Facing the Enemy: The Enemy Series, #1

By M.E. Clayton

What do you get when you have the power and freedom to do whatever you wish?

A psychopath who has no conscience where others are concerned.

Ramsey
Ramsey Reed wasn't blinded by money, power, or social standing, even though he had all three of those things in spades. He knew people with money were just as degenerate as people without it. The wealthy were just able to pay people to look the other way while the poor could not. At only eighteen-years-old, he was already sick and tired of the pretentious pricks around him and all their nonsense.

With his senior year at Windsor Academy underway, Ramsey finds himself bored out of his mind most days. Surrounded by sheep-albeit rich, beautiful, privileged sheep-he finds himself not being entertained by his pawns much these days. However, that all changes the weekend before school begins, when he's at a party and comes face-to-face with a wolf instead of another sheep.

A wolf with sharp teeth, at that.

Emerson

Emerson Andrews was no stranger to the darker side of life. Growing up in an abusive household, she had endured a life of violence that ultimately led to the death of her mother. However, she was only a couple of weeks away from turning eighteen, so she had it covered. At least, she thought she had until her guilt-ridden aunt came to take her in and move her to Sands Cove.

With no choice but to finish out her senior year at Windsor freakin' Academy, Emerson finds herself a long way from the trailer park she used to call home. Surrounded by opulence where money is worshipped like a deity, it's no secret that she doesn't belong. When she's invited to her first Sands Cove party, that fact is made abundantly clear when she meets Windsor Academy's reigning king.

A king with no idea who he's dealing with.

When there can only be one victor in the battle of survival…
After meeting Emerson Andrews and her vicious tongue, Ramsey knows he'll never be the same again. Determined to make her come to heel, Ramsey goes after her with everything he has, only to learn the hard way that it's still not enough. He learns the hard way that Emerson Andrews is no one's sheep.

After meeting Ramsey Reed and his sinister personality, Emerson knows she'll never be safe again. Determined to resist the unhealthy attraction that she has for him, she does her best to avoid him at all costs. She learns the hard way that her best isn't good enough with it comes to Ramsey Reed, though.

Even though Ramsey knows that Emerson is a danger to his sanity, and Emerson knows that Ramsey will do nothing but destroy her, their connection sparks a battle of the wills so formidable that neither one can simply walk away. If they're going to burn, they'll burn together.

NOTE: This book contains adult language, adult situations, explicit sexual encounters, violence, sexual assault, and domestic violence. If sensitive to any of the aforementioned issues, please do not purchase.

• Language: English
• Publisher: M.E. Clayton
• Release date: Feb 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463403556

M.E. Clayton

M.E. Clayton works fulltime and writes as a hobby only. She is also an avid reader and Pinterest addict. When she's not working, reading, writing, or on Pinterest, she is spending time with her family and friends, or her dog, Boy, or her cat, Seatbelt. She lives in California with her husband and enjoys doing nothing but reading. Seriously. She does nothing but read. However, that's how she likes it.

Book preview

Facing the Enemy

Copyright 2018 Monica Clayton

Published by M.E. Clayton

All Rights Reserved

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is a work of fiction. The entire content is a product of the author’s imagination, and all names, places, businesses, and incidences are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), places or occurrences, is entirely coincidental.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner, whatsoever, without the express written consent from the author, except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Formatting: Smashwords

Cover: Adobe Stock

Warning: This book contains sexual situations and other adult themes. Recommended for 18 years of age and over.

Table of Contents

Author's Note

Contact Me

Dedication

Playlist

Prologue

1. Ramsey

2. Emerson

3. Ramsey

4. Emerson

5. Ramsey

6. Emerson

7. Ramsey

8. Emerson

9. Ramsey

10. Emerson

11. Ramsey

12. Emerson

13. Ramsey

14. Emerson

15. Ramsey

16. Emerson

17. Ramsey

18. Emerson

19. Ramsey

20. Emerson

21. Ramsey

22. Emerson

23. Ramsey

24. Emerson

25. Ramsey

26. Emerson

27. Ramsey

28. Emerson

29. Ramsey

30. Emerson

31. Ramsey

32. Emerson

33. Ramsey

34. Emerson

35. Ramsey

36. Emerson

37. Ramsey

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Author’s Note

Just a couple of things before I let you go and get your read on. While I am doing my best to work with better editing and proofreading software, all my books are solo, independent works. I write my books, proofread my books, edit my books, create the covers, etc. I have one beta who gives me feedback on my stories, but other than that, all my books are independent projects.

That being said, I apologize, in advance, for the typos, grammar inconsistencies, or any other mistakes I may make. Since writing is strictly a hobby for me, I haven’t looked into commitments in regard to publishers, editors, etc. My hope is that my stories are enjoyable enough that a few mistakes, here and there, can be overlooked. However, if you’re a stickler for grammar, my books are probably not for you.

Also, I am an avid reader-I mean an AVID reader. I love to read above any other hobby. However, the only downside to my reading obsession is when I fall in love with a series, but I have to wait for the additional books to come out. So, because I feel that disappointment down to my soul, when I started publishing my works, I vowed to publish all books in my series all at once. No waiting here...LOL. Now, the exception to that will be if enough readers request additional stories based off the standalone, such as in Facing the Enemy. At that point, if I decide to move forward with a requested series, I will make sure all additional books are available all at once. As much as this is a hobby for me, I am writing these books for all of you, as well as myself.

Thank you for everything!

Contact Me

I really appreciate you reading my book and I would love to hear from you! Now, unfortunately, because I do have a full-time job and one part-time job, plus a family that I love spending time with, I’m not very active on social media. However, for the sites I do participate in, here are my social media coordinates:

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Website

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News & Updates

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Email

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Other Books

Dedication

For my sister –

You are way stronger than you give yourself credit for. I also think that the most amazing thing about you is how you can experience a broken heart, but still have the courage to love again with no reservations whatsoever. You’re amazing, P’Terry!

Playlist

Series Theme

The Right Kind Of Wrong – LeAnn Rimes

Facing the Enemy Theme

Pretty Girl – Sugarcult

Aerials – Systems Of A Down

Animals – Maroon 5

Centuries – Fall Out Boy

The Catalyst – Linkin Park

Hail Mary – 2Pac

Killing Strangers – Marilyn Manson

Sucker For Pain – Lil’ Wayne

Whatever It Takes – Imagine Dragons

Prologue

I looked out over the railing on the second floor, taking in the scene before me.

Music filled the house, and it made the windows rattle and the drinks dance in their cups or glasses. However, the loud bass from the latest hip-hop song did nothing to drown out the murmurs of conversation and the peals of drunken laughter. There were teenage and barely-legal bodies everywhere, drinking, dancing, and snorting up their best party favors.

School started on Monday, and this was the first party of the year. It was a kick-off party to begin our senior year at Windsor Academy, a secluded prep school that catered to the rich, privileged, and entitled.

The very rich, very privileged, and very entitled.

Most of the senior class was already eighteen-years-old, but that was because Windsor Academy was so elite that every student had to take a year off before entering high school to study abroad. Every student destined to attend Windsor was part of an assembly line of little robots that were expected to take over their family businesses. So, for our professional growth, students each had to pick a country that would help their family’s legacy grow, and that’s where you went for your one year abroad. I had ended up spending my year in Italy, for a lot of different reasons.

Still, even though the party was occupied by mostly eighteen-year-olds, that had no bearing on the alcohol and drugs that were scattered throughout the house. Age meant nothing when you had money and power, and we had both.

All of us did.

However, me? I had the most of both.

My dark eyes scanned the living room and what I could make of the kitchen, and all I could think about was how old this scene was becoming. None of us had a governor to rein us in, so this was the norm for us. We had addresses, but no homes, and our parents were absent, though the money was never-ending. That meant that we could do whatever the fuck we wanted, and we often did.

However, as I looked over the rooms and the people, I realized that there was no challenge in any of it anymore. The girls in the house were half-naked, naked, blowing someone, or outright getting fucked somewhere, privacy be damned. Many people with money believed that their money shielded them from judgment, but it didn’t. A slut was a slut, no matter what brand-name high heels covered her feet.

I looked deeper into the living room, then I noticed my two best friends, Deke Marlow and Liam McCellan, huddled up with a couple of matching blondes. As I looked my fill, I had to admit that they were hot and built like they were ready to party.

Still, my dick didn’t twitch one bit.

Surprisingly, I hadn’t fucked a girl in months. Hell, if I was being completely honest, I hadn’t been between a hot set of thighs since the summer before my junior year.

I was bored.

I’d been fucking bored.

I was seriously contemplating just going back to my assigned room and ignoring the overflow of naked girls, drunken guys, and fuck music, but the fresh arrival of females walking through the front door drew my attention and...fuck me.

She stood out, and not just amongst the girls.

She fucking stood out amongst every single person in the place.

She stood out because she didn’t belong here.

She didn’t belong here with us.

She. Did. Not. Belong.

Nevertheless, I immediately knew who she was. Bailey hadn’t been discreet or embarrassed to tell everyone that she knew all about the new girl’s business prior to her even starting her first day as a senior with us.

Emerson Andrews.

I stared down at the foursome of females, and the other three didn’t even register. Emerson Andrews might have appeared as if she was being shy or playing coy, but if the rumors were true, that girl was anything but shy or coy. She was a beautiful wolf that was ready to bare her fangs among the sheep, and if her demeanor was anything to go by, she already knew that she didn’t belong here, but she also didn’t give a fuck.

My heart started to beat faster, my dick began to rise, my mind started to focus, and my body coiled; ready to strike.

Emerson Andrews was a gorgeous mystery.

She was something new.

She was not boring.

Plus, though she may appear confident, that confidence wouldn’t last for long.

Chapter 1

Ramsey~

It took everything that I had in me not to run down the fucking staircase and rush Miss Emerson Andrews; the pull that she had on me felt that strong and that insane.

Still, I’d found a way to manage it.

I casually strolled through the walkway, then down the stairs like I had all the fucking time in the world. I chatted briefly with whoever said hi, and I even took a detour through the kitchen to grab a beer. I’d had to do it to prove that I was still in control, even if I had set the beer right back down without taking a drink.

Because I was always in control.

However, when I wasn’t, my rage was ice cold rather than white hot. My mother claimed that it was because I was a sociopath, but my father claimed that it was because I’d been born to a sociopath-my mother. Little did they know that they both sucked as parents. Besides, I knew that my father secretly liked that I was cold-hearted. My lack of feelings fit his agenda perfectly.

However, I was feeling right now.

Fuck yeah, I was feeling.

I was feeling all sorts of sick, sordid, twisted shit that a psychologist would probably have a field day with. Still, even with enough self-awareness to know that I was sick, it wasn’t enough to stop me from playing with my new prey.

I watched as the girls made their way into the edge of the living room. The place was packed, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they had to take their group outside to get comfortable. I also wouldn’t be surprised if they were immediately surrounded by guys once they did go outside. Bailey and her sidekicks, Evelyn and Christa, looked like the typical rich, perfectly proportioned teenage dream.

Bailey was on the tall side with legs that went on for days. Her red hair was dyed to flamed perfection, and it never turned that awful shade of orange. She had no hips to speak of, but the size of her tits helped a man to ignore that flaw. Though they weren’t real, ask any teenage boy, or grown ass man for that matter, and they would easily tell you that we didn’t give a fuck if they were real or not; tits were tits. Now, there was no doubt that Bailey was pretty with her green eyes and delicate face, but I could point out ten other girls in this room alone that matched her beauty and body.

Evelyn and Christa were no different. They were both blonde, but with Evelyn’s golden locks being kissed with a lot more paleness. Also, their bodies were just as perfectly bought as Bailey’s was. All three girls were equally stunning, but all three failed by comparison to the short, thick, curvy brunette that looked to not have an ounce of fucking makeup on.

I finally crossed through the crowd of people, making my way towards the girls, and Bailey was all ready to pounce before I’d even stopped in front of them.

Hey, Ramsey, how’s it going? she asked sweetly.

I ignored her question, then went straight for the start of the game. I looked over at Emerson, and my brown eyes locked onto a pair of wary grey ones. Who’s this? I asked Bailey, nodding my head in Emerson’s direction.

Bailey did nothing to disguise the irritation on her face or in her voice. I knew that it bothered her that Emerson had my attention, but I didn’t care. As pretty as Bailey was, I had never bathed in her toxic waters, and I never would.

This is Emerson, my cousin, she answered. She’s the one whose dad killed her mom, then had nowhere to go, so my mother had to take her in.

No one said a word at the cold recap of what had to be an emotional tragedy for Emerson. Bailey had confirmed the rumors as if she’d been discussing a war in the Middle East; unaffected and unconcerned because it had nothing to do with her.

I’d kept my eyes on Emerson the entire time that Bailey had been talking, and the girl had a hell of a poker face; she hadn’t flinched, paled, or had dropped any tears. She’d held my gaze, looking back at me like she was daring me. Daring me to do what? I didn’t know. However, the lift of her chin had my dick harder than fucking steel. Even when I’d been in the infancy of puberty and could never keep the motherfucker down, I still hadn’t ever felt this hard.

My eyes raked over her person, and I didn’t hide my perusal of her body in the least. I took in her waist-long brown hair and saw wisps of it ending over her ass. Her brows were a perfectly matching shade of brown, and they were arched to give attitude. Her grey eyes were outlined by lashes that I would have thought were fake if it weren’t for the fact that I’d been right; the girl didn’t have a stitch of fucking makeup on.

Granted, it wasn’t like she needed it.

Her skin was a flawless porcelain complexion, and the rest of her face was made up of a narrowed button nose, high cheekbones, and a pair of full pink lips that would look like heaven wrapped around my cock with saliva dripping from them. The very thought had me almost reaching down to shift my twitching dick in front of her.

At any rate, my eyes kept traveling downward, and my mouth salivated at the size of her rack. Emerson was standing at only about five-foot-two-inches, and the curves that she was sporting on a body that short made her look all fucking woman.

Even though still a teenager, I was already standing at a six-foot-two, and my body was proportioned to my height. However, even as big as my hands were, Emerson’s tits would still spill over my fingers as I held them. I could also picture my dick sliding through them with ease as her tongue flicked out to taste the head of my cock.

As I kept taking inventory, I noticed that her waist was drawn in, but I couldn’t make out much else about it. While every other girl at the party was wearing the skimpiest outfit that they could find and still be legally clothed, Emerson was wearing a plain white t-shirt that hit her mid hip, a pair of black jeans, and a simple pair of white sandals. This girl hadn’t dressed up for anyone, and it was hard not to admire that kind of confidence.

As my eyes kept traveling south, I saw that her jeans encased a pair of hips that flared out like she’d given birth already. This female had a pair of hips made to dig your fingers into, and they tapered into a juicy set of thighs, then down to a pair of feet with bright blue polish on the toes. Emerson Andrews had been created to be fucked, and to be fucked thoroughly and painfully.

Still not sparing Bailey a glance, I clarified what I’d meant. "No. What I mean is, what is she doing here? Who invited her?"

Evelyn and Christa froze, and like the disloyal bitches that they were, they let Bailey fend for herself. I...I didn’t...uhm, I didn’t know that it was invite-only, Ramsey. Then she went for sympathy. My mom made me bring her. I couldn’t come without her.

I watched in fascination as Emerson’s head turned towards Bailey. Oh, really? she asked, her voice void of all emotion, betraying nothing. "Because wasn’t it you pushing me to come to this party? Wasn’t it you who insisted that I’d have fun, and that I just had to come?"

Listening to her finally speak, my arm almost snaked out to snatch her up. Emerson’s voice sounded like it belonged on the other end of a sex telephone hot line. It was raspy, light, and feminine; it was also full of balls.

I watched as Bailey stepped to her, no doubt putting on a show for me. I only said that so you wouldn’t feel like a total loser, Emerson, she huffed. "My mom made me bring you. Just like she made me go shopping with you and go over your school schedule with you. Do you really think that I want to hang out with a poor loser whose father is a murderer?"

My eyes darted back towards Emerson, and I added to Bailey’s cruelty. Do you actually think you belong here? That we just pick up random charity cases at will?

Emerson switched her attention from Bailey to me, and when she straightened her back, drawing herself up to her full height, I wanted to throw her down, then fuck her in full view of everyone in a show of ownership.

Goddamn, she was fucking stunning.

She stared right into my eyes as she said, You’re absolutely right. I don’t belong here.

I watched-absolutely stunned-as she turned to walk out of the house.

To walk away from me.

Those few words were all that she’d given me.

Now, I was used to people backing down from me, so that wasn’t the issue here. Sands Cove boasted of only ten-thousand people, all very wealthy and all very powerful, including Bailey’s family. However, my family was the wealthiest and the most powerful, not to mention the most sinister. So, no one ever really dared to challenge me because everyone knew better.

Until now.

Though my father’s rise to the top had been to use money and connections to control people, once he’d brought me into the fold at only fourteen years of age, I’d gone in a different direction. My power came in the form of true fear, and I wasn’t talking about kicking your ass or lame intimidation tactics. I was talking about the power to destroy your entire life.

Learning from my father’s shortsightedness, I’d spent a lot of my early years stalking everyone in this town. I had learned everything that I could from the mayor to the police chief to the Nelson’s maid. It was while I’d waded in the deep end of all these people’s lives that I had learned what true fear really was. True fear wasn’t being worried that your wife might find out that you were fucking the nanny. No. True fear was your wife finding out that you were touching your nanny’s underage son, and you were paying her to let you.

Well, I had spent years gathering proof on the most depraved acts committed by our upstanding community, and it was because of that why most everyone feared me and let me do whatever the fuck I wanted. Because of that, there was no way that I was going to let Emerson Andrews come

Reviews for Facing the Enemy

[diana nabukenya · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book So much. It was really a hit and I can't wait to read more of your work.

[Sallyanne Smith · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I didn’t expect to enjoy this but I really did! It was so well written, fast paced but with care so you could really fall for the characters. Definitely worth a read ??

[Yachna Dogra · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Please write the kids stories as well. Read RJ’s one an it was amazing. Would love to read more about the kids.

[Brooke · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

A laughable excuse for romance writing. 18 -year-old rich boy runs the college town, telling the adults around him what to do and they just keel over backwards for him? The aggressive physical violence he shows toward his supposed girlfriend that the “writer” tries to spin as romantic? This book is just terrible. Probably the worst thing I’ve read on this app thus far, and that’s saying something. Pass, pass, pass on this one if you don’t want to waste your time. Hard DNF.

[rkaye · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Any respect I felt for Emerson disappeared the instant she took him back. After what he did to her, she should have cut him out of her life for good. She even says what he did was unforgivable but jumps back into bed with him the second she sees him. Can the author not have given her even a shred of self respect?? How do you come back from what he did? It made me sick to my stomach...so I ended up hating Emerson when she took him back.