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Prologue
Charlotte
My heart is pounding as I walk downstairs into the basement. The two large basement rec rooms are divided by an accordion wall. No fancy décor—a drop ceiling and a tile floor in a totally beige room. A ping-pong table serves as a makeshift bar, and colored light bulbs light up the dance floor. In the corner, a man’s face is illuminated by his laptop as he selects songs that make the room shake. I drop my coat on a pile of them covering a chair and look around for Asher. I recognize a couple of my classmates who stare at me but say nothing.
I show off my purple angora sweater and slim satin skirt as I walk over to the ping-pong table and grab a cup. I’m in such a high mood, I really don’t need anything to drink. Finally, I’m hanging out at a party. I regret selling off my purple heels on Poshmark, but these cheap suede heels are super cute for dancing. A cluster of girls send me stink-eye, but I ignore them. I’m here to make friends with Asher while having a fucking good time.
An older guy, maybe in his twenties, in a leather vest covered with patches, walks straight over. I keep my expression neutral, but inside I’m cringing. Nova mentioned bikers, and as I scan the room, I see a few guys in leather watching us. The biker holds out his hand, and I guess I should dance with him. It will be okay if he keeps his hands off me. I take a step toward him, but a firm hand slips along my side and stops on my lower back. Asher shakes his head at the guy, and the guy shrugs before walking off.
Smiling, Asher checks out my outfit. Well, at me in my outfit. He leans in, giving me a chaste kiss on my hair. “I’m glad you came.” His gaze locks on mine. “You want to dance?”
I nod, and our fingers interlace as we walk to the center of the room. We hold hands on the dance floor while moving our hips slowly to a fast song. I try hard not to be too obvious as I check him out. He has on a nicer pair of jeans than the ones he always wears to school and a dark shirt that’s slightly open. His chest is defined, at least what I can see of it, and he has a thin gold chain around his neck. He swirls me around, and I laugh, forgetting that I should be on guard.
We’re the only two dancing, and I wonder if Asher is staking his claim. I glance over his shoulder, and the biker that asked me to dance watches us. His steady stare creeps me out, and I quickly look away. I step closer to Asher, so his hands have to rest on my hips. The bullying will stop if I’m his. And there’s nothing wrong with a fling before college.
The song stops, and laughing, I hold onto his hands. He smiles full-on, and I swear he looks as if he wants to kiss me. His blue eyes are intense under dark, full brows, and his bottom lip is so full and pink. I want to nibble on it, and he looks as if he’ll let me. I move even closer, staring into his eyes. Asher places his hands on my hips and yanks me against his body. His lips begin to lower, and I swallow before parting mine. Suddenly, Asher looks over, and that man is standing behind us.
“She’s with me,” he says nastily, “Go get someone else, Eddie.”
Eddie doesn’t move away. His gaze takes in my body, and it feels foul the way he’s openly staring at my ass. I don’t know where to look, and maybe I should leave. I have enough money now for an Uber. But Asher scowls at the guy again.
“Don’t start with me,” Asher warns the man, “I will tell my uncle.” Asher takes my hand and leads me away toward a door in the far corner of the room. I hesitate. “It’s okay,” he turns to say to me, “I’m not the one who will hurt you.”
In the room is a huge furnace, and the heat warms the chill off me. A table is against one wall, and there’s a chair by the other. The concrete floor is dirty, and there are no windows that I can see in the dim light. On the other side of the door, Lil Nas X starts to play, and I wonder how long Asher plans to stay in here while we miss the fun.
I fold my arms while he actually pulls out his phone. His head tilts, and his finger swipes over the screen. I sigh loudly, but he ignores it and leans against the heavy wood table. Why should I even care if he’s rude? At least he’s not picking on me. I move over to the chair and swipe a thick line of dust off with my finger. When I look up again, Asher is eyeing me.
“Come here,” his voice is low.
The stern expression on his face sends a jolt through me, and suddenly, I feel cold in the small hot room. The furnace switches on, and the flames roar underneath the gray metal. The floor is lit by the light, but it casts a sharp shadow over his face.
Without questioning, I walk toward him, and I don’t even pretend to understand what he wants from me. And even though I could run out the door behind me, I feel trapped.
For a moment, his eyes are harder than granite as he watches my face. “Sit beside me on the table,” he says.
I hop up on the table, probably ruining my skirt on the rough wood. He lowers his phone, and I look at the screen. My heart plummets when I see my naked thighs spread apart as my fingers rub my pussy. A second later, my legs fall to the side when I finish and my arm reaches out to turn off my phone. A glimpse of my profile is visible. I thought I had been careful.
I want to scream, but I grab for the phone instead. Asher holds it over his head, and when I move to run for the door, he grabs my arm and yanks me back.
He pulls me down by my forearm and leans close to my ear. “I didn’t know you were a slut, princess. Does your finger feel good?”
I gasp. “Please don’t tell. I had to do it.”
“Had to?” Asher scoffs. “It looks like you enjoy doing it. And you do it a lot.”
I squirm, but he clamps down tighter on my arm. “You stole my things, you and your friends. I had to replace them. I don’t have money to keep buying new things.”
His finger brushes against my sweater. “Is that what Stonehaven girls do when they’re broke-ass?”
I place my forehead down on his hard thigh, and I don’t care that I’m crying in front of him. “Please don’t tell. I’m begging. Please don’t tell.”
He won’t answer me.
I lift my face, and his set mouth only reveals disgust. “What do you want?” I plead.
Asher lets go of my arm and jumps off the table. He won’t look at me as he walks toward the door. Oh my God, he’s going to tell. I run after him and tug his hand off the doorknob. He stands perfectly still while I cling to his hand. I’m ruined if he walks out that door. Oh my God, what if they find out at the college?
“I’ll do anything if you don’t tell.” I try to get in his face, but he lifts his chin and refuses to look at me. “Please, I’m begging. You don’t understand that I had to do it.”
