Page 21 of Ramsey & Emerson

I spared her a quick glance. “Roselyn, Ramsey doesn’t need a reason to flip. He’s unstable. He will flip at his convenience, no matter what I or anyone else is doing.”

Roselyn was already shaking her head at me. “You forget that I’m not part of their little brain washing cult, friend,” she reminded me. “I’ve been watching this bazaar universe from an outsider’s perspective for years, and I gotta tell you, chick…I have never seen Ramsey Reed lose his shit over someone before.”

“What do you mean?” I knew that Ramsey acted volatile at times, but compared to what I was used to, I wouldn’t qualify what he’d done so far in the category of losing his shit.

“Ramsey’s cold, Emerson,” she tried to explain. “He’s like ice cold. Whenever someone’s been stupid enough to cross him or, hell, just irritate him, his retaliation has always been cold, effortless, and swift.” Roselyn let out a deep breath. “But with you…with you, he has been all fire and random displays of outrage. That’s no bueno, my friend. No bueno at all.”

“How do you figure, Roselyn?” I asked. “What difference does it make how he acts in this little game that he’s playing with me?”

The look that she sent my way made it clear that she thought that I was an idiot. “You’re theonlyperson that I know of that has ever been able to make Ramsey Reed act out of character, Emerson. Do you have any idea what that does to a man?”

No, not really.

“What?”

She went back to shaking her head at me with her eyes still on the road. “All I’m saying, Emer, is watch it, okay? Pushing a psychopath like Ramsey Reed is stupid and dangerous.”

I didn’t know how to explain to her that IwantedRamsey Reed stupidly and dangerously. If I was making him act out of character, then we were even, because he was drawing all kinds of uncomfortable and unfamiliar feelings out of me.

“If you want to go back or not be friends with me anymore, I’ll understand, Roselyn,” I replied, instead of commenting on how dangerous it was to get involved with someone like Ramsey.

This time, she snorted at me. “Puhlease, chick. You’re the only real person who exists in this entire town. You think I’m going to stop being your friend? Not happening,” she huffed.

I didn’t want to talk about Ramsey anymore. I didn’t want to talk about this fucked-up town or the people in it. I decided that I wanted to get to know my only friend better. “Do you have a boyfriend, Roselyn?”

The biggest smile spread across her pretty face. “No,” she answered. “But I have this guy who’s a friend that lives in Manotile, and we…uh, meet up every now and again.” Well, no wonder Roselyn had chosen Manotile to party up our Friday night.

After Ramsey had hung up on me, I’d been determined to defy him. As much as his alpha male high-handedness turned me on, I wasn’t quite ready to cave. Ramsey needed to understand that, when or if I did finally give in, it would be because Ichoseto. It would be because I wanted him, not because he had forced his will upon me. So, I was going to go out tonight, no matter what. It just would not be to the lake party.

When Roselyn had finally agreed to join me, she had suggested driving over to Manotile since it was just one town over. There was a dance club that was eighteen and older there, and she’d said that it was a nice club with a great party vibe and plenty of security. I’d never been to an actual dance club before, so I’d been game immediately. I mean, I’d danced at house parties, and while I might not be able to compete in any dance competitions, I could hold my own, and I had decent rhythm.

Since Roselyn was always dressed outlandishly, I was the one who’d had to put in the effort tonight. I had traded in my custom t-shirt and jeans look for a more Friday night club scene one. I had straightened my long dark hair, then had left it loose and flowing. I hadn’t overdone it with the makeup, either. However, since I normally didn’t wear any, a little mascara, some dark eyeliner, light eyeshadow, and lip gloss had made a huge impact.

Now, since I didn’t have much in the way of sexy wear, I had raided my aunt’s closet to see if there’d been anything in there that I could use. There was no way that I’d wear anything of Bailey’s because I didn’t trust laundry detergent to kill STD strains.

After scouring through Constance’s closet-which happened to be the size of a small village-I had decided on a loose-fitting grey top that brought out my eyes and hung low enough to display the girls. Normally, I wouldn’t put my body on display, but Ramsey’s demand had me wanting to push the envelope.

I had paired it with a black skirt that was tight around my hips but flared out around my thighs. It stopped a little too short for my liking, but it’d have to do. Constance and I weren’t exactly the same size, but I’d been able to smuggle my body into her designer clothes.

Finally, I had topped off the look with a pair of black sandals that I had. There’d never been a cause for me to wear heels, so I didn’t know how to walk in them, and I had never tried. All in all, when I’d taken in my appearance in the mirror, I’d been pleased with my party look. I had also wondered if my aunt had any concept of age-appropriate clothing.

Once I’d been ready, Roselyn had advised me to leave my jacket at home since the body heat in the club made the place warm enough. Then she had raided Constance’s closet again to look for a wristlet for my money, I.D., phone, a powder compact, and my lip gloss. She had explained that it was a pain in the ass to carry a purse to a club because you couldn’t risk setting it down or leaving it on the table to go dance. Roselyn had assured me that I’d have everything that I’d need in the small wristlet.

We finally pulled up to the club, and it was evident that Roselyn was used to coming here. She knew exactly how to navigate around the streets and knew where to park for the best access to the club’s entrance.

Roselyn left her jacket in the car, then took her money, I.D., and phone out of her purse to stuff them into her pockets. She was dressed more casually than I was in a pair of formfitting jeans, Timberland boots, and a bright blue tank-top that showcased her girls beautifully. Yet, with her rainbow-colored locks thrown up into a messy bun, and her makeup as vibrant as her hair, she looked like she purposely dressed for a night of club hopping. My new friendreally was too pretty to be considered an outsider, or to be judged as less than by those snobby pricks that made up Windsor Academy.

We finally made our way to the front entrance, and the doorman actually greeted Roselyn before we entered. “Hey, Beck,” she greeted back, and then gestured towards me. “This is my new friend, Emerson.”

He smiled, looking all Brad Pitt with his blonde hair and perfectly paired blue eyes. “Nice to meet you, Emerson,” he said, extending his hand to shake mine.

I smiled back. “Nice to meet you, too, Beck.”

“This might be our regular hang out spot on the weekends, but a word to the wise, Beck…” Roselyn leaned in as if she were going to divulge the whereabouts of Jimmy Hoffa. “She belongs to Ramsey Reed.”

What the hell?

Beck pulled back, then straightened his spine. He looked me up and down, and then gestured up and down with his hand before saying, “Then why the fuck doesn’t she have a sign on her or something?”

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