So, just beta testing this new idea and see if people like where this is going (Chapters for Gilded in Gold and By Night, My Love will be posted next week) thank you for reading and leave comments :)
Chapter One
I'm that girl you just love to hate. You know, that one girl in your group who always laughs the hardest and has the snarkiest comeback. The one that has the bigger boobs and always rubs your face in it (the fact, not the boobs). That one girl who knows everybody's business, even yours, and then tells it to someone and now everybody knows who you secretly hooked up with at the last Christmas Eve party in the bathroom. Yah, I'm that bitch.
Hi, I'm Harley Duncan.
The guy I fell in love with? Well, he's the boy that everybody loves to love. That one guy in your group whose got this golden aura around him and is the life of the party in a good way. He's one of the boys and the picture perfect boyfriend. And he's an amazing lay that all the girls brag about. He's got a great job already and is the less messed up version of your personal Christian Grey mixed in with Bruce Wayne with a hint of Sterling Archer. (If you got my last reference, then you and I have great but disturbing taste in men). Yah, he's that guy.
And this is the story of how he fell in love with me without knowing that I was the villainess. I'm writing this to tell you what not to do if your ever lucky enough to actually catch that guy because now I'm about to lose him. And its all my fault.
It all started with the typical party. But before we go into that, I think you should have some background me. I come from a pretty rich home and I had caviar fed to me from s silver spoon from the time I was seven. My dad was the owner of an airplane company and my mom was a socialite. I was the only child, thank fucking god. I don't do all that sharing and caring bullshit. I wasn't particularly close with my parents, but when they died, I kind of went on a downward spiral and did some nasty drugs. I went through rehab, got better, went back on the downward spiral, and again returned to rehab. That happened about like five or six times until I met this guy. Now he was messed up, even more than that glorified Christian Grey and not in a sexy way either. He was a lot like me, selfish, greedy, and had a total disregard for the concept of respect. We were kindred souls and should have been soul mates. Meet James Heddon.
The only reason we didn't fall in love was the exact reason that drew us to each other in the first place. It's like falling in love with yourself. I know you're supposed to love yourself and all that but seriously, imagine there's a girl/guy verision of you out there. There might be some characteristics that appeal to you but their glaring faults will make you want to choke them rather than get hot and heavy with them. Trust me. So James and I stayed friends.
He saw through most of my walls because he had the same kind of walls, and vice versa. There were secrets buried deep under our skins that we never shared with other. We knew we had them but to tell them to each other would unravel this whole façade we had. Hell, I don't think I even acknowledge that I had these secrets; I had lied to myself so long what whatever I fabricated was the truth for me. Being filthy rich and alone, I bought myself a lie detector test and tested myself. I passed with flying colors without having to resort to the pain thing to confuse the test.
But anyway, James and I became roommates. He started dating this pretty girl who worked at a museum and that's how I met Tristan Gage. He was a rising architect at a prestigious firm, and Jenny, James' girlfriend, was friendly with him because he had been commissioned to design one of the sections in the museum. Nobody knew that I had donated the funds giving the museum the means to renovate the old section.
I loved that little museum; it was wholly dedicated to historical artifacts throughout various time eras, arranged in a sequential order. I especially loved the Roman rooms, where it was actually designed like a roman villa. The section that was being renovated was the Victorian rooms and I couldn't wait to see it what Tristan had in his mind for those rooms. The museum's board of director had allowed me access to his portfolio and I loved the designs he had already done. He specialized in traditional, restoration designs. He had done some business buildings and a few privately commissioned homes, but I saw that the bulk of his work consisted of restoring buildings of historic value. I fell a little in love with him right then and there when I was perusing through his art. And it was art, what he did with those previously rundown buildings.
As James got deeper into a relationship with Jenny, I got deeper into her group of friends. I knew the only reason she invited me into her group was because she felt threatened by my friendship with James. I kind of understood why James was going out with her. She was simple and uncomplicated, with a loving and healthy relationship with her parents and maintained an active social life. I guess James thought that a little of her goodness would rub off on him. I secretly thought he was foolish, but I was also a little afraid that that might just happen. Because if it did, the one thing that drew us to each other, the badness that was in us would be gone and so would our friendship.
Jenny had three other friends in her group. Carrie was a receptionist at the museum. Juliet was working on her doctoral thesis along with Jenny, but was focusing on another subject. And Tate worked at a bar. Being the rich kid that I was, I did nothing useful. I mostly shopped and hung out with James at his work. He was a rising lawyer and I would usually just help him with research and take memos for him. I was basically his personal assistant and the firm didn't mind. After all they didn't have to pay me and I was pretty helpful after I got the hang of it.
Jenny had been trying to hook Juliet up with Tristan, so she invited him to a lot of the museum fundraisers and galas. They went out a few times but he ended up breaking things off with after a few months. Juliet moved on to his buddy Darren, and got engaged. Even though we attended a few parties, Tristan and I never talked much. His eyes could strip off the very layers that you buildup over the years to the innocence you had been before all that shit happens but at the same time, he looked at you like you were part of the wall. So I avoided him like the plague.
Physically.
No matter how much his eyes unnerved me, the rest him was the fire to my moth. I soaked up every bit of information about him. I knew he played football in college and came from a small town named Kissimee (how romantic!). He is the middle brother in a family of three. The eldest is named Deacon, Deke for short, and the youngest is Hunter. And if they looked anything like Tristan, I would seriously consider a foursome with me and all three Gages in a Gage sandwich.
There had to be some black Irish blood in him since he had that trademark black hair and blue eyes. I was an unimpressive 5'5, but with heels that stayed glued to my feet sixteen hours a day, I was a passible 5'10. And even with my heels, I only came up to about his nose. He wasn't classically handsome; he had that rugged thing going on where his face is more interesting than handsome. It's his utter confidence and charisma marked him the leader, the alpha, the head honcho. He's the guy you naturally look at.
And I was lingering and obsessing right now as the priest droned on about eternal love and commitment before the blushing bride and fidgeting groom. I smirked. I knew why the groom was fidgeting. Last night at the bachelorette party, Tate had sneaked away when she thought no one was looking, and James had quickly texted me her location. He had been with Darren at his bachelor party at a club when Darren had been pulled away by a mysterious note. I had threatened James to make him follow the groom and he saw Darren and Tate duck into a private room. I don't think they had his upcoming nuptials in mind.
"If anyone would like to speak out now against this couple's love, speak now or forever hold your peace," the priest intoned.
