Chel drags her index finger along Jeremy’s jaw and smirks. Then she drops down so quickly that I barely follow her movements. Her fingers work at his jeans, and before I can convince myself that she’s not about to do what I think she is, her head disappears and then bobs right back up. Jeremy’s neck looks like it turns to Jell-O as it flops backward. He moans loudly, his mouth trying to say something. It seems like he can’t form a coherent thought much less vocalize it. Duke’s laughter brings me back to the room. This is happening in front of so many people. Why? Why would anyone do this?
I focus in on Duke, whose laughter dwindles to nothing. Ruby’s voice can’t be heard across the room, but her face has morphed into a scowl. She points at Jeremy, shakes her head, and then points at Duke’s chest. By the time she turns around, I notice that Holly and Alex are already near the door. Dad lumbers after Holly and does his best to ignore Ruby as she walks beside him, still obviously displeased with Duke’s “gift” to Jeremy. Good. I’m glad somebody is as disgusted by this as I am. Uncle Jim is shaking his head and barking something at Duke. Then he leaves the room, hot on his wife’s tail. Duke’s just lucky Nic isn’t in here, or they’d end up in an epic fight. She’s going to find out eventually, and the best I can hope is that I’m far away when she does.
A couple moves away and crosses the room to grab a few beers. In their absence, I have a clear shot of Jeremy and Chel. Her hands link together around his shaft, effectively blocking the crowd’s view of his dick.
I guess there are some things even Dad and Uncle Jim aren’t cool with here. I’m not surprised that Holly and Aunt Ruby take issue with it, though. The problem certainly isn’t nudity, nor is it sex that has set them off. But Jeremy is practically a baby to them. So even though he has his cut, seeing him get his dick sucked in the middle of a crowded room.
My fingers tingle, and soon enough, so do my arms and legs. A cramp starts in my stomach that travels up to my chest and forms a lump in my throat. It’s not sorrow. It’s not tears. I clamp my hand over my mouth and hunch forward. Daniel’s hands are on me in an instant, helping me stand upright. Maybe I drank my beer too fast, or maybe the sight of the boy I’ve convinced myself could be mine getting his dick sucked in a room of strangers is just too much to take.
Daniel whispers, “Oh shit,” into my ear. He disappears for just a moment before he’s back with a plastic red cup. It’s full of something, but he dumps it out on the floor and places it below my chin just in time for me to relieve my stomach. I gag over the cup for a moment, just frozen in place and terrified that Jeremy is going to turn around. He can’t know I’m here, much less that I’m freaking yakking because he’s such a stupid boy and Chel is a worthless whore.
I never knew why Elle had a problem with Chel.
Now I do.
Whore.
Idiot.
I hate them both.
CHAPTER 12
December
16 months to Mancuso’s downfall
Daniel leads me out of the room and into the hallway, where I finally stop gagging over the cup. Pushing the foul thing away, I turn toward the brick wall and press my face against it. Daniel awkwardly holds the cup before gently placing it on the floor beside me. Somebody is going to run into it, but I can’t bring myself to pick it up and move it to save them the trouble. Maybe Chel can clean it up.
Whore.
My foot slides to the side and accidentally tips the cup over.
Stupid cocksucking slut.
“You okay?” Daniel asks.
“Perfect,” I mumble into the brick. Tears prick at my eyes, and frustration overtakes me. I pull my head back just a few inches and then let it fall forward against the brick. It takes Daniel one more head slam into the wall before he realizes what I’m doing, and he pulls me back, spins me around, and forces me to look at him.
“What the fuck is your problem?” he snaps. His attention is on my forehead as his fingers slide over the sensitive skin.
“No, what the fuck is your problem?” I snap back. “You guys think shit like that is funny? It’s cool to watch a guy get his dick sucked? Really?”
“This is about that fucking prospect,” he says and lets go of me so quickly that I stumble back to the brick wall. The back of my head throbs with the impact, but it’s nothing compared to the intensity of my heart beating in my chest. I say nothing in response because there’s nothing I can say. A tear falls down my cheek as I try to regroup.
“Your head hurt?” he says, the frustration obvious in his tone. His blue eyes fall to my brown ones as he cups my chin in his hands. I shrug my shoulders and refuse to verbalize my pain. “That guy is a fucking asshole whether he knew he was going to get blown in that room or not. He’s a child. I don’t give a shit that you’re the same age. You’re too good for him, too mature for him. Too beautiful and too everything for him.”