Page 51 of Kings & Corruption

The balcony was cute, with a couple of chairs and a little side table, but instead of enjoying some peace and quiet with my book and coffee, I just got more annoyed listening to the sound of the guys having fun by the pool out back.

Music blared from the outdoor speaker system that was part of the smart house, and a chorus of deep voices and laughter wound its way through the warm September day.

I was rereading the same paragraph for the third time when my phone pinged.

Thank god. I could really use some Mara time.

Except it wasn’t Mara, it was Rock in the group chat.

Stop pouting and pour your gorgeous body into a swimsuit.

I ignored it, but a second later another text came in from Oscar.

Or better yet, forget the swimsuit.

Dumbass, Rock texted.You want all the guys in the house to drool over our girl?

I stabbed at my phone.First of all, I am NOT your girl. Second of all, I’d rather stick ice picks through my eyeballs than be near any of you right now.

It’s one of the last nice days of the summer, Oscar texted.Why miss out on some sun just because you’re mad at us?

I stared at the words on the screen. It was getting warm on the balcony. Sweat had started to trickle between my boobs and down my back, and the sound of splashing from the pool out back was more than a little tempting.

I heaved a sigh and stood to change. The only thing worse than a couple of insufferable bros was a couple of insufferable bros who were right.

I threw on a red crocheted bikini I’d picked up in Mykonos, braided my long hair, and grabbed my sunglasses. Outside my room, I paused at the wall of glass in the hall to get a read on what I was getting myself into.

Several muscled, glistening guys — including Matt, Luke, and Ricky — were in the pool, batting around an inflatable ball with the seriousness of a pro volleyball match. I couldn’t see Rock and Oscar, but I assumed they were under the overhang created by the house’s modern second story, which hung like magic at a perpendicular angle over the first floor.

I headed for the back stairs and emerged into the kitchen, stopping cold when I spotted Enzo looking in the fridge.

He straightened, and for a split second, I could see his appeal. He had the kind of dark good looks and muscled bod women craved. Then he realized it was me, and his mouth curled in a familiar sneer. Unfortunately for me, his obvious disdain didn’t translate into a lack of interest in my physical attributes, and I watched as his eyes roamed my body.

“I guess it’s too much to expect you to wear some clothes,” he snarled.

“I’m going swimming,” I said. “Not that I owe you an explanation.”

“You owe me — and everyone here — a lot more than an explanation,” he said.

I opened my arms, still holding my phone and book in one hand. “What do you want from me? A pound of flesh?”

He cracked open a beer and took a long drink, then stared at me with narrowed eyes. “That would be a start.”

“Fuck off.”

My heart had started drumming in my chest, adrenaline flooding my bloodstream. I half expected him to lunge for me as I left, but a few seconds later I was stepping out of the glass doors in the kitchen and into the blinding sun and warm breeze of a perfect September day.

I forced myself to exhale slowly. Enzo was a bully, and like all bullies, he just needed to know I wasn’t going to take it.

My mood lightened. The scene around the pool was pure fun, not to mention pure fire with all the half-naked hot guys lounging around and hitting the ball in the water.

And speaking of hot guys…

Holy damp panties, Rock and Oscar were lying side by side in lounge chairs, their muscled bodies glistening with suntan oil and sweat. Rock’s bright blue Speedo matched his eyes and gave me a view of his dick that made my mouth go dry, and Oscar’s board shorts hung low enough on his hips that I got a prime view of his tantalizing V and the line of hair that started at his navel and disappeared under his waistband.

And don’t get me started on the nipple piercings.

My pussy clenched with lust as I imagined their slick skin against mine, their hands roaming my body as they —

---