Filed to story: Once Upon a One Night Mistake Book PDF Free by Simone Shirazi
“I think our plan just backfired,” she told him worriedly as she watched Zak whip out his phone, his fingers moving swiftly across the screen.
“What do you? mean it just backfired?”
Taliana was too preoccupied turning back to look at Zak to bother answering Sebastian. While she was close to panicking, Zak had the nerve to wink at her.
In that moment, she realized they were royally screwed.
Sebastian’s phone beeped a moment later, and he dropped his hand to fish it out of his pocket. Taliana watched carefully as he fiddled with the device for a couple seconds before his jaw went slack and the color drained from his face.
“We have a problem.”
Before she could even reach for the phone, Sebastian turned the screen in her direction, revealing a picture of Taliana.
A rather naked Taliana.
She could barely breathe as she stared at the grainy, dimly lit image, unable to tear her eyes away. Though she wasn’t fully clothed in the picture, she wasn’t baring it all either. A strategically placed arm across her chest and a blanket covering her lower half saved her from showing too much, but it was still scandalous enough to make her stomach drop to her knees.
“Who sent this to you?” Taliana breathed out, even though she already knew the answer.
“Zak,” he said, turning the phone back around and glancing at the screen. “I thought you said there wasn’t anything he could blackmail you with.”
“You asked if me if there was anything that Blair could find, not Zak!” Taliana was grateful he still had an arm around her. Without it, she probably would’ve collapsed. “Shit, Seb, if I had known this picture still existed, I would have said something!”
“Still existed?”
Taliana ran a trembling hand through her hair as she glanced down. “Zak told me he’d deleted them a long time ago. I had no idea he’d use them against me.”
“Zak took these of you?” he demanded incredulously.
Taliana looked up sharply, not appreciating his tone. “Look, I know it wasn’t a smart thing to have done, but it happened, and I can’t take it back.” Taliana drew in a deep breath, trying to get a grip. “Hopefully you’re the only one he’s sent this to so far.”
Before Sebastian could even open his mouth to snap back at her, there was a loud,
“Oh shit!” from down the hall.
Sebastian and Taliana both glanced in the direction of the shout to find Michael staring at his own phone, eyes wide in surprise. He glanced up a moment later and shot them an? are you kidding me? look. Apparently, Sebastian wasn’t the only one who’d seen the picture.
“Sugartits, at least warn a guy before you send him risqu? shots!” he called, clutching his chest. “I almost had a heart attack! Be glad you didn’t kill m- Oh my god,? another?”
“There’s more than one?” Sebastian looked like he was unable to believe their luck. “Fucking hell, Taliana.”
Taliana slapped a hand over her eyes, her face burning in embarrassment. It took a lot to truly make her feel ashamed, but Zak had certainly managed to do that by breaking out these pictures. The fact that Michael Richardson of all people was looking at them didn’t help either.
“I think there were about ten in all,” Taliana admitted meekly, debating whether or not she wanted to kill herself now and forgo all the misery this was bound to create.
His phone continued to beep as each new photo was delivered, but his frown deepened when he opened the latest message. “Oh great, he’s ready to gloat now.” He once again turned the phone to face Taliana, and she read the short text.
Had enough? You know what to do.
Yes, she certainly knew what she had to do if she didn’t want anyone other than Sebastian and Michael to see those pictures. Damn it, at this point, she would have done anything.
Taliana looked back up at Sebastian, her throat tightening. “I can’t do this anymore,” she choked out. “This is ten times worse than my rap sheet, and while I don’t care if that’s public knowledge, I don’t want these pictures floating around anywhere. Seb, I’m sorry, but we have to end this.”
While Taliana anticipated Sebastian to be at least a little surprised by her choice, she certainly didn’t expect the hurt that flashed through his eyes.
“You’re breaking up with me?” His mouth settled into a frown as he finally dropped his arm from around her waist.
“I? really can’t do this.” She shook her head as she wet her lips, finding this surprisingly harder than she originally thought. “I’m so sorry, but this-this thing can’t go on anymore. I’m not going to risk total social annihilation over a hoax. It’s obvious we can’t win here, and I’m not going to keep risking everything just to make two idiots jealous. Neither Blair nor Zak has done anything to hurt you, but me?” She let out a bitter scoff. “I’m the one taking all the blows. You haven’t done anything.”
Her slowly blooming anger barely seemed to faze him. “I realize that, but-“
Taliana shook her head once more, having made up her mind. “No, Sebastian. I’m done.”
He looked like he wanted to say more, but his phone cut him off. Taliana took the liberty of grabbing it from his hand before he could open the message, deciding to do it herself.
I win.
Though the entire message had only consisted of four letters, it was enough to make her cheeks burn. Not with embarrassment this time, but pure rage.
Taliana could accept defeat, realizing there were some battles that just could not be won, but when the other side decided to gloat about it, that was simply crossing the line. Before she could stop herself, she locked eyes with Zak, Sebastian and their soon-to-be-defunct relationship momentarily forgotten.
“You’re going down.”
If he was surprised, he didn’t show it. Instead, he simply cocked his head to the side and grinned at Taliana, not even bothering to move from his relaxed position. “I’d like to see you try, sweetheart.”
Sebastian was suddenly in between them, looking as if he knew what would happen if he didn’t pacify the situation. “Don’t egg her on,” he warned Zak, shooting a glare over his shoulder before turning back to Taliana. “Come on, let’s just go. We need to talk about this some more.”
“Bye, Lia,” Zak called, the phone still firmly in his grasp. “I’m glad you realized what was best for you.”
By that point, Taliana was imagining what it would be like to rip both of their heads off. “You even think about sending those pictures to anyone else, and I’ll have you wishing you were never born, Huntington.”
“I’d really like to see you try.” He was grinning now, but his thumb had just brushed over the screen. “Damn, I think I just accidentally sent them to Claudia Vayle. I hear she’s a major gossip hound.”
Taliana lunged for him, keen on slamming Zak’s head against the locker he was standing near and watching him crumple to the ground. Unfortunately, her plan was foiled when Sebastian grabbed her around the waist and began pulling her down the hallway.
“Let me go!” Taliana shrieked as she stumbled along beside him, trying hard to wriggle away. “I’m going to kill him, Seb! Come on!”