Beautiful Lies (Dark Secret Society 2)

The first Initiation night hadn’t been that bad—just a bit of voyeurism with everyone watching Sully and me have sex. Maybe a naïve part of me thought that’s all that would ever be asked of us. That maybe the older guys in cloaks just got off on watching.

But whatever was in that box, my instincts told me that tonight would be… more. But more, what? How?

I was usually confident and took a no-nonsense, get-things-done approach to life. You couldn’t sit there and whine about how the people around you had it better. We were all given the life we were born with, good or bad. You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit, as I was told repeatedly in kindergarten.

Then you did the best you could to be happy and take care of the ones you loved the best you could. That was the only nugget of great wisdom I’d managed to gain in my twenty-three years on this earth.

Tonight would just be like any other night. I’d survive like I had the past few years since Mama had died. None of that had been easy, either. But I hadn’t met a challenge yet I couldn’t overcome.

So, I sat primly on the bed with my hands crossed in my lap, trying to channel my best Queen of England impression as I waited, calm and collected, slightly bored, for Sully to come out and finally reveal what was in the box.

Sully’s voice boomed out at the same time he slammed open the bathroom door. “Your turn, sweet ‘ems.”

I swung my head towards his voice and that’s when I saw it.

He had the box under his arm, but he was holding out a single blood-red leather collar.

Like a collar for a dog.

What. The. Actual. F—

“What?” Sully smirked. “Don’t tell me red clashes with your baby pink nail polish.”

“What the hell is that?” I bit out.

“Didn’t you read the handbook?” Sully tut tut tutted at me.

Handbook? There was a freaking handbook? How come no one had given me a copy?

“It’s men’s choice. I get to choose whether to put my pet in a black, white, or red collar.” His grin spread wider on his face. “The red one means I like to share.”

My mouth dropped all the way open. Did that mean he—

Of course he would. He was a drunk. Completely debauched and corrupted by the wealth and privilege that had been at his beck and call since he was a kid.

He hung the red collar off his pointer finger, extending it my direction. “Chop chop. They’ll be waiting on us.”

My entire face and neck heated with fury. Did he really have the gall to— “You took a forty-five-minute shower and now you’re telling me to rush? You can shove that collar up your ass!”

“Ah ah ah, sweet ‘ems. I thought you were a good little whore. Aren’t your kind supposed to spread your legs and do anything at all for a quick buck?”

Or I could wrap that collar around his neck and… But they probably wouldn’t give me what I’d asked for if I murdered their precious Initiate, huh?

Instead, I tilted my head with a saccharine-sweet smile. “Let me guess? Daddy issues? You don’t feel man enough to handle me all by yourself.”

I breezed over to him and snatched the collar out of his hand.

“Fine with me if your little pecker needs a break. I understand. With all the drinking you do, it’s a wonder you’ve managed to get it up at all.”

Sully didn’t say anything, but I swear I could feel the steam of rage wafting off him in my direction.

I lifted my hair and buckled the red leather around my neck. At least the leather was soft. But dear God, I had a dog collar around my neck!

If Mama could see me now…

I’d gone to Sunday School almost every week of my life up until a few years ago. Nice girls who helped organize church potlucks did not wear sex collars.

My fingers fluttered over the collar as I looked back towards Sully. “Where’s the rest of it? Or am I just supposed to wear the skimpiest underthings in the dresser?”

I walked over towards the antique dresser nestled in the corner of the large room, but Sully’s unkind laugh had me stopping in my tracks.

“Oh, there’s a dress code all right.” His smile unnerved me. “You’re looking at it.” He pointed to the collar. “That and nothing else.”

I felt my face go pale but wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.

Of course I’d be naked with only the sex collar on. Silly me. What else did I expect?

Sully was enjoying this far too much, so without waiting another moment, I yanked off my soft cotton t-shirt, bra, jeans, underwear and socks. I let them fall to my feet in defiance.