by Hamel, B. B.
I sit down on Jenna’s bed. “You busy?”
The dark-haired girl shrugs. “Not really. Just slaying some asshole Alliance losers.”
I look at her computer screen. Az is obsessed with World of Warcraft.
“Sounds… fun?”
She grins at me. “Have you ever played a video game in your life?”
“No,” I admit. “Well, when I was younger I played Mario Kart.”
“Right.” She sighs and closes her laptop lid. “You look like you want to talk.”
“Am I that obvious?”
“Yep.”
“Okay then.” I sigh and lean back against the wall. “It’s that guy I met at the party.”
She nods a little. “Hot one. I remember him.”
“You thought so?” I ask, feeling a little too eager.
“What’s wrong with him?” she asks, avoiding the question.
“Well, it’s just…” I hesitate a second. I’m not sure I should tell her or anyone really. Whenever a girl gets involved with a sponsor, that’s like putting a target on her back. But Az never seemed like she cared about that sort of thing. “He’s a sponsor.”
She aches an eyebrow. “So?”
I blink, a little surprised by her reaction. “I didn’t know,” I say quickly. “I mean, I don’t want to get involved with a sponsor, or anyone really, but especially not a sponsor.”
“What’s wrong with a sponsor?”
I gape at her. “I mean, you know.”
She stares at me flatly. “Enlighten me.”
I take a deep breath and shift a little uncomfortably. “Well, you know what these guys want. The school’s called Baby Daddy University, after all. I’m not exactly sure getting pregnant is going to be the best thing for my education.”
That actually makes Azrael laugh a little bit. “Good point.”
“And, you know. As soon as any girl here shows even a little interest in a sponsor, suddenly everyone else is gunning for her.”
“Bitches be crazy,” Az says sagely, nodding a little.
I stifle a laugh. “Plus, he’s a little… I don’t know. Different.”
“Different isn’t bad.”
“No, but he’s a player. A rich playboy billionaire asshole.” I laugh a little. “Like straight out of a romance novel.”
Azrael shrugs. “Sounds good to me then.”
“So you think I should see him?”
“I don’t know,” she admits. “I haven’t met him. I guess the question is, do you want to?”
I actually hesitate a second. “I’m not sure,” I admit. “I met with him earlier and we kissed and–”
“You kissed a sponsor?” Azrael laughs. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“I didn’t know at the time,” I point out.
“That makes more sense.”
I glare at her. “Can we stay on topic and not, you know, talk about how much of a loser I am?”
“We can try.”
I roll my eyes at her. “I just don’t think getting involved with a sponsor is the best thing for me right now, you know?”
“Maybe,” she says softly with a little frown. “You know, I wasn’t sure about Jenna and Brady at first, either. But then I saw them together and I realized, it doesn’t matter if he’s a sponsor or just some random guy at a bar. If you have a connection, that’s something worth pursuing.”
I frown at her, pretty surprised. Azrael always seems like such a cynic, but that was almost… romantic.
“I didn’t know you felt that way,” I say.
“Look, we’re at an all-girls school. There aren’t a lot of men around. Just because I’m not with any right now doesn’t mean I’m not interested in them.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to–”
She waves me away. “It’s fine. Really, just forget it.”
We lapse into a short, uncomfortable silence. Her words are spinning through my head though and I can’t help but feel like they make some sense.
It doesn’t matter who he is. If we have a connection, that’s what counts. We don’t always get to choose where we meet the people we’re meant to be with, but when it happens, we have to be brave enough to grab on and to refuse to let go. Maybe Walker isn’t my happily-ever-after, but maybe he’s my happy-right-now. That could be okay with me.
“Thanks, Az,” I say finally and stand up.
She shrugs. “Sure. Whatever. Just so you know, I bet Jenna would say the same thing.”
“I’m sure she would, but she’s biased.”
“You did come here looking for her opinion, right?”
“True,” I say.
“Sounds like you already made up your mind and just wanted a little confirmation.”
I sigh and shake my head, grinning. “You don’t sugarcoat anything, do you?”
“What’s the point in that?” She turns back to her laptop, opens the lid, and start clicking away again. I can tell she’s in full-on game mode and probably won’t bother answering me anymore, so I sneak back out through the door.
I head back to my door. Macey’s back, sitting on her bed with a thick book in her lap. She smiles up at me as I enter but goes back to studying right away. She’s a quiet girl with brunette hair and big glasses. She mostly keeps to herself. We’re friendly and all that but we’re not exactly close. It’s fine by me, I don’t need to be my roommate’s best friend and she doesn’t seem to need that, either.
I sit down at my little desk and curl my legs up under me. I fiddle with my phone, frowning down at the screen, but it suddenly starts to vibrate before I can decide to do anything.
It’s a phone call. And it’s from him.
I stare at it, a little freaked out. It’s like he already knew that I was thinking about texting him and he decided to make the first move instead.
I hold the phone up to my ear. “Hello?”
“Kylee,” he says, his voice deep and butter smooth.
I bite my lip, remembering the way it felt to have his lips against mine down by the lake, the water splashing up against the dock. “What’s up?” I ask him.
“I have some good news,” he says.
“Oh, yeah? Decided not to be a sponsor anymore?”
He laughs. “The opposite, actually.”
My stomach twists. “What’s that mean?”
“Well, I can tell you don’t love the idea of letting a sponsor kiss you, so I thought I’d make the whole thing… easier.”
I bite my lip, very nervous. “What did you do?” I whisper.
His chuckle sends a thrill down my spine, both of anxiety and desire.
“As of a few minute ago, you’re the girl I’m sponsoring now,” he whispers.
I think I might throw up.
“No,” I say.
“Sorry,” he answers. “That’s not an option.”
“No,” I say again. “No way. I never agreed to that.”
“You know how this works,” he says. “You don’t have to agree. It’s already done.”
I stare at my desk in horror, not really seeing anything. I was ready to let myself see him, to spend more time with him, hell, to make out with him. But this? I never, ever, ever was going to let him sponsor me. Not in a million years.
And now he did it all on his own.
“You can’t,” I say. “I don’t want it.”
“Too late,” he says, laughter in his voice. “I know this freaks you out right now, but you’ll learn to like it. Hell, you’ll love your new apartment.”
“Oh, god,” I groan. I can’t imagine moving into that sponsored dorm, not after he showed me how the sponsors can spy on the girls.
“Relax,” he says. “You’re going to love it, trust me.”
“You asshole.”
Anger suddenly flares up inside of me. The horror gets pushed back, at least temporarily.
“Don’t be too angry,” he says, still laughing. “I promise I’ll be good to you.”
“Just because we made o
ut once doesn’t mean you own me.”
“I beg to differ.”
I clench my jaw. “Listen, asshole–”
“No, you listen. You’re moving into that apartment. Maybe not right now, but you are.”
“Never. Leave me alone.”
“Okay, if you want, but I’ll be seeing you soon. Bye, Kylee.”
He hangs up before I have the chance to do it myself.
I stare at my phone for a second, feeling dizzy.
What kind of asshole would do that? Who would just force someone into a situation like this?
A monster, that’s who.
And yet… a thrill still runs down my spine at the thought of it. He wants me, he wants me more than the girl he was sponsoring before, more than most girls on this campus. Any one of them would throw themselves at him, and yet he wants me.
It’s strange, hating him and wanting him at the same time in this moment.
“Are you okay?”
I turn around and Macey’s staring at me with concern written all over her plain face.
“Fine,” I say, getting up.
“That conversation sounded a little intense.”
“I’m fine,” I repeat. “I’ll see you later.”
I put on real shoes, grab a sweater and my phone, and storm out of the room. I have no place to go, but I need to get some air.
I’m sponsored now. My life’s going to change whether I want it to or not. I’m going to be a target for all the rich bitch girls that want to take my place and marry this oil baron’s asshole son. Meanwhile, I’m stuck in the middle of them, and clearly Walker couldn’t care less about that.
I don’t know what to do. Run, hide, fight?
Or give in and see what he wants from me…
There are no good answers. But like it or not, he’s right about one thing.
I have no choice. He’s my sponsor now, for good or for bad.
4
Walker
I’m smiling to myself as I walk down the sidewalk toward Kylee’s dorm.
I don’t know why she wants to live in one of these places. The dorms are old and ugly, at least on the inside. From the outside they look like Victorian castles or something like that, all old stone masonry and climbing ivy plants. But on the inside, the rooms are small and the plumbing is outdated and they barely have Wi-Fi. She should be chomping at the bit to move the hell out of there.
Well, okay, maybe not. I mean, there’s one tiny little issue. I mean, it’s basically meaningless, really. But still, I should keep it in mind.
See, the thing is, she seems to want nothing to do with me now.
I tried calling and texting over the last week, but she hasn’t bothered to respond. Word’s out all over campus that she’s my girl now, but she doesn’t seem to have gotten the memo. That’s fine, I can understand it. She’s not interested in this game.
I’m not either. I’m interested in an entirely different game.
I stop outside of her dorm just as the truck pulls up. Three big dudes climb out wearing plain clothes and gloves. The one in charge, a guy with a neck as thick as a rubber tire, comes shambling over to me with a clipboard in hand.
“Mr. Cox?” he asks.
“That’s me.”
“Sign here.” He thrusts the clipboard out at me. I take it and slip a pen from my pocket. I scan the page, quickly reading some legalese about them not being liable for anything, blah blah blah, and sign at the bottom.
“How quick can you work?” I ask him.
He frowns and squints at the building. “Just one dorm?”
“Just one dorm.”
“Twenty minutes tops.”
I grin at him. “Okay then. Do it in fifteen and I’ll tip double.”
He nods at me, not smiling, and shambles back over to his crew. They all walk away toward the dorm, leaving the truck alone in the street. I grin at the words emblazed on the side: Big Men Movers.
Poor Kylee. She has no clue this is happening today. I know she’s at class right now so her room should be empty. As soon as I took her on as my sponsored girl, Trim gave me access to her dorm, her schedule, basically everything about her. It’s pretty fucked up honestly, but whatever.
I’m grinning the whole time as the three huge mover goons carry all her stuff out of her little dorm and load it up into the truck. They’re careful at least, but they work fast, and sure enough they finish in almost exactly fifteen minutes.
“Empty,” the head goon says to me, wiping his hands off on his jeans. All three guys are sweating but they don’t look tired.
“You sure you got it all?” I ask him.
“Took every stick of furniture on her side. All her clothes, everything.” He blinks at me stupidly. “You sure this is okay?”
“Of course.” I reach into my pocket and hand him a wad of cash. “Another when it’s delivered and set up.”
His eyes go wide and he nods, slipping the money into his pocket. “Okay.”
He shambles off again. The guys get into the truck, start the engine, and drive off.
I’m left standing there with a big smile on my face. I can’t wait for Kylee to get back and to realize that she’s been forcibly evicted… and moved into a much nicer room.
I head into the dorm and walk slowly up the steps. I walk down her hall and catch more than one girl staring at me brazenly. I find Kylee’s room and, sure enough, her side is totally empty.
I take the piece of paper from my pocket and hold it up against the wall. I scribble a note before leaving it on the floor right where her bed used to be.
That finished, I walk back out, whistling a little tune.
She’s gonna be pissed. I can’t wait.
* * *
I’m sitting outside of the sponsored dorm when Kylee finally comes storming down the path.
She looks livid. I’m smiling huge as she approaches and spots me. Her anger turns into rage as she stomps over toward me. She’s wearing short jean shorts and a white top that shows off her perfect, perky little breasts. She’s fucking beautiful, even more gorgeous now that she’s absolutely livid.
“What did you do?” she demands. “Where the hell is all my stuff?”
“In your room,” I say.
“I just came from my room,” she snaps at me before stopping herself. “Oh, god. You mean in there, don’t you?”
“I sure do.”
“No. Hell no.”
“You wouldn’t move in on your own, so I took some liberties.”
“You touched my stuff?” she says, absolutely incredulous.
“Of course I did,” I say, trying to be innocent but I can’t help laughing. “You left me no choice.”
“I thought I was making myself clear by ignoring all your calls and texts.”
“Oh, you were. And now I’m making myself clear.” I grin at her and stand up, stretching nonchalantly. “Want to go up and see your new apartment?”
“No,” she snaps. “I want you to move all my stuff back right now.”
“Or what?” I ask.
“Or… I don’t know. I’ll call the cops.”
I bark a laugh. “Go ahead. You think the cops aren’t paid off by the school every year?”
She bites her lip, looking uncertain. “Someone around here has to respect… something. I mean, this can’t be okay. You can’t get away with this.”
“Listen, babe.” I cock my head, grinning huge. “I think I already did.”
She glares at me and I can tell she’s working on some epic insult, but it fizzles out and dies in her mouth. She lets out a groan instead and shakes her head. I can’t stop smiling as I watch her anger shift to frustration as she realizes that there’s no getting out of this, at least not without playing along a little bit.
“Come on,” I say softly before she can speak. “Let’s go up to the room and take a look. You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, okay?”
She glares at me. “You’re an asshole. You know that, right?�
�
“Of course,” I say, nodding. “I don’t think I can get through a week without someone reminding me.”
“Good.” She storms past me without another word.
I follow her inside, still smiling the whole time.
The guy sitting at the front desk just gives us a smile and a wave. Kylee storms past him, not glancing at all in his direction. I smile back and nod. Might as well try to make a good first impression.
I lead her into the elevator and take her up to the top floor. We got off in a short hallway and I lead her to the door at the very end on the left side. It unlocks with a swipe from a card which I hold out for her as we enter.
“Your key,” I say.
She snatches it and steps inside without another word.
I follow her in. I have to admit, they really do go all out for these sponsored dorms. It’s really more like a luxury apartment, modern and sleek and gorgeous. Everything is new and updated. It’s fully furnished with a gourmet kitchen area, a little bar on the far wall, couches and coffee tables and a big TV above what looks like a real working fireplace. She stares around at the room, clearly taken a little off guard.
“What the hell?” she whispers.
“Never been in one of these?” I ask, heading to the bar. I pour myself a drink as she looks around. “They don’t take this sponsor stuff lightly.”
“All the sponsored girls get this?”
“All of them,” I confirm.
“This is…” She trails off.
I take a sip of my whiskey and watch as she walks from the living room into the kitchen. She runs her fingers along the pristine granite countertops and opens the fully stocked refrigerator.
“You also have a maid service as often as you want plus access to your own personal private chefs whenever you’re hungry.”
She stares into the refrigerator, not moving. I can’t read her expression but I suspect she’s starting to soften to the idea.
“It’s yours,” I say softly. “I know it’s a lot and it’s overwhelming, but it’s all yours. You don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to, I can’t force you and I don’t want to. But I thought you should at least see what you’d be giving up.”
She finally turns back to me and blinks rapidly. The refrigerator door slowly swings shut.