18. Vani
18
VANI
I ’m so nervous, my hands are shaking, and I have to grit my teeth to prevent them from chattering.
I use the maps app on my phone to wind my way through the woods and ensure I’m heading in the right direction.
I can’t believe I’m doing this. So many times, I’ve thought of simply not showing, but if I didn’t, I do believe Lex would go to Mr. Rossi.
This is a dangerous and stupid thing I am doing, but there’s also a part of me that’s turned on and excited. I find these three men intriguing and hot as hell. Zane, especially, has me thinking all the time about his size and sheer heft. He’s huge, and I bet he fucks like a machine. I imagine his powerful thigh muscles bunching as he rams into me, working that big body and chasing the high.
God, I need to get a grip. I’m not going there as an equal. There might not be any fun in this for me. They are going to offer me a deal, and I’m not stupid. I can imagine what it will be. Give them hand jobs and suck their dicks in exchange for their silence.
Still, when they actually say it, I plan on acting outraged and shocked.
I decided something in the early hours of this morning. If they want my body, they can have it. Not my V-card, but the rest. But they don’t get me . I’m going to mess with their heads the way they clearly want to with mine. Let them think I’m innocent and na?ve, and then when they aren’t expecting it, hit them with something like a striptease or a suck job where I spit on their cock and work them so hard and fast they see stars.
When I’m done with them, they won’t know if I’m the Madonna or the whore or both. I’ll never let them have or see the real me. I’ll play their twisted games, but nothing more.
I almost laugh out loud when a thought hits. What if they don’t want me for kinky sex sessions but it turns out they just want my help with getting some other girl to notice them?
Oh, God, what if I’ve read this all wrong?
I’ve been imagining all this crazy bad stuff, but I could be so wrong. They might not even want me that way, and I should be relieved at the thought, but instead, I feel a sharp bite of disappointment.
I want them to desire me.
The woods open into a clearing, revealing a small, dilapidated building. It’s definitely not a mansion, no matter what they call it. A couple of the windows on the first floor are cracked, and the roof looks like it’s missing a few tiles. Nature has also tried to reclaim the place, ivy crawling up most of the front, and vines creeping around the guttering. It has a certain charm, though—like a cottage in a fairytale. But then I remind myself that things tend not to go well for whoever enters those cottages.
There are lights on behind the cracked windows. It’s not quite dark, and I stand there, wondering if they know I’m here yet. I try to get a feel of what’s going on inside, but there’s no music playing or voices to be heard.
I have no idea what I’m walking into.
I shiver and wrap my arms around myself, rubbing at the bare skin of my shoulders. I should have brought a hoodie. Instead, I’m in a strappy top and a pair of baggy sweatpants. The top reveals my curves, while the pants try to say I’m not trying too hard. Who the fuck am I kidding?
I think of the file I took from the dean’s office. It covers most of my sister’s time at the school—her report cards, her sporting event achievements, her room number. It’s proof she’s here and gives me plenty to go on. Especially her room number.
I go to the front door and lift my hand to knock, but it opens before I get the chance.
The space is filled with Zane’s huge form. He stares down at me with those breathtaking eyes and says nothing.
I try to imagine what life is like for him. He must be so frustrated, not being able to make himself heard. Although with his size and charisma, he clearly still makes his presence felt.
“Are you going to let me in, big guy,” I say, trying to sound playful rather than terrified, “or are we just going to stand here, staring at each other?”
His lips tweak in a smile, and he steps back, allowing me through. But he keeps his hand on the doorframe, so I have no choice other than to duck beneath it. I brush past his muscular chest, inhaling the scent of sandalwood and leather. Damn, he smells good. It takes every drop of my self-control not to turn my face and press it to the front of his t-shirt.
I walk through into a living space. It’s tidier inside than it is outside. In fact, it’s almost luxurious. There’s painted wall paneling, and furniture that appears to be handmade. A small chandelier hangs from the ceiling—perhaps an ironic nod at the nickname of “mansion.” On the wall is a framed image of some lines of poetry.
Hot blood,
Hot thoughts,
Hot deeds.
Why, they are vipers.
I recognize the first line as being from a tattoo that Zane has. They must have adopted the phrase for themselves.
One of the twins is lounging on the couch, his arm thrown casually over the back of it.
He glances over at me. “You came, then?”
Which one is he? It unnerves me not knowing how to deal with them. Saint is by far the friendlier one. He’s also not a fucking stalker. It’s bugged me all day how Lex managed to just happen across me picking the dean’s office lock. It can’t have been a coincidence. The bastard must have been following me. I wonder how differently things would have turned out if it had been Saint who’d found me. Would I be standing here now?
But then I realize he must have agreed to this, too. All three of them did. Sure, it was Lex’s idea, but they didn’t exactly manage to talk him out of it.
“Yeah, I came,” I reply, still unsure who I’m talking to. “I didn’t think I had much of a choice.”
I’m aware Zane has followed me in here and is now blocking my escape route with his body. My pulse races, and I try to calm my breathing.
“You had a choice. Come here or let the dean deal with you.”
It’s definitely Lex I’m talking to. I know them well enough by now to decipher that much.
“You chose to come here,” he finishes.
He’s right. I’m hardly innocent in this. I was the one who broke into the dean’s office on my very first day. That was pretty fucking dumb of me. I should have waited, gotten the lay of the land better. Made some real friends, maybe—not that doing such a thing has ever come easily to me.
Movement comes from the doorway on the opposite side of the room, and Lex’s twin appears.
Saint greets me with a wide smile. “ Bon soir ! Our guest of honor is here! Welcome to our humble abode.” He gestures around lavishly.
I can’t help but smile in return. He’s so extra. I’m pretty sure the clothes he’s wearing cost as much as my bike.
I also know they don’t live here. They have rooms in the halls, just the same as the rest of the students. This is just their hangout spot. I wonder how many other girls they’ve brought here, and an unexpected stab of jealousy goes through me. I shake it away. I don’t give a fuck what they’ve been up to in their pasts, and I don’t care about their futures either. I’m just here to get this deal done so I can get on with finding my sister.
“What can I get you to drink, Vani with a V?” Saint says. “We bought you some very expensive white wine, though I don’t know if that’s what you like.” He suddenly seems troubled. “We probably should have asked.”
“I wasn’t expect—” I start, but he cuts me off again.
“There is food, too. I mean, not a whole meal, but there’s charcuterie if you’re hungry.”
I wasn’t expecting this. Wine and food make me feel like this is more of a date, and that wasn’t the impression Lex gave me of the situation at all. Besides, there are three of them, and only one of me, so how the hell can it be a date? Unless Saint thinks I’m just here for him? Is that what Lex told him? But then why is Zane also here?
I’m so confused.
Before I’ve had the chance to probe any further, Saint has already vanished back into the kitchen. He returns a moment later with a glass tumbler filled with chilled, white wine, which he presses into my hand.
I’m more of a beer drinker, but right now I need something to loosen me up. I have no idea what’s going on here. I take a big gulp. It’s delicious—crisp and tart—but while I want to relax, I also need to keep my wits about me.
“Are we going to talk about why I’m here?” I say, deciding to get it over with.
Lex gets to his feet. “Yeah, the deal.”
Saint pulls a face. “Can’t we just hang out for a bit first?”
“I’d prefer to know what’s ahead.” I tighten my grip around the glass.
Lex moves in front of me and plucks the glass from my hand, setting it on a small side table. It looks to be high quality, and, to my amusement, he uses a coaster to prevent condensation from marking the wood.
“Are you a virgin, Vani?” he asks.
I cock an eyebrow. “Do I look like a virgin to you?”
“You haven’t answered the question.”
Saint chimes in. “She wouldn’t still be a virgin having grown up in an MC.”
Lex glances over to his brother. “Still, I want to hear her say it.”
I lift my chin and lie. “No. I lost it when I was fifteen with the son of one of my father’s friends. He was older than me and made sure it was good. I came multiple times.”
I watch the twitch beside his right eye as he absorbs this extra detail.
“That’s good,” he says, and this time it looks like he’s the one who’s lying.
Saint moves to join him, so now both twins are standing directly in front of me. I look between them, marveling at how identical they are. Lex dresses more casually than Saint, and, of course, there’s the mole, but otherwise I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart.
“Why is it good?” I dare to ask.
Lex gives a strange kind of smile. “I wouldn’t want our cocks to fuck up a virgin pussy.”
I fold my arms over my chest. “Who said I’m letting your cocks anywhere near my pussy?”
From out of nowhere, Saint’s hand snatches out, wrapping around my throat. “A little whore like you will let us do whatever the fuck we want.”
I give a choked cry and yank at his hand.
“Saint,” his brother warns.
Saint releases me, and I find myself staring at him in shock. It was Lex I’d expected to do shit like that. I swear I can still feel the imprint of his fingers around my throat. Will there be bruises in the morning? What the fuck is going on? I seriously need to run.