Rushed (The Rushed Series)

by Gina Robinson

  "Someone has to keep the house GPA high enough to keep you off suspension," Zach said.

  "Too bad houseboys' grades don't count." Morgan's gaze lingered on him. "Don't let it happen again," she said as I brushed past her.

  "It won't." I shot a hurt look at Zach. "I promise."

  Her laughter echoed down the hall as I left.

  Chapter Eight

  Zach

  I almost lost my head and spilled everything to Alexis. There was something about her that made me want to trust her. But girls like her didn't fall for guys like me. Not guys with a past and family like mine.

  It was bullshit, really. On the surface, I wasn't someone any normal parents would object to. Not even Double Deltsie parents. Not if I wasn't a houseboy. I got good grades. Didn't get into any more trouble than was usual for a guy my age. My parents were firmly upper middle class. Some of the girls would be surprised at how well off they were, given how cash strapped I always was. From the outside, it looked almost like I rebelliously insisted on living the servant life.

  It was all the crap you couldn't see. All the stuff we'd spent my lifetime hiding and all the resentment it caused. Those were the deal breakers.

  Alexis was normal, completely normal with a happy childhood and parents who doted on her. Maybe too much, but who was I to judge? Too much was better than not at all. She didn't need my shit messing it up.

  I was still stunned that I had come so close to confiding in her. I blamed the music and the sexual tension that charged the air whenever Alexis came around. I cursed fate for throwing her in my path. But then, that was nothing new. I cursed fate a lot for what it had thrown at me. I'd learned early that life wasn't fair. You had to find a way to deal with it and even the odds.

  Alexis frightened me for the way she made me feel. Or could if I let her. She was the first girl I'd known that made me even consider doing something different, finding another job and way to get by. The problem was, I wasn't ready to give up living in the house for a girl I'd just met and barely knew. And the simple act of getting to know her better would put everything in jeopardy.

  For all that, some of the girls in the house were total drama queens. And some were too stuck up to talk to me or treat me as anything but subservient. And the house as a whole had a rep for being snooty and snotty. Most of them treated me like a brother. They'd become like family to me. All the family I had for now. Too much to risk. I had to harden my heart against Alexis. It was the only way.

  Alexis

  On Wednesday when I arrived in class, Zach was already seated. All the desks around him were completely filled with girls. Geeds. Indie-music-loving girls who laughed as he flirted easily with them. His message was clear—stay away. He could get a girl who didn't come with complications.

  The problem was that whenever I saw him, my heart beat faster and I felt a smile blooming.

  Lingering after class, waiting to walk back with him, would have seemed desperate. I would have swallowed my pride and done it anyway, except I had to get back to the house to prepare for our open house that evening. I caught up with Emily in our room after our pledge class had finished decorating the house and dinner was over. We stood in our bras and panties, trying to decide what to wear, tossing dresses and discarded choices on our bed.

  Our door was open. A pledge named Sarah and her roommate Katie knocked on the doorframe. "What are you girls wearing to the meat market tonight? Let's all coordinate."

  "The meat market?" Laurel, the other live-in pledge, was walking by. She joined them in the doorway.

  "That's what Kayla calls it." Katie flashed a lopsided grin and stepped inside. Sarah followed her and took one of our desk chairs.

  Laurel came in and flopped on the bed in the middle of the heap of dresses. We were all in a similar state of undress—hair and makeup done. Wardrobe choice to be determined.

  And there we were—the five chosen ones. All of us blond, except for Em, who was already considering bleaching her hair. I wondered what I had in common with the other three and how I had beaten them out for top choice. They were all pretty and polished, confident of their appeal in the way popular girls are. Inside, I was as insecure as anyone. Only my mom's training gave me any polish of confidence.

  "The frats really come through and size us up and we're supposed to just grin and bear it?" If you couldn't hear Sarah's tone, you would have thought she was complaining. But the thought clearly excited her.

  "You'll think that's great until you see some of the frat guys!" Em surveyed another dress, frowning. "Peter Smith, like, the jerkiest, nerdiest guy from my high school, pledged." She shuddered. "Creepo. No idea how he made it into any frat, even the Lambda Rhos."

  "Yeah, but the good houses like the Tau Psis will be coming through, too," Sarah said. "You take the good with the bad. I went to high school with the Tau Psi president, Dakota Bradley." She sighed heavily. "Smoking hot. Any girl who gets his attention is lucky. His social media says he's not in a relationship."

  I fought to keep a straight face. Was Dakota really interested in me, or just flirting? No idea. But my ears perked up. If Sarah had gone to high school with Dakota, she had also been in school with Zach. Given the circumstances, the odds were high that they ran in the same social circles.

  "House guy on the floor! Handyman coming through!" Zach's voice suddenly rang out.

  Our door was just four down from the stairs. Katie, who was leaning against the wall and the closest person to the door, made no move to close it. Instead, she smiled devilishly. "It's just the houseboy. No one closes their door for the houseboy. They're like family."

  She was right—I didn't hear a single door along the hall close.

  I was standing by my open closet door, wearing pink thong panties and a lacy bra in full view of the hall. I might have ducked behind the closet door, but I didn't think or move fast enough. In the next instant, Zach walked by, glancing into our room as he passed. His gaze slid appraisingly over me until I tingled all over. Our eyes met and held for an instant that felt like time stood still. His sparkled with desire.

  He frowned like he was angry with himself, and me, looked away, and walked by. He'd seen everything. Including the way my breasts budded with desire when he looked at them. As much as he was fighting it, our chemistry was undeniable.

  Katie laughed and slammed the door shut too late on purpose. She broke out into a gale of giggles. "Whoa, Alexis! Good job."

  Sarah was fanning herself. "There goes the most popular, hottest guy from the class two years ahead of me. If Zach had pledged a frat, I would be all over him. What was he thinking taking a job as a houseboy?" Her laughter was bubbly and contagious. At least, the other three joined in. "I still might be," Sarah said. "If Alexis drops her guard."

  I blushed. "It's nothing. There's nothing between us."

  "Tell it to the judge. You're guilty as charged." Sarah twirled a lock of hair around her finger, smiling angelically while her eyes danced with devilment.

  Em rushed to my defense. "Give Alexis a break! If she says there's nothing there, she means it. Besides, I've heard Morgan already spit on him her freshman year. Everyone knows better than to cross her."

  "Nasty Morgan." Sarah frowned. "It's weird the way things turned out. Dakota was always Zach's second. And now he's the one to catch."

  My mouth went into motion before I could stop it. "What happened between them?"

  "Oooh, good girl! You've been doing your research. Information is power!" Sarah's estimation of me had just risen several notches. I could see it in the way she looked genuinely impressed.

  "I was at the party where it happened. But I didn't see it directly. I've only heard the rumors. They had been friends since kindergarten. Or maybe it was first grade. Early on, anyway. Practically inseparable. They intentionally decided to go to the same university. Everyone expected them to be roommates. Some people wondered if it would really work out or if they'd kill each other if they actually lived together. They were ultra-c
ompetitive about everything. It seemed to fuel their friendship, though no one understood how. Some people just thrive on competition.

  "But Dakota always ran second to Zach. Everyone thought if Dakota was better at just one thing than Zach, maybe they had a chance. Unfortunately, the only thing Dakota really had over Zach was a ton of money from his parents.

  "Zach was like valedictorian of his class and got a ton of scholarships. He was captain of the football team, baseball captain, and chosen as senior boy of the year. He took second place as athlete of the year to the only guy from the football team to get a Pac 12 scholarship.

  "Something happened between them at a party just after graduation. It was like Dakota finally snapped. Both of them were hammered. They got into some kind of a shoving match. Everyone thought they'd let off some steam, duke it out, and go back to normal. Like they had in the past." Sarah paused, frowning.

  "But this time was different. Dakota accused Zach of liking the spotlight so much that he would kill his own sister to get attention. Zach went crazy and beat the crap of him, like he really wanted to kill him. By the time they finally separated them, they had beat the crap out of each other. But, as usual, Dakota took a worse beating. Both of them would have been charged with assault, but their dads stepped in and smoothed things out.

  "When he sobered up, Dakota reportedly apologized. But Zach hasn't forgiven him." She paused. "No one can figure it out. Guys toss crap like that at each other all the time. It's just trash talk. And this was pretty mild. Zach doesn't even have a sister. Bizarre." Sarah shook her head like she was still trying to make sense of it.

  The expressions on the faces of the other girls were just as startled and riveted as mine had to be. Something as provocative and salacious as this couldn't be ignored.

  "Not forgiving his best friend over a stupid comment? That doesn't sound like Zach," I said. It made no sense.

  Sarah shrugged. "I know. Anyone who knows Zach thinks he's being ridiculously touchy. You know Zach, things usually just roll off him."

  Sarah shook her head like she didn't understand it either. "It has to be something deeper. They'd been competing for the same girl. It had to be about her. That's all anyone can think. But neither of them have ever said."

  That evening Kelly opened the doors to the house promptly at seven and welcomed the first wave of guests into our open house. As pledges, we stood in two lines on either side of the entry in a receiving-line kind of thing as our guests, an endless line of frat guys, streamed in. Within minutes of the doors opening, the house smelled like Axe cologne in all its variations.

  The members flitted about, served refreshments, and kept an eye on us to make sure no one quite literally stepped out of line. Calling the open house a meat market was a grave understatement. It was the meat market, the feel-you-up, rate-the-girls, and pick-your-mark event of the academic year.

  I was leered at, propositioned, asked for my number, and generally undressed with too many guys' eyes to count. The entire time, I was distracted by thoughts of Dakota and Zach's fight. It was about a girl. Who? And if they'd fight like that because of one, what was I getting myself into if I came between them?

  The lesser frats arrived first, staking their claim before open house hours were over. The event was an open invitation to anyone. Even Geeds. Not like many Geeds came through, though.

  It was open house night all over Greek Row. All of the sororities were holding open houses at the same time. The Tau Psis took their time about coming. Like they were flexing their muscles, holding us, the only sorority that could claim to be their equal, in anticipation. Or maybe they thought they were saving the best for last.

  Just when my feet were killing me from nearly two hours of standing on stiletto heels, and I was ready to be done, a ripple of excitement ran through the girls. I was the last girl in line, at the inner end next to the staircase, the last girl the guys came to before dispersing for refreshments. I heard whispers. Then I saw Dakota stroll in first. Being frat president had its perks.

  He looked especially hot in a T-shirt that showed off his muscles as Kelly greeted him like he was an old friend. Unbidden, an image of those muscles bunching as he threw insults and a punch at Zach raced through my imagination. Maybe it wasn't surprising I couldn't work up even a hint of chemistry for him. Zach stood between us in too many ways. Looking at Dakota was like appreciating a fine piece of art that simply wasn't to my taste. Intellectually, I could know it was good and I was supposed to like it, but still not want it cluttering up my room. Or my life.

  Kelly and Dakota chatted casually while his frat brothers waited on the sidewalk outside. It was a pure show of power by Dakota. When he began working his way leisurely down the line, he was all easy smiles and flattery. But beneath the charm, just like every frat guy who had come through, he was rating all of us like prime beef—six, nine, ten. I didn't really care what mental score he assigned me. I would be just as happy if he decided I was beneath his notice after all.

  The girls were as impressed with him as he was with himself, and eager to please him. And why not? Tall, broad-shouldered, naturally charismatic guys with power and status were the goal of every girl in the house.

  When Dakota reached me, his eyes lit up.

  I didn't give him a chance to speak. "Dakota Bradley, welcome to Delta Delta Psi." I extended my hand.

  When he took it in his, his dwarfed mine. "The girl does have a voice. A beautiful, melodic voice. I can't wait to hear you sing."

  I had no idea what he meant by that. "Then you'll be disappointed. I don't sing. I even mouth the words to 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'" I flirted back with him.

  "You'll sing for me." He didn't let go of my hand, holding it like he thought he could own me. His smug arrogance turned me off.

  "Will I?" I flashed him a smile I thought Kayla would use. There was no way I could insult, discourage, or put him in his place with the eyes of the members on me.

  He laughed. "Alexis Turner, I still don't have your number."

  Before he could whip out his phone, I leaned in and whispered my number in his ear. "Think you can remember it?"

  He let go of my hand, pulled his phone out of his pocket, typed a number in, and flipped the phone around for me to see. "I never forget a gorgeous girl's number."

  Even with so short a pause, the line of his frat brothers was backing up behind him. I glanced down the row of men. The house guys were coming through now, welcoming us. My heart raced as I spotted Zach.

  Dakota glanced over his shoulder toward the door and the houseboys. He frowned and his eyes narrowed. When he turned back to me, he was all seductive smiles. "I'll be calling you." He walked away, into the living room to talk with the members.

  Next to me, Sarah reluctantly passed her Tau Psi onto me. If felt like an eternity before Zach reached me. "What are you tonight?" I asked him. "Houseboy or classmate?"

  "Honored guest."

  The air between us fairly crackled with mutual attraction. It was all I could do to contain it. He gave me a brief hug, the kind he'd given each new pledge in line. Nothing special about it as far as I could tell.

  "You were Mr. Popular in class today," I whispered in his ear, trying to sound as teasing and flirty as I could. And keep the hurt out at the same time. I had my pride.

  "I'm a good guy to get to know in that class. Music is one of my many areas of expertise."

  "Along with humility?" I flipped back at him. "What are the rest?"

  "Wouldn't you like to know?" His tone was rich and full of suggestion.

  I flushed at the implications.

  He laughed, and heads turned to look at us. "You'll learn soon enough, pledge, to make friends with the smartest person in each of your classes. For studying purposes. Hang with the top students who can help you with your homework."

  "Sharing your secret to making the dean's list with me? I'm flattered."

  "It's no secret. Just common sense." He studied me, his face a mask. "Looks like you'
ve survived the meat market without too many bruises."

  I grinned at his use of the term. "Barely. Being a piece of meat isn't all that fun, I've decided."

  "Don't sweat it. All this effort will pay off soon. How many numbers have you collected?" His tone was teasing, like that of a big brother.

  I hated the way he switched to that mode, like I was just another one of the girls. Like he couldn't feel the heat between us like I did. I wanted to break through that façade so badly. But I couldn't tell him here to just drop it and be real with me. "None."

  "Really? Semantics. You gave out more than a few, though." He leaned in and whispered. "At least, you did if you were smart. The Double Deltsies expect it. Why do you think you're at the end of the line, you tempting little piece of tenderloin?"

  His question, and the searching look he gave me, flustered me. I hadn't really thought about it. All I could think was, Crap! Did he see me give Dakota my number?

  I glanced down the line toward the door, where Em was the first girl in line, and realized he was right—we were in order of preference. How could I have missed it? If Zach knew it, I was sure others had caught on. It was probably common knowledge among the frats. The target on my back had just gotten larger. I didn't reply.

  "Maybe I should call you prime rib from now on." His gaze held mine.

  "Don't you dare." Being so close to him, I could barely think.

  "Watch out for Dakota," he whispered. "The house will give you big points for catching his eye. Don't let his charm fool you. He has a temper. When his anger is up, he'll stab you in the back."

  Zach gave me a little, patronizing pat on the shoulder and walked off. I tried hard not to let my gaze follow him. If he thought he could dismiss me and the attraction between us like that, he was certifiable.

  When I got back to my room after the open house, two surprises waited for me. I had another clue from my big on my desk—a miniature football with the university logo. It was cute, and not much of a clue, but for some reason it sent a chill down my spine. My big liked football? No big deal. Who didn't? Or my big liked football players, particularly former high school quarterbacks?