“Yeah, Craig! Don’t let that pussy upstart beat you!” yelled another.
Drowning out the taunts of my brothers, I growled as a line of sweat rolled down the side of my face, the veins standing out on my forearm. I refused to be baited, though I would have been happy to show those punks what a real ‘pussy’ was if I weren’t so engaged in defeating my opponent.
After all, I didn’t run three miles every day and work out in the gym five days a week for nothing.
At six-foot-two, I was built like a superhero with well-defined muscles all over my body. I was born an athlete, a star player. And like any star player, I was in it to win.
“Shit,” my opponent, Craig Parker, growled, sweat lining his face as we grappled with each other. Shirtless and covered with a sheen of perspiration, we were sitting at a table in the middle of the Alpha Gamma living room, engaged in a fierce arm-wrestling match. I had the upper hand, with Craig’s arm almost touching the table.
Craig was a worthy opponent, with muscles almost as well-defined as mine. But he lacked mental focus, and that was a weakness that I exploited to perfection. Victory begins in the mind, and I knew I had Craig beat there.
I maintained eye contact with him, willing him to believe that his efforts were futile. He couldn't win. I was stronger, mentally and physically, and he was the shit under the sole of my shoe.
Craig clenched his jaw, straining with all his might, and sweat poured down the sides of his face. He managed to move my arm back a fraction of an inch and a surge of adrenaline rolled through me. It was what I’d been waiting for. It gave me the angle I needed.
Roaring, I smashed his hand into the table and jumped up, pounding my chest in victory.
The room erupted in jeers and cheers with several of Craig’s fan-boys booing me. I didn’t give a fuck. They were all just mad because I had beaten every single Alpha Gamma hotshot thus far and was on my way to being crowned top Alpha for the Second Semester Arm Wrestling Tournament. After transferring to NSU, I hadn’t been forced to go through Rush Week, but I still had to prove myself to the guys, and the tournament was it.
“Fuck, man!” Craig cried, jumping up from the table and shaking his wrist. “I want a re-match!”
I shook my head. “You kidding me, bro? I beat you fair and square.”
Craig stepped up to me, his face red with rage, and he shoved me.
“Enough!” Todd James, president of Alpha Gamma, snapped. He quickly stepped between us, saving Craig from getting his face rearranged. “Stefan beat you fair and square, Craig. If you want to arm-wrestle him again, you’ll have to wait until the next competition.”
Craig looked like he wanted to argue, but then he backed down. “Total bullshit, man.” He walked back into the crowd to nurse his wounded pride, shaking his head.
Todd looked after Craig for a moment and then turned and looked at me. “You’re doing good, Livingston. Better than I thought. Looks like the rumors about you being the best jock at South State were true.”
Todd was referring to my being a new transfer to NSU. Back at South State, I had been the top player on the lacrosse team. One of my teammates, Jared Stroing, another freshman hotshot, couldn’t handle all the attention I was getting, so he started taking shots at me.
Naturally, I responded by letting him know in no uncertain terms that I was the top dog, and any attempt to get in my way would result in his ass getting kicked.
Well, Jared didn’t seem to get the memo and continued taking cheap shots at me during games, nearly causing us to lose and making me look bad in the process. Finally, I had enough and got into a fight with him in the middle of one of our very important matches against a rival team.
The fight ended up costing us the game and Jared suffered a broken nose. For punishment, I was forced to apologize and was suspended from the lacrosse team.
But that wasn’t enough for Jared’s parents, who had watched me ruthlessly pummel their pussy son into the ground, and they wanted to press charges.
Eventually, after much back and forth between our legal representatives, our family lawyer hammered out a deal. I was to leave South State, and in return, the Stroing family would drop all charges against me.
My parents immediately wanted me to agree to this deal. After all, it would save them a whole lot of money and spare the school a scandal. I fought against them for a while. I didn’t want to give Jared what he wanted from the beginning—to be head of the lacrosse team. Fuck that. I’d kicked his ass, and South State was my territory now.
In the end, though, I gave in. It wasn’t worth the time, money, and stress my parents and I were likely to go through if we got embroiled in a drawn-out legal battle. Besides, everyone at the game had seen me totally wreck Jared’s face, and I would be hard-pressed convincing a bunch of jurors that Jared had been the one who had started it.
So I packed up and went to the nearest university that would take me, which happened to be NSU, actually transferring in without losing any credits. I’d even gotten into Alpha right away, since they had a partner chapter at SSU that I’d been friendly with. In a lot of ways, I couldn’t have had it any easier.
The one thing that bothered me about the whole affair, though, is that I did not receive one call of support from Bella. She had to have known what happened with me, with her and my stepmom keeping in contact, but she didn’t care.
I guess she was still in bitch mode. Still, it pissed me off. We were close at one time, and she didn’t even have the decency to pick up her phone and call me when I was down.
To make matters worse, I still had no idea what university she was attending. For some reason or another, Bella had lied about what school she would be going to when she left home, telling me that she was going to Guilford, which turned out to be bullshit when I looked like a total asshole poking around campus in my South State team gear trying to find her, only to be told there was no Bella James at Guilford. I had no idea why she lied, but it hurt.
“Stefan?”
I tore myself out of my reverie and shrugged, looking at Todd. “What can I say? I play to win.” I looked around the room in a lazy, cocky manner that I was sure would piss a lot of people off. I’m not always that way, but these guys expected it. “I bet my left nut sack that I can beat anyone here.”
“You sure about that?” asked a deep voice. Jace Randall, dressed in just grey sweats, his chiseled abs on display, stepped into the middle of the room and eyed me with challenge. Jace, a pretty boy with looks that got him into more panties than he could count, was rumored to be the biggest badass in the entire school and was the last contestant I had yet to beat.
Judging by his ripped abs and cut arms, I had finally met a worthy opponent. My body thrummed with excitement as I coolly studied him. I had been anticipating this from the moment I began the challenge, top dog against top dog.
Even though I had only been at NSU a short time, I knew Jace to be a major prick who thought he was better than everyone. Then again, if the cheap ass tin foil trophy on the mantle with his name scribbled on it was to be taken seriously, he had a good reason to think that way.
I also knew that if I defeated Jace, I would become the undisputed alpha of Alpha Gamma.
Nothing would make me happier.
“Yup,” I said in a nonchalant manner that I knew would have Jace’s blood boiling. “Beating you will be like a walk in the park.”
Jace’s jawline bulged as he clenched his jaw and I laughed inwardly. I was already getting under his skin.
“Let’s go,” he growled, heading over to the table and sitting down with a grunt. Jace began flexing his arm and slapping himself on his bicep.
“Sure,” I said with a smile and a wink, walking over to the table with a confident swagger and sitting down. I rolled my shoulders back and shook out my wrists as Jace eyed me with hatred.
Having just participated in a bunch of arm-wrestling matches, my wrists were sore and my arm felt swollen, pumped to the edge of exhaustion. Jace
had participated in none since he was the reigning champion, and he would be facing me with full energy.
It wasn’t exactly fair, but that was the point of the game. A true alpha had to prove his strength by defeating a string of his opponents back-to-back.
“Last match,” Todd said, enjoying the silent aggression between us both. He wasn’t a physical type. He was more the mental type, but I liked him anyway. “Whoever wins is top Alpha and wins the prize from Kappa. Ready yourselves.”
Jace and I both placed our right elbows on the table and clasped hands. I noted the strength behind Jace’s grip and begrudgingly admitted to myself that this would not be an easy match.
“You’re dead meat, Livingston,” Jace growled at me with confidence.
I tightened my grip on his hand, letting him know that I wasn’t afraid in the least.
We scowled at each other as the room around us began to clamor with excitement at the upcoming match. Adrenaline rolled through me, and the weariness I felt melted away. I was ready to do this.
“On your mark . . .” said Todd, “set . . . go!”
Immediately, I let out a grunt as the full force of Jace’s strength pressed down against my arm and I lost a few inches to his advance.
The room became loud as our brothers began shouting for which one of us they wanted to win. Most of the shouts were for Jace, since I was the new guy and he was the school’s hotshot, but I didn't let that distract me.
Jace growled, pushing my hand down a little further toward the table. Panic threatened to overwhelm me, but I remained calm. Due to my previous matches, I had less energy than I thought, and the adrenaline that had been pumping through me moments before was fading away, leaving me with fatigue.
Sweat rolled down my jaw as I fought back, my hand inching closer to the table from Jace’s brutal onslaught. Around us, the crowd only roared louder, anticipating my defeat.
Across the table, Jace’s eyes blazed with triumph as he sensed my growing weariness and doubled his efforts to put me down. It was all I could do to stay afloat, twisting my side to keep my hand from slamming into the table, growling and grunting.
I had to hand it to Jace. He was one tough bastard, and I was slowly beginning to realize that even if I hadn’t been tired, he would have been no easy opponent.
As my hand drifted down toward my defeat, I began to wonder if it was worth it. The prize? My name on a tinfoil trophy and some slut from one of the top sororities from NSU who could end up being an absolute dog. I knew it wasn’t beyond a frat like Alpha Gamma to play cruel pranks on new members by dangling a sweet prize in front of their faces and making them go through a ton of work to get it, only to find out it wasn’t worth the effort in the end.
But then, for some reason or another, Bella and her pretty little mouth and sexy body entered my mind. I imagined that she was the prize I would be winning and that it was her body that I would be ravaging.
A fire grew in my stomach as I imagined my body pressed against hers and ravaging her with passionate kisses. Soon, the fire roiled into a raging inferno and a sudden flood of strength flowed through my weary limbs.
With a roar of confidence, I began pushing back against Jace. My hand, which had been an inch away from the table, rose back up several inches.
In response, Jace pushed back furiously, hoping to slam my hand down onto the table with brutal force. I pushed him back further, our hands falling into the neutral position, and then slowly, I began pushing his hand back toward the table.
The crowd went wild at the turn in events, with many gawking in disbelief at my comeback.
Panic showed in Jace’s eyes as his face twisted with effort. I knew he couldn’t believe it. How could I, after all those matches, possibly have the strength to beat him?
I clenched my teeth, pushing with all the strength I had left in my body. I had to win this. Jace, as hot as he thought he was, wasn’t shit in comparison to me. Beating him would show him that.
“Fuck,” Jace cried, overcome with panic as he frantically tried to regain ground against my determined advance.
Once I heard the panic in his voice, I knew I had him. With cool, determined confidence, I looked him straight in the eye while I pushed him further toward his defeat.
Poor Jace. He tried everything, twisting his body, huffing and puffing, and he even almost cheated by using his other arm for leverage. It all did him no good.
I slammed his hand down against the cool wood a second later. The room around us went absolutely crazy, with many not being able to believe my turnaround victory. I wrenched my hand away from Jace’s and jumped up from the table with my wrist feeling like it had been run over by a semi and my limbs sore and exhausted.
Thanks, Bella, I thought as I exulted in my victory.
Todd came over and clasped me on the shoulder, respect showing in his eyes. “Congrats, Livingston. You are the new top Alpha.”
Around the room, everyone was chattering with each other and eyeing me with that same respect. Several of Jace’s buddies went over to question and comfort him, but he pushed them away, jumped up from the table, and glared at me. His wrist and hand were a bright red and his chest and cheeks were flushed, his body covered in a sheen of sweat. “You’re lucky, Livingston,” he growled at me. “I didn’t eat breakfast this morning.”
I held back a laugh. “Sure,” I said. “A bowl of Wheaties would have made all the difference.”
For a moment, it seemed as if Jace would rush me, and I tensed my body in preparation. But then he turned away, swearing all the while, and left the dorm living room with several of his buddies on his heels.
“He’s never going to live that one down,” Todd said as we watched them leave and several of our frat brothers gathered around to congratulate me on my crazy win.
“Good,” I replied, filled with satisfaction at my victory and my mind on the upcoming prize. “I don’t want him to.”
After all the congratulations and pats on my back, my brothers began to tell me all about the anonymous hot chick I would most likely get to bang from Kappa.
I was assured that she would be a perfect ten and that I would be pleased. I was even told that I would probably become a pussy magnet after I fucked her, with every slut on campus wanting my dick.
I was pleased by all the hype. This would be just what I needed—a bunch of hot chicks that would make me forget about my unhealthy obsession with my stepsister.
Bella will be old news by next week, I thought as I daydreamed about all the girls that'd be fawning over me before the year was over. Hell, I’d work my way through the entire Greek alphabet if I had the chance.
But as I sat there being bombarded with lewd jokes and envious salutations, a small voice at the back of my mind was telling me that nothing could be further from the truth.
Bella
“This costume is so you, Bella!” Hanna cried eagerly, almost hopping up and down.
I wasn’t so sure. I was standing in an adult costume store located several blocks away from NSU with Hanna, trying to choose what I would wear for my upcoming special night.
I eyed the skimpy costume, a two-piece white bra and panties, complete with wings and a halo. I thought it looked ridiculously absurd, some tramp’s version of Halloween five minutes before getting fucked. Oh, wait. I would be getting fucked.
I thought about walking out of the store right then and there. And I would have if I weren’t being courted by the head of Kappa. As it were, I felt obligated to go along with the proceedings or risk being kicked out of my sorority.
“I don’t know,” I said, fingering the outfit. “I don’t think that mask will hide most of my features.”
“Are you kidding?” snorted Hanna. She grabbed the flimsy costume off the rack and pressed it against me, sizing me up. “It will more than do its job. Plus, you’re still new here at NSU. No one will even know who you are.”
I bit my lower lip to hold back a nasty retort. It was easy for Hanna to be so nonc
halant about my concerns when she wasn’t the one who was being offered as a sacrifice to some drunken jock.
“Are you sure about that?” I dared ask. “All the Kappa girls know I’m going to be the Sacrifice. How do I know they won’t just disclose my identity to one of the Alpha boys whenever they think I’ve slighted them?”
Hanna looked up from the costume and rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Bella? Do you have no faith in your sisters? No one is going to tell on you. We all took an oath when we joined this sorority. No one, and I mean no one, rats on a fellow sister.”
“But what if they do?” I persisted. “You can’t honestly guarantee that no one will tell. I’m just saying, Hanna . . . you’re cool, but shit happens.”
Hanna let out an exasperated sigh. “Look, if someone reveals your identity, they will be kicked out of the sorority, stripped of all their titles, and humiliated for the duration of their stay at NSU. Do you honestly think that any of those bitches wants to risk that?”
“No,” I said after a moment. “But—”
“Okay then,” Hanna snapped, handing out the costume to me. “Stop being such a baby and go try this on.”
I stared at it. What was I doing here? Did I really want to go through with having sex with a total stranger just to prove to myself that I could get over Stefan?
And was it really worth the chance of possibly being exposed as a slut after it was all over? Despite Hanna’s assurances, I was no fool. I knew at some point that my identity would be found out, whether through one of the sisters telling on me or the guy himself eventually recognizing me.
While I would probably be humiliated and called names, the Alpha I slept with would likely be celebrated and hailed as some sort of sexual hero.
Such was the way of the campus I lived on. Even funnier, I’d signed a ‘morals pledge’ when I enrolled, a joke on paper if I ever saw one.
“Bella?” Hanna asked impatiently. “Are you going to try this damn costume on or not?”
I was tempted to tell Hanna to take the costume and go wipe her ass with it. Was there really any point to going through with this whole ordeal? I mean, honestly, what was in it for me?
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