“
Boring, you said?” I meet his very amused eyes. “Miss Bishop, I don’t think there is anything boring about you.”
With that, he walks back toward the driver’s side of the car and I turn to head into what I am sure is about to be a very interesting day.
KARL
I knew the process to choose our wife would be a difficult one. I just never imagined it would also be filled with so much drama.
Since we were kids we all knew we would have to choose a potential wife and that she’d be tested. Whoever we choose will have it made, but she’ll have to prove she’s worthy.
Of course, girls like Sam think that because they were born to one of the elite families that makes them automatically deserving. What she and many other girls vying for the position miss is that they aren’t one of the original founding families. They aren’t entitled to shit.
There are five original bloodlines- Calloway, Grant, Jefferson, Washington, and Bradford. The Bradford line died out a generation or two ago. The details on how that happened are murky. All records of them have disappeared- you can’t even Google them. All that’s known are the bits and pieces we were given.
Jacob Bradford was the first governing member and he, along with four other men, established the Fraternitas, an organization that has amassed such power that we run the world. Any head of state or billionaire business person is controlled by us, living or dying by our say so. And many have died at our say so.
The four remaining heirs, our fathers, head the council. Every male head of a family, living in this town, with the exception of Emma’s, are members. However, not every member has the same level of power.
There’s general membership. That’s given to the male head of a family who’s invited to live in Calloway. These members have voting power but no ruling power. If you’re invited to live here, the council has a purpose for you. This is why Rowan and Liam are so suspicious of the timing of Emma’s arrival. I would be too, but more for her sake than for ours.
Next, there are the heads of the families who originally settled here but were not part of establishing the governing system. These families made the journey across the Atlantic, survived, and helped build the town. They hold leadership positions and handle the day-to-day operations of Calloway. They have some ruling power. They include the police chiefs, mayors, and council members of the Fraternitas. This is where Sam’s family sits, it’s why she struts around like a proud peacock when she’s more like a damn gnat. Families like Sam’s are trying to marry into power positions, hoping to pawn off their daughters like broodmares.
A growl interrupts my inner musings. Liam’s jaw ticks, his frustrations mounting as we take our seats in first period.
“Samantha is going to be a problem. You’re going to need to do something about her, Rowan. I don’t care what it is, but her jealousy is going to have her spilling shit she knows she’s supposed to keep her trap shut about,” his voice an octave away from yelling.
Sam is nothing but a power hungry nag, and with Rowan still sleeping with her, he’s given her the impression she’s entitled to that power.
Huffing out an exasperated sigh, Rowan snarls, “I’ll handle Sam.” His long fingers curl so tight the veins sprout up his forearm.
“She’s obviously threatened. She’s been here her whole life and out of nowhere Emma comes and has Thomas for a guard. How the fuck did that happen?” Liam’s eyes search ours, like he’ll be able to tell which one of us broke the rules. I’ve got some ideas, but it can’t be confirmed until our choices are made.
“She’s really going to flip her shit once she sees she’s not one of the potential choices,” August notes, grinning at the prospect of the chaos our choices will have.
Massaging at his temples, like he’s already hearing the wails the banshee will make, Rowan sighs, “He’s right. Maybe someone should choose her so we don’t have any meltdowns. You know the council will take it out on us if we don’t handle this properly.”
It would have to be him, I refuse to spend three seconds with the vile bitch. Hell, none of us want to, but I know for certain that unless Rowan picks her, Sam wouldn’t make it to the end of the week.
Fuck all that shit.
Narrowing my eyes to slits, I pull Lola out of my pocket, flicking her open and twirling the tip of her blade into my desk, trying to cool the building rage.
Lifting my eyes back to theirs, I levy a command, “No, no one is going to let a Davenport dictate the action of the Fraternitas heirs. She needs to remember the rules or she’ll be dealt with accordingly.” My words halt all discussions right as students start entering the classroom.
Running my calloused fingers through my black unruly waves, my gaze hits the door just as Emma strolls in with Shay. That girl is sex on voluptuous legs. I know lots of men like their women to look high-fashion-model thin and that’s great for them, but I need hips to hold, an ass that smacks me back when I slap it, and tits to bury my face in. Emma fits the mold perfectly. What makes it even better is that she takes nobody’s shit and she’s extremely smart.
Swinging my hand down from my hair, I move it under the desk and grab my pulsating dick. Every damn time, without fail, the sight or thought of her turns me prepubescent.
It doesn’t surprise me that Rowan finds her frustrating. I look over at the idiot who’s also drooling over Emma. He wants her so badly, he just can’t handle someone of her caliber and that’s why he’s acting like such a sphincter. I muffle out a laugh drawing Liam’s puzzled stare. He’s another one whose indifference stems from his inability to trust anyone but us. I, on the other hand, definitely agree with Wy. She would be the best choice for us.
I shake my head, expelling my irritation. It’s too damn bad she’s not allowed to be a potential choice. I’d pick her, lick her, and stick her, no hesitation. She’d be so much fun to play with. I grip myself harder, squeezing until short bursts tingle up my spine. I picture her strapped down after making me chase her, I see her trussed up and covered in light cuts, small trickles of her blood dripping down her tits and me running my tongue over the trail they create.
I clench my fist trying to hold in my mounting excitement, nearly nutting in my jeans when I hear August’s snicker. “Stare any longer Jefferson, and I think you might just impregnate her from your seat.”
I snort. Of course he would hone in on whom I was laser focused on. “Man, she’s a sight to behold. There’s something about Emma that calls to my baser instincts and says, ‘square up,’” I manage to grunt out.
This makes him cackle. He knows most girls run for the hills once they meet my monster and see just how depraved I am. I want nothing more than to introduce Emma to all of my depravity. I don’t know if that is a good or a bad thing, but I intend to make it happen. I hope she’s prepared because my monster has all but pissed on her, claiming ownership. It’s in that moment I know I don’t give a fuck about the selection, I want her so I’ll take her. She’ll learn to want me if she doesn’t initially feel the same.
“Yeah, I think she’d see your demons and turn them into puppies eating out the palm of her hand,” he says and I bob my head in agreement.
We both look at Emma while she’s talking to Shay. She looks like a queen on her throne, unapologetically unbothered. Both Sam and Rowan are causing trouble for her and she’s so un-phased.
Yeah, I have to know what it would feel like to have that feistiness under my blades. She lets out melodic giggles. Like lions on the banks of a river waiting for our prey to make land, August and I take in every detail, all the way down to the dusting of freckles lining her collarbone.
Without glancing at each other, we nod, a silent agreement.
She’s ours.
EMMA
I
‘m still playing over the meeting with the lawyers in my head as I walk down the hall to the lunchroom from the bathroom. I’m not thrilled with the prospect of having to parade around as a show pony for the elite of this town, but if it means I get to keep my siblings safe then I’m going to suck it up and wear their overpriced clothes.
Well, some of their clothes, remembering how I bypassed the polos and snagged my dad’s Nirvana shirt pairing it with Docs this morning. I can’t front though, the quality of the fabric of my skinny jeans far surpasses anything I’ve ever owned.
“What? Did you fuck some dirty old man with a groom fetish to be able to afford this new lifestyle you’re living?” I blink up to see Rowan. Indifference lines his face but it’s at odds with the disgust in his tone.
My shoulders rise as I puff out my annoyance. Rolling my eyes, I snark back, “Why yes, Rowan, I fucked your dad. Now he’s divorcing your mom, and I’ll be your new stepmommy.”
Apparently, this is the wrong thing to say. He stalks over to me and I back up, eyes darting around, searching for a path to escape the raging bull’s horns, but he has me cornered. We’re right at the end of the hall where the bathrooms are and the only way out is through him. As if he knows he has me trapped, his face morphs, twisting lecherously and maniacally.
“You see that’s your fucking problem, you trash slut, you never know when to shut your goddamn mouth. I told you if we had to speak again you wouldn’t like the outcome.”
Attempting to dart around his hulking frame, I lunge right, but he’s nimble for someone so muscular. Brawny arms encase me maneuvering me back to a dark spot that I just know cameras won’t capture.
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.