Trust in Me: A Fake Relationship Opposites Attract Romance (All I Want Book 4)

by Lea Coll

  Ashley nodded in understanding. “Just silly pranks.”

  “Right, but this year is different.”

  Ashley’s finger traced the coffee lid while she thought about it. “If a professor is involved with a student, he could be fired, and isn’t Sawyer applying for tenure this year?”

  “Yes, even a hint of a scandal could ruin his chances. And if he had to leave Chestertown to work at a different college he’d be devastated.”

  Ashley’s eyes narrowed on me. “Is there something else going on? Are you worried Sawyer will cheat on you?”

  I shrugged, not answering her because I was worried. That fear was always in the back of my mind no matter who I was dating even though I thought Sawyer was different. And that really scared me. The desire to hold onto him was greater than in any of my other relationships and he hadn’t tried to pull away from me yet.

  “Oh, no, have you jumped to stalking already?”

  Ashley’s fears weren’t unfounded. When a guy started to pull away, I not only dug in tighter to the relationship, I usually tried to read his messages, emptied his pockets looking for receipts, and I’d been known to follow him around. “Not yet. He’s potentially part of the story though. These women specifically mentioned the younger history professors, which are Sawyer and Owen.”

  “Okay, but why would you need to stalk him?”

  “I don’t like that term stalking. You make me sound like a crazy person, but Bob wants me on campus to see what else I can find out. You know how sexual assaults on college campus are in the news. The fact that these women are going after professors would make an interesting story.”

  “I agree, but they make women look bad.”

  “They do. It’s disgusting.” I tried to give those women the benefit of the doubt. They were still young. We’d all done stupid stuff when we were younger, but this affected other people’s careers and relationships.

  “Isn’t there a saying about expecting something to happen and then it does? Because that’s what you’re doing with Sawyer and this bet.”

  “But when it’s what every man has done, it’s hard to believe any other outcome.”

  “Be careful. Sawyer’s a good guy. If you do something that violates his trust, I could see him walking away from you.”

  She was right. Following him, checking up on him, would be a huge violation of his trust in me. He wasn’t like the other guys I dated. I needed to give him the benefit of the doubt while making a good faith effort to investigate this story for Bob.

  “I can see Sawyer taking it personally and being really hurt.”

  “I’ll be careful. I’m not stalking him or following him. I’m just hanging around on campus, talking to the newspaper staff, and going to his rowing practices to observe.”

  “Stella!” she slapped my hand. “That’s following him. Why do you need to observe his practices?”

  “To make sure those women aren’t targeting him.”

  “You can’t control his behavior or his reaction. You have to trust that he won’t return their advances if there are any. You don’t even know if the rumors are true.”

  “I know.” But I couldn’t help it. When I get a suspicion that something was going on or could be going on I couldn’t let it go. The doubt took over any logic and I had to find out if it was true. “All I know is that Bob wants a story and he thinks this is it.”

  “I get that you have to do your job, but you have to balance your career with how it could affect Sawyer’s job. If he gets caught up in this story it would definitely affect his chances at tenure.”

  That was the last thing I wanted to happen. So I’d investigate the hell out of this story and make sure Sawyer wasn’t touched by it.

  I WANDERED AROUND CAMPUS, STOPPING at the student center and later the library to work on potential articles for the online paper, but I wasn’t able to learn anything else about the bet. I walked into the newspaper meeting room at four in the afternoon, eager for help. The fact was, my sources were the students and they were more likely to talk to fellow students than to a reporter.

  “Hey, Stella!” the first student said, walking into the room wearing Washington College sweats and her hair in a messy ponytail. She placed her books and bag on the first long table.

  “CeeCee right?” I asked.

  “Yeah, what’s this meeting about anyway?” CeeCee asked.

  “I heard about the pranks the sorority houses put on every year and I thought you guys could get more information than I can,” I said, getting right to the point.

  “Oh, that stupid bet about sleeping with the professors?” She rolled her eyes as she pulled out a seat and sat.

  Was I taking this whole thing too seriously? If the students thought it was dumb maybe it wasn’t a real thing. I really hoped that was true and I wouldn’t need to run any story. “Yes.”

  “How is it newsworthy?” she asked, as I was reminded of my days as a student reporter when Neil pushed me to find better stories and to think outside the box.

  “Does the student paper usually cover sorority row’s yearly prank?” I asked.

  “We do, but not until after the prank is completed. For instance, we published pictures of the boats on the boathouse’s roof last year. We usually don’t have advance notice.”

  “But this year is different?” I sat on the desk in the front of the room as more students filed in.

  “Right. That’s why I don’t think they’re serious. I mean, how can they be? I’m sure it’s all talk.” I really hoped she was right. I’d need to convince Bob that it wasn’t real though. “Do you know why they’re doing something different this year?”

  “No, I don’t belong to a sorority. They hang out with the other sororities and fraternities for the most part.”

  “Are you talking about the bet?” One of the newspaper students, Bryce, leaned against CeeCee’s table.

  I was so engrossed in our conversation I hadn’t even noticed he’d been listening. “Yeah. Do you know something about it?”

  “My girlfriend belongs to Zeta, and one of the members, Cindy Young, is pressuring the other girls to flirt with the professors, seeing if anyone will take the bait.”

  Was there one professor in particular Cindy was targeting, or was it just any of them? I wanted to ask but I was afraid they’d see right through me. Some of the students knew I was dating Sawyer. I didn’t want them to think I wasn’t professional—that I was asking because of that. “I’m sorry. That sounds awful,” I said. Did this qualify as hazing, which would be against school policy? She was breaking probably a bunch of rules doing this, but why? “Why escalate from stupid harmless pranks to something like this?”

  Bryce pulled out a chair, scraping it along the floor, dropped his book bag on the floor, and sat with his phone in his hand. “I think Cindy or one of her friends was sleeping with the history professor and he dumped her, or was never really into her. So she’s out for revenge.” He shook his head. “I don’t get it. You break up and move on.”

  “Ah.” That made perfect sense, but who was the professor she was with? “That explains why she’s pressuring other students—she thinks she can get him fired.” Was she thinking about how it would be easier to get him fired if he’d slept with multiple students or was she trying to protect herself by not coming forward? What better revenge than ruining a man’s career and livelihood?

  “It probably is, but she wants him to pay. Cindy is vindictive and a little crazy honestly,” Bryce said.

  “Why isn’t it enough for her to report that she slept with him? Why the bet? Why get girls to come on to him?” The questions were swirling in my head now.

  “Make it look like he was sleeping with more students?” He shrugged, absentmindedly scrolling on his phone. He didn’t seem too concerned about his girlfriend or even the bet. Then he paused, looking up. “Wait, why are we talking about this? Is this the reason you called a meeting?” Annoyance dripped from his tone.

  “Yes. If a profes
sor is sleeping with a student or students that’s big news. There’s potential for grade altering, unfair advantages, the whole unequal power relationship. There’s a reason there are rules about professors and students sleeping together.”

  “Honestly, I didn’t think they were serious about the bet. I know girls can be mean, but to get a professor fired seems a stretch,” CeeCee added.

  “Maybe, it’s not though. Maybe this girl is so angry and hurt she’s out for revenge like Bryce said.” I was just trying to work through everything in my brain, but it could be that she wanted us to pick up this story. That’s why this prank was already making the rounds at the college when most years it was a secret. Cindy wanted this story to go public. But why?

  CeeCee shot Bryce an annoyed look. “It’s like she wants to get caught. And who has the most to lose? Not her.”

  I couldn’t imagine a woman wanting to draw attention to a man dumping her. It would be humiliating. When my exes dumped me I was embarrassed. I didn’t want it broadcast to everyone. “You could argue she wouldn’t want the notoriety that he dumped her,” I said.

  “But what greater revenge is there than to accuse him of taking advantage of her, of multiple students? She saves face, looks like a victim, and he gets fired. He’s gone from the college and she never has to see him again,” CeeCee said.

  “You’re right, it’s a win for her,” I agreed

  Was I playing right into her hands by running with this story? Even if this was part of some big revenge plot, I should report it if a professor was sleeping with students. I worked for the college as an advisor even if it was voluntary. The college needed to know even if it would tarnish its reputation.

  One question niggled in my mind during the whole discussion and I had to know. “Who’s the professor?” My heart raced and I held my breath waiting for someone to answer.

  “She was fucking Dr. Mason,” Bryce said not even looking up from his phone.

  My whole body relaxed at that. She’d slept with Owen, not Sawyer.

  Bryce looked up at us then. “But the bet is to bang any professor, bonus points for the history department.”

  Shit. I tried not to panic. Sawyer wouldn’t fall for something like that, right? Not when we were together. He said it was a common occurrence for students to come onto the professors and he’d talked about the fine line he walked not to upset them and get a negative review. That was an interesting angle for my story too. Why should student reviews hold so much weight for tenure? Was the end result encouraging students when they should be discouraging come-ons from students?

  “I should have majored in history.” CeeCee sighed. “That department does have the youngest hottest guys.”

  “What are we talking about?” another girl, I think her name was Jamie, asked. She sat at the table behind CeeCee and Bryce.

  “You know, the sorority bet,” CeeCee turned to tell her.

  Jamie laughed and then asked loudly. “Hey, aren’t you dating Dr. Hudson? Is that why you’re so concerned?”

  Even though we weren’t hiding it, my face turned red as every single person turned to look at me. This was why I didn’t want to ask that question.

  “The question is—how does this chick coerce another girl to sleep with a professor?” CeeCee asked.

  I was grateful she took the pressure off of me to defend myself.

  “Easy. She’s threatening them,” Bryce said.

  “Threatening them with what?” CeeCee asked. “This isn’t high school anymore or even a Mean Girls movie. What could she possibly hold over them?”

  “She works in the financial aid and scholarship department. She’s threatening to pull scholarships.” Bryce put down his phone, crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned back in his chair.

  “Can she do that?” CeeCee sucked in a breath.

  “She’s a devious bitch. My girlfriend has grants so I don’t worry about her, but most of the girls in the sorority have at least partial scholarships to be here,” Bryce said.

  That made sense. Washington College was expensive, and it had to offer competitive packages to get people here. But how would a student have that kind of power? Was she bluffing? The only way I’d been able to attend Washington was the need-based scholarship I’d received, which benefited local applicants. I’d need to verify Bryce’s claims and talk to Cindy Young.

  Then I’d noticed the room had gone quiet and students were watching the door. I turned to find Sawyer leaning against the doorframe.

  I tried to smile. Had he heard us talking? Did he know about the bet? Would he know I worried about him cheating? I moved to his side so we wouldn’t be overheard. “Hey, we’re having a meeting but I could come by your office after if you want?”

  He glanced at the clock in the back of the room. “I just wanted to say hi. I have to be at practice in an hour.”

  Perfect. My original plan was to go to practice and it seemed even more important now. I needed to find out which girls on the rowing team were also in the sorority and which ones might be involved in the bet. “Great. I’ll come watch.”

  “Really? It’s pretty boring,” he said, but looked pleased.

  “Oh, I don’t know about that.”

  He smiled. “Okay, see you then.”

  “See you later, Dr. Hudson,” I said as he walked away.

  He smiled over his shoulder in response.

  Despite my guilt about the bet and my part in investigating the story, I liked that Sawyer stopped by just to say hi.

  “Good idea, Ms. Lewis, you should definitely go to rowing practice,” Jamie said.

  I turned back to the students with a sinking feeling. Did they think I was going to practice to check up on Sawyer? Could they see those feelings on my face? “Why is that a good idea?”

  Jamie laughed. “Because Cindy Young is on the rowing team.”

  “Of course she is,” I couldn’t help muttering under my breath. The source of the bet was on Sawyer’s team. She’d already slept with a professor and now she was as close as you could get to another one—the one that was mine. They worked out together and they traveled to away games together. Was she the same girl I’d seen outside of his office the other day?

  “Alright, let’s get to why I called you in today. A few women in the Zeta sorority have a bet to sleep with professors. I want to know if it’s a sorority prank, or just a few members are involved, I want to know who’s involved, if it’s serious, if anyone has followed through with it, etc.” I felt better laying out a plan but I was still scared of what I’d find out.

  “If it’s real, shouldn’t the Kent County News report it before us?” CeeCee asked.

  But if the school reported it first, a larger news organization would pick up their story before mine, my name wouldn’t be on the byline, and hopefully Sawyer wouldn’t blame me for any impact to his job. “But you are the voice of the school and I think you should get first crack at this one.”

  “That’s awfully nice of you,” Jamie said. “Are you sure you don’t want to rat on your boyfriend because he’s sleeping with a student?”

  “Jamie, we don’t know anything yet, so let’s not jump to conclusions.” I should have been telling myself that. Instead, I was having a hard time trusting that Sawyer wouldn’t fall for Cindy’s games. I had a sinking feeling about all of this and I was not looking forward to watching Sawyer interact with Cindy at practice. But at the same time, I had to be there.

  ONCE THE MEETING WAS OVER, I went to the town’s waterfront to meet Sawyer. The wind was light over the water and it was the perfect day to watch the long slim boats slice over the water, even though I felt anything but peaceful or serene. Sitting on the metal bleachers while they went through some warm-ups and exercises, I pulled up the team picture on my phone and saw Cindy was the girl who’d come out of Sawyer’s office. She was tall, with sandy blond hair, and blue eyes.

  I looked up from my phone so I could observe her in action. When Sawyer told them to divide into their
respective teams and get into their boats, she placed a hand on his arm. I couldn’t hear what they were saying but I could see the inviting smile on her face, and the way her hand squeezed his arm. My heart squeezed in my chest to see someone else touching Sawyer. Then she picked her leg up as if it was injured. Sawyer helped her to sit on the team bench and she stretched her leg out resting it on his thigh. Why wasn’t he calling a trainer for her? They didn’t practice on campus but surely he wasn’t going to be the one assessing her for an injury. Sure enough, his hands probed her calf muscle.

  I gripped the metal bleacher to stop myself from getting up and going over there to tell her to stop touching Sawyer. I didn’t want to interfere with their practice, but I knew what Cindy was doing. She was flirting, but I needed to stay out of it. If Sawyer fell for it then he didn’t deserve me.

  I could tell myself that as much as I wanted, but it was hard to believe. I could see he was saying something to her, but couldn’t hear what. Cindy reached out to touch his upper arm but Sawyer stood to make a phone call. I hoped it was to call a physical trainer.

  Sawyer left Cindy on the bench and went to speak to the team. He pointed out over the water and I assumed he was giving them direction for practice.

  A college van pulled up a few minutes later and a female trainer stepped out with a black bag. She squatted down to speak to Cindy, but I diverted my attention back to Sawyer who watched his team’s progress. Finally, the trainer helped Cindy over to the van. Then the trainer spoke to Sawyer and left.

  Seeing me, Sawyer walked the distance to where I sat. “You made it.”

  I tipped my head back to meet his eyes, blocking the sun with my hand. “I told you I would.” And it felt great he’d stopped during practice to speak to me.

  “It’s still a nice surprise. I’m sure you have work to do.”

  “Oh, I can do it as easily here as anywhere else.”

  “Want to go for a ride when I’m done?”

  “A ride?” My brain jumped to me on top, slowly sinking down on him, as he cupped my breasts. My face flushed.