I doubled my efforts and he took this as invitation to remove my skirt, undoing my side zipper slowly. “Oh, God, Sophie,” he exclaimed, making me want to vomit. “You taste incredible.”

I ignored him and the feeling and kissed him harder. My skirt fell to my ankles and I stepped from it as we made our way to his parents’ sofa. He stopped suddenly and held me at arm’s length.

“Jesus,” he hissed, sucking in a breath. His gaze raked my body and stifled a shudder. I stood in front of him, in full lingerie with garters and ankle-strapped heels. He approached me deliberately, his hands running through my hair, then down my shoulders and back before palming my ass. “You’re more beautiful than I could’ve imagined, Price.”

“Thank you,” I said, wishing I could just run.

Work through it, Sophie. You’re just a little off your game.

He kissed languidly up my neck to my chin and across my jaw line. “You smell like,” he inhaled, “cherry bark and almonds.”

“It’s my shampoo.”

“I love it,” he told me.

He laid me on the leather sofa nearest the fireplace and the morning sun was streaming in at seemingly impossible angles. It was beautiful. Too beautiful. I felt ill at all it was revealing to me. “So much light,” I whispered, not realizing I’d said it out loud.

“We can move to my bedroom,” he said. “It’s darker in there.”

“Please,” I said, needing to remove myself from exposure. I felt desperate.

He picked me up, tucking one arm under my knees and the other around my back. He brought me back to his room and laid me on his dark sheets. The room had shutters and dark curtains that kept out every inch of light.

“Better?” he asked.

“Much,” I answered.

“Now, where were we?”

He crawled over me and kissed me feverishly, his hands roaming my body. He lay on top of me and cupped his hand around my knee, bringing it around his waist.

That was when I broke. I don’t know why I did it, what I was thinking, why my usually stalwart barrier was so weak, but silent tears began to cascade down my face and Spencer pulled away.

“Sophie? Are you crying?”

“No,” I insisted, swiping at my face in the dark, hoping he couldn’t see me. How humiliating.

I’d never cried in front of anyone. Ever.

“Oh, Soph,” he soothed. “You are.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said, pushing at his shoulders to flee.

“Wait,” he said, pulling me back to his embrace. “Stay with me for a second.” He laid back and tucked me into his side, smoothing my hair behind my ear. “We don’t have to do this, Soph.” I waited for it, but he didn’t retract his words. Instead, he continued. “You forget I’ve known you since we were small.” I couldn’t help but laugh at the image of a simpler time when Spencer and I used to giggle and play in the gardens at my home. “You’re thinking about our games.”

I nodded against his chest. “I’m still sorry,” I grated out again.

“You know, I’m going to confess something to you,” he said, ignoring me, taking a deep breath to steady himself. “I’ve wanted you since I was old enough to discover I could want someone.” My body tensed beside his, but he just held tighter. “Shh, stop. Listen to me.

“I can’t lie to you. You’re goddamned beautiful, Sophie, and I’m so turned on right now I can’t even think straight, but I won’t have you, not like this. I thought you wanted this.”

“I did,” I began truthfully but he shushed me.

“No need, Sophie. Just lay here with me while I try to calm the hell down.”

“Okay,” I sniffed.

It was then I realized that Spencer was a good friend, a real friend, probably the only one I really had.

We both fell asleep and I woke to Spencer snoring softly. I peered down at myself and realized I was practically naked. Shame heated up my face and body and I slid out from under his hold to retrieve my clothing from the main living area. The room was dark as the sun had set not long before and I began gathering my skirt and blouse from the blonde wood flooring.

I’d just bent to retrieve my purse when I heard the front door swing open. I froze in absolute fear as Spencer’s father stood in the space just outside the threshold. I held the loose clothing against my body.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” he asked, strolling in at a snail’s pace. He removed his keys from the lock and threw them on a nearby table. He looked more closely at me and realization struck him. “Ah, the Price girl.”

“I’m sorry,” I began, but he cut me off.

“No need to be sorry,” he said, oozing creepiness. “I’m not.” He perused my body with obvious appreciation and I turned to bolt back up the stairs to Spencer’s room.

“Wait,” his father called out, grabbing my elbow. “If he’s finished, I’d like to have a turn.”

“Excuse me?”

“It looks like you’re finishing up, aren’t you?” When I couldn't answer him he continued, “My wife flew ahead of me. I had an emergency at work and had to fly back from Atlanta. I told her I’d meet up with her later. She’s not here.”

“What the hell does that have to do with me?” I asked, bewildered.

“I can give you things my boy can’t,” he slimily offered with what I’m sure he thought was a charming smile. All I could see were serpent’s teeth.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I’m assuming Spencer’s asleep because you’ve worn him out.” I balked at his presumption. “I, uh, know of the trouble you’ve recently gotten yourself into.” Uh-oh.

“What exactly are you saying?”

He ran a finger down my upper arm and I visibly convulsed at his touch. His eyes became hard. “I’m saying if you want me to keep this indiscretion quiet to your father, you’d best accommodate me.”

I shook my head and he ripped the clothing from my hands before gripping my shoulders. I trembled, having no idea what I was going to do. I knew I could scream for Spencer, but if he walked in, he’d just assume I had volunteered. After all, I had a reputation.

“Let go of her!” I heard behind me.

Spencer’s father stiffened at the sight of his son and released my arms.

“Spencer.”

“Oh spare me.”

He descended the remaining stairs unbuttoning his shirt and throwing it over my shoulders. “You won’t say a fucking word to her father, or I’ll tell mother what I just witnessed.” Spencer gathered up my skirt and top and he led me back to his room, closing the door behind us.

He ran the palm of his hand over his mouth. “Jesus, Soph, I’m so fucking sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I said, but my trembling body said otherwise. “I’m just glad you showed up when you did. I’m the one who’s sorry. I-I’m just no good for anyone, am I?” I joked.

Spencer narrowed his eyes at me. “You really feel that way, don’t you?” he asked me.

“Hmm?”

“You really, truly believe that.”

I offered a hesitant smile and tried to shake my head no, to play it off, but he ignored me.

“Sophie Price, you are a mess. Come on, get dressed.”

“Where are we going?”

“I believe we’ve earned a stay at the W, love. My treat.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Sunday night, while Spencer and I were at Lucques for dinner, I received a call from Pembrook. This was not unusual if I was gone for days at a time as he would ring me to confirm I was still breathing so I denied the call, planning on calling back when dinner was over.

“So Brown, eh?” I asked Spencer.

“Yup,” he said, perusing his menu but briefly looking up to make a silly face. “So Yale, eh?” he teased.

I sighed in reply.

“How do you suppose we’ll withstand the weather?”

“I plan on racking up thousands of frequent flyer miles. I don’t want to leave, to be honest.”

“Damn, Spencer, that breaks my heart a little.”

“I know, but Brown is my family’s institution and,” he dropped an octave, “no son of my father’s will attend anywhere else.”

“Will you get supremely pissed if I tell you how much I can’t stand your father and that if it were me, I’d defy him just to screw him, no pun intended?”

Spencer’s facial expression hardened and I regretted insulting his father. That is, until he said, “No one can stand my father, including my father. He’s a terrible person and I hate him.”

His expression didn’t change and I realized how deep that resentment toward his father really went.

“Don’t go to Brown then,” I simply told him.

“I can’t do that,” he said, exhaling sharply and staring out the glass into the street.

“Why not?”

His face softened. “I need his money.”

Spencer looked at me and I couldn’t help but stare back. We were all in the same boat, prisoners to greed. Suddenly, my stomach dropped out from under me.

“I don’t want to be like them,” I candidly admitted as much to myself as to him.

Spencer leaned over and took my hand in his, squeezing my fingers in earnest.

“Neither do I.”

“How do we break the cycle?”

He sighed heavily and sank into the plush booth, releasing my hand. “I don’t think we can, Soph. It’s done.”

“Don’t say that,” I desperately argued. “Don’t say that,” I repeated as if that could change it.

“Why not?” he asked me, furrowing his brows in frustration. “We’re dependent on them, utterly. I could no more live in a studio with barely enough cash to feed myself any more than you could.” A single tear fell from my face at the truth of that declaration and Spencer wiped it gingerly away. “We’re stuck, Price.”

“I can’t believe that.”

“Well, try. Look at us, Soph. We party harshly at the Holes on the weekends. I think we’ve all had sex with one another at least once, apart from you and I. And I’d still do you if you’d just admit that you like me as much as I like you.” I cringed into myself a little. When I didn’t respond, he continued, turning to study the nightlife outside our window again.

“The only difference between us and our parents is that we’re younger, we do coke while they drink, but we’ll graduate or simmer to that, depending on how you look at it, as they did. We’re not married but soon we will be and to each other, but it won’t matter because we’ll trade partners like we do now. We’re addicted to the lifestyle. I can’t see a way out of that.” He leaned over me. “And need I remind you, that you rule us all?”

“That won’t be necessary, Spence, but thank you. I’m well aware my standing in our group.”