Sweet Poisons (Pretty Lies, Ugly Truths Duets Book 1) Read online

  Copyright

  Sweet Poisons by Natalie Bennett/BB Books

  © 2019 by Natalie Bennett. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying without written permission of the publisher or author. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations embodied in the critical articles or reviews and pages where permission is specifically granted by the publisher or author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. KU94

  Editing By: Pinpoint Editing

  Cover Design: Jay Aheer—Simply Defined

  Synopsis

  Rhett Sullivan

  Mysterious boy painted in shades of red.

  Nova Markov

  Eccentric girl dripping in sunshine.

  He was the type mothers warned their little girls about—a cocky, rich asshole with a pretty smile, unapologetically insane and wild.

  I was the type guys like him usually ignored—a free spirit who hid my crazy beneath an odd good girl facade and the art hanging on my studio walls.

  We were opposites in every way but one, and we collided like two runaway trains that never had a chance of stopping.

  What blossomed between us, our 'relationship,' was maniacal. We got stuck in a cycle of madness.

  Rhett Sullivan became a bittersweet poison I couldn't get enough of.

  In the end, that's what destroyed me.

  Because in the end?

  Our love was nothing but a lie.

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  Dedication

  For those daring souls that shamelessly dance to their own rhythm.

  Quick Note

  Sweet Poisons is the first book in the Pretty Lies, Ugly Truths Duet. While this is much tamer than Sick Remedies, please be aware that this duet contains various triggers and some content readers may find objective. Including: alcohol/drug abuse, non-con, explicit sex, and graphic violence.

  With that, Sick Remedies will not be for the faint of heart, but I promise there is an ending fitting for the chaos that surrounds these characters.

  Thank you for reading! ??

  Playlist

  (Spotify)

  Blessed—Sorrows

  Madison Beer--Society

  Lizzo—Truth Hurts

  Billie Eillish—Lovely

  J Cole—Work Out

  Lana Del Rey—Art Deco

  Billie Eillish—When The Party’s Over

  Boogie—Silent Ride

  XXXTENTACION—Moonlight

  NF--Lie

  Gabbie Hanna—Broken Girls

  J Cole—Power Trip

  Rayla—Boys Like You

  Boogie/Eminem—Rainy Days

  Halsey—Colors

  Meg Myers--Tourniquet

  2Pac—Do For Love

  Camilla Cabello—Find U Again

  Halsey—11 Minutes

  The Neighborhood—Scary Love

  Jutes—Pretty When U Cry

  Ally Hills—Wrong

  Carlie Hanson--Numb

  Meg Myers—Running Up That Hill

  Pink—90 Days

  YAS—Poison

  BANKS—27 Hours

  Amy Shark—Middle of the Night

  Ivan B—1234

  Contents

  Copyright

  Synopsis

  Dedication

  Playlist

  Epigraph

  Sweet Poisons

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Other books

  Stay In Touch!

  Upcoming 2020 Series

  Acknowledgements

  Epigraph

  Find what you love.

  And let it kill you.

  Let it destroy you.

  Let it push you over the edge, and then consume you.

  We’re all going to die one day.

  Maybe it will be fast.

  Maybe it will slow.

  And what better way to go than by the hands of the one you love?

  Sweet Poisons

  {PRELUDE}

  L-o-v-e.

  I had this powerful four-letter word down to a simple science.

  Love was blind.

  It was selfish.

  And it made fools of the best of us.

  After watching those around me I was confident my theory was spot on. That’s where all my problems began. You see, there was one small issue with my hypothesis.

  I never tested it.

  As a result, I was woefully ignorant in all matters of the heart. I wasn’t a stranger to relationships. I just hadn’t met anyone that gave me those prolific butterflies.

  You know? The ones people sing about in love songs or write of in poetry? Nobody impacted me to the point that I thought of them as I lay in bed in the middle of the night. I never craved someone to the point of addiction.

  Until him.

  Rhett Fucking Sullivan.

  He came into my life like a wrecking ball, demolishing every defense I had. And ironically, but not surprisingly, this story is all about that infamous four-letter word, and the tragedy it can bestow. Discovering just how beautiful and maniacal love can be. Learning what it feels like to have a double-edged blade wedged between my ribs. The cause of so much pain, so much joy. Both in equal measures.

  It’s a car crash you can’t look away from when you know you should.

  However, I won’t blame you if you do, because I can’t promise you that a happily-ever-after is waiting at the end.

  Not when Rhett and I were two people who should have never come together.

  CHAPTER ONE

  NOVA

  Vibrant red turned a pale shade of pink beneath the steady stream of water.

  Suds gathered together in tiny clusters, filling the small bathroom with a powerful berry scent as they were sucked down the drain, taking the remainder of my paranoia with them. I could have stood there half the night if not for the loud, obnoxious knocking accompanied by the chime of my doorbell.

  The peace I’d just achieved was obliterated. My muscles locked, spine going rigid. The steam on the mirror prevented me from seeing myself clearly, but I knew nothing other than panic would be reflected in my discolored eyes.

  I wasn’t sorry for what I had done. In fact, I’d do it again if given the chance. It was my reluctance to see the inside of a jail cell that had me on edge. No way in hell would I survive a prison sentence.

  Hearing a familiar voice call my name had my muscles relaxing instantly and all the air whooshing from my lungs.

  Why the hell is she knocking?

  I closed my eyes and took a few seconds to calm my heart before it exploded from my chest.

  It was okay.

  I was okay.

  After one last
deep breath I used my elbow to shut the tap off, and then grabbed a hand-towel to dry the bristles of my paint brush. Satisfied it was clean enough, I placed it on the side of the sink to dry a bit more.

  I stepped back into my studio and sought out my butterfly clock, noting it was almost eight.

  I’d been in here for almost seven hours, but it had been a necessary confinement if there ever was one. The doorbell chimed again, and I called out, “I’ll be right there!”

  Moving into the hall, I made sure to pull the door shut behind me. The upper level was completely dark. Stagnant. Suffocating.

  I descended the stairs taking them two at a time. When I reached the bottom, I kicked my dirty shoes into the foyer closet. The outside motion light had been triggered, illuminating two silhouettes through the oval pane of stained-glass. Knowing who it was, I turned the deadbolt and opened the door.

  “Where’s your…key?” I took in Emery’s puffy blue eyes and blotchy cheeks before shifting my gaze to Annika. The murderous expression on her face told me all I needed to. “What did he do now?” I asked, moving to the side so they could come in.

  “Same thing he did three weeks ago,” Nika quipped, stepping inside. “I’ve been calling you.”

  “I was painting.”

  Emery flashed a pained smile, brushing past me to follow Annika. Withholding commentary, I shut the door and did the same, trailing them into the kitchen. Before I could cross the threshold, Annika was attacking my cabinets and Emery had planted her ass on one of the barstools.

  “What are you looking for?”

  Letting an upper cabinet slam shut, Annika spun around and placed her perfectly manicured hands on the center island. “You’re out of liquor.”

  “I know.” Believe me, I know.

  Her brown eyes turned to slits. From my peripheral, Emery’s frown deepened. There wasn’t much that could get past these two.

  Especially the fact that I’d managed to consume nearly three full bottles of Captain Morgan within a week.

  Oh, and two twelve packs of coke. But who was really counting?

  “Well,” Annika huffed after a minute. “That’s not acceptable. We can’t have a Tequila talk with no Tequila.” She flounced across the kitchen, heels clicking against the vinyl flooring. She was the beauty queen of our infamous trio—literally. Annika had been a pageant girl until she was ten.

  It must have really rubbed off on her because twelve years later and you’d never catch her with a blonde hair out of place, heels not on her feet, or a gap in her acrylics. Snatching my keys from their hook, she turned abruptly and without warning tossed them through the air.

  “Didn’t you drive?” I asked, catching them with ease.

  “Yeah, but now it’s your—what exactly were you painting?” She curled her lip, taking in my splattered shirt.

  “She’s right,” Emery interjected before I snapped back. “I could really do with a drink and some girl chat.”

  I glanced at the time on my microwave. “Ollie’s doesn’t close until nine. We’ve got plenty of time to get there and grab some necessities for a girls night in.”

  “Then we should make our way to Ollie’s,” she replied, sounding a tad better than she looked. “After I clean myself up, though. I’ll meet you two in the car.”

  “Okay.” I spun on my heel and went to retrieve my purse and flip-flops from the living room. Five minutes later I was out the door and sliding into the driver’s seat of my Camaro.

  Annika climbed into the back, leaving the passenger free for Emery.

  Needing to know what kind of damage control would be necessary, I made sure Emery wasn’t coming before asking for details. “On a scale of one to ten how bad did Tyler screw up this time?”

  Annika scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Rebecca Goin’s face was consuming his cock, so I would say he officially broke the scale for level of fuck ups.”

  “Toothless Becca?” Why would a guy want gums sliding up and down his cock? I guess I saw the appeal. Ew. Gross. I scrunched my nose, tightening my grip on the steering wheel. I’d predicted something like this happening after the first time Tyler did Emery wrong, which wasn’t all that long ago. She’d come home in the middle of the night teary eyed and heartbroken. When something like that happens there’s only two ways to react.

  You either be the shoulder your best-friend needs to cry on, or you castrate the asshole responsible for all her tears. I obviously went with the first option. Not that I wouldn’t have gone through with the second and enjoyed it immensely.

  Emery appeared on the porch, ending me and Annika’s conversation before it really began. Her previous outfit replaced with a pair of black yoga shorts and a blue hoodie. Long, rose-gold hair pulled into a sleek ponytail in place of the rat’s nest she’d arrived with. She jogged down the steps and to the car, tossing a skimpy tank-top on my lap once she was fully inside.

  “What’s this for?”

  “That red paint makes you look like you just massacred someone.”

  “I agree,” came from the backseat.

  I rolled my eyes and slid the key into the ignition.

  The V8 engine roared to life, settling into a soft purr that had the leather bucket seat vibrating beneath my ass.

  God, I love this car. I smiled to myself and shifted into reverse. As I swung out into the street, maneuvering around Annika’s Beamer, curtains shifted in an upper window in the house directly across from mine, Mrs. Richardson being her usual nosey self. I swear she saw everything and knew all there was to know about everyone. Well, almost everyone.

  Silence lingered as I drove through the maze that was my neighborhood, which looked a lot like something out of Desperate Housewives. This alone said so much about my mother. I would have never chosen to live somewhere like this. The interior of our house wasn’t much better. It was all so fancy and flashy apart from my two rooms.

  The moment we were clear of Kendall Heights, Annika reached forward from the backseat and turned on the stereo.

  Bass immediately began thumping in sync with the voice of Blessed. I guess no one wanted to be the first to poach the metaphorical elephant in the room just yet. That was fine with me. It was always one of them who began our discussions, usually. I had my moments, but I honestly didn’t know where to begin with this.

  Telling Emery exactly what I thought of the situation was out of the question. I wanted to shred her dickhead of a boyfriend apart for the second time in a matter of weeks, but I had to take her feelings into account and unfortunately, she cared about him. So, here we were. Going to buy alcohol to numb ourselves and attempt to forget our problems. While not the healthiest way to get over something, it was a mildly effective one.

  By the time we reached Ollie’s there was still a decent number of cars in the parking lot. I got lucky and managed to claim an empty spot only a few spaces away from the entrance.

  Before getting out I did a quick swap of tops, exchanging my t-shirt for the tank top Emery had grabbed me. Had it been daylight, and my windows not slightly tinted someone would have caught an eyeful of boob.

  My C-cups didn’t exactly need to be restrained so they were always free. I would have gone in as I was if it weren’t for one of the girls potentially passing out from second-hand embarrassment.

  With the way my nipples were straining against the thin cotton material I didn’t see how this was much better than before, but whatever. I chucked my ruined T into the backseat, and then hopped out.

  Annika and Emery both turned to face me when I got up next to the hood.

  “If you two go for the Tequila, I’ll grab everything else,” Annika said.

  “Everything else?”

  “You’re out of munchies.”

  “Oh, good idea then.” If we were going to drink, we’d need something to soak up the liquor.

  No way was I consuming my weight in alcohol on an empty stomach. I’d learned that lesson the hard way last week.

  Just as she said
she would, we entered the store and Annika grabbed a basket, heading for the snacks while me and Em went to the liquor section located in the back.

  I got a few curious stares and a couple disapproving glares. I was certain this was because of what I was wearing, and who my parents were. I had always flown beneath the radar, keeping to myself and minding my own business. It was my parents’ actions that had thrust me into a spotlight I didn’t want.

  Of course, no one had the nerve to say anything to me directly unless they were feigning concern or offering words of pity. They’d been gone almost two months now, and though I still wore the veil of a soft-spoken and quiet young woman, I wasn’t as approachable as I’d been before. I had a viable excuse as of late, dealing with all the judgement that followed a tragedy.

  I could have packed all my stuff up, sold the house, and left this town in my rearview but given the history, no one wanted to buy it and that wasn’t what I wanted. My best friends were here. Its where I grew up.

  There was so much that held sentimental value in this damn town, and without the physical, it’s all I had left of the two most important people in my life.

  As for the way I was dressed, these strangers’ discomfort was stronger than mine. I wasn’t insecurity driven. They could stare at me until they were blue in the face. But I still did find myself smiling when Emery aimed a death glare at a woman blatantly eyeballing me. I was about to open my mouth and tease her about defending my honor, plagued suddenly by some freakish sixth sense.

  It was like a scene ripped right out of a movie. Time slowed to a crawl, tiny prickles of awareness danced up spine, lifting the hairs on the back of my neck. I looked over my shoulder just as two guys came around the corner. One was pushing a cart, both were unfamiliar.

  “What’s up Em?” a smooth, husky voice came from the larger of the two.

  “Hey,” she chirped in greeting, her tone suddenly upbeat.

  When the hell had they met? My eyes clashed with a gorgeous shade of greys for barely a second before I tore my gaze away and refocused on the shelves in front of me.

  “Where’ve you been hiding?”