Page 334 of Filthy Elites

“Mm-hmm. Who are you?”

“Aubrey Gale. Dare and I go to school together,” I say, somehow unable to come up with a better reason for why I’m walking down the stairs with major bedhead, clothing bundled in my arms, and a Dior bag in my hand.

He sips his coffee and watches me over the brim. “Is that right?”

“Thank you,” I say a bit belatedly. “Letting us use your jet to take my mom to her doctor’s appointment was incredibly generous of you. It might’ve saved her life.”

“Ah.” He nods. “You’re that one.”

My spine stiffens, but I guess I can’t fault him for speaking so dismissively. In all likelihood, he’s aware that Dare is still technically with Anae andnotaware of the circumstances.

“You should thank Dare,” he says. “He paid for the trip out of his trust fund.” Then, giving me a not-so-subtle onceover and a slow smirk, he says, “Actually, I guess you already did.”

Wow.

I don’t like him.

My spine is still stiff from his first swipe, so it can’t get much straighter. I clear my throat and glance toward the glass doors that open out to the pool. “Well, I have to get home, but thanks again.”

“Anytime,” he says, his tone so condescending and assholey, I want to throw a shoe at him.

God, what an unbearable ass.

No wonder Dare doesn’t like him.

___

Dare picksme up after Mom and I have lunch.

I wear a little white dress and the polka-dot bow heels he bought for me. Walking in them still feels dangerous, but I love the way he looks at me when I’m wearing them, like he can hardly keep from fucking me right then and there.

I’m a little confused when he pulls into a parking spot in front of a hair salon. He takes my hand and we walk up to the building. I’m still confused when he opens the door for me and follows me inside.

“This is where you came when you were a kid?”

“No.” He lightly grabs my hip, ushering me inside. “This is our first stop. We’ll go there after.”

“Okay,” I say, casting him an uncertain smile. “Are you getting a haircut or something?”

He smiles faintly. “You are.”

My heart flips over. “What?”

He runs a hand through my hair a bit absently, his other still on my hip as we wait at the reception desk. “I know you can’t afford to come to places like this, so I wanted to bring you.”

“Do you not like my hair?” I ask uncertainly. As much as he plays with it, I figured he did.

“I love your hair. That’s why I want to take care of it.” He presses a kiss to the side of my head.

That’s rational, and I guess Ihaven’tbeen able to get it trimmed for a long time. It has probably been two years since my last haircut.

“I don’t want to lose a lot of length, though,” I say, looking up at him.

“I like your hair long, too,” he assures me. Then, wrapping his hand around my throat and pulling me close, he kisses me. “Trust me,” he murmurs.

The receptionist smiles as she comes over to assist us. I feel out of my element in the expensive salon, and cast a look back at Dare as she leads me away.

The lady doesn’t ask what I want, she just puts me in the chair, ties the cloak around my body, and gets to work. I guess that means Dare already told her.

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