Page 3 of The Heiress

Great job, Lorde!

I’m quiet for the rest of the day. Ashleigh is all over me with her superficial attraction. I can tell it’s fake by this point in my life. I doubt I could tell her anything about myself and she would care. She’s simply seen the photos, read the stories, heard scandalous tales from her social circles, and now wants a piece of me. That said, I can tell she’s been with women before. She lets slip exactly what she expects once we’re alone, based on aprevious experienceshe also drops like I’m not going to be weirded out by her telling me sordid tales of butches she’s bedded in between male heartthrobs and non-binary busybodies. I get it. I’m probably a fetish to her. I’m a woman who has been around a G-spot a few times with all sorts of implements (including my hands, thank you.) Nothing is sacred in my bed. I’ll wine you, dine you, and sixty-nine you until you’re screamingnice!with two big thumbs up on either side of my ass.

Usually, I would give it to her. I’ve got a reputation to keep up, you know. It wouldn’t be hard. Kiss her. Touch her. Throw her down on my bed and give her the ol’ Lorde Sheen rough ‘n ready.Sometimes, when I’m already bored I make a game out of sex. How fast can I make her come soIcan come? Those can be the best times if it turns out our quiet and sweet high-society girl is a freak in the sack.

I’m not interested in that now.

Somehow, though, we end up in my apartment.

She’s persistent, I’ll give her that. Ashleigh Lee is down to fuck, and she’s hot enough that most would call me an idiot for turning her down.“Look at the way she’s shoving her tits up toward you! How many references to boning has she made? You think she’s playing coy? Hooooon, she’s totally gonna bend over your bed and pull down her panties at any moment! Come on. A ten-minute quickie! You gonna love yourself or not?”

Except it’s like a switch has gone off in my head, and try as I might, I don’t feel attracted to her anymore. Daisy’s face keeps transposing itself on Ashleigh’s every time I look at her. Even I know that’s messed up and wrong.

While we’re standing in the middle of my apartment, talking about nothing at all, Ashleigh stands on her tiptoes and plants a kiss on my lips.

I’m sure it could turn passionate, but I never open my mouth to find out.

Ashleigh’s confused and offended when she steps away and gives me a hard stare. “What’s wrong?” she asks, getting ready to unleash her spoiled rich-girl pout on me. “Did I do something wrong?”

Aw, shit. I can tell from the look on her face that she’s not prodding me to open up. She really thinks she has done something wrong. Ashleigh Lee is one of those girls who worries about every single thing and is obsessed with what others think of her. They’re a handful. Their egos are as small as mine is big. Sometimes, I wish I could chip off a piece ofmyego and fuse it into them. Every bit helps, right?

“Hey, Ashleigh,” I say, forcing her to meet my gaze. Here’s a hint: I don’t say a girl’s name like this unless I’m about to let her down. “You’re a beautiful girl. Seriously. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

She’s smiling, but traces of worry line her lips. You could probably tell Ashleigh Lee that she’s the queen of your universe, and she would still doubt you. No wonder she’s friends with Daisy DeMonte.

Honesty is the best policy, right?

“Listen, there’s someone else on my mind right now. I hate to tell you this late, but I didn’t think it meant anything. Sorry…”

I’ve never seen someone blink as much as Ashleigh does. It’s like every time a synapse fires in her brain, she’s gotta blink. Some kind of strange reflex. Wait, do I do that too? “Is it Daisy?” she meekly asks.

“Uh…” I wasn’t going to be that honest. What? You think I’m mean enough to tell the girl I’m on a date with that I think her best friend is hotter and more worthy of my time? Maybe my reputation is that bad after all… “Why would you think that?”

Ashleigh makes a face I’ve yet to see – a mix of disbelief and condescension. “That’s how it usually goes. Everyone likes her a lot. You two seemed to hit it off, so…”

“Hit it off? Were you even there?”

“You provoked a huge reaction out of her. She’s usually a lot more in control of her emotions. The only time she lashes out like that is when she thinks someone’s worth her time.”

“I see.”

Ashleigh readjusts her purse strap. “I’ve gotta get going. Thanks for lunch. I’m sorry for making this awkward.”

“Hey, don’t apologize. I kinda led you on.”

She looks at me as if I’m the sorriest bitch around. “Yeah, you did. That’s okay, though. Better for you to reject me now than in the middle of doing it. That’s happened to me before.”

“Yikes.” How do you respond to that?

“By the way,” she says, hovering near my door. “If you try it with my friend, good luck. She’s not as easy as me.”

Was that supposed to be cheeky? To make me rethink sleeping withher?Because what the fuck. That merely makes me think she should leave. Harder. Leave harder, Ashleigh. This wouldn’t be good for either of us.

“Thanks for the warning.”

Ashleigh shows herself out. I’m left alone in my cozy apartment, and all I want to do is sit on the edge of my rumpled bed and think of Daisy. A woman I haven’t even seen since we had lunch hours ago.

It didn’t matter if she was pissed or trying to contain herself. Her eyes were made of the iciest fire I had ever seen. I know it’s cliché to say a girl’s blue eyes are like ice. Well, it’s very true in Daisy DeMonte’s case. Every time I made eye contact with her, the room grew about ten degrees colder, as if someone had drawn an ice cube down my arm. You know what that means, though: she’s extra hot in the places that matter most.

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