Chapter 2 #2
“Don’t worry about him, Luce,” Ryder said, though his eyes followed Cole’s retreating form with obvious irritation.
“He’s just stressed.” His gaze shifted to me, a familiar heat entering his expression.
“Maybe our Poison can help relieve some of that stress when we get home, hmm?” He punctuated the suggestion with a wink that made my cheeks burn.
The implication was clear; he blamed me for Cole’s mood.
If I gave in, then their blue balls could breathe, and I would lose any chance I had of escape. Not going to happen.
A sharp laugh from Julia’s table drew everyone’s attention.
“Oh, I’m sure Cade’s well acquainted with Cole’s rough side by now,” she called out, loud enough for nearby tables to hear. “Especially after that little punishment session three weeks ago. Tell me, Cade, did you enjoy having all three of them-“
“That’s enough.” Logan’s voice cut through the dining hall like ice.
“Julia, shut the fuck up before I shut you up, for good.” His attention shifted to Hannah, who suddenly looked very small under his glare.
“And you might want to remind your friend that discussing Regent business could have serious consequences for her own... arrangements.” Hannah’s face went pale, and she quickly grabbed Julia’s arm, whispering something urgent in her friend’s ear.
The threat in Logan’s words was clear. Hannah’s own Regents wouldn’t be happy to learn she’d been spreading stories about Covenant House business.
I couldn’t take it anymore. The memories Julia’s words had stirred up, combined with the suffocating presence of Ryder and Logan on either side of me, became too much to handle.
“Excuse me,” I managed to say, proud that my voice didn’t shake.
“I need to use the bathroom.” I stood quickly, not waiting for permission or a response.
As I walked away from the table, I could feel every eye from the two tables on me.
The weight of their stares, their judgement, their speculation about what exactly had happened three weeks ago, made my skin crawl.
The closest bathroom was mercifully empty when I pushed through the door.
I locked myself in the furthest stall, pressing my forehead against the cool metal as I tried to steady my breathing.
The tears I’d been holding back threatened to spill over, but I refused to let them fall.
I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of breaking down, not even in private.
God, I was so frustrated. Not just sexually, though three weeks of their constant teasing had left me perpetually on edge, but emotionally, mentally. The strain of maintaining this perfect facade while dealing with their different forms of torment was wearing me down.
Cole’s anger hurt the most, in a way. His cold shoulder and hostile glares felt like a betrayal, especially after the moments of kindness he’d shown me before.
The fact that he seemed to blame me for his part in my punishment made it even worse.
As if I had somehow forced him to participate, as if I had asked for any of this.
Logan’s calculated control was its own kind of torture.
The way he watched me, always assessing, always planning his next move.
The ghost of touches that never quite landed, the promises in his eyes that he couldn’t act on unless I begged.
He was playing the long game, I knew, waiting for me to break under the pressure of my own desires.
And Ryder... God, Ryder was the worst in his own way.
His desperate need for connection, the way he pushed against the boundaries of our new arrangement at every opportunity.
The constant touching in public, the whispered promises of what he’d do to me if I just asked, the way he looked at me like a starving man eyeing his last meal.
His obsession was becoming more obvious by the day, and it terrified me as much as it thrilled some dark part of myself that I didn’t want to acknowledge.
I closed my eyes, remembering that morning after the punishment.
How I’d scrubbed my skin raw in the shower, trying to wash away their touch, their taste, their claiming of my body.
The tears had come then, hot and endless under the scalding water.
I’d been so determined to report them, to end this twisted game once and for all.
But then I’d run into James Killingham on my way to the headmaster’s office.
I had only met him once and knew he had some sort of pivotal role in this whole thing.
He’d seemed so concerned, so understanding, so I tried to use that to my advantage.
He told me that he had heard that the punishment had been activated and that he was sorry, but it was all within the confines of the contract.
That was what gave me the idea. I’d told him about the new rule that Logan had put in place and that I wanted it added to the contract.
His quick agreement, even when I said that I wanted the consequences of breaking the rule to be my freedom, was surprising.
I never thought he would go for it, but he had been all too eager to add in the new stipulations.
Maybe my less than regal background was a stain on the Regent name, and he saw it as a way to rectify it, but I wasn’t going to argue if it got me what I wanted.
The guy’s reaction to the contract changes had been explosive.
Their anger had manifested in different ways, Logan’s cold fury, Ryder’s hurt betrayal, Cole’s bitter resentment.
But they’d been dragged into the administration office and forced to accept it.
The rules were clear now: there was no sex unless I consented to it.
It was the perfect revenge in a way. Using their own system against them, making them live by the strict rules they were so fond of enforcing.
But the cost of maintaining this resistance was higher than I’d anticipated.
The constant tension, the growing frustration on all sides, the way my body betrayed me with every casual touch or heated look…
The sound of the bathroom door opening snapped me out of my thoughts. I quickly wiped at my eyes, though no tears had actually fallen.
“Cade?” Megan’s voice echoed in the tiled room. “Are you in here?” I took a deep breath, steadying myself before unlocking the stall door. Megan stood by the sinks, her expression sympathetic.
“Julia’s a bitch,” she said immediately. “And Hannah’s just a desperate wannabe who’d spread her legs for any guy who looked her way twice. Don’t let them get to you.” I managed a weak smile, moving to the sink to splash some cold water on my face.
Megan glanced around the bathroom, checking under the stalls to ensure we were alone before lowering her voice.
“Damien’s been asking about you.” My heart skipped at the mention of his name.
Three weeks ago, after witnessing my punishment, Megan had come to me in secret, offering to help.
She’d become our go-between, carrying messages between Damien and me as we tried to find a way out of this contract.
She had been horrified at how I had been treated at the dinner that I was forced to kneel through.
She said she knew I wasn’t happy, and if Damien could help me get away from all this, then she would help.
Her Regents weren’t watching her as closely as mine were, so it was easier for her to secretly meet with Damien.
“I’ve been trying to get time alone in the Covenant House office,” I whispered back, keeping my voice low.
“But Cole’s always there during our tutoring sessions, and he never leaves me alone.
” The frustration in my voice was clear.
We needed access to those files, needed to find something we could use to break this hold they had over me.
Megan nodded, understanding the implications.
“I’ll let him know. Maybe we can-“
The bathroom door swung open again, cutting off whatever she was about to say. Cole stood in the doorway, his impressive frame filling the space as his eyes locked onto me.
“Time for tutoring,” he said gruffly, his tone making it clear this wasn’t a request. I scowled at him.
“Did you miss the sign about this being the girls’ bathroom?” I snapped. Anger flashed through his eyes, and he took a step forward before stopping himself. I watched as he clenched his fists before turning on his heel.
“Now, Cadence,” he called over his shoulder.
“Don’t push my limits any more than you already are; you will not like the results.
” The door slammed behind him, and I glanced at Megan as I quickly said goodbye, trying not to let my panic show.
Had he heard anything? Had he been standing there long?
The thought of him discovering our secret communication with Damien sent ice through my veins.
I left Megan in the bathroom with a promise to try to get access to what we needed and scrambled to catch up with Cole as he made his way out of the school building to the car park.
At worst, I was in for a new, worse punishment; at best, a tension soaked afternoon of maths. I wasn’t sure which I would prefer.