Rose looks a little shell-shocked as she places her hand in his and walks to the dance floor. “Damn,” Matisse says, and we all nod.
I think we’re out of the clear until another guy comes over. Jen jumps out of her chair and hugs him. “Calum! I didn’t know you were here.”
“Reina invited me.”
“You’re not mad at her anymore for London?”
“No. I should be mad at you for setting it up, but I’m not. I needed a date, and she needed entrance to that party. It would’ve been nice to know that she was only using me to make her husband jealous, but at least she wasn’t clinging to me after or expecting a piece of jewelry.”
“It must so hard to be you,” Rhieve says with a sneer. Didn’t see that one coming.
“Don’t be catty, Rheive. It’s not a good look on you,” Calum tells her.
“Do you have to go to a special school to learn how to be such a smug bastard, or does it just come naturally?”
“Oh, it’s natural. I don’t need anyone to teach me how to handle you.”
“You’ll never handle me, asshole.”
“I wouldn’t want to.”
Jenysis is watching this exchange with wide eyes. “You two know each other?”
“Not since we were nine years old.”
“Oh. I always forget that you weren’t born in the U.K.”
“I could tell,” I say, causing everyone to look my way. I shrug. “What? He doesn’t talk like a Brit, even though he has the accent.”
“Yes, well. It was good seeing you, Jen, but you should really think about who you surround yourself with.”
Her gaze gets icy, then. “And maybe you should watch what you say about my friends.”
“I thought I was your friend.”
“You both are. Don’t try and make me choose.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he says, kissing her cheeks before leaving.
“Can we leave soon? I love your friends, but this night is getting a little intense,” I tell Sierra.
“One dance?”
“Of course.”
I hold her close while we dance and don’t let her go after we’ve left the dance floor. I’ve finally gotten her back, and although we’ll be apart more often than not over the next few months, I’m never going to let her go again.
Epilogue
Neveah
I needed a break from my friends and our revolving table of drama, and the silent auction items seem like a great place to escape to. I peruse the trips, the meals, the show tickets, and the jewelry, but none of it really catches my eye. I have some money to donate, but I don’t want to go home with any old thing just because I want something.
As I walk a little further down the tables, I see the guns. There are some ugly black ones, but there’s also one with an intricately inlaid handle. It’s beautiful, which is ironic, since it’s still a death bringer, no matter what it tries to look like.
I hate guns. Even in the hands of someone who is trained to use them, accidents can happen. A man walking by can be killed. I’ll never blame Matt for killing my father, but I can’t help but blame the gun he was using. I know I have to get over my fear in order to become a full member of the Society, but can I? I don’t really know.
I’m drawn to the pretty gun, though. So much so, in fact, that I walk over and look closer. I want to touch it. But then again, I don’t. I reach out my hand, tentatively, but a voice to the side of me stops me.
“No touching the weapons, Ma’am.” I turn to see a police officer glaring at me.
“I’m sorry. I assumed they were unloaded.”
“They are, but we still would prefer if you didn’t touch them.”
“You’d prefer, so I can touch them if I want.”
“I would ask you not to. You seem a little young for this crowd. Can I ask what you’re doing here?”
“Have you asked every guest who’s come by here?”
“No.”
“Yet, you’re asking me. Is my dress not designer enough for you?” I ask, looking down at the fancy dress Stella gave me to wear. I’m pretty sure it retails for more than his salary for the month, but I got it for free. He has the decency to look embarrassed that he’s been called out. “I have nothing to hide, Officer, so I’ll tell you. I’m here because I’m an intern with the Corrigan & Co. Foundation.”
“Oh,” he says, his eyes going wide. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. Please excuse me.”
“I accept your apology, but I can’t excuse you. Racial profiling is something I live with every day, but it is not something I will ever accept.”
“As you shouldn’t,” Dylan Gallagher tells me, walking over to us.
“I’ll be going back to my post. I truly am sorry.”
The officer walks away, and I turn to do the same, but Dylan’s hand on my arm stops me. “Does that happen a lot?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t look like a terrorist.”
“And what exactly does a terrorist look like, Mr. Gallagher?”
“Shit. That was a stupid thing to say. I’m sorry.”
“I seem to be hearing that phrase quite a bit this evening.”
“Yeah, I guess you are,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “Call me Dylan, please, Neveah.”
“How do you know my name?”
“My sister told me.”
“What exactly did she tell you?” I ask, curious since Ellie isn’t my mentor and should have no reason to discuss me with her brother.
“Just your name. I asked her who the gorgeous girl in the red dress was, and she gave me your name. And a warning to stay away from you.”
“Well you are better known for your playing off the court than on it.”
“You wound me. I’ll have you know that I was MVP. That means ‘Most Valuable Player.”
“Did you really just insult my intelligence? And women actually sleep with you?”
“It happens,” he says with a shrug.
“You either have a large penis, which is doubtful, because of your attitude.”
“Hey, now.”
“Or you’re good at what you do.”
“I’ve had no complaints. Back to my dick, though. It’s a decent size.”
“Ah, trying to downplay now. You’re good at reacting. I’ll give you that.”
“I’m also good at shooting a gun.”
“Excuse me?”
“You and the cop were facing off over that gun. Do you want to know how to shoot it?”
“It’s not mine to shoot.”
He walks over to the listing and scribbles something on the paper. “After tonight, it will be. Do you want me to teach you how to shoot it? No strings. We can just be friends.”
“What’s in it for you?”
“If I play my cards right and stop being an ass, maybe I’ll convince you to be more than friends with me.”
“I didn’t think you needed to put out so much effort to get a girl into your bed.”
“I don’t.”
“Oh.”
“Does that ‘oh’ translate to a ‘yes’?”
“It shouldn’t.”
“But?”
“Yes, I’d like to be your friend. And I’d like…I’d like you to teach me how to shoot that gun.”
“Perfect,” he says, handing me his phone. “Give me your number and I’ll text you tomorrow to work out the details.
I shouldn’t be doing this. I should just learn from Faith like I’d planned to. That’s the problem, though. I always do what I plan and what everyone else expects. I want something different this time. Something spontaneous just for me. I want to learn to shoot a gun…and I want Dylan Gallagher. So I put my number in his phone and hope that he’s not playing me.
Find out what happens with Neveah and Dylan in
Society Girls: Neveah, Coming in February 2016!
Acknowledgements
I always thank my girls first, and that will never stop! I love you Domi
nique, and Gabi! Being your mom brings me so much joy every single day!
To Helen, who sent me a mock-up of a new style of cover (Rhieve’s), which was of course AMAZING! You never cease to wow me with your cover designs, and your friendship! I love you, lady :)
To Jesse, thanks for always going the extra mile with the formatting, and working as fast as you can! I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know!
To Ally, thanks for fixing my commas and trying to make me use proper grammar! You’re a great friend IRL, too!
To my Friends of the Society group, thanks for always giving me your opinions on covers, names, and how fast I’m writing! You guys are the best!
To those of you who said Sierra, Rose, Jenysis, and Wayne needed their own books, thanks for your enthusiasm, and I hope you love them even more when you read their stories!
And I especially want to thank all of you who chose to read this book, and my others! I love my characters and books, and it means the world to me that you’ve fallen in love with them, too!
Those of you who know me and/or follow me on Goodreads, know I’m a huge reader myself! I love to read, and if you’re looking for something great, I’d love to recommend the following authors (many of whom I’m lucky enough to call my friends as well):
Lauren Blakely, Tracy Wolff, Tera Lynn Childs, Codi Gary, Rachel van Dyken, Monica Murphy, Christina Lauren, M. Malone, Jen McLaughlin, Megan Erickson, Sophie Jordan, Jennifer Armentrout, Jay Crownover, Cora Carmack, Christina Lee, Sawyer Bennett, Crista McHugh, Katie Reus, Jessica Lemmon, Lauren Layne, Mira Lyn Kelly, Caisey Quinn, Jamie Shaw, Katee Robert, Tigris Eden, Allison Packard, Brigid Kemmerer, Julie Brannagh, Elle Kennedy, Erin McCarthy, Jennifer Dawson, Claudia Connor.
There are lots more I know I’m forgetting, so I’ll give you a whole new set next month!
About the Author
Crystal Perkins has always been a big reader, but she never thought she would write her own book, until she sat down and did it one day. She lives in Las Vegas, where you can find her running author events and selling books at conventions when she isn’t reading, buying too many Sherlock t-shirts online or finding a place to put all of her Pop! figurines. A mac and cheese connoisseur, she travels the country looking for the perfect version, while attending book conventions and signings as a cover for her research. The Griffin Brothers series and the Corrigan & Co. series are international best sellers, and she’s thankful to the readers who made that happen!
Find her here:
www.crystalperkinsauthor.com
facebook.com/crystalperkinsauthor
@wondermomlv
[email protected]
Society Girls: Sierra Page 17