by J. Nichole
“Sounds like your family is ready for you to come home to help with the business.” I continue gazing out the window as we hit the highway, and the scenery changes from residential to the mountainous views he promised would be breathtaking.
Chris reaches for the knob and lowers the volume of the music. "Yeah, they are anxiously awaiting my return." He sighs. "Haven't discussed the fact that I'd rather do something on my own yet."
“And what is the family business?” I give him my full attention, adjusting in my seat to face him.
“Real estate brokerage. Not exactly my area of interest.” He drums his fingers on the steering wheel. He points out the window. “You are missing the best part of the drive.”
Turning back towards the window I catch a rainbow spread across the sky as we pass a winding river. Chris reaches over and rubs my thigh as my breath catches.
Chapter Eighteen
Tugging my hat down on my head and my jacket up to my chin, I cover as much of my face as possible. Cozying up next to the fireplace as we watched the snowfall was better than standing out here on the slopes. For the first time in my life my face hurts. Of course everyone else is taking the cold air in stride.
Chris rubs his hands up and down my arms in an attempt to warm me up. “You look miserable.”
I smirk at Chris and the cold air hurts my teeth. I close my mouth and nod. He laughs and pulls me in closer to his chest. Mrs. Clark joins us and attempts to explain to me how to navigate the slopes.
"I think I can do this if the feeling returns to my legs." I place one ski in front of the other, following the lead of Mrs. Clark. Chris laughs at me and his mother hushes him.
Before I can step onto the ski lift I face-plant into a pile of snow. Chris puts a hand out to help me up. Between laughing, he says, "I forget what it was like trying to learn how to maneuver these things."
“Maybe I should sit inside and watch.” A shiver rolls up my back and my lips quiver. “With a big cup of hot chocolate.” I look down at my skis then back to Chris. “Can you help me out of these?”
Chris’ brother maneuvers his way over to me with an awkward look on his face. “Years on these slopes and I still can’t get this shit.” He throws down his ski pole and asks, “You headed in?”
I look between Chris and his brother and nod my head. “Chris, I’ll go in with Bryan and you can keep skiing.”
Chris’ forehead wrinkles and he says, “Both of you are giving up too soon.” He hunches his shoulders. “Well Bryan, you don’t ever stay out. Your ass hates the cold. You’ll find any reason to go inside.”
Bryan grins. “You know my thoughts on being out here like a snow bunny.”
Bryan reaches for my arm and we both take small steps until we reach the nearby restaurant. We sit as close as possible to the fireplace. My skin begins to warm and the feeling returns to my face.
“My brother treating you right?”
Caught off guard by Bryan’s question, I nod my head and say, “Of course.” Curious about Bryan’s thoughts about his brother returning home to the business I ask, “Too bad he’ll be leaving me soon to come back home.”
Bryan smirks, looking away from me. “Our father has been persistent about us all working for him since we were old enough to understand the concept of work.”
“What would you be doing otherwise?”
He looks to me with a glow in his eyes. “I wouldn’t mind opening an art gallery.”
My head leans back and I raise my brow. “I take it you are the creative one in the family.”
Bryan laughs, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. “Something like that. I’ve been selling pieces of my art randomly over the past few years and the money isn’t too bad.”
“How does your dad feel about that?”
He rolls his eyes. “Of course he doesn’t take it seriously. If it isn’t the family business it isn’t worthy of his attention.” Bryan shifts in his seat, staring at me carefully. “Laila, I’ll let you in on some inner secrets of the Clark family. You see, of the three Clark boys, Chris is the chosen one. I was the rebellious soul, who dropped out of college. David has always been the perfect one, doing everything by the book. But Chris, Chris aligned perfectly with dad’s exit plan. With his MBA, Chris will fit snugly in dad’s shoes, right in time for dad to retire.”
I can't imagine the amount of pressure Chris is under to come home and join the fold. "Thanks for sharing." I lean onto my knee. Now that my body temperature has returned to normal my body is no longer tingling. "Sounds like David would be more than happy to take the lead."
“If only it were that easy.” Bryan stands and puts out his hand for me to join him. “I’m ready for some food. We’ll have to sustain ourselves while we wait for these fools to get tired of the cold air.”
We feast on soup and sandwiches, and then Bryan groans about me being too young to drink. “A drink would help us get through this day. Besides, I think it’s your turn to entertain me with your secrets.” He winks.
“I don’t have many secrets to tell.” My gaze drifts off as I think of something that could be slightly entertaining.
"Either you are lying or not living, and I'd be upset if you aren't living. I hear some interesting things go down at L.U. and these are the years to experiment."
“I party, but I haven’t been seduced by a roommate or streaked across campus naked.”
Bryan laughs and says, “Too bad. That would be entertaining. You still have two years to make it happen. Next time I see you hopefully you can update me on the progress.”
“What progress?” Chris leans down and kisses my forehead. Pulling up a chair, he sits beside me, wrapping our fingers together.
“Bryan doesn’t think I’m living enough at L.U. I don’t have any entertaining stories to tell him.”
Chris smiles at me then looks to Bryan. “Not every girl is as adventurous as the ones you bring home.” Chris signals the server to the table. “I better grab some food too. Our parents could be out there a while. Dad is trying to impress Mr. Nelson.”
Sarcastically I ask Chris, “Shouldn’t you be out there watching and learning?”
Bryan laughs, “She learns quickly. I like this one here. Make sure you keep her around.”
Chris brushes both of us off, finishing his food. “Babe, you sure you don’t want to give the slopes one more try?”
I shake my head emphatically and say, “But don’t stay here on my account.” I nudge my chin towards Bryan, “I’m sure Bryan and I can manage until you all finish.”
Bryan tips his drink in the air and says, “I’ll share more of my suggestions for her to liven up her life.”
My syllabus sits in my lap and I’ve flipped through it for the third time and still have no clue what to expect from the class. I’d much rather be back at the cabin, cooped up with Chris and his family than back in my apartment at school.
Monica sits in front of me, her giddiness overflowing. “How’d it go?” The words tumble out of her mouth. “Was it too much time with his family?”
“It was better than I could have imagined.” I laugh smugly, “But skiing is not my thing.”
Monica shrugs and says, “I wouldn’t expect that it would be. Of course unless we are talking about water skiing.” Her leg bounces up and down and her smile widens.
“What are you excited about?” I place my hand on Monica’s knee and calm the jitters that seem to be racing through her.
“I’ll be needing your services this semester.” She grabs my hand and squeezes. “I’m running for Junior Class president!” I snatch my hand from her grip and cover my mouth as I squeal.
“I’ll be the best campaign manager at L.U. When are we going to tell Jennifer and Nicole?” I flip my syllabus over and start taking notes. “We’ll need their help with the campaign.”
“As soon as they get back I’ll fill them in.” Monica looks around. “They may be upset that I kept it a secret from them.”
I swat my hand in
the air. “They’ll be fine. We have a list of things to do.” Monica looks at me and her giddiness fades when I say, “I Googled campaign requirements. We need a logo, a slogan, and list of things you’ll do as president.”
Monica laughs nervously. “A slogan? Things I plan to do?”
I look at Monica with my head tilted. “You haven’t put any thought into why you want to be president?” I scrunch my nose.
“Well, as a junior, I know that most of us should be looking for internships, and preparing for graduation. Outside of the career center and the career fair we don’t have many programs advocating for our careers.”
“Okay. That’s a start.” I tap my pen on my lap. “We also need to do a few fundraisers. We’ll need money for trinkets.” I put my hand through her ponytail. “And we’ll need to make sure you keep your hair done and outfits on point.”
Monica pulls away from my hand. “Hey, I’m running for president not Ms. L.U.”
I smirk. “People will judge you, regardless.”
We continue discussing campaign logistics while we wait for Jennifer and Nicole to come back. The whitespace of my syllabus is full of notes and ideas. When there isn’t a blank space remaining, I decide it’s probably time to get ready for my classes. I leave Monica in the living room while I attempt to focus on the first chapter of my Mass Media Methods book.
I made sure that I researched my professors on Rate My Professor before registering this semester. Most of them were highly rated, but surprisingly Dr. King didn’t have a single review associated with her. Now that we’ve met, it will be hard to go unnoticed in her class.
My door slams open and Nicole announces, “I’m in love.”
I look up at her with laughter building in my stomach until I realize her face is serious. “You’re serious?” She pulls my hand, leading me into the living room.
“Hold on, let me grab Monica and Jennifer,” Nicole says.
I sit on the couch with my feet propped up beneath me, waiting to hear Nicole’s latest conquest.
Nicole stands while we all sit on the couch. She pulls her phone out and passes it to us. “He is the epitome of sexy. The true definition of a gentleman. We spent almost every day together over the break.”
The guy in the picture draws me in, and I can’t even pass the phone back to Nicole. His green eyes are hypnotizing and the dimple in his smile makes him seem innocent. Although he looks to be much older than us, he doesn’t look intimidating.
Monica groans. "I was going to share the news with you all, but this is much more interesting right now."
I look at Monica then back to the phone. “You can share after Nicole fills us in on all the details. When did you meet him?”
Jennifer snags the phone from me and says, “If I had to guess, I would say he is in his thirties.”
Nicole rolls her eyes but continues. “We met at the airport. I bumped into him at baggage claim.” Her eyes gleam as she describes how he approached her. “We exchanged numbers and he called before I even left the airport. He doesn’t live too far from my parents so we met up almost every day.”
We all sit stunned. Nicole's not the settling down type. As many guys as she has gone through, I was starting to think she would never fall in love. "I'm genuinely happy for you, Nicole." Monica agrees, jumping up to give Nicole a high five and a hug. "What about now that you are back at school? Plan on keeping in touch?"
Nicole giggles. “Yes, he promised he would keep in touch and probably even come down for a visit.”
Jennifer cackles. “But really how old is he?”
Nicole exhales and looks sternly at Jennifer. “He’s thirty-two.”
I balk at his age, but quickly recover and say, “That’s not too old I guess.”
Monica stands beside Nicole. “Okay sit down. My turn to share some news.”
Monica shares that she’ll be running for junior class president and asks the girls if they’ll be willing to help with the campaign. “I’m in, and I could get the girls in L.O.S. to help too.” Jennifer clicks around on her phone then says, “Wait, can I share the news with them or is it too early?”
Monica looks to me and I respond, “Probably too early to give them full details. But we could use their help with fundraising.”
Jennifer smiles and says, “Got it.” Nicole agrees to help and we start throwing out fundraising ideas.
My phone dings with a message and I smile and head for my room when I see Chris’ name.
Chris: I need a kiss before I go to bed.
The girls scream at me, "What? How are you just going to leave us hanging like that?"
Laila: Your place or mine?
Chris: I’m almost at yours
I ignore the girls and examine myself in my bathroom mirror. With the pillow marks across my face I look like I just woke up from a deep sleep. I splash water on my face and rub my fingers through my hair combing over the mess on top of my head.
Chris calls and asks me to meet him outside. He's leaning against his car door, and when he looks up, the smile that sends quivers over my body spreads across his face. He signals me to come closer and without speaking he grabs my face between his hands and kisses me. I wrap my hands around his and deepen the connection. My nipples harden against his chest and I maneuver myself between his legs feeling his manhood press strongly against my thighs. Soft moans escape between him yanking at my bottom lip and his tongue darting in and out of my mouth.
He pulls away and leans his head against the car. “I promised myself I wouldn’t do more than kiss you.”
I chuckle. “But why?”
He locks his gaze with mine and I can see his restraint. “I won’t want to stop until I’ve worked your body over.” Rubbing his finger across my nipple he continues, “Every inch of your body.”
Leaning into his touch I whisper, “And why is that a problem?”
Smiling he says, “Can’t be worn out on your first day of class tomorrow.”
“Damn class. Whether you come up and work me over or leave me high and dry, I won’t get any sleep tonight.”
He rubs his hand between my thighs and kisses me softly on my lips. "High and wet. Goodnight babe."
Chapter Nineteen
“Ms. Jackson, do you have an answer?” Not only is the professor staring at me knowingly, but my classmates are all gawking.
The girl beside me whispers, “Mind and behavior.” I look at her and my eyes narrow.
I straighten in my seat and respond. “Mind and behavior.”
My professor shakes his head. "Glad you are listening to her. Now for the rest of the class please listen to me." He walks back to the whiteboard and begins drawing a pyramid. The pyramid looks vaguely familiar from the little reading I did finish last night. "You should all familiarize yourself with this diagram. Along with the reading of chapter two for our next class."
I head for the door, but the professor stops me. “Ms. Jackson, can I have a moment?” He stands firmly as I walk towards him. We are eye to eye as I stand and wait for him to speak. His eyes narrow and the hard lines around his eyes crinkle. “Ms. Jackson, I expect today will not be a recurrence in my classroom.” He pauses for my response but I let him continue. “I need all my students prepared for class ahead of time. Discussions will be interactive.” He grabs a paper from his desk and holds it in front of me. “In case you didn’t read the syllabus.”
I nod my head and say, “Yes sir, I understand. I’ll be prepared.” I turn to walk away, then the professor calls after me.
“Tell Chris I said hello.” I turn back towards the professor and he is grinning from ear to ear.
On my way to the journalism building I stroll through the hill and find a crowd of people gathered around the Greek trees. Jason is among the Ques hopping and chanting. I find my way through the crowd and hope I can catch him before my next class starts.
Jason walks up to me and throws up his arms for a hug. I don’t hesitate before he wraps me up and whispers, “Hopefu
lly Chris won’t mind.”
“I don’t think he will.” I stand back and look at him in his camouflage pants, gold boots, and purple Polo. “Now hopefully this semester you can get back in your books.”
He bows his head. “Sorry about last semester.” He wraps his arm around my shoulder. “I didn’t mean to stand you and Danielle up on the final.”
“Did you pass?”
He looks at me and rolls his eyes. “Just barely.”
Looking down at my phone, I break away from Jason and say, “I have to get over to the Journalism building. Don’t be a stranger.”
My Mass Media Methods class is packed, mostly with faces of strangers. I find a seat and pull out my notebook. I have to be more attentive in this class. The girl beside me begins to speak, “Hey, aren’t you on the newspaper staff?”
I look up and notice one of the juniors from the paper and smile at her familiar face. "Yes, I'm horrible with names but I think we've met before."
She nods. "Don't worry. My name is Stephanie. Aren't you a sophomore?"
“I’m Laila, and yes I’m a sophomore. I had to ask Dr. King to let me in this class to fill my schedule.”
She nods her head then scribbles her number on a piece of paper. “Here, if you need help through this class we can connect.” Dr. King walks through the door as I mouth ‘thank you’ to Stephanie.
Dr. King jumps right into the lecture without taking roll or acknowledging the students in their seats or those still walking through the door. She asks those who have social media accounts to raise their hands. My hand shoots in the air, and she says, “Those with more than one account keep your hands raised.” She glances around the room then proceeds, “I want those of you with a social media account to de-activate them for at least a week.”
Gripes and moans escape most of us in response. One guy asks, “All of my accounts?” She shoots him a glaring acknowledgment.