The woman’s expression grew curious. “No, what’s going on? Is she planning to outdo her efforts from last year?”
“You better believe it.” Quickly, I gave her the CliffsNotes version, trying to make sure I was clear enough without making myself incredibly late for class. When I was finished, she gave me a seal of approval and then quickly excused herself to a meeting.
Then I really was running to class, and my leg bounced through the entire lecture. I was brimming with energy like I hadn’t in months, excited for what my redheaded girl was trying to pull off.
When I was finally free again, I was emailing her as soon as I was out the door, asking her to meet me for dinner. Of course, she agreed—I had made sure to learn when her breaks between classes and clubs were during the night where we had talked for hours—and I headed to her place.
I made it to her door in record time, and her face was alight when she answered the door.
“You ready for some serious brainstorming?” she asked, her tone strained from holding back her excitement.
“Hell, yes,” I said, walking in and taking off my shoes.
And brainstorm we did, long after our food went cold and into the night.
Chapter 16
Hailey
I wiggled, slightly pressing my thigh against Brayden’s leg. We were squished together in a booth in the student cafeteria, laying out my fully polished plan to Melina and some of Brayden’s house. I loved being close to the man, and I was certainly milking the chance for all it was worth as I went over all the details of my magnificent plot.
We were holding a charity auction but not just any auction. No, I was going to sell off the boys of Alpha Kappa Psi to the highest bidders.
We only had a couple of days to throw it all together, so I really needed Brayden and his boys to get the word out. I had seen how many people had attended their party, and I knew they could get the kind of numbers we needed to be successful.
I was incredibly grateful that all the men were into it. Even Noah, whose mood seemed to have improved significantly since the last time I saw him. They were all eager to be involved and asked insightful questions for things I hadn’t thought about.
It was in the middle of answering one of those queries when a hand slowly alighted on my thigh. I quickly recognized it as Brayden’s, however, and kept going like nothing was happening.
While my upper body wasn’t reacting, I pressed my thighs together, squirming at the feelings he was bringing up in me. With his spare hand, I saw Brayden pick up his phone and send something, and the next thing I knew, my email notification popped up on my own device.
I waited a few torturous seconds, not wanting to be completely obvious, before checking it.
Calm down. You wouldn’t want to give it away.
I didn’t let my expression change and set my phone down. Brayden grinned and moved his hand higher, clearly up to no good.
I caught him between my own fingers, holding him in place. Without missing a beat, I looked him in the face and spoke with the calmest voice I could manage.
“I just realized I didn’t transfer the proper permissions format to our drive for printing. We need to go back to my place. Now.”
He got the message instantly, and he nodded. “Oh geeze, let’s go then. Catch y’all later.”
Somehow, we managed to get to our feet and walk calmly out of the building. But as soon as we were out of our friend’s sight, we were all out racing back to my room.
We stumbled in, a hot mess of limbs and discarded clothes. Faster than I had ever disrobed before, I ended up naked and pushed him onto my bed, so I could straddle him.
There was no drawn-out torture this time, no careful foreplay to drive me wild. Instead, I ground against him, coating his awaiting length with my very obvious need for him. It was desperate, and frenzied and wild, but it felt so right. I needed him with every fiber of my being, and I wasn’t about to fight it.
He let out a hiss of pleasure as I did, and lifted his hips, allowing me to writhe that much harder. It lasted only a couple of minutes, maybe less, and the entire time his hands were on me like I was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
His fingers were everywhere, caressing my sides, gripping my hips hard enough to leave faint red marks, cupping my breasts and worrying my sensitive nipple between his fingers. I found myself wound up more quickly than I ever had been, and my mouthed opened up in a gasp.
“Brayden,” I croaked, sounding much less sexy than I had meant to.
But he didn’t seem to notice at all and looked at me with the same hunger as he had before I spoke. “Yes?”
“I want—no, I need you. Right now.”
I didn’t need to do any further convincing. He tipped me forward slightly while his other hand reached down, entering me in one smooth motion. There was a moment of resistance as my walls were surprised at the sudden guest, but my body accommodated him readily. There was no way any human could be quiet after such a rush of pleasure, so I shoved my wrist into my mouth to keep from alerting my neighbors to my afternoon delight.
I rode the frat president with wild, wanton abandon, not holding back a single iota of my passion. Brayden thrust into me with as much furor, making me feel that much sexier from the exchange.
Suddenly, I understood why people went so crazy for sex. I had always thought of it as a side-hobby that wasn’t worth all the time people dedicated to it, but I was definitely on the love-boat now.
I had no idea how long we rutted against each other, writhing and grinding, paying attention to nothing else in the world outside of us and our coupling. My climax was teasing at the edge of my perception, urging me onward more and more in a desperate reach for it.
When it finally did hit, I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t even think. Wave after wave of euphoria washed over me, overriding every other thought and sense I had. I desperately tried to suck in air, my whole body locked in the deluge of pure heaven.
The moment was absolutely perfect, and I thought it couldn’t get any better, but then Brayden hit his own climax, and his nails bit into the tender skin of my hips as he filled me.
When the last of both our orgasms faded, I stayed atop him a moment, breathing hard and soaking in the moment. It was certainly a frenzy compared to our last, borderline methodical romp, but I certainly wasn’t complaining.
Looking behind me at the clock, I again noticed that Brayden’s legs were hanging off the end of the bed. Laughing slightly, I leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead.
“We need to start doing this at your place, so you can fit on the bed.”
“Really? You’d be willing to come into our den of sin and debauchery? A literal cesspool of frat-kind.”
I playfully slapped his chest and slid off him, groaning as I did. “For you, yeah.”
Chapter 17
Brayden
The auction was in two days, and I felt like I was going insane. Hailey and I were whirling dervishes, working like mad to get everything set up and tied with a neat bow. Somehow, we managed to get the auditorium booked, which was its own story in and of itself that involved a lot more bribery and threatening than one would expect for a simple college stage. Then there was the DJ, which required budget requests in triplicate before we were able to convince her to donate her time for a tax write-off. And not to mention the decorations. Who knew there were so many rules for what could and could not be used for a non-profit event on campus. Even thinking back to it made my head swim from all the superfluous details and overly nitpicky limitations.
The boys weren’t staying idle either. They all hung up fliers, made an event on social media where they invited the whole school, and even made a video about it to throw up online. I was struck again by how impressed I was with their effort and realized they might have been the best group of people I had ever had the pleasure of working with.
The only thing left was my holy grail, my ultimate challenge, my great white whale, gett
ing the local newspaper to cover the event.
Getting the word out into the community beyond the college would be a key to our success. Although Hailey didn’t seem to dare to say it out loud, I knew she was hoping to break all sorts of records this year. And I would be lying if I didn’t say I wanted to get her there.
I couldn’t even imagine what her reaction would be if she doubled or even tripled last year’s net gain, so naturally, I had to see it happen. Even if it drove me to an early grave.
It was right after I got out of class when I noticed a single email notification. I opened it, expecting a last-minute addendum from Hailey, but instead, it was a reply from the city newspaper.
Holy shit! That was even better than the local publication. A city reporter was interested in the story and wanted to meet me.
Quickly I sent her my schedule, stating when I was free, and surprisingly, she told me she could meet me in two hours at the library in the center of campus. Of course, I agreed and quickly rushed home to get ready.
If I was going to represent Hailey and something that was so important to her, then I needed to look my best. I guessed I didn’t want to go too formal, but I didn’t want too casual either. I needed to find the perfect middle ground, the type of style that said Hailey was a woman with a good head on her shoulders, and she chose great people to help her.
I was a nervous wreck by the time I was walking to the meeting, and I had to give myself a mini-pep talk to psyche myself up. It was right about then I realized Hailey had gotten out of class, and I could finally give her the good news.
I quickly whipped out my phone and shot her off a message, imagining about a dozen different scenarios with her gushing about how amazing it was. Unfortunately, she didn’t respond right away. Maybe her phone had died? Most likely. I knew her phone was incredibly old and only lasted about four hours without being plugged in, so if she had forgotten her charger she was SOL.
I reached the library and took a deep breath to calm myself before entering. Sure enough, I was able to make out the businesswoman in a professional suit instantly, and I strolled toward her.
“Ms. Hernandez?” I asked, flashing her a bright smile.
“Ah, Mr. Keller. You’re early.”
“But not as early as you.”
“Yes, I like to scope out where I might be working. I found a nice, quiet place where we can conduct the interview. Would you like to follow me?”
“Of course. Lead the way.”
We quickly exited toward the back of the library, a place I had somewhat stereotypically never been. We turned down a hall at the very end and walked until we ended up at a series of study rooms I had never known existed. Huh, you learned something new every day.
The reporter led me into an empty room, and we sat on either side of the table.
“So, Mr. Keller, what inspired you to start this charity?”
Geeze, she wasted no time. “Oh, I didn’t start the charity. It’s the love child of our head organizer, Miss Hailey Martin. She’s a student here and has been working on different drive projects since she was a freshman.”
“I see.” She wrote something down in her notebook, and I couldn’t help but wonder what she found interesting enough to make a record of. “And how did you end up entangled in such a project? Do you have a history of charity work?”
I sent her another easy smile, pouring on the charm as best I could. “I think we might have gotten off on the wrong foot. I’m just the messenger, the PR if you will. The real star of this article should be the children, and I wouldn’t mind if you never said my name at all.”
She raised a carefully made up eyebrow and looked me over once more. “How altruistic of you.”
“You wouldn’t think so if you knew who was running the thing.”
“This Miss Martin is that amazing?”
“Oh, yeah,” I assured emphatically. “She’s a lot like you, actually.”
That seemed to pique the woman’s attention. “In what way, would you say?”
“Driven, dedicated, with a strong desire to help as many people as possible. She’s fought hard to get where she’s gotten, and I wouldn’t want to end up facing off against her on, well, anything.
“It’s not that she’s ruthless or cruel or cutthroat or anything like that. She’s just got this sort of drive that will never stop. You could do everything you could and then some to try to get in her way, and it wouldn’t matter. “
“You sound like you admire this woman greatly.” There was something in the woman’s tone that indicated her interest. I couldn’t put my finger on it. Maybe it was her half-hooded lids as her gaze switched from me to her notebook. Maybe it was the way she leaned forward. Maybe it was just her tone. Either way, I knew when greasing the wheels would help me out, so I did.
“How could I not. There’s something about a strong, powerful woman that I can’t help admiring. Makes me wish I could be as put together.”
“Do you find yourself particularly un-put together?”
I laughed and tilted my head just so. “Why, Ms. Hernandez, un-put definitely isn’t a word. As a reporter, I expected better from you.”
“As a reporter, I know when it’s a good time to break the rules.” There was no missing the corner of her lips rising, giving her a totally salacious expression.
“Oh, really?” I responded. “Perhaps sometime you could teach me.”
“And give away professional secrets? I think not.”
“Don’t worry,” I said, leaning forward with a broad wink. “I’d make it worth your while.”
She laughed and returned to questions about the charity. I felt pretty proud of myself for handling her so thoroughly, and I was absolutely sure that she would print about us now.
Our interview ended about fifteen minutes later, and she stood, offering her hand. I shook it warmly and was surprised when a business card slipped between my fingers. Damn, this woman was smooth, I had to give her that.
“I’ll have this in tomorrow’s print if everything goes all right. After you’re done with the goodwill maelstrom this will surely whip up, why don’t you give me a call?”
“Absolutely,” I said, grinning again. “I look forward to it.”
She turned to leave, exiting out of the door with an alluring sway. I appreciated her aesthetic, but I only wanted to get to Hailey and tell her the exciting news.
I left quickly, wondering how I had ever juggled multiple women before. I wasn’t ashamed of my actions, by any means. I was always upfront about my intent, but I suddenly found myself wondering how I found any sort of solace in that kind of lifestyle. How much energy had I wasted, searching around for a good booty call for the night, just to end up jerking off in my bed? Even with my full directory, I ended up without a partner as often as I did. Plus, there was no guaranteeing the sex would be any good.
No, I was definitely a changed man.
I reached Hailey’s apartment and was surprised to see her by the door. I raised my hand to wave to her, but as soon as she saw me, storm clouds appeared across her face, and she ran inside, slamming the door so hard I could hear it even from where I was standing.
I ran up to it, knocking, a cold dread filling my belly. Had she somehow overheard my conversation with the reporter and taken it out of context? I certainly hoped not. Otherwise, she was never going to let me in.
Chapter 18
Hailey
I lay across my bed, crying my eyes out in both frustration and heartbreak. I had received Brayden’s email about the reporter after my last class, and I had been so happy that my heart had practically leaped out of my body. I had been about to answer when my phone had died, leaving me with the choice to either wait and see what happened or go see if I could eavesdrop in the library.
Boy, I had picked the worst time to be impatient.
I had arrived as the woman was laying it on thick for Brayden. I couldn’t exactly blame her. He was yummy and charming and everything wonderful all wrapped
into one. But what I didn’t expect was to hear him return it back flirt for flirt.
I had stood in the hall, completely blindsided, listening through the door. Although it was a single panel of wood, I felt worlds away from the man I had thought I loved.
Oh, love. That was a huge word.
The fact that my mind instantly went to that word made my stomach lurch, and the next thing I knew, I was running to my dorm and trying not to sob like a little schoolgirl whose crush didn’t return her valentine.
Of course, long-legged Brayden had to catch up with me after I fumbled with my keys outside the door for a while, making my heart and my resolve crack like a porcelain doll. I ran in, threw myself across the bed, and hadn’t stopped crying since.
“Come on, Hailey,” Melina said, setting down at the edge of my bed. “He’s been waiting out there for half an hour. Shouldn’t you at least give him a chance to explain?”
I didn’t answer and just buried my face in my pillow. I didn’t want to be merciful or understanding. I hurt. And I wanted him to hurt too.
Love? Love?! I couldn’t get over the word choice. In my entire life, I had never felt such a strong, solid, consuming affection for anyone. And yet, when I thought of Brayden, recalled his face and his voice and his touch, I knew without a doubt I absolutely loved him. In fact, I loved him more than I had ever loved anyone in my entire life.
And he had betrayed that. How could I have been so stupid?
All my life, I had known that fuckboys and frat-bros were the banes of my existence. That they were only trouble and would make me regret ever knowing them. And what had I done? Gotten involved with a presidential frat-boy. If that wasn’t the most moronic thing I had ever done, I didn’t know what was.
“I just don’t think he would try to hurt you like that. It’s obvious to anyone with eyes that Brayden cares about you very much. It’s all the frat guys talk about when I’m over there. They always go on and on about how such a tiny, proper lady bagged big ol’ bad Brayden off his throne. I mean, you’re practically a legend.”
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