Page 1 of Tantalizing Kings

Chapter 1

Sadie

Adeep, heavy sighleaves my lips as I check my phone for the fifth time in the last few minutes.

I texted Raymond, my boyfriend, that I decided to go to this end of the summer party after all. Looking down at the text, I see that it’s been delivered, but not read. So, he hasn’t even looked at the message.

Parties haven’t really been my thing for quite some time. I have my reasons, but this is the last party before me and my friends start university, and I feel like the past two years I’ve missed out on a lot of my teenage experiences. I only have one year left before I’m officially not a teenager anymore, and I don’t want to look back and regret it.

Lucas, a legacy of Kingston Academy, is throwing this party at his lake house. His parties are always wild and crazy. I’ve been to a few in the past, and I have no doubt this party will be another one to remember.

Sadly, so was the last one I went to.

I huff and check my phone one last time—nothing. I’m not going to sit around here all night, waiting for him to message me back. Getting out of my car, I leave it on the side of the road with all the others, and start heading toward the lake house.

The road is on a hill, giving me a view of the property below. The house is full of life, with people screaming and laughing as they spread out over the lawn.

Looking down at the beach, I shake my head at the drunk fools who are making a dangerous choice by swimming. Judging by the way they’re stumbling over their own feet and laughing like it's the funniest thing in the world, it's the last thing they should be doing.

I walk down the gravel path, cursing myself for not wearing my sneakers as I feel every jagged rock through my thinning flip-flops. I’m starting to wonder if this is even worth it.

Once I’m at the bottom, the music and the people get louder, and I instantly regret coming here. I’m already trying to get rid of a headache, and this is just going to make it worse.

Shaking off the negative thoughts, I look at my phone again and see that Raymond still hasn’t read my message, but it says he’s online.

He’s the one who asked me to come tonight. He knows I’m not one for parties, and I know I turned him down like I always do, but it never seemed to bother him before, so why is he ignoring me now?

“Hey, Sadie!” one of the guys from the lacrosse team shouts as I walk up the stairs to the front door.

I give him a little wave and a small smile but keep going, trying to fight my way through the crowd gathering on the porch.

I’m not what you would call popular, but because of my friend group, people know me. Plus, dating the captain of the football team, everyone knows who I am by default.

Stepping inside, I look around the sea of people, hoping to catch a glimpse of him anywhere. My eyes stop on one of his best friends, Todd. If anyone knows where Raymond is, it’s Todd. As I approach him, he looks over and his eyes go wide. He quickly looks over and whispers something to the guy he’s talking to then turns around and takes off upstairs.

Well, that was weird.

“Sadie!” one of my best friends, Emma, shouts as she staggers her way over to me. “You made it.”

“Hey, Em.” I laugh as she bumps into me. “Yeah, I thought I’d come for a little bit. Have you seen Raymond?”

“Nope,” she replies, popping the p. “But who cares? We’re so much better than some stupid boyfriend! The girls are waiting for me to come out back with some more drinks, come hang out with us.”

“I will in a few minutes,” I tell her, looking around the room to see if I can see him through the crowd of bodies. “Just want to say hi to Raymond first, let him know I’m here.”

“Fine.” She pouts. “But you better come out back after.”

She takes off and I shake my head, smiling as she stumbles her way back through the crowd, bumping into everyone she passes. My friends are a hot mess, but they’re my hot mess.

I’m about to check the kitchen when I see Todd heading back down the stairs. He meets my eyes again, a panicked look on his face before glancing back the way he came.

There’s a voice inside my head that’s telling me I have something to worry about, making my pulse start to race and my gut feel like it’s sinking.

“Where is Raymond?” I ask Todd.I know he knows.

“Ahh, he’s in the bathroom. I just let him know you’re here. He said he will be down in a few. You know guys and number two. Always taking forever.” He lets out a nervous chuckle—the tremble in his voice is giving away the fact that he’s hiding something.

I crinkle my nose at the mention of Raymond taking a shit, then shake my head.

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