“BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!” The low bass blasted from the giant speakers, thumping in rapid repetition and vibrating my internal organs. It snapped me from my thoughts but I almost expired on the spot when I heard my intro music: How Deep is Your Love by Calvin Harris, featuring Disciples.
“We’ve saved the very best for last!” Danni said with an air of gravitas. “I present to you… the sexy and sultry Adelaide Vikander!”
With a final silent prayer for courage, I did a quick boob adjust and pushed through the curtains. Thankfully, I managed to spot Ender in the crowd of loud and rowdy frat boys. I kept my eyes fixed on him, holding my facial expression (fierce and smizing), careful not to trip as I was walking.
Shoulders back! Project confidence! You’re a predatory panther! I coached myself as I strutted down the catwalk, pumping my legs up and down with determination and attitude, letting my body bounce and jiggle as I walked.
Before long, I reached the end of the stage and waited.
A beat passed.
NOW. The word flared up in my mind and I quickly placed a hand on my hip and struck a pose.
Phew. Nailed it! I think.
Upon glancing down, I noticed I was severely lacking in the thigh gap department.
Danni would not be pleased.
Oh well, I was totally fine and happy with my thunder thighs and Danni could—
“One hundred!” came a familiar voice. A deep and low familiar voice that belonged to Ender.
At once I snapped my head up and sent him a warm smile.
But Ender wasn’t smiling back at me. He simply stared, his eyes burning across the crowded room.
Almost instantly my body reacted. My nipples grew painfully hard and the deep, dark intensity in his stare stilled my heart. I finally came to understand the term ‘eye-fucking.’
He was staring so hard I could feel him inside me.
Buried deep inside me.
I wet my throat, feeling a dampening heat between my thighs.
My body sparked and snapped with sensation.
My face flushed with heat.
It was so hot in here.
Goodness. His scorching-hot stare burns with the heat of a million Bunsen burners.
“We have our first bid starting at one hundred,” Danni announced with a flourish. “For a date with the lovely Adelaide Vikander. Do we have a bid for one fifty or two hundred?”
“Two hundred!” came a not-so-familiar voice.
“Two hundred!” Danni raised her voice amidst the cacophony. Do we have a—”
“Three hundred!” Ender shouted, without taking his eyes off me.
“We have a bid for three hundred!” Danni was talking a mile a minute yet it seemed she couldn’t talk fast enough. “Do we have a bid for—”
“Three thousand!”
Three thousand? THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS?!?
A hush fell across the room and everyone turned to look at the three thousand dollar mystery bidder. I found myself squinting to get a better look at him.
Wait a minute! I recognized him. It was Byron from the Sigma Chi party… the guy I’d met in the basement. The guy who had introduced himself as Pubes. He looked different now. And then I realized what it was! Byron had shaved off his tight curls; he was sporting a clipper-cut buzz hairstyle, much like Justin Timberlake.
A jovial smile spread across my face and I gave Byron a cheery wave.
He waved back.
“Three thousand dollars!” Danni said fervently. “Wow! That is now the highest bid of the night. Do we have a—”
“Five thousand!” Face like thunder, Ender’s ominous voice carried across the room.
What?!? I stared at him open-mouthed.
He stood staring back at me, a tight muscle working in his jaw.
“Okay, then.” Danni gave a shrill laugh. “Five thousand dollars. Do we have—”
“Ten thousand!” Byron cut in.
My jaw slackened and my eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.
“Ten thousand dollars!” Danni’s voice was strained around the edges but she was giggling and giddy with excitement. “For a date with the vivacious and voluptuous Miss Vikander.”
Voluptuous? I glanced down at my chest. I guess she’s right. This bra is doing wonders for my bosom. They look about two cups bigger!
“Now.” Danni raised her voice over the boisterous noise. “Do we have a bid for fifteen—”
“Twenty thousand.” Ender’s voice was dangerously deadly and that tight muscle was now working furiously in his jaw.
“Hooo Wheee!” Danni’s laugh pitched higher. She sounded manic and half-crazed at this point. There was a tenacious air of hysteria in her voice as she added, “Twenty thousand dollars. Do we have a—”
“One hundred thousand dollars.” Byron’s voice was calm, collected. Cool as a cucumber in a bowl of Tabasco sauce.
Instantly, the entire room fell silent.
So silent you could almost hear an Adderall pill drop.
When Danni finally found her voice, she said with attempted bravado, “Ladies and gentlemen, the current bid stands at one hundred thousand dollars. A pause. “Going once… going twice… SOLD to Byron Waldorf Astor!”
I blinked. The Waldorf Astoria was the name of several luxury hotels around the world. And the Astor family was considered America’s first aristocrats. They came from old money. Once known as the landlords of New York, the Astors have been wealthy for innumerable generations.
If Byron was an Astor, one hundred grand must be chump change for him. No wonder he hadn’t spared a thought while he was bidding on me.
Though I was beyond flattered, I didn’t spare any more thoughts on Byron.
My thoughts drifted to Ender. And only Ender.
Meanwhile, Danni was still up on stage, clearly flushed, frantic, and exhilarated. “Wow!” she exclaimed breathlessly. “This has been an ah-ma-zing evening. Thanks to all y’alls generous donations, Kappa Kappa Gamma has raised one hundred thousand, nine hundred and fifty dollars for Canines With A Cause. They’re an ah-ma-zing charity that rescues dogs from high-kill shelters, training them to become specialized service dogs for our combat veterans with PTSD.” Her voice became tearful and wobbly. “They help our veterans find hope and healing through canine companionship. So I want to thank all my sorority sisters for making this night possible. And I especially want to thank all the lovely ladies who so generously offered themselves up for…”
Danni droned on and on, but I was no longer listening.
The crowd was beginning to thin out. Miguel and Piper were jumping up and down, waving at me from a corner, hooting and hollering. But I couldn’t see them very clearly, nor could I hear what they were saying.
Everything was just a soft echoing noise and they looked like a blob of energy, pulsating at the end of a tunnel.
Blinking rapidly to clear my vision, I cast my gaze around the room, desperately looking for him.
My stomach plummeted and my heart shriveled to the size of a lentil.
Ender was nowhere in sight.
Chapter Thirty-Six
ENDER
Tall marble pillars supported two rows of balconies and the enclosure in front of the Kappa Kappa Gamma chapter house. I leaned against a pillar, but the cool stone surface pressing into my shoulders did little to extinguish the heat in my groin.
My cock was still hard as granite… probably harder than these marble pillars.
I swallowed with a dry throat. Adelaide was a fucking vision.
When she’d strutted down that stage, ass jiggling, tits bouncing, exuding such raw eroticism, I had to fight the violent impulse to throw her over my shoulder like a caveman. I wanted to carry her off, take her home, and make her mine in the basest manner.
My cock stirred. I wanted to fuck her senseless.
And then she smiled at me.
The way she laughed and smiled, squinting her eyes… it was mad cute.
And then she smiled at Byron, the sam
e smile she always had for me, and something inside of me snapped.
Speaking of the devil…
“Ender.” Byron strode out of the house and jerked his chin at me. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a pack of Marlboros. He tamped the pack against his palm and stepped forward, holding out the jutting smokes for me.
It wasn’t a habit of mine, but I grabbed one anyway. Byron was a Sigma Chi brother, the fraternity treasurer, probably the third most important position in the chapter. Though I called him Pubes just like everyone else, I respected the guy. And he respected my position as President and Captain of Sigma Chi.
Byron flicked a lighter and offered me the flame.
I lit my cigarette and leaned back against the pillar, taking a long drag, inhaling it deep into my lungs. “A hundred G.” I paused. “What the fuck was that all about?”
Byron lit a cigarette for himself, took a drag and angled his head away, blowing a smooth stream of smoke across his shoulder. “She’s a special girl,” he said at last.
I took another drag. “I already know that.”
He sucked some smoke and held it. “I want to get to know her.” He slowly exhaled. “I met her a while back, you know… at a party, and I’ve been looking for her ever since.”
“A hundred G?” I repeated.
“She’s worth it.” He shrugged. “Besides, all the money’s going to a good cause.”
Saying nothing, I took a deep drag and exhaled until my lungs were empty.
“What?” Smoke flowed out as he spoke. “You don’t think she’s worth it?”
Just then, Adelaide skipped through the front door, pausing at the marble pillars.
She was dressed in her usual clothes—a ratty T-shirt and jeans, but she was just as fascinating to watch, the way her face lit up when she saw me, expressing her every emotion, her personality.
It struck me that I admired her personality. The things she says, on a base level, are all very true. Like in The Truman Show, every now and again someone would break into the set and try and warn Truman, and Adelaide decided she would be that person, that she’d throw the whole charade under the bus. That fake landscape behind the fourth wall… that invented world, it suddenly became a little more authentic because of her actions, because of her.
The tips of our cigarettes had wormed back, the ashes falling to the ground. And Byron was still waiting for my answer to his question: Is she worth it?
I took one last drag and stubbed out my cigarette. “I think she’s priceless.”
“Ender!” she exclaimed breathlessly, looking from me to Byron. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“Adelaide Vikander,” Byron rasped around his cigarette. “I’ve been looking for you, too.”
“Oh, yes!” She breathed. “You won the auction. Thank you, Byron, for donating to such a worthy cause. I think it’s simply wonderful that your charitable donations are going to help veterans with PTSD and rescue dogs from shelters. And—” She stopped short when she realized Byron was staring at her expectantly. “Oh! The date! I’m sure you’re wondering about the date, right? Silly me!” She gave a nervous laugh. “When would you like to go out on that date?”
“How about tonight?” He stubbed out the remainder of his cigarette under his foot.
“Tonight?” Adelaide blinked.
“Yeah.” Byron nodded once. “Why wait?”
“Erm, o-okay,” she stammered. “Can you give me a few minutes with Ender? It won’t take very long, I promise. And then we can go out on our date! How fun!”
Nodding again, Byron placed another cigarette between his lips, reached for his lighter, flicked the wheel and lit it. “I’ll be waiting over there.” His voice was muffled around his cigarette as he spoke, and he gestured to his mustard colored Lamborghini parked on the side of the street.
“Okay,” Adelaide said easily. “I’ll come find you in a bit.”
“Yo, Pubes!” I called after his retreating back. “Have her back home by 11:30.”
Without a backward glance, he raised a hand in acknowledgement. “You got it, boss.”
“Boss?” Adelaide grinned broadly. “I’m gonna start calling you boss. Cake Boss. Boiled Cabbage Boss. Sourpuss Boss.”
“Please don’t.”
“Please don’t be mad at me, Ender.” She grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly. “The only reason I agreed to do this whole charity auction thing is because I was hoping you’d ask me out on a date. All we do is have sex. The sex is terrific and all that, but I realize I want more.”
“And you want to go out on a date?”
“Correct.” She gave a crisp nod.
The corners of my mouth twitched. Adelaide might lack self-awareness and she was too trusting of others, almost to a fault, but the girl was refreshingly honest.
There was such purity in her intentions… no hidden agendas, no games.
I loved that about her.
“Okay,” I said.
“Okay?” She stared at me, her golden tan skin glowing in the moonlight.
“I’ll take you out on a date.” I reached for her, closing the distance between us. “This Saturday. Be ready.”
In a teasing voice she said, “I stay ready so I don’t have to get ready.”
Leaning forward, I pressed my forehead against hers, touching our noses. “Is that so?” I slipped my hands inside the back pockets of her jeans, drawing her firmly against the hard ridge of my erection. “I’m always ready for you.”
A blush crept up her neck and cheeks.
I shifted my face slightly so my lips grazed her ear. “You don’t have to go on that date with Byron.” She moaned as I took her earlobe between my teeth. “We can go home right now and fuck all night.” A soft whimper escaped her lips as my tongue flashed inside her ear. “Sorry,” I corrected. “We’ll fuck all night until it’s your bedtime.” My rough, wicked whisper caressed her ear. “Right up till 11:45… not one second before, not one second after.”
“I can’t, Ender.” Her breathing was unsteady as she softly caressed my cheek. “A promise is a promise. And I don’t want to hurt Byron’s feelings or disappoint him. Trust me, my feelings for him are strictly platonic and I don’t intend to lead him on. No. He doesn’t deserve that. But he won this date fair and square, and I want him to have a good time, even if it’s only for a couple of hours. I owe him that. And I’ll be back home before my bedtime. I promise.”
I opened my mouth to say something but the strength of her goodness stopped me.
It was one of the many things I loved about her.
Later that evening, slightly before midnight, I stopped by Adelaide’s room to check on her. Sure enough, she was sprawled on her bed with Mimi, the slore.
Both she and the cat were sleeping soundly, lying flat on their backs, fully spread out with their arms and legs stretched wide open as though they were blatantly presenting themselves to the world. Shaking my head, I smiled and eased the door shut.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
ENDER
“Oh, my giddy Aunt!” Adelaide cried when she spotted the 180-foot luxury yacht sitting in the middle of the bay.
I couldn’t hold back the smile edging up my mouth. Most people would have said ‘Holy Shit’ or ‘Fuckin’ A.’
But not Adelaide.
I watched her for a moment, noting how her eyes sparkled when she laughed, the look of amazement on her face when she noticed another detail about her surroundings.
“Oh, my goodness!” She clapped a hand over her mouth. “I must sound incredibly twee! But it’s so much bigger than I expected. Miguel said it was the size of the yacht that Jay Z had chartered for Beyoncé. But this is way bigger! It’s behemoth! Mucho gigante!”
Humph. I frowned. This was the last time I trusted Miguel with a secret.
“That baby is ours for the day,” I said. “You ready to hop on board?”
“How are we going to get there?”
“See those two jet skis?” I gestured
to the dock. “Those are ours, too.”
Adelaide took off running at a fast clip. “I’ll race, ya!” she yelled, tossing a quick glance over her shoulder as she sprinted down the pier, scattering her laughter into the breeze.
“Always the adrenaline junkie,” I murmured to myself before I chased after her.
And I caught up to her. Almost. She shrieked with laughter when she realized I was right behind her just as she was jumping on her jet ski. Without sparing me a backward glance, she zipped off full-throttle, spraying water in my face.
She’s such a badass.
“I’m gonna get you for that!” Laughing, I hopped on my jet ski and charged after her.
We spent most of the day racing across the open water at breakneck speed with the spray of the waves and the wind in our faces.
By the time we climbed aboard the yacht, the sun was slowly sinking behind the clouds.
Perfect timing.
The sea breeze toyed with her hair as I led her to the front of the yacht.
When we got to the steel railing she stood facing forward, gazing out at the horizon and watching the sunset. I stood behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her against me, melding her body to mine.
Her breath hitched as I took her hands, raising them until she was standing with her arms outstretched on each side.
“Ender.” I heard the smile in her voice as she kept her arms outstretched. “Is this our Titanic moment?”
Saying nothing, I rested my chin on her shoulder and my hands came around to shape her breasts. They were practically spilling out of her bikini top.
My cock stirred and a thick groan scraped from my throat as I played with her tits.
Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply. “Mmm,” she murmured softly. “This is nice, but I’m pretty sure Jack wasn’t fondling Rose’s boobs when she stood with her arms outstretched on the bow of the ship.”
Squeezing her soft and perfect breasts, I said, “What am I supposed to do with my hands if I’m not holding your boobs?”
The Slam Page 24