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Spoiled
Author: Gianni Holmes

Prologue

 

 

Ashton

 

 

One month and some days ago

 

 

“Never have I ever sucked my professor’s dick to pass an exam.”

The raucous laughter and excited drunk chatter fell away at the unexpected statement. I stared in disbelief at my ex-best friend, Louis, my hand that clutched the shot glass filled with tequila going numb. The smile froze on my face as I struggled inwardly to come to terms with what he’d done. This was supposed to be a friendly game, and although I was already deep in my cups, everyone had been good-natured about my wild escapades so far.

“Damn, Louis, that’s kind of specific,” his girlfriend said with a giggle from her position perched on his lap. Jill wrapped her arms around his neck, her top drooping down her arms and showing off the tops of her breasts, but Louis didn’t notice. He was too busy watching me for a reaction.

“Shouldn’t your glass be empty, Ash?” he asked, a smirk adding insult to injury.

His green eyes, filled with anger and spite, met mine. I blinked several times, convincing myself that it was the drink making my eyes watery rather than his betrayal. Three years of friendship since I started college. Three years of divulging my secrets to him. He knew me better than anyone else seated in this circle, and the day we had our fallout was the day he went back on his word.

I brought the shot glass to my lips and downed the alcohol in one gulp. The liquid burned going down, but I was better dealing with that hurt than that of my best friend turning on me. I slammed the shot glass on the coffee table and scrambled to my feet, never taking my eyes off Louis, even though six other pairs of eyes were watching us with interest. They’d have noticed the distance between Louis and me of late, but no one had bothered to comment on it. We’d had spats before, but it had never been this bad.

Irreparable.

“Fuck you, Louis.” I pointed a finger in his direction. I stumbled a little as I tried to step back, holding on to the side of the sofa we’d pushed back to make room for us all. “You’re a fucking asshole. That’s what you are.”

“Ash, come on, man. It was just a joke,” someone said, but I was too hurt and possibly a little too drunk to figure out which of our friends had spoken.

The floor tilted before me, and I had to concentrate on getting to the door without falling flat on my face. He would’ve liked that, but I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction. If Ashton Keyes the Third sucked his professor’s dick to avoid failing another course, he wasn’t going to be ashamed of it. Not when the fucking professor hadn’t even passed him.

“That was an asshole move, Louis,” someone muttered, and before I got to the door, a hand was around my shoulders, helping me from the living room.

“I can walk.” I tried to push the person away.

“Don’t be stubborn, Keyes,” Justin, who’d been somewhat of a friend of mine since high school, stated. I should’ve made Justin my best friend. I should’ve confided in him and not Louis. But it was too late, and I had to live with the consequences.

“My driver’s waiting on me outside,” I said, annoyed that he wouldn’t leave me alone. Didn’t he understand that I had no desire to speak to anyone right now?

“Good.” We stumbled along the hall toward the front door. “I’m not ready to leave yet, but I’ll walk you to the car, ensure you are, in fact, not getting behind a car wheel.”

“I’m not stupid, Jus. Just a little bit wasted.”

Justin grunted without responding. Once he was at the door, he pushed the double doors open. The cool night air was already doing wonders for my sobriety. Like I was being shoved in the face of reality.

“Whatever happened between you and Louis, man?” Justin came to a halt.

“Nothing.” I refused to get into it. I was the gay guy. If I accused Louis, a “straight” guy, of hitting on me, somehow it would be seen as my fault. I’d been there before.

“That inside just now was definitely something.”

I shrugged as if it didn’t bother me. “You worry too much, Jus. So I sucked a professor’s dick to pass Econ because I couldn’t get it. So what if everyone now knows? You know me. Can’t be the worst thing I’ve done, right?”

“Perhaps not the worst thing you’ll end up doing either,” he agreed. “Just be more careful, okay? You take a lot of risks, and I know things have been a little rough for you lately. If you need an ear, I’m here.”

“Thanks, but no thanks.” I slapped him in the chest as my driver, Rueben, walked toward me. “I should get home.”

Justin shook his head and backed up inside the house. “See ya around, Ash.”

No sooner had he left than Rueben took me by the arm. His face was etched in concern, his lips turned down in reproach. He was always so well put together, and here I was, such a hot mess.

“Master Ashton, your poor mother will be upset,” he murmured, his tone still carrying a bite. “You promised her after the last episode that you’d be more responsible with alcohol, which you aren’t even supposed to be drinking. Your birthday isn’t for another month.”

I leaned heavily on Rue as he walked me to the black-and-white Range Rover parked alongside those of my friends. Although I had a driver’s license, my mother didn’t think I was responsible enough to take care of a vehicle. Instead, she insisted that Rue drive me around. He’d been in that capacity since I attended middle school.

I sprawled over the back seat of the car while Rueben drove away from the mansion. I should’ve canceled on my friends after they’d updated me that we’d be staying in instead of hitting up our usual club, but I hadn’t wanted to be alone tonight.

“Rue, remind me the next time I think of going anywhere with Louis that I’m better off at home.”

“You never did say what happened between you two.” Rueben met my eyes briefly in the rearview mirror. “You two were as thick as thieves.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I turned my head away from his curious eyes and stared out the window.

“Very well, sir.”

Silence ensued between us, and I closed my eyes. What could I have done for things to be different between Louis and me? That night I’d spent in his dorm room after the accident, I’d been vulnerable but still sober enough to know that sleeping with my best friend would’ve been chaos I didn’t need. All I’d wanted was a friend, but Louis had tried to be so much more and then hadn’t wanted to take no for an answer.

I’d been with bicurious guys before, but Louis was in a relationship, and I was sort of friends with his girlfriend. His advances had placed me in an awkward position. Now he blamed me for ruining our friendship simply because I’d told him no.

The worst thing was knowing that even if I’d slept with him, it would’ve ended our friendship anyway. I slept with lots of guys, but I didn’t want to be with any of them. They were but pit stops to the finish line, and Louis couldn’t be that finish line.

“We’re here.”

At Rue’s comment, I struggled to a sitting position. My mother was more than likely up, watching for me to arrive home. If she even suspected I was drunk, I’d be forced to listen to a lecture that never came. A lecture would’ve been more welcoming than the disappointment that was usually on her face when she saw me.

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