by Sam Crescent
For once, I felt alive.
I didn’t have a death wish.
“What’s wrong with just having a little dance?”
“There’s no music.”
“Then think of a song in your head and dance with me.” I didn’t let go of her hand as I held her close and moved to tango steps that I’d seen in a movie.
This turned her smile into outright laughter.
Graduation would never be long enough. I knew that now and whatever our dads said, they were wrong. We all could make this work.
****
Emily
Gael’s childishness was infectious.
I craved the way he danced around the gym as if he didn’t have a care in the world. I wanted to let loose, to not think about what my father would do. He’d kissed me and threatened the teacher. No one had stuck up for me. I knew my art teacher tattled to my dad. All my life, no one was on my side, not even my brother. He’d only ever take care of himself, and in our world, it was the way it worked.
Each day, I grew a little more tired of having to put up with the crap. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right.
Gael spun me around the gym for what felt like an hour. We’d missed class, no doubt. I panted for breath, but he pinned me against the wall. I didn’t fight him.
“You’re amazing,” he said.
“Gael, you don’t even know me.”
“I know enough.”
I shook my head. “Don’t.” I put my hand on his chest in an effort to silence him. “You don’t know me. You think you do, but that’s not possible.”
He stroked my hair back, tucking it behind my ear. “You think I don’t know you?”
I licked my lips and nodded. “You don’t.”
“I know you’re beautiful.”
“Gael, come on. Beauty isn’t a good point to have. Lauren’s beautiful.” I tried to move away but he captured my hands, pressing them above my head, keeping me trapped against the wall.
“You’re right. Beauty isn’t important, not really. It’s a good place to start but not the only part of you I love.”
Now my heart started to pound. I couldn’t have heard that little detail correctly, could I? No, it wasn’t possible. He didn’t love me. There was no way he knew love. We barely knew each other.
Yes, we’d grown up together, and I didn’t doubt that he had feelings for me, but love? We didn’t live in a world where love was allowed.
“You could have let me die. I know you don’t mean the shit you say about letting that asshole kill me, but you didn’t.” He pressed a kiss to my lips and this time, I didn’t fight. He ran his nose across my cheek, going to my neck, breathing me in.
I closed my eyes and basked in the touch and feel of him as he surrounded me.
“Fuck, you have no idea how much I want you. You’re kind.”
“I’m not,” I said. I thought about what I did to Lauren today. What I’d thought about most of my peers. I wanted nothing to do with them. It didn’t make me a good person. Far from it.
He chuckled. “Compared to me, you are. I’ve killed.”
“So have I.” I whispered the words. I didn’t think about the man’s death. He was nothing.
“You’re everything, Emily, and you don’t even see it. You put up with so much shit. I saw the bruises and scars. You’re a fighter.”
This time, tears filled my eyes, and for some reason, I couldn’t get them to stop. I felt open, exposed, and I didn’t like it.
My throat was tight.
“I think about you all the time. I love the fire in your eyes. The bite of your nails as you hold on to me. I want to see you riding my cock, Emily. I can’t wait to see you come. To finally let go of all the bullshit people keep us locked up tight with. You are everything to me. I love you.”
He slammed his lips down on mine, his fingers sinking into my hair. This wasn’t an act of dominance, but a claiming.
I felt his need pressing against my stomach, but he made no move to touch my tits or pussy. He kissed me like a dying man that only my lips could save.
It was heady and I hated that I couldn’t reciprocate.
Years of training kept my words from ever being spoken.
I kissed him back, hoping he got the message with my kiss.
I doubted it. No amount of kissing could take away from the words.
One day, I’d have the guts to tell him, but the sound of a door opening and closing drew him away. He took hold of my hand, and without another word, we were out in the corridor.
The bell had clearly been rung because we followed students to the cafeteria, where River, Caleb, and Vadik were already waiting.
They had a couple of trays and I glanced around the hall, spotting Ashley in the spot I’d been sitting in the last couple of days.
I wasn’t going to allow her to be on her own.
Marching over to her table, I grabbed her lunch tray. She looked terrified until she realized it was me holding her tray.
“Emily,” she said.
That’s right. It’s me.” I winked at her. “Come on. You don’t sit here.”
Gael had followed behind me and he took the tray from me.
The cafeteria was silent, watching as he put the tray at the table and moved me to sit opposite my new friend.
I wasn’t completely comfortable around Ashley. I still expected her to be a traitor. In our world, you had to expect to be betrayed. It wasn’t nice, but this was our reality.
“Wow,” Ashley said.
“You keep saying that.”
“You’ve got like four boyfriends,” she said.
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, she does.” Gael kissed my neck.
I rolled my eyes, hating how excited I got at the prospect of belonging to all four of them. I wouldn’t give myself even a moment to really enjoy this. I couldn’t. I wanted to. The truth was I wanted to give myself to all four of these guys and to hell with the consequences, but with my dad lurking in the background, there was no way I could.
I was trapped.
Feeling sick, I moved my food around my plate, not feeling hungry anymore.
“You okay?” Ashley asked.
“I should ask you the same question. How were your classes?”
“Fine. Even the teachers don’t call on me to answer a question. I think I could be completely naked and they wouldn’t care.”
I saw the tears in Ashley’s eyes. Reaching over, I put a hand on top of hers, attempting to offer her comfort but failing miserably. “Don’t let it get to you. They’re assholes.”
“The one thing to remember in all of this,” Gael said, pointing some gherkin at us. “They’re all in our parents’ pocket. Even yours.”
“I’m not … my parents…”
“The dude fucking your mom. I don’t care. He’s paid for them to give you an education.”
Ashley’s cheeks heated and she looked down at her plate.
“Don’t be ashamed of the fact your mother made a deal with whatever devil she wanted to,” Gael said. “You’ve got to make it to graduation and if you keep bowing down like that, you’re going to get killed.”
“It’s not exactly easy.” She glanced around the hall. “What if he’s one of their dads?” She nibbled on her lip.
“My dad is fucking my art teacher,” I said. “Everyone here knows it, but I don’t let it get to me.” When I found them, I’d been so embarrassed, and I’d been sick. Now, I didn’t care. He wasn’t even discreet about it.
“Everyone here has secrets. They have a life no one wants you to know about. You’ve got to learn to fight,” Caleb said. “Or you really are going to be eaten alive.”
The bell rang. I got to my feet, as did Ashley.
We’d run over for lunch, but Caleb took my hand, pulling me back down to sit.
“What are you doing?” I asked. I seemed to be saying that a lot, but the guys were acting in ways I wasn’t exactly accustomed to.
“You’re not going anywhere,”
Caleb said.
“I’ve got to study.”
“Yeah, you can study another time.”
“I need your phone number,” Ashley said. “I’m going to have to talk to you.”
I nodded. I’d never given my cell phone number out to anyone. My dad, brother, and driver were the only ones to know it.
Looking at Caleb and the guys, I felt a tightening in my stomach.
They got to their feet and no one stopped us as we walked out of the school. I couldn’t help but glance back, imagining hundreds of eyes watching us.
Caleb opened the passenger door, waiting for me to slide in.
I did.
The guys took the backseat while Caleb got behind the wheel. He turned over the ignition, and I wondered if this was where I find out they’d been playing me all along.
We didn’t head out of town but drove toward Caleb’s house. There were no other cars. His house was one of the biggest, and as I climbed out of the car, I tilted my head back, looking up at the mansion.
It had to have five floors, and I was sure I saw a guard on the roof.
Caleb put his arm across my shoulders, leading me into his home. Even though there were no cars outside, once inside his house, it was busy.
Manic.
Men and women were running around, carrying cutlery, or vases.
I stayed perfectly still, watching, tucked against Caleb’s side.
“What do you think they’d do if I went and melted the ice sculpture?” Gael asked.
“You’d have to deal with your father,” a woman said, coming down the stairwell.
This had to be Molly Falls, Caleb’s mom.
She offered a smile, coming to stand in front of us. “Boys, you should all be in school.”
“Yeah, school sucks, and besides, it’s only fair we come and check out how the ball is getting along. We are guests, after all,” River said.
Molly looked at the knife in River’s hand. “You will not be allowed that at the ball. No weapons.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Vadik said.
“Your father’s rules,” she said, turning her gaze toward me. “You must be Emily.” She held out her hand and I took it. Her grip was tight, almost like a threat, so I held hers firmly, not showing any weakness.
A minion’s daughter I may be, but I had learned not to be trampled over. Molly wanted to dominate, and I got that.
This was her castle. Caleb was her son. She had nothing to fear from me. I had no intention of taking her place.
“I better get back to work.” Molly turned on her heel and left.
“Damn, she’s as cold as ever,” Gael said. “How does your dad put up with her?”
“He pays her in money.” Caleb’s voice sounded firm, almost angry.
He held my hand and led me out of the house, past the garden and toward the pool house.
“You ever been swimming?” he asked.
“No.” Their pool was indoors and as we stepped into the room, I felt the warmth surround me.
“Well, we’re going to have to rectify that.” He kissed my cheek before wrapping his arms around my waist and throwing me into the pool.
I released a scream, which was swallowed up by the water as I fell into it.
Chapter Thirteen
Caleb
I didn’t trust Molly.
There were secrets she knew and she hadn’t been honest with me. Every time I looked at her, I had to wonder if she was paid to play the role of my mom. There was no way she gave birth to me.
“What the hell?” Emily coughed as she came to the pool’s surface.
I was already removing my clothes, watching her.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“You’re an asshole. A grade-A asshole.” She pushed her hair off her face as I stripped down to my boxer briefs.
All of us removed our clothes and one by one, we climbed into the pool, which was deep.
Emily’s arms moved out in front of her, keeping her balanced.
From all four directions, we closed in.
There was no way for her to turn. She spun, looking at each of us.
I saw the fear, and we all paused.
“We’re not going to hurt you,” I said.
“You sure about that?”
“If we were going to hurt you, we’d have done it already,” Gael said.
I was the first one to close the distance and wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her close.
She was tense.
“You need to learn to trust.”
“It’s easy for you guys to say. You’ve always had each other.”
“And now you’ve got us,” River said.
“We haven’t given you a reason to be scared of us.”
Her heart raced against my palm. With my arms around her, I nodded at Vadik to take care of her shirt. She didn’t fight but stayed perfectly still.
“How do I know this isn’t a game?” she asked. “What if you want to hurt me, like you’ve hurt Lauren and so many other girls in the past?”
He tutted. “I think I’ve proven to you that you’re not like other girls. You’re special to us.”
She rested back against me.
“How is this possible?” she asked. “You know this can’t work. All four of you kissing me, touching me, wanting me. You’re going to get me killed, or my father.”
Vadik got her clothes off, leaving her with only her underwear on.
The curves of her ass pressed against my groin, and fuck me, she was a perfect fit.
“You want us to put a label on it?” I asked, brushing my lips across her neck. Even as her mouth spoke words of dispute about our relationship, her body called to us. Her nipples were already rock-hard, and I wondered if she realized she wriggled against my dick. Her fine ass worked magic as we stood.
“You’re all confusing me. I … this can’t happen. I know you guys share or whatever. I’m not like that, okay?”
Gael laughed. “All right, let’s put a label on it, shall we?”
I didn’t let her go, looking over her shoulder, watching my friends.
“The label is simple, you belong to all of us. You’re mine. You’re Caleb’s. You’re River’s. You’re Vadik’s. There’s no other explanation you need as far as I’m concerned.” He moved in close, his finger tracing down her neck and going toward her breast. He fingered her nipple.
“All four of you?”
“Yes.” We spoke in unison.
“And none of you are, like, jealous?”
I leaned down, biting on her neck. “Look at them, Emily. Look at how they watch us. They love to see you in my arms. I know River licked your pussy. That Gael gave you your first orgasm. We don’t hate them for it. Knowing you come apart for all of us, that’s the fucking dream.”
“This is crazy.”
“None of us said we were sane,” River said.
“Look at the lives we live, Em,” Vadik said. “Even you’ve said so, we don’t have a normal life. This is our kind of normal.”
They came closer.
I’d loosened my hold on her, but I turned her to face me.
“What about when we’re older?” she asked.
“Nothing changes. You’re a Monsters’ woman. Your life has been claimed by us.” The truth was, none of us should be making these claims, not while her life hung in the balance. Not just with her betrothed coming home, but also with her dad’s involvement.
“I don’t recall agreeing to a party,” my dad said, interrupting us.
I look up to see my dad standing at the side of the pool. He wore an expensive designer suit, which he always reserved for business out in the city when he had to appear to look like the leader.
All of our dads worked as a team, united against the rest of the world, but in order for organizations to grow, there had to be a leader. My dad took the role.
Just like I took the role.
I was the leader.
“Emily, your father called
me. He wants you home.”
She nodded, pulling out of our arms.
My dad was being a cock block. I didn’t like it.
No one made to help her as she climbed out of the pool. The uniform she wore was at the bottom of the pool.
“Gael, Vadik, River, go home, boys. Your dads are expecting you.”
I realized he never mentioned Mom.
“Molly, take Emily home. Remind Crane about my warning. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
I frowned as I watched my mother hand Emily some clothes.
My friends had already started to climb out of the pool. They were getting dressed. and I stared at my dad.
“Who is my mom?” I asked.
I’d been determined not to bring this up. Not to take it any further than needed.
My dad, I saw the way he froze. It was subtle but there. He wasn’t expecting me to question him.
I waited.
My friends had slowed in their changing to see what my father did.
“Have you eaten?” he asked.
“You’re avoiding the question.”
“Caleb, you need to be careful what road you go down. I’ve told you this before.”
“And you’ve stopped us from getting closer to Emily.” I moved to the side of the pool, and with one pull, I was out and standing. “You talk, I listen. Those were your rules. They’re the ones I’ve followed. Now tell me what I’m missing.” I grabbed a towel, pressing it to my chest.
“What is it you don’t want me to know?”
He stared at me and sighed. “Get dressed and come to my office.”
Without another backward look, he was done.
“What the fuck?” River asked. “I thought we were going to find out another way.”
“I’m tired of waiting. I want to know the truth.”
“This is fucked up,” Vadik said.
I no longer cared. My dad had never blocked me before, but in the past couple of weeks, whenever I would have gone to Emily after school, he had a job for me. He wanted to distract me.
I needed to know how far these lies went.
I didn’t bother with shoes. With my pants and shirt on, I headed to my dad’s office. He’d already poured himself a slug of whiskey.
“Come in, close the door, take a seat.”
We all did as we were told. Gael was unusually quiet. He hated silences and often filled them with bullshit.