“Maybe Ross really did just want to apologize,” she suggested. “Maybe he just wanted to explain things, so you wouldn’t hate him.”
As I thought about her words, her scenario didn’t seem so crazy. This was Ross Carmichael we were talking about. He could have any girl he wanted, so it was stupid to even think that he hasn’t been with a slew of other girls since we stopped sleeping together. Maybe this was just an attack of the conscience. While I haven’t been with anyone else since Ross, that doesn’t mean I haven’t wanted to. I wanted to move on. I’vebeentrying to move on. So, there was no doubt in my mind that Ross probably moved on a long time ago.
“Do you really think hearing him out is a good idea?” I asked warily.
Delta reached out and squeezed my thigh. “I think so, Sutton,” she replied. “I get that you still have some feelings where he’s concerned, but can hearing him out really make things worse?”
“Depends on who’s hearing him out,” I huffed. “If my brain is hearing him out, then it won’t be a problem. If my vagina is hearing him out, I’ll probably make a fool out of myself. And if my heart is hearing him out, then I’ll be making the biggest mistake of my life.”
“My money is on your brain,” she said encouragingly.
“Are you sure you want to make that bet?” I said, eyeing her.
She grimaced. “Okay, maybe not.”
Chapter 9
Ross~
When I pulled up to the deserted farmhouse, I saw Stone’s black Audi R8, Saxton’s white Lexus LS 500, Fox’s silver Aston Martin Superleggera, August’s grey Jaguar, and Alexander’s black Cadillac town car. My guess was that the rest of the panel must have ridden with Alexander because I didn’t see any other cars around.
“Why won’t you tell me what’s going on?” Jennifer asked beside me in my white Koenigsegg Regera.
I tried not to sigh at her question, but she’s been asking it since I picked her up earlier. Since inviting the girls to an official meeting was unprecedented, we had all agreed to drive them to the meeting place. Besides, it was the responsibly and gentlemanly thing to do. No matter how much Ididn’tthink about Jennifer Polk, she was my supporter, and I had to respect that. After all, I was the one who had chosen her for the role.
“How many times do I have to tell you, Jennifer?” I bit out. “I don’t know what’s going on.”
She scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “I seriously doubt that.”
I glanced over at her. “Frankly, I don’t care what you think,” I told her coldly. “Don’t forget your place.” Before she could comment, I added, “Now let’s go see what the fuck all this is about.”
She unbuckled her seatbelt with a bit more flare than was necessary, but I wasn’t going to entertain a temper tantrum with her.
Entering the farmhouse, I saw everyone was in attendance. It was also glaringly obvious where all the battle lines had been drawn. In the center of the building near the hearth, Arlene, Jacob, and Donovan stood with Alexander. Near the kitchen’s entrance, August stood with Laney by his side. On the other side of the room, stood Fox, Alexis, Saxton, Kincaid, Stone, and Rylee.
I went to go stand with the gang, making it clear which side I was on. Jennifer followed me, not uttering a single word, and I thanked God for that. Even if she didn’t know what was going on, at least she had enough sense to read the goddamn room.
“Ah,” Alexander started, doing his whole showman routine. “Now that we’re all here, we can get started.” No one said anything as he smiled at all of us. “I’m afraid I may have been remiss in my duties as this year’s initiating governor, and I feel that I must rectify that immediately.”
I could feel Jennifer tense next to me, but I had bigger problems at the moment. Banks had started blowing up my phone about an hour ago, and I was still pissed about my conversation with Sutton.
“Ladies, if you’ll please step forward,” Alexander instructed, and while Alexis, Laney, Kincaid, and Jennifer stepped forward, Stone had Rylee’s hand still firmly held in his.
Alexander looked over at Stone. “Mr. Lexington, is there a problem?”
“Since mywifedoesn’t fall into the same category as the rest of the supporters, I see no need for her to join them,” Stone answered, not giving one goddamn fuck.
“Ms. Mad-”
“Excuse me?” Stone said, cutting him off.
Alexander bristled, but he was in the wrong, and he knew it. Straightening, he said, “Mrs. Lexington may be your wife, but her role hasn’t changed, Mr. Lexington. It is still her duty to make sure you achieve everything to the best possible outcome. So, even though she is a Hera, she still has similar duties to fulfill to you and the organization.”
I watched as Rylee pulled her hand from Stone’s. “It’s okay,” she told him, even though it clearly wasn’t okay by Stone’s standards. Still, I couldn’t see him contradicting her in front of everyone. Rylee Lexington was more powerful than she realized, and Stone knew it.
With Rylee taking her place next to Kincaid, Alexander continued to address the room. “Ladies, your primary obligation is to your sponsor,” he told them. “In order for them to succeed to the level of The Order’s standards, they need your absolute support.” Alexander walked a path, back and forth, in front of the girls. “How effective do you believe you can be if you are engaged in needless drama? What good are you to your sponsor if you are causing ruckus in his life?”
Rylee’s back went up, and you could see the fire shooting out of her blue eyes. “If you have something to say to me, Alexander, then say it,” she practically snarled. “While I realize that you like to give these little shows, if there’s something you want to say to me, then be a man and say it.”