Torment

by Chloe Fischer

  “So you pour beer on her?” he demanded. “You’re lucky you didn’t ruin her computer. Do you have any idea how much a Mac Book runs?”

  “I’m just trying to stop her from spreading more lies!”

  Darien stepped back, a sardonic smirk touching his face but he didn’t let the girl see his morbid amusement.

  “If you go anywhere near her again, you’ll be getting a visit from me.”

  “You would threaten a lady?” she squealed.

  “You, my dear, are no lady,” Darien snapped, striding off to find Odette. He wondered how many more signs the reporter needed before she let go of her chosen career path.

  Chapter 7

  Is this what’s going to happen every damned time I step out of the house now?

  Odette choked back tears of frustration as she hurried away from Pokey Mahone’s, shoving past the students that suddenly seemed to be coming toward her in waves. Where were they all coming from?

  She remembered that there had been a basketball pre-game, a kickoff to the season and she probably should have been there for that.

  I’m just screwing up everywhere, aren’t I?

  “Hey! Wait!”

  She heard the call behind her but she didn’t slow her gait, sure that whomever was calling wasn’t looking for her.

  “ODETTE!”

  She stopped dead in her tracks and spun around, stunned to see Darien running after her. A lump of humiliation formed in her throat and she whipped her body around, continuing away from him.

  Look who’s come to rub salt on the wounds.

  “What the hell?”

  He sounded annoyed and she caught a glimpse of his muscular body out of the corner of her eye, a familiar flush moving through her as he caught her stride.

  “Don’t worry,” she snapped. “The interview is clearly over.”

  “What was that all about?” he demanded. “Did you write another dubious article?”

  Odette was somewhat shocked by his use of the word “dubious” in the proper context but wisely kept her thoughts to herself. She knew that Darien wasn’t stupid. She’d done her due diligence on him and he was at Michigan State on a full ride. Scholarships like that didn’t come easy for a poor kid from Chicago. Even so, she hadn’t expected his vocabulary to match hers.

  “What the hell does that mean?” she barked back. “When did I write the first dubious article?”

  She knew exactly what he was referring to but she wasn’t about to concede that she was wrong about what she’d written. She stood by her work, even if everyone was determined to undermine her. Anyway, she was far too upset to engage with Darien anymore on the subject. It had been a bad idea to come meet him. She should have learned her lesson before when he’d stood her up.

  “Well?” he insisted. “What did you write about?”

  She spun away, not wanting to rehash any of it with him and made her way across the campus to where she had parked her car.

  “You know, I saved your laptop from being doused,” he reminded her. “The least you can do is say thank you.”

  Again, she paused, realizing that he was right. In her upset, Odette hadn’t really considered that Darien had put himself between her and Catey, the incensed blonde from the game.

  Of course, none of this would have happened if he hadn’t made me dress up and sit in hostile territory, she mused, suddenly unsure of how she should be feeling.

  “I’m not thanking you for something you are responsible for,” she retorted but there was less anger in her voice now. He blinked, dumbfounded by her response.

  “Now you’re blaming me for your irresponsible reporting?” he demanded in disbelief. “You really are a piece of work.”

  She laughed mirthlessly and realized there was no point in explaining it to him. He was just too smug, too over-confident. No matter what she said, he was going to think he was in the right.

  “Never mind,” she muttered, turning away for the third time and heading back toward her car.

  For a moment, she was sure Darien had given up but to her surprise, he caught up to her again.

  “Are we going to do this interview or not?” he growled. “Because I’m not coming back to meet you again.”

  She eyed him without slowing her pace, reaching into her purse to grab her keys.

  “I just said forget it, didn’t I?”

  He snorted.

  “Do you have a better option?” he asked.

  God dammit!

  She knew she couldn’t go into the State without a story the following day. Marcus was just itching to get rid of her and she wasn’t exactly fighting for this. But was it really worth it?

  She unlocked the Mazda with her fob and slipped into the driver’s seat, the internal struggle real as she avoided Darien’s bemused expression but through her peripheral vision, she thought she saw something else in him.

  Is that humility?

  Impossible. The man was a prick.

  “I’m going home,” she said flatly, pulling her legs inside the driver’s side. Darien shrugged and stepped back to allow her to close the door.

  “I can do the interview at your place,” he said as the door slammed. She turned her head slowly and met his eyes in surprise through the glass. For a fleeting second, he didn’t look like the giant ass who had made her life miserable over the last week. In that moment, she saw the same man she’d locked eyes with in the locker room, the one who had silenced everyone on her behalf.

  Am I being oversensitive? Is he just joking around and I’m taking it personally because of all the stress I’m under?

  Slowly, she rolled down the window and watched his smile widen slightly.

  “Fine,” she muttered. “We can do the interview at my place.”

  To Odette’s relief, neither Vic nor Temperance were home when they arrived, Darien following in his own truck.

  At the same time, she found herself uneasy at being alone with the star player, his attractiveness overwhelming her as they sat in the living room in front of the showpiece fireplace.

  “Does that thing work?” he asked and she shook her head.

  “No, why? Are you cold?”

  He smirked lazily.

  “Nah. I’m hot-blooded,” he replied cockily. The innuendo wasn’t lost on Odette and to her horror, she blushed furiously. She hoped he didn’t see her expression but judging by the way his eyes bored into her, she realized he wasn’t missing much.

  She cleared her throat hastily and reached for her phone.

  “I’m going to record this, okay?”

  He shrugged, settling back to look around the room with renewed interest.

  “So, uh…let’s start with a little background about you,” Odette started, suddenly forgetting all the interview questions she’d had for him earlier. Her laptop was still sitting by the entranceway but for some reason, she didn’t want to get up and get it. This was the closest she’d been to getting a real interview with Darien and she didn’t want to break the spell. Not to mention the fact that they seemed to have reached a tentative understanding—at least for the moment.

  “What do you want to know?”

  He asked the question lightly but Odette could hear an unmistakable edge to his words and she instantly tensed.

  “The usual,” she said quickly, trying to sound almost bored. “Where you’re from, about your family, that kind of thing.”

  He snorted and folded his arms over his chest.

  “Wow. You’re really creative,” he snickered. “No one’s ever done that angle before.”

  The thin veil of confidence Odette had gained evaporated and she bristled, realizing that Darien was stringing her along—again.

  It was his stupid idea to come back here. Why did he even bother if he wasn’t going to tell me anything?

  She forced a tight smile, not wanting to lose him—or her patience—quite yet.

  “Humor me,” she said quietly even though her fingers were tightening around her phone.
>
  “Why?” he snapped, leaning forward slightly. “You can find out all that shit online—if you’d just bothered to do some research. Oh, right, you don’t like to do any real work.”

  Odette ground her teeth together so hard, she thought they were going to crack. She didn’t understand this jerk at all.

  He’s playing with you, she understood. And you’re letting him.

  The thing that bothered her the most, however, was that she didn’t want him to leave, at least not yet. She couldn’t stop staring at his arrogant, too-handsome face, wondering if his lips were as soft as they looked and how they might feel between her legs.

  And she knew he was looking at her the same way, through his contempt, through his overt ire toward her. There was an unmistakable attraction between them and it shamed her.

  “What?” he jeered, folding his arms across his chest to study her. “Cat got your tongue?”

  “What would you like to talk about?” she tried, hearing the slight quiver in her voice as she realized she wasn’t thinking about the interview at all but about something much more interesting. His eyebrows raised in surprise and he laughed shortly.

  “Are you that bad of a reporter that you can’t even think of a question?”

  Before she could stop herself, she was on her feet, her face flushed with humiliation.

  “Get out,” she hissed through clenched teeth. She’d had enough of his berating, his game playing. It might cost her the job at the State but she couldn’t spend another minute in the room with this arrogant ass.

  “What?” he mocked, feigning innocence. “I thought you wanted your interview.”

  “I want you to leave.”

  His eyes met hers deadpan and Odette felt a shiver rush through her.

  “Make me,” he growled. The words should have alarmed her, made her feel threatened or intimidated but they did neither. They only infuriated her more and she moved toward him, reaching for his arm, as if she was any match for his huge, toned frame. Even so, she barely used any force to tug on his arm, somehow sensing what was to come.

  After all, Darien hadn’t really gone there for an interview and she hadn’t asked him there for one.

  His hand snaked out to seize her wrist and suddenly, she was yanked toward him, her face level with his as she straddled his knee. Her breath caught in her throat as their gazes locked.

  “You really want me to go?” he growled. Swallowing, Odette shook her head, waiting for the kiss she knew was coming. A rush of heat spread through her body, a gush of warmth filling between her legs.

  “No?”

  Again, she shook her head, unable to find her voice, even though her subconscious was screaming out warnings that nothing good could come from this.

  “I can’t hear you.”

  Suspended inches from his mouth, Odette needed to decide but she was no longer thinking with her head. Her body had taken over and she was powerless to stop herself from going in for a kiss.

  But Darien seemed to anticipate her move and ducked his head to the side, his grip on her wrist tightening to draw her down further while simultaneously spinning her around. With a gasp, she found herself face-first into the couch, Darien’s hard body on top of her, his breath hot in her ear.

  “I’ve never done an interview like this,” he purred, his hands sliding along the slender curves of her hips, fingers slipping toward the front of her body, along the lines of her crotch. Odette stifled a moan, loathing that she didn’t even try to object. The truth was, she wanted it, had wanted it for days.

  Darien’s hot mouth found the line of her neck and this time, the moan escaping her lips was loud and sincere. His lips were as soft as she had imagined.

  “You’re wet,” he sighed and she realized he could feel her arousal through the material of her jeans.

  “You’re hard,” she countered, arching her back to relish the feel of his crotch against the crevice of her ass.

  “Hm.”

  Skillfully, his hands continued to explore her center, undoing the buttons of her jeans without any effort to let his finger roam along the sopping line of her middle. Already, she was throbbing, the anticipation alone driving her to the edge and she was embarrassed.

  “So wet!” There was a slight surprise in his tone, like he hadn’t been sure his advances would be so well received but Odette was thinking the same about the tug of his organ prodding against her butt.

  She had gotten a glimpse of his manhood in the locker room but nothing had prepared her for the sheer enormity of it in that moment.

  “Oh fuck.”

  A long, thick finger had made its way inside her and Odette wriggled against him permitting his hands more leverage.

  “Yeah?” he breathed, his voice taking on an edge of gruff excitement. She moaned, feeling beads of sweat form over her brow, and pulled her pants lower, bucking back against him. Darien groaned and suddenly Odette could feel the heat permeating from his shaft.

  His thumb began to work at her swollen clit and a headiness overtook Odette as she bit down on her lower lip to keep from crying out. She wanted him inside her but his fingers felt just right, the pace of his movements, the flick of his thumb. She knew she was going to come if he kept it up.

  As if he was reading her mind, he rasped, “That’s it. Let it go.”

  With a mewl, she did exactly what he requested, a gush flowing through her to spill over his hand and he chuckled. When she was sure he’d expelled every drop from her, she reached up to pull herself onto the arm of the sofa, her ass exposed for him to take her.

  She peered at him imploringly over her shoulder and saw the naked desire in his face, his jaw twitching almost angrily as he stared at her.

  “You’re fucking hot, Odette,” he said but in such a way that she didn’t take it as a compliment. He sounded almost angry, like he was annoyed that he was as attracted to her as she was to him.

  “Fuck me,” she replied.

  He was on her then, her jeans falling to the floor as he spread her wide with one hand, his other undoing his pants to free his erection. She could feel the drip of his head against her as he lowered his tumescent cock over the crevice in her cheeks and Odette was ready for him, her body trembling in anticipation.

  Again, she arched back, wondering what was taking him so long.

  “Fuck me!” she begged, once more glancing over her shoulder, but as she did, all sense of desire evaporated from her body. She knew now why Darien had hesitated.

  Temperance stood in the doorway of the living room, gaping at them in horror.

  Chapter 8

  Darien was sure that the sudden return of Odette’s roommate had been a blessing in disguise, even as his balls begged to differ. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t wanted to gather her up in his arms and carry her to the second floor to finish what he’d barely started. But he didn’t need to be told that wasn’t going to happen, not when Odette was on her feet, scrambling to put on her pants in the wake of her housemate’s arrival. And that was before the woman started to lecture them both on privacy and modesty. The mood was effectively ruined for Odette, who hastily ushered him out of the house, but Darien was having a harder time with his primitive desires.

  In his truck, driving back to his shared house, he willed his erection to go away but it was easier thought than achieved. In his mind’s eye, he kept seeing Odette staring at him, her eyes wide and pleading over her shoulder, her ass right there for the taking.

  You should never have gone there in the first place, he scolded himself but it was hard to feel shame when he had wanted it so badly. He knew subconsciously, that’s why he’d invited himself over in the first place. And why Odette had agreed to have him come over.

  But sleeping with that girl would just make a mess of everything, he realized, stepping harder on the gas as if the speed would diminish the throbbing in his groin. He knew what he was going to do when he got home—head right for the shower.

  He could still smell Odette on
his skin and that wasn’t helping matters in the least.

  The sooner I get her off me, the better, he reasoned, wondering what had prompted him to act so irrationally in the first place. Of course, it was a stupid question. His cock had prompted him, the look in Odette’s eyes. It was impossible to ignore the animalistic interest he had in her, even if he was put off by the idea of being with someone like Odette Stinson.

  He parked the Chevy in the driveway and headed inside, shifting his pants uncomfortably as he moved.

  “You look…pained,” Grayson commented as he entered the house and Darien paused to grimace at his friend.

  “You don’t know the half of it,” he sighed.

  “Women troubles?”

  Without thinking, he answered, “No. I had an interview with Odette Stinson.”

  Grayson grinned impishly.

  “I can see why you’re walking funny.”

  A prickle slithered down Darien’s spine as the full reality of what he’d done settled in.

  You were going to sleep with a reporter who would just as soon ruin your life if she had the chance.

  Swallowing thickly, Darien moved away from the entranceway without responding.

  “Well?” Grayson shot out after him.

  “Well what?” Darien didn’t slow down.

  “How did it go?”

  He rested at the bottom of the steps and peered at his housemate, his brow knitting seriously at the question.

  “I don’t think I have to worry about doing another interview,” he offered, finding the silver lining.

  “That doesn’t sound like a good thing. I’d give anything for some one on one time with Odette Stinson.”

  A flash of jealousy shot through him but Darien managed a small smile.

  “I’ll try to set that up for you,” he said dryly before climbing the stairs and leaving his friend on the main floor.

  He entered his room and threw himself on the bed without kicking off his shoes, eyes trained on the ceiling.

  What the hell were you thinking? He thought, suddenly furious with himself. You’ve got Melody and that’s all you need. Anything else is just overkill and dangerous.