Downstairs, things weren’t too much out of the ordinary. I wasn’t the only girl in the room, which always made me feel better. Women were draped here and there over Elders throughout the crowd.
But when we were directed to sit on two chairs facing each other, my nerves did stir. It felt too much like the night we’d gotten tattoos, and if they tried to pull that shit again….
Emmett gave my forearm a squeeze before we were forced to part, directed to the large winged chairs set up in the center of the room across from one another.
Once we were seated, the rest of the crowd circled around us, and the Elders started banging those damnable canes of theirs.
Emmett sat ramrod straight, face impassive while he waited to hear what would be expected of us and I tried to do the same. I knew it was important to him to put on a good face in front of the Elders, and now that I knew he would stand up to them for me, I’d been trying my hardest to make him proud of me. I didn’t give a shit what the Elders thought of me, as long as they passed me. But I’d try extra, for Emmett. So I sat up straight too and tried to be a perfect Belle.
“Welcome to tonight’s game of Truth or Dare,” said the Elder. “Let’s see if our Initiate and his Belle squirm under the light of the Inquisition!”
Canes banged, and cheers went up from all around.
Truth or Dare? Were they serious? My eyes shot to Emmett. If anything though, he was smiling easier now, looking relaxed.
Because he didn’t have any secrets he was keeping.
Shit.
I shifted uneasily in my seat and crossed my legs. I didn’t have any bad secrets I was keeping. I mean, I hadn’t really done anything wrong. I was just poor. That might be a crime in Darlington County in some people’s eyes, but I didn’t think Emmett would—
“Emmett, truth or dare?”
“Truth,” he said, leaning back in his chair, his hands on the armrests as if it was a throne and he the king. That was how comfortable he looked here in this room among these men.
His peers.
His equals.
“Have you or your father ever cheated a business partner? Remember, if you lie here, it could result in your expulsion from the Trials.”
My mouth went dry. Jesus, they weren’t pulling any punches, were they? And asking about his business—was this some kind of fishing expedition?
Emmett’s eyes searched the crowd and paused for a moment. He was looking past and behind me, so I couldn’t see who he was looking at—his father, maybe?
Emmett then looked up at the Elder who’d asked the question. “I can only speak for myself and to the best of my knowledge for the company, but no, we have never cheated a business partner as far as I know.”
Canes banged, and then the Elder turned to me. “Truth or dare, Ms. Carmichael?”
I swallowed again, then, before I could overthink it, I squeaked out, “Dare.”
The man smiled at me, and it wasn’t necessarily kind or pleasant. “I dare you to make out with Jenny over there while Elder St. Claire fucks her.”
My eyes shot to Emmett, whose hands had clenched into fists. Then I looked at the Elder. “Only make out with her? I don’t have to touch him?”
“Only her.”
I looked at Emmett again, and he gave the briefest of nods.
“All right. I accept the dare.”
“Robe off,” the Elder said as I stood.
I barely stopped myself from rolling my eyes as I untied the flimsy little silk ribbon holding the robe closed at my waist and opened it. A chaise had been dragged over so it was also center stage, and I saw Walker’s dad drop his silver robe and stand at the end of it, fully erect. A woman—Jenny, I assumed—climbed up on her hands and knees.
I breathed out hard before I joined the tableau, lounging in front of Jenny. She smiled at me, not looking shy at all.
I would wait until—
But Mr. St. Claire wasted no time in grabbing her hips and burying himself inside her. He quickly took up a ball-slapping rhythm, fucking her from behind. Her tits swayed with the motion, and her fingers grasped the edges of the chaise.
“Now,” the Elder behind me demanded.
I nodded and reached a hand forward, holding Jenny’s face. It was soft. She was young, in her mid to late twenties. What had brought her here tonight?
No time to stop and ask. I leaned in and kissed her.
Her lips were soft, and she kissed me back, making pornographic noises that were clearly for the audience.
Fine with me.
I wondered if Emmett liked what he saw? Did it turn him on, seeing me kiss another woman? Thinking about that had me kissing her a little more enthusiastically, even if it was hard to maintain a kiss with her constantly bobbing forth and backward like this.