Bringing down the Star: Small Town Bully Romance Book 1 Read online

  I wasn’t any better than all of those motherfuckers, but at least I wasn’t a rapist.

  Murderer though? Depended how you looked at it.

  Within the first year of college, I claimed top spot in the motherfucking food chain.

  Then, rinse and repeat for four more years.

  And now, I’m so fucking fed up.

  Leaning against the railing with a bottle of vodka in my hand, I looked at the scene below. I took a swig, the alcohol burning down my throat and dribbling down my chin. I was supposed to be doing better than that. No matter where I looked, litter filled the house. Red cups, cans of beer, a whole big mess. People were having a blast as they danced, mingled, and snorted away the blow. I didn’t blame anyone for wanting to go all out.

  After today, school would be back in session as we hit our final year in college.

  What was even harder to believe was that after this, I’d be taking over Accessicom, a multibillion-dollar tech company in Silicon Valley, but first my father wanted me to deliver a short motivational speech. Naturally, I’d make the most of the time I had to find someone who would keep me entertained for the night.

  But I never really succeeded in that.

  In the first year of attending St. Rockefeller’s College, I realized the more popular you became, the more people would be willing to throw themselves at you. That meant even professors would be kissing your ass, along with everybody else. Likewise, girls would offer themselves in hopes that it would bump up their social ranking or lock you down.

  It was nice—for the first five days.

  Now, I was itching for a challenge and raring to go. I was going out of my mind with boredom.

  “Dude, you have to try this new strain Brian brought over today.”

  Before I could even turn my head to where the voice was coming from, someone slammed their hand hard onto my back. There were only two asses in the whole university who would do that to me without being scared I’d go apeshit on them.

  The first being Hudson Anderson. His parents and mine had been close since we were children, as our parents’ company was on a three-point alliance. AndersonCo, a media company that worked with the big channels, went hand-in-hand with Accessicom. The third was DiamondMedia, a streaming platform that was steadily climbing the ranks. So, all stocks and shares were distributed equally among us. It was a no-brainer we’d be friends. Lucky for me, he was the exact opposite of kiss-ass.

  Next came Zayn Greyson, a kid prodigy who’d solved one of the Millennium’s Problems before he’d even finished middle school. His parents were brainiacs and top surgeons in the U.S. We met at a summer camp in high school. After he single handedly beat my ass in chess, I knew were going to be friends.

  And now, I trusted them with my life. Something I couldn’t say about anyone else.

  I spotted Hudson down in the living room with a couple of naked girls giving him a lap dance. They were hot and just my type, yet my cock refused to budge. I turned my attention to Zayn.

  “Did you have to crack my spine, dipshit?”

  He grinned at me, holding up what I made out to be shrooms, as well as a red cup, with a smirk on his face. He stood a mere inch shorter than me. Jet black hair swept to one side, and one deep dimple showing through. Unlike everyone else who was dressed for the summer, Zayn dressed as if he was going to a business meeting—matched with a bowtie and suspenders. I took the baggie, but I wasn’t in the mood right now.

  “So, how’s your birthday so far, Col?” he asked, flashing me a devious grin when he knew how much I hated that nickname.

  “Fuck off,” I shot right back at him with my middle finger, which only made him widen his grin even more. He leaned on the railing next to me, his finger tapping lazily on cup—a telltale sign something was on his mind.

  Curious, I decided to ask. I had a hunch about who would be able to ruffle him up like that. Just like Hudson and me, very little generally visibly wound him up. We knew how to keep things in a schooled and neutral order until we were certain we would not be overheard or seen. “Did you and Diona get into another fight?”

  “I swear, if she keeps pushing me, I’m going to fucking shove a dildo up her virgin ass while gagging her,” he stated through gritted teeth while I made a fake gagging noise. The last thing I wanted to hear was what sort of kinky shit they did in the bedroom.

  I knew he wasn’t too keen on any of this stuff. It was all for show. He probably loved this girl. He wanted to fit in like everyone in this goddamn town.

  The person in question, Diona Webster, was the daughter of a luxury brand’s CEO. She was adopted into wealth as a child and never looked back. She was decent enough and she wasn’t completely spoiled. Though into fashion, she worked for her money. On a personal level, she was a bit more on the kinky side from what I’d heard.

  I wouldn’t know for certain though, as Zayn had claimed her back in freshman year.

  “Dude, did I really need to know that?” I asked, scrunching my nose as I looked over the railing to take in the scene again. I swore the music had gotten even louder, but no one dared to call the police.

  No one dared to ever challenge me due to my last name.

  No one cared what they did or how far they went in this house. They knew their parents would protect them.

  What they didn’t seem to grasp was that money would never make up for pride or one’s reputation.

  “She met with him last week,” Zayn mumbled under his breath so softly, I thought I was hearing things for a moment. His body tensed, and his nose flared. It was a secret shared between the three of us. Even Diona didn’t know we’d found out about her sleeping with one of our teachers who was twice our age.

  Zayn had almost lost it when he found out. His heart was broken to pieces, but he was never going to admit that.

  “So?” I asked with a frown. “What’s the problem?”

  “I don’t want her to see him,” he said, crushing the red cup in his hand and causing beer to spill out. I realized then that Diona hadn’t come to the party today either, which only served to worsen his mood. Not good. I felt like I needed to fix this. I didn’t know how yet, but I had to figure it out.

  “She said nothing is going on between them,” I reminded him of what he’d told us months ago. They’d got into a huge fight about it when Zayn had found her in the library with Professor Darren. He was only helping her find a book, but it still pissed him off, given their history. “Unless that’s changed?”

  There was a beat before he replied, “I don’t know.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “I just don’t understand why she’s even seeing him.” He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at the ends before releasing a large exhale. “He’s twice our age, divorced, and doesn’t have any money. I even offered her money to sleep exclusively with me.”

  Ouch.

  I loved this motherfucker, but he was dense sometimes when it came to human emotions.

  I wasn’t one to talk, having been diagnosed with depression at a young age. I could never feel any emotion besides rage. My father wasn’t sure how to help me, while my mother was disgusted. Me? I didn’t feel shit. This wasn’t normal, but I learnt to live with it.

  “I mean, what does it matter if she is sleeping around? You’re just messing around, right?” I inquired after chugging another few gulps of vodka and letting the liquid burn all the way down. We both knew he didn’t like messing around when it came to Diona. He wanted her to go all in.

  He quieted, and I thought he would finally admit he might want their relationship to be more serious. Zayn refused to sleep with anyone but Diona, though he wouldn’t admit it. All he needed to do was say the word, and I’d send Professor Darren out of town and far from us all if he wanted me to.

  But he wouldn’t ask that of me. Instead, he nodded slowly as his shoulders sagged. “Yeah.”

  “Then you don’t have a say in who she sleeps around with when neither of you made any real commitment to eac
h other,” I stated, “but if she said she’s not sleeping with him, then you just have to trust her. I mean…” I trailed off and elbowed him before gesturing to the partygoers. “There are dozens of girls willing to bend over and spread their legs for you. Just close your eyes and pretend it’s Diona.”

  He snorted at my comment. Of course he couldn’t do it. He wasn’t the kind of guy. “Says the one who hasn’t slept with anyone since junior year.”

  “At least I’m not attached to someone who can’t commit.”

  “Fuck you.” He flashed me his middle finger before pulling out a baggie. “I’m going to blow. You want to join?”

  “Nah,” I said, flicking off the offer. “I’ll just stay here and enjoy the view.”

  “Alrighty then, enjoy being one year closer to death.”

  With that, he waved before rejoining the party. I continued to watch the people I’d been going to college with for the last few years. In the case of some, I’d even grown up with them inside our elite social circle.

  For once though, I’d never felt so isolated.

  Zayn wasn’t wrong about me.

  I hadn’t fucked anyone in almost six months. I wanted a challenge and a fight, but it was difficult when everyone went along with everything I said without question. There wasn’t a single girl in this college who could fulfill my ache for the thrill of the chase. It was an itch that I couldn’t scratch. I hated being so passive, just waiting for something or someone to stir my interest.

  I contemplated just going back to my room and drinking myself into liver failure when the front door of my place opened. My eyes first caught onto Nina Bowers. She always dressed as if the main spotlight was meant for her, with a red dress that wrapped around her body and pushed her tits out to obscene proportions. I’d slept with her once in first year, and she’d practically had us married off ever since. She was supposed to be the girl my father could see me marry.

  But then, my eyes landed on the girl behind her and in that one moment, everything changed.

  I leaned onto the railing to get a closer look.

  Something about her screamed out to me in every way.

  She wasn’t wearing an ounce of makeup, nor any designer clothing. While others spent thousands of dollars on plastic surgery and cosmetics, she just sported comfortable clothes and held her head up high as if she owned the place. Her short hair barely reached down to her shoulders, and it looked as if she’d cut it herself. She wore a pair of beat-up shoes and a t-shirt tucked into her ripped jeans.

  I could feel my cock twitching, finally seeming to awaken from its slumber.

  I saw the way she carried herself. She didn’t shy away or act timidly around others. Instead, she straightened her back, never cowering from the watchful eyes of everyone who looked at her with disdain.

  She knew she didn’t belong, and she couldn’t care less.

  My heart began to beat faster as all the blood rushed south to my cock.

  My body was on fire, adrenaline pumping just like when I was fighting or winning a challenge. Something was going on inside me and I didn’t have a clue what.

  It suddenly dawned on me who she was. Nina hadn’t been discreet about her new cousin moving into town after the whole scandal I didn’t bother paying much attention to. All I knew was that her family’s name was a tad tarnished, which was why Nina’s mother had taken her in.

  This beautiful, mysterious girl intrigued me.

  Being a nobody didn’t faze her.

  I wanted her.

  This was my challenge—but how long before I could get into her head to figure out if I could play with her a little?

  Chapter Three

  Colten

  I wanted to throw everyone out of the party that stood in my way as I stalked towards this lonely soul. I hadn’t bothered listening to Nina about who she was in our group chat because I assumed her cousin would be just another bimbo like her and everyone else in this town.

  This pull I felt for the mystery girl wasn’t something I was used to, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it.

  I wanted to rush to her and solve the mystery of this insane feeling, but as always, I kept my composure. Casually strolling down the stairs, I stopped to chat with random people who wished me a happy birthday. The whole time I was grinding my teeth so hard, I was surprised they didn’t break under the pressure. My head was pounding, but I even stopped by the kitchen for some beer.

  I had to prove to myself I was in control and everything about this girl said I couldn’t achieve that.

  I’d always kept a tight control of my emotions, even in childhood.

  But when I wasn’t, there was usually only one feeling that surfaced: rage. My tendency to act out was the reason my father was afraid of me. He didn’t show it, but I could see it in his eyes. It didn’t matter who you were; if you stood in my way, I would tear you down. According to my father, this was also why my mother left.

  But no, the truth was they were both shit parents.

  Still, at least, my father invested in me. It meant that his company, the child he actually cared about, would continue to thrive. His legacy would live on. He was aware how ruthless I could be, how I’d get shit done when I made it to CEO.

  But I was fucking feeling right now.

  That blew my mind.

  By the time I made it over to Nina, she had her clique with her: Monika and Lily. As usual, their bodies were flawless and filled out in all the right places. Perfect tits peeked out of their clothes. All three knew they were stunning, but they had no chance next to the mysterious beauty who stood off to the side, texting on what appeared to be a flip phone.

  “Colten,” Nina said, surprised I had approached her before she did. Quickly, she tamped down her shocked demeanor to show her usual cool expression. “Hi, how are you? Happy birthday.”

  I her Nina a small smile so she wouldn’t feel ignored, then walked up straight to the girl who clearly wanted to be invisible. Immediately our eyes locked, and Christ, I could have come in my pants. One of her eyes was a pale blue that reminded me of the lake just north of town, and the other was green.

  Fucking exotic. I could see myself getting lost in her gaze.

  “Who the fuck is this?” I asked, breaking eye contact with her to address Nina.

  Nina frowned and placed a hand on her hips. She didn’t try to hide her irritation as she pouted. “This is the cousin I’ve been telling you about in the group chat, Tori Bowers,” she said. “She—"

  “Watson,” Tori interjected with a scowl.

  “What?” Nina snapped back.

  “My name is Tori Watson,” she corrected her with an eye roll. “I’m not a Bowers. It’s Watson.”

  I noticed how she gritted out her last name, her tone hate-filled.

  “Yeah, sure.” Nina rolled her eyes before continuing, “As I said in chat, she’s my cousin, and she’s the one with the crazy drug addict father who murdered her mother and then turned the gun on himself. She has nowhere to go, so my mom took her in.”

  Everyone went quiet at her cold-hearted spiel, but Tori didn’t even bat an eye. Her eyes didn’t gloss over, nor did she swallow or shy away. Instead, she kept her face impassive at first and then...

  She bared her teeth.

  “More like she’s keeping me hostage,” Tori snorted, putting away her phone. “As soon as she’s willing to give me what I’m owed, I’m out.”

  Ignoring her, Nina started to discuss with her friends the latest trends and what they’d done during the summer. All the while, I had my eyes on Tori. She never once broke eye contact from me either, holding my gaze as if she was challenging me to look away first.

  That was the sexiest thing ever.

  I’d have sworn I’d never been this hard in my life.

  Standing just a foot from her, I could take her in compared to when I was on the second-floor balcony. Her hair definitely had an amateur cut given how uneven and choppy it was. A section below her right ear was longer than
the rest of the tresses. Her brows relaxed as she crossed her arms. I was sure she’d gotten her t-shirt from the donation center out of town. It was several times her size, but when she crossed her arms, I could see the size of her tits underneath.

  No doubt, she had not come here to impress anyone. In fact, she looked as if she didn’t even want to be here.

  My eyes traveled back to her face, and this only confirmed my suspicion that she didn’t wear an ounce of makeup. All natural with flawless skin. She had a small beauty mark below her left eye. A small nose above plump pink lips that I was curious to know how they’d feel when wrapped around my cock.

  What kind of sounds would she make?

  She was made to be fucked, and I was going to be the first to do so. Just like that, I’d marked her as mine.

  “We’re going to grab something to drink,” Nina said, looking between us. “Do you want to come, Colten?”

  “No, I’m good.”

  “Oh, okay.” Nina sounded disappointed. “Okay, Tori, let’s—”

  “She’ll stay,” I stated.

  She snorted rather loudly, catching my attention. “What do I look like, a dog?”

  Jesus, this girl really did know how to stand up for herself. Although her voice was raspy and light, it was also uncensored and rough. She said whatever was on her mind.

  During the brief silence that followed, I could see the wheels spinning in Nina’s head, but she knew better than to make me angry. Her every whim was to try to get me to see her as more than a pest. So, without further ado, she left with her clique, leaving a scowling girl next to me.

  “So, tell me about yourself, Starlight.”

  She certainly did shine in my eyes. That nickname fitted her. It was just right.

  “Why?” she questioned, seeming uninterested as she took out her phone again.

  I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes at her lack of interest in me.

  “Because I’m commanding you to.”