Chapter 1
Louis
T he more power someone had, the higher their entitlement became.
In their mind they could do no wrong, and everyone else was beneath them.
This was especially dangerous for the adolescent mind.
They already thought the world revolved around them, add wealth and power into the mix and you had a powder keg ready to blow.
Because no matter how untouchable someone was, everyone fucked up.
“I can’t believe you left Martin in control.”
Speaking of fuck ups…
Ryker Hudson redefined that term. He was impulsive, unrelenting, and didn’t give shit what anyone else thought. Especially guys who had a stick up their ass like Martin Creswell.
I shrugged. “He was a better choice than Dean.”
There was something off about Dean Whitley. I couldn’t put my finger on it, I just knew that he wasn’t right. And that was before Cora.
“Trust me.” Ryker rolled his green eyes. “Anyone would be better than Martin.”
“Unfortunately there weren’t a lot of choices. You’re here with me and Sebastian hasn’t graduated high school yet.”
Martin was a stickler for rules. That was exactly the kind of person I wanted to run The Order in my stead. The secret in secret society part would be thrown out the window if Dean was at the helm.
“You could’ve asked your dad.”
No I couldn’t. “You know the deal they made.”
“I had nothing to do with that.”
Typical Ryker. “You were the one who wanted to go after him.”
“Yeah,” He slid his gaze my way. “But I didn’t kill him.”
And that was where I fucked up. To be fair, the guy did rape Dean’s girl, so he kind of had it coming.
Given, I probably could’ve handled it in a more discrete way, but what was done, was done.
The only thing that mattered now was how I handled my fuck up.
Some people chose to hide and blame their mistake on someone else.
I preferred to face my problems head on, and squash them like a bug.
That’s how I was looking at this grand college experience.
It was simply another stepping stone on my way to the top.
Technically I was already at the top, but a king didn’t hold his throne by becoming complacent and lazy.
It didn’t matter how high up someone thought they were, because there was always another step above them.
We rounded the corner and headed down a path to a large white house with music blaring from the open windows.
Ryker immediately smiled. “It’s a good turn out.”
My lip curled at the crowd stumbling around the yard.
All these insignificant people with their little frats and sororities wouldn’t know what true power was if it slapped them in the face.
Their biggest concern was where the next party would be held.
They were the metaphorical bugs waiting to be squashed, and I was the foot ready to crush them. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
Was I being hypocritical in my judgment? Most definitely. Ryker and I had attended many frivolous parties. But that was the beautiful thing about being me. I could call out people while doing the exact same thing, and no one would say shit.
Proof of which came when we stepped through the doors and the Ki Omega president’s face lit up with delight.
He didn’t say a word as we walked past, he just nodded in our direction. Not that I was surprised. He should be happy that we decide to make an appearance. Ryker and I weren’t just any wealthy college kids. We ran the secret society that all these frats whispered about.
Ryker tipped his head my way, “let me guess, scotch?”
“Oh course.” I nodded then added, “but only if it’s single malt.”
He shook his head. “Why would the great Louis Kessler ever drink anything else?”
I wouldn’t, but he knew that. There was a reason Ryker Hudson was my best friend, despite his obvious flaws.
When our fathers left, it was him that kept reminding me how capable I was.
Martin and his brother Sebastian argued that a fourteen year old couldn’t run things.
But with Ryker’s support I proved them wrong.
Dean probably would’ve stood with us, but he was too broken up about Cora.
While the Order was all of our responsibility, the Kings were mine, and I would make sure that Dean got his revenge.
One day I would find Cora Carpenter and make her pay for running away.
The man that hurt her paid with his life, I made sure of that.
And she repaid our loyalty by running away.
Any compassion I had for the girl disappeared the day she took off.
“Should we mingle?”
I leaned back against the wall and scanned the crowd. “Why?”
Talking to these people was a waste of our time.
“You never know who we’ll come across.”
That was Ryker’s subtle way of saying he’d like to prowl for a companion for the night. I was content to stay here and watch. There was a lot you could learn about people by observation alone. How they moved, and the way they reacted told me more about them than any conversation could.
The guy tucked into the corner for example.
He stood in the shadows with his hand in his pocket and gaze shifting around.
My guess was that he was looking for a target to drug.
Then there was the girl in the middle of the room, flaying her arms about as she twirled to the music.
To some she might appear to be drunk and therefore an easy target.
The smile tugging on the corner of her mouth every time she caught some guy watching her, told me otherwise.
Why she would want people to think she drank too much, I had no idea.
Perhaps she wanted to do something stupid tonight and planned to use that a justification.
Next day regrets were particularly hard for girls to live with.
The double standard of our society dubbed fun loving girls as sluts, while the men were revered.
That didn’t mean we cared. In fact we’d call her out for being over used, while using her ourselves.
But that’s all women were to us, something to be used.
Whether it be for marriage, babies or fucking.
Every man out there used their women, regardless of how much they claimed to love them. At least I admitted that.
Ryker nudged me with his elbow and nodded to the right. “Would you look at that.”
When we went somewhere Ryker only had two agendas. Having a good time and getting his dick wet. Both of which he was well versed in achieving. Ryker Hudson was the only guy I knew who could convince a girl that it was her idea to leave before morning.
Because of that, I assumed he’d chosen his next target, which he had. The difference was, that when I saw the girl he had his sights set on, my breath hitched.
She was stunning. A diamond in a crowd of has-beens.
I couldn’t stop staring at her and the more I watched her the more intrigued I became.
The girl was a contradiction. There was this poise about her that was dignified and distinguished.
Yet the neckline of the red blouse she was wearing cut down past her breast, revealing the most supple cleavage I’d ever seen.
My cock was hard before my gaze dipped down to the waistband of her jeans.
Then she turned and I saw her ass. Two firm cheeks wrapped in denim fabric, that my hand itched to smack.
Everything about her had me entranced. The way the light bounced off her golden hair, how her crystal blue eyes sparkled when she laughed, but what called to me the most was the innocent aura surrounding her.
She was perfect.
Why was she here? She couldn’t be any more than seventeen. So young and already breathtaking. In five years men would be falling at their feet to worship her.
I wanted to worship her.
“I’m gonna get a piece of that tonight.”
I couldn’t help but snort at Ryker’s statement. Don’t get me wrong, he was the guy girls begged to have a one night stand with. The charming eligible bachelor in every room he entered. But that girl, was out of his league.
“I think I’m in love, Louis.”
“You said that last week.”
“Hey now, I was in love.” A sly smirk spread across his face. “For that whole two hours.”
I chuckled.
That girl was the first one I’d ever seen slap my best friend. Not that her anger lasted long. Ten minutes was all it took for him to convince her that parting ways was the best thing. She left our house with a smile on her face.
“This one’s different.” Ryker tipped his head and folded his arms over his chest. “I’m gonna marry her.”
My brows knit.
Did he just say marry? In all the years I’d known him, I’d never seen him stick around for the next morning, let alone talk about commitment.
I watched the girl’s pink lips part as she raised a red solo cup to her mouth. Fuck, I wanted to dive into that mouth and lose myself in the way she tasted. My mouth was watering just thinking about it.
But…
My gaze slid over to my friend. I’d never seen his eyes glitter like that.
Ryker was just as taken with her as I was.
Should I still go for it? There was nothing wrong with letting her choose between us.
We were both good looking men with an abundance of charm.
We stood an equal chance. And competition was healthy for the soul.
Ryker let out a sigh. “Could you imagine what our kids would look like?”
Kids?
He really was serious about this one. I couldn’t take that from him. Could I?
I looked back over at her. When I was thrust into a position I was nowhere near ready for, it was Ryker that held my hand.
He was only a year older than me and went up against the other kings.
He stood behind me when I needed him most. Was one girl worth putting that bond at risk?
Women were a dime a dozen, but the brotherhood I had with him…
Sighing, I leaned back and took a sip of my scotch. “You should go talk to her.”
“Yeah,” Ryker nodded, downed the rest of his drink, and straightened his shoulders. “That’s a good idea.”
Seeing him make his way over there was interesting.
Ryker didn’t get nervous, especially when it came to women, yet I could see his sweaty palms from here.
There was no doubt in my mind that he could get her.
Men like us were rarely denied and when we were we took it anyways. Who was going to stop us?
This time, for some reason, it appeared as if Ryker wanted permission.
Interesting.
Perhaps she was better off with him? Whoever she was.
I wouldn’t care if she gave consent or not.
I’d have her either way. Then again, Ryker wasn’t exactly the tender and gentle type either.
Our fathers had to clean up after him more than anyone else.
Precisely why I should do what I could to keep him happy. Since clean-up was now my job.
I put the temptress out of my head and refilled my drink. When I spun back around, the girl’s hand was swinging through the air to strike my friend’s cheek.
That wasn’t what had me cocking a brow though. I expected Ryker to hit her back, or haul her off to some dark corner. He did neither.
Instead, he waltzed back over to me with a smile on his face. As if she amused him.
“I like this one.” Ryker chuckled while cracking open a beer. “She’s fun.”
“Fun?” More like stubborn.
He stared across the room and shot her a wink. “It’s gonna be good when I break her.”
Since when did he like breaking girls? I got the appeal. To me there was nothing sweeter than bringing a strong woman to heel, but Ryker… he was more interested in getting his dick wet.
“Did you at least get her name?”
“Apparently I don’t deserve that knowledge.” Ryker licked his lips and swallowed back a mouthful of beer. “Which she said in cutest southern accent.”
A sweet southern belle prime for the plucking. That only made her hotter. I’d like to see her slap me.
“Do you have a plan?”
Ryker’s lips curled in a smirk. “I always have a plan.”
I had to admit, I was curious how Ryker was going to go about this?
It wasn’t his typical way of doing things.
At this point I wasn’t sure what I was more excited about jerking off to her innocent face, or watching my friend try to maintain control?
Either way, I doubted that the southern belle across the room was ready for the determination of Ryker Hudson.
I sure as hell wasn’t ready for his wrath.