Corrupt Me

by Jillian Quinn

  Hunter Sterling, football royalty at Strickland, sat opposite Luca, giving Silvia a wink that caused her eyelashes to flutter and her breath to hitch. The boy with spiked auburn hair, who I thought was Mark Montgomery, flexed his muscles as he sat next to Hunter, dwarfing the plastic chair. He tapped Hunter, who ran a hand over his shaved head. Mark and Hunter sported white T-shirts with green letters of the Greek alphabet. They took turns with staring at my cleavage before making their way to my face, reminding me why I hated frat boys.

  Of the three, Luca was the most attractive. And, judging by his cockiness, that wouldn’t be news to him.

  Luca cleared his throat, a smirk tugging at his mouth. “Twice in one day.”

  He tapped his knuckles on the table. It drove me crazy—the air of confidence he exuded, the whole I-own-the-school mentality. What a pompous ass.

  I rolled my eyes and chugged the last sip of my soda. “Yay for me,” I deadpanned, holding the straw to my lips as I fought a smile. “Now, I know you’re stalking me.”

  “Where are you really going tonight, bella donna?”

  As much as I wanted to smirk, I liked hearing him tell me I was beautiful. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I struggled with my feelings for Luca. The butterflies doing somersaults in my stomach churned up acid from my picked over mystery dinner.

  “Bella—” Luca said, breaking the silence.

  “That’s not my name,” I just about spit the words. Even though Bella was a nickname for Isabella, I never liked that name much. Luca’s older brother, Mario, always called me Izzie when we were kids, and I thought Izzie better suited me. “You’re an ass, you know that?”

  Luca ran his fingers through his dark hair, flashing a very Preston-like smile. “Let me take you out.”

  “Not a chance.” My first thought at his words, “take you out,” was that he wanted to whack me, and that provided me with my own personal entertainment. But I knew he’d be pissed if I mentioned that aloud.

  I almost felt bad when he frowned, but he recouped quickly. His looks made it so hard to hate on him for too long. Still, I couldn’t allow myself to become involved with someone like him. In some ways, it was a conflict of interest. There was a reason our families severed ties over the years even though I suspected Grandfather had kept in touch with Luca’s father.

  I leaned on the table, meeting his gaze. “Is that part of your winning charm? You think you can give me that shit-eating grin, and I’m going to drop to my knees? Like I said, I’m not interested. If this is about earlier, I’d rather give you the money and be done with whatever this is we’re doing.”

  He laughed. “I’m not that bad, babe.”

  I snorted at his comment, annoyed by his pet names.

  He scratched his jaw, the corner of his mouth opening a little bit. He didn’t need game. He had that crooked smile and that sexy mouth I wanted to smash my lips against.

  “I’m adding the two of you to the list.” He pointed at Silvia and me, wagging his finger back and forth. “Come to the party we’re having this weekend. You don’t even have to talk to me, if you don’t want to.”

  I let Luca sweat for a second before his boyish smile wore me down, forcing me to submit. “I’ll think about it.”

  He cocked his head to the side, looking up at me from under his dark brows.

  The harder I stared at Luca, the more my palms started to sweat.

  “What am I gonna do with you?”

  His arrogance and the way his hands moved with each word were so annoying. But, for some reason, I found it so damn hot. All I saw when I looked at him were rock-hard abs, chiseled features, and mind-blowing sex. Maybe we could hook up, work out our aggression, and go our separate ways.

  “Just give it time.” Luca winked at me, never missing an opportunity to make some form of eye contact.

  When I was around him, I would turn into a nervous girl, afraid of her own shadow. On the outside, I was determined to maintain the wall I’d erected between us. He could never know how much he’d worked his way under my skin. A guy like Luca would salivate over the chance to get in my pants, and as much as I liked the idea, I vetoed it immediately.

  “Dio mio,” I groaned in frustration.

  He sucked all the air from the room with his arrogance, leaving nothing for the rest of us.

  “God can’t save you from me.” Luca hooked his arms around Penny and Alex and pulled them against his chest. “Right, ladies?”

  Neither of them seemed to mind. In fact, it was obvious that at least Penny had a giant crush on him. They never hooked up though. I could tell by the way her smile deflated when he placed his hands on the table.

  “So, Bella, I’m willing to bet you won’t be at Mickey’s tonight, but you should think about coming to our party.”

  “You don’t take rejection well, do you? Like I said, I’ll think about it. Besides, I have to unpack.”

  Silvia sank her nails into my thigh, indicating my mistake. I was so preoccupied with Luca that I’d forgotten she wanted to hook up with Hunter.

  Luca stared down the table at his friends, his one eyebrow raised. “You guys think you can help Bella out?” His tone indicated an order, not an option, and Mark and Hunter nodded in agreement.

  I wondered if his family had them on the payroll, too.

  What couldn’t his family’s money or power buy? Coming from an affluent family, I understood the concept, but he’d slid so far beneath my skin that I couldn’t stand to sit across from him anymore. Beyond irritated, I slammed my hand on the table, and Silvia jumped.

  “That’s not my name. Stop calling me that! This might work on other girls, but it sure as shit doesn’t work on me.”

  One side of his mouth turned up, twisting into another crooked fucking smile. He slipped his fingers through his hair, his blue eyes blaring into mine. “You’re even hotter when you’re angry. And that mouth…” His tongue glided across his bottom lip.

  I stood, kicking the chair behind me with my foot, and pressed my palms to the table, meeting his gaze. “You talk so much shit, but you wouldn’t even know what to do with me if you had me. So, tell me, Luca, what would we do if I decided to slum it for the night?”

  The nervous energy that ran in waves through my body magnified when Luca peeled his legs from the chair. He bent over the table so that our lips were practically touching. My skin was on fire, a sudden burst of heat traveling down to my thighs. I didn’t move because I’d never back down from him—or anyone else, for that matter.

  “I’m willing to bet those panties you got in a bunch are soaking wet right now,” Luca whispered. “Am I right, princess?”

  I inched back, my hands still on the table and my eyes fixed on Luca, hating that he was right. Damn, him. The corner of his mouth curled up into a wicked grin. He knew he had me, and I wanted him to corrupt me in every way possible.

  “You’re an asshole.” That was the first thing that had come to mind even though I wanted to say so much more.

  We were drawing an audience, the entire cafeteria waiting for our next move. Penny looked as though she wanted to lunge across the table and wring my neck—or his. I wasn’t sure which. Instead, she flicked her golden locks over her shoulder, feigning a semblance of a smirk.

  “We’ll be at the party.” Silvia cupped her hand over mine, her gaze lingering between Luca and the sorority sisters who were glowing with delight. “Count us in.”

  Never breaking eye contact, Luca grinned from ear to ear, despite the permanent scowl I wore in protest. “See you then, Bella.”

  I snickered, giving him a look of death. “Can’t wait.”

  Chapter Five

  IZZIE

  The barista set two cups on the end of the counter, spun the cups around to see the stickers, and called out, “Venti nonfat, no whip mocha latte and a grande cappuccino with Splenda.” She flashed a quick smile, whipping her caramel strands away from her face. “And a doppio espresso.”

  “Thanks.” I handed Silv
ia her mocha, chocolate syrup spilling over the top and onto my hand. I wiped it off on my jean shorts before noticing a stack of napkins on a serving station in the corner.

  After a long night, we’d slept four hours, if that.

  Broad Street Beans was at the corner of Broad Street and Greek Row, on the opposite side of the street from our dormitory. A sign splayed across the front said, Serving the finest brew to the 215 since 1968, in red-and-black script lettering. We were in the kind of neighborhood that gave a shout-out to their area code.

  Despite Grandfather’s warnings, I thought this part of Philly was okay in the daytime. At night though, I knew I’d better keep my cell phone and some pepper spray handy.

  I double-fisted my drinks.

  “To senior year.” Silvia tapped her lid against mine. “And making bad decisions.” She laughed and shook black bangs out of her face.

  “I’ll drink to that.” I took a sip of my cappuccino, chuckling against the plastic, and followed her to a table at the front of the café.

  She snorted, almost choking on her drink. “You would drink to anything.”

  “True.” I shielded my face with my forearm as the sun shot through the tinted panes of the bow window in front of our table, forcing me to squint. “Well, almost anything. The last few nights have limited my quota of bad decisions, but bailing on Luca and the Kappa girls was a good call. We dodged that bullet.”

  “Drinking skinny cosmos on a Thursday night—or, really, any night, for that matter—sounds awful. You owe me though. I didn’t hook up with Hunter, so you have to promise we’ll go to the party at Delta Sig.”

  I sighed, knowing I couldn’t break my promise, not after I’d convinced her to abandon our plans. And, while I was on the path of destruction, what kind of friend would I be if I deprived Silvia of her own list of regrets?

  “I’ll go but not willingly. Throw in a bottle of Cuervo, and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

  “Done.” She leaned back, a satisfied look on her face.

  With the end-of-summer sun searing into my retinas, I blinked a few times before deciding to slip on a pair of chunky sunglasses. This hangover was a real bitch, the kind of mind-swelling torture that made it impossible to function. I took my flask from my handbag and added bourbon to my espresso—hence the reason for two drinks.

  “Hair of the dog.” I raised the flask to offer it to Silvia, but she waved me off. I shrugged and brought the Styrofoam cup to my lips, drinking it in one gulp.

  “We should hit up Mickey’s tonight. They’re having a Drop It Like It’s Hot dance contest.” Silvia pulled a green flyer decorated with shamrocks from her purse and set it on the table. “You just have to shake your ass. You could win this, no problem. Have you seen some of these girls around here, two-steppin’ it?”

  “What time?”

  I heard Luca’s gruff South Philly accent and looked up, already irritated.

  “I know the owner of Mickey’s.”

  “Of course you do,” I deadpanned, rolling my eyes. “And I never said I was going.”

  Behind Luca stood Hunter, the cute but slightly chunky wall of man flesh, which made Silvia sit straighter, pushing her breasts out. And, as usual, they hadn’t left the house without Mark, who had his auburn hair fashioned into messy spikes. The alcohol hitting my empty stomach almost made a comeback as Mark licked his bottom lip at me.

  Oh my God, what was it with these guys?

  “Stalk much, Luca? You just keep popping up everywhere, don’t you?” I grunted and took another sip of caffeine, now feeling desperate for a stimulant. “I guess the asshole gene replicates once more.” I pointed at the boys. “Are they your bodyguards?”

  “No, sweetheart.” Mark folded his tatted arms, corded with muscles, across his chest. “Mark Montgomery. Maybe you’ve heard of me.”

  I shot him a look of disgust, refusing to acknowledge his giant ego that almost toppled over Luca’s. “What are you? Famous or something?”

  “Mark’s our star pitcher. The majors are looking at him,” Luca interjected.

  I whipped my index finger in the air and rolled my eyes at Mark. “Go you!”

  Silvia laughed so hard that she drooled mocha down her chin. She was quick to wipe her face before turning toward Luca. “Don’t you just love this chick? She cracks me up.”

  “I can’t get enough of her.” Luca flashed his panty-dropping smile, his gaze shifting between Silvia and me. “But she’s mean, and she won’t stop rolling her eyes at me. Maybe you can help me out here.”

  Silvia raised her eyebrow at me.

  “What?” I felt my eyes twitching in irritation, the crimson from my cheeks now spreading down my neck and chest.

  “At least one girl at this table likes me, just not the right one.” Luca pulled up a chair and wedged himself between Silvia and me at the circular table.

  It sat two people comfortably, but Luca and his friends made it work, huddling next to us. They were so close that I got a whiff of citrus from Luca’s skin.

  One of the boys smelled like Axe body spray, my least favorite scent on the planet. Whoever said that shit attracted women was out of their damn mind. It was more like a repellent. I guessed the unfortunate smell belonged to Mark.

  Luca leaned closer, a hint of toothpaste still on his breath.

  Like an idiot, I didn’t move my head even though our faces were only a few inches apart. He could kiss me, and I would have nowhere to run. And, surprisingly, the thing was, I wanted him to kiss me.

  “What do you want, Luca?” I rolled my eyes.

  He leaned his elbow on the table, holding my gaze. “I’m enjoying the challenge.”

  “Whatever!” I slid my chair back and scanned the crowd. “You’re just wasting your time, so you might as well give up now and talk to a girl who actually wants to hook up with you.” I pointed behind us. “Look, you already have some takers. You might wanna jump on that—you know, strike while the iron’s hot and all.”

  A line started forming from the cashier to the front door, giving prying eyes and ears a front-row seat to the show. Apparently, the boys at our table were the big swinging dicks on campus. Not that I couldn’t see the physical appeal. Each of them was cute in his own way, but Luca wasn’t just cute. He had the kind of sex appeal that made you forget your name.

  Except his charms had the opposite effect on me, and everything about him incited nothing but rage in me. Okay, that was a bit of a lie. But, damn, if I didn’t want to kick my own ass every time my overwhelming desire to straddle him jumped into high gear when he smiled that sexy-as-fuck crooked one that I couldn’t get enough of. One look, and it would go straight to my legs, forcing me to slap them shut.

  He glanced down, his grin settling on my thighs.

  “I’m calling your bluff, princess. You like me. You just don’t want to give in—at least, not yet. But you will, trust me. They always give in.”

  “Wow!” I slapped my hand over my mouth, my eyes wide in mock surprise. “Now, if that doesn’t make me want to spread my legs, then I don’t know what will.” I shot Silvia a knowing look. “Right, Sil? I mean, don’t you wanna rip all your clothes off right here at this table?” I fanned myself as I got up from the chair. I made sure my skin brushed against Luca as I walked behind him. “I’m so hot right now, I don’t know how I’m gonna keep myself away. Quick, throw a bucket of water on me.”

  Silvia slapped Hunter on the arm and pulled herself up from the table, laughing. “Let’s go before we catch fire.”

  I bent over, my lips grazing Luca’s ear, as I reached over and grabbed my coffee cup. He smelled so good that I almost forgot what I wanted to say.

  “You need to step up your game if you want a girl like me to talk to you.” With my cup in one hand, I shoved the other through his wavy hair. It was so damn perfect that it barely moved.

  I swore, he didn’t move or breathe the entire time I hovered over him. It was the exact effect I’d hoped to have on him. Guys like him love
d the chase, the thrill of the hunt. The Prestons of the world couldn’t stand the word no, which made them even more fun to play with.

  Silvia and I started walking out the door with our coffees when I heard a chair skid across the tiled floor.

  “Izzie, wait up!”

  His friends must’ve stood, too, because the rumble that followed sounded like a herd of elephants. I pushed open the door and stepped onto the noisy sidewalk, ignoring Luca.

  LUCA

  So, that happened.

  I could still feel her breath on my earlobe, the scent of her vanilla body lotion burned into my nostrils. She smelled good enough to eat.

  Without an ounce of makeup, she looked natural, flawless. Wearing jean shorts, a faded Rolling Stones tee, and black Chucks, she didn’t fit the mold of the heiress I’d expected. Izzie was a badass who didn’t take shit from anyone, including me.

  I’d noticed she’d closed her legs when I moved closer, so regardless of my strategy, something had worked. She defied the rules, forcing me to adapt and use another playbook. Unlike other girls, she didn’t rake her fingers through her hair or even show a little skin to get my attention.

  All she had to do was glance in my direction, and my dick would get hard.

  Hunter and Mark followed me out of Broad Street Beans, the family-owned coffee shop that had been around forever.

  I called her name several times, but Izzie dragged her friend by the hand to their dormitory. They ran across the street at a red light, almost getting plowed down by a pickup truck full of boys. The bumper had a Strickland University sticker on it.

  I watched as the driver of the truck honked the horn, not out of anger but to get the girls’ attention.

  They yelled something I couldn’t make out over the buzz of traffic. Then, the strangest thing happened. Izzie spun around, her lip curled up in revulsion.