by Tabatha Kiss
Word in the quad is that Dougie’s already two out of three.
Apparently, he just needs a teacher.
Looks like he found one.
I step out of line and tail close behind her as she heads through the quad towards the student union. Once we round the corner, far away from Douglas and that damn coffee cart, I clear my throat.
“Hey, Ms. Hawthorne,” I greet.
Rose peeks back at me over the rim of her disposable cup. “Hey, John,” she smiles.
“Where are you off to?”
She swallows a mouthful of coffee. “I’m on my way home, actually.”
“Got any fun plans tonight?”
“Oh, yeah,” she says, pausing her stride. “I have a paper to research for and I still have about half of Wednesday’s quizzes to grade. Should be a blast.”
“So, you’re not going out or anything with anybody or nothing?”
She raises a brow. “No.”
“Cool.”
Her lips twitch. “How about you?”
“Me? No. Well… I usually make an appearance at the pre-game football parties. There’s one tonight at Ty’s…”
“Cool.”
“So, do you know Douglas?”
She stiffens. “Who?”
I point a thumb over my shoulder. “Douglas Floyd. I saw you talking to him at the coffee cart.”
“Oh… that guy?” She shakes her head, chuckling softly. “Uh, no. He just walked up to me and asked for my number. One of the perils of being a pretty girl on a college campus, unfortunately.”
I breathe a hidden sigh of relief. “I see…”
“Why?” she smiles. “You’re not jealous, are you?”
“Me? Jealous? Pfft. Hell no…” I pause. “But I might have the urge to drag you inside and bend you over something sturdy.”
“You really are just a caveman, aren’t you?”
“Does that turn you on?”
“Kind of,” she shrugs.
“Then, yes,” I wink, drawing a laugh from her that leaves a little bliss in me. “Come on. Let’s go find a study room in the library. I’ve got a healthy supply of calculators in my pocket just dying to solve some maths.”
Rose presses her lips together. “I actually have a lot of work to do tonight, John.”
“How about later, then?” I ask. “You should come to the party, have a few drinks.”
She squints. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why?”
“You know why, John.”
I take a short step back. “Right. Sorry.”
“Are you okay?” she asks.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I nod a few times too many. “You know me. It’s all good.”
She nods and turns away. “I’ll see you on Monday, John. Good luck at the game.”
“Yeah. Bye, Ms. Hawthorne.”
What the fuck was that?
The caveman comparison doesn’t end with my desire to fuck a lot — that was some straight-up territorial shit. Rose isn’t even mine to claim and I go apeshit at the slightest wink in her direction from another guy?
This isn’t just any guy, though. This is Douglas Floyd. The prick to end all pricks. The scum on the bottom of my shoe. Just the thought of him laying his filthy hands on her makes me nauseous.
But come on, this is Rose Hawthorne. She would never go out with a guy like Douglas. No way. That still hasn’t changed so I have nothing to worry about. She’s still my Rose.
My Rose?
Nope. Wrong again, Johnny.
***
These parties used to be more fun.
I look around Ty’s living room, staring into the blissful faces of my teammates and classmates and perfect strangers and wonder why everything feels so different.
The party hasn’t changed. It’s still the same people, the same cheap beer, the same pre-game ritual, but…
I’m just not into it this time.
I toss my half-empty cup into the trash can and round the corner towards the front door to go out and get some air, only to come face-to-face with Grant’s smug mug.
“Hello, Johnny,” he says, smiling at me.
“Hey,” I say through gritted teeth.
“What’s wrong with you?”
I raise a brow. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“Yeah, nothing.”
“You seem pensive,” he says. “You never seem pensive.”
“Must just be an off night.”
“Johnny…” He throws his arm over my shoulder. “Walk with me.”
We spin around and he guides me away from the door. “Grant—”
“Johnny,” he interrupts, “I think you’re going through what the psychologists refer to as an identity crisis.”
I laugh. “What the hell do you know about psychology, Grant?”
“I go on a lot of triple dates with Junior and his sister. Anyway, that’s not important. What is important is that my house parties are amazing. Would you agree with me when I say that my house parties are amazing?”
I nod. “Yes, your house parties are amazing.”
“Then…” he swings in front of me and stares me down, “why the hell do you look like your favorite show just got canceled?”
“Grant—”
“And why the hell haven’t you completed your trifecta yet?”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Being pensive?”
“Yes.”
He shakes his head. “No, I don’t buy it. What’s her name?”
“Her name is piss off, Grant.”
“Ohh,” he grins. “Sounds Swedish.”
I sigh. “If I tell you there’s a girl, will you let me leave?”
He stands up a little taller. “Yes.”
I lean forward. “There’s a girl. Excuse me…”
“Wait, wait—” he says, grabbing my elbow. “If there’s a girl, then what the hell are you doing here?”
“And miss one of your amazing house parties?” I ask.
“Touché.” He releases my arm. “You may go.”
“Thank you.”
I walk towards the front door, briefly glancing back to see Grant furrowing his brow at me, deep in thought. Telling him there was a girl probably wasn’t the brightest idea but Grant lives for gossip. Those three little words should be enough to keep him preoccupied for a while.
I step out onto the porch and fill my lungs with fresh, autumn air; enough to chill my insides and clear my head.
Man, what the hell am I doing here?
I used to come to these parties for a singular purpose and that was to find a girl to take home with me. It was easy. I’d spend an hour mingling with the team before setting my sights on some girl. A wink-wink and a nudge-nudge later and she was climbing into the backseat of my car with smeared lipstick but now…
I just can’t be bothered.
“Leaving so soon, Kirby?”
Ugh.
I pause on the stairs as Douglas climbs them. “Yeah,” I answer, brief and cold.
“Hey…” He offers a forced smile, gently patting my shoulder as he stares back at me. “I hear you’re falling a little behind on your trifecta, John.”
I shake my head. “No, not really. I still have plenty of time to get the last two before you manage to find a teacher willing enough to touch that fuzzy ball on your head.”
“Last two, eh?” he smirks, ignoring my jab. “So you did get the teacher?”
My tongue twitches with alcohol, resisting the urge to spill the whole truth and nothing but. “Yeah, I figured I’d knock out the hardest one first, you know?”
He nods with respect. “I know what you mean. I got one in mind right now but she’s taking a little longer than I expected.”
My stomach twists. “Oh, yeah?”
“Sexy, little, blonde TA, man. She’s smoking hot but super frigid — the best kind,” he grins. “Just needs a little bit of extra grease to loosen up.”
�
�Sounds like a whole lot of unnecessary effort.”
“Nah, she’ll bend eventually.” He nudges me with his elbow. “They always do for guys like us, right?”
I fight the urge to break his arm. “Yeah. Right.”
Douglas squeezes my shoulder. “I’ll see you at the game.”
“See you tomorrow.”
And that’s it. Douglas is absolutely gunning for Rose and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. I can keep telling myself that doesn’t bother me; that Rose would never fall for his shit, but she fell for mine first. What makes him any different than me? He’s just as cool, just as smart. Stupid hair aside, I can’t think of a damn thing that separates us.
I stumble down the street to my car, constantly resisting the urge to pull out my phone and call her. Instead, I drive home and fall into bed.
Tomorrow is the Homecoming game. A good night’s sleep should be enough for me to regain some focus and compartmentalize this Rose issue. Now isn’t the time to worry about girls.
Limit distractions. Concentrate on the game. Earn that championship.
I close my eyes and as I start to drift off, I hear that wonderful sound of Rose moaning in my memories. Images form in my head, shaping into a very vivid picture of Douglas pounding her in the—
I jerk awake.
Goddammit.
Chapter 14
Rose
“So,” Daisy says, “how are things with your little student fuck buddy?”
“Shh!”
I look over my shoulder at the sea of faces surrounding me on the bleachers just in case someone heard that. It’s the Homecoming game and this is the largest crowd I’ve seen at a game so far this year.
“Rose, we’re on the phone,” she says. “Unless the chemistry department has started wire-tapping TA cell phones, I think we’re okay to speak freely about your casual fling.”
“Sorry, just habit at this point.” I keep my voice low. “Dr. Zach almost caught us yesterday.”
“Where were you?”
“In the TA office.”
She gasps. “You’re banging him on campus?”
“Daisy...”
“Bravo!” she praises. “Such a dirty girl! Even I’ve never done it in public. Good for you.”
“Stop it,” I say, barely glancing at the field. We’re on the defense right now. As much as I love football, I tend the zone out whenever Douglas is on the field. “I think I should call this whole thing off. It’s getting too risky.”
“But risky is what makes it fun.”
“I’m not disagreeing with that, but…”
“But what?” she asks.
“I think he’s…” I lower my voice, “corrupting me.”
She laughs. “Good.”
“Is it?”
“It’s about time, if you ask me. I couldn’t even get you to swipe a tube of lipstick in high school.”
“Well, that’s illegal,” I point out, “but this is just…”
“Dirty.”
“Yeah.”
The crowd boos and my attentions fly back to the field. The other team scored yet another touchdown, giving them a very considerable lead over us. Good thing we’re only in the second quarter.
The players shuffle around on the field and my chest flutters as I see John walking out there.
“Don’t think too much about it, Rose,” Daisy says. “Just have fun with it.”
“There is such a thing as too much fun, you know.”
“Not the way I do it.”
I bite my tongue as John gets slammed to the ground by a rather overzealous cornerback. Junior bends down and helps him to his feet as the crowd groans again.
“What’s up with your boy today?” Daisy asks me. “He’s playing like shit.”
“I don’t know…” The team huddles up on the field but I focus on him, craning my neck to see over the freakishly tall people in front of me.
“Well, did you guys have sex today?”
“No,” I answer.
“Last night?”
“… No.” I pause. “Why?”
“Because sexual intercourse is a natural performance enhancer,” she explains. “It temporarily increases testosterone levels, makes them more focused, more controlled. All that fun stuff.”
I shake my head. “That can’t possibly be true…”
“Dude, you’re the chemist.”
“Oh, man…” I look out at the field as the teams cradle the line of scrimmage. “Is this really my fault?”
“Probably.”
“Hike!” Junior spins around and hands the ball off to John, who instantly bolts to the left to dodge a fierce defense as it pummels right through the offensive linemen.
I wince as John takes yet another hard tackle. “Ah, crap.”
Daisy chuckles. “Or, you can acknowledge that football is a team sport and he’s probably not the only one out there having an off day… if that makes you feel any better.”
“Right…” I chew on my lip and check the countdown timer. Three minutes left until halftime and we’re down twenty-one points. “I’ll give you a call after the game.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to you later,” she says, “you cock-hungry minx.”
I flinch. “Jesus, Daisy…”
“Sorry,” she says. “Got a little carried away there.”
“Ya think?”
“Bye, Rose.”
“Bye.”
I drop the phone back into my pocket and stand up to climb down the bleachers to get a better look. Even in a sea of uniforms all the same color, John stands out to me in the middle of everything with stains on his tights and his head down after taking one too many hits.
There’s still enough time to turn this around. Coach Bob most likely has a motivational speech to hand down during the twenty minutes of halftime in the locker room but what if that’s not enough? The team depends on John and his fast speed to gain yards and score touchdowns. If he’s not performing well, then…
Ahh, jeez. I’m really doing this, aren’t I?
Chapter 15
John
I walk towards the locker room with my head down, feeling the hard pats from my teammates as they pass by around me.
This Rose situation has officially bled into my damn psyche. I can’t get her out of my head. Most of all, I can’t get the mental image of Douglas Floyd taking what’s mine out of my head. And I’ve got the worst imagination possible on that. Flashes of Rose on her knees, on all fours, on her back with legs in the air — if I’ve done it to her, you can bet your ass I’ve pictured Douglas doing the exact same things to her and I can’t do a thing to stop the images from flashing over and over again.
“Psst!”
I turn towards the sound behind me without thinking, instantly halting in my tracks as I see Rose’s face peeking out from behind a classroom door.
“Rose?”
She lays a finger across her lips to silence me and gestures for me to follow her inside as she hides away from the other players.
I linger back in the hall and wait for the rest of the team to disappear into the locker room before bolting into the dark classroom.
Rose stands by the desk with pink in her cheeks. “Hey, John,” she says.
I set my helmet down by the door. “Rose…” I look around the empty classroom. “What’s up?”
“I, um…” She bites her lip. “Fuck me.”
I raise a brow. “Now?”
“Yeah.”
“Now?”
She steps towards me and pushes up onto her toes. “Come on, Johnny…” She kisses me, flicking her little tongue against mine and I taste the desire on her breath.
I kiss her back and she guides me towards the desk with her. “Not that I’m not willing and eager or anything,” I say, “but what’s got you so revved up?”
“Well… I heard that sex is a natural performance enhancer, so…”
I grow even harder as she unties the strings on my tights. “You
think a quickie will help me turn this game around?”
“It’s worth a shot, isn’t it?”
I smile, feeling a bolt of warmth from my head to my toes.
Rose Hawthorne. Once again surprising me. Once again making me feel more alive than anyone else in the world. I suddenly don’t give a flying fuck about what Douglas Floyd wants to do to her — especially considering what she’s willing to let me do to her.
“You’re fucking amazing, Rose.”
She twists a condom wrapper between her nails to tear it open. “And you only have ten minutes left in halftime,” she grins, sliding the condom onto my hard cock. “You better fuck me fast.”
“Bend over the desk.”
Rose turns around and I lean down to pull her skirt up over her ass. I force her panties down and they slide to the floor as I position my cock against her tight pussy.
“You gonna go deep for me, Johnny?” she asks, craning her neck back to look at me.
“Hell yes.” I slide inside, feeling her stretch out around me and she instantly moans as I plunge deeper. “Fuck, you’re wet.”
She chuckles, tightly gripping the desk as I pound her harder. “I love watching you out there, owning that field,” she moans. “It makes me want you so bad…”
I grunt, leaning over to grind her even deeper as I kiss her. “Oh yeah?”
“I wanna see you score, Johnny,” she says, licking the sweat off my cheek. “Score for me.”
I grip her hair, feeling all of my blood fire south with every dirty word she says. “More…”
“You gonna get that ball in the end zone?” she teases, tightening her muscles on the inside to squeeze me. “Give me a touchdown.”
I fuck her faster. “Rose…”
“Ms. Hawthorne,” she corrects, winking back as everything grows tense in me.
The tension breaks and I let out a hard groan as I come, continuously pumping her until I just can’t anymore. My knees wobble. My ankles buck. My entire body turns to warm jelly and I feel like I could topple over at any moment.
“Touchdown…” I laugh, barely standing.
She cracks up, laughing hard with me as I slide out of her. “Five minutes…” she mutters, glancing at her phone. “You should get going.”
“Yeah, I’m just gonna need a second…”
