“No, sir. I apologize. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Burning the midnight oil?” He asked and I shook my head, not sure what the hell he was even talking about. He began to pace the floor as he spoke. “Did you go out and have a good time?”
I shrugged, and he stopped walking, glancing up at me with an eyebrow raised.
“I guess,” I responded, and he continued on.
“Did you want to go out or did a friend convince you it would be fun?”
“A friend,” I muttered, and he smiled.
“A classic example of manipulation. It wasn’t necessarily harmful, unless... you yawned loudly enough to garner your professor’s attention,” his eyes cut to me again as he smirked, eliciting a few laughs and giggles from the other students.
“Sorry,” I replied, earning me a nod before he went off in another direction with his lesson, allowing me to fade back into the background once more.
Chapter Eight
LUCAS
I skipped my classes for the day to walk over to Swank, an upscale restaurant not far from campus. The front of the building was obscured by lush greenery leaving only a faux thatch roofing visible. Palm trees and banana plants lined the winding sandstone path to the entrance. Just the trip to the front door transported you from normal mundane society to an upscale Caribbean vacation complete with indoor waterfall and koi pond.
I pulled open the bamboo door and slipped inside, running my hand through my hair as I stepped up to the hostess stand.
A young woman with freckles dusting her nose and copper-colored hair looked up from her tablet, her eyes dancing over my tattoos before her gaze dropped again, ignoring me. I cleared my throat, shifting my weight from foot to foot. The girl tapped her fingers against the stand before glancing up at me again.
“We’ve already filled the dishwasher position.”
“I need a table,” I replied, unfazed by her judgment.
“Really?” she replied dryly, raising an eyebrow as she swiped at her iPad screen. “Expecting anyone else? Business associates perhaps or will you dining alone?”
“Are you taking the piss out of me?”
She sighed loudly as she turned around to look over the space. “Follow me.” Grabbing a menu, she began to make her way across the restaurant. I followed close behind, my eyes dancing over the surroundings, taking in the couples out for dinner and a baby grand piano. The hostess dropped the menu on a table in the corner, as far as she could physically put me from the other patrons.
“You guys have live music?” I asked as I sank down into my seat.
“Not since Lucille died,” was all she replied as she turned and walked away.
I flipped open the menu and scanned the meals as a waitress walked by.
“Excuse me,” I called out to her. As she looked up from her pad in her hand, she stopped short at the sight of me, her brown eyes widening fractionally. “Where are the prices?”
Her lips twisted up in amusement. “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.”
My eyes narrowed as I shoved my hand into my back pocket, pulling out a wad of money and dropped it on the table in front of me.
She rolled her eyes, but I could tell she was just doing her job. It couldn’t be good for business to have someone like me sitting at one of their tables.
“What did you have in mind?” She asked as she flipped the top paper of the pad over, her pen poised and ready to write.
“Crab stuffed mushrooms appetizer?”
“Those are nineteen dollars, but they come with six.”
“Are they worth it?”
“I wouldn’t know,” she replied with a sigh.
“Shame?” I asked, and her face contorted in confusion.
“What?”
“Do you go to Shamus Thornton College? Shame U?”
“Oh,” she blushed, shaking her head as if the idea was absurd. “No. I’m not in school.”
“Oh. I’ll take those with a Sprite, no ice.”
“And for your meal?”
“Just the mushrooms. To go,” I added.
I leaned back in my chair as she walked away and took in the ambiance. Some weird classical music played in the background, and the ceiling fan blades looked like large wooden paddles.
“Here,” The waitress sat down my glass, a few drops of soda splashing over the rim of the cup and onto my lap. “Shoot, shoot, shoot,” she mumbled as she grabbed my white cloth napkin that was folded into some weird teepee from my plate and began to rub it against my crotch like she was trying to start a fire.
“Woah,” I leaned back in my seat, my hands up the air as she frantically tried to clean up the mess.
“Shit,” she whispered, looking up at me as wisps of chocolate colored hair fell from her messy updo. Her smile was broad, and deep dimples settled into her porcelain cheeks.
“I’m not complaining,” I joked as she stood upright, running her hands over her apron.
“I just started last week. If I screw up, I’m gonna get fired. The boss is kind of strict.”
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table as I clasped my hands together in front of me. “That guy?” I asked, raising my chin toward the man in all black across the room who’d looked like he hadn’t shaved in months, and his dark hair was long enough to tuck just behind his ears. I could guarantee the type of people who ate here would clutch their pearls if they saw him coming outside of this pretentious shitshow. But inside of this money pit, they all smiled at him adoringly.
“Yeah, that’s Alex. He’s kind of a hardass, but I can’t really blame him. His wife died a few months back or something. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t even be able to afford to eat.”
I glanced up at her, wondering if her smile was genuine. “Just not here, right?”
She let out a small laugh as she tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ear. “No. Definitely not here.” She glanced over at Alex who was now looking in our direction, studying me with icy blue eyes. “I’m... gonna go check on that app.” She smiled again before ducking her head and hurrying back into the kitchen area.
I leaned back in my seat, kicking out my foot as I took a sip from my fizzy drink. Alex was quick to follow after the girl, muttering a brief hello in my direction. I nodded my head but didn’t respond as I watched him disappear.
It wasn’t long before I heard his muffled voice from the back room. He was accusing me of being one of her drug dealer friends and to not let my kind in here again, or she’d be back on the streets.
I pulled two twenties from my cash before shoving the rest back into my pocket. After a few minutes, the waitress came out from the kitchen, her face pink and blotchy, the smile now nowhere to be found.
“Here you go,” she said as she sat down the food and the bill, her voice wavering. I grabbed her wrist before she could turn away.
“You okay?” I asked as her eyes went to the kitchen door, afraid Alex would be stepping through at any moment.
“Yeah,” she forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m great. Have a nice day.”
She pulled against my grip, and I let her fingers slide through my hand. I picked up the pen and wrote down my name and number on the receipt with the message to ring me if she needed anything at all. I left the cash and took my food, unable to get out of that place and back into the real world fast enough.
I stepped out into the blinding sunlight, shielding my eyes as I looked around. In the corner of the lot, away from the expensive luxury cars sat a Harley Fat Boy Special motorcycle in flat black. I took a few steps toward it as a voice called out behind me, causing me to stop.
“Hey, asshole! What the hell is this?” The waitress called out. I spun around to see her holding up the cash I’d left her.
“Lucas.”
“What?”
“My name is Lucas, not arsehole. It’s your tip,” I replied, taking a couple of steps in her direction as a gust of wind blew, dislodging the h
air behind her ear.
“Seriously? Do you think I am some sort of charity case or something?” There was a fire in her wide, dark eyes, and I struggled not to laugh at how pissed off she was, like a bomb packaged in a tiny little five-foot-nothing frame.
“You always get this fired up when someone tips you for your service, or just at guys whose crotch you rubbed?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as I laughed causing her to get even angrier. She stormed toward me, fists clutched at her sides before throwing the money in my face. It was then I realized how young she looked.
“How old are you?” I asked as I bent down and picked up the cash.
She raised her chin as she folded her arms across her chest defiantly. “Old enough.”
“What the bloody hell does that mean?”
“Old enough to know that nothing is free.”
“Including my meal, right?” I held up the foam box. “It was just a tip. No strings attached.”
“Right,” she nodded as she pulled out the bill with my mobile number from her apron. “And this?”
“Look,” I stepped closer, and she countered taking a step back. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I heard how you and that prick were arguing. That’s all.”
Her eyes narrowed as she crumpled the paper in her hand. “That prick gave me a job when I needed it.”
“And he also threatened to take it away.”
“What do you care?” she snapped back, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from blurting out my reasoning.
“I don’t,” I shrugged as I glanced over her shoulder at Alex who had stepped out from the thick plants that lined the front of the building. “Just take this. You don’t ever have to talk to me again, sweetheart.” I held out the money, and she reluctantly folded her fingers around the bills. I turned to walk away as she called after me.
“Harper.”
I turned back to look at her and glanced at Alex. “Sorry?”
“My name is Harper Grace, I’m seventeen, and I’m not your sweetheart, asshole.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “Right. Harper. Cheers.” I turned and walked across the lot, slipping between a few buildings and as far away from Swank as possible.
***
I made my way to my flat and put the food in the fridge before pulling my mobile out of my pocket as it vibrated against my leg.
“I’m out of class,” Payton purred in my ear. “Where are you?”
“Just got back to my flat. I’ll be over in a few,” I replied, looking over at the time on the stove. I ended the call, not bothering with saying goodbye before slipping into my room and filling my black book bag with the supplies I would need.
“Where are you headed?”
I glanced up at my doorway to see Beef, shirtless and leaning against the frame.
“I have a job,” I replied before slipping some gloves into the front pocket of the bag.
“On campus?” He asked as he took a step back, cracking his knuckles. “You need a ride?”
“I could use a walk,” I replied as I slipped by him, clasping my hand on his shoulder. Beef was a good guy and would probably say he didn’t care if I went to Payton’s room, but I didn’t want to put any unnecessary strain on our friendship. It was bad enough I’d shagged her the day I was supposed to move in with him.
“I don’t mind. I don’t have any more classes today,” he called after me. I turned back to him, smiling.
“I just need some time to think. D’you know what I mean? We can hang out later, yeah?”
He nodded and forced a smile. “It’s fine. Whatever.”
“Is something going on at home?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. I knew his dad, who he referred to as Coach was a jerk and wasn’t making his life away very easy.
“No,” he said with a shake of his head, but I could tell by the way he winced that he was lying. That made two of us. But I wasn’t meeting Payton for nefarious reasons, and I needed the money to be able to pay my share of the bills.
“Later?”
“Sounds good.”
***
Payton lived at the opposite end of the hall from Laney, and I couldn’t help but smirk at the dried blood that still stained the edge of her door frame from Addy’s boyfriend Seth.
I rapped my knuckles on the door, and Payton called out from the other side that she was coming. The door pulled open several seconds later with her standing on the other side in lacey pink panties and matching bra with her white hair curled.
“I could have waited for you to get dressed,” I said as I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.
“And deprive you of the view?” She laughed as she laid down on her bed, her fingers gliding through the valley between her breasts. I sat my bag on the floor and pulled over her desk chair as I pulled out my equipment and set it up on her nightstand.
“Do you want me to draw something up or freehand?”
“Freehand is fine.”
I grabbed a pair of latex gloves from my bag and began to pull them on.
“You don’t need to wear those. Not like we haven’t touched skin to skin before.”
“There was latex between us then too. I wasn’t that drunk,” I corrected her as I finished putting on the other glove, my gut twisting as I thought of Beef.
Her fingers stopped at the clasp between her breasts and with a twist of her fingers, the fabric fell away. Her pale pink nipples hardened into rosy buds as her tongue ran out over her lips.
I cleared my throat as I leaned over her and began to draw out the small design on her chest. “This will be fifty dollars.”
“I can think of other ways I can pay you,” she flirted, not realizing how repulsive she sounded.
“I’m not a prostitute... and neither are you.” My eyes cut to hers. “Cash.”
She rolled her eyes, sighing loudly. “I’ll have to hit an ATM to get money out.”
I glared at her, shaking my head as I drew out one of the wings.
“What?”
“You couldn’t stop at the cashpoint on the way back from class?” I raised an eyebrow, trying not to be distracted by the steady rising and falling of her chest.
“I forgot,” she replied before she giggled.
“What?”
“Your necklace. It’s cold, and it tickles.”
I glanced down at my cross that was dragging against her tanned flesh causing goosebumps to erupt across her belly.
“I would think a cross would burn someone like you, not tickle.” I grabbed the chain and pulled it over my head, dropping it on her side table. “Better?”
She nodded, her teeth digging into her lower lip. I grabbed her hand mirror from the stand and held it up for her.
“Perfect.”
“You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?”
“Am I making it hard, Lucas?”
Chapter Nine
HENLEY
My classes dragged on and by the end of the day, I couldn’t see straight. Part of that was due to leaving my glasses in Gigi’s purse. I was listening to my mother drone on about the neighbor stealing one of our trash cans. She was convinced Mrs. Sloan was out to get her because she believed my mom had flirted with her husband.
“Mom, I have to go. My battery is dying.”
“You should keep your phone charged. How am I supposed to get ahold of you if there is an emergency?”
“Like someone stealing our trash can?” I asked a little bitchier than intended. “I’ll have the waste management people bring us a new one. Do you have their number?”
The phone was silent for a moment. “I think I forgot to pay the bill.”
“Mom,” I whined as I looked around. “Okay, how much do we owe?”
“Well, it’s twenty a month... and we owe for three or four months.”
I squeezed my eyes closed as a stabbing pain began to emanate from my temples. “They came and picked up the can because you didn’t pay the bill, mom. Mrs. Sloan isn’t out to get you.” r />
“You haven’t seen the way she looks at me.”
“Mom, I have to go.”
“Okay, I’ll send you the number for the garbage company. Love you.”
“You too,” I sighed as I ended the call, cursing under my breath. How the hell was I going to come up with the money?
My phone rang again with Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto as I made my way across campus toward the dorm.
“What did you do last night?” Gigi asked.
“Hello to you too,” I said dryly.
“Hello. What the hell happened with you and Lucas last night?” Her question caught me off guard.
“You know I didn’t do anything, Gigi.” I rolled my eyes and pushed the button for the elevator.
“Don’t give me that. He was eye fucking you all night. Then he went all Incredible Hulk on that guy.”
I laughed as the doors to the elevator opened. Standing in front of me was Lucas. His ocean-colored eyes lit up when he saw me, and for a second, I forgot how to breathe.
“Hello,” I muttered as I stepped inside.
“Yeah, hello. We already said all that, remember?” Gigi snapped in my ear.
“Hey,” Lucas replied.
“Who the fuck was that? Was that...was that Lucas? You did fuck him! You slut!” Gigi giggled in my ear, and my face burned red. “I am so proud of you. Give me some details. How big is his dick?”
“I’ll call you back.” I ended the call and slid my phone into my pocket. He held the door to the elevator open, and I waited for him to walk out, but he didn’t so I stepped inside.
“Was that the bartender from last night?”
“None of your business. What are you doing here?” I asked sounding ruder than I intended but I couldn’t help but be suspicious.
“I was looking for you, but I didn’t know which room was yours. The girl at the end of the hall is a little dischuffed that I knocked her up.” He grinned as my eyes widened.
“You did what?”
“I woke her from knocking on her door.”
“You may just want to say it that way next time.”
“Then I wouldn’t have gotten to see your face turn pink,” he replied with a wink that I was certain made me grow three shades darker.