Page 658 of Filthy Elites

I’ve never felt anything more tempting.

I suppose the only way to know what it would feel like to be his is to stay in New York and abandon my plans to go back to L.A.

Love might tempt me to do it.

EIGHTEEN

Chad

Maksim cheersas I lean over the pool table, take my shot, and win our round.

I laugh when Ilya curses us in Russian, calling us cunts and everything under the sun. He’s five g’s down. It’s time to quit, but the fucker would never do that.

“You fucking assholes.” He slams a fist into my arm, which doesn’t hurt.

That’s how we mess around. If this were a real fight, the end of his jaw would have connected with my face. Then he’d be on the floor picking up his teeth.

We’re at the Crow, the bar we usually hang out at when we’re not partying at each other’s houses. We’ve been playing pool for two hours already, and it doesn’t look like we’re going to stop any time soon. Any kind of game we play involves betting, and I always win.

I’m here because it’s Billie’s mother’s birthday so she went out for a family dinner.

If she didn’t have plans, I would be with her. Right now, I’m counting down the time until tomorrow when I see her.

I shouldn’t count down anything because time is still my dearest enemy, but I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t. I count down because I can’t wait to see Billie, and I stop myself from doing so because the days are fast approaching for her to leave me.

“One more game,” Maksim calls out as another song starts playing.

The volume is low up here on the game floor, but when they change the song, it gets louder for a few seconds.

I nod, and he high fives me. Ilya and Lev, however, already look defeated, but they’re in.

I laugh at them and take a swig of beer, stepping back so Maksim can have his turn.

The soft flutter of fingers runs over my back when I set my beer bottle down on the little table next to me.

When I turn and find Jenna standing behind me with a saucy smile on her face, my insides twist. Looks like last time she didn’t get the message.

She hugs me. A clear indication that my parting words at Maksim’s party fell on deaf ears.

“What do you want, Jenna?” I can’t hide my displeasure for seeing her.

“You.” The laughter that falls from her lips reminds me of burnt honey. Not sugary or sweet, but brazen and sour. “Are you ready to come back to me yet? I’m always ready for you.”

“I told you I don’t want you. But I’ll say it again. I don’t want you, Jenna.”

She smiles like she’s privy to some fucked up joke I don’t know the details of.

“Okay. I’m sure that’s going to change. It always does with you.” She runs a light finger over my chest and saunters away.

I won’t change my mind. Even when Billie goes. I know I won’t because there’s no one like Billie for me.

Don’t fall for me.

That’s what I told her. I just never gave myself the warning.

I take another swig of my beer and move back to the pool table. Maksim cuts me a glance, clearly because he’s curious about what I said to Jenna.

I nod, silently telling him I sorted it out. I walk closer, but as soon as I get to the table, the room spins. It happens so fast I question if it happened at all.

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