We’re new money, the Williams family, yet this lifestyle is all that I’ve known. My parents grew up middle-class, my mother on the upper end of the spectrum, my father firmly at the bottom. They talk of struggle, of sacrifice, and how I should be grateful for the privileges afforded to me.
How can I be when I don’t know any different? I have nothing to compare this with—no fear of what else there is out in the big wide world.
Probably why I risk it all with the silly games that I like to play. Where is the thrill if there’s no risk of consequence?
“Will you be there tonight?” Barrett asks, his brow firm as he studies the road.
“At Libby’s?” I give him my full attention—guys like that. Or should I say, their egos do.
“Yeah.” He glances across, his eyes dipping to the hem of my skirt.
I turn my body toward him a little so that it rises on my thighs. “I’ll be there. I’m meeting Greer at her place beforehand.” I’ve yet to snag a boyfriend since arriving at Riverbourne Prep. To say I feel a little starved and a whole lot desperate would be the understatement of the century.
“Cool.” He makes a forced sounding cough. “Greer’s nice, huh?”
I frown. “She is.” Does he say that because he likes her better than me? Or because he tries to make conversation?
What is it with the guys at my school? Why the heck won’t they go after me? Am I off-limits without knowing so?
I decide to test the idea. We slow for an intersection, pulling to a stop behind a white Range Rover. I lean back in the plush leather seat with a sigh and bring my left hand to my collarbone, selecting a lock of hair with my first two fingers and delicately twirling it around the tips. Back arched and hips down, I pop my chest and wait.
Barrett releases a slow, deep sigh as we pull away again.
Just like that. My mum may not have taught me much, but she did show me how to use my feminine charms to my advantage. I’m frustrated I had to wait this long for one of the targets to make a move. Four boys with their future pre-paid and planned for them. Four boys with more at their disposal than they know what to do with, which is why they need a headstrong girl by their side to help them manage it. A girl such as me.
Also, one of the Chosen.
“Are you going alone?” I set the lock of hair on my shoulder and turn toward Barrett once more.
He glances down at where my hand rests between us, so close to touching him that surely, he can feel the heat of my hand against hip. “I’m meeting the others there.”
“You could give us a ride then?”
His eyes light up as he regards me with a smile. “Sure.” His large hand encases mine and sets it on his thigh.
My chest is too tight to breathe. I’ve done it. I’ve played the game right, obeyed the rules, presented the perfect front for these boys, and now my future is close to guaranteed.
I won. Take that, critics.
“I haven’t decided what I’ll wear yet.” I drop the comment with a disinterested lilt to my words. I want him to think I’m not paying attention to what my little finger does as it creeps toward his groin.
His hips roll beneath our hands as he readjusts his seat. “Something gold.” His hand shifts back to the steering wheel, leaving me free to remove mine should I wish. “You suit gold.”
I only lift my palm to place it against his neck. My fingertips find his warm flesh, the rigidity to his muscles a dead giveaway that he’s affected by my intimacy. “I’ve only got one gold dress.” I pout, brushing my thumb down the length of his jaw. “It might be too short, though.”
“Wear it and let me be the judge of that.”
My breath catches in my throat. Barrett snags my hand in his, bringing my thumb to his mouth. Heat pools low in my belly as he wraps his lips around the tip and tickles the end with his tongue.
I can only imagine what else that skilled muscle is capable of.
“Your place is the next block, right?” Barrett frowns ahead, setting my hand back in my lap.
I turn a little in my seat—ample air for my tight chest hard to come by—and survey the avenue. “Yeah…” My word drifts off on the breeze that cuts through the open window. I take stock of the police car parked outside our townhouse with a frown. What the hell?
I lean forward as we near, perfect poise be damned. The cruiser is most definitely right outside our front door. A cold wave washes through my veins. What if somebody’s hurt? Dad was working from home today, but he could have gone out with Mum, or maybe my brother Colt was involved in an accident.
“Do you know what’s going on?” Barrett pulls in two parks behind the police car, the rumble of his Ferrari softening to a quiet purr. “Why are the cops here, Lacey?”
“I have no idea.” My words fall as a whisper, lost in the small confines of the car when I step out in a daze.
I blindly wander toward our front steps, scouring the cruiser for any sign of someone inside.
“Lacey!”
I turn toward Barrett; my hair tangles in my face.
“You forgot your things.” He climbs out of the car, my MacBook, and folder in his right hand.
The door of the Ferrari shuts with a solid thud after he nudges his hip into it. I take a step forward, yet stall when I note Barrett’s furrowed brow, his gaze trained over my shoulder.
This isn’t good. My gut plummets. I can’t move. I can’t do a damn thing but stand and
