Sinners & Saints (Sinners & Saints #1) (17 page)

           
“Is
that a book or a movie?” I almost forgot Nathanial was standing there.

           
“Yes,
Nathanial, it’s a book. Speaking of things Ivy League students should know
about, how is it at Yale?”

           
Nathanial
sticks out his chest, glowering at Hugo. “Amazing actually. Heard you turned
down Harvard.”

           
“Yes,
I did. Tragic, isn’t it?”

           
“Yeah,
it is.” He has a smug grin on his face now.

           
“How’s
Melody?”

           
Nathanial’s
smile disappears. He looks like he’s going to be sick.

“Juliet, it was lovely meeting you,” he
says and dismisses himself.

           
“You
really have a lot of friends.” I flash my sarcastic smile at him.

           
He
shrugs.

           
“Who’s
Melody?” I ask.

           
“Nathanial’s
ex-girlfriend.”

           
“Let
me guess, you shagged her.”

           
His
face smoothly contorts. “Hell no. She had the clap.”

           
“And
she gave it to Nathanial?”

           
“Yep.”

           
I
narrow my eyes at him. “I’m surprised you’re not infested with some sort of
sexual transmitted disease.”

           
“What
can I say? Jesus loves me.”

           
I
snicker. “You’re so going to hell.”

           
“If
I do, I’m going to be the coolest asshole there.”

           
“So
bad.”

           
“I
like it when you say those words
—
bad,
naughty, gorgeous.” His brow jumps. “My name. That accent does them justice. It
sounds elegant and yet provocative.”

           
“Like
I haven’t heard that before from an American man. I’m sure you say it to all
the English girls.”

           
“I
never have to.” His eyes rake over me and I feel my body flush. “But with you…”
His words trail off as he thinks to himself.

           
“What?”
I ask, gazing into his one blue, one green infinity.

           
His
eyes look sad for a moment… but now it’s time to mask them with the usual
obscurity.

           
“I’m
gonna have a look around. Go find my father and his wife. You can look after
yourself, right?”

           
I
smile. I’m not bothered by his back and forth. I’m just glad that there is a
back and forth. “Sure.” Before I leave, I adjust the collar of his jacket and
look him in the eyes.

           
“You
know, black really brings out the color of your eyes,” I speak into them
softly. “Those eyes together… they are truly the perfect ocean.”

           
And
I would love to swim in that ocean, cleanse myself in it. Maybe even drown in
it. But I can only do that if he lets me and he won’t. Not now anyway.
 

           
He
looks irritated as he walks away. I sip my champagne in triumph.

           
“Juliet?”
I turn around and see Margaret Jacobs wearing a white dress. “Hi, I didn’t know
you were going to be here.”

           
“Hi,
Margaret.” I can’t help but to think of Jordana when I look at her. I bet she’s
thinking about her too.

           
“I’m
so glad you’re here. I want you to meet some of my friends.” Without a response
from me, she grabs my hand and drags me away.

HUGO

I find my stepmother, Kelly, alone out
on the back patio of the Chambers Townhouse. She’s staring off with her arms
folded against her chest. She’s got a nice pair of tits too. She’s wearing a
black fitted cocktail dress that shows off her ass nicely. Pilates are working
out well for her.

           
“Kelly.”

           
She
turns around and she seems upset. She forces a sad smile at me. “Hugo, hi.”

           
“Where’s
my dad?”

           
“Who
knows?” she shrugs. She seems a little intoxicated.

           
“Let
me guess, work.”

           
“You
know him as well as I do.”

           
“Yes
I do.”

           
I
stand with her in silence and watch the darkness. My father pops in my mind
first. I think about how much of a dick he is. Now I’m wondering what Scarlett
is doing. I’m pretty sure she’s wreaking havoc.
Shit
, now Juliet is invading my head. I want to go back in the
party and find her. I want to talk to her. Argue with her. Kiss her. Fuck her.
It kills me to want Juliet. I need to do something cruel to someone.

           
“Today
is our anniversary,” Kelly suddenly says.

           
“Happy
Anniversary.” I raise my glass to her.

           
“I
planned this huge night out. A high paid chef was going to cook for us and I
bought him a Cartier watch. You know how he loves watches. I even had his name
engraved in it.” She glances at me with her lazy red eyes. She’s been crying
too. “Well, you’re a big boy… I was going to fuck his brains out too.”

           
I
nod my head, impressed. “Sounds like a good night.”

           
“Yeah,
it would’ve been, but when I woke up with a smile on my face, intending to tell
him Happy Anniversary, he just told me to make sure to wear something good
tonight for Gail Chambers’ party. To make him look good and that he would meet
me here.”

           
I
shake my head at the usual behavior.

           
“He
texted twenty minutes ago. More like Denise texted twenty minutes ago. Said he
won’t be able to make it but to let Gail know that we’ll be donating to her
campaign.”

           
“Such
the romantic, huh?” I say and notice she’s staring at me hard.

           
“You’re
not wearing your sunglasses.”

           
The
image of Juliet, smirking victoriously at me, appears. “Someone stole them,” I
say, irritated.

           
“I
like you better without them.” Her soft and raspy tone basically opens the
fucking door. I look at her and she stares at me in a way I’ve seen before. It
was when I first met her. She and my father were dating. I can’t remember what
I said, but it was something obscene. My father snapped, but she looked at me
with curiosity. That’s when I knew Kelly was attracted to me, but I was never
eager to have a go at my father’s sloppy seconds.

           
I
want to play along. Just to see how far she will go.

           
I
shift my body towards her, looking into her eyes. “You look very beautiful.” My
eyes then begin to rake over her. “I like the dress.”

           
The
lump stuck in her throat and her rosy cheeks indicate I’m getting warm. “Thank
you.” She clears her throat. “So what have you been up to?”

           
“The
usual… pointless adventures and sex.”

           
She
laughs and drinks her champagne. “That sounds better than my days lately.”

           
Warmer.

           
“Well,
it’s never too late to participate.”
 
Our eyes lock. Her blue eyes are dark with lust and need. I’m waiting
for her to respond. I’m waiting for her to make the wrong move.
 

           
“Maybe
not.”

Checkmate.

JULIET

“Becca Miles got a nose job,” one girl
says. I’m in the Chambers’ study surrounded by Margeret’s mates and bottles of
Ciroc and Goose.

           
“No
way,” Margaret says next to me.

           
“Yes,
way. It was so huge before.” The girl laughs and so do the others.

I’m in socialite hell.

           
Nathanial
Chambers and his three mates are sitting on his father’s desk, snorting coke.

           
“Hey
Chambers, don’t you row crew?” one of the girls asks him.

           
“Yeah.”

           
“Don’t
they test you for drugs?”

           
He
smiles to himself. “I got this freshman who provides me with urine samples.”

           
“I
had a friend that did that. He played rugby,” I voice the only thing I have in
common with these people.

           
“So,
Juliet, do you miss home?” Margaret asks me.

           
“Yeah,
I miss my family,” I answer.

           
“I
know you have to miss them, especially living with those rejects,” the guy in
the plaid suit, of all things, says. His words strike a nerve and of course I
always address rude remarks.

           
“I
sort of like those rejects. They might not be saints, but neither are most of
us.” They all narrow their eyes at me. Some irritated by what I said. Some
shocked. “Especially men who wear plaid suits.” They’re all laughing now. Well,
not plaid suit guy of course.

           
“Well,
I think Jordana is cool,” one of the girls says while another gapes at her.

           
“That
dyke? Are you serious, ugh!” I glance at Margaret who seems to be irritated by
her friend’s words but masks it with a forced grin.

“Hello.” One of the guys sitting on the
couch raises his hand. “Clearly queer over here.”

“I don’t care about her sexual
preferences,” the girl explains. “She thinks she’s so high and mighty and
better than everyone else. They all do.”

           
“Well
she is.” Margaret doesn’t think before she speaks. Her eyes widen as they all
stare at her. “I mean the dyke was third in our class. Can’t knock her only
good trait.” She laughs it off and her friends join her. A moment of relief
washes over her face from the save she conjured up. People are always
predictable. She looks at me and I stare at her knowingly, wanting her to know
that I know the truth. She quickly looks away, the guilt spilling out of her.

           
“Jordana
Abbott is one of the realest people I know and she has become a good friend of
mine. In fact, all of them have.” I state it proudly. Who the hell do these
people think they are? They are no better and yet they have the nerve to
outcast someone. None of this behavior is shocking, but still I’m a little
pissed off.

           
“Well,
looks like you fit right in with them.” Plaid suit guy is speaking again.

           
“Denton,”
Margaret warns him. So that’s his name. It fits with his plaid suit.

           
“I’m
not doing anything. She clearly has stated that she likes them. Jordana, the
high and mighty lesbian.”

           
“Who
you probably tried to hook up with before she came out and because of it you’ve
always felt scorned,” I fire back my theory and if he wants to play this game
then I am all in.

           
A
smug grin spreads on his face. “Cody, the lame.”

           
“Who’s
more of a man than you and you most likely envy him in secret. He’s genuine.
People may make fun of him, but the good in him you envy. Most people do.”

           
He
laughs harshly. “Yeah, sure, what about Poppy, the dumbass skank?”

           
My
eyes rake over him. I wonder what I should say. Oh I got it.

“You probably slept with her, but when
she was asked if you were as good as you arrogantly claim to be, she probably
shed some light on your premature ejaculation problem.”

           
They
all gasp. Then start to snicker as his jaw tightens and glares at me.

           
“And
the Mandrake twins.” He’s going there. “One an egotistical, wannabe big shot
and August… the retard.”