Page 12 of Corrupt Me

“Your disrespect and snarky attitude is unbecoming. I’ll have another conversation with Teo and his father. However, I also heard about a certain incident at the fair. Two of them actually. Is this you acting out? Your mother has been gone too long for this to be related to that but I do see you wearing more of her clothes. Camila, talk to me.” He reaches out a hand for me to take but that is also something I won’t be doing.

I haven’t had a heart-to-heart with my father since before my mother died. Those conversations were always with her—about the boys I liked, or my first period, or trying to figure out where I fit in. As meek as she was, she advocated for me and Ethan. Multiple times. When we lost her, the dynamic of the house changed. Ethan soon found escape, leaving me here to work my ass off so I could move out and leave my father’s unreasonable rules behind.

I take my time weathering my words but realize that that’s what continues to get me in trouble. My father thinks I’m following the rules and then always finds out when I don’t. Time to pop that bubble. “I am not acting out. I don’t need you to talk to anyone because we are adults. Teo and I don’t work. What we want isn’t even remotely on the same page. As for the incidents? Who I spend my time with is my business and Teo needs to learn what ‘no’ means.” My father opens his mouth to say something else when I just hold up my hand. “No. If you’re going to advocate for Teo again, I don’t want to hear it. For the record, most fathers would have said I was pretty or ‘I remember that dress, it was your mother’s’. I don’t expect you to coddle me with nice words or anything but one or two now and then would be wonderful.”

Then I slide past him, knowing that the conversation when I come back home is going to be awful.

“Be back by ten!”

I twist around, putting the last nail in the coffin. “I am not Cinderella. I am a full-grown woman. Unless this curfew is a new rule for living under your roof, I will be home when I get home.”

By the time I make it to the car and slide into the backseat beside Reid, all that confidence is out the window. Reid lovingly strings an arm around my shoulder and kisses my temple. “I’m guessing you got a little fiery with your father. What did he threaten you with before you left?”

“Left before he could say anything,” I mumble, relieved when I catch Ethan climbing over the middle seats to get to me. He perches himself on my other side, taking my hand in his. Their presence soothes the creeping anxiety, Zana meeting my gaze through the rearview mirror. Jace, my cousin who occasionally tags along to nights out to scout for new model talent, merely nods his head in acknowledgment before refocusing his attention forward.

Jace is my cousin from my mother’s side, far removed from the church. He works with some of the top models and movie directors, his business something my father despises. We only met Jace at a small family party and after that, he occasionally pops up at events. I’m not even sure how or why Ethan got invited to Teo’s engagement party but I think it has more to do with Violet calling in reinforcements than an actual invitation.

The rest of the ride is silent and it isn’t until we step into Temple that I realize I’m woefully unprepared for the sheer chaos running through this building. I’ve been to Euphoria a few times but this is a completely different level of sexual curiosity. There’s so much skin. My lips part as I drink it all in, feeling like I’ve stepped away from Ansdale and into some kind of sexual palace with every kind of fantasy imaginable.

Strangely, I don’t feel uncomfortable, just out of my element.

Violet and Sofie are soon attached to my side, dragging me away from my family. I continue to take everything in, watching as the chaos dims when we take a sharp right that opens into a private room. A large glass wall shows the excitement we just came from, bright lights and screams of ecstasy filtered to a minimum. Scents are thick and sweet, the heady aura of sex and desire bleeding into this private room. There are several people I recognize, others that I’m sure are Teo and Penelope’s friends outside the church.

I manage a small smile to the few who give me the time of day, each and every one of them shocked at my presence. I guess Teo hasn’t told anyone about my preferences. That gives me a little relief but not much as Violet and Sofie drag me to one of the tables at the back. Full shot glasses litter every table, the constant chatter and chaotic laughter erupting through the room starting to get on my nerves. Desperate to prove a point—that I am a free, single woman—I kind of forgot that the bombardment of sounds and scents is the exact opposite of what I call a good time.

My hands move to my temples as I rub them furiously. Violet just bursts out laughing. “Mila, you did know it was going to be loud, right? It’s a club.”

“It’s basically a sex club,” Sofie offers. “Anything with consent goes.”

I can see that, especially with the moans filtering in from on my right just outside our room. My body heats with the idea of catching strangers in the act, the slapping of their skin meeting as he probably slides into—

I cough, clearing my head. “How does anyone focus in here?”

“We don’t. We drink, party, and maybe find someone to take the edge off. No, don’t look at me like that. Mila, I know for a fact what you like. We’re besties. This is the best place to do some of that shit. With someone you’ll never meet again. Or and hear me out on this one, go find that Omega and woo the shit out of him.” Violet wiggles her brows and I’m tempted to do just that but I’m painfully sober.

Of course, Sofie has that covered as she snags a few of the shots. “YOLO or whatever the kids are saying these days.”

I scrunch up my nose and shake my head. “Let’s not say that.” I throw back one of the shots, not surprised to find tequila burning its way down my throat. Teo always liked his alcohol expensive and clear. Two seconds later, there’s another six shots on our table, Sofie grinning like a kid in a candy shop as she digs into my purse for the list.

“Now, let’s see what we can cross off this list. Shall we?”

This is a terrible idea, even as I knock back a second and third shot.

The warmth from the alcohol starts to spread through my chest, a silly smile spreading across my face. I steel my nerves and march over to the main table, Teo and his friends holding their breath for me to spew some snarky response. But this is their celebration. I’m not here to ruin it. “Congratulations. I’m really happy you found someone, Teo.” I grab another shot and knock it back, Violet and Sofie dragging me back into the heart of the club before I do any more damage.

Sofie starts laughing as we start moving together, finding our rhythm, the heavy beat of the music vibrating through our bodies. “You realize your words made you sound like a bitch, right?” I shrug. “Oh, good. Now, let’s find something to cross off your list. We’ve got a lot of options.”

Chapter eight

SASHA

The only thought in my head is following that spring scent, the one that lightly hints of pomegranate and honey. It’s hovering on the edge of my tongue, my body drunk with need as I stagger through the club offering hellos and small greetings. My phone keeps buzzing in my back pocket but I ignore it, searching for the woman that’s overtaken my senses. One of the girls showed me my mate’s Facebook and I’ve been rolling Camila’s name over my tongue ever since.

As I make another lap around the back of the dance floor, I stop, my attention catching on a woman freely twirling around in a world of her own. Her sparkly dress fans out around her, bright eyes and full cheeks calling me forward. My heart jumps into my throat as I stumble toward her, not stopping until I’m inches from her, staring down into her gorgeous brown eyes. Long brown waves spill down her shoulders, accentuating the curves of her face.

“Camila,” I breathe. “I found you.”

Her cheeks pink as her hands fall to my arms, my hands settling on her waist. The rest of the world falls away as I stand there, cataloging her adorable features. Goddess, she’s gorgeous. Kolsen and Amiri’s explanations don’t do Camila justice. Heat pumps through my veins and settles in my cock, my nostrils flaring as I’m suffocated by her scent.

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