Page 99 of Thorns of Malice

I shrug. "Surviving. I don't know. That's a loaded question." I take another sip of champagne, feeling my butterflies kicking off again.

"That's understandable," she states.

I decide there's no point in beating around the bush. "What happened to you after the video got posted in Dyer's classroom?"

She licks her lips, downs her bubbly, then gets up. She goes to the bar, brings the bottle over, and refills her flute. She sets the champagne on the table, answering, "That's a loaded questiontoo. But I don't think it destroyed my life as badly as it probably did yours." She drinks more champagne.

I set my glass on the table. "What do you mean?"

"My father hated the video, of course. It embarrassed him, but he survived it. His people shut it down pretty quickly, and somehow, it never got out. I don't know how. You would think it'd be viral, me being a senator's daughter and all."

"Does he still talk to you?" I question.

She grunts. "It's more like I don't talk to him."

"Why?"

She takes another large mouthful, then answers, "Because I was always the senator's daughter. All that ever mattered was that I was the senator's daughter. I got tired of trying to be perfect, to fit into his precious little world where the only things that mattered were voters and his fake family image."

Sympathy fills me. "That must've been a lot of pressure."

She mumbles, "You have no idea," and drinks more of the champagne.

"So, your father got upset and took care of the video footage. Then what?" I question.

She leans back on the couch. "I stayed at Clifton. I tried not to get on any more videos, but I still had my fun. If anything, it just opened the door for more of it." She grins.

Confused, I ask, "More of it?"

She leans closer and puts her hand on my thigh. The spark ignites within me, and I inhale sharply.

She admits, "I like to have fun, Ivy. I like to have lots of fun involving sex. Women, men, I don't care. But I like sex. And after that video..." She leans back and laughs. "Well, I had my pick of the litter. People were coming out of the woodwork. All the work in my classes was done by other people, and I fucked my way through college. I got straight A's, by the way." She winks.

I gape at her.

She laughs again and finishes her champagne, then refills it once more. "Why do you look so shocked? I would've thought you, of all people, would understand what wanting sex is like." She grazes her thumb over my thigh.

I close my eyes, shuddering. "Lilly?—"

She moves her hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

I open my eyes and meet hers. "I'm a sex addict. When they drugged me?—"

"I know all about that drug," she claims.

My heart beats faster.

"I didn't know they drugged you. I never would have agreed to that. All I did agree to was to have sex with you that night. It wasn't supposed to go down how it did." She blows out a breath of air, then looks away.

My pulse increases. "Go down how?"

She stays silent, continuing to look away.

My voice grows firmer. "Lilly, what did you have to do with that night?"

She shakes her head and then finally meets my eye. "Bobby approached me with Avery. They said they wanted me to seduce you, and we'd all have a fun night. And it was fun for me. I liked you, Ivy. Everybody did. The entire campus was into you and wanted to have you. Maybe it's because we knew we couldn't. But I wouldn't have done it if I had known they drugged you. I thought you were doing things of your own free will. I'm not into people doing things they don't want, and if I had known, I wouldn't have gone through with it. No matter what, I would not have gone through with it," she insists.

My insides churn. I stare at her, trying to decide if I believe her, and my gut says that I should.

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