The COMPLETE Coventon Campus Series: Books I, II, & III

by Wright, Kenya

  “Okay.” I turned on my phone and answered. “Hello?”

  “Cynthia?” My mom's sad voice carried over the line. “Your dad is dead.”

  Chapter Five

  Evie

  Darkness sank throughout the cabin. The plane rocked a little. I tensed in my seat and checked to make sure my seatbelt was secure. Not that a seat belt provided any real protection in a plane accident. What would it do if we slammed into the earth, make sure my spine remained attached to my flattened body? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. It was the worst part of flying, that crazy realization high up in the sky that if something happened, just one little thing, the plane and I could go crashing to Earth with no way to survive. Fear pumped blood through my veins fast, formed tiny beads of sweat on my forehead, and kept me on edge since we took off.

  Or maybe it was the predicament I'd gotten myself in, yet again.

  How did I get on this plane with Jay and Cynthia after breaking up with them? The first thing I need to improve about myself is working on the ability to say “no” and then sticking with no. And maybe saying “no” over and over again. I should get “no” tattooed on the palm of my right hand so anytime Cynthia came around, I could just show her my hand and walk the other way.

  Cynthia discovered her dad was dead, and I found myself consoling her. Part of me wondered if her dad was the one who raped her. The other part of me rushed back to the day I heard my father died in a motorcycle accident. I had been a child, only ten years old. It crushed me. The weight of the world—skies, heavy gray clouds, sadness, and all the other things that came with a loved one’s death—it all came crashing down on my little shoulders and forced me to my knees. Back then I had beautiful, strong black women in my family to lift me up. And when they couldn’t get me out of my sadness, Jay and Pipe rushed to the rescue.

  Who did Cynthia have? Jay. Maybe her family. Although one of them had molested her and the rest had no idea.

  Clearly, she didn’t have much of a support network—not like me. It wouldn’t have been cool to leave her stranded. Throughout my childhood, Mom stressed compassion and the positives of walking this earth as a good human being. Mom would have jumped on the airplane and gone with Cynthia, and so I did. Besides, Cynthia begged me to come down with her, so much that it became uncomfortable to deal with the crying. Desperation filled her eyes as she twisted her head from Jay to me, pleading with us to come. It would’ve been annoying, but under the circumstances, I drowned in her sadness and simply agreed to come.

  Poor Cynthia.

  The worst thing that could ever happen to a person was death. It rocked the average man or woman's world if they didn't have their mental feet stuck close to the ground and their fingers fully grasped onto the hand rails of some spiritual belief. However, losing a parent ranked the highest on shittiest things to happen to a human being.

  And that was how I landed on a plane ride to Cynthia's hometown.

  She practically collapsed once her mom told her the bad news. The phone dropped to the floor. I rushed to her and wrapped my arms around her small frame. Tears streamed down her face. All I could say was that I would be there no matter what, and that was when she’d leaned back and begged me to come with her.

  It's like she has a gift for making people do shit they don't want to.

  Not that I thought she was faking her mourning, but there was no reason to drag me with her. This had to do with her desperately trying to keep all three of us together. Yet, no matter how much I believed that, I couldn't keep from giving her support. What if she really did need someone, and I hadn't been there? I would've felt like crap. In these weeks we’d shared together, she'd somehow become a good friend. An irritating good friend, but still someone that I chose to care about and not hurt.

  And Mom would’ve told me to be there. Mom might not like the girl due to me sharing her with Jay, but she would have told me to be nice to her, just the same.

  We all sat on the same row, but not the same sides of the airplane. Jay purchased first class tickets to Miami that departed in the middle of the night. Cynthia lived in a small farm town an hour from the city called Redland. Thank God, I'll at least get to see Pipe. Since there was no airport in Redland, we had to fly into Miami where Pipe would be picking us up and taking the whole group down to Cynthia's home. From there, I told Cynthia that I would stay for a few hours and then go back with Pipe.

  This is ridiculous.

  I glanced at Jay and Cynthia across the aisle. She slept in his arms as he ran his fingers through her hair. No one sat next to me, although people packed the rest of the plane, which told me that Jay possibly bought the seat near me. Jay caught me watching him and whispered, “Evie, can we talk?”

  “No.”

  He took his time placing Cynthia's slumbering body next to the window, got up, crossed the aisle, and sat next to me. I formed my fingers into a fist and punched him right in the center of his gut.

  “Fuck!” he screamed and held his chest.

  “Go back over there,” I whispered.

  The stewardess came our way. “Is everything okay, sir?”

  Jay coughed into his hand and nodded. As soon as she left, he trapped my hands on his lap and leaned my way. “What the fuck was that for?”

  “You slept with her the whole time you were with me.”

  His mouth dropped open. “I thought that would be assumed.”

  “Fuck you, Jay.”

  He leaned back and stared at the seat in front of him. “Evie, I would’ve never had sex with Cynthia if I knew you wouldn't have liked it. I thought it would be okay. I just didn't think you would want to see.”

  “You didn't even ask how I felt about it.”

  He combed his fingers through his hair. “What would it take?”

  “For what?”

  “For you to forgive me and take us back.”

  Pulling my hands out of his lap, I put my finger an inch from his face. “There's nothing on this earth that would get me back with you and her.”

  “Just like that, you're through with us?”

  “Yes. Are you kidding me? Have you seen Twitter lately? Our kiss is being retweeted all over the world and with hashtag Heisman Pimp. That's what they're calling you now, a pimp. And what do you think a pimp surrounds himself with? Not lovely intelligent ladies.”

  “Evie—”

  “A pimp controls whores. So basically, they're saying Cynthia and I are whores.”

  “No one’s saying that.”

  “Actually, you put my name in Google with whore and several blogs will come up.”

  The muscle line in his jaw twitched.

  “Top that with the fact that you've been getting blow jobs and whatever else from Cynthia behind my back, I'm definitely not going to even consider ever getting back with you.” I pulled my head phones out of my bag and turned on some Billie Holiday. “So you can go back over there and console your girlfriend.”

  Before the smooth sounds of blues could fill my ears, Jay gently took one of my headphones away. “Why did you come with us?”

  “I felt bad for Cynthia, and she asked me while she was drowning in tears.”

  “That's the only reason?”

  “Pretty much.” I snatched the headphones out of his hand. “You're right about one thing. She's had a messed-up life and even worse situations than I can dream of. I feel bad for her. Did she tell you that the person who molested her was a family member?”

  Again, that line in his muscle twitched. “No. Who was it?”

  “She didn't say. And I doubt she'll tell me. She hasn't told anyone else, not even her own family.”

  He rubbed his eyes as if he was pushing tension away. “So this guy is still walking around and is probably going to be down there.”

  “If it isn't her father.”

  “It's not.” He shook his head. “I met her dad once. He visited her for a day because he had business in Sarasota, which is about two hours from Coventon. We went out to eat. Cynthia watched him
like he was some sort of God. It can't be him. I didn't get a creepy vibe.”

  “Well, that's the other reason I'm going. Not that I'm some sort of super hero or anything, but I would've felt like crap if I just let her go around this predator by herself, especially while she's dealing with her father's death.” I twisted my lips to the side. “But I won't be there any longer than a few hours or so. You need to make sure you stay around her the whole time.”

  “What do you mean you'll only be there for a few hours? I got us all rooms. Pipe didn't tell you?”

  I tapped my finger on the arm rest to control the temper that bubbled inside of me. “No, Pipe didn't tell me. He said he would take me back up to Miami after we dropped you off in Redland. He said he’d show me his new adopted city.”

  Jay rolled his eyes. “Well, he’ll show you his adopted city later. I asked him to spend the night down there with us. He agreed.”

  Of course, you asked. You just can’t let me go easily.

  “So I'll be sleeping in the room with Pipe?” I risked a glance at him.

  “No. You have your own room.”

  “I don't need one.”

  He glared at me. “You have it anyway.”

  I wagged my finger at him. “I know what you're trying to do. You think you can convince Pipe to stay down in Redland overnight, coincidentally put me in my own room, and bingo, the Heisman Pimp strikes again by sneaking in my bed to hook up with me.”

  He smirked and tilted my way. “You think I have to go through an elaborate plan to get you in my bed? If I wanted to, I would fuck you right in this seat.”

  “Wow. You're really taking this Heisman Pimp thing to the next level.” I looked out the window. Darkness mixed with the passing gray clouds. He tossed all of my curls to one side and left the shoulder closest to him bare. In my mind, I imagined him licking his lips and preparing himself to lean in closer and nibble my flesh.

  “Don't touch me, Jay.”

  “I'm sorry, Evie.” He traced my ear with his fingertips. “I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm pissed that the media is blowing this whole situation up. I'm mad at myself that I dragged you into this relationship and instead of it becoming a beautiful thing, it turned the most important person in my life away from me. I'm sorry.”

  My dark reflection gazed back at me in the window. She appeared smart and independent, but I knew the truth of her. She was the opposite, because a smarter woman would have pushed Jay's fingers away. An independent one wouldn't have even been on the plane.

  I closed my eyes right as Jay's lips met my skin. A treacherous sigh escaped my mouth. His warm touch rocked waves of need through me. He rubbed that skilled mouth against my flesh and I shuddered. How many times had that mouth brought me to climax within minutes? How many moments had he made me come just with his fingers and sweet whispers in my ear? His tongue slowly flicked against the curve of my neck.

  I should make him stop.

  Instead, I slumped into my chair and relished him.

  “I'll make everything right between us.” He tip-toed his fingers along the opening of my V-neck shirt.

  “How can you?”

  “I'll break up with Cynthia.”

  “Not this again.”

  “I will, after the funeral. Just give me a few days after the funeral to break it to her.”

  Opening my eyes, I grabbed his hand and put it back on his side. “No, Jay. I don't believe you, and even if you did…I don't want to.”

  “What?” He grasped my chin and directed my eyes to him.

  “I don't want to be in a relationship with you, not by yourself or with Cynthia, so you'll be wasting your energy.”

  His fingers trembled against my skin. “That's not fair. Why couldn't we be together if it's just you and me?”

  “You got me to do things. Crap that I would've never done for any other man, at least I hope to God not.”

  “Evie—”

  “I'm serious. We can go back to being friends, but that’s it.”

  He dropped his hand and let out a laugh that held no humor in it. “Friends? We can't be friends again, not after everything we've done.”

  “Then we won't be friends.” I sat back in my chair.

  Within seconds, he captured my mouth, thrust his tongue inside, and took me like I was only his. Oh Jay. Just let me go. I sucked on his tongue, promising myself that it was for the last time and nothing more, that I deserved to taste him again, before saying goodbye. But our kiss lasted longer than it should have; he yanked the arm rest up between us and slid me over to him.

  “We can't just be friends? You know that, right?” He wrapped his hands around my behind as he molded me against him. “You think I'll keep my hands off of you?”

  “You'll have to.”

  “That's not an answer.” He buried his face into my chest. Our seats squeaked, probably disturbing the sleeping passengers around us. Thank God for electronic devices. The ones that didn't sleep had plugged their ears with headphones and linked their brains to eBook readers, mp3 players, laptops, movie players, and whatever else the few people in the cabin did.

  I whimpered as he removed his hands from my ass and shifted to cupping my breasts over my shirt.

  “I'll never stop touching you,” he murmured between kisses. “You'll need a restraining order to get rid of me.”

  “Don't be stupid.”

  “I'm not being stupid. Making sure you're always in my life is the smartest move I'll ever make.”

  I edged away from him. “We can be friends.”

  “You say that as I play with these beautiful nipples?” He softly pinched one and fondled the other. “Grab the blanket on your lap and put it over your chest. I want to take them out.”

  I smacked his hands away. “No. Are you listening to me?”

  “Hell fucking no.” He returned them to my aching tips. My body gave me no help. If anything, my flesh remained firmly on his side, assisting him the whole time. “I'm going to suck on those sexy chocolate nipples of yours and finger fuck you until we land. Can you be quiet and not wake anybody up?”

  “No.”

  “Then I'll kiss you the whole time I do it.”

  I stopped him as he came closer and knocked his hands away. “No, Jay. I'm saying no to everything. Don't touch me. Keep your fingers and mouth away from me. Stop trying to get me back or even to hook up with you.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  “Too bad, Jay. You can’t have it your way all of the time. This isn't going to go the way you think it will.”

  Giving up, he slacked back into his seat. “It'll go down just like I need it to.”

  “No, it won't.”

  He seared me with his gaze. “I won't let myself lose you.”

  “It's too late. You already lost. You had my love and instead of cherishing it, you had to be greedy and put me in some crazy threesome.”

  “I wasn't being greedy,” he said through clenched teeth.

  “Oh really? What where you doing?”

  “Cyn confessed that she couldn't make love. I wasn't just going to leave her alone.”

  “Why not? What's the use of still holding on to her while you're trying to be with me?”

  “Because sex isn't the only reason two people stay together. I enjoy my time with Cyn. I care about her.” He paused, probably when he noticed the hurt expression on my face. Then, “Just like you, I love her. I couldn't just break her heart.”

  “So you broke mine instead.”

  “No, I—”

  “It wasn't a question, Jay. It was a realization. My realization.” I took my headphones out of my lap. “Leave me alone. If you keep coming on to me, then I'll just avoid you.”

  He opened his mouth to speak.

  “No. I'm done listening to you talk. This is how it will go down.” I held up one finger and got back in my seat. “I'll be there for Cynthia and then leave with Pipe later. You touch me again when I don't want it, and I'll punch you so hard in your testicles that you'
ll never be able to have kids.”

  His hurt expression changed to pissed.

  “You made your choice, so go back over to her.” I motioned at Cynthia's sleeping form. “I'm giving you the option of being my friend, but if you push me, I'll take that back.”

  I plugged my headphones into my ears, turned Billie Holiday up as high as I could, and returned to my window where my dark reflection stared back at me with a blank expression on her face. I had no idea if she was mad or proud, sad for me or utterly annoyed at where I'd placed my heart. Either way, I would focus all of my efforts back on her from now on.

  With Jay worrying about Cynthia, and Cynthia pretty much stressing over herself, who the hell was going to look out for Evie?

  Chapter Six

  Jay

  Outside the airport, Miami's dawning sky boasted striking layers of fuchsia and hints of violet as the sun peeked up from the horizon and began to climb its way to the heavens. Beautiful. I would've taken a picture if Evie's words weren't weighing heavy on my mind.

  “I'm giving you the option of being my friend, but if you push me then I'll take that back.”

  How could things have gotten out of hand so quickly? Two days ago, I woke up between two beautiful women, both different in many ways and possessing their own special gifts. In regard to football, my arm had never been better. My team finished the season with a championship. My career seemed to be on its way. Plus, we were all happy. At least, I had thought we were.

  Maybe I was the only one who was truly happy.

  I turned around and looked through the thick glass. Cyn and Evie stood near the baggage claim talking. I couldn't believe Evie came, after all that had happened. She still supported us when things weren't good. She continued to be committed to our love, even though she kept trying to push us away.

  Evie wants to just be friends. Going back to what we were will be the hardest thing I ever do.

  A car honked behind me and then beeped a few times more. A gold and black Cadillac pulled up to the curb. I didn't have to be a genius to realize it was Pipe's car. If the color didn't give it away the music surely would have. Gangster rap blasted from the speakers. Tupac, I think. Apparently, he never got the memo that rich, gay white guys who loved to wear animal prints and pink G-strings never blasted gangster rap out of their cars.