Page 64 of Crown of Thorns
Noah: No?
Melo: Well, you should
I open IG. The video he’s posted is from tonight. They’ve moved their party to The Black Cat. He, Gaël, and some of their obnoxious friends. They’re dancing.
Cracking my knuckles, my jaw tightens. My eyes burn. My insides coil. But I can’t look away. Louis’s chest is bare, showing the whole world his gorgeous, smooth pecs. That ominous crow. His six-pack is gleaming with sweat as he lowers the camera, allowing us to see his hips rotate sensually to the rhythm of the beat. He’s wearing low-sitting dark pants that reveal just that bit of the fine hairs that lead south to his gorgeous cock. Removing my glasses, I squint at the screen. Is he…hard? Fury rises, causing my chest to clench and my breathing to become hard. Something’s stuck in my throat. That asshole. How dare he?
I won’t be ignored.
Says the caption.
Is that…is he referring to me? He’s gotten hundreds of responses already, mostly from slutty guys who’d love to be railed by him.
Come here, Daddy.
I’d never ignore you, sexy.
You only need to say the words.
The phone trembles in my hand. The bag stares me in the face in a silent challenge. I’ve always been my worst enemy. So capable of screwing up my own life.
Studies have always been my getaway, my unrelenting escape. No matter how much I fucked up, books have always forgiven me.
Not now. I’m about to do something really, really stupid, and I can’t stop myself.
Plato003: What are you, five? Are you throwing a tantrum, Louis? You need all the attention on you?
My fingers work fast despite the bruised skin. Tucking in my shirt, I fasten my pants and grab my keys. Before heading out, I quickly sent my sister a reply:
Noah: I’ve got more important things to do.
18
NOAH
Along queue stretches outside The Black Cat. Men and women dressed in flashy colours—from short skirts and high heels to crop shirts, tattoos, and piercings—occupy the streets of Saint-Laurent. It leaves me plenty of time to reconsider.
I shouldn’t be here. This is a mistake. A reckless, dangerous mistake.
LouisGxx: I can already smell you, baby. Your arousal. Your wetness. Promise me I can lick it all up?
I ignore the message, though others swarm the unfolding drama, reacting eagerly to his thread on IG.
But the truth is, it’s impossible to stay away. He posted that video for the world to see, but the message was for me. I know it. He knows it. And now I’m here, on the verge of doing something really fucking stupid.
I want him for myself. I want to claim him, unofficially, publicly. And I hate that I care that much.
LouisGxx: I’ll take that as a yes. Please don’t make me wait for too long.
Two men in dark suits approach me through the crowd, cutting through the line like a blade.
“Professor Montague?” one asks, his tone formal but firm. “If you’ll please come with us.”
It’s not a request. I recognize them now. Deveraux security. My stomach knots.
“Of course,” I say, stepping forward, already aware of the dozens of curious eyes now following us as we move past the queue and toward the doors of The Black Cat.
“I should wait just like the others,” I protest as we make our way past the line and straight to the front door.
