The Secret Society

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

EPOV

As I lay in bed, I felt myself getting more and more vexed. What was Henry keeping from me?

“Ells,” Evan called, knocking on the bedroom door.

“Not now, Evan.” His trick earlier had wound me up far too much.

After hours of tormenting myself over what Henry was planning, I eventually nodded off to sleep.

The following morning, when I arrived at work, there was a bouquet of flowers waiting for me that brought an immediate smile to my face.

I picked up the card.

Dearest Ella,

With all my love, H xx.

Well, I can tell you, I almost passed out.

It was his way of apologising for a few things. First, for not letting me become his sister's accountant. Secondly, for being an i***t and not telling me his plan. And finally, for telling me he loved me.

I considered calling his company and thanking him, but did the Society listen in on phone calls?

I wasn't sure about anything anymore.

The Society was messing with my life far too much. Every little thing I said or did made me feel as though they were nearby.

We are watching.

I somehow thought that was exactly the impression they wanted to give.

I think they thought they were the bloody Godfather or something.

---

Saturday Evening

The following evening, Evan and I were going out drinking.

It had been months since we'd gone out for a proper drink on a Saturday night and I really wanted to let my hair down.

“So why are we calling into The Eden?” I asked Evan.

Because, in truth, it wasn't somewhere we ever stepped foot into. It was a little too posh for my liking.

“I thought it would be a nice change.”

“For who?” I called out in astonishment.

I was just as happy sitting in some scummy club drinking cheap beer.

“Just come along, Ells, and move that cute backside of yours.”

I couldn't very well argue when he called my backside nice, could I?

We took a seat and, strangely enough, Evan was adamant I sit facing the door.

I wished I knew why.

I pulled out my little mirror to reapply my lipstick and then suddenly realised exactly why he'd wanted me facing the door.

Because the striking blonde was sitting behind me.

Lucy.

And where the hell was Henry?

I pretended I hadn't noticed and watched Evan's every eye movement.

What had he got planned?

Did he just want to see Lucy's face?

Did he genuinely not know she was here?

Did he really want another beating from the Society?

What the hell was he thinking?

What if they caught them in the same premises? They would automatically assume they were up to something.

“Get up and move. Now,” I called harshly to Evan.

“What? Why?” Evan called in shock.

Fake shock, none the less.

“If you honestly believe they aren't somewhere close by keeping an eye on you, you're being immature. Look what happened to you last time. Do you want a repeat performance, or worse yet, something more... permanent?”

Saying death felt a little harsh.

Evan closed his eyes and put his head down.

“I didn't know, Ella. Truly, I didn't. I'd heard a few of the men from the Society say it's a nice place to come to. I wanted to spoil you a little.”

Damn, he was good.

“Yeah, well, I hear a brothel's a nice place to take men to, but you don't see me dragging your backside into one, do you?”

That made Evan laugh.

I briefly wondered why, then it hit me.

The Society was, in its own way, a bloody brothel.

I'm a slut.

A prostitute.

A prostitute who doesn't even make a bean.

Hardly seems fair to me.

Evan stood up, took my hand and pulled me out into the street.

That was when I noticed a black car parked across the road, its windows heavily tinted.

“You do realise they're watching us?”

Evan simply nodded.

“Like I said, I wouldn't have taken you in there if I'd known Henry and Lucy were out.”

Now, dear God, I didn't mean to.

It was as though my body had a life of its own.

I ran back up the steps and looked through the glass door, desperately trying to see Henry.

And there he was.

My dishevelled-haired man.

His face looked absolutely furious.

More surprisingly, so did Lucy's.

They were sitting with another two couples.

I quickly realised one of them was Alice, Henry's sister, and the girl she'd been with that day at the wedding shop.

I suddenly felt obliged to go in and say hello. After all, Alice had asked me to have lunch with her that day. Surely that classified us as close enough to say hello, especially when Henry was there.

“What the hell are you doing, Ella?” Evan snapped.

“Oh, Alice is in there. I should have said hello.”

“Just move it.”

Evan grabbed my hand and pulled me into the next club.

---

Four hours later, we were dancing in the nightclub.

I say dancing.

I was sort of swaying.

All right, all right.

I was tripping over my own feet, banging into people and being tossed all over the place.

I was drunk.

Give me a break. It had been months.

“Toilet,” I called to Evan.

He pulled me through the crowd and took a seat, waiting for me.

After fifteen minutes in the toilet—who knew stockings were so difficult to get up and down when you were drunk?—I headed back towards Evan.

I felt a strong hand grab my arm and swing me around.

I was about to shout when my lips were suddenly crashing against another pair.

I knew that scent anywhere.

The texture of those lips.

The feel of those hands.

Henry.

“I've missed you,” I breathed against his mouth.

“Mmmm,” was all Henry managed before continuing to trace his tongue across my upper lip.

When he finally pulled away, we stood staring at each other, both of us smiling like idiots.

“I've missed you too, baby,” Henry whispered into my ear, sending shivers throughout my body.

“I'd better go,” I called reluctantly.

“Hold on.”

Henry grabbed my hand again as I started walking away.

“I don't want you to go yet.”

His voice sounded sad, and that made me feel as though I'd been punched in the chest.

“Henry, they could be watching us. It's a little too public for their liking.”

I bloody hated the Society.

“To hell with it, Ella. I've had enough. I want to be with you. I cannot go on pretending everything is fine between me and Lucy when obviously she's besotted with Evan and I am... in love with you.”

I wasn't entirely sure if it was the drink in my system or the fact I'd loved this man more than was probably considered sane, but I threw myself into his arms and crashed my lips against his again.

“I love you,” I breathed while pulling at his hair.

It was as though the chemistry between us caused electricity to spark all around us. This man made my body feel like a live wire and set my pulse racing.

“I really must go.”

I pulled away from Henry.

And then I saw Evan standing behind us.

Oh no.

No, no, no.

Double no.

“I see,” Evan called while standing there with his arms crossed.

“What do you see?” I played on the alcohol a little.

“How long?”

Evan glared over my head at Henry.

“Shut up, Evan.”

I tried to sound aggressive, but a cute kitten would probably have been more intimidating.

“HOW LONG?”

His voice was getting louder.

My heart was beating faster.

And Henry's grin was getting bigger.

“I could ask you the same thing, Evan White, so why don't you turn around and get out of my sight?”

Henry's voice was most definitely intimidating.

And, annoyingly, I was so turned on it wasn't even natural.

“Excuse me?” Evan growled.

“Yeah, dog. Have you seen Ella walk in beaten to pieces yet? No. That would be because nothing has happened outside the Society.”

That shocked Evan.

He knew Henry was right.

“Unlike you and my so-called fiancée,” Henry virtually roared. “Well, you're more than welcome to each other. She's just over there, Evan. Go on. Say hello. Bang her against a wall or whatever else the pair of you like doing.”

Was I actually hearing this correctly?

Or was the music simply too loud?

Please let me be imagining this.

Henry's arms snaked around me and pulled me back against his chest.

“Ella stays with me now. She's mine.”

“WHAT? Wait... no!”

Henry looked down at me.

“Excuse me?”

“Henry, I don't know what Lucy looked like when she came in after being beaten up, but I sure as hell remember what Evan looked like. There is no way I'm letting them do that to you.”

I turned around to look him directly in the eyes.

“Until we find a way out, this stays behind closed doors. Henry, I mean it.”

I turned towards Evan.

“And Lucy does not hear about this, Evan. Leave her out of it for the time being.”

“We're going,” Evan called, taking a step closer.

I looked up at Henry.

His eyes were pleading with me to stay.

I took a step back and walked towards Evan.

I felt as though I'd just stabbed a knife straight through Henry's heart. His expression spoke a thousand words.

“And thanks for the flowers,” I mouthed to him.

Henry smiled slightly and nodded.

“I love you,” I mouthed again so Evan couldn't hear.

Again, Henry nodded.

---

Once we arrived home and I had sobered up considerably, Evan sat us down and held my hand.

“I will not lose you to him, Ella.”

I stared at him.

“Evan, you lost me the moment you signed us up to the Society. Surely you see that?”

“Then why are you with me?”

He had a good point.

“Because, believe it or not, Evan, I do love you. I have and always will love you. But you broke my heart that day, and there is no way to repair that.”

“I will try, Ella. It is over between me and Lucy. Honestly, it is. We will not ever see each other again.”

I didn't care if they did.

That was the problem.

“Evan, because of you, I have to sleep with another man every single week. Do you not see the problem that causes in a relationship?”

“A little,” the i***t called.

“A little? Are you serious?”

Evan simply shrugged.

I stormed off to bed, briefly considering throwing the lamp at his head.

---

Thursday Evening

You could feel the tension in the room.

The four of us were looking between each other the entire time, and it had not gone unnoticed that Caius was watching Lucy and Evan.

Thankfully, it seemed my kiss with Henry in the nightclub had gone undetected.

Lucy was third to pick.

And, for the love of God, she got Evan again.

I'd prodded and poked those bloody keys until my fingers were practically bleeding, but there was nothing unusual on them.

How the hell did she pick him every time?

Henry and I looked at each other with a knowing smile.

They had some way of doing it.

We just hadn't worked out how.

Henry had yet to be picked and there was another girl before me.

If she picked his keys, so help me, she was going out the window at a hundred miles an hour.

I needed to speak to him.

Feel him.

Touch him.

And not have to worry about who was watching.

“Henry and Jane, Room 7.”

My heart plummeted.

Henry turned as white as a sheet.

Jane had a grin on her face that was practically begging to be punched off.

So when I accidentally stuck my foot out as she was passing and she went flying onto the floor, I acted more than shocked.

“Are you okay?” I asked, leaving her lying there.

I was not helping the woman up.

Henry walked over and acted like the gentleman he always was, helping her to her feet while grazing his hand against my arm.

The hairs on my body stood on end.

I needed him so much.

I'm sorry, Henry mouthed to me before walking away.

It was my turn.

And I'd be damned.

I picked Caius.

Okay, Mr V.

It was on.

He was about to get the hardest time of his life.

“Room 6,” Claire called.

I nearly cried.

The man I wanted was next door to us.

It was like a personal punishment.

Caius opened the door and I went and sat on the bed.

Caius walked over and placed his hand against my face.

I looked up at him, sorrow written all over me.

“Can I ask you something?”

Caius nodded.

“Why won't you let us leave?”

“Evan signed the contract. He got you involved in this. I didn't force him. I didn't force anyone to join the Society. It was always their choice.”

His expression hardened.

“He did this to you. Do not look at me as though I am the devil here.”

“But you are. You get him beaten up.”

“Who did?” Caius snapped.

“So it wasn't the Society who beat Evan to a pulp for meeting Lucy outside of the Society?”

That shut him up.

“You knew they were meeting outside the Society? Are you okay with that?”

“I've stopped caring what Evan does. The day he got me into this was the day our relationship was over, in all honesty.”

“So why are you still with him?”

“I don't know.”

I cried, tipping my eyes towards the floor.

“You really should leave him if he makes you this unhappy.”

Caius's voice softened.

“I don't like seeing anyone this upset who comes here. Is there something I can get for you?”

“You can let me leave the Society.”

“Something reasonable, Ella. I will not stand here being made to feel like the bad guy. Evan signed you both up as a couple. Do you understand me? As a couple.”

His voice became firmer.

“I am not in the wrong.”

“But you keep us here against my will.”

“As a couple, yes... I do.”

He sighed.

“I'm sorry about that. But listen to me, Ella. We don't want to lose you. You are a fine asset to the Society. But as a couple, you are bound by the contract.”

I lifted my eyes back up and faced Caius.

“So beautiful,” he whispered.

Then his lips touched mine.

I drifted off into my happy place.

Henry.

Henry.

And more Henry.