Page 47 of Flawless

“Look, I don’t know how that asshole got my number, but you can’t tell me that’s not you two in that video, Rylee. At his place?”

My voice softened as the hurt and defeat settled in. I didn’t know why I should have to defend myself. I hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Yeah, the video’s at his place. But he must have taken it without my knowledge or consent when we were together.”

“How do you explain the date and time stamp? Wasn’t that the night you went to that party with him? Before you called me?”

Was he for real? “Do you really think I’d have sex with him, then call you?”

“How the hell should I know what you would do? I thought I knew you, but I should have trusted my gut. No way can you really know someone, or trust them, in less than a month. That was my stupidity.”

Wow. I sank down on the couch, feeling his words pierce me like barbed wire.

“You can ask your sister. She was at the same party. She called me⁠—”

“I did talk to her. She said they left a couple of hours before she called you. That was plenty of time for you to go back to his place and… make that video.”

“I’m so done with you.”

He laughed. “You’re done with me? Baby, I was done with you the second I saw that video. Go back to your piece of shit guitar player⁠—”

I hung up before he could finish, throwing the phone across the room and dropping to my knees on the floor, crying in frustration when the screen smashed.

Some things needed to be done in person.

Like kicking your ex in the balls for ruining your life.

As soon as Dean opened the door to his apartment, I dropped him. Then kicked him over when he tried to get up. Let him try and press charges. I’d gladly spend the night in jail for a little old-school justice.

“What the hell was that for?” he demanded, rolling around on the ground in agony.

I set my stiletto heel on his ribcage. Yes, I’d worn them as weapons.

“Don’t play dumb with me, asshole. Explain that video. Now.”

“What video?”

I dug my heel a little deeper, making him cry out in pain. “Tell me now or I’ll⁠—”

He moved faster than I gave him credit for, lunging at me, and pushing me back against the wall. Shit. This wasn’t good. Dean wasn’t a big guy, but he was still a hell of a lot bigger than I was. Maybe I hadn’t thought this all the way through.

“You don’t threaten me.” His eyes were wild, and his chest was heaving.

“I. Will. Ruin. You.” I wasn’t feeling as brave as I pretended to be, but cowering in fear wouldn’t get me out of this situation.

His grip loosened a little before I said, “And you know I can. You’ll never work in this town again if I tell people you put your hands on me.”

He stepped back, raking a shaky hand through his hair. “Just get out of here.”

“Not until you tell me how you did it. That video? Getting Cam’s number?”

He was all false bravado when he said, “Hey, if you didn’t want your boyfriend to see it, you shouldn’t have been such a dirty girl.”

“You bastard!” I flattened my palms and pushed against him with all I had. “You had no right to take that video without my knowledge or consent. You know that’s against the law, right? I could charge your ass.”

“You could.” He shrugged. “But if I go down, you’re going down with me. I’ll plaster that shit all over the internet before you can go to the cops. It’ll ruin your career, your reputation.”

I couldn’t remember the exact night that video had been taken, but I seemed pretty uninhibited, which made me think I’d had a few drinks. It was probably after a party we’d attended together, or an awards show, maybe. Not that it mattered. The sonofabitch was right. I could destroy him, but he could humiliate me.