My hiccups were making it hard to understand what I was telling him, but I thought he understood being called into the Dean’s office at any time wouldn’t be good, but especially not in my last semester of college.
I started again after I’d regained my composure. “They sat me down, and the Dean told me the teacher is bringing plagiarism charges against me. She said she didn’t believe I wrote my last paper for her class!”
He waited for me to continue as I took a deep breath.
“I asked her why she’d think that and she told me it was too well-written. I looked at her like the stupid old bat she is with my mouth hanging open. The Dean asked me what I had to say to her allegations, and I told him it wasn’t true. That I had indeed written the paper and couldn’t fathom why she assumed I hadn’t since I cited all my sources. Gray, I have to go before the Honor Council next Tuesday to present my case. I have to have two teachers willing to speak on my behalf at the Council meeting, vouching for my work and my character. She’ll present her evidence as well.”
He was apparently as lost for words as I’d been for the last few hours thinking about it. When he finally spoke, he said what I’d been thinking since leaving the Dean’s office. “It’s obvious this woman has never spoken with you, or she’d know what a diehard perfectionist you are and how hard you work on everything you’re involved with.”
“Gray, if they find me guilty of plagiarism, I won’t graduate. I’ll be thrown out of school. I don’t have a clue how to fight against a ‘crime’ I didn’t commit. What the hell am I going to do? I don’t have time to deal with this shit. There are six weeks left of classes, and I’m down to the wire for my seminar submission, and then I have to work on my presentation to the faculty.”
“Baby, don’t look so defeated. Your teachers love you, and they know the quality of work you turn in. They’ll back you. It’s inconvenient, but you aren’t going to get kicked out.”
I held onto him like a lifeline and crushed his ribs together. I was little but strong. He squeezed back in reassurance. My vice grip on his waist lessened, and I tried to pull away when I heard my phone ring.
When he finally released me to answer it, I said, in a weepy, small voice, “Hello?”
He watched as more tears fell, and I listened to my dad deliver more bad news. The first time I’d heard from him in ages had been with devastating news. Unfortunately, my father’s call only heightened my anxiety. I kept my mouth shut and listened to the pain in his voice while Gray tried to draw me into him, but I’d kept him at bay.
“Dad, I’m so sorry. When do we need to leave?” I waited for his broken answers, knowing what I was about to say would only make his heartache worse. “I’ll have to go separately, I’ll drive down that day and have to leave the next morning. I can’t miss senior seminar, and I have an appointment I can’t miss on Tuesday.”
He tried to argue with me, said my teachers would understand, but he didn’t know what was going on, and I certainly couldn’t tell him now.
“No, Dad, they won’t understand. I’m sorry. I’ll be there, but I can’t miss school.” I listened to him tell me he was disappointed in my unwillingness to be there with my family before I could finally disconnect. I crumpled on the floor with my phone clutched to my chest.
“Jesus, Annie…what’s wrong, baby?”
I shook, and a steady stream of tears flowed from my already swollen eyes. Gray kneeled on the floor in front of me with his hands on my shoulders and willed me to look at him. When I finally made eye contact, I saw something break in him, and it was likely his heart. He had no idea what was wrong, but he didn’t deal well with drama—he avoided it at all costs.
Finally, my sorrow-filled eyes, pooled with tears, met his. “My Granddaddy died this morning, Gray. His funeral is on Monday afternoon. I have to drive to Alabama and be back in time Tuesday morning for the Honor Board hearing.” My shoulders slumped in defeat. This couldn’t have come at a worse time.
“Baby, it’s a five-hour drive each way to Birmingham. How are you going to do that?”
It only took a moment for determination to set in, and I was back in the saddle ready to ride that horse. I shook my head, stood up, and wiped my face with the back of my hand. “I don’t have a choice, Gray. I can’t tell my parents about the stuff at school. I’m expected to be at the funeral. I’ll get it all done, I always do.” I resisted his attempt to comfort me. “Gray, I’ve got to start working, and I don’t have much time to get my ducks in a row.”
“I’m never sure whether to be amazed by your resiliency or concerned you refuse to succumb to anything life throws at you. But, Annie, my gut tells me to be concerned.”
I waved him off and set out to do what needed to be done for me to survive the next couple days.
Over the next several hours, I made phone calls regarding the Honor Board situation. Turned out I also had to have a student reference in addition to the two professors. Somehow, I rounded up three people who were fighting mad in three phone calls. Gray tried to tell me this support alone should have brought me peace of mind. He was sure if the only three people I called—two of which were professors in my major—were all willing to speak on my behalf, I shouldn’t be worried about the situation, and needed to recognize it as a nuisance. I didn’t see it that way; this was an attack on my character and my entire body of work over the last four years.
After that short discussion, I sat down at my computer and continued to work on my thesis. My entire college career depended on these two issues. Gray couldn’t imagine the pressure I was under, but he attempted to be supportive. I skipped dinner but continued working at the kitchen table while he ate. Somewhere around 10:00 pm, I picked up my cell and sent a quick text. I knew he was watching me from the couch, but he didn’t know if I was asking someone about homework or doing something for Walton’s. When I got a response to my text, I stood up and walked to our room to put on shoes and a hoodie and pulled my hair up into a ponytail.
I called out to him as I neared the door. “Gray, I’m going to run out for a few minutes.” He nodded, and I kissed him on the cheek when he approached me. “I’ll be back in a few.”
“Be careful, baby.” He didn’t say anything else as I left.
Fifteen minutes later, I bounded back in the apartment with too much pep in my step. With the day I’d had, I should’ve been more careful at eleven at night. Gray would have to be a moron not to notice the change in my demeanor, but I was too downtrodden to make it through the levels of work I had in front of me to do it sober. It hit me harder than it would have months ago because it had been so long since I’d done anything.
“That was fast,” he said nonchalantly as I crossed back into the apartment.
“I told you I wouldn’t be gone long.” Closing the distance between us, I straddled his lap and pressed my breasts to his chest. It was distracting as hell, and I knew physically, no matter what was going on between us, he wouldn’t resist me. I had the Midas touch where Gray’s body was concerned. My voice became a siren he couldn’t resist and called him to danger, yet he was unable to stop himself.
In those eight words, I knew I confirmed for him I was geeked out. He could tell by my tone and eyes I had done a line while I was out, and he had to have known I’d brought more home. He warred with whether to confront me, advance the sexual escapade I’d promised him with my subtle lap dance, or ignore what he knew was the truth in light of my current circumstances. I hoped he picked option two when I planted my lips on his. They were full and warm, slightly parted, and begged mine to join them, to allow our tongues to converse. The instant our tongues met, his dick twitched to life beneath me. When his hands fell on my hips, I ground into him and rolled my waist to show him my desire.
There was a fury of seductive kisses on the mouth, then down each other’s necks respectively, my shoulder bones, the dip on my chest. I greedily bit at his skin and ears and drove him wild. His hands slid up my sides and took the hem of my shirt with t
hem. My skin prickled in goose flesh as I let out a pleased moan. It came from deep within my throat, the vibrations radiated through my chest pressed against his.
“I need to fuck you, Gray.” My words were guttural but sultry whispered in his ear.
“You going to ride me, sweetheart?”
I didn’t verbally answer his question, just stood, and quickly rid him and myself of our clothing before I climbed back on. He was itching to claim me—the desperation was evident in the way his hands roamed my skin. I steadied myself with his shoulders, lifted up, pressing my front to his, and kissed him with such force he couldn’t help but push me down to secure our connection—united as one.
I rode him like he was the last bull at the rodeo and securing my championship depended on this performance. He had told me before, the only perk to me on coke was I fucked like a goddamn porn star, and he loved it. Leaning back, my hips undulated while he enjoyed the motion of the sea.
When I spread my legs farther in his lap, he penetrated deeper, and I let out a loud, throaty moan that vibrated off the walls of the apartment. Staring into his soul, I never broke my stride
“Fuck, you’re so tight I could die buried inside you.” The words were broken, carnal, and barely coherent, but they got me where I wanted to be.
I was working my way to climax, and he wanted to be there to dive into the wave with me. Jerking his hips in time with mine, with one final thrust, I met him at the precipice, and we held hands as we both jumped off. My body twitched. Still tangled inside me he involuntarily jerked. My inner muscles milked his shaft and left us both completely sated. My forehead fell to his chest. He stretched out with me on top of him, and shortly after, fell asleep.
Sometime in the middle of the night, Gray woke on the couch to find me back at the kitchen table working on my laptop. I desperately tried to get ahead on my schoolwork, so I didn’t have to worry about it on top of everything else on Monday when I was gone. He sat there watching me when I turned to give him a weak smile.
Sleepily, he mumbled, “Hey, what are you doing up so late?” It was a stupid question since he already knew the answer, but the only one his brain seemed to formulate.
“Schoolwork. Did I wake you?”
“No, the couch doing a number on my back did. Why don’t we go to bed? It’s got to be really late.”
“I can’t, but you go ahead.” I glanced at the clock, seeing it was almost five.
“Baby, you need to get some sleep. You’ll never make it through a day of classes and work if you don’t.” He tugged on my hand and tried to lead me to the bedroom.
Resisting, I said, “Sorry. I have to finish this. You go ahead. I’m going to go to the library in a little while when it opens at six. I’ll see you tonight.” I pulled him down to kiss him on the mouth. But he lingered a little too long, so I shooed him away, playfully.
“Night, Bird Dog. I love you.”
“I love you too, Gray.” The way he regarded me said he could see the pain in my eyes, the exhaustion, the despair, and everything I was battling, trying to keep myself alive through the next five and a half weeks before graduation. There was a twinkle of hope mixed in, but when I blinked, he lost sight of it.
Only moments later, my world shifted again, when his voice rang out from the bathroom.
“Goddamn it, Annie! What the fuck is on the bathroom counter?” He was beyond pissed. He had given me a pass tonight. He wanted to ignore this, but I had made it impossible.
I came running into the bathroom knowing what he had found. I tried to clean up the white powder on the counter, and I reached for the eight ball, razor, and unraveled dollar bill, like that would make it all go away.
He grabbed my arm forcefully, and made me look him in the eyes when he yelled, “What the fuck, Annie?”
“Gray, I just needed a little pick-me-up. It’s not a big deal.” My tone was adamant, so was his.
“We agreed no more drugs. Forget that it’s fucking illegal—it’s stupid.”
“This is the first time I’ve done it since we moved in together. My plate is full Gray. I needed to get through Tuesday.”
“You fucking promised me!” He was screaming inches from my face.
“You promised me a lot of things you fell short on, too, Gray!”
“What fucking promises did I make to you? I’ve never promised you anything!” He didn’t make promises—for that reason. He knew he wouldn’t keep them because he was selfish as hell.
I was dumbfounded and stared blankly at him. I stuttered, “I…you—”
“I asked you a question. There weren’t supposed to be any more drugs. I told you I wouldn’t deal with this shit and I meant it. I don’t want to be involved with someone who can’t deal without getting fucked out of their minds.” His words were cold and cruel. I didn’t know why he was so angry. He had known several hours ago I was high, but I guess he assumed I’d gone out and done it, not brought it back to our apartment. Here was the proof he didn’t want, and I had forced him to see.
“So you’re saying I can’t handle life without drugs, Gray? Really? Don’t you think I’ve got more on my plate than most people? If this is what I need to get through the next few days, why do you care?” I was incredulous.
“I didn’t mince words. I was clear about my expectations. You need serious fucking help, Annie. It’s not just the drugs; you’re off your rocker.”
“And I failed you. Is that it? Jesus, Gray. I don’t even know what to say to you.”
“That makes two of us. Get this shit out of my house.” He had never referred to our apartment as his; we had both lived here since day one. He was making more out of this than it really was, and subconsciously, I think he was looking for an escape he could justify and blame me for. Never in my wildest dreams would I have believed Gray would have taken a stab at my mental stability, but he just had.
I didn’t bother to say another word. I collected the mess off the counter, grabbed my shoes and slid them on, then my computer and backpack, and walked out the door. Once in my car, I didn’t look up to see if he was watching me leave, I didn’t call him to work things out. I just left.
Gray walked into the apartment a few minutes after seven, and I was camped out in my usual spot at the kitchen table working on my computer. I glanced over at him when he opened the door but said nothing. I knew how bad I looked and his stare confirmed it. My face was completely washed out, void of any color except the dark circles that surrounded my eyes.
When he closed the door, he announced, “We need to talk, Annie,” before he sat down at the table. My only acknowledgment was a slight nod. I didn’t speak, so he did.
“Robbie, Turtle, and Topher are on their way over here to get your stuff. You might want to call Jenny and see if you can stay with her until you figure out what you’re going to do. Since most of your furniture is in storage, there won’t be much for you to move.”
I raised my eyebrows at him, my eyes watered, but I refused to let the tears fall. I would not cry over him…not in front of him. There wouldn’t be an argument, and he knew I wouldn’t try to plead my case. I wouldn’t fight because there was none left in me.
He watched me quietly pack up my computer and books before he answered the knock at the door. I was embarrassed by him involving anyone else in this but picked up my phone to text Jenny to get it over with as quickly as possible.
Leave it to Robbie to have made this as awkward as hell. “Fuck, Gray, you know how to make a girl feel loved.” Robbie had worked at the DC as long as Gray had. He and I had hung out a few times, usually when we all went out to Chiefs. We loved to banter back and forth. He was a Yankee, and I’m not from the South, but somehow we were kindred spirits. We loved to pick on each other or gang up to take on everyone else. He was a lot older than I was, but we had a mutual liking for each other, our sarcasm worked in tandem, and often made for serious entertainment. I was sure he felt bad for me, but this was his way of easing tension and trying to make light
of the situation. This time it was an epic fail.
Then there was Turtle. His real name was Sean—I didn’t know why they called him Turtle. Only his closest friends knew the meaning behind the nickname, and I was not in that category. And never asked Gray. I’d never called him Turtle, only Sean. He came in the door behind Topher and Robbie and walked straight toward me, but I shook my head. I knew if he tried to comfort me in any way, I’d lose my self-control. I wouldn’t be able to maintain my composure.
It took no time for the four of them to get my stuff together. “I think that’s it,” Gray said in my general direction, indicating it was time for me to go.
Pushing off the wall I’d used to hold myself up since his friends arrived, I looped my arm through my backpack, picked up my phone and purse, and walked out the door without looking back. Following behind me, Sean told Gray he’d take care of me. Topher and Robbie made their exit, leaving Sean in his truck with Gray and me standing beside my car.
“Annie, I…”
I held up my hand to silence him and shook my head. The only word I said was, “Don’t.” Sliding into the driver’s seat of the Celica, I closed the door in his face, and effectively our relationship. I saw him in the rearview mirror, and he watched me pull out of the apartment complex, before he went back inside, alone.
Chapter Fourteen
I couldn’t find the strength to say anything to Gray during the “incident,” which was what I had taken to calling it. I wouldn’t refer to it as his kicking me out, although that was exactly what he’d done, with no warning or place to go. Thank God for Jenny. She never asked what happened and knowing her, she wouldn’t. She had always been that friend who simply accepted who you were. If you wanted to talk, she’d listen, but she would never pry. I texted her when Gray had answered the door to let in his goons. I wasn’t mad at them just embarrassed they had been there. Gray could have told me, and I would have left without involving other people, but I think he needed his friends there to ensure he went through with it.
Bound (Bound Duet Book 1) Page 26
