Page 66 of Pretty Secrets

“If you are unaware, sex is the greatest stress reliever. And when you have jobs and relationships as complicated as Knights, there’s nothing that beats a carefree romp.” His words sound like he’s reading from a textbook. “It’s also a big responsibility,” he adds. “Sex is power. Sex is a tool. I suggest you use it wisely.” He peers at Alaric and Leo. “You’ll notify us when they receive their rewards and if there’re any strings we need to pull to make it happen.”

My babysitters both nod while Greene steps around us and reaches for the doorknob. “Keep up the good work and enjoy.”

After he shuts the door behind himself and he’s out of earshot, we all talk at once.

Leo bitches about the fact that he somehow got around the security system, and he’s berating Alaric, who was supposed to set the alarm when we left.

I’m still moaning about the sex thing, and Oliver is asking what world he’s living in.

“Just lock the door,” Alaric finally grinds out after promising Leo that he, in fact, did set the alarm before we left earlier. “We’ll work on the security system later.”

“You didn’t set it,” Leo gripes. “That’s how he got in.”

“I set the fucking alarm,” Alaric bites out. “Jesus. Do you ever shut the fuck up?”

“Anyway,” I almost explode. I’m harboring enough secret sexual fantasies that I don’t want to share. Couldn’t we have gotten something else for doing a good job? “Anyone heard of…” Time and time again, I bring up an idea of other rewards, but I shoot it down before even voicing it. The truth is, we all have money. We have vacations whenever we want them; we have the means to make almost anything happen.

Which is why he said sex is a tool—a weapon, some might say. Old Wrinkly Cock Jarvis uses it against his entire family. It’s the one thing we can’t control. And when we can, it’s not all that fun.It’s easy to jump in the sack with someone who wants to fuck you for your money, I think, peering at Leo. It’s most likely why his appetite skews in a different direction. Which explains why he hangs out at rundown go-kart tracks instead of places where people would recognize his face and name.

“Fine,” I say, admitting to myself that I won’t be able to avoid this.

Leo can’t let my outburst go, though. “What? You got something against sex? You seemed interested last night…”

“No,” I say with a little too much barb. “It’s just, sex shouldn’t be a tool or whatever Greene said. It makes me second-guess everyone’s intentions.”

“Well, we all know what Oliver’s intentions are,” Alaric rasps. “Greatest fantasy? Must have something to do with Eden.”

I gulp. I hadn’t thought past my own reward, and I’d forgotten about Oliver altogether. Peering up at him, I wait until he slides his gaze to mine. “It does.”

There’s something different in his blue hue. It’s not the normal, shining eyes of my best friend wondering what kind of trouble we’re going to get into next. This is excitement in its purest form.

“Eden Astor,” he orders, his breathy voice cloaked in a physical manifestation of sex. “Wait for me in my room.”

I blink at him, a small smile forming on my lips. He must be joking. “Oliver…”

Moving forward, he bends to get in my face. “In my room. Now. Or I’ll throw you over my shoulder and take you there.”

The distinct features on his face tighten, his commanding stare searing through me until my legs feel like jelly.

I don’t know whether to call his bluff, possibly humiliating myself in the process, or to go upstairs like he says—which is also humiliating. Either way, I’m in for a bout of shame, so I do as he says, glaring at him as I walk by. Once we get up there, he’ll drop this charade. We’ll just sit and talk, make it seem like we did something because there’s no way Oliver would make me have sex with him. It’s just not in his nature.

My feet sting a little as I walk up the stairs. When I get to the landing, I slip my shoes off and place them next to my door. Despite us being here for a few days, I haven’t even been up to Oliver’s room yet. I’ve seen his place in plenty of other houses, though. His style is always distinctly masculine with a mix of old and new.

My heart beats as I hear their voices drifting up the stairs. I’m too far away to hear what’s being said, though, so I keep moving to the top floor where Ollie’s is the only door. I push it open, and his scent bombards me, skating over my skin.

When I lost my virginity to Oliver, it was…fun. Amazing, actually. Since I was inexperienced, I’d wrongfully believed all of my sexual encounters would be equal or better, but after a few less-than-stellar experiences, I realized sex with Oliver was actually stellar. Which is why we started experimenting with each other when we got older and more curious.

Much like Greene said, life can be stressful, and people need an outlet for energy that there’s no other healthy way to expend. Turning to Oliver was easy. No strings attached. Only pleasure. And he’sgoodat it. Finding someone to fool around with and hope for the best is exhausting. He was a sure thing.

It wasn’t until recently that I suspected he may have felt like what we were doing was more. And then very recently—as in the other day—that he confirmed it for me.

I haven’t had time to do a deep dive into my feelings for him. I haven’t—

The stairs creak. I turn, my back to the bed now, and shuffle backward. I see his head first, then he zeroes in on me like he has me in his sights. My chest flutters. The way he’s staring at me doesn’t say he’s about to drop this.

“Oliver,” I hedge, taking a step backward.

He slowly shakes his head. “It’s my time, Edie.”

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