Palm South University: Season 3 Box Set

by Kandi Steiner

  It’s like those sheets are covered in betrayal and lies and every breath is me suffocating in them, fighting for oxygen that doesn’t exist. I let the tears fall, choking on the toxic air and hugging my arms tight around my middle, as if they can somehow squeeze out the pain racking through me.

  I loved him.

  No, that’s a lie, because it implies past tense. I love him — here and now, writhing in sheets that smell like him and replaying the words he said that broke my heart — I still love him. It’s the worst feeling, to love someone who has hurt you. But love isn’t a pencil mark. It can’t be erased so easily.

  I wonder if I’ll ever be able to erase it at all.

  It’s with that aching thought that I cry myself into the worst sleep of my life.

  AFTER CASSIE, SKYLER, and Clinton leave, I’m basically alone with Jess and her date.

  Erin is here, too, but she’s pre-occupied, running around taking care of girls who are too drunk and getting in those last few good impressions before we vote for president. I know she’s going to get it — hell, we all do — but it doesn’t stop her from taking on the role of KKB Mom tonight.

  And then there’s me.

  Feeling amazing in a beige fit and flare dress that hugs my neck and dips down low in the back, with just a few strings tying it together, and rolling completely stag.

  It wouldn’t be so bad if my mind wasn’t focused on the absolute last person it should be — the one person I can’t have. I survived my internship, I only have two finals left and both of them should be easy as pie, I’m healthy and happier than I’ve been in a long time. By all accounts, I should be ecstatic tonight, but I can’t stop thinking about Brandon.

  “I think we’re going to head out,” Jess says, her hand around Greg’s as they come back to the table from where they’d been dancing.

  I frown, searching Jess’ eyes for a sign of the breakdown I know is coming. She loved Jarrett, and she may be trying to put on the tough bitch act, but I see right through it. “Okay. Are you guys going to be alright?”

  Jess smiles, but it’s weak. “Yeah, we’ll be fine. See you later at the house?”

  I nod, eyes softening. Jess just shrugs when Greg turns, heading toward where the first bus is loading up to leave.

  I love you, I mouth to her, and she smiles, offering a half-wave before following Greg.

  For a moment I just sit at the table by myself, sipping on my fruity cocktail and watching everyone on the dance floor. I could leave on the first bus, too, I suppose, but what would I be leaving for? Erin is still here, which means I’d be going home from my Semi-formal early just to sit alone in my room.

  And then it hits me.

  “Why can’t I be with him?”

  I actually say the words out loud before I clamp my hand over my mouth, smiling under it at my ridiculousness, but my mind keeps rolling the thought over and over. My internship is over, he’s not my boss anymore. Why couldn’t we have a thing, even if just a casual hookup thing, now that I’m no longer his employee?

  Checking the time on my phone, I jump up, motioning to Erin that I’m heading out before bolting for the doors. I bypass the bus and jump into the first taxi cab waiting, giving the address of the office to the driver as I adjust my makeup in my small compact mirror.

  Mykayla said he’s working late all weekend long, so I take the chance, saying a silent prayer that he’s still there while my stomach somersaults with every passing mile.

  I don’t have keys to let me into the building anymore, but luckily the night guard recognizes me and lets me in, walking me to the elevator in casual conversation. When the doors finally shut and I’m on my way up to the thirty-second floor, I feel so nauseous I actually press a hand to my stomach, trying to soothe it along with my nerves.

  Please, be here. Please, be here.

  When the elevator dings and the doors open, I shoot out of them, turning right immediately and jetting down the hall toward his office. His light is the only one on, and when I drop my clutch on a desk as I pass, he leans back in his chair, peering down the hallway with knitted eyebrows.

  Then his eyes go wide.

  It’s like the hallway is my runway, my heels carrying me down it like a force of nature — a hurricane heading straight for him. And just as fast as the surprise flits across his face, it’s gone again, and he’s standing, rounding his desk to meet me at the door with a hunger in his eyes so dark I shiver. He’s in the doorway just a split second before I am and then I’m in his arms, mine wrapped around his neck, our mouths crashing together like the first bolt of lightning.

  It’s like the universe around us bubbles out before zapping back into focus, pulling both of us into its gravity with a sizzling snap of energy. I can’t calm my breaths, panting louder and louder as Brandon’s lips move from mine down my neck, over my exposed shoulder, his hands frantic as he tries to untie my dress in the back.

  “I can’t figure this thing out,” he pants, kissing me again.

  “Leave it on.”

  Dropping to my knees, I rip at his belt and the buttons on his slacks until they’re loose, pulling his pants and boxer briefs down his legs in one swift motion. He doesn’t even have time to kick out of them before my hands are wrapped around his hard length, pulling him to my lips.

  Brandon groans as I swirl my tongue over his crown, flicking at the sensitive skin under it before dragging my tongue all the way down to his base with my eyes locked on his. He drops his head back with another moan, hips flexing into my hands. I’m high off the power he gives me, the power to make him lose control, the power to bring him to ecstasy with just my hands, my mouth, my body. It’s addicting, and I don’t want to let it go.

  Moving my hands from his shaft to his ass, I pull him in deep, guiding his hands into my hair to take control. He’s careful not to hurt me, working his hips slowly and pulling at my hair as I open my throat for him. When he hits the back and I gag, he curses, ripping me up from the floor and spinning me around until my palms are flat on his desk.

  Chills race up my thighs as I wait, lips already swollen and heart galloping full speed. Just being in his proximity lights my skin on fire, the anticipation of him touching me almost as pleasurable as the actual act of it.

  There’s a faint rip of a condom wrapper behind me and then his feet hit the inside of my ankles, making me spread my legs wider. One hand comes down on my back, pushing me flat to the desk, and then that same hand drags slowly down my back to the skirt of my dress, flipping it up and over.

  Brandon groans with appreciation, running his palm over the apple of my ass before smacking it with a force that has me biting my lip and stifling my own moan. He smacks it again and I gasp, arching off the desk until my back is pressed against his chest. With his lips tracing my neck, he slides one hand under my skirt, moving my lacy thong to the side enough to run a single finger along my wet slit.

  “Goddamn, you’re ready,” he breathes.

  “I’ve been thinking about you all night.”

  He grins against the skin at my neck, biting it with a growl. “Yeah? What have you been thinking about?”

  I blindly reach behind me, feeling along his thigh until I hold his hard cock in my hand again. “This,” I pant, stroking him against my ass. “And this,” I add, arching back until just the tip of him grazes my entrance.

  Brandon yanks back, dropping to his knees long enough to pull my thong to the floor before standing again, rolling the condom over himself. He takes one of my thighs in his hand, propping it up on the desk and pushing me forward until my chest is on the cool metal again. With one heel still planted on the ground and the other spread wide over the desk, he flips my skirt up, and then with one powerful thrust, he’s all the way inside me.

  I cry out as my hips hit the desk with the force, the sensation of being full combined with being in an open office overwhelming me. I suddenly realize anyone could walk in on us at any minute, but I don’t give a single flying fuck. Let the whole
world watch, for all I care. All I know in this moment is I want Brandon Church, and right now at least, he’s mine.

  Brandon smacks my ass before sliding inside again, his hands moving to the bend of my hips, holding on with a tight grip as he pounds me into the desk over and over again. My hands writhe on the edges of the desk, desperate for something to ground me as he lifts me higher and higher. I’m so worked up from not having him that I’m already close to coming, and he must sense it, because he pulls out long enough to flip me over, hiking my thighs up onto his forearms with my back on the desk before slamming into me again.

  It feels so dirty and forbidden — him still in his dress shirt and me in my dress, the bottom of it hiked up enough to allow him access to my pussy and nothing more.

  “This wasn’t supposed to happen again,” Brandon says, his voice a deep growl as he leans down over the desk. He captures my mouth with his, hips still rocking inside me, hitting me at a new depth with my hips angled up toward his like this.

  I whimper, so overwhelmed by the feel of him that I don’t have words. “Neither one of us are the type to follow rules.”

  He grins, kissing me again before lifting himself to standing again, still hitting me at the point of pressure I need the most. When I close my eyes, my climax just within reach, he runs his hand down over my breasts, my ribs, sliding it under my skirt to press his thumb to my clit.

  I gasp at the added pressure, and when he starts circling it faster and faster, still pushing into me, it’s the perfect combination to send me flying into the most powerful orgasm of my life.

  Arching up off the desk, I reach for his neck, pulling his mouth to mine and panting into his kiss as I ride out my orgasm. Every nerve is on fire, my legs trembling where they’re wrapped around him, and his hands fist in my hair as I finish. It’s the sweetest release, the one only he can give me, and I savor it every inch of the float down.

  “On your knees,” he says when my breathing evens out, lifting me from the desk to stand. I do as he demands, dropping to my knees with my eyes locked on his as I take him in my mouth again. My pussy is still throbbing between my thighs and I clench them tight, already ready for another round.

  His eyes close, head falling back as he guides my mouth over him. I work my hands in rhythm with my mouth, sucking and licking him closer and closer to climax. When his hips start moving slower, his hands fisted hard in my hair, I reach down and cup his balls, rolling them gently, and he lets out a guttural groan as he comes in my mouth.

  “Jesus Christ,” he moans, hands still in my hair as I swallow his release. When he’s finished, I sit back on my heels, looking up at him and licking my lips clean.

  He collapses on the floor next to me, leaning his back against the desk with a heaving chest. For a moment he just focuses on his breathing, his elbows resting on his knees, and I move to sit next to him. He pulls me under one arm, both of us silent for a while, but then he looks down at me, eyes dark and wild.

  “Why did you come here?”

  I wipe at the corner of his mouth where my lipstick stained it, erasing the violet smear with my thumb. “Because I wanted you. I wanted you so bad I couldn’t stand it, and then I realized I’m not your intern anymore.” I shrug. “I was in a cab before I could think any further than that.”

  The left corner of his mouth quirks up in a grin, his eyes roaming over me with appreciation. “You look thoroughly fucked.”

  I laugh, leaning up to kiss him. “That’s because I am.”

  He keeps his mouth on mine, hand framing my face as he kisses me slowly, his tongue rolling over mine in a soft rhythm. When he pulls back, his brows are bent again, eyes searching mine. “I have to tell you something.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  He pulls me into his lap until I’m straddling him, brushing my nest of hair out of my face. “Your manager came to me this past week, before you left, saying she wants to extend your internship another semester.”

  I blink, a mixture of emotions kicking in. On the one hand, that’s amazing — Mykayla said they’ve never invited an intern back for a second semester. But on the other hand, what does it mean that she suggested it, but I never heard of it until now?

  “I told her I would think about it,” he says. “And honestly, up until the very moment you walked out, I wasn’t sure I could do it. I wasn’t sure I could get a single ounce of work done if I had you around here for another five months.”

  My eyes drop to his chest. “I understand that.”

  “But you deserve to be here, Ashlei,” he continues, knuckles lifting my chin until my eyes are on his again. “So, I’m going to offer you the internship. I don’t want to let this… this lust between us get in the way of your career and your dreams.”

  “We can still be together,” I try, but he’s already shaking his head. “No one has to know. We can keep it a secret.”

  “And risk ruining the empire I’ve built and even more importantly, your reputation as a professional?” He runs his thumb along the edge of my jaw. “Ashlei, if someone found out about us, I would be judged, yes. People would probably call me a whole host of names, but at the end of the day, I would still be their boss, and they’d still respect me. But you?” His eyes soften. “Every opportunity you’ve had while you’ve been here, you’ve earned. But if anyone found out about us, it wouldn’t matter how amazing you are at your job. All of that would be erased in everyone’s mind and all they would see when they look at you is a girl who slept her way through her career. They would call you a slut and a whore and worse. And there would be nothing I could say or do to change their view of you.”

  “I don’t care what people call me.”

  “But you do care if people respect you,” he counters, and my chest deflates at the truth of it. “You’re a hard worker, one of the most impressive interns we’ve ever had. Don’t throw that away.”

  My eyes trace the stitching on his dress shirt again, fingers playing at the holes between the buttons. “So, what does this mean?”

  He sighs, pulling me into him and pressing his lips against mine. “It means I’m going to call you on Monday and offer to extend your internship. And if you take it, then this… we can’t happen again.”

  “What do you want me to say when you call?”

  He thumbs my cheek, a soft smile on his lips. “I want you to do what you would if I was just the CEO at a company you interned at for a semester, calling to offer you an opportunity not handed out lightly. And nothing more.” He motions between us. “This isn’t a factor to consider, Ashlei. You can’t let it be.”

  My heart breaks at his words, for selfish reasons I’m not even ashamed to admit. I want the internship, I want to keep moving forward in my career, but I want him, too.

  And I hate that I can’t have both.

  “Now, come here,” he whispers, pulling my lips to his again. With a gentle rock of his hips, I feel him harden between my legs. “If this is the last time I get to touch you, I’m far from finished.”

  “TO OUR BRAND NEW cap-ee-tan and fearless leader, Erin ‘Ex’ Xanders,” Jess says, lifting her margarita high in the air. “May you still remember how to party even in your role of responsibility.”

  “Here, here!” Skyler cheers, and the rest of the girls lift their glasses with a laugh as I do the same.

  “Seriously, congratulations, Grand Big. I’m so proud of you.” Cassie smiles, taking a sip of her drink before reaching for a chip.

  “Thank you, guys. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

  With elections and finals being over, it only made sense for all of us to get together one last time for margaritas and queso before going our separate ways for winter break. It’s tradition, spending the last hours of each semester together, and just like every other time, we’re all leaving PSU with a little more growth under our belts.

  After having my complete meltdown with Clinton at Semi-formal, I finally feel like I’ve completely shut down, like I’ve blocked out that par
t of my life and looked into the future. Getting revenge didn’t help me feel better, but I’m convinced that letting it all go and leaving it behind will. So, now that I’m president, I know I’ll have plenty of other things to focus on.

  Unlocking my phone as Skyler tells the girls about her poker tournament schedule for the break, I read over the unsent text I typed out to Clinton last night.

  - I’m sorry for how I acted, I know you’re just trying to help. Please… let me handle this the way I need to. It’s not your mess to clean up. -

  My thumb hovers over the send button and I finally push it, locking my phone as soon as the text is sent.

  “How are you holding up, Jess?” Skyler asks, switching the focus of conversation off of her. “It looked like you had fun with Greg at the dance.”

  “I did,” Jess answers quickly, stirring the ice in her nearly empty glass. “He’s really nice. I’ll be fine, it’s not like I expected me and Jarrett to last forever.”

  We all exchange glances, landing back on Jess with a deadpan expression.

  “What?!” She huffs. “I’m serious. It’s fine, guys. Cassie has more of a right to be upset than me right now.”

  It’s a shady attempt to change the subject again but it works, Skyler rubbing Cassie’s back. “She’s going to stay with me for a few days before heading home for break.”

  “You guys going up to your parents’ place?” I ask Skyler.

  She nods. “Yeah, we’re leaving tomorrow afternoon.”

  Cassie looks like absolute hell, like she hasn’t slept or eaten in weeks. Her face is pale, dark circles dulling her usually bright green eyes. “It just makes me sick to think about, you know?” she says softly. “He would be with her, touching her, and then lie in bed with me. It just feels so personal…”

  All of us wince at her confession, reaching out to squeeze her arm or rub her back.

  “He’s an asshole, and he doesn’t deserve you,” Ashlei says. “He’s just proof that some guys never stop playing games.”