by Rachel Shane
Of course. Layla had clearly pretended to be me to set up this performance. Fine then. If she wanted to screw me, I’d screw her right back.
I pulled the mic from Trevor’s hands and brought it to my lips. “Please remember, any bids received tonight are invalid. In order to join a house, you need to fill out the online form. We’ll be distributing house choices at the fundraiser in two weeks.”
I watched as a few of the girls who clutched Layla’s creamy bid envelops glanced at them in confusion.
So I added, “Anyone caught with a premature bid will be ineligible from joining a house.”
At once, hundreds of cards fluttered to the ground as the girls chose not to join Layla’s ranks. At least not yet.
OVER THE NEXT FEW days, I tried my best to avoid.
I avoided thinking of Trevor whenever I was with Keane, and I avoided thinking of Keane whenever I was with Trevor. For the most part anyway. Trevor and I recorded several more podcasts that excelled in flirty banter which immediately dried up as soon as the glowing red light dimmed. I always pushed myself out of the chair, shoved my hands in my pockets, and scrambled out of there before I gave in to my temptations.
Keane, on the other hand, stayed close whenever we were together working on plans for the Unlock Gala. He didn’t just want me to organize it. He wanted me to host it. And I couldn’t help being both flattered and equally excited. My brother was simply excited I was finally allowing him to stay with me for a weekend despite his begging for the last three years. I’m sure I could have gotten Key & Lock to pay for a hotel room just like they paid for flights, but I wanted as much money as possible to go into additional scholarships.
Robby showed up the day of the Gala the way he always did: like a tornado. Within twenty minutes of him staying at our house, the place was a mess. Candy wrappers littered the floor in a breadcrumb trail of all the places Robby walked. He tried to raid Harrison’s liquor stash despite the fact that it was only three o’clock in the afternoon and the last time Robby drank at a house party over the summer, he’d passed out after three drinks. He’d have to work up his tolerance before he got here, but that didn’t mean he had to start today. It was hard enough keeping the house clean with three other boys living inside, but at least those boys had girlfriends who threatened to withhold sex unless they picked up their towels off the floor. My threat to tell Mom and Dad on Robby fell on empty ears.
Still, Robby cleaned up nice for the Gala, donning his only suit and abandoning his signature sideways hat for combed hair. I wore a slinky black dress that hugged my curves while also accentuating them. I’d purchased it over the summer for fall formal but never got to wear it thanks to all the drama happening in the Greek System last semester. We simply never had a chance to plan a formal. None of the houses had one.
The Gala was being held in a fancy banquet hall in downtown Throckmorton, and Keane sent a limo to pick us up. I bit my lip, mentally calculating how much this cost and how it might make a dent in another scholarship. Robby’s eyes bugged out at the sight of it and he immediately plucked the complimentary vodka bottle from the side. I gave him a slight shake of my head but he ignored me, downing a swig and then cringing. “Okay, I admit,” he said out of nowhere. “You might actually be cool.”
I laughed. “Was there ever any doubt?”
“Always. All through high school. Hell, even yesterday. I mean, you still sleep with your retainer. In college!”
I nudged him with my arm. “I want to be a TV host. I need to have perfect teeth!”
He pressed a hand to his heart. “Don’t you dare tell me you floss twice a day or I’ll have to take back my compliment.”
I made a grand show of clamping my recently flossed teeth shut.
The limo pulled out of the driveway and stopped at the Key & Lock house. Keane loped outside, wearing a tuxedo that looked tailored just for him, and probably was. He looked amazing, so put together. My breath caught.
Robby followed my line of vision. “Oh jeez. You’ve got it bad.”
I blushed but didn’t deny it.
Keane slipped inside the limo along with a few other executive members of Key & Lock. They all shook hands with my brother and I marveled at how surreal this all was. Normally, we’d never be allowed to so much as glance at one another in public and here we were, splitting a cab essentially. Unlock was a good thing. It was exposing long buried secrets while still keeping them long buried.
Keane leaned into me, burying his face in my neck, his warm breath sending chills down my spine. “You look amazing.”
I couldn’t keep the grin off my face and Robby shook his head at me in shame.
Keane kept his hand on the small of my back as we got out of the limo, leading me inside like my own personal body guard. He smelled amazing, like sandalwood and cherries, and something else. Something purely man. Trevor always smelled like the aftermath of weed and booze mixed with destruction. The lobby of the banquet hall was packed with people, all dressed in their black tie best. Women in long flowy gowns decorated with thousands of Swarovski crystals. Men in the most expensive tuxedos. There was even a logo wall with media personal stationed in front, snapping photos of the celebs that made it out tonight to promote the fundraiser. Harrison was there, interviewing folks for The Daily Snowflake. He gave me a nod as I passed him. He’d promised to write up a positive article on us. After all, as far as he knew, I only got the hosting gig because of my podcast fame. Sometimes it was a good thing to know people in the right places.
All the celebs here tonight were alumni of Key & Lock. This was part of their duty. Part of their legacy. To support the new members’ endeavors and ensure their success.
I gasped at the decor inside the hall. I wasn’t on the decorating team, but Keane had clearly made sure the right people were. Silky gold fabrics of glitzy material draped from the windows and chair backs, giving the room an opulent, expensive feel. Fresh flowers in ivory sprung from gold vases on each table, the arrangements reaching several feet high. Fine china sat on white table cloths and waiters in black suits roamed the room, presenting steaming hors d’oeuvres on gold plates. Each item passed around looked and smelled like a culinary delight with an authentic Italian feel. Mini meatballs with a dollop of red sauce crowned on top. A thin slice of lasagna, perched on white ladle spoons. Chicken parm, speared on a skewer, cheese oozing off it. Bella winked at me as she carried a tray of miniature pizza pies.
“The food’s amazing,” I said, biting down on one of the lasagna spoons. Gooey cheese and spicy tomato sauce settled into my mouth. It felt like home. My chest twinged for Trevor, but I reminded myself not to think of him. Not while I was with Keane.
“Thanks to you.” Keane grabbed a mozzarella, tomato, and basil cube and popped it in his mouth, his eyes fluttering shut as he savored the gourmet goodness.
As promised, an ad for Pizza Guys (and Gal) was featured prominently in tonight’s program, which waiters also felt the need to present on platters. I watched as two A-list movie stars who were each nominated for Oscars last year bit into the meatballs and basically had face orgasms right there. A small swell of pride fluttered through me.
Robby swept the room, gobbling up as much food as he could find, flagging down waiters in an embarrassing way. A NY Times Best Selling Author with a series of seven books all made into hit movies sneered in disgust as he mowed her down for a prosciutto roll up.
Then finally Keane leaned into me, his lips close to my ear. “It’s time.”
My whole body shivered as he led me to the stage. As soon as I clutched the microphone in my tight grip, the entire crowd turned toward me. Every eye trained on me was prominent and held clout. This was my chance to impress. “Welcome to the inaugural Unlock Gala!” My voice boomed through the room, as loud and cheery as the smile punctured on my face.
A round of applause followed along with a single whoop of a holler from Robby, who stood in the front row, placing his hands on either side of his lips.
“But what is Unlock, you ask?” I read from the prompter Keane had set up for me. He really thought of everything. “It’s a scholarship program founded to help the students that need aide the most. It’s not academic-based. It’s not even based on merits. It’s purely a charity to help those with devastating personal stories that make it impossible for them to afford their college of choice. Take our first recipient for example, Robby Behr.” I flourished my hand toward my brother, who raced up on stage and outstretched his arms, whooping a fist into the air. “A few months ago, his dad lost his job, pushed out for someone younger and cheaper.”
A quiet murmur hushed through the crowd, faces down turned. “Then, depression struck. Robby’s dad wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t get out of bed, and could no longer provide for his family.” I strayed from the prompter on that one, putting my own spin on it. Keane’s jaw clenched and he shook his head at me. I kept going anyway.
“It’s a scary world we live in these days,” I said, my heart thumping. “Where someone can work for thirty years in an industry they love and it all fizzles into flames simply because he had too much experience to keep on the payroll. Sometimes I think we’re all crazy for trying to torture ourselves that way, going into these industries that are already shutting us out.” My throat tightened.
The crowd started looking at each other. Keane stormed toward me, his face a mask of anger.
I pasted a smile on my face and read from the prompter again. “But we can help those people who need the leg up, whose doors were closed simply because their parents could no longer hold them open. Robby’s parents are bleeding money on a mortgage they can no longer afford, a forced retirement they’re scrambling to pay for, and a lifestyle they’d grown accustomed to that they can’t sustain.”
Keane relaxed, his features sliding down into a mask of composure.
“It’s been Robby’s dream to follow in his sister’s footsteps here at Throckmorton. My footsteps. And Unlock is thrilled to give him this opportunity.” I leaned in conspiratorially to the crowd. “And before you get any ideas, he applied for the scholarship anonymously and was chosen by our careful vetting process, fair and square. This isn’t nepotism. This is saving someone in need.”
The crowd tentatively applauded before growing louder.
“So Robby, please accept the first official scholarship doled out by Unlock.”
The cheers increased.
“But he’s not the only first recipient. Tonight, at colleges across the country, other Unlock Galas are beginning. Other students in need are receiving the chance of a lifetime. An open door. At Waverly University, a girl named Reagan Caridi is receiving a similar scholarship. Just last month, she learned her mother blew her college savings on booze and drugs. But Reagan shouldn’t suffer for her mom’s mistakes. And she won’t, thanks to us.”
I went on, reading through the sob stories Keane had plucked from the applications at the other colleges.
When I finished my speech, the crowd erupted in applause. And then I went in for the kill. “Thank you, thank you all for coming. For those of you who would like to offer a donation, please join our founder, Keane Fitzsimmons, in the Oak Room across the hall.”
Keane swept off the stage and half the room departed to follow him. My heart swelled at the crowd that trailed after him. People really believed in this. They wanted to give their money for a good cause. Robby would go to college because of Keane.
How could I continue with a trivial podcast that would only ever help my career—well, and Trevor’s—when Unlock would help the world?
“KEEP ‘EM CLOSED,” TREVOR said, pressing his hands against my jammed eyelids. We’d walked through a deserted park for over a mile, my feet tripping over fallen branches and crunched leaves. A cool breeze whipped my hair around my face. Trevor insisted I keep my eyes closed the entire time, him guiding me the whole way and lifting me whenever I almost fell.
He’d told me he had a surprise for me, something else about the town he wanted me to see now that the snow had all but melted and the breeze had turned warm rather than icy. My stomach lurched with every step. I’d gone here for an entirely different purpose—because I had to tell him my decision. Unlock. Not him.
The gurgle of rushing water roared in the distance and the air turned slightly crisper. “Pretend you don’t hear that,” Trevor warned, and I laughed. God, he was so fucking cute. It made me sad that the public didn’t know this side of him. The charming side.
We turned another bend, my feet crunching over dirt, and then we abruptly stopped. He placed his hands on my shoulders and tilted my body, positioning me in a different direction toward the hard rush of water. “Okay, open.”
My eyes popped open, expecting to see a waterfall based on the undeniable evidence of smell and sound, but the sight still took my breath away. I always thought of Throckmorton as dreary and gray, a hole in Upstate New York that only received sun about one month a year, exactly when school ended. The students always had to improvise, donning shorts in forty degree weather because that was as good as it ever got. But here was something amazing. Something hidden. Something buried in the depths of what Throckmorton had to offer. Like Trevor, Throckmorton only ever presented its worst side to the public, the belligerent side. But they were both hiding this fun, amazing side.
Water plunged from the top of an apex, falling into foamy bubbles at the bottom of a steep drop. A rainbow clung to the front of the stream where the sunlight hit the water about midway down. We stood above the falls, looking down on it, only a few rocky boulders and leafy green trees blocking our path. It was a hidden view. Below, I could see a bridge that crossed the pool by the waterfall but we had a secret view. We were spying.
“Wow, it’s amazing.”
“I know.” He pushed my hair behind my ear, gazing at me in a way that made me think he wasn’t talking about the waterfall but about me.
I blushed, and then flinched. Because I had to tell him my decision. I had to end this ruse.
“There’s something else,” Trevor said, squaring his shoulders, as if he needed extra courage for what he was about to say. “Another surprise.”
I braced for his words, my stomach clenching.
But he turned to me with a grin that stretched from ear to ear. Nearby, a bird cawed, crooning a song that acted as Trevor’s backup vocals. But he had the whole show to himself. “I got a job.”
A smile jumped to my face even as my stomach dropped through the floor. Because this meant he really was leaving. The podcast would end. And I’d never see him again. With a fierceness I hadn’t realized before, I knew I didn’t want that. I didn’t want him to go.
“And I got you a job too.”
My head perked up, and I squinted at him. “Wait. What?”
“It’s at the Music Nation network, a hosting gig. They’ve got a new a music countdown show for the top songs each week plus celeb guests and interviews and some crazy antics. They wanted me to host. Solo. I told them no.”
I swallowed, my heart thumping.
“I told them no unless they gave you the job too. Co-hosts.” He grabbed both my hands, lacing his fingers between mine. “Erin, they said yes. We’re going to host the show together.”
A nervous flutter warmed my belly. He got me a job. He got me a future.
“It’s for the summer only right now but if it does well, it could get picked up for season two next summer. I explained that you had to finish school next year and got that written into the contract. I knew you wouldn’t want to leave Throckmorton early.”
“You�
�you did this for me?” A tingling sensation spread across my flesh.
“For us.” He raised a brow at me. “So, what do you say?”
The whole world tilted, finally sliding into clear focus. Keane wasn’t my future. My future was right here, in front of me, telling the truth the entire time. The only person lying about their intentions was me, to myself. Trevor was the one I’d fallen in love with. Keane was just a failsafe, the other shoe, a backup plan in case Trevor proved to be the asshole the media made him out to be. But I knew the real Trevor. He wasn’t a jerk at all. He was amazing.
I believed him.
I crossed the two feet that separated us and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him close, my decision made. Trevor was mine. “I say yes.”
Trevor pressed a delicate kiss against my hair before trailing his lips down down down until he brushed them against mine. A tingle spread from where he nipped my lower lip. My mouth grew more insistent against his, pressing harder. We stumbled backward, my back scraping against a tree. Suddenly we were all hands and animal instincts, pawing at each other. I let out a moan when his mouth slid to my neck, and he sucked gently there. My skin pulsed, hot fire erupting across my chest and shooting downward. My own greedy hands scrambled for his belt buckle.
His mouth seized mine again, hungry, fierce. I swirled my tongue around his as I let go of all my qualms, all my inhibitions. I’d needed to choose and this was my choice. Him. All of him.
His warm fingers clambered for the bottom of my shirt, tugging so hard he nearly ripped the fabric to get it off me. I fumbled for his buttons, sliding each one through in desperation, a race against a ticking clock because I was so into him, I thought I might explode before he ever laid a finger on me. I’d only gotten a taste of his finger earlier. I needed more than a taste this time.