“I know it isn’t my fault. It just made things worse when he was in my face and blaming me. I just freaked out for a moment.”
“If it makes you feel better, Clarissa was telling me that Trent is going to be kicked off the executive board. He just isn’t around enough to get the job done. So you probably won’t have to see him as much,” she offered, trying to sound helpful. “He will probably still show up at meetings but at least he won’t have any authority.”
“That’s good since I find authority so sexy,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.
Just then, Jason stood up and pulled me into a hug.
“Vi, you’re too good for him and this is not your fault,” he whispered, and slowly released me from the hug.
I smiled up at him and wiped my eyes. Jason was becoming one of the best friends I had ever had and I was so grateful for him.
“Thanks, sweetie pie,” I teased him.
“Anything for you, babycakes.” We all laughed for a minute and the tension seemed to diffuse. Annabelle and Jason headed back out to the carnival and I went to the bathroom to wipe my tears and splash some cold water on my face.
I left the Berneli part out of our talk. If my attraction to him was really that obvious, then I didn’t need to confirm the rumor. It was bothering me that Trent said all the girls were trying to get with him. True, I’d noticed Nat all over him, but he didn’t seem interested. Then again, he didn’t make his interest in me well known. I was beginning to wonder if maybe I wasn’t the only one he was secretly seeing.
Berneli never gave me a reason to think he was interested in anyone else. We weren’t dating, so I technically had no claim on him at all, but it still didn’t feel good. There were a lot of people who liked to operate in a world without labels, but that world was really beginning to annoy me.
***
After another half hour we had most of the carnival put together. Kyle joined us and we started going on all of the spinning rides. It was the perfect medicine to get my mind off of the incident with Trent.
We took a late lunch and then headed into the auditorium to help put up the decorations for the dance.
“This looks amazing.” Clarissa beamed after we had been hanging decorations for about two hours. There were mirrors to make the stars sparkle and the giant moon looked incredible. Annabelle had really worked her magic. She did this crazy paint job that made it look remarkably realistic. She included craters that appeared to be three dimensional and the colors blended in perfect swirls. It was flawless.
Clarissa helped us put the rest of the decorations up and then surprised us with pizza for dinner. Clearly today was all about the healthy food. Once we finished the pizza, Annabelle and I headed back to our rooms to get ready for the dance.
Jason, who claimed he could get ready in ten minutes, stayed to lay out the refreshments table. He had not mentioned Janice but Kyle said he was bringing her. I was really curious to meet her but I could not say the same for Annabelle. She claimed to be excited to see Kenny but I noticed a couple long glances at Jason throughout the day. Funny enough, he was giving her the same looks. It was a real shame they never noticed each other at the same time.
Annabelle came over to my room and I curled her hair. Her beautiful thick brown hair would make a model jealous. It was even more gorgeous when it was curled. I stood back to admire my handy work and got a little giddy. Annabelle was a natural beauty. She looked amazing getting up in the morning before even putting make-up on. I had to admit that I was envious. It took some effort for me to look as good as I tried to.
Then it was my turn. She curled my hair as we jabbered on about EET. Annabelle was trying really hard to put my name in the mix for Trent’s position. She thought it would be a lot of fun for the two of us to be on the executive board together. But then the conversation shifted as we went to the bathroom to start our make-up.
“Do you think it’s weird that I haven’t heard from Kenny? I mean, I didn’t hear from him the last time we hooked up until I saw him in person. Maybe I just need to see him again?”
“Maybe. But don’t let it ruin your night if it doesn’t happen.” I was trying to sound hopeful but I was worried he was trying to use her.
“I won’t,” she insisted as she started her make-up. I desperately wanted to believe her but there was something in her eyes that told me this wouldn’t be the case.
We finished with our make-up and then headed back to our rooms to get dressed. Lola was there and she looked amazing. She had straightened her tight curly strands and her hair was actually pretty long. Her make-up was done but she was walking around in sweats.
We both got dressed and when I turned around I noticed she was wearing this gorgeous floor-length red dress. She looked amazing and was definitely a lot more dressed up than I was. Her dress hugged her slim frame and gave her curves that were not normally there. It had a sweetheart neckline and thick shoulder straps. She looked ready to step onto the red carpet.
“Wow, you look amazing!” I tried to keep my jaw from hitting the floor. This was possibly one of the most beautiful dresses I’d ever seen. If Jessica Rabbit and Marilyn Monroe had gotten together to design a dress, this was definitely what it would have looked like.
“Thanks. It was my prom dress. Tyler and I were going to go but we got in a fight the day before and he refused to take me. I never had a chance to wear it.” She giggled as she fiddled with her hair.
“Well, it is way worth the wait.” I couldn’t help but smile at her. She looked really happy.
“Thanks. You look amazing too. I love that color!”
I knew bubble gum was the way to go.
I knocked on Annabelle’s door and she agreed that we needed to head out. I had on four-inch black heels while Annabelle had cream wedges on. As a result, we were walking a little slower than normal.
By the time we got to the auditorium, EET had started to let people in. Turned out there really was nothing we needed to do. So we did what any girls in this position would do. We headed over to the moon backdrop and started to take pictures. Clarissa and her boyfriend, Patrick, soon joined our photofest. Once we ran out of silly faces, we decided to get some drinks and sit down.
“Do you guys want a little something in your drink?” Patrick asked as he slyly pulled out a flask.
“Patrick, they are babies. Put that away,” Clarissa chastised.
“Let them be, Rissa. They worked hard all day.” Patrick winked at her as he poured some into her drink.
“I’ll take some,” I said, handing him my drink. I wasn’t wearing my brace and I was a little worried my hand would start hurting. The bruise on my arm had faded, and with a little help from Sephora, it was completely covered tonight. But it still hurt if it brushed against anything or someone touched it. Maybe a little numbing was a good idea.
A few minutes later, Nat joined us. We all sat and talked while the DJ started to play some dance music. The lights came down and he started this crazy laser show. It looked like what I always imagined a club would. The lights were all different bright colors and they bounced off the mirrors, sending them everywhere. We didn’t anticipate this, but it looked amazing.
“Good thing we got pictures earlier. I don’t think anything would come out now,” Annabelle said as she finished her non-spiked drink.
I nodded and laughed a little. Annabelle was a shutterbug. She took pictures of everything—buildings, flowers, fields, people, lights, or animals. Her walls were now covered with landscapes from around the campus.
I took another sip of my drink and felt the alcohol slide down my throat. It occurred to me that I had no idea what I was drinking but it tasted good. I looked around the room and noticed Jason walking in.
“Hey, look, there’s Jason.” I pointed near the door and Annabelle looked over there.
“Yeah, and I guess that’s Janice,” Annabelle said with a bit of resentment in her voice. Not enough that a stranger would notice but there was no way I could m
iss it.
At that point, I felt my phone vibrate. I checked it and noticed Jason had texted me.
Vi, I need to talk to you. Meet me outside without Annabelle.
I texted back,
Okay. Coming.
“Hey, my mom needs me to call her real quick. Can you watch my bag?” I asked, trying to sound subtle.
“Sure. Is everything okay?” She was giving me a look of concern, which twisted my gut and sent guilt flowing through me.
“Yeah, I’m sure everything is fine.” I ran toward the hall before she could ask any other questions. I didn’t like to lie.
As I turned the corner, I noticed Jason off by himself. “What is going on?”
“Look, I swear I just found this out. Kenny has a girlfriend and he is bringing her tonight,” he stammered quickly.
“Oh my god! So he cheated on her with Annabelle?” My eyes grew wide and my mouth fell open again. “I guess that’s why he asked her not to tell anyone.”
“That makes sense. I met her in the hall of my dorm and I wanted to give you a heads-up so you can handle Annabelle. I know she was hoping to meet up with him tonight.”
“Yeah, I know. Hey, you just wimped out! Why aren’t you telling her?”
“Oh, I don’t want to be the one who crushes her. It will sound better coming from you,” he assured me.
“Fine!” I turned to head back to Annabelle but Jason stopped me.
“Vi, uh, before you ruin Annabelle’s night, I want to introduce you to my girlfriend.” He brought me over to where Janice was sitting by herself. She was a little shorter than me and skinny as a bean pole. But for some reason her boobs were huge and they looked totally natural. Good for Jason.
“This is Janice.”
“Hi, Vi, I’ve heard so much about you.”
I tried to ignore the fact that she just called me Vi and I had never met her before. But then again, that was what Jason usually called me so maybe that was why. Either way, I needed to let it go and smile.
“Hi, Janice, Jason has told us a lot about you,” I shouted over the music.
The song had changed and it was really loud. Jason had told us earlier that he wasn’t a big dancer but that Janice loved to dance. She pulled him onto the dance floor and I headed over to see Annabelle. She was by herself now because Nat and Clarissa were dancing.
“Hey, sorry! I was coming in and I ran into Jason and Janice. She seems nice,” I told her, trying to sound positive.
“I wonder why he didn’t introduce her to me.” She looked at him with her brow creased.
“She wanted to dance so maybe he didn’t get the chance.”
I knew the real reason he didn’t want to talk to Annabelle but I was not sure how to say it. I was formulating a plan when I heard her gasp. When I followed her glance, I saw Kenny with a girl with deep tan skin. She had curly black hair that was styled into an elaborate elegant bun. She was really pretty, like model pretty, and had her hands all over Kenny.
“Who the hell is she?” Annabelle asked, looking shocked.
I took a deep breath. “I heard that’s his girlfriend.”
“Where did you hear that?” she asked, shooting daggers at Kenny. Annabelle cut me off before I could say anything. “So he was cheating on her. I’m the other woman?”
“Technically you were. But you didn’t know he had a girlfriend so it’s not your fault.” I was trying to make her feel better. But I didn’t think it was helping.
“Why are all guys jerks?” She grimaced, slamming her purse on the table.
“I don’t know. You promised not to let him ruin your night. You made this entire room look amazing, and I won’t let you sit here and sulk. Come on, let’s go dance,” I insisted as I grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the floor. I headed over to where Jason and Janice were and we started dancing. It wasn’t long until Kyle joined us. He was a crazy dancer and had all of us laughing.
We listened to a couple of songs before I left the group to get some air and go to the bathroom. Annabelle and Kyle were dancing so she didn’t come with me.
As I was walking, I felt that someone was behind me. I turned around slightly and noticed David was following me. I passed the bathroom and went around the corner to an empty classroom.
It was dark but I stopped at a desk with my back to the door. I couldn’t turn around to face him just yet. There were no windows so I just stared straight ahead at the empty wall in front of me. Finally, I felt his hands wrap around my waist.
It felt like I was waiting hours to feel his touch but it was probably less than a minute. He slid one hand down my hip and with the other he brushed hair off my shoulder. I shivered as the hair slid down my back, leaving my shoulder naked.
He leaned forward and started to kiss my neck. His stubble pricked my skin as he placed a trail of kisses from my shoulder to the back of my ear. I leaned my head into him and tilted it to the side.
“You look amazing tonight,” he whispered in my ear. “You feel even better.” He slid his other hand down to my hip.
I shivered as I waited for his next move. My hands were on the desk in front of me but I was too nervous to move them.
David spun me around to face him and dropped his hands to cup my ass. I felt a tiny squeeze as he pulled me even closer to him. David leaned down and kissed me.
It was gentle at first. A soft greeting between two people. Then any nerves I had left and my body responded instantly. His tongue entered my mouth and quickly took control of the kiss. Just like that, I was lost in him as my brain turned off and I allowed myself to just feel.
I slid my hands up his chiseled chest and wrapped them around his neck. As the kiss became more intense, I let out a sigh, which only seemed to encourage him. David picked me up and put me on the desk. I reached up and pulled his head down to continue the kiss. His hands slid around to my back as he pushed me against him. There was no space between us as I gasped for breath. We broke the kiss for a second and looked at each other in the dark classroom.
“If you tell me to stop, I’ll walk out of this classroom now and make sure we’re never in this position again. If you don’t leave, I’m going to take you up to my office and give you such pleasure that I will ruin you for any man who dares to come after me,” he asserted in a gruff, deep voice.
A chill spread through my body. I could tell it was killing him to wait on my answer and I knew what I should do. It would be smart for me to walk away. We had been really lucky so far that no one had caught us, but it was only a matter of time before that luck would run out.
I broke his gaze and took a deep breath. In that moment, I knew there was no way I could walk away. Even if it was just a one-time thing before he moved on, I needed this.
“Which way to your office?” I looked back into his eyes and smiled.
David picked me up off the desk and put me on the floor. He then grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door of the classroom and down the hall to a back stairwell.
“We need to take a detour.” David pushed me against the wall and started kissing me again. He pulled my leg up and wrapped it around his back. Then he slid his hand from my knee straight up my skirt and began stroking my thigh. I practically melted in his arms. This was apparently his plan because he stopped kissing me at that moment and smiled his crooked smile.
“Just to keep you on your toes.” He backed off me and pulled me up the stairs.
“I will remember this game later,” I murmured to myself. If he heard me, he didn’t make it known because he kept right on moving.
His excitement was obvious because he was practically running up the stairs. As he was in flats and I was in heels, this was a little more difficult for me. David pulled me through the halls but I was still not moving fast enough for him. He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. I started laughing like a giddy school girl.
“Seriously? Barbarian style?” I was actually enjoying this.
David chuckled but didn’t put me down.
We got to his door and David reached into his pocket to get the key. He opened the door and carried me over the threshold, then put me down on top of his desk. Unfortunately, there was nothing really on his desk so he didn’t have to do that sexy thing where the man slid everything on his desk onto the floor. I let that fantasy go as David walked back to the door and locked it. After the lock fell into place, David stood there for a moment, as if weighing the pros and cons of this decision.
He finally turned around to meet my gaze. Those eyes screamed with want and desire. I could only imagine that my eyes mirrored his. He turned the lights off and walked over to me slowly. The anticipation between us grew and I felt goose bumps appear on my arms.
When he was standing in front of me, I slid my hands up his chest, feeling the muscles rippling underneath. He reached up and started to unbutton his shirt and his fingers never fumbled once. As his olive skin became visible, I couldn’t help but gasp. He really was a Greek god. His abdominals appeared to have been carved out of stone.
I reached out to trace his muscles and felt a tingle at my core. He brushed my hair off my shoulder again and slipped his hands behind my neck. His fingers groped for the tie of my dress and he slowly pulled at the knot until the straps fell free. The dress slipped to my waist, leaving me in only my strapless bra. I inhaled deeply. The two of us had kissed before and there had been some groping, but this time was different and we both knew it.
David seemed to notice my unease and dropped his hands to either side of me. He kissed me lightly. Pecks at first. He seemed to be letting me set the pace to make sure I was comfortable. That only made me want him more.
The pecks weren’t doing the job so I grabbed him by the back of the neck and kissed him hard. That was all the encouragement he needed as he matched my kiss and then surpassed it. I was short of breath from the shear intensity of it all. Slowly, he reached his hand up and cupped my breast over the bra. He gently squeezed and I felt a heat flow through me and settle in my core.
First Semester (Elton Hall Chronicles Book 1) Page 16