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“It’s not my fault,” Paige snapped. Her eyes were alight and a hint of color had come back into her cheeks.
“They invited a bunch of us to a party,” Paige told her. “They got me drunk and I fucked them.”
Claire winced. “Them?”
“All of them. It was fine at first. But then … they got mean.”
“Tell me.” Claire tried to will away the tears in her eyes.
“They abused me.” Paige’s bottom lip quivered. “Gave me pills. Passed me around.”
Claire couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Paige,” Claire started, kneeling in front of her friend, “you need to get away from these boys.”
“It’s fine,” Paige said, shaking her head as if to clear her mind like an Etch A Sketch.
Claire gulped.
“It’s fine,” Paige repeated, this time with a bit more confidence.
“Clearly not,” Claire said, angrier than she intended. “You’re being used by scumbags.”
“There are other girls doing it,” Paige said defensively. Her brows furrowed, she looked hurt, offended. Her emotions were all over the place and Claire wasn’t surprised. “And the pills are nice,” Paige said. “I like the pills.”
Claire ground her teeth and sank to the floor. It was so crystal clear. They’d drugged her best friend, used and abused her, and she didn’t even care. She wondered how long this had been going on. It couldn’t have been too long. It was only a couple of weeks ago that they’d last seen each other. Had she been groomed over a period of months and Claire just hadn’t seen the warning signs? Or was this a more recent thing, while she had been too busy with her Daddy to care about anyone else but herself?
Claire felt guilt rising up inside of her. She’d allowed this to happen to her best friend. This was her fault. If she’d been more present, she might have been able to stop this before it had gotten started. “Don’t go back to them,” Claire said. “Please. Block their numbers and stay away from their frat house.” Claire grabbed hold of Paige’s thin, brittle wrists and shook them. “Please,” Claire pleaded. “Don’t go back to them. They’re not good for you.”
Paige said nothing, she merely gazed with glassy eyes back at Claire.
Claire could see she wasn’t getting through to her friend. She was high as a kite. The words were flowing through one ear and straight out the other.
Claire felt lost. Who could she turn to? Her mother was about to move across the country—she was too busy to deal with all of this. Clearly Paige’s parents hadn’t noticed anything wrong, so there was no use going to them. The only option left was Daddy. The problem was, she didn’t know how to broach the subject. It was none of his business; she had no reason to get him involved in all of this.
No, Claire thought. I can sort this out on my own. I’ll be there for Paige and make sure she doesn’t go back to those frat boys.
Chapter twenty
Private party
AssoonasClairewalked into the house, she saw Lorelei standing on the other side of the room, bent over the kitchen counter reading a recipe book. She looked up from the book, a wide smile on her lips. A wave of disgust washed over Claire. This was the one part of her life that wasn’t perfect. Lorelei was always hanging around, always there watching them. It made Claire uncomfortable. All she could think about was how Lorelei had no life. It was pathetic; she didn’t do anything except wait for them to get home. What on earth did Daddy see in that horrible woman? There was nothing likable about her, not even a little bit.
Claire turned on her heels and looked up to her Daddy. “Take me upstairs,” she cooed. “I want to be with you.”
Vince had big, black bags under his eyes. He was clearly exhausted. Claire knew a quick fuck and a long nap would do him a world of good. Plus, she wanted him all to herself. The last thing she needed was Lorelei watching them.
“I’m tired,” Vince said in a lazy voice. “We can relax on the couch and watch some TV, okay?”
Claire pouted. “I don’t want to be down here. Not while she’s watching.”
Vince’s shoulders slumped. “Fine.” He sighed. “We’ll go upstairs. For a little while.”
Claire grabbed hold of her Daddy’s hands and brought him upstairs. Behind her, he mumbled to Lorelei as they passed. Claire tried to ignore it as she imagined all the naughty things she was going to do to him.
In the master bedroom, away from Lorelei’s gaze, Claire blinked at Vince and in a sultry yet sweet tone, said, “Daddy, I want you.”
Vince sat on the end of the bed slowly taking off his tie. “I’m beat,” he said. “I don’t have the energy. Not tonight.”
Claire moved around the big, king bed. She wasn’t often given the chance to be in their bedroom. This was where he spent time withher, pleasuringher. Claire didn’t want to be the jealous girl, but she couldn’t stop the feelings from bubbling up every now and again. She looked into the bathroom, clasping her hands behind her back as she peered at the big, porcelain tub.
