Page 131 of The Casanova Complex

Unease creeps up my spine.

I have no clue what he’s even talking about, but if it isn’t something I should worry about, then he wouldn’t look so goddamn smug.

Gauthreaux flips his phone toward me, and my stomach fucking plummets, filled with dread.

Fuck.

The video playing on the screen is indeed me and a girl having sex. A girl who’s on top of me, moaning my name like a banshee when I couldn’t even tell you hers.

Her face is familiar, but I… can’t fully place her.

Jesus fucking Christ, of course I don’t remember this video because I had no idea she was even recording it. I never would’ve agreed to that shit, even past me, who sometimes made questionable decisions.

I’m clenching my jaw so tightly the muscle is aching staring at the screen.

“I hated to be the one to do it, the one to hurt her, but she had to know you’re not the kinda guy you commit to.” Gauthreaux chuckles darkly, pressing Pause on the screen. “Her face crumpled like she thought you were really better than that, but now she knows. Just shook her head in disgust and walked away.”

My pulse pounds, creating a loud, deafening woosh in my ears.

Merritt. If she really did see this… If he actually fucking showed it to her and isn’t lying through his goddamn teeth…

The knot in my gut twists painfully, and I shake my head. “I didn’t fucking cheat on her. I would never cheat on the girl I care about. That’s your specialty, you piece of shit.”

His head cocks to the side. “I mean, I’ve got a video of you fucking another girl who isn’t your girlfriend, and the source says… it was just a few nights ago. Probably the same night Merritt was working at the pottery studio?”

What. The. Fuck?

“You motherfucker.” The smile that twists his face is sinister. I shove at his chest, knocking him back against the locker. “That video was taken way before I even met Merritt, without my consent, by the way, since I had no idea it was being recorded. Pretty fucking sure that qualifies as revenge porn.”

“Just a concerned friend making sure someone I care about knows that her boyfriend is fucking other girls behind her back. You know what they say… once a womanizer, always a womanizer.”

My blood is boiling, my hands shaking, my chest so tight it’s hard to breathe.

“She’s not going to believe this bullshit,” I spit in his face, shoving him again. Everything in his locker rattles from the force. I feel Zach flanking my side, ready to intervene, but I’m not fucking done with this asshole. “The difference between you and me is Merritt knows exactly who I am. She would never believe this. She trusts me.”

He sucks in a breath, shrugging. “I don’t know, man. Seemed like she probably did when she ran out of the arena.”

“You’re a fucking liar.”

“Guess you’ll find out if she’s in the stands or not, huh?” He pushes me back, shoving hard at my chest. “Don’t worry though… I’ll be there to take care of her and pick up the pieces you broke afterwards. I have no problem going right back to where we left off. I remember how good she looked when she was bent over, taking m⁠—”

I fucking snap, lunging at him, my fingers twisting into the front of his jersey and shoving him against the locker, but before I can hit him, Zach yanks me backward. He steps in between us, his hand flat on my chest.

“Stop. Bennett, fucking stop,” he grunts, pushing me back and putting distance between us. “You hit him, then he wins. He’s trying to get in your head, that’s it. Don’t let him.”

My chest heaves. Each breath I’m dragging in feels like it’s not enough to fill my lungs. I look past Zach to the piece of shit, and I question whether or not it’s worth fighting him. Even if it’s only for a second.

Fuck.

I’ve never felt fury burning in my veins the way it is right now.

But I know Zach’s right. If I beat his ass the way I want to, the way he deserves, it’s over.

I might only get suspended for a couple of games, but the damage would already be done.

My future in hockey is already in flux. That would be the nail in my coffin.

I nod to Zach and stop trying to push past him.