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He drapes his arm around my shoulder as he frog-marches me through the front entrance of the school. Who knew I’d be pining for the days I was ignored by the three kings as they guarded the door? Then, he walks me to my locker. I immediately shove him off me, but instead of taking a hint, he pushes me against the locker door, wraps my hand brandishing the engagement ring around his nape, and kisses me in front of everyone. Even in the middle of chaotic morning traffic, I’m helpless to resist succumbing to his talented tongue.
With a squeeze of my butt, he leans in and warns, “Be a good girl for me, precious.”
I roll my eyes, even if my tummy flutters like it’s been invaded by a squadron of butterflies. I shouldn’t like this, but truth be told, it leaves me giddy. How could it not when it’s the fulfillment of girlhood fantasies I’ve had of Lucian for years? I may have moved past those silly daydreams, but they run deep. There’s no denying that it’s a powerful, heady thing to have your dreams realized after so many years of neglect.
He continues this strategy throughout the day, seeking me out during lunch and dragging me over to the infamous table, where he attempts to feed me himself. I refuse, but he still dares to reach over and brush a crumb off the corner of my mouth. I stomp on his foot to put a stop to this scandalous behavior. We’re in public, for God’s sake. Afterward, when he insists on walking me to my class, I ask him if Crina and Gabby can sit with us tomorrow. I can’t put up with another day of being stared at like a specimen under a microscope.
After such a stressful day, all I want to do is head home and crawl into my bed for a nap. If this is what being popular is like, it’s a big, fatnofor me. But instead of going home, Lucian takes me to work with him.
Now his lack of good grades makes much more sense. The guy’s a boss. Not only does he coordinate and supervise a group of soldiers who do his bidding but he also attends meetings (of which I’m forced to wait outside the door) and drives to various hubs where they produce or hold or distribute drugs—I don’t really know what’s going on—and collects money.
We stop by his house and dine with his mother and sister, who break out a bottle of champagne to toast our fake engagement. By the time we reach home, it’s past nine o’clock. As luck would have it, my mother is passed out, this time sprawled out on the living room sofa. Lucian helps me get her to her bedroom, where I press a glass of water to her lips and help her change into a nightgown before tucking her into bed.
Dead on my feet, I stumble into my bedroom.
“How do you do this every single day? There’s no way I can do this again. I have exams to study for. I need to keep my grades up. There’s absolutely no way I can waste the entire afternoon schlepping up and down half of New Jersey with you.”
Lucian looks at me from his position on my bed, laid out with his hands behind his head. He changed into a suit before leaving school, but now he’s dressed down with a loose pair of worn gray sweatpants and a tank top, showcasing the hefty bulge of his biceps. Jeez, he looks so good in my bed, relaxed in a way I rarely see with him.
I glance at my open closet, where half my clothes have been pushed aside to give way to a row of suits and pressed shirts. On top of my white dresser are neat piles of his school uniform pants.
Leaning against the doorjamb, I press a hand to my forehead. “This is too much for me…”
“You stressed out?” He crooks a finger at me, and demands, “Come here, baby.”
I begrudgingly move toward him. He grabs me and swings me on top of him.
Wiggling to get away, he groans as he grabs hold of my hips and warns, “Stay still.”
I freeze.
Then I press my pelvis down just a tad. His cock stiffens, hard and long against my belly.
“If you do that one more time, you’re asking to be spanked or fucked. Your next move determines which one it’ll be.”
I wish.
“Neither, Lucian,” I groan. “I don’t have time. I need to finish my homework and get studying for a test in my Honors Chinese class in a couple days. I’ve already wasted away the weekend and today.”
He claps a hand over one buttock, making me involuntarily twitch. “A spanking would relieve the tension of the day.”
I narrow my eyes at him and shake my head. Exhausted, I drop my head on his chest and listen to the steady, solid pounding of his heart. “You do so much in one day. It’s grueling. I’m used to being alone, either studying in the library or going home after school ends, but that’s just the beginning for you.”
“Hmm,” he hums as he runs his hand down the length of my spine. “Maybe I shouldn’t tell you that I stopped early today so we could have dinner with my mother and sister, or that I normally work past midnight.”
I snuggle into his shirt, appreciating the soft weave of the cotton and inhaling the scent of laundry, cologne, and his natural musky fragrance. His hand squeezes my butt again, but even though there are ten stiff inches cradled between our bodies, he lifts his other hand and strokes my hair. I exhale deeply as I settle deeper into him.
The window near my bed is open, and I watch the littleleaf linden tree blossoms flutter as a cool April night breeze slips in and cascades over my back. Flashes of rainbow colors emanate from the diamonds on my ring hand, right beside my face.
If today was exhausting, it was also exhilarating. As irritating as he was, I can’t deny that Lucian’s attentiveness—one could almost say devotion—is enticing. I’d like to say he’d done it to convince everyone about our fake engagement, but that would be a lie.
And like him, I’m not a liar.
He’s proven to be reliable, even before our arrangement, and he once admitted to loving me. Just cuddling against him, listening to the soothing thumps of his heart, is so comfortable. But something’s holding me back.
I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. He mightbelievehe loves me at this moment, but what if he gets tired of me? The ghost of past humiliations creeps over me. Once I turn into his loyal puppy, nipping at his heels for crumbs of attention, he’ll turn around and kick me again. That’s what bullies do, and Lucian will always be my bully.
A hard swat comes down on my butt, startling me out of my reverie. I let out a little yelp.
