Nathan's body heat closed in behind me when I slid my card key into the lock. It took forever for the little light to flash green to let me in. I was screaming at the stupid little reader when it would flash and then relatch before I could get the door open. It was toying with me just like Nate was as he started to play with the bottom edge of my skirt.

The light finally changed and I jiggled the handle just quickly enough to open the door. I swung it open as fast as I could to get my body away from his. I wanted to slam the door in his face, but I proceeded to hold the door open to wave him in instead.

I couldn't believe I was letting Nathan in my hotel room, but I needed to know what he had on Cameron and why he thought he set him up. Even if the thought was preposterous, he was still threatening Cameron and I needed to know why.

"Nice place." Nate strolled in and strutted around my suite like he owned it. He flipped light switches on and off, opened the closets and cabinets, and made himself right at home. "I might have to start coming to see you more often."

"I might have to break your face if you try," I mumbled and slammed the closet doors and cabinets shut as I walked behind him.

"Still got quite the mouth on you. Do you still suck dick like a pro too?" Nate chuckled as he walked over to the plush overstuffed chair in the corner of the room and plopped down.

"Probably not as good as you do. I hope your cellmate was good to you. Was his name Bubba? Did he make you call him Daddy?" I couldn't stop it; the words just poured out.

"Shut your fucking mouth." He said in a flat, low tone. His fists clenched as his body tightened. I was one smart-ass comment away from him going after me.

Here I was, terrified of Nathan and I was still trying to antagonize him like an idiot. The only real weapon I had ever had in my arsenal was my mouth. I was walking into hostile territory while pretending I was taking a leisurely stroll on the beach. Any second, he would go guerilla-style on me and take me down.

I walked to the little kitchenette to grab the complimentary bottle of water they set up on the counter. My hands were shaking as I wrapped my fingers around it to pick it up. My throat was completely dry and I could feel the scar on my neck throbbing from the stress. I had to get my bearings if I was going to make it through this conversation.

Just shut up and listen. It was all I had to do to get through this, and yet, I knew it would still be a challenge because I was me and never knew when to quit.

Nathan watched every move I made as I struggled with the lid on the water bottle. Once I was finally able to wrench it loose, I tilted back my head and swallowed half of the room-temperature liquid down in one gulp.

Nathan started to relax back in the chair. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a bottle of pills, flipping the lid off with one hand. He threw his head back and poured a few in his mouth. Now it was my turn to watch him.

It really wasn't Nathan I was watching; it was the bottle of bliss that my body still craved that had my attention. I wondered what he had in there. Maybe some X, Oxy, or Vikes? My head was fighting my urge to ask him if I could see them. I just wanted to look at them for a little bit. I could just hold them in my hand for a second and spin them around in my fingers until I was convinced they weren't what I wanted.

Nathan saw my transfixed gaze linger on the little orangish bottle.

"Where are my manners? Do you want some, sweetheart? I have some other stuff down in my car if you want something a little harder. We could have a little hotel room party tonight like the old days." He offered.

His deep voice broke the hypnotic effect the little pills had over my addiction. Fortunately for me, having him in the room reminded me how bad I was at my worst. I wasn't going to go there again. I was loved by my family, had a great job, and had fought hard to get to where I was in my sobriety. There was so much I had to live for now, even if my brittle brain still needed encouragement to stay strong every so often.

"I never want anything from you again. Quit the shit and tell me what you think Cameron did." I hissed.

"So impatient. Well, like I said before, your man set me up. He sent a girl to come seduce me and then shoved enough heroin on me to make me look like I was dealing." Nathan leaned back into the chair and was waiting for my reaction.

"Cameron would never do anything like that," I argued back confidently.

"He would and he did. I guess you don't know him as well as you think you do. Cameron has always been a bit of a loose cannon." Nathan was laughing like he remembered something that amused him deeply.

"Cameron is a good guy," I said shakily as my brain unintentionally played through every stressed interaction I had with him lately. He hadn't exactly been the carefree, bad joke-telling boy I grew up with. Even if he was struggling, hurting people intentionally was not in Cameron's nature. He was better than that.

"Tell that to the underage girl he threatened and then paid off to set me up." Nathan's wicked grin took over his whole face.

"You are a lying, delusional asshole. You have always preyed upon girls who are weak."

I was fuming with rage. The accusations about Cameron spewing from his twisted mouth were outrageous. Cameron and I might not be on the best terms right now, but I still felt the need to defend him when I knew he was being falsely accused of something he would never do.

"Glad you have become so self-aware, Jess. It's about time you realized how worthless you are. Of course, I have known that for years." He laughed.

"You have ten seconds to tell me what you think happened before I have you thrown out of the hotel." I crossed my arms over my chest. Nathan's jab at me hurt me strangely. It wasn't about his view of me. It was more about my complex view of myself. It dug at my insecurities and Nathan knew it. He was positioning me right where he wanted. He had done the same thing to me time and time again over the years. It was a game he was good at. He would ruthlessly tear me down and make me feel useless until I begged him to help make me feel whole again.

"I swear the girl looked like she was at least eighteen. I never asked the skanky bitch her age because she was in a bar. She came up and invited herself to join me for a drink. Before I knew it, we were headed to the alley so she could get down on her knees and suck me off. She was pulling out my dick when your boyfriend cornered me. He brought a few of his cop buddies to beat the shit out of me and arrest me for soliciting a minor. Cameron shoved the heroin in my pocket after he put me in handcuffs. He told me he was going to make sure I went away for good. One way or another, your boyfriend made sure I was a doomed man."

"That sounds like a bad plot to a primetime cop show. There is no way that happened. Jail must have really fucked with your head." I had to cover my mouth to hide my laughter.

Nathan didn't look amused for one second.

"I tracked down the girl when I got out and she told me what he did. She said he found her on a corner one night and threatened to put her in jail for prostitution. She was crying and begging for him to look the other way. He said he would under one condition, she had to help him and he would let her go. She was scared of him, so she agreed to do it." Nathan pulled the corners of his mouth down in a frown.

"If she was so scared of him, why did she tell you what happened?" Nothing about this situation felt like it was adding up. In what fucked up alternate universe was Cameron the bad guy and Nathan the virtuous one?

"I offered her money. Five thousand dollars would be all hers if she agreed to come forward to tell her side of the story when I leak the security footage to the media."

"What security footage?" My confidence faltered.

"There was a camera outside the back entrance of the bar to watch for theft. The cops 'overlooked' it. I found out about it from one of my friends who was sleeping with one of the bartenders who worked there. She snagged the video for him when he asked. It clearly shows your man pulling the drugs out of his pocket and planting them on me. It's a great angle. I should let you watch it sometime." He smirked triumphantly.

"No one will ever believe a word you say," I mumbled timidly.

"Everyone loves a crooked cop who abuses the system. Besides, the video speaks for itself. I won't even have to say a word. It will be all over the news. It may not put him behind bars, but Cameron will never be able to show his face again when I am done with him. He will lose his credibility, career, and all of his cop friends. He will lose everything he has ever loved and it will be all your fault."

"You're lying." I hugged myself. I was starting to feel less and less certain about this whole situation the more Nathan gloated. He seemed so convinced that this actually happened.

"Well, let's call your boyfriend right now and ask him." He pulled out his phone and waved it at me. "I think I have the right number."

"No. We are not calling Cameron."

"Give me what I want and he will never have to know." Nate's face darkened as he leaned down on his elbows.

"What do you want, Nathan?" I fidgeted under his predatory stare.

"$20,000, sweetheart, or I go to the press. It's a bargain. I could easily get ten times that amount with what I have on both of you."

Nate gave me his trademark sweet, sultry smile that would have made any girl swoon for him. He had always been a devil disguised by a pretty face. That was what made him so good at breaking girls down. He would pull you in with his good looks, a few sweet words, and then have you on your knees begging for his forgiveness when he got bored with you. He was a salesman; he could get anyone to do anything for him once he knew them well enough.

It was why he was so dangerous.

"Then why even bother coming to me? Why not just go straight to them?" My voice began to shake. None of this felt right. There was something else driving him other than money. He wasn't stupid enough to give up that much for the sad amount I could afford.

"Revenge. This way is so much more lucrative for me and a lot more fun." His pointy canines were out. He was really enjoying himself. The cruel bastard really enjoyed getting off by making people tremble for him.

"If, and I mean if, I agree to do this, I would need some time." I swallowed, thinking through my current situation.

Getting that much money was going to be difficult. I had some financial advisors who watched my accounts closely. It was part of the initial agreement I signed with Link when I went on tour. It was an extra check put in place to keep me out of trouble if my condition flared up without anyone knowing. It was basically a protection to guarantee manic Jessa didn't go blow all the money she made on drugs or various other frivolous things if I went high again. If my compulsive side decided to show itself, I could lose everything I had worked for in a matter of hours. It may have sounded like I was being treated like a child or was being controlled, but I needed that extra security because of who I was. I didn't even trust myself to make good decisions in that state.

"You have a week to bring it to me. I'll be at my studio waiting. You back out and I won't hesitate to ruin both of you." Nate stood up and stepped closer to me slowly. He walked me backwards until I was up against the mirrored closet door.

He raised the back of my skirt over my hips and squeezed my ass. He palmed it roughly and then dug his fingers in to make sure I felt it.

"Mmmm...you should wear another skirt like this when you swing by. It looks good on you."

I was fighting back the urge to cry as his hands groped me without my consent. I was helpless and afraid of getting hurt again if I tried to stop him. Nate had been stealing my power since I was fifteen years old and I had never figured out how to fight against him to get it back. I could scream, but it wouldn't do me any good. He would find a way to silence me before anyone even heard it. I was at his mercy and he knew it.

He gently brushed his lips against mine and moaned into my mouth.

"Fuck, I have missed you," Nate whispered the words like he didn't want me to hear them. His warm breath brushed my skin as the bile filled the bottom of my throat. I felt like I was going to be sick. He patted my cheek and then backed up towards the door.

"See you soon, sweetheart." His hand was on the knob as he turned and gave me a menacing smile.

He closed the door slowly, leaving me alone and cowering in fear with just my thoughts. I hurried up and latched the security bolt behind him. I was scared he would change his mind and come back for more.

I spent the next six hours sitting on the floor, staring at the hotel door. My mind was racing and I was imagining ghosts turning the knob to let him back in. Every noise in the hall had me hyperventilating. Even when the hotel fell silent, I couldn't shut it off. There was no way I was going to get any sleep in this hotel room tonight.

Did Cameron really do what Nate said he did? Why had he waited so long to come after him? He could have said something during his trial that could have kept him out of jail. If there was security footage, then that meant there was evidence. Why would he not use it to set himself free and clear his name?

Why now? Why like this? None of this made any sense.

I had to figure out what really happened that day before I decided what to do about Nathan. It was time to find a way to get him out of my life for good this time.