Page 22 of Pretty Vengeance

“The club is run byschool girls,no offense, and I can get school girls to do what I want.”

“How?”

“Leverage.” He settles back in his chair, and there’s a smugness to his expression. He certainly believes what he’s saying. As I open my mouth to speak, he holds up a hand. “No questions. Stay in your lane, Sauce.”

Sucking in my cheeks, I lean back. “What’s my lane?”

He watches me with a predatory air. “Feel free to say no to what I propose. Unlike Clare Duffy, I’m not vindictive about petty bullshit.”

As my fingernails dig into my thighs, I wait, my mind racing with possibilities. My brother’s friends, who are Jamie’s age, like to use girls and use them up. Humiliation is par for the course.

Jamie sits forward. “Our arrangement will include sex and nothing else. No commitment or obligations on my part, other than to help you get into the Briar Club.” His dark smile ignites the forbidden ache he seems to constantly inspire. I don’t want him under my skin, but he’s there. “And unless it’s pre-specified as a ‘hard no’ from you, I can have you however I want.”

I knew he would want sex, so I shouldn’t break out into a cold sweat over his saying the words, but I do. This would be a kind of prostitution. I’d be paying for his help with my body.Quid pro quo.Am I actually willing to do that? Sucking on my lower lip, I look away. He also said he gets to have sex with me in any way he wants, which covers a lot of ground. I rub my palms against my jeans.

From upstairs, the giant’s deep voice bellows, “J, you ready?”

I jerk in surprise. Oh, right. They’re going out. I peer in Jamie’s direction and find his entire attention fixed on me. I like the way that feels.

“You can think about it, Sawyer.” He starts to rise, and my hand darts out to his thigh to stop him.

“I need to clarify some things.” My mouth is suddenly bone dry. Even licking my lips doesn’t quite work.

“Fair enough. Give me a minute to send my mate on his way, and we’ll talk it through.” He rises and gives me a slow once-over.

The way he looks at me is fire. As my flesh hums with anticipation, something startling jars me. “Hey, Jamie?”

Turning back, he says, “Yeah?” His voice is so much warmer than it was outside.

I guess I’m no longer an unwanted intruder. Now, I’m the girl who may give him something he wants.

“It’s our secret from everyone, right?” My gaze drifts meaningfully toward the stairs.

“He lives here, so he’ll figure out pretty quickly that I’m fucking you. But the terms of our agreement can be just between you and me, yes.”

I nod. “That’s what I want. If I decide to?—”

“Grand. That’s settled.”

As he walks away, my head is filled with a jumble of questions and, yes, a few recriminations. Am I really considering this?

I have to admit—if only to myself—there are several compelling reasons that I am. First, I’m out of options. If he really does have a plan that would get me into the Briar Club, I need him to put it into action.

And, just as importantly, a part of mewantsto do this. I’ve never been with anyone who makes my heart pound half as hard as James O’Rourke does. Every inch of him is fucking delicious. And the glint in his eyes when he said he will have me however he wants made my pussy clench.

I’ve had to be so careful all the time. Choosing the right boyfriends. Keeping things so sedate and safe. And the entire time, I’d been wishing for something hot and dirty. I always wondered if it might be because I wasn’t born a cold fish Allendale. Here’s a chance for me to experiment and find out.

Keeping our arrangement a complete secret means no one will know if I let him do every thing I’ve fantasized about.

My heart is like a jackhammer cracking my ribs. I stalk over to the sink and fill a glass with slightly shaky hands.

Careful!the cautious voice in my head screams.

I need to make sure there’s no catch. Someone with Jamie’s looks doesn’t just want a few blow jobs from a girl with double-D boobs. He’s a handsome athlete at an elite school. Plenty of women would have no-strings sex with him.

Ormaybe not. Hookups are super common, of course, but Jamie’s hookups probably want to be more. Landing him as a boyfriend would mean a lot to plenty of women.

When he returns, he glances at the food on the island. “Finished?”