Page 69 of Pin-up Girl

When he saw me, his light green eyes softened, and he traced the shell of my ear. Stepping closer, he pulled out his phone and typed me a message.

You are beautiful. We always knew you’d be a great pin-up girl.

My first real smile in days popped out, and I leaned up to kiss his cheek. A red lip print stayed behind, and the possessive bitch inside me loved it. “Thanks, Jules.”

His lips twitched, but he showed no other sign of amusement.

Emmett stepped out of his room, then turned to lock his door.

“I think I see a pattern here.” He had on a black suit as well, only his mask was of a gold and black demon, even sporting curved horns. All the girls were going to eat him up. Not only did he look slightly evil and like a dangerously good time, his jawline was sharp enough to cut diamonds. “I should have just worn something black and got a mask.” The anonymity sounded pretty enticing too.

Emmett spun around and stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth gaping. “Huh.”

That was it. A fucking ‘huh.’

“All right, let’s go. Hopefully, we can get away with just an hour or so and come back,” Milo muttered under his breath as we walked down the hallway. Tonight, the house was mostly empty, since the frat party started over an hour ago.

I wanted to ask questions about where we were going—what kind of property it was, possible escape routes—because that was how Cass and I always operated. But they didn’t seem receptive to anything other than silence.

The ride was long, with low rap music to keep us company. Milo didn’t even give his brief before we pulled up to another mansion that was about half the size of Milo’s family estate. This really must be nothing dangerous if he didn’t want to have a last-minute chat about it.

Cars lined the drive, and music could be heard all the way outside, so the sound system must have been legit. Two men dressed in all black—much like my dates, sans the masks—stood at the bottom of the wide, sprawling white steps. With clipboards and earpieces, they must’ve been the security to make sure the commoners of Wellington didn’t get in. There had to be some students stupid enough to try it if they caught wind of the party, not even realizing these people were the scum of the earth.

I looked left and right at the top tier of Alpha Delta Omega. At one time, I thought the same about them. Funny how life threw curve balls and flipped your entire plan on its head, shifting your view of the world.

“Good evening. Names, please?” asked the closest security guard as we got within two or three feet of him. The other guard had his hands clasped, watching the yard. I guess we really were late. Apparently, everyone showed up on time to Derek’s parties. Everyone except the kings.

“Milo Kingston and guests.” Milo stepped forward, smoothing a hand down the front of his tux. The guard didn’t ask our names, merely studying each of us for a few brief seconds. Not sure what good that did, because everyone wore masks except for me.

“Perfect. Please make your way inside. Refreshments are served in the dining area, the party is in the main living areas, and the rest of the house is off limits. Please find a staff member if something is not to your liking.”

Milo nodded and breezed past him with the three of us on his heels.

“Wow, not your standard college party,” I muttered under my breath. “It’s like he’s in training on how to be a pretentious bastard when he grows up.”

“Oh, he’s already completed his training. Derek justisa pretentious bastard,” Milo returned in an equally low voice as he reached the top of the stairs. He reached back for my hand and rested it in the crook of his arm.

I glanced up at him, a little confused at his sudden show of affection. Since his father’s house, they’d all essentially treated me like a leper. When he looked down, he bent his head and took my mouth in a slow sensual kiss. My toes curled from how good it felt, and for a second, I forgot we were about to walk into a viper’s den.

Milo pulled away and nuzzled my neck. “The door is glass, and a few senior brothers are watching us.”

Well, fuck him. On one hand, I got that he was cementing my place with them. Nothing good would come of it if the whole frat knew we were having issues. Then again, fuck him for playing with my heart. He’d get one warning after tonight.

Jules opened the door, and we strolled through like we owned the place. Now I felt even more stupid as I took in what literally everyone here was wearing—black suits, tuxes, and evening gowns were literally the only attire. The only thing that gave the attendees any kind of self-identity were their unique masks. I didn’t see any two that even remotely matched.

“Thanks for telling me about the masks and black dress code,” I hissed under my breath.

With an almost apologetic tone, Milo replied, “Derek’s parties have always been black attire and masks, so I didn’t think you’d need to be told since you did your homework on the fraternity. But I much prefer your costume anyway.”

“I received information on you three, not the frat in general, and definitely not Derek’s parties.”

“My apologies.” He lifted my hand to press a soft kiss to my knuckles. I sighed, more in surrender than anything else.

Jules took my other hand as we moved through the crowd, pretending we weren’t the center of attention. I mean, normally this wouldn’t bother me, but something about wearing a somewhat skimpy halter dress when everyone else looked like they were at a gala really fucked with a girl’s self-confidence. I tipped my chin up and kept any emotion from my face. Even if they did stare, they’d never get the satisfaction of knowing they caused me any discomfort. In the words of Cass, the pricks could eat a dick.

The music was popular club music, but no one was dancing. More like this was a weird cult gathering under the guise of a party. Actually, that was exactly what this was. A meeting of the minds with the young protégés who would leave college and take their rightful places in their daddy’s company, only doing moderate dirty work. No, the real kind of dirty work was what the grunts like me and Cass were for. How many of these fucktards were going to be the next Roberts, fucking up the lives of innocent kids whose only sin was to be attached to dumbass parents?

When we reached the bar, the small line parted so Milo could walk right up to the bartender. Jules rubbed gentle circles on the small of my back, turning me toward him.

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