by Blythe Reid
“Yes,” I said with an embarrassed laugh. “We’re ready.”
***
Thanksgiving dinner was delicious. My mom pulled out all the stops, making every American dish she could think of. Even though we’d lived in France for many years, it was still in her roots to celebrate the American holiday. Usually, it was just the two of us. I couldn’t remember the last time Grandmother joined us. It felt nice to have her and Lucien both there, celebrating alongside us.
Mom and Lucien cleaned up together, insisting that Grandmother and I rest. It was a shock to me because my mom always made me do chores. She was beginning to soften her rules where I was concerned, and I was grateful. Seeing me get my heart broken was enough for her to let up a little bit. She was still worried and concerned all the time, but she was also more understanding and kind than ever before.
I watched as the two of them did the dishes together. Mom was asking Lucien questions, and he answered them enthusiastically. I could tell how much they enjoyed getting to know each other. Mom seemed to really like Lucien, much to her surprise. She expected to hate him, but she couldn’t. Lucien was too charming. He wooed her just as easily as he wooed me. From the look on her face, she was extremely grateful to have him around. She talked his ear off the entire night.
While they spent time together, Grandmother and I caught up. It was such a short amount of time, but I hated being away from her. She told me all about Lucien’s visit and how she knew she could trust him.
At first, she wasn’t sure. She knew too much about the Delta Pi fraternity, and now, I understood. She was afraid that Lucien was just like the rest of them, but he wasn’t. He managed to prove himself to her, and she agreed to help him. She brought him to France so he could apologize to me in person.
“Here,” she said after we finished talking. “I brought you something.”
She reached beneath her chair and pulled out her purse. After rummaging inside it for a few seconds, she pulled out my old copy of Flames of Sorrow. It was the same copy I threw away in her house before I left. I stared at it in shock as I took it from her fingers. Running my hand over the cover, I smiled to myself. I never thought I would see this book again. I’d thrown it away out of spite and anger. I was hurt.
“I found it in the trash,” Grandmother said.
I nodded. “Yeah, I threw it out after Lucien ended things. I thought Mom was right, that love really didn’t exist.”
Grandmother reached over and took my hand. She glanced at Lucien who was still visiting with my mother and smiled to herself.
“True love does exist,” she said to me. “Even though it can hurt and break us, that doesn’t mean it isn’t real. The real thing sucks sometimes, Scarlet, but you can’t run from it. You can’t hide yourself away. That’s not how life works. You have to believe in love and in yourself. That’s the only way you’ll be happy.”
I hugged her quickly and then looked back down at my book. I’d forgotten all about it since I left New York. Somehow, I didn’t feel like I needed it anymore. I would hold onto it now, as a reminder of my grandmother’s advice, but I knew I wouldn’t read it again. I no longer needed to live vicariously through the couple in the book. Love finally existed in my reality, and I never wanted to run from it again. I never wanted to hide. I wanted to hold onto it with vigor and see where it would take me.
Chapter 29
Lucien
This was the biggest fundraiser in Delta Pi history and my first great act as President. It was my desire to spend my remaining time turning Delta Pi around and improving our reputation.
I couldn’t stand the fact that so many people saw us as playboy jackasses. It was a reputation we’d earned fairly, but one I was determined to rectify. This fundraiser was just the beginning. We were raising money for the Battered Women’s Shelter in New York. To me, it was the perfect way to make up for decades of Virgin parties.
Our reputation wouldn’t be fixed with just one fundraiser, but it was a start. We took a vote on it the day I returned from France. Most of the brothers were confused by my sudden change of heart, but they got on board quickly. The fundraiser vote passed easily, and we began planning immediately. It wasn’t long before everything was in place and the night was underway. So far, we’d made over ten thousand dollars, and the evening was just beginning. I felt confident we would make well over our goal before the event ended.
As I looked around the room, I smiled to myself. Things were turning themselves around. I felt proud of myself and of the fraternity. In time, people would begin to see us as philanthropists instead of womanizers. I knew we had generations to make up for, but all that mattered was that we tried.
I was thrilled when the fundraiser vote went through, but my second idea didn’t go over as well. Upon my return from France, I suggested we end the Virgin parties once and for all. I explained that they were holding us back from being a truly great fraternity. A few guys, like Adam, were instantly on board, but most were concerned. The Virgin Party was our oldest and strongest tradition. Not many brothers wanted to do away with it.
The vote hadn’t taken place yet, but I hoped it would soon. If I could end that one tradition before stepping down at the end of the year, I would consider my term as Delta Pi President a true success.
The fundraiser was in full swing. I made my rounds, mingling with all the important people in attendance. I made sure the brothers were doing their part to keep things happy and upbeat. Despite the fact that we were raising money for battered women, we wanted the evening to be a positive one. Our theme was hope, and we intended to fill as many hearts with it as we could.
“Looks like tonight is a success,” Adam said as I took a break from mingling. I stood off to the side of the room and observed.
“Hope so,” I said nervously. “We’ve never had an event like this before. I don’t know if we can pull it off.”
“We can,” Adam said with confidence. “Campus has been craving something like this for too long. Greek life here is a joke, and it’s time someone changed it. I’m glad it’s us.”
“Me too,” I said. “Do you think the brothers will get on board with disbanding the party? I’ve been worried about that a lot.”
“Don’t stress,” Adam advised. “All you can do is try, man. If the vote doesn’t pass, it doesn’t pass. At least there’s resistance now. Eventually, Delta will vote to get rid of it. If it’s not this year or next year, it’ll be soon. So many of the brothers are already antsy about it. It doesn’t feel right anymore, and they all know it. They’ll do the right thing.”
“I can’t say I share your confidence,” I said. “Not that long ago, I was one of them, remember? No one could have changed my mind.”
“But you did,” he pointed out. “If you, Lucien Wolfe, can change, then anyone can.”
“It’s all because of Scarlet,” I said laughing softly. “She changed me.”
It was true. I never would have moved forward with plans to change the fraternity if it hadn’t been for her. One night, in France, we stayed up talking into the night, and I told her all about my concerns. I admitted how ashamed I was of the Virgin Party and how much I wanted to get rid of it. She reminded me that, as President, I held some power over the brothers. She encouraged me to use it and even came up with the idea for the fundraiser.
She said she believed Delta Pi could fix its reputation if we just tried. I knew she was right, but that didn’t make the idea any less scary. Change is never easy, and when it comes to a fraternity as old as Delta, sometimes change felt utterly impossible.
“I’m glad you found her,” Adam said. “Scarlet’s good for you.”
“I know,” I said, grinning. “She’s amazing. You know, this whole thing was her idea. She told me not to say anything because she wanted me to take the credit, but it was all her. She thought of it and even came up with ways for me to do it. She’s brilliant.”
Adam laughed. “I can see that. Besides, we all knew she planned this. No on
e thought you were smart enough to pull this off.”
“Shut up,” I joked. “I was smart enough to win the presidency over you.”
“I didn’t want it,” Adam reminded me. “If I had, you wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
“Keep dreaming,” I laughed.
Adam pointed to the other side of the room, drawing my attention away from our conversation. Scarlet was standing in the entryway, wearing a stunning red dress that reached down to her toes. I was so damn glad she was back and that she had reenrolled in NYU. When she moved, it swirled around her ankles. She looked like a dream. I’d never seen a more beautiful woman in my entire life. My eyes were glued to her as she made her way across the room to join Adam and me.
“Hi boys,” she said nervously. She glanced around at the full room. “I’m sorry I’m late.”
“Don’t be,” I said, pulling her to me for a quick kiss. “You haven’t missed much.”
“Just Lucien bragging about you,” Adam said. “Which he does all the time. So that’s nothing new.”
Scarlet laughed. “I’m sure that’s not true.”
“Oh, please,” Adam said. “He literally never shuts up about you. It’s kind of annoying, to tell you the truth.”
“Shut up,” I said. I rolled my eyes and offered Scarlet my arm. “Let’s make the rounds.”
We left Adam to his own devices and circled through the room. I introduced Scarlet to everyone we passed, more than ready to show her off. When the event was finally planned, I found myself more excited about having Scarlet for my date than for the actual event. I knew I should feel guilty about that, but I didn’t.
She was gorgeous and brilliant. Anyone would have been lucky to be with her. I felt like a prince at a royal ball, parading his princess around for the whole world to see. It was the best honor I’d ever been given and it made the night that much more special.
After we finished making the rounds, we found a table to sit at. Scarlet’s feet were tired, and I needed a break from all the schmoozing. I checked the tally and saw that we’d already raised over twenty-five thousand dollars. I was in shock. No fraternity on campus had ever raised that much money in a single night. We would be in the papers for sure. I smiled as I realized our reputation was already improving. A few more events like this, and we would be the most well-liked frat on campus.
“What are you smiling about over there?” Scarlet asked, leaning into me.
“I’m just proud,” I said. “This event is going well, don’t you think?”
“Are you kidding?” Scarlet scoffed. “It’s amazing! You guys have raised so much money, I honestly can’t believe it.”
“It was all your idea,” I reminded her. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”
“All I did was make a few suggestions,” Scarlet said. “You did everything. You organized and planned the event. This was all you, Lucien. I can’t take credit for any of it.”
“You can,” he said. “No matter what I did, I did it all for you. You changed me, Scarlet. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it, I’m a new man because of you.”
She blushed deeply and placed a kiss on my lips. The kiss was soft and gentle, but it stirred something deep inside me. I felt myself harden, and I knew I needed to get a grip. This wasn’t the place to get excited, but I couldn’t help it. Scarlet looked sexy in that dress. I couldn’t tear my eyes from her body.
“I can’t wait for this thing to end,” I muttered. “So I can get you out of that dress.”
“Oh?” she asked playfully. “What makes you think I’m going home with you tonight?”
“Did you have other plans?” I asked with raised eyebrows. “Another date later perhaps?”
“Well, now that you mention it,” she said with a mischievous grin.
“That’s not funny,” I said, kissing her again. “You’re mine, Miss Scarlet. All mine.”
“I can live with that,” she said.
In that moment, the entire fundraiser melted away. I looked in Scarlet’s emerald eyes, and I lost all sense of time and space. I didn’t care that we were in a room full of people or that I was the host of this event. I didn’t care that our designated speaker was going on any minute now. Nothing mattered except the way Scarlet was looking at me.
I loved her so much, and I never wanted to lose her ever again. That little bit of time without her had been torturous. She was only gone for a short time, but I felt like I lost half of myself. I couldn’t be whole without Scarlet.
“I love you,” I whispered.
“I love you, too,” she said. We kissed again just as the speaker stepped on stage. Pulling ourselves together, we turned our attention to the stage and fell silent.
The speaker was a woman who had been helped by the Battered Women’s Shelter many years ago. She was a survivor who went on to better her life and help other women like herself. She truly was an inspiration. Scarlet was moved to tears by her speech, and I grew emotional myself.
As I looked around the room, I saw that many people were crying as well. Even some of the Delta brothers were wiping their eyes discreetly. I knew this event was a great idea. We weren’t just helping the fraternity, but we were helping people who really needed it.
After the speech was over, even more donations flooded in. We ended the night with over forty thousand dollars. No one could believe it. As the Delta brothers lined up to say goodnight to our guests, we thanked everyone profusely for their generosity. The fundraiser officially ended, and everyone went out to celebrate.
“You guys coming?” Adam asked as he was about to leave. “We’re all going down to Duke’s.”
Duke’s was a bar I loved, but I wasn’t in the mood for it tonight. All I wanted to do was get Scarlet home and in bed. She’d been teasing me all night with her sexy body and unfairly arousing dress.
“Not this time,” I said. “I’m exhausted.”
“Uh huh,” Adam said with a grin. “I’m sure you are. You two have fun.”
“We will,” I said.
With that, I took Scarlet’s hand, and we left the fundraiser hall together. The weather was chilly that night, so I wrapped my suit coat around Scarlet’s shoulders and held her while we walked through the city. We didn’t talk the entire way home. We didn’t need to. After everything, just being together was enough.
Epilogue
Two Years Later
Scarlet
Two years after graduation, Lucien and I were still going strong. We moved in together in a small house in upstate New York. It was close to his parents’ and my grandmother even moved into a home nearby. Everyone I loved was right around the corner, with the exception of my mother.
I missed her often, but we talked on the phone every day. In the past two years, we’d traveled back and forth between New York and Paris more than we did during my entire childhood. It was amazing how much our relationship had improved.
One morning, I was lying in bed next to Lucien. I was barely awake, my eyes squeezed closed against the bright morning sun, when I felt his lips on my shoulder. He kissed me softly, letting his tongue slide over my naked skin. He kissed over my collar bone and down to my breasts. When he reached my stomach, I was finally ready to be awake. My eyes flickered open, and I moved my hands to his hair. I ran my fingers through it slowly, enjoying the feeling of him as he continued to kiss me.
“That’s a hell of a way to wake up,” I mumbled.
He crawled up to kiss my lips. His body pressed against mine, and I could feel his cock growing harder against my hip. I moaned against his lips and wrapped my arms around him, holding him tightly to me. Our kiss intensified as we both woke up even more. Our bodies reacted easily to each other, grinding against each other and growing more desperate by the second.
Lucien’s hands were all over me, sliding beneath my tank top to grope my breasts, caressing my legs, and cupping my ass. I tugged at his t-shirt, yanking it over his head in one swift motion. Lucien sat up to pull his boxers o
ff, and I joined him, throwing my tank top and panties to the floor. Now fully naked, we collided again, kissing and tasting every inch of each other.
Lucien’s mouth was everywhere, moving so quickly I could barely think straight. He was licking my nipples, then kissing my stomach, then burying his face between my legs. I was trembling and panting with desire, my entire body alive with sexual energy. Unable to take his teasing for another second, I flipped us over and pinned him to the bed.
I returned his torture, kissing his chest and stomach before putting his cock in my mouth. I swirled my tongue around him, taking pleasure in his desperate grunts. When he was just about to finish, I released him and climbed back up to kiss his lips.
“You’re the devil,” he said playfully.
“You love it,” I teased.
“Come here,” he groaned.
He grabbed me and threw me backward on the bed. Taking my legs and throwing them over his shoulders, Lucien positioned himself above me. I was sopping wet and ready for him when he finally slid inside me. I gasped and moaned at the sensation. He wasted no time, taking me roughly. My breasts bounced mercilessly, and I screamed with pleasure twice before Lucien even showed signs of being done.
“God,” I breathed. “Oh my god, Lucien!”
“I love you,” he grunted when he finally succumbed to his orgasm. “I love you so much.”
I loved him too. A brief wave of fear rolled through me over not having a condom, but I let it go. I wasn’t interested in messing up the moment. We would figure it out later.
Lucien fell onto the bed beside me, pulling me against his chest. He kissed my sweaty forehead while my legs continued to shake uncontrollably. Lucien could always bring me to my climax multiple times. He was amazing in so many ways, and sex was just one of them.
“That was a hell of a way to wake up,” I said again. “Holy shit.”
“I’m so glad you enjoyed yourself,” he said, laughing.