I growl at Samantha’s message. “I’m releasing the footage of Samantha and Brittany,” I snap, and they all smile.
“It’s about time we started this part of the plan. When will it be posted?” August probes, mirth gleaming in his eyes.
Me: Be down shortly. I need to use your computer.
A second barely passes, and I already have his response.
Colt: You know you never need to ask.
Colt: Don’t forget the encryption.
Standing, I walk over to Colter’s desk. I want to roll my eyes at his reminder. Like I would ever do that. Minutes later, I answer August’s question, “I have it set to go live tomorrow morning. Then, the video from the night of our party will be posted during the engagement party, and the news that she’s been sleeping with her brother will be posted after the party.”
Teag: I’m here. Where the hell are you? If one more person asks me if I want to ride some part of them, I’m stabbing them.
“Let’s head down,” I snort before responding
Me: On our way.
We swap out our simple black and white masks that only cover our eyes-replacing them with a white shell mask. Half of our mouths are skeletal, the other half appears to have its lips sewn shut with black thread, and a black upside-down cross sits between our charcoal-lined eyes.
“Holy fuck,” Rowan exclaims when he reaches the bottom of the stairs.
“What is it?” Karl asks.
Not to be left out, August demands, “I want to see. Move out of the way.”
Sighing, I peer over to see Sebastian with the same look of apprehension once we hit the main floor. He gasps, and I jerk my gaze to a full-on orgy. “Well, this is one way to distract people,” Sebastian mutters.
My shoulders shake as I try to hide my amusement, but my laugh dies once I step into full view of the scene unfolding. Couples, throuples, and more engaging in various stages of fucking. In the center of the room, some girl is riding the face of a girl being fucked senseless by a guy who’s also being fucked by Coop. Each slam of Cooper’s hips sets off a domino effect.
“Is that Eva?” August shouts, but none of us reply.
I’m so stunned by the scene before us that I don’t realize Teagan’s presence. “When you said they’d be distracted, this isn’t what I envisioned,” she quips, pinching Karl’s arm.
“Ouch, Teag. You didn’t have to do that to get our attention,” Karl mock whines before scooping her in a hug.
Teagan flicks his Adam’s apple. “Put me down. I don’t want to draw any unnecessary attention our way,” she commands, and he begrudgingly places her on the floor. Then she moves to stand next to me, holding out her fisted hand. “Take this. It’s what O will have to wear.”
Opening my palm, I catch the black leather bracelet and place it in my pocket. “Is there anything else we need to know?” I ask.
Teagan shakes her head. “Not yet. I have a few more kinks to smooth out on my end, which I’ll finish in the next couple of days. Once that’s done, I’ll have final instructions.” Then, as quickly and quietly as she came, she disappears into the crowd.
I take one more look to see it’s definitely Eva. Her face is now visible. She’s on all fours with her face buried between the girl’s legs as she rides Colt, and the mystery man takes her ass while Coop fucks him. Seeing more than enough, I say, “Let’s go. We got what we came for.”
EMMA
“Don’t think I forgot that we need to discuss the crazy guard who tried to kill you,” Shay admonishes.
“Can’t we just pretend it never happened?” I query, not wanting to rehash Conner’s attempt on my life for Samantha. “One day soon, I’m going to deflate her lips before I gut her.”
Shay pauses, registering my statement, then cackles. “Who said pregnancy would diminish your thirst for blood?”
“Most specifically, Samantha’s. She’s been vying for me to kill her since the first day of school. Who am I to deny her?”
“Okay, La Femme Nikita. Temper your urges until my niece and nephew are born. Then we can award the bitch a death worse than Vivian’s,” Shay states.
Huffing, I reply, “Fine. Let’s talk about something else then. Reminders of the fuckwit security guard raise my blood pressure.”
Shay moves the conversation to a more interesting turn of events. “I still can’t believe Sam and Brittany have been screwing each other,” Shay snorts. “After all that shit she said about us last year, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but the projection levels were high.” I could only gawk when the video of Samantha behind the girls’ dorm was sent out via mass text and across all social media platforms. I might have felt sorry for her if she hadn’t done the same thing to me only weeks ago.
“Did you hear how she reacted?” I ask. “There have been so many different stories spreading.”
Shay’s amusement is written all over the glee on her face. “The best one was when she ran from the math building and tripped in her eighteen-foot stilettos, scratching the right side of her face.”
Giggling, I stride toward the en-suite bathroom and wash my face. My stylist team will be here any minute now to help me get ready for this joke of an engagement party. My laughter ceases at the realization that the Fraternitas is forcing me to go. I groan. Each attempt to get a pass from going was swiftly denied. “I can’t believe they’re forcing me to attend,” I spit, stepping back into my bedroom.
Shay clasps my hand. “I’m surprised you were allowed to miss the bridal brunch and shower.”
I smirk. “Thank fuck for bed rest.”
We stare at each other, then burst into laughter. “The twins are already Team Mommy,” she chuckles.
“An instant get out of jail free card.” A knock on my door interrupts our goofing around. “Come in,” I shout, and the door opens, and in comes a rack full of dresses, three hairstylists, a makeup artist, and a nail technician.
“Hello, Miss Bradford, it’s always a pleasure to dress you,” Bree exclaims. She and her team were brought on in Bronston.
Sitting on my bed, I reply, “The pleasure is mine. Even when I’m dreading the event.” Then Shay and I wait for Bree to begin showing me my dress options for the evening. The first five dresses were far too loud. While they all would flatter me, I want a dress that doesn’t scream, ‘Look at me.’
“This is the one.” Bree’s thick Italian accent is more prevalent with her excitement. My gaze freezes when I look up. A stunning floor-length, blush pink spaghetti-strap dress with a plunging V-neckline is before me. “It’s a velvet dress covered in mesh with two slits up to the thigh. The floral pattern, along with the empire waist, is perfect for your growing belly.” She smiles at me before continuing, “This, paired with the rose gold, pink diamond-encrusted jewelry set, will be the perfect statement piece.”
Her assistant brings out the necklace, earrings, and bracelet, and it’s Shay’s turn to gasp. “Those are from a limited collection made by a French jeweler who only ever creates one-of-a-kind pieces.” Shay whips her attention to Bree. “Only the most exclusive families have access to this woman. How did you do it?” she inquires with no accusations in her tone.
“A private benefactor purchased them under the condition that they go to you, Miss Bradford,” Bree explains.
Scrunching my face in confusion, I verify that I heard her correctly. “Did you say someone bought these for me?”
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.