Page 45 of Lust

I race up the stairs and slam the door to my room.

I let out a scream once the door is firmly shut. When will I ever learn? I pull out my Hell Cell. There’s already a message on it from Juliette. I ignore it and message Remy.

SECOND DATE?

I’m going to fuck Dade out of my system once and for all.

While I wait for his response, I check Juliette’s message.

911. MY ROOM. BRING ALCOHOL.

I clap my hand to my head. What’s going on now? Juliette wouldn’t send me a message like that if it wasn’t urgent. I rush to the bathroom and wash my face to rid myself of the tears Dade has caused and race out the door and down the steps to the second floor.

25

HE DIDN’T JUST TRY

ROWENA

Quinn bursts through the door of my room without knocking, a bottle of champagne in her hand and a worried expression on her face.

“Damn!” she says when she catches my tear-streamed face, which, no doubt, is red and blotchy too. “I wasn’t sure if this was a celebration or a commiseration. Juliette’s message was a bit vague. I got it wrong, sorry. I picked up champagne from a demon down in the restaurant.”

“It’ll do.” Juliette steps up from the bed and takes the bottle from Quinn’s hands. She pops the cork, takes a swig, then hands the bottle to me. “Drink, babe.”

I take a small sip and rest the bottle on my knees. I don’t particularly want to get drunk.

Quinn looks amusingly flustered. “Is anyone going to tell me what’s going on? Should I have brought a shotgun instead? Was it Felix again?”

The mention of Felix's name sends a jolt through me, and my stomach twists with a mix of emotions. “You could say that,” I reply with a hint of bitterness.

“You really fucking could,” Juliette seethes. “The bastard mouth-raped Ro.”

When Quinn’s eyebrows knit together, I explain. “He came to my room and decided to shower me in vitriol.”

“Oh Rowena. Again?” she responds, her tone laced with sympathy. She moves to sit on my other side, sandwiching me between her and Juliette, and her arm gently wraps around my shoulder in a comforting gesture.

I nod. “Yup, only this time he kissed me after calling me a fucking bitch.”

Quinn's reaction is a mix of shock and disbelief, her expression opening into gaping astonishment. “He kissed you? Felix Barclay kissed you?”

I hold my hand to my head and groan. “Please stop saying it.”

Juliette pulls the bottle of champagne from my knee and begins to drink. “The asshole is all horny for her.” She’s so matter of fact about it while my insides feel like they’ve been churned to boiling point. I wish I felt that blasé.

“No.” I turn to her. “Don’t do that. I hate it when people say to their daughters that a boy must like them if they pull on their pigtails. It sets girls up to view abuse as love. Felix didn’t kiss me because he likes me. It was an assault on my lips. The guy hates me. You know he does.”

“Wow.” Quinn shakes her head. “And I thought I was having a shit day. Please tell me you punched his lights out.”

I give her a wistful smile. “Actually, I did. Punched the sucker right in the eye.”

Beside me Juliette whoops, flinging her hands up and sending a stream of champagne up into the air. “Oops. Sorry. You didn’t tell me that part. Way to go, Ro.” She wipes her hand over my bedspread, that is now wet with champagne.

I let out a long sigh. “I probably shouldn’t have. I don’t know. I was taken by surprise.”

Quinn pulls me in close. “He deserved it. Jeez. He kissed you? Urgh.”

I rub my temples, feeling a headache starting to throb. “Seriously, please stop saying it. It's giving me a migraine.”

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