Ritzy was an understatement. Why did one man need so much space? The foyer itself was massive, and Orchid wondered how one couldn't get lost in the estate. The guests were dressed to impress, and making her wonder just how many of her mother's co-workers were acting like they were the epitome of wealth when she knew they weren't. But, this was something she has to report to the troublesome boys that were currently blowing up her phone.

O: Why the fuck a single man need so much house? I'm pretty sure I could fit my entire in the foyer alone and still have space.

M: Come on, you're exaggerating

O: Okay, maybe a bit. Half of my house

N: better. whats the fashion like?

O: Red carpet

N: no fair! i wanna be there!

M: Nat, only you would wanna go

N: i'm a fashion connoisseur, bite me

M: no thanks

N: you'd like it

O: Alright boys, you forget that I'm still here. I don't need to see anymore skin on my phone

N: oh boo

M: You sure?

O: Positive

M: You're no fun

Before she could respond, she noticed someone approach her mother. Someone she recognized her mother's boss and the...humble host of the party. He was rather hard to forget, for many reasons. One was that he was unbelievably handsome, with long graying hair tied in a low ponytail. His impeccably groomed beard was obviously her mother's favorite feature on him. Secondly and most importantly, his size. Charles Benton was beyond huge, dwarfing Orchid and her mother at a staggering 6'8". He was broad, and the most baffling thing was that it was all muscle. No wonder he was so sought after.

"Ella, Orchid..." he said. "you both look breathtaking this evening." He looked rather surprised at the sight of his employee, not expecting the usually tomboyish Ella to dress so...femininely. In fact, he expected her to wear a suit not unlike her usual work clothes.

"Thank you, Mr. Benton."

"Honestly, I hardly recognized you. Maybe I should invite you to more of my parties."

Gag, Orchid thought, but she couldn't blame the man. Her mother was a beautiful woman, and in all honesty, anyone would be a damn fool to not see her for how amazing she was.

"Perhaps..."

"And Orchid, the last time I saw you, you were just getting into high school back in Japan. I thought your mother would have at least let you graduate from there. My, you've certainly grown up."

"Thank you, sir."

"Please, call me Charles. Anyway, may I steal your mother away for a bit?"

Already? She eyed him warily, but noticed that he was rubbing his fingers, a nervous habit of his. Upon further inspection, his cheeks were tinged pink, and he couldn't keep eye contact with her mother. She chuckled, finding it somewhat endearing, especially for him. "Of course."

"Are you sure?" Ella asked. "We just got here, and you're not familiar-"

"I've got Nat and Mark texting me, so I won't be bored. I'll be fine. You go enjoy yourself."

"But-"

"Charles, sweep her off her feet."

At that, he smiled, and pulled her mother closer to him, leading her away. "Thank you."

She mouthed a good luck, and giggled as she watched her mother stumble closer into his arms.

O: I think I just played matchmaker.

N: did boss man steal mamas?

O: With my permission. Actually I told him to sweep her off her feet. Poor mama was a blushing mess

M: Maybe your mom likes him too. You might have a new daddy ;)

N: i know i wanna be Orca's daddy ;) :P

O: Nathan Kedd Goldberg please refrain from making sexual innuendos in the group chat

N: but i can make innuendos in a private chat?

O: NO. Please refrain from such comments

N: nope

M: If he gets to make jokes like that, then I can too

O: Mark, not you too. Nat you're a bad influence

N: oh i know. i pride myself on that

She giggled, not realizing that someone had been waiting to getting her attention. When she looked up, she was greeted with a beautiful face. Sharp and narrow features, flawless skin. He looked like the rich bachelor he had to be. He was rather tall, and lean, unlike the usual bulky frames that was used to.

"H-Hello..."

The smiled he gave was brilliant, to the point of being a bit unsettling. "Hello. First time to something like this, I take it?"

"Am I that obvious?"

"I mean, you're more interested in your phone than your surroundings."

"I've got my moral support on my phone."

He laughed, a smooth sound that was rather pleasant to her ears. "Which company are you from?"

"Oh, I'm not from a company. I'm still in high school. I'm Orchid, Ella Smith's daughter."

His eyes widened. "Really? You look so mature. And you're the daughter of the most formidable woman I know? Men should beware. But, I am truly honored."

"Don't kid yourself. I'm nothing special."

"On the contrary, you are. Well, I think you are. Your mother brags about you a lot. Top of your class throughout middle school and high school. Theater genius, but want to dedicate your life to the law. You're truly magnificent."

"Um..."

"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Andrew Workley."

"No way, you're the Andrew Workley? Wealthy bachelor extraordinaire?"

"Guilty. I didn't think you've heard of me."

"Listen, you're kind of hard to not hear about."

He chuckled, his eyes scanning over her. "Now, Orchid..." The smile on his face widened a bit, and his gaze seemed to change, worrying her. "I'd like to get to know you more. Why don't we go somewhere less crowded and get more...acquainted?" His fingers skimmed her shoulder, sending unpleasant chills down her spine.

She stepped back, her gaze freezing as she recognized what he was insinuating. "Sorry, but no thanks." Taking note of the look of shock on his face, she realized that he was not used to rejection. Before he could say anything else, she turned from him. "Try someone else." She left him standing, deciding to text her boys.

O: Nat, how familiar with rich people are you?

N: are you kidding? i know everybody that's anybody. why

O: Tell me everything you know about Andrew Workley

N: ugh that piece of shit is there too?

M: You met the Andrew Workley?

O: He tried to get me alone. I could tell he had something sleazy in mind. I wasn't about to be swayed by a pretty face and pretty words

N: sounds like him. he's the scum of the earth, being every bit of the playboy he is. he sleeps w/ anything w/ a vagina. and he's into the freakiest shit. he ain't above spiking anyone's drink just to get laid either. he only gets away with it b/c all the girls he sleeps w/ depend on him and he could easily ruin their lives. just be careful to not let him get close to your food or drinks

M: Well then, maybe we should crash a party

O: No, Mark. This is Charles Benton's party. I can't cause a scene

N: oh now we HAVE to show up. benton is like a godfather to me. he can't say no

O: But I can. NO

N: you wound me

M: You know we're like this because we care

O: I know. You guys are just ridiculous

Mark sighed as he read over the conversation. Orchid was certainly stubborn, and it was a tad frustrating. But, it still endeared him. But, if Andrew Workley was going to be a problem, he wasn't going to risk Orchid's well-being just because she told them to not get involved. He called Nat.

"You wanna get into that party, huh?"

"I know you do, too."

"Fuck yeah, I do. Workley is a menace and Orchid is way too perfect for him to leave her alone. The fact that he's willing to risk jail time for statutory says it all. Let me make some phone calls, and I'll come get you. Make sure you dress nice."

"Yeah, yeah-"

"I mean it, Mark. You're gonna end up dealing with security if you don't."

"Alright, I got it." At that, he hung and sighed again. Thank god his aunt loved making his clothes.

Meanwhile, Nat phoned the one who would get them into the party.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Charlie."

The chuckle he received told him that he was definitely going to get his way. "Nathan. Should've known that you would have found out about my party."

"I honestly didn't know until today. One of your guests goes to my school. Orchid Smith."

"Really, now? Well then, I just have to invite you."

"I'm bringing a plus one."

"Rave?"

"No, we broke up earlier this week."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"I was a little too bummed to. It was a drinking kind of night, and you don't let me drink."

"You know why. Anyway, I don't know why you always call to ask me to invite you. You're always welcome to parties, unless otherwise."

"Eh, courtesy."

"Well, come over with your plus one. Orchid would love the familiar face since I stole her moral support."

"Yeah, and I'm pretty sure she's already done with this party."

"Look at you, already wooing her mom."

"Oh, shut up and get over here."

"Thanks, Charlie." At that, he hung and texted Mark.

N: be ready in 20

M: See you then.

Orchid groaned as she declined yet another offer to drink, stating that she was a minor. Of course, it didn't particularly stop anyone that was interested. She wanted to beat someone up. Mark and Nat were kicking ass as her moral support, but she wondered if it was right to tell them not to come crash the party. She wanted to go home, but her mother looked like she was having the time of her life. And Mr. Benton looked like he was on cloud nine with her.

Maybe he will end up becoming my stepdad. I wouldn't mind it since mom looks so happy and the blushes on their faces are priceless. They look like shy teenagers.

"You look awfully lonely, Orchid." She bit back a rather unattractive growl when she heard his voice.

"Listen, Mr. Workley, I'm not interested."

Scoffing, he stepped closer to her. "Come now, I don't bite. I simply want to get to know you."

"You know I'm only seventeen."

"And? Age is but a number. Besides, you're the one tempting everyone here, dressed like that. You say you're only a teenager, but the way you act-you dress...as if you're an adult. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you dressed like this on purpose so you can garner all this attention. So you can sink your teeth into someone."

She let out a disgusted scoff. "Excuse me?"

"You're a virgin, aren't you?"

The blush on her face gave him the answer he was looking for, despite her trying to deny it. "That's none of your business."

"I can show you what it means to be a woman."

She winced, the horrible shivers returning. She tried to step away, but he was persistent. She didn't want to lash out because of her mother, but she was getting dangerously close to it. He finally grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him. "St-Stop-"

"You know...your frightened face makes so hard. I wanna see more." The panic started to settle in as she froze at the feeling of his hand slipping down her thigh and into the slit of her dress. She couldn't move as she remembered the abuse she suffered back in Japan.

Before he could do anything else, she was yanked out of his arms and right into someone else's grasp while Andrew was roughly shoved away. She snapped out of her stunned fear and looked up to find Nat staring at the billionaire. Right next to her was Mark, he seething at the sight of her molester. The sight before her something completely different. While she had gotten used to their anger, there was something off about it this time. It was cold. She gasped at the look on their faces. Their gazes were dark, and freezing.

"Piece of shit," Nat growled. She couldn't help the shiver down her spin. His usually light and cheerfully flamboyant tone of voice was gone. All that was left was a dark, deep gravel of sound. These were not the boys she was getting to know. The anger they were emitting was not the hot-blooded temper tantrums of young boys trying to assert their dominance. It was a purely raw, unadulterated fury.

The grip Nat had on her was tight and unyielding, and he had no intention of letting her go. Even if she wanted him to. Andrew only sneered at them, clearly infuriated that he was being humiliated by three high school students. Children.

"Fucking shits. Couldn't you see that she was seducing me?"

"Really?" Mark snapped. "Because it looked to me that you were molesting her."

"Oh, she liked it."

In an instant, Mark had the man by the throat while Nat lunged for the man, ready to destroy him. Orchid pulled him back, holding him tight to her body.

"Mark, Nat, stop it! Mark, let him go! NOW!"

"Orchid-"

"Don't argue with me, Demascus."

Reluctantly, he let him go, watching as he ran towards Mr. Benton. However, it was in vain as he saw Orchid's mother throw a fist straight into his throat, only to be held back by the older man.

"Get the fuck out of here, Workley. We're done."

Mark turned to Orchid, who was calming Nat down, despite how badly she was shaking. He rested his head on her shoulder, as Nat hugged her tighter. His hands were on her waist, he trying to choke back a sob as he felt her shake.

"Why the hell are you comforting us when you clearly need it?"

"Please, Mark...just...just shut up, okay?" She placed a hand on his cheek. They stood like that for a few minutes, until she decided that she should pull away. Looking at the athletes, she sucked in a shaky breath. "Thanks for being here."

The two looked at each other, then nodded. Taking each of her hands, they pressed a kiss into her palms, earning a small squeak from her. The look they gave her was something that she wasn't accustomed to. She couldn't put a name to it, but it was similar to possessiveness. It was hot, and sincere, and burned her entire being. Nobody has ever looked at the way they were looking at her. It was definitely not lust, but something completely different. Sophisticated, yet primal. It told her everything and nothing.

Orchid then realized that they were dressed in form-fitting suits, looking sharp and clean. They both had decided to slick their hair back, and all in all, they definitely did not look like the seniors she knew. They looked more mature than she did. No, they were definitely not the hot-headed boys that she went to school with.

.

.

.

They were men.

A/N - I don't know why, but these past chapters have made me extremely giddy. I'm finally moving forward with the relationship between Edd and Kevin. So, the next chapter will focus on their date. I'm really excited to write it.