Page 126 of Kings & Corruption

I looked up at him with a smile I could only hope adequately conveyed my current turned-on status.

His grin widened, and this time when he leaned down, his voice was a growl. “Keep looking at me like that, kitten, and we’re out of here.”

Then we were on the move again, Neo leading the way through the crowd and up a set of suspended metal stairs. We stepped onto a mezzanine area that was clearly for VIPs and he led us to a plush U-shaped booth with a bird’s-eye view of the dance floor.

The guys slid into the booth but I downed my drink and set the empty glass on the table.

I hadn’t come here to sit with the guys like some kind of diamond under glass.

I lifted my hand in a wave, not wanting to scream over the music, then felt a rush of satisfaction when Neo scowled as I turned away from them to head back downstairs.

They’d insisted on coming, but this was my night out with Claire, Quinn, and Erin. I was going to do me while they did whatever it was they planned to do in the VIP section.

I was halfway down the stairs when I looked up and realized exactly what that was as a flock of beautiful girls descended on the Kings’ booth.

It fucking figured.

Chapter58

Willa

Itried to ignore the jealousy surging through my veins as I searched the club for Claire. It wasn’t my business what the Kings did.

Or who they did.

Claire was easy to spot even though she'd moved from the pedestal by the DJ’s booth onto the dance floor. Her copper hair was on fire in the sweeping light of the club, and her sequined dress caught the light from every direction. Quinn and Aaron danced next to her, grinding suggestively on anyone within a five-foot radius.

They were clearly having a great time and I was more than ready to join them.

Claire squealed when I made my way to them on the dance floor and she pulled me into a sweaty, drunken hug.

“You made it!”

I barely heard her over the music, but it didn't matter. Spirits were obviously high and it was easy to forget about the Kings as I joined them in shaking, grinding, and swinging our hips to the beat.

I accepted several rounds of drinks from the other girls, and two from a group of guys who were handsome enough but looked more like boys than men compared to the Kings.

I was glad I was too drunk to give that much thought. Instead, I enjoyed the buzz and euphoria that came from the alcohol, the music, and what felt like my first taste of real freedom since I'd returned to the States.

I didn't know how much time had passed when I locked gazes with a familiar set of eyes from across the room. By now I was more than a little drunk, and I angled for a better look to try and place the face, but it was no use, everyone was buzzed and high now, and I was jostled from my position by some guy with a buzz cut and a face full of tattoos.

The person I was trying to get a better look at vanished from sight, and I gave up, surrendering to the high of the moment.

At some point it occurred to me that I really had to pee. Like, really bad. I'd been having so much fun, I hadn't been paying attention to my bladder despite all the alcohol I’d consumed.

I stopped dancing and tugged on Claire's arm, mouthing the wordbathroom, but she was distracted by a dark-haired boy with kissable lips.

Clearly Claire had a type.

Erin and Quinn had disappeared from sight, so I slithered through the crowd toward the back of the club, assuming that's where the bathrooms were since that's where they almost always were.

I made my way down a long corridor, then swung a left at the end of the hall. There was a line for the women's room, so I took my place at the back and tried not to dance around like a kid needing to pee.

Twenty minutes later, I emerged from the bathroom relieved and ready for a fresh drink. The line had shortened in the time I'd been in the bathroom, and I made way my way past three girls and headed back for the long dark hall leading back into the club. I wasn't even to the halfway point when a familiar face started making his way toward me from the other end of the hall. He was almost on top of me when I realized it was Professor Ryan.

He smiled, and there was nothing teacherly about it. “Hey you! Fancy meeting you here.”

He didn't seem all that surprised to see me at Ruby’s, probably because there were only a handful of places to party in Blackwell Falls.

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