“Told you, dude,” Owen says, bumping his shoulder.
“Told him what?” Reina asks.
“Chicks dig nerds.”
Reina rolls her eyes. “Grab some clothes, and whatever else you might need, Bodhi. You can’t stay here after what happened. I’ll make sure your art is safe, but I can’t guarantee you’ll be safe if I leave you here.”
He nods, looks at me one more time, and rushes from the room. “What happened to him?”
“Someone came looking for you.”
“Because of the paintings?”
“Nah,” Owen says, “because of the video games.”
1
Harlow
Reina decided she needed to wait until we were all together for me to tell them everything, which meant waiting for Audrey to get back from the mission she was on. I’ve been sequestered in the apartments we live in for almost a week, and while there are lots of things to do here, I’m going a little stir-crazy. I wish I was attending classes in person instead of Skyping in, and I’ve missed just going to grab food, or shopping, or hitting a club with my friends. I know it’s for my own safety, but that doesn’t mean I like it.
Honestly, I’d probably like it more if Bodhi wasn’t avoiding me. He’s in the pool house on the grounds, because it has a room with a roof that retracts until it’s all glass, giving him the best light for painting. Reina had someone get him all the supplies he needs, and I know the paintings of me were moved there, because he insisted they not be left in his apartment, even though she told him she’d secured it.
I tried to go see him one day, but he looked scared to see me, and hurried out. He mumbled something about telling him when I was done with the place, like I wasn’t there for him. It hurt a little, honestly, to have this guy paint me so beautifully, but not want to see me or talk to me in real life. Maybe he’s scared he’ll be attacked again, but I haven’t gone back to see him again, because my ego doesn’t need the beating.
“Are you ready?” Reina asks when I walk into the theater room. It’s got big comfy couches, and can fit everyone, making it perfect for meetings here.
“No, but I don’t really have a choice.”
“We don’t judge. You know that,” Jade says.
I nod, because I do know that. “I guess I should start at the beginning. My family is big, and they don’t exactly follow the law. For the most part, we were poor. Dirt poor. Probably why the family’s big, because let’s face it, if it’s a choice between food and birth control, food will win out every time. Anyway, we had no money, but I had my cousin. He was—is—my best friend.”
“This threat has something to do with him?” Ainsley asks.
“Yes.”
“Which cousin?” She asks, looking at her tablet.
I smile at her. “You won’t see his name on there.”
“I did a full background check on you, Harlow. I didn’t see anything that would pose a real threat, but I know your family.”
“I’m sorry, Ainsley, but my cousin isn’t on your list. He’s not on any list, anywhere. He had to disappear, and he erased himself.”
“It’s very difficult to complete erase yourself, or someone else. Only someone with extraordinary skills can do it. I’m not being egotistical, but Scott and I are two of the only people in the world who can do it. Governments do it, but some have our help, and some use teams to do it, but a single person? There’s only maybe three people I could think of who have those kinds of skills.”
“My cousin is Xavier James.”
Her eyes widen, and her mouth drops open. “Holy fuck!”
“You know him?” Reina asks.
“I wish. I tried. We tried,” she says, shaking her head to clear it. At least I think that’s why she shook it. “Scott and I tried to get him to come work here. Hell, Scott wanted him at Griffin, too.”
“So he’s good,” Jade says.
“No, Jade. He’s the best. Better than Scott and I combined,” Ainsley tells her.
“Seriously?” Reina asks.
“Yes,” I answer.
“That doesn’t explain the baby rattle in the box.”
“X fell in love. Or at least he thought he was in love. She was just using him for his beautiful brain. This woman seduced him, professed her love for him, and convinced him to help her brother. He was so blinded by love, lust, or whatever it was, and he didn’t realize her brother was an arms dealer. He had their systems almost up and running, and had designed some cool toys like hoverboards for them before he figured out who he was working for. He wanted to leave, but she told him she was pregnant with his baby. She said he’d never see his child if he walked away. X knew she was only using him, but he couldn’t abandon a child to that life.”
“He escaped with the baby, didn’t he?” Tegan asks.
“Yes. He pretended to help them, while setting passwords for every part of their business. Passwords only he knew. Since he is the best at what he does, they didn’t know he was doing it. The woman was still coming to him for sex, and he used that to his advantage as well. I don’t know all the details, because he didn’t want me to be in danger, but somehow, he turned all the technology they wanted against them, and ran.”
“They think you know where he is,” Darcy says.
“Yes.”
“Do you?” Reina asks.
“Yes, and no. He didn’t want to tell me, but I told him someone had to know. I don’t know exactly where they are, but I know how to find out. He erased our connection, and no one would believe a random stripper would know where he is, so I’ve been safe until now.”
“They found your connection somehow.”
“I’m guessing, and this is really just a guess, that X still had a picture of me in his wallet. He would never tell anyone who I really was, but he might have said I was an ex-girlfriend or something. There have been pictures of me at C&C events, and apparently, I’m in some video games thanks to Bodhi.”
“Which would explain the package at work, and someone going after Bodhi.”
“Where is he?” Ainsley asks me.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that.”
“You have to. We can keep him safe.”
“He’s keeping himself safe. Him and his son.”
“Any communication you have with him could be intercepted.”
“There is no communication, Ainsley.”
“Then how do you know he’s safe?” Ellie asks me.
“I just do.”
“We need to know everything if we’re going to be able to help you, to help both of you,” Reina tells me, not hiding her frustration.
“I won’t betray X’s confidence. I will leave if that’s what you want, but I cannot tell you where he is.”
“If you leave, they will take you, and torture it out of you.”
“They will take me, but they won’t get it out of me. I can promise you that.”
“You think you can withstand torture?” Reina asks with a smirk.
“I know I can.”
“The BDSM,” Ainsley says, suddenly getting it. “When I was doing my research, it came up. You were involved in a hardcore group, one that enjoyed pain. That was to train yourself to accept pain, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” I admit. “I didn’t enjoy that lifestyle, but I will do anything to keep X’s secret. My pain threshold is extremely high now.”
“Damn, girl,” Stella says. “That’s genius. Scary, even for me, but so damn smart. No one would suspect you were letting that all be done to you in order to learn how to accept pain.”
I suppress a shudder, because right now, I need to be strong in front of these women. When I said I didn’t enjoy the lifestyle, that was an understatement. I hated every moment of it. It was necessary, but I hated it. The other women and men who were subs loved it, and that’s great, but it wasn’t for me.
“I’m going to leave this alone for now, but there’s going to be a time when you want to leave this building.”
&
nbsp; “What? I can’t leave? You know the threat now.”
“Yes, but we don’t know how to contain that threat. You haven’t even told us who it is.”
“You know who it is. There’s no way you don’t.”
“I do know of a dealer who’s going a little crazy because he’s lost access to his computer systems, but you’re still holding back the information I need to stop him. I understand you wanting to protect your cousin, but if I let you out of here, you put the rest of us at risk. Until I know we can contain the threat, you won’t leave the grounds.”
I know she’s right. I also know if X was here, he could help her take down the bastard who sent him running. I can’t betray his confidence, though, and if I’m locked up in here, getting a message to him is going to be next to impossible. There’s no doubt Reina’s going to be watching me, and if I’m being honest, it’s making me question the Society for the first time. Maybe I shouldn’t have joined.
Bodhi
There’s some big meeting going on in the main building, so I don’t have to avoid Harlow right now, which is a relief. I’m embarrassed about her finding out about the paintings, and games, the way she did, and I’m afraid to face her. When I started, the sketches and paintings were just for me, but then my agent convinced me to do a small show. The small show turned into an unexpected job offer from a video game giant. It was an offer I couldn’t turn down, and not just because of the money. Every artist wants to be known for their work, and now I am.
I wanted to tell her—I tried to tell her—but I couldn’t find her. It’s no excuse, though. I used her gorgeous green eyes, her blonde hair I want to run my fingers through, and yeah, her sexy body I crave, to further my career. I’m an asshole first, and a bumbling nerd, second. So, no chance for me with an amazing, and sexy girl like Harlow.
Especially now that I know she’s training to be a sexy spy girl. Reina had to tell me their secret, because I didn’t think a socialite wife could really keep me safe. Now I know, no one could keep me safer. It freaks me out a little to be a kind of prisoner here, but being dead would be so much worse.
“The stars that interesting tonight?” Owen asks, coming to stand over my reclined lounge chair, blocking the sky I wasn’t even really seeing.
“Probably, but I was just thinking.”
“Word on the street is you’re avoiding Harlow.”
“Since I haven’t been ‘on the street’ for a week, how would they know?”
“Smart ass.”
“Coming from the king of smart asses, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Normally it would be, but seriously, what’s up with the cold shoulder?”
I rub my eyes under my glasses, and sit up, gesturing for the chair next to me. “You might as well sit down.”
“That bad?”
“I used her naked body for my own personal gain. How could that possibly be good?”
“She’s not embarrassed by her body, and she told you the paintings were beautiful, so I’m not seeing the problem here.”
“I didn’t sell the paintings, but I sold her to a video game.”
“Scott and Darcy have been playing that game since it came out, and they both said that while she looked familiar, they didn’t connect Harlow with the character.”
“They see it now, though, don’t they? They didn’t see her before, because they didn’t think it would really be her.”
“Yeah, they see it, but they also told me she’s a fucking badass in that game. You made her the most powerful character.”
I shrug. “When I first saw her dance, I wanted to save her. The more I went to that club, the more I realized she didn’t need to be saved. Some of the women had a vibe about them—desperate, and hopeless—but not Harlow. Harlow owned that pole. She was embracing what she was doing, and it was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen.”
“Tell her that.”
“I can’t.”
“You can. Except for the Four Studkateers, and Stella and Tegan, no one here saw her dance. She gives pole lessons, but she keeps her clothes on for those. Her new friends know what she used to do, and they totally accept her, but I see it in her eyes sometimes, a look of fear that it’ll all go away, and she’ll be back in a club again. You’re telling me she was fierce on stage, and I think she needs to hear that.”
“Wait a minute. Who the hell are the ‘Studkateers’?”
He waves a hand at me like it’s no big deal. “Matt, Nate, Aiden, and Theo.”
“They’ve seen Harlow dance?”
“Yeah, but so what? Lots of people saw Harlow dance.”
“I don’t want her to be embarrassed.”
He begins to laugh. “This is the best. You won’t even talk to her, but you’re jealous that guys she knows got lap dances from her.”
“What?” I ask, pretending I don’t know what he means.
I am jealous. Damn, am I jealous. I always wanted a lap dance, but I wanted her to want to give me one, instead of me having to buy one. Stupid, when I know she couldn’t just give me a free one in a club where she was working, but I wanted it anyway.
“You’ve got it bad.”
“I just can’t believe Reina wouldn’t care.”
“What wouldn’t I care about?” the woman in question asks. This spy thing is freaky, especially when they sneak up on you.
I turn to see her standing behind me. Harlow, Sierra, Kalila, and Ellie are with her. No way am I telling them what we were talking about. “Nothing. It was nothing.”
“Really? Owen looks like he’s about to die from laughing, and you’re going to stick with ‘nothing’?”
I rub my eyes again, I know it’s my nervous “tell” and I also know it makes me look even more nerdy since my glasses are askew when I finally stop. I straighten them, and stand. I’m going to have to make a quick escape once I answer. “I was just surprised that your husband and his friends have had lap dances from Harlow.”
“Our husbands were single men. There was nothing wrong with it,” Ellie says, crossing her arms as she answers me.
“I didn’t say there was anything wrong with it. I was just surprised. And now, I’m going to go inside.”
I don’t look at Harlow, because I can’t bear to see her angry at me. She has to be so angry at me for bringing this up in front of her friends. I should’ve just made something up. Anything other than what I just said to her. But, of course, I didn’t. People think I’m smart—brilliant, even—but with her, I’m just a stupid guy with a crush. Cue the classic 80s soundtrack, but don’t expect the happy ending.
2
Harlow
I’m mortified. Completely, and totally embarrassed. It’s not bad enough that Bodhi’s running away from me again, but he’s bringing up the guys seeing me naked. What the hell did I do to make him so disgusted with me?
“Why does he hate me, Owen?”
“Hate? Oh no, Har. That boy doesn’t hate you. Quite the opposite, in fact.”
“He runs away every time I come near him, and he just brought up one of the only things about my past job I’m embarrassed about.”
“I accidentally told him about the Studkateers getting lap dances, so that’s my bad. He’s hella jealous.”
“Studkateers? Oh my God, that’s perfect!” Ellie tells him, laughing hard.
“It is,” Reina agrees.
“Why would he be jealous?” I ask, trying to find out what’s really going on.
“Did you ever give him a dance?” Kali asks.
She’s not laughing, and I know it’s because Theo isn’t officially hers, but at the same time, we all know he totally is. They both keep dancing around how they feel for each other, but they very obviously belong to each other. We’re going to have to talk about him, and me, soon. Both of us have avoided it, but I think she knows there was more than a lap dance with him. There wasn’t much more, just a drunken kiss that went nowhere, but I need to tell her about it.
“No,” I say, answeri
ng her question. “He never bought one.”
“Doesn’t mean he didn’t want one,” Owen says. “Cut him some slack. My boy’s terrified of you.”
“Me? He’s the one who painted me and put me in some video games.” I’ve seen the games now, and I love the character he made me into. I’m still a little intimidated by it all, but it’s pretty cool at the same time. “I’m going to make him talk to me,” I tell them, deciding I’ve had enough of him avoiding me.
I don’t knock, because I’m not sure he’ll answer the door, and I’d rather get in, and apologize, than be left standing outside. The first thing I see is skin. Lots of bare skin. Lean, and sexy muscles straining under golden skin. I knew Bodhi was fit, but I can’t pull my eyes off the ridges of his abs. I’ve seen abs before, lots of abs, but I want to lick the ones I can’t take my eyes off right now. Drop to my knees, and worship those damn abs, and you know, other body parts, too.
“Harlow? Is something wrong?”
I look up, and stare right into his sexy grey eyes. “Yes.”
“Are we in danger?”
I take in his tousled brown hair. It’s not long, but strands fall onto his forehead, and I’ve seen him run his hands through it when he’s thinking. I want to run my hands through it.
“Harlow?” he asks, sounding alarmed.
“Huh? No. Well, yes. The danger isn’t gone, but no one’s getting in here.”
“Why didn’t you knock?”
One last look at the light stubble on his jaw, and I force my eyes to meet his again. “Would you have let me in?”
He rubs the back of his neck. I’ve seen that move a lot, too. Not in over a year, but he used to do it when he I danced close to him. Too close to him. He likes to paint me, but he doesn’t want me, and that hurts.
“If we’re not in danger, why is something wrong?” he asks, ignoring my question.
“I-I’ve seen the video game, and you made me the star, the heroine. Why did you do that when I disgust you?”
“Disgust me? What are you talking about?” he asks, stepping closer to me. Not close enough for me to reach out and touch him, but closer.
Harlow (Society Girls #7) Page 3