Because of You (Because of You 1)

"That may be so," he agreed, "but you're still damn good in bed. I wouldn't believe this was your first time if I wouldn't have seen the evidence myself."

“Ugh,” I covered my face with my hands for a moment. “No. You're with Kayla," I stated, ignoring the rest of his comment.

"I've gone out with her a couple times, we’re not married. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I don't care what or who you're doing in the meantime, just like you don't get to care what or who I'm doing in my spare time. This isn’t a relationship. We don't care about each other, we don't even like each other—"

"Damn right," I said, cutting off his insulting speech, "and you've got me mistaken if you think I'm ever doing this with you again."

"Okay," he said, rolling off the bed.

Immediately suspicious that he let it go that easily, I covered myself with the blanket and sat down. "You... don't care?" I asked.

"No," he said, picking his boxers up off the floor. "If you want everyone to see exactly what you did last night, that's no problem. You never know, you might have a future in the porn career, this can get you going. I mean, yeah, it's going to give you one hell of a reputation, but I guess that doesn't concern you." He paused thoughtfully as he pulled on his jeans. "I think I do have some footage of you giving me head, too. Won't that be nice? Every time somebody looks at you they'll imagine you with my dick in your mouth."

I felt my stomach sink, and I realized he probably did hate me enough to do exactly what he was threatening. Yet I couldn't bring myself to say anything. He pulled his shirt on and was headed toward the door before I finally said, "Derek, wait."

He paused, glancing back at me over his shoulder. "Yes?"

"You aren't really going to do that, are you?"

"Oh, I will, Nikki. Don't doubt that."

"You can't," I said frantically. "Don't just think about hurting me, Derek, think of all the other people you'll hurt."

He turned toward me, his eyes narrowing as he sneered. "Aw, imagine, a Harmon girl thinking about how her actions might hurt someone else."

I had to ignore that subtle insult to my mother, because I had to appeal to his humanity. "Think of Kayla."

"Don't care," he said.

"And I…I have a boyfriend, he will be devastated and humiliated beyond belief if you do that."

"I care even less about that," he said, turning back around and placing his hand on the door knob. "See you Monday at school."

I jumped out of the bed, dragging the blanket with me and made a desperate grab at his shoulder. "Derek, come on. If you have any decency in you at all, will you please... compromise with me or something."

"Nikki, the whole point of having the Trump card is so that you don't have to compromise. I told you my terms, if you’re not cool with it, that's okay; it'll probably be more entertaining to ruin your reputation anyway."

I briefly remembered how I felt back in the trailer park when I had my undeserved bad reputation, and the thought of how much worse it would be in high school made me shudder, imagining the comments people would call out to me, the fact that Stephanie would probably stop talking to me, the look of devastation on Andy's face when he found out.

I swallowed. "What, specifically, are you asking me for? If I... have sex with you again, will you give me the tape or whatever it is you claim to have?"

"No, I'll be keeping the recording."

I scowled at him. "You can't do that! How do I know that you won't just show the tape to everyone after you sleep with me?"

"As long as we're sleeping together, you'll just have to take my word for it."

I shook my head. "No way. For all I know—If you're just going to keep the video, you could make me sell myself to you for the rest of my life."

"Don't flatter yourself," he said dismissively. "I'm sure I'll get tired of you within the month, and once I'm done with you I will let you destroy the evidence, that way I can't show anybody."

I could still do nothing but shake my head, completely disbelieving that this could be happening to me, that even Derek could be so cruel. "This is blackmail, you know," I informed him.

"I suppose it is," he said with a nod.

“That's illegal," I added. “Plus I’m a minor; even with my permission, you’re not allowed to make a pornographic video of me. Everything you’re doing right now is highly illegal.”

"So is smoking weed, but I still do that from time to time."