Ready For It (MacAteer Brothers #2) - M.L. Nystrom Page 0,60
from Spencer’s Gifts and he didn’t blink an eye.” My flippant answer fooled her. My parents seldom kept track of me, and my brother outright abhorred me. I spent a lot of time by myself with little to no supervision. Most of my dinners were served in the kitchen with Bedelia. Been that way for years.
Matilda’s mouth formed a perfect O. Spencer’s was the ultimate in the tantalizing adult world. The mall store had regular stuff like clothes, band posters, and stuff, but it also had lots of novelties too. Drinking games, gross gag gifts, and adult-themed party supplies were on the back shelves. Even better was the room cordoned off by a black curtain for people eighteen and over. One Saturday afternoon earlier that summer when I was alone at the mall and wasting time, I went behind that curtain. No one stopped me, and I found a treasure trove of the forbidden. Sex games, lubes, vibrators, anal plugs, dildos of every size, and other piles of sex paraphernalia. I spent a lot of time reading labels and looking at pictures until my middle quivered and burned.
“Oh my God! What did you get?”
I gave her my most I’m-so-worldly smile. “Anything I wanted.”
The truth? I had no idea what half of that stuff was used for, and some of it was pretty scary. I still had to buy something, mostly to see if I could get away with it. I eenie-meenie-minee-moed on a big purple rabbit vibrator. It was currently sitting in the back of my closet in the hidden space behind my shoe rack. Still in the box. If the description showed up on the credit card statement, my dad never said a word.
“Damn, Melanie. You are so lucky to have parents like that. I can’t go anywhere or do anything without my mom saying if it’s okay. She always has to know what’s happening in my life and what I’m doing every minute of the day. She’s such a control freak!” Cassie slipped the torn dress back on the hanger. “My dad’s favorite saying is ‘my house, my rules.’ He still sets a curfew for me, even though I turned eighteen last month. I can’t wait for college next year. I’m gonna move out and not come back.”
“Me too!” Matilda joined in as she fingered the silk blouse. “Being a sophomore sucks. Me and Mel have to wait two more years. That’s so long!”
I made some sympathetic noises because I was supposed to. If only my friends knew how much I envied them. Controlling? Rules? Their parents gave a damn. Cassie’s older brother had already graduated college and treated his sister like gold. Magnus would prefer I didn’t exist.
I walked out of the dressing room area to get a better look at myself in the big three-way mirror. My two friends followed me. I twisted and turned, admiring the way my ass looked. “We’ll keep shopping, but I’m getting this dress no matter what. Let’s go get coffees and then go to that jewelry kiosk. I want some of those shiny rhinestone chandelier earrings to go with this.”
My friends always agreed with what I wanted and planned. After all, I ruled the mall as its queen. My own little kingdom. Queendom?
“Oh my God, there’s Vincent!” Matilda gasped and pointed outside the store. “Cory and David are with him. They are so hot!”
I bit my lip. Sometimes Matilda’s over-the-top dramatics annoyed me, but she’d assessed the three boys accurately. They were the cutest and most popular in our school. Impulse hit me. “Watch this.” I told my friends. I snapped off the price tag from the dress I wore and pulled a pair of high spiky heels from the display. They were too small, but I jammed them on my feet, anyway. As I tottered past the register desk, I slapped down the tags for the dresses and shoes and my credit card. “Here. Put everything on the card, and I’ll be right back.”
Matilda and Cassie watched as I squared my shoulders and sauntered up to the trio. “Hey, Vincent.” I preened as his eyes locked onto my cleavage display. “Hey, Cory and David. Y’all did a great job at the game last night.”
“Uh… thanks. You’re Melanie Miser, right?”
I smiled at David, thrilled that he knew my name. “That’s right. We have Algebra Two together for second period.”
“Yeah, you sit in the front row and ace every test.”
I let out a giggle. “Yeah, math is kinda my thing.”