Page 35 of Cruel Prep (Princes of Ravenlake Academy 1)

The auction is supposed to be a secret senior tradition, but the rumor spreads a bit further every year.

The senior football guys bring a date to a party, and then that date is bid on by the group. The girls who agree to this party are always down for a good time and it ends up being pretty much a giant orgy.

A few years back, everyone in attendance had to get treated for crabs, so now a clean bill of health is required for admission. Which is why the party now occurs after the Ravenlake-sponsored annual STD screening, which came into being because of the aforementioned party.

The sexual circle of life. High school is a fucking animal kingdom.

This year, we worked it out that all of the Golden Boys get to go since it will be our only chance to do it all together. If the other senior players had an issue, they didn’t say anything. Likely, no one wanted to argue with me or Viktor.

Caleb looks displeased and is oddly silent, letting me know he hasn’t found a willing female yet. If he doesn’t act fast, he won’t be able to get into the party. But I have enough on my mind that I’m going to let Caleb sort this one out himself.

“I have to meet my dad. I’ll talk to you fuckers later.”

Noah waves, Viktor and Caleb both flip me off over their shoulders, and J.C. yells something unintelligible from the shower.

“Are you still showering?” Viktor screams at him. “Stop jerking off and get out here.”

I bite back a smile and shake my head. My friends are idiots.

My phone buzzes. It’s Dad, telling me to pick up dinner. We were supposed to go out, but most of the time something comes up and we end up eating in his office while he answers emails. It’s so stereotypically workaholic that I can’t even be mad.

Well, I can be. I am. But I just go along with it. I only have to make it through one more year of his shit, and then I’m gone.

“Did you leave a tip?” he asks the moment I walk through the door, carryout barbecue in hand.

I hold out the bags, looking down at my football pants. “No pockets.”

His lip curls in disgust. “Why didn’t you shower? Or change? You let people see you like that?”

“Good to see you, too, Dad.” I drop the bags on the corner of his desk and pull out the Styrofoam containers. “I had a great day, thanks for asking.”

He lets out a long, pointed sigh, scoops out a bite of pulled pork, and gestures for me to take the chair in the corner. “How are you making out with Lily?”

“What?” My attention snaps up, brow furrowed. “What does that mean?”

He raises a brow at me. “It means, is she still here? In my fucking town?”

“I told you I’d handle it.”

“Yeah, well, I supposedly solved this problem over the summer, yet here we are.” He eats another bite of pork and growls. “Either way, we have to clean up this mess, and I want to make sure you are focused. Nothing else matters, Finn.”

“I know.”

“Nothing,” he repeats. “Not your idiotic friends or football or … anything. Not compared to this. Now more than ever, you have to keep your eye on the prize. I want her gone by the end of the semester.”

I’m barely paying attention. My mind is on Lily. How she sounded when she came all over my fingers. How she looked with my seed spilled all over her belly.

“Are you listening to me?” He bangs his fist on the table to get my attention. “Fuck, Finn. Focus for five fucking minutes. Can you do that? Can I get that much of your time?”

I glare at him, barely resisting the urge to fling my pork across his picture-perfect office. The thought of barbecue sauce sliding over the pages of the unread books on his shelves and working its way into the light gray carpet covering the hardwood floor brings me a weird sense of peace.

He might be able to ruin my life, but I could just as easily ruin his office.

“I spend all of my time carrying out your orders. Excuse me if I’d like to have a quiet dinner.” I drop my food on his desk and stand up, pinching my shirt and pulling it away from my sticky chest. “I’m going to shower. I feel disgusting.”

“You need to eat. You’re getting too thin.”

“I lost my appetite.”

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