The Silver Swan (The Elite King's Club 1)

He tips his head at me. “Okay, got to go now.”

“Who is that?” Tatum purrs, as we pull away from the school. “Please tell me you’re hitting it.”

“I am.” Tillie nods. “But it’s completely mutual, and we have no interest in ever going further than great sex with each other.”

I look at her in my rearview mirror. It’s not that I don’t believe her. It’s just that… yeah, I don’t believe her. You don’t become friends with someone who looks like Tillie and then who looks like Ridge, and not want to make babies together.

“Really?” I answer. “How does that work? You know… without becoming attached in some way.” Not that I’m clingy, but even I struggle with separating my feelings with sex. It’s something I’ve always struggled with. I’ve never been able to be one of those girls who could have sex with a guy and not at least feel something for him, even just a little bit. And even without knowing Bishop, I just don’t think it’s in me to do that. Except now I definitely feel something for Bishop. Hate.

“It just does. Ridge and I have known each other since we were kids. We’re probably a little more experienced than most people our age, but that’s because we’ve been sleeping together for a very long time.”

I pull onto our highway and head toward the mall. “And what about when one of you wants to sleep with someone else? Won’t the other get mad?”

She shakes her head. “No. It’s seriously just sex. I know it’s hard to understand for most people, and I know girls say they’re cool with this kind of situation and then they get attached, but I really am cool with it. He’s had lots of girlfriends since we started sleeping together.” She shrugs, and I watch her in the rearview mirror, trying to catch her bluff. “Sometimes he cheats with me, or sometimes he doesn’t. Either way, I get laid.” She winks at me.

I shake my head and laugh, pulling into the parking lot. “Well, he’s hot, just saying.”

“You want his number? Certain he would be interested,” Tillie says, shrugging and pushing open her door.

“What?” I scoff, getting out and walking around to the front as we start toward the mall. “I didn’t mean as in I want a taste. I just mean as in he’s hot.”

“Well, I do!” Tatum says, linking her arm with Tillie’s.

Tillie laughs and then stops when she realizes Tatum is serious. “Oh no, no, no, honey.” Tillie taps her hand as we walk into the cool air-conditioned mall. “He would eat you alive.”

It’s funny. At first glance, you would think Tatum is the slut of the group, not me or Tillie. Not saying we’re sluts, but we’re the most sexually active out of the tripod.

I burst out laughing just as my phone vibrates in my pocket. Seeing it’s an unknown caller, I shoo them into the closest clothing store and swipe my phone unlocked.

“Hello?” I’m still laughing when the word leaves my mouth.

“Riddle me this,” an automated voice answers on the other end.

“Pardon?” I ask, taking a seat on one of the café chairs. “Who is this?”

“I am neither dead, nor alive, and I’m not something little Madison can hide. But you will be dead by the time this is done. The timer starts now. The games have just begun.”

“Hello? This is not funny—” The line goes dead, and I look down to my phone, my mouth slightly open. What the hell was that about?

“Madi!” Tillie yells out from one of the clothing shops, waving a dress around.

Oh no.

“Coming!” I call out, looking back down to my phone. Who even uses that spooky voice, and who the hell was that? Some stupid kid playing with their parents’ phone.

Yeah, some stupid kid who just so happens to know how to block their caller ID.

Standing to my feet, I walk toward the clothing store and push my phone back into my pocket, along with my feelings about that call.

“What. Is. That?” I ask, pointing toward the outfit Tatum is brushing down in front of the mirror.

“What?” She laughs like a hyena. “This is Harley Quinn!”

“I know it’s Harley Quinn, but why are you wearing it?” I giggle, taking the costume Tillie chose for me from her.

“Because I wanna find me my puddin’.”

“Oh Lord.”

She starts flicking her hair around like the lunatic she is and I shake my head, looking down at the… “I am not wearing this.”

“Whyyy?” Tillie moans. “It’s cute!”

“Yeah, for a girl who wants her cookie hanging out.” I give it back to her and flop down onto the customer chairs. “I can’t even think about what I want to dress as.”

“Well, you have to go as something!” Tatum exasperates, walking back into the changing room and slipping out of her outfit.