Page 560 of Filthy Elites

"Already in the fridge," I announce.

We get tipsy on bubbly wine and gossip for the remaining part of the afternoon, until both Lola and Morgan have to go to work. I'm tempted to head over to the rink, but ice skating is dangerous enough without adding alcohol to the mix, so I opt to bake space brownies with Audrey's weed, starting a movie while they cook.

I'm just turning the oven off when the doorbell rings. I remove my oven mitts and go to answer. The bell rings again, twice, and insistently. "I'm coming!"

I huff. I can't have been more than a couple of minutes. I bet Audrey forgot her keys again, and she probably needs to pee.

I open the door and regret it immediately. I should have used the peephole.

ChapterSeventeen

Rage rollsoff him in waves. He’s quite a sight to behold. A young golden god, terrible in his magnificence. I can’t look away.

Suddenly, I think about the little boy I’ve seen in his pictures and I chuckle.

“You think it’s funny?” Chase practically growls.

I open my mouth, but he doesn’t give me the time to speak. He presses a hand against my chest and backs me up until I hit the wall. Kicking the door closed, he punches the wall right next to my face. I flinch. I’ve never seen him like this. I thought he wanted me more than he hated me. Right now, I’m not sure.

“Get out of my house, Chase.”

“Yours, is it?” A cruel, humorless smile twists his lips.

“You’re hurting me.” That’s a stretch, but the way he pins me down isn’t exactly comfortable either.

“You’re fucking with my mother, Erica? That’s the card you’re playing? You don’t think your family’s using her enough already?”

I writhe to break his hold, in vain. “I didn’t mess with her,” I hiss. “I baked her muffins. She liked them.”

“And I suppose you did nothing to my phone either?”

My instincts tell me to shut up. I’m not dealing with the usual, manageable Chase. He’s not just frustrated, irritated, but actually furious. Truth is, I don’t know him well enough to be sure what he’s capable of in this state. I should shut the hell up. Placate him, if I can. Instead, I flutter my lashes. “You think I have the skills to do anything to your phone, Chase?”

“Whatever you did, undo it.”

I roll my eyes. “You’ve never heard of restoring backups? Even I can do that. Of course, certain pictures, taken without consent, might not be available in such backups. It’s just one of those things.”

His jaw ticks. “Don’t ever mess with my shit again. And you stay away from my family.”

“Of course. So long as you stay away from me.”

He chuckles low. “That’s not how this thing goes, doll. I’ll do whatever the fuck I want to do to you. You know why, Erica? Because you belong tome.”

It’s my turn to laugh. “You’re insane.”

“Am I?” Chase snarls. He moves his hand off my chest, only to take both of my wrists and pin them above my head with his steely grasp. “What does that make you, pretty little useless doll?”

His knee lifts to my crotch, pressing against it hard. I’m still wearing the ridiculous ensemble I put on this morning to play nice with his mom. His leg is hard and rough, rubbing between my thighs. My core is instantly set ablaze, as waves of desire hit me. I’m desperate to move out of the way, to stop him from making me feel too much, but his hand and his leg aren’t budging. “Let me go, Chase.” I’m trying to sound firm, but all I manage is a whisper.

“Oh, we still think we’re in charge, do we?” He’s never sounded more condescending. His free hand yanks my blouse free of my skirt and slides against my skin. Instead of the rough treatment I expect, he’s gentle, teasing, as he runs his fingers along my stomach and against the cup of my lace bra.

My breathing hitches. I wince, doing my best not to let any moans escape.

“Chase—”

“I treat you like the trash you are, and still you want me. It has a certain appeal, that stench of desperation. I wonder if that’s why my father keeps your mother around. I bet she lets him do all manner of despicable things he’d never get from a decent woman. He probably shares her with his friends, his driver—the whole damn office.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

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