No Choice

by Steele, C. M.

  I stood up and gave my sister a hug before she dropped her bag, and we grabbed some lunch. I wanted to hound her and get answers, but I already knew my sister. She was going to toy with me.

  “So tell me what you got,” I asked impatiently as soon as our trays hit the restaurant counter.

  “I got the corned beef on rye,” she said as she looked down at her tray. What a shit! I gave her a look that made her cave.

  “Fine… Cam. No sense of humor at all,” she said as she shook her head. “Her name is Natalie Cromwell. She and Emmy share a dorm room because Emmy is an RA. They are both seniors, so they graduate in two months, but that’s all I got. Sorry,” she said, twisting her lips.

  “Don’t trip, Van. It’s all I need. Did you tell her why you were asking?”

  “Nope. It just came up, so I took advantage of it.”

  I turned to look at her, and she was looking at me, then back to her friend. Then her friend Emmy turned to look at me too. So she told her friend about me. I turned back to Vanessa, paid for our food, grabbed her waist, and walked us back to the table. I wanted to see her reaction. She looked away, pissed. Good. As soon as we sat down, I grabbed my phone.

  “Tim, I need everything you can get me on Natalie Cromwell—she’s in her early twenties and goes to U of I.”

  “Okay, how soon?”

  “Whatever you can get me in the next hour, get it. The rest can follow,” I said while I continually stared at Miss Cromwell.

  “I’ll get right on it. How’s your sister doing?”

  “She won’t leave school.”

  “Okay,” Tim said. He was my main man and head of my security. He knew my parents wanted Van to come home and that I was supposed to convince her.

  “Get me what I need.”

  After I hung up, I was still staring at her.

  “So you’ve got Tim doing your dirty work for you?”

  I gave her a stern glare. “Mind your business.”

  My sister was babbling about Mom’s birthday, but I wasn’t paying attention. My eyes and thoughts were on my Natalie.

  “Dude, like seriously. You’re pathetic,” she said as she rolled her eyes.

  “Shut up. I’m not that bad,” I denied.

  “Yes, you are.”

  Wanting to change the subject, I replied, “Anyways, Mom’s birthday is a month away. I’ve already talked to Dad. He’s planning a big party at the country club. I’m not going because I’m tired of the scene, but I’ll visit before the party.”

  “But what are you getting her?”

  “I don’t know yet. I’ve got time.” Just then, I looked at my girl, and she was packing up her things. I knew she had a class after because most of the hall cleared out at the same time. Tomorrow, though, the gloves were off, and I was either running away or snatching her ass up.

  My phone rang, and I answered it without taking my eyes off her. She blushed, and her friend looked at me like I was the devil. She hadn’t seen nothing yet.

  “Yeah,” I answered.

  “The file is being emailed to you right now. There is a lot on her family, but little on her.” I wondered what her parents were like. They would probably grill me for taking an interest in their daughter.

  “Thanks.” I hung up, but watched her walk away. The sight from behind was really, really nice. I’d just carried the trays to the trash and emptied them when my phone pinged. Sure enough, it was Tim’s report. He’d been working for me for the last two years. The man was good. A little uptight, but a good guy.

  “Okay, I’ve got one more class today. I’ll see you later for dinner?”

  “Absolutely, Van.” We said our goodbyes, and I went back to my hotel. The moment I got in my room, I started my laptop. I tapped my fingers on the keyboard in frustration—it was taking too long to get started. I must have been anxious as fuck because my computer was fast as shit. Once it was up, I looked at the paperclip icon, clicked, and smiled.

  Although after looking at the file, my smile was gone, and I thought about choking the shit out of her parents. They wouldn’t grill me about Natalie. No, they would try and pawn her off to benefit them.

  Kennedy and Allan Cromwell were elite members of the Springfield upper crust. That was until their volatile split. The records stated that they both had had affairs with anyone they could and had lost some friends when it was noted that some of the affairs were with their married friends. Natalie had been twelve at the time and surprisingly had been put in foster care.

  Reports showed they’d taken their time reclaiming her because they’d fought for who was going to keep her. Unlike most parents fighting each other for custody, they were fighting for who had to take custody, like she’d been a burden. She’d been left alone most of the time. After a big fight at a party, the cops found out that she’d been left at home by herself. That was when child services had been called.

  Despite the neglect, she was the best student growing up. No complaints at school, and her grades were fantastic. Her bastard father actually paid for her tuition here. Rumor was, he paid it because of the tax break. She was graduating in two months, but there wasn’t much else. She worked for a while as a freshman, but stopped.

  There was no information on boyfriends or lovers, but I guess that shit wasn’t something that was going to be in a file. I’d find out tomorrow, and this time I wouldn’t let her go without letting her know who she belonged to—me.

  “Okay, he’s doing it again,” I whispered to Emmy, my best friend, while staring at the gorgeous, devilishly sensual, rude man. He’d been staring at me the last two days, and it was wearing on me.

  My body ached when he looked at me. It was in a way I didn’t expect—purely provocative. I wanted to go over there and say something, but I wasn’t sure what it would be. Part of me wanted to ask him what the fuck his problem was. Yet, a bigger part of me wanted to ask him to do more than just stare.

  I was a plain Jane. My looks had never gotten me a good-looking, sophisticated guy like him. The only dates I’d gotten were with lame asses trying to score, but I wasn’t that kind of girl.

  I lied. Jeff, my last boyfriend, was a decent guy with potential. He was on the football team and was graduating too. He was smart, but didn’t ever look or act sophisticated.

  “I know. Who the hell does he think he is? Staring at you for the last two days like he’s ready to bang your brains out, yet he’s always with Vanessa James,” Emmy said as she glared at the handsome stranger. She was always ready to come to my defense. She even cursed out my mother once.

  “I just want to tell him to stop, but you know I don’t have the nerve,” I grumbled.

  “Please, girl, you got it in you. I do recall someone calling our quarterback a ‘fucking troll-pussy lover,’ do I not?”

  “Yeah, but that one over there makes me nervous. When he looks at me, I lose my will to curse him back to hell because you know that’s where he came from; the man’s the devil.”

  “You just need to tell tall, dark, and handsome to back off or you’ll tell his girl. Damn, I wanted to say something since she sat next to me. I even mentioned you in class yesterday to get a rise out of her, but she acted like she didn’t notice his gawking.”

  “You know what? That’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to march right over there and tell him to quit it,” I said as I stared back at him as menacingly as possible, but he only smiled that sinful, smug smile he gave me every day. This man knew he was good looking—and drool worthy. And I hated that I was turned on by him. What did that say about my morals?

  His look proved that he took pride in his appearance; he was completely clean-cut, his face was chiseled but always smooth, and his eyes were sinfully blue. His brownish-black hair was perfectly styled, and if he wasn’t looking at me like a starving lion, I would’ve questioned his preference. He was about six two, and fit. He wasn’t overly muscled out like the football players, but more like a really buff baseball player.

  Always in a suit,
he had to know he didn’t fit in here. Come on, we’re college students, not in corporate America. There was no need for suits here. Actually, I had a feeling that he wasn’t a student here. He looked older, distinguished, and too manly to be a student here. He could almost be a professor here, if he wasn’t finely dressed in an Armani suit that was tailored to his form and with a watch that looked like it cost a fortune. He was too far away to make out the brand, but I knew expensive when I saw it.

  He may have been the one who started the staring game, but he wasn’t the only one fixated. The man had done something to my common sense. I found myself staring at him when he wasn’t looking. Sometimes I thought he felt my admiration of his nice backside because he would turn the moment I’d lick my lips.

  The man had a spectacular ass. I wanted to just give it a pinch, but I’d never have the nerve. I’d never hit on a guy, and more so a guy that was too fucking hot and had a girlfriend. As much as his arrogance and player status was on blatant display for me, I still couldn’t stop thinking about him.

  I just sat there and stared right back. I know it was passive-aggressive, but I wasn’t the type to make a scene. I lived through that growing up; I wouldn’t subject myself to that scrutiny again. I dared him to look away, but he refused. I was about to get up and tear him a new one, but Emmy pulled me back down.

  “She’s coming,” she said in a hush. I looked, and sure enough, she—Vanessa—was making her way to my handsome stranger.

  “Good. She needs to know he’s a douche,” I growled, jealousy corrupting my common sense. I got up out of my chair and huffed over to their table.

  I was sitting at the same table while I waited for my sister to get out of class, and like the days before, she was there. Damn, she was sweet on the eyes. There was something about her that was super-hot; it was hidden to the naked eye, but to me, all I saw was her raw beauty.

  As I watched her, she decided to stare right back, unlike before when she hid her beautiful face from me. She was challenging me, and I knew what this was about. She thought Van was my girl, not my sister. I gave her a wink, and she blushed a pretty pink. Then I watched as she turned her head slightly to the side at her pal and whispered heatedly while still glaring at me.

  “You should just go talk to her. Since when did you turn into a pussy?”

  “I’ve got to go back to work tomorrow. I staved off leaving, but I’ve got a meeting scheduled that I can’t miss. She graduates in two months. I’ll be here before then, and she’ll be mine. She’s single, and I expect you to keep her that way,” I said sternly to her. She was just about to respond, but my three-day, hauntingly beautiful angel approached.

  “Excuse me. Is there something wrong with you? Is there something on my face?” she asked, clearly completely pissed off.

  “It’s a possibility, and no, but you are freaking stunning, Natalie,” I said with a smile.

  “Damn. You’ve got no respect for your girl,” she hissed. Then she turned to my sister and said, “You could do better than this ass. So what if he’s handsome. No woman should put up with this crap.” Her anger was a fucking turn on. She was adorable when she looked around to make sure she didn’t have an audience, which for her sake I was glad we didn’t.

  “Hi, Natalie. I’m Vanessa, and this ass is my brother, Cameron James,” she cheekily said before I could make introductions.

  My poor Natalie’s face flushed and turned beet red in embarrassment. She fidgeted, not knowing how to come back from that one. I chuckled, which made her turn and run. I let her walk away back to her friend because I was too busy staring at her round bottom in a pair of jeans that hugged her rear but hid the shape of her legs.

  I sat there for a few more minutes willing my ever-present erection down before excusing myself and making my play.

  “Van, I’m letting her know what it is. I’ll see you back at your dorm before I go.” I gave her a peck on the forehead, stood straight up, and made my way to the two girls blushing and laughing in embarrassment.

  Chapter 2

  “Sweetheart, I hope you aren’t laughing at me,” I said as I walked up on them.

  “Umm…” she paused, but before she could speak, her friend answered for her.

  “No, handsome. We’re laughing at the fool she made of herself,” Emmy said, unable to keep from cracking up.

  “Natalie, you didn’t make a fool of yourself. Well, not much, really. I thought it was sweet that you were brave, ballsy, and kind. Had she been my girl, then it would’ve been in bad taste for me to stare at you like that.”

  I decided to start over with her and remove some of her embarrassment. “Let me do this right,” I said as I stuck out my hand. “Hi, I’m Cameron James—you are?”

  She just stared at me nervously, afraid to take my hand.

  “She’s Natalie Cromwell, and I’m her best friend, Emmy Watts. Since you’re single, I’ll let you talk to her. Wait, are you single?”

  I chuckled. “Yes. I am. Now, I don’t mean to be rude, Emmy, but I’d like to speak to Natalie—alone.”

  “Okay,” Emmy said as she looked at both of us. “Nat, you need me, just text, and I’ll come and junk punch him.” She gave me a nod in warning, but Natalie didn’t have anything to fear from me. Well, maybe she’d have to fear her ability to walk straight.

  “So now that we’re alone, I’m going to make this plain and simple. I’m leaving to go back to Seattle in the morning, but as far as I’m concerned, you and I are together.” I got that she would be shocked by my words, but she’d get over it in time. I’d given her two days too many already.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” she said with attitude.

  “It means that we’re a couple. I won’t see anyone else, and neither will you.” For some oddball reason, the thought that she’d find someone else here was eating at me.

  “The long distance thing isn’t going to work for me,” she stated plainly like there was nothing to discuss.

  I wasn’t going to walk away that easily. Hell, I wasn’t walking away at all.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Why? First, we don’t know each other. Second, I don’t trust you,” she said as glared at me.

  “Both of those can be rectified in time. The first one’s easy. I’ll call you every day, and we’ll get to know everything about each other. As for the second, I can only prove that to you in time, but just to let you know, I’ve gone months and months without fucking, so I’m sure I can wait two months.”

  “Two months?”

  “Yeah. You graduate May twenty-ninth. That’s less than two months away.”

  “So you’re planning to come back here then.”

  “Yes.”

  “Then, if you’re supposedly so interested, why not sooner?”

  “Because I’ve got to work, and you need to focus on the last bit of schoolwork. If I was here with you, you’d do nothing but come on my cock and tongue.”

  She flushed at my reasoning. I knew I was moving fast as fuck, but something about her called to me. From what I learned, she was smart, kind, and honest. My attraction to her was inexplicable to me, but I knew that I needed her more than I needed anyone else. I never wanted a woman for more than sex. I was too focused on work to care for more than a causal lay.

  “What about what I want?”

  “Valid question. You’ve been staring at me too. I felt it before I saw it, but I still saw it,” I said while I glided my hand across hers, slowly caressing it, and looking deeply into her eyes. I could feel her shiver, and I knew it was for me. She wasn’t scared—she was turned on.

  “Here’s how it’s going to go. I want you, and you want me. I’m going to call you every day, then when you graduate I’ll be here, and then we’ll go back to Seattle.”

  “Look, you may be handsome, and yes I find you attractive, but I’m not going to just play this game with you. I should’ve stayed away,” she said, fully frustrated.

  I’d had enough. She needed to see t
hat I was serious as fuck. I stood up, took her hands in mine, lifted her up from her seat, and pulled her close to me. The room was virtually empty, but I didn’t need a large audience; rumors would spread with just a few. I looked down at her, smiled, then whispered to her, “I’m as serious about us as can be.”

  I closed the distance between us and slid one hand around her neck under brown silken hair that captivated me. I didn’t say anything else before I bent down and kissed her lightly. I wanted more the instant our lips met, but if I didn’t pull away, I’d never want to go, and I had to. I slowly moved my mouth away from hers and looked into her eyes. They were glossy and green, a light shade of green with a hint of brown. I guessed they were hazel, but the green in them just popped.

  “Now tell me no. Say no and mean it,” I growled.

  “But…” I put my finger to her kissed-plump lips.

  “No. I won’t take any buts, unless it’s your round ass in two months,” I said with a wink.

  “You’re insane.”

  “Well, three days ago I was normal as they come. Now, I feel certifiable. Fucking insane for a woman I just met.”

  “Yeah, and you know nothing about.”

  “I know enough. I know I want to fuck you raw. I know that I want to hear you giggle like you did the first time I saw you. You’re graduating with honors in Business, so I know you’re smart. You grew up not too far from here, and your parents are divorced.”

  “So you dug up my info…brilliant. Is this how you get your women? You stalk them and dig in their backgrounds.”

  “Nope, never stalked a woman before. I usually don’t bother with getting to know women.” That divorce did a number on her, I thought.

  “Before you start arguing with me, know that I never lose. I want you, and that’s it.”

  “So I’ve got no choice?”

  “No. No choice. You’re mine.”

  “So do you want my number, or do you already have it?”