by Mae Doyle
Windmilling my arms, I reach out to try to grab onto something – anything – really. I’m hoping for a branch or a trunk, but I’d take a vine right now in a pinch.
There’s nothing.
I’m falling and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. “Oww!” I scream, my voice echoing back behind me. The path is so steep that I slide on my ass until I flip over and dig my fingers into the dirt to stop my descent. Now I’m breathing harder than I was before, but at least I’ve stopped moving. My dress is probably ruined. I can feel that it’s ripped up around my waist, so there’s only a small amount of fabric holding it together in the front.
Fuck. “Fuck.” My voice is quiet, but not quiet enough.
A chuckle from farther up the path makes me whip my head up. Of course. Quinn.
“Need a hand?” He walks casually towards me, carefully picking his way down the steep path so that he doesn’t slip and fall. Before I can say anything, he’s knelt down in front of me, holding out his hand.
“Not from you. I wouldn’t be in this mess if it weren’t for you.” My feet hurt, but I push up from the ground until I’m standing, then reach down and try to pin my dress together in the front. It had seemed like such a good idea when we were getting dressed, but now I realize just how exposed I am.
Quinn stands up, towering over me. He smells faintly of lemonade, and I smile to myself, but he sees the look on my face.
“What’s so funny, little Abigail?” His voice is low and dark, and I feel something thrum deep in my core. My body is a damn traitor, and I can’t help the fact that something about him makes me want him.
“You smell like a lemonade stand.” Part of my brain is screaming for me to shut up and run, but the rest of me can’t help but push his buttons a little. He’s just so damn sexy when he’s mad, and although I should be afraid, I look up and grin at him.
He moves faster than I would have expected.
Before I know what’s happening, he has me backed against a tree. The bark cuts through my thin dress and I shift away from it, but he pins me up against it with his hips. When he grinds them a little, I feel his cock digging into my side.
Fuck. He’s huge.
And hard.
“I could collect on our bet right here, Abigail.” One hand digs into my waist, his fingers cutting into my skin. I suck in a breath at the pain, but I force myself to lift my chin and stare at him. He can’t know how terribly afraid I am right now.
And how turned on.
“No.” I can tell that I surprise both of us, because a flash of laughter crosses his face, but it’s gone just as quickly.
“No? You think that you’re in a position to barter, Abigail? Did you forget that I’m your god and you have to do whatever I tell you?” With his free hand he suddenly yanks at the front of my dress. There’s a loud rip and the fabric falls open.
I have on a lacy thong, but that’s it. My nipples harden instantly in the cool air, and he glances down before licking his lips and looking back at me. Before I can try to stop him, he reaches up, swiping his thumb across my nipple.
Lightning shoots through me and I moan. The sound rolling out of me surprises us both. Instead of stopping, however, Quinn grabs my breast and squeezes it before bending his head and sucking my nipple.
I cry out, bucking to get away from him, but he’s huge and strong and I can’t move him. He could take me here, against the tree, in the middle of the woods, and there isn’t anything that I could do to stop him.
“Please,” I gasp out, reaching up and pushing back on his shoulders. “Please, Quinn.”
He stops, running one hand through my hair and pulling it so that my head tilts to the side. “Oh, Abigail, are you enjoying this as much as I am?”
Somehow, I manage to shake my head. “Please stop.” I told myself that I wouldn’t get on my knees for him again, but I’m damn close to begging. “Please, Quinn…don’t.” Tears burn at the corners of my eyes, but at the same time, my skin aches for his touch.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
For a split second, he looks disappointed, but he straightens his face again. “What a shame, little Abigail. I thought that you were going to beg me to keep going.”
I shake my head violently enough that he lets go of my hair, but not before he pulls out a few strands. When I cry out and grab the side of my head, he holds them up to shine in the moonlight before dropping them to the ground.
Quinn steps back, but I’m afraid to move. I’m still against the tree, shivering and almost fully exposed to him. I can’t tell what he’s thinking, but some fucked up part of me hopes that he likes what he sees.
He clicks his tongue and shakes his head before leaning back in. Now his face is so close to my ear that I can feel his hot breath on my skin, and it makes me shiver. A throbbing settles low between my legs and I have to focus to ignore it.
“I could take you now, Abigail.” He runs a finger up my side, skimming it over my nipple. “But I promise you, that when I do take you, you’ll beg me for it. You’re going to want me to fuck you, Abigail. You’re going to need my cock in me so badly that you’re not going to be able to think straight until you get it. Then, when you’re done begging, I’m going to fuck you, and I’m going to ruin you for everyone else.”
He turns away from me without another word and walks back up the hill to the clearing. Even from where I’m standing, I can hear students laughing and having fun and see the shadows cast by the bonfire.
Finally, I sink down to the ground. The bark is still digging into my back and the ground is cold under me, but I can’t move.
I can’t help think that, no matter how much I hate him, Quinn may be right.
And that pisses me off more than anything else.
Chapter Eight
So far, I’ve managed to hide in my room for half of Sunday, but if I want to get anything to eat then I know I’m going to have to leave my room eventually. It just seems like a much better option to stay in my room than to venture out, where I might run into Quinn.
Or his friends.
Or, you know, anyone who was at the bonfire last night and saw me have to borrow Vincent’s shirt to sneak out. It barely covered my ass, but that was a hell of a lot better than my dress was doing. Pretty much everyone there got an eyeful, and just like Madeline had told me, everyone was there.
So, basically, the entire senior class saw me half-naked.
Not really awesome, if you ask me.
Sighing, I pull an oversized hoodie on and open my door, leaning out into the hall before I venture out. Most everyone else has already eaten and is working on their projects, which means that I have a pretty good shot at making it to the cafeteria and back without anyone seeing me.
“There she is.”
I haven’t even taken a step out of my room when I hear a familiar voice. Swallowing hard, I turn and look in the other direction. Alice is stalking towards me, looking pissed. She reminds me of a lion stalking the Serengeti, and I consider darting back into my room, but she’s seen me. There’s really no way that I can hide from her forever, so I swallow hard and shut my door firmly behind me.
“You looked like a whore last night, Abigail.” She’s flanked by two girls I don’t know, but I don’t pay them any attention. If they’re here as backup then I’m not really worried about them. Alice, on the other hand, has already smashed my head into the bathroom wall, so she’s the one to look out for.
“Yeah, well, it really wasn’t my intention. Quinn just couldn’t help himself, I guess.” I’m well aware that I’m playing with fire, but I don’t care.
“See, little whore, that’s the problem. Quinn’s mine, or did I not make that clear enough before?” She grins at me and I get the distinct feeling that she’s considering slamming my head into the wall here. I take a step out into the middle of the hall to make it harder for her if she does try anything.
Groaning, I glance behind me, but nobody’s there to save me, so I turn back to A
lice. “I don’t think that you understand. I want no part in whatever shit you have going on with Quinn. He doesn’t interest me, okay?”
She scoffs and gets closer to me. I don’t want to back up and show her that I’m scared, but I’m starting to get a little worried about what she’s going to do. Before I can move, she reaches out, grabbing onto my shirt. Her other hand holds a knife and she darts her hand out.
Gasping, I try to yank back. All I can think is that she’s going to stab me, but she doesn’t touch me with her blade. It cuts through the fabric of my shirt, ripping it open.
“Stop it!” I try to knock her hand out of the way, but she’s faster than I am and just laughs.
“There, whore. Now you can go get something to eat.” Alice looks satisfied with herself and stands back a bit to admire her handiwork. My shirt is cut into shreds. No matter how I try to cover myself, my bra is visible, as is my stomach.
“Thanks, bitch.” Turning, I start back to my room, but she reaches out and grabs my arm.
“No, no, no, Abigail. You’re not changing. I want everyone to see you like the whore that you are.” Her voice sounds gleeful, and I squint at her, trying to see if she’s serious. She must be able to tell what I’m thinking, because she laughs. “Oh, yeah, I’m serious. I dare you to try something. Just see what happens.”
She flashes the blade at me, and I groan, considering my options. The girls with her aren’t huge, but the fight would be three against one. More than anything right now, I wish that I hadn’t made Madeline promise that she wouldn’t wait for me for lunch. She’s probably in the cafeteria right now enjoying a great meal, not knowing that I’m about to get cut by a psycho.
“Fine.” There’s absolutely no way that I’m going to win this one, and I can see it already. “You want me to go parade around half-dressed in front of Quinn? You got it, Alice.”
I’m hoping that what I’ve said will make her realize that she’s acting like an idiot, but she just grins at me. “Great. Can’t wait to see what everyone thinks about our new whore in residence.”
“You do realize that I’m a virgin, right?” I can’t help but say something. I’m sick and tired of people calling me a whore like I’m some sort of a slut. “So, you really don’t make a lot of sense, you know that?”
“Fuck off.” Alice crosses her arms in front of her chest and stares at me until I turn back around.
Great. I apparently have multiple enemies here at Trinity Prep. Some just aren’t nearly as smart as others.
Holding my head high, I walk into the cafeteria. I had hoped that most of the students would have already eaten and would be working on their art, but apparently it was a good day to hang out with your friends, because it was packed.
Madeline saw me from across the room and started waving, but I saw her hand drop as she realized what I had on. Or, rather, what I didn’t have on. While Alice hadn’t cut me at all, she had done quite a number on my shirt, and I felt practically naked. Maybe fashion students didn’t mind wearing scraps of clothing, but I felt way out of place.
Holding my head high, I walked across the cafeteria, but before I could grab something to eat, a hand on my shoulder squeezed my skin and whipped me around. Turning, I reached out for balance, my fingers barely brushing the wall before I grabbed onto the person in front of me.
Quinn.
Of course.
“What the fuck are you wearing?” His voice is a low growl that makes my heart thud in my chest. Thank god he doesn’t have super hearing, or he’d know for sure the effect he has on me. “Why the fuck did you think that you could dress like that?”
“Oh, this?” I make a show of pulling out my shirt and looking down at it like it’s something I’m proud of. My bra is hot pink and lacy and on full display for anyone who wants a look at my tits. Judging by the way people are staring, that’s pretty much everyone in the senior class. “This is just a little gift from Alice. You like?”
“Everyone can see you.” He hasn’t let go of my shoulder and has actually taken another step closer to me. He’s so close now that I can practically feel the heat radiating off of him.
“Nobody’s looking.” It’s a lie, and Quinn doesn’t even have to turn around to know that I’m not telling the truth.
“Everybody is,” he shoots back. “And you’re making me look like a fool.”
I can’t help but laugh out loud at this. “How in the hell am I making you look like a fool? I’m the one parading around in a shirt that looks like I was attacked by a tiger!”
“Because you belong to me, and everyone here knows it. I’m the one that gets to take your V-card, or have you forgotten?”
This close to him, there’s no way that I could ever forget that he wants to take my virginity. It’s almost impossible for me to stand so close to him without my body trying to betray me. He’s gorgeous, broody, chiseled, and smells amazing. I want to snuggle up next to him and feel the heat from him keep me warm, but there’s just one little problem.
He’s an asshole, and I hate assholes.
“I’m really not worried about your reputation or what other people think, Quinn. What I’m worried about is how hungry I am, so move.”
He doesn’t, and I try to take a step around him, but he easily shifts his position so that he’s standing in front of me again. Rolling my eyes, I scoot to the side to get around him, but he counters.
What are, five?
“You know what? I’m not hungry anyway.” I turn like I’m going to storm off but grab an apple at the last second. When I look across the cafeteria, my eyes lock with Madeline’s and I hope that she understands just how hungry I am.
If anyone is going to come through for me right now, it’s going to be her.
“Good.” Quinn’s voice behind me stops me in my tracks. “Because remember what I said, Abigail. I don’t want you getting out of this perfect little shape for me.”
I have to force myself to walk away from him. If I’m not careful, Quinn could easily be my downfall, and I’m not willing to give up on my dreams for someone like him.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Madeline stand up from the table with Vincent and Natalie. She crosses the cafeteria to meet me and loops her arm through mine before we even get to the door.
“Are you okay?” Her voice is a hiss, and I nod.
I will be. As long as I have her and I can stay away from Quinn as much as possible then I’ll be just fine. But if I lose Madeline or he somehow gets his hooks any deeper in me then I’m screwed.
I just hope that he doesn’t realize that.
Chapter Nine
In between trying to hide from Quinn and trying to keep Alice away from me with scissors, I’ve also been working in the art room under Mr. Stanfield’s watchful eye while also working on an absolute beast of an accounting project.
I’m an artist, not a numbers person, but I’m slogging through it. Madeline and I have spent days working on our projects together, making sure that we can both show how an artist can easily handle their own books, and I can’t wait to turn it in.
“Hey, did you finish your project?” It’s Friday, almost a full week since the party out in the clearing, and Quinn is staring down at me at breakfast. It’s a bit unnerving to have him leaning over me like this, especially since I don’t know what he wants and he’s never before seemed to care about my grades in any class other than the one we share with Mr. Stanfield.
“Of course I did.” My laptop is in my bag at my feet, ready for me to show my work to Professor Thiel during first period. I’m not a numbers person, like I’ve said, but this is really good work. I’m actually proud of it, which is saying something, seeing as it’s not art.
“And how did you do?” All of a sudden, I have a very distinct feeling that something is wrong. He’s making eye contact with me like normal, but it’s not normal for him to have so many questions about something I’m working on.
“I did great.” Slowly, I stand up, not wanting to be b
elow him any longer. “Why are you asking these questions?”
His eyes, which seemed almost happy just a moment ago, suddenly grow darker. “Because I know that you think you’re my competition with Mr. Stanfield, Abigail, and from your painting this week, I can see that you don’t totally suck. Well, not as hard as I thought.” He flashes me a grin and I blush, thinking about something else I could suck.
“So you’re just checking up on your competition?” This doesn’t seem like Quinn. There’s something strange about the way he’s acting. He’s cocky and full of himself, but I’ve never before seen him act worried.
“Something like that.” My bag is between our feet, and before I can stop him, Quinn upends the coffee he’s holding. It splashes down into the bag, filling it up, before slowly starting to leak out.
“No!” I scream, and drop to my knees, reaching for my laptop. If it gets coffee in it then I am really and truly screwed, because I’ll never be able to show Professor Thiel my work.
If I can’t perform in the rest of my classes then it won’t matter how well I do in painting – I’ll be asked to leave Trinity Prep.
“What did you do?” My hands are on the edge of my laptop, but it’s slick with coffee and they keep slipping as I try to pull it out from my bag. “Quinn, what the hell did you do?”
“Oops.” He drops his cup next to my bag. It bounces on the floor next to me, but I ignore it. Finally, I pull my laptop out of my backpack and I open it, frantically pressing buttons to try to bring it to life.
There’s coffee pooling between the keys on the keyboard and dripping from the battery compartment. No matter how many keys I jab or what kind of prayer I whisper, it doesn’t turn on.
Quinn drops down to his knees next to me and takes my laptop from me. He presses the on/off button a few times before grunting to himself and slamming it shut, dropping it back in my bag. There’s the sound of it hitting wet fabric and my stomach sinks.
