The Secret Diamond Sisters (13 page)

“Thanks.” She had never had anyone tell her that before. “And you are...”

“Oliver,” he answered with a haughtiness that made her think he assumed most people already knew his name. “Oliver Prescott.”

“Nice to meet you, Oliver,” she said, smiling seductively up at him—the same look she’d given to Jackson earlier. But unlike with Jackson, it made Oliver move closer to her. The music changed to a remix of a popular song, and she wound her arms tighter around him. “Your girlfriend didn’t look happy that you left her to dance with me.”

“Girlfriend?” Oliver laughed. “Madison’s just a friend.”

“Good.” Peyton had dated many guys, but the ones with girlfriends were out of the question. She refused to risk getting hurt, or make an enemy in the wrong place.

“Do I seem like the type of guy who would tell my girlfriend to disappear while I danced with another girl?” He looked amused, but Peyton believed he was serious.

“Going off the few minutes I’ve known you...?” She quirked an eyebrow. “It never hurts to check. But I believe you.”

“And you would trust me that easily?”

“Mainly because Madison doesn’t look like the sort of girl who would allow a boyfriend of hers to do that,” Peyton said.

“You sure got that right.” He trailed a finger down her arm, like he was taking in every inch of her. Peyton reveled in his touch. The back of his neck was moist with sweat, and she ran her fingers through his hair, enjoying the silkiness of it.

“Do you live in the hotel, too?” she asked.

“Not at the Diamond,” he replied. “I live across the street at the Gates. My father owns it, along with a few other hotels on the Strip.”

“Does that mean your family is in competition with mine?”

“Not in competition,” he said, pulling her closer. “But our fathers’ businesses aren’t important right now.”

“No,” Peyton breathed. “They’re not.”

His lips were on hers a second later. He kissed her gently, like he was waiting to see her response. Her head felt light, and she tangled her fingers through his hair as she kissed him back. But as she kissed Oliver, she imagined what it would be like if Jackson were in his place, instead. The way his strong arms would feel wrapped around her waist, his full lips against her own. The thrill of capturing the attention of someone so forbidden made her blood pulse faster, and she pushed her body closer to his so there was no space left between them. Of course, she knew she was with Oliver—not Jackson—but Jackson had to be watching. She hoped she was giving him a good show.

Then an image of Mike flashed through her mind—his sweet blue eyes and the way he lit up when he saw her—and Peyton shut her eyes tighter, as though doing so could wipe away all thoughts of her sort-of boyfriend who she still had to officially break up with. It worked. She pressed her hips harder against Oliver’s as they danced, wishing they were somewhere more private.

They continued like that through three more songs. Peyton was about to suggest they get out of there, when the music softened and the announcer said that in five minutes, David Guetta would hit the stage and the fireworks show would begin. Peyton cursed under her breath. The moment—the very
long
moment—between her and Oliver had broken. His body was still touching hers, but neither of them danced as intensely as they had earlier.

He rested his forehead against hers, his skin hot and sweaty. “We should head back upstairs,” he said. “We’ll watch the fireworks from there. You can meet some of my friends, too.”

“Okay,” she said, although she really wanted to press her lips against his again and forget about his friends and the fireworks. “Let’s do that.”

He led her back upstairs, and when they reached the VIP floor she looked around for Jackson but couldn’t find him. Maybe after she had approached him earlier, he was going to make more of an effort to remain concealed from her sight.

But she knew he would never be too far away.

chapter 12:

Madison couldn’t believe Oliver had ditched her for the circus-freak Diamond girl. What the hell was he thinking?

Once upstairs, she tried to figure out how to get back to the table with her friends without bumping into Nick. She couldn’t bear to have him ask her about their breakup again. Because she’d broken up with him for Brett, who wasn’t interested in her as “more than a friend.” It was pathetic. Madison knew it, and she hated it. No one could ever find out—not even Oliver. She normally told Oliver everything, but this would have to be an exception.

Not looking at where Nick had been sitting, Madison walked the long way around the club. She couldn’t avoid him forever, but she could keep her distance before school started.

The Fourth of July was supposed to be one of the best nights of summer, but instead this whole day was pissing her off. The Diamond girls arriving in town, Damien talking about trying to make a move on one of them, Oliver making that stupid bet and then ditching her on the dance floor for another one of them, and Brett’s rejection earlier.

Screw that it would put her well over her daily calorie limit—she needed another drink.

She sat down at the bar and ordered another Chardonnay, relishing the rich, smooth taste. Feeling better, she looked at the table where her friends were still sitting. Larissa sat close to Harrison, and Kaitlin, Tiffany and a few others were doing a round of shooters.

Damien was missing. She hadn’t seen the other two Diamond sisters around, either. And Brett appeared to be gone, too.

What was going on?

She sighed. Part of her wanted to go up to her room and watch a movie, but being antisocial wasn’t her style. She wanted to have fun tonight. Maybe she’d meet someone new who would make her forget about Brett.

“It looks like your night’s going as great as mine,” someone said from behind her.

Madison swirled in her seat. She’d thought this day couldn’t get any worse, but of course Nick had to approach her. She took a good look at him, surprised by how stressed he seemed. While his bright blue eyes stood out in the dark lighting, she also noticed dark circles below them.

He sat on the stool next to her and managed a smile, which only made her feel worse.

“My night’s going great,” she lied. “I just came to the bar to get a quick drink—I’m about to go back over to my friends.” She motioned to the table where Larissa was topping off everyone’s glasses of champagne. She wished she had headed over there a minute earlier so she could have avoided this run-in with Nick. Hoping he would get the point, she picked up her glass of wine and stood up.

“Wait.” He stopped her, his eyes begging her to stay. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”

“There’s nothing more to say.” Madison cringed at the harshness of her words.

“Yes, there is.” He looked so defeated, and Madison couldn’t bring herself to walk away. “I’ve been thinking a lot about everything that happened between us, but none of it makes sense. You told me you’d never been happier with anyone in your life, but then you moved to the Diamond and everything changed. What happened, Mads? You know you can tell me anything, right? You don’t have to push me away.”

“I already told you.” Madison hated that she had to go through this with him again. All he was doing was causing himself more pain.

“That you ‘lost interest,’ I know,” Nick muttered. “But I don’t buy it.” He looked at her straight-on, and Madison jerked back, surprised at his determination. “I want you to tell me the truth. Whatever it is, I’ll understand. I promise. Then we can go back to how we were and be happy again.” Madison started to speak, but he stopped her. “And don’t say that you’re happy now, because I know that’s a lie. Don’t lie to me, Mads.”

Nick looked so vulnerable, and Madison hated what she had to do next.

“Fine. You want to know the truth?”

His eyes widened in hope, and as much as she knew it would hurt him, Madison had to do this. A clean break was the only way he would be able to get on with his life. She wanted him to be happy, and it wasn’t going to be with her. The kindest thing she could do now was be honest—even if that meant ripping his heart out.

“I was with someone else one night when we were together,” she said, keeping her voice steady. The words were hers, but it felt like someone else was saying them, and she was watching from a distance.

Nick looked at her like he didn’t recognize her. “What?” he finally said. “You
slept
with someone?”

“I didn’t sleep with anyone—you know me better than that—but I did have feelings for someone else, and we kissed.” Madison tried to block off her emotions, not wanting to think about how painful this must be for him to hear.

“I don’t believe you.” He shook his head, as if he couldn’t bring himself to face it.

“It’s true.” She swirled her wine, feeling something inside her starting to crack. Nick looked so devastated. He was a good person, and she was breaking his heart. “I’m so sorry,” she said, blinking back tears as she reminded herself she was doing the right thing.

Finally he asked, “Who was it?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Madison couldn’t bring herself to say Brett’s name out loud—it would make her cry. She wished she’d never had feelings for him. If she had never been assigned to be his biology student tutor, she wouldn’t have ever
talked
to him. It would have made her life a lot easier. But that wouldn’t have made her relationship with Nick any better. Nick was a great guy, but Madison believed in soul mates, and he wasn’t “the one.”

Nick slammed his hand down on the bar. “It matters to me,” he said, his anger surprising her. “At least do me the decency of telling me who it was.”

“It wasn’t anyone important.” She kept her voice steady so she wouldn’t lose her cool. “It was a one-time thing, and I feel awful, but I can’t change what happened. I really am sorry.” She started to walk away, but Nick wrapped his hand around her wrist, holding her in place.

“Was it Oliver?” He grimaced when he said his name.

“Oliver?” Madison laughed at the accusation. “Why would you think it was Oliver?”

“I saw the two of you together earlier,” he said, loosening his grip. “You looked close.”

“And what if it was Oliver?” Better for him to suspect Oliver than find out the truth. In the background she heard the announcement that David Guetta and the fireworks would be starting soon, and Madison yanked her wrist away, pulling her arm back to her side.

“Then you should know he was making out with that Diamond girl on the main dance floor,” Nick said. “They were still at it when I walked over here.”

Madison hated the image of Oliver with that circus-freak girl he’d left her for downstairs. Then she got annoyed at herself for getting jealous about one of Oliver’s girls. The Diamond girl was only part of his dumb bet with Damien. He would ditch her after hooking up with her and find someone new. “Does everyone know about those Diamond girls already?” she asked.

“Word travels fast around here,” Nick said.

“Well, it wasn’t Oliver, so it doesn’t matter. And do me a favor and give me some space.” She wanted to tell him that she wanted to be friends when things returned to normal, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not when she was the one who’d cheated on him.

“Whatever.” He threw his hands up in defeat. “I’m outta here. I guess I’ll see you around.”

Madison watched him walk away, her heart dropping as she replayed everything she’d said to him. The worst was that it was all the truth. She was a terrible person. And there was nothing she could do to make Nick feel better.

She rejoined her friends, pretending everything was normal as they went out to the balcony to watch the fireworks. Damien and Savannah appeared a few seconds later, followed by Oliver and Peyton. The sight of the two new happy couples made Madison’s head pound, and she massaged her temples to try to relax. It didn’t help.

Damien and Oliver tried to wave her over, but she ignored them, instead wedging herself between Larissa and Kaitlin. At least they could protect her for the time being.

She was so upset that she barely saw the fireworks. When they finally ended, she muttered something about not feeling well and went up to her room. She didn’t want to think about anything that had happened that night—Brett, Nick or the Diamond sisters—so she took a sleeping pill and went to bed.

Maybe she’d feel better in the morning.

After all, tomorrow was another day.

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High Schools > Nevada > Las Vegas > The Goodman
School

The Diamond Sisters

Posted on Tuesday 07/05 at 9:26 AM

The Diamond sisters showed up at Myst last night. Savannah,
Courtney, and Peyton. The rumors are true. They're in town, and they're here to
stay. Not only that, but they're going to Goodman in the fall. Should shake
things up, don't you think?

Despite their unfortunate fashion choices (although the
youngest one, Savannah, wasn't as bad as the others), they've inherited Adrian's
good looks. (I know he's old, but his gorgeousness is undeniable). It looks like
a certain reigning brunette at school—not gonna say names—is in for some serious
competition.

1: Posted on Tuesday 07/05 at 9:40 AM

two of them are hot, but what's up with the girl with the blue
streaks? with her heavy makeup, hooker outfit, and weird goth bracelets, she
looks like a slutty tourist.

2: Posted on Tuesday 07/05 at 9:45 AM

oliver prescott didn't seem to think she was too weird. they
were making out on the main dance floor all night. if you ignore the makeup and
hair, she's for sure the hottest of the bunch. i wouldn't mind getting a piece
of that, and we all know how fast he moves through his girls. i heard Oliver bet
a friend he could sleep with all three Diamond sisters by the end of summer.
she'll be up for grabs any day now.

3: Posted on Tuesday 07/05 at 10:08 AM

oliver's always so fucked up, he'll get with anyone.

4: Posted on Tuesday 07/05 at 10:23 AM

I don't care if he IS a manwhore, he's still hot!

5: Posted on Tuesday 07/05 at 10:37 AM

You're only saying that about Oliver because you don't know
him. You'd be lucky to get someone as great as Oliver. He's sweet and kind, and
if you weren't a sad wanna-be and actually knew him then you would know
that.

6: Posted on Tuesday 07/05 at 10:46 AM

ohhh is that peyton diamond sticking up for her man? don't get
too attached, but don't worry, i'll be there to ease your pain when he ditches
you.

7: Posted on Tuesday 07/05 at 10:59 AM

it's probably damien sanders. i heard the reason he and oliver
are such players is cause they're secretly sleeping together. too bad, since
they're the hottest guys in school.

8: Posted on Tuesday 07/05 at 11:08 AM

Way to be an idiot. Damien and Oliver are best friends.
Anyway, Damien was busy with Savannah Diamond all night. I heard they went into
the caves together, looking more than ready to get it on…

9: Posted on Tuesday 07/05 at 11:11 AM

I heard about that, too. One night in Vegas, and she's already
had sex with Damien Sanders. What a slut-hoe.

10: Posted on Tuesday 07/05 at 11:24 AM

What about the other sister? Courtney. She was barely there
for five minutes.

11: Posted on Tuesday 07/05 at 11:36 AM

who knows? and who cares? you all need to get off this message
board and get a life.

12: Posted on Tuesday 07/05 at 11:50 AM

Aren't you the definition of hypocrite.