The Ritual

The fact that I’m standing on one of the second-story balconies looking down onto the first floor and watching another man touch what’s mine makes me see fucking red.

Pushing away from the railing, I rush down the hallway and see two men standing at the railing. Both have holsters on their belts with guns loaded. “Ryat.” One nods at me.

Walking over to the edge, I point out Blakely and Sarah on the first floor. They’re throwing back shots at the bar in the back. “See those two girls. One dressed in a white dress, the other in a black one?”

“Yeah. What about them?”

“No one touches them. Got it?”

He nods. “Yes, sir.”

Satisfied that they will do what needs to be done if something happens, I finish walking down the hallway to the end and come to a door. I punch in the key to enter and push it open.

Ty is in the middle of fucking a server.

Her brown eyes widen when she sees Gunner and me enter the room. Shrieking, she presses her palms on the desk he has her bent over and tries to push herself up. Grabbing the back of her neck, he slams her face down onto the desk and continues to fuck her from behind. “Just let them watch,” he tells her.

“Ty …”

Leaning over her back, he reaches in front of her and pries her mouth open, sticking his fingers inside—two on each side—opening her mouth up so she can no longer argue with him. “Shut the fuck up,” he growls.

Her face is scrunched, and she closes her eyes in embarrassment. That’s Ty for you. He was always good at humiliation. The man taught me everything I know.

He pumps into her, their hips hitting the desk, making it rattle.

She moans, unable to help herself, and her fingers curl around the edge of the desk, holding on to it. She’s fighting the inevitable. Drool starts to run down her dark-painted lips and onto the desk. Her hair covers parts of her face, and the room fills with her unintelligible sounds that he’s forcing from her. Then her eyes roll back into her head just as he thrusts one last time—both of them cumming.

Pulling out of her, he removes the condom and tosses it into the trash can by his desk and sits down. “Now get the fuck out,” he orders, and she gladly obliges, running as fast as she can past us, but stumbling out the door. “What can I do for you guys?”

“The basement.” I get to the point. “May we use it?”

He smiles up at us. “Of course. You never have to ask.” Sitting up, he places his forearms on the desk. “Just point them out, and I’ll have them delivered for you.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

BLAKELY

WE’VE BEEN AT the club for three hours now. We’ve had drinks, shots, and danced our asses off.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asks as we come up to the bar for a refill. I’m not sure if it’s the alcohol or the flashing lights, but it’s getting hard to see.

“Nope.” My problems are not hers. And I’m still unsure of this ritual shit. Does she have to tell Gunner if he asks her? Would she willingly tell him without him having to ask? I love my friend, but I’m going to keep this to myself. It’s not something she can fix anyway.

“Okay,” she says, not concerned that I’m keeping something from her. “Just know I’m here if you need me.”

“Here you go, ladies. Courtesy of the two gentlemen at the end of the bar.” The bartender sets two shots down in front of us.

I look over to my right, my hair flipping across my face expecting to see dipshit again. Thankfully, the guys haven’t bothered us since Sarah told them to fuck off. But instead, I’m surprised to see a set of emerald eyes staring at me. He stands there, holding a glass of scotch. Gunner stands next to him, drinking a beer. A laugh bubbles up from my chest, making his eyes narrow on mine. It’s funny. I’m not even mad or surprised that the fucker found me.

“I swear I didn’t tell him,” Sarah assures me, patting my shoulder.

“It’s fine.” I nod, picking up my drink. I stare at it for a second before I throw it back. Some misses my mouth, and the coldness runs down my breasts since they’re on full display tonight.

“Fuck them, B. We came here to have fun. Me and you. Let’s go dance,” she offers when I set the empty drink down.

“Lead the way,” I half joke. I’m fucked up and feel great. He can’t ruin my night. Hell, not even Matt can piss me off right now.

She grabs my hand and pulls me onto the dance floor. We make our way through the people, bumping into them until we’re in the center. I throw my hands up above my head and start moving my hips to “Taste of You” by Rezz and Dove Cameron.