Cruel Boys: The Dark Bully Romance Box Set Read online

  Once again, the water temperature was disappointing, and it even felt cold against my hot skin. It was better than it would have been if I jumped in directly after waking up, but not by much. I slipped under the showerhead and let the water pour over my shoulders, wrapping its icy grip around my ribcage and trickling down my belly to the old tiles.

  I grabbed a plain bar of white soap from the little plastic tray that hung on the wall and began lathering myself up with it, hitting my armpits and groin first. I let the suds wash down to my feet. I didn’t do a full cleaning every day, but I always got to the essentials.

  “We meet again, little Rose,” a deep voice said from beside me.

  I jumped when I heard it, the bar of soap sliding out of my hand and landing on the floor next to the drain. I knew who it was, but I would never expect him here. How did he get here in the middle of the day with so many people around?

  I turned my head to see Andrew standing beside me, completely naked, with a towel over one of his broad shoulders. His entire body was covered in a spectacular collection of intricate tattoos spanning from his neck, all the way down to his feet. His body looked like it had been carved from stone, chiseled into the perfect figure of masculine beauty.

  I was stunned, but not stunned enough or my eyes to deny me the pleasure of glancing down at his cock. It wasn’t stiff, but he was clearly hung.

  “You like what you see?” He asked, clearly amused by the fact that I was staring at his perfect body in silent awe.

  “How did you get here?” I asked, unable to rip my eyes from his figure.

  “That’s not important. The important thing is that I’m here and I have a new task for you,” he replied calmly.

  “A new task?” I asked, a little confused as he walked away from me and slung his towel over the nearest hook on the wall.

  My eyes were drawn down to his ass as he walked, fascinated by how tight and perky it was. I would kill to have an ass like that. It was always the men who were gifted with the perfect asses. It didn’t seem fair.

  “Yes, something for your initiation into the gang. We can’t let you in without some tests to see if you’re cut out for the role,” he explained, turning back to me and walking under the showerhead beside me. He twisted the knob and let the water hit him, not so much as flinching from the sudden stream on his bare skin.

  “I never asked to be part of your group,” I reminded him.

  “But you did agree to it,” he said seriously.

  “What if I want to leave?” I asked, propping myself against the wall with one hand. I felt a bit woozy from seeing him naked.

  A smirk flickered across his soft lips. “Then you’ll have to be jumped out. I don’t recommend that.”

  I knew what he meant by that. There were typically two different rituals that gangs had. The first was an initiation, whereby a new member would be given tasks to prove their usefulness and alliance to the gang. Sometimes gang members would ‘jump in’ a new member, beating them for a set amount of time so that they could prove their toughness.

  The second ritual was being jumped out of a gang. This involved being beaten by the gang members, sometimes to the point of death and always to the point of serious injury, in order to leave a gang. It wasn’t something that I ever wanted to have to experience.

  My body tensed up when Andrew mentioned being jumped out. He and his boys were too large and powerful for me to handle, and I would be little more than a blob of broken bones and bloody flesh once they got done with me. I wouldn’t live through a proper jumping out.

  “You don’t give me many options,” I noted.

  Andrew laughed, rubbing a bar of soap over his body. “I’ve given you many options, more so that I give most people. It’s because you’re cute, little Rose, but don’t test me.”

  “I won’t,” I said, surprised at how submissive I felt in his presence. Maybe it was how incredibly attractive he and all his group were, but I felt drawn to all of them, especially Andrew.

  “Good, so let’s get you started on your next task. We’ve been feuding with Natasha’s gang for the past six months, and one of them really stepped over the line recently. I need you to find Laney’s bed and set it on fire,” he explained casually, as though he was giving me directions to the park.

  “Set it on fire?” I asked, moving my head back.

  “Yes, one fire. You can choose whether you want to do it while she’s in it or not. The point is, I want that bed to be up in flames. She’ll be sleeping on the floor until they get her a new one. Also,” he said, holding up a finger, “Daniel will supply the gas and matches for you. It shouldn’t be difficult.”

  I should have felt uncomfortable having a conversation about setting fire to Laney’s bed while we were showering together in the women’s dormitory, but for some reason, I felt totally fine with it. There was something dangerously alluring about the way Andrew spoke. He was so calm and reasonable when he wasn’t angry. I liked him this way.

  “I don’t know who Laney is. How will I find her bed?” I asked.

  Andrew began rinsing the soap from his body. “She’s a redhead, small, slim, and she has rich parents, so she walks like one of those cunts with more money than brains. You know what I mean?”

  I nodded. I had seen my fair share of snooty rich girls. I would know, because I was secretly one of them. I wasn’t proud of it, and I didn’t usually accept money from my parents, but it was the truth. I grew up in wealth and would return to it when I finally got out of this shithole that they called a school.

  The only reason nobody could tell I was from a wealthy background was because of my unfortunate inclination toward falling in love with bad boys. It sucked me into a world of ghettos and dingy apartments. There was a sick charm to all of that which made me come back to it time and time again.

  “So, once you’ve found her, make sure you have the right girl. Just listen in on her and you’ll hear somebody use her name,” Andrew continued, turning off the water, “And Daniel will give you the supplies so that you can burn her bed to ashes. Is everything clear?”

  I nodded, mimicking him by turning off my own shower.

  “Good,” he said with a wicked smile. “I’ll see you later then.”

  I watched him, still dripping wet from the shower, as he sauntered over to his towel and wrapped it around his waist. He turned to me and winked before walking out of the showers.

  I couldn’t believe what had just happened, but it was too real to second guess. Andrew had some serious balls on him, and I wasn’t just talking about the one dangling between his thick thighs. The man was daring, charming, and evil. It was a recipe for disaster.

  Chapter 8

  Natasha’s warning stuck in my head as I went through the rest of my classes that day. She seemed to think that Andrew was the literal spawn of Satan, hellbent on running through women until his dick fell off.

  I, personally, rejected this notion, but only because I was hopelessly charmed by his sinister ways. His whole gang was delicious, but I had to keep a proper head on my shoulders. I was getting wrapped up in serious business, and if they saw me as just another cheap fuck, then I wouldn’t last long in their ranks. Women who got on their knees too quickly for guys like that always ended up as throwaway pussy. Perhaps that’s what had happened to Natasha as well.

  I didn’t dare tell Eden how deep I was getting involved with Andrew and his gang, but it wouldn’t be long until she figured it all out. She asked a lot of questions, and I knew she didn’t approve of what I was doing. She didn’t know the whole story, though, so I couldn’t blame her. For now, I wanted to keep it under wraps.

  That was the initial plan, anyway. Laying low got blown out of the water the moment I spotted Troy and Martin sitting together in the lunch hall. I couldn’t help myself; I took my tray over to them and sat down across from them.

  “What’s up, boys?” I asked, taking a sip of my chocolate milk through a thin, bent straw.

  They looked sur
prised to see me.

  “Hey, Rose. Had Andrew talked to you yet?” Martin asked, leaning in as though he was saying something secret.

  I nodded. “Oh yes, and he was butt-ass-naked too.”

  The men chuckled, and Troy shook his head. “That fucker is always looking for a chance to take his clothes off. I’ve seen him naked more times than Natasha has at this point.”

  Martin threw a hard elbow into Troy’s ribs at the mention of Natasha.

  Troy winced at the pain but shut his mouth after that.

  “I already know about Natasha. She and Andrew were dating, right?” I said, taking another sip of my chocolate milk.

  “We’re not supposed to talk about that,” Martin said.

  “Why not?” I asked, leaning in.

  “It’s just one of those things, but I am sad they’re not together anymore,” Troy chimed in.

  Martin laughed. “Yeah, that pussy was the bomb.”

  “Huh?” I said, confused. What sort of strange thing was going on between all of them?

  Troy shrugged, picking up his drink and taking a sip. “We like the share.”

  “Don’t tell her that, man,” Martin said.

  “You basically already did,” Troy argued.

  “Okay, I’m not an idiot. I get it,” I said, shaking my head. “You guys like to gang up on women. My ex-boyfriend tried to get me into that one time, but I wasn’t going to let a bunch of strangers hit it,” I said.

  Troy held up a hand. “Woah now, it’s not like that. Andrew may have been sharing, but we weren’t just ganging up on her.”

  “Yeah,” Martin added, almost looking offended. “It was a nice sort of thing.”

  I was still confused about how guys as rough and territorial as these men were could share a woman in a nice way. They looked more like they would pump and dump her in the school halls after dark, like they almost did to me last night. I wasn’t sure I bought their story all the way.

  “Is that your plan for me?” I asked bluntly.

  Martin laughed. “You’re not part of the gang yet, Rose. You don’t get that kind of treatment.”

  “Oh really? What is it, like a special treat?” I asked jokingly.

  “Kind of, yeah,” Troy admitted with a shrug. “Natasha seemed to think so.”

  Martin threw another elbow into Troy’s ribcage, shutting him up. I felt relieved by that, because I was beginning to grow weary of this talk about Natasha. She was a bitch to me, and plus, I felt a little bit jealous about her involvement with Andrew and his boys. I didn’t want to feel that way, but it came naturally.

  I dug into my food, trying to hide my expression of disgust at the repeated mention of Natasha. I already had more favor among this group than she did, but that didn’t stop me feeling like I had to earn more from them. It was fucked up that I was seeking their approval, but what else could I do? At this point, they had already sucked me too far into their gang for me to even dream of getting out. Besides, I was starting to like them, even if they were a little rough around the edges. That’s what made it fun.

  Martin and Troy went back to eating too, digging into their heavily piled plates of food. They must have to consume an egregious number of calories to keep up with all that muscle mass. They were both at least twice my size and could probably lift five of me without breaking a sweat. Andrew had definitely chosen some hefty guys to roll with. Kudos to him.

  “Hey,” I said, looking up at them. “Do you know Laney?”

  Martin scoffed, shoveling more food into his mouth with a plastic fork.

  “She stole a whole carton of cigarettes from us. Not to mention all the times she ratted us out to the administration,” Troy explained.

  I rubbed my chin. “So, I’m supposed to find her bed, but there are like a zillion girls at this school.”

  “Red hair,” Troy said.

  “I know that, but that still leaves a lot of faces,” I replied.

  “She’s right there,” Martin said casually, pointing a finger behind me.

  I turned around and scanned the throngs of students walking to and from tables, eating, and shooting the breeze with their friends. I didn’t spot her until I heard a burst of haughty laughter that could only come from a girl who had rich parents. That was definitely her.

  “Damn, I guess my job is going to be easy then,” I said, watching her as he laughed and joked with her friends at the table.

  “Burn that bitch to the ground,” Troy muttered, shaking his head.

  I looked back at him. “I can handle this. She’s tight with Natasha, right?”

  Both men nodded.

  “Okay, so Natasha already confronted me about Andrew this morning. What’s to stop her from retaliating and taking me out after I burn Laney’s bed?”

  “She wouldn’t know it was you,” Martin said.

  “She totally would. Do you have any other women in your gang?” I questioned, already seeing holes in his logic.

  “No,” he replied.

  “So, who else would be in the women’s dormitory burning beds? It’s pretty obvious. Even my friend Eden is concerned because she sleeps right beside me. Natasha will retaliate,” I explained.

  “She’s not going to fuck with you because you’re with us. If she does, then there will be greater consequences for her,” Martin said.

  I didn’t know how much Natasha feared Andrew’s gang, but if it was anything close to what I hoped, it would be enough to keep her away from me. They were feuding, but gangs usually kept their distance from each other unless they were in an all-out war with one another. I didn’t think that was the case here… yet.

  “I’ll do what I have to do, but I need protection is Natasha starts sending her goons after me,” I said.

  Troy smacked a fist against his open palm menacingly. “We got you covered.”

  I laughed. “In the women’s dormitory? I need another woman.”

  Troy scrunched up his nose. “We don’t usually accept women into the crew. It has to be someone special.”

  “Am I special?” I asked.

  Troy laughed. “You’re about as special as a number 2 pencil, darling. You’re only with us because you know too much.”

  I felt a bit offended that they didn’t think I was special, but I knew why they had me join them. It was that, or get rid of me, and it had been my choice to go with the former option. I may not have been special to them yet, but I was a resilient woman and I could prove my worth if I wanted to. Right now, though, the only thing I wanted to do was pass through initiation without getting killed.

  “Now I have to stalk this bitch,” I said, springing up from my seat as Laney left her table. I didn’t want to lose sight of her now that I had found her. It would be worth it to hang around and skip a class or two in order to find out where her bed was.

  Troy waved goodbye and Martin gave me a nod as I left the lunchroom, leaving my tray at the table so that I could follow Laney out. She walked so damn fast that I lost sight of her in the lunchroom among all the bustling students. Once I got out into the hallway, however, I caught sight of her again and quickened my pace to match hers.

  Laney moved around a corner, disappearing from my view again. Damn, this woman was fast. She walked as though she were trying to get away from me, but I didn’t think she had seen me, much less knew who I was.

  I came around the corner quickly, paying little attention to the students moving down the hall in the opposite direction. I bumped shoulders with another girl but moved around her too quickly to apologize. I wasn’t usually so rude, but I was on a mission and I felt like my life depended on it.

  Laney took long steps on her short legs. I was amazed at how fast she could move with such a small body. She looked almost like a bug scuttling across the stone floor, looking for a dark hiding spot to stay until nightfall.

  She rounded another corner into a less used hallway, which began to make me suspicious. Where was she going at this hour? Class was starting in ten minutes and she wa
s heading far away from the classrooms. The school was so large that I didn’t know most of it, so I couldn’t say where she was heading.

  I rounded the corner, peeking around it this time because there were no other students to protect me from being seen. I couldn’t risk being seen now. The minute she disappeared down another hallway, I sprung into the hall that she was previously walking down. Now, I had to follow her from a greater distance, which meant there was more chance of me losing her.

  I poked my head around into the hallways that she went into, but I didn’t see anything. The hall was far too long for her to have gone down the entire thing. I had been afraid of losing her, but that looked like what had happened.

  “Shit,” I muttered under my breath, looking at all the doorways and arches that she could have passed through. She could be anywhere now.

  I walked up to the first one, listening for footsteps, but I heard nothing at all. Perhaps she had stopped walking and was in a classroom here. The only issue was, this didn’t look like the kind of place where there would be any usable classrooms. Most of the tall wooden doors were shut tight, probably bolted shut, and the doorways that were open led to more hallways. This place was a maze.

  I continued walking down the hall toward the next open doorway, noting the musty smell that this area had. It was dank, like water had been dripping from the ceiling and hadn’t been moped up in ages. I wondered if anyone even came through this area. Perhaps Laney was attending a secret meeting.

  I passed through a doorway and felt a small hand cover my mouth and the dull jolt of my head bludgeoned by a blunt object. Then, everything went black.

  Chapter 9

  I came to in a small room with a single yellow bulb hanging from the ceiling. I was tied to a chair with thick, scratchy ropes, and I could barely move my body. My mouth was covered in a handkerchief gag, but that didn’t stop me from letting out a yelp when I awoke.