Where Souls Spoil (85 page)

CHAPTER 11

December

16 months to Mancuso’s downfall

The knob twists
easily under my direction. A heavy body bumps into me from behind and shoves me into the room before I’m ready. So much is happening around me and there’s so many people in here—almost all of whom are naked—that I can’t find a single familiar face.

I move deeper into the room, too curious for my own good. A Lost Girl whose name I don’t know hangs from one of the stripper poles. She twirls around effortlessly in front of the mirrored wall with nothing on but a G-string and a pair of bright red heels. At first glance, her body looks to be totally free of ink, but then I see it—one of the Forsaken symbols tattooed on her hip. It’s a smiling skull with the helmet of a Nordic warrior on top. I know some of the Lost Girls have them—these tattoos—but I don’t know how the club goes about deciding who gets tattooed and who doesn’t.

Across the room, also reflected in the mirrored wall, are two Forsaken—one I know and one I don’t—having their way with a naked woman. Bear has his mouth wrapped around her left breast while the man I don’t know has his fingers rhythmically moving between her parted legs. She jerks as her back bows up, and she reaches down to rub Bear through his jeans. I can’t turn away. It’s so intimate and yet out in the open. Nobody cares, though, and in a way, it sort of makes the act more beautiful. Nobody here is ashamed of seeking out and giving pleasure to another. It’s only me.

A firm hand cups my hip, causing me to jump in place. Familiar blond hair tickles at the side of my face as Daniel’s voice fills my ear. “Do you like what you see?”

I want to say no, that I’m horrified by what’s going on here. But I’m not. I’m fascinated.

“Yes,” I say breathily.

He presses against my backside in a move that both shocks and excites me. My hands shake at my sides, and the empty bottle in my hands falls to the floor. The clink catches Daniel’s attention, but his only move is to kick the bottle under a nearby chair. As he lifts his leg, his hard body presses into the bottom of my butt. It’s not his built thighs that catch my attention, nor is it his muscular lower legs. It’s his dick that surprises me. I don’t even like Daniel half as much as I like Jeremy—which is a lot—but he doesn’t scare me the way Jeremy does. Maybe it’s the beer or the casual nature of it. Maybe it’s the place we’re in or the fact that I’m not looking at him. I count my blessings that we’re at the wrong angle to see anything in that stupid mirror. It just makes everything so visible in here. I can see people and things I wish I couldn’t. So instead of focusing on all the bullshit around me, I let myself drift into this and enjoy what Daniel might have to offer.

Right now I’d be okay with seeing where this goes because I don’t worry what he’s going to think of me tomorrow or if my dad is going to approve of us. Not sex exactly, but a little fooling around and maybe third base. There won’t be an us, and I’m not pairing my first name with his last in my head, getting attached to a future that is sure to fail because he’s Forsaken and relationships don’t start like this. Well, unless you’re Nic and Duke, but those two are screwed up and do everything backward anyway.

“I’ll go slow. I’m going to make you feel good, baby,” Daniel says. His voice sounds slick, like he’s selling me a car or forcing me to listen to his pyramid scheme. At some point, I thought he sounded charming. But not now. Now he’s not the guy who flirts with me and pushes my buttons. No, he’s the man who wants to take my virginity. It’s not something I’m ready to give up, and that’s frustrating the hell out of me because I feel like a damn child.

His hands slide up and down my sides, up to just beneath my breasts where he drags a finger along the lower line of my bra, then back down to the top of my jean shorts. His warm breath covers my neck as his lips softly trail from my collarbone up to my jaw. I let my eyes close and just enjoy the moment. They briefly flutter open long enough to see Tracie and Diesel pass by. Diesel’s gaze catches mine just before my eyes close. His angry stare bounces off my dueling desires—to let loose and to be smart—and I find myself suddenly insecure. Diesel’s basically been my babysitter the last few months. He’s either taken me to school or has let me follow him in my Bug, but he screwed my best friend, so I’m not sure he can really serve as some kind of moral compass.

Soon the image of his disapproving glare fades from memory, and it’s just me with Daniel’s lips on my neck, his hands traveling the curves of my body. His hands slip under the legs of my shorts a few inches before circling most of my thigh and then dragging down a little lower on my leg. He’s careful not to touch me any place too private, which helps keep this being okay in such a public place.

“Happy birthday, big boy!” Chel’s voice rings loud in my ears. My eyes snap open and immediately search my surroundings before landing on her barely clothed frame. Her dyed red hair is down in waves, and her makeup is heavy, which I assume is typical on a night like tonight. She’s slowly swinging her body in sultry dance moves with her eyes focused on something in front of her.

The crowd slowly parts as Fish brings a folding chair through the throngs of people. He sets it down in the center of the room, and it’s only then that I see Jeremy. The back of his cut stares me down, judging me for letting Daniel touch me in ways I wouldn’t let him. I want Jeremy to turn around and see me, to stop Daniel, and to tell me how sorry he is for pushing me when I wasn’t ready. I want his arms around me. I want his lips on mine, marking me, claiming me as his. I want him to turn to his right and to see me in the mirror. Just a few degrees and he’d know I was behind him.

But he doesn’t turn around. His shoulders roll as he claps his hands together and shouts, “Hell yes, baby!”

Not even Jeremy’s booming voice breaks Daniel’s concentration. His mouth moves up to my ear, where he sucks gently on my pliant flesh. One of his hands gently rubs my right breast as he bucks his hips into my ass. I give him a small moan that I’m unable to contain. It only serves to encourage and hasten his movements. His hand roughly pinches and twists my breast as he moans into my neck. I wince, but not at the pain. It hurts, sure. But it’s Jeremy being pushed into the folding chair and his pulling Chel into his lap that causes the flash of pain in my chest. He doesn’t care about me.

I’m an idiot.

Chel strips her tank top off and then her bra. She presses her breasts together and shoves them in his face. Greedily, he grabs hold of them and sucks them into his mouth.

“Enough of that,” Duke says as he moves to Chel and taps her shoulder. She nods and taps Jeremy’s nose so he lets go. “You can finish her off later if you want. Right now I got something to say.”

Duke commands the attention of the room with ease. Even the man next to Bear removes his hand from between the naked woman’s legs and looks to Duke. Only Daniel ignores him.

“Butch Whelan is a hell of a man and an even better brother,” Duke says. Jeremy jumps up from his chair and gives Duke a hug, obviously knowing something I don’t. From the angle he’s standing, I can see the blinding grin on his face through the mirror. His eyes sparkle that beautiful dark blue with excitement.

“What the fuck, prospect?” Ryan shouts from someplace I can’t see.

“Suck his dick, prospect!” my dad shouts. My dad. My freaking father is in here. I knew he was in the clubhouse, but I didn’t expect for him to be in here. But he is. I don’t know why I’m surprised. This is some kind of birthday deal for Jeremy.

My eyes travel around the room to see that they’re all here. Every single member of my dad’s club is here. Even Ian is by the door, watching from the back of the room. I guess because it’s a club party, and not only a prospect’s birthday but a member’s son’s birthday as well, that they kind of have to be here. If they’re all here, that means all their girlfriends and wives are here, too. Either that or they’re in the chapel. Party or no, Forsaken won’t leave their women totally unprotected at a time like this.

My eyes nearly bug out of my head when I see Ruby and Holly sandwiched between Uncle Jim and Dad. The two women are chatting about something and barely paying attention to what’s going on around them. I have no clue how they can just pretend all this isn’t happening. I guess my theory about Aunt Ruby babysitting all the kids is bullshit.

“You got it?” Jeremy shouts excitedly. Duke confirms, and they do that manly hug thing where they practically chest bump and slap each other’s backs. When they break apart, Jeremy turns to the room and throws his arms in the air in victory. I tilt my head so I’m better hidden behind a couple in front of me. There’s a large enough crowd between us, but I don’t need him seeing me right this second.

“Butch gave me his blessing,” Duke shouts with a smile on his face. Oh, Butch’s blessing. That makes sense now. It’s a tradition the brothers take incredibly seriously. Nobody gives a shit if the chick is new, but if she’s a member’s kid, you ask for your brother’s blessing. Period. Not asking is a big deal. Duke could marry Nic, and they already have a kid on the way, but wanting to officially make her his old lady without asking her father first is bad news. A smile takes over my face. I don’t remember much about Butch, just that he always gave me gum even after Dad said I wasn’t responsible enough for it anymore. I’d always get it in my hair, or his hair, or in the couch. But Butch would always say that nobody gets to decide what you’re responsible enough to handle but you, and then he’d sneak me a piece. Despite how weird all of this is, I wish Butch could be here to see his son. He’d be proud of Jeremy. They all are.

I am.

Duke shoves Jeremy back in the chair and clears his throat. “Prospects don’t normally get this kind of shit. Because you haven’t earned it. But this fucking prick,” he says and points to Jeremy, “is family. The only thing his dad asked in return for his daughter is that I make sure this asshole gets a pleasure Butch has been denied for too damn long.”

I can’t stop the smile that overtakes my face when Duke shoots Jeremy a huge smile and then winks at Chel. Forsaken really is a family. I crane my neck, ignoring Daniel’s irritated grunt to get a better view of what’s going on. Chel takes the attention away from Duke when she lifts one of her legs to expose the large slit in the crotch of her G-string and places her heel-clad foot on Jeremy’s leg. She purses her lips, her attention wholly on him.

The smile slides off my face, and I’m back to feeling like total shit. It’s not a punch to my gut this time. It’s not a twisting of my heart. It’s more like the breath has been sucked right out of me and has been replaced by acid. The only thing keeping me from running out in this moment is Daniel, who is still bucking at my ass and trailing soft kisses up and down my neck. He’s moved to the other side now and has slipped my bra strap off my shoulder as he peppers every inch of my flesh he can find.

Chel drags her index finger along Jeremy’s jaw and smirks. Then she drops down so quickly that I barely follow her movements. Her fingers work at his jeans, and before I can convince myself that she’s not about to do what I think she is, her head disappears and then bobs right back up. Jeremy’s neck looks like it turns to Jell-O as it flops backward. He moans loudly, his mouth trying to say something. It seems like he can’t form a coherent thought much less vocalize it. Duke’s laughter brings me back to the room. This is happening in front of so many people. Why? Why would anyone do this?

I focus in on Duke, whose laughter dwindles to nothing. Ruby’s voice can’t be heard across the room, but her face has morphed into a scowl. She points at Jeremy, shakes her head, and then points at Duke’s chest. By the time she turns around, I notice that Holly and Alex are already near the door. Dad lumbers after Holly and does his best to ignore Ruby as she walks beside him, still obviously displeased with Duke’s “gift” to Jeremy. Good. I’m glad somebody is as disgusted by this as I am. Uncle Jim is shaking his head and barking something at Duke. Then he leaves the room, hot on his wife’s tail. Duke’s just lucky Nic isn’t in here, or they’d end up in an epic fight. She’s going to find out eventually, and the best I can hope is that I’m far away when she does.