Page 45 of Lessons in Touch

“Nah, Rose, this is—hiccup—the real deal. Wolfswood’s elite—hiccup—is letting loose. You like it, huh? It’s sexy as hell. How could you not—hiccup—like it?” he asks me stupidly, burping as he talks.

I can feel disgust in every fiber of my body.

“You didn’t tell me it was… an orgy. Is everyone involved in this?”

He leans so close to me that I can smell the stale alcohol on his breath.

“It’s how we bond, babe. Power is in—hiccup—pleasure. You fuck, you make a deal, and you climb the ladder toward more money and more power. Do you want to— hiccup—join? You’re hot enough.”

I step back. “No, of course I don’t. This is messed up. Is this how you secure power? By sleeping with each other publicly?”

“Well… We have to—burp—network somehow…” he drains his glass.

“You could network somewhere else! But this?” I point at the scene around us.

People are glued to each other like leeches. Their hands wander on each other’s bodies in ways that aren’t subtle. To my left, only a few steps away, a girl from my history class, about twenty-five, is on a couch. Her skirt is up, and a guy’s fingers are buried deep in her pussy, thrusting slowly while she moans loudly.

My face gets hot, and I look away, but it’s everywhere. By the bar, another girl is sucking a guy’s cock, her lips sliding up and down, his groans mixing with the clinking of the glasses.

In the middle of the chapel, an entire group is sprawled on the floor, their bodies tangled like in a hideous painting. I cansee dicks buried deep in pussies, mouths on clits, cocks in the girl’s asses, and everyone fucking like it’s something mundane.

This is a real life orgy. The elite of Wolfswood are letting loose in a way that makes my skin crawl.

These people think they’re untouchable with their billions, fucking behind closed doors. I’m a Devereaux, but I don’t want to be like them. Still, some part of me watches their shamelessness with a strange kind of curiosity.

I watch as a guy pounding a girl against a wall—her legs are spread, her pussy is wet, and her screams are wild. I know that I will have to process all this, I just don’t know how.

Without thinking about what I’m actually doing, I take out my phone and start filming. It’s all blurry, but at least I have some kind of video that I can analyze later. Perhaps even write a paper about it. Slowly, I move the phone from left to right and try to capture everything I can.

Suddenly, Liam, in his drunken state, grabs my phone and slams it on the floor.

“What the fuck are you doing, orphan?! You’re not allowed to film. God, Cassandra is right about you. You really are an idiot!” he tells me in between hiccups and burps.

He tries to step on my phone to crush it, but I manage to get it off the floor before he does.

“Alright, alright! I didn’t know! I’ll stop filming, but you don’t have to break it! God!”

His eyes roam over my dress, making me feel gross.

“God, you’re such a dumb bitch… But you’re a Devereaux, so I guess you gotta play the game. I can show you, Rose. I can be your guide. I can teach you—burp—What do you want, huh, Rose? Do you want to—hiccup—suck my cock or something? I know how much you bitches like my cock…”

His attitude makes me sick to my stomach. The way he thinks I’m both stupid and beneath him—yet still wants to sleep with me—leaves me disgusted.

“I’m not playing anything. This isn’t my world, Liam. And I definitely don’t want to even see your pathetic, shriveled excuse of a cock.”

“Suit yourself. But you’re missing out.”

“Are you under the impression that giving you a blow job is some kind of prize? You smell like vomit, and you look like an old sock!”

To my surprise and further shock, he unzips his pants and takes out his penis. It’s much smaller than I even anticipated.

He grabs my hand and directs it toward his private area.

“I said no!” I snap, turning away. I need to get out, away from this twisted elite shit, back to Gabriel and his peace.

But Liam stumbles closer, his eyes glassy now, his tie loose.

“Rose, you look… fuck, you’re gorgeous,” he hiccups and mumbles, and his hand is brushing my arm. I pull back, creeped out by his leering. “Relax, this is how it works here. Power, pleasure, it’s all connected. You gotta join in to belong.”