Co-Ed

by Rachel Van Dyken

Her eyes went from horrified to insulted as she really did sidestep him, grabbed two glasses from the cupboard, and attempted to get ice out of the freezer.

  “Here, let me.” Finn trapped her on the other side, grabbed both glasses from her hands, and filled them up with ice then handed them back.

  It was classic Wingman style.

  Good cop, bad cop.

  Compliment her, come on to her then the next guy sweeps in to make her feel like he was the safer choice, the guy next door. That was Finn. I knew what was next.

  Showtime.

  Slowly, I approached the three of them.

  “What are you guys watching?” Finn asked, crossing his arms and leaning a safe two feet away from her, commanding her attention while Leo slowly braced behind her and started running his hands down her arms as if she was shivering.

  Then she really did shiver. “You guys are bad news.”

  “No,” Finn scoffed, “we’re the good ones. I can promise you that.”

  “Well, the good ones are touching me,” she pointed out.

  Leo laughed and stopped rubbing. “You looked cold.”

  “I’m not.”

  “So, would you say you’re hot then?” Finn asked.

  “Why does this feel like a trap?” she wondered out loud, glancing at the full cups in her hands. “If I answer right, can I go back to my room?”

  “Why would you want to do that?” Leo said from behind her. “I promise you’ll have more fun out here.”

  “Yes, having an orgy sounds awesome,” she deadpanned.

  Finn burst out laughing. “Honey, I’m sure it would be, but that’s not exactly what goes on behind closed doors. I think you’d be surprised how non-sexual what we do is.”

  “Uh-huh, and the moans?” She tilted her head. “That’s non-sexual?”

  “Can’t help it when we bring a woman pleasure without even touching her,” Leo said, dripping with so much sexual innuendo I almost rolled my eyes.

  “Your loss, baby girl.” Finn winked. “Anyway, nothing wrong with making new friends. Let us know if you ever need anything.”

  Leo walked around her, careful to graze her arm one last time as he and Finn moved past me. Finn whispered under his breath, “She’s all ready for you.”

  Shawn was almost to her door when I approached her; she was doing her best to ignore me and walk fast enough that it didn’t look like she was sprinting to get away.

  “One minute,” I said in a confident voice. “All I need is one minute.”

  “So you can lecture me on microwave safety again?” She glared.

  I liked her spunk.

  Almost more than I liked her mocha skin. God, she was beautiful when she was annoyed. That might be my new favorite addiction — annoying her.

  “Nah, I think we got that all out of the way last time,” I teased before I walked around her body as if I was memorizing her. “Like I said, one minute.”

  “Fine, but you can’t touch me.” She smirked.

  It was almost unfair how easy it was to read people, even her.

  “Agreed.” I grinned. “And you don’t even have to set the glasses down.”

  She rolled her eyes. “This I have to see.”

  “Oh, that’s the thing. Your eyes have to be closed. I promise I won’t touch you; I’ll just give you an idea of what sharing with grownups is like.”

  She gave me a disgusted look and closed her eyes.

  “Fifty-nine seconds,” I whispered, holding my hands out in front of me, careful to keep them one inch from her body as I slowly ran them over her arms, her head, her legs. One of the first things I’d learned before signing up for this was Reiki work, or energy-field massages, and from my experience, they worked extremely well on stressed-out college students, especially women.

  I moved the energy around her arms, her legs; her body gradually started to slump as her breathing slowed, while I stood behind her and took the negative energy swirling around her head and sent it packing. My fingers heated as I pushed good energy around her face, her lips, her mouth, concentrating on her eyes and the small scar on the right side of her cheek.

  Ten seconds.

  I moved to the front of her and cupped my hands over her ears, still without touching her, then ran one hand over her mouth.

  Five seconds.

  I stood in front of her, my mouth inches from hers.

  And I sucked the air between us like the slow burn of a cigarette.

  Damn it, she was like nicotine, wasn’t she?

  “Open,” I whispered, still in front of her.

  “What…” Her voice croaked as she swayed a bit in front of me. “…the hell was that?”

  “You carry a lot of stress in your neck.” I touched her then, grabbing the pieces of muscle between my fingers and pressing as she moaned as she sagged forward. “A lot of athletes do. You need to be icing more, all right?”

  She nodded against my chest.

  Then, as if she’d just realized we were touching, she jerked back and narrowed her gaze. “That’s not fighting fair.”

  “What?” I smirked.

  “You.” She pointed at me with one of the glasses. “That’s like memorizing someone’s weakness then pouncing when they’re too tired to fight you.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I wanted to stay. I wanted to fight with her, to argue, to kiss her senseless. Instead, I backed away and nodded my head. “Have a good night, Shawn.”

  She gaped.

  She seemed surprised I wasn’t staying.

  The struggle was real. After having my hands so close to her body, yet not touching her, my fingers had burned, so I’d broken one of the rules. I’d touched her afterward just to see if her body would respond.

  And it had.

  Fuck, it had responded beautifully.

  She gave her head a shake as her door jerked open.

  Slater gave me the same glare I’d been on the receiving end of since the incident freshman year.

  I glared right back.

  The memories came crashing in, like they always had.

  Memories of her smell.

  Memories I saw haunting his eyes too.

  I looked away.

  Backed off.

  Because apparently, the universe hated me, and the one girl who’d piqued my interest just happened to be staying with the one guy who had a reason to hate me almost as much as I hated myself.

  Wordlessly, he pulled her into the room and slammed the door in my face. I smiled the entire way back to my room and was stunned to find a shocked expression on both my friends’ faces.

  “You broke a rule.” Leo tapped his finger against his chin. “Didn’t he, Finn?”

  “Yup, sure did.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Bullshit,” Finn smirked. “You know you aren’t allowed to touch anyone who isn’t your client yet, and first-time clients don’t get touched after Reiki. They’re too vulnerable. So technically, you broke two rules.”

  “I didn’t touch her,” I pointed out. “Well, I mean I did but—”

  “Ah, and now he’s defensive.” Finn grinned wider. “Leo, I think I smell a bet coming on.”

  “Are you twelve?” I spat.

  “Fourteen.” Leo shrugged. “But he finally got his balls, so I think we should all celebrate the maturity level in this room.”

  Finn gave him the finger. “A thousand dollars.”

  “Make that two.” Leo grinned. “Two grand.”

  “You’re both idiots.” I looked away. “Besides, I don’t need money.”

  “Then do it because you’re bored as fuck and driving us crazy with your mood swings,” Finn grumbled.

  “What am I even doing?”

  “Oh, that’s easy. Get her to like you — actually like you — maybe kiss your ugly mug and sleep with you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Hell, I could do that half dead.”

  “No tricks,” Leo added. “No Wingman
tricks, no Reiki shit, no good touch, no manipulation.”

  I stared them both down, opened my mouth then closed it again. Because it wasn’t something I knew I could actually do by being myself.

  The last time I’d actually dated…

  Fallen in love.

  The last time I had actually been real with a woman…

  She’d been taken from me.

  They knew it, too.

  “No!” I barked as pain filled my chest until it was hard to breathe.

  Both of them were quiet as I backed out of the room and slammed the door behind me, feeling like shit and in dire need of a good workout to push the guilt away.

  Chapter Seven

  Shawn

  “Hey there, Shower Girl.” Leo sat next to me in Human Anatomy like we were best friends then handed me a coffee. “I asked for Ristretto shots since Knox said you were stressed out. I find the acidic drinks from Starbucks make anxiety higher, thus the sweeter shot.”

  I blinked. Then blinked harder. He was wearing a tight band shirt, skinny jeans, black and orange combat boots, and a smile that promised more than just moaning, if you get the picture. His golden locks were tucked behind his ears in a low bun, and he was wearing a red beanie that brought out his dark eyebrows and green eyes.

  I was more surprised over the fact that women in our general area hadn’t suddenly started ripping their shirts off, since just looking at him seemed to send females in to heat.

  “Thanks for the coffee.” I quickly took it from his hand and looked back at the professor whose name had completely escaped me because the minute Leo sat down, I’d been drenched in the sweetest, most intoxicating cologne I’d ever smelled.

  Sweet Lord, what did he do? Sacrifice Channing Tatum on an altar and soak up all his man-juice in a bottle? I clenched my teeth and took a sip of coffee. It was surprisingly sweet with just a hint of sugar that made it easy to swallow.

  “Huh?” I pulled it back and stared at Leo. “What was this again?”

  “Shower Girl special,” he said with a wink. “I’ll be more than happy to bring you one every time we have class together.” I almost choked. Class together? For the rest of the semester? With him? “But I’m going to need a favor…”

  “Is anything ever free?” I wondered out loud.

  “You’re telling me.”

  “You’re the one asking for a favor.”

  “How’s that coffee? De…li…cious?” He drew out the word, good naturedly teasing me, then leaned in. “So, here’s the deal. I need you to seduce Knox.”

  Had my mouth been full, I would have spit the contents onto the student in front of me and probably soaked my textbook.

  “Tell me I heard you wrong,” I hissed as the professor started telling everyone what page to open our books to.

  Leo shrugged, opened his book before opening mine and founding the correct page. He was… almost too much, but a part of me wondered if he did it out of habit. Was he so used to doing things for women that he just naturally defaulted to gentlemanly actions when his mouth had no choice but to be a jackass?

  “Oh you heard me loud and clear, Shower Girl.” He gave me some major side-eye then leaned in again. “I’m not saying you have to see what’s under his bulging pants.”

  I felt my face heat.

  “Then again, with that reaction, be my fucking guest! Sla-a-ay, woman, slay—”

  “Would you keep your voice down!” I pinched him in the side, reverting back to junior high in a seriously embarrassing way.

  “I bet you would hold on to his ponytail,” he said, completely ignoring me, “like a pony. Hey I can put the song on. You guys can give us a little show—”

  I groaned and briefly wondered if I could make a quick escape out the window behind me. “I’m not seducing him.”

  He opened his mouth and drew a breath.

  “Or looking in his pants.”

  The student in front of me turned around and judged me hardcore; his look of disappointment in the female sex so real that I wanted to punch him in the face.

  Leo gave him a stern stare then made a motion with his fingers that said, “Turn back around ass, or I’m going to let the lady punch you.”

  The guy scowled and turned his back to us.

  “College boys,” Leo said, as if he wasn’t one. “So studious.”

  “Probably because they want to graduate on time and get a job.”

  “Oh, I have one of those. Thanks for the advice though.” Leo grinned. “Come on, what do you have to lose? All I’m saying is give him a chance. It’s been a while…”

  “Since he’s made a girl moan?” I just had to say.

  “Nah.” Leo’s face turned serious. “Since he’s made a girl moan because he wanted to hear it. Since he’s been interested enough to approach her rather than the other way around, and in my book, that happened twice in one night because Little Fort Knox can’t keep it locked up forever.”

  “It?” Was he talking about the guy’s penis?

  Leo reached across the desk and put a hand against my chest. “It.” He grinned. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

  I sighed. “Say I give him a chance, but no seduction. Do I still get coffee?”

  Leo seemed to think about it. “A real chance, not the kind you get just because you’re getting coffee every day, along with stellar company.”

  “Did we establish that you were stellar, though? Can’t remember…”

  “Cute.” He licked his lips. “But I’d like for it to be known that I’m stepping away from the challenge of tasting you, even though I’ve been dreaming about your tits for at least two nights straight.”

  “Your bowing out is noted.” I rolled my eyes. “And say, ‘tits’ one more time to me, and I’m going to be twisting one of yours in a very violent non-sexual way, got me?”

  “Kinky.” He nodded. “I like it. Maybe save that shit for date seven, though. You can’t just bust it out on date one. You keep the freak flag inside until it’s the right time to let it fly.”

  “You’re just full of great life advice, aren’t you?”

  He tilted his head. “Aw, that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me, and just this morning my mama told me I was smart.”

  “At least you’re pretty.” I patted his hand.

  He cackled out a laugh, which earned us more stares from classmates and a stern look from the professor.

  We were quiet for the next ten minutes.

  At least I was quiet.

  Leo was too busy tapping his pencil against his book and sighing like the world was ending because of his boredom.

  Class finally dismissed, and I stood.

  He crossed his arms, waiting for my answer.

  “Fine.” I gritted my teeth. “All I can promise is that I’ll give him a chance before I knee him in the balls.”

  “That’s really all any man can ask for.” He wrapped a warm, bulky arm around me and led me away from other students. The stares I got ranged from jealousy to judgement. I assumed the jealousy was because Leo was touching me, and the judgement was because people no doubt assumed I’d paid for it.

  “Skank,” one girl whispered.

  “Desperate.”

  I stilled.

  Leo turned around so fast you’d have thought he was part cheetah. “You two, over here.”

  The girls’ stunned expressions would have been funny if I hadn’t been so embarrassed.

  Slowly, they approached us.

  “This is Shawn. Say hi, Shawn.”

  I croaked out a, “Hi,” and a weak wave.

  “Shawn’s my friend. Not my paid cuddle-buddy; not someone I touch because I’m being paid for the fucking honor to touch her, but because I legitimately want to be in her company. So take your bitchy attitudes elsewhere and know that if you ever decide to use our services, we won’t answer. You’re both blacklisted. I’ll be sure to make nice voodoo dolls with your faces on them when I get back to my room, so she can poke your fake
boobs with a pin.” He grinned wide. “You can go now.”

  They both scurried off, tears in their eyes, while a few people next to us clapped like it was the best thing they’d seen all day.

  He sighed, wrapped an arm around me again, and said, “What’s your favorite breakfast food?”

  And that was how I became friends with a guy who’d seen me naked before I even knew his name.

  Slater was right.

  Resistance wasn’t an option.

  Chapter Eight

  Shawn

  “Fancy seeing you here of all places,” Finn said as he took a seat next to me at the coffee shop. I was trying to study for the test I had almost missed hearing about because stupid Leo wouldn’t stop asking me to seduce his friend. Like Knox wasn’t a big enough boy to ask himself? Not that he needed to ask.

  The whole situation seemed weird.

  He could get his own women.

  But the way Leo had said it made me wonder if there was more to the story. I just… Ugh! I shouldn’t even focus on it; not when I was trying to get an A with a professor who took great joy in giving D’s.

  I groaned.

  These guys were going to be the death of me.

  “Huh…” Finn mused. “Not the normal response I get. I mean, there are noises — don’t get me wrong — but I don’t think they’re ever from irritation, unless I just didn’t hit the right spot. But to be fair, I like it when girls own their own bodies, you know?”

  I was probably gaping at him like a fish. Seriously, what did I ever do to gain their attention other than being the only girl in the suite?

  “Studying,” I said in a clipped tone. “Don’t you have someone else to massage and gain noises from?”

  He put a hand over his heart. “I find your concern for my social life both comforting and alarming. Do you want to know who’s on the schedule for tonight?”

  I shifted in my seat a bit, feeling suddenly hot and cold all at once. Maybe because I wasn’t sure how to decipher the attention I was gaining from them, but my body? My body was well on board with whatever they had in mind.

  Maybe because I knew that it meant Knox would be a part of whoever the hell was paying them for attention and affection.

  “You should come.” He leaned in so I was forced to make eye contact. His gaze locked on to mine with an intensity that was almost uncomfortable.