Page 459 of Filthy Elites

My mouth falls open and I turn from her to glare at Sebastian. He’s smirking at me and I feel instantly aggravated. “Mom, we should get going, Courtney’s picking me up this morning.”

Dropping my braid, Sebastian places his hand on my thigh and squeezes. “She’s already been informed you don’t need a ride this morning.”

“What do you mean?” I ask slowly.

“I’m taking you to school.”

“I don’t need you to take me, I get a ride with my friend.”

Leaning in, he presses his lips to my ear. “From now on, I’m taking you to school and bringing you home afterward. Your friend has been advised.”

“What if I don’t want to ride with you?” I whisper.

“You misunderstand me, little bird. I’m not asking you, I’m telling you.” Pulling back, he presses a kiss to my cheek and then lifts the empty plate from in front of me. “What would you like for breakfast?”

I want to rail at him, to tell him to go fuck himself but we’re not alone, we’re in a room full of my mom, his parents and all of his friends’ parents too, so I bite the inside of my cheek and swallow my words.

“Try the French toast, honey, it’s unbelievable,” Mom gushes.

I open my mouth to suggest it was probably about time we left, when her attention is pulled away by the man sitting on her other side. Sebastian mentioned it was Evan’s dad, but I wouldn’t have needed to be told that because he’s very clearly an older version of his son.

Laughter lines crinkle at the corners of his eyes, but he’s still handsome, even though his hair is peppered with grays. Within seconds of him engaging my mom in conversation, both of them are laughing and talking animatedly while I look on. My mom is an introvert, she’s a writer who is happier living in the fantasy world she brings to life on paper than in the real world that’s going on around her. When she’s forced to interact with humans other than me, she’s normally quiet and awkward, but right now she’s bright and vivacious and fitting right in with the other adults in the room.

I want to ask her what the hell is going on right now, but instead I take the plate of French toast Sebastian has made for me and thank him when he hands me a cup of coffee made just the way I like. I should ask him how he knows, but I’m starting to understand that he’s taken the time to find out. I wonder what else he knows about me, or more appropriately, if there’s anything he doesn’t know.

“It’s so lovely to finally meet you, Starling, we’ve heard so much about you,” Mr. Lockwood says.

Almost choking on the bite of toast I’m eating, I try to force a smile to my lips but it comes out as more of a grimace.

“Dad, you’re embarrassing her,” Sebastian smirks, resting his arm on the back of my seat, watching me eat while he sips at a glass of juice.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, it’s just that Bastian’s never brought a girlfriend home to meet us before. You must be very special and I’m excited to get to know you and your mom better.”

“Cassidy, we’re having a girls’ night on Saturday, you must come with us,” Mrs. Lockwood says excitedly.

I expect my mom to turn her down and when she parts her lips, I anticipate her awkward excuse, but instead she smiles. “Oh a girls’ night sounds wonderful, I’ve been so busy finishing my most recent novel it feels like I’ve barely left the house in a year,” Mom laughs. “I tend to get a little absorbed in my work.”

“I’m guilty of getting a little consumed with things I’m passionate about too,” Evan’s dad says flirtily.

Oh my god, Evan Morris’s dad is flirting with my mom. I’ve heard of Morris enterprises, the company Evan’s family owns, I doubt there’s anyone in the state who hasn’t, but I’ve no idea what the company does, or where Evan’s mom is. What I do know is that my mom has no business flirting with a man like Mr. Morris, just like I have no business playing these weird games with Sebastian. These people are out of my and my mom’s league and the sooner we can get away from them, the better.

I open my mouth to suggest an excuse to extricate us both from this house, but a loud whistle from the other side of the table has me snapping my lips back together.

“Time to go,” Hunter says, pushing up from his chair while Clay and Evan follow suit.

“Come on, little bird, we don’t want to be late,” Sebastian drawls, taking my hand and tugging me up.

“I should—”

“Thank you so much for allowing Starling to stay here last night, Ms. Clarke,” Sebastian says to my mother, preventing me again from trying to encourage my mom to leave.

“Sebastian, please call me Cassidy. I’m happy to know Starling has found a boy who takes such good care of her. Miranda, Richard, your son is an absolute credit to you.”

Sebastian’s parents preen under my mom’s praise of him and I roll my eyes. I wonder how they’d feel about him if they knew he’d announced I was his the very first time I met him, got me fired from my job by threatening my boss and then coerced me to get into his car with threats and manipulation.

“Baby, we’re going to be late,” he croons, wrapping his arm around my waist and guiding me out of the room, his grip firm and unyielding.

The good boy grin he’s been using on my mom and his parents morphs into a conniving smirk the moment we’re out of the dining room, but his hold doesn’t loosen as he frog marches me down a hallway and into a garage filled with at least a dozen cars.

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