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They snickered, but I wasn’t paying them a lick of attention, not when the heat coursing through my body was almost unbearable. Jesus. Was I actually going to have to slip back to my suite just to beat one out? I hadn’t needed to escape a social situation simply to jack myself off since I was in high school, and the fact that the woman behind me had the power to reduce me to a panting boy wasn’t lost on me.
The banter before us continued, and I had to discreetly shift my hand in front of my crotch in order to cover the raging boner I was currently sporting.
"Yeah, but he kept asking if I was sure that he could spend the night in my bed," she scrunched up her face in confusion and added, "as if I were going to kick him out."
"Believe me," the woman with dark hair interjected, "no woman in their right mind would kick Ajax out of their bed."
Of fucking course they were talking about Ajax SinClaire, the guy seemed like the type to play the field early in the game. Couldn’t blame him, even if I didn’t like the fuck. Nothing Benson SinClaire produced was even remotely good, and so I didn’t hold out high hopes for his kid.
The bottleneck eased until we were finally through the doorway, and before I knew it, the crisp lemony scent that had taunted me was suddenly gone. I couldn’t exactly bolt after her - not without Aria asking a lot of questions, and so I shouldered the way towards the cafeteria, playing the role of friend and Society pawn.
The cafeteria was as over-the-top as anything else that The Society seemed to touch. I followed Aria, allowing her to lead - to choose a table while I scanned the room looking forher. Where the hell did she go? She had to eat right? The cafeteria was a glorified restaurant, encased in greenery with potted plants hanging from the ceiling, some low enough that I had to duck my head a couple of times to avoid smashing the pots entirely. Aria finally chose a table near an ivy wall, the wrought iron setting bold and yet somehow seeming correct for this setting. We weren’t friends, Aria and I, but here I could make a concession - an alliance, even, in sitting at her table.
Before I could think on it too much, Raquel flounced down at our table, along with two other vanilla Society types, Rob and Lyle. Raquel was the kind of girl who exuded confidence. She knew her place in the world, and this also wasn’t her first rodeo when it came to the servitude within The Society. All of those things made her dangerous, and worse still, she was fun. She was easy to laugh and joke with, and if Joshua Penn hadn’t all but taken a piss on her, I might considerplayingwith her. But in the end, challenging Joshua Penn over a woman simply wasn’t worth it.
“What?” Aria barked the question at Raquel, and even I cracked a laugh based purely on the look Raqual gave her. God help Joshua because she was pure trouble.
“Seriously?” Aria sounded almost indigent, but even I had heard the rumors - knew about the scuffle between her and Ajax. Aria and The Society’s golden boy were paired as roommates, which meant that they were probably thrown together to test the waters of the breeding program. Only, for all the softness and innocence that Aria exuded, she seemed to have zero interest in Ajax and his Society ways.
"He slept in another woman's bed and didn't even have sex with her to get away fromyou," I laughed as I offered her the truth. I wasn’t sure what the hell Aria could possibly do to get Ajax to flee her vicinity, but whatever it was made me want to befriend her because, perhaps, she might be a friend worth having.
Her groan was an audible thing as she sunk her face into her hands. It was an odd thing, seeing someone as beautiful as her nearly distraught over some mindless gossip, but then we weren’t all wired the same way.
“How does everyone know?” Aria all but wailed, and thankfully Raquel jumped in to cover up my snort of disdain.Thiswas why I didn’t have many female Society friends. They were all full of drama, and I had enough of my own shit to deal with back home that adding a girl to my arm who would cry over a lost Chanel lipstick was the last fucking thing I needed.
"Because the girl he was with has been praising his…talentsthe whole morning."
Aria glared at Raquel as if her statement offended her. Seems like we weren’t the only ones to hear about Ajax’s skillset.
"Wejustwalked out of our morning lecture - how is it even possible thateveryoneknows already?" Aria’s protest was a feeble thing because, in the end, it didn’t matter how they knew, simply that they did. What would ultimately come out of this was that Ajax was talented, meaning that he’d simply have even more Society princesses panting after him.
"You missed the breakfast rush, but that girl was bragging about 'Ajax SinClaire' sleeping in her bed." Raquel, once again, offered her insight, a grin plastered across her face.
I zoned the fuck out as Aria and Raquel exchanged knowledge about the men surrounding them. I briefly heard mention of Joshua Penn, but I couldn’t care less, not when I was scoping the dining hall for my destructive blonde. I swear she was a psycho Barbie, but something about her was intriguing. Or perhaps I simply needed to get laid, if only to stop thinking abouther.
I didn’t see her, but Ididnotice some suits moving discreetly through the area, their gazes darting around the cafeteria, clearly looking for something, or someone. Was it my roommate they sought?
I glanced back at Aria and Raquel to see if they noticed, but the two of them were too engrossed in their conversation to notice their surroundings, plus the suits were discreet. You wouldn’t notice them if you didn’t know what you were looking for.
"So, what is he doing here?" Aria’s voice filtered through the noise, and while I didn’t know who she was talking about, I responded without thought all the same.
"What we're all doing here - paying our dues."
The silence that settled over our table told me that I had slipped - I had spoken words that threw me out as something other than The Society’s yes man. Or perhaps it was my tone? Who the fuck even knew at this point. Moving forward, desperately needing the distraction and for them to simplyforgetwhat was said, I asked a question I already knew the answer to, “What do we have after lunch?”
“Organizational Take-overs.” Aria grimaced, and I knew that even if she was high maintenance and naive, I wasn’t the only one who resented The Society and all it stood for.
Chapter Eight : The Truth is Often Soaked in Blood
Marissa
IknewthatIneeded to get to work if I wanted to keep The Warden off my back - if I wanted tostayhere and explore my own truths. The only way to ensure that he wouldn’t involve himself or his people in my space was to be proactive.
Mack stood next to the beautiful brunette that was Aria. She could have been a model with her runway physique and high cheekbones, and the fact that they stood shoulder to shoulderirritatedme. It shouldn’t have - not really. I had no right to feel annoyed and shouldn’t want anything to do with him, but my libido was running on high ever since his lips brushed mine.
Which was inconvenient.
Mack’s body temperature ran hot. I felt the heat emanating from him as I stood behind him, bottlenecking in the doorway as he and Aria listened to a conversation about Ajax’s skillset in the bedroom.
