by Nora Cobb
This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places, events, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
Mercy copyright @ 2020 by Nora Cobb and Scholae Palatina Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.
BOOKS IN THE MONTLAKE PREP SERIES
NEW GIRL
OUTCAST
REPRISAL
REVENGE
MERCY
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
MERCY
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
MERCY
CHAPTER 1
NATALIE
Eventually, Uncle Phil agrees to host my big party in our home with strict conditions. His modern mansion is a living sculpture of mahogany and glass with a newly added three-level cascading garden. No bruised feelings. I get why he wanted to say no, but he caves when I sulk.
I don’t mean to be like that, but I promised the entire senior class I’d throw a blow-out party leading up to prom. Prom is less than a month away. I have no time to rent a space. Uncle Phil rolls his eyes when I promise that nothing will be broken.
Three days before the party, a service arrives to clean the house, secure the valuables, and lock up the liquor. Who knew this type of company existed? I didn’t. A group of six somber people dressed in bland gray uniforms walks in and starts bubble-wrapping antique furniture, vases, and paintings. Everything and anything that could break or be stolen. Out of curiosity, I watch while they work but stop watching when a young woman gives me side-eye.
I shrug my shoulders and go upstairs. By the time I come down again to leave for school, it looks like we’re moving out forever. Uncle Phil sits in the kitchen with the caterer, discussing the menu.
“We need a menu?” I ask.
“I want to serve food to the parents that might attend,” he explains.
A sickening jab twists my stomach. My uncle is trying to kill me socially.
“You invited parents?” I screech.
“You can’t expect to have a party without chaperones.”
Crap. If only Uncle Phil knew what we did in South Beach. The only adults present were the hotel employees, and we paid them to mind their business and not to get into ours.
“Natalie, the adults will be sequestered in my office for the first half, and if things stay calm, we’ll leave your guests alone. Don’t worry, we won’t be lurking around in the corners spying. You won’t know we’re here.”
I can’t take his smug smile. My shoulders slump, and I head out to school under a cloud of misery. I made a promise that all seniors are invited, no status crap. Everyone can come. But a few juniors are trying to score invites . I need bouncers, not chaperones. My status finally rises, just to crumble under parental supervision.
At lunch, Beth and I sneak off campus to buy our party dresses. Upperclassmen can leave the campus for lunch, but my newly obtained status will be damaged if my new followers know I’m heading to the mall. And it doesn’t matter that Gucci has a store at The Mall at Little Knolls. It’s still a mall.
“So did you ever think you’d be the queen of Montlake?” teases Beth as we walk into Versace.
I scoff. “What about you, sweetie? You’re my second-in-command.”
Beth pulls a purple minidress off the rack and holds it up to her body. The party has a color theme, anything but red and gray. School colors are not allowed through the door.
“Nope,” she replies, “But it didn’t matter to me.”
“You liar,” I shove her shoulder. “You’re so loving the attention.”
Beth laughs. “No, babe. I’m loving the payback. Let the bitches grovel at my designer heels.” She pulls a black minidress off the rack, and I nod my approval.
Beth was my first friend at Montlake, and though we had a major bump in the road, we always found each other again. I’m relieved we made it through Montlake together as best friends. And to think we almost screwed it up over a worthless guy.
“Wow, you’re miles away, Nat,” she smiles, striking a pose. Beth holds a different dress under her chin. “Do I look too hot in sequins?”
I laugh. “You sizzle, girl.” And we head for the dressing room.
***
Thankfully, Uncle Phil goes out the night of my party. No parents show up for him to entertain, and he gets a text from Ray, his boyfriend in the city. Last-minute tickets to some Off-Broadway show with a hotshot dancer in a unitard. I knew that Uncle Phil wouldn’t stay home to watch me on a Saturday night. Needless to say, I’m elated by his hasty departure.
The party starts at eight, but Troy is the first to arrive at six. I open the door and can’t see his face past the bouquet of red roses he’s holding up.
“No,” I laugh, “No red. You have to leave it in the car.”
His face drops in a mock frown, and I laugh, saying, “I am so teasing with you.”
He steps into the house and kisses me solidly. I lean into his hard, lean muscles, and the tingling starts all over my body. That electricity whenever Troy touches me makes me fall into his arms. I press my lips tighter against his, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and playing with his blond hair at my fingertips. Troy’s wearing a new cologne, and it smells like a breeze across a lake. I love the scent and moan as he nips my neck.
“We have to stop now.” I step away.
His gaze travels down to my legs in my seriously high heels. Beth bought the black minidress, and I bought the white one for laughs. Ying and Yang. Salt and Pepper. Good and Bad. Unlike the other girls at Montlake, Beth and I don’t mind wearing the same style dress at the same time. It’s a jab at Arielle who freaked when it happened, and the inside joke amuses Beth and me.
“You look hot.” Troy steps closer, but I see a slight crease in his forehead when he notices Jacob’s heart necklace around my neck. I hold out my wrist to show Troy that I’m wearing the diamond tennis bracelet he gave me. And I have on the amethyst earrings that Lucas also gave me. They all have my heart. They have all claimed me like I’ve claimed them.
“Thank you,” I peck his cheek, taking the roses out of his grasp. “These need water.”
Troy scans the almost bare rooms. There’s plenty of space to party with the antique furniture hidden away in the attic. Empty hooks hang on the walls where abstract art had been displayed. And the mini speakers are now locked away in cabinets and closets. Only the built-in speakers are left in place for playing music.
“Are you moving?” he asks.
I laugh. “Uncle Phil doesn’t trust the senior class in his home.”
“It’s because he’s an intelligent man.”
“But I’m a little smarter,” I t
ease as we walk into the kitchen.
“Wow, you went all out, Page.” Troy offers a low whistle when he sees the platters of party food, including pinwheel sandwiches and pounds of sushi. “But, where’s the liquor?”
“In the basement. I had to hide it from my uncle and his service,” I explain. “Do you know he hired a service to hide his stuff and lock the upstairs bedrooms, except mine?”
“They will try,” Troy smirks.
As soon as we bring up the last bottle of vodka to the kitchen, the doorbell rings, and the party starts with a bang. By nine, the house is packed, and I’m glad that Uncle Phil took precautions. The boys from the hockey team decide to go out in the backyard for a swim in the new infinity pool. Without Lucas to control his teammates, Jacob has to order them to leave the pool alone, so they mess with the hot tub instead. It’s warm out for May, but it’s not July. Rowdy kids strip down to their underwear, dunking themselves in the chilly water. I make Troy stop a rude game of “balls in your face.” Boys have a weird definition of fun.
A few juniors try to sneak in, and one nervy girl even wore red. The baseball team almost ejects them, but they wait for my decision. I am the queen, and it’s my home. I’m not used to making strict decisions, not that this should be hard, but the sad faces tug at my conscience. I was that sad girl in September.
“They can stay,” I decide, lifting my chin in the air, “but no pictures. And she has to find another dress. No red.” The offending junior changes into her gym clothes, which she had in the trunk of her car. Black nylon works. I’m okay with that and hand her a beer as a welcome.
A few couples try to sneak off upstairs for some privacy. And the bathrooms become the default make-out spots until frustrated people pound on the door to get inside to pee.
Of course, the lone freshman gets sick on the patio. Vicki Saunders snuck in, and I wasn’t going to kick out Troy’s sister. She downs a red cup of straight grain to cheering encouragement from the guys, then giggles and tosses the cup on the kitchen floor. Twenty minutes later, Vicki is running for the patio door. Stopping short, she hunches over and burps a loud-ass belch that’s louder than any guy present. She turns a weird shade of lime green then pukes on the patio.
Beth rolls her eyes at me. And I can read her mind—fucking kids.
“I’ll get the hose,” she says. “Should we tell Troy?”
I shake my head and lead Vicki to a bathroom for some downtime.
Actually, Mancuso is the first person drunk off his ass, which annoys Cora. She’s always proper and is way overdressed in a designer outfit from New York Fashion Week. Mancuso grabs her in his arms and spins her in a circle in the middle of the living room. To her absolute embarrassment, he announces that he’s waiting for the wedding, and when that day comes, everyone’s gonna hear his Cora scream with desire. Cora turns her infamous shade of red that matches her wavy curls.
“Cora,” shouts Lexi, “you know the rule. No red.”
“Nicholas, please.” Cora shoves Mancuso off her. “Only in private,” she whispers.
The crowd catcalls and applauds as she drags him outside to sober up.
While watching the wild kingdom at play, Troy holds me in his arms, kissing my neck and making it clear that we’re together. A few interested and shocked looks are exchanged, but I don’t care as we move to the beat of the music playing throughout the house. I’m too content and a little buzzed to care about the surprised looks. It wasn’t too long ago that Troy made it no secret that he hated me, and I despised him. All I can say is that the line between love and hate is super thin.
The rec room in the basement becomes the dance floor as the lights are dimmed, and we crowd in together to sing along to our favorite songs—old and new. Beth puts on “Bitch Better Have My Money,” and it becomes the anthem of the night.
“Yes, bitches,” she hollers, hugging a laughing Lexi around the neck. “Pay it up.”
I never thought I’d have this much fun with these rich kids. And everyone is cutting loose. No one is concerned that Arielle will look down on them because they wore the wrong shoes or kissed the wrong boy. It’s pure joy to be free of her meanness. A final celebration of being what we really are as individuals before it’s all over, and we have to put back on our masks and face the outside world. Too bad. Montlake should have always been like this.
“Have you seen Jacob lately?” I ask Troy.
Troy shrugs his shoulders, not caring much where Jacob is off to. He maneuvers me upstairs to the first floor, and into a closet in the back of the house used for storing winter coats and boots.
“I have other guests,” I remind him as he wraps his strong arms securely around my waist, closing the door.
“And they’re taking care of themselves. I just want to take care of you for a little while.”
“Shame on,” I tease, “I know you can last longer.”
We kiss, and things are escalating when my phone buzzes in my pocket. I reach for it, but Troy grabs my hand. He kisses me again. His tongue sweeps against my lips until I open my mouth. I press my body into his as if I could get any closer. I start melting against his body, and my pussy is wet with excitement. He’s so hard that I squirm against his solid bulge. My phone buzzes again and sighing, I grab it. Lucas is calling.
“I have to take this.” I pull away.
“Natalie,” he groans.
“Don’t guilt me or try your tricks. I know you, Mr. Saunders.”
Like a good boy, he smiles and opens the closet door. I hurry outside through a side door for privacy and answer the call.
“How’s it going?” asks Lucas. “It sounds quiet.”
I laugh. “I’m outside.” I open the side door and hold the phone up, so he can hear the noise. “Pretty loud.”
“I wish I was there with you,” he says.
“So do I.” My smile barely lifts my cheeks as I think about Lucas and all he’s been through because of Arielle’s lunacy. And it’s not over yet.
“I have news,” he says.
Anticipation lifts my heart. “Good news, I hope.”
He pauses. “Almost,” his voice sounds flat. “My family has a solid case against the Blackwaters. The video with Arielle and Anthony is very damaging. It’s obviously her giving him a blow job, and Anthony has signed an affidavit stating that it is him, and they met numerous times while we were married.”
“You’re free,” I smile broadly. “She is so caught. Lucas, sweetie, this is great.”
He’s quiet again. “Natalie, the Blackwaters are countersuing based on the pictures taken of us in South Beach. Baby, if it were really over, I’d be there with you now.”
“But the pictures were innocent,” I explode. A sharp wind chills my legs as I hunch down over my phone to hear Lucas better. Hoping that maybe he’ll say something else to make it okay.
“We have a history, Natalie,” he continues. “Remember a while back, that day at the gym?”
I remember. I had a meltdown in Lucas’ arms in the unisex bathroom after we ate at the restaurant at his exclusive gym. He chased the employees away while I cried in his arms.
“The employees at the gym stated that we acted like a couple,” he explains. “We weren’t discreet.”
“But we didn’t need to be.” My voice is dangerously close to a whine. “You weren’t married back then.”
“The Blackwaters found a few straws,” he says, “and they’re grasping for them. Nat, it’s weak on their part, but a judge will decide, not us. We still need to play it safe and keep a distance for a little longer.”
“I understand,” I sigh. “It’s the long game, not the short.”
He’s quiet, not sure what I want to hear. “I’ll let you get back to your party,” he sighs. “Have a good time for me.”
“Okay.”
“Natalie, I love you.”
Hearing Lucas tell me that he loves me prods my dragging spirits, but my mind has already descended into disaster. What if Arielle wins? “I
love you too,” I whisper.
He ends the call before I do. I wanted to hold onto him even for a minute longer. I walk back into the party, trying to smile at my laughing guests, but the frustration I feel is in the way. How dare Arielle ruin my party? This is my celebration of getting rid of her and loosening her hold on all of us. But she finds a way to make her presence known, even if it’s unintentional. I continue walking past couples kissing and dancing. People laughing and raising their glasses in a toast. I don’t see Troy or Jacob around, and Lucas won’t be arriving.
I feel like I’ve been set adrift again, and though it’s not the same, I can’t help but think about my parents. To love someone so much, but love can’t keep them with you. It doesn’t last forever, but sometimes, not even for a moment.