by Hamel, B. B.
I shoot him a look. “That’s not true.”
“No? I figured they were all rich girls. Not worth our time.”
“Some of them are nice.”
“Sure,” he says softly. “Some of them always are. But it’s the not-so-nice ones that set the tone for everyone else.”
I bite my lip and I hate to admit that he’s probably right about that. It’s the mean ones that get to dictate how happy everyone else is.
He looks over at me and moves closer. My heart suddenly beats faster in my chest. He’s a handsome man, a big man, a muscular man. He looks hard and sexy and I realize that I want to be alone with him. I shouldn’t, but I want it.
He cocks his head. “Maybe tonight wasn’t such a waste after all,” he says softly.
“Maybe,” I answer with a little shrug, but I’m trembling and I hope he can’t see it.
I want him to kiss me. The thought strikes me hard and sudden. I want him to kiss me deep and slow until my knees buckle and my heart sinks in my chest. I want him to pull off my clothes, kiss my throat, run his fingers down the small of my back. I know he can do it, I can see it in the way he looks at me, with a little hunger in his eyes.
He leans closer, hand sliding to the small of my back. His fingers curl and he pulls me against him. I put my hands on his muscular chest and look up into his eyes.
His full lips part. I know he’s going to do it. I know he’s going to kiss me.
But instead, he stops. He looks pained for a second. I blink up at him, breathing fast. “It’s okay,” I whisper.
He turns away suddenly. “Sorry,” he says. “I have to go.”
“Wait,” I say, but he’s already walking to the door.
He looks back at me. “Kylee,” he says softly. “I’ll see you again soon.”
And without another word, the gorgeous stranger disappears and leaves me alone in the room.
I stand there, totally shocked, not sure what to think.
He was inches away. He was going to kiss me, I just know it. He wanted to kiss me as much as I wanted him to do it. Instead, he pulled back and just…. left me here.
It’s bizarre but, here I am. I don’t know what I did wrong.
Maybe I didn’t do anything wrong. Maybe I just misread the moment.
I sigh and look around. My eyes fall onto a bottle sitting on the table nearby.
I grin a little. I hadn’t even noticed him leave it there.
I walk over, pick it up, and take a drink. Underneath it is a card, plain white, with just a phone number embossed in black on top.
Maybe the night isn’t such a waste after all.
2
Walker
None of this was my idea.
I know, I know. It’s easy for me to say. I can make any excuse I want, but at the end of the day, I’m a part of this mess.
I resisted at first. Made a fucking stink. Fought back. But in the end, here I am, on this goddamn campus, sponsoring some fucking girl I barely know and never see.
I can complain all I want, talk about how unfair this is, how broken this system is, but I’m a part of it at the end of the day.
Sucks to suck, I guess.
There’s only one good thing right now though. As I walk down a shady path toward Dean Trim’s office, I keep thinking about her with a little smile on my face.
I didn’t expect to meet someone like Kylee. As soon as I saw her, I felt that fire in my gut all over again. I felt it spark to life and I just knew I was going to have her. I was going to taste her.
But when the moment came…
I couldn’t do it. Not because I was worried or afraid, but because I’m still sponsoring someone else. I can’t taste that girl if I’m supposed to be with another one.
Aylin Green was my father’s choice. My father and Aylin’s father want some kind of incredibly old-school marriage alliance to bring our two families closer together. My father owns some of the largest, best producing oil wells in Texas, and her father owns the same but up in Alaska.
I guess they think they can own half the entire American oil production, if only their stupid children would get married.
I barely know Aylin. I met her once, the first day of the semester. My father threatened to have my knees broken if I didn’t show up to it and I guess I believed him. The girl was fine, boring, spoiled, and I talked to her for maybe ten minutes.
After that, I haven’t seen her much over the years. She’s still sponsored technically, but I don’t come to campus if I can ever avoid it.
That party last night though, that was another thing my father forced me into. I’m starting my own business. I bought a well, my own oil well, with money I earned fair and square. But he threatened to run me out of business if I didn’t start playing along, and I know he’d do it, too.
So I showed up, made nice, but barely even looked at Aylin all night. I figured I’d hang around, get drunk, and get back to work in the morning.
Except then I met Kylee and that changed my plans.
Dean Trim’s office is in the administrative building, this quaint-looking ivy-covered stone thing on the edge of the lake. I enter through the front and an older woman with dark glasses gives me a stern look.
“Appointment?” she asks.
“Walker Cox here to see Trim,” I say.
She frowns at her computer. “You’re not scheduled.”
“I need to see him now if he’s available.”
She goes to argue but suddenly a door off to the side opens. “Is that Walker?”
Dean Trim’s an older man with a bald head. He looks out at me with a big, fatherly smile. He’s always smiling that stupid grin, like he’s a kind man, even though he oversees one of the biggest and strangest marriage games in the world.
“Trim,” I say. “I want to talk about my sponsorship.”
He nods, still smiling, and ushers me into his mahogany-paneled office. I sit down in a big leather seat as he lowers himself down behind his desk with a sigh.
“What’s on your mind?” he asks me.
“I want to stop my sponsorship of Aylin.”
He arches an eyebrow, murmurs something to himself, then opens a drawer. He takes out a bunch of folders, flips through them, and finally stops on one. “Ah, yes, here we are. Aylin Green.” He clears his throat. “I believe this was the match your father wanted, yes?”
“And it’s no longer needed.”
“Mhmm,” he says, meeting my gaze. “Are you sure about that?”
“I’m sure.” I meet his gaze without flinching.
“And who are you choosing as her replacement?”
I hesitate just a second before answering. “Nobody.”
He laughs. “You have to choose someone, that’s just how this works.”
I want to say her name. It’d be so easy. But no, not just yet.
“For now, nobody,” I say. “I need time to find another.”
“Very well then. You’re the sponsor, you can do what you want.”
I nod once and stand. “Anything else?”
“Just one thing.” Trim clears his throat. “Your father is a pushy man. When you were signed up for this, he came to see me. He said something to me that it would be irresponsible not to mention to you.”
I nod once. “Get it over with.”
“He said that if you ever changed your mind, to tell you that he has–” Trim clears his throat again, “your balls in his hand.”
I clench my jaw and stare at Trim. “Is that all?”
“Sorry,” he says with a shrug. “That’s all.”
“Fine.”
I turn and leave that office feeling fucking sick.
None of this was my idea. I didn’t want any of it. But that doesn’t mean I get to just ignore it all and pretend like it’s not happening.
Besides, I found something nice last night.
The more I think about Kylee, the easier it is to forget about my father, about Trim, about Aylin, about the whole fucki
ng game.
I get outside and wander around until I find a bench that’s in the shade. Poor Aylin is probably getting evicted from the sponsored dorms as we speak. She’s going to go apeshit and I’m sure she’ll call her father who will call my father. I’m sure I’m in for some threats soon.
Doesn’t matter. I already made up my mind.
My phone starts to vibrate and my heart leaps for a second, but no, it can’t be him already. I slide it out of my pocket and smile as I check the message.
You left your bottle last night, the text says.
Did I? Guess I’m forgetful.
You can have it back, if you want.
Come give it to me then.
When and where?
I’m grinning to myself. This is going exactly like I planned.
I figured once I left that bottle and the note, she’d find some pretext to message me. I hoped it would be sooner, but now is as good a time as any.
I’m still around. Meet by the lake? There’s a dock with a green buoy at the end of it.
She writes back right away. I know that one. Right now?
Right now, I send. See you soon.
I’m smiling as I get up and start walking. The dock isn’t far away. I found it a year ago when I was on campus appeasing my father. Instead of spending time with Aylin, I sat on the dock and thought about how I can grow my business without getting crushed by my asshole father.
Finding the dock is easy enough. Luckily nobody else is around even though it’s a nice morning. I take off my shoes, roll up my pants, and sit down at the end, feet dangling in the water. It’s cold but it feels good as I lean back on my hands.
I don’t have to wait long. I hear her approach before she says anything.
“Still hanging around campus, huh?”
I look over my shoulder. Kylee’s standing there at the end of the dock, arms crossed over her chest.
“You forgot the bottle,” I say.
She shrugs. “Whoops.”
I grin at her. “It’s cool. I knew that was a pretext.”
She doesn’t even pretend. She walks over and hesitates before taking off her shoes, rolling up her jeans, and sitting next to me.
I glance at her, a little surprised. Long, thick blonde hair, light green eyes, light skin with a dash of freckles across her nose. She looks prettier, somehow, not in that formal outfit she had on last night. Tight dark skinny jeans, tight t-shirt that shows off her perky breasts… fucking hell, I’m thinking about undressing her already.
I didn’t kiss her last night because I was sponsoring someone else. But now, I’m free.
“You said something to me last night,” she says finally.
“Oh, yeah? Something charming?”
“Not really.” She chews on her lip. “About the sponsored dorm.”
I frown a little bit. “Is that why you texted me?”
“Why are there places to watch people?”
I clear my throat. I don’t really want to get into this. Gradus has a long and dark history beyond the game and I’d rather not be the one to break the news to her.
“I don’t really know,” I say.
“I don’t really believe you.”
I sigh. “Look, Gradus is fucked up, okay? You don’t need to dig any deeper than that.”
“One of my friends is sponsored,” she says softly. “Another one is desperate to get there. I want to know if there’s something dangerous happening.”
“Aside from the fucking marriage game they play here?” I laugh and shake my head. “You don’t need any more danger than that.”
She glares at me. “Don’t be an asshole.”
“Don’t pretend like that’s why you’re here. I get it, you needed an excuse, but you really wanted to come see me.”
“Are you always this arrogant?”
“Usually, yes.”
She rolls her eyes. “Look, just tell me what you know.”
I hesitate a second before sighing. “I don’t know much. The sponsors have a lot of power at Gradus. They’re the ones funding everything and the administration gives them a lot of leeway to do more or less what they want.”
She arches an eyebrow. “Anything they want?”
“To a point,” I say. “I suspect the sponsored dorm and all the parties are mainly for the sponsors to find new girls if they want. That’s probably why the observation rooms exist, for the sponsors to watch the girls and to pick ones they might want.”
“Creepy.”
“Yep.” I sigh and stretch. “But I don’t think your friends are in danger, if that’s what you’re really worried about.”
She chews her lip again, clearly a nervous habit, and nods. “Okay. That makes me a feel a little better.”
I watch as she pulls her knees up to her chest and rests her chin on them.
“Look, you should know something,” I say softly.
“What?”
I hesitate suddenly. I don’t know why but I get the distinct feeling that if I tell her that I’m a sponsor in this moment, she’s going to run away.
So instead, I move closer to her. I look into her eyes and she picks her head up, meeting my gaze. I reach out and take her hair in my hands gently.
“I left that number on purpose,” I say softly. “I wanted you to text me.”
“I know you did.” She grins at me. “It was obvious.”
“And here you are.”
She doesn’t move as I get closer. I can smell her, practically taste her already.
And I don’t hold back this time. I press my lips against hers and kiss her slow and deep. I feel a sharp tinge of excitement in my gut, my whole body tingling with mixed desire and need.
God, this is what I needed. The way she moves against me, turning her body so that her feet drop back in the water and her arms wrap around my neck. She kisses me back and I can practically hear her moaning in my mouth as the kiss lingers longer and longer.
Slowly we break apart. She’s breathless, staring at me. I can’t help but smirk at her, tighten my grip in her hair.
“This is why you really came here,” I whisper. “To finish what we started.”
She bites her lip for a second before suddenly pulling away. I release her hair as she gets to her feet.
“I should go,” she says.
“You don’t have to run,” I answer.
She glares at me but doesn’t deny it. “Thanks for telling me about… you know.”
“Any time,” I say. “If you want to talk Gradus some more, you know how to reach me.”
She starts to walk away, down the dock, and stops. She turns back to me. “You never did say why you were there last night. Friend of a sponsor?”
I grin at her. “Nope. I am a sponsor.”
Her eyes go a little wide. Maybe I should’ve held that back but I couldn’t keep it from her anymore. I’m not going to start this out on a lie.
“You’re… what?”
“I’m a sponsor. How do you think I know so much?”
She takes a step back. “Wait… you’re… who’re you sponsoring?”
“Nobody, not anymore, not as of this morning.”
She stares at me with horror and shock and…
Desire. I think that’s desire. I cock my head with a smirk on my lips as she turns without another word and practically runs back toward campus.
I watch her go. I knew that would freak her out but I’m not doing this the wrong way. If I’m going to be in this game, in this place, at least I’m going to play by my own rules. Even if that makes things harder.
3
Kylee
I sit in my room and stare out the window like a moron. I’m glad my roommate, a nice, quiet girl named Macey, isn’t around. I bet she’d think I’m some sort of crazy person, just staring out at the rain.
I kissed a sponsor. That wasn’t my intention of course. I didn’t know he was a sponsor when I first met him and I definitely didn’t realize it when I decided to kiss hi
m. I mean, I was flirty and kind of made all that happen, but still… I didn’t know.
God, what a mistake. I don’t hate myself for it but if I could go back and maybe, you know, not kiss a sponsor, I think I just might.
That’s been my whole thing since coming to this school. I need to avoid all the drama and the insanity around the whole sponsoring situation, and kissing one isn’t exactly the way to get that done.
As I sit there, I can’t help but glance over at my laptop. I hesitate for a second, but soon I find myself pulling it over into my lap, opening the lid, and typing his name into Google.
Of course, it takes me a while to figure out exactly which Walker he is, but soon enough I’m staring at pictures of Walker Cox in Google Images and wondering what the heck I just got myself into.
The one article I keep coming back to is from a couple years ago, but the headline reads, Oil Baron’s Son Has More Girlfriends than Sense.
The article itself isn’t exactly better. Basically, it’s on some gossip blog that focuses on B-list celebrities in Texas, and apparently that includes Walker. The article talks about Walker starting his own oil business despite his father’s warning, dating multiple different women, basically being a rich player that doesn’t like following the rules.
He’s everything I’m not supposed to want. I need stable, secure, normal… not some rich asshole. I don’t need a sponsor in my life, let alone one that doesn’t seem like he wants to play by the rules.
I sigh and slam my laptop lid. I wince a little bit before tossing it aside onto my bed. I get up, throw on some flip flops, and head out into the hall.
Fortunately, Jenna’s door is propped open, the universal dorm symbol for “come in if you want.” I pop my head in and look around.
Azrael is sitting at her computer, her dark hair pulled up in a messy bun. She looks over at me and cocks her head.
“What’s up?” she asks.
I hesitate before stepping inside. Jenna isn’t around and although I’m friends with Azrael, I’ve always been more comfortable with Jenna. But still, maybe Az would be good in this situation. Her advice is always blunt and honest, at least.