Chase_The Chosen By Him Series Prequel

by Ellie Danes

I hadn’t realized just how much I wanted this internship until it had become a competition that I found myself in. I mashed the mouse button two more times, clicking on the inbox—still nothing. I closed my laptop and rested my head on top of it, still balancing it on my knees.

  I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew that regardless of my GPA I was going to need to land one hell of a job to pay back the pile of school loans that I had accumulated. This internship would certainly start me off in the right direction.

  “God damn it!” Alyssa yelled from her bedroom. “Tell me at least one of us got it!” She came crashing through the bathroom door that joined our bedrooms in the Jack and Jill Suite. “Check your email, quick!”

  I flipped open the screen and pounded on the keys, trying to wake it from sleep mode. Finally it flickered to life and I clicked on the inbox again. It thought. Two new emails: one was a coupon for the local drugstore, the other was obvious. The subject read Internship.

  As quickly as I opened it, the excitement was gone.

  “Nope. I didn’t get it.” I slammed the laptop closed and tossed it to the side. I wasn’t sure if I was more pissed off or upset. “I have perfect grades, answered all of the questions in class correctly; I even interned at another big firm my senior year. I don’t get it.”

  “I’m sure he probably gave the internship to those girls sitting behind us with the big tits and short skirts. Typical guy.” Alyssa had a way with words and didn’t often hold back. I pulled the comforter over my head and sunk into bed. “Oh hell no, Summer. No sulking. We’re going out.” Alyssa grabbed the edge of the comforter and whipped it off of the bed, leaving me covered only by the thin sheet.

  “No, just leave me to sulk and be pissed off.” I pulled the sheet over my head.

  “No way. Look, we can still catch at least forty-five minutes of happy hour if we get going now. First two rounds are on me.”

  I hated to admit it, but a good drink would help drown the sorrow right now. It wasn’t what I’d usually do, but I was finding it hard to resist. “Fine. Just for happy hour.”

  The Fox Hole was one of the nicer bars near campus. It wasn’t frequented by the usual college students who often went out to get rowdy with their fraternity and sorority letters plastered all over their shirts. It attracted a higher-class crowd, and some of the graduate students went to rub elbows and try to network with the businessmen who came in after work. Alyssa and I hung out there because it was where some of our friends worked and we got free drinks from time to time.

  I decided not to bother putting any more effort into my nighttime attire than I had this morning; I was still wearing the short black skirt, sweater and boots.

  The bar area was packed, and from the minute we walked in, I could feel the wolves circling. Just as the graduate students came here to network for jobs, the businessmen came here to try and score a grad student, someone younger and more attractive than the wives they left at home. I felt their eyes burning holes through my clothes as Alyssa and I got the once over before making our way to the bar.

  “Two Cosmos.” Alyssa slapped down her credit card. None of our usual friends seemed to be working tonight. “Keep ‘em coming until happy hour is up, please.”

  She smiled at the bartender, who graciously smiled back as he drank in as much of us as he could see. My five-foot-four frame barely gave him anything to look at above the bar. It seemed like forever before he finally delivered our drinks.

  “I can’t believe it, first day of class and the semester is already fucked up. That’s got to be a record.” I took a swig of my drink and felt it burn going down. It was much stronger than the normal watered down happy hour drinks at the college bars.

  “Summer, you have nothing to worry about. You have the grades, connections, you’re smart as hell, and have you looked at yourself lately? You’re gorgeous. You aren’t going to have a problem finding a job.”

  “Thank you.” I took another sip of my drink, the burn less noticeable this time as the bartender brought over two shooters.

  “From the guys over in the corner.” He motioned with a nod toward the back corner.

  Alyssa and I turned to see a group of three guys holding up their beers, toasting us. I recognized two of them from some of my classes.

  “See? Things aren’t all that bad. Free shooters.” Alyssa slid one of the glasses over to me, and I took a sniff of the pinkish liquid. “Cheers!” she said as we raised our glasses to the guys in the corner, briefly acknowledging them for the round they just bought. “Let’s do one more, just because.” Alyssa smiled, and I didn’t turn her down.

  The shot was sweet, with a little bit of a kick, and I could almost immediately feel the alcohol fogging my brain after the second one. The stress of the morning and my recent disappointment was almost fading away.

  “Holy shit, Lys! Is that? No, don’t look…” I hesitated. “Now! Is that Professor Kerns, with that older guy, over there?”

  Alyssa casually looked over. “Yep. Sure is.”

  “Well, so much for forgetting about my day. The last thing I want to do is stay here and drink while I’m reminded how I let myself down.”

  I could feel a bitter anger welling up inside of me. I wanted to be mad at him, but couldn’t be. It was too easy to blame someone else when I was sure it was something I did, or didn’t do, that had caused me to miss the opportunity. I hated not knowing.

  “Forget about it. Come on. Let’s go talk to those guys.” Alyssa tugged at my arm as she moved in the direction of the group of guys who had bought us the shooters.

  I could hear her start to introduce me to the group, but it was too late. I was already heading in the other direction. The combination of alcohol and the burning questions inside had taken over and I was on my way to confront him.

  “Excuse me, Professor Kerns?” I took a deep breath, attempting to calm what nerves the two shooters and Cosmo hadn’t already taken care of, and tried to see my way through my slightly impaired judgment. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but can I talk with you for a minute?”

  He took a quarter turn on his barstool as he stared at me with his electric emerald green eyes. The way he turned accentuated his strong upper body, and I couldn’t help but steal a look at him, trying hard to keep my focus above the waist and not get caught like I had been earlier in the day. “I’m sorry, I’m in a meeting right now. I have office hours on Tuesday afternoons. Miss…?”

  “Farris,” we both said at the same time.

  “Summer Farris.” I couldn’t believe he actually remembered me from class.

  “Miss Farris. I will see you Tuesday, then?” He spun around, dismissing me, and began talking to the older man—who looked me up and down like a piece of meat.

  My haze and liquid courage still blocked my good judgment.

  “Excuse me.” I poked his arm with my index finger and felt little give. His arms were strong and hard, just as I imagined. He turned again to meet my gaze. “Professor Kerns, I’m wondering if you could share with me what I did wrong to not be selected for the internship. I would work so hard for you and you definitely wouldn’t regret it. It would be honor to work with you, you’re so smart and have done so much, and you’re hot…”

  That was it. I realized what I had just said and wanted to crawl under a table. The alcohol made me speak the truth. He just stared at me. I wasn’t sure if he was going to laugh or scold me, but I didn’t want to stick around to find out. I spun on my heel and headed toward Alyssa.

  “Miss Farris, I appreciate your persistence, however, if you want to talk about this, Tuesday during office hours is when I’m available.” I heard him chuckle a little. “And thank you.”

  I didn’t look back. I just wanted to get the hell out of the bar. “Is he looking? Is he watching me?” My eyes were as big as saucers as I approached Alyssa.

  “No, he’s talking to that old guy. What the hell did you just do?”

  I couldn’t even to begin to expl
ain just how stupid I felt. I gave Alyssa the details and she laughed. “Oh, I also told him he was hot.”

  Alyssa’s mouth hung open. “Great job. This should make for an interesting next class.”

  “No, it won’t. I’m dropping it.” I could feel a sickness filling my stomach. “I’m leaving. I need to go home and try to forget about this.”

  Alyssa tried to stop me, but I just wanted to escape. Thankfully The Fox Hole was on the campus bus line, and I could easily just catch a ride back to the apartment. I made my way to the door, careful not to even look in his direction so I could avoid further embarrassment.

  It had been unseasonably warm the past few days and I stood on the sidewalk, letting the warmish air move over my body as more patrons whisked past me. I took a deep breath and decided to skip the bus and walk instead.

  A steel gray Mercedes pulled up and stopped in front of me as I was about to step off the curb. The dark-tinted windows made it impossible to see who was inside until the passenger window lowered just enough for me to hear his voice.

  “Miss Farris, do you need a ride?”

  I recognized the voice. It was him. I wanted to run and hide but instead was frozen where I stood, speechless.

  “Hop in, I’ll give you a ride. You shouldn’t be walking alone.” He reached across and popped open the door to the expensive sports coupe.

  So much for avoiding further embarrassment. I debated getting in the car, but figured I had nothing else to lose. I edged into the car, the deep bucket seats swallowing me up.

  “Thank you,” I mumbled. I could feel my cheeks reddening again from making a fool of myself just minutes earlier. He pulled away, and I hoped he magically knew where to drop me off so I wouldn’t have to say a word, at least until I knew what to say to try and make things right. This is your chance, Summer, think! “Professor Kerns, I’m sorry. I just—”

  “Chase. Please, call me Chase.”

  I didn’t stop to think about what he just said; I just wanted to get my apology out. “I’m sorry, I had a couple of shooters and a bit too much to drink and then I saw you there. I was just so upset I didn’t get picked. If you want me to drop your class, I understand.”

  “No, please don’t.” He gripped the steering wheel with his strong hands as we jetted through the traffic toward campus.

  “Okay, I just…” I bit my lip, trying to decide whether I should continue to argue my case or just stop. Foolishly, I continued. “Professor Kerns—I mean, Chase—I’m a very hard worker, I have a four point zero GPA, I graduated top of my class—”

  “Summer, please. That’s not necessary. Do you mind if we park and talk for a moment? Obviously this is something that you don’t feel can wait, and I really need to put your mind at ease.”

  I nodded. He pulled his car into one of the empty campus parking lots, just far enough away from the lighting to retain some privacy but not look suspicious, and hopped out. I pushed open the door and stood, joining him at the front of the car. I could feel the alcohol finally beginning to wear off, and I was getting a better sense of the chaos I had just caused in my life.

  “Please, if you will just—”

  “Summer. Your background, your grades, your application—everything about you is…amazing.”

  My tilted head met his hypnotizing stare. “Then why?”

  “I work with the interns very closely. I just don’t know that I could do that with you.” I wanted to convince him that he could, that I would do anything. I stood and said nothing as he continued, “I know, it’s selfish. You’re gorgeous, and I just don’t know that I could be that close to you everyday. When I saw you…” He reached out and gently touched my arm, and I could feel an electricity flow through my body. “You’ve been all I’ve been able to think about.”

  Deep inside, I agreed with his reason. I knew that working that closely with him wouldn’t allow me to focus. His fingertips slid down my arm, and he gently took my hand. I realized that I still wasn’t thinking clearly.

  I took a step forward and, without thinking at all, stood on my tiptoes and kissed him hard on his full lips. They tasted of the bourbon he had been drinking earlier. I closed my eyes and pressed in harder. I could feel my body tingling and I waited for him to push me away, but he didn’t.

  A second later, I felt his strong arms wrap around my body, grabbing my ass and pulling me closer to him as he kissed me back, deeper and harder, before finally releasing me. We stood and stared at each other, still just inches apart.

  “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I shouldn’t have.”

  “I kissed you; you didn’t do anything wrong.” I bit my bottom lip. “I can walk from here. My apartment is close by.” It really wasn’t, but I wanted to let him off the hook.

  He didn’t say anything; he just gave me a devilish grin and inched closer. “I’ll leave that up to you.” He knew I wasn’t about to walk away. I breathed in his cologne and knew that it would forever be on my mind.

  We stood there for what seemed like forever in the dark shadows of the parking lot, just two dozen feet away from the spilling light of the lampposts. Our gazes were locked on each other as he licked his lips slowly. He waited to see my next move, biding his time and sizing me up. My head told me to run, but my body told me the opposite as I watched him. My feet stood firmly planted on the pavement. I stood my ground, unwavering in my decision.

  He hesitated just a second longer and finally asked, “Are you sure?”

  He already knew the answer to his question. I was staying. Whatever was about to happen, I wanted it. He ran his hands down my arms and pulled me close; I could feel his firm body pressing against me. He pressed his lips against mine, and the kiss was more magical and more intense than any kiss I had ever shared with anyone else. His stubble brushed my face, adding to the intensity of the kiss.

  I leaned in closer, grinding my body against his. Electricity coursed through me, and I wanted to drive him as crazy as he was driving me. Desire overwhelmed every sensation as his hands moved over my body, finally finding the bare skin of my legs.

  My tongue probed his mouth as my hands wandered over his strong, barreled chest. I slowly dropped my hand down to his stomach, untucking his shirt and feeling his tight abs. Wavering for only a minute, I allowed my hand to move lower, feeling the pressure against my fingertips as he let out a throaty moan in my ear and thrust toward me.

  “I want you...here.” He slid his hand from my thigh to the inside of my leg and worked his way up, shivering in anticipation as his fingers played across my inner thigh and up even a little further, slipping beneath my panties.

  He smiled as he kissed me again, our mouths dancing together, his tongue licking my lips. He slid his hand along the side of my panties, pulling them aside as he slowly slid his fingers inside of me. I sucked in a shuddering breath and bit down on his lip, feeling him enter me. I wanted more.

  “Please,” I begged. I fumbled with the belt on his pants and then deftly unbuttoned them, sliding down his zipper and allowing them to fall to his thighs along with the nylon fabric of his briefs. I said other things, too, things that I had never said before to anyone, things that I couldn’t recall later.

  He eased himself onto the hood of the car, allowing me to see him fully exposed in the shadows. He was stunning. He reached for me, lifting me on top of him. Suddenly, he was inside of me, arms supporting my body as I went weak in his presence, the heat and passion of our coupling.

  Chase moved his hand up under my sweater, pulling my bra down and exposing my breast, fingers grabbing at the soft skin. My skin tightened, and the sensation of pleasure rushed through my body at his control, his ultimate power. He continued to guide me, giving a little at a time until I finally consumed as much as I could. I drove my body on his, thrusting and moving. My nerve endings tingled with excitement—to have someone like him was pure fantasy.

  His hot breath was in my ear as he moved my skirt up higher, exposing me in the darkness. I could feel my body e
dging on the verge of insane ecstasy. “Please,” I begged, as his movements grew wilder, harder. My lips formed words that I whispered in his ear, making him tighten his hold on me as I took more control, picking up the pace as he moaned in pleasure.

  “Please,” I said again, and he knew exactly what I wanted. My vision blackened as I lost touch with reality, allowing the ultimate pleasure to overcome me.

  As I slowed, my body overloaded, he continued to pump until he finally pulled himself out of me, taking himself in his hand and exploding. I slid off him, exhausted, and held myself up on the car. My legs trembled. Neither of us said a word as we dressed in the shadowed parking lot.

  Finally, he broke the silence. “Summer, this isn’t something I normally do. I promise.”

  “It’s okay.” My voice felt hoarse. I walked back over to the side of the car and got in, waiting for him to join me.

  I had just had the hottest sex I had ever experienced, and I immediately began to regret it.

  * * * * *

  Alyssa and I scheduled classes so we could have Tuesdays and Thursdays off to work on assignments. Today my plan was to lie in bed and sulk about the colossal disaster I had created for myself. Alyssa chose to sleep off her hangover from the free drinks she received all night. I had heard her, and apparently one of the guys from the bar, come stumbling home around two-thirty.

  Maybe I should have stayed with her last night. At least then I might have just fucked one of those guys at the bar instead of my professor—and my academic career.

  I closed my eyes; I could still feel his hot breath on my neck and smell his scent on me. It was intoxicating. I hated it, but I loved it. I wanted to share what had happened with Alyssa, but I knew I couldn’t. She’d be so proud and so jealous that I had slept with—no, fucked—the hottest professor on campus. Hell, the hottest man we both had ever seen. She’d also never let me live it down, and that was something I didn’t want.

  All I could think about was him. His touch, his eyes, his strong body. I felt myself getting guiltily excited again as I remembered what we had done. He said it was something he didn’t do—it was certainly something I had never done before—but his tone had made it sound as though it had happened before.