Being the Bad Boy's Victim (6 page)

I sat down on my seat while Connor introduced himself to my parents. I took that time to look him over. Two words: Hot damn!

He was wearing black pants and a blue button-down, and he looked absolutely gorgeous. Such a shame that he’s a douche.

“How old are you?” Luca piped up, staring at Connor.

“I’m eighteen,” Connor said, actually smiling at Luca.

And could I just say, his smile… Well, I guess I could see now how he got all those girls to sleep with him.

“Here, take a seat,” my mum said, coming back from the kitchen.

“Sit with Bellaby!” Luca shrieked, climbing out of his seat and taking the vacant one next to Sophie.

My eyes widened, and it didn’t go unnoticed by Connor. He smirked at me when he sat down.

Soon enough, Sophie and Luca were chatting it up, while my dad and Connor’s dad discussed business, and my mum gossiped with Mrs. Michaels.

“So, Bellaby,” Connor teased. “Your dress is very… nice.”

I looked down to see that the skirt had ridden up, so that most of my thigh was showing. Embarrassed, I pulled it down as best I could.

“Bella, I hear you want to go to UPenn?” Mr. Michaels asked.

I frowned and looked at my father.

“Actually, I would like to…” My breath got caught in my throat as a warm hand was placed in the middle of my thigh. My heart was pounding rapidly, making it hard for me to speak.

“Uh, yes, I s-suppose,” I stuttered, blushing madly.

“Interesting. Do you know what you plan to do?” he asked.

By now, the whole table was silent and all eyes were on me. As I opened my mouth to speak, Connor’s hand trailed farther up, to the top of my thigh.

“Y-yes, I am interested in becoming a veterinarian, and the medical schooling at UPenn is fantastic,” I said, glancing at my father as he nodded in approval.

“That’s wonderful, darling,” Mrs. Michaels said.

Mr. Michaels grinned at me and turned back to my dad, resuming their conversation.

“Honey, you never mentioned you went to school with Connor! Are you two friends?” my mum asked.

“N——” I started

“Yes,” Connor cut me off. “We are actually very good friends.”

I quickly hid my frown and attempted to pull Connor’s hand off my leg. But he grasped my upper thigh tightly, causing me to gasp loudly, making everyone turn to stare at me. I flushed a deep red at the attention.

“Erm, excuse me,” I mumbled, hurrying towards the bathroom upstairs.

Once inside, I splashed some icy cold water on my face and took deep breaths. Then, I quickly dried my face and stared in the mirror.

“Pull yourself together,” I scolded myself. After a couple more minutes, someone knocked on the door.

“One second,” I called out, opening the door. Suddenly I was pushed back into the bathroom, and the door shut quickly.

“Did I tell you how nice that dress looks on you?” Connor asked, advancing on me.

My heart pounded as I backed away into the wall. Connor took that as an advantage, because soon enough I was trapped between him and the wall.

“So, what do ya say? Why don’t we seal the deal?” he murmured into my ear. Before I could process what was happening, Connor gently placed his lips on mine. The normal Bella would have shoved Connor away, cursing him out in the process. But this Bella?

The kiss was gentle and sweet, slowly picking up pace. Soon my hands were entangled in his hair, and his arms were wound tightly around my waist. Then he finally pulled away, both of us breathing hard.

I looked up at him. “That was…”

He smirked, almost as if he knew what I was going to say next.

“Disappointing.”

For once, Connor wasn’t able to hide the shocked expression that crossed his features.

Bella: 2 – Connor: 3

Connor

That kiss… that was something I was never going to forget. I pulled away, both of us breathing hard.

“That was…” she started.

I smirked.
Hot? Steamy? Amazing? The best moment of her life?

“Disappointing.”

I was completely shocked. That was not what I was expecting. She smirked as she moved around me and headed towards the door. I frowned and quickly turned, grabbing her arm and stopping her from leaving.

“Don’t lie,” I said, staring into her deep brown eyes.

“I didn’t,” she replied without hesitation, pulling her arm out of my grasp and heading downstairs before I could stop her.

I felt myself grow angry as she walked off. It was almost as if she hadn’t felt…

What am I talking about?
I glared at my reflection and shook my head.
Bella was going to crack, I’m making sure of that.

Bella

“I didn’t,” I said, pulling my arm out of his grasp. With that, I headed downstairs before he could stop me.

Bella: 3 – Connor: 3

“Sorry about that,” I excused myself as I sat back down. I noticed how Mrs. Michaels, along with my mum, stared at me, a knowing expression on their faces. I subconsciously fixed my hair and straightened out my dress, cursing myself for not doing that before I had come back down.

When Connor came back, his expression was cold and stony. He didn’t acknowledge me as he sat down, and he only spoke when my mum offered dessert. Everyone, even Sophie and Luca, was silent during dessert.

“So, Connor, where are you planning to go to college?” my dad asked in attempt to get the conversation going. I couldn’t help but notice the tension between Mr. Michaels and Connor as he asked that.

“I really like Florida State University,” Connor said.

I watched as Mr. Michaels frowned, looking away from his son.

“May I ask why?” my dad asked.

“The parties and the girls,” Connor said with a cold smile. Something looked wrong about him as he spoke.

“Connor!” his dad snapped.

“Oh, and the booze, too,” Connor snapped.

An awkward silence settled over us as Connor and his father glared at each other from across the table.

“The dessert is delicious,” Mrs. Michaels said, trying to lighten the mood.

I have to give her props for the attempt, but it didn’t work because Mr. Michaels only seemed to grow madder by the second.

“I apologize for my son. Unlike your daughter, he doesn’t seem to have a very bright future, or any future of that sort, ahead of him,” he spat out, still glaring at Connor.

“I’m sorry, I don’t want to turn into some uptight asshole who doesn’t give a shit about his son,” Connor hissed, standing up at the end.

Mr. Michaels went red in the face as Sylvia, Mrs. Michaels, tried to calm him down.

“What, Dad? Mad because I’m right?” Connor yelled.

Before anything else could happen, Connor walked away. I saw Sylvia look pleadingly at him, trying to get him to stay.

Now, for some reason, I did something very stupid. I ran after Connor. By the time I was outside, he was starting the car. So I did the most logical thing that popped into my mind, I ran in front of his car, blocking his way out.

“Move, Bella. Now!” he growled from the open window. I shook my head stubbornly as he glared at me.

“Bella, move!” he yelled, jerking his car forward in an attempt to scare me off.

“No, Connor. Please don’t leave,” I pleaded, shivering from the cold.

Connor continued to glare at me as he got out of his car. I didn’t move as he made his way to me.

“What are…? Connor, let me down!” I shrieked.

He threw me over his shoulder, carrying me to the sidewalk before placing me down and walking back to his car.

“No!” I yelled, running and getting between him and his car.

“Bella, don’t do this,” he hissed at me, moving closer, which made me move back.

Soon, I was standing between his door and him, refusing to move.

“Bella.”

“No. I’m not letting you leave,” I snapped, crossing my arms defiantly.

And that was how I ended up being trapped in the backseat of a speeding car, with a furious Connor driving to God-knows-where.

“Connor, please slow down,” I pleaded from the backseat, struggling to sit back up after he unceremoniously pushed me in.

“I told you to move,” he simply said, continuing to speed up.

“Connor, please!” I whimpered. I noticed him glance at the rearview mirror, looking at me. Slowly but surely, the car’s speed decreased. “Thanks,” I mumbled, sitting up.

He grumbled out a gruff, “You’re welcome.”

Ten minutes later

“Connor Michaels, I demand you stop this car at once,” I snapped, sounding oddly like my mum.

He glared at me and continued to drive, picking up a little speed. For the past ten minutes, I had been trying to get him to let me off by the side of the road so that I could walk home. After he repeatedly said no, I climbed into the passenger seat so that I could pester him some more.

“Why not?” I demanded, crossing my arms angrily.

“I’m not leaving you by the side of the road, Bella,” he snapped, not taking his eyes off of the road.

“Why not?” I shrieked, throwing my arms up in the air. “That way you could drive wherever and I would be able to go back to the
safety
of my own house!”

Suddenly, he pulled over to the side of an empty road, slamming his brakes in the process. My breathing hitched as he turned to look at me, moving closer.

“What makes you think you’re not safe with me?” he asked, anger lining his every word.

“I-I mean, well… you…” I struggled to find the right words. Normally, I would have just said, ‘You’re the badass playboy who has been arrested so many times before. Nothing about you is safe.’ But he was obviously still pissed about what happened with his dad, and making things worse was so not my intention.

“Never mind,” I muttered, staring straight ahead.

“I’m not moving this car until you tell me,” he snapped, glaring at me.

Wow! Stubborn much?

“Just ignore it.”

“Stop being such a pussy.”

That did it.

“You are a complete douchebag who uses girls and is constantly being arrested. You wouldn’t believe the number of people who told me to stay away from you. You’re dangerous. Therefore, I’m not safe,” I finished my rant while not looking at him, even once. My heart was beating rapidly as I waited for a response.

Then I heard it—a deep chuckle. I looked up, surprised to see Connor smiling and staring at me, something twinkling in his eyes as he laughed.

“Why… why are you laughing?” I asked, astonished.

“You’re the only girl who’s ever told me off,” he finally said when he had finished laughing.

I couldn’t help but crack a small smile. Honestly, I was expecting Connor to flip a shit.

“You hungry?” he asked.

I glanced at the clock and noticed that it was now eleven o’clock. We had left the dinner nearly two hours ago.

“No,” I replied, just as my stomach decided to do a very realistic, and quite audible, impersonation of a starving bear.

Connor let out another laugh and started heading down a road filled with multiple restaurants and coffee shops.

“Here we are,” Connor announced, pulling into an almost empty parking lot.

I looked up to see a cute coffee shop in front of me.

“I used to come here a lot when I was younger,” he explained as we sat down in an empty booth.

“Why’d you stop?” I asked, hoping to keep the conversation going.

He shrugged, looking down at his hands. “I guess I just grew up. But I mean, I still come here every now and then.”

“Welcome to Sally’s! What can I get you?” the waitress purred at Connor. Her blouse was way too tight, her breasts nearly spilling out.

“Yeah, a new waitress,” Connor snapped, not looking up once.

I tried to hide my laughter by faking a cough as the blonde’s jaw dropped and she scampered away.

“That was rude!” I hissed at Connor, despite the almost uncontrollable laughter bursting from me.

He just gave me a smug smile as an elderly waitress came up to us.

“Hello, dearies! What can I do for ya?” she asked, smiling.

“Can we have two slices of blueberry pie and two decaf coffees?” Connor said politely.

She smiled as she wrote down the orders. “Haven’t seen you here in a while, Connor Michaels. Last time you were here…” she paused, glancing at me, then added, “Oh, never mind.” She then headed off to the kitchen.

“What was that?” I asked, playing with the hem of my dress.

“Nothing,” he quickly replied. “So, UPenn? Really?”

“Changing the subject? Really?” I countered. I watched as Connor let out his carefree laugh.

“Here you are,” Sue, the waitress, announced, placing down the tray before walking off.

Another ten minutes later

I was in heaven. Connor watched as I scarfed down my second piece of pie. It was, without a doubt, the best pie I’ve ever had!

“Nomph yum umbr. You gonna eat that?” I asked as Connor played with his first piece with a fork.

“No, no, go ahead,” he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

I quickly grabbed his plate, eating his piece within record time, which was approximately three minutes. When I finished, I leaned back in the booth, sighing with contentment.

“You enjoyed it?” Sue asked, piling the plates and cups into a tray.

I nodded meekly, wiping my mouth with a napkin for any food particles stuck on my face. Meanwhile, Sue handed us the bill before she headed back to the counter.

“Ready to go?” Connor asked after placing a twenty on the table.

“Sure,” I replied, following him out of the coffee shop.

As I took my seat in the car, I realized something.

“Oh gosh, my bracelet is missing!” I said, “I must have left it in the diner!”

Connor made a move to get out of the car, but I stopped him.

“No!”

He turned to me, surprised.

“I can go get it.” I quickly got out of the car and headed back into the diner.

Back inside the diner

“Um, Sue?”

“Oh, hello there,” Sue said, her warm smile all over her face.

“What were you going to say about Connor?” I asked.
Finally
, I thought to myself. The whole time we were there, this had been on my mind. I watched as her smile faded a bit and she glanced around nervously.

“I–I–I can’t…”

“It’s okay, I won’t say anything. I am just curious,” I reassured her.

“Okay… well, it’s just that every time Connor comes here, he has a new gal.”

I raised an eyebrow.
Well, that’s the Connor I know.

“Anyways, I have been watching him for quite a while, and he is very well-known around here.”

“How so?” I asked, genuinely interested.

“Well, sometimes I listen into the conversations of other people. This one girl and her friend were talking about him. I recognized them both. They came here with Connor separately. From what I heard, this is his thing, his little M.O,” Sue admitted, fiddling with her hands.

“What?” I whispered, shocked. Wow, all this was just an act?

“Sweetie, he’s just using you.”

I turned my head to the ridiculously annoying voice. It came from our previous waitress. I watched as she made her way to me, an angry expression on her face.

“He did the same to me. He took me out here, made it seem like he was sweet and caring. Then, he f—” She glanced at Sue, and continued, “We did it, and he didn’t even bother sleeping over. Oh no, sirree! He left right afterwards.”

“So then, why were you trying to flirt with him back there?” I asked, confused.

She shrugged. “He hurt me, yes, but something about him makes you want to change him. Stupid, I know. But honestly, I still wish I could.”

I nodded. So many thoughts were going through my head at the moment.

“Thanks, guys, but I really should be going,” I said as I turned to leave.

“Be careful, dearie!” Sue called out as I exited.

I gave her a small nod before walking back to the car.

“What took you so long?” Connor asked, looking slightly suspicious.

I buckled up and pulled the hem of my dress down.

“I, urm, well, I couldn’t find it,” I said, trying to sound disappointed. I glanced up at him through the veil of my hair.

He still looked slightly suspicious, but he seemed to shrug it off as he started the car.

“Can you take me home now?” I asked, accidentally letting a bit of hostility slip into my tone.

“What? Why?” Connor asked, a little surprised. “We could go to this park I know and just talk.”

After Sue and the waitress had told me all about Connor, I had planned to keep quiet and pretend like I didn’t know anything. But as the seconds ticked by, I just couldn’t help myself.

“And just talk?” I scoffed. “Just take me home.” I turned my head forward, angrily clenching and unclenching my fists. I could start to feel my temper flare up at the thought of Connor merely using me.

“What crawled up your ass?” Connor snapped, slowing down.

I couldn’t help myself as I turned to face him.

“Sue and that waitress girl told me about you,” I snapped.

Connor rolled his eyes, continued driving, and said, “And?”

At that, I had reached my boiling point. “Did you honestly think that you could just use me like that? Is that how low you think I am? I get it. You’re the playboy of the school. You use girls all the time. But honestly, this is actually pathetic,” I spat out, venom dripping out with every word.

“It normally works,” he casually said with a shrug.

Maybe it was the fact that he didn’t even try to deny it or the way he said it like it meant nothing to him but that did it.

“You’re sick!” I screamed. I couldn’t help myself as my hand flew out in an attempt to slap him. I let out a yelp of surprise as he caught it, only inches from his face. After I got over my shock, I began pulling my hand away, which caused him to stop the car.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” he snapped, dropping my hand before starting to drive again.

“Dramatic? You are the most vile…” I started

“Awful person in the world?” he guessed. “Yeah, I know. And, hun, you knew it, too. So, thinking that I would just go out with you to some diner without an ulterior motive is your fault. You can’t be mad at me for that,” Connor said without a single ounce of care.

“Take me home. Now!” I snapped, tears threatening to fall at any moment.
Hold it in
, I ordered myself.
Everything will be okay.
I stared out the window as it started to drizzle.

“Don’t be a bitch,” Connor snarled. “You did this to yourself.”

I let out an angry scream as I slammed my hand onto the dashboard.

“Stop the car. Now!” I screamed, surprising Connor.

He slammed on the brakes and stared at me, completely shocked. I angrily flung open the door and began walking down the road, not knowing or caring where I was going.

He could call me names and act like it was no big deal. But I’d be damned if Connor was going to blame this one on me.

By now it was pouring, which meant I was soaking wet as I attempted to walk home in heels and a now latex-tight dress.

“Bella, please come back inside the car,” Connor asked, driving next to me.

I snorted in a very unladylike fashion and continued to walk away. Despite the pouring rain, I heard him groan in frustration.

“Damn it, Bella! Get in the car now!” he yelled, getting annoyed.

I whirled around, my hair whipping me in my face. Connor glared at me through the open window of his car.