by J. L. Beck
“Willow Bradford,” I tell the lady at the table.
“Good morning, Miss Bradford, you will be sitting at table eight, and your father is already here,” she smiles, and I almost choke on the air in my lungs.
“What?” I don’t understand. He’s not supposed to be here. Why is he here? Suddenly any appetite I might have had is gone, and all I want to do is go back to the dorm and crawl in my bed. But I can’t, definitely not now. Scanning the room slowly half praying this woman might be wrong, I spot him. Damnit. My insides burn, and my muscles tighten. There he is sitting at our assigned table, wearing a gray tailored suit looking every bit out of his element. His dark gaze moves about the room, watching as students pass by with their parents. Parents that care. That love them. As I stare, one single question remains. What the hell is he doing here?
“Oh, cool. Your dad came, after all,” Alice exclaims excitedly. “My family is at table 3, but we can get together later, okay?” She’s bubbling at the seams with excitement over seeing her parents, while I would rather stick forks in my eyes. I swallow thickly, the saliva in my mouth suddenly turning to glue. Not wanting to have to explain to her the shitshow that is my family, I just nod instead.
We part ways, and it takes everything inside me to continue walking toward that table. I’m angry, sad, and disappointed because this was supposed to be my break. My chance at freedom, instead, it feels more like a gilded cage. All over again, I’m trapped, just like I was at home.
“There you are,” my father greets me with a forced smile as I walk up to the table. He gets up, presses a kiss to my cheek, and pulls my chair out for me. Once we’re both seated, he leans in so no one else can hear and says, “Would it have killed you to wear a dress for an event like this?”
What the hell?
He straightens back up, and I stare at him dumbfoundedly. What has gotten into him? Why is this stupid brunch so important to him, and what is wrong with the clothes I’m wearing? This isn’t a charity ball or some fundraiser. Everyone else is dressed in a similar fashion to me.
Biting back a shitty remark, I ignore his comment about my attire and decide to change the topic, “Why are you here?”
His thick eyebrows shoot up his forehead. “What kind of question is that? Why wouldn’t I be here? All the other freshmen parents are here.” As he is talking, his eyes scope out the room, almost like he is looking for something… no... someone.
Suspicion creeps up my spine and starts to fester deep inside my gut as I continue watching my dad. Even though he’s supposedly here for me, his attention is everywhere but on me. Matter of fact, he almost seems distracted. I’m not really shocked though. Crossing my arms over my chest, I just stare at him, wishing he would disappear.
“Have you made a lot of friends yet?” he asks out of the blue.
“I really haven’t had much time. I spent the last few days getting oriented with the campus and unpacking. My roommate is nice though. She wants to meet you later, but you don’t have to.”
“Nice?” he asks like he doesn’t know what the word means. “What’s her name?”
“Alice,” I answer briskly, before taking a sip of my water.
He looks at me like I’m dumb. “What’s her last name, Willow.”
I’m so close to rolling my eyes, it’s not even funny. Of course, he’s only interested in her last name. Because last names signify everything about you. Forget what kind of person you are. Without the right last name, you’re a nobody.
I shrug. “I don’t know. Burton, I think.”
“Burton?” My father rubs at his chin as if he’s deep in thought, “Hmmm, doesn’t ring a bell, which means she doesn’t matter. You need to make some more friends. More important friends. Remember, it isn’t what you know, it’s who you know, that will get you places. This is the perfect school for you to make those kinds of friends, so don’t waste this opportunity. You aren’t here to make lifelong friends. You’re here to make connections, Willow.”
Curling my fingers into my hand, I sink my nails into the tender flesh of my palm. Of course, he is here for his own gain. Disappointment sinks like a heavy stone to the bottom of my stomach.
“You didn’t drive two hours one way just to tell me that, did you? Because if you did, you’re going to be gravely disappointed. I’m not here to make connections or friends. I’m just here because it was this or home with you, and anything is better than being stuck in that mansion with you.” I’m talking out of line, antagonizing him, but I don’t care. All I want is for him to feel even a sliver of the same pain my sister or me feel.
Raging fire flickers in his dark eyes, his jaw tenses, “You promised you wouldn’t make a mockery out of me, Willow. And part of that is you needing to represent me and our family name in an elegant manner. So whether you like it or not, you will befriend people of importance, you will wear clothes that are appropriate, and you will do all of those things with a smile on your face, or do I need to remind you of what happens if you don’t?”
I open my mouth to speak, to reply with anything, but I’m interrupted before I can.
“Welcome, dear students and families,” a female voice filters through the speakers. “We are so happy to have you all here today…” she continues her speech, but I drown the rest of it out. All I can think about is my father’s threats, his demands, and what happens to my poor sister if I don’t comply. I hate him, truly, I do.
Gritting my teeth, I sit through the rest of the brunch, which thankfully goes by in a blur. After we are done eating, everyone gets up to mingle, which is exactly what my father came here for. I consider leaving right then and there, just to spite my father, but I won’t pay for it. My sister will, and I can’t let an innocent pay the price for my wrongdoings.
Alice finds us first; her parents greet us with smiles and friendliness, while my father looks them up and down like they are wearing dirty rags. Great, he’s going to cost me my only friend.
“Burton, is it?” My father tsks, and I already know where this is going to go. “I don’t think I’ve heard that name before.”
“Yes, Burton,” Alice’s father replies while shaking my father’s hand. Like most men, he doesn’t seem even a little intimidated by my father. “I try to keep my name out of the spotlight as much as I can. I’m more of a silent partner.”
My father smiles, but it looks more like if a shark smiled at you. His eyes light up, and excitement overtakes his features. Of course, that piques his interest. It doesn’t matter where we are or what we’re doing. Business is the only thing that matters to him. My father’s conversation carries on while Alice and her mom excuse themselves to go and talk to someone else they know. Pretending I don’t care, I smile and cross my arms over my chest. It’s almost too hard to watch as all the happy families laugh and hug. I won’t ever have this, a happy family, someone that is excited to see me. Ugh, pity party for one, I guess. Distracting myself, my gaze wanders around the room until I find a person in the far corner of the room…
He’s half cloaked in darkness, the shadows covering his face. Even without seeing his features, I feel like I know him. The way he holds his body, there is something so familiar about it. I rack my brain, trying to recall meeting someone such as him, but nothing comes. Right then, the small hairs on the back of my neck rise up, goosebumps spread across my arms, and my heart starts to beat in an irregular rhythm. Dread fills my gut, and even though I have no reason to feel the way that I do right now, I can’t shut the feelings off. It’s like deep down, I know something bad is going to happen.
What is going on?
Like a hand gripping onto your leg in an old horror movie, fear claws at me, threatening to pull me under. I can’t even see his face, only the contours of his broad shoulders, muscular chest, and the way his large hand is wrapped around the delicate glass he’s holding. It’s almost as if with the simplest of pressures, he could break it.
He could break me. I shake the thought away, unsure where it came
from to begin with. I don’t know him, whoever he is.
I’m about to turn to let my father know that I’m leaving when someone, no, not someone, a man comes to stand in front of me. My eyes lift to his face, he can’t be but a little older than me. He’s handsome in a my-father-is-rich-as-sin kind of way. Perfectly tailored clothes, meticulously styled hair, and a sharp jawline.
He smiles at me, showing off his dimples and a set of straight and sparkling white teeth. His eyes twinkle with mischievous, the color of deliciously melted chocolate.
“I’m pretty sure I’d remember meeting a pretty face like yours. You must be one of the freshmen?”
I smile as well because his smile is infectious, “Well, this is the freshman brunch, isn’t it?” I cringe at the words after they’ve already come out.
Mystery man gives me a low chuckle, it’s deep, and I can feel it in my bones, “I mean, yeah, but I’m not a freshman, and I’m here too, so …” His eyes glitter with amusement.
“Sorry, that was rude of me,” I apologize half-heartedly.
He nods, takes a sip of his drink, and for a split second, I let my gaze roam over him. Muscular chest, broad shoulders, big hands. He’s tall, much taller than me, towering over me by a good four inches. He’s got the body of an athlete, but somehow, I doubt he plays sports.
“Like what you see?” he says coyly.
My cheeks burn. “I wasn’t checking you out. I was just...” Shit, what was I doing?
“It’s okay if you were. I was checking you out too, and in case you were wondering…” He leans into my face, and as I suck a panicked breath into my lungs, I catch a whiff of his cologne. Sandalwood and patchouli. Warm, rich, and inviting. “I like what I’ve seen thus far.” He winks, and while his demeanor is playful, I can’t help but feel like there is a deeper meaning to what he is saying. I like what I’ve seen thus far. Like he’ll have the chance to see more.
“Willow…” My father’s deep baritone voice catches my ears, and I blink, pulled from my thoughts. Twisting around, I meet his hard gaze.
“Yes,” I answer even though I don’t want to.
“I’ll let you get back to spending some time with your family. I’ll see you around, Willow, is it?”
“Yes, Willow,” I force my lips into a smile and extend my hand out to him. He takes it, his warm hand encompassing mine, as he gives it a gentle squeeze.
“Warren,” he introduces himself, a boyish grin on his lips. Warren. The name seems to fit him. Prim and proper. “I’m sure I’ll see your beautiful face around.”
I nod, caught up in his words. Lifting my hand, he presses a kiss to the top before releasing it. It falls back down to my side as he turns and disappears into the crowded room like an illusion. Weird.
My father turns to where I had been looking, a moment ago. For a few seconds, he seems pleased with me, but we all know he can’t have that.
“Did you ask for his last name?”
I snort, “No, father, I did not.” I grind my teeth together so hard my jaw aches.
“Quit being difficult and just do what I’ve asked of you. I need at least one of my daughters to live up to the family name. Your sister has already disappointed me. Don’t do the same. I can only handle one family fuck up at a time.”
Turning to face him, I bare my teeth. How dare he!
“Ashton is not and never will be a disappointment,” I speak through my teeth, finally having reached my limit with his bullshit. You are the fuck up, I add in my head.
He takes a threatening step toward me, and I try not to react to the closeness; he is, after all, my father. I shouldn’t be afraid of him, but I’m not that naive. He’s not only rich but also powerful, even without all the friends he’s lost over the last two years. If I get in his way, he’ll squish me like a bug, daughter or not.
“Your sister cost me everything. She is more than a disappointment, and if you don’t fall in line with how I want things to be, then I’ll have no reason to keep supporting her. I’m doing this for you, and only you.”
Tears sting my eyes, threatening to spill over. “She’s your daughter,” I croak. How can he be so heartless toward his own child?
Darkness glitters his eyes, there is no remorse, not a single shred of compassion. If I didn’t know it before, I am certain now that my father is nothing more than a heartless monster.
“She’s nothing, and you will be nothing if you don’t learn to follow my orders. Do as you’re told, Willow. Don’t ask questions. Obey me, and you and your disappointment of a sister will be just fine.”
Swallowing around the lump of fear that’s lodged in my throat, I nod. There isn’t any point in speaking anyway. Not to him, not to a person who doesn’t care about anything besides himself. I was so naive to think that by coming here I would be safe. I should have known that his corruption and power would be able to reach me anywhere… I should’ve known better.
“Make a mockery out of me a second time, and I’ll make sure you never see or hear from Ashton again.” He turns, letting the threat linger in the air between us as I stand there. I’m in a sea of people but couldn’t feel any more alone.
Chapter Two
Parker
Revenge. It consumes me. It’s the pillar of life. The hate for Willow and her sister has become my newest obsession and will be my biggest downfall. It’s been festering inside of me for years, eating away at me like a cancer, but today it’s reached an all-new level. Seeing her for the first time in two years. It’s like an indescribable high.
I didn’t believe my father when he told me she would be coming here. As sick and twisted as it is, part of me hoped it wasn’t true, while the other craved for it to be. Craved to have her near, so I could punish her for what she did. I curl my fingers into my hands, the thought of being close enough to touch her has me on edge.
Watching her the last couple of days has been both torture and exciting. My fingers itch to touch her. To mark her. I want to run my hands across her porcelain skin just to see if it’s as soft and smooth as it looks. I want to inhale her sweet scent into my lungs and let it drag me under. No. I snarl to myself.
I can’t get distracted by her beauty. I need to concentrate on what I really want…really need. I remind myself that her beauty is only an illusion, hiding the ugly person inside. Everything about Willow is a facade, she’s faker than most of the girls here at Blackthorn.
Trying my best to blend in and not raise any attention, I stay in the background. Hiding my face in the few shadowy corners, this large room has to offer. I’m not used to this, hiding in plain sight. Normally, I would be the center of attention, the spotlight on me, but not today. I don’t think most people here even know who I am, not yet anyway.
As I watch from across the room, my eyes move from Willow to her father, William Bradford. He’s talking to another parent, doesn’t care about anything but money and power. I’ll bet anything his daughter being here has very little to do with getting a good education and everything to do with getting back in the good graces of the elite families. I still wonder how he got her enrolled in the first place. Why did my father let her attend?
“Dude, what the hell is wrong with you?” Warren, one of my best friends, says, as he nudges me in the arm.
“Nothing,” I grit out, but my response doesn’t match my behavior. There’s loads wrong with me, and Warren can see that from a mile away.
“Is that her?” he asks, tipping the champagne flute in his hand toward her.
All I do is grunt because she’s not worthy of any more of my attention, let alone both of ours. Warren follows my line of vision, and we both stare at her as she scowls at all the other families as they pass by. Does she think she is better than everybody here? Probably.
“She’s pretty, in a Snow White kind of way.” He isn’t wrong. Black hair, ivory skin, and ruby red lips. She does look like Snow White, and I guess that makes me her Huntsman. The only difference is, our story won’t end like a fairytale.
“Don’t be fooled by her beauty, it’s just a trick, an illusion to hide all the ugly on the inside. She might be pretty, but she’s like a deadly poison.”
“All women are like poison,” he mumbles, his face scrunching up as he stares at her more intently. Gritting my teeth, I stop myself from slugging him in the face. I have to remind myself that he is not the enemy here, she is.
My obsession with her has ruled my mind for so long. It’s hard for me to shove the territorial thoughts away, to separate me wanting to have her and wanting to destroy her. She’s not mine, and she never will be.
“What’s the plan?”
“Revenge. I will make her life a living hell while she is here. I’m going to make her feel the same pain she caused my family.” And then some.
“You mean to tell me you aren’t going to sample that fine piece of ass before you destroy her? Or maybe that’s how you get your revenge? What if she’s a virgin? Wouldn’t that be the perfect way to make her pay? To claim the one and only thing she has to give her new husband?”
My throat tightens, and I swallow thickly at the thought. For years I’ve wondered what it would be like to dive between her thighs and taste her. To drink from her until there was nothing left. Would I feast, ravishing her, or would I sip like a fine wine?
“This isn’t the fifteen hundreds. She is eighteen, I highly doubt she is still a virgin or saving herself for marriage.”
Warren cocks his head to the side, and out of the corner of my eye, I see his gaze raking over her body. Across the room, unaware of all the attention, she stands with her arms crossed over her chest. The swell of her breasts is peeking out of that innocent-looking pink blouse, and I wonder if she knows that she is pushing up her tits standing like that.
My eyes move on their own, traveling over her heart-shaped face, and those sparkling green eyes, that hold a million and one secrets. I burn to crack her open, to snap her in two, and see what comes out.
“Maybe, or maybe not? You never know, and with as cold and uptight as she looks, I wouldn’t be surprised. She seems like she needs to be thoroughly fucked.”
