Page 31 of Dark, Forbidden, & Taboo

She smiles as she stops beside me, and I motion with a nod for her to sit on the lounge chair beside me.

“Thank you, dear,” she begins as she sits down awkwardly, then props her elbows on her knees. She looks kind of nervous, which isn’t something I’m used to when it comes to anyone in this family.I wonder why?

“What’s up?” I press, curiously.

“Well …” She purses her lips briefly as she takes her time, cautious with what she wants to say next. But there’s nothing in this world Aunt Jana could ever say to me that would upset me.

“Julius wants you to ask Rock to be your date at the gala. He’s expecting you to do it by tonight.”

Except for that.

I cross my arms over my chest and jut my chin out in defiance.

Rock Thompkins is the son of Daddy’s newest rival—and a completely narcissistic bastard. He thinks the world revolves around him, that pretty girls are only here for his entertainment,and he has a nasty little habit of leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake.

While I have to admit that he has the looks to be as arrogant as he is, I still find it hard to believe someone can bethataware of their own beauty.

“Why?” I growl in irritation.

Aunt Jana looks at me nervously as she crosses one leg over the other. “He thinks that if the boy gets distracted, he won’t be able to get any … um … uh …favorablevotes for his father.”

I smirk.

It’s interesting to find out that the rumors about him are true. He’s as much a slut as he is gorgeous.Wait a minute.

“I thought the word around town was that he likes older women?” I ask her curiously.

She shrugs, “I’m just the messenger, Emily.”

I roll my eyes as I cross my hands behind my neck and arch a leg. Do I really want to do this? Be responsible for Daddy’s rival going down because I went down on his son? I shudder at the thought.

The horror of it alone should be enough to double my inheritance, that’s for sure.

Aunt Jana gets to her feet, letting out one of her littlemy job here is donesighs, and I shake my head.

“Not even for your father?” she asks me softly.

“Hm? Oh, no. I’ll do it. I was shaking my head thinking about how many showers I’m going to have to take afterward if it comes down to that is all,” I reply breezily as I readjust the sunglasses on my face and close my eyes.

“You always were a good girl, Emily,” she states approvingly as she leans down to kiss the top of my head. “You’ve always been willing to do the dirty work your father never wanted to do himself. I wish all girls could be more like you.”

I don’t respond.

By glance, emotion, or gesture because there’s one little girl who was forced to do dirtier work than I ever had to do.

Some days, I find myself wondering what became of her.

But most days, I find myself regretting that I turned her in with a little white lie that rolled off my pink, little tongue.

Chapter 3

Davina

Iglance around the apartment with a small smile on my lips. Mimi was right; it’s not much but I think it’s more than enough for me.I wonder if it would be okay to invite Angie to stay up here with me too for a few days.

I’m sure that Mimi wouldn’t mind, but I’ve always had a rule of not taking more than I need, or asking for more than I’ve been given.

I even managed to impart that to my own little band of misfits that formed shortly after I got tossed into the wilds of the concrete jungle. What we formed on the streets was done out of the necessity to survive, so we’re always cautious of what we do and why we’re doing it.

---