on the door again.
I hastily undid the chain latch and slid the door open a crack. “Brodie? What the hell are you doing? It’s three in the morning.”
To my surprise, he pushed his way into the room. Before I had time to protest, his hands were cupping my face, and he leaned down and began to kiss me, his tongue sliding into my mouth.
I shoved at him, suddenly furious, and pushed him away. “What the fuck, Brodie? No hello?”
He leaned against the wall, all gorgeousness, and gave me a lazy, delicious smile. “Hello, Kandis. Can we kiss now?”
“No, we can’t kiss.” I crossed my arms over my sleep shirt and pointed at my cracked door. “Get out of here.”
He straightened, looking surprised. “Are you mad at me? Is this why you avoided me all night?”
“Me avoided you? Ha. You were too busy glorying in the limelight to stop and say anything to me.” The words came out bitter and angry. “I guess I don’t matter anymore, now that you got your vote.”
“What are you talking about?” Brodie looked genuinely confused. When I gestured at the door, indicating that he should leave, he shut it instead and leaned on the back of it. “I thought we were on the same page when you voted for me. That you understood why I did it.”
“Why you voted me out? Hell no, I don’t understand it.”
“Baby,” he said and reached out for me.
I slapped his hand away. “No ‘baby’ here. Don’t touch me.”
His face hardened and he leaned back against the door, subtly knocking the back of his head against the wood. “Kandis. Think for a minute. Really stop and think.”
“About what, Brodie? About you dicking me over?”
He shook his head and gave me a level-eyed stare. “You weren’t going to win. There was zero chance of it. Did you not see how bitter Marla was toward you?”
I laughed. “Marla was bitter because she knew I was moving ahead.”
He gazed at me for a long moment, his heart in his eyes. My own heart squeezed painfully in my chest. “You’re mad at me because you think I voted you out so I could win.”
“Isn’t that exactly what you did?”
He shook his head. “You’re blinded by anger. Stop and think for a moment.”
“About what?”
“Let’s count through the votes. If it was you and Jendan in the final, tell me who’d vote for you.”
“Sunnie—”
“Nope.” He raised a finger, counting. “You masterminded her partner out. She’d vote for Jendan.”
“Jayme and Fido—”
He raised two more fingers. “Fido voted for Jendan tonight. I doubt that would change. And since they were partners, if they didn’t vote together, Jayme would have voted for Jendan. She was mad at you for the same reasons Marla was.”
She was? I frowned. “Marla wouldn’t have voted for me.”
“Nope.” He wagged four fingers at me. “That leaves four votes for Jendan and one vote for you—my vote. You still would have lost. Now flip it. Let’s say I took you to the end with me. Sunnie would have voted for me. Jayme and Fido would have voted for me. Marla sure as shit wouldn’t have voted for you. That leaves you with one vote again—Jendan’s. And that’s only if he kept his word after you voted his ass out and lied to him.”
“Do I feel like a winner? Not if Kandis doesn’t forgive me.” – Brodie Short, Finale
The celebratory party went on for hours, and I did my best to make it seem like I was genuinely happy. I chatted with the other House Guests who’d been voted off, did my after-show interviews, and tried to keep upbeat. Over and over, I was asked, “Why did you vote for Brodie? Why’d you give him the money even after he screwed you?”
And over and over, I replied simply, “He played the best game.”
He had, after all. He’d had me fooled even in the eleventh hour. He knew just what to say to ensure my vote. I couldn’t even be mad. Soul-crushingly disappointed? Yes. But mad? Not really.
There was a stupid, stupid part of me that was in love with Brodie Short. It didn’t matter that he’d used me and booted me out of the game. I was in love with him, and as a result, I wanted him to win.
I held it together for hours, and I waited, hopeful that I’d turn around and see Brodie waiting to talk to me. But every time I looked for him, he was sitting, doing interviews, or talking to someone. He was always busy, always surrounded by people, and laughing and having a great time.
Why wouldn’t he be? He’d just won a million dollars.
But when Cassie showed up at my side just to catch me up on the next day’s plans, I cornered her. “Can I leave now?”
She looked surprised, gazing around at the glitzy after-party, full of happy people with drinks in their hands. “You want to leave?”
More than anything. “Yeah, I have a headache. Can we go back to the hotel?”
“Well…okay.” She still looked surprised but nodded. “I’ll drive you out.”
An hour later, I was in my bed at the hotel room, face washed, pajamas on. A phone was now in my room, and I picked it up and immediately called my mother despite the late hour.
“Hello?” My mother’s familiar voice was wonderful.
“Mama, it’s me.”
“Oh, Kandis!” She sobbed on the other end of the phone. “Sweetie, I’m so sorry.”
I could feel my own tears rising. “I tried to win, Mama. I really did. I—”
“I don’t care about that,” she said tearfully. I heard her sniff loudly. “I didn’t realize how upset you were until I saw you on TV talking about it with that awful man. Do you really think I have a problem? I just like playing the machines.”
She was actually asking me? She hadn’t noticed until now? Really? “Yes, you do have a problem, Mama. You spend all of your money there, and that’s not good,” I said wiping my eyes. “And I want to help you.”
“I’m going to change,” she promised me. “We’ll figure this out. Don’t you worry about your mama.”
I smiled through my tears. “I’m glad to hear that.”
We talked for a little longer, but I started to yawn, exhausted, and then we hung up.
I curled up in bed, hugging my pillow. It felt weird to have a bed all to myself after two months of sharing the sheets with Brodie. Of course, thinking about Brodie made fresh tears come to my eyes.
He hadn’t even tried to see me tonight. Did he really not care one bit?
I sniffed. Then, my sniffles became tears, and I cried myself to sleep.
~~ * ~~
POUND POUND POUND.
I jerked upright in the darkness, rubbing my face. My nerves were on high alert, and I shivered. Had one of the ghosts decided to make themselves known after all?
Then, I realized I was no longer at The Magnolias. I wasn’t on the show. I was in a hotel room. I glanced over at the clock.
3:37 a.m.
POUND. POUND. POUND. “Kandis! I know you’re in there!”
That was Brodie’s voice. Scrubbing my face with one hand, I slid out of bed and headed to the hotel door. I peered out of the peephole. Sure enough, there was Brodie in his dark gray suit, collar loose. He was in the hallway, alone. As I watched, he reached out to pound on the door again.
I hastily undid the chain latch and slid the door open a crack. “Brodie? What the hell are you doing? It’s three in the morning.”
To my surprise, he pushed his way into the room. Before I had time to protest, his hands were cupping my face, and he leaned down and began to kiss me, his tongue sliding into my mouth.
I shoved at him, suddenly furious, and pushed him away. “What the fuck, Brodie? No hello?”
He leaned against the wall, all gorgeousness, and gave me a lazy, delicious smile. “Hello, Kandis. Can we kiss now?”
“No, we can’t kiss.” I crossed my arms over my sleep shirt and pointed at my cracked door. “Get out of here.”
He straightened, looking surprised. “Are you mad at me? Is this why you avoided me all night?”
“Me avoided you? Ha. You were too busy glorying in the limelight to stop and say anything to me.” The words came out bitter and angry. “I guess I don’t matter anymore, now that you got your vote.”
“What are you talking about?” Brodie looked genuinely confused. When I gestured at the door, indicating that he should leave, he shut it instead and leaned on the back of it. “I thought we were on the same page when you voted for me. That you understood why I did it.”
“Why you voted me out? Hell no, I don’t understand it.”
“Baby,” he said and reached out for me.
I slapped his hand away. “No ‘baby’ here. Don’t touch me.”
His face hardened and he leaned back against the door, subtly knocking the back of his head against the wood. “Kandis. Think for a minute. Really stop and think.”
“About what, Brodie? About you dicking me over?”
He shook his head and gave me a level-eyed stare. “You weren’t going to win. There was zero chance of it. Did you not see how bitter Marla was toward you?”
I laughed. “Marla was bitter because she knew I was moving ahead.”
He gazed at me for a long moment, his heart in his eyes. My own heart squeezed painfully in my chest. “You’re mad at me because you think I voted you out so I could win.”
“Isn’t that exactly what you did?”
He shook his head. “You’re blinded by anger. Stop and think for a moment.”
“About what?”
“Let’s count through the votes. If it was you and Jendan in the final, tell me who’d vote for you.”
“Sunnie—”
“Nope.” He raised a finger, counting. “You masterminded her partner out. She’d vote for Jendan.”
“Jayme and Fido—”
He raised two more fingers. “Fido voted for Jendan tonight. I doubt that would change. And since they were partners, if they didn’t vote together, Jayme would have voted for Jendan. She was mad at you for the same reasons Marla was.”
She was? I frowned. “Marla wouldn’t have voted for me.”
“Nope.” He wagged four fingers at me. “That leaves four votes for Jendan and one vote for you—my vote. You still would have lost. Now flip it. Let’s say I took you to the end with me. Sunnie would have voted for me. Jayme and Fido would have voted for me. Marla sure as shit wouldn’t have voted for you. That leaves you with one vote again—Jendan’s. And that’s only if he kept his word after you voted his ass out and lied to him.”
