Privilege (Privilege 1)

She let the taller man pull her to her feet and leaned into him as he helped her over to their cart. He grabbed her overstuffed backpack and placed it next to their golf bags on the rear rack. Ariana had come straight from the mall.

"All settled?" the tall man asked as Ariana carefully slipped her foot into the cart.

"Yes. Thank you. Really. Y'all are such gentlemen."

The two men glanced at one another, all puffed up and pleased

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with themselves. Ariana smirked as they took their seats and the cart jolted to life. Two minutes later they had entered their pass code into the keypad by the gate, and Ariana was in. She leaned back and enjoyed the view as they wound their way toward the main clubhouse. The grounds inside the exclusive club were impeccably kept, with beds of blooming flowers, towering pecan trees, and cacti dotting the cart path. Ariana thought of Kaitlynn and how much she appreciated good landscaping. She sighed, missing her friend. If Kaitlynn had known where she was headed right then, she would have been shocked off her prison bed.

A pair of security guards in white uniforms glanced at the cart as it drove by. Ariana's heart skipped a nervous beat, but she kept her expression placid, bored. One of the two young men nodded at her in acknowledgment--and appreciation--as she was whisked on by, and Ariana smiled the moment her back was to him.

She belonged. It was obvious to him that she belonged.

The cart pulled to a stop near the edge of an outdoor patio that overlooked one of the club's resort-style pools. Indigenous stones surrounded a huge, burbling waterfall and an in-pool b

ar. Ladies in wide-brim straw hats and designer loungewear sat around glass-topped tables, sipping ice water and picking at crisp salads. Ariana noted the large handbags, some carelessly yawning open at their owners' sides as they gossiped obliviously. These women were, of course, safe in their country club environment, surrounded by their own ilk. Ariana tucked a loose strand of auburn hair back into her bobby pin. That blind trust could be a girl's best friend. Ariana's white knights helped

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her to a thickly padded lounge chair under a wide umbrella near the edge of the water and ordered her an iced tea from the hovering waitress.

"Would you like us to look for your friend?" the doctor asked solicitously. "What's her name?"

"Oh, no. You've been kind enough. To be honest, she's probably not here yet," Ariana lied smoothly. "She's usually even later than I am."

The two men chuckled and said their good-byes, warning her to stay off her ankle for the day. Two minutes later Ariana was sipping iced tea and focusing on the task at hand. She hoped she had been deposited at the right pool. According to Kaitlynn's accounts, there were two on the grounds. Feeling a sharp pain in her arm, Ariana realized she was digging her fingers into her flesh, and she told herself not to stress. If it didn't happen today, there was always tomorrow. Tomorrow she could flag down another pair of gullible old men and start all over again.

Settling back into her seat, Ariana tipped her face toward the sun, looking every bit the bored teenage socialite, and tuned in to the group of girls a few chairs away. They were gabbing on about the latest Hollywood hookups and who was taking whom to the next cotillion. Wishing she had thought to swipe a pair of sunglasses at Neiman's, she tried to watch them without being obvious. None of them exactly matched Briana Leigh's description, but then Kaitlynn had been on the inside for more than two years. In that time appearances could change. Drastically.

"Your extra towels, Miss Covington."

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Ariana's heart skipped a beat. She turned to the left to locate the voice and saw a valet handing three thick pool towels to a girl who had just emerged from the water. She was tall and curvy, her breasts barely contained by a sparkling pink string bikini. Her teased auburn hair was up in a high ponytail, and Ariana noted with interest that the color was very similar to the boxed shade she had chosen for herself. Huge Gucci aviators practically covered the girl's face, and as she approached the valet she shoved her too-tan feet into a pair of high-heeled gold lame sandals. Ariana's nose wrinkled in distaste. If her plan was going to work, Ariana was going to need another makeover. A big, gaudy makeover.

The girl snatched the towels from the valet and flicked each of them open in turn, then threw two of them back in his face.

"These are too worn. Get me new ones," she snapped, settling into a chair two seats over from Ariana.

Ariana's eyes narrowed. This was definitely "the bitch." No doubt about it. Ariana had a habit of calling people out on their impoliteness. It was a quirk Noelle had often complained about. With this girl she had a feeling she was going to be biting her tongue. Often.

Still, her heart pounded with excitement. She was here. It was all happening. "Did that guy say, 'Miss Covington'?" Ariana asked as soon as the valet had scurried off. She sat up straight and placed her iced tea down on the table next to her. The girl looked over at Ariana, lifting her sunglasses and squinting. "Not the Briana Leigh Covington?" Ariana said. The Southern accent was gone again.

Briana Leigh's brow knit. "Do I know you?"

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"No!" Ariana forced herself to laugh. "But you did know my friend Dana Dover. From Camp Potowamac?"

Ariana saw the recognition in Briana Leigh's eyes, but her expression was still one of annoyance.

"I'm Emma Walsh," Ariana said, placing her hand on her chest. "Dana and I have been in school together since kindergarten. She must have mentioned me."

Briana Leigh's blue eyes flicked over Ariana. "Sounds vaguely familiar. She may have mentioned you."

She put her sunglasses back on and leaned back in her chair again, clearly dismissing the intruder. Ariana's skin itched with annoyance.