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the Devil’s Backbone Society
What a name
What the hell was going on? He was like something straight out of a sex dream—tall, broad, gorgeous smile…and I was about to get my hands all over him. I needed to get my shit under control, or this would get me fired.
“Ashley, this is Royce D’Arenberg and Heathcliff Briggs—oh, wait, you already met Heath, didn’t you? Intimately
“I wish I could say it was lovely to meet you all, but frankly I’ve had more pleasant experiences stepping in dog shit.”
“Ash,” Carly warned when I started gripping my pen as if it were a weapon. “Leave it. She’ll get bored eventually.” I rolled my eyes, inclined to disagree, but tried to stop imagining what noise Jade would make if I stabbed her with my pen.
“I’m irritated, Jade, that’s how I am. Get the fuck out of here and stop picking fights with my little Spark.”
Now I could see him and he was just as handsome as I remembered from the wedding. Maybe more, since he wore a black T-shirt that did sinful things for his thick biceps wrapped in tattoo ink. Shit. Why were the pretty ones always so personality-defective?
“Callum Buckingham the Fourth thinks I have a bad attitude? Whatever will I do? Gosh, this will make me lose sleep, for sure.”
The snort that I let out was far from elegant, but Jesus fucking Christ, I’d rather sleep with that fleabag stray dog than Carter Bassington Junior.
I told one of the other DBs about my plan. About how I was going to keep a record of all the shady shit and piece together the murders that I was sure they were responsible for.
This is the stupidest thing I’ve read this week. Why the hell would you think that was okay to tell?!
Were they trying to gaslight me into thinking I’d imagined the danger? I never should have said anything…
You’re absolutely right.
“I wouldn’t make it quiet or easy.” Heath chuckled, a delicious sound that I really wanted to hate. “I’d expect nothing less. You look like you’d be a screamer.”
What was his name again? It was a car thing…Bentley?
Don’t ruin the name for me 😹 It’s too important now
“I’m so flattered, Royce, but I’d rather jump into a pond of starving piranhas while wearing a suit entirely made of bananas. Oh look, there’s my friend.”
Now I was supposedly fooling around with Carter too? Presumably this was an assumption drawn entirely from that short interaction when he peeled me off Jade. Damn, I really did get around in this fictional world everyone seemed to live in.
“Yep. Congratulations, Heathcliff, you just became my boyfriend.” Because not only would it infuriate Nate, it would possibly offer me some insight into the Devil’s Backbone Society. Heath’s eyes widened. “Um…” “In name only, of course, I’m not actually interested in dating you.” Liar, liar, pants on fire. His lips curled into a grin. “Fake dating? I love that trope. Count me in.”
“Look. The Jade thing is a non-issue,” Carly announced. “Trust me. Picking a date for tonight was never about who you wanted to spend an evening with, but everything about who could help you win. That’s why I’m here with Martin. He has the personality of a rancid fish, but he’s smart.”
I smiled at the praise before catching myself. “Okay so…what are we doing? What’s the challenge? Is it…dangerous?” Flashes of Abigail’s warnings filled my head, but more and more I was thinking she’d been paranoid or delusional. None of what I’d experienced was matching up to the dark, scary shit she’d described.
Orrrrrr you’re just being fooled. Orrrr just on a different playing field since you’re who you are.
Before I could get my next question out, the bathroom door burst open and a woman’s giggles echoed through the room. Carter stiffened, and I clamped my lips shut like I was scared I might start yodeling or something.
NO YODELING IN THE SAUNA!
Go ask your so-called friends, because trust me…they know.” His eyes narrowed in a hard glare. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I groaned, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “It’s like talking to a block of cheese. Get it through your head, Nate. We aren’t friends, you and me. I owe you nothing, and don’t particularly fucking care that your girlfriend is fucking around on you considering what you did to Carly last year. But even if I did care, you won’t believe me. So why even waste my breath?”
Carly seemed taken back by that question. “What? No way. Girl, I feel like you have totally the wrong idea about Devil’s Backbone. It’s not like…a cult or anything. It’s just a bunch of rich kids doing dumb shit because we’re entitled, arrogant, and bored. Yes, I put myself into the same category, unfortunately. But no one is getting hurt in the DB, and there’s no freaking way anyone gets beaten up for failing a duck challenge. It’s supposed to be fun
Are we sure SHE isn’t doing this shit? Or who stole ya diary?
“You scared the fucking life out of me, Spark. Never, ever do that again.”
“Carter,” I whined, rocking against his hand. My intention was to say we can’t do this but instead what I said out loud was, “I need more…” He kept finger-fucking me as I desperately freed his thick cock from his underwear and pumped my fist along his length. Crap on a cracker, he was big.
ON THE STREETS OF PARIS?! Or did I miss something?!
“Carter!” I moaned, crashing into orgasm without any attempts to hold it at bay. My pussy clenched tight around his girth, my legs holding him close like I wanted him to climb inside my skin and chills broke out all over my flesh. It was utterly delicious.
Thankfully, I breezed through the quiz and handed my paper in while Jade was still frowning at her test like it’d personally offended her.
“I definitely wouldn’t have picked you as a bike guy,” I admitted, approaching with a grin. He smiled back at me, stroking a hand over the leather seat of his Ducati Streetfighter. “No? What were you expecting then?” I pursed my lips, tapping my chin thoughtfully. “I don’t really know…maybe a Prius?”
I nearly ended up in a fistfight with Nate while you were in the ER.” My jaw dropped. “What? Why?” “Because the arrogant fuck was telling the nurse he was your brother and legally responsible or some bullshit like that. I politely informed him to go fuck himself and that he wasn’t any more your family than a pregnant porcupine was.”
“I should call your doctor,” Carly said when I didn’t comment. “If you’re okay for me to do that?” I nodded, resting my head back against the pillow. “Yeah. Probably a good idea. Thank you, girl, you’re the best.” She shook her head. “Stop it, you’re making me blush. You’d do the same for me.”
“Heath wants to see you. He made me promise to ask.” I frowned. “No.” “Oh thank god,” she exclaimed with a rush of relief. “Because I already told him to go sit on a cactus and spin, so I really didn’t want to have to apologize if you were happy to see him.”
“You’re good. I don’t want to see any of them. Nate set this whole thing up, I’m sure of it, but there’s no way he acted alone. Don’t trust them. That was the message I got right before it happened, and it’s time I started listening.”
Are we sure his gf and jade didn’t set this up??
“Nathaniel. I understand that you have some big feelings about this right now, and that what Ashley is saying might hurt your heart.” She spoke to him like a toddler and I nearly laughed. He was so shocked he didn’t even talk back. “You can hold on to those big feelings until she’s finished, or you can whisper them into your hand to hold for later. But right now, Ashley is talking. Got it, got it?”
Then something else occurred to me, and it was possibly one of the most shocking things I’d realized in a long time. Nathaniel Essex had just quoted Legally Blonde to me.
Heath checked his watch, then cursed. “Yeah. I better go. Can we meet up tonight?” “No, I’m busy hanging out with Squirrel,” Royce answered, despite the question having been directed at me. “But I think Carter will be home. Maybe you two should hit the gym and burn off some testosterone while me and Ash paint each other’s nails.”
Was I an idiot for thinking he cared about me? Yes. Probably. That seemed to be the running theme with these guys.
“You get used to it,” she offered weakly, and I wrinkled my nose. “I’d rather not, to be honest. What’s next?” Unsurprisingly the rest of the day consisted of much of the same. Typical rich people sports, with an over-the-top excessive twist to them. Polo? Not on horses, don’t be ridiculous. No, the players for that burst out of the stables riding emus.
“Whoa, Bart, you need to take your hands off my friend immediately.” Bartholomew shifted his slightly unfocused gaze to my friend and sneered. “Oh yeah? Are you going to make me, Carly?” Her brows rose like she was shocked at his actual audacity. “No,” she admitted, folding her arms with a small smile playing at her lips. “But he will.” I saw the fist coming just milliseconds before it connected with the side of Bart’s head. He released me so abruptly I nearly tumbled with him if not for Carly grabbing my arm and jerking me into the doorway with her. Shocked, I watched Bartholomew Criterion of
...more
Another heavy splash sent a wave of water over us again and I grinned to see Carly in the pool and trying to drown Royce. What a queen.
Sometime later, the balcony door slid open and Carter joined me with my favorite coffee in hand. “I figured you could use this,” he said quietly, handing it over. Stunned, I uttered a thank you then glanced through the glass to find Royce miming a blow job…which
“Carly,” Nate snapped when he climbed into the driver seat and saw her in the back. “This doesn’t involve you.” She scoffed. “Like hell it doesn’t. I’m in the society too, and Ash is my friend. If anything, it involves me more than you. So either shut up and drive, or Ash and I can deal with this ourselves.” “Hey,” Royce protested, and Carly rolled her eyes. “I mean, me, Ash, and Roycey can deal with this ourselves.” She patted Royce on the head. “Sorry, twin.”
She offered to stay the night with me, but I insisted she sleep in her own bed. No one had so much as knocked on my door the whole time Royce was babysitting, they weren’t going to suddenly break in now.
Girl..
Nate extended his middle finger in response. He was still on his knees in the middle of the shower cubicle though, so I simply reached over and turned on the tap. “Fuck! Layne!” he roared, cold water dousing him. I laughed, ducking back out of the shower before he could retaliate, my evil chortle echoing through the bathroom in a way that cheered me right up. So much for my nice quiet break alone at school…though I didn’t hate the idea of seeing Mom and Max. Nate, without realizing, had actually done me a favor. Hell must be chilly today.
