“Nope.” I take another swig of my drink. “I’ve got no interest in being on television.”
“Well, you should. I mean, look at you. You’re hot even in that rich bi-otch getup you’re rocking, and with those moves? You’d be a star.”
“Not interested,” I say again.
She laughs. “Fine, be that way. Gotta pee!”
I laugh, too, as she bounds away from the screen mid-song to use the bathroom. She’s got a crazy amount of energy, and I like her. I make a mental note to ask her if she goes to Astor Park Prep too. It’d be nice to have a friend there when I start on Monday. But then the song on the screen changes, and the music pulls me in again.
While Valerie is in the bathroom, the Divinyls’ “Touch Myself” starts playing and I start dancing—not to the game, but my own moves. A slick sultry dance. One that makes my blood pound and my hands grow sweaty.
The unwelcome image of Reed’s hot body and blue eyes appears in front of me. Dammit, the asshole Royal has invaded my thoughts and I’m helpless to shut him out. I close my eyes and imagine his hands running along my hips and wrenching me close. It’s his leg thrust between mine—
The lights turn on and I stop abruptly.
“Where is he?” the devil himself demands.
“Who?” I ask dumbly. I can’t believe I was fantasizing about Reed Royal, the guy who thinks I’m screwing his father.
“The meathead you’re dancing for.” Reed crosses the room and grabs my upper arms. “I told you that you can’t turn tricks with my friends.”
“There’s no one here.” My drunk mind is too slow to catch on to what he’s saying. The toilet flushes.
“Oh yeah?” He flings me away and yanks open the bathroom door. A squeal of dismay rings out and he bites out an apology as he slams the door shut.
I can’t help the smug smile from forming.
“Did I mention I was a lesbian?”
He doesn’t think I’m funny. “Why didn’t you tell me you were with Valerie?”
“Because it’s funnier watching you to jump to conclusions. And even if I told you who I was with, you wouldn’t have believed me. You’ve already decided who and what I am and nothing is going to change that.”
He scowls but doesn’t contradict me. “Come with me.”
“Let me think on that.” I tap a finger against my bottom lip as if I’m really contemplating his crappily delivered invitation. His eyes drop to watch the movement. “Okay. I’ve decided. No.”
“You don’t like it here,” he says flatly.
“Thank you, Mr. Perceptive.”
He ignores the sarcasm. “Yeah, well I don’t like it either. But here’s the deal. If you don’t come with me and make a fucking effort, then my father will keep forcing you to go to these parties. But if you get your ass out there and everyone reports back to their parents that they saw you, then Dad will lay off. Got it?”
“Not really.”
Reed moves closer again, and I’m once again floored by the size of him. He’s so tall. Tall enough that if he were skinny, his nickname would be “beanpole” or something. But he’s not skinny. He’s built. He’s big and muscular and the alcohol is making me feel all hot and achy around him.
He’s still talking, oblivious to my inappropriate train of thought. “If my dad thinks you’re a lost, lonely lamb, he’ll keep pushing us all together. Or maybe that’s what you want. Is that it? You want to be seen with us. You want to be at these parties.”
The accusations snap me out of my haze. “Because I’ve spent so much time around you tonight.”
His expression doesn’t change, not even to acknowledge that I’m right. Whatever. Fine.
“Come on, Valerie, let’s go party,” I call out.
“I can’t. I’m mortified. Reed Royal saw me in the bathroom,” she moans through the door.
“The asshole is gone. Besides, you’re probably the most attractive and decent thing he’s seen tonight.”
Reed rolls his eyes but leaves as I motion him out the door.
Valerie finally comes out. “Why are we leaving our little haven?”
“To see and be seen,” I answer honestly.
“Ugh. Sounds terrible.”
“I never said it wasn’t.”
9
The first person I see when Valerie and I enter the living room is Savannah Montgomery. She’s wearing tight jeans that are ripped at the knees and a halter top that bares her midriff. Her eyes are glued to Gideon, whose back is turned as he leans against the wall chatting with another guy.
As if she can see me making a mental connection between her and Gideon, Savannah swivels her head toward me. She doesn’t wave or say hello, but her eyes meet mine briefly before she turns to talk to her friend.
The music is blaring, and everyone is drinking or dancing or making out in various corners of the room. Beyond the French doors I glimpse a large kidney-shaped pool, its bluish light casting shadows on the faces of the teenagers standing around it. There are people everywhere. It’s loud and hot and I already miss the quiet safety of the staff quarters.
“Do we really have to be here?” Valerie murmurs.
I catch Reed watching us from the oak bar across the room. He’s with Easton, and they both nod in warning when I meet their gaze.
“Yeah, we do.”
She looks resigned. “Fine. Then we might as well get the bullshit out of the way.”
Valerie is a godsend. She links her arm through mine and takes me around the party, introducing me to random people, then whispering details in my ear.
“That chick Claire? She’s screwing Easton Royal. She likes telling people she’s his girlfriend, but everyone knows Easton doesn’t do girlfriends.”
“Thomas? Raging cokehead, but Daddy’s a senator so Thomas’s messes are always cleaned up.”
“Definitely stay away from Derek. Chlamydia central over there.”
I swallow a choked laugh as she guides me toward another group, a trio of girls in assorted pastel minidresses.
“Lydia, Ginnie, Francine, this is Ella.” Valerie waves a hand between us, then leads me away from the Pastels before they can even open their mouths. “You ever wonder if some people are born without brains?” she asks me. “Proof of it right there. Girls give new meaning to the word airhead.”
I’m not going to lie—I’m enjoying the introductions, or rather, the gossip that comes with them. I do notice that nobody says much more than a muttered “hello” to me, before shifting their gazes to the Royal brothers to check their reactions.
“All right, easy part is over,” Valerie says with a sigh. “It’s time to slay the dragon.”
“The dragon?”
“My cousin. AKA the Queen Bee of Astor Park Prep. Be warned—she’s crazy possessive about the Royals. I’m pretty sure she’s hooked up with all of them, even the twins.”
Speaking of the twins, we pass Sawyer on our way to the pool area. I know it’s Sawyer because he’s wearing a black T-shirt, and earlier I heard Gideon call the white T-shirt-wearing twin Sebastian. A petite redhead is draped around Sawyer, trailing kisses along his neck, but his gaze stays fixed on me as we walk past.
“Little Royal’s girlfriend,” Valerie tells me. “Lauren or Laura, something like that. Sorry, I’m not knowledgeable about the sophomore circles.”
But she’s knowledgeable about almost everyone else, it seems. For a girl who likes to hide in the corner, Valerie is a bottomless well of gossip, but I guess that’s the best way to gather information, watching from the shadows.
“Brace yourself,” she warns. “The claws might come out.”
The claws in question belong to a gorgeous brunette in a silky green dress that barely covers her thighs. She’s draped on a plush lounge chair like she’s Cleopatra or some shit. Her friends take up similar poses, each one in similarly skimpy dresses.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and I turn my head to find Reed and Easton sliding through the Fr
ench doors. Reed’s eyes lock with mine. His tongue comes out briefly to moisten his bottom lip, and my heart does an irritating flip. I hate this guy. He’s too attractive for his own good.
“Jordan,” Valerie greets her cousin. “Awesome party, as always.”
The brunette smirks. “I’m surprised to see you out and about, Val. Don’t you usually like to cower in the attic?”
“I decided to live on the edge tonight.”
Jordan studies her cousin’s flushed cheeks. “I see you have. Drunk much?”
Valerie rolls her eyes, then tugs me forward. “This is Ella. Ella, Jordan.” She points a finger at each of the other girls and rattles off names. “Shea, Rachel, Abby.”
Only one of the friends spares me a look—Shea. “You met my sister earlier,” she says coolly. “Savannah.”
I nod. “Yeah. Cool chick.”
Shea narrows her eyes. I think she’s trying to figure out if I’m being sarcastic or not.
Jordan speaks up, her almond-brown eyes gleaming. “So. Ella. Callum Royal is your new daddy, huh?”
I notice the entire backyard has grown silent. Even the music pouring out of the living room seems to have quieted. I feel everyone’s eyes on us. No, on Jordan. Her friends’ expressions are almost gleeful.
I brace myself for an attack, because obviously that’s where this is leading.
Jordan sits up and crosses her long legs seductively. “What’s it like, sucking old man cock?” she asks.
Someone snorts. A few titters tickle my back.
My throat tightens with embarrassment. These people are laughing at me. I realize the Royals had gotten to their friends, probably long before I showed up. Nobody here ever planned on giving me a real chance.
I’m horrified to feel tears stinging my eyes. No. Screw that. Screw Jordan and screw all of them. I might not come from a family who “deals in hotels,” but I’m better than this bitch. I’ve survived more than she ever could.
I blink, pasting on an indifferent expression. “Your dad’s not bad, if that’s what you’re asking, but I find it super creepy that he wants to pull my hair and have me call him Daddy. Is everything okay at home?”
Valerie snickers.
A shocked gasp comes from one of Jordan’s friends.
Jordan’s eyes blaze for one brief moment before the mocking glint returns and she lets out a husky laugh.
“You were right,” she calls out to someone behind me. “She’s trash.”
I don’t need to turn around to know she’s talking to Reed.
Beside me, Valerie’s features tighten. “You’re a real bitch, you know that?” she tells her cousin.
“Better a bitch than a casual,” Jordan answers with a grin. Then she waves a hand at us. “Get out of my sight. I’m trying to enjoy my party.”
We’ve been dismissed. Valerie turns on her heel and I follow, but when we reach the doors, I veer away from her and march up to Reed.
His blue eyes reveal nothing, but his jaw twitches slightly when he sees me.
“There. I’ve done my Royal duty,” I mutter to him. “Come find me when it’s time to go.”
I brush past him without looking back.
* * *
It’s after one a.m. when we leave the party. Easton finds me in Valerie’s room upstairs, the two of us sprawled on her bed watching So You Think You Can Dance. Valerie downloaded an entire season and forced me to watch a bunch of episodes, insisting I need to try out for the show. I declined yet again.
Easton announces we’re leaving, then stands there rolling his eyes while I hug Valerie goodbye and tell her she’d better find me at school on Monday.
Outside, I realize Gideon and the twins already left in one of the Range Rovers, which means I’m stuck riding back with Easton and Reed. Reed gets behind the wheel, his brother slides in the passenger seat, and I sit in the back while they carry on a whole conversation like I’m not even there.
“We’re gonna crush Wyatt Prep,” Easton is saying. “Half their O-line graduated last year, so it’s pretty much a straight path to Donovan.”
Reed grunts in agreement.
“Then we’re looking at Devlin High—easy fuckin’ peasy. Their QB’s hung-over half the time, and that butterfingers receiver corps of theirs is a joke.” Easton babbles away, his voice animated, his shoulders free of the tension I’m used to seeing. Either he’s drunk, or he’s finally starting to accept my presence in his life.
I try to join the conversation. “What positions do you guys play?”
Just like that, his shoulders are stiff again.
“Linebacker,” Reed says without turning around.
“Defensive end,” Easton mutters.
They go back to ignoring me. Easton is now telling his brother about the blowjob he got tonight.
“It’s like she’s only giving forty percent now,” he gripes. “Used to be a solid hundred, y’know? Going to town on my dick like it’s made of chocolate, and suddenly it’s a few licks and then let’s cuddle? Eff that.”
Reed snickers. “She thinks she’s your girlfriend. Girlfriends don’t need to put in an effort.”
“Yeah, might be time to cut that one loose.”
“You guys are pigs,” I say from the backseat.
Easton twists around, his blue eyes mocking me. “Well, aren’t we all high and mighty, Ms. Sex Worker.”
I grit my teeth. “I’m not a sex worker.”
“Hmmm.” He turns back in his seat.
“I’m not.” A helpless feeling lodges in my throat. “You know what? Screw you both. You don’t know me.”
“We know everything we need to know,” Reed says.
“You know shit.” I bite my lip and focus my gaze out the window.
We’re only about halfway to the Royal mansion when Reed abruptly stops the car on the side of the road. I meet his eyes in the rearview mirror, but his face has zero expression as he snaps, “Last stop. Get out.”
Shock smacks into me. “What?”
“East and I have somewhere else to be. We’re going that way—” He points to the left. “The house is that way—” He points straight ahead. “Time for you to start walking.”
“But—”
“It’s only two miles, you’ll be fine.” He seems to be enjoying himself.
Easton is already out of the car and opening the back door for me. “Get a move on, sis. We don’t want to be late.”
I’m a tad dazed as he yanks me out of the car and pushes me toward the side of the road. Are they seriously ditching me here? It’s one o’clock in the morning, and it’s dark.
Neither of them care. Easton hops in the passenger seat, slams the door and gives me a little wave. The SUV zooms forward and Reed makes a speedy left turn, leaving me in his dust. I can hear their laughter from the open window.
I don’t cry. I just start walking.
10
I eat breakfast in the kitchen alone the next morning. My legs ache and my feet are sore from walking two miles in new shoes that hadn’t been broken in yet. I dreamed that Reed Royal was chasing me in a pitch-black tunnel, his deep voice taunting me in the darkness, his breath hot on my neck. I woke up before he was able to catch me, but I like to think that when he did, I strangled him to death.
I’m not looking forward to school on Monday, and that ten thousand dollars in my backpack is calling out to me. Leave. Run. Start over. But there’s so much more money on the line…
Maybe the Royals are right. Maybe I am a whore. I might not be sleeping with anyone for money, but I am taking it from Callum for favors unspecified in the future. Brooke said he saved her, but I’m guessing from the way they act around each other that she’s definitely sleeping with him.
Footsteps thud in the hall, and Easton walks into the kitchen. He’s bare-chested and wearing gray sweatpants that ride low on his hips. I try not to stare at the hard ridges of his abs. But I do take a long look at the cut on his right temple. It must have bled at some point, but no
w it’s just a red line, an inch long and marring his perfect skin.
Without acknowledging me, he grabs some orange juice from the fridge and drinks straight from the carton.
Note to self: don’t drink from that carton unless you want oral herpes.
I focus on eating my yogurt and pretend he’s not here. I have no idea where he and Reed went last night or when they got home, and I’m not sure I want to know.
I can feel him watching me. When I turn my head, I find him leaning against the counter. His blue-eyed gaze tracks the movement of my spoon as I raise it to my lips, then lowers to the hem of my short sleep shirt.
“See something you like?” I crack as I take another bite.
“Not really.”
I roll my eyes and gesture to his head with my spoon. “So what happened? Bump your head on the dashboard when you were blowing your brother last night?”
He laughs, then glances at the doorway behind me. “Hear that, Reed? Our new sister thinks I blew you last night.”
Reed enters the kitchen, also shirtless and in sweatpants. He doesn’t even look my way. “See if she’ll give you some pointers. She looks like she knows her way around dick.”
I flip up my middle finger but he has his back turned to me. Easton sees it, though, and a slow grin stretches his mouth.
“Nice. I like a chick with a little fight in her,” he drawls. He pushes off the counter and comes closer, his thumbs tucked in his waistband. “What do you say, Ella?” He voices my name as if it’s a curse word. “Want to show us what you’ve got?”
My heart stops. I don’t like the feral look in his eyes. He stands in front of me. Then his smile widens and he slides one hand inside his pants to cup his junk.
“You’re our sister now, right? So come on.” He rubs himself. “Help a brother out.”
I can’t breathe. I’m…scared.
I shoot a glance at Reed, but he’s leaning against the counter now, arms crossed. He looks amused.
Easton’s blue eyes go smoky. “What’s the matter, sis? Cat got your tongue?”