“We’ve been living in a cesspool of snakes,” Karl growls, fiddling with a knife I’m not used to seeing.
Titling my chin, I say, “No Lola?”
His face immediately loses the scowl- his mouth quirks up into a shit-eating grin. “Lola will never touch the skin of anyone but my Angel’s- her blood is the only one worthy of Lola.”
Without any further response, he turns back to the group discussion.
Crazy fucker.
It wouldn’t surprise me if he already carved his name into Emma’s skin.
“The real question is do we bring this information to the Council or keep it to ourselves?” Rowan voices what I’m sure we’ve all been internally contemplating.
I look around the room, trying to guess who will be the first to offer up an opinion, but we’re interrupted by Liam’s computer notification.
He clicks some keys and whatever he’s reading has his eyes lighting with excitement and an uncharacteristic smile grace his face.
“What is it?” I probe, hoping that something good is happening for once.
“We have a lead on Madeline.”
Fucking finally.
EMMA
“God, this is long overdue,” Shay moans from her table.
We’re having a spa day.
“Mmhm,” I sigh in agreement as hands knead my lower back.
After my night with Karl and August two days ago, this is blissful. My body hums, tightening at the remembrance of how they cared for me once they returned from wherever they went with the rest of the guys. August’s hands massaged my temples as Karl’s worked at my instep. It was fucking glorious. Especially when it went from touching my feet with his hands to eating me like he was a man on death row and I was his last meal.
“Please relax, Miss,” the masseuse instructs, “I’ll be able to work out your knots if you’re relaxed.”
Shay turns in my direction at the sound of the woman’s voice.
“What has you tightening instead of being a pool of goo under Ana’s hands? She’s amazing. If I weren’t trying to get you to come back with me, I would’ve snatched her up.”
I could feel the heat rise, flushing my cheeks. I hadn’t meant for my thoughts to bring this much attention to me.
“Oh, Riri’s been up to something, or should I say under someone?” Shay jokes.
That makes me snort, “Maybe.”
A knowing smirk lines her face, her gap-toothed smile on full display. “Spill it. You have the face of someone who’s finally been laid.”
“Shay,” I admonish.
She waves me off, earning her a gentle reminder to keep still from her masseuse. “They’ll be fine. You tell me which one popped that cherry, bitch.”
My eyes bulge as I burst out into laughter, causing Ana to stop massaging my back.
“Ladies, please give us the room. I promise we’ll be on our best behavior when you come back,” Shay promises. Both women exit the room, and she wastes no time bombarding me with questions. “Who was it? How was it and have you done it again? It was August, wasn’t it? That man’s been obsessed with you the moment your thick ass stepped out of your car.”
I sit up, wrapping the towel around me as I speak, “Girl. Slow down and take a breath. Plus, who said anything about it only being just one?”
The squealing gasp that she lets out makes me fold as cackles escape me.
“You lucky bitch. Two, as in t-w-o? Fuck! I need all the details, don’t skip a single thing,” she demands.
By the time I’m finished giving her some of the details, because there’s no chance I’m telling her everything they said, or the fact that Rowan, Liam, and Sebastian walked in on us, she’s stunned silent. I have to look up and see if my friend is still with me.
“Damn.” She fans herself. “I think I need to call Brendan. I wonder if he’d be opposed to me adding some more men.”
I shake. “You know that man isn’t going to share you. There’s not a chance.”
“Ugh. You’re right. He barely wants me out of his sight.” She harrumphs, making me giggle. “Don’t laugh at my pain, bitch. Just know I’m living through you. So when are we getting more D?”
I roll my eyes, “Absolutely not. You’re not getting me in trouble. There will be no we in this, only an I.”
“Selfishness,” she mutters before laughing. “Fine. Just know I’m docking fifteen friend points from you.”
I snort. “Whatever, ho, you love me. Now let’s finish up so we can grab Jamie and get her nails done.”
* * *
The aroma of the food in front of me makes my mouth water. Once we finished at the spa, we grabbed Jamie and went to the nail salon. Now we’re grabbing lunch at the diner.
“How’s the party planning going?” Shay asks.
Jamie’s head pops up from the food she was drooling over. “What party? Can I come?”
“This is a fundraiser. The party for Christmas is now a dinner at Wy’s house. And both are going about as well as anything can go when you have to plan it with Samantha and plebs,” I mumble, reaching for my fork to begin chowing down on my chicken, shrimp, and broccoli Alfredo. Before I take a bite, I answer Jamie’s question. “You’ll be at the dinner but not the fundraiser. That’s a black-tie, adults-only kind of event.”
Jamie’s eyes fill with excitement. “Finally. All the kids at school talk about the parties thrown in this town and how much fun they are, even for the kids.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.