“Perfect. That’s a story we can work with.” Teony smiled and nodded.
The brightness in her voice thrilled me. She was starting to become a very good friend, someone I could rely on in a sea of reckless, black-hearted rich assholes. Of course, maybe it was all because of our past together, that we had been kids during a time when nothing else had mattered. But maybe that made it purer.
Before I was about to leave, Teony pulled me aside. Her hand had grabbed my forearm, and she pulled me into the corner. “Just be careful when you’re around the three of them, okay? They’re manipulative and evil fucking assholes. You have no clue. So just focus on the job and that’s it. Okay?” She stated, looking concerned for me. I just nodded and I also weighed her words carefully. These kids were filthy rich and entitled, and they weren’t stupid. In fact they were damn smart and knew exactly how to get what they wanted when they wanted it. I wasn’t concerned, though. I could take care of myself.
I told Teony that I would arrange an interview with Dante for the following day, after school. When I asked Dante about it in the cafeteria, he shrugged like he really didn’t care, but his eyes indicated something different and it gave me a shiver.
“So you do listen to what’s going on around you, don’t you?” he asked, his voice low. He smashed a few mashed potatoes on his plate and ambled to the left, along the banquet line.
As usual, I had no plate—although my head felt a bit light due to my growling stomach. I decided to grab a plate. “What do you say? Can I interview you?”
Dante pondered for a moment, drawing his thick fingers across his chin. “Why should I give you what you want, Ridgewood?”
I felt like laughing, but I knew this wasn’t a joke. “It’s just for the paper. Any exposure is good exposure, right?”
“No bad press, they say. Except that hasn’t been my experience,” Dante returned. “My parents have been under intense scrutiny before. Some of the Los Angeles journalists are after them.”
I shivered, wondering what kind of powerful people hated the Franklins, only because of their involvement in high-caliber cases. “It would really help me out,” I said. “I’m just making a name for myself and I want to be able to contribute something newsworthy to the Chronicle.”
“So you want to join the enemies?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Be one of them.”
I shrugged and when he looked at me, I thought only about his eyes that were peering at me making out with Caleb at the party. He had looked at me with such intense, animalistic hunger. I imagined his hands grazing over my breasts, slipping across my back. We could whip everything off the banquet table and I would stretch my legs out for him, make him taste me— the softness between my legs. If he was hungry, I would make him eat.
He snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Earth to Ridgewood.”
“Shit, sorry.”
“You said tomorrow after school?”
I nodded, making a mental note to tell Eric I had to bail on garbage pick-up that day. “It’s a date then.” He grinned and walked off.
After the bell rang the next day, I gathered some supplies from my locker and walked toward the school exit. Dante had told me that Kieran would take me with them in his car and that they would be waiting for me. But just before heading into the parking lot, I paused at the girls’ bathroom. At the door, I heard echoes of a girlish voice, nothing strange. But as I opened the door wider, I recognized the voice as none other than Hailey Blair’s.
I stopped short at the entrance. Hailey and someone else was in a bathroom stall. They couldn’t see me, and I had opened the door slowly, quietly. I was a ghost to them.
“What kind of bitch just comes in here and acts like she owns the place?” Hailey chirped. “She acts like she didn’t grow up in Ridgewood.”
“Right?” This was one of her posses, Katlyn, a girl who actually wrote for the Chronicle with me. “Which is why I wanted to let you know what was going on.”
“I really appreciate that, Katlyn,” Hailey said, her voice heavy. “Really. You’re a true friend to me. I wouldn’t be able to destroy her without you.”
“She’s a fucking slut. Don’t you see the way she is with the boys?” Katlyn continued. “She thinks she has them wrapped around her finger...
“When really, everyone knows that Kieran and I will get back together,” Hailey stated like it was sealed in gold. “I mean, don't you see the way he looks at me?”
“Sure...” Katlyn agreed, sounding tentative. “Anyone can see it.
I bucked back, dizzy, and stitched the door closed.
Destroy her? What did Hailey have planned now?
Not like her paint plan had really worked out in her favor.
I didn’t have time to wonder or worry about their bullshit. Dante’s shadow appeared in the doorway. It was domineering and expectant. I knew that if I lingered a moment longer, he would make me pay for it. I felt guided by their powerful forces, walking toward the entrance and into the sterling California sunshine. Dante pressed his hand against my back, pushing me into the back of the purring BMW.
I felt like their property and I knew they wanted to own me.
We didn’t talk on the drive to Dante’s house, which was fine with me. I fluttered the papers in my notebook as my heartbeat wildly in my chest and throat. Kieran blared the hip-hop radio station, pulsing his head with the bass. Beside me, Caleb cinched closer, slipping his hand along my thigh. The heat of his skin against mine made the space between my legs grow soft, heavy with heat. I licked my lips, trying not to look at him. I felt like looking at him would give him a power I didn’t think he had earned.
The Franklins were one of the richest families in Crestwood and their house echoed this. It surged up from the cliffside north of Crestwood Academy, built up in various angles, all connected by hallways and staircases that cut up and down the rocks. It looked more like it had been grown out of the rocks and trees, rather than built. I was sure the square footage alone could house a few families in it without any issues. As it stood, Dante, his parents, and his younger brothers (twins, age eleven) were the only ones that lived there, as far as I knew.
I must have looked stunned at how big the place was. When Caleb pointed this out, I frowned and marched out of the back seat, setting my chin. Dante forced open the front door and my eyes took in the stunning foyer, which was two stories tall, with glowing Mexican tile. Our footfalls echoed as we entered and a moment later, a maid appeared giving us a polite hello. Then she informed us that there were snacks and beer in the kitchen, and that supper would be served at seven.
I nearly scoffed, trying to imagine any of my Ridgewood friends’ having maids that would offer us after-school snacks or beer. Jesus, if only!
The walk to the kitchen was much longer than it should have been. I found myself struggling to keep up with the boys, as my eyes traced everywhere around me, trying to assess every weird art piece, every family portrait. Dante’s parents were super scary looking powerful people—his mom with a forever timeless bob haircut with salt and pepper hair— his dad perpetually bald, yet no less handsome. Dante looked just like his father but with more expensive clothing, and an even more evil smile.
In the kitchen, Kieran and Caleb helped themselves to beers and chips. I tugged a notebook out of my backpack, looking out the window. Like many of the Crestwood homes, the view was spectacular, with the ocean as far as the eye could see.
“The sunset must be insane here,” I said, looking out at the view below.
At this, Kieran snorted and mocked me. “You people in Ridgewood never seen the sun before? Well, here, I’ll give you a hint. Every single fucking day, it rises in the east and sets in the west. Pretty insane, huh?”
Caleb laughed as he and Kieran trampled somewhere else, darting down the hallway from the kitchen. Dante’s eyes fell on me and the tension in the room shifted. When I forced my eyes up toward his, I couldn’t tell if he wanted to ridicule me, to murder me, or to fuck me right
there on the Mexican tile.
“Should we get started?” I asked, hating how timid my voice sounded.
“Let’s go to my wing,” he instructed and then parted the lips of the refrigerator door. He pulled out four beers before walking down the hall in the opposite direction of Caleb and Kieran. I followed after him, feeling like a dog.
Dante’s wing was two stories, with his bedroom in the far corner of the top one, overlooking the cliffs and turquoise water. I blinked at his bed while he yanked a chair out for me at the desk. Instead of joining me there, he remained standing, his hands behind his back as he paced slowly, methodically. He almost looked like a lawyer already, prepping for a case.
“You know,” he said, then tapping a finger over his lips before I could even get started, “You must be insane to come into our school the way you did.”
I balked, drawing my pen across the pad of paper, unsure of what to write. “What do you mean?”
Dante gave me an ominous smile. “There are people in Crestwood who want to purge you out. They take one look at you and they’re reminded of a world they hate and want no part of.”
“I don’t really know what to do with that information,” I told him. “Except that, I’m here to stay.”
Dante sniffed, the corners of his lips tracing toward his ears. “It’s like watching a house burn down.”
I clipped my pen open and closed, feeling suddenly anxious. I could feel the nervousness take over and a lump rise in my throat. “Should we get started?”
Dante pressed his hands across the desk, leaning toward me. His body heat was intense, sexual and the muscles of his chest were only inches from my nose.
“Sure. Yes.” I tried to keep my eyes off his enormous frame, but they kept ticking toward his bed—a king-sized mattress, all made up by the maid’s delicate hands, just aching to be laid in. I imagined our naked bodies, stretched out beneath the sheets, our feet flicking around at the base, finding one another as we fondled each other in the dark.
No. I was there for a reason.
“I wonder if you could tell me a bit about your role in the enormous lawsuit involving the director Martin Pen—”
“Ah and yet, coming here today, it seems that you’ve forgotten an enormous issue,” Dante grinned, looking down at the floor. He lifted his head slightly flashing me a grin.
“What’s that?” I asked.
He cut his nose closer to mine, just inches. There was no longer any ability to ignore the pulsating adrenaline between us.
“Lawyer and client confidentiality,” he murmured, weaving his heady scent of musk around me.
Fuck. He was right. I turned my eyes back to the notebook, feeling like I had just stumbled into a brick wall. What the hell was I going to do now?
“So you’re telling me there’s absolutely nothing you can give me for this article...?” I asked, my heart thudding in my chest.
Dante’s hand swept over my right one, the one that gripped the pen. Slowly, he lifted my hand, forcing the blue ink to sketch out a very messy NO.
“See? Even though you’re the journalist, I’m the one in control,” he said, smirking.
“Let go of me,” I told Dante, my voice low.
Dante shook his head very slowly. Instead, he tugged the pen from my land and tossed it across the room, making it land across the mattress. He smirked, tilting his head toward it.
“Aren’t you going to go get your pen?”
I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest. “Why should I?”
“Because little journalist. You need it to take note of what I’m going to tell you,” Dante continued.
“Didn’t you just say you weren’t going to give me anything?” I said, looking up at him. “I thought you were upholding your client-lawyer confidentiality or whatever.”
Dante leaned even closer. The heat of his breath was lined with the smell of beer, of the after-school cigarette I had watched him smoke outside the convertible while Caleb had run into the store to grab something.
“Go. Get. Your. Pen,” he said now, almost growling.
“Fine.” I shot up from the chair and marched toward the bed, shaking my hips as I went. Just as I bent down, Dante splayed his hand across my ass and then pressed hard, forcing me to splay across the mattress. I let out a little squeal of alarm before spinning around, my legs spread wide. My feet were stationed on either side of Dante’s waist, exposing my underwear beneath my skirt.
His eyes burned toward this dark space between my thighs. The heat between my legs became immense, powerful. I stirred, growing wet against the fabric. Before I could force myself up, however, Dante pressed down over me, clapping both hands on my wrists. I was completely wrapped beneath him, his chest only an inch or so above my breasts. My nipples were rock-hard beneath the fabric of my shirt. I couldn’t control my face. My eyes found his again, and a soft, aching moan escaped my lips.
Why couldn’t I stop myself?
Why wasn’t I strong enough to stop him?
Because I wanted it, I wanted him.
The answer came out from the deep, dark, animalistic part of my brain. I pressed my face forward, hungrily closing the distance between us. His lips met mine like two pieces of a puzzle finding their perfect home. He pressed his weight on me, his hands still gripping my wrists hard. His legs lifted up, forcing mine further apart on either side. The weight of his cock grew hard against my stomach and my hand flicked down his chest, unbuttoning his Crestwood Academy shirt.
His teeth nipped at my ear as he grunted, “I knew you wanted this.”
“You’re so fucking arrogant,” I told him, thrusting my stomach against his cock. He let out a wild moan, one that told me just how much he wanted this, too.
We kissed with our clothes on, rolling around on his bed. The pen had been long forgotten, but I still tried to do the interview between gasps and kisses.
“Tell me. What was it like, sitting there in front of one of the most world-renowned directors—and knowing just what a dirtbag he is?” I muttered into Dante’s ear before drawing my teeth against his lobe.
“Jesus...” he muttered. “You’re really trying this?”
“Come on,” I whispered. “Tell me. Give me all the juicy gossip...”
I ripped my hand beneath his shirt, drawing my fingernails against his skin and scraping down. He shivered violently at my touch. I wanted nothing more than to unbutton his Academy pants, force out the surging cock I felt so solidly against my stomach.
Just when I thought he was going to give me the information I needed for the article, there was a creak at the door. I turned my head quickly, blinking into the light. The form in the crack of the door was someone familiar. A second later, the outline revealed himself, stepping forward.
It was Caleb.
Just like at the Bluff’s Edge when Dante had watched Caleb and I making out, now it seemed like it was Caleb’s turn. I dropped my head against the mattress, panting while Dante moved to the side, drawing his lips hungrily across my left breast, over the fabric. His tongue fiddled with my rock-hard nipple. I bit my lower lip and closed my eyes for a moment enjoying the sensation. My back involuntarily arched into him.
Without knowing what I was doing, I reached up and beckoned for Caleb. He took a step toward me, then another, becoming a domineering statue over us both. He looked down at us with a stoic, icy expression and licked his lower lip.
“You really think I get off on this?” he demanded, his voice gruff.
I nodded. I gave him a sneaky smile. “I know you do.”
Seconds later, Caleb dropped on top of the mattress, drawing his hand across the flatness of my stomach and then traced my scar, which was inched across my collar bone. He yanked at the shirt, bringing his hand up under it and then under the tender fabric of my bra. While Dante licked at my left breast, Caleb brought his thumb and forefinger over my right nipple, squeezing hard until I squealed, biting down hard on my lower lip.
“If sh
e doesn’t shut up, we’re going to have to fill her mouth with something,” Caleb whispered to Dante.
“We have to do everything we can to keep her quiet,” Dante said, his eyes glowing.
Then, Caleb kissed me hard—harder than Dante had, and pressed his tongue between my lips, filling me. His body was thick and firm beside mine, gyrating. Both cocks pressed against me on either side, with Dante’s lips hungrily dripping across my neck.
I wanted both of them, ached for both of them. Caleb tugged at my skirt and I felt his fingers inch between my legs.
“She’s so wet,” he muttered. “She likes it.”
“Open your legs wider,” Dante ordered. “Now.”
I did as I was told. How could I not? I was completely at their mercy. Caleb’s finger flickered between me, into the dark wetness of my core, drawing over the nub of my clit. I let out a little gasp. I’d only had one other boy touch me like this ever—some kid back in Ridgewood. I couldn’t even remember his face anymore.
I was a million miles away from that moment.
Caleb began to rub my aching clit, softly at first and then faster, making me thrust my hips up and down. Dante’s tongue slipped over my earlobe, fiddling with it, while his hand teased my nipples. I was their plaything, stretched out bare for them to see, my legs arched in the air. When I finally came, the pleasure washed over my body in waves like I never felt before. It felt like I was falling down the California cliffs and into the ocean below—it was complete panic and ultimate bliss all at the same time.
And then, I felt nothing but peace.
Chapter Fourteen
When I walked into the Crestwood Chronicle the next afternoon, a hush came over the room. I paused at the door, sensing the chill in the air. Everyone had been gathered around someone’s phone in the corner and then they seemed to spread out on either side, hobbling toward the windows and chalkboard. No one spoke, but the occasional eye turned toward me, casting judgemental glares.
“Slut,” someone muttered.
Wicked Blue Bloods: A Highschool Bully Romance - Crestwood Academy Book 1 Page 10