Page 118 of The Masks She Wore

?I straightened and pulled it out, uncaring that Jack was watching it intently to see who had messaged me.

Viv:Have fun at the Mayor’s tonight!

Pick up a hot dude, forget about

the one who brought that girl over.

She didn’t even ask if I was okay after that party. Never mentioned it.

?“How are you feeling about her?” Jack asked when I locked my phone without responding.

?I looked back towards the window and shrugged. “I don’t know how I feel about her,” I answered truthfully. “She’s my best friend, but she hasn’t texted me since the party, and the more I’ve thought about it over the last few days, the more I’ve been realizing that she’s kind of a shitty friend. Always there in the good times. Partying, laughing, making light of everything, but then giving me back-handed compliments about certain things in my life.”

?My eyes lifted to his. “Maybe you were right. Maybe she is a bad person, and I was just so used to having her around, I didn’t want to admit that she’s always been a shitty friend.”

?He kissed my hair. “I’m sorry.”

?“For what?” I asked, somewhat bitterly. “You people told me she was bad news, I didn’t want to listen.”

?“I’m sorry because she was still your friend. That wasn’t a lie. The pictures weren’t photoshopped. She was still your friend.”

?My eyes narrowed and I leaned back enough to really look him in the eyes. “What?”

?Jack nodded. “You two, as far as I can tell, really have known each other that long. You were never enrolled in that school, but those pictures weren’t faked.”

?I searched his eyes for several seconds before turning towards the front of the car. So, we have been friends since we were teenagers, but if I wasn’t enrolled, we didn’t meet in school? Great. Well, at least that part of my life was only half a lie. “What’s the plan for tonight?” I asked instead. “Do you have an assignment here? Are you going to interrogate the Mayor or his wife for information?”

?“My onlyassignmenttonight is you,” he told me. “So unless I think the Mayor is involved with you somehow, then no.”

?I looked out of my window, my mood soured by the whole Viv thing. “Well, I never fucked him, if that’s what you’re worried about. I just want to go, play nice, and leave.”

?Jack was quiet a moment. “Why do you accept the invitation if you don’t like going to these things?”

?“Because the person I thought was my mom always went to these things,” I answered coldly. “I’m her daughter, and to everyone in this city but us, she was just a beloved art dealer. I wouldn’t want to tarnish her fake reputation because I’m bitter about her lying to me. To everyone.” I rolled my eyes and pushed his arm away, suddenly too hot. “Everyone has a role to play, this has always been mine.”

?Mr. Blakely pulled up in front of the Mayor’s house. It was grand, fit for parties, balls, anything you could think of. It was decorated in lights, music drifting through the air, people streaming up the stairs.

?There wouldn’t be as many people in attendance as there had been at the last party, but it would still be the talk of the city for a while.

?Mr. Blakely stayed in the car this time, allowing Jack to open mine for me and lead me out.

?I had always felt confident going to these things. Beautiful, incomparable to most everyone here, even though everyone here was absolutely stunning. But tonight was different. Tonight, I had Jack. I had secrets only few people in this world knew.

?Tonight, when all of these people went home to their sad marriages and their dry beds, I’d go home and get tied up to mine, fucked until I cried, and then fucked some more. I was the only one with a letter carved into my skin. The only one in the world who had been claimed by a member of Malachi’s family. I was it.

?I had power. Real power.

?And with that feeling came a small smile. My chin lifted as I slid my hand into the crook of Jack’s elbow, making sure that the world could see my ring, my collar, that scar.

?Iwasbetter than them for one simple reason; I had Jack.

?We walked up the stairs, nodding at those who looked over. There were no masks tonight. Everyone knew that it was Rae Bennett who walked arm in arm with this handsome man, and they all stared as if we were some anomaly they couldn’t quite understand.

?It made me feel proud. Unstoppable, I suppose.

?“Careful, Princess,” Jack mumbled into my ear as we reached the top of the steps, “some might see this as confidence that needs knocked down a few pegs.”

?I couldn’t help but smile. “Let them try,” I replied, finding his eyes.

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