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“Promises? Brielle…” Her tone is a mix of reprimand and concern, the furrow in her brow deepening.
“Yes.” I exhale. “I told one of them I’d sleep with him again if he didn’t tell Dad.”
“God, Brielle, that’s…that’s…” she stammers, and I can tell she’s grappling with the magnitude of my confession.
“Scandalous?” I supply the word, tasting the sinfulness of it on my tongue.
“Exactly!” Her exasperation is almost comical, but there’s a gleam in her eye that tells me she’s equal parts horrified and enthralled. “I never would have seen this coming. Is that the only reason you agreed to sleep with him again, to keep it all a secret? Or is it something more?” The way she’s looking at me makes it clear that I don’t have to hide the truth from her.
“It might be,” I admit, unable to meet her gaze, my voice barely above a whisper. The walls of the classroom seem to close in, the colorful posters and drawings mocking me with their cheerfulness. “It’s just that…the way they make me feel.”
“What do you think your dad would do?” she asks.
I shake my head and blow out a breath. “I don’t have a clue.”
I lean back in my chair, the plastic creaking beneath me. A cookie crumbles between my fingers. “And get this, the girls at the college have a nickname for them—the sexy society. Isn’t that insane?”
“Sexy society?” Callie echoes, and her mouth hangs open for a beat before snapping shut. “That sounds like some twisted academic boy band.”
“Yep, I’m not the only one who finds them sexy,” I confess. “And I fell right into their orbit like they’re some kind of forbidden fruit.”
“Jesus, Brie…” Callie’s hand covers her mouth, her eyes wide as saucers. “That’s not just picking the forbidden apple—that’s raiding the whole damn orchard.”
“Tell me about it.” The words are heavy with irony, the reality of my situation settling in my stomach like lead.
“I have to see a picture of them.”
I roll my eyes playfully. “You know what, next time I see them I’ll be sure to ask them for one.”
“You know, I’m going to give you props because I may be all about living life on the wild side, but this…this is crazier than anything I’ve ever done. You’re playing with fire.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” My laugh is hollow, devoid of humor. I stare down at my hands, tracing the lines in my palms. “Especially with Levi Griffin,” I continue, the name leaving a sour tang in my mouth. The memory of his steely gaze sends a shiver down my spine. “He made it clear he wants nothing more to do with me.”
“Wait, what?” Her voice pitches high with disbelief.
“Yep, he gave me a very strong suggestion to drop his class.” I can still hear the low timbre of his voice, the implicit promise of consequences if I dare to defy him.
“God, he sounds intense.” Callie’s concern is a warm hand on my cold, clammy skin.
“Intense doesn’t begin to cover it.” I shudder, recalling the firm set of his jaw, the predatory glint in his eye. “There’s something about him that…unsettles me.”
“Time is moving way too fast.”
My heart is a wild drumbeat in my chest as I follow Callie’s gaze to the classroom clock. “We’ve barely scratched the surface,” I say, the words tumbling out in a rush.
“Thirty minutes is nothing with a story like yours.” Callie sweeps a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear and gives me that look, the one that says she means business. “You need more than a quick chat, Brielle. Let’s meet up after work, dissect every deliciously sordid detail.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Relief floods through me.
“Actually…” Callie tilts her head, an impish sparkle in her warm brown eyes. “My mom got me these tickets. She roped me into this trivia night thing at The Tipsy Owl. Thinks I’ll find Mr. Right between questions about Shakespeare and eighties pop songs.”
“Trivia night?” I laugh despite the dread coiling in my stomach. Leave it to Callie to find humor when my world feels like it’s crumbling. “Sounds…riveting.”
“Hey, it’s either that or another blind date courtesy of Mom.” She shrugs, and the laughter lines around her mouth deepen. “At least this way, I can flex my brain muscles and drink overpriced cocktails.”
“Two birds, one stone.” My voice cracks like dry earth under a relentless sun. The idea of something normal like trivia night seems alien, a stark contrast to the web of desire and danger I’m tangled in.
“Exactly!” She claps her hands together, her bangles jangling merrily. “So, what do you say? We can talk more there.”
