Page 77 of Plaything

“Are they all lies?” Wyatt tried.

I shook my head.

“Let’s think about this,” Jamie began.

“You can think?” Reesia whispered as if she was actually surprised.

“Fuck you.”

Reesia smirked.

“You’re what? 20? You don’t have a perfect credit score.” Jamie started. I stayed quiet.

“There’s no way she speaks French; that would have been brought up by now,” Aiden argued.

“She grew up rich; all those prissy girls learned different languages,” Vincent agreed with Jamie.

“She’s missing ribs, that’s true,” Dominic announced. We locked eyes, and I could see the gears spinning in his mind. He was more than confident in his answer, and he was right. My lower ribs had been removed when I was younger. Dominic taught anatomy, so he probably noticed last night and hadn’t thought twice about it until now.

“She can have a perfect credit score, too,” Wyatt added.

“Final guess?” I asked, ready for the topic to be off of me, as fun as it was watching them all argue.

“I’m saying French is the lie,” Aiden said, sticking with his original guess.

“Me too,” Wyatt smiled.

“You have all your ribs,” Reesia said, and Collin nodded.

“I’m not scared of spiders,” I revealed the lie with a grin. Bugs never bothered me. Rodents, on the other hand, disgusted and could paralyze me with fear.

“Bullshit,” Jamie spat.

“No way! Say something French,” Reesia encouraged.

“Um,” I shrugged. “Je sais parler français depuis dix ans.” I laughed at everyone’s shocked expressions. “I went to France most summers. My credit score is perfect, and I had some kind of medical emergency when I was in middle school; I had to get my lower ribs removed.” I explained.

[I have been able to speak French for ten years.]

Charles had business partners all over the world. Going to France was always fun because I was handed off to a nanny while he was going to business meetings. He’d put my name on multiple credit lines of his, too. I’d always been grateful for his knowledge of finances and real-world readiness; it was the one area he’d set me up for success in. As far as my ribs go, I didn’t remember why they had to be removed. All I remember was Charles insisting that there was something wrong with them. I remember how much I hated the cast and the healing process.

Dominic looked upset at the last part of my sentence, but Aiden and Wyatt also seemed unsettled by something. Aiden was easy to guess; he was wrong again. He was known for being able to read people, and he kept failing. I knew it had to be bothering him.

“Well, it looks like she’s not that bad of a liar after all,” Vincent smirked at Jamie as she began dealing out cards again.

Reesia got out of Collins’s lap and began walking towards their kitchen. “Odette, do you want something to drink?” she asked.

Wyatt seemed to snap out of his thoughts before he smiled at me, “Careful, she pours strong, and it’ll sneak up on you.”

I followed Reesia into the kitchen, where she started pulling out different alcohol and mixers.

“We also have water, juice, pop, milk, and other stuff if you don’t drink,” she informed.

“Thank you. I’ll just have whatever you’re having,” I smiled.

“I make a killer margarita,” she bounced on her heels, looking excited.

“Play nice, Reesia,” Collin warned quietly from the other room, not looking away from his cards.

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