Theo was obviously out to prove himself. His father had been an Elite member and had expected his son to do the same. Unfortunately, the jerk didn’t have the killer drive in him. However, he could make our lives a living hell with the influence he had within other areas of the school.
My approach was stealthy, in complete silence. He was conversing with three of the chosen women, our entertainment for the evening. They seemed enamored, which pissed me off even more. I waited, standing behind him, listening to him bragging about being accepted to Harvard law school, his future mapped out.
Finally, one of the girls noticed my casual stance, smart enough to know looks could be deceiving. Gina was devoted to the house, likely gathering information to expound on later. I’d remind Clinton to make certain she was selected as one of the final candidates.
“Sorry, Theodore. We need to freshen up,” Gina said, immediately guiding the other two girls away.
“What the fuck?” he huffed under his breath.
“It would seem you’re lost, Theodore,” I said quietly. There was no reason to ruin such a lively party.
He turned around, a smug look on his face. It was apparent the manner in which he’d been expelled hadn’t stuck. “What do you want, Chicano?”
“I’m surprised at the level of your slur given your supposed intelligence.”
His grin was meant to irritate me. Either the kid had a death wish or enjoyed pain. I smelled whiskey, his slightly slurred words indicating he’d already had one too many. Maybe booze had made him stupid. What annoyed me more than anything was that I couldn’t kill him. He knew it as well, which was what made him so fucking bold.
“Well, I call it like I see it.”
“Since there is a party going on, I’m going to be polite and ask you to get the fuck out.”
He took a sip of his bourbon, acting as if by consuming the same liquor his father guzzled, he’d become a man. “You don’t own me anymore than you rule this house.”
I inched closer, keeping a smile on my face. “It’s a shame the blood running through your veins is tainted.”
My comment struck him as odd, his eyes narrowing. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
While I ordinarily wouldn’t be in a rush to provide an answer, I had better things to do with my time. “Let’s just say that art never lies.” I had proof his father had knocked up another girl, someone underage who’d given birth to another son. I’d been taught early on to track down every dirty little secret of my enemies. Theo was no exception.
“Don’t play games with me, pusshead. I’m in no mood.”
When he dared attempt to take another sip of his drink, I ripped the glass from his hand, tossing it against the wall.
A few of the girls in the room squealed then returned to flirting as they normally did. No one gave a shit what went on inside the estate.
With a single exception. The delicate innocent flower. Ava stood apart from the group, studying me intently. If I didn’t know better, I’d say there was admiration as well as lust in the warm glow of her blue eyes. Then she smiled, her attitude obviously shifting to admonishment. My cock only ached that much more.
“What the fuck?” Theodore snarled.
While I was momentarily distracted by the girl’s beauty, he managed to drive both hands against my chest, almost pitching me to the floor. That broke the near trance-like state I’d been in. I lunged toward him, issuing a brutal punch to his gut, then wrapping my hand around his throat.
Clinton immediately approached, giving me the nod to deal with the asshole outside the party room. I heard him encouraging the party to continue as I dragged Theodore into a more private section of the estate, tossing him inside one of the rooms. I had to admit, I was curious as to whether the innocent flower would follow, unable to resist finding dirt on the Elite. Maybe. Maybe not. However, my main objective was to issue a harsh warning.
This wasn’t about holding a conversation any longer. The fucker had not only invaded private space where he didn’t belong, he’d insulted a member of the Elite. With a single brutal punch, a crunching sound indicated I’d broken his nose.
He cried out in pain as his body slumped against the wall. I’d give him credit. With barely a shake of his head, he threw himself in my direction, snarling like some fucking animal as he tried to wrap his hands around my throat. I issued an undercut to his throat, knocking the wind out of him. Then I let loose, punching him several times. After his knees buckled and he dropped to the floor, I stood over him, fisting his hair and jerking him up by several inches.
“This will be the last warning you get, Theo. Stay the fuck away from the house. You’re not a member of the Elite. You’re too much of a pussy to be one.” When he said nothing, just glaring at me with tears in his eyes, I spit on him then backed away. “You’re disgusting. You were never man enough to handle the required responsibilities. Get out. If I see your face again anywhere near this estate, I won’t hesitate to slice off your dick and shove it into your mouth. That will be the beginning.”
He had the good sense to remain silent until I was in the doorway.
“Be careful, Christian. Those boys you think so highly of will betray you just like you betrayed me.”
I laughed, not bothering to acknowledge his statement. Although I knew what he said was the truth. As close as I was to Clinton and Weston, I could never turn my back on them.
Taking long strides from the room, I grabbed the first Elite member I saw. “Jonas. Escort the bastard out of the building.”
“Yes, sir.”
God help the fucker if he showed his face again.
* * *
The fact I’d left Theodore alive jerked at the evil man inside of me. I wasn’t accustomed to controlling my brutality under any circumstance. I headed away from the party and into a room reserved for Elite members only. Weston and Clinton were inside, studying me intently the moment I walked in.
“Is it done?” Weston asked.
“If you mean tossing him out, yeah. I would have preferred to drive my knife into his gut instead. I had Jonas escort him out.”
“Jonas has become a godsend,” Clinton said, chuckling under his breath.
“Yeah, he has his sights set on being president next year.” Weston grinned. “He’s fucked up like the rest of us. He’ll make an outstanding prez.”
“You know why we need to be careful, but only for the time being,” Clinton said harshly. He wasn’t usually the voice of reason. I certainly didn’t approve of towing the line for anyone, especially a shithead like Theodore.
A sharp knock irritated all three of us. When Jonas stuck his head into the door, he had an evil grin on his face. “He’s out the door.”
Clinton exhaled. “Any trouble?”
Jonas shrugged. “Gave me some lip but I’m used to that. He’s thinks he’s invincible cause of daddy.”
I glanced at Weston, who clenched his fists. “Yeah, I should have handled the issue before.”
Clinton waved his hand. “He’ll get his at the right time.”
I’d known Clinton long enough to know he kept his promises. The man was a sick fuck.
“Something else?” I barked when Jonas didn’t leave.
“There was a mighty sexy chick listening in on our conversation. Never seen her before. New girl?”
“Red dress?” While my tone sounded demanding, I already knew the answer. She was a very bad little girl after all. My balls tightened at the thought.
Jonas rolled his hands down in front of him as if he was stroking a beautiful woman. “One I wanted to rip off with my teeth.”
Clinton turned his head, glancing at Weston and then to me. The glint in his eyes shifted as desire roared into his system. “She’s just visiting.”
“You want me to send her on her way?”
“Don’t worry about it, Jonas. Just watch her until we’re finished with our discussion.”
“Will do.”
After Jonas left, I couldn’t help but laugh. “I would call the beautiful Ava more than a handful. I had a feeling she would try and figure out why and how we hold so much power.”
“Clever, but she could become a serious issue.” Clinton rubbed his jaw as he paced the room. “Still, we can handle Ava given our plan to keep her. But it would seem our buddy Theo is determined to make things difficult for us.”
“What are you thinking?” Weston asked, the gleam in his eye telling. He was eager to dissect the man as much as I was, sending his body back to daddy in several plastic bags.
“We wait until graduation. Then no one can touch us.” Clinton was right in that once freed from the institution, we would be above the law, controlling anyone we chose.
I nodded. While I had no patience, it was necessary. Two weeks wouldn’t change anything. “What about the girl? What are the illustrious plans for tonight, given she’s not quite the vulnerable girl we suspected?”
“Did you talk to her?” Clinton asked Weston.
“She disappeared right after Christian escorted our unwanted guest out of the party room.” Weston grinned. “At least now we know what she was doing.”
Clinton snorted. “Yes. She certainly has balls for an innocent little thing. I wonder if her pussy tastes as sweet as she pretends to be? I also wonder how eager she is to enjoy the darkness she describes so eloquently.”
“My guess is that she has no clue,” Weston offered.
“I told you she was a fighter. I think she needs a lesson in understanding that she’s a guest in our abode,” I said before glancing at both men. “But depending on what she heard, we may not be able to let her go as planned, even on a tight leash.”
“Mmm… agreed.” Clinton chuckled. “We’ll know by the way she reacts after we enjoy spending time with her.”
“I know what you said before, but how are we going to explain her disappearance to her parents if that becomes necessary?” I was curious as to his answer. Clinton believed himself to be omnipotent in all things. Perhaps we all did.
“Once we’re finished with her, the good little girl will do anything and everything we command her to do. I have confidence in our abilities.” He smiled. “We’ll provide her with exactly what she’s been craving. Remember, she wants to be called a good girl.”
“I do love the man’s attitude,” Weston chortled.
“You mean his sadistic ways.” I grinned.
“And she likes being called little pet.”
“Mmm…” Weston murmured.
My balls were tight as drums, images of forcing her to kneel in front of me wearing nothing but a collar a beautiful vision to behold.
“Perhaps we’ll start with punishment before pleasure,” Weston suggested. “That will provide an excellent introduction into our world.”
Punishment. Given our brutal tastes in providing needed discipline to either a wayward candidate or the women who were required to surrender to us, I had a feeling we’d learn just how much of a fighter the lovely Ava could be. “Yes. I think that’s exactly what needs to happen. Find her, Weston, and bring her to our playroom.”
Clinton grinned. “And I thought you weren’t interested.”
“I’m interested. In fact, I honestly do believe keeping her in a collar and on a leash for the duration of her stay in City of Hope is required.”
“Christian, select a single implement for tonight. Choose wisely. The thought isn’t to terrify her just yet.” Clinton narrowed his eyes, the sick bastard inside of him eager to provide more than a simple lesson.
“I have just the instrument in mind. Pain and pleasure it is.” I chuckled under my breath.
Weston laughed. “Then so be it. I’ll return shortly. Then we can begin.”