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“Erm, I suppose so.”
“I can write a poem for you if you like?” Tino, as Domenic calls him, grins at me and reaches out, shocking me as he touches my hair. “And ode to Mackenzie, the girl with the beautiful blonde hair.”
“Motherfucking parents.” The Russian accent has me pulling away from Tino’s touch as Kirill joins us.
Great, all three of them are here, and they make me so uncomfortable. Domenic makes me feel sneered at and looked down on. Kirill scares me, and Valentino is hot, but his friendliness holds what I think might be a mocking edge. I can’t quite tell.
“I saw Mackenzie doing her stretches this morning,” Tino announces. “She’s very flexible.” His tongue sneaks out, licking his full lower lip. “Bendy.”
My cheeks burn. “It’s yoga.” I need to get out of here.
“It’s yoga,” Kirill parrots like a child.
I roll my eyes, but inside I’m overheated and stressed. A lonely, scared girl out of her depth, and I can’t let those feelings overwhelm me, or bad things will happen. I don’t want these men knowing my weakness.
“Nothing wrong with being flexible.” Tino shrugs. “It’s very good for getting into new and experimental positions.”
Okay, he’s clearly not talking about yoga, and these bullying assholes have had about as much fun from me as I’m willing to give them.
“Well, gentlemen, excuse me, please.” I stand, and with as much dignity as I can muster, I exit the dining room.
Chapter 7
Mackenzie
I still have no idea what my schedule is for the day, so I decide that needs to be my first priority. I pluck up the courage to stop two other students—a gorgeous brunette who is hanging on the arm of a striking black guy.
“Excuse me, but is there an administrator’s office?”
The girl gives me a fleeting smile. “Sure, it’s in west wing.”
“Thanks!”
I’m currently in east wing, so I must need to be on the opposite side of the university. It’s a bit of a hike, but I have time. Besides, if I don’t find the office, I won’t know where to go anyway.
I keep my head down, still hugely conscious of being the new girl. I sense eyes on me as I walk the corridors. There’s also a part of my brain—or maybe it’s my body—that’s on constant alert for Domenic. No, not just Dom, but Kirill and Valentino, too. Especially Valentino.
To my relief, I find the office. A shrew-faced woman sits behind a desk.
“Yes?” she barks at me.
“I’m Mackenzie Kingsland,” I tell her. “I need to enroll. I’m a sophomore.”
My name seems to get her attention, as she finally looks up at me. “Kingsland, huh? You’re going to be the dean’s stepdaughter.”
My stomach knots and I have to force the words from my mouth. “That’s right.”
“I was expecting you yesterday.”
I feel like I’m being reprimanded, though it was hardly my fault that I didn’t know where to come. “Sorry. I didn’t get the full tour.”
She sniffs and goes back to her computer. Her fingers fly across the keyboard, and she brings up what I hope is my schedule. “You want it printed, or are you okay with an app?”
“Umm, can I have it printed and the app?” I figure I’d rather have a backup than have to return to this sour-faced woman.
She rolls her eyes. “If you must.”
She clicks a button, and somewhere near the back of the office, a printer whirrs to life. She gets up from her seat and goes to retrieve my schedule. She thrusts it at me. “Here you go. Log-in for the app is at the top.”
