Page 7 of Such A Bad Girl

“Umpfgh,” I groaned into his shirt. I took a step back and stared up at him, my heart skipping a beat, just as it always did when I saw him. His chiseled face never failed to have that effect on me. He nodded a greeting at Kaylee and turned to me with a scowl.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?” He growled.

“I’m going home in a minute,” I lied. “I uh, I’m not feeling well.”

“Where’s your security guy?”

“Waiting for me outside,” I said. Lie number two. In my haste, I’d forgotten to call him to pull around and I’d be bombarded by paparazzi during my wait.

“I didn’t see him, and I just came in,” Theo argued.

“I’ve got it handled,” I said.

Theo growled his displeasure, squinted his stormy eyes, and turned away with a head shake that was half disappointment and half exasperation.

I had no idea why he treated me this way.

I’d been obsessed with him forever, much to my dismay. There were times when he acted like we hadn’t gone through one of the most traumatic experiences ever together. Like our dark secret didn’t even exist. You’d have thought that might warrant a little warmth now and then, but Theo apparently did not think so.

The truth was, I had no idea what Theo was thinking.

He was impossible to get close to, forever holding me at arm’s length.

Like if we got too close, we’d both go up in flames.

But sometimes, late at night, when I was all alone, I was sure that if I didn’t get close to Theo, my repressed desire for him would explode.

Going to the temple, and finding someone else, was my only hope at dousing those flames.

“Will Theo be there tonight?” I asked Kaylee as we entered the ladies room.

“He’d better be. He’s leading the initiation.”

My heart pounded with excitement that didn’t fade the rest of the night.

Chapter Two

THEO

“Who invited all these people?” I asked. Rian stood next to me, his eyes scanning the crowd with hunger.

“I don’t know but I’m glad they’re here,” he said, just as his predatory gaze landed on a curvy blonde in the corner with a rhinestone mask concealing her face.

“I think West must have invited more than his share,” I said. “And he’s not even here to help us filter through them. This is going to take forever. I’m exhausted already.”

“My man,” Rian said, placing a warm and heavy hand on my shoulder, “you need to chill the fuck out. Look around you, Theo. You’re surrounded by people that would kill to kneel at your feet and worship the ground you walk on. With the twitch of a finger, your every fantasy can play out in the very temple that you created with your blood, sweat and tears.”

“I didn’t do it alone,” I reminded him. As if he needed reminding. He and West had been with me every step of the way.

“My point is, you should partake in the fruits of your labor. Feast, brother! I know I certainly plan on doing just that myself. That’s the whole point of our vision, isn’t it?”

His question struck a nerve. I was sure of our vision in the beginning, but I wasn’t sure what it had turned into now. After all the drama of what we’d gone through the last few months, my initial motivation seemed to escape me. Lately, my biggest fantasy was something I’d never be able to experience.

“For example,” Rian said, gesturing towards a trio of masked women dancing together near the DJ booth. “A blonde, a brunette, and a curvy raven-haired beauty. The trifecta!”

“They’re lovely, but I’m not interested,” I said.

“That’s good, because I think I’ll take all three for myself,” Rian said, always enthusiastically adopting ‘the more the merrier’ mindset.

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