by Sofia Daniel
“I don’t usually celebrate it.” He reached under the table and squeezed my thigh. “Stay with me tonight. Maybe we can start a new tradition.”
Wendy shot out of her seat at the head table and shrieked, “Charlotte!”
Charlotte hobbled in on crutches and groaned over the students’ chatter. A thick bandage wrapped around her head, and an even thicker brace covered her neck. Giant strips of adhesive tape covered the bridge of her nose from one cheekbone to the other. I pursed my lips. How much of that was fake?
“Why does someone who didn’t even fall need crutches?” I said out loud.
Charlotte raised a crutch in the air for attention. “I have an announcement.”
Henry snorted, and Blake rolled his eyes. “Here we go…”
“I was going to announce this later, but I think now is a better time.” Her voice was oddly clear for someone requiring reconstructive surgery on her face. “I’m holding a party to top all previous attempts. Perhaps that’s why I was so viciously attacked today.”
Grumbles filled the dining room, and I shook my head with disbelief. The girl was utterly shameless.
“Anyway, only the beautiful and the best will be invited, and all elements who have previously subverted the natural order of things will be excluded!”
Male cheers broke out across the room. I was pretty sure she had been referring to the triumvirate, but what on earth did she mean?
Chapter 11
The four of us left the dining room shortly after Charlotte’s announcement to drink cognac from wide-bottomed snifter glasses in Edward’s study. I sat next to Edward on the Chesterfield sofa and sipped from a cup of Irish coffee, made with a sweet, cream liqueur. Blake sat at the armchair on my left, and Henry lounged on Edward’s left. A small fire crackled in the fireplace, creating a lovely warm light to the dimly lit room.
“Another year.” Henry raised his crystal glass.
Blake glanced at me through the corner of his eye. “An interesting one, though.”
I narrowed my eyes. If anyone wanted to throw shade tonight, I would go straight to Edward’s room and wait for him outside. “If you don’t celebrate your birthday, what do you do instead?”
“Most years, we sat in Edward’s room, drinking cognac he either swiped from home or got from Paul.” Blake grimaced. “Sorry.”
I raised a shoulder. “Hearing about him doesn’t affect me at all.”
The conversation continued about previous years’ birthdays, but they didn’t mention Edward’s first year, which was around the time his mother had died. I sat back and listened to the boys chat among themselves and discovered that Edward had lost his virginity to Charlotte in their third year, but the experience had been so disastrous, neither of them had touched each other since. Blake’s first female lover was a girl who had later been expelled in the third year when they backpacked around France together in the summer term.
Blake turned to me, his eyes dancing with mischief. “And you’ll be seventeen when you lose yours.”
Edward smirked into his glass, and I flashed Blake a grin.
Blake narrowed his eyes. “What aren’t you—” Then his eyes widened. “No! Why didn’t you tell us?”
Edward sniffed. “A gentleman never divulges. Besides, we weren’t really in the mood at the time to wax lyrical about our wayward fourth.”
I sipped my creamy Irish coffee. “You’ve been quiet, Henry.”
He leaned forward and gave me a wistful smile. “I always liked the much older girls. No one in my year or the year above ever appealed, until now.”
Edward set down his drink and placed his hand on my thigh. “I’m taking my present up to bed.” He yanked me to my feet. “Hurry up and make amends before I decide I don’t want to share.”
We spent the rest of the evening in Edward’s double bed, exchanging slow kisses in our underwear. Edward laid me on my back with my hands on either side of my head and our fingers interlaced. We lay chest to chest, my nipples pebbling against his hard pectoral muscles, as he slowly devoured me with deep strokes of his tongue as though claiming my mouth as his territory.
When he drew back and stared into my eyes with such love, it reminded me of the last time we had been together alone, when he had told me he loved me, and I’d left him to discover that I was his betrayer.
At the time, I’d held back my feelings, but now I was free to say, “I love you, too.”
He closed his eyes, and the corners of his mouth curved into a little smile. “Thank you. That’s the best gift I could ever have received.”
The next morning, I awoke to strong arms wrapping around my middle, muscular legs curled behind mine, and an erection pressed into my ass. A lazy smile spread across my face. Edward. I pushed back against his hardness, making him groan. One of his hands snaked up my front and cupped my bare breast, its thumb and forefingers rolling my nipple. Arousal sparked across my body and through my core in a wave of heat, making me press my legs together and groan. We’d only had sex once, but I missed his touch.
Reaching back, I wrapped my fingers around his erection. “I want it from behind.”
He chuckled low and deep and reached for something on the bedside table. “I thought you’d never ask.”
The hand not teasing my nipple slid under my waist, and his fingers slipped between my folds, gathering up the moisture. Then he rubbed gentle circles around my clit that made my eyes roll to the back of my head.
“I love how you’re so ready for me,” he growled.
“Less talk. More dick.”
“As my lady commands.” He drew back his hips. “One second, while I slip on a condom.”
I huffed out a laugh, just as he lined himself up against my entrance and stretched me open. My muscles clenched around his thickness.
He shuddered and stopped moving. “O-oh, fuck.”
“What?”
“You’re still so tight. I thought Bachmann would have—”
“He was a perfect gentleman and only ever kissed me on the cheek.” I backed into Edward’s erection, causing him to groan. “Now, are you going to give it to me good and hard, or will I take it for myself?”
Edward’s chuckle rumbled across my back, and he thrust into my core, giving me that wonderful stretch I craved. He pumped in and out, building a rhythm that made me want to howl.
“Is this what you want?” he rumbled.
Humming my approval, I pushed back and forth against him, increasing the friction. His fingers, which made maddeningly light circles over my clit, quickened and the pressure increased until my muscles rippled around him.
“Carry on like that,” he said, voice strangulated, “and I won’t last long.”
With each sweep of his finger, pleasurable tingles built up around my core. I pulsed and spasmed around the length thrusting into me and gasped out, “I’m getting close, too!”
Edward changed the angle of his thrusts, grazing a spot that deepened my pleasure and made it wind and coil like the lever of his gramophone. Panting hard, I dropped my head back onto his shoulder, and clutched at his thrusting hips. He continued teasing my aching, pulsing clit with heavier caresses until the coil snapped and released an eruption of pleasure that kept going and going.
Edward rocked back and forth, his movements prolonging my climax. “Emilia… Fuck.”
“Yeah,” I said through pants, the spasm of my core muscles showing no signs of ebbing.
His arm clamped around me like a vice, and he thrusted hard and fast, making me cry out. Then he stilled and a tremble wracked his entire body. “F-f-fuuuuck!”
I huffed out a laugh. “I never thought I’d hear a viscount use such naughty language.”
Edward snickered into my shoulder. “Neither did I.”
When Edward softened inside me and withdrew, I sat up and propped my back against the headrest. The first rays of sunlight streamed in through the chink in the curtains, but they were so weak, they provided the barest of illumination. “Wh
at time is it?”
“Five, the last time I checked. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to be seen leaving my room, so I wanted to give you the opportunity to go before everyone woke.”
I ran the back of my fingers down his stubbled cheek and gave him a gentle peck. “Thanks.” I leaned over the side of the bed and glanced down at the rug. “Ummm… Where are my clothes?”
“I placed them on the chair hours ago.”
“Did you sleep?” I eased myself out of the rug and padded across the room to his desk and chair.
He glanced away. “I… I wasn’t sure if you would leave in the middle of the night.”
Just as I had the last time we slept together. The thought of him waking to find that I had left Mercia Academy and betrayed his confidence made my heart twist.
Edward closed his eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“What for?”
“Your interventions brought everything with International House to a head before anyone got hurt. After the end of term, van-loads of police and immigration officers stormed the campus and cleared out those too old to belong to a high school. Since the police arrested Mr. Chaloner and exonerated Father, I’ve slept easier.”
Nadia would probably be back home with her fiancé, just as she had wanted. I wrung my hands. “Are you just saying that to make me feel better?”
Edward pulled back the sheets and slid out of bed. The morning light accentuated his high cheekbones, sexy cupid’s bow, and strong jawline. My gaze meandered down his smooth, alabaster skin and over the contours of his prominent pecs, tight abdomen, and a dark treasure trail that led to a thick, flushed penis.
“Emilia?” He crossed the room and grabbed my hands. “Some of the so-called international students were very dangerous people who should never have been allowed in polite society, let alone near children. At the end of the raid, the police brought out evidence bags of drugs and weapons… It was a disaster waiting to happen.”
My gaze flickered up to meet his earnest, blue eyes, and I blew out a long breath. “Wow.”
“Indeed.” He clasped my head in his hands and pressed a kiss on my temple.
“Then why were you so angry with me?”
He ran his fingers through his hair and glanced away. “I’m more angry about the mess I’d created and irritated that it took an American girl I had bullied to fix things.”
It took me a few moments for his words to sink in. There was one thing I didn’t understand. “Why are you blackmailing me, then?”
“Henry and Blake are your blackmailers.” He tweaked a nipple. “I’m just along for the ride and to give them a bit of moral support.”
I pressed my lips together to hide a smile. “That’s not very nice.”
His face split into a grin. “Don’t tell me you’ve hated the things they’ve made you do. I’ve watched you carefully, and you seem to be having fun.”
“That’s beside the point.” I turned to the chair, took my skirt and slipped it on over my head.
Edward pulled up the zipper. “Play along with them. I’ll make them back off if you cause a fuss. It’s just taking them a little more time to forgive you.”
Irritation flared across my skin. “Even though they—”
He placed his finger on my lips. “I know… None of this would have happened if we hadn’t allowed you to take the blame for Henry’s kidnapping. And we did a lot of awful things to you before then.”
“I’m glad I’ve gotten through one of your thick heads.” I shrugged on my shirt and fastened the buttons.
Edward lay back on his bed with his hands resting behind his head and smirked. “A really good fuck can clear the mind. Blake and Henry would probably tell you the same.”
I snorted and stuffed my bra, hose, and panties into the pockets of my blazer, then slung the garment over my shoulder. “They need to adjust their attitudes.”
He sat up on the bed and blew me a kiss. “See you at breakfast.”
After slipping on my loafers, I backed out of the room and let the door click shut. The hallway was dark, and the floorboards creaked under my feet, but I continued toward the staircase.
“Miss Hobson?” whispered a voice from behind.
I whirled around to find Mr. Jenkins striding toward me in his tartan dressing gown. A pained moan reverberated in my throat. Didn’t he have a lodge like Mr. Carbuncle or somewhere else to sleep? I was in no mood to speak to him, so I shook my head and padded down the stairs. The man followed me all the way to the first floor and halfway down the hallway leading to the room I shared with Rita.
“Miss Hobson!” His voice was a whip-crack.
I turned around. “Yes, sir?”
“What were you doing in Mr. Mercia’s room?”
“The usual, I suppose.” I rubbed the back of my neck and glanced in the direction of my room.
His nostrils flared. “Must I warn you of the dangers of premarital relations?”
“I would have thought all the bullying you allow here is a bigger issue than people over the British age of consent having consensual sex.”
His face turned red. “Now, look here—”
“No, you look,” I snapped. “You can’t just grow a backbone when it suits you. Mr. Carbuncle had a girl in his lodge, and you said nothing to him about premarital relations, or is it all right when an adult male preys on little girls?”
The man’s mouth opened and closed. “I will be writing to your mother about your conduct.”
“Good luck. Tell her to respond to my texts before I give her a litter of grandkids.” I turned around and headed for my room. Mom hadn’t bothered to contact me once since I left New York. I doubted that she would chew me out for spending the night with a boy. I unlocked the door and stepped in.
Rita’s head snapped up from her bed. “Emilia?”
I shushed her. “It’s me.”
“Oh.” She relaxed back onto her pillow. “Goodnight.”
With a smile, I pulled off my clothes and slid under my cool sheets. Her alarm would probably wake her in an hour and a half.
Hours later, the sun blazed through my window, and I grabbed my smartphone. It was eight-fucking-thirty. I groaned and pulled myself out of bed. How could I have slept through all the bells? I jumped into the shower, dried myself off, slipped on a clean uniform, and grabbed my satchel. If I hurried straight to the main teaching block, I might only get two demerits for being late to my first period.
I stepped out of the room, and my gaze caught a white piece of paper at the window end of the hallway. After casting a glance toward the stairs, I walked toward it. If someone had dropped a letter, I needed to place it in their mailbox in case one of the cleaners cleared it away by accident. It was a flyer on thick card stock, printed in gold leaf:
~ Spring Party ~
Saturday 3 June
Penthouse 16, Chelsea Heights
London, SW10 0XG
Doors close at 9:30pm
Dress for sex
RSVP: [email protected]
A palpitation reverberated in my chest. The party was in less than a week! Now, I knew why Charlotte had suddenly become popular with all the boys. The likes of Coates would follow any girl hosting a sex party.
My tongue darted out to lick my lips. This kind of scandal would bury her so deep, she would never resurface. With hands that trembled, I picked the invitation up and stuffed it in my pocket. First period could go hang. I rushed back into my room, turned on the burner phone, and sent Jackie a copy of the invitation.
She texted back immediately, saying she could fit me up with hidden cameras and could put together a team in a van to monitor the party. My mouth dried. Even though I’d told Rudolph my spying days were over, I had to make an exception for Charlotte.
Chapter 12
For the next few days, excitement brimmed in my belly, especially when the temperature rose, and Charlotte appeared in the dining hall without the neck brace, head-bandage, and crutches. Only the thinnest
of strips adorned her unblemished nose, making me wonder if that had been for show, too. My glee at exposing Charlotte must have shown on my features because one evening after dinner, the boys cornered me in Edward’s study.
“You’re up to something,” said Blake. “I’ve been watching you.”
I lowered myself onto the Chesterfield sofa and folded my hands on my lap. “Whatever do you mean?”
Henry stood in front of me with his arms folded over his broad chest. “Did Bachmann return to the UK?”
I shook my head and stared into his green eyes. “He was in Vienna the last time I checked. Why?”
Blake sat at my side and placed his hand on my bare leg. “Someone’s gotten you excited, and it isn’t any of us.”
“Is this an intervention?” I asked.
“If you like.” Edward lowered himself into the leather seat next to mine and grabbed my hand. “You’re planning something, and I’m concerned.”
I glanced from Edward, up to Henry, and to Blake. Worry etched each of the boys’ brows. If their first thought went to Sergei, then they were probably concerned that I no longer wanted to be with them. Or that I might be planning to run away again. Even though I occasionally bickered with Henry and Blake, I wouldn’t up and leave them, and I certainly wouldn’t do that to Edward. Telling them that would be of no use, because I’d already proven myself a liar. With a sigh, I pulled out the invitation to the sex party.
Edward read over my shoulder. “Why on earth would you need to go?”
“What is it?” asked Henry.
“A bloody sex party.” Edward leaned back in his seat.
Blake’s hand slid around to my inner thigh. “If it’s sex you want. We can provide that. You only have to ask, Emilia, and you’ll get more than you can handle.”
“No.” I squeezed my thighs together. If I let Blake distract me, I’d never get to explain. “There’s no way Charlotte’s going to find enough girls to attend a party where they’ll have sex with her male supporters. I want to find out if she’s doing something newsworthy.”
