Page 321 of Filthy Elites

“I like this dress,” he murmurs.

It’s hard to smile right now, but he draws a little one out of me. “I thought you would.” I stay where I am in his arms, but I glance toward the beach. “Look, the sun is setting.”

He turns slightly so he can watch the sunset while he holds me.

“It’s beautiful,” I say softly.

“It sure is.” He pulls me back, his hand sliding around my neck, then leans down and gives me a soft kiss.

Sighing against his mouth, I wind my arms around his neck and kiss him back.

As much as I’d love to get swept up in him, I’m too shaken up by what just happened, so I pull back after only a moment. “I think I better get home,” I tell him. “She has left stuff at my house before, so she clearly knows where I live. What if she lured me here just to get me out of my house?”

“Why don’t I take you home,” he suggests. “I’ll give you a ride to and from school tomorrow, too. You can pick your car up when you get back from New York Saturday night.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

He nods. “I want to have your car checked out, make sure nothing was tampered with. Can you start keeping it in the garage?”

“We mostly use our garage for storage, there’s not really room for the car.”

He nods again, but I can see his wheels turning. “All right. Well, I’d still like to have it looked at. Either way, you’ll be safer with me. Do you think we could convince your mom to let me spend the night tonight without letting her know why?”

“Um… not sure. But if you sneak in after she’s asleep, we don’t have to ask.”

“All right. Text me when she’s going to sleep and I’ll come over.”

Trying to find a bright spot in all this, I say, “At least you didn’t have to wait long to cash in your rain check.”

Dare smirks, sliding his hand down and grabbing my ass. “Make sure you keep this dress on, but ditch the panties.”

___

When Dare takes me home,he checks around the house to make sure nothing seems suspicious. My neighbor Josie comes out and watches curiously as he comes around the side of the house. I tell her he’s my boyfriend for simplicity’s sake. He tells her there was something wrong with my car again, so it’s being looked at and that’s why he gave me a ride home.

He walks me to my porch and gives me a kiss, then he tells me he’ll see me in a couple of hours.

I’m excited for him to come back, but still really nervous about whatever Anae had planned. If that plan was thwarted, where is her head at now? Was she really going to hurt me?

I feel like I’m in a tense horror film as I walk in the house and find Mom not in the living room. Dread curls around me and I grip my phone as I walk down the hall.

“Mom?”

Thankfully, she’s just in the bathroom.

I don’t want to worry her over nothing, but I still find myself checking every room to make sure nothing is amiss.

I’m fully aware how crazy this is, and I feel crazy, but I don’t know what else to do.

It occurs to me that Hannah might know where Anae is, so I shoot her a quick message even though she never responded earlier. That one wasn’t urgent and this one is.

“Hey, sorry to bother you,” I write, “but I was just wondering if you could do me a favor. No big deal if not, but do you know if Anae is home right now?”

I wait, chewing on my bottom lip. Her icon shows she’s online and a moment later she messages back, “No, she left a while ago. Why?”

“This is going to sound crazy, but I think she tried to lure me to the beach behind Dare’s house.”

“WHAT? Did you go?”

---