Instead of blanching like I expected, he nodded with a serious expression and sidled closer as I handed him my mini skirt that he’d been defiling a few minutes earlier.
“We’ll also help,” Orion whispered, as he and Scorpius moved closer.
Sadie held up a jean jacket with rhinestones. “Is this cute?” Her nails were so long that she struggled to hold the hanger.
Closing my eyes, I prayed for inner peace and mental strength. Then I turned to my best friend and said, “Do you want the truth?”
She nodded with a big smile.
I ripped it from her hands, put it back on the rack, and hissed under my breath, “Stop being so tacky. If it has rhinestones on it, it’s an automatic no.” I pulled her down the aisle. “Try to search for high-quality fabrics and real diamonds. We are high-quality women.”
“Are we really?” Sadie asked with narrowed eyes.
I pursed my lips. “Not if you purchase that jacket.”
Sadie nodded with a big smile.
I might not be feeling my best （my back still hurt）， but that didn’t mean I was going to purchase tacky clothes.
Some things were sacred.
I had a reputation.
Two hours later, the kings had their hands full of shoe boxes, miniskirts, and a fluffy white sweatshirt I couldn’t wait to wear.
Sadie and I had decided at the beginning of the trip that we’d focus on purchasing necessities.
She held up a third sparkly real-diamond thong with a silver S that sat over the butt crack. “Do I need this?”
I sucked on my pipe and exhaled a cloud of smoke. “What do you think?”
She shrugged. She was helpless without me.
“Obviously,” I drawled in an imitation of Jinx. “It has real diamonds and silk.”
She squealed with delight and placed the thong on top of the sheer dress and thigh-high boots Jax was carrying for her. Necessities meant slutty clothes made from quality fabrics that we could wear to get absolutely obliterated in for the next party at Elite Academy.
I wanted men to look at me and be disturbed by how hot I looked.
I wanted men to be scared of how much of a slut I was.
That was the goal.
“Do they have an A?” I asked, and Sadie nodded as she picked up a matching thong for me and placed it on top of Malum’s full arms.
“How about an M?”
She handed it to me, and I held the tiny scrap of fabric up to the light. “Malum, how big do you think your butt crack is? Thirty-two inches?”
There was a sizzling noise as the fabric caught fire.
“Absolutely not,” he said harshly.
I stared at the eviscerated fabric in disbelief. “You’re paying for that.”
“Fine,” Malum said as he pulled me away from the table.
“Also, you never answered the question.” I held my hands up in front of my face. “This long?” I pulled them apart. “Tell me when to stop.”
He stared at me in silence.
My mouth dropped open. “That big? That can’t be healthy.”
If his silver eyes could have killed me, I’d have been dead.
“You’re a menace when you shop,” he said as he pulled me away from the nipple tassel section.
I put my hand over my heart. “Thank you.”
He dragged me towards the checkout counter where the rest of our group was headed.
Orion placed a black hoodie with a skull on top of Malum’s full arms, then draped his arm across my shoulder. He radiated warmth, and my mouth watered for chocolate-dipped raspberries.
He pressed a quick kiss to my temple and pain shot down my still sensitive spine.
I jolted.
Orion released me. Scorpius stopped petting a fuzzy coat, and his head snapped in my direction. “Why did you make a pained noise?”
“Uh, I didn’t.” I shuffled closer to Sadie for protection.
Unfortunately, that meant I was closer to Cobra. He was wearing a new floor length leather jacket and jewel-rimmed sunglasses even though we were inside.
“You look ridiculous,” I said.
He bared his dagger-sharp canines and hissed like a snake.
“Cute,” I drawled as we all moved to the check out.
“Oh wow, are you the don’s son?” The man at the checkout counter tittered as Jax dumped the pile of Sadie’s clothes down.
Cobra’s smirk turned into a frown as he glared at the worker. “No.”
The jewels embedded in his skin flashed into shadow snakes, and he radiated aggression as he threatened, “Don’t look at any of us.”
Cobra lunged forward threateningly, and the worker gulped as he stared at the counter and stuttered, “O-O-Of course, sir. We p-p-pride ourselves on the utmost discretion for our high-quality shoppers.”