A Good Girl

by Jenny Siegal

  Man, is he gorgeous. I fumble with my book, nearly dropping it, and my breath catches in my throat when I meet his eyes. He holds my stare longer than I expect before I quickly look away, confused.

  While I wait for Iris, I discreetly watch him, sneaking peeks over the top of my book from time to time. I normally go for clean-cut, athletic types, but despite his longer, messed up hair and slightly disreputable look, he is gorgeous. He studies the balls left on the table, gauging his best shot, and my breath quickens as he runs his hand through his dark brown hair, messing it up even more.

  My gaze moves inch by inch down his body, which is impressive. He’s tall, over six feet, and when he stretches over the pool table, I can see how lean his body is. I tilt my head to check out how sexy his ass looks in those jeans that hang off his slim hips, and I’m not disappointed. The muscles in his shoulders and arms flex as he pulls back the cue to take a shot. The thought of those strong arms around me, holding me close to that amazing body, makes me squirm in my seat.

  The sleeve of his T-shirt rides up his biceps, flashing the bottom of a tattoo. I’m a sucker for tattoos so I lean forward in my seat, desperate to get a closer look. He lifts his head and looks to the side, directly at me, as if he knows I’ve been watching him the whole time. Our gaze collides and a jolt passes between us, pinning me to my seat. His eyes hold mine, daring me to look away, but I can’t. He has me trapped. A ghost of a smile dances over his lips before I manage to drag my eyes back down to the book that lies forgotten on my lap.

  Obviously, the book isn’t enough to hold my interest because I keep wondering what he’d look like without a shirt on. My cheeks flush at my inappropriate thoughts of what I’d like to do to him if given half a chance. If I were the old Charlie, that is. The new and improved Charlotte is behaving herself and keeping her distance.

  “You’re staring.” Iris’s voice invades my thoughts as she drops into a seat in front of me, blowing strands of her curly hair out her face.

  “Huh.” I drag my eyes away from the sexy stranger and look up with my mouth hanging open.

  Busted.

  “Who are you staring at?” She perks up and starts to turn in her chair before I tug on her arm to stop her.

  “No one, it doesn’t matter. Can we eat now?” I rush out, willing her to drop it before she embarrasses me. Iris isn’t the most subtle person I’ve ever met, and I definitely don’t need some sexy stranger knowing that I’ve been checking him out.

  “Yeah, I’ll go and order. It’s my treat today.” She jumps up and walks over to the counter to order our food. Not a lot of people come here for lunch—certainly not freshmen—which is why we prefer it. It’s not nearly as noisy as the cafeteria, so I pick up my art history book again and flick through it while I wait.

  “Charlotte, Charlotte!” a loud voice shouts across the union. I look up in annoyance to see why Charlotte won’t answer. It takes me a minute to realize it is Iris shouting for me from across the union. Shit, I’m still getting used to my new name. She’s gesticulating wildly at me, as subtle as ever, and I fight to keep a scowl off my face.

  With a deep sigh, I reluctantly get up and slink over to where she’s waiting to order lunch. The sexy guy playing pool watches my progress and flashes me a smile. His attention makes me flush all over, and heat begins to rise in my body, making me uncomfortable. I manage a small self-conscious smile in response as I pass.

  “Shh, what is it?” I ask quietly in the hope that she’ll lower her voice. My eyes dart around, and checking that not too many people have heard her.

  “What do you want to eat? There’s nothing here you like, and you’re too fussy.” She waves a menu at me, grumbling good-naturedly as she continues to poke fun at me about my pickiness.

  Ignoring her, I scan the limited choices. “Macaroni and cheese with a bottle of water,” I say to the girl behind the counter then move to head back to our table.

  “Charlotte, are you working in the library this afternoon?” Iris shouts after me, her loud voice stopping me my tracks, I cringe inwardly before turning slowly and skulking back to where she stands.

  “Yes, until four,” I say in a quiet voice, hoping she’ll take the hint and turn the volume down before I die of embarrassment.

  “Good. I have a paper to work on, and you can help me.” She looks excited and I roll my eyes at her. Sexy pool guy is leaning against the table, openly watching me with amusement dancing in his eyes. I flash him a small “she’s a pain in the ass but I love her” smile and head back to my seat.

  Once we have our food, Iris chatters on, oblivious to the fact that he’s distracted me too much to listen. The butterflies that are dancing in my stomach are making me want to hurl, so I barely touch my lunch. Every time I look up, he’s looking at me. It is impossible not to meet his eyes. I can’t help it; I'm drawn to him.

  “I’ve got to get to the library,” I blurt out. I get up from my seat before she even registers what I’m saying and gather up my books. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Um-hmm.” She bobs her head, her mouth full of food.

  Despite trying not to look in the direction of the sexy pool-playing stranger, a magnetic force pulls my eyes up to meet his. Scratch that, that’s stupid. I just want to look at him again. And when I do, I experience the same jolt in my stomach as he smiles at me, his green eyes twinkling. Dumbstruck by his amazing smile, I pause and look down at the ground before walking away, even more confused. What just happened?

  • • •

  Much to my mom’s surprise and delight, I have a part-time job at the campus library. It’s only a few hours a week, but I enjoy it. The work is interesting and the peace and quiet appeals to me. Life has been a lot less hectic since I moved here, and I feel calmer. There’s something liberating about people not knowing me—or my past. I don’t have anyone to impress or try to meet expectations, and there’s no one talking about me behind my back. I don’t need to pretend to ignore the bitchy comments from the girls and the suggestive ones from guys on the football team.

  The calmness always sweeps over me as soon as I walk in the door, cut off from the noise of the outside world, and inhale that unique book smell. After today’s lunch debacle, it’s particularly welcome.

  I check in with my supervisor, who assigns me to re-shelve books this afternoon. Lucky me, this is my favorite part of the job. With a pile of books in my arms, I climb the steps of the portable ladder to reach the top shelf.

  “Can you help me?” The deep, smooth voice makes me immediately think of hot chocolate and velvet. When I look down to find its owner, mesmerizing green eyes that I could easily drown in sweep me away, like the sea on a stormy day. Looking expectantly up at me, a small smile playing on his lips, is the sexy guy from the union. His eyes crinkle at the corners as he presses his lips together, holding back a smile as he watches me gape at him open mouthed.

  When I realize that I’m staring, I clamp my mouth shut with an audible snap before I start down the ladder. As graceful as ever, I slip and stumble on the last step. Strong hands reach out and steady me at the waist as electricity crackles between us. Turning me around to face him, my hands come to rest on his chest, allowing me to feel the hard muscles underneath his T-shirt. I notice his heart is racing. Instantly, all I want to do is lay my head against that hard chest and inhale his gorgeous scent.

  We stand like that for longer than necessary, with his hands still on my waist. As he looks down at me, I forget to breathe. The same elusive energy from earlier passes between us, but it is gone before I can grasp what it was. Reluctantly, his arms drop away, and I force myself to take my hands off his chest before he thinks I’m some weirdo feeling him up. I feel the burn of embarrassment flush my cheeks, and I try unsuccessfully to control my runaway blushing.

  “You’re Charlotte, right?” His gaze drops to my chest as he blatantly looks down my top and doesn’t even try to hide it. Then his gaze travels up and when his eyes meet mine, my breathing falters. Th
ose beautiful green eyes are perfectly almond-shaped and rimmed with long eyelashes that are amazingly thick and dark.

  “Hmm, and you’re the sexy guy from lunch,” I murmur distractedly, the words out of my mouth before I can stop them.

  His face brightens, and he gives me a wide smile. “You think I’m sexy.” His breath catches and goosebumps break out on my skin at how seductive he sounds.

  “No, I didn’t mean that. I…” There’s no way I can backtrack now. My blush deepens, confirming to him that I do indeed think he’s sexy. Well, duh, he is.

  “You do, too.” The smile is still there, full lips and perfect teeth. God, he has a beautiful smile.

  “Shut up.” I try to scowl at him, but from his reaction, I don’t think I’m successful.

  He leans closer and lowers his voice. “Well, seeing as you’ve confessed what you really think, I’ll tell you something.” His breath is warm on my neck and tickles, which causes a shiver that I immediately suppress.

  “What?” I glance up at him, which is a big mistake because those beautiful eyes assault me again.

  “I think you’re hot,” he says, and the timbre of his voice causes my stomach to dip.

  “Yeah, right. I don’t think so.” Although I want to believe it’s true; I really do.

  He dips his head a little closer to mine and says softly, “You are, you know.”

  While my heart beats wildly because this gorgeous, green-eyed god thinks I’m hot, my brain screams at me to step on the brakes before all my hard work at changing myself goes down the tubes, and I end up in his bed. I want to slap my stupid brain silly, but I know she’s right. So, I close my eyes for a second, to give my heart a chance to slow down, and change the subject.

  Doing my best to appear unfazed, I ask, “So, what do you need my help with?”

  “I’m looking for this book.” He hands me a slip of paper then follows me back to the information desk as I sit down at the computer. As I type in the title of the book he needs, his gaze dips and he’s looking down my top again. When I raise my eyebrows questioningly at him, his eyes crinkle at the corners as he smiles, not bothered in the slightest that I’ve just caught him looking down at my cleavage.

  “The book you want is out on loan, but I can take a reservation for you.”

  “I’d like that.” Somehow, he makes those three words sound suggestive. He hands me his card and I key in his details and place the reservation. As I type, he leans forward, resting his elbows on the desk and watching me closely, effectively distracting me.

  “The band I’m in is playing a gig this Friday,” he says in a normal voice. “You should come.”

  Shaking my head slightly, I stare at the computer. “Thanks, but I don’t think so.”

  “Come on,” he says in a cajoling tone. “You can bring your friend from lunchtime.”

  “I’ll think about it,” I say, but I have no intention of going. And there’s no way that I’m telling Iris; she’s always trying to get me to go out. She would definitely want to go out this weekend now that there are more people here on campus and it’s busier.

  “Think about what?” a voice asks. Groaning silently, I look up and see Iris standing next to the desk, waiting for my answer.

  My tormentor flashes me a cocky smile before turning his attention to Iris. “I was just saying to Charlotte that both of you should come to our gig on Friday at the Captain’s Cabin. There will be lots of people there, it should be fun.” Then he turns back to me and flashes me a triumphant smile.

  “Oh, that would be great.” Her face lights up. “We’ll be there. I’m Iris, by the way.”

  I roll my eyes at her, and she sticks her tongue out at me in response.

  “Great! I’m Dominic, but you,” he says, looking at me pointedly, “can keep calling me the sexy guy from lunch, if you prefer.” He winks at me, his eyes dancing with amusement.

  “Okay, Dominic.” I like the way his name sounds as it rolls off my tongue, which is not a good thing. Putting on my serious face, I try to get the conversation back on track. “You’ll get an e-mail to let you know your book is in.”

  “Thanks. See you at the gig, Charlotte.” He reaches for his card, and a jolt of energy passes between us when his finger brushes mine.

  “Hmm, maybe,” I say noncommittally, and he flashes me a ‘we’ll see’ smile before he leaves.

  At least Iris waits until he is out of earshot before she sits down at the desk and gives me a wide-eyed look.

  “What was all that about?” she says in a rush along with the breath she’s been holding. “He was playing pool at lunchtime, wasn’t he? Ooh, he’s the one you were staring at.” Her smile is getting bigger as she puts the pieces together. Trust her to notice, but then I don’t normally drool over guys like that. In fact, I haven’t paid attention to any of them since I got here. Iris can’t understand this; she’s always checking out guys. But then, she is a little starved of male attention, thanks to her all-girl education.

  “I wasn’t staring,” I say with a frown. “He came in to reserve a book and asked me to help.”

  “I think he came in looking for you,” she says with a knowing look, obviously not buying my brush-off. “But how did he know your name?”

  “Duh,” I say with a snort. “Because you were shouting it across the union at lunchtime.” Exasperated, I start to stack books to give me something to do.

  Her eyes narrow at me as she asks, “Are you going to the gig?”

  “No way,” I say quickly.

  Her face falls in disappointment. “Why not? I want to go, and I can’t go unless you do.” Those big blue eyes plead with me, and her bottom lip looks suspiciously like it’s about to lower into a pout. There’s no need for me to go with her, but being the softy that I am, I give in too easily.

  “Okay, fine, I’ll come with you. Now, let me get back to work,” I grumble as she flashes me a big smile before walking away with a bounce in her step.

  • • •

  Our first week of the semester passes quickly. I see Dominic at the union during lunch a few times but I don’t speak to him again. His eyes always seek me out, and my stomach flips violently when he smiles widely at me. I return his smile but don’t speak to him again.

  Iris doesn’t miss it. “He likes you,” she declares, as if she’s an expert on these things.

  “Shut up.” I give her my annoyed face. “He’s just being friendly. I bet he’s like that with everyone.” I don’t know why it bothers me for her to point it out; I’m not interested in him. But that doesn’t explain the butterflies that flap around in my stomach, or the way I feel like I’ve been punched in the stomach the minute I look into his eyes

  “Maybe,” she says noncommittally. “Do you know who he is?” She eyes me over the table.

  “No, should I?”

  Her eyes widen and her mouth falls open. “Are you serious? Everyone’s heard of him and the band. Dominic Hudson is the guitarist with Supercharged.”

  “Never heard of them.” I shrug, unimpressed.

  “I hear he’s a major player. You should stay away from him,” she advises me with a tone of superiority, pointing her finger for emphasis.

  I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from bursting out laughing. If I told her about my life before college, she’d be warning every guy on campus to stay away from me.

  “I’m not interested in him, Iris.” I try to sound convincing, but my stomach clenches at the mere thought of him. Maybe I would have been in the past. He is gorgeous and sexy as hell—I’ll admit that. But I don’t understand why he affects me the way he does, so I’m steering clear.

  “Whatever. Are we still going tonight?”

  I hear the hopefulness in her voice and nod. There’s not much chance I’m going to get out of this one.

  “If we have to,” I agree begrudgingly, and she jumps out of her seat and grabs me in a big hug.

  Besides, if I didn’t give in, I’d never hear the end of it.


  Chapter Four

  Iris and I arrive at the bar around nine o’clock and the place is packed. Judging by the size of the crowd, Supercharged must be good. We squeeze through a throng of people to get to the bar and wait for service. Iris orders a beer, flashing her fake ID, and when I give the bartender my order, her eyebrows rise in disbelief.

  “Water. Really, Charlotte, are you kidding me?” The corners of her mouth turn down in distaste.

  “What?” I put on my most innocent face. “I told you that I don’t drink.”

  This is the hardest part. It’s not that I have a drinking problem, but if I’m going to be on my best behavior, I need to stay sober. Sure, it’s tough not having a beer when I’m out, especially in a bar like this, but I need to keep my resolve and not slip up during the first week of the semester.

  “Never?” she says, her eyebrows rising.

  “Never, but you go right ahead.” With a shrug she picks up her beer from the bar so we can move near the front. The place is jammed and not unsurprisingly, there are a lot of females. Iris is busy shouting in my ear when they all start screaming, and I jump, startled by the increase in noise. The band walks out onto the small stage and the reaction of the crowd takes me by surprise. Why would they go so wild for a small local band?

  When I take a closer look at the band assembled on the stage, I totally get it. They are all mega hot, each of them in their own way, but it’s Dominic who takes my breath away. He looks seriously sexy standing there, guitar in hand, wearing a white T-shirt that isn’t tight but somehow manages to cling to him in all the right places and show off his lean muscles.

  I have a hard time taking my eyes off him, even once the band starts playing and Iris distracts me with all her bouncing in time to the music. But once I do tear my gaze away from him and take a look around, I notice someone in the audience obviously checking us out.