This time she snorted at me. “Puhhhlease, chic. You’re the only real person who exists in this entire town. You think I’m going to stop being your friend? Not happening,” she huffed.
I didn’t want to talk about Ramsey anymore. I didn’t want to talk about this fucked up town or the people in it. I decided I wanted to get to know my only friend better. “Do you have a boyfriend, Roselyn?”
She smiled the biggest spread across her pretty face. “No,” she answered. “But I have this guy who’s a friend that lives in Manotile, and we…uh, meet up every now and again.” Well, no wonder Roselyn chose Manotile to party up our Friday night.
After Ramsey had hung up on me, I had been determined to defy him. As much as his alpha male high-handedness turned me on, I was quite ready to cave.
Ramsey needed to understand that when or if I do finally cave, it’s because I chose to. It’s because I want him, and he didn’t force his will upon me. So, I was going to go out tonight no matter what; it just wasn’t going to be to the lake party.
When Roselyn finally agreed to join me, she had suggested driving over to Manotile, since it was just one town over, and going to a dance club that was 18 and older. She said it was a nice club with a very good party vibe and plenty of security.
I’ve never been to an actual dance club before, so I was game. I mean, I’ve danced at house parties, and while I may not be able to compete in any dance competitions, I could hold my own and I had decent rhythm.
Since Roselyn was always dressed outlandishly, I was the one who had to put in the effort tonight. I traded in my custom t-shirt and jeans look for a more Friday night club scene one.
I had straightened my long, dark hair and left it loose and flowing. I didn’t overdo it with the makeup, but since I normally don’t wear any, a little mascara, some dark eyeliner, light eyeshadow and lip gloss made a huge impact.
I didn’t have much in the way of sexy wear, so I had raided my aunt’s closet to see if there was anything in there I could use. There was no way I’d wear anything of Bailey’s. I didn’t trust laundry detergent to kill STD strains.
After scouring through Constance’s closet-which happened to be the size of a small village-I decided on a loose-fitting grey top that brought out my eyes and hung low enough to display the girls. Normally I wouldn’t put my body on display, but Ramsey’s demand had me wanting to push the envelope.
I paired it with a black skirt that was tight around my hips, but flare around my thighs. It stopped a little too short for my liking, but it’d have to do. Constance and I weren’t exactly the same size, but I was able to smuggle my body into her designer clothes.
I topped off the look with a pair of black sandals I had. There was never a cause for me to wear heels, so I didn’t know how to walk in them, and I never tried. All in all, when I took in my appearance in the mirror, I was pleased with my party look. I also wondered if my aunt had any concept of age appropriate clothing.
Once I was ready, Roselyn advised me to leave my jacket at home, since the body heat in the club made the place warm enough and she raided Constance’s closet again to look for a wristlet for my money, I.D., phone, a powder compact and my lip gloss. She explained that it was a pain in the ass to carry a purse to a club because you couldn’t risk setting it down or leaving it on the table to go dance. Roselyn assured me I had everything I’d need in the small wristlet.
We finally pulled up to the club and it was evident that Roselyn was used to coming here. She knew exactly how to navigate around the streets and knew where to park for the best access to the club’s entrance.
She had left her jacket in the car and started taking her money, I.D. and phone out of her purse and stuffing them into her pockets. Roselyn was dressed more casual in a pair of form fitting jeans, Timberland boots and a bright blue tank top that showcased her girls beautifully. But with her sno-cone colored locks thrown up into a messy bun and her makeup as vibrant as her hair, she looked like she purposely dressed for a night of club hopping.
My new friend was too pretty to be considered an outsider or be judged as less than by those snobby pricks that made up Windsor Academy.
We made our way to the front entrance and the doorman actually greeted Roselyn before we entered. “Hi, Beck,” she greeted back and then gestured towards me. “This is my new friend, Emerson.”
He smiled, looking all Brad Pitt with his blonde hair and perfectly paired blue eyes. “Nice to meet you, Emerson,” he said, extending his hand to shake mine.
I smiled back. “Nice to meet you, too, Beck.”
“This might be our regular hang out spot on the weekends, but word to the wise, Beck,” Roselyn leaned in as if she was going to divulge the whereabouts of Jimmy Hoffa. “She belongs to Ramsey Reed.”
What the hell?
Beck pulled back and straightened his spine. He looked me up and down, and then gestured up and down with his hand before saying, “Then why the fuck doesn’t she have a sign on her or something?”
Roselyn glanced back at me and started bobbing and weaving her head in search of something. She finally turned back to Beck and took a deep breath. “She did, but she covered it with makeup.” The hickeys. She’s referring to the hickeys that were starting to fade.
“I do not belong to Ramsey Reed,” I hissed out between my clenched teeth, correcting her.
Roselyn rolled her eyes. “Okay, so she doesn’t actually belong to Ramsey. But he thinks she does, if you catch my drift, Beck.” Catch her drift? Who talks like that anymore?
And, then, Beck did something that held me immobile. I mean, I suppose I should be used to it, but seeing it happening outside a school full of high school students was mesmerizing.
Beck grabbed the cord of his earpiece and spoke into the microphone, clear as day. “Hey, I’m sending two girls in right now. However, the brunette belongs to Ramsey Reed.”
Holy. Fuck.
Chapter 13
Ramsey
It was a few minutes before the 11 o’clock mark and I was both pissed and unsurprised.
I knew I was going to probably have to go to her house and drag her out by her hair. But when I asked Brandon Greene if his step-sister was going to be here, he had said she was leaving to pick up Emerson at the same time that he had been heading to his car.
So, where in the fuck were they?
I’ve always been up for a good party, but without Emerson here, there was no reason for me to be here. I mean, sure I drank, but I never got sloppy drunk…well, save for last Friday night after my first encounter with Emerson, but I was a casual drinker. Booze didn’t make or break me.
Parties for me were more of just something to do. Some good times where I could get my dick wet, if I was so inclined.
But now that my dick only wanted Emerson, it felt kind of pointless to be here. Me, Deke and Liam could all chill at one of our pads and have a better time than the scene before me.
I felt Liam’s hand clap my back. “You look fucking pitiful, man,” he announced before dropping his hand.
I growled.
“Jesus, Ram, look around you, dude,” Deke added. “There’s easy pussy for days running around here. Hell, on my way back from the chests, I saw Natalie Myers on her knees sucking Leon Dawson off.”
Deke wasn’t lying. People with money thought money made them better than others and it really didn’t. Sure, I abused the size of my bank account and used what I knew as a way to manipulate people, but I never thought I was better than anyone else. As a matter of fact, I know I’m worse.
Money doesn’t make someone a good person, just like not having money doesn’t make someone a bad person.
And a lot of these daytime model citizens were absolute vile creatures at night.
Liam snorted. “Who hasn’t Natalie Myers sucked off?”
“My point,” Deke answered. “If Ram needs to take the edge off, I’m sure someone is willing to drop to her knees to make it happen.”
I was sure, too. Hel
l, there’d probably be a line considering that I haven’t fucked around in over a year. Any one of these females would jump at the chance to break my dry spell.
But I only wanted Emerson.
“I appreciate the concern, gentlemen, but I’m not about to stick my dick in Natalie Myer’s mouth,” I deadpanned. “Or any of her other orifices,” I added, just to shut Deke up.
Liam gave an exaggerated shiver. “Not without, at least two fucking wrappers, that’s for sure.”
After a heartbeat of silence, Deke said, “You know she’s not going to show up, right?”
The lake was located on the south side of town and had an inlet of about ten miles long that fed into the Pacific Ocean. Sands Cove was an elite town in northern California and the lake was its pride and joy.
The lake’s water spanned half a mile wide and was a mile long if you didn’t count the narrow stream that fed into the Pacific. Since the town was mostly void of adults, the lake was a party haven for the young. It wasn’t often that any adults came out here. If they did, it was while we kids were in school and they could enjoy the scenery in peace.
No. Most of the adults, who worked in the actual town, lived there too. The outskirts of Sands Cove were our domain. It was populated with mansions and luxury cars and many, many spoiled rich kids.
“What makes you say that?” I asked Deke.
“Because even if she didn’t despise you, Ram, that girl is not interested in all this shit,” he stated. “Emerson Andrews does not care about our money, our last names or our status. She gives two fucks about the one percent, Ram.”
“Agreed,” I conceded, “but she’s as drawn to me as I am to her. I do know that much.”
Well…I prayed for that much.
It would really suck to find out that she really did despise me and what I thought was foreplay was actually just her way of fucking with me.
I refused to believe that though. There was nothing fake about that kiss outside the café and there’s no pretending the smell of her arousal when I’m touching her.
There’s no faking that.
Jesus, please, don’t let there be a way to fake that.
“They would have been here by now if they were coming, though,” Liam reiterated.
“Who’d be here by now?” We all three turned towards the voice of Abigail Willis, a freshman at our school.
The lake’s shores had big boulders scattered throughout, and it was actually called Lapis Creek because of the random rocks and giant-sized boulders. Deke, Liam and I always occupied the rock closest to the bridge and Abigail had taken it upon herself to hop on and join in our conversation.
“No one,” I bit out at the same time that Liam said, “Emerson Andrews and Roselyn.”
She tittered and, I swear to God, I wanted to push her off the rock.
I hated simpering females. All that giggling and cackling got on my nerves. That’s probably why I spent most of my youth sticking my dick in their mouths.
Just to shut them the fuck up.
“Oh, they’re not coming,” she informed us.
Giggling.
Fuck. My. Life.
“How do you know?” Deke asked before I could demand an explanation. Or strangle her.
Abigail pulled out her phone and her fingers where flying across it as she answered, “Because they’re in Manotile at Club Pounce.” She further proved her claim as she held up her phone for us, and it took everything I had in me not to smash her phone to pieces.
Club Pounce was supposedly named for his dance music. You know, it gets you hopping around and pouncing and prancing. But everyone knew the real meaning behind it was that it was a place where you were almost guaranteed to get laid.
The women walked in, and the men pounced.
Now to be fair, the naming of the club might have started out as a play on words for good music and dancing, but over the years, it transformed to what the underline meaning is now.
Staring at Abigail’s phone-there on her social media feed-was a picture of Roselyn and Emerson posing together, drinks in their hands and the biggest smiles on their faces.
Roselyn was dressed…well, like she always is, but Emerson…
Emerson was not dressed like she usually always is.
I was going to fucking kill her.
“I’m going to fucking kill her,” I seethed, announcing to everyone my murderous intent.
“Ram-”
I didn’t stick around to hear what Deke was about to say. I stormed off in the direction of my car wondering how I was going to be able to get to Club Pounce without killing anyone on the way.
I reached my car, and I could hear the other doors opening; Deke and Liam obviously coming with me. My bet was they were going to do their best to keep me out of prison.
I was strapping on my seatbelt, turning the ignition and flying out of there before Deke and Liam even had their seatbelts buckled.
“Jesus, Ramsey,” Deke muttered from the passenger side.
“Not now, Deke,” I fumed.
“I know you’re pissed, Ram, but you need to calm down, dude,” Liam advised from the back seat. “If you go in there with guns blazing, it’s not going to go well.”
“None of this was going to go well the second she decided to go clubbing than go to the lake,” I snapped back, driving down the road like a madman at over 90.
“What do you need from us,” Deke asked, knowing I was beyond help at this point.
“Just help me bury the body,” I replied.
Liam moaned in the back. “Oh, come on, Ramsey. Are you really going to kill her?” he asked. “I mean, before you even get to sleep with her?” Liam had a gift for prioritizing.
“The body won’t be hers,” I informed him.
“Then who are we burying?” Deke asked as if this was a completely normal conversation.
“Whoever’s stupid enough to talk to her or put their hands on her,” I divulged. “If we walk in and there’s a guy close enough to so much as breath the same air as her, he’s a dead man.”
I’d never, ever been jealous over anything or anyone in my life and I was finding that particular feeling to be a violent one.
Chapter 14
Emerson
I was having the best time I’ve had since having to move to Sands Cove.
Roselyn had been right. The music was good, the drinks were tasty, alcoholic perfection and the guys were pretty to look at.
The club was pretty standard as far as clubs went. There was a bar spanning the left side of the room and led into a hallway towards the restrooms. There was a DJ stage with the dance floor centered right in front of it. And the rest of the room was littered with random tables, both high top and regular. There were a couple of booths along the wall where the DJ stage was, but they were so close to the speakers, there’s no way you’d be able to talk to anyone and hear them.
Once Roselyn and I had walked in, we had been escorted-yes, escorted-by another employee who had been dressed in the same black shirt and jeans as Beck had been. His name was Kyle, and he was just as good looking as Beck was. He was tall with deep, brown eyes and sandy blonde hair. Kyle had led us to a high-top table that was placed right in the middle of the south wall in direct line of the DJ.
It was the best seat in the house.
After we had taken our seats, Kyle had then informed us that, not only were our drinks free, but that they would be delivered by any one of the employees working tonight. It was as if we were supposed to sit down and not move.
It was weird, but I knew the reason behind their strange behaviors. It was Roselyn’s claim that I belonged to Ramsey that had them all acting squirrely.
I had given her the what for when we were seated, but I couldn’t stay mad at her. Once I had a drink in my hand and I began to feel the music, I started having a good time. I wanted to question how we were able to drink when it was obvious that we were way underage, but I knew the answer would come in the form of Ramsey Reed.
/> We hadn’t danced yet, and were sipping our second drinks when I asked, “So, did you invite your boyfriend to come out and meet you?”
“Nah,” she waved away the question. “We’re not here so I can get laid. We’re here so you can piss off Ramsey.” It was on the tip of my tongue to automatically deny her claim, but she was right.
I was here to piss off Ramsey.
That’s why I had encouraged her to post the picture she took of us. I was hoping someone at the party would show him the picture and he’d lose his hold on reality and burn the town down. I mean, I know he’s untouchable, but, surely, he doesn’t have so much money and power that law enforcement would let him burn down an entire town and not arrest him, right?
I mean, right?
“Oh, shit,” Roselyn mumbled.
“What?” I asked, taking in her expression.
Her pretty blue eyes were filling up with worry as she looked at me, then behind me, then back at me. “Ramsey, Liam and Deke just walked in, Emer.”
My first instinct was to turn around in my seat to confirm what she just said, but then that would give off the impression that I cared. And I didn’t want Ramsey Reed thinking I cared about anything he did.
At least, not yet.
I kept my gaze trained on Roselyn’s face. “So? It’s a public place,” I said with a shrug of my shoulder, praying my voice hadn’t betrayed me.
“Emerson, he’s-”
Roselyn was cut off when a hand snaked out and grabbed me by my arm, twisting me. I looked up into the face of a very pissed off, seething Ramsey Reed. His hold on my arm was so tight that I was pretty positive my arm was going to go numb from lack of circulation. “What in the ever lovin’ fuck are you doing here, Emerson?”
Wow. Okay.
I’ve seen Ramsey upset before, but this was something new.
And, so, what did I do?
I teased the rattle snake.
“What does it look like?” I taunted. “I’m drinking and have a good time.” I arched a brow at him. “Or at least I was.”
Facing The Enemy Page 7
