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Oh God. I’m instantly beet red. No matter how many times I hear his vulgar words, they still cause me to hide inside myself.
“Don’t go all shy on me now, sweetheart. We both know once I put my lips on you, you’re going to start your naughty little moaning and hair pulling. That’s not the act of a little shy girl, is it?”
Ugh. “Dammit, fine.” He sure does know how to one-up me. The mention of the contract forgotten, I let my legs loose just as he smiles wide, showing me his pearly whites. I roll my eyes at him for theatrics, and his head disappears in between my legs until I’m pulling at his hair and orgasming as I scream his name.
Taking Haller Hall two steps at a time, I run up and into the building. I’ve already convinced myself the doors will be locked and I’m going to fail my exam. Ms. Phillips has it out for me and there’s no way she’s not standing by the door waiting to slam it shut and lock it the second the hour hits. My mind fights it, but I can’t help but go there. My scholarship. If I fail this class, I can kiss that goodbye.
I run down the hall and see the door in sight. It’s still open. The hour hits just as I make it outside the threshold. I’m just about to throw myself through the door when I slam on the breaks to avoid plowing over my professor.
“In a hurry, Ms. Stone?”
“Whoa! Hi. Um, yes. Up late studying and didn’t want to be late. Almost beat the clock.” I smile and attempt to slip past her, but she blocks me. Confused, I turn my eyes on her. The look she returns is odd. “Um, can I get through?”
“Do you think you’re the first one, Ms. Stone?” she asks crossing her arms over her chest.
“Um, no. Looks like I’m the last, but if you let me through, I can get seated and get this show on the road. I’ve been studying all—”
“You’re just another game to him.”
I’m not sure what she’s referring to. The way she’s looking at me is unprofessional. Because it feels hateful. “Ms. Phillips, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
“The gifts, the flattery—let me guess, he told you he was going to walk away from his club.”
My smile falls from my face.
“Ahhh, there it is. Now we’re on the same page.”
“I don’t know what you’re—”
“I suggest walking away from him before you get your little heart broken. You’re young. You have your entire career ahead of you. And take my advice. I’d hate for your grade in my class to suffer. Consider this a warning.”
I’m stone-still. My mind is racing a million miles a second. Let me guess, he told you he was going to walk away from his club. Walk away. Grade in my class to suffer…
My lips begin to finally work. “Did you just threaten me, Ms. Phillips?” I ask, feeling the rumble of anger inside my chest.
“Take it as you will, Ms. Stone. Consider it teacher to student advice.”
I fight to hold back my true emotions. The ones inside my head screaming you’ve been played. If she’s telling me the truth, what a fool I’ve been. Feeding into all the bullshit he’s fed me. The talks about him finding a better life, leaving the club, and all the gratitude for giving him the reason to do so. The way he’s made me feel as if I’m something to him. Important. Beautiful.
And it’s all been a lie.
It explains why he hasn’t mentioned the end of our contract. He doesn’t plan on keeping me around.
I bite down the anger and steady my back. “Get out of my way.”
Her smile is anything but kind. Evil, if I had to pin a word to it. I’m about to push her aside when another kid comes sliding down the hallway past us. “Sorry, Ms. Phillips,” he calls as he runs into class, and I follow behind him.
The test is long. I know everything on it. Or I should know. But my mind is a million miles away. My hands battle not to find my bat phone and text him and demand the truth. But what if I get the answers I don’t want to hear? What if this has been a game for him all along? My thoughts take me back to last week.
“And just like that?” I ask Damien, scooping up a handful of bath bubbles. I bring them to my lips and blow, laughing as they explode and land in tiny particles all over his face.
“Just like that.” He grabs for me across the gigantic master tub, pulling me into his lap. “When someone wants a company as successful as Exquisite, they’ll do what it takes to finalize the sale as quick as possible.” He brings his wet lips to mine and kisses me. There’s no denying he’s also trying to smear the bubbles on my face.
